Today was officially my last day at KS95 and I am really, really sad. This is by far the best job I've ever had, and it was definitely the best thing that ever could have happened to me last May. I still remember being surprised when I had a voicemail from Jym, because I had initially applied for a television internship. Now, eight months later, I can't imagine things any other way. This was the first job I've had that was in some way related to what I want to do as a career. Before this I had only worked at Target and a couple of coffee shops, so just the experience of working at a radio station was so valuable in and of itself.
I can honestly say I learned so much, and I don't think one day went by that I didn't have fun. I met such great people at the station, and I don't think I will ever be able to thank Jym enough, for taking the time to show me the ropes and help me even when it took me awhile to catch on. I could literally go on and on about what a difference he's made in my life, and what a great friend he has become. So Jym, if you read this... thank you, you are simply the best.
To everyone else at ks95, thank you so much for being so nice to me. I hope I can come back and visit sometime, because I'll miss being there so much. But this is definitely what I'll miss the most:
School: Okay, the semester is roughly half way done, but I still don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. This has been a particularly rough semester because I've been sick half the time which has caused me to miss a lot of class. I'm having a lot of fun in my capstone class for the journalism school. I put together stories for University Report, our campus newscast. Here's the link to a list of stories I've done this year: http://murphy.sjmc.umn.edu/4451/index.php?s=0000100022&u=snide034
Also, I'm up for another spring internship position with NBC in New York City. I have my first telephone interview this Friday, for a Spring 2009 internship. I know what a great opportunity it would be but I'm still having a difficult time deciding if I really want to do it if I were offered the position. I'm on track to graduate next spring, but if I were to take the internship I'd obviously take that semester off of school, and have to go back to finish in the fall. It may sound simple, but I know that having to go back to school for one lousy semester after having lived in New York City for four months, would really be a drag. Anyways, I'll be sure to post an update once I figure out what's going on.
Politics: Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm practically the dictionary definition of "outcast" at the U of M. Why? Because I am a Republican. I used to keep my political views to myself for fear of ridicule and embarrassment, but recently I decided that I didn't really care anymore. When people find out I am conservative they either laugh or they say nothing at all... however, the latter is usually the case only if the person is trying to hold back going on a bleeding heart liberal rant about what a joke the Republican Party has become. I don't like politics. I don't like that politics divides us instead of uniting us. But unfortunately that's what it has come to, and I'm not about to blame that on any person or any party in particular. I do, however, have to say that I am utterly appalled at the lack of respect that some people have for our current president. Granted I am a Republican, I guarantee you that if I were the lefty-est looniest liberal out there, I would still respect George W. Bush simply because of the fact that he is the leader of our country, the Commander in Chief. We have nine days left until we elect a new president... I am both nervous and optimistic. I'm not going to bash the Democrats, or tell you how much I "hate" Al Franken. I will tell you, however, that I do plan to wear my "Nobama" shirt on Tuesday, November 4th.
Music: This section will be short and sweet. I am SO excited for this week. One of my favorite bands EVER, Augustana, is coming to Minneapolis. Not only do I get to see them in concert Thursday night with OneRepublic, The Spill Canvas, and The Hush Sound... but I get to go to their Live 95 performance at The Caves on Friday afternoon. How cool! Knowing my luck, this week will go by extremely slow, but I am praying that it doesn't because I cannot wait.
On any other night I'd probably be at least seven hours into my slumber, but tonight I find myself working the overnight shift here at KS95. I am so fully caffeinated, it is ridiculous. I am downing diet coke number three right now, and I had my dose of Starbucks around 11:45pm.
Anyone who talked to me within the last week, knows I was really nervous to do this. Even though everyone here at the station reassured me that I really had nothing to worry about being that I'm basically just sitting here making sure all goes according to plan, I still thought of every possible thing that could go wrong: the computer crashes, a tornado hits, or I accidentally hit some button that destroys everything. Needless to say after about ten minutes here by myself, I got over the nerves.
I answered one call, a woman asking who sang the last song played, which was "I Love Rock and Roll". I don't know why I found that funny, that song isn't very new. I answered "Joan Jett & The Blackhearts", and then I felt all knowledgeable, even though I just read it off the computer screen.
I keep laughing every time I hear this spot for the "Little River Band" that I (kind of) helped Jym with yesterday. I don't know why but I can't adjust audio very well or very subtly for that matter... I just laugh thinking about how many tries it took before I got it right.
Ok, I am not going to lie... I am a little sleepy, but I'll make it. Less than two hours to go. Hope everyone else is having a nice sleep right now. Have a good weekend!
For the last month I've been working for CBS News at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul's own Xcel Energy Center. The hours were brutal and the "work" was pretty much nonexistent. Even so... after working (on average) five days a week, 10 hours a day, I'm beat.
I'm the type of person that really needs down time, alone time, and just simply relaxation time. My summer internship here at KS95 overlapped with the convention, which overlapped with the beginning of the school year. Oh yeah, throw a four day trip to NYC in there... Too many things in too little time.
The convention was, however, a wonderful experience I must say. Most of the time we (the CBS runners) were sort of tucked away in a basement corner of the River Centre where we did odd jobs. Unfortunately I did not get to meet ANY politicians, as we were usually in designated media areas. We didn't get "floor" passes, which would have allowed us access to the delegate seating. I did, however, manage to meet CBS's Bob Schieffer:
and my crush and idol NBC's Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory:
Those two pictures pretty much made my night. Though seeing John McCain accept the nomination was pretty cool. Lots of celebrating:
Thursday night (for obvious reasons) was the highlight of the last four weeks. I'm insanely sleep deprived, and hoping to do some major catching up tonight and tomorrow.
I am really excited to start back up at KS95 next Tuesday. I hope you all had a good Labor Day weekend.
I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of August. I've had a decent summer, I think it was a nice blend of relaxation, chaos, and vacation. Only recently did things start getting a little hectic.
I returned from New York City on Sunday, August 10th and have been working non-stop ever since then. I started on Monday the 11th working as a runner for CBS News at the Republican National Convention. I've basically been working 10 hour days on Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sat. I still worked at KS95 on Tues and Thurs, which was a nice way to break up the boring days at the convention. I think I have had two days off since returning from New York, and that definitely hasn't been enough.
School starts on Tuesday, and the convention ends Thursday. I've never looked forward to a weekend more than this next one. I'm running on little to no sleep, and I've basically lacked a social life for the past three weeks.
As for the NBC internship that I interviewed for in New York . . . I didn't get it. I found that out after weeks of waiting, and trying to plan my fall. I actually decided that I was going to stay in Minnesota for the fall before I even found out that I didn't get it, so I suppose that made the not-so-good news a little more bearable. But in all honesty, I don't know that I would have made it away from home for three months.
I live with my Mom and I am so unbelievably close with her. I can't imagine going three months without seeing her. I really can't imagine being away from everything I know and love here in Minnesota for that long either. My mom always tells me that everything happens for a reason, so I know and have accepted that this internship just wasn't meant to be.
Something good DID come out of the whole situation though. I am lucky enough to be able to stay at KS95 another semester. I've enjoyed working here this summer more than words can say. I've met amazing people and had an absolute blast learning about radio production. I certainly have to credit the great experience to Jym, who has been the best boss ever . . . he is so much fun and helped me learn so much!
Anyways, I love the fall. I am looking forward to the cool, crisp autumn air along with the falling leaves and grey skies. I am hoping to have more time for writing and playing music once I get settled into my routine in the coming months. I miss music so much, I just haven't had much time to pick up my guitar this summer.
To anyone who actually reads this . . . I hope you had a wonderful summer, and I hope that you have a great fall.
