Tori Robertson

Today is our last day at CSPA.  We were able to do a live broadcast which was……interesting.  I’m not sure TV news is the job for me but it was still fun.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE CAMP/THINGS TO THINK ABOUT IF YOU EVER ATTEND

1.  Dorms are plain but roomy

2.  Beds are like sleeping on bricks.

3.  The sheets/covers of the beds fall off every time you make the slightest movement.

4.   Its cold in the morning and especially at night (lets say around 2 am) so sweatshirts and long pants are a necessity.

5.  Instructors are extremely nice, funny, and helpful.  (Just don’t go on Facebook during class or ask to go to the bathroom)

6.  There WILL be chances to go running and play games so bring running clothes and shoes.

7.  Counselors are friendly and fun to talk to.

There are plenty of other things to talk about but Im running short on time.  Thank you everyone (instructors, counselors, students) for making this such an enjoyable and memorable experience!

Here’s a picture of my new best friend from camp:

1. The instructors volunteer their time to teach.  They are not paid.  Therefore, you can tell they have a strong passion for Journalism and love what they do.
2. Students are inspired to work hard and try their best on every assignment.
3. Students are able to get out of the classroom and visit places, such as TV stations and write about real life stories.
4. It teaches young journalists what its like to be a reporter.

2 acre brush fire has just broken out.  Ways to get the word out:

1. Twitter.  Post quick updates on how the fire is doing and how it is being controlled.  Link sites to your Facebook or your Bl0g that have more information.

2. Post photos on Facebook. Create an album and title it for people to browse through.

DANIEL ROBERTSON

Taking pictures of little kids always reminds me of my little brother, Dan.  He is now 11 and the most hilarious kid I’ve ever known.  He makes people laugh without even trying by dancing around the street or at restaurants.  Booshie, is a word that my family made up (I have no idea where is came from) but it became a widespread name, meaning extremely cute, that even my friends use when talking about my brother or even my dog.  In context, it would sound something like this, “Aww. Look at that Booshie.” or “He’s such a Boosh.”  He is ALWAYS singing a song, no matter what.  I’ve never talked to him before when he hasn’t broken out into song and dance.  Recently, his favorite songs have been “California Girls” and “Cooler than Me.”  And of course he doesn’t care if he gets the lyrics wrong. “You wear them around cause you’re cooler than me.  It’s probably cause you think, you know you’re cooler than me,” is something he would say.  He also sings “California Girls” in an extremely high voice–higher than what I think I could ever go.

It might be kinda weird, but you’ll find no other way of describing my brother if you ever meet him.  So now I think I’ll give you some of the many quotes my brother has said:

“I got a BLT, but I’m just gonna take out the bacon lettuce, and tomato.”-Dan

“So you’re just gonna eat bread?” -Tori

“Wait…..what?”-Dan

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On a tour bus ride around Europe, the guide was explaining the palace to our left, “To your left is where Napoleon is buried.”

“Wait.  Napoleon Dynomite is buried there?” -Dan

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At night he goes around singing,”IIIIIIIITTS ICE CREAM TIIIME!” while doing a little dance.

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One time we were skiing in Lake Tahoe and Dan decided to go on a trail that was all jumps.  He gets stuck on the top of the first jump and just stands there.  Then this even younger kid goes flying by out of control and runs into Dan and falls down the hill.  Dan bends over to pick up his ski that fell off, and as he is bending over, another skier flies over him.  It was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen.  And the best part? I got it all on tape.

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One of my all-time favorite “Booshie” quotes is when Dan and his twin sister, Sarah were in the back seat of the car.  Sarah was reading her book aloud to Dan when she came across a sentence that started, “It took me by surprise…..”  Immediately, Sarah and Dan look up from the book and start singing, “It took me by surprise I must say.  When I found out yesterday.  Don’t you know that I heard it from the grape vine. How much longer till you’ll be mine….”  As soon as they finished the song (and I mean the whole song) they both looked back down at the book and Sarah continued to read like nothing had happened.  It turns out that song was the same one their class was singing for their Spring Concert, so they knew all the words.

These are just 5 of the millions of things my brother and sister have said.  I can’t remember the rest right now, but I’ll be sure to update them when I do.

A lot of people have been saying that they hate the food here at Cal Poly.  Personally, I don’t have a problem with it.  Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but I actually kind of enjoy the food.  The chicken quesadilla was pretty good (maybe because I would have eaten anything, I was so hungry).  The sandwiches taste like every other sandwich I’ve ever had, I’ve gotten seconds on pasta, and the orange chicken tasted perfectly normal.  Maybe I’ve never tasted real food before like everyone else, so I don’t notice the difference.  Whatever the explanation might be, I find there is no reason to complain about the food at Cal Poly.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to play guitar.  I am insanely jealous of people who do know.  I’ve tried to teach myself by watching YouTube vidoes, but that kinda failed.

