Are you a zipper and a zapper?
“Zipping” and “zapping” are terms that describe most people’s television viewing habits. Or, rather, they did before the streaming services took over. Back when we used to watch cable television, we would zip and zap through the channels especially when a commercial came on the screen.
I am mainly a zipper and a zapper when it comes to radio stations. Whenever a commercial comes on the radio or when a song I don’t like plays, I zip and zap my way through my 18 presets on my car radio.
After Mass at Sacred Heart on Monday, I stumbled across a song by Shinedown. It was the band’s new song “Three Six Five,” and a line in there goes “A lot can happen in a year.”
As I was listening to the song, I thought to myself a lot can happen in eight years.
I mention all this because today is eight years since I became a full-time employee of the Ville Platte Gazette. Before that, I spent 13 years at the Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Office.
My last day at the clerk’s office was Friday, May 5, 2017. I worked a half day because I went cover the state outdoor track meet at LSU that afternoon.
I felt inspired that day and posted on social media, “When I left the place where stately oaks and broad magnolias shade inspiring halls, I had little idea where this journey called life would lead me. It led me back home to Ville Platte with a full time/temporary job at the clerk’s office. Thirteen years then went by. Along the way I grew as a person and became who I am now. My time there; however, came to an end at noon today as I will start a new endeavor Monday. To everybody I’m leaving behind at the courthouse, thanks for everything. As Captain Kirk said of Spock, ‘He’s not really (gone) as long we remember him.’”
Later, I posted, “As I’m here at Bernie Moore taking pictures of the state track meet, I’ve been thinking how far I’ve come since I’ve first started writing for the Gazette. That was on an early September night in 2014 sitting in the press box at Mamou as the Demons hosted Pickering. The Tony Marks Press Tour began. Along the way, through hard work and some Divine mercy, I happened to become sports editor for The Oakdale Journal. Now I’m sitting next to Eddie Bonine, the executive director of LHSAA, as I’m about to start my new endeavor of associate editor of the Gazette on Monday.”
A lot has certainly happened over those eight years. For one thing, I became editor of the Gazette in 2019. If you told me eight years ago that all this would have happened, I would have said you were crazy.
Just last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Louisiana Press Association Awards Banquet. The Gazette received 14 awards last Thursday night. Among them was the Gary Hebert Award for 1st Place for Best Layout and Design. I want to congratulate my co-captain of this ship Heather Bogard for winning that honor.
When I got in the office Monday morning, I added the new certificates to the stack of the ones we had won at the Gazette since 2017. Not to brag, or anything, but I almost need to start a new envelope.
Anyway, thanks for supporting me for all these years. It has been a journey for sure with many great memories to look back on. Also, I look forward to see what the road has in store from here.
Circling back to last week’s awards, the Gazette earned second place in general excellence. That means a lot to me because we generally try to be excellent all of the time.
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