Fun on the job

Being an intern at a newspaper comes with a certain number of quirks in the job. For example, you get the articles that don't fall under anyone else's responsibility - which means you could be writing an article about local produce and one about a biker in the same day. You are also fair game for anything the other reporters are too busy to do, or don't want to do - like typing in addresses or calling all the school districts to check enrollment.

By far the quirkiest thing I've done for the News-Journal so far was participating in the corporate spelling bee. The East Texas Literacy Council hosts a corporate spelling bee every year as a fundraiser for their programs. Each organization is allowed a three-member team and the spellers rotate spelling the words. If one speller misses a word, the whole team is out.

I got a place on the team by sheer providence. I was sitting at a borrowed desk (as usual, since the interns do not have assigned desks) when Ana Walker, our editor, was informed that one of their spellers was sick. She looked around and saw me sitting at my desk twiddling my thumbs.

"Let's use one of our interns," she suggested.

I glanced around to make sure there were no other interns in her line of sight.

"Rachel, are you a good speller?" Ana asked the question, but I could tell she wasn't really concerned with the answer.

I thought back...I love reading, am an English major, and took a spelling placement test in 6th grade that placed me at a college freshman level...

"Fairly good," I admitted.

"Okay, you're on the team."

With that, I was officially a member of the Longview News-Journal "Bee for Literacy" team.

That was yesterday. The bee was today, June 6. Everyone had been provided a study guide back in April, but I didn't get my hands on it until this morning. I spent my morning pouring over words like acromegalic and heterochromatic and kafkaesque. Basically, by the time we left for the bee, I was in fighting mode and sure that I would flop miserably.

Dayna, my teammate, pushed me in front of a TV camera. She was asked to speak, and she grabbed me and suggested me. Well, since I had to do it, I decided to put on a confident front. As I started talking about how as journalists we work with words and love them, I decided that we had every right to be confident. I even felt comfortable bragging a little about being an English major and my spelling aptitude. As far as I was concerned, we had just as good of a chance of winning as any of the other teams.

My first word was "anvil." For the first three rounds, the words were so easy that I couldn't believe we lost a team. With 15 teams in the competition and Neiman Marcus out on round 3, I was certain we had a fighting chance. My two teammates weren't so confident, but I assured them that if I knew the word, I would spell it to them. I had to on two occasions, but they did a good job. I was very proud of them.

My second word was "etymology." Dayna and Jimmy leaned in to help me, but I stood up and rattled it off before they had a chance. For pete's sake, if I don't know how to spell "the study of words," I'm in the wrong major. I sat back down and Jimmy leaned over and said, "That's it. You sold it. I'm homeschooling my kids."

Unfortunately, our luck didn't hold. After narrowly surviving Dayna's word "stethoscope" and making it to the top three, I messed up. Yes, you may all blame me for ruining the bee for the News-Journal. My word was "narcissistic." I hesitated and considered using our "mulligan," which meant we could ask for a different word. The only other team to use their's had exchanged "mystique" for "hearth," and it was very tempting. But no, I rattled the word off under my breath and was sure I had it. "N-a-r-c-i-s-s-i-s-t-i-c."

The scorekeeper was warning us to watch our time, so I stood up and blurted, "Narcissistic, n-a-r-" My mouth was dry, so I swallowed and continued, "i-s-s-i-s-t-i-c."

Yep, I forgot to say the "c." One little letter threw our hopes for the trophy right out the window. Yes, it was confident, good-speller Rachel who messed up, while Dayna and Jimmy were worried spitless and never missed a beat. Ah well, pride goes before destruction, and all that.

On a more positive note, I did appreciate the irony in the fact that I told the TV crew that I was sure we would win, and the word that tripped me up was narcissistic. Some sick part of me hopes that the news crew will use that footage - it would be great. If I was covering the story, I would.

Stay tuned throughout the summer for more updates on just how crazy being an intern can be. I'm currently looking forward to June 23, when the five newsroom interns are judging the "Feed Our Interns Cobbler Contest."

You never stop learning, and today I learned that even if you think you are a ogod sepllre, uyo nca awlays iporvme.

Yes, I realize it has been seven months....

