Adult in Training

At age 21 I don't really consider myself an adult quite yet. I prefer to call myself an adult in training.
And I definitely have a lot of learning to do.
Here's a few things I have learned:
* When checking the mailbox expect mostly ads and bills.
* I need to spend a little more time cutting coupons and looking for sales.
* Making a meal to leave enough for leftovers should be cut in half unless I want to be eating that same meal for a week or more (I unfortunately learned that the hard way)
* The dry erase board I bought serves the purpose of keeping me organized and not to draw unnecessary pictures and smiley faces.
* A couch is not a necessity but an apartment feels empty without it.
* Running a few times a week actually helps keep me sane.

One big realization I came to while in this middle phase is having a kitten is sort of like practicing for having a child one day.
Sonny is 12 weeks old, full of energy, adorable and chewing on my headphone cord currently as I type. Just as a mother has to baby proof a house, I, too, have had to kitten proof my apartment.

* All shoes with shoe laces must never be left by the door.
* My DVD player was stored in the shelf in my closet when not in use to prevent potentially hazardous electrocution by chewing on the cords.
* 3 a.m. means nothing to Sonny, especially when he wants to play.
* And sometimes I hope if I turn the TV on he will be mesmerized and finally be still for once.



I may have a full time job, my own apartment and a car payment but I still like to make cookies just for the fun of it, color pictures and hang them on my wall and keep a cow shaped cookie jar on my counter.
And I will admit it... I watch the Disney channel. Yup.

Adulthood isn't in full blossom. And maybe it never will be, but for now I don't mind pretending.

My Next Move

I am 21 years old. I just purchased my first dependable car, which was the biggest purchase so far of my life (not counting college). I have a new job, apartment and if I'm being honest, new bills. The good news: I am a college graduate. The bad news: I start paying back my student loan in just a few short months. But I'm looking forward at all I can do now without the weight of classes and more books that humanly necessary.

Well I guess I'm an adult now. My amazing internship at the Jackson Citizen Patriot ended with an offer to be a staff writer for The Flint Journal. That came with a few benefits — the opportunity to come back to my hometown and spend time with the people I love, return back to a newspaper that offered me my first internship and the security of a job shortly after graduating from Central Michigan University. I feel lucky for that last fact. I am probably among the few that have found permanent employment.
Things seem to be going in the right direction. I see journalism also going in new directions. My friend Lindsay Knake was just recently hired by the Saginaw News. The News looks at journalism as a mobile and transparent industry. The reporters can go anywhere and report.(She talks about it a little bit in her blog) Isn't that how it is supposed to be? They all have laptops and cell phones, so in retrospective their desks and work area are everywhere they are. It shows the readers and society that journalism is not a dying art form but one that can move forward with society.

I currently cover the Flushing area. One of the biggest things I want to accomplish while covering my beat is to find amazing people and be able to share their story. I can honestly say that is why I went into journalism. I know along the way I will run into some crazy, difficult and just plain rude people. And I will do my best to smile and nod and do my job with professionalism. Although I have only been with the Journal for two weeks I hope I can quickly push past the learning curve of remembering the multiple steps needed to be successful. I hope to prove myself as a useful part of the team.

My advice to readers of today's newspapers. Don't count them out yet. What's going on in the background is worth the time to see what they can do. As society evolves so does the media. So hey, go out and buy a newspaper. If there were no newspapers, would your world really be better?

Check out what I've been working on so far at The Flint Journal.