Journalism, A Casual Conversation?

I’m back at college way up here on the North Shore now and I’ve been trying to keep up with what’s going on back at home by checking out the local papers’ websites, like Cape Cod Times and Cape Cod Today. But it’s tough when I’m not actually there because the big stories like Glen Marshall and the whole casino deal overshadow almost everything else, and then I miss all that little stuff.

So here’s the solution to all that…

Google has just obtained a revolutionary website called GrandCentral.com (http://www.grandcentral.com/). Here’s how it works: Anyone can create an account and then reserve a FREE phone number with the area code of anywhere in the U.S. you would like your number to be from. If you have a blog, like me, you can post your new phone number and have readers call in with story ideas, tell their own personal story, or maybe just to be interviewed for a story you’ve already written or would like to write.

You can set up your new GrandCentral number so that it will ring on your cell phone, office phone, or home phone—or all of them! The number that shows up on the caller ID is the GrandCentral number. If you know you’re expecting a call from someone to interview, you can answer. If you would rather the caller leave a message, you just let it go to the voicemail box of your GrandCentral account.

Just by hitting the number four on your phone, you start recording your conversation with the caller (if they have agreed to be recorded for an interview of course). If you decide not to answer, the caller can leave a message for you, which is also recorded. And now for the best part… After an interview is recorded or a voicemail is left, the recording is emailed to you in mp3 format instantaneously for your listening and easy-editing pleasure. Amazing.

Now I have my new GrandCentral number (508-444-8643), after Craig Walker the Founder and CEO read my blog post about his site and emailed me to tell me good job, and I’m just waiting to hear from my fellow Cape Codders about interesting stories and things that are going on back at home. I will leave prompts here and there and hope that readers also call in to give their thoughts and ideas on the subject. Keep an eye out for my GrandCentral number and go get your own! Hurry, the numbers can’t possibly be free for long.

Proud to Be an American

Going to the base on my day off and checking out all kinds of military apparatus was not exactly my top priority on Sunday. After dragging my boyfriend to the beach for a couple of hours in the morning, he gave me a well-thought-out guilt trip about how we should now spend the rest of the day doing something he wanted to do. So off to the Cape Cod Air Show we went.

The parking situation on the base was horrendous, and it was noisy, crowded, hot, and entirely too full of testosterone. But as the afternoon wore on and the clouds burnt off, I suddenly became interested in all of the fancy planes and things; I even climbed up and sat inside of some of them.

We peeked inside of a Coast Guard helicopter, one very similar to what you can see in the film about the Coast Guard Rescue Divers, The Guardian. (I highly recommend it to anyone by the way). Then we strapped ourselves into a UH-60 Blackhawk. Mike and I saw a B-52 Bomber and walked right through the almost 250-foot long C-5 Galaxy. We stood outside the fenced off area where the stealthy F-117A Night Hawk sat guarded by several military personnel. Then I immediately felt goose bumps all over after seeing an F-15 Eagle with a sign that read “First on scene on September 11, 2001.”

After a few hours of walking around at Mike’s high speed pace in a pair of crappy worn out $3 flip flops, my feet were really killing me. I sat down on the concrete and planned to remain there until Mike wanted to venture over to the fried dough stand. But as soon as those Thunderbirds took off for the sky, I was right back up on my feet, staring up at them in awe. “This is the sound of freedom,” said the announcer as they took off.

And he was right. It was nothing short of amazing watching the pilots perform unbelievable stunts and fly in flawless formations all afternoon. The show ended with a huge applause from the crowd and the song “Proud to Be an American” blaring from the speakers on the runway. It was a great feeling to be there and see all of that. It really did make me feel proud to be an American.

We never did get that fried dough, and we ended up sitting in traffic for almost 2 hours although the Falmouth gate is mere minutes from my house, but the Air Show was definitely something I’m glad I didn’t miss. I didn’t even really mind all of the traffic on the way out because it was a good indicator of just how many people came out to support our country’s military this weekend. And I’m proud I was able to one of them.