It's like the Kansan...but bigger and with older people (except for Vaupel, of course)

Today is my first shift at The Indianapolis Star. I came in at 4:30 and had about 2 hours of training, and was promptly put right to work, which is awesome because I thought they'd babysit me until I learned the system. But no. Everyone here has been extremely nice, with the exception of one copy editor who made me and another copy editor who was showing me the computer system move because we were bothering him. Then we gossiped about how much of an asshole he is. hehe. The two older editors I'm working with are cool middle-aged ladies, and I am the youngest person in the room by about 10 years. I think I'm going to play the young-gun riff for a while. "Jon, don't change that! You're such a loose cannon!" The newsroom is friggin' huge and there's a cafeteria upstairs. Shit. There is a ho-dunk fridge that hasn't been cleaned in years and a microwave that rivals the one in the Kansan newsroom for the title of "most unsanitary appliance in the universe." Some of the sportos here make Starbucks runs two times a night.

Living by myself has gotten off to an inauspicious start. I realized I don't have a TV, Internet, silverware, flatware or bed sheets last night, and I woke up this morning discovering my toilet doesn't flush and when I went to microwave soup, I discovered I don't have a microwave. I shouldn't complain though. It sounds like Neeley is having a much more...interesting apartment experience than I. It took me a total of a day and a half for me to find the closest grocery store (which was ridiculously overpriced), but I've heard a rumor that there is Wal-Mart south of town that is selling Kraft Mac and Cheese for 44 cents a box. Holy. Shit. I went shopping downtown today, and the whole area is amazing. My apartment is right next to a canal that runs through downtown next to a bunch of museums. I really want to get out and experience the nightlife, but I'm going to hold off until I get settled a little more and my wallet gets a little more full. I work five days a week, but get Fridays and Saturdays off, which is friggin' sweet. Aye! Front page proofs just came off the printer. Later!

Jon "The Forrest" Ralston