It was a light day on the sports desk. I continued to work on my marathon story. Many of the staff writers were off or did not come in until very late. As the week concludes, it occurs to me that it's going to be a little strange going back to a classroom setting on Monday because I've become used to checking in at the desk and getting my day started. They even know me at The Tennessean front desk now; so when I walk through the door, they're just sending me right on up. ("I don't need any stinking badges"!) Plus, I was just getting used to coming in at those late-morning hours. I really enjoyed the experience and the editors — Alan Whitt and Mike Towle — helped me immensely. In the 11 weeks I've been here, I've done stories on city councils, school boards, parking commissions and I can't forget Mule Day 2006. (I love those mules!) But I believe deep down that the sports desk is where I belong. I felt at home pounding away like crazy, trying to beat deadline. It was fun. Now let the real games begin!

I helped reporter Sheila Burke do a follow-up to the immigration crackdown story that appeared in today's paper. I made a lot of phone calls to immigration advocacy organizations, lawyers and concerned members of the community to try to get their opinions on the immigration raids and to find family members and friends willing to talk to the press. The first task was easy. I got good comments and learned about immigration laws and procedures related to deportation. The second task was pretty fruitless. Nobody who knows the people in custody wants to talk. They are too afraid. They think "la migra" will come after them next. Later, I was glad to know I was not the only one stopped at a roadblock: the same thing was happening to Sheila and journalists from the Latino community. "Everyone is going back in the shadows," is a phrase that kept popping up in various conversations that I had. At the end of the day, Sheila thanked me for my work. No writing for me today. Just reporting. But I had the pleasure of meeting over the phone a handful of really concerned people who are taking up the cause of immigrants. It was a rewarding day.

OK. So I've been lying a little bit this week. I actually have been enjoying myself at The Tennessean. My assignments have been weird and complex, yet educational. My editors have been hard-pressing, yet provocative. Unlike other Fellows, my week does not end today. And tomorrow will be exciting. I'm going to cover an Earth Day rally out in Dickson, where a landfill has been linked to a growing number of cancer incidences. Once I complete that assignment, I'll go cover a Christian youth conference. I'll really have to manage my time. But as we say in the Bay Area, "It's nothing to a boss." What a week!!!

Working with editors whose styles and personalities are different allowed me to gain some new insights and techniques that will serve me well as I prepare to exit this weeklong experience. I was reminded of how important it is to research stories thoroughly and to take clear and thorough notes. These and other insights came from both personal experience and catching bits of conversations among staff reporters as they worked on stories. The experience this week brought to life the many lectures our Diversity Institute instructors have grilled in our heads. The week also reminded me of how vital it is to have journalists of color working in the newspaper business. The readers are crying to hear from us; this is not an ego-stroking episode, just a reality.

My Davidson AM story is finished. I did not write as many stories this week as I had originally hoped, but I am glad that I did one and did it well. I don't mind people knowing that I was a bit jealous of the other Fellows, who were getting stories published each day. By Tuesday, they all had stories in the paper and were working on others. I had researched three possible stories by that time and had not struck one letter on my keyboard. I learned that a lot of research can go for naught, and nothing in our profession is guaranteed. That is the nature of the beast. Still, I made my own contributions to the paper. My brief on the traffic situation for the Country Music Marathon next Saturday will probably fly on Wednesday of next week. I also hope to submit a story profiling a martial artist who has an inoperable brain tumor. I think it will be a good human interest piece for Davidson AM. Hey, I'm happy.

I spent yesterday on the news side. Today, I spent my time in the features department. What I discovered is that the process of copy editing and designing is about the same. The only difference was the types of stories they were editing. One copy editor said: “This is the fun side.” And I could see what she meant because they were working with entertainment stories. I now have found the destination I want to work toward, and that’s the fun side.

Today was a better day. My story on the Titans and their visit to Fort Campbell showed up on www.tennessean.com. Aside from one minor typo, I was satisfied with how it came out. My point in yesterday's entry about the story being posted online was that it's another part of the humbling experience of journalism. When you're reporting a story and people tell you that they'll be looking for it in the next day's paper, you feel good. But when you get back to the office and your editor tells you that your story has been bumped from the regular paper to the website, there's disappointment and a part of you says, "Whatever. Who's going to see it now?" Eventually, the realization is that any story, whether it shows up in the paper or on the Web, is integral to the organization you work for, and you should approach it as if it were going to be an A1 piece. So today I just researched and made some calls about an upcoming piece I'm writing about next week's Country Music Marathon. I have a Davidson A.M. piece coming out tomorrow so that should get Friday off to a good start.

