Timelines: why they're useful with big events

I'm going to be a little brief tonight because I am tired of being on my computer after work today. Never thought I would say that...

I was surfing the net, looking for news stories about the "March Against Monsanto" because one of my friends participated in the event. There weren't a ton of stories, but I really like the Russia Today (RT) timeline of the event. This specific coverage is really good because it gives an big picture of the event. It also includes a lot of multimedia, like Tweets, photographs and videos from all of the world. Yes, it's not all original coverage but the organization complied enough content to tell a well rounded story about the event.

So, I would suggest that if you're looking for a resource to fully understand an event, look for when news outlets create timelines. They are often by the hour and have multimedia aspects, which also help document events.

[On a side note, I never knew that RT existed until my Indy Media professor mentioned that he was interviewed by them. I thought that it was solely a Russia based website, but it is international.]

a FAIR rainy day

Usually when I work on long essays for my politics classes, I zip between Pinterest and Facebook to take a breather from reading and writing. Today, I worked so much and couldn't stop. I stayed a little late because I wanted to finish writing! Okay, well let me tell you about what happened this morning before I was writing and being productive.

There is a bus stop right in front of the apartment I'm staying in, and I missed my bus by 10 seconds. It's okay though, because another bus arrived a minute later. I hopped on the bus with my little yellow Metrocard. "Hi, how are you today?" I said to the bus driver, just about to put my Metrocard into the little slot so I can pay my fair. The bus driver put his hand over the slot, saying, "I'm sorry, this isn't the city bus." I was shocked. "Oh, oh I'm sorry," and I scurried out of the bus. The people who got off of the bus chuckled at me. I was so embarrassed, not the best way to start off my city adventure.

Luckily, the correct bus came by a few minutes later. Except there was so much traffic that the usual seven minute commute to the subway took twenty minutes. I was panicking. I can't be late on the first day! What would they think of me? What a foolish intern!  So, when the bus finally reached my stop, I ran off into the subway. Subways are really enjoyable for me. There are so many opportunities to people watch. I didn't see anyone of particular interest today, but if anyone is I will inform you.

Well, I got to FAIR. All safe and sound. Each intern gets their own desk, which is very exciting. To think; my own desk! That isn't all. Who would think that my job at FAIR was going to be to read articles and write about mainstream news coverage? These kinds of studies should be mandatory for all media based degrees because in one day I probably read fifty articles. Consuming media is so important because everyone should stay informed about the world. Something I noticed is that working with a smaller organization also allows interns to dive right into projects. I stayed a little late today to finish writing a short piece that will hopefully be edited this week on the coverage of an event this weekend. One day one I already wrote something.

After a wonderful day consuming vast amounts of media, I went outside to catch my subway in the rain. Yes. It started raining and I didn't read the weather report. Yes. I do go to school in Ithaca and usually look up the weather report, but forgot. So, when there wasn't a spot on the bus for me I walked  back to the apartment. It wasn't bad, it was sprinkling. I couldn't help but look at all of the people with their umbrellas, the tourists running around and people hiding under the scaffolding just to avoid a little rain. It was funny, the way everyone looked at me when I was walking, because I didn't really care about the rain. I had a better than fair first day, and a little drizzle wasn't going to get me down.

First City Recipe: Chicken Salad

Here's a quick recipe: [can make in 30 minutes] 
You need: chicken, butter, salt, pepper, mayo, italian seasonings, dill seasonings, spicy dijon mustard
(Add nuts, grapes or cranberries if you like! check out Pinterest for more recipes) 
Directions: 

1. cut chicken into thin strips, season with salt and paper and cook in a pan or skilled with butter
2. shred the chicken strips by hand into a big bowl
3. put two or more (depending on how much you enjoy mayo) big spoons of mayo into the bowl
4. mix together mayo and chicken
5. dice finely onion (amount of onion varies according to how much you love onion.)
6. put in 2-3 shakes of italian seasonings and 5-6 shakes of dill seasonings.
7. squeeze a little less than a spoon fill of spicy dijon mustard into the mix. 
8. mix everything until fully incorporated, taste, and add seasonings accordingly. 

The finish product. Yes, that is a face.
I enjoy playing with my food. 

I served it with a small salad, almonds, carrots (yes, yellow carrots exist), and an avocado. 

Off to Work in Less than 11 Hours!

Tomorrow, at 10 a.m. I start my first internship! Well, my first of two internships. Tomorrow I start at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and on Thursday I will be at FOX 5/WNYW. Just so all of you know, I am working six days a week, 50 hours a week for 10 weeks this summer. Needless to say, my friends and boyfriend are not super happy that I cannot hang out, but they are very excited for me! You see, I always overwork myself so this will be a piece of cake. Working Saturdays may not sound fun, but I am already so excited.

Here I am outside of FOX 5/WNYW.
Michelle couldn't resist taking a photo or two.

Today, my step-mom, Michelle, and I travelled the subways together. That might sound silly to the everyday New Yorker, but it's been a while. In high school, I studied at CAP21 for a summer and spent six weeks commuting to and from the city. I knew the subways like the back of my hand and walked through the stations without hesitation, all the while singing musical theatre songs with my friends.

Needless to say, I lost all of this intuition for navigating through the underbelly of NYC when I started to go to school in Ithaca. So, Michelle and I ventured through the streets and subways on Memorial Day. Finding FAIR was easy because it is right near the subway I took to CAP21. Fox, well. I couldn't miss it once I was on the 67th.

When we came back to our neighborhood, Michelle and I bought groceries. It terrified me how fast paced even the cashiers are!  Before I could even process that it was finished, she checked me out. In under a minute! Cooking my dinner took significantly longer, mainly because I made chicken salad which will also be my lunch for most of the week. It took about 30 minutes to make it. Here is a link to the recipe! 

Well, I should go to bed. It is a big day tomorrow. First internship. First night in the city (for a really long time). It's only the beginning.