Saturday, October 08, 2005
14 year-old gushy poetry written at 24
Best Friends Forever
I closed my eyes as she passed me by.
Got that tingle
like we were lovers in another life.
The last Pabst fell on the floor
and I knew…not tonight.
I suppressed my instinct
in fact I do it everyday.
Love is a game of distance
and most people don’t their way.
My hindsight girl…
Best Friends Forever
I closed my eyes as she passed me by.
Got that tingle
like we were lovers in another life.
The last Pabst fell on the floor
and I knew…not tonight.
I suppressed my instinct
in fact I do it everyday.
Love is a game of distance
and most people don’t their way.
My hindsight girl…
Rosetta
My grandmother heard this idea that it’s silly to write letters because all you’re doing is sending someone else the documentation of your history. She thinks it’s better to journal. Well grandma isn’t that what blogs are for!!! I love my grandmother so unbelievably much. She is like a second mother to me but can’t help but disagree with her. Why can’t a person write journals and letters? Well, while on the topic of grandmothers and letters…I’d like to share a letter I wrote to my girlfriend’s grandmother.
Hello Rosetta,
I thought I’d try something different and type this letter today. This coincides with everything I’m doing in school now, as everything must be typed. I’m sure this was spawned by professors coming across students’ handwriting, such as mine, and needing to give their eyes a break from the illegible hieroglyphs. Don’t you worry I will also send a hand written letter and will not make this typing thing a common practice. I still find the concept of pen to paper to be one of the most beautiful forms of expression. I bet you can’t guess who I’m listening to right now…Les Paul of course. Geoff bought me this CD Les Paul & Friends. It was very kind of him. I’m sorry it has taken me awhile to write back I’ve been feeling the inevitable pressure that’s generated from taking a full load of college courses and working full time. My bosses are coming down on me at the airline, but for the first time in three years I feel they are doing it in a good way. This is the first time my very nebulous job of Tax Table Analyst has been given very specific guidelines and tangible time bound tasks. It’s forcing me to step up to the plate but in more of an enjoyable way. For example, my boss said he needs me to have these two request for service tickets (also known as RFS) closed by no later than Friday. I’m on salary but I’ll tell you what I stayed 2 ½ hours after my scheduled shift on Friday night to get the job done and done with quality. The problem with my position at work is that I’m in a situation that is grooming me for management. So I’m in this state of limbo by having 100% responsibly but not 100% control over these tasks. Things need to be fixed in our accounting system but I don’t have the authority, after I’ve done my part, to tell the managers what they need to do to get the changes installed. My managers have set in motion a clear communication plan that I think will foster completion of more RFSs. This plan is going to put me on the “hot seat” to get jobs completed but that’s the kind of good pressure I’ve wanted all along…clear and communicated. Sorry for that long boring spill about bureaucratic job nonsense. Thank you for all your wonderful diet findings you sent me. All of your important diet information is telling me something I don’t want to hear…Stop eating all that meat!!! Sometimes the things a person wants are the things he shouldn’t have and I’m so grateful for your advice. So yes, the pressure of a full life load is finally coming down on my 24-year-old youthful body. I love the challenge. Going back to finish college this late in the game can only be done for the right reasons. I’m getting my journalism degree because I love to write. I’ve worked at something I’m not passionate about for three years now and I can feel the gravity of my calling telling me school is where I belong. I believe in the educative responsibility that journalist has. I don’t share the same felling of purpose working in the airline industry. My 8th grade algebra teacher told the class that one of the reasons the Roman Empire fell was because they didn’t have the concept of zero in their number system. I have a feeling that one of the concepts our civilization lacks is how to properly utilize natural resources. With gasoline production becoming scarce and our president’s choice to drill in the Alaska wildlife refugee I predict that this commodity which fuels our airline industry is something that we can’t relay on for much longer. With 48% of the airline industry in bankruptcy it’s not a very stable environment to be a part of. Anyway only time can tell and I don’t plan on wrapping a towel around my head and predicting the future as my second job anytime soon. Anyway, I need to go to the bank before they close on this brisk 45 degree Denver morning. Through my window I can see the sun shining brightly on the porch. The leaves have yet to be affected by the breath of autumn that is already soaking up in my bones. Talk to you later.
Love,
Nick
My grandmother heard this idea that it’s silly to write letters because all you’re doing is sending someone else the documentation of your history. She thinks it’s better to journal. Well grandma isn’t that what blogs are for!!! I love my grandmother so unbelievably much. She is like a second mother to me but can’t help but disagree with her. Why can’t a person write journals and letters? Well, while on the topic of grandmothers and letters…I’d like to share a letter I wrote to my girlfriend’s grandmother.
