Day two--production day

Today was a little crazy.

The Keltic announcement was delayed, because Mark Parent (minister of environment and labour) went on vacation. I also wrote two stories about the recommendations --one on fishermen, the other on a Black loyalist burial ground--one on the Canadian winter games, and a ton of briefs.

Canso council today was actually a lot of fun, everyone was really nice, and I got a couple great story ideas--a new school zone sign, a new department store, a plaque...ok, it may not sound that cool, but really it was!

I also am very proud because I learned to use the lights on the car. Then, half an hour later, I learned to shut them off, after someone announced that there was a car in the parking lot with its lights still on. Oops.

I also found myself wondering today why no one ever told me that we journalists were insurance risks? Logically it makes sense--we drink too much starbucks/coffee/tea, we're always in a rush, we tend to be at accident scenes, riots, even war zones...but still. Not fair.

As far as my first production day went, I think it was pretty good. My stories seemed to go over well, and I think I'm starting to get a grasp on the community and life in Guysborough. I even fell asleep before midnight last night.

Now, on to tomorrow. Time to start getting ready for the next edition, but at least this time I have a few days of prep work:)

~J

My first day

So, today was my first day of work. A little scary.

Actually, to be completely honest, I worked for a couple hours last night, preparing research and just trying to get a little comfortably in my office.

I wrote a couple briefs today, and a full page article (about 600 words) on a ceremony honouring the people who helped after the Cormorant crash off Canso last summer. It was a really tough story to write. As students, we don't deal as much with tragic personal stories. I interviewed Fred Munroe, the person steering the boat, he helped bring the four survivors aboard. I felt awkward and unprepared, but I went back to all of those interviewing tips we had hammered into our heads over the years and did the opposite. I figured out the two things I needed to know--what he thought about the ceremony, and what he remembered about the night of the crash--and then just asked him to tell me his story, from the night of the crash right up to the ceremony. I just let him talk, occaisonally asking for more details. I had no prepared questions, because I didn't want it to feel formal. I just wanted to hear what he had to say. And, I think it worked. But it was still hard to write.

I'm also working on the Keltic Petrochemicals recommendations announcement. So, I spent last night reading as much as I could about it! Being the newbie, I can't afford to miss a beat, I need to do all my research, because the locals expect me to know what's going on. And it is my job.

Of course, I am using a lot of stuff I learned in J-school--note taking, verifying names, choosing the right quotes. And, I'm still a workaholic, so it's a good thing I'm not living under the newspaper for an extended period of time! Tonight, I've got an interview, an outline/start of an article to write, and I'm hoping to start my critique of the website. Although currently, the website has a problem in the form of an ad bar blocking all text. Hopefully we'll fix that tomorrow--which is also production day, and I'm going to my first Town Council meeting in Canso. They're discussing a code of conduct to deal with their behaviour issues:)

There are some things I feel like J school didn't prepare me for. Simple things like how to deal with people who want their stories told, how to make a good first impression on interviewees, how to find information when it's not online or clearly listed, and how to deal with tipsters.

I got a call today from an older lady saying that someone who used to live here, but now lives in PEI got an award, and wouldn't it be nice to cover it? She had his last name, so after some google searches with fingers crossed, I found out that he became a member of the Order of Canada. And hadn't lived in Nova Scotia since 1940. It'll be in the paper tomorrow, because apparently, people around here may be old, but have incredible memories. They remember the 91 year old man who left here before my parents were even born!

So, my first day of "keeping an eye on the coast" went well. My co-workers are really nice. I'm starting to get settled, even daring to turn up the heat without asking permission first. My beautiful new car is filthy dirty, but I kind of feel like I fit in. I miss my boy and my bunny, and hope to either visit or get a visit again soon.

Oh, and still no update on the Mazda fiasco. Anyone looking for a story idea?

~J

Cars and dealers and anger, oh my

I'm moving to Guysborough tomorrow! It's all very exciting and happening very fast--and it's a good thing.

The not good thing? Getting ready for the move and changing from a student to a working woman. There's packing, filling out all of my graduation information, changing to a correspondence course for my last workshop--oh, and buying a car and insuring it.

So, I spent all last weekend test driving cars. A stressful experience in itself. Then, I finally made my decision, picking a Mazda3 at City Mazda. I put a deposit down to get the car ready--a hold on my visa and was told I would get the car Wednesday.

Wednesday came, and I hadn't heard anything. After several calls, I found out that not only hadn't the car started to get ready, but they were going to need a co-signer as well. I complained, and they did nothing. I went in twice with my parents, and was told that I wouldn't get my money back--even though the car hadn't been prepared, service wasn't being delivered, and I was told it was a hold when it was a credit. And, apparently a paper I initialed said it was a charge--but I have no copy of such paper. Or anything from Mazda.

I ended up going across the street to Honda, because they treated me like a person and returned my calls. Now, the people at City Mazda are saying that I'm stuck for the $500 (which of course, as a student I can't afford) and the salesman yelled at me for wasting his time, then the sales manager told me he can't believe that I was treated that way--essentially saying that I'm a liar. He says lots of people are happy with the service they receive, and why should he believe that I'm an exception? He also told me that there's no such thing as a hold.

So, I've gotten a car, I've lost $500 that I can't afford, and City Mazda has lost all of my respect. I'll never walk into that dealership or recommend it to anyone.

But, I'm heart broken. This week was supposed to be fun--after all, I'm on Spring Break!--and I'm starting a new job and all other sorts of marvellous things.

Now I just have to find a way to make some extra money, since Mazda certainly doesn't want to give me my money back as I wasted their time--though they wasted mine.

So, tomorrow when I take off in my pretty Honda Civic--which took less than 24 hours to prepare--I'll be happy to be leaving City Mazda behind.

Getting Ready to Keep an Eye on the Coast

Yesterday was my first trip to Guysborough. I picked up a few copies of the paper, and checked out the office and the town. It's a beautiful place. The office looks right out on the Bay, and I bet it's even more stunning in the summer.

The pub next door is pink and apparently fabulous. And, the guy who owns it flies in a few times a year on his float plane. How cool is that?

And there's a bakery. It smells so good. James and I went there for lunch, and it may be hard to not eat there every day. We even met Aldona, who seems to be one of the pillars of the town.

I didn't get to the Wonder Store, which is apparently the other 'place to be.' I'll have to go there for a cup of tea on my next visit.

As for the job itself, I'm very excited. And very nervous. It's a fabulous opportunity and I look forward to getting tied into the community, but it's a big change! Am I ready to be an adult--with a salary, health plan, car payments, and the like? I know I'll get used to it, but I think it's OK to be a little bit nervous.

I'm so excited to work on the website. I mean, I look forward to writing and lay out and all of those goodies too, but I feel like I can make the website my own, while the other aspects of the paper have been tweaked by many people who did a very good job.

So, it's time to sign off. I plan to look at cars today, and start cramming about Guysborough --the town and the county. I want to be ready to write my first story, and I want to do it justice. For a small, independent paper, the Journal is putting out some high quality stuff, and I don't want to disappoint.