Today was a lighter work day and quite different. In the morning, I submitted a story I have written on Al-Anon to Davidson AM editor Cindy Smith after consulting with DI Training Editor Pearl Stewart. I then worked on my DI profile story assignment, which is due tomorrow. As I did so, I also served as Spanish-language consultant for a reporter working on a story that included taped interviews with Spanish speakers. It made me feel useful. At lunchtime, I attended a brown-bag session with the team of Tennessean reporters, photographers, editors and graphic designers who worked on "128 Minutes of Terror," a major story package in Sunday's paper about tornadoes that hit the state earlier in the month. It was wonderful to hear the team explain all the intricacies of the reporting, data gathering, writing, and layout and design for the piece. They all talked about how that type of story is not about anyone's byline, but everyone's finished product. The National Weather Service praised the package for its accuracy. In the afternoon, I was sent out to try to get quotes from family members of IFCO Systems employees detained by the Office of Homeland Security for not having proper documents to work in the United States. I visited the county jail but found no family members to interview; the factory was closed. In the end, I did not get any quotes, but I did get to see another part of town, and I got some food for thought out of my assignment.

I can't say too much more today than I have this past week about the quirky assignments I've been getting. I got another story today that initially seemed weird and complex — a demonstration of a dirty bomb detection system at Vanderbilt — but it turned out to be not so bad after all. In fact, I ended up feeling like a pro when I was invited into the stadium's press box to attend a press conference about the demonstration. There, I got to sit with other journalists and ask questions to the people in charge of the demonstration, just like we had practiced in class. I found I had to keep asking questions just to understand what they were talking about. But the writing went a lot easier after I finally understood what the issue was all about. Maybe I even scooped some of the other media. We'll just have to wait and see tomorrow.

This was another energy-filled day that left me with much unfinished business. I wanted to talk more with David Green about a discussion he had with Fellows about "The First Five Grafs," attend the brown bag lunch today to hear the reporters' input on how they compiled the Sunday story about tornadoes that devastated the state in recent weeks, and the list goes on. This world of journalism is so fascinating and I am thrilled to be a part of it, even though the word "schedule" should be thrown out the window. I did find some time to reflect a bit. Some parts of the work we do are somewhat scary, such as making typing errors that are always fatal. The requirement to CQ facts in the story saved me this afternoon. In doing so, I found errors in the spelling of sources' names, and I exhaled slowly thinking of the consequences if the process were not in place. I was somewhat stunned when the computer system crashed for some time. I did not expect that to happen in the newspaper world, especially since the world depends on our expediency. But the dilemma was fixed, deadline was made and we arrived for the evening agenda in a reasonable amount of time. All is well that ends well.

Things are still going smoothly. I worked on my Davidson AM project all day. It was difficult organizing all the information, but once I had a plan, I was off to the races. I experienced a great deal of satisfaction as I engaged in the writing process. On a personal level, I also learned a lot. I'm a homeowner, but I've never understood some of the generic real estate terms I heard in my interviews. So I had to stop people and ask about the meaning of such things as land use and approved lot. Of course, I had to fully understand what "infrastructure" entailed, as well. The sources apparently took it for granted that I was knowledgeable about this stuff. However, when I asked them questions, they were accommodating and patiently explained the concepts behind the words. Cindy Smith is pleased with what I've done so far, and I'll wrap this story up tomorrow. She said, "Now you can go back to New York and tell your editor you can write a real estate story."