Hello Rosetta,
I thought I’d try something different and type this letter today. This coincides with everything I’m doing in school now, as everything must be typed. I’m sure this was spawned by professors coming across students’ handwriting, such as mine, and needing to give their eyes a break from the illegible hieroglyphs. Don’t you worry I will also send a hand written letter and will not make this typing thing a common practice. I still find the concept of pen to paper to be one of the most beautiful forms of expression. I bet you can’t guess who I’m listening to right now…Les Paul of course. Geoff bought me this CD Les Paul & Friends. It was very kind of him. I’m sorry it has taken me awhile to write back I’ve been feeling the inevitable pressure that’s generated from taking a full load of college courses and working full time. My bosses are coming down on me at the airline, but for the first time in three years I feel they are doing it in a good way. This is the first time my very nebulous job of Tax Table Analyst has been given very specific guidelines and tangible time bound tasks. It’s forcing me to step up to the plate but in more of an enjoyable way. For example, my boss said he needs me to have these two request for service tickets (also known as RFS) closed by no later than Friday. I’m on salary but I’ll tell you what I stayed 2 ½ hours after my scheduled shift on Friday night to get the job done and done with quality. The problem with my position at work is that I’m in a situation that is grooming me for management. So I’m in this state of limbo by having 100% responsibly but not 100% control over these tasks. Things need to be fixed in our accounting system but I don’t have the authority, after I’ve done my part, to tell the managers what they need to do to get the changes installed. My managers have set in motion a clear communication plan that I think will foster completion of more RFSs. This plan is going to put me on the “hot seat” to get jobs completed but that’s the kind of good pressure I’ve wanted all along…clear and communicated. Sorry for that long boring spill about bureaucratic job nonsense. Thank you for all your wonderful diet findings you sent me. All of your important diet information is telling me something I don’t want to hear…Stop eating all that meat!!! Sometimes the things a person wants are the things he shouldn’t have and I’m so grateful for your advice. So yes, the pressure of a full life load is finally coming down on my 24-year-old youthful body. I love the challenge. Going back to finish college this late in the game can only be done for the right reasons. I’m getting my journalism degree because I love to write. I’ve worked at something I’m not passionate about for three years now and I can feel the gravity of my calling telling me school is where I belong. I believe in the educative responsibility that journalist has. I don’t share the same felling of purpose working in the airline industry. My 8th grade algebra teacher told the class that one of the reasons the Roman Empire fell was because they didn’t have the concept of zero in their number system. I have a feeling that one of the concepts our civilization lacks is how to properly utilize natural resources. With gasoline production becoming scarce and our president’s choice to drill in the Alaska wildlife refugee I predict that this commodity which fuels our airline industry is something that we can’t relay on for much longer. With 48% of the airline industry in bankruptcy it’s not a very stable environment to be a part of. Anyway only time can tell and I don’t plan on wrapping a towel around my head and predicting the future as my second job anytime soon. Anyway, I need to go to the bank before they close on this brisk 45 degree Denver morning. Through my window I can see the sun shining brightly on the porch. The leaves have yet to be affected by the breath of autumn that is already soaking up in my bones. Talk to you later.
Love,
Nick
Notebook Labeled
Tonight I scribbled into my green spiral bound notebook labeled “zine.” Thoughts that I considered intriguing at the time were documented but I’m sure no fruition will come of them due to the indecipherability of my handwriting. This conjures up images of gray hared linguists in the future looking over my journals and attempting to decode what this primitive writer had to say. Yet, such fond romanticism is not meant to be true.
Tonight I scribbled into my green spiral bound notebook labeled “zine.” Thoughts that I considered intriguing at the time were documented but I’m sure no fruition will come of them due to the indecipherability of my handwriting. This conjures up images of gray hared linguists in the future looking over my journals and attempting to decode what this primitive writer had to say. Yet, such fond romanticism is not meant to be true.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Just Thinking…
So I was walking to my car after class today and I was coerced to take the path nearest my college’s parking garage. I hate walking near the garage wall and into the covered lot because there is this blind left turn I have to make into the actual parking lot. How am I supposed to see if a car is whizzing by at unheard of speeds with its seat fully equipped with an oblivious driver? In fact, on this left turn occasion I was met by silver SUV which contained a driver who was this older dropped jawed woman and she put down this sudden lead foot break pedal maneuver in fear of our impact. What if this driver had accidentally collided with me and killed me on the spot? I would be in a relatively painless state called death and she would have to live the rest of her life in guilt. During that sudden turn when I saw the silver SUV and her shocked look…during the very interval when it seems like time just stopped…That’s what I was…Just Thinking.
So I was walking to my car after class today and I was coerced to take the path nearest my college’s parking garage. I hate walking near the garage wall and into the covered lot because there is this blind left turn I have to make into the actual parking lot. How am I supposed to see if a car is whizzing by at unheard of speeds with its seat fully equipped with an oblivious driver? In fact, on this left turn occasion I was met by silver SUV which contained a driver who was this older dropped jawed woman and she put down this sudden lead foot break pedal maneuver in fear of our impact. What if this driver had accidentally collided with me and killed me on the spot? I would be in a relatively painless state called death and she would have to live the rest of her life in guilt. During that sudden turn when I saw the silver SUV and her shocked look…during the very interval when it seems like time just stopped…That’s what I was…Just Thinking.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
When Do We Start???
