I wrote this letter to Blogspot.com. Although we've had a wonderful relationship I decided to call it off today. I have a new blog at Wordpress Please make the transition with me, dear readers (don't tell blogspot).
Thanks,
Eli
Dear Blogspot,
Hey, well this is awkward. I don't really know how to say this, so I guess I'll just dive in.
I don't have the same feelings for you that I used to have. For almost three years we've been together. You've been such a good friend, confidant and all-around great virtual conglomerate of text. I've learned so much about myself from you. I've learned so much about relationship.
But the feeling is gone. It's not you, it's me. Seriously. I just can't fake it anymore. I don't have the same feelings that I used to have for you. I don't regret our time together, not at all. However, I just think we both need to move on. We both have to learn how to live with out each other.
That all being said, I have one other confession.
Yes, there is another. Like I said before, it's not you. But I'm now seeing Wordpress.com. I met Wordpress.com over the last two weeks. It's just a better fit for me. I'm really sorry, I feel very bad about this... but sometimes you just know that you have to do something.
Listen, please, this isn't you, it's me.
I know everyone says this, but I hope we can still be friends.
Sincerly,
Eli Francovich
Friday, May 28, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
What I've Learned
This may be a bit redundant, but I've just got to emphasize how much I'm learning here. It's a bit of an information overload. To be honest. I think that I'll probably only truly begin to process it after I've returned home. However, I think there are some definite highlights, thus far. Although I'm learning so much about multimedia production and editing (I'm going to a Final Cut Pro class in a few minutes!) I think the most useful and in certain ways basic skill discussed is how we journalists choose stories.
Yeah, this might seem kind of like a no brainer. Most of us have been finding our own stories for a while. Personally I thought I knew what it was all about.
I was wrong.
I've realized that the stories I've come up with I've simply been lucky enough to fall into. I've never had a logical, step-by-step process attached to the story finding process. That's no longer the case. Thanks to Al Tompkin's presentation on the "5 Motivators" I have a much better grasp on why some stories work, and others don't.
Al's 5 Motivators
Money
Family
Safety
Health
Community
Al's secondary Motivators
Moral Outrage
Curiosity
This list is fairly simple. Yet I think it will impact me for the rest of my life. See, I've never really thought about why I choose to write a story. Sure, sometimes you just have to write a story, however, that doesn't mean you can't find one of these motivators. Al said all good stories contain one of more of these elements.
When I think back on the stories I've written I notice a trend. I tend to use Curiosity as my main motivator. This is a legitimate motivator, however, according to Al, you have to be careful. It works but not all the time. Basically you shouldn't rely on it.
Wow! That is crazy. I've honestly never analyzed my story choosing process. I analyze my writing, my interviewing and my design skills. But it never even crossed my mind that it would be useful to analyze the foundation of any story.
It's ridiculously obvious how obvious this should have been. In fact, it makes me want to go back and re due last year. Actually the last two-years.
Ah, well I guess that won't happen. It's simple but so important. And it fits. Thinking back over my most "successful" articles I see they all contained one or more of these elements. My "Hooked on Hookah" feature, which was an SPJ national finalist had a health component, a community component and an innate curiosity component.
So, my journalism education continues. As excited as I am for traveling next year (I'm really freaking excited) I kind of wish I could go work in the journalism industry. It's just so exciting and interesting. Right now is such an important and pivotal time, and I want in!
Yeah, this might seem kind of like a no brainer. Most of us have been finding our own stories for a while. Personally I thought I knew what it was all about.
I was wrong.
I've realized that the stories I've come up with I've simply been lucky enough to fall into. I've never had a logical, step-by-step process attached to the story finding process. That's no longer the case. Thanks to Al Tompkin's presentation on the "5 Motivators" I have a much better grasp on why some stories work, and others don't.
Al's 5 Motivators
Money
Family
Safety
Health
Community
Al's secondary Motivators
Moral Outrage
Curiosity
This list is fairly simple. Yet I think it will impact me for the rest of my life. See, I've never really thought about why I choose to write a story. Sure, sometimes you just have to write a story, however, that doesn't mean you can't find one of these motivators. Al said all good stories contain one of more of these elements.
When I think back on the stories I've written I notice a trend. I tend to use Curiosity as my main motivator. This is a legitimate motivator, however, according to Al, you have to be careful. It works but not all the time. Basically you shouldn't rely on it.
Wow! That is crazy. I've honestly never analyzed my story choosing process. I analyze my writing, my interviewing and my design skills. But it never even crossed my mind that it would be useful to analyze the foundation of any story.
It's ridiculously obvious how obvious this should have been. In fact, it makes me want to go back and re due last year. Actually the last two-years.
Ah, well I guess that won't happen. It's simple but so important. And it fits. Thinking back over my most "successful" articles I see they all contained one or more of these elements. My "Hooked on Hookah" feature, which was an SPJ national finalist had a health component, a community component and an innate curiosity component.
So, my journalism education continues. As excited as I am for traveling next year (I'm really freaking excited) I kind of wish I could go work in the journalism industry. It's just so exciting and interesting. Right now is such an important and pivotal time, and I want in!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Passion for Poynter
Poynter is amazing. I'm still firmly committed to that statement. It's an intense full immersion into the journalistic process. They expect us to engage and work hard. Not to say it isn't fun, it's a ton of fun. But hard work.
We start each day at either 9 am or 8:30 am. We will then spend the next many hours in sessions.
It's a funny thing. In school I fall asleep at the slightest provocation. It must be hard wired into me. A teacher talks, I sleep.
Not here. These are teachers like I've never seen before. Every single presenter I've had the pleasure of listening to has been completely and utterly passionate and engaged in their subject of choice. I honestly couldn't fall asleep, even if I wanted to. They are just too darn energetic. I love it.
This has made me think a bit about the process of learning and teaching. See, I always figured that when I really figured out what I wanted to be doing and was able to focus just on that, then I would stay interested and committed to that craft. However, now I'm not so sure. I think the key is having teachers that are just plain excellent. Even the presentations that aren't that inherently interesting to me, still captivate me. So, it's either the teacher or the realization that I'm paying a shit-ton of money to attend this two-week deal (wow, sounds like college).
Nah, I think it's the teachers...
And in addition to all the great things I'm learning here, we're also outfitted with some awesome equipment. It's a pretty unique experience, the ability to be able to focus on a journalism medium we're unfamiliar while using top-notch equipment, surrounded by top-notch journalists.
My fellow fellows (ha) are so insightful and skilled at what they do. I feel like I learn things just hanging out with them.
The projects are going well. I'm focusing mine on what the psychic community thinks/sees about the oil spill. I went into an interesting little shop today. The two woman I talked to were very nice. They both told me that the psychic community has been talking about the spill nonstop. So, although I have a ton of work left to do, at least I have a clear goal in mind. Hopefully it pans out.
St. Petersburg itself is a beutiful town. I've gotten into the habit of running a bit after the final sessions. It's a nice way to clear my head and see parts of the town I would not otherwise encounter. It's really quite beautiful. It's surrounded by water on three sides. The downtown area has nice restaurants and open air cafes. There seems to be a pretty strong night life as well as water based recreation (boats etc). Actually, today I ran out onto the Pier, which is... yeah you guessed it... a giant pier. There are shops and all sorts of things out there. I didn't explore too much, mostly because I was all sweaty and nasty. I think I'll head back there tomorrow.
So, more later. I'll try to pass on some of the excellent information I'm learning here. It's worth repeating.
This is our newsroom, yes it's the nicest room I've ever been in...
... and this is my own personal computer (for two-weeks), I love it dearly.
We start each day at either 9 am or 8:30 am. We will then spend the next many hours in sessions.
It's a funny thing. In school I fall asleep at the slightest provocation. It must be hard wired into me. A teacher talks, I sleep.
Not here. These are teachers like I've never seen before. Every single presenter I've had the pleasure of listening to has been completely and utterly passionate and engaged in their subject of choice. I honestly couldn't fall asleep, even if I wanted to. They are just too darn energetic. I love it.
