While I have few magazines I read regularly, I do read many. Working at a cafe in Borders book store leaves what I would guess is a couple hundred magazines for free. When I want to hide in back from annoying customers so I don't knock them out I usually grab a Men's Health, Men's Journal, Boxing Digest, or something of that nature.
Sometimes after cleaning up dishes or gathering stacks of books left by those oh-so-loved customers, curiousity gets the best of me and I may start to read the National Geographic or Popular Science magazine left behind. By reading random magazines I've learned a lot of random facts. Sometimes it's nice to wing it and just read the first magazine I find with good advertising on the cover. And whenme and my friends/co-workers are feeling saucy or immature we look through a Maxim or Stuff trying to find an article to share with one another in hopes of laughter at a place where it's in dire need.
My taste in magazines may be typical for someone like me but I like to think that I never pass up something interesting. Some literary snobs like to think their strict, tunnel-vision taste in magazines means something special but I have no problem being a magazine whore. Considering I almost never read for leisure, it's very constructive for me. Who can resist those dog magazines for people with show dogs when there are puppies on the cover?
I have to admit that I've never picked up a quilting or interior design for any reason other than cleaning up but I've read almost every other kind from Vibe, to Discover, to Horse Illustrated, to Low Rider. Some of them are stupid to me but one can't be egocentric bytotally ignoring what disinterests him right?
One example: Today I tried to read the Economist but it was too boring this time around so I started reading ESPN The Magazine. Of course, the cover advertised the article about the homosexual basketball player on page 60-something. It was very controversial, edgy, and full of quotes and excerpts from John Amaechi's book, Man in the Middle. I learned how his coach on the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan, used brutal language towards him.
Not everyone is around such a large selection of magazines as much so I feel priveleged even if it means I may neglect my job to read things that may not always be significant. My job sucks anyway and is very boring. Reading magazines helps keep me from beating up customers and improve my general knowledge.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Far From Home But Not Alone
Hockey has been around since the mid-1800s which is so long that historians can't specify where it was created but can only narrow it down to Windsor, Nova Scotia, Kington, Ontario or Montreal, and Quebec. In 1877 the Montreal Gazette published the first known rules.
During the first quarter of the 20th century the NHL, today's premier league, was formed in the United States and Canada. It was originally composed of six teams but now has 30. The "Original Six" were in Canada and the Northern U.S. Now there are teams in every corner of the country from Tampa Bay, FL to San Jose, CA. Nearly every boy in Canada is raised with dreams of playing in the NHL. While most of the junior professional teams are in Canada, the majority of the NHL teams are in the U.S. for financial purposes.
On the road to the NHL, players must succeed at sevreal levels before they are elite professionals and with the expansion of hockey to the U.S. some of the homegrown Canadian Boys find themselves living in the most random cities they could have imagined in the U.S. This lifestyle brings players closer with their teammates like a group of brothers.
Troy Bodie of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, is a former 9th round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was assigned to the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Stockton, CA, is 1,854 miles from Portage La Prairie, where Bodie grew up and Portage La Prairie is 1,150 miles from Kelowna, BC, where Bodie played junior hockey from 2002-2006 for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.
Bodie says "wherever you go people determine how good that place is by how good the people are" and he thinks "Stockton's pretty nice."
The experience of being a professional hockey player is "a complete lifestyle and its tough" says Bodie. He followed with "in the hockey world no matter where you go you meet someone besides you and start chatting it up and you become great friends." The Canadian players' families back home are very likey to tune in for their loved ones' games every chance they get.
"Growing up, I'd never picture them sitting by the radio on a Saturday night listening to my games," says Bodie who added the fact that his parents listen to every game on the internet radio network.
During the first quarter of the 20th century the NHL, today's premier league, was formed in the United States and Canada. It was originally composed of six teams but now has 30. The "Original Six" were in Canada and the Northern U.S. Now there are teams in every corner of the country from Tampa Bay, FL to San Jose, CA. Nearly every boy in Canada is raised with dreams of playing in the NHL. While most of the junior professional teams are in Canada, the majority of the NHL teams are in the U.S. for financial purposes.
On the road to the NHL, players must succeed at sevreal levels before they are elite professionals and with the expansion of hockey to the U.S. some of the homegrown Canadian Boys find themselves living in the most random cities they could have imagined in the U.S. This lifestyle brings players closer with their teammates like a group of brothers.
Troy Bodie of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, is a former 9th round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was assigned to the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Stockton, CA, is 1,854 miles from Portage La Prairie, where Bodie grew up and Portage La Prairie is 1,150 miles from Kelowna, BC, where Bodie played junior hockey from 2002-2006 for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.
Bodie says "wherever you go people determine how good that place is by how good the people are" and he thinks "Stockton's pretty nice."
The experience of being a professional hockey player is "a complete lifestyle and its tough" says Bodie. He followed with "in the hockey world no matter where you go you meet someone besides you and start chatting it up and you become great friends." The Canadian players' families back home are very likey to tune in for their loved ones' games every chance they get.
