So this week I’ve started my job at Uncommon Ground - a coffee shop, music venue, restaurant and bar all wrapped up in one. Right now, I am a food runner. I basically am on my feet for six hours putting the finishing touches on dishes and bringing them out to tables. I’ve only worked a couple of days so far but it has made my limbs feel like strangers to the rest of my body. The redeeming elements of this job are the paycheck and the people. My co-workers create a really fun nice Ronj-esque atmosphere that’s making me excited for Bates. And it’ll be really good to have some cash in my pocket when I leave for Bates via New York City in August. AHHH so excited.
Aside from working, I’m wrapping up my last week of summer school. This class has been a huge force in inspiration and planning for my hopeful future in the world of journalism. It’s also broadened my interests to public relations - understanding PR makes a better journalist. It is one of the reasons I decided to contact the Lewiston Sun-Journal, and I’ve also done extensive research on internships I’d really like to do next summer. My Introduction to Journalism class has taught me that I have to always be ahead of the game in this business, and I’m putting plans into action real soon.
While this class has been good for my own general knowledge I may be getting credit from Bates. I was talking to my adviser on the phone last week and as we discussed an finalized my major declaration, African American Studies with a minor in Rhetoric, we talked about replacing one of the classes needed for my minor with my summer course. Hopefully that will work out. It was very relieving to be in touch with my adviser even though I can’t see talk to him face to face until the fall. I was sweating nervously about my major and abroad plans, so for my adviser to calm me down and help me produce a class plan for my remaining time at Bates was incredible. I’m going to complete my abroad application this week, send my summer class’ description to my adviser, and take my final for Intro. to Journalism on Thursday. Before I know it, I’ll be at Bates and on my game. Sounds like a good plan.
Last night, my boyfriend and I went to see “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson”. If “Gonzo journalism” or “Hunter S. Thompson” don’t strike any particular chords in your mind, think “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” or “Hell’s Angels”, two of Thompson’s bestselling books - the first of which was adapted to film starring Johnny Depp.
Either way, as I’ve been mentioning in prior posts, I’ve started to really see a career in journalism as something that would be the best path for me. While watching this documentary of a journalist without rules, regulations, or limits, I wondered if that type of journalist still existed. It’s a rare thing to read a news article without a particular agenda. Furthermore, its rare for a news article to have such a poetic rhythm. Within the film there were brush strokes of Thompson excerpts. He wrote so beautifully and colorfully, like a prose author. In fact, he wrote like F. Scott Fitzgerald - his biographer talked about how Thompson would just type The Great Gatsby repeatedly on an old typewriter. Imagine typing someone else’s words over and over just to feel their rhythm.
It’s so great to see films like this because its somewhat inspiring. Part of me wants to be like Thompson; a whiskey-inhaling, a psilocybin-devouring journalist who speaks his mind of dirty politicians without fear of losing his place in line for an interview. Thompson was a nut, he loved tripping on acid, shooting guns, and searching for an American dream that seemed to weaken with every swing of a billy-club. Now, while a journalistic life like Hunter Thompson’s is alluring, it’s so obviously self-destructive that it would without a doubt scare many away. Hell, it scares me away while I almost idolize the guy.
As I kinda sorta resist the rock and roll lifestyle of “Gonzo” journalism, I’ve looked at other options. I realized I may end up writing for a cheese magazine for three years before I infiltrate the staff list of a general circulation magazine - and I hate cheese. It’s going to be a while before I have the opportunity to work for one of the publications I read on a regular basis, but I’m willing to work my way up to that point. There’s no doubt that I will be juicing my resources - Bates Employment Office, etc… - to get some worth while writing opportunities. I’m excited to get this moving, it will no doubt be a journey that will differ greatly from Thompson’s, but hopefully my writing will drive people in a similar way.
“The Edge… there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” Hunter S. Thompson
So this week I finally contacted the Sun Journal (Lewiston’s newspaper) about any type of internship they might have in the fall for an aspiring journalist. There’s no internship program - but what’s even better is that the woman on the other end of the line explained that I would be able to freelance for the paper. Most likely I’ll be covering PTA meetings and random stuff on the weekend that no one on staff will really want to write about - but it’s still invaluable experience. And not only will I have something to beef up my resume, but I’ll be getting paid per word. I’ll already be working for the Ronj and Admissions [and perhaps the Library] on campus, but it’ll be great to pick up some cash and experience on the weekends. Also, this week I’ve been researching a lot of internships I’d like to apply to for next summer. A bunch of the deadlines are pretty early so I want to be on top of my game. Also, I’ve been working on my study abroad application and other stuff that will be nice to have a head start on by the time I get to Bates in September. Spending so much of this week working on things Bates-related has made me really excited for the fall. At the same time though, I need to cherish the time I have at home. It’s good timing because this weekend is the Taste of Chicago [Chaka Kahn, Stevie Wonder, and others are performing for free], some good friends are in town, and tonight I’m going to a comedy sketch called The Mike and Duane Show - it should be good fun. I’ll let y’all know how it is in another post.
