Blog: Meanwhile under a collapsing tent…

By Cody Soto
Sports Writer

At the Lariat, we think of one thing very frequently: food. We are constantly begging our adviser Julie Freeman to buy us pizza because whether we realize it or not, writing makes us hungry.

Although we work at the Lariat, we do need to remember that we are college students just looking for food and fun. So, we remembered our love for food and took a quick dinner break this past Thursday as we “experienced” the fraternity-sorority fish fry on Fountain Mall. Linda, Rae, Reubin and I were at the event just trying to get some fish and chips before a massive storm invaded Waco and turned the environment upside down in a matter of two seconds. We were just trying to get food!

In the end, and one hour later, we got our food and survived through a massive storm together. Through this exciting incident, I learned a few things about my job and the people I work with.

1. We seriously go with the flow.

We waited in line for food on Fountain Mall when suddenly the storm hit and rain and lighting just fell from the sky. We were in shock that this seriously was happening to us. We just told Paula, the city desk editor, we would be 20 minutes tops. Nope, that wasn’t going to happen. Just as we were about to be first in line, they tell us the food moved to the SUB.

What did we do? We ran across campus to the SUB because we were not leaving without food. It was a pretty quick decision because a tent was collapsing on us as we decided what to do. Just like our jobs, breaking news can happen at any time, so we need to be flexible with our stories, co-workers and design space in order to be an up-to-date newspaper.

2. We collaborate pretty well together.

Although we had some disagreement whether or not we should run back to Castellaw to work on our paper or run to the SUB to get our beloved fish and chips, we decided on getting the best of both worlds.

Yes, we ran and got food, and yes we still managed to finish our paper before deadline. In the newsroom, people may not always see each other eye-to-eye, but it’s what’s important for our paper that matters.

3. We are all so different.

Each person had their own thoughts and comments as we experienced this storm together, and I loved that! Everyone’s personality shined through as we got soaking wet and waited in the freezing cold SUB Den for our food. It was even funny to hear all the different versions of the same story after we got back to the newsroom. This experience is the perfect example of how diverse our group is.

We had Reubin running off and talking with everyone at the event, and Rae, Linda and I decided that he was just so popular. Rae was over in the other direction buying Chick-Fil-A fries because her fries just didn’t cut it. Linda was sad how she never gets Baylor Alerts and fears one day it just might be important to get them. I, on the other hand, was getting text messages from my mom asking if I was away from the windows and in a safe place.

4. Change is good, especially in the newsroom.

Like I said before, we just anticipated going to get fish and coming back and doing our jobs. Who would have known that we would have experienced a Baylor flood as well? I definitely will never forget this experience because it was so different than any other day I’ve had in the newsroom.

Change is great, especially with our jobs. We are constantly finding ways to better ourselves and the paper. If we get stuck in a rut, then the excitement will just go away with our jobs. Having experiences such as last Thursday night serves as a reminder to me that while work itself is important and exciting, the memories I make while working at the Lariat are the things I will tell my grandchildren one day.