The 33 Internship, Week 4…

…Hours this week: 9 hours, Total: 36 hours.

Day 7 – Tuesday, October 26, 2009 – 8:30am to 12:30pm = 4 hrs, Total: 31 hrs:

It was a very simple day today. Nothing real big happened much and it was a bit slow. It seemed that there were a good amount of the staff that were out of the office today also because it was pretty quite. I mean, I actually had time to get up and walk around. Figured that since I had the opportunity, that I could actually talk with people. However, since not very many people were around I really did not get to talk with anyone other than Anna and Rose.

I picked up where I left off on designing the “Ask the Fitness Expert” page. Created the banner, which has since been replaced by Chris’ (“The Fitness Expert” and Anna’s husband whom owns the CrossFit Underworld Gym in Dallas) personal logo/banner. I even created the ‘blur’ that contained the first three questions. It was kind of funny, I was asking questions that I already knew about (I use to be a fitness trainer and nutritionist) and then I was signing them with different fictitious-ish names from the surrounding DFW Metroplex.

Also, did my usual update of the Community Calendar. Oh and I created a new link and page to a pre-built template from the “Tribune” that just needed to be uploaded into Assembler and then called into the P2P system to show up on the page.

Honestly, today is kind of a blur. It went by so fast even though there was not that much to do.

Day 8 – Thursday, October 29, 2009 – 1pm to 5:30pm = 5 hrs, Total: 36 hrs:

Well if Tuesday was the day of not much happening, today was the day of being busy. I started a new project and created a page for The 33’s new contest of their “Two-a-day Wii Giveaway” that will be running for 15 days from November 2nd. People who tune into “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader” at 5pm and again to “The Simpsons” at 6pm will have a chance to enter and win. All they have to do is listen for the Key words that will be given during commercial breaks and then go to the websites page that I created for it and then enter their information with the correct key word. Sounds pretty cool. I wish I could play. Though I have told friends about it. For the Wii page, I had the opportunity to learn something new and create forms, more specifically, official entry forms for a contest in Assembler and P2P.

Oh man! When I went to update the “Fitness Expert” page today, I somehow totally messed up the “Hair Expert” page, by practically deleting the whole thing. I am not really sure how it happened, but more likely because I just picked the wrong expert page. I would have asked Anna to help fix it, but by that point she had stepped out for lunch really quick since she was running little late on taking it. So I spend a good majority of time trying to fix the page only to find out that she was getting ready to can the “Ask the Hair Expert” page since it had been inactive for a while now. Go figure eh?

However, by all that happening, I learned a great deal about how the system works and that there are just some buttons that you should not push. I think they should be labeled as such. Only one of those destructive buttons, located in the P2P, system actually ask you to make sure that what you are about to do is what you want because the process cannot be resolved for it. Also, although I had been creating quite a few “photo galleries” so far (in P2P), I had never actually had the opportunity to get to create a “Collection” that holds a collection of similar items (stories, photo galleries, blurbs, etc. until now. Kind of an important thing to know when actually building a page that will display photo galleries. So, had I not flubbed on nearly destroying the hair expert page, I probably would have not had the chance to learn more about what you do.

Other than that, I made sure to send out my emails to Anna and Jennifer about my evaluation forms, to remind them that I would be needing those soon. Anna actually left early today for her nephews birthday party and I wound up staying almost an hour later than my usual time to head out, to work on more of the Wii-a-Day Giveaway contest.

Evaluation:

Overall it was a fairly simple week. With presentations coming up, I am still not quite sure what to do it over. I guess I just talk about what I have been doing so far? I mention this, because it is generally on my mind when I am there at The 33. I feel that this week was a good one. It just seemed to go by so fast. I need to start getting out into the office and really start meeting people. Though, I find it hard for me to do so…not because I am not social, but because there is work to be done and I like doing it. I tend to just work straight through. Not uncommon, but I will try this next week to make more of an effort to not let all the ‘work’ to be done take over time I could be using to utilize the internship.

The 33 TV Internship, Week 3…

…Hours this week: 8 1/2 hrs Total: 27 hrs

Day 5 – Tuesday, October 20, 2009 – 8:30am to 12:30pm = 4 hrs, Total: 22 1/2 hrs:

Today was a fairly smooth and simple and uneventful day as far as I can remember. I got in just slightly before 8:30am. Anna or pretty much no one was there yet, so I just went to the office, logged in and started updating the Community Calendar. It was something easy and immediate since Anna now just forwards all the changes and additions to the Community Calendar straight to my email. When Anna arrived I was just completing the updates to the Community Calendar.

She sat down and we began going over what was on the agenda today. First on the list was to continue updating the “Robbins Brothers and The 33’s DFW I Do Wedding Giveaway.” Since the site page for the contest was launched yesterday on Monday (10/19) it was time to start getting the page updated with the vendors that are donating time and services to the winners. We have 18 vendors in all counting Robins Brothers and they all needed a presence on the page. Robbins Brothers of course already had that so I created a table of icons that reside in the right-hand column and coded the ones that had links to their personal websites.

Now, as far as my idea for creating the graphic buttons for this project…no problem. Making an image table that holds said graphic buttons…no problem. However, I did not know quite how to quite go about how to input the HTML coding and images onto the site, so I had to ask Anna for her help. It was actually a lot easier than I thought after going over it, though it required a lot of steps to get it done. Let’s see here. I had to individually create a unique slug in Assembler that would be called by the coding I had created for a table, and then upload each graphic of the created button for each individual slug to be placed into the database. If it sounds like a mouthful, it is.

This process of uploading the images and assigning slugs to them is easy enough, but in my opinion it takes way to long in execution. I think that there should be a way to upload multiple images at the same time or better yet a folder of images that are related. Kind of like creating a photo gallery, but with a way to call either the slug for the folder or each individual slug that is contained in the folder and has been parsed with a unique slug path for each individual photo. I hope that makes sense. I just think that if I could have uploaded all the images for the table and have the slugs automatically populated, since they were all related, then it would have saved a lot of time. Let me put it this way, it took longer to do this than it did for me to created the graphics in Photoshop.

