The Oregon Daily Emerald is no more.

Take that claim at face value, and it’s technically true. Starting next year, the University of Oregon’s 92-year-old independent student newspaper will cease to publish Monday through Friday. But the outlet itself isn’t dead, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, if anything, it turns into the “24/7 digital news ticker,” as one of my journalism professors put it yesterday.

The newly established Emerald Media Group is entering the realm of digital news in order to maintain the Daily Emerald’s relevance as a journalistic institution. At least that’s what I garnered from the announcement.

As I’m sure the higher-ups in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union anticipated, there were plenty of cries of “WTF?,” “Srsly?,” and other such incredulity from every corner of the web when that video went live. I wasn’t so surprised. Because, as Publisher Ryan Frank explains, the move wasn’t made as a reaction to the doom and gloom facing newspapers across the country or troubles at the paper itself. It’s an attempt to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the distribution of news.

Doom and gloom.

It’s funny: those three words get tossed around in newsrooms quite often. It’s usually when reporters and editors talk about political and economic forecasts. But the phrase is increasingly associated with the current state of journalism. Ask anyone who isn’t a fervent supporter, admirer or practitioner of the discipline about the prospects of landing a job as a reporter after college and you hear the same skeptic remarks:

“Newspapers are dying.”

“How do you compete with Twitter and Facebook?”

“Nobody trusts journalists anymore.”

These are considerations we make every day at the School of Journalism and Communications at the University of Oregon. And guess what? Nobody quite knows the answer. That’s because there isn’t one. The landscape of journalism is changing and the Emerald Media Group just decided to pick up a shovel instead of waiting for other media organizations shape the way we consume news.

It’s not that people don’t value good journalism. It’s just that news is breaking faster than ever before and the people who know how to collect it are changing the way it’s distributed. I’ve always enjoyed sitting down with a cup of coffee and a copy of the paper in the morning. But I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the most practical way to consume news these days, at least not if you want to follow a story as it develops.

Much like OR Magazine is an experiment in journalistic production for modern technology, The Emerald is taking a well-known product and tweaking it to fit the way its readers consume news. Good journalism is fueled by three words: for the reader.

And it looks like that’s what’s being considered on the third floor of the EMU. That said, I’ll leave you with my favorite Twitter reaction regarding The Oregon Daily Emerald’s announcement:

There aren’t many things I can remember from seventh grade. The big stuff comes in alright, but there are few little moments I can recall at a whim. After all, it’s been 12 years. Can you remember exactly what you were doing on March 25, 2000? Neither can I.

Now, I might not be entirely sure of when we had to create identity books in Mrs. Carnahan’s seventh period Core class at Duniway Middle School, but little bits and pieces of it come back from time to time. And if there’s one element of that assignment that comes in clear as day whenever it’s summoned, it’s the bit about my own personal heroes. Even then I can only remember two of the three that ended up in my final draft. One of them was Spider-Man, the fictional character after whom I’ve modeled most of my adult life. Why do you think I spend so much of my time snapping photos in a leotard?

My other hero was Drew Hunt. Here he is, squinting into the hot Chicago sun.

Again, I can only vaguely recall the reasons I gave for listing Drew in that category. After all, I had only known this kid for a little more than a year at this time and that he didn’t even know how to beat the Water Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time without help. Sure Drew couldn’t aim the Fairy Bow worth shit, but what he lacked in Zelda skill he more than made up for with what we in the business call “moxie.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with this particular bit of journalism slang, it’s a bit like courage. You might say it’s j-jargon for “balls.”

I admired how Drew stuck to his convictions. If he knew something was right, by gum there wasn’t a point in telling him otherwise unless you could produce some solid evidence to the contrary, a rare trait for a seventh grader. If something didn’t make sense, damned if he would be caught doing it unless it was fun or had some other kind of payoff. When his brother and I would venture to 7-11 in the middle of the night during the shortest nights of summer, Drew was perfectly content to watch Late Night With Conan O’Brien and start snoring.

That is, unless he happened to crave a delicious helping of chocolate milk and a donut during Garrett and my adventures (he never did.)

The kid also had a fascinating memory. It was particularly useful when we’d quiz each other on homemade Simpsons tests during geography class. I’ll never forget the day I was forced to sit under a table while he finished my quiz (Old Man Bixler hated students leaning back in their chairs and I was doing just that as Drew pondered Question Eight. Or was it Nine?)

The punishment for being caught with a tipped chair was the loss of the uncomfortable hunk of plastic and metal followed by 50 written lines. I was dutifully scrawling my note when something Drew said made me jump a bit and smack my head into the bottom of the table. My uttering of the word “dammit” earned another 50 lines reading, “I will not swear or tip my chair in Mr. Bixler’s class.”

I still wasn’t able to stump the bastard. Hell, Drew was the only one who dared take questions that ranked 4/5 or 5/5 on the difficulty scale of The Simpsons Trivia Game. And to us, Brandine will forever be the gal who tipped the scales in somebody else’s favor when it came down to the final round.

