Becoming a journalist needs a new level of consciousness

They say that knowledge is power but in my experience gaining new knowledge can also 

be intimidating. Perhaps this is why Anna's Antics has experienced 4 months of complete neglect. 

BCU Journalism School (Flikr: Elliot Brown)

In two weeks I will begin a Masters in Online Journalism at Birmingham City University (BCU).  I hope the next year, of 'learning by doing', will lead to a career that I can enjoy and will be fueled by my passions.  In the run up to starting the course I have been reading and learning about various aspects of life as a journalist. For example I have looked at:

• Writing and publishing styles
• Fact verification
• The tools and platforms available to journalists
• Current job opportunities 

I am gaining insight and a greater awareness of my audience, purpose and how easy my writing is to search and access. Many of the concepts, up until now, I have been oblivious to or at least not given them very much conscious thought.   You could say, my own ignorance had made life easy. But now I have woken up to these issues, I would like to put them into practice. 

That sounds simple enough, right?  To me it feels a little daunting.    There is so much to think about and consider, it's difficult to not be paralysed by a fear of making mistakes. But here is the resurrection post! I need to remember this is a gradual process, so I hope my efforts to improve my blog will become visible over time. 

All this should mean good things for you guys!

At the end of each post I am going to try and list any conscious improvements I have made to my blog, as I think having a physical record will be a rewarding experience.  You can skip over it if you're not interested in the technical stuff, but I will be including links to any online tools I have used.  Why not go and try them out for yourself?  Or if you have suggestions, from your own experience publishing online, please feel free to add them in the comments section.

Latest improvements and tools used:

• Making use of subheadings and bullet points so the reader can scan the page and pick out what they want to read easily.

• Adding labels for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and ease of navigation

• Writing clear and concisely, with some help from the Hemingway Editor app. Check out this article testing the app with Hemingway's own writing by The New Yorker, which illustrates some of its limitations.

Sunday's race and fundraising success!

Warming up for the race

Hello out there!  I am pleased to report Sam and myself successfully completed Sundays Hoka One One 5km Trail Race! And it didn't rain on us!

It was super windy though and after hanging around for a good couple of hours till our race start at 1pm I was freezing!   The nerves and anticipation had built up and I was looking forward to crossing the start line and getting the blood pumping. 

The first mile or so I found the hardest, I had all kinds of stomach aches and pains and the first majorly steep hill took some serious fighting to get up.   Luckily there was plenty of words of encouragement from my fellow runners to keep me going.    

After that I started to get into a bit of a rhythm and the rest of the race seemed to breeze by in a series beautiful woods, fields, lake shores, and cascading hills in the distance, all punctuated by the sound of heavy breathing.

Me and Sam before the race

My favourite moment by far, was coming round the last corner, (which also happened to mark the top of the last hill), and putting in every speck of energy I had left in me to sprint to the finish. It was great to feel so energised by the support and encouragement of those standing at the sidelines.  I loved it!

I enjoyed it so much I'm raring to do another one! Such an amazing runner's high. Working up to a 10km will have to be the next goal.  

I'd like to thank Sam for running with me, and her two mothers (mother and mother in law)  for coming along to support us and take photos on the day.  I'd also like to say a big thank you to those of you who have generously donated to my charities.  The total for Safe Haven Children's Trust is £71.59 and for Piccadilly Garden Support Group we are up to £80 making a grand total of £151.59! An especially big thank you to my dad for his considerable contribution to the total.

The official race results page still looks like this:

but from my calculations it looks like I ran over the 5km collection of hills in just under 45 minutes, which I am pretty damn pleased with!

And the worn out, medal wearing after shot!

Pleased to say that's the first of the goals I've set myself since getting back from the States successfully achieved.  I look forward to sharing the news on the rest of those aspirations in the near feature.    

UK election day: Time for a political rant

2010 UK Election Map.  Less blue in 2015?

This years election has had me contemplating who to vote for up until the very end.   My ideology is most in line with the Greens or, shock horror, the Scottish National Party. (Moving to Scotland is an attractive idea.)  But in the first past the post system,  its not simply about voting for the party you believe in.   The system is all about winning the most seats in  per-determined constituencies across the country, and where constituencies have specific demographics voting becomes all about tactics.

