Advice from a first year for a first year

By Scott Billeck

Let’s be real for a moment, shall we?

There were a couple of assignments we did this year that you could say were geared toward expressing to incoming first year students what life is like in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

While these assignments had to be professional, the reality of it is this: CreComm is going to kick your ass.

It’s been one helluva ride since September. I was lucky coming into the program. I had a lot of insight from second years that told me what to expect (that’s part of the reason why I am writing this, it was so beneficial and put my mind at ease, for the most part).

Not everyone is going to have that chance. But hopefully this can provide some help to even one person entering the program.

– Check your ego at the door. I spent a semester being an idiot when it came to that. I thought I was better than I was. You can’t grow when you think you’re better than you are. Keep your head down. Be a sponge. Soak everything up.

– Don’t work as much as I did. Your marks will suffer, as mine did in the first semester. It’s true when they say it’s tough to work in this program. My set of circumstances forces me to work, I got bills to pay for, but I probably could have said ‘no’ to a couple of things along the road. Keep that in mind – there will be times where you got to say no.

– Get to know people. Don’t be a dick. Be helpful. Sure, you’re competing with your classmates for jobs, but your work will be your friend in that department. You need to have relationships with people in your class. It’s a must. You see them for nearly 40 hours each week, sometimes more.

– You’re in for a shock in the first semester. This isn’t university (I have four years under my belt at the University of Manitoba). Skipping class isn’t an option, or being late for that matter. You’re going to be scared to miss a class. You’re going to be in class when you feel like hell. Enjoy it as much as you can. Think process.

– Try your hand at everything. I missed the mark at this in a couple regards. Write for the student newspaper if you have nothing in your portfolio and want to be a journalism major. Do some radio work. Take pictures. Invest in the program you’re investing thousands of dollars in.

– That shiny $3,000 laptop and $750 camera might seem expensive now, but they are priceless. Trust me.

– Don’t miss deadlines on awards – $2,000 mistake.

– The hotdogs (meat missiles) from the little shop on campus are nasty. But you still must have one at least once.

– The Big Kahuna burger at the King’s Head is your friend. Buy it many times.

In all seriousness, have fun with the course. You’re going to be stressed. Anxiety is going to be a constant reminder that, yes, you’re still breathing. You’ll want to break down and cry. You’ll hate life some days.

It’s a beautiful thing, really. Enjoy it. Enjoy the process.

Jets hope growing pains will pay off

Sometimes you have to lose before you can win.

Blake Wheeler agreed, as did Andrew Ladd, albeit reluctantly.

“It’s probably the best way of learning a lesson, to go through it and feel what we feel right now,” Ladd said. “It’s an empty feeling, you don’t know what to do. But you learn from it. You wish it wasn’t a part of the process, and wish it was a little easier, but not one said winning the Stanley Cup was an easy thing to do. I think we put our best foot forward.”

The team’s lack of experience peeked through the cracks during the late stages of each game. The Jets allowed nine third-period goals over the four-game sweep, including blowing three leads after 40 minutes in Games 1, 2 and 3.

“We don’t have a lot of experience in these types of situations and maybe that was a factor in some of those games we couldn’t close out,” Wheeler said. “But at the end of the day, as a group, the strides we took this year, in a few weeks we are going to look back and be pretty happy with where we are at.”

The mood in the room was a mix of disappointment and optimism. There’s a true sense from this group of players that the team is headed in a direction.

“We’re disappointed, don’t get me wrong, there is no feelings of being gratified right now,” Wheeler said. “But I think the way this organization looks right now compared to where it looked in September and October … we are going in the right direction.

“You got to be proud of the way a lot of guys played,” Ladd added. “Two young centremen (Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry) who played big minutes for us and have bright futures in this game. Guys like that, they’ll learn from this and we will all be better next year.”

Meanwhile, Paul Maurice said the series wasn’t without its casualties. Maurice said that about eight of his players had significant injuries, with four of them suffered in the series, including broken bones.

“You never quit on a brother, you will do whatever you have to do for family,” Maurice said. “It’s a good learning experience for your room, because it sets a level of willingness.”

Maurice singled out his captain, saying that he could have elected for a procedure that would have rendered him out for two months.

“You need that from your captain, you need that guy in the room doing whatever he can to stay in. And he did,” Maurice said. “I’m never ever — and I’ve had some good ones, guys in the Hall of Fame — I’ll never, ever question his willingness, his grit and determination. He could have very easily come out of that lineup two-and-a-half months ago and nobody would have said a word to him.”

Record Store Day – A Photo Essay

By Scott Billeck

Into the Music celebrated the 9th annual Record Store Day on Apr. 18. I went do to see what all the excitement was about.

Scott Billeck-Essay 1-Portrait

Into the Music celebrated the 9th annual Record Store Day on Saturday, Apr. 18, 2015, offering customers 15 per cent off used vinyl. /Scott Billeck

Scott Billeck-Essay 2-Action

David Kattenburg flips through record after record in search of his favourite jazz tunes at Into the Music’s Record Store Day on Saturday, Apr. 18, 2015. /Scott Billeck

Scott Billeck-Essay 3-Action

Micha Pustogorpdski listens to a record of one of his favourite bands, The Salsoul Orchestra, at Into the Music’s Record Store Day on Apr. 18, 2015. /Scott Billeck

Scott Billeck-Essay 4-Action

Into the Music owner Garry Watson and customer Bill Imperial share a laugh and a memory about an album artwork at Record Store Day on Apr. 18, 2015. /Scott Billeck

Scott Billeck-Essay 5-Action

DJ Kinetik spins cosmic space rock on Record Store Day at Into the Music in downtown Winnipeg on Saturday, Apr. 18, 2015 /Scott Billeck

Scott Billeck-Essay 6-Portrait

Into the Music is home to thousands of records, both new and used. Used vinyl was 15 per cent of in celebration of Record Store Day. /Scott Billeck

Scott Billeck-Essay 7-Portrait

When you’re done finding the music you want, Into the Music has a selection of turntables for sale to play them back. This Audio-Technica example will set you back $649.99. /Scott Billeck