Ramblings of a Future Journalist

'Ello matey

2008-06-17T15:54:00.005-05:00

London... it's not the city of love, light or any of that stuff but my first trip across the channel (thank you Ryanair and your cheap tickets!) was wonderful! I met up with Anna again, who has become quite the Londoner herself living and working among the masses and being proficient in tube navigation. it was so fun getting to meet all the people she's living with and hearing about her amazing job at Westminster Archives.

needless to say there are a million and a half things to see and do in London and my expert guide and I did almost a million of them, trekking halfway across the city (I know we clocked in at at least 6 miles of walking on Sunday alone) to make it to the Victoria and Albert Museum, Big Ben and Parliament, Regents Street, Liberty of London (I'm so in love with this store it's ridiculous!), Tate Modern, National Gallery, Olympia Antiques Fair, Notting Hill and the Queen's birthday parade!

word to the wise - if you're ever in London for the queen's parade, don't bother going early because you won't be able to see anything. give it an hour or so until she comes back down the road after ceremonial procedures and you can have a front row view:Queenie looking so chipper in her blue (way to call it, Anna!) at 81. her birthday's really in April, but due to terrible British weather conditions she has consistently celebrated on the 2nd Saturday in June.

the princes and Camilla Parker Bowles (who I will claim no relation to once Wills and I are married). whoever let that woman out of the palace in that hat really needs to be shot. I mean, honestly...

such antiquated pomp and circumstance all for one woman, and you have to wonder if she actually really enjoys it all. it's definitely a sight with all the horses, soldiers and formal tradition about it. part of me was in awe of all the show while another side of me was so confused as to what year it was. do heads of state really ride in open carriages in 2008?

Clutch - in all senses of the word!

2008-06-06T15:36:00.006-05:00

so to make up for the lack of photos in the last post - let me go ahead and post this one from a couple of weekends ago. I hope you all find it as humorous as we did!
and voila - there you have it - my little brother backed the car into the lavender and roses... and here's where he stopped in relation to the house:

about 3 feet from the laundry room wall! (my mom wanted to lower that window anyways) he was only supposed to back the car up so people could park in the driveway, right? next thing we know he's flying down the driveway in reverse, my dad nearly had a coronary and my mom and I were seized up laughing. luckily the car stalled out just in time - pretty clutch - or lack thereof... yuk, yuk, yuk.

needless to say W. hasn't been behind the wheel of the mighty Silver Bullet recently and the lavender has yet to recover.

Building an Arky Arky

2008-06-06T14:21:00.002-05:00

So the amount of rain has almost reached Biblical proportions... we calculated and it has been raining almost non-stop since May 17. yep, you read correctly - May 17. I feel like we either live under a black cloud or I just need to go home so the sun can reemerge. our plants are rotting in the ground and we've resorted to taking family trips to the dechetterie (the dump) just to get out of the house. Les Sullivans vont au dechetterie!!! (SIDENOTE: it's amazing what people throw out... if I didn't have baggage restrictions I would have come back with an entire set of pots and pans.)

anyways - in these oh-so-many rainy days I've been doing a lot of reading so I decided to create a list of good rainy day (or sunny day) reads I've blasted through so far - so here goes:

