Tuesday, February 24, 2009

wordle of pa(i)gewithwords

pa(i)gewithword wordle
I guess I blog a lot about newspaper, life and multimedia. Who knew?

Monday, February 23, 2009

unfair's silver lining

Have you ever noticed that life is not perfect?

Sometimes it catches you by surprise (something not panning out quite how it was planned) or reminds you at the wrong time (anger ensues).

My mother always had a knack for giving me a little "life isn't fair" reality check as a child when I did not get my way. At the time, it was the icing on the cake, the last thing I ever wanted to hear. It was true; life is not fair, but restating the obvious was almost just like kicking me when I was down.

I've grown up considerably since then (I hope) and I oddly cherish the inconsistencies of life instead of cursing them. It's not all that cliché "I'm better because I lived through it" lesson (although sometimes there is a bit of that).

It is more that I accept life's ups and downs. Problems cycle, but I feel like they offer direction to life. They help us to realize our identities, to determine what we hold dear, find out what our weaknesses are and see our strong suits.

So, next time you look to the sky to utter (or scream) "f my life," try and take a step back. You're going to be alright. Hey, maybe even better off.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

tomorrow never dies

I don't know why I get so scared about the future. Because honestly, post-graduation is the only time in my life when I will have the freedom to go to wherever I want and start living the life I have always wanted to live and finally be a part of a publication for real.

No more pseudo job titles. "I work at the Post-Standard, but I don't have a business card and I will only be here for one more month."

I will finally be in a position where I know my work has room to blossom; that I will be able to personally do follow-up stories and long-winded series and cultivate sources and really embrace my beats.

I have the power to grow as a journalist: to challenge myself to think of creative ideas and angles, to push coverage and packing to the next level, to explore the limitless opportunity of the web and to use the resources and brainpower within my publication to produce informative, innovate approaches to delivering news to people.

Scared? Why should I be? I'm ready. I've learned a lot. I have a lot to offer. I just hope employers see that in my cover letters.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

insomnia, sort of

I've been sleeping horribly lately. I can't fall asleep until late and I wake up early. My eyes are so heavy with exhaustion that they actually hurt and my head screams for rest. I reasoned that if I try and identify the source of my new-found insomnia, I might be able to make some proactive life changes and get an adequate dose of slumber that is much needed.
  • audiocandy
    Yofred and I scored a radio show this semester. I'm super excited for it, but I find myself too often brainstorming and looking forward to it that I'm losing sleep over it. It is one of those situations where my mind is not nearly as tired as my body and it is disregarding my plea to shut down so I can get some shut-eye.
  • health
    I came down with the flu weeks about two weeks ago. I was held in quarintine, more or less, not leaving my bed or seeing another person for about five days. I do not have television in my apartment so my time was spent watching the last season of Survivor off of CBS.com and sleeping. I think I got used to sleeping 14+ hours a day, so now I feel sleep-deprived even if I get the normal eight hours of sleep.
  • bedroom
    My room is still a mess from the dance party I threw last weekend. I feel like the clutter gets to me, adding stress and another thing to my overbearing to-do list. I also have sheer window curtains that probably serve no real purpose than to look pretty. The 7 o'clock sunrise is a nice way to start my (early) day; sike.
  • crazy weekends
    Dara brought to my attention that alcohol messes up your normal body functions, like your ability to actually have a full, restfull REM cycle. It makes sense; I can sleep for 10 hours after a night of heavy drinking and still not feel great. Add the fact that I have been consistantly staying up until about 4:30 a.m. every weekend night and it only makes sense that I'm exhausted and I can't get to bed at a normal hour.
It seems like I should stop partying so hard. And maybe sleep once in a while? Wild idea, I know. Dara suggested meditating to clear my mind and allow myself to calm down and drift to sleep. Any other suggestions?

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Eureka!

With the economy in shambles and the newspaper world crashing and burning just as fast, editors are searching for the golden ticket to solve all our problems.

As a budding journalist myself, I balance between feelings of excitement and despair. I'm excited for the future of journalism, seeing how the internet extends reach and leaves more room for words and creative packaging. But, I also remain realistic; no revenues means no salaries.

Josh sent me Time's How to Save Your Newspaper article and midway through reading it I had an epiphany; I think know how to solve the revenue problem.

So, it is clear that in order for the newspaper industry to, well, be profitable (i.e. make money to pay us starving writers), there has to be some way to bring in money. Advertising and subscriptions paid papers' bills in the past, but the explosion of newssites and blogs stripped print newspaper of its place of satisfying news-hunger civilians.

