Hayley’s Comment

Note: I’m trying to get into writing non-journalism things again, so there’ll be a lot of random things coming up on the blog. Ostensibly, it’s an attempt to develop voice. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

I’m cleaning my room. Well, no. For that to be accurate,  I would be throwing things out. So, let’s say…I’m kicking up dust in my room right now.

What I’m really trying to do is clear a path for walking.

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Imagine my dismay when I read this today:

Democrat Matt Entenza Thursday released a television ad that said “If budget cuts were always the answer, then Mississippi would be a leader in this country.”

Burn! I’m glad I don’t know anyone in Mississ…oh. Wait. Uh-oh.

Seriously, Entenza. Was that necessary? Did you have a negative barbecue experience as a child? What has Mississippi done to you lately to deserve that? Export excellent food and music? Suffer horribly from natural and unnatural disasters?

I just spent a semester of political reporting and what I hated the most was the needless slams and empty disses that seem to pass for political discourse these days. And yes, Mississippi may be an easy punchline — but only if you like making fun of poor people, particularly as some of them struggle to survive thanks to the big, oily hand of disaster. According to the Economic Research Service, Mississippi had the highest poverty level in the country. Is that due to their budget policies? Quite possibly, yes. But is that fodder for your race? No.

Maybe you got confused because you decided skip the Democratic nominating convention, but you’re not running against Haley Barbour. If you want to attack the politics of Tim Pawlenty and, by extension, Tom Emmer, then concentrate on them. If you want to tell the people of Minnesota that your policies will help them, concentrate on that. Currently, you’re not standing up for the Minnesota way, you’re just being a bilious, snarky bully going for the easy joke.

Entenza said he was “run out of Greenwood, Miss.” when he was a U.S. Justice Department civil rights attorney. Well, I’ve been there, too. It was a lovely town: I had lunch, went antiquing, went to a great bookstore and bought a neat contraption for preparing avocados.

Terrifyin’ place, Greenwood.

Believe it or not, sir, some people are dismissive of our lovely home state as well. I’ve told people until I was blue in the face that we’re a really nice group of folks, kind, unassuming and polite. They think Minnesota’s a backwater where people have no culture and no class.

Thanks for helping with that image. You’re not getting my vote.

Check out the Hot Dish post here: Mississippi’s a little miffed at Entenza dis | StarTribune.com.

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As I mentioned in my last post, I had the opportunity to go to the White House Correspondent’s Dinner last month. It was my one night to mingle with the stars.

Me. Hayley Tsukayama of Bloomington, Minn., as announced by the presenter — well, close enough anyway. I meant to blog about it right away (good intentions, always) but every time I sat down to do it it kept slipping away from me like a dream. But I’m going to try. Right now.

By way of backstory, I was one of ten (10!) students selected from the University of Missouri for the White House Correspondent’s Association – Missouri Fellowship in Government Affairs Reporting. That came with $2500, a tuition waiver, the privilege of working with the Star Tribune again (this time in the Washington bureau) and a ticket to the coolest collection of nerds assembled every year.

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So, um, I successfully defended my master’s project. Which means that, barring some sort of unnecessary cruelty on the part of the Missouri School of Journalism, I will graduate with a Master’s of Arts in Journalism on May 15 in beautiful Columbia, Mo.

To cap it all off, one of the perks of my scholarship is that I get to attend the White House Correspondent’s Dinner tonight.  I’m so excited, and a blog post is definitely forthcoming about that.

In other news, today is May 1, 2010. It’s the first day of the first month when I’ve had absolutely no obligations. Sure, in elementary through high school I had summer vacations, but I was almost always doing something. But here I am, paid up through the end of May in DC with no schoolwork demanding my attention, no job to report to…nothing.

Which makes this either the best or most terrifying month of my life.

Now, I will, of course, be applying to jobs like mad starting tomorrow. But I’ve never had such an uninterrupted block of free time before. The unstructured month ahead of me frightens me. It will give me time to run around this beautiful city, catch up on my correspondence (which I’ve already started to do), maybe take a weekend trip or two. Maybe I’ll even blog regularly. (Fat chance.)

But. Any suggestions? What would you do with a free month in DC?

I know. I promised things about regular blogging that just didn’t happen. And here it is, week 7 of my work experience and I haven’t told anyone on the internet a single thing about my time here in DC so far.

My bad. But if you’re still interested…

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I’ve now lived in four states — Minnesota, New York, Missouri and, as of Sunday, Maryland. Not bad for a homebody. I can’t help but notice that three of those start with M’s, so look out Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi and Montana! I may be headed your way.

