An End to End All Ends

Well, this is the second-to-last week, and the last week that I am scheduled to blog, and I am sure that if anyone is actually reading this blog.

Our West Wing tour was scheduled for last Tuesday night, but since the Pope was coming to town, we got bumped off the schedule because the staff had to ready the White House. I wish they'd told us that before I walked over there in my best suit and waited for half an hour at the gates...They rescheduled us for Sunday afternoon, which ensured that I would not have a conflict of schedule, but I would actually rather have such functions at the end of a day that is already devoted to work or school instead of taking a day off away. I'm just weird that way (and many other ways besides), and it didn't matter what I thought anyway; that was the only available time, so debate wasn't an option.

At work the past couple weeks, we've bid farewell to two interns and began interviewing new applicants. I'll be gone next week, and the only other intern is actually leaving this week, so Creative Differences may be intern-less for a time. If you're thinking of applying, do so now, as they are looking for enthusiastic people who are ready to work, and can really sell themselves in an interview (Hint: It helps to be thirsty in an interview here, and that's all I'll say).

Last Friday, we saw Professor Gelb's reality show (no joke), and discussed the impact of the reality genre on TV. That afternoon we went to the Holocaust Museum, where we spoke first to a man who works there, and helps promote awareness of genocides that are happening today, not just the Holocaust. We took the tour of the museum, and I will tell you, you will never really understand how bad the Holocaust was, how it happened, and how it was allowed to happen unless you go and see this museum. They do not display things of a graphic nature, so children will probably miss the point rather than be plagued with nightmares as the true terror of the thing is mostly suggested, very strongly suggested, by telling of the horrible things that happened and not showing them. It is more effective that way, because you feel the pain and injustice instead of seeing it and commenting that it wasn't as violent as the movie you saw last night... And I learned many things I never knew, for instance: Hitler had Jehovah's Witnesses put in the concentration camps as well as Jews, Political prisoners, homosexuals, and people who just got in the way (in a big way). Jehovah's Witnesses; I didn't know they existed in the 1930s, much less in Germany. And come on, I know they come to your home and talk to you, but is that is not a reason to have them tortured and killed.

On Sunday, we did finally get into the West Wing (not the actual White House) and saw the Oval Office, the Press Room, and even the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. I have to say it, even though it's cliched it's true: "It looks a lot bigger on TV." While it was fancy and prestigious, the reality of the Office of the President of These United States could not live up to the hype. As a result, I was more impressed by the Eisenhower building (because it is huge, old, and has many ornate fixtures and features...It reminded me of the Spencer Mansion from Resident Evil).

Over the next two weeks, I have a ton of work to do, not the least of which is a police ride along, which just doesn't want to happen. I spent 2 and 1/2 hours at the police station yesterday, waiting to SET UP the ride along that I showed up to TAKE. Somebody told me on the phone yesterday morning that I had a ride along appointment, and when I showed up at the station, it was news to them!

Apart from that, there is an intership case study paper (7-10 pages), a final video project (>10 minutes), and a paper based on the ride along (5 or more pages), once I finally get to do that...

That's all the news I have, so now I'm signing off for the final time,

Yours recedingly,
Greg

"No one knows what it means, but it's provocative."
--Chazz Michael Michaels

Learning until The End

Another week has gone by and sadly we are getting closer to the end.

This last week has still been busy though which is great. At work I have been sifting through literary catalogs in order to create a huge database for my boss so that she will have all the catalogs on record which she can refer to. Hopefully this will create a little more space in her office as it is unbelievable how many there are. I hope this also helps her out when she comes to looking through catalogs next season. At the moment, I feel like a true journalist as I am slowly being swallowed up by papers, magazine, literary catalogs and countless yellow sticky notes which are living up to their name and sticking to virtually everything!
Although, this may not be as exciting as the other tasks I am doing it really has given me a different insight into the job, showing the mixture of work invovled in a publication house. Additionally, I feel it something which will really help my boss in the long run (well I hope it does) and I feel I am making a bit of a difference.

At school this week, we discussed the role of the reality television medium - why it works so well and what is its secret formula. In contrast, in the afternoon we visited the Holocaust museum and had someone who works with the media side of the museum explain how the Holocaust is not something that remains in the past, but that genocide is something that is happening this very minute in Dafur. He explained how the media is vital with helping this cause and the Sudanese people, by broadcasting their plight to the rest of the world. The media is helping to keep the issue at the forefront of people's minds, as too often these stories are soon forgotten as they are replaced with some new, more current and therefore more interesting topic. This was particularly interesting for me as I am so interested by humanitarian issues, and it is something I am very keen to get into, as I feel this is one way a Journalist can use their skills to help improve situations such as this.
The Holocaust museum itself was also fascinating and extremely well presented. Having a Polish father I was particularly interested in the areas focusing on the invasion of Poland and the surrender of Warsaw to the Germans and the way in which the country suffered during the war, especially as it is not an area which is so well covered in High School. Once again, it made me realize that this may also be something I am interested in - writing about historical events and the way in which they affected people's lives and still do now - it links with my interest in humanitarian causes and issues.

