Archive | November, 2014

Chapter 8: Bob Seger Comes to Visit

25 Nov

“I’m at dinner with Emily and her family, what’s up?” Joe said.

I called my best friend and old roommate Joe Sweeney in an emergency. He didn’t answer. I texted him, “Call me back. It’s important.” So minutes later he finally called back.

I hastily explained the situation and he empathized, agreeing that truly was a dire situation. I could only imagine the scene of him returning to the dinner table and explaining that the emergency phone call he just made was about a Bob Seger T-shirt. But this wasn’t just any old T-shirt. Continue reading →

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Lessons in Reporting 1: Called to the Scene

18 Nov

Photo Nov 18, 10 28 13 AMI’d received a lot of journalistic training when I was in school at DePaul. Four good, long, not so hard years of it. I enjoyed my theory and study classes much more than I did my classes in practicum. That’s to be expected for a contemplative person like myself. I’d like to have a pensive understanding of practice before I go out and do something.

But you know, all the preparation in the world can’t train you for some situations. They say the best thing for a young journalist is to sidestep your selected sphere and experience something completely different and new. They say getting out of your comfort zone can give you a new perspective on a particular topic. It can turn apprehension into appreciation. Indifference into understanding, they say.

Well, they’re right.

Continue reading →

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Maine Things: Basic Cable TV

11 Nov

As someone who’s grown up with the benefit and distraction of cable TV my entire life, it was certainly a change having my television scope being shrunk from hundreds of channels down to only 18. Like most downsizing adjustments in life, there’s multiple obvious unfavorable outcomes, along with underlying advantages that are visible only to those with the proper perspective, and also speak French.

My Time-Warner cable package here in Maine includes 18 channels: the 4 big networks, the CW, PBS, TV Guide Network, 2 French language channels, CBC, 3 religious channels, 3 home shopping channels, 1 infomercial network and a mysterious channel 8 that is never on air. Continue reading →

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Maine Things: Fall Foliage

4 Nov

I arrived up in Maine at the perfect time: late August. Late August when daily high temperatures are still hovering around 90 degrees. Late August when you’d rather be outside and feel the breeze and smell red-hot the grills sizzling.  Late August when the skies are blue, and the forests are green.North Peak

Fall comes here in Northern Maine about three weeks earlier than I’m used to. The leaves on the trees start turning in early September. It’s a slow and gradual process, and because of the climate, the sequence seems to go by so quickly. Continue reading →

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