Thanks to @Jay G. Tate for doing this and being honest about it. Good stuff.
1) What is your favorite part about your job?
Flexibility of task. I never feel like I'm stuck doing the same thing over and over and over. I get to cover football for a while, then basketball for a while, then softball for a while. Jeffrey even lets me help with recruiting at times. I also very much enjoy the trusted folks I've gotten to know on the Bunker, who have made a tangible, positive impact on my life and my job. Some incredible people are part of this place.
2) What is the worst part about your job?
Being lied to by people. When I got into this business, I knew people would lie to me at times. I feel like the lying has gone from a function of necessity to a more casual, common thing. People tend to respect reporters less and less as time goes by. I realize reporters (as a group) have endured some major missteps during the past 15 years, but guys who work 20 years on the same beat probably can be trusted a bit. Of course, that's coming from someone who has been at AU since 1997.
3) Pick one meal to eat for the rest of your life.
If I only had one place, it'd be Chick-fil-A. It's a winner every time. I don't understand how they do it, but they do the damn thing.
4) What is the best Gif or Meme you've seen?
(Y'all find new ones all the time that make me laugh, though.)
5) What is the most embarrassing thing to happen to you?
I wrote an entire story back in the 90s in which I misspelled Kevin Yoxall's name. I hate myself for that.
6) Gun to your head, who wins the Bunker Bracket Tourney?
@MattAU05
7) What interviewee did you love to interview? Which one was the worst? Why?
Among current people, I'd say Nick Ruffin. He's a fantastic person. Always has great insights. I also like Tim Horton, who is a nice man and a shrewd football coach. And though I've never interviewed her per se, I enjoy talking with Kristi Malzahn. I've never known someone more misunderstood in my life. So many people think she's a raving lunatic and that's so far from the truth. Others of note: Clint Myers, Carlee Wallace, Butch Thompson, Jared Harper, Travis Williams, Alex Kozan.
Worst? It would be Chris Porter in an all-time survey. Tommy Slater would be runner-up just because of some personal beef we shared back in the day. (It's all been sorted out now.) These days? I'd probably say Makayla Martin -- just because she seems so scared of any reporter. I know she got a lot of good stuff to say. She's just too scared to talk.
8) Favorite TV show of all time?
Chappelle's Show
9) New basketball floor. Love it or List it?
Love it. I thought the previous one was fantastic, too, but swapping out the orange for the blue really made it pop.
10) Being a part of Teh Bunker, you learn things. What is the most significant thing you've learned thus far?
I've learned that e-cred is one hell of a drug. I've lost two friends over their crazy search for e-cred. Two guys who are otherwise mild-mannered, normal people. But they both adopted bully personas and kept pushing the line. Kept going after people. Kept making things harder for me as a moderator. I figured they would ease back when I'd ask them to ease back, but they couldn't. They just COULD NOT do it. I still shake my head about it.
For this reason, I have really grown to appreciate high-volume posters who know how to CTFO when it's appropriate. I had a nice conversation with @ThrustMaxwell at a game last fall and he really showed me something there. We were in a minor row at the time and we were able to talk it out like rational human beings. And it wasn't about me making him tone it down. It was more about him explaining his position calmly and without accusation, which allowed me to think about things from his side. It's much appreciated. There are other folks like TM who have helped me gain some important perspective, too, but that particular exchange really sticks out to me.
1) What is your favorite part about your job?
Flexibility of task. I never feel like I'm stuck doing the same thing over and over and over. I get to cover football for a while, then basketball for a while, then softball for a while. Jeffrey even lets me help with recruiting at times. I also very much enjoy the trusted folks I've gotten to know on the Bunker, who have made a tangible, positive impact on my life and my job. Some incredible people are part of this place.
2) What is the worst part about your job?
Being lied to by people. When I got into this business, I knew people would lie to me at times. I feel like the lying has gone from a function of necessity to a more casual, common thing. People tend to respect reporters less and less as time goes by. I realize reporters (as a group) have endured some major missteps during the past 15 years, but guys who work 20 years on the same beat probably can be trusted a bit. Of course, that's coming from someone who has been at AU since 1997.
3) Pick one meal to eat for the rest of your life.
If I only had one place, it'd be Chick-fil-A. It's a winner every time. I don't understand how they do it, but they do the damn thing.
4) What is the best Gif or Meme you've seen?
(Y'all find new ones all the time that make me laugh, though.)
5) What is the most embarrassing thing to happen to you?
I wrote an entire story back in the 90s in which I misspelled Kevin Yoxall's name. I hate myself for that.
6) Gun to your head, who wins the Bunker Bracket Tourney?
@MattAU05
7) What interviewee did you love to interview? Which one was the worst? Why?
Among current people, I'd say Nick Ruffin. He's a fantastic person. Always has great insights. I also like Tim Horton, who is a nice man and a shrewd football coach. And though I've never interviewed her per se, I enjoy talking with Kristi Malzahn. I've never known someone more misunderstood in my life. So many people think she's a raving lunatic and that's so far from the truth. Others of note: Clint Myers, Carlee Wallace, Butch Thompson, Jared Harper, Travis Williams, Alex Kozan.
Worst? It would be Chris Porter in an all-time survey. Tommy Slater would be runner-up just because of some personal beef we shared back in the day. (It's all been sorted out now.) These days? I'd probably say Makayla Martin -- just because she seems so scared of any reporter. I know she got a lot of good stuff to say. She's just too scared to talk.
8) Favorite TV show of all time?
Chappelle's Show
9) New basketball floor. Love it or List it?
Love it. I thought the previous one was fantastic, too, but swapping out the orange for the blue really made it pop.
10) Being a part of Teh Bunker, you learn things. What is the most significant thing you've learned thus far?
I've learned that e-cred is one hell of a drug. I've lost two friends over their crazy search for e-cred. Two guys who are otherwise mild-mannered, normal people. But they both adopted bully personas and kept pushing the line. Kept going after people. Kept making things harder for me as a moderator. I figured they would ease back when I'd ask them to ease back, but they couldn't. They just COULD NOT do it. I still shake my head about it.
For this reason, I have really grown to appreciate high-volume posters who know how to CTFO when it's appropriate. I had a nice conversation with @ThrustMaxwell at a game last fall and he really showed me something there. We were in a minor row at the time and we were able to talk it out like rational human beings. And it wasn't about me making him tone it down. It was more about him explaining his position calmly and without accusation, which allowed me to think about things from his side. It's much appreciated. There are other folks like TM who have helped me gain some important perspective, too, but that particular exchange really sticks out to me.