This has made me think a bit about the process of learning and teaching. See, I always figured that when I really figured out what I wanted to be doing and was able to focus just on that, then I would stay interested and committed to that craft. However, now I'm not so sure. I think the key is having teachers that are just plain excellent. Even the presentations that aren't that inherently interesting to me, still captivate me. So, it's either the teacher or the realization that I'm paying a shit-ton of money to attend this two-week deal (wow, sounds like college).
Nah, I think it's the teachers...
And in addition to all the great things I'm learning here, we're also outfitted with some awesome equipment. It's a pretty unique experience, the ability to be able to focus on a journalism medium we're unfamiliar while using top-notch equipment, surrounded by top-notch journalists.
My fellow fellows (ha) are so insightful and skilled at what they do. I feel like I learn things just hanging out with them.
The projects are going well. I'm focusing mine on what the psychic community thinks/sees about the oil spill. I went into an interesting little shop today. The two woman I talked to were very nice. They both told me that the psychic community has been talking about the spill nonstop. So, although I have a ton of work left to do, at least I have a clear goal in mind. Hopefully it pans out.
St. Petersburg itself is a beutiful town. I've gotten into the habit of running a bit after the final sessions. It's a nice way to clear my head and see parts of the town I would not otherwise encounter. It's really quite beautiful. It's surrounded by water on three sides. The downtown area has nice restaurants and open air cafes. There seems to be a pretty strong night life as well as water based recreation (boats etc). Actually, today I ran out onto the Pier, which is... yeah you guessed it... a giant pier. There are shops and all sorts of things out there. I didn't explore too much, mostly because I was all sweaty and nasty. I think I'll head back there tomorrow.
So, more later. I'll try to pass on some of the excellent information I'm learning here. It's worth repeating.
This is our newsroom, yes it's the nicest room I've ever been in...
... and this is my own personal computer (for two-weeks), I love it dearly.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Poynter
Well, I'm here. St. Petersburg Florida at the annual Poynter Fellowship. It's amazing plain and simple.
It's spectacular. I'll post some photos later, but for now, I'll I can say is it's absolutely, stunningly beautiful. It's, as Sara Quinn, one of our advisers/teachers/mentors said, a "Spa for journalists." The room we work in is beautiful. The paneling is all from one South American tree. Everything is ordered in such a way to create a calm and quite place for journalists to work and learn more about journalism. The technology is all state of the art, more or less, and we have access to it 24/7.
And that's just the building. I can't say enough about the people. I'm surrounded by college journalists that are so incredibly passionate about what they do. Every last one of them has something I can learn, something to teach me. The pure level of dedication to journalism is inspiring. I love being around the energy of it because it pushes me to work harder and learn more.
Yes, I'm pumped. It's only the second day, however, I've already learned so much. Today we were assigned to our "beat" teams. Me and four others spent a good three hours walking around trying to learn as much as we could about our assigned section of the city. It was hard, but interesting. My team mates were all very fun to be around and to work with.
Florida is hot and muggy, which doesn't bother me much. I love the heat. It's a very laid back, relaxed seeming town.
Tomorrow I'm waking up fairly early to go start working on my project which will be some sort of multimedia (most likely) package. I'm working with a lady named Anika Anand. Anika is from the University of North Carolina. It's going to be a fun project.
It's going to be an intense two weeks. No doubt about it. Our schedule is packed with classes and trainings. When we aren't in class we're expected to work on our projects.
So, I'm off to bed. I'll blog more, no doubt about it and I'll get some photos up, promise.
It's spectacular. I'll post some photos later, but for now, I'll I can say is it's absolutely, stunningly beautiful. It's, as Sara Quinn, one of our advisers/teachers/mentors said, a "Spa for journalists." The room we work in is beautiful. The paneling is all from one South American tree. Everything is ordered in such a way to create a calm and quite place for journalists to work and learn more about journalism. The technology is all state of the art, more or less, and we have access to it 24/7.
And that's just the building. I can't say enough about the people. I'm surrounded by college journalists that are so incredibly passionate about what they do. Every last one of them has something I can learn, something to teach me. The pure level of dedication to journalism is inspiring. I love being around the energy of it because it pushes me to work harder and learn more.
Yes, I'm pumped. It's only the second day, however, I've already learned so much. Today we were assigned to our "beat" teams. Me and four others spent a good three hours walking around trying to learn as much as we could about our assigned section of the city. It was hard, but interesting. My team mates were all very fun to be around and to work with.
Florida is hot and muggy, which doesn't bother me much. I love the heat. It's a very laid back, relaxed seeming town.
Tomorrow I'm waking up fairly early to go start working on my project which will be some sort of multimedia (most likely) package. I'm working with a lady named Anika Anand. Anika is from the University of North Carolina. It's going to be a fun project.
It's going to be an intense two weeks. No doubt about it. Our schedule is packed with classes and trainings. When we aren't in class we're expected to work on our projects.
So, I'm off to bed. I'll blog more, no doubt about it and I'll get some photos up, promise.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Disconnect
So, the last issue of The Sentinel was produced this weekend. It was a good weekend and the first issue the new editors produced. It was a bit weird because I did almost nothing. I hung around to assist the new managing editor (Mike McCall) and the other new editors. However, they didn’t need me much.
Because of this disconnect I felt pretty nervous about how the paper would be. Because I wasn’t plugged into the process it seemed like there wasn’t much getting done.
I was wrong. It looks (on quick examination) like a great issue. The new editors really rocked the whole thing. They worked really hard (think staying until 5am) and were organized.
It was really great to see. At this moment I don’t feel sad about my time at The Sentinel being over. It was an amazing year and I’m so glad I did it, however, at this moment I’m just excited that I’m not going to be expected to manage anyone for almost a month. It’s a great feeling.
I will miss it though. It was a pretty amazing and unique experience. So, give me a few months and I’m sure I will be elegantly bemoaning my separation from The Sentinel and formalized journalism.
But for now I’m looking ahead. This week I have off (kind of). On Saturday I leave for the Poynter Fellowship, which I’m getting increasingly excited about. I’ll be there for two weeks (and I’ll be blogging about it). When I get back from that I’ll have a week off and then I’m fully immersed in the world of Camp Reed.
I’m excited for Camp. No doubt about that. This summer I’m leading CITs (Counselors in Training) and cooking. I have one week where I’ll be in charge of a cabin but other than that I get to hang with the older kids (15 years) and cook food for the camp.
It’s going to be a good summer. I love camp, the people and the work. One of my favorite aspects of the job is the pure amount of time I get to spend outside. During the school year I spend, if I’m lucky, 1.5 hours a day outside. I spend so much time in front of a screen. It’s maddening. At camp it’s the opposite. I spend 12 to 13 hours a day outside and maybe an hour in front of a screen a week.
I like the ratio.
Because of this disconnect I felt pretty nervous about how the paper would be. Because I wasn’t plugged into the process it seemed like there wasn’t much getting done.
I was wrong. It looks (on quick examination) like a great issue. The new editors really rocked the whole thing. They worked really hard (think staying until 5am) and were organized.
It was really great to see. At this moment I don’t feel sad about my time at The Sentinel being over. It was an amazing year and I’m so glad I did it, however, at this moment I’m just excited that I’m not going to be expected to manage anyone for almost a month. It’s a great feeling.
I will miss it though. It was a pretty amazing and unique experience. So, give me a few months and I’m sure I will be elegantly bemoaning my separation from The Sentinel and formalized journalism.
But for now I’m looking ahead. This week I have off (kind of). On Saturday I leave for the Poynter Fellowship, which I’m getting increasingly excited about. I’ll be there for two weeks (and I’ll be blogging about it). When I get back from that I’ll have a week off and then I’m fully immersed in the world of Camp Reed.
I’m excited for Camp. No doubt about that. This summer I’m leading CITs (Counselors in Training) and cooking. I have one week where I’ll be in charge of a cabin but other than that I get to hang with the older kids (15 years) and cook food for the camp.
It’s going to be a good summer. I love camp, the people and the work. One of my favorite aspects of the job is the pure amount of time I get to spend outside. During the school year I spend, if I’m lucky, 1.5 hours a day outside. I spend so much time in front of a screen. It’s maddening. At camp it’s the opposite. I spend 12 to 13 hours a day outside and maybe an hour in front of a screen a week.
