A beginning and an end

Things are finally wrapping up here, one by one. Today I finished my last article for the special holiday guide that the paper's been publishing this month. My last day physically in the office will be Friday, I think. Honestly, I'm really sad to leave. I love the energy that comes with working at a newspaper. The hustle and bustle. The daily scramble to get stories written. It's intoxicating.

I'll be working for Doug McKillip, Democrat representative from Athens, Ga., starting in January and throughout the legislative session. It's not journalism, but politics are my second love so I'm extremely excited to say the least. I have a feeling that this experience will open many doors for me and I'll learn things that will help me become a better journalist down the road.

The local paper has some ideas for me while I'm living in Atlanta. First of all, I'm going to have my own blog connected with the paper and I'm going to be giving updates and accounts of my experience for the entire 40 days. I'm going to have to be careful about what I say and whose toes I'm stepping on, but it'll be a great learning experience.

Also, the paper wants me to start Twittering from the floor. If anything crazy happens or a controversial bill passes, I'll be using my phone to update the paper's Twitter that goes directly on the home page of the paper's web site. It's a really forward-thinking idea, and it's comforting that people at the paper are finally embracing today's technology and social networking opportunities.

Hopefully these things will help me expand my resume to include more online experience. I'm really looking forward to leaving my comfort zone a little bit and learning new things. It's always a little intimidating, but I think I'm ready.