Impossible is Impossible

This blog is my way of reflecting upon life. Life is about living and learning. As I live and learn I’m going to reflect upon this life I lead. Hopefully I'll offer something insightful with my postings. If you learn nothing else from me, know this that “impossible is impossible”.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Change

Change.

If there's one word I'd use to sum up the blur which was 2008, I'd use change. No, not just because of what unfolded in this country politically. While change has undoubtedly come to this country, it has also come in my life.

Change has impacted me because I'm unlike I was this time yesterday, this time six months ago, this time a year ago. In many ways I have gone from being a young, innocent, and naive person to being an older, slightly less innocent, and more aware person.

I don't know what 2009 holds. I just hope most of it is good. I didn't saw all, because we don't become who we are really meant to be without encountering some challenges along the way.

Adversity is painful while you're going through it, but poignant once your story unfolds.

May you all be safe and happy as you say goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009.

Here's at least two words I hope I'll use to sum up my 2009 prosperous, and content.

Best,
C. Nel

Monday, December 29, 2008

Happy Monday

Happy Monday all. I can say that now that Monday's nearly over. :-)

Today was an okay day. It wasn't a great day, but it wasn't a particularly bad day either.

I got up reluctantly around 7:45 this morning to shower and get dressed for work. Thankfully last week I started eating breakfast at work, which means I can drive straight there, that's unless I have to pick up lunch. Before then I would eat breakfast sporadically. Now every morning I have oatmeal and coffee or oatmeal and tea. I will likely start spicing it up soon. I've decided to get easy recipes that I can make so that I have no excuse to miss meals. (Suggestions are welcome especially for lunch and dinner. Do me a favor though, keep them simple.)

One of my New Me resolutions yes, I've decided not to connect my resolutions solely to New Years is to get myself in better shape. That includes finding ways to exercise, even if I can't make it to a gym. I also plan to learn to cook, some things. This is something my mother will love, as I use every excuse under the sun not to even try.

My day today involved work from 9am to 5pm. For the last couple of weeks I've been on the assignment desk. Assignment editors and managers help the producers and news managers decide what we'll cover for the day, we also assign crews, schedule interviews and shoots, keep abreast of updates and developments and stories, and make sure everything is cared for logistically. When I first got to my station I couldn't stand the assignment desk. I hated working with ungrateful producers and rude reporters. I've learned to handle it and it's growing on me, a bit. I've even been allowed to fill in shifts as an assignment editor on a couple of weekends.

Also at work I've written for every show except the morning and noon shows. I've written for our 4p.m., 5p.m., 6p.m., and 11p.m. newscasts. Also last week I produced a slideshow which was distributed to all the other network owned affiliate stations, that was hot.

After work I came home ate dinner, was on my 2nd conference call today, watched the Georgetown vs. UConn men's basketball game, and was texting one of my friends.

Before I head to bed at around 11 tonight I plan to do a little reading.

Hopefully the rest of the week is great. I'm off on Thursday and get my normal weekend this Saturday and Sunday off.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

P.S. Tech update: I got a new battery and charger for my comp. Now I have to suck it up and get my phone repaired (probably not likely) or get a new phone (costly and likely). Also my digital camera which I haven't used since late July still works. I found random pics of Times Square from my random day and a half in NYC.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

When Things Fall Apart

Sometime between my trip back to New Orleans and last Wednesday, my Blackberry trackball broke. I somehow disabled the ringer. I also managed to break the speakerphone.

Now the laptop stop working.

All my gizmos and gadgets are falling apart :-(.

Through the magic of e-mail, I'll try to continue blogging :-).


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Sunday, December 21, 2008

I've Got To Do Better

I know, I know.

I've got to do better.

I must do better at everything including making time to blog.

I've noticed that since college I've been a bit frazzled and confused about things, particularly life.

Haha. I'm not even joking. Life in its entirety has managed to confound me.

