Let's play ketchup

I had originally wanted to spend my day off sleeping as long as I felt like then eventually getting up and being productive. My roommates plans were a little different. The World Cup USA-Algeria game is on at 9:30 a.m. for some reason (I'm more mad at FIFA for scheduling a game this early in the morning). So, now I'm up.

I have the rest of this week off (hooray!) because I'm working two shifts this weekend (harumph). It should be fun though! On Saturday I'm going to the Twilight 5K run--complete with glitter stations and races divided by blood types. And no, I will not be participating, I will be there with a web producer to take pictures and write up a story about the event. I can't wait to see the people who show up in costume. And then Sunday I will be in the studio working with producers. I sat and observed the producers once before and was pretty baffled by the whole ordeal. But hopefully now they'll have the time to explain to me what is going on.

I haven't written in over a week! I enjoyed my weekend back in Lafayette so much that I forgot about keeping up with this. Well, I'll give a little recap.

I took a Greyhound back to Lafayette, which I will never do again. The bus was hot and crowded, and I was too carsick to do much at all. I just closed my eyes for most of the 10 hour ride. But now I know for sure that driving myself back and forth from Austin will be the best choice, mostly because of all the legroom and getting to play my music as loud as I want.

Besides the ride, Lafayette was awesome, fantastic, wonderful, splendiforous. I got to hang out with the family, see my dog, swim in the pool with Neil... It was perfect. We also celebrated Father's Day and Erin's baby shower while I was back. I got Dad a cool cowboy shirt, and I bought baby Maxim one too!

I really wished I could have stayed longer, but I had to get back to my internship!

I worked yesterday with a reporter that had the quintessential reporter voice. It was funny because I got to sit in on him doing his voiceovers and edits, and he would gesture while he spoke although no one except me could see him. It felt like a really long day because I didn't get a chance to sit down and eat the whole time I was there. But now that it's all over, I've got a free day ahead of me and an improv class tonight!

Sparkle Head

Check it out, y'all, I'm famous!

http://www.news8austin.com//?ArID=271822

It's 10:30 AM and I'm already done with my work day! Granted, I did wake up at 4 this morning. I followed Tracy, the morning reporter, who has to wake up this early (if not earlier) every day! I can't even imagine. It was still pitch black when I left my apartment this morning--side note, the elevator was broken at my apartment the whole weekend, and I live on the 6th floor.

Tracy and I drove to a salon/boutique called Stella Blue. We went there to do a feature on summer trends, specifically something that I had never heard of before, hair tinseling. It's basically getting strands of tinsel tied into small sections of your hair. They have all kinds of colors, and both young girls and girls my age are coming to the salon to get it done. I got my hair done as a demonstration that was shown on camera, and the women picked the color for me. I'm actually glad they did, because instead of getting blue or purple like I wanted, they put colors like copper and orange in that complement my hair color. It really didn't hurt, there was not a lot of hair pulling. The tinsel is supposed to stay in for a month, so it's not going anywhere for a while. I can style and wash my hair exactly like I could before, and I can even get my hair colored with them in. I heard that it is a bit expensive to get done, but Tracy and I got our hair done for free!

I did make sure to Tivo my on-air debut (although all I did was smile and show off my hair). There were multiple live segments--5 short segments spread out every thirty minutes--and one of them will be put up on the website soon, so I'll put a link on here once they put it up. I tried, to take a picture, but the tinsel won't show up with the flash! You can see it very distinctly in the sunlight. I think it might catch people off guard--one of the women in the salon said that when she goes out to bars people will reach out to touch her hair without thinking or asking; it's a raccoon-like reaction to seeing something sparkly.

I am so happy I could go with Tracy today, she even let me do my own interview with someone at the boutique. It won't go on air, but I can save it and put it on my sample reporter reel which is great!

