One book off my list

It is almost 2 a.m. in Aspen and after 300-some pages and multiples bawling sessions, I finished The Fault In Our Stars. Yes, in a matter of hours. I guess my old self was just hiding, waiting to be unleashed again by a truly amazing work of literary genius. 

Read the book, people. It will make you laugh and cry. 

"Best Book" list

As a spin-off from my previous post, everyone answer me this:
"If you could recommend the best book you have ever read, what would it be?"
Be a part of Megan's Best Book List!

Reading for pleasure

After a hiatus from pleasure book reading, I have finally picked one up that I love. The hiatus started freshmen year of college and hasn't really stopped since. Really sad, since I say I love reading so much — which I so, but when you do it for work, reading for pleasure is a little hard.
When my mom visited Aspen last she left a book she had started reading for me called "The Fault in Our Stars." I've heard a lot about it, from Facebook to Buzzfeed, but it sat there for awhile on my bedside table while I was either too tired or busy to read for pleasure.
I must have felt a slow day at work this morning, as I slid the book inside my bag before I left. Just as I predicted, it's 7:30 and I have nothing to do until the BCS game is over.
I'm already quite far in the book, having only started reading some 20 minutes ago, and I love it already.
Being me, I always have a "Books I Need to Read" list either on Pinterest, iPhone or in my head.

• Halfway through second book of Game of Thrones (I got hooked on the TV series)
• New J.K. Rowling book on Kindle (one of my fav authors)
• New book by author of The Kite Runner on Kindle (another of my fav authors)
• Anna Karenina (sparked by conversation between my mother and I)
• The Other Boleyn Girl (again, sparked by Madre)

While there are probably many more that will be added as 2014 unfolds, I will probably not get to them.

Allergies

I was told by my chiropractor that it was possible for intolerances may go away after this detox process, but I was never told anything. About allergies. I've been highly allergic to cats since before I can remember. Before I moved to Aspen, I had a Harry Potter date at the apartment of a good friend. She has a really friendly and silly cat. I pet him then washed my hands. However, I was in his domain, and by the time Harry was told he was a wizard, I could barely see the tv, my eyes were so allergically swollen! (Not that I needed to see the movie to really watch it...I have the whole thing memorized anyway).

A lot of kleenexes, two Benadryl and sleeping in the next day got me over the eyes, drippy nose and almost-exploding headache. 

I recently spent the night at a friends house where there are currently two cats dwelling. The blanket on me that night had been slept on by a cat. There was Benadryl, kleenexes and even my inhaler in my purse, just in case. 

I didn't need them. ANY of them. There wasn't a single drip from my nose. Not a single swollen eye. I woke up the next morning and greeted one of the cats with a little head scratch. And I was still fine. 

Text between Dr. Mike and myself

Dumbfounded, I promptly texted Dr. Mike  on Monday morning. His response was heartwarming. I am now than excited for the future of my nose. There is a strong possibility of not being bedridden when visiting my parents during harvest season. I may be able to — finally — smell the roses. 

My new gluten-free life

I started seeing a chiropractor in Aspen not too long after I got here to keep my migraines at bay. On Oct. 30 I woke up utterly exhausted and in a complete brain fog. I could barely get out of bed. I was able to make it to the restroom but almost fell standing up. I knew something was wrong, and a coworker took my to the ER. After some blood work there wasn't anything definitive so I was told to go home and sleep and follow up with a family doctor. After blood tests came back, we found out I was iron-deficient anemic and also had very low iron levels. 

When I told my chiropractor about my hospital visit the next week, he went into hyperdrive. Having treated multiple patients with my exact symptoms, he knew exactly what was wrong. 

Soon after I started a gluten-free diet. It's not for certain if I have Celiac's disease yet or just a gluten-intolerance, but I feel so much better already.

However, I still suffered from extreme fatigue, high anxiety, joint and muscle pains and brain fog. Turns out I  also havebeen suffering from a leaky gut. This is where undigested food slips into my bloodstream. I am now toxic. My body is freaking out. 

Because of the leaky gut, my body isn't absorbing the nutrients that it needs to function, so I go into a fight-or-flight mode; it thinks I'm starving! Hence the inability to lose weight over the past three years no matter how hard I try. 

I'm nearing the end of the detox phase. As soon as all the crud gets flushed out of my body, we are going to give it a little vacation; let it heal and then start working on its own. Once that happens, the weight will fall off, apparently. (Yay!)

