The blog has been neglected the last few weeks as I've started a new training course with the Press Association in Newcastle. I am absolutely loving it as we have had some great teaching, heard some really interesting visiting speakers and I'm blessed with a group of cracking coursemates. As a quick and easy post I thought I would give you an insight into a day of my life at the moment. Busy times!!
Alarm. Bother, not enough sleep.
Up and out of bed, getting more cold and less easy, grab
some breakfast, wash the face, shave, change.
Get the bike out, load bag, hit the road.
Dodge the buses, Chelsea tractors, get out of the bike lane.
Past that car, over the roundabout, GET OUT OF THE BIKE
LANE!
Get into town, stop at the lights.
Stop at the lights.
Stop at the lights.
Arrive at the garage, lock the bike, through the door and up
the stairs.
Sweat, wipe and change into suit.
Start the day with the papers, prep for news quiz at the
end.
Syria, Cameron, cats and boobs.
It never changes.
The Express cures a disease or worships Diana, the other have
some variety.
All show their colours, all worry about sales. Money is
short and so are people willing to pay for news
On to shorthand.
Shorthand, the word that keeps grown men from sleep and
tramples on their dreams.
Susan is lovely, teeline slowly goes into the brain.
“Ready?”
No, make it stop. I will give you money. Actually you’re
lovely, I can’t hate you. Carry on.
One hour done, another hour to come later.
Next we have law. Or government. Or maybe a speaker to tell
you how the newspaper business is dying. No problem, the solution will be
found, it just needs its Columbus. They’ll get there.
Government means county councils or the joys of Local Education Authorities.
Community schools v. Community colleges. Academies v. Free
schools.
Fight.
Law means magistrates courts and interesting precedents.
“There is no such thing, in my view, known to the law as the
anonymous JP” – R. v. Felixstowe Justices ex parte Leigh 1987. I typed that
from memory so something must be right.
Time for shorthand again, though in reality it never stops.
20, 30, 40 words per minute.
“Ready?”
Yep, born ready.....maybe.
Another hour down and we reach lunch. My head hurts.
An hour for lunch, chase up stories, read the papers for the
news quiz, maybe revise for a law or government exam. Oh, and eat lunch.
The afternoons can be slower, so perhaps production (page
design) or again a visiting speaker.
Other times we share stories or photos we liked, and soon
we’ll be reviewing the stories we are writing.
That reminds me, you see ANYTHING happening in Newcastle
then tell me. I will love you.
The news quiz at the end and a chance to show what we’ve
read.
Page 3 is Aimii from Surrey, statistics from the news, spot
the cat story du jour.
End of the day around 5pm but actually there is more to do.
Shorthand.
Again it rears its ugly head, just put in the hours and work
on it hard.
Drill words and drill again.
“Before, before, before, before.
“Equipment, equipment, equipment, equipment.”
I’ll get it, just give me time.
7pm and time for home.
Load the bag, change into cycling gear, down to the garage,
lights on the bike, fluorescent stuff on and go.
It’s getting darker so time to be careful, dodge the taxis
who have their own laws.
Home and dinner followed by (guess what) shorthand, then
some reading and revision for a test the next day.
Xbox killing followed by bed.
Tomorrow I do it all again.
I want to be a journalist.
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