1. Kite Runner - I'm only like 3 years behind in reading this but it's well worth all the hype that it got. I had to fore-go watching the movie on the plane on my way over so I could read the book first.
2. My Life in France - a biography of Julia Child! I knew essentially nothing about her apart from her crazy accent and her TV show. the book chronicles her culinary beginnings in Paris at the Cordon Bleu. I'm not going to lie I skipped the last 100 pages because I really didn't care about what she did after leaving France, it was the France part that interested me. from my interpretation the French haven't changed too much when it comes to their feelings on food.
3. Atonement - yeah, it's the book that the movie is based on. surprise surprise I didn't see the movie, but the book is wonderfully written and I found myself falling in love with the characters, despite many of their flaws. I won't go into this too much seeing as I feel like most people are more attracted to Keira Knightly than 300 pages...
4. Three Cups of Tea - a fairly new one that's been heralded by the NYTimes etc. etc. as amazing. it's about this one man's journey to build schools all across central Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan etc.). he started off as an alpinist who was so moved by the lack of education, especially for girls, that he's made it a life-long endeavor. it packs in a lot of interesting information about Pakistani culture and people.
5. Ethan Frome - so I've been trying to diversify my reading materials a bit this summer (you know - move on from Patricia Cornwell mystery novels - which I highly recommend, by the way) and my mom had given me this for Christmas a couple years ago. (somehow it made its way over here... but that's beside the point.) it's a really quick read and one of the most moving love stories I've ever read. and this is coming from a cold-hearted cynic!
6. Suite Francaise - it's gotten a lot of lauding in the WSJ and other book reviews. the Wall Street said it was one of the top five books to encapsulate France. the story behind how the book came about is just as interesting as the book itself - which is amazing! it sums up the stories of several different families and individuals in France during WWII - both during the occupation and the mass exodus of people from Paris prior to the occupation. the author (who was a French Jew, killed during the war) had plans for it to be a huge War & Peace type book, but she never got to finish it. I'm not quite done with the book so any other thoughts will have to be added later.

ok, so I know I haven't included pictures on this blog post (as I have promised I would...) so I'll make up for that later. and I'm sure I have also rambled about, on and around all these books - but I promise they're all really good. I'm trying to ration myself on Suite Francaise because after that I'm not sure what else I'll have to read. despite having a huge selection of books here, I've either read most of them or they're kid books. I do have a stack of French books sitting in my closet that I got for my birthday several years ago that I have yet to tackle and I'm not sure if I want to. reading with a dictionary by your side isn't exactly the most fun, but we'll see!

Kitchen capers

2008-06-03T15:35:00.007-05:00

In order to keep myself somewhat occupied and not napping all the time I've taken on cooking. with a little help from my mom and her store of recipes and culinary ingenuity she's bravely taken me into the kitchen. what follow are some of the results of my newfound skills...Peach tart à la Bonne Maman! quite the crowd pleaser and way easy... especially with the roll-out pastry dough that they've got here. use it for tart, quiche, appetizers - it works like a dream and cooks up flaky and wonderful! we bring rolls of it back when we come home.

Beignets de courgettes farcis (stuffed fried zucchini flowers!) so we bought a bunch of zucchinis from an old couple in the country one one of our Sullivan family drives through the country and on top were the blossoms, which the woman told us to fry up and eat. normally you're charged extra for the blossoms with the zuccinis but they gave us these for free with our purchase. we stuffed them with herbed ricotta and they turned out to be deeeelicious! (the pic is pre-frying.)

straaaawberries that ended up being made into confiture that we now put over yogurt in the morning for breakfast!

Calling all fanny packs...

2008-06-03T10:38:00.005-05:00

This weekend was a whirlwind of pavement-pounding and sightseeing as the family and Anna Stokes and I blasted through Paris in a little over 36 hours. We in with a plan of attack and tickets already in hand for the Musee d'Orsay and Versailles.

The Orsay is possibly one of my favorite museums in Paris and even two trips later there are still rooms upon rooms of things I still haven't seen, partly due to the large collection and partly due to the vast number of people that swarm the building day in and day out.

For all the amazing paintings and sculptures that are housed there, I'm sure there are two times as many tourists with their cameras, audio guides, fanny packs and children (yes, loads of children who really aren't going to remember seeing Monet's water lilies or even the Eiffel Tower for that matter). The crowds seemed lighter than we had expected - but still far too many people by my estimation. What I wouldn't have paid to have the museum to myself (a la From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - anyone read that as a kid?) and an entire day just to amble through it without being shoved or worried that I was standing in the middle of someone's picture. a complete impossibility, I know. but honestly, I didn't go to see an unsmiling Asian man standing in front of Caillebot's Floor Planers. And then I have to wonder - are they really there because they appreciate it all or are they there simply to pose in front of the famous works and tell their friends they've been there, done that?

Granted, Paris is a big city with a lot of history and attraction to it - I completely understand. But there's something about hearing very little French in the capital of France that disturbs me... maybe it's partly that I've become an elitist sequestered away in my little townwhere there are no tourists and English is hard to come by. But there is something to be said for tour buses, guides indiscriminately waving umbrellas in crowded areas and groups of 40+ people causing traffic jams in rooms at Versailles. Obviously the whole thing is inevitable, and I'm part of the problem! and yes, I do try to convince myself that I blend in like a local, which I'm sure is far from truth.

