Last two weeks have been very busy, now that I think of it, it’s been three weeks of shooting and writing.
I covered the grand opening of Coffee Inclusive in Pittston, shot photos for the Pittston Area girls basketball team at Pottsville, met Penn State great and retired NFL player Ki-Jana Carter at the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons dinner, covered U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s visit to Pittston, and this past Monday, covered Mass at the Oblates of St. Joseph with Bishop Bambera, who dined at my table for lunch after Mass.
There are some weeks when I can’t catch my breath and other weeks when I struggle with assignments to find.
In last week’s column, I had the chance to reminisce about my old buddies that have passed on including most recently, Ralph Nardell. It was a most gratifying column to write and no matter what I could think of to write about Ralph and the others just doesn’t do any of those men justice.
You can’t capsulize their lives in a 950-world column; there just isn’t enough space to talk about one person, let along four men and one woman that affected my life.
It’s pretty tough to see people each and every day, or just about, for many years and to see each pass away one-by-one is not easy. Never the less, that’s life and for as ugly and sad death can be, we are supposed to accept that rotten time of life.
I tried to further honor each person in last week’s column by posting the article to my Facebook page. There was so much positive feedback, especially from some of the families that makes me realize I get to do good things for good people.
Speaking of doing well, Christine Rutledge, a faculty member at Wyoming Area, as a part of her Leadership Northeast Impact Project, held a Career Fair and Community Shout Out Program for seniors and juniors.
It was the first career fair for the students in a number of years and with Christine’s guidance, the program made a nice comeback. The last Career Fair was held in 2014.
There were several dozen businesses and business leaders representing their company or field for students to talk ask questions about potential careers.
Christine was looking for former Wyoming Area students to step up and take part in the Career Fair keeping it in the family so to speak.
I had the privilege of standing with Matt Bufano, a Wyoming Area grad that went onto a journalism, writing sports before leaving for a public relations job at Wyoming Seminary.
Matt still dabbles in sports writing now and then.
I brought alone a Sunday Dispatch and a Times Leader and two of my main cameras I use for jobs out in the field.
I think the students were more impressed with the heft of my cameras than they were with the work I did in each paper.
Journalism is not a subject many students are interested in these days. I get it. You don’t necessarily make a lot of money working in media and the high school graduates today are looking for the big bucks.
Matt and I had a young lady come up to us telling her story how she loves journalism but will go to law school instead.
Another student was interested in photography until I told him how much I had invested in the two cameras I brought along with me. “Whoa,” the student said. I think sticker shock changed his mind.
Most of the seniors pretty much knew where they are going to school next year so for all intents and purposes, the career fair was for the juniors.
It was so hard for me to figure out my life at that age and I never knew what I wanted to do no matter what guidance test I took for job placement, I never felt it was a career for me.
Of course the joke I often tell is, ‘I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.’
It always surprises me when a student knows exactly what they want to do for a career such as that future lawyer I spoke of earlier.
I was always envious of students when I was in high school that had family businesses; they knew what they were going to do for their livelihood.
From what Christine tells me, she will bring back the Career Fair for next year and it will be bigger and better.
So who had spring fever this past week? I know I did.
Temperatures are starting to moderate some with average highs in the 50s. The lows are still a bit chilly but we’ll get there.
There’s something about spring that makes me feel upbeat. The days get longer and warmer and soon enough the flowers will be peaking through the ground, some already have, and the grass will get greener and the trees will bud.
Mother Nature renewing itself and heal after another winter.
The air seems to be fresher and the sun stronger shining on our faces is invigorating.
Spring sports has begun for high school and colleges and I can’t wait to get outside to shoot baseball, softball, tennis, track, golf and lacrosse.
I’m ready, how about you?
Quote of the Week
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.” – Charles Dickens
Thought of the Week
“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.” Anita Krizzan
Bumper Stick
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” – Lilly Pulitzer
