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