Anyhow, after finally getting all the graphics uploaded I had to create a “Blurb” that I would copy and paste the coding for the table and hyperlinks, that I created in notepad, and then had to modify with the new slug paths of each individual button graphic. When creating this blurb it is assigned, yet again, its’ own unique slug. Then I had to go into P2P and create a content module for the section that I wanted the blurb to show up in, then call the blurbs slug path. Like I said. Way way to much time spent to complete this task. I think I should have been able to be done soon after I was done creating the graphics and coding, by just a couple of steps of upload content and image folder, but having to add all of the separate individual creating graphic slugs and uploading steps, most of the day was gone by the time that I finished.

After all was said and done with Robbins Brothers for today, I got up to walk around the station a little bit and stretch my legs. Since I was looking to meet and talk with more people, I stopped into say hello to Jennifer Harmon, the creative departments Graphic Designer. I asked her what she was currently working on and she told me that since not all of the vendors for the “DFW I Do” contest had logos, she was actually working on trying to find out if some of them had logos or not and if she would have to create some for those who did not. Of course she was, the Robbins Brothers contest is the big deal thing going right now.

When I got back to the office, Anna told me that she had already received an entry to the contest. However, they did not actually qualify, for more reasons than one. Next couple of task completed before the end of the day went rather smoothly and quickly, I sat down and updated the front page with some photo galleries. I also uploaded and created a new photo gallery for the sports page of the Texas Tornadoes’ mascot Ike the Polar Bear. Finally, being able to create a photo gallery was working for me today! After that I updated the Tornadoes roster change that they had sent to us and then I was done for the day.

 

Day 6 – Thursday, October 22, 2009 – 1pm to 5:30pm = 4 1/2 hrs, Total: 27 hrs:

I was almost late today because for some reason I was thinking I was suppose to be there at 1:30pm. I think I was mixing the morning and afternoon times that I work together, therefore getting the result of 1:30. However, I had actually left early enough that I was at the station five minutes early. Funny how that worked out. Like Tuesday, I was there before Anna arrived. However, Charity Miller the creative departments Writer/Producer was there. I would have tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she was in the middle of eating lunch so we just exchanged afternoon ‘Hellos’ and I had to mention how good whatever she was eating smelled because it really did. It was apparently something she made herself so I complimented it, she said thank you and then I proceeded to the office.

As usual, I start my day off with updating the Community Calendar. Anna showed up shortly afterward and we went over the days objectives. Of course the first thing on the list was to continue updating the “DFW I Do” contest page. I had to create a few more button/icons for some vendors that did not have logos and a couple that were added to the list. Being able to create the new graphics was fairly easy enough since I had practically made a template to work with and would just need to add whatever I created for that vendor into the template and then save the images. I was having issues at one point though with the way that the images saved or at least I thought I did. When I was saving the image I would give it a new name, and when it would save it would create the new file but also would save over one of the previous created images which would make two of the same image. Well after a bit of frustration of trying to figure out why that was happening, I though perhaps I should finally try refreshing the thumbnail. Low and behold, it was not actually saving over the image, but rather caching the thumbnails image over another. Not sure why that was happening exactly, maybe because the computer that I am using is a little bit behind in updated RAM or just needs to have the virtual memory cleaned out, but in either case I finally figured out that it was not exactly doing what I thought it was doing.

Well, just like Tuesday I spent a good amount of the time just creating new slugs and uploading the graphics to the database rather than the time it actually took me to create the graphics themselves. While updating the DFW I Do page, Anna and the rest of the creative department had to go upstairs for a meeting about the contest and deliberate about making the stations website itself just look better over all. I wanted to go. I had heard from other interns that have been here that they were involved in meetings and such, but I have yet to get that opportunity. According to Anna, when she returned, I was probably better off not going anyways because it was more of a debate, mindless bickering and close minded discussions from others that made it a bit of a frustrating meeting. However, she did tell me about the plans that she wants to make to the stations website.

She is having issues with one of the big wigs because he thinks that they site should just be a text heavy site that is modeled after the CNN website, instead of having images/graphics on the page. I see a few problems with that though process. One, The 33 TV is not CNN nor is it an international 24 hour news coverage station. When news is considered, The 33 mostly reports on local news and touches on national news that is provided to them by the Associated Press. Two, although they – sorry, he (whoever the big wig she was having issues with) – may want to target a certain audience, he does not understand that the viewing audience for this area is far more extreme and difference than what he wants. I am going to guess that most of the viewing audience is much younger and do not care about the news as much as he is thinking. The audience of course is mostly due to the type of programming that they show. I mean really, do you think that a someone who watches “The Vampire Diaries” really cares that much about national news coverage? I am not say that there are some that do not, but I am fairly certain that most could care less. Therefore, if that is the case then why would we make the stations site text heavy with a bunch of stories? Three, after taking it upon myself to visit the CNN website, and honestly it does not look that much different from The 33 website. I guess you could say that it is text heavy, but honestly it is all well modulated and they have graphics that are very well placed. I mean common, even gets it! They understand that the viewing audience is visual and actually need images, why does this big wig guy not get it? Especially lets compare the news feed area of The 33 with CNN. Currently they are pretty much the same, but the big wig wants to remove the thumbnails that correspond to the story. Why? Anna does not want to remove the images. She said that she has tried this in the past and it did not work very well. Of course it didn’t and why would it? It is the internet, although a bounty of information can be found there, it is a visual experience. Plus, in my experience and research, people do not read, they scan and images can add well to helping the viewer understand the story.

For now, I digress that situation, but modeling the site with the CNN site in mind might not be such a bad idea. At least it is better organized. Anyhow, once again they have changed the name/branding for The 33 and added the CW at the end of it. So now it is The 33 CW. I have never heard of a company switching their branding so often. First it was The CW, then The CW 33, then just The 33, then The 33 TV, now it is The 33 CW. Seems so disorganized and not thought out very well. Well, for the rest of the day I worked on a new banner for a new page in the Lifestyles section called “Ask the Fitness Expert.” I did not actually get to create the page because the banner was not able to be created with out a couple of elements that I needed to finish it. Anna should be getting the things that I need for that by next Tuesday.