While you wait, check out this video - it’s great.
So things didn’t quite work out at the adult toy store…long story. But today I took my midterm for the journalism summer course (killed it) and went around town filling out some job applications. I’m looking into some restaurant hosting positions and barista jobs.I’m really hoping I get this job at The Fix, a small homey coffee house that just opened up by my house. The reason I like it so much is because it kind of reminds me of The Ronj - Bates’ student run cafe (also, see link on blogroll), my on-campus work place, and a great place to chill on Frye St. Even if I don’t get the job, I can see myself reading books, doing homework, and listening to music over a hot cup of loose-leaf tea there. Besides that, I’ve been up to the norm. Father’s day was great, immediately followed by my mother’s bday - also great, and I’ve been running around the city of Chicago with friends, crashing neighborhood fests, and having a good summer.
Here’s a picture from the neighborhood festival in Andersonville, a really cool neighborhood in Chicago:
While I’ve been having a good summer, I can’t help but think a little bit about this coming fall, spring and next summer. I’m thinking about trying to intern at the Sun Journal (Lewiston’s newspaper) when I get back to school and hopefully create and maintain a good relationship with them for the rest of my time at Bates. We’ll see, right now I’m having a good time hanging out, but the school year always seems to start back up before I know it. In the mean time, I’m gonna continue having a good time.
Just a few days ago, one of my best friends at Bates made the trek to Chicago to check out the city and visit me and a couple other Batesies who reside in this great place. Everyone else had just seen her, seeing as though they all just got back from Short Term, but it was really great for me to sit back and chill with my Maine Squeeze and rehash the year. We ran around the city, from seeing B.B. King at the Blues Fest to checking out the set to the movie Johny Depp’s filming this summer. It made me really excited for school in the fall and visiting my Bates pals in NYC in August.
In other news, my Journalism class’ midterm is coming up - just one reminder that the summer is moving swiftly. It’s been great so far, and even though I worried that school during the summer would drive me crazy, at the end of the day it’s nice to have interesting conversations with peers - whether it’s all the way in Maine or at home. Basically, the class I am taking explores the ethics and social impact that journalism has on our way of life. We explore and debate the ideals in American homes in contrast to American media and slowly decide what type of journalists we want to be. By the time I get out of class it’s the perfect time in the afternoon - definitely enough sun to still be toasty, but it’s starting to cool down into sunset. I’m hoping to spend some time this week watching free movies in Grant Park. Now that the humidity has started to relax and the sun is just shining on its own, time outside will definitely be time well spent. I’m hoping some of my other good friends from Bates will stop through the Chi, but until then I’ll just lounge by the lake.
Hey all, I’ve been lagging in blog posts this week. I’m just starting to get over a horrible cold/cough that I’ve had all week. I know, what a way to welcome summertime. Let me catch you up: Earlier this week I returned to Chicago from my two-week journey through LA and Colorado. I’ve spent the past few days settling into my summer class (which may turn out to be awesome) and starting work at this adult boutique (which is awesome). Although I’ve been sick and dragging my feet around in order to get to class and work, the weekend is here just in time for my sickness to pass. HOORAY!! I’m not completely healthy yet but I’ve been trying to get out and about in order to convince myself that I’m somewhat sick-free. Last night my boyfriend and I dodged all of the people trampling over civilians to see the “Sex and the City” premier and went to see “Indiana Jones” - it was pretty awesome. Even though Harrison Ford is noticeably older, the time frame of the movie has not changed from the other three. Plus, it looks like Shia LaBeouf may be continuing the franchise - I haven’t quite decided how I feel about that yet. Anyway, the sun is finally shining in Chicago and a girlfriend of mine is having a bunch of friends over for a mid-day hat party. I figured it might be nice to stop there before my 5 o’clock shift tonight. I’m kicking this cold’s butt with good times and Sudafed…hopefully that’s enough.
Peace and then some,
Naima
I was hoping to go to this hat party wearing a hat like this one pictured…but I might just have to go with a visor. Bummer
Right now I am in Boulder, CO. My boyfriend’s the best man in a wedding out here so I came along to help do the last minute touches and attend the ceremony and reception. For the past couple of days I have been helping the family of the groom arrange flowers and corsages, but the wedding is tonight at a manor that looks over some of the most beautiful mountains in the country and I am very excited. While I have been in LA and Colorado, Batesies have been wrapping up their short term. Between saying goodbyes and shipping boxes home, the campus is no doubt buzzing with bittersweet feelings. Last night I got a message from some good friends of mine about how they were having their last dinner off-campus before the year ended and friends graduated. The end of the year also means the beginning of real off-campus living for my friends and I senior year. Since I couldn’t be at Bates during shot term, some buddies of mine took charge of the hopeful off-campus living process. They checked out the house, gave a stamp of approval, and arranged a meeting with the landlord for down payments etc.. While I’m sure many of the people at Bates right now are pretty bummed short term is ending, I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait for my friends from Bates to visit in June, my friends from high school to come home, and for my trip to NYC (where many of my Bates friends are living this summer). While I’ve been having an awesome time during my short term at home, I’m ready for the summer to really get started.
