Los Alamos Daily Post Intern

Back when I was first started out in journalism in Tennessee, my mother would accompany me to cover different stories. Together we explored this rather fascinating state-whether it was interviewing a man who trained pigeons to summersault through the air or reporting on a Abraham Lincoln impersonator-we had some great times. I will never forget trying to convince a local winery owner to tell me her New Year's resolution. She had to check with her husband before giving an answer.

My mother has since retired from being my co-hort but it is no matter; I have a new one. My nephew, Connor.

Connor, who will begin his high school career in the fall,  approached me about doing a summer internship. A truly brilliant idea and one my boss was generous and kind enough to allow. Honestly, Carol made both our summers.

His first assignment, I decided, was to take "On The Job" photos. I grabbed my notepad, Connor swung my camera around his neck and we marched out on a hot Monday in June to snap photos.

Our first stop was Metzger's hardware store. We roamed the aisles, hunting for a willing employee to take their photo. We couldn't find any. Finally, we gave up and just settled for waiting at the back counter for someone to wander by. When someone finally did, Connor, jittery with nerves, stumbled on his request for a photo. We both got it sorted out but the man still politely refused.

So it was a cashier who welcomed smiling for the camera. Connor studiously made a chart on his notepad with all the information needed for an "On The Job" photo: name, title and how long they had been employed at said business. He carefully recorded the woman's information.

Now armed with this experience, Connor was a pro. He snapped photos of the shoe department manager and men's department manager at CB FOX, he photographed the bank manager at Del Norte Credit Union. Each time, he would proudly identify himself as the "Los Alamos Daily Post intern."

I swelled with pride. I beamed.

This week Connor has his first interview and will write on his first story. He can't wait; neither can I.

Connor's excitement for his new gig rubs off on me. Even dream jobs can sometimes get monotonous but Connor's summer internship has peeled back the day- to-day mundane to reveal just how exciting this occupation can be.

Plus, it feels really good to have a co-hort in journalism again.