Lip Service

It is really hard to come up with a lip service question. Thanksgiving is a holiday where people usually just eat, sleep, and hang out with family. There are not always a lot of people out when your usual hours are from around lunch time.

Reading the Paper

The only time I actually read the newspaper that I work at is when I have to look for someone for an obit, story, or someone that graduated a really long time ago.

knowledge is power

It is great, unlike many of the internships that I and Anthony had the choice of, the Tracy Press is actually helpful. We are learning so much and by the end of this I will be a great writer. I am already getting so much better.

Richard is right once again. I usually pay attention to small details, but now it has become a useful skill. Funny how things work out in your advantage. I just wish that sort of thing happened all the time.

rule of photography

I've noticed by what Anthony has done that a big part of photography is paying attention to the random things that go on. I found it interesting.

Journalism ABCC's

The three rules in journalism are accuracy, balance, clarity and completeness.

I think that it is pretty difficult to take pictures when people like to pose. Yearbook pictures are not wanted what so ever at the Tracy Press. They want candid shots. Its hard to take candid shots when it is obvious when you are the one with the camera. I get scolded all the time for this. I should try standing really far away and look as inconspicuous as possible. Yeah, I think I just figured it out!

The Banned Words

This is an action plan in order to install these words that are never supposed to be used in the TP. I'm not really a journalist, so I hope that I am not at risk of getting fired. Male or Female, you really should not use these banned words. Let this be a lesson to all who might acquire certain injuries because of these horrible words.

Peace and Quiet

Moods change all the time around here. I don't really feel like talking all the time today. Usually I annoy my fellow intern, but I just don't fell like it. I figured I should let people do their work, so no one gets mad.

I think she ate one too many marsh mellows. This was a cruel way to have a game show at a rally. How do you expect to talk when you have a mouth full of marsh mellows.

The wierdo's I see on assignmets. It would make a good yearbook picture though.

The Multicultural Festival at the Grand Theatre

This is actually important. I learned many different things about foreign cultures. The Mariachi Band was really fun to watch because they sang interesting songs. One song, Cielito Lindo, was my Great Grandma's Favorite Songs. I was very surprised how well the Lady with the Guitar sang. She had such a powerful voice that did not require a microphone. One song had the Trumpet players hide on multiple places on the stage. It utilized the walls for good sound effects. The Chinese Band made me think about the people suffering in China. They pointed out all of the songs that originated in a strictly minority part of China. The instruments were obviously precursors to all of our modern instrument played in America. The Hula and Tahitian dancers drew a much larger crowd for obvious reasons. Even guys danced, which was not the best part of the performance. It was still very interesting seeing costumes that the people from the Hawaiian and Tahitian cultures actually wore. I caught about the last two minutes of the Bagpipe performance.

DUDE

I think that it makes it really hard to work, when one person's over talkative and the other is just mad. There are many reasons why this does not work, but somehow it does. Looking at three years work of newspapers is super boring, but rewarding in a weird kind of way.

say what you need to

Some people are just strange. Sometimes they think they are helping but in actuallity they are just being a hinderance. An example is that I keep having to talk to people for a story who never say anything remotely helpful, I end up having to do more work by either going online or talking to someone else. If you have something you want the press to write about, just tell someone and do not hold anything back in the conversation because then the article will be missing information. p.s. grrrr

My Ghetto Businesscard

HaHaHaHaHaHa

It is great that Anthony often has to do things that he doesn't want to. well not great, just funny. lol.8)

Workin' For The Weekend

If you hadn't already known this little fact that the title of this post is a Song. Only really old people like around the age of 40 actually know this song. Anyway, I just love working on Friday. I get to work at school today, which is totally awesome! I get to take pictures and really tick off my fellow students. Could this day get any better. ROCK ON!

I'm A Great Photographer!

