There are several reasons I have decided to use this fine website to chronicle my progress from journo junior to…whatever I end up transforming into over the next few years.
First of all I created this mainly because of boredom. Isn’t that the reason for everything (love, war, drinking, making pancakes…)?
Another reason is that this is a very handy tool for keeping my ramblings in one place. The problem with me, you see, is that I can never find things I’ve written, or I leave it all on different sites/forums/blogs without backup, or just on grubby bits of lined paper in the darkest corners of my room. But the most terrible habit I’m guilty of is leaving ideas in my head. If I can’t use an idea or an amusing line immediately, I leave it in the ol’ noggin and it seems to disappear quicker than it takes California to declare a state of emergency. I need to learn to write, write, write. When I’m walking (and I do a lot of that) is when my mind seems to be at its most creative – if I have one central place to log things, I think I’ll be more motivated in taking notes immediately. We shall see.
I guess the final reason is basically for me to keep tabs on myself. I want to get a decent idea of how much progress I’m making. This is especially important to me because I’ve made sod all progress in life up to now. I must make up for lost time, and I want to push myself and challenge myself to do just that.
Name That Tune
I thought I’d explain the choice of blog name and banner header here. I hate trying to come up with a name for a blog, it’s horrendous. I wanted it to sum up what the site will include, in terms of style and content, which is bloody difficult when it doesn’t exist yet. My first four ideas were already taken, so I became desperate and scrolled down my Spotify playlist for an appropriate song title which showed journalism in its true colours. Nude As The News by Cat Power? Taken. I’m A Liar by Pigeon Detectives? No thanks. Paramore’s Misery Business? Too negative.
Then I found it. I’d been reading the Charles R. Cross biography of Jimi Hendrix, and looked at his back catalogue for inspiration. I love Jimi’s music, and the tracks are all the more eye-opening (or should I say ear-opening) once you’ve read how his life panned out in full. I chose Still Raining, Still Dreaming from Electric Ladyland because to me it sums up how a negative action can be forgotten about or over-powered with a positive emotion.
In journalistic terms, you can compare ‘still raining’ to ‘bad news is good news’. Things are never going to be perfect. Not everybody can get on with everybody else all at the same time. There’s always going to be war, scandal, disappointment, and rain until the day we die. And the worst stories usually make the best stories. But the best of us can thrive on it. The best of us can turn it around, look at anything in a different light, and use it to our advantage. And you can compare ‘still dreaming’ to how we deal with news. Most of us expect a happy ending. It rarely happens. But we can continue to dream, and hope that eventually the good outweighs the bad.
In terms of myself, I see the title as a decent little phrase to sum up how I think the next few years may turn out. There’s gonna be a lot of worries and problems (and the longer I stay up here, a helluva lot of rain), but I have a huge tendency to take things as they come, look at things positively, and keep dreaming about what could be ahead.
When In Rome…
Oh yeah, the banner. Ron Burgundy is my idol, and he should be yours too. Now before you smirk and dismiss this as a ludicrous statement, let me prove it.
Ron Burgundy is everything I want to be if I am to make it in life. What he lacks in common sense, he makes up for in nearly every other department. What’s most important is that he gets the job done. When he says ‘My news is bigger than your news’, he means it. Look at the facts:
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He looks good. I mean, really good.
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He’s honest. If he feels like punching a woman, he’ll say so – to her face.
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In the journo business you need plenty of contacts, and Ron has them in spades. He’s loved by everyone in San Diego.
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He is very passionate about his job. He hates other people reading his news.
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Ron keeps his cool when necessary. If he’s proven wrong, he’ll simply agree to disagree and leave it at that. He’ll still think he’s right though.
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He enjoys things all journos should enjoy, such as fine suits and a smooth Scotch.
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He keeps fit by sculpting his guns while working in the office at the same time. He may need those guns when chasing down some hot leads.
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Ron is a true team player. He has a news team whom he cares for and would do anything for. Including jump into bear pits.
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He knows he’s a big deal, and isn’t afraid to say so if it will help with getting ahead in the biz. Or get ahead with the ladies.
- Most of all, Ron Burgundy is a winner. He does what it takes to succeed, and this is proven by the fact Channel 4 News is doing miles better in the ratings than Wes Mantooth’s Evening News.
So there you have it. I don’t need any more reasons for having Mr.Burgundy atop my site. He may go one day (especially if they mess up Anchorman 2 and it ends up being embarrassingly rubbish) but for now, he stays. Because I’m 72% sure I love him.