I have an improv class tomorrow (which is going splendidly, by the way) and then I'm heading back to Lafayette on Thursday! I am so excited to see the family, my boyfriend, and my dog! I can't wait for Erin's baby shower or Father's Day--they should both be expecting the most awesome Austin-themed gifts :)

Friday=no fun day

I found out today that Friday is usually the busiest day at the desk. Most people do not come in to work on the weekends, so a lot of stuff has to be planned out and shot all on Friday. And on top of that, there were quite a few incidents that happened locally that kept me on the phone most of the day just trying to get more information out of people about what happened. My attempts were not very successful, and I was feeling a bit of pressure about it coming together, but I just kept coming up with dead ends. Hopefully as time goes on I'll get the hang of it, but from my experience today, I found that there are very few resources and the people I did call were in no rush to help me out.

I was also supposed to go shadow an anchor who works the early morning shift (meaning I get to wake up at 4), but that didn't work out. I will be able to go out with her some time next week, and I will be TiVo-ing it because she usually has the interns appear onscreen for demonstrations and things. She gets to do a lot of fun stories. For example, last week she went to the circus to learn how to become a clown, and she got to film an ice cream juggling contest at an ice cream shop in town!

I did get to shadow another reporter today though. She is working on a series that will air on News 8 in July (it's similar to a documentary.) The series is about childcare, so we got to go to a very highly acclaimed facility in Austin to film and interview some staff. Unfortunately, I did not get to goof around with the kids because we had to film them, and doing so means trying to be candid and not get involved. The day with her was interesting though, because her series allows her to get more in depth than most reporters, so it should turn out to be an interesting story.

There are a few things at the apartment I would like to work on over the weekend, but besides that I've got nothing! I've been lucky to have a lot of free time on my hands, but because I'm still a stranger to this town I am hesitant to venture out on my own a lot (especially at night). I am really looking forward to having family come to visit soon so we can go do some fun activities together! And I've always got my great cousins to show me around!

Sicktastic

So, I must have caught a cold somehow. I actually had to call in sick to work on Wednesday because I couldn't even get out of bed. Fever, headaches, congestion, you name it. But I am feeling much better now, which is great.

I was able to go in to work on Thursday, and when I got there I had around 300 emails to sort through from the day before. No exaggeration, there are literally hundreds of emails that we at the news desk have to read every day. Most of them are plugs from a local band or news that does not pertain to our station, but it is important to check them all in case there is something important mixed in with all the clutter. On top of that, each morning we are expected to read the local newspapers and call the police stations to see if anything happened overnight. My job was to sort through the papers, and I found a couple of stories that I found interesting. So what I have to do from there is copy the story and send it out to our producers, reporters, and everyone working at the news desk with me. If someone likes the suggestion, they'll bring it up as a story idea in the morning meeting. Even writing all of this information down is making me a little exhausted!

The point of all that explaining is that I sent out a story that an anchor read and liked.

(Here's a link to the story if you're curious)

When I was standing in at the morning meeting, he began to say how an intern sent him a great story idea and I raised my hand and said "That's meeeeeee!" I was too proud of my accomplishment I couldn't help myself. Any time I get recognized at work I get really excited because if I'm making a good impression on everyone, they could remember my name and contact me for a job once I graduate! Who knows, if I stay on this winning streak maybe that'll happen.

First Day of Work

Check it out! It's my new intern badge that gives me VIP access to the News 8 Austin building! Never mind that the picture shows it backwards...

I'm still feeling sick today, but I made sure to go to CVS last night and get medication before my first big day at work. I worked an eight hour shift today, and although it was fun it took a lot out of me!

