Out of the Ordinary Day

I went into work today wearing cargo shorts, a T-shirt and a pair of New Balances, ready to report -- right?

Wrong.

Usually I wear something like a collared shirt and dress slacks, but today was different. This week I was working the business section. My assignment today was to shadow Laura, who reports on the tourism industry. She does a blog when traveling to new tourists spots in the area.

Today we were supposed to go to a new hiking trail dedication. Unfortunately, the email she said she sent me never came.

So there I was, in the office in cargo shorts, looking unprofessional, wondering where she was. I finally got in touch with her. It was 10:45 a.m. We were supposed to meet up 15 minutes before that. I Mapquested her directions, hit the road, and, of course, got lost. Twice. By the time I got to the trail, the tour was over.

But we hung around as she attempted to find wireless service in the wilderness. Afterwards we took our own tour along the trail. Needless to say, it was hot as the dickens. (Sorry I have to censor myself. lol.) This is the type of journalism I want to do.

On a side note: It was funny to see everyone’s face as I walked in today. There were squinted stares and sly comments. Many didn’t know I was going out to the trail today so they though I was, well... getting a little too comfortable. Even my executive editor was acting kind of funny. Which is weird, because there are plenty of reporters who come in everyday in jeans and tee shirts or shorts and tee shirts. It just reaffirmed that -- HEY, I am an intern, and I am expected to maintain certain decorum. One of those: “I haven’t made it yet” moments.

A senior writer actually came up to me and said, ‘If I didn’t know where you went today, I would of thought you were losing your mind. Soon you’d be reclining with your feet on the desk saying, ‘I don’t feel like doing that story today.'" It was funny. But not really, because it made me realize how under-the-microscope we are in the newsroom. Back to the slacks and dress shirts tomorrow.