I took this picture today at school for a campaign project and it turned out great. I sure do love that I work for the TP because if I hadn't my pictures wouldn't be so good! I feel very proud because I took the best internship. My skills in photography are being asked for by my fellow students. I feel special. Oh yeah, go ahead and laugh all you want!

I know

I get it, everyone who reads what I write can easily understand that I just basically rant about things that bug me. I see nothing wrong with that. If you think something needs said and it won't hurt anyone if you say it, then just say it. And if there is no reason for the statement except to be mean, then say it. Even if the cconsequences are hurtful, some good most likely will come out of your speaking up.

Stop being sheep

Nowadays, so many people are what everybody else is, so they get lost among the crowd. Everyone has to wear the newest fashions and listen to the newest and coolest music so that no one will single them out as different or wierd. Newsflash, you are different. You are wierd. And you should never be a member of the mob of monochromatic robots that plague the world today. Wear what suits you, listen to what makes you feel good, act how you feel you should, and do not put yourself into a certain label because you think that it is better that way. Nobody will classify you if you do not act like you are part of a clique.

What do you think

Do you think that it is good that the worlds is so connected these days. Alot of the time I wonder about if it is a good thing that we can hear the opinions of everyone from here to Japan. My real problem is that if you can hear what everyone else is thinking, will you start to change what you believe? If you find alot of opposition to your views, will they change??? If you want to, you can respond to this and tell me what you believe.

labels

In school you deal alot with what others automatically think about you. It is wierd but everyone always classifies you in a hundred different ways and then they cannot understand who you are. At the press, it is cool because nobody seems to care about what someone is, only who someone is. It is nice not to feel judged.

Confused

I just don't get it, why are people adraid of cameras. I know Anthony has already talked about this but I agree. There is a problem if you are so insecure that you can not handle one moment of your life being on camera.

we dont know either

It is pretty common that I will overhear a call about something that has recently happened that somebody wants to know more about. Something everyone should know is, we probably don't know either. To get information, we only do what anyone else can, call people and look on the internet. We don't have magic powers and access to an all knowing source. If you feel that you need to know what happened, think first and figure out who you could call that would actually know what to do. If it is something illegal, the police. If a festival, call the people in charge of the festival. Just remember, we don't know everythi9ng so talk to someone who is actually involved.

A Valuable Lesson

I learned today that just because you can take a picture, it does not mean that you should. There is a difference, especially if you care about what the person your taking a picture of thinks. If someone like a friend or family member is bothered by the fact that you take their picture, then you should not take the picture. People hate you because you take their picture and that is generally a very bad thing. Its even worse if you see that person pretty much everyday. I learned all this today, so I will think twice before snapping a photo.

I just think this is a nice picture because of the overlapping of two similar colors.

What's A ROLODEX?

I was looking through one of the intern stations and I saw something weird. I thought it was a ghetto business card, but Richard told me it was something else. He told me that I could have seen it in some old movie. I thought about it for a second and then I realized that it was like a small phone book. I didn't have any rings, so I used one of those really big paper clips.

Bubble Wrap Is Cool, But Littering Is Not!

I saw some bubble wrap on the side walk and I thought, BUBBLE WRAP! Then I realized that somebody littered and that's bad.

Just Walking Down The Street

I never really looked around and took a picture of random stuff like I said I would last week. I decided to procrastinate and do it today. I walked up and down the sidewalk just to see what I could find. I saw some flowers, a sprinkler, and a huge black bumble bee on a flower. It seemed like I was being a real hippie, but I wasn't... Well maybe I was. Nah...

Random #1

I feel a lot better now that I'm not at school because I like my job. I know that I have said this alot, and Richard agrees. I talked to one of my classmates and they are constantly bored. One semester of boredom is a really long time. I like being busy because I start talking too much when there is nothing to do.

What Is Going On!

Why is it so difficult to deal with people when you're already mad. They start acting like they usually do and it makes you angrier. It is not like this at the Tracy Press. We are all one huge team. Yes, it's like a sports team where people collaborate and get along. This is not how school is because no one cares about one another accept for friends. This really bugs me too, because I cannot even get along with my friends right now, especially when he's watching me type this post for my blog... "Dude can you go away?!"

