$3.92

Okay, so maybe AC offers more for a legitimate news article than the $3.92 I mentioned in prior post. I will never know. In March, I think it was March, I attended a peace or unity thing with intentions of submitting a news article about the event. I took photographs, I wimped out on interviewing anyone, I took notes.

Second planned article was about Long Beach Recycle (note to self, come on Mar, look it up...). I was tired, leg hurting but visited the shop anyway to get some first hand information. The owner was very nice and very busy and decided I could write it without any direct quotes.

Home, all fired up ready to write what I already wrote in my head and the thump, thump, thump, floor vibrating from vehicle parked across the street detroyed my peace in a good hurry. Maybe it was not a car, maybe it was coming from an apartment. I went out back door to look for source, but would not walk to gate, open it and peer across the street. Due to neighbor, John's skewering his blinds, no longer feel comfortable walking past his window.

Why did I not just call the cops about this violation of Long Beach noise ordiance? Because I kept thinking the car would leave before cops arrived. Which was usually the case ~ rumor had it drug dealers lived 'cross the street making for constant traffic, stopped at curb or in street with radios blasting, I am sure there is a word for their stereo system. Four hour later...

Was that the day I did pick up the phone only to have the music stop almost instantly after I hung up after reporting them? Do not remember. What I remember was it stopped only to be replaced by John's blaring his TV or music. Soon after that day was when I complained to manager for first time about John's violations of our Rules and Regulations.

The cell phone photos of the event were not article worthy. I was too stressed to write; think I went to Facebook instead to do some worthless clicking at a game, Cafe World, saying I would write it in the morning when I was fresh. The morning of course, brought more noise from John and Chris and blah, blah, blah. Bottom line, never wrote the articles.

I could call the mayor or police station to ask questions. I did that for another article, not them, it was about the Village's move to Willow street (Just Say No To Mentally Ill Homeless) and never submitted because WiFi conked out and efforts to upload to site via library computers (or place that rents time) via CD, DVD, memory stick failed.

Just the thought of in person news gathering stops me from even trying. I picture them, the mayor for instance, looking at my mouth thinking: why am I speaking to this homeless crack head? News reporter, my arse. No I never smoked crack cocaine, but when one has bad teeth, I learned on the streets, the assumption is that is why the teeth are bad. And they are much, much worse now.

Which is why I will never know how much of an offer AC would give me for original news article.

So I write fluff pieces. And I am afraid they will reject those despite the fact that I am not asking to get paid for them. C'est la vie.