The R Hole

Saw this article, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8186701.stm, on the BBC website regarding Rupert Murdoch planning to charge for the news content on the News Corp. websites (Fox News, NY Post, etc.). My favorite quote from the article is when Murdoch said, "Quality journalism is not cheap, and an industry that gives away its content is simply cannibalizing its ability to produce good reporting.” Of course some people would say that many of Murdoch’s holdings are one step above the National Enquirer in terms of journalistic excellence, haha, with the Wall Street Journal being one of his few respectable holdings. I don't know how people would react to having to pay for content that they were used to getting for free.

People will pay for good journalism, when I worked at Books a Million in Rock Hill, I remember people paying $5.00 for a copy of the Sunday edition of the NY Times. The Wall Street Journal may succeed with this model as it is a niche publication, but I cant see people paying 5 cents to read the latest rant from Glenn Beck on foxnews.com or which NY socialite is breaking up with their boytoy on the NY Post webpage. The news industry needs help, but I am not sure this microbilling for each story is the panacea to their ills. I think we need good high-quality journalism again. A large percentage of the stories in the Indianapolis Star are a regurgitation of things from the AP wire.

I don't know how I feel about paying for online content.  I wish the daily paper would become strong again, I would rather read the paper than an article online, I guess I am a luddite when it comes to how I like to read my news.  I think regardless of the medium I would pay for high-quality journalism.

In terms of major papers, I really enjoy the NY Times and the few times I have read the Washington Post I thought it was a very good news paper. I miss actually reading news I am tired of the political pandering news oultlets on both sides of the political spectrum put forward as news. I enjoy Keith Olbermann's show, but I look at it more as entertainment with some news mixed in. In terms of news on the radio I like NPR and I like the local news radio station,(i.e., all news, very little talk) .

There is some evidence that the news industry hasn't completely lost its journalistic soul, just this morning the Indianapolis Star had an article that they were investigating whether a local City's redevelopment group (a quasi-governmental group), that is tasked with handling a 80 to 100 million dollar redevelopment of their downtown had to comply with the state's public notice and sunshine laws.  I saw bravo to the Indianapolis Star for actually investigating something, not reprinting a press release or offering up an opinion as journalism, but actually doing research and comparing the facts with the laws.  Maybe there is some hope for journalism. :)

So today is my 25th birthday and I am now closer to being 30 than being 20. Everyone always says that your 20's should be one of your most freeing decades, "You will never be more broke or more free than in your 20's."

In recognition of this 25th year of my life I was inspired to create a list of 25 things to do before I am 30. Many of the items on the following list are travel-related as I am still kicking myself for not taking the chance to study abroad while in college, traveling is easier when you are young and I love to travel. The items on my list span all difficulty levels (mostly so I don't feel like a failure when I am 30 :) ) Below is my list in no particular order:

25 Things to Do Before I'm 30 (August 5, 2014)

1. Visit Europe
2. Spend a long weekend in NYC
3. Buy a house
4. Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
5. Attend a multi-day music festival
6. Dine in a 4 or 5 star restaurant
7. Drive a car that turns heads, even if I have to rent it
8. Visit Italy to see where my family was from
9. Drive cross-country
10. Take a photography class
11. Take a cooking class
12. Own a set of matching furniture
13. Reconnect with friendships from my past
14. Visit Australia
15. Run at least a 10K race
16. Fly first-class
17. Take a cruise
18. Touch my toes in the Pacific Ocean
19. Volunteer for a cause that matters to me
20. Re-read five novels from high school
21. Learn to play at least one sone on a guitar
22. Take a hot-air balloon ride
23. Learn a new language
24. Save money for something I really want
25. Get married* *(I don't normally place timelines on relationship issues, but this is something that may happen).

What a sad and sickening day. It's 1:30 AM and I am watching the coverage on CNN and I feel sick to my stomach. Who the hell would barge into a university building and shoot dozens of people? Its absolutely sickening, why would a person shoot professors in the head, then shoot almost everyone in a class? I will never understand what causes someone to snap and do something this cold blooded. I can't believe someone would do this to fellow humans.

My thoughts are with all of the members of the VT community, for today we are all Hokies. I am still stunned and can't believe what happened today. Universities are supposed to be places of safety, enlightenment and tolerance. Remember this day and never ever let your emotions get the best of you. Seek help if you need it, don't let it get to the point of snapping and doing something senseless. Remember to be kind to each other, oftentimes the shooters have been bullied.

RIP the victims at Virginia Tech, our thoughts are with you during this trying time. Our thoughts are also with all of the wounded victims and the families of the today's victims.

This week is Spring Break for MSU and I have been enjoying it. Not much has happened on the travel front, I am just too damn poor and have to save the money for my trip to SC in May. Even if I had the money, I had too many school related things to work on this week. This semester is getting busier and busier with projects. On top of my capstone studio project on the pedestrianization of campus and my project for Urban Transportation on strategies to improve public transit in Mankato, I got a new project last Friday in my Heritage Preservation class, doing a historical context of Nicollet County. The project is looking at the history of the county (a county just across the river here) from the 1500's until about 1860. It is a group project with another grad student. There are other groups doing the other counties in the region as well. The point is to assist a local architect in the writing of his book. He is looking at the really historical structures, or in many cases the ruins of said structures, in the region. We are assisting him in researching the historical context of the region to explain to the reader why the structures are important historically. Gotta love being a grad student and all the free labor we provide (rolls eyes).