Yesterday I went on a tour of the Rocky Mountain News facilities 100 Gene Amole way. (I actually saw ATF pretending to work in his cube, or desk I should say, while he stared starry eyes clan descent at the jock of a backward hat wearing dude near him.) Our tour guide was your stereotypical retiree of the News who wants to get out and feel important so he gets to show journalist hopefuls the facilities in which he as amassed such great history. As we went into the news room floor the first thing one sees are piles of desks. O.K. the desks aren’t literally piled on each other but with the barge of stuff your typical journalist keeps on his or her desk…my God it’s incredible. We then continued to walk by some famous cartoonist’s office…I don’t even remember his name. Then we got to the Sport section of the room our tour guide Pete Gray told us we have a Hugh sports staff writer section, which is larger than most papers, because we live in such a wonderful and blessed sports town. I hate to call Colorado a redneck town...but its of no surprise our papers endorsed BUSH. Anyway Pete said at 6pm that’s when things start getting busy in there. I of course had to come up with some dry wit saying, “So let me get this strait. You’re saying to be a journalist I have to have a messy desk and work nights...sounds like my kind of job.” To which Pete’s reply was to avoid the joke and change the subject. I liked, of course, my ending of the very extravagant tour…Pete asks, “Is there any questions.” and I my improvised answer was, “When do we start.” Only my damn professor laughed the people in my class are a little anal. At least my teacher had a sense of humor...now only if she had some mercy, she works us to the bone in that class.
Yesterday I went on a tour of the Rocky Mountain News facilities 100 Gene Amole way. (I actually saw ATF pretending to work in his cube, or desk I should say, while he stared starry eyes clan descent at the jock of a backward hat wearing dude near him.) Our tour guide was your stereotypical retiree of the News who wants to get out and feel important so he gets to show journalist hopefuls the facilities in which he as amassed such great history. As we went into the news room floor the first thing one sees are piles of desks. O.K. the desks aren’t literally piled on each other but with the barge of stuff your typical journalist keeps on his or her desk…my God it’s incredible. We then continued to walk by some famous cartoonist’s office…I don’t even remember his name. Then we got to the Sport section of the room our tour guide Pete Gray told us we have a Hugh sports staff writer section, which is larger than most papers, because we live in such a wonderful and blessed sports town. I hate to call Colorado a redneck town...but its of no surprise our papers endorsed BUSH. Anyway Pete said at 6pm that’s when things start getting busy in there. I of course had to come up with some dry wit saying, “So let me get this strait. You’re saying to be a journalist I have to have a messy desk and work nights...sounds like my kind of job.” To which Pete’s reply was to avoid the joke and change the subject. I liked, of course, my ending of the very extravagant tour…Pete asks, “Is there any questions.” and I my improvised answer was, “When do we start.” Only my damn professor laughed the people in my class are a little anal. At least my teacher had a sense of humor...now only if she had some mercy, she works us to the bone in that class.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Walk Like A Dolphin
I’m bad at it…does that mean I would be a horrible actor? At work they are grooming me to be a manager. The pressure they put on me is crazy and I feel like this lab rat…I mean I could contract cancer from high doses of this treatment. They want me to grow and succeed in that department. I can tell my boss’ advice (like, “I know you’re in a position that you don’t have 100 percent control over put you are 100 percent responsible”…what does that mean?)And their actions are done out of good intentions but it’s those intentions that make me believe hell is an air-conditioned box, with rows of cubes, fluorescent lights and stale coffee. In my directors over simplification model of personalities I am a dolphin. Which means I am kind, gentle, slow paced, doesn’t like confrontation, I like to keep the peace etc. Some people are assertive so they are Panthers, the smart people are owls, and party people are peacocks. What do the mangers teach us with this model...nothing it seems that it is told to clue us into why certain people demand the power and run the show…its because they are all Panthers. Today I was on the phone with Teri (this woman I work with.) She treats me like a child; she is abrupt condescending and cold. I don’t think she means to be. The times that she really gets under my skin are when I know I’m approaching a problem right (and I feel she is not) and she doesn’t listen to me. Today I was right on my approach and she was going in for personal attack on the amount of time it takes to get things done… (not like I shouldn’t be attacking them for not knowing how to get things right the first time but anywho it took me 8 tests of the Alaska taxes before they got the program correct…I’m not so sure my managers would give me an 8 count leeway.) I wish I worked with creative people not problem solver. People need to learn to attach the source not the symptoms. So, I get abrupt with Teri and our phone conversation is over and my boss asks me if I’m frustrated. What human on the planet wouldn’t be frustrated over such confrontation? (Oh yeah I forgot he’s not human he’s a Panther.) My one manager says “play the roles when you need to and be strong.” So I get abrupt and strong but it’s looked at as Nick being a lose cannon. I’m sorry I don’t know how to act strong I think my personality type is strong but it just manifests itself differently than everyone else’s perfect cubicle world. Being mean never works for me. I feel like a dick when I act like a dick. Then it’s even worse because people don’t expect that attitude from me so they get mad. I guess people never see their own faults and when given a position of authority they like to superimpose this idea of what a professional is on everyone they can exert their power over. It’s like this big elaborate game of pin the tail on the donkey. My managers give advice with no content like “be stronger!” What the hell does that mean? They never give tangible advice and it’s not like they are always the perfect models to copy from. At work the power rule is simple. People don’t respect me, not because I’m not talented enough. They don’t respect me because A I’m not in a position of authority (don’t’ get me wrong the people don’t respect our managers either. People are just sycophants) and B because I’m a nice guy (who has recently got a sense of humor…I told two awesome spur of the moment jokes on my tour of the Rocky Mountain News today that I must write about tomorrow…Pete Gray.) On top of all this my boss says today, “I’m not trying to say anything but what ever happened to getting a job that had something to do with your major? I enjoyed a short instantaneous reverie and in it I said, “You’re right it would help to have acting skills to work here, I’m just not into drama.”
