As some of you may know, today marks the second year anniversary of losing Adam Kazery. For those of you who don't know, Adam was the online editor for The Reflector my freshman year. He was a good friend, co-worker, and Reflector family member. He was one of the first people who made me feel welcome in the office. When I felt a little lost, he was willing to help me. And when I had the idiotic idea of doing a "Lost" podcast every week, he was the one who helped me learn how to edit them.
For the past two years, I haven't written anything about Adam. And it isn't because I didn't love him and don't miss him — I just didn't know what to say. Part of me felt like Aubra, April, and Kyle had covered it in what they had written. Here's the editorial Kyle wrote and this is what Aubra wrote today.
Adam is someone I never forget. I will never forget how he gave me a CD to listen to just because he could. Or how when I first was hired as entertainment editor he spent time getting to know me and talking through the office. And I'll never forget how he made me fear for my life my first day at work when he told me he had hid a sword above my head. Or how one day Kyle, Adam, and I were interrupted from working on MPA entries by Bob in a tie-dye T-shirt and jorts.
Adam gave all of us an example of how to be a friend and how to be a co-worker. By selflessly working on the paper without asking for credit, he inspired me to do the same. By doing small favors for others or offering to help, even without being asked, he made desire to be even half as considerate.
When I got that news two years ago, I was devastated. And lost. And didn't know how to react or process what had happened. It made me realize that cliche ... the one about nothing in life is guaranteed, so you need to live life now. You can only live each day once, so you need to enjoy it for what it is.
Today, Aubra and April surprised The Reflector staff with cupcakes and a letter, which you can see on Aubra's blog entry. Knowing that I have friends who care about me and the rest of the crew is something greater than I could have ever expected. If something good has come from all of this, it is that I have realized just how much of a family The Reflector is. Even strangers who have observed us have pointed it out to me on occasion.
The staff of the spring of 2010 (and those of you I knew in the fall as well) will have a special place in my heart. I remember all of you surprising me with a birthday party. With Disney Princess cups. It may be the best birthday I'll ever have. And those small gestures can be what mean the most to us in the end.
So, to the former Reflector staffs, the current Reflector staff, my friends outside the office (yes, they exist), and my family and those who are important to me, I just want to let you know I love you. I never expected to have such wonderful people in my life, and I'm thankful that God has put all of you there.
And, after all, the ones we love never truly leave us. Adam's still here with us, and I know he'll continue to remain in my (and everyone else's) memories. So, we don't need to dwell on his death, but his life. Because Adam truly knew how to live it.
Showing posts with label The Reflector. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Reflector. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Stalking the Indiana Jones Dude: NCMC Day Two
Today started off better than yesterday, if only because I wasn't freaking out about what size containers I could bring my liquids in and if I had everything. (Not that it mattered.) Even though April and I managed to get some sleep, we were still tired when we went to register for the conference. We got reporter's notebooks and these really cool eco-friendly pens. I really liked my pen and used it all day. Luckily, the hotel has a place to get coffee so I didn't fall asleep during the first session.
After registering, we split up to go to our first sessions. I went to "Thinking Like an Editor," which was something April had suggested because she went to it last year. Bill Elsen, who worked for The Washington Post before retiring, suggested many different ways for editors to work with their staffs and how to be organized.
Somehow, I ended up in an advertising session next, and I'm not sure how. I learned that Iowa State has a really large staff and has about six thousand other mini-websites. The guy in front of me kept blowing his nose, which made me want to use a lot of Germ-X.
April and I both went to a session called "Chicken Salad" where crappy college designs were redesigned by the guy who led the session. I was proud when none of The Reflector's designs appeared — not that the Michael Koretzky, the speaker, even knows who we are. But I can dream that he's in awe of our fabulous designs.
After "Chicken Salad" ended, we went to lunch. While at lunch, I made the discovery that the guy who wrote some of the Indiana Jones novels was going to speak at today. So, because I felt that going to a session that had anything to remotely do with Indiana Jones would enhance my journalistic qualities, I ended up going to something called "You Should Write a Novel." The room it was located in was away from everything else, and when I asked a hotel employee directions she told me to follow a group of guys headed to the same place.
Big mistake. They didn't know their way around at all, and it took us fifteen minutes to find the room. And, because we went in circles for ten of the fifteen minutes, I had no idea on how to get back to where I should be. So, after stalking Max McCoy, the author, and gaining some tips on how to get a novel published, I truly had no idea what to do with myself.
