Ending the Drought for a Cause

Yes, it's been too long since I've last posted on this site.

I've been tweeting on Twitter (I'm @graybs13 if you wanna follow me) in the meantime. And a lot has happened since I last posted. How 'bout those NATIONAL CHAMPION TAR HEELS?!?!

But i'm ending my months-long blogging drought to promote a good cause.

My friend, Sharon Liao, an editor at Shape magazine, is participating in a triathalon. You can donate to her cause to benefit cancer research. I've been told that a $25 donation will also get you a free one-year subscription to Shape. Please check out her site and consider making a donation.

Every bit helps. Thanks!

"GET HYPE!"

To quote my friend Amanda, "GET HYPE! GET HYPE!"
Why, you may ask, am I getting hype?
Because (at least) two times a year, an epic event takes place. For me and many others of my like-minded bretheren, this event is almost like a national holiday. We mark it on our calendars. We clear our schedules. We either invite people over to share in the experience or head out to a bar and restaurant. The point is we don't dare miss this ordeal.
Because, even with all the hype, this event is HUGE. It's a war between good and evil. A battle between two hues of blue. A clash of cultures. A showdown for (temporary) claims to basketball supremacy. And then once it's over we do it again a month later.
What am I talking about?
The rivalry game between Dook (boo!) and UNC (yay!) of course. ONE DAY LEFT! Tomorrow Roy's boys travel to Durham to clash with Rat Face's squad.
GO HEELS!

Bye 2008; Hello 2009

2008 wasn't too shabby.
I wrote a thesis, got a master's degree, started a doctoral program, taught journalism to 32 students, traveled to Berlin, presented papers at conferences in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, went to New York City twice, saw DMB in St. Louis, rubbed elbows with celebs at the Peabody awards at the Waldorf-Astoria, worked on some exciting research, attended two of my best friends' weddings (in Baltimore and Georgia, respectively- luv ya Dev and Rose), met new friends, reconnected with old friends, got Wicked in Atlanta, made my national television debut (on E! True Hollywood Stories to be exact), saw Clay (ton) on Broadway in Spamalot, moved into a new apartment, bid farewell to classmates (particularly foreign friends who returned home to their native lands), watched Marvin Williams and the Hawks get the better of the best basketball player in the game right now, LeBron James and the Cavs; sat behind the bench at a Bobcats game, toured the mansion of the Bobcats' president (marveled at the two staircases, five bedrooms, pool, bar, kitchen, billiards room, flatscreens, etc.), played Wii with my cousin's 5-year-old and 7-year-old daughters, came home several times throughout the year and spent time with my 86-year-old grandmother, watched some great movies (Marley&Me is a sentimental fave), read some great books (I love the concept of God in The Shack), continued to pray and worship and grow in faith (yay for Grad Resources, Sundays at the Morton, etc.), witnessed a historic election, voted for change, and although very sporadically continued to blog.

So 2008, while not so good for the country (recession, economic woes, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, uncertainty), was momentous for me.

2009 promises to be pivotal for the world. In a few weeks we will welcome a new president. Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, there were heavy winds here in Raleigh. I told my mother that the winds of change were blowing strong. And they were. And they are.

But while change is on the forefront, there will be much of the same. God-willing, I will continue to teach, to learn, to study, to conduct research, to worship, to praise, to travel. To be.

Happy New Year everyone. May 2009 be bright.

No Shave November?

I haven't shaved in a week and a half. At first it was because I was in full on conference paper writing mode. In short, I did not have time to shave. Or rather, I did not take the time to shave.
Then, I got an email from some classmates participating in "No Shave November." It's self explanatory. So far I haven't shaved. But that's not the reason.
I'm debating whether to shave. My purposes for not shaving are two-fold:
1) In my passport I'm sporting a big, bushy beard. It will probably be easier to get through customs, etc. if I have a beard. I look more like the passport photo with the beard than without. So international travel could be easier
2)It's cold in Berlin in November. In the past, I have grown beards in the winter as a form of facial protection. The fact is that a beard creates warmth. If it's really cold and icky in Berlin, then a beard could help keep my face slightly warmer.

On the flip end, I look a lot younger without the beard. Shaving is probably easier than trimming and maintaining a beard. So as the count down to my trip begins, I'm torn. Shave or no shave? Beard or no beard?

In the words of those old football beer commercials, "you make the call."

So G Spot readers, what do you think?

Surrounded by Believers

Two hours. One day per week. 16 weeks.
I will have spent 32 hours with two sets of 16 students this semester as an Introduction to News Writing instructor.
Obviously, in a classroom environment, an instructor slowly starts to learn a little bit about the students in the class. But not a whole lot.
Until this week. I assigned the students to write profiles of each other. They have been quite informative. Aside from the joy of reading some well-written pieces of journalism, I've gained great insight into the personalities, histories, motivations, goals and aspirations of many of my students.
In reading the pieces, I was struck by one common theme among at least half of the students in my two labs: Christian faith.
I was rather startled, and pleasantly surprised, by the number of students who publicly proclaimed themselves as Christian to their classmates, who then wrote about that aspect of their religion in the profiles.
Now, from an instructional and journalism standpoint, religion is irrelevant. I treat and evaluate my non-Christian students the same as the Christian students. I didn't and in many cases still do not know the believer from the nonbeliever. But I do know Christians are among me. Simply put, I had no idea there were so many Christians in my classroom. From a faith perspective, I was rather humbled by my students' stories and displays of faith.
On the first day of class, I announced to the students that I'm a Christian, that I go to church frequently at Sundays at Morton, that I belong to and participate in a weekly bible study held by Grad Resources. In short, I proclaimed that I'm a Christian and that's an important part of who I am.
But in reading these profiles, I've read of students in a Christian sorority. I've read of students whose faith defines them. I've read stories of love, family and the Father. I've read passing references to a student's faith. I've read tales of transformation, from atheist to Christian. I've read of overcoming adversity. I've been moved by their public proclamations of faith.
In many places today, "Christian" has become almost a dirty word. There can be a negative connotation. Merely identifying yourself as Christian can come at a cost. Heck, I know for a fact that some regular readers of this blog cringe every time I mention "Christianity" or speak of my faith.
So identifying one as Christian, in some cases to a strange(r) classmate, is a significant act. And I'm not quite sure why, but this new found knowledge was comforting in some small way. I take solace being surrounded by student believers.