"Growing up, I'd never picture them sitting by the radio on a Saturday night listening to my games," says Bodie who added the fact that his parents listen to every game on the internet radio network.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Mandatory Blog
-Alright, so far I've made some decent progress on this first assignment. As a hockey fan I was already familiar with the history of the sport and the background. The focus of this article will emphasize the sacrifices people make to follow their goals. It will relate to the general reader by putting them in place of the players I will interview. They will read about why these players love the sport and how they came to be in Stockton, CA when the two I'm specifically interviewing are originally from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba (Troy Bodie) and East York, Ontario (Liam Reddox).
-So far I have spoken with one of the players I met on my own and am hoping to hear that he has enoughtime for an interview. I have also spoken via email with the man in charge of Media Relations for the team, Mike Benton. He is in the process of setting up interviews with the two mentioned players over thephone after oneof their games Thursday.
-I have researched the basic statistics of the players so I can ask about their careers and have also touched up on the history of hockey.
-I have read about the Stockton Thunder organization and how they have the best attendance on the league this year. One of the players I'm interviewing was chosen for the All-Star game and was mentioned in an article in the Stockton Record.
-I am planning on reading any articles I can find in hockey archives sites that may focus on anything similar to my article so i dont replicate the same style of any articles already written.
-So far I have spoken with one of the players I met on my own and am hoping to hear that he has enoughtime for an interview. I have also spoken via email with the man in charge of Media Relations for the team, Mike Benton. He is in the process of setting up interviews with the two mentioned players over thephone after oneof their games Thursday.
-I have researched the basic statistics of the players so I can ask about their careers and have also touched up on the history of hockey.
-I have read about the Stockton Thunder organization and how they have the best attendance on the league this year. One of the players I'm interviewing was chosen for the All-Star game and was mentioned in an article in the Stockton Record.
-I am planning on reading any articles I can find in hockey archives sites that may focus on anything similar to my article so i dont replicate the same style of any articles already written.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
What do you want to read?
I want to write my first article so that it appeals to a general reader no only a target audience. The topic is young professional hockey playes playing in Northern California. Since most people arent normally interested in this topic, what might make you interested or catch your attention? The writing must appeal to more than just fans of the sport. any suggestions?
Friday, February 9, 2007
Frustration
In my journ. 130 class we've been assigned to write biographical obituaries for journalists who died covering the news. The journalists I've been assigned to specifically died covering the news in Iraq. The internet has the same information about their deaths on multiple sites but there is no actual biographical information anywhere! The sites reporting their deaths don't answer e-mails and the phone numbers provided may be old because they don't get a ringtone whenyou dial them. Guess these obituarieswill take someserious digging for information, evenif it's rather bland facts like where they were born, who was in their family, etc.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Why I'm Here
This class appeals to me because magazines are a prime source of information. Growing up, I would look around and see people everywhere reading magazines, enamored by their fascination. Eventually I began reading magazines and thought that I could one day write stories that would capture the attention of the masses.
In this class, I hope to learn the fundamentals of magazine writing and how to harness the energy that stems from my desire to write for magazines. The fact that Professor Fitzgerald wants us to sell a piece to a magazine by the end of the semester is great encouragement. It excites me to think that before long I will be writing proposals to magazines to publish something I will have written. I'm starting this class with hopes of writing for magazine articles and by the end my goal is to have written at least one.
Writing as a profession interests me because I enjoy putting thoughts and observations on paper. When people read my work in the past and gave me feedback I felt fulfilled.
Magazines are different from other media publications because they usually specialize in specifics topics. It always seemed like it would be fun to have a fast-paced, exciting job as a magazine writer. The job itself is rewarding and glamorous. It also permits the writers to learn a lot as they have to research every topic they choose to write about.
Seeing sports journalists at professional events in scattered groups, discussing the hottest stories makes me envious. Knowing magazine writers can sit down with significant people and converse with them in a professional matter makes me think the journalists them selves are part of the celebrity world.
It is obvious that a writer cannot jump into magazine writing with ease. This class is my first look into the mechanics of magazine writing and how journalists go about their jobs.
In this class, I hope to learn the fundamentals of magazine writing and how to harness the energy that stems from my desire to write for magazines. The fact that Professor Fitzgerald wants us to sell a piece to a magazine by the end of the semester is great encouragement. It excites me to think that before long I will be writing proposals to magazines to publish something I will have written. I'm starting this class with hopes of writing for magazine articles and by the end my goal is to have written at least one.
Writing as a profession interests me because I enjoy putting thoughts and observations on paper. When people read my work in the past and gave me feedback I felt fulfilled.
Magazines are different from other media publications because they usually specialize in specifics topics. It always seemed like it would be fun to have a fast-paced, exciting job as a magazine writer. The job itself is rewarding and glamorous. It also permits the writers to learn a lot as they have to research every topic they choose to write about.
Seeing sports journalists at professional events in scattered groups, discussing the hottest stories makes me envious. Knowing magazine writers can sit down with significant people and converse with them in a professional matter makes me think the journalists them selves are part of the celebrity world.
It is obvious that a writer cannot jump into magazine writing with ease. This class is my first look into the mechanics of magazine writing and how journalists go about their jobs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)