Evaluation:

This week seemed rather simple. However, I also felt that it could have gone better. Although I was happy to finally get to talk with a couple of people in the department, I still do not think I have been able to utilize the idea of being an intern and get to understand what they do there or work on. Though, thinking about it I at least got to re-introduce myself and get on the radar again so to speak. I am enjoying the internship. It still feels a bit like grunge work. Trying to figure out how to not let this just feel like work. I mean, I like what I do. It is fun and very enjoyable, but I do not want just another job right now, I have one of those. I want to be the intern and learn something and get something out of it. Not to say that I have not learned anything that is not practical in some fashion, but I would like to learn something that would help me in my internship learning process for the class. At this point, I still have no idea how I am going to provide my tangible results that were promised in my agreement. This does not make me happy or confident for results. Especially since the highest grade is a B with out doing extra optional work. I get it, but that is totally messed up. Anyhow, I feel like I am making good progress in understanding the proprietary tools for the database (Assembler) and front-end (P2P) and so far I feel like I could just use help understanding where to find out where more things are located within the database. Now, I just need to get to know more people there at the station.

The 33 TV Internship, Week 2…

…Hours this week: 9 1/2 hrs, Total: 18 1/2 hrs

Day 3 – Tuesday, October 13, 2009 – 8:30am to 12:30pm = 4 hrs, Total: 13 hrs:

Today was a much better morning to get started off. Regardless of all the rain traffic was not near as bad, I was able to stop off at Jack-in-the-Box for breakfast, pull into the parking lot to eat and listen to Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show.

However, while it was a good day overall, the day for interning in general did not go so well for getting things accomplished. I wish I had more to write, but the day went something like this…
Anna and I sat down to go over objectives for the day. We decided that there were going to be five things to address and complete – 1) update community calendar, 2) update and fix issues with “Becky’s Animal Page,” 3) getting photo’s of events re-sized, 4) upload said photos to galleries using P2P, and 5) complete newsletter set-up to send out.

Well, three of the five objective got completed. I updated the Community Calendar with easy and quickness. Spent a bit of time working on “Becky’s Animal Page.” Apparently The 33 was close to loosing “The Petropolitan” as a sponsor because elements of their existence as such was not viewable on the page other than one section with a title. So I spruced up the banner in Photoshop to include the Petropolitan logo so that their presence on the page was one of the first things viewers saw. I also added YouTube videos that were submitted and on my own whim, decided to add a graphic of a map that linked to Google Maps and underneath the map graphic added the locations address and phone number. With all that I was hoping that perhaps these changes would help save the sponsorship. I actually had the opportunity to use P2P for this project because I had to add new content elements to the page. While the interface is easier to work with, the steps to getting information from Assembler to P2P was still a bit confusing. After taking the time to really work through it, I finally understood how it worked. I think I have this down pretty good so far. The result of “Becky’s Animal Page.”

The third task was to re-size photos from different events. Anna did her own as she had the opportunity to attend the U2 concert the night before and shoot photos from the press pit right at the base of the stage. She was so close you could see Bono’s nose hairs. LoL! Seriously though, he sang right over her, touched her hand, and sang to her. I re-sized images from Amanda Salinas, one of the stations producers and “News at Nine” anchors, of her “This Week Out” at the State Fair of Texas. This is when thing started to not go so great. The automation for batching the images to re-size them stopped working half way through the process, so I had to manually re-size them (long and tedious when you have more than five images and they are in both landscape and portrait orientations). Anna was having issues with her batching as well. However, the serious issues came when trying to create and upload them to photo galleries using P2P. There was constant timing out and server issues. Anna told me to just log out and try again, if the server error continued, keep logging out and attempting. After trying numerous times I moved on to start resizing images from the “Scream Test.” However, I did not get very far as by this point it was already close to 12:30pm and time for me to go. Just as I was getting ready to leave, we found out that the techs were updating and re-working the Assembler and server information. Would have been nice if they would have told us that they were going to be doing this as we may not have spent so much time attempting something that was never going to happen.

So today, I learned a lot more about P2P, both for adding content modules and how to build photo galleries. I would say that it is actually pretty easy and with having to attempt making the galleries multiple times because of the server errors, I do not think I am likely to forget how it is done. I also got to learn more about working with Assembler (and “blurbs” – quick information of content that is statically just text, no formatting and no HTML) and P2P together to populate content onto a page. Soon, I will have these two tools down pretty good to accomplish my tasks.

I wish I could have stayed for the meeting at 2pm about the iPhone/Touch application that we are suppose to develop, but alas I had to go to school for class. Anna said that this meeting was just the initial and not near as important as others to come and that the opportunities for other meetings will arise when the project really gets off the ground and moving. Still, I would have like to have gone, would have been a good experience.

Day 4 – Thursday, October 15, 2009 – 1am to 6:30pm = 5 1/2 hrs, Total: 18 1/2 hrs:

I am such a worker bee. Is this a bad thing? Well, not exactly, but it is not really a good thing either. I had this plan today to go in do a little bit of work of my usual updates for the Community Calendar, then take a break, and walk around the studio a bit to re-introduce myself and try to network with people, get to know them and what kind of projects they were currently working on and such. However, by the end of the day I still did not get to do that. Why? I got to caught up in doing the work for this new project “The Robbins Brothers ‘DFW I Do’ Wedding Giveaway.”

Anna put so much emphasis on how big and what a big deal it was, that it had never been done before by them, and how good it had to look. Well, unfortunately for me, I am such a perfectionist and “quality” has always better more important to me than “quantity.” For that reason I spent my entire time there working on the banner, trying to make it look just right – to have the that beautiful “wedding” feel and look to it – and body copy for the web page that the contest will be set up on and be going live this coming Monday. I even stayed an hour and a half over my time to be there because I cannot stand to leave things unfinished at least to a good stopping point. I mean, since Anna was going to need something to work with on Monday to make it live, I wanted to give her something good. Though apparently that is my problem. At least how I see it. That it really does seem that I work so hard and so long on something most people would probably pump out in a matter of no time. Or am I being to hard on myself?