I’m bad at it…does that mean I would be a horrible actor? At work they are grooming me to be a manager. The pressure they put on me is crazy and I feel like this lab rat…I mean I could contract cancer from high doses of this treatment. They want me to grow and succeed in that department. I can tell my boss’ advice (like, “I know you’re in a position that you don’t have 100 percent control over put you are 100 percent responsible”…what does that mean?)And their actions are done out of good intentions but it’s those intentions that make me believe hell is an air-conditioned box, with rows of cubes, fluorescent lights and stale coffee. In my directors over simplification model of personalities I am a dolphin. Which means I am kind, gentle, slow paced, doesn’t like confrontation, I like to keep the peace etc. Some people are assertive so they are Panthers, the smart people are owls, and party people are peacocks. What do the mangers teach us with this model...nothing it seems that it is told to clue us into why certain people demand the power and run the show…its because they are all Panthers. Today I was on the phone with Teri (this woman I work with.) She treats me like a child; she is abrupt condescending and cold. I don’t think she means to be. The times that she really gets under my skin are when I know I’m approaching a problem right (and I feel she is not) and she doesn’t listen to me. Today I was right on my approach and she was going in for personal attack on the amount of time it takes to get things done… (not like I shouldn’t be attacking them for not knowing how to get things right the first time but anywho it took me 8 tests of the Alaska taxes before they got the program correct…I’m not so sure my managers would give me an 8 count leeway.) I wish I worked with creative people not problem solver. People need to learn to attach the source not the symptoms. So, I get abrupt with Teri and our phone conversation is over and my boss asks me if I’m frustrated. What human on the planet wouldn’t be frustrated over such confrontation? (Oh yeah I forgot he’s not human he’s a Panther.) My one manager says “play the roles when you need to and be strong.” So I get abrupt and strong but it’s looked at as Nick being a lose cannon. I’m sorry I don’t know how to act strong I think my personality type is strong but it just manifests itself differently than everyone else’s perfect cubicle world. Being mean never works for me. I feel like a dick when I act like a dick. Then it’s even worse because people don’t expect that attitude from me so they get mad. I guess people never see their own faults and when given a position of authority they like to superimpose this idea of what a professional is on everyone they can exert their power over. It’s like this big elaborate game of pin the tail on the donkey. My managers give advice with no content like “be stronger!” What the hell does that mean? They never give tangible advice and it’s not like they are always the perfect models to copy from. At work the power rule is simple. People don’t respect me, not because I’m not talented enough. They don’t respect me because A I’m not in a position of authority (don’t’ get me wrong the people don’t respect our managers either. People are just sycophants) and B because I’m a nice guy (who has recently got a sense of humor…I told two awesome spur of the moment jokes on my tour of the Rocky Mountain News today that I must write about tomorrow…Pete Gray.) On top of all this my boss says today, “I’m not trying to say anything but what ever happened to getting a job that had something to do with your major? I enjoyed a short instantaneous reverie and in it I said, “You’re right it would help to have acting skills to work here, I’m just not into drama.”