Okay, so it's been a while. I know, I know, being busy doesn't count as an excuse. Doesn't matter anyway - I'm using it as a reason. Besides, some of you might just fall over in a faint if I had been chronicling the last semester. It's been a doozy.

Anyway, I'm home for the summer now, and back working at the Longview News-Journal. I enjoy it, and it's a great fulltime job. I've been warned that newspaper work can be addictive, but I don't think I'm in too much danger of making it a life-long career. I really do love working here, but I can't see myself doing it 20 years down the road.

Be that as it may, life is pretty crazy around the Phelps household. My grandparents are living with us now, and we received confirmation today that both of them have Alzheimers. This summer is going to be quite the life experience. I'm going to be leaning hard on the Lord and all my friends to get through it.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, I'm not sure which), I'm blessed with two close friends who are going through the same thing. Maybe we should start a support group. :)

Well, I guess that's all for now. I'll do my best to update regularly during the summer.

Type to you all later!

English Major Ranting

Ah, fall has arrived! This isn't a picture from the campus, sadly, but several of the trees are turning and it's simply beautiful! The Texas girl is finally getting her cold weather, too. Last night when we were coming back from IHOP, it was 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Okay, so you'd think that three literature classes in one semester would be heaven for an English major...right? Umm, not so much. Analyzing literature five days a week gets old pretty fast. I've reached the point that I can honestly say that I would enjoy the reading I'm being assigned - if it wasn't assigned! Now, if you add on the fact that I have the same professor for all three classes it gets even worse. lol

Don't get me wrong, I love Prof. Ness to death, he's a great prof and a really friendly guy, but when he's the one person assigning me 95% of my homework, it's easy to resent him. lol

In fact, I've come up with a list:

How To Know When Taking Three Lit Classes Is Getting To You

1.) You get excited when the prof says he'll only hold you responsible for ten chapters instead of the twenty you were supposed to read. (Honestly, how did he expect us to get 20 chapters read from Monday to Wednesday?)

2.) You hear someone complaining about having two papers due in the same week and seriously consider slapping them.

3.) You walk into class and don't know if you brought the right book along because you can't remember which lit class you're supposed to be in at this hour.

4.) You go to the school play and immediately start analyzing the significance of the name of the town in the play. (Okay, so it did have significance...the name was Gilead, and the story was about a girl starting over - Balm in Gilead ring any bells?)

5.) You see your prof at the school play and have the urge to turn and walk the other way, since it is Saturday and one of only two days in the week you don't see him. (I added it up, and I see Prof. Ness eight times a week, strictly in the classroom - that doesn't count hallway conversations or passing each other on campus.)

6.) Someone mentions The Little Mermaid and you catch yourself daydreaming about the symbolic significance of Ursula taking Ariel's voice from her in the story.

7.) You read the biography of an author in an anthology and begin analyzing word choices in case there might be a deeper meaning to the bio. (That was when I realized I was cracking.)

8.) You start having dreams (or nightmares) about your prof giving you an impossibly long paper to be written in class.

9.) You freak out the next day when he comes in with an assignment for a five-page essay due in three weeks.

10.) You have dreams about your prof, period. (That in itself scared me.)

11.) You notice when your prof combs his hair differently - and he doesn't realize he did it.

12.) You have your prof's wardrobe memorized and can comment when he wears a new shirt.

13.) You wonder how on earth people can be having trouble in Statistics and Fine Arts when it's so easy! After all, in those classes, simple, straightforward answers are the only thing they need. In a lit class, everything has to be interpretation and analysis.

14.) You catch yourself laughing when the kids in your American Lit (easiest) class inform you that they are changing their majors because they can't handle lit classes.

15.) You avoid all forms of writing not related to school - including blogging and email. The idea of writing when it's not assigned has become almost foreign to you.

16.) Rebelling against doing your homework means leaving the last two chapters to be read in the free hour just before class.

17.) After two weeks of five papers a week, and three midterms in three days, you seriously consider stabbing your prof to death with a sharp pencil.

18.) And lastly, you contemplate next semester's schedule and realize that no matter how much you threaten, you can't change majors - you're having way too much fun right where you are!