I think the root of my problem with millions of tourists descending on a place like Paris is the fact that you then don't feel like you've gone anywhere. When waiters and waitresses immediately answer you in English, it seems like you might as well be in New York City ... so while I can moan and groan all I want, I do know I'm part of the group I love to hate, and there's really no changing that. So really, I guess my only plea is - for the love of God, please don't wear fanny packs!

side note: I'll soon be moving into the petit hameau de Marie Antoinette at Versailles... please forward all notes to Marieville.

A triumphant return to the blogosphere!

2008-05-30T04:45:00.003-05:00

So it's been quite a while since I made a mark on the blogosphere... and I know it's been lacking without my presence! But what can be said - a lack of blogging fodder and a school/ work schedule that nearly cost me my sanity prevented me from blogging.

BUT - at long last I make my second summer debut this time not from New York or home in N.C. but from my home-away-from-home, St. Marcellin, where my family and I are apparently living under a black cloud as it's been raining for what seems like half an eternity. Forecast says we'll get sun June 5. We're not sure if we can make it that long without washing away. I mean all this rain makes it hard to get anything done, drying laundry's like being in France and not eating bread - i.e. impossible.

So this summer's fodder is going to be (at least for a time) documenting the colors of France. Interpret that as you will, because I don't think I can really define it.
Example 1: It's an amazing phenomenon we've stumbled upon here. French women have taken to dying their hair and then matching them to their clothes!!! Now we're not talking typical bottle blondes and all here, you see everything from the fire engine red at right, to purple and orange. Incredible. Imagine the time and effort put into finding enough clothes to match that one specific color. And then what if this woman one day wakes up and decides she wants to change hair colors? She's now stuck with a closet full of red!

Like before I'm sure this will turn into a conglomeration of all my random thoughts and yes, ramblings... are you really that surprised?!

I paid 50 cents to get back into the US

2007-08-12T23:49:00.000-05:00

in true Alumni Hall style 4 of us girls set off to Niagara Falls, NY yesterday afternoon for a little spontaneous road trip. an hour and a half after leaving Chautauqua and hitting the open road Jillian style (i.e. in the fast lane - the whole way) and rocking out to Shannon's sweet tunes we arrived at what some might call one of nature's many wonders or what is also be deemed as one of the world's largest tourist traps.

lucky for us the weather held up and we basked in the late afternoon sun with our picnic dinner and indulged in some of the typical tourist shenanigans. the falls themselves are truly amazing - never before have I seen so much water pouring over in one spot. (nor have I ever seen so many Asian tourists convene on one American tourist spot like they did here.) let's just suffice it to say tour guides waving opened umbrellas in gift shops while barking orders on a loud speaker is not exactly my cup of tea. after some strategic bobbing and weaving we emerged from the gift shop only to stumble upon tragedy of tragedies - a wedding party. yes, ladies and gentlemen - we're talking bride, groom, bridesmaids and flower girl all decked out at the falls. I guess they weren't kidding when they hyped this town as a hot spot honeymoon destination. there's something kind of terrible about spending your wedding day amongst sunburned tourists in cutoffs and wifebeaters... but maybe that's just me!

the tragedy ante was upped a couple notches after our foray to the gift shops boasting everything from "Dutch" candy, wooden shoes and clocks to Niagara apparel and "real bugs" (bugs preserved in plexiglass). we then took a chance on Homeland Security and decided to walk across the bridge to the Canadian side, which reeked of tourists as well, but in a different way. while the American side has grown up as a town around a tourist attraction Canada's city of Niagara Falls seemed more like an established town boasted the likes of Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock and a Hershey's store (who knew?!) being surrounded by mass humanity starts to get to me after a while and this did exactly that (I mean who knows what 4-D movies are anyways?!). I don't know if I'm just numb to all of this tourist stuff but I can't appreciate it like some. for me it's more of an opportunity to sit and observe all walks of life. there's something to be said for the business investors who single-handedly create cities and towns like these that attract so many people to its restaurants and attractions. it certainly was a profit-seeking spectacle where people control the riverbanks and waterways so only paying customers can experience the falls up close and personal. how that works is beyond me.

our day ended wonderfully and thankfully Homeland Security let us back into the US with only our driver's licenses as proof of citizenship. we were not looking forward to calling any of our parents or editor to let them know we were stuck in a holding cell on the US/ Canada border. that would have really put a damper on the rest of the summer. it probably would've made a pretty hysterical story in the end though.

and the countdown begins...

