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My summer time in Ohio was finally winding down, and I only had one more week left before I was leaving to spend the rest of my days before school in Georgia. I continued to do my Meals-on-Wheels route on Monday, and this time it was a little difficult for me because I had a lot of new houses to deliver to on my list. I was driving all up and down random streets trying to get these people their meals, so needless to say it took me a while but I got it done....eventually!
Here's the Weekday Delivery Report, which lists each person's address I am to deliver to as well as their Meal preferences
This is one of the people on my route who used to be an Ohio State english professor and gave some sage advice
I got with my friends for last time in Ohio, and we tried out a new spot called Ichiban Steakhouse, and it was really nice. It's on the eastside of town right by Eastland Mall. I haven't been out there in a while and it's always neat how you can basically get to any side of town or any of the malls in about 15 minutes from campus. My friends and I reflected on where we'll be this time next year. It's like everything's going to change dramatically when school's over, and I'll be pushed off a cliff and expected to fly off to the real world on my own. We discussed grad school options and potential places to work since we're all in Communications. It just doesn't seem like within a year, I'm going to have to be in a totally new stage in my life.
My friends Cortney and Angelisha at the great Ichiban Steakhouse for our last summer get-together!
Working for the TV station can have its perks, especially when I got to spend a day with the teen singing sensation, The Jonas Brothers as they came to Columbus on their "Burnin Up Tour" for their new hit album "A Little Bit Longer." NBC4 just sent me and a photographer out and we were the only news crew there besides the Columbus Dispatch and Mansfield Journal. We first met up with the Brothers at their Hotel Downtown and rode along with them as they toured the city. They wanted to see the Net Jets Operations facility so we went there, and then to Dick's Sporting Goods store because they wanted to go get some items.
NBC4 photographer, Ryan Bradford and myself conducting an interview
We ate lunch and dinner with them and their fleet (since they travel with over 13 buses of people and their entire family). I got to interview them a couple times that day, and overall they were real nice and laidback boys. Short of course like most celebrities, but still very warm and friendly. Maybe because their family is with them every step of the way. Their father was a pastor and what makes the Jonas Brothers stand out from modern day pop groups is their sense of strong values. They each wear these purity rings as a promise to God that they will remain pure and not drink or do drugs or have sex before marriage. It was refreshing to see a decent family act since there hasn't been one like that since Hanson with their "Mmm...bop" song. And I admire how all 3 of them play intrsuments and look like they work well together. When I asked them how is it working with your family all day everyday? They said they really enjoy it because they don't have to fill in their relatives on any exciting details because they're already there with them and that each of them know when they need their space.
We also went on their tour bus, which just so happens to be a recording studio as well so while they're on the road, instead of watching countless DVDs and singing "99 Bottles of beer the wall" they write and record songs. There's a drumset, keyboard, and guitars on the bus along with all the recording equipment so they practically have their 4th album finished! The night concluded with the boys amazing concert performance. Since the boys ages are 14, 19 and 20, there was a bunch of little girls screaming at the top of their lungs and crying. They were so loud that everyone backstage was given a pair of earplugs before the show. Although I wasn't too familiar with the group at all before tonight, I think they're pretty talented. And even though I had practically given up 12 hours of my Saturday to be with the Jonas Brothers, it was well worth it.
Here's me behind the stage with my all-access backstage pass
The boys rise from the pit for their opening song
The trio hypes up the crowd singing their hit song "Burnin' Up"
The youngest brother, Nick Jonas singing and playing his guitar
A packed house filled with screaming little girls at the Nationwide Arena
The Jonas Brothers: Joe, Nick, Kevin and myself on their tour bus
A closer look at the boy's recording studio tour bus
I haven't set foot on campus, besides turning in a little paperwork in to the Communication school for my internship. So I had to get better acquainted when I gave a campus tour to one of my friends who just transferred to Ohio State. It was still pretty much a ghost town like it was last summer when I took classes but today was a little different since the campus was becoming flooded with supreme Buckeye fans who were going to the Open-Football practice. We decided to go to see what all the hype was about, right after we ate at Charley's (www.charleys.com) on High Street, which rendered me one of the best philly cheesesteak sandwiches and lemonade of my life. But it's truly amazing to witness the diehard dedication OSU fans show. I couldn't believe how many people showed up to a simple scrimmage.
I ended up having to appear back on campus a couple more times to complete the necessary training at the Ohio Union for all student organization leaders (http://ohiounion.osu.edu/studentorgs/orgs.asp). This would be my last time having to do this so I decided to get it over with before school starts and do the training as the Treasurer for the National Association of Black Journalists and as the President for Renewed Vessels Bible Study. When all the officers complete their training before October 15, the group is considered registered for the year and can receive money and supplies from the University.
This week at NBC4, there was a big buzz around the station about how the news industry was going to change dramatically within the next year, causing reporters to become "one-man bands" where they would have to shoot their own footage, write their stories, and then edit it all in a day. So of course the reporters were outraged since many of them did that type of work when they first started out, and the photographers disliked the idea because now instead of being behind the scenes, they would have to be on camera as well. So basically, there would be a bunch of cutbacks and everybody in the field would be doing the same job, in order to compete with the 24-hour news channels. So this was kind of discouraging to hear. Many of the people at NBC4 said they would be leaving the station if this system took effect, but that it would also be a good opportunity for someone starting out like myself.
My trip to Las Vegas was so much fun, and even though this was my 3rd time out there, it's always something new to see. We went to so many shows from Wayne Newton, Wayne Brady and the Jersey Boys and truly shopped til we dropped since it was over 115 degrees outside. And despite people saying the economy is bad and tourism is down, the Vegas Strip was packed daily, and as crowded as walking in New York City.
I actually relocated when I got back in town since I think it was about that time to give my sister's place a break, and she said she pretty much had it with all my stuff taking up her space so I moved in to one of my mom's old friend's house since she has 4 bedrooms and stays closer to the news station. It did take me a while to move all my clothes, but I think this was the best choice to keep a happy family because you don't want to wear out your welcome! ;-)
At the NBC4 station, one of the tech-guys showed me how to record voice-overs in the booth. He set up a folder for me just like all the reporters have so now I was able to add my voice tracks to stories I had worked on. So it defitnitely helps to get to know all the people at the station since you never know who could help you out.
This is one of the voice-overs recording booths where reporters open the file for their story and voice the info of their news report to go along with the camera footage.
It was nice to have the Olympics shown on the NBC station so I got first-hand all the stats and event times. But since the Olympics were shown a little throughout the day and late at night, the News shows either got cancelled or pushed back to a later time.
I went back to the Ohio State Fair, but this time not for my NBC internship, but just for fun. I saw a number of OSU students there, rode a couple of rides, ate some Dippin' Dots ice cream, and everything was cool until it rained at the end!
 