Monday, October 03, 2005
"Haven't slept a wink"
It feels like everyday I sit before this computer screen and my fingers balk at what they need to say (and yes I personified my fingers by attributing the idea that they had something to say. Associated Press, please crucify me for my sins.) I don’t know if I ever sit here with any real agenda…I just need to think and speak freely. This whole writing thing is like the best friend that to this day I have yet to have….I’m not really sure what I want to say tonight to this my friend, this ear of cyberspace, the one place I can feel…well, I can feel like this guy I saw today. So, I pulled an all-nighter last night. I just cleaned until the waking hours of work…I could feel my brain excrete chemicals organically ordered to tranquilize me. I was dozing off here and there at work with this heavy mental apprehension of “God why did I do this to myself.” It was like one of those intense paranoid marijuana induced highs where you keep praying to the “alternative cognitive state gods” and ask for the feeling to end. At the mercy of my decisions my brain functions where limited and concentration was null. When I got to school I was just a walking self conscience zombie with eyes sunk to the floor and a “leave me the fuck alone” disposition. I met my girlfriend at the college coffee shop and we ate while I attempted to catch up with my studies for Spanish class. After I fueled my angry stomach with the plain serving of food in which this coffee shop concocts and their thin blooded coffee my girlfriend escorted me to this most amazing part of campus. I shit you not it’s a full fledged “siesta lounge.” But technically it’s dubbed a “quite study area” but by unspoken colloquial rule it’s a nap haven. Upon entering this alternate universe your cerebral cortex picks up on the power of its solitude. It’s this quite hum sheltered away from the hustle of school. While in search of my perfect napping area I saw a guy laying back flush against the carpeted floor in full out REM state. And its this, this is the idea I’m talking about! Here is a grown adult in the most vulnerable and most humble positions he could be in. His face flush with the sky above him as his shoulders are anchored to the ground like a piece of the room’s furniture. To societal norms this view would be one of obscurity but this man was more comfortable acting this weird than I am attempting to act normal. It’s this freedom this ability to know one’s self so completely that one loses the fear of ridicule. I have this desire to be unabashedly myself and there are just those people who are unabashedly themselves. I know the long drawn out points I would love to connect with this premise but gravity seems to be kicking my ass once again. I guess I wish I had a real best friend. Someone in which I could be stranded in a forest and we’d come out in better shape then before we got lost. A person who has more cliché jokes up his sleeve than I do. A person I could collaborate with, improvise with…I guess it all goes back to one of my theories of coasting which is something I have yet to do and will not elaborate on tonight…It would be nice to not only to be unabashedfully one’s self but to have someone actually enjoy being a part of those mundane moments. Maybe I should have woke up the guy on the floor and asked him if he wanted some company.
It feels like everyday I sit before this computer screen and my fingers balk at what they need to say (and yes I personified my fingers by attributing the idea that they had something to say. Associated Press, please crucify me for my sins.) I don’t know if I ever sit here with any real agenda…I just need to think and speak freely. This whole writing thing is like the best friend that to this day I have yet to have….I’m not really sure what I want to say tonight to this my friend, this ear of cyberspace, the one place I can feel…well, I can feel like this guy I saw today. So, I pulled an all-nighter last night. I just cleaned until the waking hours of work…I could feel my brain excrete chemicals organically ordered to tranquilize me. I was dozing off here and there at work with this heavy mental apprehension of “God why did I do this to myself.” It was like one of those intense paranoid marijuana induced highs where you keep praying to the “alternative cognitive state gods” and ask for the feeling to end. At the mercy of my decisions my brain functions where limited and concentration was null. When I got to school I was just a walking self conscience zombie with eyes sunk to the floor and a “leave me the fuck alone” disposition. I met my girlfriend at the college coffee shop and we ate while I attempted to catch up with my studies for Spanish class. After I fueled my angry stomach with the plain serving of food in which this coffee shop concocts and their thin blooded coffee my girlfriend escorted me to this most amazing part of campus. I shit you not it’s a full fledged “siesta lounge.” But technically it’s dubbed a “quite study area” but by unspoken colloquial rule it’s a nap haven. Upon entering this alternate universe your cerebral cortex picks up on the power of its solitude. It’s this quite hum sheltered away from the hustle of school. While in search of my perfect napping area I saw a guy laying back flush against the carpeted floor in full out REM state. And its this, this is the idea I’m talking about! Here is a grown adult in the most vulnerable and most humble positions he could be in. His face flush with the sky above him as his shoulders are anchored to the ground like a piece of the room’s furniture. To societal norms this view would be one of obscurity but this man was more comfortable acting this weird than I am attempting to act normal. It’s this freedom this ability to know one’s self so completely that one loses the fear of ridicule. I have this desire to be unabashedly myself and there are just those people who are unabashedly themselves. I know the long drawn out points I would love to connect with this premise but gravity seems to be kicking my ass once again. I guess I wish I had a real best friend. Someone in which I could be stranded in a forest and we’d come out in better shape then before we got lost. A person who has more cliché jokes up his sleeve than I do. A person I could collaborate with, improvise with…I guess it all goes back to one of my theories of coasting which is something I have yet to do and will not elaborate on tonight…It would be nice to not only to be unabashedfully one’s self but to have someone actually enjoy being a part of those mundane moments. Maybe I should have woke up the guy on the floor and asked him if he wanted some company.