As I said, today I worked on updating the Community Calendar and working on the Robbins Brothers project for most of the day. You know, I still did not get to sit down with Anna and go over some things about the studio and people that I wanted to know of her perspective and such. As well, I did not get a copy of my intern agreement she had me sign nor did I get to talk with people in at least even the department.

Honestly, I have no one to blame but me. It is my job, no, my experience to enrich and make better.

The best thing about today is that I finally got my personal log-in and email all set up for when I am there. So YEA! I have my own email that I can check and keep track of things and my own log-in. That was a good thing and about time.

Evaluation:

I guess I should not be so hard on myself right? I mean it is only the second week right? Though it seems at this point that although I have accomplished a good deal in the “work” portion of projects and such in the internship, that I have yet to experience any of the perks of what it means to be an intern by getting to speak with people, network, get the lay of the studio, see and experience how things work and are done exactly.

I really would like to know this kind of stuff, but how do I separate my work ethic from my educational ethic? I have been working for a while in the actual industry as a Graphic Designer and Web Developer that what I would actually like to and want to experience on an educational level seems irrelevant to what actually needs to get done work/project wise. I mean honestly, nobody cares what I think or want personally, they want me to be miserable like they are and just do the drudge work they do and take for granted day-in and day-out.

Alright, so maybe that last statement was a bit harsh, but I do believe there is more of a harsh reality to that than not. Well, I do not think I will allow myself to fall to that level. There is at least one person that I can think of actually, besides myself, who cares about what I think and want to get out of this experience and will actually pay attention to what I have to say and feel about this internship. Chad Hardy, my instructor for the internship class and student adviser…he cares or at least he sure makes you believe that he cares. I know that he wants us to succeed and get a feel for the industry. If he cares to know, then I will care to show him the best way that I can the things that I have learned and experienced while at The 33.

I think on Tuesday, I will make sure that I get at least a few of the things on my list so far that I want out of this and I will make it a priority.

The 33 TV Internship, Week 1…

…Hours this week: 9hrs = Total: 9hrs.

Day 1 – Monday, October 5, 2009 – 1pm to 5pm = 4 hrs, Total: 4hrs:

I was so excited to finally get started on my internship. I thought to myself, “Hey, you could treat this like any job and it should be pretty easy,” but as I thought about it more on my drive from Fort Worth to Dallas I started to really take in the possibilities that could stem from this new experience. I have only done one internship in the past and honestly it was a joke of an experience. Sad to say, I think I knew a lot more about the industry and how to do the work than the people who worked there. Today, I am fairly sure that is not the case and that makes me happy.

Well, not only was I was suppose to start my first shift at 1pm, I had arrived early. However, I could not enter the building because no one was around. I guess it was about lunch time and just sat in my Jeep for about 10-15 minutes or so. Until people started to show up. Still stood outside for about a couple of minutes until the receptionist, Rose Marie, finally noticed I was standing outside. Apparently the call button on the intercom was acting up and she never heard the multiple times I was pushing it. Since Anna (Cheng), The 33 TV’s Creative Department Web Developer and my supervisor contact for the internship, was still not back from lunch I stood around talking with Rose about various things, but the obvious topics were the current remodeling construction that was taking place and my first day as an intern.

I was once told that one of the ultimate and most important people you can ever network with is the secretary/receptionist of a company. The reason is that they are the center of a lot of information about the company and more importantly, they know everyone. Make the receptionist mad or be rude to them and they could make your life hell because a lot of people of whatever company value their input and impressions of the people who visit. I have even heard of interviews that ended early based on the interviewers inquiry from the receptionist about the interviewee.

Eventually, Anna arrived (about 5 minutes after 1pm), got me signed in and we were off to her office in the Creative Department to get started. Much like our interview, we went over a few things about the internship and some things I could expect along the way. We went over the website again, which apparently I had confused with the actual CWtv.com site with the33tv.com site (I knew something was not right about that when I was looking at the site), but the stations site was easy enough to understand where everything was. In addition, she went over the tools that I was going to be using during the development of site pages and content uploads.

One tool was their browser based proprietary Content Management System (CMS) called Assembler that is used throughout all the Tribune networks. Its has bit of a “cloud computing” feel to the whole idea of it, since one can view images and content from any television station or newspaper that is associated with the Tribune network…even Associated Press. The second tool is their proprietary front end system P2P, not Peer-to-Peer as the abbreviation is better known as, but more like Power-to-Producer or something like that, Anna and I had a laugh over that since it really does not give a producer any more power than usual, but the actual name of it really is not as important as what it does.

Overall, I kind of understand Assembler, but it is kind of confusing at the same time as there seems to be an excessive amount of steps to just simply upload content. At least, that is how it seems at this moment, a little overwhelming. The P2P tool is a little easier to understand as it is pretty straight forward. To build a page it is as simple to just duplicate a page that has been previously created with a layout you are looking for then input the “slugs” (paths to content created in Assembler – and apparently I just found out that WordPress uses slugs too) into the appropriate sections where you want the content to be viewed and being basically a drag-and-drop interface makes it actually easier to use. It is a little more in depth, but it is more steps taken to get to the final result rather than a discussion topic.

As Anna said, the best way to really get to know these tools is to jump right in and start using them to get the feel of where things are and how things work. I agreed and started on my first project to design a banner and page for the Six Flags Over Texas and The 33’s “Scream Test” contest on Saturday, October 10, 2009.

Anna is pretty laid back on how things are to get done. There is an objective and then whatever we need to do to get it done, we do it. She tells me that I have creative freedom to complete a task when building the banner for the event.

Now personally, I have a bad history with this phrase “creative freedom” because in my experiences (with my current job) when someone says that I almost always have to re-do something because the client did not like the look of it, even after we have spoken and I explained what I was going to do. So I approached this project with a grain of salt to complete. When I created the banner I had to use Photoshop CS2. I was taken aback to find out that it was only recently installed. Being a Photoshop junkie, it is a good thing that I know how to use the program pretty good, but I realized how spoiled I was using the newer versions when certain tools and layouts were missing from my repertoire of tools in the program. It was easy to adjust however and the overall result so far is found here –> Scream Test. After the contest is over, the team that worked it will decide on the finalist and then a winner. There was suppose to be streaming video of it, but they could not get that to work correctly. However, they are suppose to provide me with images to create a photo gallery next week. When I completed that, Anna said that she really liked it, which took some weight off of the whole “creative freedom” situation.