The weight and my incompetent knowledge about money and budgets makes for multiple anxiety attacks over the past few months. The money has been hard because I have to eat healthy AND gluten-free so my body can start absorbing what it needs naturally and then I can get off the crazy amount of supplements I'm on. 

Until then, it's a ridiculous amount of pills, chiropractic adjustments and eating as healthy as I can, not to mention a ton of water. 

Wish me luck! And to fellow gluten-haters, stay strong!

Aspen is pretty sweet

So it's been awhile since my last post. I've been soaking up all that Aspen has to offer! This past weekend when my mother was here, we went up to the Maroon Bells with the Times' new intern, Abby. It was beautiful up there, and we racked up almost 8,000 steps on our pacer app!

I am probably the luckiest girl in the world. I got a job before I graduated college. Did I mention that job was in the same field that I got my $40,000 piece of paper for?? Yup. On top of that, my job is in a pretty amazing place. AND...I LOVE my job. I love the work I'm doing and I love my coworkers. But there's another part to what I've been feelings during my first few months in Aspen. It's like that scene in "The Help" when the two main maids are in the super market and end up spying on a lady who's reading the book.

OK, so I'm not actually writing, but I put that paper together. I chose those wire stories. I helped make sure everything was perfect before it was sent off to press. 

And I still get that same feeling that Abilene and her friend got when they saw a person reading what they helped put together. It's a pretty awesome feeling and I am so blessed for this opportunity.

I'm alive...how could I NOT be?

After finishing my first full week of work, I've decided I like it. My coworkers are awesome. My apartment is awesome. I've made tons of friends already--human and K9 alike. 

My mom has stayed a few more days than originally planned (personally, I'm not surprised.) We took a walk down the Rio Grande footpath right across from my apartment today since it's my first day off. I will be taking that path more often to see my new furry friends. One of these friends I made today is part wolf part husky named Pistol.  This morning, Pistol's mom informed us that he chased a bear up a tree. Apparently he does this a lot, and the walkers and bikers of town know that if Pistol is on the walking path, they are safe. 

I am loving Aspen and everyone that I have met. I can't wait to continue on this amazing journey. 

Is it really over?

As I finished my final test of my college career, I thought of a lot of things. I don't have to buy anymore textbooks. No more late-night study sessions. No more falling asleep in lectures. Wow. Guys: I'm DONE.
As a soon-to-be Husker Alum, I have some words of wisdom:
-jschool kiddos:

• work at the DN. It's experience. And the little extra cash in your pocket is nice...even if it just goes to some Raising Cane's during your shift.
• Sue Burzynski Bullard is amazing. I can't even begin to tell you how much she has helped me along my path to becoming a copy editor at the Aspen Times. Thanks, Sue, for your words of encouragement and your games during class (yes...GAMES.) I will probably never be able to thank you enough.
• Michael Goff is a god. I'm pretty sure he can fix anything when it comes to advising.
• Take a class with Matt Waite.

-all undergrads:

• Take advantage of teachers' office hours. I wish I would have done this more. If you're confused/lost/about-to-rip-out-your-hair, go see them. It's what they're there for.
• Gatorade can cure headaches. Learned that this year...weird tip from Pinterest.
• ...of course, if you pull an all-nighter, Gatorade may not fully help. SLEEP.

I am planning to continue blogging in the future, so look forward to posts about my new adventure as a college graduate, full-time copy editor and brand-new Coloradoan!

Errors

I absolutely love the fact that more than half of the accounts I follow on Twitter are editing or journalism-related. Hence why I am able to come across so many amazing pieces, like this one:

http://copyediting.com/error-rates-editing

This piece reminds me of another post I reblogged awhile ago. The point is, not everyone is perfect, editors included. There are always going to be errors; that's just human. 

To be a good copy editor

I really loved this piece by Craig Silverman. Human error is the exact reason that stories go through multiple sets of eyes before publication.

The best part about how I found this piece was the retweet it came from:

Please read Craig Silverman's piece here.

Proud part 2

Ok so I kind of missed the best part. 

Like I said, he sounded like a kid coming home from camp, adding and accepting friends on Facebook the whole ride back to Lincoln. He never once complained about all the tough things he had to do. 

He admitted it was hard, but didn't complain. He even said in the letter I got that he felt like he found himself. 

He's always been a great leader, but he proved it at field training. The trainers saw it. I saw it the second he stepped through security. Something was just different about him. He was meant to do this. He is a true and natural leader and I am more than honored to be his sister. 

One proud sister

So in case we are not friends on Facebook, yesterday was pretty awesome for me.

