Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Clarity Behind Enemy Lines

"Peace of mind - a noble quest that gains thirsty searchers every minute and only rewards the patient"

Well the Laker parade has come and gone and I figured I'd be using this post to drop y'all some pics and recap it. Alas, it has to wait for two factors - 1)USC's wireless network sucks like a Hoover and 2) I uploaded the pix to my laptop and subsequently deleted them from the wireless card so I can't re-up them on this desktop in the library.

Idiot savant indeed! (definitely, definitely a dummy right here - sayeth the Rain Man)

Anyways, I'm sitting here on enemy territory (lifelong UCLA fan) after one of the largest gatherings in the city's history. But I'll save my parade reflections in lieu of two crazy days at work that really made me feel like I do too much.

Long story short, my boss (the managing editor) was suspended for a week on Friday and I had to fill up sports all by myself without him chipping in 2-3 stories. It was two days from hell because not only did I have to finish my Lakers championship piece on Monday, I had to also do an interview at 2 p.m. So throw in my limited time and increased workload and I was swamped.

Sidebar: besides write stories, I also have to look for wire stories to fill the sports section with (stories that relate to our audience that will be relevant when we come out on Thursdays). It's hard to do when said audience is primarily Black people.

I also was helping proofread/edit our intern's front page article as well as my usual duties proofreading our asst. editor's stories. It was a lot to ask of one man and while I've done it before, I was nearly pushed to the breaking point Tuesday.

All of this was thrown at me literally 24 hours after I got back from my vacation in Seattle to see my cousin's college graduation. Welcome back to the real world indeed.

The problem with wearing too many caps is that you don't get comfortable wearing the main one. I'm not angry that I've been blessed with several skills, I'm frustrated at how I'm the only one around there who can use them. Mainly it's the sign of the times that its a trend at other publications but everyone has limits and somedays I wish I could just be a journalist, not an editor.

24 With A L like Ice Cube said? Naw, 24 with the whole alphabet being juggled in my hands. If not for relaxing with Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," I would've ended Tuesday the same way I did Monday - looking like I just finished a marathon with no energy left.

Sometimes I feel like when the world's on your shoulders, you have to throw it off with a public burial. I can't stay upset because frankly I'm happy from the Lakers parade and being at peace in this library. I even killed time tinkering with my 25 best NBA players list to see where Kobe Bryant could rank.

Consider me in Jay-Z mode "Thank God for granting me this moment of clarity." My work drama is far from over but for now, I'm glad God helped chase the clouds away

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