A fork
A few months ago, I was presented with an opportunity. The local daily newspaper was in need of a new business reporter and they wanted me. You see, last summer I was an intern there and once my internship ended, I did some freelance work for their new monthly business magazine.
Apparently they liked my stuff. So I had drinks with The Boss and listened to the pitch: I'd be writing for both the daily business section and magazine, so I would get a lot of clips. Plus, daily newspapers a good references in the future. And they were going to pay me more money.
Now, I had been working for The BBJ for about three months or so and I was settling into a groove. And I liked it. Is The BBJ where I want to work forever? No. But then again, is the daily paper? No. The question was which job would help me get to where I want to get. (This was the fork in the road implied in the title.)
I chose the right path. The local daily announced last week that they have to lay off 10 percent of their staff (this came down from corporate). This meant 13 total employees, four from the newsroom. On top of that, they will be dismantling their press and printing the paper in another county starting next year. If I had taken the job, I would have been the most recent hire, and thus probably not very confident in my job security.
Interesting twist: the guy who did take the job survived the job cuts, even though his position was eliminated. He took over the cops beat. (THAT guy was smart enough to see that the ship was sinking and took the buy-out.)
Did I mention that the monthly business magazine they started last year, the one I did freelancing for, wasn't making enough money so they shut it down this month?
So if I had made a different choice months ago, I would probably be the new cops reporter at a quickly shrinking daily paper.
I like my job.
Ike
One month
So, I will be 23 in one month. This means that I will be officially past the "point of no return." No more joking around. No more pretending like I'm still in college (that's so last year). I'm 100 percent adult.
So here's some of the toys I want for my birthday:
~ Messenger bag. I can't decide between the sweet Osprey or the classic K2 .
~ Ratatat Classics on vinyl . Just good listening music.
~ A new bike helmet. This might be hard to surprise me with because I want to try it on first.
~ Tasty treats. Think smoked salmon, Botan rice candy, beef jerky. Things I wouldn't normally buy for myself.
~ Neoprene kayaking gloves of some sort. My hands get cold.
~ More vacation time so I can play.
I'm peeling
It's June and I'm peeling already. Actually, it's Junuary here ("a month to remember what the weather was like 6 months ago") and I'm only shedding a few flakes of sunburned skin.
I'm getting excited about summertime, but no matter how much I dream about it, the weather still refuses to STAY above 60 for more than a few hours at a time. Bummer. I just want the rock and trails to dry out so I can go climbing and mountain biking.
Oh yeah, I finally bought a mountain bike. After my Trek 4900 Alpha was stolen two years ago I have been in need of a fun bike. I did make an impulse purchase last summer on a bike that was too small and too heavy for me. So I sold that this year a picked out a Gary Fisher Piranha. The best part: it's electric green.
I'm planning to take my first ever "vacation." This is a time when The BBJ will let me not work for a week but still get paid. I like this idea, very much. In fact I wish I could do it more often. Here's my rough plan: celebrate the Fourth, take a weekend sailing class in the San Juans, go on a multi-day hike, then celebrate my birthday at the base of a granite rock wall somewhere not too far away.
With the holiday in there, I get 10 days off for the 5 days that I am technically taking off from work. That's strategic scheduling, folks.
I think I'm getting better at photography. I'll let you be the judge. Click here to see my latest photo gallery for an article.
Ike - who brewed his own beer and will soon be enjoying the fruits of his labor