Ode to IBM Selectric

God bless garage sales. I've been looking for a used IBM Selectric for about five years. They are superior writing instruments. Good enough for Hunter S. Thompson, good enough for me. There's nothing like typing on a Selectric. The feel is second to none. I hate typing on this mushy Apple keyboard -- probably my only fault with the products put out by Steve Jobs and the crew.

I was cruising home one day and saw a scooter at a garage sale near our house. It turned out to be a Chinese made piece of shit. Since I was there, I decided to take a look around at the other stuff. And there it was sitting on the garage floor. An IBM Selectric III in sort of a tan/sage type color. It looked to be in outstanding shape, other than needing a new ribbon. The price: two bucks. I scooped that puppy up (making sure to lift with my knees. They are damn heavy. Ran out to get a new ribbon and fired it up. It works perfectly. And I'm told by the guy at the typewriter repair shop, Selectrics in good condition can fetch a nice price ($200 and up on eBay). Not a week later, my sister was at an estate sale and picked up a Selectric II. The Selectric II is an earlier model (came out in 1973 or so, I think. Selectric III came out in 1980). It too was in perfect condition. It even had the instruction manual and two extra font balls. Unfortunately, this one does not work. I'm still going to try and fix it.

Within a day of gobbling up these bad boys, I was off and writing, something I haven't done for pleasure in some time. Hell, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is write more. But there's something about a Selectric: The way the keys feel real, substantial. It makes you want to write.

St. Patrick's Day

Friday could go down in history as one of the best boozing nights in history. First, it was a Friday. Second, it was St. Patrick's Day. Third, Michigan State was playing in the NCAA Tourney. And I have Fridays off. So I decided to start early: 2 p.m. at Quinn & Tuites Irish Pub. www.quinnandtuites.com


As far as Irish pubs go, it's the real deal. They opened at 7 a.m. and by the time I got there, it already was packed. Luck was on my side. I happened upon a table. My brother and another friend met me there. And the party was on.

I thought the new take on the old St. Patrick's Day saying "Kiss me I'm Irish" was nice.

By 5:30 p.m., it was completely packed. No room to walk around at all. We headed off to the Cambridge House for a coworker's going away party. After that, it was off to Joe V's for the basketball game. We won't talk about that. I was home by 9:30 p.m., properly lit.

How crappy is your security firm when you are the one's getting kidnapped? I expect business will be down when they return to work (if they do). This from the AP:

Workers From Iraq Security Firm Kidnapped
Gunmen in Interior Ministry commando uniforms stormed the offices of a private security company and kidnapped as many as 50 employees Wednesday, while U.S. and Iraqi patrols reported the discovery of 24 shot or garroted bodies in the capital.

Iraq's Shiite vice president, meanwhile, signed a presidential decree calling parliament into session, breaking a major logjam that had delayed the creation of a unity government that U.S. officials hope can curb the unrelenting violence so their forces can start going home in the summer.

"He signed the decree today. I expect the first session to be held on Sunday or by the end of next week at the latest," said Nadim al-Jabiri, head of one of seven Shiite parties that make up the United Iraqi Alliance, the largest bloc in parliament.

Unidentified attackers hit the al-Rawafid Security Co. at 4:30 p.m. and forced the workers into seven vehicles, including several white SUVs, said Interior Ministry Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi. The victims, including bodyguards, drivers, computer technicians and other employees, did not resist because they assumed their abductors were police special forces working for the Interior Ministry, al-Mohammedawi said.

Interior Ministry Undersecretary Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Khefaji denied any involvement by his department, saying: "It is a terrorist act."

Members of the Sunni Arab minority who dominated under ousted leader Saddam Hussein accuse the Shiite-led security forces of repeated abductions and killings under the cover of fighting the Sunni-driven insurgency. Many of Al-Rawafid employees are former members of Saddam's armed forces.

The company is one of dozens providing protection for businesses and other clients in the violence-plagued country. One of its main clients is Iraqna, a cell phone firm owned by Egyptian-giant Orascom. Its offices are in Zayouna, a volatile mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhood in east Baghdad.

Headin' south

Took a jaunt to Indiana and Kentucky recently to see some family. Decided to go to the Louisville Slugger Museum in downtown Louisville and I'm damn glad I did. I have to admit that I'm not much of a baseball fan, but it was amazing to see the history that was whittled out of that factory. If you are a baseball fan, it is a must.

The museum had a great Willie Mays exhibit going when we were there. One of these gloves is the glove that Willie used to make the famous over-the-shoulder basket catch. Too cool.

This amazing retro sign is in downtown Louisville near the Louisville Slugger Museum. Too many of these get plowed under for McDonald's signs.

I saw this pimpy ride in the parking lot of a Chili's restaurant in Kokomo. This was way beyond Mary Kay Cosmetics pink. Didn't see the driver, but I can imagine...

