We finally got a chance to explore the KU campus on Saturday. It’s a cute little campus with hills and stuff. We walked through Memorial Drive and up to the Campanile. It’s dedicated to the 277 KU alumni,
students, faculty and staff who died in World War II . It’s a touching site. This is Potter Lake. One alumni who works at my company says the students like to call it the “Puddle.”
Mark enjoyed kicking up the dead leaves. He said you couldn’t do that in California.
We’re planning on doing Thanksgiving with some co-workers and news folks from other stations. It’ll be a UN meeting for the rival stations in town – dishing on trade secrets….trying to out-scoop sweeps pieces….nah – just chilling over a good food, beer and soda (a lot of people don’t drink in Kansas) and football. Yeah, I’ll probably be asking all the stupid questions about the game. It’s kinda like deja vu – when we did Thanksgiving in London with our Medill buddies and Mark’s mom and cousin. Now, we’re in a new state with people we’re just getting to know….
Speaking of getting to know people….I’ve been snapping away pix at the newsroom. I’m not sure if I’ll post anything – simply because….well…it’s a newsroom and I don’t want to upset/freak out the powers that be. Anyways – I broke the rule about doing lunch with people on my first day on the job. It was a rule in some power producer’s book – apparently, you don’t want to encourage or join cliches on your first day on the job. But I’d rather be friendly with new people instead of looking like a snob and following rules. Besides, I wanted some tips on places to do lunch in Topeka.
Most of my co-workers are native to Kansas. They’re nice and they like to chat. When 5:00 rolls around, there’s a nearly synchronized routine of getting up from the desks and putting on jackets. Yeah, you need jackets in Topeka now, it’s cold enough. Today, our company handed out free turkeys – about 13 lbs each. The assignment manager and I decided to go turkey bowling. We set-up three empty soda bottles and he rolled a strike. Other dudes in the newsroom joined in. Only one photog had a spare frame. I got a strike. We couldn’t get our news director to join in. He was worried we were hurting the turkey’s feelings. I pointed out that the turkey was dead. A bonding experience.
Mark and I hit the gym this morning. I caught up with my podcasts on the treadmill. I was a little annoyed at this episode: “Goin back to Lawrence”. It should have been titled: “Kansas is the center of the world.” Basically, to KU grads decide to leave Lawrence and try to “live” in other places. To travel and make it in a new enviroment. They tried out Portland and Cincinnati. Then they gave up and went back to Lawrence. They and their podcast host reveled in the whole Kansas is great and other cities suck – attitude.
I was disappointed.
Folks tell me they’ve visited California and the Bay Area.
“Nice place to visit, wouldn’t want to live there.” When locals ask me where I come from, they feel the need to extol the virtues of Kansas and Midwestern living. It’s tough to have a conversation about the places I’ve lived and put down roots because some Kansans don’t want to consider or accept that those places have any value as a home.
I like Kansas – a bit on the rural side, but that’s OK. It’s an adventure and I like the people. But I do feel sorry for folks who don’t want to give the rest of the world a chance. Los Angeles, Berkeley, Richmond, Chicago, London, DC – all really cool places to live and with really neat people. Lawrence, Topeka, Kansas – also nice places….but it’s not the center of the world. OK – center of the country…but not the world…well…at least not where I’m standing.
Thankfully, one girl in the newsroom is excited about visiting San Francisco next year with her husband. I was happy to give her some recommendations.
I’ve been happy with the music scene, the food offerings and the friendly attitudes…but I’m also disappointed when people fear change and the outside world.
One dude on the web team tried telling me Lawrence was the Berkeley of the Midwest. I pointed out that it was a little cleaner than Berkeley and that it didn’t have the angry cops, pissed-off homeless people or liberal fascists. He told me to wait and that I’ll see them soon.
Maybe when it get’s warmer outside.
Hi! I read your comments on the Evolution vs Intelligent Design article and I wanted to comment. I actually was interviewed by the AP reporter that wrote the article. The 12 year old is my daughter. I was greatly dissapointed by the article. After visting with my daughter and her friends for about an hour and with my wife and I for nearly 45 minutes, I felt the reporter misquoted and misrepresentated my daughter and my wife. My point to the reporter was that if a college disagreed with the way that one subject was taught in one class in 13 years of school and chose to not admit that student, then that school is pushing a very specific agenda and is being closed minded. Besides, what if it is true and the world has an Intelligent Designer? Is that possibility so far out that it should not be allowed to be investigated as a theory? Seems to me that the science community is being so closed minded that they are not allowing for their own scientific process of investigation.