The West Coast Skinny

Maybe you've seen our names on this blog. Or maybe you've heard us (or, not heard us?) during brown bag lunch teleconferences. Or perhaps you've just seen us, bleary eyed at 6:30 a.m., video-conferencing with you for our weekly IE meetings on Fridays. Chances are, you are probably wondering: who are these crazy, California interns?

To help you get to know us better, we're going to post here at the end of each week, just to let you know what we've been up to and to convince you that, no, we don't spend all day lounging around on the beach! California, is like, so totally not like that.

On Ellie's desk this week, you'll find biographies, transcripts, and clips on just about everything! From the 2008 Olympic torch, to the poisoned Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, Angelina Jolie, and Colombian conflict authors, Ellie has covered a wide range of stories already. Ellie's here early, arriving at the office at 6 a.m. everyday to work on Morning Edition (more like, Pre-Dawn Edition) After work, she heads straight to the docks to race sailboats. After the races, she has just enough time to shower and get in bed before her early start the next day..

How busy is Kenya? Just ask Farai Chideya. Or better yet, listen to this podcast! Kenya was interviewed ON AIR by Farai for the program's Staff Song Pick of the Week. And Farai is right--Kenya is one of the hardest worked and hardest working people here! Whether she's up until the wee hours of the morning contacting politicians in DC or acting as a liaison between NPR West interns and the IE staff on the East Coast, Kenya is determined and passionate to make connections between the coasts work.

Meanwhile, Bernie spends his days making important connections between members of Day to Day, the show that both he and I work on. While I sit here in my cubicle, Bernie is running--literally--around the place. He runs scripts (i.e. hand delivers freshly printed scripts to both hosts and producer), puts everything up on DACS, pitches stories, and, in his spare time, helps in the production of podcast promos. If you listen to Day to Day, you'll hear the promos that Bernie has written! (You'll have to listen to the whole podcast to hear them, but from my perspective--as a fellow intern for Day to Day--that's not such a bad thing).

According to the approximately 5,000 post-it notes I have attached to the edges of my computer monitor, it's been a busy week for me too. This week I've researched everything from how to plan your very own green wedding to how anime guru Miyazaki incorporates environmental themes into his films. I've also spoken to education policy experts about Supreme Court cases on desegregation, to the CEO of a green technology company that works on hybrid cars, and to representatives from the Panama Canal Authority about the canal's expansion.

Definitely the highlight of my week was helping Alex Cohen on a story about the California frozen dessert giant Pinkberry. After reading heated blog entries and watching a horror movie about yogurt that turns humans into zombies, I watched as Alex collected, assembled, and edited the pieces of her story, which you can listen to here.

Phew! As you can tell, life on the West Coast is busy. However, most of our days do end with sunshine and can (if we're willing to put up with a long haul through traffic) end with a long walk on the beach. We all hope you're enjoying life in DC--we're jealous of your birthday bashes and kayak trips, but nonetheless wish you the best.

From all of us at NPR West, have a great weekend!!

-Haley & Ellie &Kenya & Bernie