A Tripod's Quest ft. Christian P. Bryant

“Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people’s vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse…

“Do one thing that has nothing to do with journalism.” — @JenLeeReeves

At this stage in my academic career, there is no “chill”; my colleagues and I are purpose-driven and steadfast in our pursuit of becoming professional journalists. That basically translates into very little downtime, much less the mental capacity to think about anything other than story ideas and good camera-operating practices. 

Fortunately, one of my professors made it a point during our final class of the semester to include tips for living healthy, balanced and sane lives. She suggested that we find an activity — a hobby, or something of the sort — that has nothing to do with journalism, and immerse ourselves… As if I needed any other distractions. 

Enter: GarageBand.

(#MusicPorn)

This Mac OS and iOS program isn’t anything new or particularly ground-breaking, but it is easily explorable for musicians, like myself. My dusty keyboard doesn’t get enough play and I can’t make it to the music store as often as I’d like, so I began an obsessive relationship with a computer program. 

I’m not sure what’ll come out of this new distraction (quite possibly horrendous grades, scorn from my parents and then a life of abhorrent thuggery) but I’ve found a place to go when my “give-a-damn” gauge gets a little full. 

To hear some of my work, check out my SoundCloud page. 

(Picture courtesy of DatPiff.com)

Here’s an explanation of “Real Recognizes Real” from UrbanDictionary.com:

“An idiom of hip hop culture used to refer to the tendency or ability for real individuals to identify, connect with, or otherwise respect, other real individuals. The usage of real is identical to that in the more generic phrase ‘keeping it real,’ i.e. genuine, true.”

Real recognizes real. Plain and simple.

Christian P. Bryant

I woke up in a panic this morning. I silenced my alarm in a violent fashion and realized it was “Resurrection Sunday.” I arose, as Jesus did millenia prior, but unlike Jesus I directed my immediate attention to my alarm clock: 10:30 a.m. This meant I was late for a 10:30 a.m. service. First thought: “My mom’s gonna kill me.”

I haven’t lived with my mother for years, yet I knew she would certainly have my head for missing church on this particular day. The 800+ miles between us would be no barrier.

Working in TV news is chaotic. Anyone that says otherwise curses the profession with their fatuous nonsense.

During some of the best day-turn reporting shifts, reporters can find themselves out in the field for hours on end collecting SOTs (or soundbites) for sources, coercing unwilling interviewees to present their opinions on camera, shooting b-roll (visuals) like gunnery sergeants, writing notes on shabby, coffee-stained stenographer notepads, burning precious battery life on overused smartphones and enduring interrogation from producers hell-bent on stacking rundowns with stories that matter in attempts to turn Frankenstein-ish shows into Louvre-styled masterpieces.

I love going to the laundromat. It is a place of enjoyment and also a necessity — I don’t own a washer or dryer. 

When I was younger, my mother would take my siblings and I to a laundromat near our home — “Suds ‘n’ Duds.” My mother always dragged us along for her ritual cleaning of the comforters. 

Just a friendly reminder from your friendly neighborhood journalist. 

(Source: addtoany.com)