Anna then took me on a tour of the station and introduced me to a lot of people. I have few names written down on my notepad, but there were so many people that I really do not remember any of the top of my head or any at all. I use to work for Warner Brothers/Time Warner and at one point had actually been to this television station before when it was the WB quite some time back about 6-8 years ago I would guess, so the station itself was not new to me per say, but more that some of the layout had changed and really many of the people were different. In fact I caught myself about to refer to it as being the WB33 a few times, since that is what I knew it as. LOL! I will get use to the fact that it is now just “The 33″ soon, but it will take a bit of conditioning and I am sure working on the site will help fix that.

Day 2 – Thursday, October 8, 2009 – 8:30am to 1:30pm = 5 hrs, Total: 9hrs:

Traffic this morning sucked! On top of that, the rain did not help that at all. I took off at 6:30am and still arrived about five minutes late. Lucky for me, Anna was running late as well for a similar reason. Anyhow, my plan was to get their early enough that I could pick up breakfast from the Jack-in-the-Box down the street, but that did not happen. Well at least not right away. Anna let me step out really quick to go grab a bite to eat because I was starving and very grateful for the opportunity.

My second day was actually quite a bit easier and it seems that a lot of the things I learned in using Assembler and P2P actually stuck in my mind. There were however moments where I had to ask Anna what steps I needed to take to do something, but that is the learning process with something new. Cannot learn it all at once, but I do seem to be catching on quickly. I was suppose to continue creating stuff for the “Scream Test,” but the content I needed was not available as Anna had anticipated and the techs still could not get the streaming video to work correctly for it, so we moved on to other things.

In addition to the Community Calendar, I will also be in charge of creating Photo Galleries, and the “CWikies” (synonym for “quickies,” yeah I know, I thought it was cute too), the HTML newsletter that is sent out to about 24 thousand viewer subscribers that they will receive in their email. Awesome!

My first task was to update the Community Calendar by imputing the submitted events into Assembler by creating content into the existing “collection” for the community calendar section. After about the fourth or fifth one I was moving along pretty quickly and really started to get the hang of Assembler. In fact I was done so quickly that is when Anna told me about the CWickie newsletter and so I got started on that. About half-way through, Anna told me to go get some food cause by this point I was starving. When I returned I had informed her that I wanted to go over my “Learning Objectives” and after a couple of minutes we started on that. I think there is some pretty cool stuff to look forward to on there, especially the iPhone application stuff. I cannot wait to find out what that is about.

So after going over the learning objectives and eating, I began working on the newsletter graphics once again. It took me a little longer to complete because I am very thorough and anal about organization. By that I mean the file I was given as a template to work with to create the newsletter was so unorganized that there were layers in places that did not make sense to the design and come to find out that they were part of the old newsletter design. As well, almost nothing was labeled which is something that really gets on my nerves and why I would just sometimes rather start from scratch rather than try to work from someones previous work. Why do not people label things? Anyhow, after getting passed all that and organizing things I was able to really start creating the design elements to the newsletter. I had to keep requesting logos because none of them were immediately available for use.

While working on this, Anna told me that they needed a logo/graphic to use as a banner/poster at the “Scream Test” event at Six Flags and instead of having to create one, they were likely to use the logo and graphic that I had created for the banner. *smile* Pretty cool. I was told that they like my design styles and use of space and colors.

The time passed quickly today as 12:30pm was up before I knew it and people were leaving for lunch. I was not completely done with the newsletter elements by this time and a lot of the time I cannot stand leaving stuff unfinished when it is so close to being done. So I ended up staying an extra hour to complete the newsletter because I had the time to do so and to actually satisfy my need to accomplish something for the day. Then I wrote a note to Anna about the completed work and where she could find it on the computer and headed off for the day.

Evaluation:

I think that this first week went really well. I realize that although I already understand and have learned a lot at The 33 as an intern, I have a lot more still to learn. I feel I am really getting the hang of Assembler, but let me see how I feel about that on Tuesday and how much I remember. Still need to work in P2P more, I am suppose to start on Photo Galleries next week also, so that will give me opportunity to work with this tool. Also looking ahead, I was hoping to be able to attend the “Scream Test” at Six Flags, but there is a lot on my plate and it does not look like I will get to make it. I am still quite excited about the things to come. Next week I will be changing my schedule up a bit and will be going in on Tuesday morning instead of Monday afternoon, in hopes that it will work better for my schedule since I have class all day after.

“Jason Mraz: Gratitude Cafe Tour” Concert Review… (Writing for PR & Promo)

Music is great for the sou! Among my personal issues: nearing the end of this quarter, gearing up for finals, working a lot on homework, and getting very little sleep, there is a calm in the storm.

Today I sit here basking in a peaceful solitude and totally relaxed in my cozy apartment, wrapped up in my new zip-up hoodie shirt that I purchased from the Jason Mraz: Gratitude Cafe Tour concert that came to the Dallas/Fort Worth area last night (Monday, September 14, 2009) at the NOKIA Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas. Now this may not be much of a review since on my part it will be very biased, but then again I suppose that anyone who went to go see one of their favorite artist and would spend the money to go see a great concert would be as such. Though I will tell you of the greatness that the concert was.