A big part of my job as an assignment desk intern is answering phones and sorting through hundreds of e-mails each day that contain tips, press releases, and more often than not worthless junk. My e-mail account couldn't be set up until the afternoon, so the first few hours of me being there were a bit worthless. My supervisor, Tina, saw that I had nothing to do and decided to send me out on an assignment with a photographer. Why he's called the photographer I don't know, because he was definitely a videographer. The "photographer" Drew and I drove around in the news van to meet up with reporters and film their stories. Although it is a 24 hour news channel, most of the segments are pre-recorded, but I did get to see a live news shot today. After filming an anchor do a "Go Green" interview, we met up with a reporter named Karina who was doing a story about the governor's mansion. Apparently, two years ago someone set fire to the building and it is still under construction. I got to set up the light and carry around a tripod, but besides that I mostly just observed. But it was really cool! I told Tina how much I enjoyed it, and she said I will be be able to go out and do it often!

When I got back it was lunchtime, so instead of taking an hour long lunch break, I was able to eat my lunch at the desk so I could get out an hour sooner. I don't know if I'll do that every day, but it was certainly convenient since my medicine was wearing off. I got told by somebody that I look like Annette O' Toole today, who I have never heard of before. Apparently she was the mother on Smallville, and from her picture I'd say that it's a compliment.

http://www.nndb.com/people/096/000024024/aot4.jpg

I don't see any resemblance besides hair color, but it was still nice.

Improv Class

I woke up the morning after the Romulus Ate concert feeling terrible (I'm guessing only 20% was my hangover). I've been feeling under the weather lately, and I'm pretty sure it's a cold. Anyway, I took it easy on Monday because I didn't have to work and wasn't planning on leaving the apartment until 7 for a free improv class at the Coldtowne Theater. I had been researching improv classes in Austin to have something fun to occupy my time, and I happened to find this theater. There were really no pictures of the location on the website, so you can imagine my surprise when I showed up to find a tiny building that was sharing a wall with a video store. I wish I could find a picture of it but it looks like they really don't want you to see it.

Although the appearance was disappointing, I had heard a lot of great things about the place and decided to give it a shot. The class was mostly a preview of what we could expect from a level one improv class. We did several exercises together, one of my favorites being the "yes, and.." game. The basic idea was for one person to make a statement and then the next person has to agree and build on that statement. At times it was difficult, because you're tempted to change or shoot down what the other person says, but you're forced to be creative and support each other. There are classes currently in session, but hopefully I can join in on a class that's already started because the next session doesn't start until a week before I leave.

After the class, we were all invited to stick around for a free performance called the Monday Night Mash. I stayed to watch, and it was so great! There were three different troupes that performed. The first group was a improv group that will make up songs for their sketches. The next group did one scene for about twenty minutes of them in an elevator. It sounds dull but that was actually my favorite one. Even if I can't get into a class there, I will definitely be a regular at the theater. It was a blast!

Romulus Ate

The Kobdish family (cousins of my mom) kindly invited me to watch Lisa perform with a group called Romulus Ate. I would say it's more of a theatrical performance than a concert. Everyone on stage had elaborate costumes and makeup that reminded me of David Bowie. Lisa was one of five dancers on stage that choreographed dances to the songs they performed. They also had a fantastic self-made light display that was a big part of the performance. It's hard to describe what the show was like, so here's a clip of the show (Lisa is the one in green with the mohawk):

The bar that it was at is called Red 7 (on the corner of Red River and 7th street). I heard that it was a punk bar and often there will be a mosh pit of people in front of the stage, so thinking practically I wore my combat boots (where else will I get to wear them?!) Of course, the weather was a disaster and we all ended up soaked in sweat, but it was a great experience.

Internship Orientation

Well, the whole reason I am able to stay in Austin for 10 weeks is because I got a summer internship! I'm working at News 8 Austin, a 24 hour news station. Unlike most news stations, it does not focus on crime and violence (unless it's prevalent to the community, of course) but instead it focuses on things the Austin community would be interested in hearing about--local events, human interest, etc. Unfortunately I am not being paid to work, but it will certainly be a learning experience that will get me course credit (not to mention a potential job at the station if I impress the staff!)

