Archive for category About Me
Getting down to the hard grit
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, Opportunities, yada yada on June 27th, 2009
Yup, fingers hitting the keys hard, mental fan whirring. I think I qualified as doing that, at least a little bit, whilst on the CityLife desk of the MEN.
Here’s some pieces I’ve done…
- Haworth wins again
- The Big Pink - gracing stages and shops
- Abba The Show - M.E.N’s big Christmas party
- Angel Of The North model at Chatsworth
- A beast at Shift Time in Shrewsbury
Laptop, work experience, no more exams
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, yada yada on June 23rd, 2009
Plastic pencil cases or clear food bags
Had final AEA exam today. If you don’t know what that means, it’s essentially a jazzy extension English exam which is rather delightful and not at all too box-ticking in nature. More rigorous thought, the kind where you end up eating your pencil at the wrong end because you’re concentrating so much on your line of thought. So that’s it. Over. A Levels well and truly done. I’m utterly glad, admittedly, utterly glad because for the large part A levels have seemed like a stepping stone to something else, rather than an actual academic challenge in themself. Of course there have been challenges, but perhaps most exciting has been the weekends at friends’ houses, the little travelling, French exchanges where you sample the town’s best chocolaterie and so on.
Being the skivvy and not even getting paid for it
Skivvy. I don’t like the word. I do, however, sometimes promise food when I try to garner some work experience. Thus far it seems to be working. Have a couple of days lined up here this week. If you’re in the office, give me a wave.
I don’t mean to sound moody by the way. I’m not at all. I’m actually rather impressed by the two-screen PCs and comfy chairs with arm rests. Plus the view is quite decent. Could imagine working in a newsroom, very much so. Hate to imagine what their keyboards hold though - all those sandwiches munched on whilst working - eep!
Sleek, black, very sexy
That’s my new laptop. Shiny HP number. A bit like this. Will post some pics soon hopefully. It’s going to be helpful, means I can do more Skype and whatnot when away from home, aka off to Europe for the summer. I’m getting a cute carrycase for it too, see here. Still waiting for it to arrive. My feet are tapping and I’m remembering how I was never patient.
The pretty and the bad
My new swatch watch has gone walkabouts. In fact, I have put it somewhere where I don’t know where. Just about somewhere as confusing as that last sentence. Sincerely hoping it comes home. Love you. Will wear you with pride… Promise promise. I do miss thee.
PS
I’m aware it’s been a while. Damn exams, like I say. Will be updating more frequently now. Novel in the jowels too. Just needs a little more chewing over.
Babysteps in journalism: episode 4
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, yada yada on June 10th, 2009
- Successfully put out alert on Gorkana asking for utterly-fabulous editorial work experience (Gorkana has to be mastered in journo-land, right?)
- Been sent various job and internship info via twitter, which provokes a gooey-nice feeling that I cannot be considered utterly shit if other well-respected, been-at-it-for-a-while journalists are sending info my way.
- Not been pitching much (mid exam-season, not the best time.) Have, however, been filling up my spreadsheet with all those Gorkana gems. (Did I mention I like Gorkana? It’s pretty useful.)
- In the midst of getting some work experience. Waving my magic wand around didn’t help much, but Gorkana and friendly people did.
- There’s some more, only my head has had enough for today. I’ve had essay exams. Forgive me.
Babysteps in journalism: part 3
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism on May 13th, 2009
- Cheque from The Independent has arrived. Hoorah! (This is a BIG step, believe me.)
- Touting round a travel pitch about a destination verging on the extreme of student travel. Nail and lip biting stuff
- Working on ideas of some things going on in wee old Cheshire
- Trying to decide where to put a restaurant review
- Had some interviews - didn’t get job - but did get fabulously helpful feedback (and apparently my Valentino suit looks as beautiful as I thought so myself!)
- Finished an article for emag, which should be appearing in the September issue, I think
- Gave yoof view on summer schools for freelance journalist Tamsin Kelly. Article here.
If in doubt, get the lit crit out!
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Literature on May 13th, 2009
That’s in my experience, at least. I’ve been doubting literature a fair bit recently, thinking whether it’s really what I want to do (not entirely sure), whether I could be doing more ‘worthwhile’ things, whether it’s the most challenging. I’ve also been doing a damn good job of avoiding what is, essentially, a very important question.
Do I like literature? Heck, do I love it? If I were to marry a subject, which would it be? Literature, literature, all the way. Thing is, I feel like I’m already married to it. I don’t have a ring, or a white dress, but I do end up with tired eyes, little grooves from my glasses on my nose, and a room dominated largely by literature and books about literature. (See, I don’t need a boyfriend! Literature, literature is what I need!)
