Whoah!

[wordsmith]

Didn't know if this should go on work or life...

I just ran home to my apt. (two blocks from work) to throw my laundry in the dryer and grab a Coke, because I was tooling around taking pics for the paper I work for and had no change. So happened to swing by home.

While I was home, there was this huge shaking that rocked the whole building. Imp. info, my building was once a RR boarding house (also once a brothel, but not really the point). It's about 20 yards from the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Road freight tracks.

There was a train wreck right underneath my windows! A Frieght derailed. This is gonna take a good week to clean up, and it came within feet of hitting the propane fuel tank that fuels my building. That would have been special.

But, hey, got good newspaper pics. The excitement never stops around here.

[heatherf]

Holy Crap! I'm glad your are ok and your house literally did not explode!!!

You'd better go buy a lottery ticket!

[wordsmith]

I know! I'm getting freaked out. A couple of weeks ago, we had a small EARTHQUAKE (rare in IL, but not unheard of, still, only one in my lifetime), and yesterday we had a tornado (no damage). These things come in threes, right? ???

[heatherf]

Then go buy yourself 3 lottery tickets!

[midtwenty]

Damn I'm glad you're ok! That could have turned out ugly.

Speaking from a journalist point of view, talk about being in the right place at the right time! Scoop City baby! :razz:

[wordsmith]

No kidding...you can see a couple of pics from it on www.mendotareporter.com if you like. The building mentioned, the Setchell Agency, is where I live.

[libscigrl]

Whoa is right! Glad you & your place are ok.

[Phoenix]

LOL @ "That would have been special." No joke. Glad you're fine, though, and that your aptmt is too.

[Layback]

Wow - that was intense. So do you do more writing or more photography? When I started college I really wanted to be a photojournalist...

[wordsmith]

Layback, I'm actually the editor...but because it's a very small weekly paper, I'm also a reporter, photographer, do layout, production, etc. Pretty much everything but sell ads. But I don't have any specialized training in photography, it's just kind of ad hoc. Most weeklies don't employ a separate staff photographer, you just do your own shooting. I like photography, but that end of things is all self-taught.

I didn't study journalism at all, my major was English. But I enjoy working in journalism lots.

[Layback]

Cool - it sounds like you have carved out a nice little niche for yourself.

[wordsmith]

Eh...eventually, I'd like to move on to some other branch of publishing, or work for a publication where I'd be a little less thinly spread (and, perhaps, not responsible for the bulk of each issue). You learn a lot by working at a small paper, but in order to learn a lot, you also do a lot. If we had a bigger staff, I wouldn't have to work 60 hours a week to get stuff done. and that would be fine by me.

[pisces2473]

Wordsmith, Glad you are okay...and thanks for telling us where you live, now I can stalk you!!! LOL

[wordsmith]

Ha, usually where I live is effective enough means of PREVENTING people from stalking me. Who wants to come here? I mean, I like it (to a point), but I grew up here!

[pisces2473]

Yeah, like totally...why would I want to come to your brothel apartment when I can stay here in my circa 1840 restored farmhouse apartment! Oh please!

[wordsmith]

Yeah, and plus, I have that pesky issue of TRAINS coming through it.