Scheduling is a...

...huge obstacle. (And that other thing too that you were probably thinking, but I don't feel pissed off enough to put it in those terms just yet.)

Don't even get me started on the whole "lack of a set" issue we have going over at Mind Games. Even that's pushing our tape dates well back into February, with us having to work around several campus events (Dance Marathon, for one), Spring Break and the like...never mind host/crew/contestant schedules. So many variables, so many places where things could go wrong (and, as far as I can see, already have). I'm usually not comfortable starting so late in the semester (as in February 26 late), but seeing as we're kinda facing some tough times on the show due to a lack of set and a re-casting of a host, I'm kinda resigned to it. On the other hand, we have an amazing set of people who want to work for the show this semester, so I'm happy. It'll be cool to see what kinds of things they come up with.

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I've already detailed my angst as a student journalist in a previous entry here, but scheduling to go to Bell (our designated community for the semester) is a little difficult, considering I basically have to mooch rides off people just to go to the place. Not having a car, especially in California, is a real drag. But luckily I've worked around things thus far, and I'm bumbling through it as best I can.

thisisonlyalinebreakpleaseignoreagainonlyalinebreaknothingtoseeheremovealong

Then there are people you want to see, people you haven't seen in a long time, and you set up a time to meet at long freakin' last...

...and then the Fates conspire against you, pushing it back to "whenever we both have time" (which, these days, I'm convinced, means "never"). A shame, too, because we'd been planning to meet "before things got too crazy"...now, it seems, they already have. Time can be your worst enemy, not just in journalism, but even for the little things.

All this aggravated by the fact that I haven't had a phone for a week.

Possible Opportunity?

I've had a dream to be on the air since I started down this whole broadcast journalism path--no, scratch that, when I started watching game shows. (And that was a long time ago.)

I know you might be thinking that I already am on the air from my work at Trojan Vision. Which, to a certain extent, is true...although 1) I wasn't paid for it and 2) a good majority of my shows have not even made the airwaves.

But now, I could potentially be on the air and be paid for it. My roommate stumbled across a job opening for an organization called The Young Turks, which is currently looking for a "talk show host" for their live Internet show.

Personally, it doesn't really seem any different than a mashup of Platforum and your typical newscast, which I'm already doing. I don't doubt that I could stand a chance at getting this job, but should I get it, it's a matter of making time to do it. I don't know if I want to take a shot at something, but if I should get it, flake from some of my other commitments to make time for that.

On the other hand...it might be cool just to see how the job application process works, seeing as I haven't had much experience with that. It's one thing to regret something after having done it, but don't you also miss 100% of the shots you don't take?

The Angst of a Student Journalist

It's the same thing week in, week out:

--Get story assignment, due next week.

--Spend two days fretting about what you're going to do about it/not wanting to do it.

--Spend one day getting the interview(s) you need.

--Breathe a huge sigh of relief after getting said interview, knowing you won't flop the story.

--Write the story the night before the deadline.

--Submit story.

--Rinse, lather, repeat for next week.

I hate the cyclical nature of my print journalism class, especially when it causes me unneeded stress like this.

Getting Back to the Daily Grind

It's difficult, getting back into the swing of things. I'm already a week into the second semester and I feel...well, not quite overwhelmed, but I can tell this is going to be one of my harder semesters. I'm sure all my woes would be quelled if I knew that I had regular means to get to and from the community I'm working in, without having to rely on someone else. That and establishing contacts so I'm not worried about "who can I interview for this story?" like I already am for one of them...

Editing video is rather straightforward once I get the idea of what I'm doing. Those first few minutes of not knowing what to do is rather disheartening...especially when the damn tape deck doesn't work! (I'm in the Annenberg lab right now and finishing that up, which is why I bring this up.) At least that's one less thing I have to worry about.

Suddenly, now that I've gotten one of the big things out of the way, everything seems a little less...overwhelming? Who would've thought? Now if only I could start managing my time better...

If you're wondering why I've been away lately...

...lack of inspiration sucks.

Seriously.

Fixing My Internal Clock

It's too bad your internal clock doesn't have the same function as a mechanical one does, where you could just turn a dial or hit a couple of buttons and it'd be instantly reset. Else my sleeping cycle would be back on track in a hurry.

