Day 7 (Wed., Sept. 7)

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Hanging out w/ Judy, my bosses and my professor yesterday was cool. Today was fun, too. I went on assignment w/ Angel Valentin, a seven-year Sun-Sentinel veteran. I walked into the office and saw Angel and I knew I was going to get along w/ him. This Puerto Rican guy was very friendly and very loud. Cool. He also sported a bald head and some loose jeans. He seemed really cool. He has the look like those in my circle of friends.

First, however, I went w/ Lou Toman to the beach. Lou is a cool seasoned photographer. He has been working w/ the company for 49 years. We headed to the beach as he went to do some research. It was quite an experience because I had not gone to the beach here in Ft. Lauderdale yet. Oh man, the water was so green, blue and clear. The waves were small and there were a lot of attractive people on the beach. I love this place. Lou told me a little about his experiences at the paper. He told me about some future plans for whenever he decides to retire. We headed back to the office since I had to meet up w/ Angel for our day together.

Angel and I headed out to the first assignment. He was sent out to shoot a business profile of Cristina Mendez, a lady who owns a bunch of cellular stores in the area. Although he was shooting the assignment, I ended doing all the shooting. He coached me a with lighting. It was inspiring. He handled the people at the cellular store so well. He's got the charisma that I wish to have. He makes friends within seconds and everyone loves what he has to say.

During the drive he gave me the rundown on Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. He gave me tips as to where to hang out. He bought me lunch at Sedanos, a cool Latin market where I enjoyed salmon, yuca and some really cool Cuban dark rice. The meal was topped w/ a shot of Cuban coffee. It was really cool.

During the drive back to the office I had the pleasure of looking through his portfolio. He's got all kinds of great photos. Stuff from Cuba, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, a portrait of Fidel Castro, some shots of the day authorities took Elian Gonzalez away from his Florida relatives. This guy has done it all. I was very impressed.

Later we went on to cover a city council meeting where people in the community of Miramar opposed the plans to build a new Wal-Mart. We worked together for about an hour before he had to leave to go transmit his photos. I decided to stick around just in case something cool happened. Unfortunately, nothing happened. Just a long and boring meeting. I got the photo above and thought it was pretty symbolic of the power of the people.

I hung out at the meeting for three hours and nothing happened. I decided to leave as I had worked a 12-hour shift. I felt really good for hanging out. At least I don't have the worry and doubt of what might had happened had I left early.

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