Stream of Poop
The 5’11’’ blond girl with straight hair of straw colored hair one asked me to post my morning pages for the world to see. See I should back up daily I am to write three pages of stream of conscious and put in my blue spiral bound college ruled three subject notebooks. This has been a practice of mine for the last three years. Never have I thought to truly take her up on the offer. Considering the amount of weird cliché non-sensical shit that seems to perpetually flow from the pen but I am in an absolute state of delusional despair not sleeping one wink last night. I keep my body moving like solid molasses along the room of dirtiness while the Ditty Bops play in the back ground…I love to listen to quirky musician women… Best Friends Forever was a band I went to see at the high dive I need 5 shot of espresso Amanda Shauna’s friend comes to mind and her great affinity to quote knotting hill lines like pop culture is her only tutorial on relationships. We was a buxom blond which is delightful by me…she always fooled around with me took it to the make out session hall of fame and gave me her notorious line of I’m on the rag…ewewewewewewewewe I’d prefer honesty of I’m a tease we are having fun but let’s stop and go watch Benji. needless to say nothing happened with her no relationship no other fun times of close naked body excursions just a stalactite of a body movement to rest in the cave of rejection…How old were we when all this happened I think she was 18 I was 20 but why am I remember such crazy dirty memories considering I’m sloppy typing freely its crazy how I have no grammar green gremlin lines as I type this I wonder how long a sentence could go…I’m reiterating about going to star bucks and getting a 20 shot mocha …but will that make me too nervous at work??? Why is noting insightful coming out of my hands? I need the pen this typing shit is not all it’s cracked up to be I see lower downtown in my minds eye. I remember Desi’s b-day???no no it was Liz she was throwing up in the back of sexy Maria’s car…I’m girlfriend hates Pollock jokes..she hates any racial derogatory jokes…but yes Liz’s throw up flew out the front seat window and wet us in the back seat whom had our windows down…my 21 was crazy I got kicked out of the border after paying a cover in like two seconds…..ah time is up …and its times like these I see why I suck as a person…I can’t spontaneously say a damn thing oh well time to shower.
The 5’11’’ blond girl with straight hair of straw colored hair one asked me to post my morning pages for the world to see. See I should back up daily I am to write three pages of stream of conscious and put in my blue spiral bound college ruled three subject notebooks. This has been a practice of mine for the last three years. Never have I thought to truly take her up on the offer. Considering the amount of weird cliché non-sensical shit that seems to perpetually flow from the pen but I am in an absolute state of delusional despair not sleeping one wink last night. I keep my body moving like solid molasses along the room of dirtiness while the Ditty Bops play in the back ground…I love to listen to quirky musician women… Best Friends Forever was a band I went to see at the high dive I need 5 shot of espresso Amanda Shauna’s friend comes to mind and her great affinity to quote knotting hill lines like pop culture is her only tutorial on relationships. We was a buxom blond which is delightful by me…she always fooled around with me took it to the make out session hall of fame and gave me her notorious line of I’m on the rag…ewewewewewewewewe I’d prefer honesty of I’m a tease we are having fun but let’s stop and go watch Benji. needless to say nothing happened with her no relationship no other fun times of close naked body excursions just a stalactite of a body movement to rest in the cave of rejection…How old were we when all this happened I think she was 18 I was 20 but why am I remember such crazy dirty memories considering I’m sloppy typing freely its crazy how I have no grammar green gremlin lines as I type this I wonder how long a sentence could go…I’m reiterating about going to star bucks and getting a 20 shot mocha …but will that make me too nervous at work??? Why is noting insightful coming out of my hands? I need the pen this typing shit is not all it’s cracked up to be I see lower downtown in my minds eye. I remember Desi’s b-day???no no it was Liz she was throwing up in the back of sexy Maria’s car…I’m girlfriend hates Pollock jokes..she hates any racial derogatory jokes…but yes Liz’s throw up flew out the front seat window and wet us in the back seat whom had our windows down…my 21 was crazy I got kicked out of the border after paying a cover in like two seconds…..ah time is up …and its times like these I see why I suck as a person…I can’t spontaneously say a damn thing oh well time to shower.
Journalism Assignment 2
Here it is, yet another school night where I have to be to work at 6:30am and I've labored till 1:44 am not getting even half way done with all my home work. I have a Spanish test Wednesday and a music reading lesson I haven't even practiced for...now that's not like me....not practicing my music reading is a sin. I really want to kick butt on my upcoming Spanish exam because if I don't Melissa, a girl, in my class will never let me hear the end of it. I always tease her because I beat her by one point on our last test. I've been listening to the new Death Cab for Cutie CD as back ground noise as I studied today...its weak so far although there are a few specific strong songs....I would love to elaborate but my disaster zone of a room is calling for my finger tips to aid in a cleaning relief effort as a category 5 storm called “Hurricane Work 40 hours per week while taking a full time college load” has hit. Until next time here is one of the papers I worked on today:
I followed the news stories of Felix Doligosa Jr., a Rocky Mountain News staff writer, from Sept. 14 through Sept. 30, 2005.
It was interesting to note that of the eight clippings I found of Doligosa’s, between the two week period, four of them were related to sexual abuse charges made against men involved with the Catholic Church. It would seem that some reporters would cover certain beats for the newspaper he or she worked for, but I was intrigued by the congruent specifications that the four stories shared. All stories involved adult men who were part of the Catholic Church and who sexually abused teenage boys, years ago. Decades later the victims have come out in search of damages for what their alleged assailants had done. The stories in which my observations occurred were: Men sue diocese, religious order over incidents in 1960s found on page “8A” Sept. 15, 2005; Sexual abuse charges are filed against Archdiocese of Denver found on page “31A” Sept. 21, 2005; Burke was accused in sex assault on teen found on page “5A” Sept. 23, 2005; Priests’ alleged victims seek grand jury inquiry found on page “25A” Sept. 29, 2005.