Before that though, I will tell you how I had the opportunity to go and see Jason Mraz in concert. I guess it started back in August or so when I was on Facebook where I have marked myself as a “Fan” of Jason Mraz and had received a notice that he was going to be having a concert in our area. I marked that I wanted to go and that it would be especially nice to do so being just a couple of days from my birthday. Well, from that point on I had never given it much thought since the tickets were a little much and I knew that I would be in the middle of going crazy with all of my school work and such. The person I totally have to thank for such a wonderful evening is my girlfriend and life-mate, who was sneaky and purchased the tickets behind my back and actually managed to keep a secret this whole time. I absolutely had no clue and the fact that I was suffering from very little sleep on the way there added to the unsuspecting arrival when pulling into the parking lot of the venue. In fact, I still had no idea what we were seeing until we were walking up to the entrance and passed someone who was carrying a souvenir bag with Jason Mraz’s logo and name on it. At that moment I was totally surprised and excited about what was to come. In addition, this would be the first concert that I have ever been to at the NOKIA Theater

Before Jason Mraz hit the stage, the opening band “G. Love and Special Sauce” from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are known for their unique, “sloppy,” and “laid back” blues sound that encompasses the sound and production of classic R&B. I actually enjoyed listening to this band, thinking that they sounded like a cross between Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson. Come to find out, their first album was actually produced under Jack Johnson’s Bushfire Records able. Made sense to me.

After a nice intermission, Jason Mraz took the stage. Standing there with his guitar, his trademark Bogart fedora hat, an “Endless Summer” t-shirt, blue jeans, and bare feet he greeted the crowed with all the joy that was about to ensue. Did I happen to mention, that pretty much no matter where you sat, there seemed to be a pretty good view of the the stage. We were in the balcony about two or three rows back and it was a great view. Throughout the whole concert I just kept thinking that one could tell that Jason Mraz really loves his music. It was not just a concert being performed for an audience, it was total immersion into Jason’s place of Zen meditation. Funny enough, I actually thought back to my younger days going to Christian concerts and how there was always an underlying message to what was being said in words, but more in the music. One of the first few of his opening songs, if not the very first, “Details in the Fabric” really set the tone and ambiance of the concert. With having the audience sing along, the lyrics “Hold your own. Know Your Name. Go Your Own Way.” echoed softly within the theater walls from Jason and a choir of hearts and voices from the audience. Peaceful. Serene. Inspiring. From that point on the concert just kept getting better. For a lot of his songs he gave it a very Calypso cadence and sound that was done so well that even the big fans such as myself who know his music by heart, had a moment where they were so into it then thinking “hey that has a different sound to it” all because it was done so naturally without really changing the tone and quality to how the songs were sung. All of which of course added very much to the moving effect of getting into the music.

It is hard to explain and it goes without saying really, but the concert was absolutely wonderful. Just so happens to be one of, if not the best concert I have ever been to and believe me, I have been to a lot of them. There was so much positive energy that filled the room and one of the greatest and most active crowds that I have ever seen at a concert. How does one describe a concert of this magnitude really except to say “Awesome!” in my own words and more.

Jason Mraz’s music and performance is great for the soul! I was honored to have had the privilege to attend. My “Gratitude” to you Jason Mraz for seriously showing us what it is like when an artist is not burned out, but truely loves his music. The feelings and message travel through your lyrics and especially your music. Namaste!

“P.S. I Love You” Movie Review… (Writing for PR & Promo)

If ever there was a film that could take  you through a roller coaster of emotions of laughing and crying, the romantic comedy “P.S. I Love You” starring Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don’t Cry) and Gerard Butler (300, The Ugly Truth) will most certainly tug at the heartstrings.

Based on the 2004 novel of the same name, set in Ireland, by Cecelia Ahern, “P.S. I Love You” tells the endearing story of Holly (Swank) and Gerry (Butler), a happily married couple living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. Having met and marrying at a young age against their families approval,  Holly – a beautiful, smart and creative woman with a lot of potential – and Gerry – a quirky, fun, and  passionate Irishman – were perfect for each other in every way possible. So much so that when Gerry’s life is taken by an illness, Holly is sent into a spiraling down into withdrawal from family and friends in depression, denial, and hallucinations. I am actually quite pleased that they did not spend to much time on this portion of the story because if you have lost anyone that you have cared about and most of us have, we get it. However, they do show just enough to append the time that passes from his death until the day of her 30th birthday when her mother and three of her best friends visit to wish her happy birthday only to find the deeply distraught Holly riddled in a mess of tears and three weeks of junk in her apartment.  It was then a cake is delivered for Holly and in it a tape recording from Gerry that tells her he will be sending the first of several letters to come soon that will instruct her to do the things that he has planned in advance while on his death bed. The first message in the recording tells her that she must get out and “celebrate herself.”

Over the weeks, months, and seasons that follow new messages arrive from Gerry that send Holly on a new adventure of both the heartaches of memory lane with Gerry and of the new experiences and encouragement that come with moving forward in life. Each message of course is ended with “P.S. I Love You,”  just in case you did not see that detail coming already. Throughout the movie we embark on Holly’s journey through Gerry’s words that, even though her friends and mother believe are keeping her tied to the past, are slowly helping her push forward to the future and rediscover herself. After one of the letters sends Holly and her two best friends to Ireland, Holly returns home to Manhattan only to retreat back into withdrawal after learning of a couple of secrets her two friends reveal. During her retreat, Holly discovers a new-found self-confidence and flair for designing shoes that  allows her to emerge from her solitude and embrace her friends’ happiness. With her new found discoveries Holly has found that there is in fact life after death.

I would aim to guess that the main target for this film would be couples and women. Most guys probably will not like it, but if they are in a serious relationship and are passionate about who they are with, then I can guarantee that this film will most certainly give the guy more perspective on just how much more he could show the women in his life just how much he cares for them. I found that this movie was very pleasant to watch as the characters really deliver heart-felt performances. As well, I really enjoyed the overall dialogue and cinematography. I highly recommend this movie for the woman looking for a good cry or the couple looking to spend time and appreciate each other in the end. As I said before, be warned, you will cry. Yes, even you gentlemen.

“Six Flags Over Texas” Theme Park Review… (Writing for PR & Promo)

Ever notice that when you take a day off that you really do not have the day off? There is always something to do. In this case my day off-not off took place this past weekend on Saturday. By that I mean, as fun and relaxing as it was, this was my mothers birthday weekend (age withheld to protect the offspring) and the goal of this day was to make sure that this birthday outing was the best she could have had and at the same time I was thinking how I could turn the venture into a review for class. Nothing short of having a great time, the weather was almost perfect, lines were short, people were friendly, and the goals were accomplished.

