There are few sensations as entertaining as waking up in dimly lit strange room in an unknown bed and trying to mentally calculate where you are.
After taking in all the available clues, including a stack of papers and a half eaten roll left on a nightstand, the left side of my brain had some answers.
“Oh, yeah,” it said confidently. “I’m in Southwest Oklahoma.”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” the right half of my brain interrupted. “What are we doing in Oklahoma.”
The second pause lasted longer than the original (largely because the bread was considerably less helpful). Finally, a conclusion was shared.
“I’m not quite sure…”
A week later, I’m still processing part of my trip to Lawton, Oklahoma.
Let me rewind a bit to put down some context.
I’ve been spamming my journalism resume to a lot of places. I do my best to be knowledgeable of places I’m applying to (so I’ll be potentially better prepared to answer and ask specific questions), though some things remain unknown until you hit the ground.
As my family was coming together for Thanksgiving, I was fielding phone calls from The Lawton Constitution to first talk and then send samples and finally visit in regards to a possible copyediting position. While I wasn’t keen on cutting time short with my family, I knew it was a good opportunity to aim for (and also get some basic experience interviewing). Also, as some might remember from posts, I felt sick as a dog and not completely up to my usual physical and mental levels.
Still, with a lot of help and prayer and a bag of baked good (biscuits and cookies left over from Thanksgiving), my dad and I set out Friday morning for Oklahoma.
I didn’t eat a lot over the trip, probably thanks to nerves as much as paranoia about losing my lunch during a brief meet and greet with the publisher (a noteworthy impact, no doubt, but not one I’d like to make). Breaded goods was about all I was comfortable munching. That meant I didn’t have to share much while we were on the road.
As always, my father drove. The left me the time and luxury to nap a little, review a job hunting guide, randomly look up entries in “The Associated Press Stylebook,” and try to remember what I’ve been doing with my life over the last six or so years (and be stories I wouldn’t be embarrassed to tell, unlike the freshmen milk drinking contest or monkeying around in a gorilla suit for a children’s crusade skit).
We made good time to Lawton and checked into the Ramada Hotel room (which the paper had pledged to pay for) on schedule. I quickly donned my killer light blue three-piece suit (which may have fit me slightly better if I’d been eating regularly over the previous few days, but nonetheless, looked sharp) and followed the directions to the paper.
I was very impressed with the people and setup at the Lawton Constitution. It’s a family-owned paper that is nearing its centennial anniversary; you certainly don’t see as many of those these days. The copy desk was filled with kind people who were good at what they did and quick to share their senses of humor.
I got the regular tour, during which I resisted the strong urge to fiddle with the controls while the press was running (it was the right decision to make, but more difficult than I’d care to admit). I also went through the standard run of copyediting tests (plot the grammar mangling, point out the hole in the story, delete the sexist phrasing). I think I did well except for the portion that asked me the names of various governmental officials from Oklahoma (which is easy to shrug off before you realize these are names you’d see on a regular basis and need to know backwards and forwards). I completely blanked out (despite the fact I’d gone over some of that information looking at the setup of the city government – a city council/city manager model – prior to my departure).
In addition to seeing how the copy desk worked, I was treated to a nice meal at Cracker Barrel (though most of it never left my plate) and an educational drive-around tour of the city the next day.
I have never seen so many prairie dogs in my life (of course, my previous experience was limited to half a dozen that I’ve seen in zoos). Around Lawton, there were multiple prairie dog towns, many with populations in the thousands. Those who get the willies around a small pack of squirrels would definitely be freaked by the huge number of heads poking out of the little dirt mounds.
Later, on the way home, my dad and I dropped by the local wildlife preserve and got to see more prairie dogs in addition to free-running longhorn cattle and buffalo (or bison if you prefer). While Oklahoma is often associated with the flatness of many plains states, being located on the edge of the Wichita Mountains, there were some noteworthy hills that provided some killer vistas. Also, it was the first place I’ve ever seen a serious wind farm setup; I counted over 50 sets of spinning pylons.