Incidentally I am of the opinion that the constituency I am living in , which was created in the run up to the to 2010 election was the product of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering being when constituencies lines are redrawn in order to benefit one particular parties political agenda.  In this case merging the more left wing suburbs of a city with a large area of rural farm land.  There by attempting to dilute the impact of Labour votes in the area.

Living in the countryside, filled with farmers and OAPs I am pretty much stuck with the Conservatives representing  my constituency of Wyre & North Preston.  There are Vote Ben Wallace signs all over the place, which I would never dream of entertaining the prospect of.   This article covers a few of my major gripes with the Conservative agenda.  It seems obvious to me that austerity is damaging to society.  The volume of people receiving food parcels from food banks has increased by almost 1 million in the past 4 years under the Tory government.  (Figures taken from Trussel Trust website.)  Clearly Conservative policies are not benefiting ordinary people. Anyway I wasn't planning on turning this into a post to criticism of the Tories but rather express my frustration at the UK political process.  

I had thought about saying f*** you to the whole thing and spoiling my ballot paper, but in reality these spoiled votes just end up on the ignore pile.  No one will look at them and see it as a cry of disillusionment.

Voting Green, unless you live in Brighton is a wasted vote.  The Greens are too much of a minority party and too far removed from the centrist rhetoric, that dominates Parliament, to be able to get their ideas implemented on a national level.

Let's not kid ourselves come the end of the election the UK will have either Ed Miliband or David Cameron as the main representative of the UK.  Part of me feels I should be optimist and vote Green anyway, with the hope of a coalition government but this could also assist the Conservatives to victory.   By voting Green you are taking potential votes away from the Labour party, which could strengthen a Tory majority.  A second term under the Tories, is something I hope this country doesn't choose.   I do not agree with all of Labour's policies but they are leaning more towards the kind of country I want to live in than the Cons ever could. 

I wonder what difference electoral reform in the form of say proportional representation would make to how the country is run.   Although no doubt we will never find out as Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party,  pointed out in her interview with Russel Brand, "its like getting turkeys to vote for Christmas."

You might have noticed I haven't even mentioned the Liberal Democrats, as after their spectacular roll over on university fees, I can not even consider voting for them. It was one of the main policy objectives that helped them into government in the first place.  Their lack of back bone has pretty much turned them into an extension of the right wing government. 

Time to sit back and watch the results roll in this evening.   Whatever the result I feel like direct action and community based projects such as the work done by orgainsations like 38 Degrees are the way to really influence how our country is run.

 Here's a soundtrack to some political disillusionment:

Running up that hill

Photo taken from Keswick 5km Trail website

On the 17th of May I will be running up hills around the beautiful Keswick Lakeside area, as part of the Keswick Mountain Festival 5km Race.   I will be running not only to challenge my fitness and give myself a the motivation to keep running regularly, but also to raise money for Piccadilly Support Services, Lancaster and Safe Haven Children's Trust, Cambodia. I have chosen these two small charities due to the volunteering experiences and relationships I have built with them in the past.


My time at Piccadilly Garden allowed me mainly to hang out in their greenhouse, in the winter months, expanding my horticulture knowledge, but it also helped me realise how therapeutic gardening can be. I know for me personally it helped keep my spirits up, having some way to feel like I was contributing the world.  The welcoming atmosphere and knowledgeable staff  provide a great way for, those with mental health problems and disabilities to build new friendships, develop valuable skills, and interact with the wider community.  

I'd like to support them in their spreading of the wonders of gardening and especially in the support of those with mental illness, who it seems to me often get forgotten in our image orientated society. (I could probably write a whole new post on that...maybe another time.)

