So I decided to go blindly into another feature this summer for a bit of evergreen story coverage in the coming weeks.

I have a couple ideas I am juggling around right now. One is about a wheelchair-bound chef at a restaurant in Garland and another is about magicians in the Garland and Dallas area.

I have a feeling the chef story will be a more serviceable piece of journalism (plus it is about food and everyone loves food), but I think the sleight of hand will be fun to learn about a new trade.

That's all for now.

-Marcus Out-

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game has become a beacon of hope for me during the dog days of summer. Every year, I nearly cry seeing the legends of the game out there on the field during the opening ceremonies, I eat myself sick and I just hope and pray that the game will finally turn out as a win for the National League.

I often imagine (read as fantasize) about covering this event. As a baseball fan, I see the All-Star game as a fun outing. As a young adult, I see it as an excuse to beer boil some brats, buy a case of Shiner and enjoy the National Pastime.

People will complain about steroids, people will complain about football taking precedence in the national spotlight, but honestly, baseball lends itself to a special type of poetry and romance that the gridiron lacks. 

Disagree, that's fine, I still know where I will be tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. and all are welcome to join me in my annual tradition.

If one were to list my favorite days of the year, I would probably have to put the All-Star game somewhere between Tennessee vs. Florida in football and my birthday. It's up near the top, don't get me wrong.

-Marcus Out-

I will go ahead and say it - Bike & Build is a really good organization. It brings 20-somethings together and gives them a chance to reflect on where they are in their lives, make friends and give back to the various communities they travel through.

The concept is simple. Raise a minimum of $4,000 for the summer. Pack a very light duffle bag. Grab a bike and a hammer, and hit the road with 30 complete strangers who by the end of summer will all be friends you will remember forever.

Does this sound campy, yes, but it is honest. My age probably dictates how I cover a feature about an organization like this, but it was amazing to see young adults my age finding a way to escape from everything.

More information to come in next Friday's neighborsgo.

For now, I'll be writing away and waiting until next week's MLB All-Star Game.

Some weeks, content comes in slowly to the newsroom and the best decision is to go out on a whim and cover something you know absolutely nothing about. Tomorrow, I will be going to cover this Bike & Build event in Garland.

That is all well and good except my cycling knowlege ends at knowing Lance Armstrong is apprently performing well in the Tour de France this year (who knew?).

After speaking on the phone with a guy by the name of Josh he gave me some decent advice about what I will be covering tomorrow. By decent advice, I mean a really open ended statement that he spoke on his friend's cell phone.

"I think we'll be in Garland between 3 and 5 p.m. tomorrow. Can I call you tomorrow and give you better details."

I always like these cold script type of assignments because it challenges me as a reporter to think on my feet, but on the same note, I really am not a fan of cycling.

sigh...

For most people the Fourth of July weekend is a holiday. I will be out in the field covering the local TEA (Taxes Enough Already) Parties dotting North Texas. As things stand I am still waiting for my credentials and parking passes - this is always the biggest pain on events like this, because the strength and notoriety of the publication determines the swiftness of media access.

For instance, USA Today would get access almost immediately. The Podunk Leader-News will probably have a longer wait. 

After a series of phone calls, neighborsgo is credentialed and ready to go. YEEHAW!

For this story, I will be competing with the bigger and more experienced Metro desk reporters, so the competition should prove interesting. The perk of covering massive events like this is the fact that everyone can write a different story and manage to create the same effect.

If you guys are interested, we will also be posting Twitter comments throughout the day, both on the Garland Twitter feed and my personal account.

At 3:54 p.m. I received one of the more entertaining news tips I have gotten since starting this blog. A 69-year-old woman from Garland is following in the steps of George H.W. Bush. Not in the way of making cameo appearances on various talk shows, but by honoring her birthday on Sunday by jumping from an airplane.

Skydiving at 70 is impressive to say the least. Moreover, she is doing it to celebrate Father's Day with her sons and grandsons supposedly. Either way, this should be a fun event. Look for the story next week.

-Marcus Out-

I grew up in Texas for the most part, with the exception of four years in Singapore. Aside from that, I have seen a variety of July 4 celebrations ranging from fireworks in DC, to beach parties, to picnics on a hill side.

Well, this year, I think, I have found out through reporting, a new laughable replacement in lieu of fireworks.

Garland will be showing a public screening (weather permitting) park display of... drumroll please... Independence Day with Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Randy Quaid. 

I wish they could have come up with something else, but it is the truth.

Then again, seeing Will Smith yell "Welcome to Earth" will be worth even the best fireworks display.

-Marcus Out-

With the school year coming to a close, that means teachers will begin to pack up the desks and call it quits for the summer. Some will go on to secondary jobs, some will take vacations, some will see family. For two educators at Rita Smith Elementary School in Wylie, their combined 50+ years of experience are coming to a close.
Jan Nichols and Debbie Dixon will no longer be faculty members on the campuses, but their impact will stay after they are gone.

-Marcus Out-

Yesterday afternoon, I met several of the kids who are in the program and was impressed by the extensive boxing background some of the students had and how much some of the other students were learning.

Some of the children are from some more "challenging homes" as one teacher described it. The two hours after school in the Texas sun show the dedication these teens have to trying to fix their lives. 

As for a different spin and catchy name for the story, I think "Million Dollar Babies" might work pretty well. Yes, I am lifting this title from a College Humor video, but the photographs I have taken for the story work so well. 

-Marcus Out-

So after a brief post last week, I am ready to head to O'banion Middle School in Garland this afternoon to interview and photograph some of the kids who are in the Bison Boxing program.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to expect because the most boxing I haven't really done real boxing other than trying on my friend's gloves and swinging with my buddies back in high school. Apparently there is more to boxing than simply flailing until one person calls it quits.

This program stands as a way for at-risk youth to try and find an outlet after school and to keep them away from trouble. I like where this piece could go. 

I'll keep you updated as to the way the story progresses.

-Marcus Out-