2007-08-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I've motivated myself to blog about all the goings-on in Chautauqua, but finally I'm back with lots to talk about. trying to recap the past 2 or so weeks is going to be difficult so I'm afraid I'm just going to have to recap recent happenings. a few recent sightings...

Nancy Gibbs, editor-at-large, TIME Magazine
Nancy is a long-time Chautauquan having grown up here and having gotten her journalistic start at the Daily! she came into the newsroom the other day and had a great conversation with all of us and answered questions. as a big-shot editor at TIME it's amazing to think Gibbs had very little journalistic experience when she broke into the news magazine industry. granted, she's clearly very intelligent (Yale and Oxford anyone?!) and worked her way up from fact checker to editor-at-large. pretty amazing. she had some interesting thoughts about whether or not it's better to start off at the Small Town Gazette or just try and get a foot in the door at someplace like TIME. she obviously has fared pretty well doing it how she did. we also asked her about where she thought the future of print journalism was going. it was reassuring when she said she felt it was going no where but is going to have to work with other media.

she really struck a chord with me when she said that she is in no way a very good reporter. much like me she said she believes almost anything that she's told, hates ruffling feathers with controversial questions. yet somehow she ended up in the industry and has fared just fine. that gives me hope!!!
Nancy Gibbs' pertinent journalistic tips:
-use the awkward silences to your advantage. sources will feel compelled to fill them. which can often be beneficial for you
-best questions to ask:
"Really? How so?"
"Like what?"
"Is there anything I forgot to ask you?"
(all tips I've heard before and typically use but thought I would share.)

Emmylou Harris - legendary country-rock/ folk singer
Emmylou graced the Amp Friday night bringing a bus full of dogs. after writing the preview article for her concert (unfortunately I didn't get to talk to her...) it's clear that Emmylou is by all definitions of the word, a legend. she's only recorded and sung with anyone who's anyone in the music industry.

the Amp was filled with the strains of the steel guitar and Emmylou's incredible voice taking many back to the day when she started out with Gram Parsons. most of us interns went, whether or not we were folk music connoisseurs. I consider myself lucky to be able to say I've seen Emmylou Harris in concert. she is, after all, a trailblazer in almost every genre of music. and I've got to give the woman props for rocking that white hair! she pulls it off so well!

***

now that it's officially August, everyone in Alumni has started bracing themselves for the impending reentry to the real world (i.e. school work, work work, endless heat and humidity...) and it's starting to get to everyone. personally, I've been pushing the topic out of my mind so as not to think about leaving and having to assume a position at the DTH that, honestly, kind of scares me. but with only 2 weeks left I've come to the realization that I'm probably going to have to start thinking not only about fitting all my stuff back into a bag but also leaving our close-knit group of Chautauqua friends.

Quote...

2007-07-24T10:41:00.000-05:00

"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for." -Louis L'Amour

----------------
I know I've been terrible at updating recently, but I promise I've got some good stories to recount so I'll be back at the blogging soon.

Update from NY

2007-07-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

the past couple of days have been scorchers and being up here in Chautauqua where it snows 10 months out of the year they don't have too much AC so we've all been sweltering to death. (although I know I really can't be complaining too much when it's like 95 with 150% humidity in NC!) luckily today has been rainy and it cooled things off immensly so I think we'll all be able to sleep under our covers tonight as opposed to on top of them.