Spiritual Life Retreat

Spiritual Life Retreat! Woohoo!

Last weekend was Spiritual Life retreat for MNU. This is a picture of us loading up the moving van with everyone's luggage and the sound equipment. It was only a one-night retreat, but the way these people pack, we needed the van! (Oh, and that's me in the Scarlet Pimpernel t-shirt on the left side of the picture.)

We drove to a little campground called Timberlakes about an hour away and unloaded all of that stuff we had just loaded into the van. Rok Jackson, the College Church college pastor, organized a couple of guys to just throw the stuff into a pile on the ground and everyone would come grab what was theirs. Austin Chapman unfortunately got in the way of one of the bags and ended up in the pile.

But don't worry, he got out alright...

The retreat was awesome! It wasn't so much a big spiritual upheaval time as much as a great time to just enjoy my life with God and my friends. I didn't bring a single textbook and had fun playing games and carrying rocks (service project) and worshipping in the services. Dr. Ed Robinson, our college president, came out and spoke at the evening service, and then in the morning service we had communion and a testimony time. Ryan Giffin, the Sunday School teacher, had a message prepared, but he opened it up for testimonies, and we had a good half hour of kids sharing.

Everyone had a great time....

That last picture is of the tabernacle we used. Those tables are for "carpetball" which is sort of like pool only you slide the cue ball up and down the table and attempt to knock the other player's balls off the table. It's a lot more fun than it sounds, I promise.

Anyway, that was last weekend. One of these days I'll find time to get caught up on everyday life on here too.

Life In General

Well, that's Jessica, Leann and me at Chick-fil-A in the $12 tent! That night was so much fun! The next morning, on the other hand......
Please note how much smaller the smiles are at 5:45 A.M. Except for Jess, that is - she is rarely without a smile. I was too busy trying to keep from falling asleep on my feet to worry about smiling.

Well, those are the promised Chick-fil-A pictures. As for the rest of my life...hmm, where do I start?

I got my Fine Arts test back last Thursday. I got a 98, because I confused the dates of the Greek Lyric Age and the Greek Golden Age. I know, I know, it's simply scandalous that I didn't remember those - right? ;) I think I can live with a 98 on that test, but I'm shooting for a 100 on next Thursday's test. I'm going to talk to my teacher about giving me a recommendation to be a tutor while I'm still taking the course - I'm practically tutoring half the class as it is.

Last weekend was lo-o-o-oong. I was still recovering from my Wednesday night at Chick-fil-A, and I had to go on the RHG (Residential Hall Government) retreat. The retreat was a blast and very informative (What on earth did I get myself into on this judicial council????) but far be it from me to take a chance to catch up on some sleep. Yep, that's right, I stayed up until 4 AM Saturday morning, and had to get up at 8. I'm brilliant, aren't I? By about 6 Saturday evening I was about to fall asleep standing up. I went to bed at midnight Saturday and slept through the early service of church Sunday.

In my defense, I got up and went to Sunday School, which at College Church is pretty much a service in itself. The only difference is basically the size of the congregation and the fact that Sunday School is more a discussion class than a sermon. Don't worry, I'll be at the service this Sunday and for the rest of the semester. :)

This week has been pretty much boring. I got to watch Much Ado About Nothing Monday night, the Kenneth Branagh version with Emma Thompson and Denzel Washington in it. I think the girl who plays Hero also plays Emma in the A&E movie. Much Ado About Nothing has to be one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and certainly that movie is my favorite Shakespeare film. Watching it was a great way to end a Monday. My prof wants us to get to see a couple of the plays we're reading about, so we'll be watching another film sometime during the semester. I can't wait.

This weekend is SCOUT for MNU - which is Students Checking Out University Turf. Basically it means that the campus gets invaded for 48 hours by a bunch of high school kids and their adult sponsors. Campus Center becomes Grand Central Station, and those that have a limited amount of time to eat are pretty much out of luck. The students are not particularly fond of SCOUT weekend, but that's how we get the next freshman class recruited. :)

I've got a girl and her mother staying in my room, so I've spent most of the afternoon cleaning and organizing. They should be here sometime between 6 and 9 - which is sad because I have to work in Kresge from 7 to 9. I hope they get here at 6.

