Journalism

Listen up, kids:

Before there was such a thing as blogs and social media, there was something called newspapers. (OK, to be fair, after newspapers and before blogs there was a short-lived thing called zines, but no one remembers what those were.) And back then, newspapers were how we got most of our news. I worked as a writer for a daily newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas, and I wrote my first “blog” before we even knew what blogs were.

The assignment came from the managing editor. I’d only been a reporter for a couple of years, and the only thing I had ever written was news stories – third-person articles with quotes and facts. So, I was super uncomfortable writing a first-person column for the paper on a topic like this one. I think it was immediately obvious that I wasn’t the next Ann Landers because this was my first and last column they asked me to write.

But I never forgot the assignment. I even saved a copy after all of these years. On the 50^th birthday of the bikini, the assignment was to write what this style of swimsuit meant to me. WHAT??

Looking back on my job as a newspaper reporter and all of the news I covered in the six years I worked for daily newspapers, it was one of the greatest times in my career. I was totally green. Made a ton of mistakes. Was figuring it out as I went, and loving every minute of it. I missed the ambiance of the newsroom the minute I left – as crazy as it was. To this day, I value #localnews, believe in journalism and our #FreePress and love the beauty of news storytelling.

Take a read of the article below, and see for yourself if 25-year-old Megan’s writing style has changed over the years. (PS – 48-year-old Megan is looking for a new swimsuit this year. Anyone know where I can find a combination of a muumuu and a scuba suit?)

Lawrence Journal-World – Re-print from Thursday, July 11, 1996

Article headline: Fashion freedom isn’t cheap

I can still remember climbing into the tight flowered bikini that my teenage sisters picked out for my plump 4-year-old body.

And ever since, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the infamous bikini. Of course at 4 years old, the rolls of fat are adorable. But today, I’m a little less excited about revealing my cellulite. Still, I haven’t given it up.

Yea, I usually say I wear a bikini because I’m trying to get the almost all-over tan. But the truth is I’m a slave to fashion just the rest of us.

It’s always the most stylish women at the pool or beach who are parading around in chic bikinis. I’m just trying to follow suit. Besides, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a grandma-style one-piece swimsuit. But it hasn’t always been easy. Just ask any bikini wearer.

The saga usually begins at the stores. If you’re going to wear a bikini, you better set aside several days to find a suit that fits. Most men probably won’t believe this, but for some of us with unique body shapes, it could take years to discover the perfect style.

Nowadays, the modern bikinis are a bit more sophisticated. They offer underwire, padding, straps, slimming panels in every shape and color to assist in the quest for the precise fit. After you’ve found the right suit, the problems don’t end there. What about when you want to take a quick dive off the diving board? Forget it.

Now that you’re a bikini wearer, you have to be extremely cautious doing acrobatic water activities like skiing or tubing. The two pieces of small fabric covering the important parts of your body just weren’t built to withstand the forces of nature. Even the slightest movements can cause crunching, sliding, bunching or worse yet, untying!

The tried the gamut of styles during the years. I proudly wore a K-State purple velour style last year and before that I had the tank-style, some frills, bows, stripes, plaids and even a famous teeny weenie yellow polka-dot bikini.

And speaking of teeny weenie, that’s something else bikini wearers like me have had to put up with. Comments about the size of the garment. For years it was hard for my parents to comprehend how less than a yard of fabric could cost more than $50. “Is that a Barbie outfit?” my mom would say as I grabbed my towel and head for the beach.

“You can’t wear that outside in public, you’ll be arrested!” my dad would shout.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sometimes they were right. There have been several occasions at the pool when I just didn’t feel like “sucking it in” the entire day. During the years, I’ve been open to new trends in two-piece swimsuits. But there are two things that will turn me into a religious one-piece swimsuit wearer. The thong bikini and stretch marks.

Now that I’m a Jayhawk, I finally made it to a KU game. Thanks to my friend Kristin Venable for showing me around

Since starting grad school in 2018, I’ve learned a few things about myself. Especially myself as a college student.

I decided to go back to grad school last year to diversify, and hopefully discover the new challenge of teaching college classes someday.

What I didn’t think about was how much time had passed since I was in an actual college classroom. And how a lot has changed in two+ decades. Gone are the days of perms, big bangs, sorority life, studying until 2am and $1 beers in Aggieville.

My life is a little different this time around. Full time job. Husband. Two teenagers in high school. An elderly mom. Along with the many other responsibilities of family, social, charity, etc.

If you’re wondering what it’s like back on a college campus these days – don’t ask me because I’m only there one night a week, and I’m attending The University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park. But I can give you a few of my revelations. So far, I’m surviving ok, but there’s been a few little issues…

First, I consider myself pretty tech savvy. I would rather die than be the middle-aged, soccer mom who raises her hand with a dummy tech question. So, during my whole first 8-week class I completely missed every single online message that was shared with the class because I didn’t know I needed to check my KU email. Oops! I wondered what everyone was talking about during class!

Thank you classmates: Erin Carlson and Nicole Papageorgiou for helping out. I had to finally admit I needed help. I am receiving all of the online messages now and no longer left in the dark.

Speaking of online… the first time I took an online timed test and had to stare at the clock at the top of the page ticking down the seconds, I was sweating bullets the entire 40 minutes. I didn’t think I needed to study “too much” because it was open book plus we could look up the answers with our computers – duh! I was so wrong. It was SO HARD and THAT CLOCK! How could I get anything done with those seconds ticking right in my face?

I only made that mistake one time. See! This old dog can learn new tricks. Now if the professors would stop changing how they do the online tests each class.

Now, how do I study again? My brain, urg! I don’t know if my brain is tired, full or worn out, but I’m not sure I’m able to retain any more information. I’ve even had to go to my high school kids for tips on studying, and boy, was that a mistake. I tried to save money in my first class and just read the text book online. I found I wasn’t retaining any of the information. This old-school mama needs to have the actual paper in her hands and to use a highlighter to get the information to stick. Even then I’m not sure it’s actually sticking.

Study tips my high school kids shared: make flash cards and/or use an online app called Quizlet that quizzes you. No thank you! Taking handwritten notes works best for retention. Thank you Mr. France, senior year English Shawnee Mission Northwest! Still true almost 40 years later.

K-State Wildcat at heart. I probably won’t make the mistake of wearing my KSU purple to campus again. I did it one time without thinking and definitely got some teasing. I’m slowly coming around to being a Jayhawk.

At this point, I’m almost half way there. Graduation is set for 2020 – the same year and month my son, Zachary, graduates from high school! I even told him we could have co-grad parties. I know he’s thrilled.

#2020Rocks!

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