A general complaint made by the public is that the news is too negative. I felt that this assignment was a perfect opportunity for me to subjectively quantify these claims. Was my writer’s story written about subjects that were negative or positive? I would consider seven out of the eight stories, written by Doligosa, involved negative topics. That means if Doligosa was batting for the positive team he would have a batting average of .125. The lone positive article was written about Colorado’s contributions in raising money for Hurricane Katrina victims. This story was headlined; Residents contribute $6 million to Red Cross for hurricane victims found on page “4A” Sept. 14, 2005. The negative stories included the four sexual abuse articles mentioned above as well as: Robbery suspect fatally shot by officer found on page “26A” Sept. 30, 2005; Man has hearing in shooting at barbecue found on page “18A” Sept. 26, 2005; Non-paying employers put on notice found on page “14A” Sept. 15, 2005.
My objective view of these articles is that it is too superficial to deem these stories as negative solely based on their content. An article’s positive/negative merit should be based on what effects its contents could create. For example, this recent surge of articles reporting Colorado men coming forward detailing their inflicted sexual abuse, made by members of the Catholic Church, are educational. This is an import issue that should be brought to the attention of the Colorado community. The education of these situations could foster information on better ways people could approach these issues involving sexual abuse. Some questions involving sexual abuse are:
Is a person taken seriously when such issues are reported?
Who can a person trust to report these issues to?
What are the procedures in reporting these issues?
What are some of the signs of a sexually abused child/teenager?
What counseling is made available for these youths?
What counseling is made available for the perpetrator of the actions?
What are the preventative measures the Catholic Church is taking in regards to these issues?
These are only a few of the myriad of questions that could be answered through detailed reporting on this topic. I consider such education not only important but positive. Doligosa’s article headlined Non-paying employers put on notice could also be considered positive based on the influential effects the story could have. This article reported “that 90 percent of all day laborers have not gotten paid on at least one occasion.” Doligosa’s went on to write about what options a day laborer has when attempting to recoup uncollected pay. So, viewing from the perspective on the positive effects a story has, Doligosa wrote six positive articles and two negative stories. This would bring his batting average up to .750 for the positive team. (Cooper’s Town, here Doligosa Jr. comes.)
In regards to Doligosa’s writing approach in general, his stories were short typical straight news articles that used the inverted pyramid style. I felt he ineffectively wrote one lead and effective wrote the other lead in the two stories he experimented with the use of “soft leads.” In his story Non-paying employers put on notice Doligosa’s delayed lead went as follows, “Wayne Johnson knows how to put up drywall and lay carpets.” This lead was boring because it utilized the name of someone I don’t know and it described the actions of things I don’t care about. The lead failed to elaborate on the focus of the story, which was how day laborers could collect unpaid wages. The second paragraph read, “But when it comes to workers’ rights and recouping unpaid wages, Johnson doesn’t know what to do.” This statement did not encourage me to read further because Johnson is not news-worthy in and of himself. In comparison, Doligosa’s lead to the story headlined, Sexual abuse charges are filed against Archdiocese of Denver, did effectively use a delayed lead. The opening paragraph to the story evoked the question, why does Roger Colburn freeze when people hug him? The subsequent image of Colburn being pinned down compelled me to read further. It was Doligosa’s use of compelling anecdotes and concrete images in which he made Colburn news worthy and successfully utilized this lead style. Finally, I found this assignment interesting. It enabled me to critically observe, both subjectively and objectively, how news stories are written by an individual reporter. I saw the importance in finding a niche within a news organization. It seemed that Doligosa was the “go-to” reporter when it came to stories about sexual abuse, in regards to the Catholic Church. I was able to come to a broader conceptualization about the positive and negative nature of straight news writing by realizing the important impact it has on educating the public. I also learned how to effectively write a soft lead by observing Doligosa’s tangible examples of how-to and how not-to write such a lead.
Here it is, yet another school night where I have to be to work at 6:30am and I've labored till 1:44 am not getting even half way done with all my home work. I have a Spanish test Wednesday and a music reading lesson I haven't even practiced for...now that's not like me....not practicing my music reading is a sin. I really want to kick butt on my upcoming Spanish exam because if I don't Melissa, a girl, in my class will never let me hear the end of it. I always tease her because I beat her by one point on our last test. I've been listening to the new Death Cab for Cutie CD as back ground noise as I studied today...its weak so far although there are a few specific strong songs....I would love to elaborate but my disaster zone of a room is calling for my finger tips to aid in a cleaning relief effort as a category 5 storm called “Hurricane Work 40 hours per week while taking a full time college load” has hit. Until next time here is one of the papers I worked on today:
I followed the news stories of Felix Doligosa Jr., a Rocky Mountain News staff writer, from Sept. 14 through Sept. 30, 2005.
It was interesting to note that of the eight clippings I found of Doligosa’s, between the two week period, four of them were related to sexual abuse charges made against men involved with the Catholic Church. It would seem that some reporters would cover certain beats for the newspaper he or she worked for, but I was intrigued by the congruent specifications that the four stories shared. All stories involved adult men who were part of the Catholic Church and who sexually abused teenage boys, years ago. Decades later the victims have come out in search of damages for what their alleged assailants had done. The stories in which my observations occurred were: Men sue diocese, religious order over incidents in 1960s found on page “8A” Sept. 15, 2005; Sexual abuse charges are filed against Archdiocese of Denver found on page “31A” Sept. 21, 2005; Burke was accused in sex assault on teen found on page “5A” Sept. 23, 2005; Priests’ alleged victims seek grand jury inquiry found on page “25A” Sept. 29, 2005.
