Tuesday, August 19, 2008

August 19, 2008

Coming To America

I probably already sound like a broken record at this point, but it was another great day at work! The day started on a particularly good note when I got some great feedback from my editor regarding my first article. The article is about Matt Moore, a 19-year-old leftthanded pitcher in the Rays system. He sounds like a stud and I really enjoyed putting the article together. Here’s what the e-mail from my editor said after I sent him my first draft…

“Conor, I enjoyed reading your draft; it was very thorough. Most of our short-season pieces have been one- or two-source, two-source maximum. You obviously have reporting skills our other interns lacked because this was very thoroughly reported. It didn't seem like you had a hook, so I inverted the piece a bit; I thought the Birmingham quote was strong and tried to build a parallel between New Mexico and the Rays, so take a look at my edit and see what you think. I also thought the end was a bit tacked on, empty-the-notebook style, which isn't a bad idea, but I just thought we wouldn't need it. Very strong first effort, thanks for being patient w/me. See you in a office in a half-hour or so.”

It felt really great to have such positive feedback on my first article. Plus, the rearrangement worked out really well and the article is solid. I can’t wait to see my name inside the magazine I’ve subscribed to for the past three years. This is all still pretty surreal.

After my daily blogging (here), I wrote some other little things (short notes) that will appear as sidebars on the same page as my article and then worked on another little project. I ate lunch at a southern fast food joint called Bojangles and it was really good. I had a chicken biscuit sandwich and French fries and I liked it when I ordered, the guy didn’t ask, “What do you want to drink?” he asked “Do you want sweet tea?” Yes. Yes I do!

After work I headed out to the AT&T store to look into getting iPhones for Cheryl and myself. They’re sold out, but it could happen on Thursday, we’ll see. In honor of Usain Bolt, I wanted to go to dinner at this Jamaican place next to Bojangles. I pulled up and walked in the door, but when you walk inside, it’s wide open and it’s like three rooms. I figured it was all the same place and walked up to a counter to order some food. Turns out I took a wrong turn and ended up in a Mexican restaurant next door to the Jamaican place. So, I must have sounded like a big tard when I asked the woman behind the counter, “What would you recommend? I’ve never been to a restaurant like this before.” I should have known something was up when she said, “How about a taco?” So, I was a little bummed about my misfortune, but the food was actually amazing. I tried something called a pupusa that was to die for! I had the cheese variety and it was basically cheese-filled flat bread. I called Megan to ask if she had tried one before and she told me she had and it’s a favorite of Brangelina. The pork in the taco was a little spicy, but they also put pineapple in it and it was a great combination. I’ll definitely be visiting the Mexican place again, although I still want to try the Jamaican place too.

Now I’m home and after a little Madden, I watched the M’s for a bit, but now I’m watching Trading Places. I’m ashamed to admit that it’s the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s freakin’ hilarious so far. Tomorrow night I’ll be watching Coming To America (also for the first time). I’m pretty sure Eddie Murphy was the funniest guy on the planet at one point in time. It’s really too bad that he’s resorted to Norbit and Daddy Day Care (although I have to admit the previews for Meet Dave looked pretty funny).

2 comments:

GREGY said...

Those pork tacos with pineapple on them are my all time favorite, they're called 'tacos al pastor'. I once ate 39 of them at a stand, at a peso and a half each. My District leader ate 63..he was hungry. You have inadvertently found gold my friend, don't waste calories on that jamaican crap. Can't wait to see your name in BA.

GREGY said...

The pupusa is super good oily bread and cheese, what's not to love.