Just a girl writing in the blogging ring
Beaver Hole was flooded out! I had to walk through a field to get pictures. This not so bright driver, tried twice to build up the balls to drive through the flood zone. I was going to keep snapping pictures until his Jeep shut down from the water rushing in. Then the creek would have started to sweep him away…. He back ‘er down in the end. LOL
~P.
Gettysburg College held a writer’s summit on Feb. 19th. I attended the “Speak Up, Write Out” conference with three other students on staff at York College’s Spartan Newspaper and found it to be an enjoyable, learning experience. The professional guest speakers were happy to share helpful tips on attaining success in the journalism field.
It’s who you know. The professionals on the panel all stressed how important having contacts has been in their careers. The consensus was attending conferences, meeting guest speakers and remaining in touch with college professors is what made a difference in their own success.
Shoot for the moon. No matter your career goal, don’t be afraid to take chances. Send out your resume, submit your work or even apply in person. The worst thing that can happen, you don’t get the job or receive a “thanks, but no” letter. One panelist suggested “wallpapering your bedroom with rejection letters” as a way to make some use of them as there will be many. Don’t feel rejected by these letters.
Internships are important. Members on the panel all at one time were interns. They usually weren’t paid, but what they did earn was the knowledge in a work setting in their field. Learning the ropes as an intern is just another important step towards a career goal. While interning, make as many contacts as possible.
Learn a second language. Several different panels agreed Spanish would be the ideal second language, but any second language may be helpful to an employer deciding on who to hire. Knowing the lingo of writers is also important. I heard several times that writers are snarky or have snarky comments. Since the conference I did some research. Snarky is British slang for “irritible, testy and short.”
Work that cover letter. Write a sincere, informative cover letter telling what you can do for a company and include personal interests. Make an impression with your cover letter and resume to stand out and be competitive in their content. Try to keep your resume to one page but include anything and everything that is relevant in your work history, education and personal interests that could help you get an internship or job.
Network online. If you want to get your name out there, especially in a writing career, get on the internet. There are endless websites to use for networking. It sounded odd hearing the professional panelists pushing for Facebook, Twitter and other social network websites as useful tools in their career.
Enterprising stories. My last panel session topic of the conference was “journalism in local news.” Local newspapers in Hanover and Gettysburg do not have enough reporters to cover the news. An “enterprise story” is an idea for a story a reporter comes up with on their own and runs with it. Local newspapers often print this type of story. Mainly because the topic is specific, no one else would have written about it.
When you love someone
Show respect
I am not the butt of your jokes!
Your words are poison to my ears.
Talk gently
Do you have a soft voice inside?
It’s playing hide and seek.
Them first
Every sentence you speak doesn’t have to start with “I.”
Can you ever be wrong?
Yourself second
I realize second to you is a lost concept.
Just get in line!
Be honest
Try to lie to my face.
I see the bullshit in your eyes.
Allow space
Don’t attach yourself to my side.
We are not conjoined twins.
Love grows
Not in your weedy garden.
Suffocating me to death.
I slammed the brakes leaving Beaver Hole….I wonder how long till this sign is removed?
and I had nothing to do with it!!
~P.
Scavengers
The property of Beaver Hole is clearly marked “No Trespassing” but evidence left behind at the bridge is proof that people ignore “posted” property signs. The amount of trash left behind and the content can be shocking. At some point during the summer of 2010 I began picking up the trash carelessly discarded. I chose a barren area by a telephone pole to set the trash bags and someone, I assume the garbage collectors, pick them up.
The common trash is just that, everyday paper, cans, bottles, wrappers, etc that people would usually throw in their trashcan. It’s the uncommon trash that stands out during a clean-up walk that gets my attention. Trash that wouldn’t normally be found along a busy road.
A recent trip to the bridge with hopes of taking photos and enjoying the peaceful environment became a clean-up mission instead. The melting snow revealed litter along the roadside and the creek. Litter sheds light on the activities at the bridge.
Multiple beer cans and bottles, all empty, of course. A cigar tube, a plastic bag of cigar tobacco and one empty baggie with the corner torn off. Curiously, I also found a sock, not to far from the baggie, wet, dirty and now single. A party of two people, most likely, at Beaver Hole. Everything else seemed to make sense, minus the sock.
What could this all be summed up as? Scavengers, feeding off of the natural beauty and seclusion at Beaver Hole? People carelessly upsetting nature for their own enjoyment…are scavengers of the Earth. This is why landowners feel they need to post their property. Owners want to protect their slice of nature from human scavengers.
