Starbucks at Last and Goodbye Dr. K

Today I discovered the exquisite joy that comes with eventually tasting my usual drink of delicious choice at Starbucks after I surviving on other coffee that could not attempt to compare for four days in a new city. Frankly I am surprised I am alive, but having time before our appointment at Pew allotted us a trip to Starbucks and therefore my overdo caffeine fix. It was divine.

Steaming cups in hand, we were joined by Tom at Pew, who spoke freely with us about research and current media trends in journalism, focusing on Apple and the iPad as examples. He was immensely intelligent, having a background in print journalism at the “New York Times” and “Newsweek,” and was extremely up-to-date and knowledgeable about where he and others thought the industry was headed. He spoke about how in the near future we would have screens the size of our phones, iPads and then one computer-size screen on the wall that would serve our computer and TV needs. He mentioned how the Internet had changed advertising and often hurt it, saying one study found that 80 percent of people admitted to rarely or never clicking on an online ad. I wish I had asked him more about the research aspect of Pew to balance the discussion about what much of their research indicated. It was a visit that ran almost an hour over, so while we felt bad for taking up so much of his time, we were thrilled with the knowledge we walked away with.

Afterward we headed to an Italian restaurant for a quick bite before departing with our professor at the Metro. So while she trekked back to her hotel to prepare for her flight back to Texas, we traveled back to our apartment, which I have already begun to call home. I suppose I am already somewhat adjusted. It was a relaxing afternoon, full of laughs and stories, and I am eagerly anticipating our next outing, this time joined by the director of our school, to the set of “Face the Nation.”