Seriously. What the hell.

He also seemed to be ahead of most curves. I may have fallen in love with journalism and decided on a career in reporting at a young age, but it was Drew who had a byline in The Bruin, our high school paper, before I did. Same with photography. Before I was standing ankle-deep in freezing water to shoot the Jaqua Center, Mr. Hunt was running around with a 4.8 megapixel camera shooting the now-forgotten, though no-less-inspiring, Lonely Boy.

And few of our friends from McMinnville High School could deny that when it came to music, Drew was often one step ahead. He recommended nearly every one of my favorite albums from those days, with one notable exception. Even then, he and I played Twisted Metal for damn near three-and-a-half hours the first night I listened to Saves the Day’s Stay What You Are from start to finish.

Like any other friendship, the one I share with Drew has had its share of ups and downs, but we’ve always known — and joked about — the fact that weeks, months, and even years could go by while the core of our relationship remains unchanged. And it’s all of these elements, from his stick-to-it-iveness to his memory for the things he loves and knack for just knowing about certain trends that’s gotten him where he is today.

It’s May 6, 2012 and Andrew Hunt is graduating from Columbia College with a bachelors degree in cinema studies.

The 11-year-old in me is just as happy for his best friend as his 25-year-old counterpart. We’ve been on plenty of adventures together with myriad more to come and I can’t be more proud of him for all he’s accomplished.

We’ve rocked out in the tiniest music venues in Portland, ventured knee-deep through the waters of the world’s shortest river and to the top floor of the tallest building in the United States (or at least the Sears Tower was at the time.) I can’t shake that nagging feeling I’ve had since the first time we trumped Calypso in Twisted Metal: Black together: We’re here to take over the world. And right now it feels like he’s one step closer. I’m proud of you, buddy.

Oh, and about that song I embedded at the beginning of this post? Drew sang that out loud when he presented the music chapter of his identity book to our class. I told you: The kid has moxie.

Hey, remember when I said I’d be taking a greater interest in improving my photography skills? Yeah, not too much of that happened, huh? As I wrote in an earlier post, things got a bit, as the kids say, “cray” during winter term. Between writing for DualShockers, copy chief-ing for Flux, taking a full course load and delivery driving for Cheba Hut, I didn’t have much free time (I did spend 35-40 hours a week just laying down with my eyes closed. Kinda ridiculous, huh?)

I still missed taking pictures, though. In fact, I missed shooting so much that I enrolled in Dan Morrison’s photojournalism class. That was a good decision.

Not only have I learned my camera better in the two weeks I’ve spent in J365, but I’ve also been given the opportunity to go out and shoot. A lot. Because that’s what makes you better at something, right? Going out and doing something — while sticking to the rules — over and over is what will allow you to really get creative and eventually begin bending those rules. As I would tell my reporters at The Torch, it’s like learning how to paint by numbers and then coloring outside the lines.

Although I haven’t yet begun getting creative in terms of blurring the lines set forth by my instructors, I am learning some of the basics I missed by just buying a camera and shooting without a mentor or teacher. Well, that’s what’s happening now. And I figured the best way to go accomplish my original mission was to post my projects on the blog. So here’s assignment one:

White balance

I used to check the light meter on my camera whenever I set up a shot. Turns out I was doing it wrong. The sensor on a DSLR tries to level out the white balance in a given shot by setting whatever you’re focusing on so that it blends with 18-percent neutral gray. So if you’re shooting something white, it comes out gray. If you shoot something black, your camera wants it to be – surprise! — 18-percent neutral gray. In order to solve this problem, you get what’s called a “gray card,” which is just a piece of cardboard that’s 18-percent neutral gray on one side and a bunch of technical mumb0-jumbo on the other.

When you meter off the gray card, a white photo looks like the featured photo of my copy editor Julia up there. Everything’s in perfect contrast and you can make out the white on her super-awesome Mario shirt against the white board. When you meter off the shirt or white board, the camera tries to make it neutral gray, so you get this:

And that’s no good for anyone. It’s completely underexposed and although you can tell where the white shirt ends and the white board begins, it’s way too dark. We also had to do the same thing with a black subject on a black background, which I’ll leave in a gallery at the bottom of the post for you to peruse.

Motion blur

The second part of the assignment was to capture a moving subject at a high shutter speed and a high shutter speed to demonstrate motion blur. That shouldn’t require too much explanation so I’ll just give you photo one:

Annnd photo two:

Depth-of-field

The last section of the assignment was a lesson in depth-of-field. This basically covers what’s in focus and what isn’t in a shot. I simply took a photo of two near-identical items set side-by-side in my living room. In one photo, I shot with a large aperture and fast shutter speed so that everything is in focus.

In the other I shot with a small aperture and slow shutter speed so a small portion of the shot is in focus. I’m not sure on the science behind it all, but it’s on my to-do list, so don’t worry too much.