Forensic Bridgeology Report. Bull Road. Warrington Township PA
B: Forest-The trees bare their roots against their will. Water and ice rise during the rainy, cold seasons tearing away the life supporting soil. Roots tear out of the ground like fingers, desperate to keep hold of the dirt. The fingers are of many hands, twisted, deformed and arthritic. Clinging to their last chance of life.
D Roadside: People drive to fast on country roads. Country roads are tricky for city slickers. They are also quite tricky for drunks. One particular tree along Bull Road stands out among the rest. This tree suffers many scars from drivers who just didn’t navigate that curve correctly. It’s not that difficult to menuver but just as you take that itty, bitty curve and start to straighten the wheel, out of nowhere this tree suddenly jumps out and bites your car on the passenger’s side.
R: Active decay- Nature has a way of recycling herself. Giant pine trees that once towered over the creek now lay on the forest floor. The felled pines have been there for decades, maybe longer. The remains of a pine tree are ugly, bug infested and decaying. The branches are bare of bark and poke out like skeletal arms of different lengths. Perhaps fending off the decay thats slowly returns the body, back to the ash it was born.
More sections of forensic report to come!
FORENSIC BRIDGOLOGY DATA FORM I have started my “hermit crab essay” and hopefully this link takes you right to it. This is an assignment from writing class. The assignment was to write a story in a bizarre, alien format. I’m writing about Beaver Hole, Warrington Twp, York, PA in the alien format of a forensic reports.
Let me know what you think of my bizarre essay@@@ thanks. Pattie
waiting for spring
My neighbor’s mobile home went up in flames 9/11/10. What is it with that date? Sept 11, 2001 Twin Towers, Pentagon, plane are taken down. Sept 11, 2004, I was taken down by Jhole. That’s a whole other story there. Actually, I really need to think out how I’m going to tell my story of 9/11/04. Anyway, I got side tracked. I’m back.
So Dave, my neighbor, has a fire in his home. We saw the smoke clearly and I ran through the woods. There’s a dirt type road between our homes. More stone than dirt honestly. Walking it has risks. Twisted ankles, scrapes from twigs, poison ivy, oak and sumac. Like one type of poison isn’t enough from Mother Nature. I get to the top of the hill…
Smoke was pouring out of his home and his truck wasn’t there, but he wasn’t answering his cell. I went to check his parents and passed him. He had been washing his truck at their house when the police arrived.
Dragon’s breath flames shot out open windows while the firefighters punched out the closed ones. It seemed to melt in slow motion into its self. Dave mobile burned quickly and kicked off heat. The gas bottles were already moved so no fear of a sudden large explosion. The beautiful big screen tv began to bow to the flames and her frame succumbing to the fiery beast. A small four-wheeler parked outside the porch door began to drip around the hand grips. Dave’s sons helmet obviously wasn’t fireproof as it became elongated, similar to an egg. The inner foam bubbled up and oozed off the visor, like contaminated yoke ready to fry.
The kids were fascinated and I likewise. After the fire was out and declared safe people began poking around. That was around 5pm if I recall correctly. Around 4 am it caught on fire again. Damn that beast. 9/11/10….another day in flames.
Now things are different. The fire was from a bad electric adapter, or possibly an extension cord. Doesn’t really matter. All is going well. He has a girlfriend now and he and his sons are alive. They might have lost everything but their clothes on their back that day and dad’s truck but Dave didn’t let that keep him from starting over. It was a fresh start for his family and…..he had a clean truck.
I love going to the bridge at Beaver Creek. It’s so peaceful there and perfect to do homework at or take the kids to play in the water. Since visiting there beginning last summer I noticed the old stone bridge wasn’t in such good shape. I notified the state of it’s disrepair. The state called and said they would look into it. If they actually went to the bridge is in debate because the following day they called to say it didn’t fall under the state’s responsibility to repair and told me to talk to Warrington Township. So, I sent WT an email. They wrote back saying it’s not their bridge. Mapquest lists it in Dover so I emailed Dover Township and asked if this was their bridge and if it is, I would like to see bridge inspection certificates. I have to wait 5 days max for their response. Honestly, I don’t know who owns the land but it’s a popular place and beautiful year round. So, I will continue investigating who Beaver Hole bridge belongs to and who should repair it. Eventually, it’s going to fall. Pictures tell a thousand words…there’s even a tree growing out at the base!!
Break out the purse.
Gonna spend your cash.
Glad we didn’t fuck.
I didn’t want a rash.
Good personality.
Bad upper lip.
You’re 3 points
I need a grip.
At the mall.
Shopping alone.
Left you behind.
In your own home.
The clubs tonight.
My ugly hag,
Do me a favor?
Wear a bag!
girlboxer1970 