Out came the literary criticism last night. Or literary theory, you might say. Or a smathering of both. However you want to put it, I got out writing and thoughts about literature. And my doubt disappeared as fast as a glass of my favourite wine. Picked up an essay by a woman called Nathalie Piégay-Gros, the essay is titled ‘La Théorie de la lecture et l’expérience du lecteur.’ Marvellous, beautiful, nice French, but wadda ya call it in English? It translates (in a rough, probably not as shiny as possible way) into: ‘The Theory of Reading and The Experience of The Reader.’ (Any French-speaking readers among you? Do you agree?)
Some bits of the essay which I particularly liked:
‘Le lecteur incorpore les enseignements de ses lectures à sa vision du monde’ = ‘The reader incorporates what he learns from reading into his view of the world’
Quote from Proust: ‘Par l’art seulement nous pouvons sortir de nous.’ = ‘Only through art can we move outside of ourselves.’ (Not sure if that’s a rubbishy translation - maybe someone can help me out on here?)
There’s also a bit where reading is summed up as ‘mon refuge’, but I can’t find the footnote for it as I didn’t print all the footnotes off (something to learn from, indeed) so I won’t quote that fully.
My to-read list now includes:
Proust, ‘À la recherche du temps perdu’
More of Nathalie Sarraute - have read ‘Enfance’, which was much enjoyed, though struggled to get as much critical material on it as I wanted.
Sartre ‘Les Mots’ - have the English version though I’m hankering after the French.
Baby steps in Journalism. Part 2.
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, yada yada on March 17th, 2009
I’ll be honest with you, I have had lots of nos and lots of ’send it here’ and am waiting on a few things, but but but… I’ve also had lots of helpful comments.
I’m making/ updating my database of contacts. That’s an excel spreadsheet. Yep.
Am steadily updating my spreadsheet of places I have pitched ideas (and realising I need to pitch less timely ones/ more specific ones/ put more of a slant on it.)
I’m working on an article for Didsbury Life (about lingere parties. Clearly John Lewis etc missed out on this one.)
An article of mine will soon be in the college magazine on volunteering.
That’s it. Nada more.
The bad, the ugly, the costly: make-up!
Over at Bitch PhD’s blog, M. LeBlanc is blogging about giving up make-up for lent.
I gave up the majority of make-up along with something else a year ago. Following a phone conversation, I decided to break up with my then boyfriend, and I decided no more make-up. (Hurrah!) I have slightly blurred this. Maybe I have worn lipstick once or twice. Or lipbalm, or lipgloss, or some other gloopy stuff that you put on your lips which gets on your glass when you try to drink. But by large, I’ve given it up. I don’t wear it anymore, and I don’t miss it.
It is costly - very costly. It smells synthetic. It feels uncomfortable. It sweats off rather disgustingly when I do sport (which I do regularly.) It’s annoying when you’re trying to eat. Remind me, why on earth would I wear it? (I remember I wore it once recently to an interview. I fell for the whole ‘professional look’ idea. Yes… go ahead and frown.)
Brand contract in the post…
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Literature on March 11th, 2009
Will shortly be appearing in lit form (in poetry, to be precise) in the next issue of Brand literary magazine. Smiles all round.
The poem includes yellow plastic tractors.
eMag appearance, talking about Moniza Alvi.
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, Literature, yada yada on March 10th, 2009
There’s a little chunk from a review of Moniza Alvi’s Europa that I did in the latest issue of emag.
Psst… It’s got glossy photos, and also there’s some damn good lit crit to be found there.
‘I’ve got enough books, I won’t be buying any more…’
You’ve heard it a thousand times before and in lots of variations.
I’m one of those with too many books that are unread, and too many books I want to read, and never enough time to read all that I want to. I said I wouldn’t buy any more, I said enough enough enough, it’s over! I’m finished with it! And then…
I spotted Haruki Murakami. Slick black and white cover, a little thumbed but not overly. It was give me more from then on.
A friend advised me to read Murakami around September. In September, however, I was still much enjoying the Virginia Woolf splurge, rereading all of her fiction and some of her diaries (bar one elusive book which I’ve yet to locate.)
I bought Murakami’s South of The Border, West of The Sun on Saturday. At a charity shop, I reasoned, allowed, finalised - okay, not too much a splurge. Early Sunday and I was finished and wanting more. Sunday, at the airport, and I purchased Kafka on The Shore. By Sunday evening I was almost finished. I wanted another book. Annoyingly, though, I was in France.
There’s one waiting on my desk now. Dance Dance Dance.
Don’t read the back cover. Just get going. If you’re unsatisfied, I’d be happy to hear why. (I’d want to know why.)