Twelve Weeks

Posted on November 19, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

It has been twelve weeks since the last time I’ve been home and that is officially the longest I’ve ever been away.

I am beyond excited to fly home on Saturday and spend time with everyone in Vancouver, sleep in my own bed, drive my car, read the newspaper, watch local news, use a DVR, get my updated license, and all of the other wonderful things about home!

When I left for school in August, I had been so busy working for the prosecutor’s office and interning with The Columbian that it felt like I just hopped on a plane without even thinking about it. August feels like such a long time ago. It will be great to be back for a few days.

Words from a politico

Posted on November 17, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

Yesterday afternoon my state government class hosted guest speaker Kate Hanley.

Hanley is a former secretary of the common wealth and county executive in Virginia and she lectured on the workings of state and local government, but the most interesting comments she made were on the topic of running for office.

Speaking from her years of political experience, Hanley bluntly warned any would be politicians about everything from Ferrets to Facebook in a list of what she called her maxims.

1) Hanley said politicians should never forget they volunteered. No one held a gun to their head and made them run. She said a politician who complains about the job should watch out. Continue reading →

Central Park, Columbus Circle and West 66th

Posted on November 10, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

There’s nothing more striking than the aerial pictures of New York City with the gigantic green rectangle carved out from the middle. It’s hard to get that striking impression of Central Park from ground level, but there is a beauty and something uniquely New York about the park.

Walking by the Plaza Hotel, the park is simply gorgeous. There’s water and bridges, horses and walking paths. The smell of the horses was a little much, but they were nice to look at.

Around the park I was noticing the street signs and had an instant memory that some of the ABC studios and offices, including Live with Regis and Kelly, are on West 66^th.

I had never looked these addresses up on a map, but I just knew from years of watching that they were near by. I had to walk past the buildings so off I went, in search of Regis and Diane. Continue reading →

The news is written on the wall

Posted on November 7, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

Student media is a traditionally difficult beast to tame, but the key to success might just be written on the wall.

Almost every student on campus is part of Facebook and those profiles and “wall posts” quickly create a network that seeps information without the formality of a press release or “trend” story from a national outlet. Students post updates and thoughts that are largely unfiltered and immediately applicable. There’s no leg time. Most students post updates right in the middle of class from their mobile phone or laptop, and then continue posting all day long.

That makes Facebook perfect for campus news leads.

As an editor for campus news, I often feel that we’re chasing news instead of breaking it. That can be a frustrating prospect, but Facebook “wall posts” sometimes provide the chance to buck the trend.

I’ve seen two major stories make their way into the news through Facebook. One was a student dangerously injured in a deadly workplace shooting, and the second, was a professor arrested for alleged possession of child pornography just this week. Continue reading →

30 Rock

Posted on November 6, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

Me outside Studio 1A

After a short hiatus so I could drown myself in homework, the last few posts about New York City are coming:

Rockefeller Center is as familiar to me as watching the Today show every morning, so to actually set foot there was shocking – because it looks so much bigger on TV!

The skate rink was already set up when I visited and I was stunned at how dinky it looked. I couldn’t stop thinking about watching “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” and thinking how large it looks. It’s not. The rink in the mall is bigger.

Needless to say, it was a thrill to stand outside the Today show studio and peer in. If only Matt and Meredith had been behind the anchor desk, but it was still cool. I think I understand now that people aren’t kidding when they say the camera adds ten pounds, because I think it makes everything look bigger. The Today show set looked small too, but no less cool.

Continue reading →

Insanity for Sanity and/or Fear

Posted on October 31, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear stage on the National Mall, Oct. 30, 2010. (Jordan Frasier)

I did something today that I never do: over slept. I am notoriously ahead of schedule and early, but today I woke up five-minutes before I was supposed to leave for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and created my own momentary insanity!

