Poison Ivy or Heat Rash?

June 25, 2007
Andy Boyle, Erie Times-News in Erie, Penn.

I spent Monday morning chasing geese. Yes, lads and ladies, journalism can take you to a state park for goose banding. And you will get a weird red mark on your left arm and your bosses won't know whether it's poison ivy or a heat rash.

"If it itches a lot later, then it's probably not a heat rash."

Thanks, boss.

Anywho, I'm excited! That story I worked for a long time on is the recreation story of the week for Pennsylvania's AP Exchange. And because of this, it's popping in a lot of other big Pennsylvania papers.

I've been on the University Wire before, but this makes me feel pretty awesome ( here's one: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-06242007-1367950.html-- oh I swoon over the AP).

And a picture from Vivian Johnson, the photographer who helped with the visual element of the story, made Monday's USA Today in a story about ATVs.

Anywho, I spent a lot of time this weekend reading both David Simon's "Homicide" and Jimmy Breslin's "The Church that Forgot Christ."

Both are really smart alick writers, especially Breslin, and I think that came out in my geese banding story. We'll find out when I pick up the paper tomorrow if my editor liked the tone of the story or not.

Until then, remember blog readers -- wear long sleeve shirts when handling water fowl. You never know what they got into before you grab 'em.

	Andy Boyle will be a senior broadcasting and news-editorial major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall. He is working at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Penn., this summer, and during the fall he will work as the Daily Nebraskan's web editor and multimedia content manager. Email Me , View All Andy's Entries