Why Can't I Work All Day

I would rather be at work than anywhere else right now. I feel like a loser at school for some reason. Nobody wants to talk, especially on 9/11, one of the gloomiest days in our nation's history. I had to watch a movie that I wish I never saw. I saw things that made me want to kill people, cry, and even die. People fell from the top of the world trade center like giant hail stones. This was the worst day that I have had in a while. I used to be happy, until today. I hate being reminded of something that I saw on the news back when I was in fifth grade. I was not mature enough to know how to react to that because I was only 10. This day so far just keeps getting worse like a huge avalanche that just swallowed me up. One of my friends is just fueling the hatred with his wise cracks. I really need to go to work and I mean NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously Pal?

We photographers get it even worse. People act as if they would totally drop dead on the spot if I snapped one photo of them. That is not alright, because if they want to answer a question, they should expect the guy sitting right next to the reporter, to take their picture. This is a serious problem, but I cannot do anything about it. People should be comfortable enough with their own face to allow me to capture a single second in time. The issue really gets bad, when it comes wrapped in a rude attitude. I have not gotten screamed at by a crazy person yet, and I really hope that it doesn't happen to me.

haters >8(

Why does everyone have a problem with reporters? Nobody ever wants to talk to us if it is not through their business or if they have not called us first. Please, somebody help me out with understanding this. It is not like we are out trying to distort the truth, making people seem evil. It is against our rules of conduct to lie about anything in our writing. We can only print the truth, or the truth to the extent that we know it. p.s. grrrrr

The Bean Festival Day 1

I did not go to the Bean Festival last year, so I felt like I should go. Oh yeah, I also needed a few more work hours, as well as a ton of community service hours. I decided that multitasking would benefit me greatly in the end. After attending the volleyball tournament for only one game, I left for the Bean Festival. I wish I could have stayed, since West Highs number 6 was looking really good, in both skill and appearance. She just kept scoring and seemed almost unstoppable. My school Millennium High lost. I think that my school's team put up a good effort anyway. The team just needs to get used to playing together. Once we get a solid starting line up, then I think that Millennium will start winning some games. When I arrived at the Bean Festival, it was only about 10 o'clock in the morning. There were not too many people around, and the stage was a little late in setting up. I thought it would get better as the day went on. I'm really glad that I was correct. Richard and I actually interviewed the lead guitarist for the first band before it even started. He was a really good guitarist. There were some other good bands too. The Main Street Music Jazz band was very entertaining because all of them were kids around my age. There were 2 playing the saxaphone, 1 flute, 1 keyboard, 2 guitarists, and a bassist. My music instructor and organizer of the Home Grown Stage, Michael Hall, had his daughter playing the flute. She was amazing and on top of it all she had her own band. She played guitar, bass, and sang for it. I was just blown away becasue she reminded me so much of her father and my life long mentor. My favorite part was the last band which played METAL! I loved all of their sogs becase I had half of them on my IPOD. This was all on Saturday, the first day of the Tracy 2008 Bean Festval.

This is a JOB!

When you are only 17 years old, its kind of hard to think of being employed. I really love this job and I could do it all my life, if I had to. Being on time and communicating with your bosses is very important. I did not realize how important it was. I guess that consistency is essential at a work place. Getting fired is not an option for me because it will instantaneously effect my very near future academically.

Its so amazing working at the paper. I have lived in this town for my entire life and I never knew how much actually happened here, sometimes it seems like I was living in a cave, now that I know how much I have missed. I always thought that it was such a small and sleepy town, but I am starting to realize that things do happen here, and there are reasons to live here.

I think that I should just go out in some park and see what I can find. I'm not going to take pictures of some slides or swing sets. That seems too dull, and shooting sports takes a lot of practice. I could zoom in really close on a tree, flower, or bug. Okay, I'm gonna try this out and see what I come up with.