Luckily I jumped out of bed as a speed-demon and was out the door in 15 minutes and headed for the fleet of buses George Mason rented to shuttle hundreds of students to the metro station and into DC.

The metro station was reminiscent of Inauguration day two years ago – there were lines as far as I could see and traffic backed up way down the freeway. At least this time I wasn’t there at 3 a.m. and sick with the flu. But luckily, as all of the Mason kids got off the buses, with the fare cards that the school already bought for us, we were able to bypass the line.

As we passed the very long line and headed for the platform, a loud lady in a wheel chair yelled, “You kids need tickets to get on the metro!” I think she was just upset that we already had tickets and got to go around the line. Thanks GMU! Continue reading →

New York Deli

Posted on October 28, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

Me at Rockefeller Center

The lunch options in New York City are almost as varied as the people who walk the streets – there’s Olive Gardens, TGI Fridays, Subways and Burger Kings – but I wanted a real New York dining experience.

So passing dozens of chain restaurants, I searched for a deli or a pizza place that looked clean enough and nice enough to eat in. It took a little searching, but eventually I stumbled upon the Stage Deli, somewhere between the Ed Sullivan Theater and Rockefeller Center.

The place was packed. Walking in the door, I was immediately greeted by a wall of pictures, featuring all of the famous people who’d eaten there, including a newspaper write-up featuring Mayor Bloomberg enjoying a sandwich from the deli. It seemed like a safe bet, so when the guy with a thick New York accent asked if I wanted a table, I agreed.

The instant I squeezed into the tiny table that was packed among dozen of others, I knew this wasn’t like the restaurants I normally frequent. Continue reading →

Times Square

Posted on October 26, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

Me outside the David Letterman show!

The crossroads of the world might be best known for their big New Years Eve party, but they’re certainly not lacking on a random Saturday.

More than anyplace I visited in NYC, Times Square left me stunned. The sheer amount of things to look at was insane! One second I was looking at the Good Morning America studio, then another giant screen would divert my attention, only to be quickly distracted by every other type of billboard for everything and anything you can imagine.

Times Square was almost scary because of the amount of people and stuff all around. I couldn’t decide if I was energized or claustrophobic. Continue reading →

City Legs

Posted on October 25, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

A little self-pic in Times Square.

I always thought I would take the train from Washington DC to New York. But after talking to a few people on campus who have made the trip, they recommended the bus. To that I pictured a 1950s Gray Hound with thick black exhaust and nasty blue vinyl seat upholstery.

Luckily after some research I found that the buses are actually pretty nice double-decker contraptions – even modern enough to offer free Wi-Fi. So for a very reasonable $33 round-trip ticket, I boarded the Megabus in downtown DC at 6 a.m. and headed for Manhattan.

To get to the NYC bus stop, we traveled through several tunnels. That had the effect of blindfolding me, spinning me around ten times, and asking me to pin the tail on a donkey. So when the bus pulled to a curb and everyone started getting off, it took a minute to know where to start walking. Continue reading →

New York Minute

Posted on October 24, 2010 by jordanjfrasier24

Me outside of Radio City Music Hall.

Whose life is this? I don’t mean in a stuck-up way, but I find it pretty cool that I get to do things like report from the White House and gallivant off to New York City for the day. Even smaller things, like a delicious yam, mango and pineapple casserole in the dining hall, have me asking that question. I think I lead a pretty exciting life and I’m grateful for that – especially today on my 21st birthday!

And on this day, it’s all about New York City.

The thing about NYC is that everyone has preexisting impressions of it before ever ducking through the Lincoln Tunnel and mingling between the buildings. I certainly had impressions that NYC would be completely put together – like a well run movie set.

When I got there, I did feel like I was in some movie-set-like-dream-world, but nothing about it was put together. I have never seen so much chaos and hubbub in my entire life, and it’s not necessarily gleaming and beautiful, but it is completely captivating and fascinating and inspiring to the point I couldn’t speak and could barely blink.