I have an assignment due every Sunday for the remainder of the term, so you can look forward to at least nine more Photo Friday posts. Bet you’re pretty excited about that, huh? I know I sure as hell am. Feel free to critique my work in the comments below; I’m definitely looking forward to hearing what my peers and professors have to say about it and I care just as much what my readers point out, as well.

Oh. I also bought my first lens. I can’t believe I was shooting with the kit lens for nearly two years before I picked up a piece of glass that let me shoot at a 1.8 aperture. Great Gatsby, it’s nice.

If you follow me on Twitter or we’re Facebook friends, you might notice something different about my posts today. Around this time last week I was fervently reading through press releases and combing the farthest reaches of the Internet for news about video games. Not today.

Friday was my last day with DualShockers. Will I miss it? Of course. But I’m in a crucial period in my development as a journalist. In order to make the most of my time at the University of Oregon, I decided it was best to utilize the resources at the School of Journalism and Communication, from the equipment at the checkout room to the excellent faculty. I’ll share more of my plans and projects in later posts but for now I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve accomplished and gained during my tenure with the site.

I love video games. We all know that. I also love journalism (I hope we knew that as well.) So joining a team where I could satiate my appetite for both was enticing. I applied on a whim, seeing that the jobs page on a blog I read every so often advertised an open writing position. So I applied, I got the gig and I wrote about video games for a bit. That’s the long and short of it.

One of the biggest take-aways I got from working for the site was the difference between writing for print and online publications. Until I started with DualShockers, I had almost exclusively worked for newspapers. For the first time ever, I was in control of when my stuff would appear for my readers (with a few key exceptions). When I scheduled a post, it went up then and there. I didn’t have to wait for a somebody to take the photo to go with my story or for a designer to marry the elements on any software. There wasn’t a press standing by, waiting to print the final product. No, I just hit that “schedule” button in WordPress and let the Internet take care of the rest.

Of course, publishing online is vastly different when it comes to distribution. In order to have my stuff read, I had to go out and promote it. As I said before, much of this was done via Facebook and Twitter. But in order to maximize our reach, editors would have us post to sites like N4G and Reddit in order to gain as many readers as possible. Sure, I’d Tweet or post my stories when I worked for other publications, but my print products had their own visibility. It felt as though my work for DualShockers was just waiting for me to promote it.

Sure, the site has its own installed reader base, but it was up to me to make sure folks who didn’t make DualShockers a part of their routine would find something interesting to read. I hope that I succeeded.

I can say without hesitation that one of my absolute favorite assignments was when I covered the proposed blackout of the Battlefield 3 servers by an online community. Sure, the effects of this blackout were questionable (EA already got their money. What else would they lose if people didn’t play for 24 hours?) But the most thrilling thing about the whole ordeal was that I finally had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with a source for a news story. Oh, and I was sourced by Owen Good. That was pretty neat, too.

For the most part, writing news for a games site means you sift through press releases and videos, lifting the pertinent information and crafting it into a meaningful message. It’s tougher than it sounds. Trust me. And when there are opportunities to talk one-on-one with somebody in the industry, it isn’t something you can do from Eugene, Ore. Why? Because everyone’s either based in New York City, Washington state, San Francisco, blah-da-blah-da-blah. You get the idea.

So to be at the forefront of a breaking news event, no matter how small, meant a lot to me. In fact, it might very well be why I decided to step down from my position as a staff writer. Much as I enjoyed working with everyone on the site, I had a thirst for frontline news coverage that couldn’t be satiated by what I was doing there. I wanted to talk to people. I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to scratch an itch that started when I started at my high school’s newspaper.

It’s not that I couldn’t do this with DualShockers. There are plenty of stories in the realm of gaming that involve people. But not enough of them allowed me to meet up with somebody and have a conversation. I couldn’t sit down with a developer, designer or high-score earner very easily and get a feel for who they were, what they wanted out of life or where they were going. I have plenty of opportunities to do that in Eugene, so that’s what I’ll be working on. I’ve also got a lot of work to do in order to sharpen my skills as a journalist and I’m working on that with a few professionals.

Over the next ten weeks I’ll resume my work as the copy chief for Flux, the School of Journalism and Communication’s flagship magazine. I’ll also contribute a piece or two to OR Magazine, a mobile publication advised by Ed Madison, a founding producer from CNN. I enrolled in a photojournalism course to better acquaint myself with the Rebel XS I bought nearly three years ago before I invest in other, more costly gear. I’m also sifting through story ideas to produce freelance work and updating this blog a bit more often.

I can’t thank the editors at DualShockers enough for the opportunity to cover my favorite industry. I made some good friends there and I’ll be watching closely to see where it goes. But right now I’ve got to focus on sharpening those journo skills. It’s not like my content production will be any less, though. It’s just that it’ll be geared more toward my growth as a visual storyteller than anything else. You excited? I sure am.