Today we sat in a circle on the lawn and talked while a few people played guitar. Jack Johnson was one of the few songs that was played. He’s also one of my favorite artists.  While listening to Jack Johnson, we went around in a circle and said our names. You’d think after being together for a week everyone would know each other’s names…..but apparently the guys haven’t worked very hard at it.

Here’s a link to a Jack Johnson music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4O7ufx9D_s

Ally has been a performer on the stage since she was 4.  However, I did not know that she also happened to be a cheerleader.  She has been a cheerleader since her Sophomore year and is excited to be the team captain next year as a senior.

“Most people don’t think of cheerleading as a performance, but I feel it is exactly like being on stage.  You have to look and act professional,” said Ally.

She also explained how cheerleading at her school is not competitive and mostly just to support their football team.  ”Our football team is not very good and they could us the support,” she said.

Being a cheerleader at Chadwick High School is also not how it is portrayed in movies.  Ally said, “It’s not stereotypical.  The first string cheerleaders are not dating the first string football player.”  Ally is a true performer and loves being on stage.  She’s been in many plays including “Kiss Me Kate,” where she played as Bianca, “Bye Bye Birdie,” where she played as Kim MacAfee, and “Cinderella,” where she played the star, Cinderella.

We look forward to seeing you in movies or plays in the future, Ally!

Ready, set, write.  For what seemed to be at most ten minutes later, the instructor is saying, “Print out your papers and turn them in.  Your editor would have been asking for your paper five minutes ago.”  Five minutes ago?  That would have only given us five minutes to write.  Is that really all the time they give you when working for a newspaper?

It had really been forty minutes of writing, twenty more than what an editor at a newspaper would have given.  But how is that possible?  I think back to what I had been doing and thinking about all that time…

Okay.  Forty minutes on the clock, plenty of time to write a news article.  A 65-year-old was shot in the head by an 18-year-old attacker.  Boom, done.  If only it was that simple.  Why can’t my lede be that simple?  Because the readers want to know the details and those “twenty dollar quotes.”  Okay, start over.  Rolland Nesmith, 65, was shot in the head by an 18-year-old attacker and was maraculously able to grab his own gun and chase him to the front yard.  Maraculously?  Miraculuosly.  Ok, it’s ok.  I’ll just Google it.  Miraculously.  Perfect.

Rolland is such a weird name.  I mean, what kind of parents would want to torture their son like that?  I know a street name called Rolland.  Maybe that’s where they got it?  But why name your son after a street?  I wonder how many people are named Rolland.  I bet I could figure it out if I went on Facebook.  Facebook knows everything.  I wonder what the world what be like without Facebook?  How would people communicate?  We would probably have to pick up a phone and actually talk to someone.  That’s ridiculous.  It would also make it so inconvenient to stalk people.  If I just move down to the bottom of my screen and click here, I’ll be on Facebook in no time.  Stop.  I can’t do this.  I have an article to write and going on Facebook would just distract me.  Learn to have some self-control, Tori.  Back to my article.

It’s still not right.  As the instructor would say, “It’s missing the drama.  You need to make the audience want to read on.”  Ok, then.  Drama it is.  Rolland Nesmith, 65, bolted out of his room with a gun in his hand bleeding to death after being shot in the head by an 18-year-old boy.  Maybe that’s too much drama, and 18 is definitely not a boy.  18-year-old villain.  Not villain.  Now I’m making it sound like a superhero story.  That would be interesting.  I wish there were superheroes in our world.  I think I like Superman the best.  His outfit is pretty cool.  Maybe I should make a Superwoman outfit for myself.  Ok, stop.  This has nothing to do with what you’re writing.  Time to focus.  An 18-year-old…hooligan?  Ha, hooligan.  What a funny word.  How does someone even come up with a word like that?  I’ll have to look that up.  Bandit?  Now I’m making it sound like he’s running around in all black and a money sack.  Ok, I got it.  Rolland Nesmith, 65, miraculously chased an 18-year-old attacker after being robbed and shot in the head at his home yesterday, police said.  Perfect.

“Ok. Time is up.  Print out your papers and turn them in,” an instructor says.  Okay, thats okay with me.  I should have written a lot in the past forty minutes.  Let’s see what I have.  “Rolland Nesmith, 65, miraculously chased an 18-year-old attacker after being robbed and shot in the head at his home yesterday, police said.”  Crap.