Tuesday

Never trust technology. Right when you need them, they can let you down. A number of technological blunders nearly lead me astray today, but it was something I managed to overcome, just about. In the morning we went out to film our introductory clip and give a quick interview about how we're feeling. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but when I returned, Ross and Eden informed me that a bus of tourists were taking pictures, although I just assumed they were snapping shots of the beautiful Victorian doors.
When all the interviews were done and dusted, Eden, Julie and I were treated to a tour of the newsroom. We were shown the sports, business and property areas. After that, the real work began. Noirin brought is into her office and gave us a briefing about what she thinks makes a good journalist. Fionualla then joined the group to provide us with our first task. We each had to write two articles that usually appears in the 'Tribune Magazine'. 'Love It Loath It', which is a little piece in which the writer decides what's hot and what's not. 'My Secret Life', is a small interview with a person in the Irish limelight, posing a set number of questions. I wasn't sure what to make of this. Not one but two pieces, but the girls were ecstatic and ready for action. Initially, I though I was at a disadvantage, as the magazine is geared towards a female audience. But once I got in the swing of things, 'Loving It, Loathing It' just came to me. Barbeque season, 'Oceans 13'. the festival build up and Paris Hilton's time in jail featured in my loving it pile, while the MTV Movie Awards, gold, band reunions, Katie Price, the Irish climate and Big Brother made it into my loathing it list.
But, unfortunately, it didn't come so easy in the beginning. I needed help. The help of the people of Dublin. Sadly, most of them were too busy looking like they swallowed a lemon to give me a second of their time. Granted, I did shove and Dictaphone into their faces before a proper introduction, so I really had it coming. Eventually, I copped on and decided to introduce myself before I asked them my opinion. I was rewarded with a few people who were willing to step in front of the camera and speak about their likes and dislikes. SO after a few changes, my 'Loving It, Loathing It' was complete, and with one hour, twenty minutes left until the deadline, it was time to find a celebrity, who would be willing to chat to a secondary school novice. Ray Shah, Delerentos and Anna Nolan were on the list, but it seems all were unavailable at the time. Time was running out. Forty-five minutes until the deadline, I got the number of Kennedy PR. Desperate; I rang and managed to get the mobile number of head chef Kevin Thornton. A fellow Tipperary man, Thornton is a Michelin starred chef, who isn't afraid to speak his mind.
I gave him a ring, thinking he wouldn't talk to me. He's a busy man, why talk to some student? Kevin ended up being incredibly helpful and seemed like a really nice guy. He really opened up, after some gentle persuasion. The question 'What car do you drive?', was originally answered, 'A range rover', but after some encouragement, the answer became 'a range rover...a green range rover....2.5 litre....four years old...It's my baby.....I love it.' I was told that this man would try and evade every question, but instead her went above and beyond what I expected. Despite some initial reluctance, Kevin answered the most personal question. What's your biggest regret? Kevin answered as if I were his best friend. He told me of his upset of not standing up for himself when he had a child 28 years ago. 'I could have done more, but you can't let the past hold you back', he told me.
Delighted with my work so far, I typed frantically. The deadline was in 15 minutes.
Then something bad happened.
Something really bad happened. The computer froze, with my unsaved interview, still mocking me on the screen. So close but yet so far. The computer had to be rebooted. So with ten minutes to go to deadline, and a camera in my face, I was asked a question by Catherine. 'So Jason, what are you going to do?' I replied 'Well, I'm going to have to type fast. And I did. Well, maybe more frantic than fast, but I got it done. So bring on the next problem. The printer refused to churn out my work, so instead of printing, they were emailed. They didn't send. We tried again and, hallelujah, message sent successfully. All I could do now is wait and see what the bosses thought of my work.
They were given two sheets of my work, edited to look as they would in the magazine. It wasn't long before I was called in for feedback. I was nervous. I messed up big time by not saving my files. A rookie mistake. I was also aware that I made stupid little spelling mistakes. But overall, the feedback was good. Noirin was happy that I stayed calm when the computer crashed, and that I didn’t throw accusations at anyone else. She was also pleased that I got so much information for Thornton. As far as I’m concerned, the spelling was my downfall. In total, I made a whopping eight careless blunders, including swapping opera music for Oprah music.
I left Noirin's office happy. I was called over to my daily sum-up interview. When asked about Wednesday, I only had one thing to say. 'If it's anything like today, it's going to be.......challenging.' Bring it on.