Although I’ve shown my gratitude for the people who run the site, I’m even more grateful for you. Who? You! The person reading these words! If it weren’t for the folks who take the time out of their busy lives to read what I’ve got to say about, well, anything, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Who knows: I might return to video games journalism in the future. For now, why don’t you just check out the 14 reviews I wrote during my time with DualShockers:

The Network
1,000 Tiny Claws
Super Mario 3D Land
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Mario Kart 7
Trine 2
Scarygirl
NeverDead
Twisted Metal
Resident Evil: Revelations
Rhythm Heaven Fever
Asura’s Wrath
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
Warp 

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

Well, for the last ten weeks I’ve been busy working two-and-a-half jobs in addition to taking a full courseload, so I’m not going to be apologetic when it comes to posting. Okay, maybe I’m a little sorry. But now that finals are over, I only have two obligations: Delivery driving and writing news for DualShockers. You know what that means? Yep, there might just be a blog post or two that you’ll be privy to over the next few days. While you wait for those, why not take a gander my final project for Gateway? It’s embedded after the jump for you and it’s all about the St. Mary Catholic Church choir and its director, Dave Phillips.

These folks were kind enough to put up with me for six weeks, from the constant clicking of camera shutters to awkward poses with a camera in order to get decent footage. Dave was especially helpful in acknowledging my presence at first, making things very comfortable from the get-go. Well, without further ado, here’s the video itself:

The Format and Steel Train are, quite possibly, two of the most fun bands I’ve ever had the privilege to witness perform live. It’s fitting, then, that when Nate Ruess and Jack Antonoff began collaborating in 2009 they took that adjective and used it as the name for their little side project.

fun.’s first album, Aim & Ignite, is somber, energetic, and unforgivingly upbeat all at once. It’s also one of the most relentlessly — there’s seriously no other word for it — fun collections of songs I’ve ever heard. Tomorrow the wait for the band’s second studio LP, Some Nights, is finally over. You can check out the whole thing on SoundCloud, courtesy of fun. themselves. But for now, in the spirit of Music Monday and my love of playlists, why don’t we take a look at five songs from The Format, Steel Train and fun. that you really should listen to if you love the Ruess-Antonoff project.

5. The Format – “Wait, Wait, Wait,” Interventions and Lullabies

This is the second track on The Format’s first full-length. While the opening song, “Cause a Scene,” always gets me going, it’s not until “Wait, Wait, Wait” starts that you get a feel for what Nate Ruess and Sam Means were really going for. This song is perfect for driving through country roads in the middle of summer, a particularly favorite pastime of mine from my high school days.

4. Steel Train –  ”Black Eye,” Trampoline

It’s tough to pick a single song from Trampoline to represent the album as a whole — the first half starts hard and fast while the end of the album really plays to Jack Antonoff and the rest of the band’s folk and country roots. This may be a radical departure from Twilight Tales from the Praires of the Sun, but it’s done wonderfully and sets the tone for the band’s independent debut, which comes three years after Trampoline‘s release.

3. Fun. – “Walking The Dog,” Aim & Ignite

You may remember this song from an Expedia commercial. But that 30-second clip doesn’t really do it justice. I chose this song because it does the second best job of embodying the overall feel of the album. The song that does it best is “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be).” But I already used that track in another playlist and didn’t feel like repeating it. Still, this is one excellent piece of music that shan’t disappoint.

2. Steel Train – “Touch Me Bad,” Steel Train

If you listen to the Steel Train’s first EP and LP, you probably won’t recognize what the hell this is. Well, it’s Jack Antonoff and four other guys free of the constraints that come with a label deal. As part of the band’s first foray into the world of independent production, Steel Train sounds nothing like anything you’ve heard from the band before, yet it’s still undoubtedly Steel Train. And anyone who can sing about “eating colors” and get me to shout it at the top of my lungs during a show is alright in my book.

1. The Format – “If Work Permits,” Dog Problems

Is it cliche to include a closing track as the final song in a playlist? I almost feel as though it is but, hey, it’s not like I’m doing this professionally or anything. What “If Work Permits” accomplishes in five-and-a-half minutes is purely awesome. It goes from slow and somber to fast and hard-hitting. Even if the final lyrics recount a life under an abusive patriarch, it’s a ride worth taking.

I’ve already apologized for my absence over the last week, so I’m not going to repeat it here. Besides, the songs in this section of my two-part Music Monday spectacular are meant for those of you who have nothing to be sorry for. You were screwed over and you don’t care who knows it. Okay, maybe you don’t want to be open about it, but you don’t have anyone special to spoil or be spoiled by tomorrow and that’s left you feeling a little lonely.

No? Are you feeling the least bit angsty? Not that either, eh? Well, you must have at one point or another gone through a breakup or some kind of heart-shattering debacle over a potential boo, right? I mean, we were all teenagers once, after all (if you’re reading this and are still a teenager, quit loafing around and get a job.) These are all songs that have at one point or another gotten me through a breakup. Or convinced me that, yeah, there’s nothing wrong with me, it’s the girls who are all crazy and don’t know what’s good for them. I’m probably over-sharing here, so let’s just get right to the music, shall we?