To donate to Piccadilly Garden please visit my Just Giving page  www.justgiving.com/Anna-Noble1

Save Haven Children's Trust (SHCT) goes back to my very first adventures abroad,  taking part in volunteer tourism in Cambodia back in 2008/2009. At this point Safe Haven did not exist, but it would be the experiences that me and a fellow volunteer, Benedicta Bywater (now CEO of SHCT) had that would spark the idea, the need for Safe Haven Children's Trust.  A grass roots organisation that works alongside local community, working to reduce the number of children in long term institutionalised care, and give adults the skills they need to support their families.  An approach quite different to the one we experienced as volunteers.

Cambodia is a beautiful country with some of the most friendly and gracious people I have ever met. Children are some of the most vulnerable in society and are the future for Cambodia to rebuild its infrastructure and heal from the scars still left by the Khmer Rouge regime.  Safe Haven Children's Trust are working hard to lay the foundations for Cambodia to thrive in the future.  

To donate to Safe Haven please visit this Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/AnnaJMNoble

My friend Sam has also decided to join me on the run and is raising money for the Spinal Unit Action Group.

While I am busy training, running up hills and along the canal, I ask all you generous people out there,  if you could donate a few pounds for a good cause. Your donation would be very much appreciated.   A little can make a big difference to small charities like these.  

An atheist at a Christian retreat: a test of tolerance

 Group hike: escaping the sun

I am back in England,  over the jet lag, finally, and enjoying the mild temperatures and regular bouts of rain.  However I still have a few tales left from my time in the 'Land of the Free'. This one goes back to that dangerous territory of religion, time to tread carefully!

Those of you who are familiar with my beliefs, may be surprised to find that I spent a weekend in the Arizona at a Christian retreat.  No,  I have not found Jesus in depths of the Valley of the Sun,  but it did leave a lasting impression.

Let's start with how on earth I ended up there.  It all starts by being part of a volunteer group at Arizona State University.  The group met weekly and took part in community based events to help vulnerable members of society, like the many people who are homeless in the states or to clean up the local park.  These are activities I par-took as a believer in humanity and showing kindness to others.  I have to say that there was a definite Christian undertone to the group but it wasn't overwhelming.   Sitting silently and respectively while others pray is fine with me.  It also had some really cool reflection activities, which I am on board with.  I like taking time to myself to relax and focus on something positive in my life, I  think its healthy way to approach life. I'd also made some really great friends there, eating pizza and practising my face painting skills occasionally.

Anyway the group have this annual event where they spend a weekend in northern Arizona on a 'retreat'. Sharath has been a member of the group for all 4 of his years at college and had never been on this weekend away. Graduating this year meant it was his last chance to go.  I had my apprehensions about going,  I sensed it wasn't going to be a weekend I would feel completely at home on. I was willing to suck it up and go along with it though, as it was important to Sharath.    I figured spending a weekend with a bunch of people I knew I got along well with, would be fine even if there was too many mentions of the big guy in the sky for my liking.

It was a strange weekend.  There were moments where I was having fun and enjoying myself, spending time with interesting new people,  then there were moments where I felt down right uncomfortable,  like an outsider. I have these very different opinions,  that everyone else was oblivious to and in that environment I didn't feel comfortable telling everyone that actually I'm not a believer in God.   In my opinion there doesn't need to be a God or a religious text, with rules and traditions to follow in order to be kind and love people and the world around you.  It just takes an open mind,  where you are open to trying to understand things form other peoples perspective, willing to challenge your preconceptions.  A level of emotional intelligence,  you could call it.  

I don't believe in God but I do believe that human beings are good, we just get misunderstood by each other and interpret the world around us from a narrow, self orientated, perspective.  Its these acts of tunnel vision that creates the tension and animosity between us all.  Its what makes the pursuit of knowledge and the need to communicate so important.  I may well have it all wrong but that's my two cents.

My favourite memory of the weekend was escaping with Sharath for a few hours on the Saturday night and getting to feel completely comfortable once more, as we shared our thoughts on it all.  It was male and female separate dorm rooms too, which made me feel like I was back in high school, so hanging out in the car really was the perfect place to spend some time together. 

Overall I feel like I discovered that I had a lot in common with these guys in terms of our ideals and morals, which probably why they made such good friendships but I'll stick to my guns on the God element. Perhaps I'm also a little less scared by organised religion but think I'll be staying clear of retreats in the future.