2011 started on a rough note as I didn't sleep a wink after the ball dropped. Curse post-transpacific travel-induced insomnia. And then on the other end, last night I slept from about 9 PM to 11 AM.

As an aside, I usually don't sleep past 10 AM. While there's a good reason for that, even if it's not because of that I'm usually up by 9:30 at the latest.

Today...nothing to note. Although I used to be able to play the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata passably. Now, I find, I suck at it. This is depressing. At least I've got the rags I'm learning to make up for it...? I don't know, that was my venting piece...

I've become rather obsessed with the Korean card game of Go-Stop. This may not be good, as it usually involves money, and when I play it, I usually lose quite a bit before I win big to break even (if that). At least I'm the only one who knows how to play it amongst my friends...for now, anyway...although now I'm itching to play. Damn.

Looking forward to lunch with a dear friend tomorrow...

The Obligatory New Year's Post...a little late

If you're wondering (judging by the time stamp) why I'm still awake, I can't sleep. My internal clock is all messed up no thanks to returning from Korea a few days ago. Funny how I'll likely pull the only all-nighter I've ever done on a school holiday.

Happy New Year to both people who actually read this blog. Though the '11 will look funny for...well, at least a couple of days. Inspired by my friend's New Year's Post, here's what I'm looking forward to in 2011 (and the resolutions that I may or may not actually keep)...

1. Keep in touch with, and get back in touch with, friends I've made this year and some people I haven't talked to in a long time. Funny how I'm Facebook friends with a lot of people and only talk to a select few. There's a reason I still keep the thing around...

2. Finish learning the following piano pieces:

--Spinach Rag

--Temptation Rag

--Chopin's Waltz in C# Minor

...more? (Maple Leaf Rag, maybe? I'd appreciate any recommendations. This one might be a long shot due to my somewhat limited access to a piano.)

3. Cut down on my computer usage. Granted, I want to use my blog more (why did I create this, again?), but I spend way too much time on other websites that aren't exactly conducive to my time. Game Show Forum, looking at you.

4. Be less...I dunno, bitter? Pessimistic? Negative? Whatever the word for it is, for whatever reason late in the year I started feeling really down on myself (for reasons I won't share here). Not a whole lot of people know about this because I kept this under wraps, but let's just say it got pretty bad at one point. The days I was happy, though, I realized that I felt pretty stupid for feeling down on myself, 'cause I really didn't have anything to whine about. (I was probably stressed at the time, but that's besides the point.) Bottom line, I want to be a happier person, and I want to find and take the steps to accomplish that. May not take a year, may not take 2 years, may not take 5 years. But I want to at least take the first couple of steps.

Koreans typically think of the number 4 as our number 13, but I like to keep my resolutions few. (Any more than 4 and I'm setting myself up for disappointment.) So there you have them.

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I ended 2010 rather lonely. Just me all alone in my room, watching Dick Clark count down the seconds until 2011. Everyone else was asleep before midnight, but I was determined to see 2010 out until the bitter end. I wouldn't make such a sordid affair of this if I didn't soon after see people kissing on TV. While I knew I wasn't going to get a kiss like THOSE after the countdown, I also would've liked to have been with company (other than family) at least. I got so--I hesitate to say--disgusted (but I think that's what it amounted to) by all the kissing that I turned off the TV, laid in bed, and probably fell asleep a few hours later. Kinda sucked...but at least I've got nowhere to look but up? I dunno, I was a bit family-ed out after the Korea trip, so I didn't really want to spend more time with them.

(Strike one against resolution #4, right there. See, told you 4 was a bad number.)

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I just realized I never said what I was looking forward to in the first part of this post. Well, here:

--Going to more game show tapings in Los Angeles (time permitting, of course). Still haven't made it out to Wheel of Fortune yet. That one's at the top of the list.

--Getting to hang out with all my friends from USC...if the schoolwork doesn't interfere first...

--(Possibly) going to Korea again in the summer...?

...and how I'll hold up in the morning. It's 6 AM Central time, and I'm still awake. I haven't slept a wink. This oughta be fun.