10. The Format – “Dog Problems,” Dog Problems

We’ll start things on a high note. If you don’t listen to a single lyric and just focus on the music, this is a nice little upbeat tune you wouldn’t mind bringing home to mom. That is, until that tune starts screwing around on you and the last thing you say to it is “well, I hope it was worth it when you slept with him.” What? That’s not some deep-seated anecdote I’ve been storing for any given amount of time; it’s a lyric lifted directly from the song. Well, enjoy!

9. Blink-182 – “Obvious,” [untitled]

Here’s another song about relative lack of faith in a once-significant other. It’s quite a bit more melodramatic and direct than The Format’s, but if you want to be angry about the fact that you’re alone, this one’s for you. Hell, much of Blink-182′s newer material will float your boat if that’s the case. If you haven’t yet, go ahead and check out the band’s 2011 album, Neighborhoods. You’ll thank me later, trust me.

8. Motion City Soundtrack – “My Favorite Accident,” I Am The Movie

One of the biggest disagreements you’ll have with yourself after a breakup is that you’ll think the relationship that just ended was the best thing that ever happened to you, yet it was a complete waste of [insert however long that relationship lasted here]. Well, Motion City Soundtrack really plays it up in style here, moog and all. To this day I have no idea what that pink bunny was doing in the video.

7. The Ataris – “Giving Up On Love,” End Is Forever

Listening to this song makes even the biggest pushovers smile. Who can be so unfortunate with love that the woman he asks to marry goes on a bender during a Billy Idol concert only to sleep around that night and call the guy for a ride the next morning?  That’s some pretty bad luck, isn’t it? You’ve been screwed over before, but probably nothing like this. And in the following weeks, months, maybe even years, you’ve most likely thought, “yeah, love sucks.” Here’s to you, Kris Roe.

6. Dashboard Confessional – “Rapid Hope Loss,” A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar

Many of the artists on this list also appeared in my other “Woo your boo” list, but Dashboard Confessional is the only band to accomplish this feat with two songs from the same album. And they play back-to-back, too! This song’s about some whiny emo dude coping with the fact that the chick he’s into isn’t all she seems. She’s a bit of a promise-breaker and he’s done with her. If Chris Carraba’s definitive demographic is any indicator of just what this broad is guilty of, it’s probably being less than excited at the prospect of an Arrested Development marathon.

5. fun. – “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be),” Aim & Ignite

This song doesn’t deal with love as much as it does reflecting on old times and being more out-going when you get a new perspective on life. But if there’s anything I’ve learned in my almost 25 years on this planet it’s that laughing, drinking, smoking and singing — all at once, if possible — is more than enough to get you out of any funk. This is also one of the most fun songs to watch live. That trumpet really pulls everything together.

4. Jack’s Mannequin – “La La Lie,” Everything In Transit

If you want to cope with a bad run-in with love in a manner more upbeat and, let’s face it, healthier than the rest of the songs on this list have us doing so far, this gem from former Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon might just be for you. It’s all about leaning on your friends in times of need. He or she may have taken your heart, but it’s not like you can’t play Mario Kart for hours on end with three pals and wash those worries away.

3. New Found Glory – “Listen To Your Friends,” Not Without A Fight

So you broke up, patched things up and got back together with someone you thought you might not be able to live without. And all the while your friends were warning you about this. The next thing you know you’ve been dumped for some guy named Rodrigo — this is likely more devastating for a woman dating a man — who owns a boat and swears he’ll take care of what you couldn’t. Yeah, you probably should have listened to your friends. And New Found Glory is telling you so right now.

2. The Starting Line – “Surprise, Surprise,” Based On A True Story

You might as well consider this a tie for first with the song that comes right after it. It’s been a part of my mopey-love mixtapes, CDs and playlists for as long as I can remember. That makes it sound like I’ve been screwed over by a lot of women, but … okay, it’s not a lot but it’s also not a tiny number. Then again, I’m sure every single guy out there feels similarly.

1. Saves The Day – “Rocks Tonic Juice Magic,” Through Being Cool

Just like The Starting Line’s “Surprise, Surprise,” this song has had pretty heavy rotation in every song compilation I’ve ever put together to cope with a broken heart. It’s quite a bit more morbid than anything else on the list — okay, a lot more morbid — but you’ve gotta admit it’d be pretty sweet to throw lemonade in the face of the girl or guy who screwed you over, right? This is definitely the most melodramatic song I’ll ever throw your way. Seriously, just consider the final lyrics: “You and I are like when fire and the ocean floor collide.” I would have been such a better twentysomething ten years ago …

I hope these songs gave you a reason to get out of bed if you’re alone. And if you’re in a meaningful relationship that’s going swimmingly, feel free to throw these on a playlist; you know you’re going to need them sooner or later. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go straighten my hair and brood for the rest of the week.

http://www.musiclist.us/mc/mp3player_new.swf

Things were a bit busy last week, what with midterms, a few review copies showing up on my doorstep and stories to edit for Flux, along with a couple of other special projects I’m working on poking their heads into an already-busy schedule. So you can see how I didn’t have time to dedicate to the blog, right? Good.