Allow me to preface that it has been several years since I have actually been back to Six Flags and although a lot has changed over many years, there are a lot of memories and it is much the same as well. This season at Six Flags Over Texas marks the 49th Anniversary of its’ opening since 1960. Apparently, as we discovered, there was a section of the park that was made last year that marked the 48th Anniversary with images of a time passed. It was amazing and memorable to see all those images and the old map of what Six Flags use to be like. Even for myself, I remembered a lot of the rides and events that use to be there from when my mother took me as a kid. For my mother it was a real blast to the past. Ironically not long before we found this section, located near the entrance, going toward the “France” area, we had just finished riding The Runaway Mine Train – a ride that my mother reminisced about having rode on the day of its opening when she was six years old. If nothing else, this outing was a history lesson. In addition, the staff of Six Flags itself were a delight as well. We had the pleasure of conversing with a few while waiting in lines or just general lounging about.

As for the park today? Bigger and better than ever. As stated before, this weekend was the perfect time to have visited. There were hardly any lines at all. I believe our top waiting time was somewhere between 15-30 minutes and I would bank on going with the lowest. The weather having cooled down and a slight breeze in the air made it even more bearable when having to stand in line for rides. On top of all that, people everywhere were very friendly. Patrons were courteous by holding doors, some allowed us to move forward in the line (the “birthday girl” sticker might have had something to do with it), and many were conversational. One particular instance I was very pleased with, while waiting in line for the Superman: Tower of Power, was having a conversation with a few of the younger generation that were about 13-14 years old. Very polite, inquisitive, and full of energy, they reminded me of  myself as a kid visiting Six Flags.

With the exception of a few things that were closed – either undergoing renovations or preparing rides and attractions for the next Six Flags holiday event “Fright Fest” – Six Flags lived up to what a good theme park should be made of – FUN! If it is ever a very busy day when you decide to visit Six Flags Over Texas, I would recommend paying extra to obtain the Flash Pass which allows you to pretty much move straight to the front of the line or receive a return time (depends on the crowds) at which you will be granted immediate access to the ride. Also, do make sure that you secure everything on your person. The park has cracked down on making sure articles that you carry are all secured when riding a lot of the rides. If you have lot of stuff with you, I would recommend renting a locker. It is easier. Oh, and if you are like me and are in constant need of something to drink, invest in the roughly 13 dollars for the Souvenir cup as it allows you to receive free refills on all beverages. Great for constant need of water. Also, should you ever return to the park as well as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor park, and purchase the 99 cent wrist band, you can use the cup again just like the day you purchased it. A good investment for sure.

I do hope that you have an opportunity to visit Six Flags Over Texas before the 2009 Season is over. As for the 2010 year, we were privy to some inside information that there are a lot of special plans for the 50th Anniversary of Six Flags opening. One is that the Texas Giant a massive wooden roller coaster will be shut-down for the entire season to undergo a 10 million dollar renovation. Though, as that could be a disappointment for some, there apparently are a lot more things that will be going on that will make up for its absence.  What are you waiting for? Go have meet the fun that awaits you with thrills and speed that the rides provide as well as good family fun with events and games all around.

“17 Again” Movie Review… (Writing for PR & Promo)

Who says you are only young once? Every wish you were younger or could go back in time and do it all over again? Are there things that you would change?

In “17 Again” the popular high school senior Mike O’Donnell, played by Zac Efron, seemingly has it all. He is the star athlete headed straight for a college basketball scholarship when he decides to give it all up to settle down with his high school girlfriend Scarlet who is pregnant. Twenty years later, an adult Mike, played by Matthew Perry, finds his life is not exactly what he expected it to become and has been in a slump of what could have been. Separated from his wife Scarlett, played by Leslie Mann, and living with his wealthy software-genius-nerd and high school best friend Ned Freedman, played by Thomas Lennon, his career is at a stand still, and relationships with his teenage children are practically nonexistent. After getting passed up for yet another promotion at work, he returns to his high school to reminisce over the life he could have had.

The rest? An old janitor approached Mike while he is visiting his old high school and janitor casually makes conversation asking Mike if would like to do it all over again in which Mike responds with a very committed “you get that right.” After falling into a big whirlpool and a few hours later and Mike finds himself looking into the mirror at the face he had when he was 17. With a fun chase scene and light-saber battle with his best friend who thinks that he is a burglar, they determine that the old janitor was Mike’s  “spirit guide” and that he was given the opportunity to live his life as a teenager again. Going full-force, Mike does not hesitate at the chance to return to his old school to live out the life he could have had and figure out what the real purpose of his transformation was.  As for the rest, you should actually check that out for yourself. However, like most movies of this caliber, it is not without being highly predictable. Just enjoy it for the entertainment that it is.

The movie in itself is actually a great movie. It is also what I would call “cute.” I had rented the DVD from Blockbuster with a coupon that allowed me to get the rental at the same price as a non-new release for five days. I figured “why not?” since I would not be out but a couple of dollars. Getting home, I made sure to have my popcorn (I just love popcorn with movies, what can I say?), and then began the movie thinking that it was going to be to “teeny-bopper,”  with the likes of Zac Efron (star of “High School Musical”) being in it, but I was quite surprised in his ability to act.  Honestly I had no real basis to have thought about Efron in such a light, except that he was a “Disney” star and is popular among the younger teen crowd. Guess I was wrong, since Efron actually does a pretty good job playing an adult role as a teenager.

All-in-all, I would actually highly recommend this movie to rent. It is actually worth the few dollars you spend. I might even go as far to say that it is worth purchasing. It would be suffice to say that if you do not have any high expectations and just want a feel-good drama-comedy, then with a bit of surprise you will find you actually enjoy watching this movie. In the end, you just may be thinking of your byg0ne days.