My family and I came to LA this week to see my sister graduate from USC’s film school. It’s my second time venturing west of the Mississippi and my first time to California. The graduation was really nice, it was specifically for the film students but that still consisted of at least 500 students. At the time, that didn’t seem like that many kids, but I quickly realized that that is just the people who majored in film. One major - 500 students. That’s wild - at Bates, you get to know the people within your major by the end of your second year. At least in the humanities department, as you get deeper into your major, you know most of the kids in your program. It just blew my mind how large the umbrella film school was there. Either way, it was a great graduation and I’m super proud of my sister. Even though the graduation’s passed, I decided to stick around in LA for a few more days longer to hang out with my sister. We’re planning on doing some classically touristy things: walk of fame, universal studios, etc.. But we’d also like to go to some local comedy clubs and stuff like that. So far it’s been really hot and I’ve been wandering around the city drenched in sunshine and palm trees with my sister - Hollywood to Inglewood. I’m really happy that I get to take this mini vacation before I get back to Chicago, start working, and start summer classes. When I leave LA on Wednesday, I’m going to head to Colorado for a wedding, and then heading back to Chicago. The summer - so far, so good.
Earlier this week I met up with a good friend of mine who went to Bates my freshman year. She is now residing in Chicago so it’s really great that it’s so easy to meet with her when I come home. What’s even better is that she lives in Chicago’s Hyde Park - home of the Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago and Barack Obama - an area I love but rarely visit. I jumped on an express bus that took me to her neighborhood and met up with her. She gave me a tour of her favorite spots and we went out to dinner; it was really nice to catch up with her and she seemed to enjoy hearing about how things at Bates were doing. It’s these types of get-togethers with friends that reassure who you will keep in contact with for a long time. It’s easy to watch friends graduate or transfer for whatever reason from Bates and think that you may never see them again. But at the end of the day, friendships solidified at Bates are ones that tend to last for a while. Also, they’re ones that transcend location and convenience. Here’s a photo of the Secret Moses [commonly known as Secret Santa] celebration my friends and I deemed a tradition. Just before winter vacation, we all get dolled up and exchange two gifts - one that’s homemade and one that’s store bought. These pictures were taken during freshman year - in the middle of our first recorded Secret Moses, all the girls in these photos are still some of my best friends to date.
As someone who didn’t have that many girl friends in high school, it was really awesome to meet so many girls who I instantly clicked with. Most people I talk to at Bates met a lot of their best friends freshman year. Whether they lived down the hall, across campus, or had class with one another, Bates is a small enough place to meet and get along really well with a range of people. When I’ve listened to stories about friends since their first year at Bates getting ready to live with one another out in “the real world”, and juxtaposed that with the sight of my parents and their best friends from college, I’ve begun to realize that college is where you meet some of the people who you will look forward to seeing for years to come. For now, I look forward to seeing people in Commons, it’s wild to think about how strong my friendships will be beyond Bates.
This past weekend was an eventful one. On Friday, I went to Looptopia - an all night celebration of art and culture in downtown Chicago.
I had never heard of it before since I was at short term last year, but this year my boyfriend and his dancing group Culture Shock Chicago were performing. It was great, the entire loop area of Chicago was alive. The festivities started at five in the afternoon and ended at seven in the morning with a game of hide and seek and a Dunkin’ Donuts catered breakfast in the park. As I was walking around the crowded streets filled with art-seeking Chicagoans, I was instantly reminded of First Fridays in Portland. Although somewhat smaller than Looptopia, First Fridays are an evening once a month that all the galleries in Portland open their doors for free. No two galleries are the same and most have chips, salsa, wine and cheese. One gallery we went to, SPACE, was my favorite - their gallery was decked out in old-school Nintendo games and provided orange soda and cheesy puffs. SPACE is an alternative gallery in South Port, this month I heard word that they are hosting a silent auction of art works created using polaroid film.
I’m kind of bummed I won’t be able to see that go down. Anyway, First Fridays embodies the same kind of energy that Looptopia does - locals and students alike wandering around searching for more art and perhaps new cultural exposure. Walking around in downtown Chicago, my boyfriend and I stumbled upon a vaudeville act around 2am. Not sure what to expect, we joined the packed theater for the Weird Sisters. Seemingly a musical theater group, these two sisters and their androgynous third took the stage and rocked out, singing some classic songs with risque twists. Looptopia took a lot out of me, so I took Saturday off. Yesterday, I went to Gary, Indiana with my mom to volunteer for Barack Obama’s campaign and make sure that people go out and vote in their primary tomorrow. It’s so strange because it seems like such a long time ago that I, along with many other Batesies, caucused in Maine’s primary. Either way, there were thousands of canvassers going door to door with information about where and when the primaries are, along with information about transportation to the polls. Gary is only about an hour away from my house so I didn’t have to go too far to be involved. I am thinking about going back tomorrow to drive people to the polls. I have a bunch of errands to do so whether I go tomorrow or not is kind of dependent on how much I finish today. Wish me luck.
