Mentor

I met my mentor yesterday. I caught the metro to his workplace which, according to him is in a sort of bad area. He told of shootings and the fast food restaurant parking lot that I could walk to in order to score a rock of crack.

But before he shared all that, He met me in the lobby of his workplace, took me to his office where I dropped off all my stuff--my backpack, purse and checked-out camera from the photography department.

On the way to see the facility, I met his office staff. Nice folks. I don't remember not a one of their names, but I do remember the office was calm and they seemed cool.

My mentor is a tall man, with honest-looking blue eyes, and thinning graying hair... and of course, there's that familiar voice I used to hear on the national airwaves... comforting, soothing... and he really talks like that.

He gave me a tour of his workplace... The studio for his show, where other satellite channels operate... with every genre I could think of, and then some.

I asked him how they handle weather, since they broadcast over the entire country. He showed me where that's done.

After the tour we returned to his office and shot the breeze. He told me about his mentor, Ed Bliss, and what a wonderful man he thought Bliss was. He shared about his kindness, but his brutal honesty when it came to writing. I felt like there was a connection to places that still exist in altered state--our share university--while adding the priceless spice of linking me with times and situations and experiences that occurred before I was even planted on my mommy's uterine wall.

He also shared about another friend, Red Barber.

He shared his most memorable story in 40 years of broadcasting, he signed one of his books and gave it to me. I've already started reading it. It's about broadcast journalism pioneer Edward R. Murrow. He gave me two CDs--one with an audio documentary, the other with his most memorable interview, which was with a gentleman from Los Angeles. I also got a t-shirt.

I shared with him the address for my portfolio blog, hoping to get feedback... and next time, he'll rip my copy to shreds. I'm to bring in hard copies of stuff I've written.

I'm expecting that to be brutal. But my goal is growth, so criticism is necessary.

The first visit was very nice. I hope the same or better for the second.