Aint no mountain high enough

The past 3 months has been quite the hiking extravaganza.  Sharath and I have climbed a total of 7 different mountains (technically 6 mountains and a canyon trail) scattered around Arizona, that's like a mountain every 2 weeks!  There are literally mountains or canyons around every corner here.   

We are the tiny figures on Devil's Bridge

The wear and tear that this has done to my body, in terms of exhaustion and muscle pains has made it particularly difficult to keep you guys updated with all our travels.  I would just get round to feeling human again and we'd be off on another adventure to some new vista point! 

Having officially done our last hike of the trip together,  the beastly Mount Wrightson, its finally time to share all those slightly torturous but stunningly beautiful moments with you.   

Before we get stuck in let me just say that my hiking experience hasn't been all smiles.  At times walking up a giant rock has really tested my patience, motivation and endurance to the max, both physically and mentally.  

There did seem to be one recurring trend in our adventures in regard to these struggles. I would start a hike particularly grumpy when we had to get up around 5am and eat breakfast on the move. I am not really a morning person.  Especially if I haven't slept very well the night before, for example cos I'd had to nap in the car or we were so far up north that our motel room was freezing!  Luckily (for Sharath's sake mostly)  this moody period tended to be short lived, as it melted away with the amazing views and general highs from the physicality of it all. 

We also found that food was an extremely good motivator.  Nothing like the promise of  a diner brunch or a Mexican feast to keep you moving, when you realise you still have everything you just finished huffing and puffing your way up, to climb back down.   

I'm not going to bore you with the nitty gritty statistics and names of each trail we went on but here are a few things that stick out in my mind.  The colours in the rocks in places like Sedona and the Grand Canyon are amazing, due to the sheer variation in the rock. There were vast hues of reds, greens, golds that combined with the purples and orange cascades of sunrise and sunset to form quite the Modern Impressionists painting.   It was not only the rocks that showed this immense capacity for variation but the vegetation and terrain in general. I remember going from one layer to the next, then looking down on it all from the top and being awed. All this took millions of years for natural forces to sculpt into the earth.  Wow!

YAY! it rained! Picacho Peak

There was one hike up to Picacho Peak, where the Sonoran Desert graced us with a little rain, a rare and celebrated occurrence (among some, there are definitely some Arizonans who complain about rain as much as the English when it occurs.)    This might have been my favourite hike, in terms of the experience of getting there and coming down, although there were definitely those with more breath taking views. The clouds were low making everything a little hazy, the desert was green and smelt amazing! An added bonus was the lack of intense heat even though we only began the trail around midday.  It was perfect hiking conditions, although a little slippy on the rocks at times. 

The 10 mile round trip and 4000ft of elevation of Mount Wrightson are the one set of statistics I cannot stop myself from bragging about, despite my promise not to bore you with techinicalities .   Most of our hikes had been around 5 miles or less (and a max +/-2000 feet of elevation)  up until this last one, so as you can imagine this was quite the step up.  The trail is said to take most people about 7 hours round trip, it took us more like 12. 

I should point out that Sharath and I have a habit of losing track of time when we are together. We like to take our hikes slow, so we can take in all of the new surroundings (or read a book in a picturesque setting). This day dream filled approach had never caused any problems on our previous short hikes, as we could always trail run back down the relatively short distance before it got dark.   Our tendency to meander was not the only reason our hike was so long, somewhere along the way I developed a throbbing and persistent pain in my upper right thigh. I remember it being particularly bad when we were a little under 2 miles from the top.  We discussed if we should just turn around and head back down, this may have been the sensible option but I could see the top!  It felt like an injustice just to turn around with out reaching those magnificent views across all of Arizona and out to the Mexican border. So we trudged on. 

 Silly faces time!

So much glee

I was so elated when we finally reached the top, I was literally shouting and running with joy for the last few meters. The views were utterly spectacular, with the classic Arizona clear blue skies all around. We were on the highest point in the Santa Rita Mountain Range; on top of the world. 