Seeing how decisions are made at a larger newspaper fascinated me. At the evening budget meeting, I heard editors discuss and question stories brought to the table. Afterward, I sat with a copy editor who walked me through the steps taken to get the copy to the designer to put on the page. Then I went over to the page-designing department. At the 1A designer’s computer, there was another meeting called a “stand- up,” where editors look at what the designer has done with the page and read the headlines. If a headline doesn’t work for them, they give suggestions or ask for alternatives. The 1A designer informed me that a lot of changes are made even after the meetings. My observations gave me a glance of what goes into headlines and placement of stories, as well as the many steps taken between the budget meetings and the first edition of the paper. Even though I didn’t design any pages or edit any stories, I learned a lot about how a larger newspaper operates. I also gained a greater appreciation of how each person at a newspaper has a role that is as important as the role of the next person. It really is a domino effect, and everyone around you is important.

The roller coaster world of journalism got me today. First, I found out the story I did last night ran on page 2C, which was nice. I got to the paper to prepare for the day when Mike Towle, the assistant sports editor, called me over and pointed out that a correction was going to have to be made because I spelled the name of the MTSU coach wrong. (It was Peterson not Patterson). I felt bad about it. He told me not to worry, but it didn't really help. To have something wrong like that on my first sports story is pretty humbling. While figuring out what happened, we realized that the Vanderbilt press guide listed the coach's name as Patterson, and that's the guide I looked at as I was scrambling to beat deadline the night before. (I knew I wasn't crazy!) I felt a tad better, but it was a reminder that I always need to double-check everything – even on a deadline story. Today's assignment was to go out to Fort Campbell, Ky., to cover a pair of Titans who visited some of the injured Army soldiers. The story will be posted online (which is another issue in itself, but one that will be discussed in a future entry.) Let's see if tomorrow's journey is smooth like the new Pontiac G6 instead of the Batman ride at Six Flags ... because this brother HATES roller coasters. WHEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My job for today was to edit Spanish-translated sections of The Tennessean’s FYI Yearly Magazine, which is a guide to Nashville and surrounding areas for newcomers and natives. A staff member, who is not a native Spanish-speaker, had done the initial translation from English. All things considered, she did a really good job, but the sections still needed a lot of work. I either had to edit or redo sentences from scratch. It became quite involved, but I was glad to make a contribution. We also had to figure out how to address the use of accent marks, which are very important in Spanish because they can change the meaning of words. And then there are some tricky exceptions about when they should not be used. After much effort and conversation, we finally figured out how to change the font only for the Spanish text. Why didn’t we think of it sooner? It turned out to be much ado about one little letter, but it allowed us to work as a team to come up with a solution. This, too, is journalism – of the public-service variety. Someone will benefit from it, but they won't know all the behind-the-scenes work that went into it. Hasta luego.

I finished my story about the commuter rail-line delay today. After completing it, I felt relieved. But I also ended up liking the experience at the end. To cover a story like this shows the importance of clarity and context. Without these two factors, I don't think it could have been done. So it was all worth it at the end because I was able to make sense of a complex issue and put it into words for the reader to understand. It also suggests that doing stories that really interest you personally will come a whole lot easier. I guess what I'm saying is, news is what you make it.

Today offered me a good mixture. I received diverse assignments from editors with totally different personalities. One story was on the police beat and involved people who had been attacked; the other story was about Earth Day activities being planned in the community. I am loving the newsroom energy that seems to make time dissolve and become somewhat irrelevant. I am also growing in appreciation for the extensive research and reporting necessary to get stories done. This has been a marvelous, energizing experience.

Today was a satisfying day. I spoke to the agent of the Tennessee Titans football player allegedly connected to a drug bust. My information will likely be coupled with that of another reporter and make it into Friday’s paper. I also continued to gather information for the upcoming marathon and expect to write a 10-inch piece on the traffic aspect of the race (street closings and detours).  But the better part of my day was spent working on a profile of the city of Lebanon as part of a special section Davidson AM is preparing. I had a long conversation with the city’s mayor and other key people who provided the answers I needed. I never had much of a reason to use the word “infrastructure,” but I used it a lot today while working on my Lebanon project. The word rolls smartly off the tongue, doesn't it? And now I just like saying it. I also made time to finish the interviews for my DI profile-story assignment. I literally had to juggle several things at once, sometimes getting a call on my cell while conversing with someone on my desk phone. It was a little hectic at times, but – by God – I felt like a real reporter. Chasing people down and gathering information is fun. Not writing a story with all that information is very disappointing. I'm optimistic that I'll walk out of here on Friday with two stories and, at least, one brief… INFRASTRURE.