14 days until I'm headed back to Ohio.

My time in N.C. has been a heck of a learning experience. Most of the learning happening outside of the newspaper.

Kathrine McKnight laughs as her caregiver Dianne Maxcy gives her a kiss in McKnight's home in Winston-Salem on July 7, 2009. McKnight has been battling endometrial cancer since 1999. McKnight's cancer is eating away at her spine. Once the cancer eats through her spine, she will become paralyzed. She wears a brace in the hopes that it will save her from being paralyzed once the cancer eats through.

"We're like sisters," says Maxcy. "I even come over on my days off."

Gotta go running.

-Amanda

Studio

So today I had the privelege of playing around in the studio. I took some self-portraits. I mastered their lighting system! 

  

    

I shot some cool stuff today, (the reporter intern juggling in the studio and a watermelon carving contest), but can't post it 'til it runs. So here's a feature from last week.

That's about it!

-Amanda

Move to NC

Today I moved down to "God's country" as mom likes to call it. I'm going to start my internship at The Winston-Salem Journal Monday. Tonight I met and bonded with my roommate Joynel. She's really a lovely woman. I'm glad to be rooming with her.

Tonight I also built a desk. And boy, what a battle that was! I went to Walmart looking for a desk solution to set my computer on. I'm only in town for 12 weeks so I didn't want to get anything that would be too big or require a lot of assembling. And I wanted it to be cost effective. At first, I was tempted to just get 2 tv trays, but then I saw it. A do-it-yourself desk for a mere 19.99! I couldn't resist.

Upon opening the box I soon learned that the desk had plastic tubes that screwed together. Talk about stable. Hah! After almost an hour of trying to screw these plastic tubes together and screw the keyboard shelf together I have somehow managed to configure some contraption.

It's my first big accomplishment in North Carolina:

I have successfully built my own wobbly desk out of plastic.

And not only that, but the particle board that is the desktop will not connect to the legs properly. I have a desktop floating on top of 4 plastic legs. Not to mention my computer is on the desktop and my knees and feet are keeping the desk legs from wiggling over onto it's side.

The NC adventure has begun! And with a challenge! How long will the 19.99 desk be able to be used before it collapses? Will it fall apart while Amanda's typing on it? Will it topple with the computer on top? Will it last 12 weeks? But the ultimate question...was it worth 19.99?!?!

We shall see.

Well, that's about it for now. Time to shower and hit the sack.

-Amanda

Old pic, new fav

A favorite photo from early this quarter.

A woman watches her son perform in a Hip-Hop expo at Peabody's in Cleveland, Ohio.

Enjoy.

-A

Hello world,

Long time no post.

I haven't forgotten you. I'll post something soon.

-A

Tats.

Wrestlers and tattoos.

What a phenomenon.

-A.

My pup!

I miss home. But I got to see my dog yesterday via iChat!

It's Brindel!

I'll start posting more often.

-Amanda