I like to think I’m pretty healthy and fairly lucky because I don’t have any chronic aches or pains. They are coming, no doubt, but I’m in denial. The little things that crop up, I just ignore them. If I don’t acknowledge their existence, they don’t exist.
I’m talking run of the mill things here. My foot does a weird thing in the morning, I just keep moving. If my arm were falling off, I’d go see a specialist. All things are relative.
Since I am so young and healthy and tough and stubborn I don’t mind complaining to you, dear reader about my hip hurting for no reason whatsoever. I only mention it here to point out the joy of walking across the length of the quad to deliver a piece of paper only to realize the same person also needs two more pieces of paper. So that’s another walk when, really, all I wanted to do was sit down.
But I’m fine, otherwise, thanks for asking.
Talked about leads in class this afternoon. I did about an hour and 40 minutes on the first paragraph of a story. We teach the art of lead writing as something that should be less than 30 words. We can discuss it at length. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a handout on the art of lead writing that was less than one page of advice.
I have a few nice exercises on lead writing though, and they all center around Centerville. That’s the same town that was under siege in last week’s hypothetical examples. In this week’s hypothetical news stories there was a suspicious fire at a Centerville school, a plane crash landing at the airport and news from the city council. They passed a contentious ordinance. In the exercise the address of city hall was mentioned, Elm Street.
Should have seen that joke coming.
I have a good editing class though. They’re opening up more and more. About half the students are talkative. I wish the others added their input too. And when I figure out how to do that I’ll be the most popular academic of which you’ve never heard. But my peers will respect me for sharing the secret. We’re all working on the mystery of full participation, I think.
That will be a project for next semester.
At the paper tonight. The Crimson students are working hard.
I’m a student tonight, too. I’m doing a little studying. I have an exam (I can count them on one hand now) this week, so there is a lot of reading, and only a little of this and that.
I’m skimming research methods and psychophysiology. That’s fun. Actually it is. Many of the articles and chapters we’re reading in this class are well written, which isn’t always the case with academic tomes. If you can work through it and understand it the content is valuable.
This being my last class it is also, happily, one of my best classes. It’d be better if there was no tests …
Links: The new clearinghouse for political accuracy, Bama Fact Check intends to be a statewide collaboration. It was started by our friends at The Anniston Star and The Tuscaloosa News. It is hoped that other newsrooms will join them.
Did you ever think you’d see the day? World War I is over. I have this picture, from April 1918, in my home. Click to embiggen.
That’s at Auburn, of course. The scene is only recognizable to modern eyes because of Samford Hall in the background. The parade field where the students are standing is now all roads and buildings and sidewalks. But the important thing is to realize that those were college kids, in the spring of 1918. Some of them were facing the possibility of going to Europe that summer. The shooting wouldn’t end until that fall.
Here’s how they celebrated:
(P.R. “Bedie”) Bidez led the Auburn Band (under the name of the 16th Infantry Regimental Band) into Europe during World War I. As the band crossed the Rhine from France into Germany they struck up Glory to Ole Auburn to celebrate the Allied victory.
And they’re all gone now. There’s only one World War I veteran left in the U.S. Frank Buckles is 109. Hopefully he’s still celebrating today.
