No matter what the situation you’re in, you will act differently based on who is around you at that time.
Whether it’s a group of professional peers, your friends, your family, etc. along with the gender, ages, etc., all of that makes a difference in how you will respond. In some cases, you’ll be more outgoing (and vice versa). Sometimes you’ll say something you may not otherwise.
It’s a natural human instinct to want to fit in. If we have to act slightly different to fit in, so be it.
This is essentially something I wrote about in my literature review during the Fall Semester: We continuously take the climate of opinion based on the group around us and will adjust our actions accordingly.
We also may express different viewpoints just to fit in with the group. Or silently disagree but let the will of the majority reign.
But where’s the line? At what point do you give up your beliefs/feelings/opinion to placate the will of the majority?
Which of these many versions of yourself is the “real you”?
I finished my move out today. It was my fifth Muncie residence in as many years.
This house was a little different than the others. The three guys in the house were no longer undergraduate students. Plus, I had my first female roommate this year.
I think it was different in that it was more of a practical roommate relationship than the traditional college one. For better or worse, we all operated on very different schedules, which meant we didn’t spend a lot of time together.
I’m not saying I didn’t think of roommates as friends. We just weren’t the tight-knit group that one may think of.
When I look back at my college career, I don’t really think of things in terms of freshman, sophomore, etc. I think of them in terms of the house I live in for that school year.
Other than my home in Bloomington – which I’ll be staying in again for this weekend – those five apartments/houses are the only places I have lived in.
I finished the final four hours of my drive back to Indiana today. I’ll be in Muncie tonight, head to Bloomington tomorrow and leave the state for a few months Sunday.
But the drive into Indiana truly disappointed me.
From last Monday to today, I have been in five states: Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.
So why do I have to deal with these facts:
The residency ended today, so we all said our goodbyes and headed on our respective ways.
But Emily noticed something on the way out the door today: There were nine interns at the residency – the same number as in the Fellowship of the Ring.
(I admit now that I may be officially putting the final nail in the coffin that copy editors are the dorkiest people alive.)
So, of course, the debate started over who would be what character. And for the most part, we agreed. But since this is my blog, I’m overriding a few decisions.
If the 2010 DJNF copy editors from Nebraska were the cast of the Fellowship, here’s the parts we would play:
Frodo – John: It just makes sense that the hometown hero would play the ring bearer. I was always impressed by the breadth of his knowledge in sports trivia. I’ve known people who have a strong grasp in specific sports, but John’s spans every sport it seemed. “The Professor” or “The Almanac” really are appropriate nicknames for him.
Samwise – Tommy: I think Tommy works as Sam because (via Wikipedia) “he was a loyal companion throughout the journey.” Tommy’s one of those guys who seems extremely dependable. This goes for everyone, but I was glad I had the chance to meet him.
Merry – Rhett: If for nothing else than the “Lost” connection, I think I’m stuck with this one. I’m glad the other six could put up with the trio that were fixated on the series finale and were still taking about it two days later.
Pippin – Annelise: Sorry Annelise, but I think it was inevitable that you were going to be a hobbit. I don’t think I’ll ever know a better Wiffleball base runner.
Gandalf – Emily: It was her idea, so I think I have to give her the character she wanted. Plus, she was the first of us to disappear. Maybe Emily the White will return someday. No one threw herself into Wiffleball (literally) more than she.
Aragorn – Brett: My first override, but I figured the man who bested us all at knowing the AP Stylebook deserves to the “leader of men.” I don’t think any of us realize how creative Brett was until we did Scott’s editing exam. In a field where we get stuck on being so literal, it’s always great to have someone who can think outside the box. But for the record, you beat me by just one.
Legolas – Diana: Umm….they both have long hair? (Listen, I have only so many characters to work with here). I’m glad Diana was able to go out with us Saturday night (the remainder of this sentence was redacted). I’ll never see someone absurdly overdress without thinking of Diana’s reaction to the “Prom Queen.”
