It's the only office in the Activity Center where the door is never locked. The man likes it that way. It's the most humming place in the AC and if you stop he'll look up from the everlastingly full towel tub and smile so the wrinkles press up his eyes. He might even remember your name because he's pretty sharp.
Every PE student can recognize him. Drab clothes hang on his skinny frame, the jean shirt with the stains washed into it and the LBCC yellow and blue billed cap are as perpetual as his smile. Under his cap he's almost bald. But it matches his bony brown, old face. He squeaks when he walks. Perhaps it is the remains of his attack of paralysis; but he has to wear plastic ankle braces. Still, when you've lost your necklace in the locker room that walk sounds like music. He knows where everything is.
This man knows how to fix things. He doesn't wear a Superman costume but he and his coworkers are the ones who rescue the AC when it starts crumbling at the corners.
Teachers come to him for supplies and he shuffles things out cheerfully talking all the while. He likes to talk, when someone has the time to stop. That office directly on the hall is one wheel hub for the whole AC. And the man rotates around all the rest: cleaning, organizing mending and fixing and mending again. Then while he sweeps he daydreams.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Kindly Towel-Shepherd---first information
Subject: Profile of Tom Bohmuker, The Athletic Equipment Coordinator
Nut Graf: The Activity Center, and with it your favorite PE class, relies for smooth operation on this man and his co-workers.
Sources:
Tom Bohmuker
His two co-workers
Relative (if I can)
Student?
The man who hired him
Questions:
For Tom--
What exactly is your job? When did you get it?
When did you get this job? Why?
What have you worked at before? What did you like?
What's something that makes you happy? Why?
Is there anything we'd be surprised to know about you?
What's your most painful experience?
What do you think about as you work here?
What are you passionate about outside of work?
For a relative--
How does this person interact with people around them?
What do you think is his strongest character trait?
What's something funny about him that no one would guess?
What is you favorite memory with him?
What other kind of job do you think he'd be great at?
Why do you think he's the way he is? What shaped him?
For a co-worker--
What's he like as a boss?
When is he happiest?
What's the most colorful thing about him?
How does he encourage you?
What do you admire about him? Or wish to change?
Nut Graf: The Activity Center, and with it your favorite PE class, relies for smooth operation on this man and his co-workers.
Sources:
Tom Bohmuker
His two co-workers
Relative (if I can)
Student?
The man who hired him
Questions:
For Tom--
What exactly is your job? When did you get it?
When did you get this job? Why?
What have you worked at before? What did you like?
What's something that makes you happy? Why?
Is there anything we'd be surprised to know about you?
What's your most painful experience?
What do you think about as you work here?
What are you passionate about outside of work?
For a relative--
How does this person interact with people around them?
What do you think is his strongest character trait?
What's something funny about him that no one would guess?
What is you favorite memory with him?
What other kind of job do you think he'd be great at?
Why do you think he's the way he is? What shaped him?
For a co-worker--
What's he like as a boss?
When is he happiest?
What's the most colorful thing about him?
How does he encourage you?
What do you admire about him? Or wish to change?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Three things I learned from Stephen King
This is a question: Which is right, A or B?
A. The man was held by the cottage while he rusticated extensively.
B. The man stayed at the cottage for a long time.
You're correct. Of course it's B! But how did you know something like that? How were you sure?
Stephen King says that sometimes you just know. When you have the skill you can be sure.
I used to worry about my small vocabulary. Granted it was bigger than some people's but it just didn't seem big enough to be a writer. That's wrong, said King. It isn't what you have, it's how you use it. When an experienced writer needs a word they know what word to put in there. With the small available space in feature writing, this sureness is important.
You can say it's that way with adverbs too. Beginning writers often use the adverb as a way to make certain everybody knows exactly the way Jill sniffed the flowers. An experienced writer, King said, can use the context and character development of Jill to show that she's not the sort to sniff eagerly or rapturously. When they write knowingly about everything else they can cut excess words. Always cut excess words. Your readers will praise you...rapturously! (For instance this paragraph is too long.)
The third thing I learned from King seemed especially important for feature writing: the passive voice. The man stayed, not the man was held! The journalist needs power. Passive writing is the death of power. And no, that statement is not scientifically tested.
I just know it's true.
A. The man was held by the cottage while he rusticated extensively.
B. The man stayed at the cottage for a long time.
You're correct. Of course it's B! But how did you know something like that? How were you sure?
Stephen King says that sometimes you just know. When you have the skill you can be sure.
I used to worry about my small vocabulary. Granted it was bigger than some people's but it just didn't seem big enough to be a writer. That's wrong, said King. It isn't what you have, it's how you use it. When an experienced writer needs a word they know what word to put in there. With the small available space in feature writing, this sureness is important.
You can say it's that way with adverbs too. Beginning writers often use the adverb as a way to make certain everybody knows exactly the way Jill sniffed the flowers. An experienced writer, King said, can use the context and character development of Jill to show that she's not the sort to sniff eagerly or rapturously. When they write knowingly about everything else they can cut excess words. Always cut excess words. Your readers will praise you...rapturously! (For instance this paragraph is too long.)
The third thing I learned from King seemed especially important for feature writing: the passive voice. The man stayed, not the man was held! The journalist needs power. Passive writing is the death of power. And no, that statement is not scientifically tested.
I just know it's true.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Love Love Teriyaki: for when you've had enough of ketchup
You have to get beyond McDonald's sometime. Ready to take the grownup way past the golden arches? Love Love Teriyaki is five or six steps up.
Actually it's delicious. The little Japanese restaurant situated conveniently by the parking lot at Heritage Mall is for your hidden urbane taste...and a slim pocket book.
Customer Amber Shinn who has gone to this restaurant since it opened, calls it, "Quick, healthy with a clean atmosphere."
It serves real food for people that don't want to be sustained on chemicals anymore. Though surprisingly small at little over 10 tables Love Love Teriyaki serves up to 150 people a day. And most of them aren't first- timers. Here's why they keep coming back. Wonderful service, wonderful surroundings, great prices...and the food!
With nothing on the menu above $9 this restaurant is affordable even after a day of shopping.
Some customers call the appetizer sampler one of the best deals on the menu. Arranged diagonally on an elegant white plate between two saucers of dip, the differently curled, delicately fried treats are sweet to the eyes.
Try the Cream Cheese and Crab won tons. When you bite through the pastry into a warm creamy center you'll never want another McDonald's hamburger. I promise.
The restaurant advertises the Love salad on the windows for a reason. It's made with freshly cut lettuce tossed with perfectly smoked terayiki chicken and drenched in a luscious dressing. The dressing was just made in the kitchen three feet from the tables. The crunch of the fresh ground spices are almost still there.
Or as a mere twist on the love salad buy a big Teriyaki Chicken bowl. Cabbage, lettuce, and that namesake teriyaki are tossed with newly cooked brown rice and soaked in a smack-your-lips dressing.
The miso soup will do as something warm to finish off. Most soup from Japanese restaurants taste canned. Love Love Terayiki's is almost alive.
Now notice this, fresh lettuce, fresh dressing even fresh brown rice. Where else can you buy brown rice?
The waiters are proud to say customer satisfaction is very high. But reviews on userinstincts.com say Love Love Teriyaki has "good food, poor customer relations." Still those are the people that don't come back. On the average regular customers seem satisfied with the restaurant's quality.
And I'll tell you a secret. Waiters will change the chicken on your love salad for a bowl of brown rice...that is if you ask nicely. And you couldn't believe how good it tastes!
The surroundings match the food. A gray, white and black scheme with bamboo floor and long windows have an austere beauty that is very Japanese. Because the restaurant is so small the customers have learned to take care of each other and speak quietly. And instead of the rock and roll that goes down with hamburgers and shakes your nerves for hours afterward the music, 107.1 K Love, fits the serenity (and the name) of Love Love Teriyaki.
Because like I told you, this is really a step or two beyond McDonald's.
Love Love Teriyaki
Address: by Heritage Mall---2195 14th Ave. SE #102/ Albany
Phone: (541) 926-4142
Rating: Average good (by userinstinct)
Founded: 2008
Manager: Min Young
Actually it's delicious. The little Japanese restaurant situated conveniently by the parking lot at Heritage Mall is for your hidden urbane taste...and a slim pocket book.
Customer Amber Shinn who has gone to this restaurant since it opened, calls it, "Quick, healthy with a clean atmosphere."
It serves real food for people that don't want to be sustained on chemicals anymore. Though surprisingly small at little over 10 tables Love Love Teriyaki serves up to 150 people a day. And most of them aren't first- timers. Here's why they keep coming back. Wonderful service, wonderful surroundings, great prices...and the food!
With nothing on the menu above $9 this restaurant is affordable even after a day of shopping.
Some customers call the appetizer sampler one of the best deals on the menu. Arranged diagonally on an elegant white plate between two saucers of dip, the differently curled, delicately fried treats are sweet to the eyes.
Try the Cream Cheese and Crab won tons. When you bite through the pastry into a warm creamy center you'll never want another McDonald's hamburger. I promise.
The restaurant advertises the Love salad on the windows for a reason. It's made with freshly cut lettuce tossed with perfectly smoked terayiki chicken and drenched in a luscious dressing. The dressing was just made in the kitchen three feet from the tables. The crunch of the fresh ground spices are almost still there.
Or as a mere twist on the love salad buy a big Teriyaki Chicken bowl. Cabbage, lettuce, and that namesake teriyaki are tossed with newly cooked brown rice and soaked in a smack-your-lips dressing.
The miso soup will do as something warm to finish off. Most soup from Japanese restaurants taste canned. Love Love Terayiki's is almost alive.
Now notice this, fresh lettuce, fresh dressing even fresh brown rice. Where else can you buy brown rice?
The waiters are proud to say customer satisfaction is very high. But reviews on userinstincts.com say Love Love Teriyaki has "good food, poor customer relations." Still those are the people that don't come back. On the average regular customers seem satisfied with the restaurant's quality.
And I'll tell you a secret. Waiters will change the chicken on your love salad for a bowl of brown rice...that is if you ask nicely. And you couldn't believe how good it tastes!
The surroundings match the food. A gray, white and black scheme with bamboo floor and long windows have an austere beauty that is very Japanese. Because the restaurant is so small the customers have learned to take care of each other and speak quietly. And instead of the rock and roll that goes down with hamburgers and shakes your nerves for hours afterward the music, 107.1 K Love, fits the serenity (and the name) of Love Love Teriyaki.
Because like I told you, this is really a step or two beyond McDonald's.
Love Love Teriyaki
Address: by Heritage Mall---2195 14th Ave. SE #102/ Albany
Phone: (541) 926-4142
Rating: Average good (by userinstinct)
Founded: 2008
Manager: Min Young
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Three things I've learned in feature writing so far
I was so scared about doing this class. Journalism feature writing with a number in the 200's seemed impossible. But now I'm beginning to understand something. Yes, it's new, and I have a great deal to learn, but with a little work and perseverance things will come together.
When my first story was graded something clicked. This is a simple class, with elaborate English and careful phrasing, second place to mere ugly research. Or at least they are in a equal place. I was glad. I love research and writing.
One reason I was scared about taking this class is I'm kind of shy. With my first interview staring me in the face I took a walk around campus. But then I did it. Blundered into it actually. Since I was writing about running I talked to Jayme Frazier, the jogging teacher, and she was so nice! I discovered that when you have the Press Hat on you don't have to be shy.
Then my story got published. And a sad fact appeared. The Commuter didn't like all my quotes. They changed my precious words. A third idea popped up in it's grinning mask. The Editor always wins.
Shucks.
When my first story was graded something clicked. This is a simple class, with elaborate English and careful phrasing, second place to mere ugly research. Or at least they are in a equal place. I was glad. I love research and writing.
One reason I was scared about taking this class is I'm kind of shy. With my first interview staring me in the face I took a walk around campus. But then I did it. Blundered into it actually. Since I was writing about running I talked to Jayme Frazier, the jogging teacher, and she was so nice! I discovered that when you have the Press Hat on you don't have to be shy.
Then my story got published. And a sad fact appeared. The Commuter didn't like all my quotes. They changed my precious words. A third idea popped up in it's grinning mask. The Editor always wins.
Shucks.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Running at LBCC is a Healthy way to go
They're on the Wellness Trail. That's where you'll find Jayme Frazier and her LBCC running class. And it's more than just a cinder track that starts behind the Activity Center. It includes the foggy winter weather, chatting with friends, and the simple act of running that a student said he "loved."
But mostly they're just following the Wellness Trail. Because running can improve your health. Here at LBCC, you can start a running club, jog/walk with a class, take your own way on trails across campus or on rainy days run around the gym. And it's all on the Trail.
Frazier, the jogging teacher, glows with vigour. Lean and fit looking, she said that running "keeps her in tune." Then dryly she listed all the physical issues that don't bother her, "probably because I run." She took up the sport after college as a way to keep healthy. Now it's been 20 years, and she's teaching jogging because, "I know what it gives me. I want to help people stay on track." So, she thinks running can keep college students mentally and physically strong through these hard years?
"Absolutely."
Runners seem a mentally strong group. They speak of dreary acts of will, like marathons, with grins and excited eyes. Frazier is hoping to qualify for one of the top races in the nation, the Boston marathon. Cole Newman, a student, was registered in a marathon for a birthday present. Brad Carman, former track coach, has a "couple" marathons to his credit.
And in a larger scale, is the craziest example of all, Dean Karnazes, a typical running hero. He's raced in 50 marathons in 50 days and in super races across the world like those covered in the Timesonline.
Yes, said, Kristi Murphey, PE teacher and runner, mental toughness is "huge." Eagerly, she praises her sport. "It teaches me to do more than you think you can."
But runners across campus think that it isn't just about dealing with pain, it relaxes.
Frazier: "I didn't realize the benefits of stress release."
Kristi Murphey: "It helps with depression."
Frank Warren: "Running makes you feel good."
"Literally afterwards I can focus better," said student Lori Murphie.
Murphie, bundled up to the ears against the cold, shining with earnestness, 44 and getting back to jogging, thinks it is "enormous," not just for the mind but for the body. " It's a must for health...everything."
The health question sets runners heads nodding. Kristi Murphey had a friend who lost 100 pounds with running. Carman has seen people take up running to fix bad hearts or diabetes.
Warren, who wants to start a jogging club on campus, was inspired by the story of John Bingham in The Courage to Start. This man began running when he "looked like a penguin." And the story is... he doesn't look like one anymore.
The experts are beginning to agree with the runners. The envious detractors of running are being forced to back off. There is still a question of whether chronic running can hurt your heart (Timesdaily.) But, said, Frazier "Walking is for everybody."
Behind the Activity Center, in a smooth green field, the Wellness Trail starts. Maybe we should pull on our running shoes and get moving, thud, thud, thud...
But mostly they're just following the Wellness Trail. Because running can improve your health. Here at LBCC, you can start a running club, jog/walk with a class, take your own way on trails across campus or on rainy days run around the gym. And it's all on the Trail.
Frazier, the jogging teacher, glows with vigour. Lean and fit looking, she said that running "keeps her in tune." Then dryly she listed all the physical issues that don't bother her, "probably because I run." She took up the sport after college as a way to keep healthy. Now it's been 20 years, and she's teaching jogging because, "I know what it gives me. I want to help people stay on track." So, she thinks running can keep college students mentally and physically strong through these hard years?
"Absolutely."
Runners seem a mentally strong group. They speak of dreary acts of will, like marathons, with grins and excited eyes. Frazier is hoping to qualify for one of the top races in the nation, the Boston marathon. Cole Newman, a student, was registered in a marathon for a birthday present. Brad Carman, former track coach, has a "couple" marathons to his credit.
And in a larger scale, is the craziest example of all, Dean Karnazes, a typical running hero. He's raced in 50 marathons in 50 days and in super races across the world like those covered in the Timesonline.
Yes, said, Kristi Murphey, PE teacher and runner, mental toughness is "huge." Eagerly, she praises her sport. "It teaches me to do more than you think you can."
But runners across campus think that it isn't just about dealing with pain, it relaxes.
Frazier: "I didn't realize the benefits of stress release."
Kristi Murphey: "It helps with depression."
Frank Warren: "Running makes you feel good."
"Literally afterwards I can focus better," said student Lori Murphie.
Murphie, bundled up to the ears against the cold, shining with earnestness, 44 and getting back to jogging, thinks it is "enormous," not just for the mind but for the body. " It's a must for health...everything."
The health question sets runners heads nodding. Kristi Murphey had a friend who lost 100 pounds with running. Carman has seen people take up running to fix bad hearts or diabetes.
Warren, who wants to start a jogging club on campus, was inspired by the story of John Bingham in The Courage to Start. This man began running when he "looked like a penguin." And the story is... he doesn't look like one anymore.
The experts are beginning to agree with the runners. The envious detractors of running are being forced to back off. There is still a question of whether chronic running can hurt your heart (Timesdaily.) But, said, Frazier "Walking is for everybody."
Behind the Activity Center, in a smooth green field, the Wellness Trail starts. Maybe we should pull on our running shoes and get moving, thud, thud, thud...
The first five steps to running (from time-to-run.com)
1. Get a good pair of running shoes
2. Start by walking
3. Exercise at least three times a week
4. For the first two months don't run for two days in a row
5. Determine exercise length by time not distance
(Suggested link: Couch potato to 5K )
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