This is a home across the street from me in Melbourne. It's not a great photo because of the darkness, but I'll never get used to palm trees decorated with Christmas lights.I jumped back into the vicious cycle yesterday: wurk, wurk, wurk.
Don't get me wrong: I love my job. And I won't be blogging much about my job, other than a few subtle hints (wink ... wink). I know those boundaries and have read too many horror stories about employees, particularly journalists, stepping over the line on their personal Web sites.
No, I enjoy the vicious cycle. I look forward to my job each day, and I am happy when I'm there.
On the other hand, it is, of course, going to get in the way of my blogging.
To complicate things further, holding myself up to the no-misspelling and no-typo standards on this blog is quite taxing. Considering my profession as a copy editor, I feel the pressure to be perfect, as copy editors are known to be (and it's true ... mostly).
Just recently, I noticed that peek, as in "to peer" or "to glance," was spelled P-E-A-K. Apparently, I "peaked" into a bag of sugar. The sugar was in the form of a peak, as in the Pikes variety, but the similarities stopped there. It was a typo. And I apologize.
In an attempt to keep myself busy with tasks that matter, I'm planning to follow through with at least some of these ideas for posts:
- Hurricane damage in Brevard County. I know it exists, more than three years after several storms hit in 2004. I've seen the empty buildings. As I did in "Assignment NOLA," I will go out and photograph the places that are still vacant.
- Rocket and space shuttle launches. I plan to shoot the launches whenever, or more accurately, IF they ever do happen. I hope to produce better images than the one above, which is of the shuttle Discovery launch on Oct. 23. The photo is taken from outside my old apartment in Cocoa Beach, which is next to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.
- Explore crime in my area of Florida. There are a few areas of Brevard County known as high-crime neighborhoods. Having experienced real crime during my stay in Washington, D.C., I want to compare what I know as crime with what residents here call crime. Is it really that bad? It's a good chance to return to a beat I love.
- Take a trip to Washington. D.C. is never short of things to write about. And I'm sure the flight will be rather amusing, as air travel usually is. Also, reportedly, the Newseum museum of news is set to open sometime in 2008. I plan to check it out.
- Take a trip home. Washington County, Maine, is one of the poorest counties east of the Mississippi River. It's also a place I call home. Want to see rural America? Down East is it. Update: Mission complete.
- Take a trip to the southernmost point in the United States. That's Key West.
- Take a trip to Miami. Maybe meet another celebrity, check out the drought.
- Attend sporting events. There is no shortage of them in Florida, such as the baseball spring training games. Update: Mission complete.
- Plenty of media commentary. I'll offer my insights into the twisted world of journalism and its ghosts of past, present and future. Wait. I'm sniffing a holiday-themed blog posting titled "A Newspaper Carol." That will be coming by New Year's Day (if I can get creative). Whip up some eggnog and cuddle up next to the Offlede.
- Google search analysis. A top-secret project. You'll only find out when I publish it.
- Newspaper reading study. Another top-secret project. Why so secret? I can't let anyone swipe my ideas.
- My first experience with real Indian food. The Offlede is just as much a cultural journey for me and you as it is a hard-news hub (ha!). I just heard that a good friend of mine from India is staying in Orlando. We're going to hit up the town and discover some authentic Indian cuisine. This will add to my debut as a food critic in "Biscuits with butter and jambalaya." Update: Mission complete.
- Sweet tea. What is it with the South and its precious sweet tea? I investigate.
- Real estate. It's a mess here in Florida. What's the deal?
3 comments:
Any particular reason why there's an extra comma in the hed? I think I see why, but it's unexpected.
Why dahling, the sweet tea is what draws out the drawl. (And you won't be the first to study the attractionwith a journalist's mind.)
Boy oh, you've added a few items to your list of upcoming subjects. If you'd like a road trip partner for Key West, I'm there. I've never been, either.
Have you been to my lonely blog? Just curious.
~WN
I debated (with myself) the usage of the extra comma. I just wanted to stress the hope for a happy AND new year, as in a year in which to start anew and not just another happy year. And I didn't want to imply that I would be working on New Year's because I'm not (woo hoo). Of course, to say that I'm working on the actual day would require the above style (New Year's), not new year. But not everyone understands that. Right?
Oh. And if you actually log in, you'll see that I commented on your blog.
Post a Comment