Anyway, the trip went well, the major stomach cramps didn’t hit me until Kansas, and such concerns concentrated my focus and kept me from playing the “what if” game too much on the drive back to Missouri.
Since then, I sent some follow up comments, mailed a thank you letter and the bill for the hotel (separately) and haven’t heard anything from Oklahoma.
I blame it on my nails.
Just before I headed out the door Friday morning, I trimmed my nails. This is the first time they’d been of a uniform length since March, when I simply made the decision to stop chewing my nails. They’d gotten quite long in the meantime, only getting shorter when they snagged and tore on something. My parents, among others, told me they appeared almost menacing. I countered they displayed my individuality (and also made it easier to untie knots).
Recognizing that even the littlest details can make a difference, I borrowed a nail clipper and whittled them down to respectable length (all except my left pinky, which was the first nail I attacked and I cut it all the way to the cuticle).
As I was doing so, I told myself I’d blame the job hunt’s results on the trimmed nails. If I was offered the position, it was because of the shortened nails. If not, it was because I wasn’t totally myself with my shortened nails.
I don’t know what will happen next, job-wise. Oklahoma may still call. One of the other papers I’m petitioning may work out. I’m also told there may be a spot opening in Pennsylvania that I might want to look into, should I still be searching in January.
All in all, I’m thankful for the chance to get out on the road, get reacquainted with an active newsroom, and watch a herd of buffalo graze. I send many thanks to you, Lawton, Oklahoma.
I hope I’m able to eat the next time I visit.
said...
You'll find that the longer it takes to land a good job, the better, because it's the journey there that will give you the experience and time you need to make an informed choice. I mean if you just got the first job you applied for, not only would you fail to see what else is on offer, but you might tire of it easily and become rather blase. As for the nails, I see your point. I felt somewhat more "me" with elongated nails, but I have to keep them short when I'm playing piano. It's probably best for typing as well. Have you thought of growing your hair? I've felt a lot more powerful since my hair went below my waist. Just a thought.... Anyway, good luck job hunting and enjoy the freedom of unemployment while you can!
said...
Wow Caleb, sounds like more adventure (or at least reason for stomach discomfort) than most of us would care for! Hopefully it all works out for the best. I'm kind of interested in publishing (though not so much newspapers, but I'm open), so I'm definitely taking notes. Just another reminder that the real world is just around the corner. Oy.
Do you ever feel like you're betraying Fye when you work with AP? I've been getting quite familiar with AP after working with the yearbook this semester, but sometimes I feel like the Spirit of Fye and the MLA gods are shaking their heads at me... Nonetheless, I'll continue doing whatever brings in the money. Plus 1 for AP.
Caleb Michael said...
Two responses:
First, while I somewhat regret trimming my nails, I believe it was the right decision (though I don’t remember it ever slowing down my typing). As for growing my hair, I don’t especially look good in longer hair. I typically come off as “shaggy,” “disheveled,” and “even more frightening to children than normal.” That being said, I’ve been letting it grow for about two months. We’ll see I hit a barber soon or not.
Second, there are times when I feel bad about letting certain style skills slip and there are times when I still feel like mutilating a copy of Strunk and White’s “Elements of Style” just for all the trouble they caused me back in high school (notice how I used the AP’s composition title quotation marks around the title rather than the underlined MLA approach). Still, I do my best to incorporate lessons from both tomes (and I treasure a first edition copy of “The Elements of Style” that I purchased for $1 at a gas station that was converted into a antiques place – and in later years, a porn shop, though we’d stopped going to that place prior to the final overhaul).
General publishing is slightly different creature than newspaper copyediting, though general guidelines are the same. Good luck with the internship game. It’s a hassle, but a definite bonus to have on your resume.
Hannah said...
Mostly pointless, especially when compared to the rest of the material: Judd (as in "Pore Judd is Daid" has too Ds. It's for reasons like this that I should be a stage manager and not a director.
Caleb Michael said...
Thanks for the catch, Sis.
It has since been corrected.