And So It Begins...

Welcome to my first blog post! I tried to not be cliché in my first post, but oh well.

This blog is currently being used for my college career at Sterling College. I am currently experiencing the first semester of my sophomore year. As part of it, I am in a journalism lab where I write articles for Sterling College Online TV, also known as MY.SCTV. This blog is a collection of my reflections on my writing experience in this lab. I will be writing at least one article each week and will post here about my experience writing them.

To start things off, this is my first reflection and I have already submitted three articles, one of which has been posted. I attended a printmaking exhibition here at the college. You can read about it here. I enjoyed attending the event and seeing Caitlin Penny print t-shirts with a hand press. It wasn't as enjoyable as it would have been if I had attended as a regular attendee rather than a journalist, but it was a good experience overall.

My second event I covered is the English Blend's eleventh or twelfth annual chocolate fondue gathering hosted by the Watneys. (They have lost count as to how many they have hosted.) The Watneys are awesome people. Dr. Mark Watney is a professor of Literature at the college. So that's lit. *slow clap* Laurel Watney is his wife and the director of Mabee Library, the college's campus library, which is also lit because it's full of lots of lit. *again, slow clap* The English Blend is a club here at Sterling College that is centered around writing and literature, and coordinates events with the college's Language & Literature department. They love lit, which is lit. *crickets chirping* OK, I'll stop now.

I really enjoyed attending the event. I mean, I was going to go anyway. I have two really close friends who are part of the English Blend who invited me to come. I also really enjoyed interviewing them for my article because I could ask them better questions than I would have if I wasn't friends with them. It also felt more like a professional conversation than of an interview too. Well, it did for me anyway.

The attendees of the chocolate fondue gathering were encouraged to share some of their favorite writing, whether it be theirs or someone else's. Some people shared book excerpts and others poetry. I was originally going to read from a book but I decided to read a poem I wrote over the summer. It was weird because it was the first time it had been read aloud. But it was good though. I think I needed to verbally share it. It's one thing to write it and another to recite it.

I'd say the hardest part of covering the event for MY.SCTV was writing about it in a short amount of time. The event didn't end until after 10pm. I had assumed it would be over at 9 since it started at 7. I ended up not being able to sit down and begin writing about it until almost midnight. So I edited the photos I took and wrote about it in the Student Union until I got locked out by the cop who locks campus up. By the way, he's a really nice guy. Say hi to him if you're working on stuff in the wee hours of the morning and he swings by to politely kick you out.

Anyway, I was well beyond braindead at that point. So I went back to my dorm, showered, and slept for a few hours. I got up in the morning to finish it and sent it to my editor, only to find out later that morning that my email had not sent. Oof... So I tried again, which worked this time, and that's as far as my story has gotten. I will post a link to it once it has been posted.

My third and final article submission is about two people who became one yesterday, Micah and Jordan Black. They are two of the best people on the planet and now they can be awesome together in marriage. I had the privilege and honor of attending their wedding and reception afterwards. It was something I, like everybody else who was close to them, had been waiting for for a long, long time. The words I have to say about them would not compare to the impact that they have made in my life. (Again, another cliché. Oof...)

In terms of writing about it for MY.SCTV, it was difficult. Well, sorta. I covered what happened at the wedding and what their future plans are. The easy part was gathering information. I meet with Micah for lunch once a week to stay in touch. So, we just talked about him instead of the both of us this time. The hardest part came during the wedding when I was trying to take pictures but it was so hot outside that my phone battery heated so much that it wouldn't allow me to take photos. I was able to get part of a video and a few horrible photos and one decently horrible photo. Thankfully, one of the wedding photographers agreed to let me use a couple of her photos for my article. Unfortunately, I have not yet heard back from her yet. And so, I submitted my article with the one decently horrible photo. That's as far as that story has gotten. I will post a link to that article once it has been posted.

I'd say my writing experience this past week is similar to life: fast and tiring. My work is not as refined as I would like it to be, but I guess that's how life goes. It is as it is.

I apologize for the fact that most of my stories from this week have not yet been posted, so please read my previous articles here while you wait. The doctor will be with you shortly.