With that in mind, I have some homework that needs finishing touches before tomorrow. Guess this is all for now.

My dorm room

Well, I did promise to show off my dorm room, so I'll go ahead and do that now. I can't say it's too much of a hardship, since I like showing it off, just not in the state it is in now. :) Thankfully, I have pictures before Hurricane Rachel-as-a-student came through and stayed for a few weeks.

This is my bed. When you walk in the door of my room, it is directly to your right. Please note the great Wanted poster that my dad made for my 17th birthday, and the beautiful suede comforter, and the blanket made in Mexico at the foot of the bed. As college beds go, it's pretty awesome, and very comfortable. :)

In case you haven't figured out, my theme is Western. (And all the people laugh together - theme might be too gentle a word for it.) What can I say? I know what I like!

This is the not-so-glamorous side of my room, but hey, I need a computer and printer for school - ok? :) Besides, I have a few western touches around. For instance, the teddy on my desk was a gift from my parents and dances and sings "I've Got A Never-Ending Love For You." Precious, isn't it? There is also a white cowboy boot pencil holder that my friends gave me as a graduation present.

Oh, and not to be ignored is the takeout box on the dresser. :) When you get good food around here, you don't throw any of it away! That was the remains of the Sunday lunch with my parents and grandparents before they left to go back home.

This is my amazing couch/living area, which is straight into the room from the door. I don't have a roommate this year, so I took the extra bed and lowered it and made it into a couch. My mom made the great slipcovers for the pillows across the back and the red plaid pillow and the horse one on the other side. She also sewed the edges of the wall-hanging, which is a collage of historic headlines on an antiqued background. I love it - it just fits so well. I think we can all admit that my mom is an incredible seamstress! I tried for about five minutes, but I can't sew a straight line to save my life, and I get so frustrated trying to do it.

Also, please note the cowboy boots by the couch, which are rarely there anymore because I wear them around campus. I also have my black cowboy hat on the ladder because I wear my gray one more. Oh, and the awesome rug on the floor is actually a yard and a half of furry material that ended up having that great printed suede back, so I just turned it over and used that side for my rug. It is SO soft!

Well, anyway, that's pretty much it, and I don't think Blogger will let me upload any others for this post. More about last week and pictures from Chick-fil-A are up next!

What we do for fun part 2...

Would you believe that Chick-fil-A has never opened a free-standing unit in Kansas before? I was shocked when I found out, and even more shocked when I found out that the first one was going to be opened right here in Olathe - about 5 minutes from campus.

Naturally, a new fast-food place as an alternative to Campus Center is a big event in a college student's life, but even bigger is the chance for free fast-food. Chick-fil-A's opening special was an offer for a year's supply of combo meals (translated into 52 coupons for a combo of your choice) to the first 100 people to go through the doors this morning at 6:30.

Now, mind you, I had no intention of getting involved in the slightest degree. I had heard of the opening, but hadn't really thought much about it at all. Freshman elections were yesterday, and I volunteered to work as a teller for an hour just before supper. Afterwards, I was planning on grabbing a quick bite to eat, then spending the evening getting ahead on my homework and probably making a trip over to College Church for evening service.

While I was watching the computers for the voting, Brandon, a friend of mine, started telling me about Jonathan, another friend, and how he was out at Chick-fil-A for the opening. Not only was he already there at 5 o'clock last night, he had been there since 5 o'clock AM! He skipped class for the day and sat out in the parking lot all day just so he could be #1 on the list of the first 100! Jonathan is a chemistry major, but no one ever accused him of being too attached to his books. :)

After laughing at Jonathan's silliness, I finished out my teller shift and went to grab a bite to eat. Wednesday night is meat night at Campus Center, but it's best to get there early, or the meat selections are tough or soggy. I tried to get an edible piece and went to find a seat.

Jessica, yet another friend, found me a few minutes after I sat down and asked if I had heard of the Chick-fil-A promotion. I told her I had, and the next words out of her mouth were, "Would you go with me? I want to do it, but I don't want to do it alone."

