Have I got a few things to talk about this week.
No time for more introductions than that, let’s get down to business.
If you’re wondering where Thomas Kervin’s column was in last week’s paper, well, he’s got writer’s block.
Writer’s block, for those that have never experienced it, is a very tough thing to deal with mentally, and is something I can personally relate to on many levels.
“But Tyson, don’t you write every week?”
Yes, but just because I produce content every week doesn’t mean I don’t struggle while doing so. Putting words to paper (or words to word document in my case) is an uphill battle sometimes, like pulling teeth.
I think the fear of missing deadlines is what makes me push through every week to the finish line, because I’m definitely a writer who likes having written more than having to write.
Anyways, hopefully Thomas returns soon.
Kervin’s Corner is one of my favourite parts of the North Island Gazette and it feels weird not having him around dissecting local politics in the inimitable style that only he brings to the table.
With that out of the way, let’s talk the Ma Murray Newspaper Awards!
For those that don’t know, the North Island Gazette was nominated for two Ma Murray Newspaper Awards this year, Spot News Photo (taken by yours truly) and Newspaper Excellence.
The awards ceremony was held in Richmond at the River Rock Hotel and Casino, and Natasha (Gazette Sales Representative) and I flew down on April 28 to attend.
I ended up winning silver for Spot News Photo, and the Gazette took bronze for Newspaper Excellence. At first I was upset I didn’t win gold (I’m extremely competitive, hate losing more than anything), but after letting it sink in for a few days, I’m pretty proud of what I’ve accomplished this last year.
I took over the reigns of the Gazette’s editorial department on two different occasions and kept pushing through, creating what I feel is a pretty great “hyper local” product for the North Island. By hyper local, I mean 99.99 per cent of all our content is written and centred here in the TRUE North Island, which is Woss-North.
Enough on that subject, lets get back to the trip to Richmond.
It was a pretty cool experience, all told. I hadn’t flown on an airplane since I was 12-years-old (I beat 50 people in a free throw contest outside of a 7/11 in Burnaby to win two tickets to a Vancouver Grizzlies game and had to fly down to attend it).
There was some turbulence on that plane ride, and ever since then I’ve had what you can call an ‘irrational fear of flying’.
This time, however, everything went smoothly (thanks Pacific Coastal, great service!).
So now that I’ve finally managed to conquer my issue with flying, I’m already planning my next trip, which could be going all the way around the world to Australia for a vacation, or maybe I’ll just go sky diving instead.
I also got my nose pierced while I was bored in the Metrotown mall waiting for the awards ceremony to start. It hurt pretty good, but I like the end result.
To me, that’s what life is all about. Living in the moment and striving for that end result.
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