I’ve Got That Summertime, Summertime Sadness

The O.C.
When I was pulling out of the parking lot at the Orange County Register's North Grand Avenue office tonight, Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" came on the radio. And, tearing up, I thought, How appropriate. No, today wasn't my last day — that's Friday. But today, I walked in and was surprised to find my spot, formerly known as the cake table (the Register's hiring more people than there are desks), had reclaimed its nickname once again. This time, the cake was for me. (And Starbucks coffee, because I'm a caffeine addict, and fruit, because I'm vegetarian. My "mentor" this summer, Gerard, is a sweetheart who remembered all of that and put this together.) That's when it hit me, and that's when I became really sad. I often have trouble putting…
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Summer in SoCal: Weeks 8 and 9

The O.C.
The last time I tried to write a blog, WordPress deleted it, so let's try this again: Also, I'm in denial I only have one week left here. 7/23: My Register mentor, a senior copy editor named Gerard, took me to Bruxie, a waffle sandwich place in Orange. Why this hasn't caught on in other places, I'll never know. I opted for "sweet" instead of "savory" with a s'mores sandwich. Yum. 7/26: I went to another Register U session, this one about labor unions. I didn't know anything about labor unions, so I'm glad I went. Also, it actually made me want to work on some investigative reporting I've been thinking about for a few months. 7/27: Before I had to work, my roommate Marie and I went to the…
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Summer in SoCal: Week 7

The O.C.
This week was pretty packed — and pretty fun. 7/16: Meet Addie. http://instagram.com/p/b1v8McTREK/ We went to high school together for all four years, but we didn't become good friends until senior year, when we were editors-in-chief of Valhalla, our school's yearbook. Since then, we've had some ... memorable times together (the Miss Lakeside pageant and prom, just to name two), and Addie's first time on the West Coast provided plenty more. (As in, LOL remember that time we went to Los Angeles?) Tuesday, we grabbed lunch at In-N-Out so she could order off the secret menu before stopping by Newport Beach so she could see, well, a beach. 7/17: We spent the morning at Laguna Beach, laying out by the ocean and walking around the area. http://instagram.com/p/b4C2M9zRKe/ http://instagram.com/p/b4GszTzRPh/ Then, I introduced…
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Summer in SoCal: Week 6

The O.C.
It's absolutely crazy to think I have less than a month left here. This past week: 7/10: I walked into work just in time to see a "town hall" meeting. Every month or so, work halts for about an hour to listen to owner Aaron Kushner speak, and associates are encouraged to ask questions. http://instagram.com/p/bmhcp0zRJp/ 7/12: I was in the newsroom (and was the first one to know, thanks to AP Mobile) when the Texas abortion bill passed. 7/13: I was in the newsroom for the craziness that was the conclusion of the Zimmerman trial, which resulted in our wire editor completely redoing three pages. 7/13: I woke up early to go to the Irvine Farmers Market, where I ate my weight in free fruit and hummus samples and bought…
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Summer in SoCal: Week 5

The O.C.
I'll start right where I left off with the last post: the Fourth of July. 7/4: Some of the Register interns spent the day at Balboa Island. Our first stop? Sugar 'N' Spice, home of the original frozen banana. This time, though, I got its other famous dessert: the Balboa bar, publicized by Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) on "The O.C.": http://instagram.com/p/bWyKSmTRCq/ We walked around Little Balboa Island for a bit before we waited in a 45-minute line to take the ferry to Balboa Island. We waded in the water, tanned and drank sweet tea on the beach: http://instagram.com/p/bW_9WzTRNK/ We left Balboa late that afternoon and returned to our apartment complex to barbecue with some co-workers. Then, Stephanie and I went to the parking garage at Fashion Island in Newport Beach: http://instagram.com/p/bXqvIlzRG_/…
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