I showed up to the news station in a carefully planned out "work casual" outfit and was led to a conference room with 14 fellow interns. Everyone else is relatively close to my age. There are a couple of interns from out of state like me (from Nebraska, North Carolina, Chicago) but most are either from Austin or the Texas area. Considering that News 8 is a large operation, each intern is working in a different department. I will be working at the Assignment Desk, where people call in tips and breaking news. But luckily for me, my supervisor said that I will have the chance to explore different departments and job shadow reporters, photographers, and producers. Essentially, I will be interning for several departments rather than just one! It's exciting because I'll be learning so much, but I'll also be able to interact with the fellow interns.

We got to take a tour of the studio and meet some department heads. The building looks small from the outside, but there is so much going on inside. You don't think about it when you're sitting down and watching a news cast, but there isn't really a big open studio space where the anchors sit. In fact, one sitting area for interviews is in an open cubicle 3 feet away from someone else's desk. It's hard to describe I guess, but everything is smooshed together--conference rooms, control rooms, sets, cubicles all in one space. It'll be a little tricky to get used to the setup, so maybe you will see me tripping onto the set during a broadcast or something.

The orientation was a little bit of information overload--in the course of two hours, I met and talked to basically everyone who works at the station, so of course I can remember no one's names. The interns did get to sit down and have lunch together which was nice. I was also told that News 8 is notorious for having food delivered unannounced and they celebrate birthdays all the time. Maybe all the stumbling around the studio will help me keep off the weight from Taco Tuesdays.

I guess it is a good thing that I never ended up finding a part-time job, because it looks like the internship will keep me pretty busy. I really want to make a good impression, so I will be going to a lot of News 8 events and stopping by the station during my off hours to poke around. Maybe I can gain recognition from the staff from having some type of quirk. I could be cupcake girl, who bakes every week, or I could be crazy sock girl or something awful like that. Ideas?

The New Place

My lovely bed (with Barnaby Jones, my sock monkey friend)

Combination bathroom/closet? I don't know, but I like it!

The living room.. The balcony is through that door but the couch blocks the way.

Messy kitchen!

My sad little half-shelf of fridge space. Things are cramped right now as we're waiting for one girl to move out this Tuesday, then hopefully I can expand.

I couldn't see my TV over the bed because the stand I bought was too short. Ta da!! Problem solved.

The view from out my window... the apartment makes an oval so I can see my neighbors' balconies.

I took some pictures of my new place. My room is pretty small but it feels cozy. You might not be able to tell from the pictures, but my room just holds a bed and a desk. To go to the bathroom I open my bedroom door and walk right across the hallway to the bathroom door. And when I need to change, I walk through the bathroom to get to my closet! Funny, huh?

Moving Day

I've been debating whether or not to start this blog for a while now. I thought it would be a good way to keep in contact with friends and family while I'm gone, but now I also want to do this so I can remember. A notebook can get lost, but I'll always be able to find this.

So Mom and I drove to Austin Tuesday with two cars full of stuff (my clothes and bike take up a lot of space). We arrived at my apartment (The Block on Leon) already exhausted from the drive, but we managed to move most of my stuff into my new place.

I was really excited and nervous to meet my new roommates. The only girl I had met so far was the one whose room I was taking, but from what I understood there would be two or three other girls here this summer. I walk into my apartment to find a woman and two children hanging out in my living room. I paused, thinking I stumbled into somebody else's place. While I stood in the doorway confused, a girl walks out from her room and introduces herself as Maria, my new roomie. With no further explanation of who the Hispanic family sitting on my couch is, Maria ushers my mother and I to my new room.

Mom and I begin to set up, and we start to hypothesize about who in the world these other people are. Is the woman her sister? Is the woman a nanny and someone failed to mention to me that my three roommates included two five-year-olds? I later found out from Maria that the woman was her sister-in-law who was visiting from Houston with her kids. But since I didn't find out this information until yesterday, you can understand my confusion when I wake up the next morning to find the boy sitting on the couch watching Dora the Explorer. I thought for sure this family was staying here for good! Fortunately for me, they left after two days, but what a weird beginning to my stay here!