The Old Me is Back

We got our first journalism assignment back in class, a beat memo including contact info, census data and a paragraph on a key issue in our beat. My grade: A MINUS!!!!!! Yeahhh, that's right, on the very first assignment of the hardest course known to man I got a near perfect score.

Okay, I realize that sounds a bit conceited, but if you've been following this whole journalism class saga you'll understand just how excited this makes me. On the paper, my professor wrote, "Terrific - thorough, easy to read, smart." I only made one mistake, got one census number slightly off, and normally that tiny "glitch" as my prof called it would drive me insane. But not today!!!!!!!

As we were having class discussion, Prof brought up the whole O.J. Simpson thing and asked us if we'd want to cover it. I was hoping and praying he wouldn't call on me, since my answer would be a definite no. I don't care if it's O.J. Simpson or Homer Simpson, I don't really want to be covering anything. But I couldn't very well say that, seeing as, well, this is a journalism class and everyone else was gushing over how they'd love to cover such a career-making story. Prof warned us that while it's all high-profile and would put our names on the map, a story like this would consume the next six to nine months of your professional career. "Your life wouldn't be your own," he said. But that's what he loves about journalism, the non-routineness of it. And that's what I hate. I'm the kind of person who needs a schedule, a time to work and a time to go home.

But I finally came up with an answer if he did call on me (which he didn't), and it's that I would rather be a magazine journalist going more in-depth into things and not racing the guy to put something out on the front page. Which is a cop-out answer, but it is kind of true. I mean, I've always said that if I do end up going into journalism, it would most likely be magazine journalism.

But today's happiness comes from more than just grades. We've now got the ever-dreadful court story this week, and Prof has said it's the hardest one of the year. We've got two options. Stake out a court and find a case to do, or wait until Wednesday when Prof will give us a list of cases that have already been ruled on. But we all know I'm not one to wait. I want to get my story done asap, boom boom boom so that I can get my week back.

Enter last week's cop buddy. Turns out, his court case is tomorrow, the day I have absolutely no class. Not only do I have an entire day to dedicate to this story, but I no longer have to walk into that intimidating hall of justice blind and confused. So, I'm now chilling at home, drinking some homemade chai, listening to the pop and crackle of some delicious saag paneer and aloo subzi simmer on the stove. School success, a game plan for the week and a hearty meal. Life is good.