For real, though, a lot of people did a lot of work to make this thing come to fruition, and today is the LAUNCH DAY! I would love for you to check it out. Just click the link, dude. Don't be weird about it.
I thought we were friends.
Feedback about the site's appearance would be awesome too, if you're not doing anything important. Here's where to look:
-The main page
-My 'essay' about the final debate between Richard Burr and Elaine Marshall
-My piece on Halloween in Chapel Hill, or why I was up until 2am yesterday.
Two things:
1) I have nothing to do with photos, headlines, sub-headlines, captions, or anything like that. The only thing that's mine alone is the writing. That doesn't mean I don't like the headlines and etc., I just want you to be aware that if you read something like "a journalist's disenchantment with politics" below the title, that wasn't me.
2) Please look past my awful, smug headshot on those articles. I need to get that retaken. "Oh baby, that's creepy," was my girlfriend's reaction this morning. And yes, I realize those last three sentences guarantee you won't look past the awful, smug headshot.
Here are a couple excerpts from the above articles to whet your appetite or turn you off completely. From the Senate one:
Okay, I think. The evidence is there. Now I can ask, and it won’t be “gotcha journalism.” I steel my nerves. “So my question would be, what’s wrong with judging racial equality the same as sexuality equality?”
Burr stares at me.
Burr stares at me some more.
Burr stares a little longer.
He’s either angry or not computing. Possibly both.
Samantha Smith, Burr’s communications director, swoops in. “I think you’re reading too much into this,” she tells me. Damage control mode is activated.
I promise I was equally douchey to the Democrat. And from the shorter Halloween story:
Some costumes seemed designed to inspire controversy or at least rage. Steve Brady, a comedian originally from Ohio, wore a pink outfit and a headband with the word “cancer” emblazoned across the front. As women passed, he waved a pink wand and wished breast cancer upon them.
“It’s the most offensive thing I possibly could think of,” Brady said. “I’m waiting to get slapped or punched. That’s basically what I’m working on.” Brady performs on Thursdays at Jack Sprat in Chapel Hill.
Seriously, guys, that dude was currrr-raaaaaa-zyyyyy.
Okay! I promise I won't use this blog as a crass promotional platform, but today is Day Numero Uno of the site, so it's the least I could do. And really, any feedback you give about how the site looks or anything like that goes straight to the men and women at the top. Get in on the ground floor! For free!
Now then. We're just coming off a weekend, and some things happened in sports, did they not? Let's do a list format and get things going. Some items will not be timely.
1) Here's a video of Kyrie Irving, Dark Horse National Player of the Year Candidate, in a musical at his high school last year (for some reason it wants to put a ton of space between here and the video, and I'm all like 'whatever'):
The great untold subplot of the imminent Kyrie Irving-Harrison Barnes rivalry is that they're two of the nerdiest basketball-playing dudes on the planet. Other teams will absolutely despise them both.
2) Here's an awesome YouTube video of a Utah State chant from last season. Words below:
Is that not a scoreboard? YES THAT IS A SCOREBOARD
Is that not a 74? YES THAT IS A 74
Is that not a 62? YES THAT IS A 62
Is that not the winning team? YES THAT IS THE WINNING TEAM
Is that not the losing team? YES THAT IS THE LOSING TEAM
WINNING TEAM LOSING TEAM WINNING TEAM LOSING TEAM
3) There's a World Series on! Can I ask a couple questions?
a) Where the hell did Texas' bats go? Don't get me wrong, I love it, but this is kinda crazy after how they hit against the Yanks. Are the Giants pitchers really that much better. (Yes, we sucked.)
b) You knew it was coming: why didn't Cliff Lee pitch on short rest? Anybody remember last year's World Series? Cliff Lee's team down 2-1 in a must-win Game 5, but Cliff Lee is nowhere to be found? Team loses Game 5 on the shoulders of their 4th pitcher, eventually loses the World Series? Sound familiar?
It's the same story as always. Cliff Lee is willing to do anything if somebody just asks. The manager doesn't ask. Should we believe that story again, or is something more interesting happening?
c) This San Francisco team is all kinds of fun. I want to see Lincecum close it out deep in the heart of Texas tonight. That would please me to no end. Although Matt Cain winning in San Francisco would make a great story too.
d) All three Molina brothers have World Series rings.
4) People need to GET A GRIP on this Boise State stuff. I know I'm a little late to the discussion, but did anyone read this awful Rick Reilly article? Granted, every article Rick Reilly writes is awful now (did not used to be so), but this takes the damn cake. The following points are we all need to know about Boise State:
a) Not having playoffs sucks. It's not fair to anyone.
b) For now, there are no playoffs. The current system is in place. We have to deal with it.
c) In the current system, there's no fucking way Boise State should ever play for a national championship. I can't emphasize this next part enough: IF THEY PLAYED IN THE SEC, THEY WOULD NOT GO UNDEFEATED. THEY WOULD LOSE AT LEAST 3 GAMES.
d) Even if every other team loses at least two games, Boise State should still not play for the national championship. Sorry, but that's the way it goes. Better teams earn that right by playing really, really hard schedules.
e) Yes, I know it's unfair.
f) Why the FUCK are certain oranges so hard to peel? AM I RIGHT?!
(*applause*)
5) Here's my prediction for the college national title game: Alabama vs. Wisconsin. Write it down in permanent ink.
6) It's November, and we're officially two weeks away from the start of the basketball season. On the 14th, we take on Princeton. Duke designed their campus to look exactly like Princeton, and they've always had a bit of Princeton-envy going on in the realm of academics. This is the perfect way to start the season. It's like facing down your father before you can go out in the real world, the way the Amish do.* We cannot seek our destiny until they are defeated.
*Not too clear on the Amish culture.
That's it for now. Thanks for checking out ReeseNews, and enjoy Lincecum's clincher tonight.
I will check out reecenews when I have some time. I have some wacky memories, and notable gaps in my memories, from my halloween days in chapel hill. Sophomore year I woke up in a frat house with no memories past about 11pm. The last time I went out I donned a photojournalism vest and printed a lame id that said I worked for Anderson Cooper 360 and held a recorder in front of people asking them insane questions and taking pictures promising them it would be on AC360 or AC360.com. It is amazingly easy to convince drunk hordes of this if the possibility of a few seconds of fame is involved. I still have the recordings...it is some crazy stuff.
ReplyDeleteJohn, it was absolutely awesome. I was stone sober, and had a great time just walking up and down Franklin for 3 hours. Being a journalist made it even better, because it functioned as an excuse to talk to interesting people, and an excuse for them to talk back. I heard some crazy shit as well, particularly this idiot who screamed at the police about open containers while they marched down Franklin.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely be on the scene for Chapel Hill Halloween whenever possible. Hopefully drunk and with friends next time.
-Shane