I feel like seven months ago I knew so much more about what I wanted from in terms of life: be it career, a relationship, friendships, etc.

Admittedly, I've picked up a few bad habits which I need to put aside. I'll just say I waited until after finishing school to begin acting a bit stupid.

Back to the topic at hand.

I just need to set aside time for me to escape from family, friends, the job, just to do me. Just to seriously reflect and spend time with me.

I don't think I'll wait until the new year to turn the page, and begin anew. I don't think I have to wait that long. Waiting until the new year for me, seems too gimmicky. I'm a grown man who should be able to do what I need to do, so I will.

And I can promise I'll try to get back to updating this space more regularly.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Back in Baltimore

So I'm back in Baltimore after a week in New Orleans.

Can I just say that I love New Orleans, it's such an amazing place!

The history.

The people.

The sense of community.

The resiliency.

New Orleans was a great conference city and an appropriate location for our diversity conference.

In my mind's eye New Orleans represented a place where one is able to see America's interesting history and its blended cultures up close and personal, a place with southern charm and slightly northern sensibilities (it reminds me in ways of Baltimore) , yet it's a place where America's problems have existed and therefore a place where we can see that must still have its moment of reckoning with New Orleans.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

The Kids

On Tuesday while here in NOLA I had the chance to along with a group of other conference organizers participate in a day long service project.

The project took us to a local charter school where we were able to visit different classrooms, assist classroom teachers, and interact with the kids.

I and three other conference attendees visited a 2nd grade class.

It was an interesting experience because I hadn't worked so closely with little kids in about a year. The experience of being at the school also reminded me of my own elementary school experience back in Baltimore. From the pledge of allegiance (which I embarrassingly forgot a word too: yeah I forgot all about indivisible), to learning how to map coordinates on a grid, to learning about animals it was all so great. Yes, the kids made me tired but there was an innocence to them, and their personalities were most definitely infectious.

Can I just say that already I miss the kids?



Ms. Jada, she was super friendly, and quite bright. The smallest thing walking around her 2nd grade class but so friendly.






Mason was a great kid. He was a handful but when talking to him I learned that he was very smart. His teacher said the same thing, but he's the type of kid that though he gives you a headache he'll also make you smile. Oh and his accent. Mason also along with one of my college aged friends, and myself won the round robin spelling bee that the teacher did before lunch.



Oh Mason made sure I took a picture of his haircut.



Mason in the blue shirt with Curry in the white shirt. Mason constantly corrected my pronunciation of Curry's name. I pronounced it Ka-rey, he said Cuh-rey with a thick New Orleanian accent.




Greetings from NOLA

A picture from my walk along the Mississippi.
Hi all.
So as I write this I am currently in New Orleans, Louisiana for a student diversity leadership conference. I'm a faculty member for the third year in the row. It's as exciting this time as it was in each of the years prior. I was especially glad that on Tuesday we got a chance to do a half day service project here in NOLA. Our work at a local charter school gave me much to contemplate including my contributions to society.
Back to the conference this is my third year on the faculty. I'm looking forward to working with my co-facilitator to lead a group of 50-60 students through an intense 2.5 days of diversity work. My partner, a senior at Brown University in Providence, is extremely cool. I'm sure we'll work well together.
New Orleans of course is great. This city is so full of history. I was here a month and a half back and got to explore a bit then from Bourbon Street, to the French Quarter, to parts of the lower ninth ward (where I saw the houses Brad and Angelina are building with their Make It Right Foundation), the Garden District, and a local cemetery. This time I've had a little less time to travel but have enjoyed it very much. Sometimes it's all about the food (had chargrilled oysters at Acme Oyster House, a shrimp po boy at another restaurant, and beignets and hot chocolate from Cafe Du Monde; and then there's the fellowship (some members of the conference faculty I didn't imagine I'd connect with but I have are phenomenal folks).
Hopefully I'll get a chance to update you all again on my conference experience before my week here is over..

Talk to you soon.
-C. Nel