Besides the endless pile of projects all due the first week of May and the continuous work that goes along with them, Spring Break hasn't been too bad. I have been able to just lounge around and do a whole lot of nothing. I have been making a little bit of extra money by helping out one of the other studio groups. They are working on a phone survey for the tourism bureau in the state. The state contracted with the university to pay students $3.00 per survey the complete. We are using a list of numbers and names provided to us, and so far it hasn't been too bad. I have gotten 106 surveys completed, so $318.00, not bad for about 10 or 15 hours of work. Also on the work front, tomorrow is the deadline for applications to an internship I applied to early last month. After Friday they should be calling people in for interviews. My fingers are crossed, because I need an internship for this summer and so far, not many positions have been posted.

I am beginning to get a bit nervous about finding a job when I graduate in December. One of my friends and classmates was telling me she applied for a position in a suburb of the Twin Cities. She got a letter back saying over 110 people applied for the position!!!! That is pretty scary when for an entry-level planning position that many people are applying. So Kelly suggested I go over to the Career Development Center on campus to sort out my options. The CDC here on campus puts Winthrop's excuse for a career center to shame. I am going to talk to a counselor next week about my options with my undergrad majors if the planning thing doesn't work out. If all else fails I could pick up my teaching license and teach, but I would really like to be able to use my master's for something.

Spring Break has also given me a chance to spend more time with Kelly, so that has been nice. We are both broke so we have spent a lot of time either at her place or mine. I went over to her house the other night and ate dinner with her family and watched tv with them, it was a lot of fun and nice to hang out with her family some. Thankfully the 30 inches of snow we got in one week is melting pretty quickly, since it has been near 50 everyday since Saturday. That has given us an opportunity to walk around her neighborhood which has been fun and good exercise. It was also nice enough the other night, that we sat out on her stoop for over 30 minutes and just talked and people watched, it was nice to do the couple thing and talk and hang out. In the next month or so it should continue to warm up so we should be able to spend more time outside. I think it will be mid to late April, but more likely May until we can go camping, as the ground will prob. be wet until April from the melting snow and then the melting ground frost; plus I don't think most parks with camping open until May 1.

I hope everyone is having or will have a good Spring Break, if you are lucky enough to have one. Good luck to my alma mater, Winthrop as they hopefully kick some Fightin' Irish ass tomorrow. I know I will be here cheering them on! GO EAGLES!!!!

Quick update:

I passed my written comps. I got a 'passed' on one of my questions and a 'passed with honors' with the other one. Now as long as I pass my classes and my studio presentation I will graduate in December!!! Woo hoo!!!!!
Now if I could only find a job!

I will do a more through update later this week.

I haven't been around a lot so far this semester. I have been pretty busy with 12 hours of classes (one of which is my Capstone Studio), my presidential duties for SURSI, and trying to spend time with Kelly. I have a lot to say so I am going to divide my entry into sections (damn I have been writing too many memos)

Classes:
Classes have been busy this semester, but I am getting closer to graduating in December. This semester I am taking 12 hours of classes.

-Heritage Preservation- I love this class, it is with one of my favorite professors. The last month was 'boot camp' where we learned the differences between the different styles of architecture. While I can't quite wax on the differences of a Queen Anne versus a Tudor, I can at least look at a building and venture a guess of what type of architecture it is.

-Urban Transportation- This class is okay. It is an interesting mix of policy and case studies. The grad students have a 15 to 20 page paper or field project to do. I am working with another classmate on studying Mankato's transit system and how to improve it. Last week was our midterm in there, 4 definitions and 2 essays, filled up half a blue book and took me 2 hours or so.

-Urban Studio- Not too bad of a class. The class is a lot of work. By the end of the semester each group has to have a completed project. My group's project is a Pedestrianization Plan for campus. It is a large undertaking for 5 students. We have to do literature reviews, conduct design surveys, review campus plans, interview students, etc. The final project will be close to 50 pages, which is due by the beginning of May. Even though it is a lot of work, I am enjoying it. I have a great and hard-working group and the project is pretty fun.

-Urban Analysis- I HATE this class. The class is very disorganized, we didn't even have a set room for 3 weeks into the class. It is also team taught by 3 professors in the department, so it seems very disjointed. The class is a lot of work, every week it is another project. We have learned how to do PowerPoint's, use Excel for some statistical work, how to conduct focus groups and surveys. So I guess some useful info, but a lot of things most of us already know how to do. Another annoying aspect with this class is the number of group projects, where the grad student is supposed to take the lead. I can understand the thinking of the grad student, being the group leader and typing up the report. But with my last project, it was taken by the undergrads in my group that the grad student will do all the work, while we sit back and get the grade. I hate most group work with the fire of a thousand suns.

