HM Magazine Intern Diary: 7.17.09

One week till deadline.

Finishing up my second batch of album reviews today. Castanets and Between the Trees were the easiest since I’d listened to each CD already, and I’m finishing Skillet and Hawk Nelson once I listen to them each another time. I’ll probably review The Glorious Unseen’s new CD on Sunday after I finish my gadget and book reviews. If so, that’ll make eight album reviews I did for this issue. So much for variety of opinion. I apologize in advance.

I filed a bunch of subscription cards while I was listening to music, and I came across one from my girlfriend’s relatively small birth town and one from a guy who lives on the same street as one of my good friends from home. No Rich Husbands today, though. Just thought you wanted to know that.

It’s been quiet around here with Doug gone so I’ve been quiet too, sorry. It’ll be down to the wire next week so I better get back to work.

Happy Birthday America,
Corey Erb

“Find a need and fill it.” – Ruth Stafford Peale

HM Magazine Intern Diary: 7.10.09

Hmm, let’s forget about this week, ‘mkay?

Every time I said “Oh yeah, I’m gonna start writing my three stories now!” or “Oh yeah, I’m gonna post pictures from Warped Tour!” those were lies. Always something to keep me from doing either of those.

So, I make no promises for this weekend. I might make it out to the He Is Legend/Drop Dead, Gorgeous show at Emo’s tomorrow night, I might not. I might watch the Cubs-Cardinals game tomorrow afternoon, I might not. Who cares if it’s the only Cubs game I’ll likely get to watch before going home?

I got music for four more album reviews: Between the Trees, Hawk Nelson, Castanets and Skillet. So those will need to get done too, though again, the no promises thing.

I got a bunch of album reviews, including U2, The Devil Wears Prada, Emery and The Chariot from the last two issues posted, so there’s some proof of an accomplishment from this week.

Lord Save Us From Your Followers alternated between making me angry at being an American Christian and giving me hope that maybe all’s not lost, so it at least did a better job than most commentaries on Christian culture lately at not being completely depressing.

Have a better weekend,
Corey Erb

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” – C. S. Lewis

HM Magazine Intern Diary: 7.9.09

Ugh! When it’s not spiders, it’s skunks, and while it’s still skunks it’s ants! My girlfriend thoughtfully sent me the ingredients to make that dirt/mud dessert, which was an old favorite in grade school, and I just yesterday got around to making it. But tonight after an otherwise productive day, I opened the cabinet to find a bunch of ants carrying off the bag of Oreos she crushed to make the dirt part.

So instead of the hot food I was looking forward to, I’m sitting here reluctantly eating my peanut butter sandwich and dried fruit because that’s the only “meal” I could throw together since I have yet to check to see how much of my other food is salvageable. Wonderful.

The Ranch smells a bit less like skunk today, though there are definitely still areas where the smell is uncomfortable. I just hope the skunk isn’t living anywhere under the house.

Other than all that mess, today was somewhat productive. I finished transcribing the Showbread interview finally, but I have a lot of work ahead of me since the notes and transcription are 13,830 words combined and I have to whittle it down into a 1,200-word feature. But I guess that’ll leave some interesting stuff to be posted online as a full Q & A.

I spent a good amount of time determining which album reviews have been turned in, assigning anything that hasn’t been reviewed and inquiring with any delinquent writers on the whereabouts of their reviews. I guess I should count myself with the delinquents since I have three new reviews to get done ASAP. One of the reviews is Skillet’s Awake, which came in this package for me the other day:

I’m not a PR major, nor should I be, but I don’t understand why they’d pay $7.10 to send a can of Rockstar with the CD. I could understand if Skillet was on the can, or at least if they went the ghetto route and slapped a Skillet sticker on the side. But to just randomly spend the extra $5 per kit to send an energy drink along with the review CD? Maybe they think jittery reviewers give more positive reviews. Don’t think I’ll try it, 280 calories of sugar would put me in a coma. I don’t think I’m very articulate or nice when I’m passed out.

Tonight, I’m going to try and forget my urge to go hunt down and murder every last ant in a 5-mile radius and watch the movie Lord Save Us From Your Followers while picking out pictures to post from Warped Tour. Probably not a smart idea since I could use some reassuring and I’m way frustrated with photo editing, but I’ll let you know how it goes.

Not not counting the days until I leave this deathtrap,
Corey Erb

“Treat the other man’s faith gently; it is all he has to believe with. His mind was created for his own thoughts, not yours or mine.” – Henry S. Haskins

HM Magazine Intern Diary: 6.8.09

We finalized the stories for the September/October issue today, barring any changes, which will undoubtedly happen as release dates shift. I started doing some background and contacting the publicist for a feature I’m doing on Skillet. I’m fairly familiar with the band and I’ve seen them live so it shouldn’t be too difficult, but since I’m young enough in the Christian rock scene I’ll be refreshing myself on their first few albums in the next day or two. I’m doing three major features this issue, a smaller featurette and several album reviews. It’ll be a lot of work but I’m glad for the opportunity to write a major chunk of the magazine.

This weekend I visited a friend I went to college with at Miami, who is now in law school at University of Texas. He’s also named Corey, so it’s nice and confusing for everyone around us. He took me on a tour of campus and the infamous 6th street. Check out a few pictures from campus:

Handy little map in the middle of campus

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Still haven’t forgiven them for what they did to USC in the title game a few years back.

The six-pack, as they call it, since they’re apparently too good for simply a quad.

Random building with a random sculpture in front of it

Apparently they light up the clock tower different colors if the football team wins, if they win a conference game, and if they win the national championship. Which, as mentioned, only happens when they cheat.

Clearly they don’t bother keeping the fountain clean when prospective students (read: parents) are absent.

Big off-campus undergraduate housing tower

A view of the Texas State Capitol from campus

Conveniently located on Guadaloupe right next to campus! Strangely Corey said he hadn’t seen anyone go inside…

The Co-Op, Texas’ bookstore

University of Texas’ idea of a communication school. Ha. Looks more like an FBI building than the Chuch of Scientology building down the street.

Just kidding about all that cheating stuff (ducks behind his desk),
Corey Erb

“Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.” – Cynthia Nelms