Monday ended the two shows of The Elixir of Love which turned out really great. I went and saw it on opening night and was quite impressed at the scope of show the opera company can put on in a short amount of time. this week intense rehearsals for Carmen have started and tomorrow I get to talk to the two lead singers as well as the director and conductor so I can write my typical opera preview story for next week's paper. I've enjoyed getting to know more about the world of opera and meeting the people behind the main roles.

today also marked the beginning of Kate-making-some-money season. I took on a babysitting job for 3 little girls, (twin 4-year-olds and a 6-year-old) who are here for the summer. they're from outside Chicago. they're a handful, but fun. it's nice to get out and run around with them.

things are still going smoothly on most all fronts. we've all settled into a groove work-wise and living-wise. it's so hard to believe I've been here for a full month now. the past four weeks have flown by but it still seems like I've been here almost half my life. it's strange how this place will suck you in.

Additional Notes:
-birthday countdown = 13 days
-reading material du jour: The Rape of Europa (courtesy of Tim!)

Characters abound

2007-07-04T22:42:00.000-05:00

So as I wrote before, I'm still in the middle of trying to figure this place out. It's full of so many characters and interesting things going on that it's hard to get a handle on hardly anything. Never before have I seen a population of people who are so bat-crazed. yes, you read correctly - obsessed with bats. it's to such an extreme that there is even a little bat, named Atticus, who appears in the paper everyday. he's hidden among the articles, pictures and ads. so if that doesn't convince you that Chautauquans are crazy I don't know what will. but, yesterday I interviewed two people on the grounds - radically different, but both fascinating in their own way.

the first was a guy who's an extra in the upcoming opera, The Elixir of Love, which is the company's first show of the season. he works in the buildings and grounds department for the Institution - which takes care of anything from menial maintenance requests to installing air conditioners to plowing snow in the winter. as a native of the Bronx one would wonder how this man, who is trained in fire technology and serves on the volunteer fire department here, would get involved in an opera. as it turns out he moves the opera company's offices to New York City twice a year and somehow saw a flyer looking for extras - so he tried out - and is having a blast. I saw him in the dress rehearsal tonight and I think he was having a lot of fun. I got to ride around the grounds with him the other day and just talk to him about his life, job and role in the show. it was so cool to learn about some of the inner workings that keep this place going and meet someone who doesn't have 4 degrees and a summer house.

my second interview was Jay Stetzer, a storyteller from Rochester who is going to make his annual appearance at the Children's School tomorrow and then he'll perform for anyone interested tomorrow night. we talked for a long time about storytelling and his thoughts on Chautauqua. I'll leave you with some of what he said:
"There are not many places that feed the soul as well. And this is one of those places. I think of it as an intellectual, spiritual vortex. Everybody sort of comes together and the results are much greater than the individual number that we have here. And we all leave, slightly altered."

I love Hoverounds.

2007-06-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

Things around the grounds have really started to heat up (both literally and figuratively) as the season officially opened a week ago. For the Daily that means we’re cranking out a paper 6 days a week and trying to fit everything we can in the pages. Beat work for reporters has continued to escalate now that all our sources are on the grounds and willing/ able to talk to us. Despite the hoards of people who descended upon quiet Chautauqua and the Hoveround scooters that have taken over the streets and pathways, it’s been fun to see the place come alive. They kicked off the beginning of the season with a visit from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – which I have to say was spectacular. They sang in the Amphitheater – which houses the country’s oldest outdoor organ (that turns 100 this year) – and the sound resonates all through the grounds.

Week One has been particularly interesting for us journalists. The theme has been “Media and News: Applied Ethics.” Seeing as I’m taking just about all the ethics classes UNC offers next semester it’s been a good intro. Speakers of particular note: John Hargrove of the WSJ (and no, I’m not talking about the Winston-Salem Journal), David Westin of ABC News, Arianna Huffington and David Marash, correspondent for Al Jazeera English. For those of us who are here on the grounds to work, however, it’s been catch-as-catch can on which lectures we can get to. (a couple of us suggested we just suspend all newspaper printing for the week so we could take in this educational experience… our editor didn’t think that was a good idea and we figured the general Chautauquan population would be up in arms about it as well, so we kept printing.)