On a slightly lighter note, on Sunday Amos organized a tour of the White House's West Wing for us. It was truly amazing to see where the President worked, his offices, his meeting rooms and his private study. Being a would-be journalist it was also great to see the press room as well. It certainly was a once in a lifetime opportunity and something I never thought I would do before I came here.

I have to say apart from today it has really started to feel like summer, which means lunches outsides, walks a long the harbour and plenty of Ben & Jerry's. Social life is a real blast and although too many late nights are starting to take their toll it is all worth it in the end.

Race until The End

Since coming back from Spring Break staying in Daytona Beach, Florida it has been hard to get back in the swing of things, but I'm finding myself busy once again in D.C. which is great - helping me to get over the shock of coming back to the city and the cold! I have to say, before I continue, that Spring Break is one of the great American experiences and if you are an international student it is definitely one of those things that you have to do - the memories will last a lifetime!

Anyway, back in D.C everything has been going full steam ahead, especially at Smithsonian Magazine. Everyone always asks me at work how I am getting on and I always answer I love coming into work. This is met with a bemused look as if to say "Are you crazy? or what?!" But it is true, I love coming into work looking forward to finshing off one project and starting on something new. It may be true that "the feeling won't last forever in my working life" as my mother says, but right now I love it! Last week I was working on History Today for the magazine. This is a feature which appears on the Smithsonian Magazine website every day. For each day of the week, (example May 12) you have to come up with an important event that happened on the same day say 20 years ago, or 200 years ago and then write a short piece on it. I was working on a week in May - May 12-18 and I had to find seven events, one for each day that I thought Smithsonian Magazine readers would find interesting. It was so much fun and incredibly interesting investigating and researching births, marriages, deaths, battles, discoveries, natural disasters, expeditions, publications and works of art etc. And the wealth of information I discovered was fascinating. For example, I found out more about Pope John Paul II when I was researching his attempted assassination then I ever had known before. This project reinforced the scope of subjects that Smithsonian covers, which is what really attracts me to the Magazine, since it covered religion, history, art, culture, medecine, travel, literature and science. The breadth that working at the Magazine allows you is also extraordinary, which is why I say I like coming into work every day. I know it sounds geeky, but I love to learn new things, even in Science, which isn't my strong point. Now, this week I am calling up and writing to literary agencies to request different books for consideration for excerpts, which again encompasses an entirely different area of the Magazine.

This week classes were full steam ahead too, with the director, Amos, organizing another jam packed day. On Friday morning Amos took us to the NPR (National Public Radio) offices. Here we were able to sit in on their Friday morning meeting and hear discussions on the different stories they would be including in future programs. It was fascinating to see what different kinds of stories were brought up and also the interaction between the journalists when ideas were put forward. It gave you a real idea of what it is like to work in radio journalism. We were also given a tour of the building, including the "floating" studios which were an amazing design. Later in the day back at school, Amos gave us a history of the radio, which while as Amos said the SIWJ program is not a history course, I still feel it is important to learn how the radio developed and evolved, in order to understand it today. We then rushed into Georgetown (it really is non-stop here and always on the go which I love - it's the journalist in me!) to meet Jeffrey Dvorkin, who is an experienced journalists who has worked for a variety of companies. He gave us a great insight into the profession and I appreciated greatly his candidness, as many journalists are not as honest about the work or the profession they work in.

Social-life wise this weekend was packed too with my best friend at GW turning 21 and his parents booking a hotel suite for a whole group of us for 2 nights. It was pretty much a Spring Break reunion as friends from Maryland came down. We also managed to include a tour for them around D.C. -- as my mother said "Isn't it a bit strange for an English person to be giving a tour of D.C. to Americans?" Well I guess D.C is my second home now! I have to say it was great time to show them the city, as Saturday was so warm and sunny and the cherry tree blossoms were amazing - it looked stunning. However, trust me to forget my camera - so I guess I'll be returning this week, otherwise my mother will not be impressed that I have been in Washington for 3 months and haven't taken photos of one the most famous and beautiful things here!!

Past the Halfway Mark

We're rounding the last turn and coming into the home stretch, soon it will be summer, and the big adventure will be at a close. But, before that happens, we will be visiting the West Wing, the office complex of the President! Seriously, are we well connected or what? And, before that happens, it will be my birthday. I'll be twenty-one; tie whatever significance into it that you will...

This week we are going to get to see Ted Turner in the SMPA building. It should be interesting to hear what such a person has to say. Work continues, and there is to be a rotation of interns, some leaving and others taking their places.

Yes, we are half done with this semester, but there are still more things to do in the time ahead. As it is done, so shall it be written, so stay tuned.

With gusto and a plate of cold spaghetti,
Greg

"Sometimes you just have to look yourself in the mirror and say, 'When in Rome...'"
--Ron Burgundy

Back in the Capitol

Well, friends and neighbors, from the clock on the wall, I can see that I forgot to set it ahead for daylight savings time, which really threw me off, and somehow I lost a week, and my calendar caught on fire, and my pocket watch spontaneously exploded, and by my reckoning, it's probably time to write on this blog again...