I like the ratio.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Yeah, that's my cousin
So, I know this won't really come as a surprise to anyone. Considering how freakishly athletic I am it's not really a big deal that my cousin, Marco Sullivan, was in the Olympics.
Actually, it's probably kind of expected. It's hard not to be in the Olympics when you're related to a Francovich. Yeah, I taught him everything he knows about competitive down hill skiing.
Anyways, all that aside, I was in Seattle about a month ago dropping off Emmanuelle. We were saying goodbye, when suddenly, I saw this advertisement, with, yeah you guessed it, Marco Sullivan on it.
Apparently he loves to ski and drink Budweiser...
If I was 21 I would have an opinion about Budweiser, but, being 20 I barely know what it is.
Actually, it's probably kind of expected. It's hard not to be in the Olympics when you're related to a Francovich. Yeah, I taught him everything he knows about competitive down hill skiing.
Anyways, all that aside, I was in Seattle about a month ago dropping off Emmanuelle. We were saying goodbye, when suddenly, I saw this advertisement, with, yeah you guessed it, Marco Sullivan on it.
Apparently he loves to ski and drink Budweiser...
If I was 21 I would have an opinion about Budweiser, but, being 20 I barely know what it is.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Back, back, back on the attack
Seattle to Seattle (and a little more)
So it’s been month, more or less (probably more) since I last wrote. So I think it’s appropriate to bookend this thing, meaning I’ll start with the beginning, skip four or more weeks and end with the end. Then I’ll go back and fill in the middle, much like building a house.
Right, so what does this have to do with Seattle? Well I started in Seattle and ended in Seattle. So there.
On March 23 I drove to Seattle to pick up Emmanuelle Martin. She is this woman that I met in India during my trip. We got along great (read: really amazing) and are (judging by my facebook status) in a “relationship.”
I hope that didn’t sound snide or sarcastic. I don’t feel either. She was here for three weeks and it was amazing. It’ shard to explain, well actually its not. We get along really well. We just fit each other, pretty perfectly. And she is really beautiful and has this amazing grace about her.
I’m a big fan. Anyways, she was here, it was great and I’m not going to divulge any more intimate details onto the Internet. Trust me though, I’m really lucky.
So, I picked her up in Seattle, and now I’m driving back from Seattle. This last weekend I went to look at colleges (well actually only one, Seattle University) and to tour the Seattle Times and generally see Seattle. I drove there with a bunch of people from The Sentinel. I spent the first night with my good friends Hannah Reid and Sarah McHugh, who both attend Seattle University. They were awesome hosts and really made me fall in love with the college.
The next night I spent with Sentinel folks, which was a lot of fun. Mike McCall (the new managing editor of The Sentinel), Mike Paquine (the new online editor) and I walked around and had a good time seeing down town Seattle.
The next night (May 1) I went back to Seattle University and stayed with Hannah and Sarah again.
And now I’m on a bus, flying through Central Washington, wondering what the burning electrical smell is.
Yoga
My Yoga life has been going great. I’ve been teaching and have gotten the requisite 20 hours. In fact I now have something like 25 hours of teaching experience. I’ve been doing Yoga everyday, which really feels great. I feel changes in my body, slowly but surely. My hamstrings are lengthening and I feel very present in my body.
Actually, this weekend was a big one as far as yoga goes. On Saturday morning I went to my first ever Bikram inspired class. For those of you who don’t know Bikram yoga is where you do yoga in a hot room. There is a whole style and philosophy behind it. I’d never done it and boy was it interesting. I didn’t find it very hard, however, the experience of sweating that much was definitely something new. I really enjoyed it, however, I’m really glad I have the privilege of practicing (and hopefully teaching) Anusara Yoga.
Then, this morning (May 2) I got to go to a yoga class at Seattle Yoga Arts. This studio is owned and operated by two women who are good friends with my mom. They were very welcoming and gracious. I had a wonderful time, and quite a bit harder than the Bikram class I went to.
Newspaper
And things have been going great here too (I live a lucky little life, ah nice alliteration). A few weeks ago I found out that I won first place in the Region 10 SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) feature-writing category, second place in in-depth reporting and first place (shared with Jake Donahue) in editorial writing. The Sentinel also won best of show for the Region 10 SPJ. Basically this means that we will go to Las Vegas (I won’t but The Sentinel will) in October to compete in the national competition. Design wise we have a good shot at placing in the top three, but we will see.
And, in addition to this all, I got accepted to the Poynter Institute. This, in of itself, is pretty awesome. I applied for the fellowship a few months ago without giving it much thought. I really didn’t think I had much of a chance. I guess I was wrong. As cool as this is, what is even cooler is that I’ve managed to get enough money to go. At first I didn’t think I would be able to because it came with a pretty hefty price tag. However, thanks to Nils Rosdahl and NIC I’ve been able to wrangle up the necessary funds. I leave on May 15 and will be gone for two weeks. Oh, right. The Poynter Fellowship is a two-week journalism intensive. Forty student journalists from around the country attend the fellowship where they learn from the “industries best.”
It should be a good time. It’s in St. Petersburg Florida, which I think is a cool place, I’m not sure if it can beat Coeur d’Alene in the spring. We’ll see.
The Sentinel is almost done. We have one more issue. I’m no longer the managing editor (despite the signature on my email address). The new guy is Mike McCall. For this last issue I will be in an advisory role (much like the U.S. in Vietnam pre escalation). I’ll help Mike learn all the things he needs to know for the nebulous and taxing job that is being the managing editor. I will miss it, but I think it’ll take a few months for me to miss it. Right now I’m just glad to be almost done.
Restless horizon looking attitude
I’m feeling the good old little travel urges. Actually they aren’t little. I can’t wait to be traveling (yes, this definitely has something to do with the fact that I’ll see Emmanuelle). It’s really getting intense. It’s hard to sit still. It’s hard to keep the same old routine that I’ve had these last 9 months. I’m horizon bound.
But wait, what about the summer?
Great question. This summer I’m working at Camp Reed, again. I’m so, so excited. It looks like I’m going to be leading CITs (Counselors in Training), which is this great program. It’s four 14 and 15 year olds. Basically how it works is we spend one week working on projects around camp (and we really work hard) and then we spend another whole week biking around Lake Coeur d’Alene (around 300 miles). I can’t wait. I’m really, really excited. I get to lead the weeks with some great people.
So, I think those are the main ones. I’ll add more if I think of things I omitted.
I’m still on this bus and that burning electrical smell is gone, so that is a plus. We’re in Moses Lake. It feels so good to be on a bus, traveling moving seeing different things different people.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Lots of things
Well, right now is an interesting time. The Sentinel (Issue 8) came out last week. We don’t have another issue for six weeks, so I’m in a quagmire work wise. See, I work really well under pressure. However, remove that pressure and boom... I’m lazy and unmotivated. Take yesterday for instance. I got to The Sentinel office at 7 am and stayed there until 2 pm. The majority of that time I was doing nothing. Sure, I got a bit done, but when you consider how many hours I spent there, it’s pretty lame.
So, that is something I’m continually working on. It’s great to be able to work under pressure, but it’s also important (I think) to have the long term vision to work as you go. Not just last minute.
That being said, some pretty cool stuff happened yesterday and today.
First off, yesterday I found out I had been selected to attend the annual Poynter Fellowship. This is a two-week journalism intensive in St. Petersburg Florida. Basically you apply and then if you are one of the 40 selected you spend the two weeks immersed in all things journalism related. It’s pretty neat to have this opportunity. The only stumbling block is the price ($1,800 not counting air fair, food or lodging). It’s not exactly cheap. So, I applied for a scholarship. Hopefully I get that, but we will see. I have to say thanks to Jake Donahue for telling me about this. He did it last year and said it was amazing. He also recommended me to the lady in charge there, which I'm sure helped a bit.
Now, the next neat thing; as some of you may know I’ve been working on developing a new website for my mother. Well, if you read the top half of this post you might see that I’m not so good with the long-term motivation. Website design = a long-term motivation thing = Eli is not staying up on it.