An hour or so after I got done with class I got in my car and drove to Omaha. I was picking up my little brother from field training (basic training for Air Force ROTC cadets.) 

When I got to Eppley I felt kinda bad because I noticed some families had flags and signs. Then I saw a group make their way to where I was waiting. They had "Welcome home" signs and such, so I assumed they were picking someone up as well. There was a college-age girl with them that for some reason looked familiar. This is normally not like me, but as soon as I thought I knew who she was, I got up from my chair, walked over to her and said, "Are you Patrick's girlfriend?" Patrick is another cadet from UNL ROTC (Recruit Officer Training Program) who went to field training with my brother. 

"Yes," she replied, somewhat hesitant because the only reason I recognized her was from Patrick's Facebook pictures. Yup. Never met this girl. I was then introduced to Patrick's family and I kind of just joined them, which was really fun. 

I was watching the airplanes with Patrick's dad and little cousin. "Patrick's on there!" the little cousin shouted, pointing to the big plane. 

After lots of hugs and LOTS of pictures, my brother and I got his luggage and headed to my car. 

The whole time, of course, he talked my ear off with stories of field training. I was just so happy to have him home. He sounded like a kid coming home from summer camp and missing all his friends--not a tired boy who just got back from military training.
I was told (among more stories) that he was a "DG", or distinguished graduate. Which is also pretty dang cool. So I cheered again! AND he was commander of his flight for the parade they do on the last day (which is why his voice was so hoarse.) THEN. He pulled something out of his carry-on bag. It turned out to be a little, circular medal/trophy thingy. 

Yes. My little brother. Got. Top. Gun. Yes, you heard me correctly. TOP GUN. Which apparently is not just a movie. "It was just of my flight (20-ish cadets,)" he said. So?! TOP GUN!!!!

I suddenly felt truly humbled. Yes, I landed a pretty sweet job. Yes I graduate in almost a week. BUT MY BROTHER IS TOP GUN. 

And a welcome-home-from-military-training just wouldn't be complete without a big steak and a root beer float. 

More on Post purchase

Poynter offers two articles with more insight into the purchase of the Washington Post.

"What journos need to know about Bezos' purchase..."

"Why Bezos has what the Post needs"

My Twitter is overflowing

So in case you hadn't heard, the Washington Post was bought by the owner of Amazon today.

More info and details later. My best part about this, however, is that my Twitter feed currently consists of official newspaper tweets and then my journalist friends making jokes about it. Here is my favorite so far:

True to form, fellow Husker Andy Boyle has some pretty good ones as well. 

Now the details. 

A staff and wire report from the Chicago Tribune released a story at 4:10 p.m. today that the Washington Post and its assets were sold to Amazon.com founder, Jeff Bezos for $250 million.

The Tribune also lists the URL for the story from the Post itself.


Apparently Mr. Boyle was not mentioned enough. So everyone, RIGHT NOW, go read every funny thing that Andy has ever tweeted: https://twitter.com/andymboyle. I'm timing you.

Words of wisdom from a professional copy editor

The ACES national conference in St. Louis this past April was one of the most enlightening experiences I have ever had. Not only did I get to spend a few days in St. Louis with some good friends, I also made some friends there. And these new friends were just as obsessed with editing as I am!

UNL ACES members photobombed by journalist celeb Craig Silverman

One day I was working the UNL grad school booth. My editing professor was checking in on me and a man came over to talk to her. I just sat and smiled since they were obviously catching up. But then I saw his name tag. "You're Steve Buttry!" I blurted, like I had just realized Brad Pitt was standing in front of me. Mr. Buttry was one of the people my class followed after we started our Twitter accounts for Intro to Editing. After some laughs I properly introduced myself and got to have a nice little chat with Mr. Buttry. I called my mom that night and almost screamed into the phone, "Mom!!!! I met STEVE BUTTRY!!!" ..."Um. Who?"
Regardless of my mother's cluelessness to the celebrity world of journalism, I got to meet several other famous journalists that week.
I've kept in touch with many of the people I met in St. Louis, mostly via Twitter and LinkedIn. One friend I made was Brian Cleveland, an editor at the Washington Post. I recently got to speak with Brian again about his editing career, experiences and knowledge on editing.
After 12 years of editing experience, not counting college, Cleveland is currently a "multiplatform editor" (editor for print and online) at the Washington Post.
"(As an editor) you get to be an advocate for the reader, which is an important role...(if) something is unclear to you, odds are good it will be unclear to some of the readers as well," Cleveland said.
He also enjoys writing headlines and even photo captions. "Any time you can write something that will make people smile or laugh, you've done a good deed."
In a world where no job after college, especially in your field of study, is a real possibility, Cleveland has some suggestions for hopeful young journalists; the first being an easy one for the technology-savvy generation, is to learn as many skills as you can and as quickly as you can.
"If I had a choice between two potential hires, one of whom knew more but couldn't really learn new skills and someone who knew a little less but was adept at picking up new things, I would hire the second person every single time."
Cleveland, like many other professional journalists, suggests that college students also gain experience. "(Internships) are important for the experience and the connections you'll make...journalism is a small world, and your network can make a huge difference."
I also asked Cleveland if he had any fun stories from the newsroom that he could share. And his response was even better than I'd hoped for and is also getting me even more excited to join a professional copy desk.
"I can't really think of any specific funny stories, to be honest. I've certainly had a lot of fun over the years, but it's usually related to in-the-moment jokes, commentary about some story or mistake you've found or some other gallows humor that only journalists appreciate and most people would be appalled by."
Thanks for your words of wisdom, Brian. And for getting me even more pumped for my new job! These next 15 days are going to go so slow!!