Good start

I really enjoyed class last night and I've been thinking about it: Not only is my job to teach you about journalism, it's to teach you about life. As a college student, your job is to learn about life. Teaching and learning is about giving and taking. I think we got off to a good start doing just that last night. I can already tell that this is going to be a great class. Let me know if you guys need any help with the obit.
Rob

English 292—Advanced Journalism
Rob Kirkbride
Spring 2005

Meets: Tuesdays 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Contact info: (w) 222-5681, (h) 235-2533, (c) 822-0529 rkirkbride@grpress.com, robkirkbride@sbcglobal.net
Office Hours: By appointment as needed

Course Objectives:
1. Build on fundamentals of EH 291
2. Add strong reporting and newsgathering skills
3. Grow as a writer

Required Textbook:
Associated Press Stylebook (2001 or newer). Available at Amazon.com

Class Format:
The class will be broken down in three segments. The first will consist of discussion of current events and group assignment reviews. The second part will include lecture to go over key concepts in writing and reporting. The third segment is dedicated to research and writing. A break will be given midway through class. Each week you are responsible for bringing in an example of strong writing and a few paragraphs (typed) why you like the writing. There will be an Associated Press stylebook quiz each week with five questions. You are expected to read a newspaper each day.

Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory. Since we meet just once a week, it is very important that you show up for each class. If you absolutely must miss class, it is your responsibility to contact me beforehand. If you miss class, the participation portion of your grade will be reduced. Missed group work cannot be made up and will be scored as automatic Fs.

Deadlines:
Miss a deadline in this class without a very, very valid excuse and you’ll receive an F. Welcome to the world of journalists where deadlines are sacred.

Grading:
The following grading scale will be used: A, 100-95; A-, 94-90; B+, 89-87; B, 86-83; B-, 82-80; C+, 79-77; C, 76-73; C-, 72-70; D+, 69-67; D, 66-63; D-, 62-60; F, 59 and below.

Weight:
Here’s how the course will be scored: Writing assignments, 80 percent; Quizzes and tests, 10 percent; Examples of strong writing, 5 percent; and Participation, 5 percent.

Academic Dishonesty Policy:
Please make yourself familiar with the college’s academic dishonesty policy.

Tentative course schedule

Week One (1-10): Introduction to class
Lecture – Killing the living: How to write obits for the rich, famous and now dead
Assignment – Read Associated Press Stylebook A&B.
Obit story due 1-17

Week Two (1-17): Quiz
Obituary due today!
Lecture/Group work – “His head glistened like a Great Lakes lighthouse” writing personality profiles that shine.
Assignments -- Read AP Stylebook C&D. Personality profile pitch due 1-24

Week Three (1-24): Quiz
Personality profile pitch due today!
Lecture – Keep your eyes open: How to spice up a personality profile
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook E&F. Personality profile due 1-31

Week Four (1-31): Quiz
Personality profile due today!
Lecture/Group work – I’m always right: Writing opinions that sway
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook G&H.
Editorial pitch due 2-7!

Week Five (2-7): Quiz
Editorial pitch due today!
Lecture – Research tips to bolster editorial effectiveness.
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook I&J.
Editorial due 2-14

Week Six (2-14): Quiz
Editorial due today!
Lecture/Group work – “Let me tell you all about it…” writing columns to inform and entertain.
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook K&L.
Column pitch due 2-21!

Week seven (2-21): Quiz
Column pitch due today!
Lecture – Picking column topics that are timely and work for your audience
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook M&N.
Column due 2-28!

Week eight (2-28): Quiz
Column due today!
Lecture/Group work – “The food wasn’t fit for a dog…” writing reviews of food, music, art and movies
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook O&P.
Review pitch due 3-14!

Week Nine (3-7): No Class – Mid-term break

Week Ten (3-14): Quiz
Review pitch due today!
Lecture – Finding your unique writing voice
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook Q&R.
Review due 3-21!

Week Eleven (3-21): Quiz
Review due today!
Lecture/Group work – “Disco’s dead, rock is rolling…” writing trend stories
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook S&T.
Trend story pitch due 3-28!

Week Twelve (3-28): Quiz
Trend story pitch due today!
Lecture – Using people and numbers to make trends interesting
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook U&V.
Trend story due 4-4!

Week Thirteen (4-4): Quiz
Trend story due today!
Lecture/Group work – Welcome to sausage making 101: Putting it all together into a Sunday-length feature
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook W&X.
Sunday story pitch due 4-11!

Week fourteen (4-11): Quiz
Sunday story pitch due today!
Lecture – Working with multiple sources: Keeping those notes in order
Assignments – Read AP Stylebook Y&Z.
Sunday story draft due 4-18!

Week Fifteen (4-18): Sunday story draft due today!
Lecture/Group work – working with multiple sources: Keeping those notes in order
Revised draft of Sunday story due 4-25!

Week sixteen (4-25): Revised draft of final story due today!
Lecture/Group work – polishing up your copy
Assignment – final story due 5-2 (or earlier)

Final exam (5-2): Turn in final story by 6:30 p.m. today

Wishing you an anti-social Christmas

I'm getting reading to go to my company Christmas party and as I was dressing I realized I was putting on a dumb ass Christmas tie not to be festive, but to create a meaningless conversation point so I wouldn't have to talk about anything even more stupid than the tie. I hate company Christmas parties.