Well, I still want to make it up to you because I know how much you all love these Music Monday playlists. And, boy, do I have a treat for you this week. In order to make up for my absence over the last few days, I’m giving you not just one, but two collections to choose from. And with everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday just around the corner, what’s better than a grouping of songs that are all about love? Hey, scoff if you will, but sometimes the quickest way to a person’s heart is through song. This playlist is all about wooing a prospective boo. Or maybe you’d rather these provide a soundtrack to a date with an established boo. Either way, if you’re looking for angsty, pissed-off love songs, check these out. Otherwise, enjoy!

10. Steel Train – “Bullet,” Steel Train

The first track from Steel Train’s 2010 self-titled effort is perfect for a date with somebody who fancies him or herself an adventurer. It’s all about falling in love in the backseats of cars, taking risks and learning to trust someone else. As the first song on the band’s first album where the guys were totally independent of a label and on their own for the first time, you can tell a lot of care went into its crafting and execution.

9. Wilco – “I’m The Man Who Loves You,” Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

I know including this song on a mix CD where you’re testing the waters with a prospective mate is a bit of a risk, but trust me: The payoff is totally worth it. Hell, the title, should you choose to include it on a custom track listing — I sure would — says it all. And besides, the quirky guitar and fun beat will have that person forgetting who gave it to him or her in the first place, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you choose to look at it.

8. Saves the Day – “Hold,” I’m Sorry I’m Leaving

Okay, so this is one of a few songs that I’ve fallen back to as a sort of sure-fire inclusion on most playlists ever since high school. I guess including it on this list of songs means I’m retiring it from the roster since I’m sure any woman I try to woo in the future would read my blog to get an idea of who I am, right? And how would she feel if this song was on that first mix CD I made her? You’re all lucky I’ve gotten plenty of use out of this song or I’d be hesitant to let you in on the secret. Apologies to any woman reading this who’s had it on a compilation I gave her.

7. The Starting Line – “Island,” Direction

Broads love being whisked away. And that’s what this song is all about. You pack up, find a deserted island and enjoy each others’ company. And, of course, you build a shelter out of palm fronds and the like to protect you from the elements. I’m almost ashamed to write this, but this is probably the heaviest song on the list, which breaks up a bit of the moody, mellow sensibility we’ve explored thus far. But sing out loud to a prospective boo and you’ve given yourself at least two weeks of relevancy on the consideration front.

6. Rooney – “If It Were Up To Me,” Rooney

Aw, here it goes. We’re back to the slower, more sentimental stuff. This song says, “yo: I’m totally into you and your parents approve. Let’s get cooking.” I’mma stop you both right there, because I can tell you from experience that if you head straight into the kitchen together, disaster will strike. Still this is a sure-fire way to get somebody’s attention if you’re trying to get your woo on.

5. New Found Glory – “Too Good To Be,” Coming Home

Many of you might remember New Found Glory from the days when hardly anyone knew what an Xbox was and the guys sang all about their “bros before hos” philosophy. Well, when three of the five guys in this pop-punk quintet were engaged to be married, they were writing and recording a fourth studio full-length. Listen to Coming Home and you’ll hear the vast majority of these songs are all touch-feely “won’t you marry me?” affairs. This one just happens to be the best of them all in that regard.

4. Blind Pilot – “The Colored Night,” We Are the Tide

You know when you’re in the beginning stage of a relationship and it’s all candy, rainbows and all that other sugary crap? Well, this song isn’t much like that. It’s more about having somebody to tether you down during rough times. You know, somebody to trust. It’s also a pretty good make-out song.

3. Dashboard Confessional – “As Lovers Go,” A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar

This is another of those songs that served me well over the years. And today I hand it over to you. Seriously, try playing this song for your prospective boo and your intentions become crystal clear.

2. Death Cab For Cutie – “I Will Possess Your Heart,” Narrow Stairs

Forget that this song is eight minutes in its entirety. Also, try to keep anyone from really listening closely to the lyrics, otherwise you come off as a total stalker. So long as the most attention is paid to the chorus, you’re in great shape. Besides, I’m sure you’ve all thought this at some point: “You know, if he/she just spent a little more time with me, he/she would totally be in love with me. I just know it.” You’re lying if you say otherwise.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeas – “Maps,” Fever To Tell

Now this track’s been in the rotation since about 2003, so I don’t feel it’s much of a loss to give it up. Still, it’s a hell of a song to use to tell somebody, “hey, let’s date.” Use it well.