The Gravitron ride which truly defied gravity and spun you around until you felt like you came from another planet!
 
Two more exciting rides: The Fire Ball and the Crazy Mouse Coaster
 
Me and my fair friend Jeanette and Godbrother Chris inbetween rides
 
A very little man who picked up a heavy bucket with a hook in his tongue...ouch!
A lot always seems to happen before I head on a flight. On Saturday, I just planned to go to the station for a laid-back day since I was leaving early to fly to Las Vegas that night for my mom's birthday. But of course there's never a dull day with the news. When I get to NBC4, all the desks are rearranged and everything looks misplaced because new carpet was being put in, and right when I find a chair, I had to keep going to the door at the front desk because OSU Football players kept coming to the station, thinking that's where they were doing interviews when they actually needed to be at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
In the afternoon, I go on a story with reporter, Paul Stelzer to talk about child safety at the Ohio State Fair. So we're at the fair for hours, getting b-roll of children in strollers and talking to parents and the sheriff in the blazing heat. The photographer suggested that I do a stand-up there to have on my tape, and that was fine, except I really didn't know what I would say on camera. I knew that the focus of the story was the "Lost kids station" where anyone could go to locate their child, but I still couldn't think of the best way to present the information. So Paul helped me out tremendously and gave me lines that I could use to give a quick 10-sec explanation on what lost children should do.
Yet there's so many things to think of when talking on camera:
-Is what I'm saying accurate and audible?
-Am I looking right into the camera?
-Are my gestures and body language consistent?
-Is my hair in place and outfit in order?
So all this is going through my head as I'm walking down steps, reciting my stand-up lines, and trying to block out all the people walking by and watching me. As easy as it is to walk down a staircase, it's one of the hardest things to do live on-camera because you're trying to think about what you're saying, focus on the camera, and you could easily miss a step and fall over! But I didn't trip or anything, it just took me a a while at least 5 times to get the whole stand-up together.
And while I'm doing this, I'm also keeping track of the time since I have a flight to catch at 8:45pm. But we finished up at the fair around 5:30 giving me enough time to get my bags, eat and head to the airport. So I arrive in Nevada at 9:50pm (since the flight is 4 hours and they're 3 hours behind us) and meet up with my family for another mini-vacation. :-)
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