After refueling and beginning our descent it became obvious that we weren't going to reach the car before nightfall.  Mount Wrightson is what they call a forested Sky Island. A vastly bio diverse mountain, with vegetation and wildlife all over the peak, completely surrounded by the much less inhabitable cacti filled desert.  The unique ecosystem gave us a canopy of trees to walk among for most of the way, which was a great source of shade on the way up but a little intimidating in the dark on the way down.   As the sun set and we pulled out our torches, I became fairly anxious and jumpy to the sounds of lizards and snakes scuttling around the forest floor.  The signs warning that this was bear country down at the  start of trail head was also playing on my mind.  

My heightened state of fight or flight instinct came to its climax when we heard a tree crash to the ground somewhere behind us.  For a moment I really thought, "we might die tonight".  After some reassuring words to calm me down I got my confidence back and we started moving pretty swiftly back down the trail, as my desire to get home overpowered the sense of pain coming from my thigh.

Descent sunset view from Mt Wrightson 

In the conversation on the way down I discovered that night hiking was a real thing that people do for enjoyment, actively choosing to hike at night rather than during the day, but I figured it probably isn't for me. 

Some how we manage to keep each others spirits raised and made it to the car around 10:30pm, worn out and hungry but victorious!  

When we finally got home to feast on some real food, instead of the days fill of trail mix, cereal bars and Hershey's Almond Kisses, I could barely walk but I was pretty damn proud of myself! I'm certainly not going to forget this hike for a long time and I don't think my legs will either!

That was a bit of verbose trail through my hikes, but I hope you managed to make it to the end and found it as satisfying as I did.

Americans and the English, same same but different?

After over a month of living and breathing the cleanest air in all of America (supposedly),  I feel I am well tuned into to some of the cultural and lifestyle differences between the overly polite English, like myself, and those obnoxiously loud Americans. 

One place where I really feel like the UK and the US is on different planets is on the road.  You guys have so much space your freeways are six lanes wide!  Six lanes! In the UK 3 is the norm,  4 if you're lucky (not including the hard shoulder). I don't think a one way street exists here either, which must be nice , as driving in a new city in England tends to result a series of frustrating battles; where your destination is in sight but the turning says no entry, so you have to encircle the neighbouring streets a few times until you get to that same street but facing the opposite direction.  Oh the frustration.  I wonder if the simplicity of US roads reduces the prevalence of road rage.

EDIT, CORRECTION :   Arizona does have one way streets they are just 4 cars wide and in a grid system, so its not that complicated. 

When the federal government builds freeways they pretty much blow up anything in their path in order to create the shortest route to connect two destinations, by my understanding. This means travelling for 2 or 3 hours in the US gets you much further than in England, with our winding roads encircling this or that. Yes we may be a tiny island but we are densely populated, there is a lot going on. Arizona has vastly empty desert plains all over the place and then they stick some suburban housing complex in the middle of it. 

Here in Tempe, there are empty lots of land,  that are in a prime location for the retail industry, but for some reason the people here would rather scatter far and wide and increase their commute and transit time, just because they have the space.    

I've never owned a car back in England, so I'm used to walking everywhere or relying on buses or trains to get me places.   I swear outside of the university campus there are only a couple of hundred people who walk anywhere in this city.  Cars are king.  Now its starting to heat up, temperature wise, I think I am starting to understand why.  Air Conditioning is the only way to survive out here! The heat is unrelentingly dry, and the skies are so free of clouds it looks like someone placed a giant paint sample card in front of your lens.  Its shorts weather from now on until November!

 I got the bus to Phoenix Zoo the other day,  there was literally me and 3 other people on there, all who got off at the next stop. All my bus journeys in the UK consisted of a predominant presence of the young and the elderly and then everyone else in between.     

Smart

Beastly

Speaking of cars being king.  Smart cars are considered a joke here, next to four-wheel drives, pick up trucks and hummers they do look ridiculous. Back home and across Europe a Smart car seems like a viable, efficient and some might even say 'smart' way to actually find a parking space in a major city.   