Of the two lectures I heard (Westin and Huffington) I would have to say I enjoyed Westin’s more. I know I blogged briefly about talking to him a week or so ago, but hearing the entire speech was even better. His point was that the media is becoming too wrapped up in getting the scoop and making it to the top of the ratings charts. (He cited the 2000 presidential election as a prime example when 4 major network channels had to recant their predictions twice because they jumped too quickly at a conclusion in order to be no. 1 with the answer.) He said we are losing the basis of what real journalism is – the reporting. It takes time to get those leads and really do a thorough job checking facts and whatnot to make sure what audiences receive is good.

As for life in Alumni Hall – all is still going well. We’ve acquired several new people who have the distinct pleasure of living with us crazy journalists. So far they seem to tolerate our antics and we’re slowly trying to bring them into the fold. (we’ll see if that works…) On the domestic front - we’re becoming quite adept with the George Foreman (side note: if you don’t have one, I highly recommend you get one.). Not only have we perfected the grilled cheese but my roommate and I even branched out and threw some chicken on there. YES, real meat! Our quesadillas were perfect and we wowed the rest of the dorm with our culinary skills.

So, I know my blogging will never be able to accurately sum up Chautauqua, but I’ve decided to make it my summer goal to be able to at least semi-accurately describe this place to people once I get home. Words still elude me and descriptions cannot be descriptive enough. I’m letting this place seep into my pores while attempting to speak better Chautauquan. I keep trying to ask my sources about their time here – whether they’re new to the Institution or if they’re long-time attendees. I interviewed an opera singer today who, I think, summed up Chautauqua the best I’ve heard yet: “It’s like an Ivy League summer camp,” he said. Which is completely true. It’s a relaxed environment but at the same time it’s got this incredible pulse of energy (especially for the age group!) and a population of people who are so engaged in learning and exploring. But it’s all done in the comfort of shorts and flip flops or over a glass of tea on the front porch.

iiinteresting

2007-06-23T16:16:00.000-05:00

a couple quick updates from the past day or so:
-interviewed David Westin, president of ABC News the other day. he's coming to speak next week on ethics of journalism today. he was super nice and way easy to talk to. his speech should be interesting, too. he's talking about how the news industry has lost it's focus on basic reporting and instead is trying to win viewers with more opinion, analysis and fluff instead of telling us things we don't know.

-the obsessive mouse clicking that is so characteristic of all DTH editors is not just a DTH trait. it crosses state lines and into other news rooms. a friend of mine who's soon going to be editor in chief of the Daily Kent Stater has the same problem. we shared a bonding experience about it.

-I am enjoying riding my (on-loan) bike around the grounds. it's an old schwinn, blue with a wicker basket (yes - a wicker basket!!!) it comes in quite handy too!

Finally a new update

2007-06-20T16:45:00.000-05:00

so it's been a few days and I'm sure most of you thought I had been eaten by the minotaur at the bottom of Lake Chautauqua. fortunately for me, and the many boaters, I am still here and still loving it.

things have started to get rolling. we turned in our first stories today to run in the first paper of the season (which'll go out Saturday). my first article is a preview of the whole opera season. it details what pieces they will perform with some insight from the artistic/ general director. The Chautauqua Opera is interesting because they only have 8 days of rehearsal before opening a show. what does help though is that they do everything in English. that was a stipulation of the woman who gave money to build the opera building on the grounds. the story goes that her husband was blind and enjoyed hearing opera in English so he could understand the story.

in addition to opera I'm covering the Children's School which is essentially a day camp for 3, 4, 5 and 6-year-olds. they meet weekdays and keep the kids engaged in educational activities. I feel like interacting with kids will be a nice reprieve from the high-strung world of opera!

so despite the intense schedule we reporters have laid out before us, we've all taken time to enjoy the sun, lake and each other's company. we all get along amazingly, especially considering we've known each other for about a week. all of us Alumni Hall kids bond over family dinners, reading circles in the common room and weekly excursions to the grocery (we love our Wegmans Wednesdays!) last weekend we had a bonfire complete with hot dogs and s'mores and then went to the Mayville Bluegrass Festival. who knew there were northern hicks, too?!

we're a crazy bunch of college kids with a lot of talent. it's kind of intimidating to be in with a group of people who have been or are going to be the editors of their school papers and clearly have a lot more experience than I do. (I am one of 3 who are going to be juniors. everyone else has either graduated recently or will be a senior next year). it's clear we all have a passion for what we're doing and have that same journalist mentality -- whatever that is!

sigh...

