Of George Washington, Tsunamis & Fashion

When I got to work on Friday morning the last place I wanted to be was there. For whatever reason, I was in a not-so-good mood. It got a little better when I found a stack of letters from the second-graders at All Saints Episcopal School.

Definitely made my morning.

After I settled into my desk, I saw that my editor had sent out an e-mail asking if anyone in the newsroom "knew someone who knew someone in Japan" aka any kind of local connection we could find to Friday's tsunami. When I told the boss lady that a woman from my church had family there and was willing to be interviewed (thank you, Christina!) I wasn't expecting her to assign me the story.

I spent the next ten hours calling source after source, and typing up story after story about the tsunami, local reactions, the possibility of local charities reaching out to tsunami victims, and even a story about what local experts thought. I was grateful to get my chance to cover some hard news, but more importantly, grateful to contribute to something larger than myself.

The best part was after ten hours with no lunch break (not to mention no pay) my only thought was: that was awesome.

 I wrote that main story! Kudos to me.

You can read my stories here: Lubbock's Breedlove keeping eye on Japan's needs; Lubbock woman praying for family members in Japan; Power outages in Tokyo prevent Lubbock from finding out about sister city; Local experts say Japan prepared for disaster, can move quickly; Locals with connections to Japan anxiously await word; Lubbock staff, residents ready to help Japanese.

Always,

P.S.

Bad news: the boss-lady called one of my sources a bitch. Funny for me, not so good for my source.

Good news: the boss-lady told me I did a great job on Friday.

Bad news: Japan is hurting, and is in serious need of so many things, including prayers.

Good news: The "Lubbock woman praying for family in Japan" aka Christina heard good news from Japan -- all her family members are accounted for and safe.

Bad news: I don't like working with models for fashion stories. And looking at fashion just makes me want to shop with the money I don't have.

Good news: I'm published. Again.