Boromir – Dan: OK, I’m going to make this work: Sean Bean appeared with Brad Pitt in “Troy”; Brad Pitt starred in “Seven,” which was written by Andrew Kevin Walter who went to Penn State (nailed it!) Dan’s a really insightful guy who will be sharing Connecticut with me this summer. Plus he had my favorite Wiffleball batting stance ever.
Gimli – Dave: Dave took quite the beating over the course of the week, but always came back for more. I can’t wait to see some absurd headlines from him at the Post.
I’d go through some of the supporting cast and assign their roles to Charlyne, Rich, etc., but I’d probably end up getting it wrong. We can work this out if you want.
I didn’t expect to get to know everyone as well as I did over the course of a week, but I’m happy to say I left Nebraska with eight new friends. I wish all of you the best this summer. And I hope some of the East Coast-ers can get together at some point.
I’ll look forward to our Wiffleball reunion.
As I wrap up my residency in Nebraska – I will hit the road tomorrow for the 750-mile trek back to Indiana – I was stuck by how used to the schedule, which I have been following for the past week, I have become.
I get up around 7:15 a.m., get ready, get breakfast, go copy edit for a few hours, lunch, Wiffleball and more copy editing work, then an evening that consisted of dinner, sports and TV in some order.
Everyday for about a week and a half. It is the schedule I know now.
I think we would all love to say exactly what we think to one another. We wish we could be as honest as possible with everyone we interact with.
But we know better. We know that we can’t say that thought that could be rude. It wouldn’t be appropriate.
So we think about what we’re going to say to someone. We process our thoughts and come up with the perfect thing to say or the perfect way to lessen the blow. Because we know that doing the right thing will be the best in the long run. Holding your tongue can usually have the best effect.
Especially online.
I’ve spent the week with three people from Big 12 schools and three from Penn State. Finding much to brag about for Ball State can be a little difficult.
We’re all sports copy editors, so naturally we’re discussing athletics virtually non-stop – along with playing games during the majority of our breaks.
This may be a surprise, but Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Penn State have accomplished just a bit more in terms of sporting achievements. I seemed to be left with trying to tout the minor things we’ve done, which just pale in comparison. I think the line I came up with was, “At Ball State, we brag about the things we’ve almost done.”
I don’t know why, but some nights I really have a hard time falling asleep.
I think it’s partially because my body adjusted to the work schedule of the DN. My internal clock seems to believe my sleeping schedule should be 3 to 11 a.m. more or less.
So when I try to adjust said sleeping schedule to anything more conventional, or when my hours dictate I wake up earlier (I’m getting up around 7:15 a.m. this week), I sometimes have nights like this one. A night where I stare at the ceiling and wonder why I’m still awake.
I’m through Day Two of my Dow Jones Residency. Only seven to go.
I don’t want to say that I’m not appreciative of the opportunity that the DJNF has given me – I wouldn’t be at ESPN without it. I understand the training they want me to do and the whole mantra of practice makes perfect, blah blah blah.
And I’m not going to put words into any of the other interns’ mouths, but I think we’re all a little exhausted with doing worksheets for eight hours per day.
I both can’t believe I’m already 20 percent through this 90-for-90 (as well as 20 percent of summer basically) and a little horrified that there’s still 80 percent to go.
There’s been one show that I have watched for my entire college career. That show is “Lost.”
I was totally hooked from the first moment we saw the plane crash, the polar bear and everything else from the series premiere. I think it’s a show that has managed to do things most shows can’t: create a serialized show on network TV with such a rabid fan base that has traded theories since Day One.
I’ve never been the biggest contributor to “Lost” theories, but I have enjoyed following some podcasts to listen to other people ideas. Plus, I occasionally get to discuss the show with the few friends I have that watch it. Three of the copy editors here for the Dow Jones Residency are watching it together tonight.
It’s not something we may see again anytime soon. (It’s not as if “Flash Forward” or “V” have exactly blown anyone away.)
It’s a little sad that “Lost” will end Sunday. It also is a little sad that my college career has outlasted “Lost.”
Spoilers from tonight’s episode and theories after the jump.