Art is a very strange thing when you think about it. How do people make it. Some strange and random idea becomes an enormous breakthrough in art. Its like that sometimes with photography. I was thinking about taking a picture of something commonly seen. I want no one to be able to just look at it and know what it is. I have a few ideas, but finding out exactly how to pull it off seems almost impossible.

There are days where not much is going on, especially around lunch time. The constant photo shoots are of sports. There is also the lip service (not a kissing booth). Besides that, you need to find a picture in everyday objects. You could take anything, zoom up really closely to create an obscure image. The afternoons after kids get out of school and adults get off work is the best time for obvious reasons. I guess all jobs have boring times, but at least I get to see some pretty cool stuff. The best part is the fact that you can never know what kind of news is going to happen. I just hope that I do not have to witness the kind of news that no one wants to see, like a tragic fatality. Seeing something horrific happen on TV has to be different than seeing it in real life. I really shouldn't complain because at least I do not have to write obits or birth announcements.

not just some stupid kid in the way

Before we started working here I did not think that an internship meant much. It seemed like interns were just there to do busy-work. It seemed like it would be a total waste of time. I was wrong. I am doing normal work with no forced handicaps. I am fully researching, doing phone interviews, and writing articles with help every now and again. The help is nothing about being an intern, it is just something about being new. It is hard work and it is very rewarding because I know that this internship is telling me that I can be productive in the workplace and that I am not just some stupid kid in the way. The only difference between me and an employee is that they are getting paid, and I am getting prepared.

Being an Intern

Its not always easy being an intern. You feel like a freshman in high school all over again. You have absolutely no idea of exactly what you are supposed to do. Here, everyone is very easy to talk to, even when they are fairly busy. They never have a problem with teaching us interns how to perform various tasks. The first couple of weeks were really hard. There was a lot to learn, and even more unnecessary excitement. Richard and I were so excited to start that on the first week of the new school year we started when we were not even supposed to. Most of our fellow classmates did not want to start early, especially when they did not have to. We both found out that our internship at the Tracy Press would be a fun experience. I JUST HOPE THAT NO ONE TAKES THEIR ANGER OUT ON SOME POOR DEFENSELESS INTERN...

Explanation

Okay I really like birds and planes. Here's a small sample of my fascination.

By the way I did see a sign advertising an upcoming air show.

Fav 1

I was so proud of myself for actually getting a picture of one of the seals that were barking at me at around 2 o'clock in the morning.

Your probably wondering why there are so many kites flying around. Apparently there were really good wind conditions in Monterrey. I was really interested in a kite that I saw about two days ago. It was a giant Lizard or Gecko or whatever you call it. There was also a Salamander which was about half the Lizards size. I did not get a good picture if that kite, but you can just use your imagination.

What happened here

I was looking out my car window, when I realized a sudden change in scenery. Tracy has really dry looking hills. It was wierd seeing a bunch of different colors besides the usual different shades of brown. Instead there were oranges, yellows, greens, and blues all at once.

This is a giant Lizard kite that I saw from Monterey off the Freeway. I thought that I saw it somewhere before and then I did in the Mountain House Newspaper.

Our blog's basics

So earlier today, the other intern Anthony came up with a great idea, make a blog. I thought it would be fun (or at least something to do) so I went along with it. So if you are wondering why we did this, you should know, there is no real reason. We just thought it would be good to show what being an intern here is. We also plan on giving pictures of things around us, and anecdotes involving points of our lives. I for one plan on mostly telling about what I think and what I do, my entries will therefore be an entrance into my mind.

Intro.

Finding that there is nothing to do at about noon, I thought of an awesome idea. Make a cool blog to show off my totally awesome new photography skills. I happened to go to Monterey where I took some randomly interesting pictures.

I have decided to call it from Cows to Fish...

Go ahead laugh...