That all changed yesterday. Darci Sinclair (a student of my mother) has volunteered to work with me. She is a professional graphic designer. We had are first meeting yesterday, which was absolutely awesome. It’s so cool to work with someone who is an expert at what she does. Also, having another person on the “team” forces me to work harder and more regularly, which is great.
And finally, I just found out 20 minutes ago that The Sentinel won Best of Show in the New York CMA convention. Pretty cool! Nils Rosdahl (my adviser) just called to tell me.
Yup, well that it is about it. The Yoga teaching is going well. I’m well on my way to the 20 hours and I love teaching. Still got a ton to learn but that is why I’m taking a teacher training.
So, that is something I’m continually working on. It’s great to be able to work under pressure, but it’s also important (I think) to have the long term vision to work as you go. Not just last minute.
That being said, some pretty cool stuff happened yesterday and today.
First off, yesterday I found out I had been selected to attend the annual Poynter Fellowship. This is a two-week journalism intensive in St. Petersburg Florida. Basically you apply and then if you are one of the 40 selected you spend the two weeks immersed in all things journalism related. It’s pretty neat to have this opportunity. The only stumbling block is the price ($1,800 not counting air fair, food or lodging). It’s not exactly cheap. So, I applied for a scholarship. Hopefully I get that, but we will see. I have to say thanks to Jake Donahue for telling me about this. He did it last year and said it was amazing. He also recommended me to the lady in charge there, which I'm sure helped a bit.
Now, the next neat thing; as some of you may know I’ve been working on developing a new website for my mother. Well, if you read the top half of this post you might see that I’m not so good with the long-term motivation. Website design = a long-term motivation thing = Eli is not staying up on it.
That all changed yesterday. Darci Sinclair (a student of my mother) has volunteered to work with me. She is a professional graphic designer. We had are first meeting yesterday, which was absolutely awesome. It’s so cool to work with someone who is an expert at what she does. Also, having another person on the “team” forces me to work harder and more regularly, which is great.
And finally, I just found out 20 minutes ago that The Sentinel won Best of Show in the New York CMA convention. Pretty cool! Nils Rosdahl (my adviser) just called to tell me.
Yup, well that it is about it. The Yoga teaching is going well. I’m well on my way to the 20 hours and I love teaching. Still got a ton to learn but that is why I’m taking a teacher training.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Buisness Card
Here is a card I designed a while ago. I haven't actually printed it because I'm cheap and don't really need a business card right now. Still, it was fun. It kind of looks like a cow now that I think about it.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Cheer, it's over (I hope)
Well, it has been an interesting week. The whole cheer leading thing really took off. Today I met with the athletic director (Al Williams, great guy) and the cheer leading coach. Yesterday I removed the article from The Sentinel website and posted a formal apology. The more I think about it the more I believe I messed up. Of course there was no way for me to know that the writer and the cheerleaders had past history, but as the editor my job is to figure things like that out. So, I’m happily taking responsibility for it, well happily is probably the wrong adjective, maybe willingly or ploddingly… or stickily… no that doesn’t work either…. Anyways I’m taking responsibility for it. Click here to read the apology letter (Yeah, it's the one with the flashing red thing that says 'Breaking News').
So the meeting today was all about that. I apologized to the cheer coach and we generally just talked about how bad of a mess up that was. Overall it was a good meeting, however, at points I felt that I wasn’t really being listened to… but so is the plight of a 20-year-old.
So, the upshot of all of this? Personally I’ve learned quite a bit. Although we’re students and just learning, what we write and publish has an effect. So be careful. And as the editor it’s all my responsibility. It all comes back to me. That is my job.
So, I think the worst is over. The last couple of days won’t be missed.
And, as an aside I’m so, so, so glad I’m not wrapped up in NIC’s social drama scene. It sounds like a mess.
So the meeting today was all about that. I apologized to the cheer coach and we generally just talked about how bad of a mess up that was. Overall it was a good meeting, however, at points I felt that I wasn’t really being listened to… but so is the plight of a 20-year-old.
So, the upshot of all of this? Personally I’ve learned quite a bit. Although we’re students and just learning, what we write and publish has an effect. So be careful. And as the editor it’s all my responsibility. It all comes back to me. That is my job.
So, I think the worst is over. The last couple of days won’t be missed.
And, as an aside I’m so, so, so glad I’m not wrapped up in NIC’s social drama scene. It sounds like a mess.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Issue 8 Pages
Hey, so a great issue. We will probably take this one to the New York competition, pretty exciting. Anyways check them out.
A1
I didn't draw this, or come up with the idea, but wow it's cool isn't it?
A1
I didn't draw this, or come up with the idea, but wow it's cool isn't it?
Monday, March 8, 2010
Issue 8
Issue 8 of The Sentinel is out. It’s a good one. We all worked really hard and it shows. There are some mistakes, but nothing major. I forgot to bring the PDFs home with me, so I’ll post them tomorrow.
Something interesting did happen though. Today I was sitting in class when one of the editors came up to me (Nils was talking) and told me there were four mad cheerleaders in the newsroom. I immediately though “Oh boy, they are mad about that opinion piece.” Well, I was right. They were mad. Really mad. Two of them were crying. They yelled (well, maybe loudly exclaimed) at me for 10 minutes. I told them there wasn’t much I could do about it, that I was sorry and that I hoped they would write a letter to the editor expressing their anger etc. I don’t think any of it helped. You can read the article here. It doesn’t say anything terrible, at least not outright. What it does is hint at things.
Anyways, it was an interesting morning. It got better as Nils (the adviser) got several phone calls from angry parents and the athletic director.
It looks like we are going to meet with the AD and the cheer leading adviser (or whatever you call that position) tomorrow.
I feel really bad about this. As the managing editor it’s my responsibly to check things that go into the paper. Well, personally I think I goofed. I don’t think we should have run this article. However, it is an opinion piece. So it’s a complicated issue because it's this one guys opinion (I didn’t write the article) and he has a right to express it (I suppose).
I’m not sure how things will work out. I do believe that it will all blow over (eventually, like everything I guess), which isn’t to say I’m taking it lightly. It was hard to watch those girls cry in anger and shame.
So, we will see. I’ll have a better idea about what will happen (or won’t) tomorrow after we meet with the AD. Until then I’ curious, what do you guys think (here I go assuming that people read this, well I guess I’ll find out)? I would love it if you would go read the article and then comment, let me know.
Actually that reminds me of an article I read a few weeks ago in Wired magazine. It’s all about how, after a certain point, social networks stop being social. That once you have 20,000 Twitter followers the conversation stops. Pretty interesting. Check it out here.
OK, great thanks for reading, lets talk.
Something interesting did happen though. Today I was sitting in class when one of the editors came up to me (Nils was talking) and told me there were four mad cheerleaders in the newsroom. I immediately though “Oh boy, they are mad about that opinion piece.” Well, I was right. They were mad. Really mad. Two of them were crying. They yelled (well, maybe loudly exclaimed) at me for 10 minutes. I told them there wasn’t much I could do about it, that I was sorry and that I hoped they would write a letter to the editor expressing their anger etc. I don’t think any of it helped. You can read the article here. It doesn’t say anything terrible, at least not outright. What it does is hint at things.
Anyways, it was an interesting morning. It got better as Nils (the adviser) got several phone calls from angry parents and the athletic director.
It looks like we are going to meet with the AD and the cheer leading adviser (or whatever you call that position) tomorrow.
I feel really bad about this. As the managing editor it’s my responsibly to check things that go into the paper. Well, personally I think I goofed. I don’t think we should have run this article. However, it is an opinion piece. So it’s a complicated issue because it's this one guys opinion (I didn’t write the article) and he has a right to express it (I suppose).
I’m not sure how things will work out. I do believe that it will all blow over (eventually, like everything I guess), which isn’t to say I’m taking it lightly. It was hard to watch those girls cry in anger and shame.