A general complaint made by the public is that the news is too negative. I felt that this assignment was a perfect opportunity for me to subjectively quantify these claims. Was my writer’s story written about subjects that were negative or positive? I would consider seven out of the eight stories, written by Doligosa, involved negative topics. That means if Doligosa was batting for the positive team he would have a batting average of .125. The lone positive article was written about Colorado’s contributions in raising money for Hurricane Katrina victims. This story was headlined; Residents contribute $6 million to Red Cross for hurricane victims found on page “4A” Sept. 14, 2005. The negative stories included the four sexual abuse articles mentioned above as well as: Robbery suspect fatally shot by officer found on page “26A” Sept. 30, 2005; Man has hearing in shooting at barbecue found on page “18A” Sept. 26, 2005; Non-paying employers put on notice found on page “14A” Sept. 15, 2005.
My objective view of these articles is that it is too superficial to deem these stories as negative solely based on their content. An article’s positive/negative merit should be based on what effects its contents could create. For example, this recent surge of articles reporting Colorado men coming forward detailing their inflicted sexual abuse, made by members of the Catholic Church, are educational. This is an import issue that should be brought to the attention of the Colorado community. The education of these situations could foster information on better ways people could approach these issues involving sexual abuse. Some questions involving sexual abuse are:
Is a person taken seriously when such issues are reported?
Who can a person trust to report these issues to?
What are the procedures in reporting these issues?
What are some of the signs of a sexually abused child/teenager?
What counseling is made available for these youths?
What counseling is made available for the perpetrator of the actions?
What are the preventative measures the Catholic Church is taking in regards to these issues?
These are only a few of the myriad of questions that could be answered through detailed reporting on this topic. I consider such education not only important but positive. Doligosa’s article headlined Non-paying employers put on notice could also be considered positive based on the influential effects the story could have. This article reported “that 90 percent of all day laborers have not gotten paid on at least one occasion.” Doligosa’s went on to write about what options a day laborer has when attempting to recoup uncollected pay. So, viewing from the perspective on the positive effects a story has, Doligosa wrote six positive articles and two negative stories. This would bring his batting average up to .750 for the positive team. (Cooper’s Town, here Doligosa Jr. comes.)
In regards to Doligosa’s writing approach in general, his stories were short typical straight news articles that used the inverted pyramid style. I felt he ineffectively wrote one lead and effective wrote the other lead in the two stories he experimented with the use of “soft leads.” In his story Non-paying employers put on notice Doligosa’s delayed lead went as follows, “Wayne Johnson knows how to put up drywall and lay carpets.” This lead was boring because it utilized the name of someone I don’t know and it described the actions of things I don’t care about. The lead failed to elaborate on the focus of the story, which was how day laborers could collect unpaid wages. The second paragraph read, “But when it comes to workers’ rights and recouping unpaid wages, Johnson doesn’t know what to do.” This statement did not encourage me to read further because Johnson is not news-worthy in and of himself. In comparison, Doligosa’s lead to the story headlined, Sexual abuse charges are filed against Archdiocese of Denver, did effectively use a delayed lead. The opening paragraph to the story evoked the question, why does Roger Colburn freeze when people hug him? The subsequent image of Colburn being pinned down compelled me to read further. It was Doligosa’s use of compelling anecdotes and concrete images in which he made Colburn news worthy and successfully utilized this lead style. Finally, I found this assignment interesting. It enabled me to critically observe, both subjectively and objectively, how news stories are written by an individual reporter. I saw the importance in finding a niche within a news organization. It seemed that Doligosa was the “go-to” reporter when it came to stories about sexual abuse, in regards to the Catholic Church. I was able to come to a broader conceptualization about the positive and negative nature of straight news writing by realizing the important impact it has on educating the public. I also learned how to effectively write a soft lead by observing Doligosa’s tangible examples of how-to and how not-to write such a lead.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Casa De No Good Pollo
My stomach hurts because I went to Casa Bonita!!! Ahh toxic food from hell!! It’s a very interesting place to go and so ever much part of Denver’s history but god I forgot how terrible the food was!!! I’m glad the cliff divers don’t wear speedos anymore. Then I went to the ARC and bought a pimp ass sombrero. So I know what I will be for Halloween. Now it’s 12am and I avoided my homework for yet another weekend…no no no no no oh well.
My stomach hurts because I went to Casa Bonita!!! Ahh toxic food from hell!! It’s a very interesting place to go and so ever much part of Denver’s history but god I forgot how terrible the food was!!! I’m glad the cliff divers don’t wear speedos anymore. Then I went to the ARC and bought a pimp ass sombrero. So I know what I will be for Halloween. Now it’s 12am and I avoided my homework for yet another weekend…no no no no no oh well.