Respected Once More?

Regardless of your politics, it doesn't take a genius to see that U.S. relations worldwide are in the proverbial crapper. For some reason, the rest of the world doesn't like it when you start what they view as unjust wars, torture people (Abu Ghraib and Gitmo), go crazy with arrests and detainments, and generally go it alone in the world.
Now, there's hope that may change.
Exit Bush. Enter Obama.
As I watched news coverage this week of Barack Obama's election victory, word from around the world was positive. Other nations generally seem to be hopeful and pleased with the promise of change and a fresh start Obama will bring.
America can be respected again.
I've seen reports of other countries rejoicing in the Obama victory but in a few short days I'll travel to a foreign land and see for myself just how one European nation feels.
As you will recall from previous posts, I'm heading to Germany. Several months ago Berlin went wild when Obama stood at the Brandenburg Gate and spoke to the German people.
I would imagine so shortly after the historic American election, the media and the people of Berlin will want to talk about Obama. I want to hear what they have to say.
I'll let you know what I find out, dear readers. Stay tuned for updates from Berlin (hopefully) starting next weekend.

Turn it Blue

For a number of years, officials at the Smith Center ran a campaign to "Turn It Blue."
The "Turn It Blue" campaign aimed at getting UNC fans to wear Carolina blue T-shirts as they watched the homestanding Tar Heels play.
Now, for the first time in my life, the people of the state of North Carolina appear poised to "turn it blue" in a presidential election.
And a basketball-lovin,' basketball-playin' multicultural Democrat who played a pickup game with Ol Roy's boys in Chapel Hill is the man to do so.
Here's hoping president-elect Barack Obama's success carries over to the Tar Heels' men's basketball team.
I'd love nothing more than to see the Heels welcomed to the White House in 2009 as National Champs.
Right now, North Carolina is still "too close" to call while the rest of the nation's electoral college votes have already propelled Obama to the presidency. North Carolina's votes aren't needed but the mere fact that it's leaning "blue" is a remarkable feat in and of itself.
The Old North State barack'ed the vote.

Like Christmas in November

This post is coming about a day late, really. I love elections. Election Day is like a holiday for me. It's like Christmas in November. There's an air of excitement and the surprise over what "presents" America will receive in the form of a (sometimes) new leader.
When I was a reporter, Election Day was a hectic, busy, but somewhat magical time as we journalists were often the first to witness history in the making, at the local, state and national levels.
Everyone in a newsroom works on Election Day, even clerks. Other than disasters and weather, it's one of the few times everyone bonds together for a common cause. Elections are a lot of work. There's going to the polls early in the day to talk to voters to see if everything is going smoothly, how long the wait was, any problems, who they voted for, what the issues were for him or her, etc. There are calls to election officials about voter turnout and precincts and the same sorts of questions about any problems, etc. There are visits to elections offices and precincts to gather results (although now most are posted online, but we tend to still send people in person to observe and get the data first). There are visits to campaign headquarters or other election viewing gatherings to get reaction. There are calls to candidates, or in-person interviews with candidates to get their reaction. Then there are crazy tight deadlines to write all this for the web edition, then the print edition. All the while, the phone is usually ringing off the hook from callers wanting to know what you know. Also, the newsroom has on other media, watching TV to see state and national trends while providing relentlessly local coverage.
In 2000, I stayed in the newsroom until 2 a.m. until it became clear that the election wouldn't be decided until later. The "too close to call" headlines followed in the morning papers.
I love the excitement of an election and the hectic nature of it. Part of me misses being a working journalist on Election Day. But I also enjoy being a news junkie. Last night, I flipped back and forth for seven hours watching the networks' coverage and the cable channels' coverage and surfing the web looking for election results. All to watch history unfold from the comfort of my home.

Long Lines on Election Day

As temperatures in Athens, Ga. began to cool outside Tuesday evening, a long line snaked out the building Tuesday evening down College Avenue and around the corner to Clayton Street as at least 100 University of Georgia students waited patiently to claim what was rightfully theirs.
Free ice cream.
Ben & Jerry's offered free ice cream from 5-8 p.m. and the turnout was large. Literally across the street, a few seconds walk away, Starbucks served up a tall cup of joe (not Biden, the plumber or six pack, just the java variety) for no charge for anyone who asked. Both companies planned to offer the items to voters as an Election Day treat until they learned such actions could run afoul of the law. So instead, the companies offered the free food to all comers. Krispy Kreme also gave out free doughnuts but in Athens it's located far away from downtown on the Atlanta Highway main thoroughfare into the college town northeast of Atlanta. The national chains provided the giveaways at stores across the country.
Enthusiasm for the freebies was as rampant in this college town, if not more so, to cast a ballot in a historic election.

Shameless Plug

A report of recent research I conducted into newspapers' efforts to attract young readers can be obtained here. Thanks to the Cox Institute for Newspaper Management Studies for funding my work.