change.

I’ve heard a few journalists say we shouldn’t worry about changing the world, because we can’t.

Call me a dreamer, a wisher, a magic-bean-buyer, but I don’t want to do anything if I don’t think it’ll change the world (no matter how minute that change may be).

A recent example of a journalist doing his bit to change the world would be Anderson Cooper and his helping an injured Haitian child. (I use this example because majority of people have seen it & because I am slightly biased towards the man himself).

Another example of a journalist changing the world is any writer who takes a story that normally would not be heard and makes it front-page news. They tug at heartstrings, not to sell papers, but to remind humans of the need for humanity. They compose words that take a reader from the comfort of their kitchen and morning coffee to the front lines of a war. A journalist changes the world by making you care. Unfortunately, humans often need to be reminded to care.

If I can make one reader care about a country they couldn’t previously place on a map, then I have changed the world. If I can weave the story of a family living on the streets because their house was foreclosed, I have changed the world. If I can open a reader’s eyes to the world around them, then I have successfully changed the world.

Heck, if I can explain to you how increasing taxes, school violence and political elections influence you – then I’ve changed the world through education.

This might seem like a lofty goal, even pretentious.

Who do I think I am, believing it’s my responsibility to make the world a better place?

Well, love, it’s all of our responsibilities. This is just the only way I know how to do it.

So I will ignore the journalists who say we can’t change the world. It’s often these same journalists who tell us the future of journalism is up to us.

Well, in my future journalism career, I plan to change the world.

(photo above from: http://tinyurl.com/yhxdqw5 <-- go here to read about an interesting journalist).

deadline.

i’m on deadline.

i have sat on every flat surface in this bedroom – which consists of floor, bed & a single chair. i can’t seem to get comfortable, i can’t focus.

six o’clock is fast approaching and what do i do? Put aside the fighting words of the GOP and the DNC and open a clean word document to type my own words.

i update twitter, refresh facebook every 20 minutes, check my e-mail and organize my itunes.
oh yes, i am on deadline and it shows.
i sit on the bed, move to the floor, perch on the desk – no position seems to work. I look at the clock: 2 hours til deadline and only about 200 words short.
time to focus, clean it up and get it sent.

music to focus?
well, I tried.
but sometimes when you put your music on “shuffle” the first song it picks is “the girl all the bad guys want” (by bowling for soup song <- a band from texas). there’s nothing like going from discussing health care reform to a song reminding you of your childhood.

journalism is an interesting profession.
there are times when you write a story that you really aren’t interested in but is important to write. there’s no drive, no desire to finish the product because you can barely begin it. what does that mean for me?
it means i have to take an essential story and make it interesting.
it means i sit and stare at my computer and think “why is this important?”
and sometimes all i can think – “it just is.”
which is not a good enough answer.
i ask again, “why is this important? why should anyone care?”

a difficult task.
you have to remove bias, repetition, wordiness, speculation and other items that tend to sneak into stories. you have to check facts, check quotes, check names, check word count, check the spelling of your own name (i’ve actually misspelled my own name before on a story).

i had a friend ask me if i don’t get tired of writing.
well, i’m sure there will be moments when I can’t pick out a word, my hands are cramping from gripping a pen and i don’t want to interview a stranger. but it’s what i do.
it’s like asking a doctor if he gets tired of surgery. let’s hope he doesn’t or his work would become sloppy and then all the people who trusted in him would be let down.
all i can do is try, hope, to never let anyone down.

read. reread. rewrite. read again. read outloud. rewrite. done. email to teachers and hope they appreciate what i've scratched out for them today.

asphalt.

update: this blog was written on the road on sunday but not posted til today when i finally found wifi hence the confusing dates.

my resolution for 2010:
blog twice a week.

not sure who will read this site twice a week but eh, it’ll give me practice & keep all of you up to date.

so we begin this journey of 2010 on the road.

we left friday night after i rang in the new year at a youth lock-in at my parent’s church. it was a blast but meant i only caught about 20 winks. which led to my eventual crashing.
on the floor.
in my hallway.
my mom found me snoring blissfully & ordered me to bed where i caught about 40 more winks before waking up in a panic realizing that i was moving & still had much to pack.

we meant to leave at 4 & very probably could’ve except for a front tire losing air fast thanks to an embedded nail. after a pit stop at the local friendly wal-mart, we were on the road.

the mishaps didn’t stop there.

somewhere in oklahoma my mom received a call from the security company saying an alarm at the church had gone off. long story short - nothing was stolen. thankfully we don’t have any money to steal & they didn’t have enough time to steal the flat screen although they tried.

we made it to springfield, missouri for the night & checked into a motel. a legit motel.
located along route 66, the motel boasted two '50s cars & numerous pieces of memorabilia. we checked into a suite that contained one king sized bed & a separate room with bunk bed. truc slept for her first night ever on the top of a bunk bed (poor, deprived child).

the next day consisted of dad realizing that the trunk handle to my grandmother’s SUV had broken. not too much of an inconvenience except that items had to be rearranged & unpacking will require some maneuvering. a stop had to be made at the first ever bass pro shop where we introduced truc to the glory of it all (we’re educating her).

our goal to reach st. louis around noon did not occur.
a small rock hit the windshield & left the evidence of a small ding. not a big deal, except that we’re in my grandmother’s car & this small crack could spread in the cold & result in us presenting her with a new windshield. we scurried around searching for someone to patch the glass only to find everything closed for the holidays.

a google search on my handy-dandy iPhone (apple, i expect payment for this advertisement) led us to a man’s house in some small town in missouri.

my father knocked on the front door & woke the man from his holiday stupor. after waiting for about 10 minutes for him to put on pants, we were informed that he didn’t have the needed tools & we couldn’t do much but wait til monday.

lunch was a protein-filled affair in the little town of rolla, missouri at the sirloin stockade’s steak buffet.

st. louis was reached with the arch lit by sunset.
i love st. louis.
we weren’t there for long but i saw brick buildings, bridges & a plethora of photographical locations. perfect. the arch was cold or at least walking to the arch was cold. the tour was sold out so we settled for examination of the museum & gift shops.

our final goal for the night was springfield, illinois- the location of abraham lincoln’s home & tomb.

the next morning was continental breakfast (all continental breakfasts look the same to me at this point) & then a self-guided tour of springfield. we saw lincoln’s home, his presidential library, law office & tomb. lincolned out - we headed out to our final destination: evanston, illinois.

it’s been an eventful trip thus far.

all we can say is that every time we turn on the car we breath a word of thankfulness that it least it’s still working.

snow has become a consistent part of the landscape since entering illinois along with single digit temperature. it just reached 10 degrees at 1:30pm, time to get out the tanning lotion & bikini.

i kid.
we’re freezing but have already learned so much about cold weather.
for example: it is possible for the inside of your car windows to ice over.
also, they sell lamb wool-lined socks at bass pro shop.

i’m currently in the car again surrounded by pillows & coats.
i’ll post this blog when the car is unpacked, internet is found & i’m happily settled in my new home.
miss you all.