It’s official: I’m a curmudgeon!

It was only a matter of time. I’m probably the only member of Generation Next (Generation Y, cusp of Generation X, whatever) who loves sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee or a pastry and the daily paper, who reads novels and creative nonfiction for fun, and who keeps online chatting to [...]

The sky is falling and a room with a view

Spring, summer, and fall are always fun times for Florida weather coverage. I’ve especially noticed this in the past few weeks, where drought conditions brought the Hillsborough River, a major river that runs behind my house, down to the point where there’s a large sandbar smack down the middle of it, and there is now [...]

Back in the saddle

I think my post-graduation burnout is officially over. I’ve updated my resume and have some ideas for new blog posts. I’m getting the hang of this “life” thing.

Advice for college journalists: Online portfolios

Over the past few years, I’ve watched dozens of classmates and friends wait until the last moment possible to prepare for the big job search after graduation.
Now, I’m not talking about the job search itself; it’s bad enough waiting until the the day before a graduation ceremony for a student to start thinking about [...]

WordPressed out

If anyone has been having horrible problems embedding videos into WordPress today, please let me know how you fixed it. I’m all WordPressed out for today.

Weiner poopie

How could I resist blogging about this video segment? It’s the first thing to make me laugh all day. (Okay, I’ll admit my sense of humor is juvenile.)

I’m sure everyone who was involved in this production knew it would become instant fodder for bloggers around the world. That’s the only reason [...]

Back from FX

FX is over, and I managed to meet only three of my goals. But, I’m happy.
I got to talk and network with loads of great people and creative types. I got some video footage of Nathan Fillion, Nicholas Brendan, and Elisabeth Rohm. Once I edit the footage (and get rid of the times I shook [...]

My tips for inclusive reporting

This post is part of the January Carnival of Journalism being hosted by Adrian Monck of Views of the News Biz.
There are mosques in Tampa, Fla. There are Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu Temples. Ethnic food stores include Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Jamaican cuisines. An Ethiopian restaurant just opened, and there is a coffee shop [...]

Five goals for 2008

1. Land a good job at a competitive magazine or news organization, and start my career with a bang.
2. Keep up this blogging thing.
3. Finish my first novel and submit it to agents.
4. Travel outside the U.S.
5. Take advantage of writing organizations. (I’ll renew my membership with the SPJ and join the Florida Writer’s [...]

2007 in review

This was an awesome year for me. I think I did a good job of kicking off my career BEFORE I graduated. Here’s what I accomplished:
Online presence:
I wrote articles and columns for Mookychick.
I converted my Myspace into a writer’s Myspace.
I started logging onto Facebook again.
I joined LinkedIn.
I started my own blog, which spawned another, a [...]