I was sitting outside of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, a blur amongst all the other deep green shirts that occupied the stairs, as I see (what at the time i thought to be a friend of one of the faculty leaders) an African-American, middle aged man approach a faculty leader.  He passed the member a slip of paper and began to make small talk like they knew each other from kindergarten or the “good ‘ol days”.

But, as assumptions often to turn out to be, i was horribly wrong.

The man, and i forget his name, points to a scar on the inner part of his left elbow and began to talk about injuring himself on April Fool’s Day some-odd years ago.  The presumed Ex-marine was, in my eyes, trying to pass the time with a huge group of journalist junkies who were waiting to leave the museum and because my lack of sleep clouded my judgement I stayed and listened.  Then the talk of money came in and by that time he had all of us trapped in his guilt trip.

He told a story of losing his job due to the injury, how he has a family and kids, and as an exmarine needed the money to help and he had made thank you cards in advanced.  He said a Bum asks for change, but he was asking for any kind of  “help” coming in the same form…

As all know all to well there was a shooting in Washington D.C. shortly after we departed, closing down the Capital Building.  However, it is unclear to many what happened.  Stories of a man running from the cops and being shot near the structure leak out, being called the new information, and seem to be the popular story, but does anyone remember what the first call had been?  The first words to me had been, “there was a shooting at the Capital!”  The next had been, “A man was wounded,” shortly followed by, “It was near the Capital right after we left.”

How do we find out what truly happened??  Do we call a friend or a member from home that possibly saw the news?  Do we find one of the always near Faculty Member?  Or do we wait until the news reporter decides to do a full report?   As young journalists in the making, how to we pick what source is the most accurate, and spills the most so called “truth” when the even was moments before?  I say there is no clear way to know, and that no matter what source u go to there will always be holes and assumptions, due to all the excitement of the Breaking News from the nation’s capital.

WELL…

I am one of the lucky travelers who had to fly across the country to join the rest at WJMC.  My first flight went from Sacramento to Long Beach, then after an hour and a half layover i boarded the plane destined for Dulles Airport.  I seat myself next by the window and my buddy Steven at my right.  Next to him was a lonely empty seat… but not for long.  In the back of the pack of boarders I see a man with a button up shirt hald on and inside out, definatly not how you nomally board a plane.  I then hear a mild commotion comming from the back of the plane and next thing I know Mr.Drunkmess himself takes the seat next to Steven.  While we discuss how freaked out and nervous we are about the crazy next to us, he asks Steven if he watched vampire movies, never to invite them into your house, and starting rambling on how he was convinced there must be a reencarnation of Elvis on the plane for all the security.  Needless to say those same security members took him off the plane after about 20 minutes.  Happy Traveling!!