Well, there you have it. Now that I’ve divulged these ten tracks and their purposes, a couple of things are for certain: 1) I’ll never be able to use any of them in my own gift playlists or mixes in the future and 2) There might be a few pissed-off exes of mine out there who will feel like the compilations I gave them meant nothing. Don’t worry: I’ll be safe. Just make sure to repay me if any of these works out for you (I’m a fan of anything by New Belgium Brewing, by the way.) Oh, and if this list isn’t for you — let’s say you had a bad break-up or just want to be pissed off on Valentine’s Day — I’ve got you covered here.

I’m not particularly known for my moves on the dance floor. I’m usually reluctant to jump in when the music starts. But there is a handful of songs that, no matter what the occasion, will at least get my toes tapping and likely lead to an all-out dancing spree. I’m also slow to realize which songs do this to me, most of the artists on this list having earned my ridicule or ill will at one point or another (I’m an old codger at heart here, people.)

You’ll notice not a single song on this list was produced after 2009. That’s because I hit my dancing prime at the tender age of 22. Or maybe my constant state of legal inebriation during the preceding year led me to believe that’s the case. To be completely honest, I didn’t do nearly as much drinking when I turned 21 as many of my peers did, which makes this list doubly embarrassing.

I hope you enjoy the admissions made hereafter. Some of them were pretty painful to realize and put into words, which I hope translates into some sort of sick entertainment on your part.

5. MGMT – “Electric Feel,” Oracular Spectacular

You can blame my former roommate who’s currently serving in the Peace Corps for this one. Every single day there would be a steady rotation of the same ten songs blaring from his room, this being one of them. Admittedly, I’m quite a bit more fond of the other artists on that ten-song playlist but this one holds a special place in my heart. Whenever it came on the shuffle, Mario would drop whatever he was doing and launch into a full-on workout. Okay, so maybe “full-on workout” isn’t the best way to describe it. But he did do a continuous set of push-ups while this song was on and it was just as entertaining as it sounds. As a tribute to my old roommate’s wackiness, I’ll shuffle my feet whenever this MGMT gem comes on regardless of where I am at the moment.

4. Justin Timberlake – “My Love,” Futuresex/Lovesounds

Honestly, I can’t help but, as the kids say, “shake my money-maker” whenever JT’s “My Love” is on. When I worked at Old Navy and this song would emerge on the store soundtrack, a couple of friends and I would start moving to the groove, an act that soon evolved — or devolved, depending on your point of view — into a little game we liked to call “How Ridiculous Can You Look At Any Given Moment?” The dance started innocently enough: I’d move my arms robotically to the beat and shuffle my feet in a jerky fashion. Before you knew it, however, I was crab-walking down aisles while other folks did the Charleston and other ludicrous things. Good thing much of this was happening between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. while we did shipment.

3. Chromeo – “Bonafied Lovin,’” Fancy Footwork

Yet another holdover from the Old Navy days, this is one of those songs I just “didn’t get” until I was exposed to it under the right circumstances. I have a certain married friend who’s currently on his honeymoon — I joined them for a moment yesterday, at least in spirit — and he’s a bona fide Chromeo nut (sorry, but I had to.) I wasn’t too big on the duo until Jason started playing them nearly every time we went on a drive. Well, it was that or The Strokes, but that’s another post for another day. The two of us once did a short bar crawl in the area known as the Barmuda Triangle, known for its high concentration of public inebriation and panhandlers. We happened into an establishment called Cowfish for a turn on the dancefloor, where I shuffled around awkwardly while Jason was approached by and soon danced with a fairly aggressive gentleman. This guy was obviously looking for some action, something my pal had noticed a little late in their interaction. So what else is a good friend to do other than jump in the middle and ruin somebody’s evening? Now every time Jason mentions Cowfish, I politely remind him that, had it not been for my intervention, his wedding might not have even happened. You’re welcome, Mrs. Iverson.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Dull Life,” It’s Blitz!

Late-night Rock Band or Guitar Hero sessions are pretty common after I’ve been out for a night, the usual instance lasting until 3 or 4 a.m. And this is one of those songs that’s guaranteed to have me dropping my guitar and dancing along instead of 100-percenting it because I’m just that damn good. Okay, so I’ve never even come close to getting a 100 percent on “Dull Life” in Guitar Hero 5, but you gotta talk big to make it big. This song always reminded me of “Ballroom Blitz,” more specifically the version from Wayne’s World. Hearing them back-to-back the resemblance dies a bit, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one.

1. Cobra Starship – “Send My Love To The Dancefloor, I’ll See You In Hell (Hey Mister DJ),” While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets

Back before everyone and their mother was singing along to “You Make Me Feel …” Cobra Starship was just the side project from Midtown’s Gabe Saporta known for its connection to Snakes on a Plane (For those of you unfamiliar with one of the best pop-punk outfits this side of New Found Glory, here you go.) Well, that Samuel L. Jackson cash-in has come and gone, but Cobra Starship remains and — I say this with a kind of pointed pride — the group is bigger than I ever imagined it would be. While I’ll admit the song’s chorus made me cringe at first, the “hey, mister DJ” portion reminding me of Madonna’s Music, it’s certainly grown on me and, as the other four songs on this list, is more than enough to get me moving and shaking.

