1560 Wilson is apparently my Hotel California (but in a good way)
December 1998: A trip back to the Cheshire Cat, the bookstore where I worked in high school, results in freshman-year holiday hours, money for family presents and the name of a woman in Washingtonpost.com's H.R. department. I soon write her my first real cover letter. "Dear Ms. Lauterbach: Online journalism. It is about the spreading of information. It is about style and form. It is about getting it done quickly — very quickly. But, most of all, it is about getting it done right. The Internet is obviously the latest, greatest trend in the world of journalism…."
The Medill placement staff rips this letter to shreds. God bless them.
The final cut avoids a two-word lede and any use of "latest, greatest." Likely due to these changes, I get to intern at Post.com that summer. I head to 1560 Wilson daily for the next two summers, walk up that stupid hill over and over again, miss every staff meeting held in some random room, and get a couple free lunches next door at Cafe Asia.
November 2008: In a job directly traceable to a boss that first summer, I get to help facilitate online media innovation training at 1560 Wilson, while eating free lunch from Cafe Asia, in the room that hosted all the staff meetings, thanks to friends Laura and Michael who run a great show but make me walk up that stupid hill over and over again.
Sincerely, Coop Dot Com / Pretty Pink.