Efficiency is clearly not on the mind of some Americans though,  taking a tank engine and riding it around your tarmacked freeways, seriously unnecessary. It's a good thing gasoline (petrol) is so cheap for you guys.

Next on the agenda is religion.  I 'm starting to really appreciate how secular England is. I find talking to people from different religions and trying to understand their different belief systems, really interesting.  My issue with religion is when, someone tries to push their beliefs on me or decides to actively insult me because I'm not a believer.

Last weekend me and Sharath attended an open mic event in downtown Phoenix, that was largely spoken word performers, with a few musicians thrown in to the mix. It was a fun evening, there were lots of passionate people sharing their thoughts with the room.  Towards the end the religious extremists seemed to take centre stage, and I found this pretty uncomfortable. Perhaps its a reflection of the music and arts communities in the UK, and their tendency towards the liberal left on the political spectrum, but I don't expect to be called selfish for being a 'heathen' in an evening of arts and entertainment.   It led to a pretty big discussion about the role of Christianity in the US.  Oh and the audience had this tendency to shout "speak it" and "tell it" at various moments in peoples performances, which is a new sign of appreciation to me. My inner polite Englishman found it a little irritating.
. 

This is how we do it in England

The US has discovered Cornish Pasties and made them into a gourmet food.  You heard me, those meat and potato filled pastry cases you buy at Greggs for (a little more than) a quid, when your short

My Gourmet Pastie

of cash and in need of something hot and filling to eat on the go, are marketed as an actual evening meal here.  Last night I sat at a proper sit down restaurant and ordered a "Cornish pasty"  filled with all kinds of fancy ingredients, chicken, pesto, artichokes, mozzarella.  It was really tasty, I have to say. Would giving pasties a face lift in England be a success or is it down to the novelty factor?  They also had English puddings on the menu, so I introduced a couple of Americans to the wonders of Sticky Toffee Pudding (mmm) , made with imported treacle. It seems strange not to have treacle as its just an unrefined version of syrup, but it obviously hasn't made it across the Atlantic yet.


I think that's enough snark filled analysis for this post. I'll be back soon, as my photos are telling me I've been to so many amazing places and I'm yet to talk about them.  Here's a sneak peak of things to come:

Devil's Bridge, Sedona, AZ

Greetings from cacti land!

Hey out there. I hope everyone is enjoying 2015! I know I am. I've left England behind and I've been in Tempe, Arizona for the past week. Time has zoomed by!

I've been excited and counting down to this trip for a long time and its taken some time to process that it's finally a reality. This trip isn't just about seeing a new bit if the world and having fun, although there will be plenty of that, but I'm also perusing an exciting new relationship. An extra burst of euphoria. Turning a chance meeting on a kibbutz into a, 6 month long, transatlantic in-depth discussion of life, dreams, emotions, and 2 hour long Skype sessions into actually being in the same room together once more, has been one hell of an adventure, in itself.

I'm very much still figuring out what to do next with my life but back in Garstang I felt a little trapped by everything. Location, lack of transport,  and a resulting lack in social circles. Time to try looking at things with fresh eyes. I can't work here, as I am on a tourist visa and US immigration assured me on entering that they would  to quote "hunt me down", if I seek employment. But I'm looking to do some more volunteering and enjoy being in the company of someone who's on the same wavelength as me. I know in the end what I do with my life is completely up to me but it's nice to feel like I don't have to face everything alone. And yes I know that's not true when I'm in England either, my friends and family are great but it's difficult to see that when your daily life seems to invoke such isolation.

Oops this wasn't meant to be such an emotionally fueled post just a round up of what I've been up to, but I guess my inner writer has other ideas.

I guess what I'd really like to say is that I'm following the things I believe in. Love, kindness, that there's more to a human being than what's written on their bank statements each month, in adventure, expanding your horizons and learning from people and the world around you. I might not quite have the balance right but I'm enjoying working on figuring that out!

Here's a few photos to capture this last week's adventures:

The cowboys are on their way!

Goat Kisses

Phoenix is massive!

street art, Tempe

Chinese feast