So, we will see. I’ll have a better idea about what will happen (or won’t) tomorrow after we meet with the AD. Until then I’ curious, what do you guys think (here I go assuming that people read this, well I guess I’ll find out)? I would love it if you would go read the article and then comment, let me know.
Actually that reminds me of an article I read a few weeks ago in Wired magazine. It’s all about how, after a certain point, social networks stop being social. That once you have 20,000 Twitter followers the conversation stops. Pretty interesting. Check it out here.
OK, great thanks for reading, lets talk.
Monday, March 1, 2010
JDC
Well, today I taught my second yoga class. It was at the Juvenile Detention Center, or JDC. Jennifer Harbour, one of my mom’s students has been teaching there for some years, free of charge. I posted about it before, but I just got to write more. It’s hard to describe. The place we’re doing yoga is a cafetria floor. The lights are bright, iridescent things that hum. It’s a gym. But it’s still Yoga.
I had a whole class planned out. It was a good class, focusing on arm balances (I was billed as the arm balance guru). But a class in JDC isn’t like a class anywhere else. It was good to have the notes, but I had to be willing to stray from them often, which I did.
It was chaotic, but thanks to Jenn it all stayed good. She is amazing. The work she has done there and continues to do is so invaluable. So precious.
I guess the thing that really gets me about doing Yoga at JDC is the kids and how, fundamentally, vulnerable they are. Yes, they are tough and I would never ever want to fight them. But the other reality is that they are young, scared and abandoned. So many of them are in JDC because their parents couldn’t or didn’t want to deal with them.
Bum deal right?
So, when I first walked in there, that is more or less all I see; tough kids that could kick my ass. But once the Yoga has started that all dissolves. Soon they are just kids moving their bodies and loving it. They are just having a ball.
That is the power of Yoga I guess. It just brings people together. Me who has lived the a truly blessed life, and then these kids, the poorest of the poor (whether it be financially or simply relationally).
So, I feel so lucky to be able to go into these situations. With out Yoga I wouldn’t be able to. It just wouldn’t be possible. But Yoga is the bridge.
The class, which was never exactly organized, ended up turning into a giant Yoga/Dance class. We turned on rap music and did a flow practice. I loved it. It was so fun.
And then they left. One kid, who is facing 19 years in the ‘Big Jail’ for getting involved in a high-speed car chase, shook my hand as he left. He is incredibly talented at Yoga. He can do things I can’t even begin to try. Someday he could be a kick ass Yoga teacher. But he is going to be in jail. He is 18. He has been living on his own since he was 12. Now he is going to be in jail until he is 37.
It’s tragic.
I had a whole class planned out. It was a good class, focusing on arm balances (I was billed as the arm balance guru). But a class in JDC isn’t like a class anywhere else. It was good to have the notes, but I had to be willing to stray from them often, which I did.
It was chaotic, but thanks to Jenn it all stayed good. She is amazing. The work she has done there and continues to do is so invaluable. So precious.
I guess the thing that really gets me about doing Yoga at JDC is the kids and how, fundamentally, vulnerable they are. Yes, they are tough and I would never ever want to fight them. But the other reality is that they are young, scared and abandoned. So many of them are in JDC because their parents couldn’t or didn’t want to deal with them.
Bum deal right?
So, when I first walked in there, that is more or less all I see; tough kids that could kick my ass. But once the Yoga has started that all dissolves. Soon they are just kids moving their bodies and loving it. They are just having a ball.
That is the power of Yoga I guess. It just brings people together. Me who has lived the a truly blessed life, and then these kids, the poorest of the poor (whether it be financially or simply relationally).
So, I feel so lucky to be able to go into these situations. With out Yoga I wouldn’t be able to. It just wouldn’t be possible. But Yoga is the bridge.
The class, which was never exactly organized, ended up turning into a giant Yoga/Dance class. We turned on rap music and did a flow practice. I loved it. It was so fun.
And then they left. One kid, who is facing 19 years in the ‘Big Jail’ for getting involved in a high-speed car chase, shook my hand as he left. He is incredibly talented at Yoga. He can do things I can’t even begin to try. Someday he could be a kick ass Yoga teacher. But he is going to be in jail. He is 18. He has been living on his own since he was 12. Now he is going to be in jail until he is 37.
It’s tragic.
Back from Phoenix
Hey all, I'm back from Phoenix. It was a fun trip. The Sentinel won Best of Show at the ACP Convention, which is awesome. Pretty happy about that. Anyways, jumping right back into my life and work. Really excited for the coming production week, I think it's going to be a good one!
Again great time in Phoenix. I can't express my gratitude enough to Nils Rosdahl, my adviser, for helping me get there and teaching me everything I know.
Here are some photos from the hike we took on the very last day we were there. Really a great hike.
Again great time in Phoenix. I can't express my gratitude enough to Nils Rosdahl, my adviser, for helping me get there and teaching me everything I know.
Here are some photos from the hike we took on the very last day we were there. Really a great hike.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Phoenix
So, it's been pretty busy here. I've been attending a bunch of seminars and classes, learning really great stuff. On Friday morning I was on a panel regarding the managing of two-year newspapers. It was pretty interesting. There weren't all that many people there, but more than I expected (like 10). It was fun, very laid back and conversational. I really enjoyed it.
And then just the normal convention stuff. Today I went to a two-hour class on using Excel to help you find and report on stories. The teacher was a woman named Holly A. Heyser, she is the adviser to the California State University in Sacramento. She was just awesome, really into her work. I learned so much.
One term that she used a lot, which I had never heard before, was Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR). I guess for the modern journalist everything is CAR, but in this context she was specifically referring to Excel and Access. Anyways, I learned so much. It was really good. I learned about the basics of Excel (which I desperately needed) as well as the endless ways you can use statistics to uncover and report on interesting and important stories.
Another perk to going to this class was that it was held in the Arizona State’s The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication…
Oh my god, it was awesome. It had 14 computer labs, dedicated to design, photography, videography and radio. They have their own T.V. station (a PBS affiliate) that reaches a million people.
It was incredible. It’s a fairly new facility and it’s beautiful, really beautiful. It made me want to go to ASU.
So, that is it. Today we are going to go for a hike or two and then we leave tomorrow morning. Because of scheduling conflicts we will miss the awards ceremony. If The Sentinel were to win anything they will mail it to us. We will see.
There it is... even the sign is nice...
... that is there T.V. production room... that is live video...
... I'm not sure why he was being interviewed, but he was. The interviewer is a senior at ASU...
... here are a bunch of people I met at a Subway, they were going to a Japanese festival.
And then just the normal convention stuff. Today I went to a two-hour class on using Excel to help you find and report on stories. The teacher was a woman named Holly A. Heyser, she is the adviser to the California State University in Sacramento. She was just awesome, really into her work. I learned so much.
One term that she used a lot, which I had never heard before, was Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR). I guess for the modern journalist everything is CAR, but in this context she was specifically referring to Excel and Access. Anyways, I learned so much. It was really good. I learned about the basics of Excel (which I desperately needed) as well as the endless ways you can use statistics to uncover and report on interesting and important stories.
Another perk to going to this class was that it was held in the Arizona State’s The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication…
Oh my god, it was awesome. It had 14 computer labs, dedicated to design, photography, videography and radio. They have their own T.V. station (a PBS affiliate) that reaches a million people.
It was incredible. It’s a fairly new facility and it’s beautiful, really beautiful. It made me want to go to ASU.
So, that is it. Today we are going to go for a hike or two and then we leave tomorrow morning. Because of scheduling conflicts we will miss the awards ceremony. If The Sentinel were to win anything they will mail it to us. We will see.
There it is... even the sign is nice...
... that is there T.V. production room... that is live video...
... I'm not sure why he was being interviewed, but he was. The interviewer is a senior at ASU...
... here are a bunch of people I met at a Subway, they were going to a Japanese festival.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Back to Arizona
And I’m off. There must be something about Arizona. I’m sitting in the Spokane Airport waiting for our plane. Nils Rosdahl and I are going to Phoenix for the ACP Journalism convention. It’s 7:52 am.
We’re taking a rather roundabout route. First we fly to Denver, where we spend two hours, and then we go to Phoenix. It’s a long way, but it’s cheaper than the direct flight, so oh well.
The convention should be pretty good. The classes they offer are usually interesting. Something new is that I will be giving a brief little presentation on managing a two-year newspaper. It’s at 9 am tomorrow morning, so I doubt it will be heavily attended. It should be interesting to give the talk. I’m not too worried about it, but we will see how it goes.
So, I’m excited. I love airports. I love traveling. Being here reminds me of leaving for India, which reminds me of leaving for Europe in September. Exciting stuff.
We’re taking a rather roundabout route. First we fly to Denver, where we spend two hours, and then we go to Phoenix. It’s a long way, but it’s cheaper than the direct flight, so oh well.
The convention should be pretty good. The classes they offer are usually interesting. Something new is that I will be giving a brief little presentation on managing a two-year newspaper. It’s at 9 am tomorrow morning, so I doubt it will be heavily attended. It should be interesting to give the talk. I’m not too worried about it, but we will see how it goes.
So, I’m excited. I love airports. I love traveling. Being here reminds me of leaving for India, which reminds me of leaving for Europe in September. Exciting stuff.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Opening to Attention
I’ve been working on building a website for my mom. She is going to pay me upon completion for a fully functioning website. For her it’s a good deal because we can work closely together and because I’m much cheaper than a professional web designer. For me it’s a great deal because it lets me get my foot into the web design world.
But, it’s definitely a challenge. It’s complicated stuff and I have so much to learn. My goal has been to work on the website every day.
Anyways, a few days ago I was stumped. I couldn’t figure out how to do something. I’d been ramming my head against the problem for an hour or so and was getting pretty frustrated. Finally, I gave up on it. I moved on to other work.
The next day I went back to the problem. I hadn’t consciously thought about it in the interim, however, when I sat down to work on the problem it seemed quite obvious. It was resolved within minutes.
The subtle attention that my mind had given the problem had opened new doorways of understanding. Stepping back from the problem had allowed my mind to figure out new ways of understanding. It had opened up previously unexplored pathways.
So, this isn’t really the most profound insight in the world, however, it’s something I keep trying to remember. Personally I can get so caught up in instantaneous results. I want something to get done. I want to make clearly measurable progress. But, that isn’t always the way it’s going to happen. Sometimes the best thing that you can do is take a step back and just breath. Just see what arises in you.
In Anusara Yoga there are five key principles of alignment. They are applied sequentially in every pose. The very first one is “Open to Grace.” This can mean many things, however, one way of interpreting it that works for me is this ability to step back and allow things to arise. If you are shut down to the possibility of something good arising obviously nothing will. SO the first step, in a yoga pose or in anything really, is to open up and see what happens.
Pretty neat. So, I’m going to go now and let things arise.
But, it’s definitely a challenge. It’s complicated stuff and I have so much to learn. My goal has been to work on the website every day.
Anyways, a few days ago I was stumped. I couldn’t figure out how to do something. I’d been ramming my head against the problem for an hour or so and was getting pretty frustrated. Finally, I gave up on it. I moved on to other work.
The next day I went back to the problem. I hadn’t consciously thought about it in the interim, however, when I sat down to work on the problem it seemed quite obvious. It was resolved within minutes.
The subtle attention that my mind had given the problem had opened new doorways of understanding. Stepping back from the problem had allowed my mind to figure out new ways of understanding. It had opened up previously unexplored pathways.
So, this isn’t really the most profound insight in the world, however, it’s something I keep trying to remember. Personally I can get so caught up in instantaneous results. I want something to get done. I want to make clearly measurable progress. But, that isn’t always the way it’s going to happen. Sometimes the best thing that you can do is take a step back and just breath. Just see what arises in you.
In Anusara Yoga there are five key principles of alignment. They are applied sequentially in every pose. The very first one is “Open to Grace.” This can mean many things, however, one way of interpreting it that works for me is this ability to step back and allow things to arise. If you are shut down to the possibility of something good arising obviously nothing will. SO the first step, in a yoga pose or in anything really, is to open up and see what happens.
Pretty neat. So, I’m going to go now and let things arise.
First Real Yoga Class
So, like many of you no doubt know, I’ve started teaching yoga. I’m working toward 20 hours of teaching experience. Once I get the requisite hours I will be able to take a teacher training. My mom will be in charge of this 102-hour training. It’s broken up into three separate weeks starting in June.
In an effort to fulfill these necessary hours I’ve started to teach private lessons and one beginning level class. I’ve done a few privates, however, last Friday I taught my first class.
It was an experience. I loved it, no doubt about it. But it definitely pushed my abilities. Leading people (six in this case) through these poses was not easy. You have to learn how to speak clearly and concisely. You have to be able to demo the poses while also talking people through them.
It’s a skill.
And, like the saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
Teaching that one class taught me more about what I don’t know than anything else possibly could have.
Now when I go to my mother’s classes I have a much deeper appreciation for what she is doing. She makes it looks easy. She makes it look effortless. It’s not. It’s a skill, an art that has to be developed.
In addition to showing me what I don’t know, teaching the class also confirmed what I had already guessed. I love teaching Yoga. Something about the interplay of physicality and mental understanding just really lights me up. Being able to inhabit my body while also showing others how to inhabit their bodies in this form known as Yoga is just so much fun.
I feel so lucky to be able to be part of it.
Friday, February 19, 2010
A Miscarriage of Justice
Hey, just read this article in the most recent Inlander. It's pretty terrible. By all accounts are justice system dropped the ball big time on this one.
Click Here to read the story.
Click Here to read the story.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Sentinel (Issue 7) among other things
Hey, so here is the newest issue of The Sentinel. Kind of a weird issue, nothing seemed to click or really flow together, however when it was all said and done it looked pretty good. A short issue, so pretty grey on the inside.
So far this semester is so much smoother. I'm getting better at my job and the editors are improving weekly. One thing taht has really helped is the addition of John Monnier. He is the new photo editor and he is rocking it. He is really good at coming with with ideas for photo stories and just a fun guy to work with.
On a unrelated note, I learned a new word today. It's 'panache' and it means "flamboyant confidence of style or manner." What a neat word! I'm not sure how to pronounce it, but whatever I'm definitely gonna drop that baby in casual conversation.
Leo, my brother just said he had read the word in Calvin and Hobbes. Nothing like high quality comic strips.
Wow... it actually makes sense now (obviously this isn't my original work)...
So far this semester is so much smoother. I'm getting better at my job and the editors are improving weekly. One thing taht has really helped is the addition of John Monnier. He is the new photo editor and he is rocking it. He is really good at coming with with ideas for photo stories and just a fun guy to work with.
On a unrelated note, I learned a new word today. It's 'panache' and it means "flamboyant confidence of style or manner." What a neat word! I'm not sure how to pronounce it, but whatever I'm definitely gonna drop that baby in casual conversation.
Leo, my brother just said he had read the word in Calvin and Hobbes. Nothing like high quality comic strips.
Wow... it actually makes sense now (obviously this isn't my original work)...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Too tired to think in anything but tight, tidy torrents of tepidity
So, I’m tired. Dead tired (an odd turn of phrase). It was a production weekend and wow, it was a long one. The actual paper was pretty short (only 16 pages); however, for whatever reason, everything was a little harder. Things didn’t seem to click. It’s an OK issue, no huge lackings, however nothing of which I’m really proud. I’ll put the pages up in a day or two (we don’t distribute tell Tuesday) then you can judge for yourself.
So, like I said, I’m tired. I slept maybe three and a half hours last night and less than six the night before. When I finally finished up at The Sentinel I was about ready to collapse.
But instead of stumbling home and curling up in m nice big bed I managed to stumble my way over to the Kroc center. It’s becoming habitual for me. I finish working on the paper and I go work out. This might seem crazy, however I’ve grown to love it.
See, by the end of one of these marathon weekends, my brain is dead. It’s ready to shut down and watch T.V. for six days straight. The problem is, my body is in the exact opposite state. It’s been sitting for 16+ hours in front of a computer monitor and damnit it’s ready to go.
My brain is good at tricking my body. It tells it that it’s too tired and that it needs to rest. But my body knows and lately it hasn’t been taking any shit from my brain.
So, tonight when I crawled out of The Sentinel office, I forced myself to buck up ignoring my mind and listening to my body. So I went to the Kroc. At first, in an effort to trick my poor, worn out mind, I told myself I would just go and shoot some hoops. Maybe break a slight sweat, but nothing serious.
I got there and, predictably enough, my body took over. Next thing I know I’ve played four intense full-court games putting in a good two hours of physical aerobic activity.
And you know what? It felt great.
So, now I’m heading off to bed; fully confident that my mind and body are on the same page.
So, like I said, I’m tired. I slept maybe three and a half hours last night and less than six the night before. When I finally finished up at The Sentinel I was about ready to collapse.
But instead of stumbling home and curling up in m nice big bed I managed to stumble my way over to the Kroc center. It’s becoming habitual for me. I finish working on the paper and I go work out. This might seem crazy, however I’ve grown to love it.
See, by the end of one of these marathon weekends, my brain is dead. It’s ready to shut down and watch T.V. for six days straight. The problem is, my body is in the exact opposite state. It’s been sitting for 16+ hours in front of a computer monitor and damnit it’s ready to go.
My brain is good at tricking my body. It tells it that it’s too tired and that it needs to rest. But my body knows and lately it hasn’t been taking any shit from my brain.
So, tonight when I crawled out of The Sentinel office, I forced myself to buck up ignoring my mind and listening to my body. So I went to the Kroc. At first, in an effort to trick my poor, worn out mind, I told myself I would just go and shoot some hoops. Maybe break a slight sweat, but nothing serious.
I got there and, predictably enough, my body took over. Next thing I know I’ve played four intense full-court games putting in a good two hours of physical aerobic activity.
And you know what? It felt great.
So, now I’m heading off to bed; fully confident that my mind and body are on the same page.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Plain Old Bizarre
Today I had a bizarre encounter. I was picking up some pizza we had ordered for The Sentinel. We have this ad trade with Little Caesar’s Pizza. They make sub par pizza at above par prices, plus they’re semi-local. So between the two it’s a good deal.
I was fresh out of the Kroc Center, where I had just been involved in possibly the longest basketball game of my life. It was supposed to go to 11, however we finally ended (with my team losing) at the modest score of 20 to 18 (due to this little rule called win by two). To top it all off, the team I was playing against was straight out of the ‘80s. Their shorts were short and they were wearing high-top all-star shoes. It was bizarre.
So, you can imagine my mental state. I’m tired (physically) and pretty spaced out from all the endorphins (or whatever). I walk into Little Caesars, not really sure what I want. This isn’t the place to contemplate your order choices. They want you to get in, order and get out. Strictly business. Well, I wasn’t prepared for that. I begin to hem and haw over the various combination's of cheap food with fake cheese. The lady isn’t giving me lee-way. She wants me to hurry up.
So, I begin to order. I ask for pepperoni with olives, mushrooms, green peppers and onions.
Simple, right?
The girl didn’t think so.
“Wow!” she said, “Slow down.”
Seriously? Slow down? There were like five toppings. Not exactly a six-course meal, right?
But I understand. We all have bad days. We all space out.
Then, her manager leans in and says,
“Ah, sorry about her she has downs syndrome.”
Now I’m confused. He seems serious. I mean people don’t joke about downs syndrome right? It’s not like something you joke about. It’s pretty serious, right?
So, I back-pedal,
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
Meanwhile the girl is saying to the guy,
“Oh, shut up, I’m not retarded…”
“Yes, you are,” he said. Then he looked at me and said,
“She is seriously retarded.”
She continued to protest.
I got my pizza and left.
I was fresh out of the Kroc Center, where I had just been involved in possibly the longest basketball game of my life. It was supposed to go to 11, however we finally ended (with my team losing) at the modest score of 20 to 18 (due to this little rule called win by two). To top it all off, the team I was playing against was straight out of the ‘80s. Their shorts were short and they were wearing high-top all-star shoes. It was bizarre.
So, you can imagine my mental state. I’m tired (physically) and pretty spaced out from all the endorphins (or whatever). I walk into Little Caesars, not really sure what I want. This isn’t the place to contemplate your order choices. They want you to get in, order and get out. Strictly business. Well, I wasn’t prepared for that. I begin to hem and haw over the various combination's of cheap food with fake cheese. The lady isn’t giving me lee-way. She wants me to hurry up.
So, I begin to order. I ask for pepperoni with olives, mushrooms, green peppers and onions.
Simple, right?
The girl didn’t think so.
“Wow!” she said, “Slow down.”
Seriously? Slow down? There were like five toppings. Not exactly a six-course meal, right?
But I understand. We all have bad days. We all space out.
Then, her manager leans in and says,
“Ah, sorry about her she has downs syndrome.”
Now I’m confused. He seems serious. I mean people don’t joke about downs syndrome right? It’s not like something you joke about. It’s pretty serious, right?
So, I back-pedal,
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
Meanwhile the girl is saying to the guy,
“Oh, shut up, I’m not retarded…”
“Yes, you are,” he said. Then he looked at me and said,
“She is seriously retarded.”
She continued to protest.
I got my pizza and left.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Starting off
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been semi-busy. The Sentinel only had a two-week break between Issue 6 and Issue 7. It’s going to be a small issue, but good. So, that has been taking up my time pretty well.
However, probably the newest thing that’s going for me is I’m getting into the yoga-teaching world. About three weeks ago I committed to attending my mother’s teaching training. It’s a three week, 102 hour course. Once I finish that I will be certified with Yoga Alliance. But, before I do that I have to have 20 hours of teaching experience. I have exactly zero. So I’ve taken on some private lessons (twice a week) and I’m going to start teaching an hour long beginning level yoga class. I’ve mapped it out so that I’ll be all done and ready to go by mid May!
Plus, I love teaching (I’ve taught two privates so far). It’s hard, for sure, but I just really enjoy it. I love Yoga already and to be able to teach other people (and hopefully get them loving yoga also) is just so much fun. I’ve got a lot to learn. Right now I just feel lucky that people will let me practice teach on them… I guess that is why they aren’t paying anything.
Also, in two weeks I’m going to be heading to Phoenix, Arizona with my adviser Nils Rosdahl for the Associate Collegiate Press (ACP) convention. I’m really looking forward to it, as these conventions are not only informative but also quite fun.
So, things are going well. But and I’m not even done yet. My travel plans (with Leo) are beginning to take form. As of right now (keep in mind things change) it looks like we might take a train from Holland to Moscow, Russia and then to Beijing, China and finally then to India… It’s a long trip but actually cheaper then flying. So, we will see how that works out.
Well, this post has just been a mix of things… nothing really that interesting, but I like to keep pumping ‘em out. Quality over quantity… right?
Here is a photo of a guy I interviewed. His name is Garth Profitt. He is a neat guy. 67 years old and is studying to get his personal trainer certificate. Really cool.
Here is the hoped for route!
And here is my flier advertising my free class.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Sentinel (Issue 6)
Hey, so no posts in a while. The semester started. Here is the newest Sentinel. I think that it's our best to date.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Unatural Nature of Dusting
I've been dusting.
Every week. The whole house. It's nice. Kind of meditative and contemplative. Plus I love watching the dust rags get progressively blacker... until low and behold it's all used up.
A very distinct feeling of accomplishment.
However, today I was dusting (actually I should still be dusting but I'm now writing about dusting) and I realized something. I realized dusting is unnatural.
You see what is dust? No, I don't mean what it is comprised of... I mean what is it's purpose? Why is it here? On this earth?
I think it's pretty obvious. Dust was created by God/Allah/Siva/The Big Bang/Thomas Edison/George Washington whatever you call it as a clock.
Dust settles on things that you haven't used in a while. It's a constant reminder of the inherently entropic nature of the universe. It shows you, very clearly, what you really don't need. There is dust on the treadmill? Well instead of dusting it maybe you should use it... or sell it. Dust on the bookshelves? Read more, or start fires with them.
See?
So, dusting is pretty unnatural. It's kind of like trying to trick the Universe. It's like saying "Oh hey universe, don't mind me, I'm using this treadmill... every day... no time for dust to settle not a speck." When in reality you are just dusting it every day.
If we were living in alignment with the Universe we wouldn't need to dust. We would only have a few things, and they would never grow dusty because we would be constantly using them. Cave men didn't dust their spears. Farmers don't dust their plows. They just use them.
My proposal is that we should allow things to grow dusty. Then after a few months or years we would realize, "Wow, everything in my house is covered in an inch of dust except the things I absolutely need."
Then we would be living in alignment with the Universe.
For now though, I'm going to dust. I"m going to continue to "fake" the universe out.
"Oh, hey universe! Look at me... I totally use these novelty potato scented, Jesus shaped candles..."
Every week. The whole house. It's nice. Kind of meditative and contemplative. Plus I love watching the dust rags get progressively blacker... until low and behold it's all used up.
A very distinct feeling of accomplishment.
However, today I was dusting (actually I should still be dusting but I'm now writing about dusting) and I realized something. I realized dusting is unnatural.
You see what is dust? No, I don't mean what it is comprised of... I mean what is it's purpose? Why is it here? On this earth?
I think it's pretty obvious. Dust was created by God/Allah/Siva/The Big Bang/Thomas Edison/George Washington whatever you call it as a clock.
Dust settles on things that you haven't used in a while. It's a constant reminder of the inherently entropic nature of the universe. It shows you, very clearly, what you really don't need. There is dust on the treadmill? Well instead of dusting it maybe you should use it... or sell it. Dust on the bookshelves? Read more, or start fires with them.
See?
So, dusting is pretty unnatural. It's kind of like trying to trick the Universe. It's like saying "Oh hey universe, don't mind me, I'm using this treadmill... every day... no time for dust to settle not a speck." When in reality you are just dusting it every day.
If we were living in alignment with the Universe we wouldn't need to dust. We would only have a few things, and they would never grow dusty because we would be constantly using them. Cave men didn't dust their spears. Farmers don't dust their plows. They just use them.
My proposal is that we should allow things to grow dusty. Then after a few months or years we would realize, "Wow, everything in my house is covered in an inch of dust except the things I absolutely need."
Then we would be living in alignment with the Universe.
For now though, I'm going to dust. I"m going to continue to "fake" the universe out.
"Oh, hey universe! Look at me... I totally use these novelty potato scented, Jesus shaped candles..."
Friday, January 8, 2010
Grand Canyon
I was at the Grand Canyon recently. I'd never been there before and let me say it was spectacular. At it's deepest it's 5,000 feet deep (1524 m) and 10 miles wide (16 km). Oh my god... yeah... it's huge.
It's so big that the eye can't really take it all in. It's like you are looking at a painting or a backdrop. Not something real... but it's very real.
Anyways, here are some photos from that, it was a great trip (I went with my Dad).
It was beautiful weather, however the snow made it impossible for us to hike into the canyon as the trails were too steep and we didn't have the appropriate gear.
It's so big that the eye can't really take it all in. It's like you are looking at a painting or a backdrop. Not something real... but it's very real.
Anyways, here are some photos from that, it was a great trip (I went with my Dad).
It was beautiful weather, however the snow made it impossible for us to hike into the canyon as the trails were too steep and we didn't have the appropriate gear.
Jailhouse Yogis
I’m buzzed in. The door in front of me has no handle. No window. It is solid metal. Next to it there is a speaker pad, with a button. You push the button and somewhere, in the belly of this government building, someone decides whether or not you are allowed to enter.
I’m entering the Kootenai County Juvenile Detention Center.
I’m not a juvenile, nor am I in trouble with the law. My purpose at the facility is to assist a Yoga class. As I enter the building I begin to wonder what I’m thinking. What am I doing here? It’s the day after Christmas. In all honesty I should be lying at home playing with all the cool new things I got.
But somehow I’m entering this building. It’s 8 am.
I should back up. Start from the beginning.
Jennifer Harbour has been a student of my mother’s for several years. She is a lively, energetic person, who jumps headlong into whatever life throws at her. She doesn’t back down.
To go along with this tenacious personality, Jenn is also incredibly kind.
Two years ago Harbour began to teach at Juvy. Although initially there was opposition to the whole Yoga thing, she persisted, finally convincing the administration that it was a good idea. Since then, she has been teaching two classes per-week, every week. All for free.
One day after class at my mother’s studio, Jenn asked me if I would like to come to the jail sometime and help her teach a class. I said yes, without really considering what this meant. She then began to tell me, quite cheerfully, how tough some of the kids are. And how naturally good many of them are at Yoga.
Jenn and I enter Juvy. We leave all our valuables out front (where the inmates can’t get them), in little boxes. As we walk back into the building, going through various levels of security, Jenn begins telling me about how last week two kids got into a fight.
At first, after I realized I had committed to going to Juvy to teach Yoga, I hoped it would just disappear. That Jenn would forget, or change her mind.
She persisted. I finally realized I was irrevocably committed on Dec. 22 when Jenn called me, her voice full of excitement, to tell me I had gotten clearance to go to Juvy.
We arrive in a large multi-purpose room. It is dirty, but large. It smells vaguely of cafeteria food. The floor is grimy with traces of food scattered about.
Because it was the day after Christmas less kids were expected. Her classes have been as large as 50 kids. However, today there were only 28.
Buck shows up. He is a student of the yoga style known as Ashtanga (Jenn and I both practice Anusara). One of the differences between Ashtanga classes and Anusara classes is that the pace is quicker and more flowing. Some consider it to be physically harder than Anusara. I don’t know if I agree with this, however it is a different experience.
Buck is young (I would guess 30) and an amazing yogi.
He has been to Juvy once before. He doesn’t appear nervous. He seems centered and ready.
I would consider myself fairly competent Yogi. I’ve been around it my whole life, however it has only been in the last year or so that I’ve really engaged it. I’ve been going to class twice a week.
But I don’t consider myself to be amazing. I can do a lot of the basic poses, fairly well and I can do some of the tricky poses, somewhat passably.
Basically I didn’t know what I was going to be able to show these kids. Yes, I’m a male that does Yoga, but if I can’t do a press handstand, what is the point?
I’m nervous.
The kids file in. They are obviously happy to see Jenn and Buck. They greet me, friendly but reserved.
I’m nervous.
We all sit down, this big old smelly cafeteria, full of the outcasts of society.
I’m nervous.
Then class starts. The nervousness evaporates.
I’m just doing Yoga, something I love. Doing it alongside other young men. Young men from much different back grounds, different families, and different futures. But at this moment we are all on the same page.
I’m next to a big kid. Overweight. He doesn’t seem to be really present. He doesn’t do a lot of the poses. But then, as the class progresses, and as I continued to talk to him things begin to happen. He begins to do poses. He begins to interact.
It’s a physical, fiery practice. By the end we are all exhausted.
The kids begin to file out. They hug Jenn as they leave and thank Buck and me. These tough, criminal kids hug Jenn. They thank us.
I realize that these kids are on the outside of society. Most of them, from the moment they were born, had no strong protective matrix. They are out in the world on their own. And now, they are in Juvy. Many of them are waiting to turn 18 so they can move over to the big prison, the one for adults.
No one was is there for them.
One young man was released from Juvy the day before Christmas. His time was up. But his mom wouldn’t pick him up. She refused. This guy is 17, instead of trying to find him a foster home, the judge decided to keep him in Juvy for another month, until he turns 18.
His own mother wouldn’t pick him up. He’s stuck in Juvy.
These kids have nothing and have no one, except Yoga and Jenn. Jenn cares. Jenn loves these boys and girls.
I don’t think Yoga will save their lives (whatever that means). I don’t think it will necessarily keep them from doing violent and illegal things. Maybe it won’t have any lasting impact.
But, for one three-hour chunk of the day, these kids are loved and they know it. Buck and I are great, showing these kids the possibilities, but the true heroine is Jenn.
Jenn is the one who goes to the jail twice a week. The one who puts up with threats and dirty looks. The one who teaches Yoga on a cafeteria floor.
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