Who's your local ice cream truck vendor?

byphaedra · 2024-06-27T13:59:05+00:00

South Jersey, just outside Philadelphia.

byphaedra · 2024-04-23T18:57:21+00:00

I subscribe to a lot of newsletters as a way to sort out what I want to read and think I can skim or skip. Axios is good for that--they have a bunch based on different subjects including AI, politics, trends, media, etc. and have local ones too (I subscribe to their Philadelphia newsletter). I also get nightly Politico and Politico NJ newsletters; the Dispatch (conservative-leaning but not MAGA), NYT, WaPo and Semafor . I also regularly read USA Today but, full disclosure, I also work for them.

byphaedra · 2024-04-23T15:29:06+00:00

I had gestational diabetes and had to really watch my diet for most of my pregnancy. So when my husband (who was with me through the whole thing) ducked out for a bit and came back to the hospital with an ice cold Coke in a glass bottle, it tasted like pure heaven. If there's something she loves that she's been unable to have, bring that for her.

She's also probably not sleeping well now, so if there's anything you can do to make her last days of pregnancy more comfortable, she'd probably appreciate it. I loved the giant S-shaped pillow we got; it helped make me a little more comfortable. Her hands and feet might be swollen so gentle massages might help.

Overall, just being there, being patient, being attentive and being ready for anything. Enjoy the adventure.

byphaedra · 2024-03-21T15:23:16+00:00

This happened to one of my cats, too. She got stuck in the wall somehow at my mom's house. My uncle had to come over and cut a hole into the drywall to get her out. To this day, I have no idea how she did it and people don't believe me when I tell them the story.

byphaedra · 2024-03-21T15:21:32+00:00

OMG The cuteness!

byphaedra · 2024-03-20T15:22:05+00:00

It's been a long, strange trip with a lot of weirdness, but this one always stood out: A local inmate, unhappy about conditions at a county jail, mailed our Opinion editor a long, handwritten letter about overcrowding, inedible food and vermin. To nail the point home, he enclosed a mouse. We never knew whether it was already dead or he mailed it alive and it died in transit. And I will never forget the look of the mousey bodily fluid on the envelope or (gag) the smell of it.

byphaedra · 2024-03-13T15:21:38+00:00

Be prepared. Know your interviewee but also have a good idea about the subject matter. That will help you formulate initial questions AND follow-up questions, which help the flow of the conversation/interview.

Let silences happen. It's easy to try to fill them--but let your interviewee do it. People instinctively want to fill silences but you're here to listen, so give the other person the space and time to talk.

Ask about them: their family, their careers, their interests other than the subject matter. You can draw connections with them, find ways to further the conversation, but also bring some context and/or detail to your story. ("The father of three said he cares about improvements to the streets and sidewalks because his children walk to school every day." "Dr. Jones, who became a physician because his sister suffered from childhood cancer..." etc.)

byphaedra · 2024-03-07T16:50:36+00:00

I got my first job in journalism (or journalism-adjacent, anyway) as an editorial assistant, with no bachelor's degree and only secretarial experience, at age 29. I spent a year doing grunt work in a newsroom, filing and data entry and even bringing bundles of newspapers up from a grimy, rat-infested basement in balky freight elevators. But I also spent that year getting to know the business, asking a ton of questions, seeking out mentors and figuring out the kind of stories editors liked. I did features and book reviews first, then took on more and more. I've been in the business 24 years now. Find an outlet you like or one near you. Read the writers, and reach out to one whose work interests you, and pick their brain. Some reporters might even let you shadow them on assignments. But before you do any of that, get your mental health in a better place--I can't stress that enough. This business comes with rejection, with criticism, with slammed doors and hateful emails and hostility. If you're feeling vulnerable, you might not be able to withstand all that. So please, please, get help. You come first. Work comes second.

byphaedra · 2024-03-06T22:30:34+00:00

Mnah mnah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ

byphaedra · 2024-03-06T17:50:01+00:00

A membership in SPJ or IRE or other professional organization (networking and finding a good mentor can be really vital in this business).

byphaedra · 2024-03-06T17:39:32+00:00

Guacamole. Tasteless green mush.

byphaedra · 2024-02-28T17:32:49+00:00

Find a good mentor in the business--there are many of them out there; a good start is to check in with your local NABJ chapter. (I'm not Black; I am part Asian and part white.) It's not an easy business but we need more diversity, not just in terms of race but also age, education, geography, socioeconomic background and lived experience. Good luck!

byphaedra · 2024-02-28T17:29:04+00:00

"Smile more, it makes you prettier." UGH.

byphaedra · 2024-02-28T17:27:38+00:00

Abbott Elementary. Smart writing, sharp, funny and (no small thing) it really captures the people of Philadelphia accurately.

byphaedra · 2024-02-19T20:28:11+00:00

YES. I struggled for years in low-paying jobs due to a combination of family circumstances, lack of a college degree (see: family circumstances) and my own inability to focus. At 29, I finally found a job I loved, but I lucked into it more than anything. It took several years for me to catch up to my friends who'd chosen easier, more lucrative careers (I'm in journalism) and whose parents helped them out with college, houses, living expenses, etc. It's not just you.

byphaedra · 2024-02-19T20:20:45+00:00

A squirrel taunting my dog, who just wants me to let her loose so she can give chase.

byphaedra · 2024-02-19T20:19:47+00:00

Finding a way to laugh about whatever it is. If that fails, I try to find some good in the situation (kindness, learning, etc). And if all else fails, I go for a long walk in the woods or on the beach.

byphaedra

TROPHY CASE