2007-06-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

it is with a heavy heart that I write to you tonight to tell you that I had previously written a pretty good blog post. until it was consumed into the abyss that is cyberspace after the blue screen of death took over my computer. so, unfortunately for you - my loyal readers (yes, I'm talking to you, Mom!) tonight's promised blog post will have to be postponed until a later date. at which time it will be an all comprehensive summary of the past several days here in NY.

A little piece of amazing...

2007-06-11T20:44:00.001-05:00

hello, Chautauqua!

I haven't been here 24 hours and I'm already plotting about how I can stay forever - or at least until the first big snow. (I don't think the winters and I would get along too well.) flying in was quite the experience and I was just glad there was a tarmac strip to land on at the Chautauqua County airport. 3 of the 4 people on the plane got off in Jamestown and we were handed our bags by airport attendees. incredible, let me tell you.

the actual Institution grounds remind me of something lifted straight out of my imagination. we're talking quaint little streets and houses and old buildings - all set on a beautiful lake. (pictures are forthcoming, no worries, my words can't quite do it justice). Alumni Hal living accommodations are nice and most of the paper staff live in the same building, so it's been fun meeting people. I must say though,I've never met so many Ohioans at one time before! and all from Kent State University, too! we'll get real-deal introductions tomorrow at our official meet-and-greet. I am clearly in the minority as the only southerner, though, so that should prove to be interesting!

fun facts so far:
-the closest grocery store is in Mayville and it's the Quality Market - which closes at 9 p.m. - I kid you not. (I've already got my very own Wild Card - the QM version of the VIC card! oooh, get excited!)
-apparently there are local beers made with water from the Lake Chautauqua (or Chautauqua Lake - not sure which it is yet)... I'm not sure how I feel about any food substance being made with lake water.

ALSO - sighted, in Charlotte --
family wearing Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest t-shirts. and let me tell you - they were your stereotypical hot dog eating contest looking family. tragic. oh-so tragic!

Scene and Heard around the Dash

2007-06-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

in typical summer college student fashion I spent the day yesterday with several friends, out by the pool working on blinding those around me with my amazing paleness. you've got to love the country club and the endless number of teenagers who show up to see and be seen. it's one of those situations where you see people you really don't want to see but know you have to speak to, so you put on your biggest, toothiest debutante smile and ask them how their year at school was. we were lucky and didn't have too many run-ins.
but, here are a few of our key sightings:

13-year-old girl (former babysitting charge) decked out in her string bikini. string bikini I tell you... at 13. needless to say, she didn't give me the time of day.
16-year-old football player (spotted by my friend - his tutor). this beast of a boy has muscles out the wazoo and we wanted to see them in person. unfortunately there was no gun show at the pool.
our high school history teacher. let's suffice it to say - this woman was amazing. a great teacher, really knew her modern european history. she taught us well, despite lack of tact sometimes. she's also suffered through 2 hip replacements and double knee replacements. she's finally retiring from teaching to spend more time with her grandkids. I must give her big props for braving the swim club!

so those are the best spottings of the day. I'm hoping Chautauqua will give me characters like this to blog about. I'm a compulsive people watcher and might even consider it one of my hobbies. somehow, I have a feeling the Institution might provide even better people watching than good 'ole W-S. who knows though.

in the meantime, I'm still stuffing things into duffles and boxes hoping all my clothes and necessities for the summer will fit and meet USAirways' weight requirement!

Testing, Testing...

2007-06-08T12:36:00.000-05:00

With a little prompting from my brother, I've decided to start blogging. This is just an experiment - so I make no promises! I'm also trying to get a feel for my future role as real-deal blogger for The Daily Tar Heel next year. And I want to avoid sending mass e-mails while I'm at the Chautauqua Institution for the summer.

Who knows what thoughts will strike me this summer, we'll see. For now, I'll leave you with the book list for the Chautauqua Literary & Scientific Circle - America's oldest book club. It gives the selected books from 1878 on. Talk about a little light summer reading! Enjoy!