Introduction

I never intended on taking this course; I received the email like everyone else, and although it sounded interesting and relevant to wha I want to do, I already had a packed courseload and didn't have room for it.

Well, things don't always work out as you plan them, so of course one of my classes (Advanced Reporting) didn't have the minimum number of students, and I wound up here.

I think that's turned out to be a blessing in disguise though because I like what I've seen so far. The class has already helped me "get with the times" with a twitter and blogging. Just yesterday, I tweeted during the entire duration of the Penn State football game. It felt.....good!

That kind of ties in to what type of writing I like. I aspire to one day be a sports writer, and my internship with the Pittsburgh Sports Report recently turned into a freelance opportunity. I'm now actually getting paid to watch and write about sports! It's a dream that's becoming reality.

As far as nonfiction writers go, I really only stick to what I know, and that's sports. I love Bill Simmons and his new website, Grantland. I would love to one day write like him. I think his combination of sports, humor and pop culture irrelevancy makes his writing a joy to read, even if he is a Boston homer. Hunter S. Thompson is another good one that many people might say, but it's because he's that good. I actually first heard about him through his work with Espn, then went on to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas before reading the book.

P.S.: I wrote this all on my iPhone while at work! Isn't the present great?