“Edohana Sushi” Restaurant Review… (Writing for PR & Promo)

Whenever the gods of Greek and Roman mythology spoke of “Ambrosia,” I have always personally believed that they were speaking of sushi and not fruit. Now I know that seems to stretch the idea of what it was and the fact that sushi is a Japanese dish rather than of Greek or Roman. Seriously, almost every culture throughout time has depictions of the people serving fish in a raw form, why would not something so wonderful have at least been part of it? I have to admit, I am a bit biased when it comes to sushi. I mean, I really love it. However, that also means I am quite particular and picky when it comes to choosing where I would indulge in such goodness for the mind, spirit, soul, body and taste buds. Eating sushi is not about filling yourself with raw fish. Eating sushi is an experience–some say a ritual–that involves all your senses. Serious sushi can only be eaten at the bar because that is the only place where you will see the colors, inhale the aromas, share the laughter, and taste the food fully immersed in the environment. Though sometimes, depending on how busy it is, you may have to sit at a table. In either case plan on a one and a half to two hour meal.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with sushi, allow me to provide you with a few simple terms of the Japanese lingo you will encounter. Sushi in America is generally used in a broad term to describe the type of food that it is, however in actuality sushi is vinegar rice aka sushirice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish, egg, or vegetables. Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as distinct from sushi. If you want to try and impress your friends when you out next time to show off your knowledge, in the spelling sushi its’ first letter “s” should sometimes be replaced with “z” when a prefix is attached to describe the type of sushi you will be ordering such as nigirizushi which means hand-formed sushi which is the more popular visual of what sushi is. Sushi served rolled inside or around nori (dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed or algae) is makizushi.

Many people have told me they do not like sushi and I learned that the place where they ate it was far less from ideal. It is sad to think that many people cannot enjoy sushi because of a bad first experience. The usual culprit for this is a combination of lack of tradition in the place where they ate and poorly prepared fish. All fish swim in the ocean, but not all fish are suitable for sushi because how the fish is handled, from the water to the sushi bar, greatly influences its quality.

Now imagine walking in, you greet the itamae (sushi chef) and even if you do not eat at the bar, greet him anyways. The waitress, typically, will bring you an oshibori (hot towel) as sit down at the bar. Wipe your hands with this towel before touching the food or otherwise. If for nothing else, it just feels good. You sit, looking into a long refrigerated case full of some of the most exotic types of fish meat you can imagine. You place your order: Hot agari (green tea, my preference more often than not), miso soup for starters, and a selection of some of the most freshly prepared sushi rolls, sashimi that you will ever have throughout the state of Texas. The place of choice? Edohana Sushi. A small restaurant located in a small strip at 2704 S Hulen Street in Fort Worth, Texas.

In the most traditional and beautifully prepared presentations of geometric shapes or fun animal depictions on occasion (for fun by the itamae when you become a regular), at Edohana the sushi is served on minimalist Japanese-style, geometric, wood or lacquer plates, in keeping with the aesthetic qualities of the cuisine. Typically, as a sushi enthusiast, it is difficult encouraging people to go to a chain restaurant for sushi because honestly a chain will not usually have very good sushi. However, while Edohana belongs to a chain throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, they actually set themselves FAR apart from the rest. While all of the other Edohana establishments are sushi and habachi, Edohana Sushi is just primarily sushi. The staff at Edohana Sushi, with what seem like permanent genuine smiles, are the most friendly and delightful people you will have the pleasure of meeting. They know why you are there and they want to make sure that your experience with them is best that it can be. If it is your first time to visit, let them know and they will take care of you. Become a regular and you will be greeted with firm handshakes, great conversation, and positive energy.

Where many sushi restaurants are overpriced, unpersonalized, and poor quality there stands but a few in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that I would highly recommend as one of the best and Edohana Sushi is one of them. Kampai (Cheers) and enjoy!

“Sonny’s Diner” Restaurant Review… (Writing for PR & Promo)

Sometimes you just crave a particular kind of food and while often I am known to almost always favor sushi, my taste-buds will occasionally desire other flavors. Yesterday was that day and along with my fiance and roommates we walked about a block and nestled in the upscale stretch of Camp Bowie Blvd. (just off of Interstate 30 in Fort Worth, Texas) near Le Madeline’s, Cafe Aspen, and other dining locations, is the shining beacon of low cost culinary perfection and simplicity known as Sonny’s Diner. Sonny’s is by far one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area and in my humble opinion could be the best that I have ever had.

Although Sonny’s Diner has only been around since 2006, it has been the dream and labor of love for both Sonny Vuong and the entire Vuong family for a long time and their popularity has grown above expectations over the last few years. Where the best of the Vuong’s family recipes are brought to the table they prove committed to present their visitors the best of Asian cuisine made with the finest ingredients, served with quality, and expeditious service. Whether visitors stop by for a quick lunch or a quality family dinner, Sonny’s Diner provides their customers with delicious meals and satisfying dinning experiences.

Adding a bit more perspective, the most expensive meal is only 12 dollars, a very affordable and far comparison to other restaurants in the area.  Most entrées range more between six to eight dollars and you are prepared a very hearty serving that, at least for myself, will you almost never finish and may have to take what is left-over back home. I ordered the Pho with shrimp.

Pronounced “fuh” in English, Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle dish composed of a thin white rice noodle in a clear beef broth, with options of adding thin cuts of beef, tendon, tripe, meatballs, or other ingredients, in addition to or for the more Vegetarian inclined, such as broccoli, green onions, white onions, cilantro, basil leaves, lemon or lime, bean sprouts, or chilies. Word of warning, some of the dishes can be considered “spicy,” so pay attention to what you are ordering, but if you are like me and love that kind of food, then your options are vast in choosing. The ingredients of every dish are fresh, low in fat, and cooked to perfection. In addition to the dish, for my beverage I ordered the Piña Colada smoothie, which is very delightful, tasteful, and a perfect cool-down for the Texas heat. Although, you have many choices of other smoothies, alcoholic beverages, and a tea beverage of recent East Asian origin that derives its name from the fact that it is shaken before serving and produces a frothy, or bubbly texture known as Boba tea. Also referred to as “Bubble” tea, it generally contains chewy tapioca balls (boba), or “pearls,” and the beverage is consumed with the use of a wide straw.

If you are in the mood to try something new or love the fine-dining of Asian cuisine, then I highly recommend Sonny’s Diner where your meals are offered up in a setting that screams out harmony and inner peace. Perhaps ’scream’ is the wrong word when describing harmony and peace, but the place is spotlessly clean, service is subtle and prompt, and the food is fresh and delicious.