BONUS TRACK

It doesn’t need an introduction (at least it shouldn’t.) I’ll just let Carlton Banks’ jazzy two-step do the talking.

What do you want to be better at? Do you have a vision for how you want your career to look one year from today? What about five years? We’ve all got dreams and aspirations. It’s what makes us human. I’d love nothing more than to graduate from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications, work for a mid-sized metropolitan daily newspaper for 8 or 9 years before settling into a career in games reporting. Sorry I’m so vague on details but I’m still young, ya know.

A couple of weeks ago I preached the importance of getting involved in student publications and although I feel I hit good points for aspiring journalists, there’s a piece of advice I intentionally left out because it’s  so universal.  I’m having a hard time summarizing the point of this post without sounding like a Nike ad from the ’90s. Perhaps I won’t even try.

If you want to succeed in any field there are two tips to keep in mind. The first is pretty simple: Just do it. Whatever you want to do, whether it’s be a better writer, learn to play an instrument or figure out how to take a decent photograph, the key to seeing results is to get off your ass and start working toward your goal. I know, I’ve heard this before, too. But it wasn’t until last term that I really took this advice to heart and I’m better off now because of it.

Following this mantra came naturally once I set a list of goals and drafted benchmarks I’d have to reach to meet those goals. I began keeping a log of sorts to record my progress. At the top of the list were two objectives: “Become a games journalist” and “Write for The Oregonian,” the latter publication serving as the ideal organization for which I would work — circulation of between 300,000 and 400,000 in a mid-sized metropolitan area.

I then began listing things I would need to do in order to achieve both of these goals. The first requirement was pretty obvious: “Graduate from the University of Oregon.” And I was already actively working toward that goal, so I rewarded myself with a cookie. You may laugh, but I’m totally serious. How can you sustain any sort of progress if you don’t treat yo’ self every once in awhile? Check out J-School PR instructor Kelli Matthews‘ excellent tips for dead week (or any other stressful week, for that matter) to get an idea of just how important self-rewards are.

Where was I? Oh, right: Outline your plan of attack. So I was already working toward graduating from the SOJC. But what else do potential employers in both straight news and video games reporting seek? Experience. Of course, there are a handful of publications at the university I could join, but how was I supposed to find somewhere I could write about games? It turns out that was easier than I thought it would be.

I started by reading the “about” pages for a ton of gaming sites I frequent. Working for a place like Kotaku or Joystiq would take more experience and certification than I had, so they were out. This left some of the smaller blogs I occasionally perused, one of those being DualShockers. What really hooked me was the job description and its requirements:

• Knowledge of games and the gaming industry. Check.
• Self-motivated and a self-starter. Check (and the whole point of this post)
• Emphasis on English grammar. Super check!
• Journalism experience a plus. Hello, extra credit!

I applied immediately, emailing the jobs link a detailed description of what I wanted to do and a few writing samples. “What have I got to lose?” I thought. After a few emails and a botched attempt at an interview — damn Skype … — I was offered a stint as a staff writer for the site, which I’m currently enjoying.

Next I had to find a student publication to join. I wrote for The Oregon Daily Emerald during the summer, but things hadn’t exactly worked out there. At the outset of fall term, I decided to dabble in feature and magazine writing. Since I had already written news for The Torch at Lane Community College for two years, I figured I could use some experience doing different kinds of stories. Besides, college is supposed to be a time when you can experiment, right?

This is where Lesson No. 2 comes in.

I asked one of my professors for advice. Bill Ryan teaches Media Professions at the university, a course required as a prerequisite for anyone seeking admittance to the J-School. He had mentioned he was a co-founder of Flux during a class so I visited him during his office hours to learn a bit about it. I brought a portfolio of my past work to show Dr. Ryan and by the end of a five-minute conversation he had convinced me to apply for winter term.

I filled out an application that day and heard back from the magazine’s managing editor within the week. As soon as I was told I had an interview with Flux I told Dr. Ryan. Without my asking, he offered to send the Flux editors a letter (in this case an email) of recommendation on my behalf. The interview went pretty well, but I’m sure the kind words from Dr. Ryan and my two other references helped immensely.

The following week I heard Flux wanted me as copy chief.

You’ve probably heard the old saying that “The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step,” right? Well, for me that meant getting in gear and doing what I could to accomplish my long-term goals. Keeping a list of my available resources helped, too. To be honest, I was nervous about asking for references for a longt time. But remember, especially in the case of your professors, they ask that you come by and use them as resources. As long as you give them a heads up before listing them on your resume, everything should be fine. Dragging yourself out of bed at 6 a.m. may not be the most fun, but think of the alternatives. In my case it was counting petty cash in the managers’ office at Old Navy and cashiering for 7-8 hours a day. Trust me: You don’t want to be a lifer.

So, to sum up: Do what you can whenever possible to make progress toward your goals, don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice and remember: