Into the Madding Crowd

[I wrote this article for my magazine writing class and it is also posted to The Grady Journal. The piece details how The Red & Black newspaper covered the election results. I thought I'd post it up here just for memory's sake. After all, these moments are also integral to my own experience of the historic night. Please excuse any grammatical or style errors, it's probably one of my most rushed articles ever.] 

Posted November 5, 2008 by Julie Leung 
 

Fingers are poised above keyboards, all eyes are concentrated on laptop or television screens.

Five students and one editorial advisor are seated around a makeshift conference table, all facing the 21-inch Philips television set on CNN.

New Hampshire is called, and the barrage of typing is instantaneous. Various pings from the four Apple laptops and one Dell are heard as comments get posted.

Live blog posts, interactive maps and online polls. This is history chronicled, second by second, by student staff of The Red & Black newspaper.

Gearing Up

6:30 p.m. The Design Corral

No one touches the Bit o’ Honey candy except for Shannon, the managing editor. Dressed in a zebra-print cardigan with a pink scarf wrapped around her dark brown hair, Shannon is the most festive object in a room dominated by black, white and gray décor. 

“These things are good,” she says, snatching a couple of the red- and yellow-wrapped bonbons from the small cardboard box.

“Happy Election Day !!!! Have Some Candy !!!” reads the 8×11 greeting taped to the inside flap. The container, once brimming with more popular goodies such as Kit Kats, Nerds and Spree’s, has already been ravished by many a passerby. Only these garish candies remain.

“FOOD!” shouts Ed, the editorial advisor from somewhere near the rear upstairs entrance. His voice booms loudly over the rows of cubicles separating the circle of page design computers and the conference room.

It is a clarion call. Melanie, the Out & About page designer whirls around on her chair and heads toward the back room, her face ecstatic. “Food!” she echoes.

Twenty student editors, writers, photographers and page designers descend like vultures on the twelve pizzas set out in the conference room. Pushing past chairs and handing out paper plates to each other, the newsroom prepares for the long haul, armed with soda, pizza and candy.

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bada da daaa, ba da da da da….

Dare we hope it? Plenty of friends are planning victory parties for Obama. The polls look good, the news looks good. But I’m holding my breath until the final states are counted. Don’t want to jinx anything, y’know? It’s still too close for comfort. I don’t think too much of the Bradley effect, but if Obama doesn’t win, something fishy sure went down. Either all the good news pushes the more ambivalent anti-Obama people to retaliate, the Bradley effect exists or God damn it, the Republicans stole another election.

I feel like the nation is running toward the edge of a precipice and still hasn’t decided whether it wants the power-glider or the broken umbrella. A gross exaggeration, I’m sure some would say, considering that it’s only one branch of the government. But look at how eight years of the Bush administration has battered our economy, our international relations and morale. 

I can’t help but get swept up in the all the excitement surrounding Obama. I’ve never been as emotionally invested in the election as this one, in this one candidate. It’s a feeling coursing throughout the nation it seems, if the record-breaking voter turnout says anything the importance of this moment. 

I get to avoid the lines today; I’ve voted using an absentee ballot. However, I almost wish to be out there in the lines, seems like an exciting time. 

This will be a night to remember.

Look! Another video of Julie acting a fool!

For my new media capstone class, we have to develop a series of video shorts that can hypothetically be broadcasted to cell phones — Mobi-sodes if you will. The journalism school recently purchased a TV station and has commissioned us new media students to tinker away at developing Mobile TV. I volunteered to cover the concept of a reviews show and came up with the idea of a Soup-esque short that lampoons bad movie releases. I dummied up a mock episode of what that show would look like — a mock-sode if you will.

It went over well with my classmates, but I want to post it on my blog because a.) I’m pretty proud of it, considering I slapped it together over the course of 3 hours. b.) I want some feedback, would you watch something like this? does the format work? what other movies do you want to see critiqued in this manner? 

Oh, and please ignore my bad acting, oily face and lame humor.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lb9GgUJHU]

In other news, can’t wait to go to China this Christmas! I will have Randy in tow. He’ll probably be the first white person ever to step in my dad’s village.

I know what you must be thinking, how can The Emerald City Express NOT be green? Well fine, I’ll make it my mission today to find a green header.

It’s so late and I’m so tired: I’m starting to do stupid things like download an application form for Hong Kong University and applying for their masters in journalism program. Maybe I could write for McClatchy newspapers then? 

It’s so late and I’m so tired: I’m trying to think of a new blog idea. This would remain my personal vent, but I also want a blog with a funny schtick. Like how two of the Mochi girls have a blog called mymomisafob.com. Unfortunately, all my ideas at this hour have already been done. I don’t know why I would want to heap more amounts of work on myself. 

Today was rather productive. Pitched an idea to Paste Magazine and got good feedback. It’s all I can do to stop myself from e-mailing Nick Marino, the managing editor, tomorrow with two more ideas. I don’t want to be annoying. I have this idea about a feature analyzing the stigma of being a Christian band and a short brief on the worst cliches in lyrics. 

Oh man…I need some serious sleep…I’m flatlining.

How come every authoritah I tried to speak to today weren’t at their posts? Sometimes, I suspect that all professors are part of a clandestine pact to make my life difficult.

Mulling over a pitch letter for a personality profile. It’s due tomorrow and right now, I’m so tired my eyeballs feel like melting out of my head “Raiders of the Lost Ark”-style. 

On a random note, Today, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Twix bar I purchased from the Park Hall vending machine WASN’T melted. Shock and awe. For the past few weeks now, every chocolately treat from that damn machine has been a melted mess. 

Having a paycheck festering in my checking account also, I had to go out and purchase something. There must be some impulsive disorder associated with this type of chronic buying. Anyhow, I dropped by Agora (whose owner I’m hoping to do my profile on. Lo and behold, she is in NY for a week) and purchased this beautiful bauble and a neat little brooch. 

If you’re wondering where I’m at, I’m hiding out in one of the little window nooks at the Main Library. It’s a relatively well-kept secret, considering that most students never step into the place much less walk to the south side and stumble on these awesome hideaways. This was the 5th floor so the view was vast and tranquil. The only problem was the pervasive silence that had me falling asleep at my computer as I was trying to finish my readings. And when I wasn’t falling asleep, I was taking stupid photos w/ Photo Booth: 

It’s been a warzone of a week. Project after project bombarded me from the above, the usual hidden land mines at the Red & Black I had to narrowly avoid, and a day long symposium on Wednesday. I haven’t had good sleep in days, much less get enough time to blog on my trials and tribulations. But thankfully, mid-term hell is finally over and things should return to regular programming beginning today. 

Have I ever told you the tale of me becoming a McGill Fellow? Surely, I related how Valentina congratulated me one day when I ran into her at Jittery Joe’s. Me, being utterly confused about it, was then told that she had seen my e-mail address on the CC’ed list when she received her congratulatory letter. I then vaguely remembered deleting said e-mail thinking it was a scam. I hurriedly checked my inbox and sure enough, I had trashed it. It just so happened that that day was the last day I could rsvp my acceptance. I rushed to call John Greenman, the coordinator of the program, and saved myself from major disappointment.

Well, this article on the Grady Web site basically explains what a McGill fellow is. The dean embarrassed the hell out of us on Wednesday by presenting us like a couple of debutantes. But most of the day was spent in panel discussions with visiting journalists. The guest lecturer was Hannah Allam, a foreign correspondent for McClatchy newspapers. Her presence brought a new career path to mind, which I’ll save for my next post.

This moment is perfect. A steaming cup of pumpkin mocha on a drizzly, rainy day. Dimly lit coffee nook on campus. Laptop on hand to finish my essay that’s due at 3:30. Friends and blog to distract me from actual work. A conversational mull, comfortable clothes and sleepy atmosphere. Sitting by a window, thinking on my future, the economy and presidential debates last night. Wondering how fast I can cram in an essay. 

Note to self: never use generic words like stuff, great, good, bad…there is always a better descriptor, don’t be lazy. 

- Julie

1. The stye in my eye still hasn’t dissipated. Going to the doctor tomorrow. 

2. Every time I brush my teeth, my gums bleed. What the hell? 

3. Sleep deprivation/Not getting to my morning classes on time

4. People who drive slow when I’m running late to class

5. People leaving me in the dark about their stories

6. Awkward acquaintances

7. Not having a microwave near my classes

8. Unnecessary/vague class assignments 

9. Food rotting before I have a chance to cook it

10. Fear of bad critiques

11. Shitty economy and advent of a depression/recession at a time when I need a career

12. Redonculous gas prices

13. Sarah Palin and John McCain

“Here’s the day you hoped would never come
Don’t feed me violins
just run with me through roads of speeding cars.
The papercuts, the cheating lovers
The coffee’s never strong enough
I know you think it’s more than just bad luck”

— Imogen Heap

For my roommate Stephanie’s 21st birthday this Saturday, she mandated that everyone dress up as something she would like. I opted to be Amy Wong from Futurama and Audrey here is Derek Jeter from an SNL sketch:  

But before the party, Steph and I proceeded to watch our football team get trounced by some raging behemoths from Alabama. 41-30. Damn, it was a down right rape, that was.