So I decided to try to find my way back to the main convention area. When that didn't work, I found elevators that I thought would take me to my room because I knew I could find my way back from there. Nope. They had glass backs and creaked and took me to the office and business part of the hotel. I eventually made it to the east tower, somehow, even though it said west tower from where I was standing. So I did the smart thing. I told April I was lost. After walking out into the cold, discovering I was in the east tower instead of the west and getting directions from someone, she managed to find me.
We ended up taking a nap after sessions ended to catch-up on the sleep we lost because Delta didn't inform us they had canceled our flight. (Yes, I'm still mad about that.) It was the best nap ever, though I managed to sleep through several phone calls and text messages. Oops.
After we both woke up, April and I decided to get food. Then we walked out of the hotel and discovered it was really cold. So we went to buy jackets from a mall. After purchasing our clothes, we went to go find something to eat and ended up at a Mexican restaurant that had pretty good nachos. When we got done eating, we headed back to the hotel to do homework.
Once I got tired of my French homework, I decided that blogging would be a better use of my time. And oddly enough, I'm still really tired.
Random Things That Happened Today:
*We officially have traveled to five states because we went to Indiana to go to the mall.
*April and I both like Canons better than Nikons, and April has been asking random people which they prefer.
*I ordered my lunch just so I could get sherbet.
*We were originally going to eat dinner at Panera Bread, but they closed at 7 p.m. Dinner isn't even over then. And this is a big city, not Starkville.
*I once again gave bad driving advice. Seriously, why does April keep asking me?
Oh, and I can still hear airplanes out my hotel window.
By the way, you should read April's blog post to see how her day went.
After registering, we split up to go to our first sessions. I went to "Thinking Like an Editor," which was something April had suggested because she went to it last year. Bill Elsen, who worked for The Washington Post before retiring, suggested many different ways for editors to work with their staffs and how to be organized.
Somehow, I ended up in an advertising session next, and I'm not sure how. I learned that Iowa State has a really large staff and has about six thousand other mini-websites. The guy in front of me kept blowing his nose, which made me want to use a lot of Germ-X.
April and I both went to a session called "Chicken Salad" where crappy college designs were redesigned by the guy who led the session. I was proud when none of The Reflector's designs appeared — not that the Michael Koretzky, the speaker, even knows who we are. But I can dream that he's in awe of our fabulous designs.
After "Chicken Salad" ended, we went to lunch. While at lunch, I made the discovery that the guy who wrote some of the Indiana Jones novels was going to speak at today. So, because I felt that going to a session that had anything to remotely do with Indiana Jones would enhance my journalistic qualities, I ended up going to something called "You Should Write a Novel." The room it was located in was away from everything else, and when I asked a hotel employee directions she told me to follow a group of guys headed to the same place.
Big mistake. They didn't know their way around at all, and it took us fifteen minutes to find the room. And, because we went in circles for ten of the fifteen minutes, I had no idea on how to get back to where I should be. So, after stalking Max McCoy, the author, and gaining some tips on how to get a novel published, I truly had no idea what to do with myself.
So I decided to try to find my way back to the main convention area. When that didn't work, I found elevators that I thought would take me to my room because I knew I could find my way back from there. Nope. They had glass backs and creaked and took me to the office and business part of the hotel. I eventually made it to the east tower, somehow, even though it said west tower from where I was standing. So I did the smart thing. I told April I was lost. After walking out into the cold, discovering I was in the east tower instead of the west and getting directions from someone, she managed to find me.
We ended up taking a nap after sessions ended to catch-up on the sleep we lost because Delta didn't inform us they had canceled our flight. (Yes, I'm still mad about that.) It was the best nap ever, though I managed to sleep through several phone calls and text messages. Oops.
After we both woke up, April and I decided to get food. Then we walked out of the hotel and discovered it was really cold. So we went to buy jackets from a mall. After purchasing our clothes, we went to go find something to eat and ended up at a Mexican restaurant that had pretty good nachos. When we got done eating, we headed back to the hotel to do homework.
Once I got tired of my French homework, I decided that blogging would be a better use of my time. And oddly enough, I'm still really tired.
Random Things That Happened Today:
*We officially have traveled to five states because we went to Indiana to go to the mall.
*April and I both like Canons better than Nikons, and April has been asking random people which they prefer.
*I ordered my lunch just so I could get sherbet.
*We were originally going to eat dinner at Panera Bread, but they closed at 7 p.m. Dinner isn't even over then. And this is a big city, not Starkville.
*I once again gave bad driving advice. Seriously, why does April keep asking me?
Oh, and I can still hear airplanes out my hotel window.
By the way, you should read April's blog post to see how her day went.
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