Last week was spring break (yay), and I went back to my old homestead in Colorado (which isn't really very old at all). I played video games and watched my DVD collection of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Apart from that, much sleep was had by all. It was a good week and a good time to relax.

But, now I'm back, and rather than feeling thrust back into the rush of the city (which I could handle just fine), there's a bit of a hiatus at school and work, so I feel that I am just now reaching the edge of the cliff where vacation drops into the abyss of routine, rather than already falling.

Whatever else I may do the rest of the semester, I think one of my greatest accomplishment will still be introducing a Londoner to the musical stylings of Hank Williams Sr... I would never have thought that England and the American South had any views in common, even in songs, but, there we are.

As more developments develop throughout the rest of my semester here, I will be sure to ramble and drone on about them in either a hilarious or altogether uninteresting way, depending on my readers...

That is all,
Greg

"And now for something completely different."
--John Cleese

Cupcakes and Spring Break

Everything is still going great here out in Washington D.C, although last week was a rather intense, but very interesting, time for me at my internship. There was a change of plan to the May issue, which includes the section called "Destination America." There was supposed to be an article on Memphis, TN included in the section (as Smithsonian Magazine tries to cover all areas of the United States.) However, the author had written a 10,000 word piece, instead of a 3,000 piece and it was so good that they wanted to keep it as a proper feature for another, future issue. This resulted in a massive gaping hole where The South was supposed to be covered in the "Destination America" section. Consequently, this meant that a story which had been 'killed' a couple of years back on the Natchez Trace had to resurrected. This meant a mad rush for everyone to get the story ready on time for publication. This allowed me to do my first bit of reporting, which my boss said I should take advantage of.

You see, the problem with the Natchez piece is that we already knew one of our key sources had died and we needed to make sure that wasn't the case for the rest of story. Thankfully, we discovered most other elements of the article were accurate and the story is now almost ready. This was a great insight for me to see that things do not always run smoothly and one way or another you have to come up with a back-up plan. Issues always have to go out on time.

This week also saw my first two stories that I had worked on, Acoma and Conner Prairie, go into their final stages and I was able to see the layout. It was really strange for me to see the articles, which I had crossed words out on, marked big red circles on and generally just scribbled all over with my pencil, in its final stages looking not far from what we will see in the May issue. It really gave me a sense of achievement.

Last week, for school, was cupcake time! Greg and I worked on a 3-minute video piece about Georgetown Cupcakes that had opened last month. Everyone had been going crazy for them - there were lines outside the door and the owners had to close the store for a few hours at a time to cope with the demand. It was a frivolous story, but I thought it would be fun to cover. After a few initial bumps that we managed to iron out, the story came along quite well and Greg and I had a bit of fun with the soundtrack, although I have to say "Hey good-looking, what you got cooking" has somewhat stayed in my head since then!

On Tuesday, we met Carol Knapps from RTNDA/F who creates journalism programs/projects for high school students, to teach them writing, videography, editing, radio, etc. We were asked by her to create a 3-minute video piece on the program and its students, which will then be put up on the website. Therefore, at the end of this week we are visiting the Friendship Public Charter School to film the children at work. In school this week they are working on a project concerning the 40th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, and connecting how it relates to the election.

Social life is still going well, I am having a really great time – it is so much fun! Tomorrow is my birthday, which I am really looking forward to, although turning 22 makes me feel old, especially when I go out on the weekend and I discover everyone is a sophomore – (to be 19!) Anyway, I’m even more looking forward to the end of the week/next week, as 14 of us are sharing a house in Daytona Beach, Florida for Spring Break! I can’t wait– I need some sun! Not looking forward to the 12-hour drive down there, but I’m sure it will be worth it when I get there. As you can probably tell I’m definitely trying to do the whole American student experience!
Next stop…road trip across America of course!

See you after some fun in the sun!
-Natalia

Howdy!

Prepare yourselves once again, 'cause here I is...
I will begin this session by saying that anyone who has not seen the movie "Airplane!" should do so immediately.

Now, on to business. I've been working on video projects for the past three-or-so weeks, and while I can feel my skills improving, I am also ready for Spring Break to relieve me of duty for a while. The last video turned out pretty well, considering it was about a cupcake store, so be looking for the video on Youtube in a couple weeks. The soundtrack features Journey, The Cars, and Hank Williams, so ask your parents and grandparents who those musicians are before logging on.

In other news, I attended The Kalb Report last night, which was visited by Christiane Amandpour, CNN's war correspondant. I was amazed to hear that she obtained her current position mainly through random chance and luck, which is rather encouraging for the new generation to know; you don't necessarily have to know someone high-up in the company, you just have to know your business, and do your best and people will recognize that.

On another note, I just obtained Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and it is awesome. I recommend it to all Wii owners, and will give no spoilers. If you're in the mood to see the Nintendo all-stars beating each other senseless, go pick it up.

Not much more to say, so I'll sign off once more.

"No man is an island, but some men are peninsulas."
-Robin Williams in "The Survivors"

Farewell until our next random encounter, exactly two weeks from now,
Greg