Things are happening…
There are both good things and bad things about waking up a 3 a.m.
First off, it’s cold and quiet and pitch black outside. To be able to wake up so early also requires going to bed an hour or two after dinner. My stomach doesn’t know when to be hungry, and there seems to be no place in my schedule for going out and having a life.
The good things: There’s no traffic, and it’s nice to be the only person on the road. I get off work early and still have my day. And interning at a television station is, I think, worth losing a little sleep.
Today was my second day interning at Citytv. I started at 5:30 a.m. and watched what goes on behind the scene, and basically how the show gets put together. At one point, I got to stand several feet away from the news host, positioned so I could see him and the monitor he was reading off of. Had I been a foot to the right, my head would have been in the shot.
I sat in on a board meeting, where we went over next week’s content line-up. I also got to talk to several people about what they do: I’m trying to soak in everything.
Tomorrow, I get to tag along to an event where one of the hosts will be broadcasting live.
While at work, I got some exciting news. On a whim, I had decided to apply for a practicum course with the University of Athabasca. It’s a two-month online course about journalism in conflict zones. Only 10 applicants are accepted, and are required to have a minimum of three years experience in broadcasting: I have two years of education based primarily in print journalism.
Now for the really interesting part: The course includes a three-week practicum on a military base in Alberta. The 10 selected students get to work with two veteran journalists with experience in foreign correspondence as they follow the military through games and war simulations. From what I understand, there are Afghan villages set up, and the students endure the elements, interview “villagers” and soldiers and put together a 6 p.m. broadcast at the end of each day. It is physically demanding and requires a lot of work.
I’m almost positive my parents never thought that one of their daughters would one day ship off to join the army.
Surprise, surprise: On April 29th, I’m flying to Edmonton to live on a military base for 21 days.
Incredible.
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@HayleyWoodin
Breakfast Television on Citytv
After two relaxing weeks off from school, I began the second half of my four-week work experience today with Citytv’s Breakfast Television. (I had earned two-weeks worth of credits when I interned with 24 Hours Vancouver back in December.)
This time around, my internship experience was completely different.
For starters, I woke up at 4:20 a.m. to get to the Vancouver station for 7 a.m. Apart from taking a wrong turn, I didn’t get lost, and I found free parking just over a block away.
I watched the show for two hours (it runs from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. every morning) and learned a bit about the production process. I got to sit in the production room with the producer, director and the dozens of feeds from various cameras on- and off-location. I also spent time on the floor with the floor manager and camera crew while the show was being filmed.
After that, I had a tour of the building before setting out in a Citytv van to shadow a reporter and cameraman on an interview for a feature story.
Overall, it was an incredible experience and I enjoyed every bit of it. Because I don’t have any television broadcast courses at school, it was great to be able to just sit and watch the pros do their thing.
I have two full weeks at Breakfast Television, and I can’t wait to learn more. But the hours will be tough: I start at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow, meaning my alarm is set for 3 a.m.
Tonight, I will be going to bed pretty much right after dinner.
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@HayleyWoodin
Headed for a hat trick: Part two
On Saturday, I covered the last Surrey Eagles game of the regular season. Next up are the playoffs, beginning this upcoming weekend.
In my last post I mentioned I needed one more significant hockey-related achievement to get a “hat trick.”
And last week, I got just that. My recap of the Eagles vs. Coquitlam Express game on Wednesday was published in the Georgia Straight online.
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Hat Trick Hayles
@HayleyWoodin
Headed For a Hat Trick
Tonight was my first opportunity to cover a Canucks game.
It was an away game against the Minnesota Wild, and because of my class schedule, I had to write my recap solely off of the box score.
It may not be spectacular, in fact it isn’t. But for a pageant-gal like me, I am still shocked that I am able to write about short-handed goals and five-minute majors as though I’ve spent my life at the rink.
I am proud to report that I have approximately 7 hockey terms in my sport vocabulary, and that I can successfully interpret hockey stats.
Writing for the Eagles was my first personal point, and covering the Canucks is my second. All I need is to pursue a third opportunity that is completely out of my comfort zone, and then they’ll be callin’ me Hat Trick Hayles…
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And be sure to check out my lovely game recap at Vancity Sports Blog.
@HayleyWoodin
Peter Panties: Play review
If you don’t understand the story of Peter Pan, you definitely won’t understand Peter Panties, the avant-garde play put on by The Cultch.
On the surface, the 60-minute performance seems disjointed and nonsensical. The characters are static, the plot is meddled and the play randomly references CSI.
But the true story of Peter Pan is not about the fantastic adventures in Neverland, it’s about “the boy who would never grow up.”
The play has three fairly prominent male characters, one being Peter Pan, another being his father. All three men struggle with the realities of life, and cope through escapism.
Throughout the performance, each one comes to terms with their “Peter Pan syndrome” and essentially grow up: They grow up through having sex for the first time, getting married and having children respectively. They reach life milestones and in doing so, transition from acting childish to becoming adults.
Interjected between scenes was footage of two of the playwrights discussing the play’s scenes. One had Down syndrome, and was explaining to the other his ideas for the plot. The way in which he explained his ideas was not in a way the average adult would: He spoke both extremely logically and literally.
It was his debut as a writer, a personal milestone in his life. He also acted in the play, and his character gets married. In a sense, he was like Peter Pan: Because of his condition, he developed more slowly, and struggled with growing up.
It took me about 48 hours to begin to comprehend the depth of the production, and upon reflection I enjoy the essence of the play. It had meaning, but the message was buried under the overall weirdness of the performance.
Unless you are a Cultch regular, Peter Panties isn’t the type of play I would recommend if you’re looking for a fun night out.
Hockey and hot yoga
Life has become exponentially busier.
Our house is for sale, meaning I’ve had to give up my messy habits cold turkey as my basement suite must remain spotless for showings. And assignments, homework, tests and school in general are taking up a lot of my time.
That being said, I’ve still had time to cover my hockey games, and I am enjoying the experience.
I’ve been writing game recaps for the Surrey Eagles for just over a month now: I’ve not only learned how to write hockey, but I’ve also learned the sport.
I am no expert, but have come quite far since my first article (which was promptly re-written with the help of a real sportswriter who took out all of my metaphors involving the word “soar”). I know the players’ names, team stats and some hockey lingo.
Brimming with over-confidence, I recently took the Vancity Sports Blog editor up on his offer to cover some Canucks games.
Apparently the NHL is quite different from the BCHL, a fact that I was ignorant of when I jumped on the opportunity. I am slowly realizing that if you keep telling people you can speak Portugese, they will keep extending to you Portugese-speaking opportunities. It’s a good thing almost anyone can learn almost anything if the desire is there.
Speaking of desire, I tried hot yoga for the first time this weekend, something I have always wanted to do.
It was tortuous: A 90-minute workout session in what felt like a 40 degree sauna, with only three water breaks and a 60-year-old instructor who’s sweat dripped on me. Ew.
I felt great afterwards, as did my two friends. But today, I am very, very sore, and very, very thirsty.
On my 10 year list, I stated that I wanted to try the 30-day challenge: Hot yoga every day for a month. That will not be happening any time soon.
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@HayleyWoodin