Besides classes, school has been busy. Friday was my written comprehensive exams. It was quite hellish. The questions were emailed to us at 8am and had to be returned by 4pm. I took about 6 hours to answer my two questions. The first question was essentially me having to come up with an initial plan to revitalize Mankato's riverfront. The second one was similar, but dealing more with how to finance a $218 million dollar project and then how to sell the project to the public. This semester will end up being my toughest semester, if I pass my comps and pass studio, I will be almost done with the requirements of my program. Next semester I will need to take my theory class to finish my required core. I will also take Urban Design and either GIS or CAD to finish up my concentration in Urban Aesthetics.

My helm as head of SURSI is going quite well. We have brought back department t-shirts, which we are selling as a fundraiser. There is a group of students that are going to the National APA Conference in Philly in April. SURSI is also working to have an end of the year picnic at the end of April. So I would have to say from a group that was 4 members last year and doing nothing... to now, our effort to rebuild SURSI has been going well.

Personal Life
My personal life is going quite well. Kelly and I are still going strong. I am in total love with her. She is coming back to SC with me in May. I am quite excited about that. Sadly with the cold, snow and ice there hasn't been much opportunity to be outside, so we spend a lot of our time watching movies, hanging out together, and playing with her dogs and cats. We don't always have to go out on 'dates', we are both content with just cooking dinner, watching a movie and talking. Its quite enjoyable, we have a lot in common and I def. see a long-term relationship with her. :-)

I am still looking for an internship for this summer, right now I have an application in for a planning and zoning intern in Faribault. The city is about 35 miles east of Mankato. It is a much larger community when compared to Glencoe. Glencoe had just over 5,500 people, while Faribault has over 22,000. The pay is a bit better too, $10.00/hr compared to $9.50/hr. We will see how that goes. I am also going to a career fair at the University of MN on Thursday, so we shall see if anything comes from that.

I am so very ready for spring. Last week was the first time it got above freezing in over a month. A lot of the snow melted, just in time for a big snowstorm this weekend. They were calling for sleet, freezing rain and over a foot of snow. They are also calling for another storm on Wed. and Thursday. March is our snowiest time of the year so I guess it is expected. We need the snow badly for the farmers and the spring run off, but that 45 last week felt very very nice.

Thank you to everyone who read this far. I hope it wont be 3 months before my next update. I miss all of my friends in SC and Maryland. Drop me a comment or an e-mail and let me know how you have been! :-)

I know it's been a while since I have updated, but I was never good at keeping journals. December in Minnesota, well what can I say, it's cold. Until today, it hasn't been above freezing in over a week! It was -3 the other night, the lakes are freezing up pretty solid now, but alas the ground is still barren. Anyone who knows me, knows that my thinking is if it is going to be this cold it might as well just snow. The barren brown and frozen ground is not very nice to look at, it would look better with snow on it. Plus it being December and me living in a northern climate, there is supposed to be snow on the ground. At least the roads look to be in good shape for my drive back home next week. 18 plus hours in the car, not a fun drive but I am looking forward to seeing everyone graduate and be away from work and school for a little while.

The semester is slowly coming to an end here. Since thanksgiving, it has been a constant barrage of papers and presentations. This semester has shown me how much I hate PowerPoint. Yesterday was my zoning final. That final officially qualifies as one of the most draining finals I have ever taken. Last week when the professor said 'don't expect to done with my final in less than 2 hours', I thought he was joking. Yesterday, he proved me wrong. The final consisted of 35 True/False, 20 short answer and 9 essay questions. The first part took me around 30 minutes, the remaining essays took 2 hours! By the end of the exam my hand was just throbbing, plus being left handed the side of my hand was covered in lead from my pencil. Wed. my 10 to 20 page policy analysis paper that was due, only for grad students, plus a 20 minute presentation on it. The paper ended up being 16 pages. I did the topic on rail transit in America and a cost benefit analysis of it. The prof. says I have a good starting point for a master's thesis, but I honestly didn't feel I was that strong with it, plus I have no desire to write a thesis, especially since my program does not require one.

This weekend is relaxation for the most part. I do have a take home final that is due on Wed.,but needs to be done by Monday night as I am going up to Minneapolis and the Mall of America on Tuesday. I also have to get all my grade sheets finalized for my TA classes but Tuesday. So I have a little work still left to finish up, but last week was my hell week. This weekend I am hanging out with friends tonight, doing breakfast for dinner and playing darts. Tomorrow, Kelly (more about her in a minute) and I are going to try to go bowling. So overall a little bit of work and a little bit of fun, sounds like a plan to me!

My personal life has gotten a bit more interesting recently. I will not bore you all with all the details, but I met this girl named Kelly, she is a junior Women's Study major and sociology minor. We hung out a few times before I went back east for thanksgiving. After I returned we dated a few more times, and we both ended up falling for each other very fast. She is an incredible person and we have just clicked on many levels. Her and I are very happy together and we shall see where this all leads too. Sorry to everyone who read this, like I said I normally try not to put that stuff on here, but I figured everyone would at least like to know that I am not single anymore. If you want to know more, just drop me a line!

Good luck to everyone on finals and the end of the semester. I will be back in SC starting next Sat. the 16th through the 30th, I can't wait to see all of my SC friends!!