My furry friend

In case you didn't know, I love dogs. Mostly dogs that are actually dogs, not toys. Although I do have a few friends who look like rats after their summer trims.

I turn into another person when I see a dog. Careful if you're in the same vehicle as me and we see a cute boxer collecting the breeze from the best car ride ever. I have, more than once screamed, "puppy!" in a case like this, with my attention now on my new friend. At least until his owner takes a left. 

But my favorite dog in the entire world is KDog. Technically she's my niece, since my brother is the official owner of this adorable, registered chocolate lab. Her full name is Kady Bondo Browndog. That's pronounced kay-dee.

She is the absolute sweetest dog you will ever meet. My uncle calls her "Lickums" because one of her favorite things to do is lick people. Hands, legs, arms. Even faces. 

I've always wanted to get a dog of my own once I got out of college and got settled. I will be taking my time, though. I need to make sure my future furry friend will be truly cared for. Any suggestions about what dog I should get when the time arises will be greatly appreciated. But, please follow Ron Swanson's divine wisdom while submitting suggestions:

Oh. This is really happening...

19 days, people...including weekends. It's not that I'm excited to move to Colorado. It's not that I get to move to ASPEN. Those are just my frosting and sprinkles. I'm ecstatic for August 22: the day I get to start copy editing again. 

The fact that I have a job where I get to do something I love is beyond amazing. Especially for a soon-to-be college graduate. 

Empathetic editor

I am a very empathetic person. I rarely get angry and if I do, watch out! I'm not just saying I'm empathetic because I'm a nice person. Empathy is one of my top strengths as determined by the Gallup StrengthsFinder Assessment.

• Empathy--You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel their feelings as though they were your own. You may not agree with each person’s perspective or condone the choices, but you understand. You help others give voice to their emotional life. People are drawn to you. They appreciate that you understand them. ~Tom Rath

I was once told I was good at copy editing opinion pieces. While considering this compliment, I realized why. An opinion piece is just that. An opinion. 

While copy editing at the Daily Nebraskan, some copy editors wouldn't want to edit opinion. I loved to--mainly because I could usually learn something new, but I was good at it because I was nonjudgmental toward the writer. It didn't matter the topic--my job was not to argue with what the writer was saying, but rather to make sure their message was portrayed correctly--grammar, spelling...whatever. 

Reminiscing

I've had a lot of great opportunities and experiences during my time as a college student. As that part of my life is coming to a close, I've been looking back at some of the amazing things I've done in the last four years.

The summer after my freshman year at UNL I took a study abroad trip to Greece. This group of UNL students was led by Dr. Michael Hoff. He's been doing this trip for over 30 years. You could not find a better tour guide anywhere. 

I still pinch myself when I think back on those three weeks scouring through the entire country of Greece. Did that really happen? Did I really see all those sites and museum pieces that I had read about in my art history class with Dr. Hoff? Did I really jump off a pirate ship into the Mediterranean Sea? Heck yes I did.
It was a truly unique and special experience and I would recommend studying abroad to any student.

Dr. Hoff with the Vapheio Cups

 

Illiterate Facebookers

Remember what I said about Facebookers who can't spell? Well if you don't know what I'm talking about, here are some very good examples. Or if you're just interested in a good chuckle. Ha. "Um Beyonce."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/people-who-should-not-be-allowed-in-public