I laughed a little at her before I realized she was serious. She said that the program was set up so that once you signed up, you were automatically in the top 100, but there was a pretty big catch. Once you sign up, you can't leave the restaurant premises, not even to go to your car. One major drawback to the idea for Jessica and me was that we didn't own a tent, and the idea of sleeping in a parking lot didn't appeal to either one of us.

I told her that if she could find a tent or decided to do it, I would go with her. I knew several people from the school who were out there - and besides, it's free food! Besides, what were the odds that Jessica would decide to go through with it?

Well, about five minutes later she was back, telling me she had heard that tents were on sale for $12 at Target, and she had found another girl to go in with us, so it would only be $4 apiece. I admit I was sort of surprised into agreeing to meet back at Campus Center in 20 minutes to head over to Chick-fil-A.

Leann, the other girl going in with us, came well prepared. She brought several pillows and a fuzzy blanket and a bag full of homework. I, on the other hand, showed up at the car with some homework, a few card games, and a pillow shoved into my backpack, and my gray cowboy hat on my head. Jess didn't bring anything at all. She did, however, think to call Jonathan to see if it was even worth us coming over there to try and make the list. He told her that they had just signed in #81, so if we were coming, we'd better hurry.

We made the decision to go straight to Chick-fil-A and bypass the sale at Target, and call around to see if we could find a friend who would come pick up our money and go buy the tent. We did eventually find one, but it wasn't until after 9:00 p.m.

We got there and signed in as guests 86, 87 and 88. They gave us each a little red wristband and warned us that they had a roll call throughout the night to ensure that no one left. They also gave us each a bag of Chick-fil-A waffle fries (oh, yum!) and a Chick-fil-A sandwich for supper, since we couldn't leave. Now, admittedly, I had eaten a little at Campus Center...but I wasn't about to turn it down! Besides, it tasted just as good a little cold when I was starting to feel hungry again. :)

Now, before anyone gets too worried, you should know that there were armed security guards all around the parking lot, and everyone signed an agreement to have no drugs, alcohol, or tobacco on the premises. Besides that, about 40 of the first 100 guests were from MNU, which made the night a lot of fun.

Someone had found a way to set up a wireless internet connection, so everyone had their laptops out. Someone else brought a TV and Playstation, and kept a crowd of people busy most of the night. Jess, Leann and I were the boring ones. We played several rounds of Uno, then settled in to do homework and talk on our cell phones to pass the time.

We had a roll call around 11 o'clock, which was one of the best moments of the whole experience. When someone's name was called, he or she would run up cheering and get in line behind the Chick-fil-A employee. By the time it got to our numbers, they had set up a line for high-fives - and the second half had formed a tunnel for us to run under. To hear all the shouting, you'd think we had just finished at Extreme Home Makeover or something. Of course, as I've said, free food is a big motivator.

As fun as the night was, the hard part was getting to sleep. We pooled our money and got two tents, which Leann and Jess decided to take with them (which means I get a full refund of the money I threw in for it). Leann took one, and Jess and I shared the other one. No offense to Chick-fil-A, but their pavement is not conducive to sleep.

The other problems included bright parking lot lights, loud neighbors, and the occasional news crew that would come through and pick people to interview. Jonathan got a lot of publicity because he is #1 on the list...and besides, he's crazy to have stayed there over 25 hours!

This morning about 5:45 we were awakened (or told to stop pretending to be asleep - I think I got about an hour and a half of sleep) and told to get ready for the opening. I don't know if you realize how cold it can be at 5:45, but I was in a t-shirt, and in no mood to get up.

We had roll call again, but it wasn't nearly so energetic. :) I can't imagine why. We each got a little bag with a Chick-fil-A t-shirt and a dorky little hat, which we were all supposed to put on for the news cameras. Isn't that just lovely? We're standing out in the dark, barely awake, and all dressed in matching shirts and those crazy hats (which I put over my cowboy hat). I'm sure the news got some great footage from that.

Anyway, I got an hour's nap after we finally got back to campus, but I'm certainly planning on going to bed early tonight.

On the up-side, though, I now have 52 free meals at an awesome restaurant, and had one of the most interesting nights of my life last night.

After all, what else do you expect us to do for fun?