This is my first week living in Maryland, in the lovely city of Bethesda. It’s very close to “The District” — and I don’t mean downtown Columbia, Mo. when I say that. In fact, my bus stop is in D.C. As a result, I have walked into D.C. and back into Maryland a few times now. I swear the novelty of crossing a state border on foot will wear off soon. I don’t know why it amuses me so.

Next week, I’ll start orientation for Mizzou’s Washington Program and meet with the reporters I’ll be working with during my semester-long stint at the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune.

More on all that later, a.k.a., when I actually start working.

Random thoughts that have been floating through my mind, behind the cut. These would have made for reasonably coherent blog posts themselves, but I’m lazy.

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Alright.  Let’s square here. This little experiment is over.

I’m just not a good blogger and no part of me wants to catch up the past two weeks. It’s not that I don’t have the commitment to do something every day; I just really don’t like blogging about nothing.

I’m not shutting down the whole blog, just the NaBloPoMo project. When life is interesting again in a month or so, I hope to be a more regular blogger.

Thanks to everyone who took a cursory glance at the blog now and again. I’ll see you soon.

This post was inspired by two things: 1) a This American Life “frenemies” show and 2) my learning of the existence of the word  l’esprit d’escalier on a similar list. It’s a French word — literally, the spirit of the staircase — for coming up with the perfect comeback a little too late.

These are things I wish there were words for in English/I wish I knew the words for in English.

• People who believe that technology can fix everything
• Those instances when you think you see someone you know…but aren’t quite sure.
• The waves given in those situations, esp. when you kind of wave and then have to retract it
• Someone who is more than an acquaintance, but not quite a friend
• Essay-writing fatigue
• When two people are having  conversation but are unaware that they’re both talking about completely different things.

To my delight, there is a place for people to make up words for things there ought to be words for. Ladies and gents, I present to you the Addictionary. It’s pretty hilarious and includes definitions for made-up words like “dramadary.”

(That would be a histrionic camel.)

Today’s word of the day is practice.

As in, “makes perfect.” I had an extra rehearsal today, so that took up the time I would have been blogging. If you’re in the area and feeling so inclined, however, please feel free to come to Carmina Burana at the Missouri United Methodist Church, this Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door.

From the Middle English practisen, originally from the Greek praktikē, the feminine of praktikos.

Does that mean the women are more practiced? I think it does.

My word of the day is acoustic.

Acoustic, from the Greek akoustikos, meaning “of hearing.” I love how this word feels when you pronounce it. It starts low and guttural, moves swiftly into a resonant arched soft-palate sort of sound and ends with a tinny, consonant-heavy “tic.” It covers a whole range of sounds, right in one little word about sounds.

I also love acoustic music. It’s not because I’m a luddite (though I kind of am), but because I love listening closely to singers’ voices. The best part of hearing someone sing, particularly in a song he has written, is hearing what syllables get drawn out a little longer, where his voice cracks, and how he phrases his songs. For example, there’s a part in a version I have of “Just Like A Woman” where the way Dylan sings the word “aches” makes me misty every time. I almost feel an actual dull pain in my chest.

I had the distinct pleasure of hearing a friend and classmate of mine sing with two other singer/songwriter types tonight at Top Ten Wines here in Columbia, Mo. Each of them had very different styles and voices and songs, but it was a fairly cohesive concert. It was vaguely reminiscent of the  Three-Headed  Broadway Star, though, of course, each musician sang one song at a time, not only one word.

The guy I know had intellectual, clever songs and I really like his voice. In fact, I  liked his songs the best…and not just because I know him. I have to say, though, his voice is not what I would have expected from hearing his speaking voice. If I had to pick an instrument it is most like, I’d pick something reedy, like an oboe. It’s  lyrical and sharp and mellow all at the same time. A very cool and distinctive voice.

The second guy of the trio was more like an alto saxophone. Or a fiddle. I realize those are very different instruments, but it’s not like you’re coming here for real musical analysis, now is it. Anyway. He hit some nice soulful notes but there was also a little folk/country in there and his notes flowed into each other a lot, like they were bowed, not fingered.

The last guy…I have no clue what instrument he would be. He was kind of a talk-singer. Maybe he’d be a xylophone? I liked the stories in his songs and his stage presence, which was part-emcee, part-comedian. I got kind of a Peter Himmelman off-the-wall sort of vibe off of him.

There was also quite a bit of harmonica — actual harmonica, not metaphorical– goin’ on, which I always appreciate.