The fall semester has finally come to a close. I can imagine that everyone is sighing in relief that it’s over. Now,  we can plop onto our beds, face first onto the pillow and take nice long break from this anxiety filled mess that was this fall.

When I look back at this semester I feel jaded and robbed of what was suppose to be exciting semester. With this being my second go around of doing online classes, I was less than thrilled to hear the news half way through the seamster that the spring was going to be same thing all over again.

A huge disappointment but not a surprise. All we can do is look forward and push onward. I will have to say though that during this period of solitude at home. I’ve had time reflect on the past and grow a deeper appreciation of life pre-pandemic. I always found myself sitting by my window with drink in my hand just staring down the way towards Manhattan and getting lost in my memories.

I came to learn that there are many things that we’ve taken for granted because we have grown accustomed to expecting that they will be there tomorrow. Friends, Family, your local coffee shop, even plans. No one in there right mind would think that at the turn of new decade we would be facing global health crisis and lose all semblance of normality within our society.  It’s like an atomic bomb had just been dropped on us and now we’re just sifting through the debris of what is left.

But the bomb wasn’t the pandemic itself. No, that came afterward. The pandemic was the catalyst that set it off . The count down was set in motion long ago. There was no way to predict when it was going to go off but it finally did.  It erupted with a fury that engulf everyone, a summer filled with protest and violence that has shaken us to our core.

Tension has been mounting for year for an issue that has still not been resolved. This pandemic only amplified that disparity that exist between Black and White pitting the issue on the for front of everyone minds. There was no escaping that harsh reality that plagues this nation. I say this to emphasized that tool we call the internet has play a vital roll in bring this struggle inside each and every house hold in America.

If there is any bright side to this crazy year it is that this class has given at-least for me an outlet to relieve stress and enjoy something new.  A way to block out all of the insanity on the news and to be able to create. That is what I feel is the purpose in creating the The Phantom Chronicle . A place where I can pour out what I’m feeling and what I see both Journalistically and personally all in the same place.

Through the guidance of Prof. Seslow and through the influence of my fellow classmate work. I learned how take the power of the internet and put my own spin to it. As a journalist my goal is to report what is going on in our neighborhoods, our nation, and the world. We do that by creating stories that allow our readers to connect to the issue on a personal level. This class has been an amazing asset in giving me new, creative and unorthodox methods my storytelling abilities in ways I never thought of before by using memes, gif, art, videos, and sound to enhance the experience.

Now, in traditional news print media this would never fly, maybe in magazine writing but you are still limited compare to on the web. You have more freedom and tools at your disposal. You have hundreds of choices and directions you can take to create a unique but compelling story. That to me was the biggest take away from this class.

My website will eventually have a bunch of different projects, pieces of writing, and art in the near future. Move forward, I will be trying to actively post every day or at least every other day with new and creative content. I guess you can call this my little creative play ground.

To explain my website set up, I broke my pages down with my blog being the second option next to the home button since it is where most my time will be spent through out the weeks. This will be where my daily personal blog post will reside and I named it the “DAY TO DAY” since I’ll be recounting my experiences and personal thought that are on my mind at that day.

Next “News” which will eventually encompass news articles I write about York from Pandora’s Box and of the city overall. This will later  be broken down to subsection with specific topics of intrest such politics, breaking news, business, etc.

After that we have the “OP-ED” section which will hold all of my journalist and overall formal opinion on news related topics. Finally, the “Review” section is where where a I will putting up my journalistic opinion the latest, “Films”, T.V./ Streaming  shows, and “Music” releases I think this deserved its own page because these are my favorite topics to write about on my free time. 

My goal is by the start of next year I am looking to have all of these pages and categories completely populated with a whole bunch of content. This being my first “Day to Day” Blog post. Marking the beginning of new chapter for this site.

Im not big fan of grading my own work because of how subjective it is. Your perspective is automatically screwed because we’re our own worse critic. We can either be to nice to ourselves or to harsh. It’s just hard to be impartial to your own creativity. Nonetheless, after I evaluated the grading policy for this class, my overall work ethics, completing all 15 post required for the course, and having built a website. I think that for the semester I deserve an A or an A- at-least.

To all my fellow classmates and to Prof. Seslow I want to thank you for a wonderful semester even with how crazy it was. I learned a lot and really enjoyed reading everyones post through out the weeks. They brighten up day when things got bleak. I hope you all have a restful break, I wish you all a happy holidays and Merry Christmas !!!

FAREWELL AND GOOD LUCK NEXT SEMESTER.

A Semester In Review