Can you blame people though? Free, instant news vs print that you have to pay for (even if it is less than a dollar a day)? The choice is a no-brainer.

But I think the answer lays in why readers are drawn online. I often find myself to newspaper's websites not just for the text, but for the multimedia. SoundSlides, interactive maps, tweets, comments, widgets, databases: these are all things that would not be possible to have in a print addition, yet add so much more depth and value to a piece.

The dilemna newspapers have is finding feasible ways to charge readers. The suggestion of making people pay to access sites or individual articles would not work; relevant news is blogged about and run through countless wires, many of which are free. Publications have no real leverage in holding stories from the public like they might have in the past.

But, that's not to say publications do not have anything more to offer readers; they have leverage in multimedia. The interactive content put up by the New York Times and Washington Post shows exactly how much value multimedia has when it is done well. Effective multimedia allows readers to really dive into aspects of coverage they find the most interesting as well as making it specific to their lives.

Newspapers need to maintain the basic newssites they have now, which are basically "webified" verisons of their daily print addition. The money-making would come from the option of readers to pay for access to the multimedia verison of the newspaper. Make all the interactive and multimedia elements exclusive, available to subscribers only.

It's the extra content that would set newspapers apart, driving not only the evolution of how we can use techonology to deliver news but also push the envelope on how we can do it in creative and engaging ways. Multimedia has a style about it, just like reporters have a style to their coverage or writing. Paper's multimedia work would establish names for itself, maybe incidently catering to a certain demographic or having a signature gadget that would draw subscribers.

I could see people paying a fee for access, mostly because I think I would myself. I think there are enough people out there who care about the future of newspaper that I know a solution will surface. And even if there are people losing faith and giving up hope, I'm looking forward to working for the new industry, or at least working to make that new industry.

Monday, February 9, 2009

drinking, night & morning

You've been warned about beer goggles. Suck down a few beers and suddenly Syracuse is swarming with sexy men. What is going on. Where am I. Why does the guy next to me oddly resemble James McAvoy (I wish).

It's a dangerous phenomenon that has taken innocent bar-goers as victims, and given hope to those with bad haircuts, body odor and no social skills.

But have you ever been warned about groggy weekday mornings? A weekend of partying has ruined your sleeping pattern, so you start your work week already tired, already doomed to consistent fatigue.

This morning I found myself in that exact dreaded groggy state, reading a novel for one of my various classes and listening to a smooth instrumental album off my iPod. It was actually quite enjoyable; my book was engaging, I was comfortable and I was being productive.

But it was too good to be true.

I had not gone to senior sundays at Faegan's the night before, nor had I begun my day with a Bloody Mary, but my well-being was being threatened by a beverage none-the-less (why did I have to get a small coffee, and why did I wait to get it after my class instead of before; dangerously poor choices). My coffee's caffeine had not fully kicked in yet, leaving me in a overly subdue state. I was waking up a little, but the reading was calming me--two polar powers working against each other to keep me captive in a sort of sleepy limbo.

I would occasionally look up and around Food.com, watching people walking by or sitting at tables. But in my daze, my guard was down and I was acting instinctual.

And that's when it happened.

I accidentally waved to an individual whom I completely dislike, and I am unfortunately acquainted with because of common friends. It was a natural reaction to wave to someone I know, but in this situation, I completely regretted it.

Not only did I not want to talk to this person, but because I initiated communication with my slight of hand, I was not obligated to initiate small talk and pretend to be interested in this person and their life. And I hate being fake.

So people, beware. Drinking will leave you in undesirable states, just make sure you recognize beverage choices can be dangerous no matter what time of day. Drink too much alcohol at the bar and you might mistake anything that walks for your dream boy. Get your morning coffee too late and you might wave to that kid you desperately try to avoid like the plague.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

audiocandy

audiocandy has been conceived.

WERWaudiocandy.blogspot.com


check it often for all your musical needs-- news, reviews, playlists and more.

listen in thursday mornings 10 until 1 via your iTunes or right here.

set your calendars and update your bookmarks now.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Ideal/Ironic mornings

Don't you love how each night there is always the promise of a fresh, perfect tomorrow?

I wonder every night of how delightful it will be to wake up the next morning, refreshed and ready to conquer the world.

I'll wake early, settle down at the dining room table with a warm cup of tea and some work as the sun shines in my window. It's splendid, getting ahead in my classes and feeling accomplished while still comfortably wearing my pig slippers and nighttime sweats.

But, 9 a.m. always comes to early. And I sleep until noon, because I'm exhausted from staying up until 2 the night before imagining how wonderful the morning could have been.