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He did it again. Nathan Curby not only solved the easier riddle this morning, he also solved the harder puzzle this afternoon, giving him two points for the day and vaulting him past “Dakotan Decipherer” Kristen Daum and into first place in the Intern Blog Riddle Contest! His three points also means he’s earned a free lunch at the restaurant of his choice! Not to worry though, this prize will still be available to the next person who reaches three points as well.

Let’s recap the (super)riddle, which I was confident no one would solve:

The 19 letters in the words CRABBY REALISM RANTER can be rearranged to spell three synonyms. What are they?

The answer: Smart, Brainy, Cerebral

Unbefrieakinglievable. Well done indeed, Mr. Curby. It  looks like from here on out, I will have to design especially hard puzzles just for you, and give an easier set of riddles to everyone else in the office.

I’d also like to give a congratulations to Nathan’s mother, Mrs. Curby, who home-schooled Nathan and taught him so well. She deserves some praise, too.

Check back in for tomorrow’s riddle at 10 a.m. Until then, go watch WALL-E!

Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern

In short: Last week was awesome. 

My workload was football camp heavy, as I covered Adrian Peterson’s camp in Norman and Wes Welker’s camp at Heritage Hall. Both were great experiences. Thursday, at Peterson’s camp, The Oklahoman was the only media outlet there (that I know of…), and so access was completely unique. I literally got to follow “A.D.” around all day. For a big NFL fan, it was pretty special.

On another front, the coaching sessions here at The Oklahoman are proving to be beneficial. Stan Ketterer, an associate professor at Oklahoma State, has been focusing on color writing with me. I’m beginning to really understand the difference between ‘telling’ the reader and ’showing’ the reader. The lessons in color should really come in handy this week, when I’m working on a story about a 90-something-year-old woman who is a huge mixed martial arts fan (cage fighting to be blunt.) Should be exciting!

I honestly can’t believe this internship is already half over. Four weeks have blown by, but I’m looking foward to improving my scope as a writer and reporter in the next few weeks instead of being so worried about “fitting in” to a very established newsroom.

Until next time,

 Mike Jeffries, Sports Intern

We have a winner! Nathan “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Curby solved the easier of today’s two riddles, which turned out  to be a not-so-easy riddle after all. He now has 1.5 points, and is in sole possession of second place in the Intern Blog Riddle Contest! To recap today’s first riddle:

The eight letters in the phrase CAGY HURL can be rearranged to spell two opposites. What are they?

The Answer: Laugh, cry.

Congratulations to Nathan! Remember, there’s still 1.5 points to be won today, but given how much difficulty unscrambling two words proved to be, I’m highly suspect someone can unscramble three words. But we’ll see! The remaining (super)riddle:

The 19 letters in the words CRABBY REALISM RANTER can be rearranged to spell three synonyms. What are they?

Good luck, and please e-mail me your answers! I may give a clue later this afternoon if no one has solved it yet. Otherwise, the next riddle will be posted at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern

P.S. I’d like to give a commendation to Chase Estes, the longest-tenured intern, who actaully solved the first riddle also, but just 14 minutes too late after Nathan. Congrats Chase, now you have to solve the tougher one though to show Nathan who’s boss!

is too tell multiple people you are bored. Suddenly I get to multitask again (which I love) and I have to keep ridiculously organized so I don’t lose anything.

–Sarah D. -Features

Despite some unforeseen delays, Week 2 of the Intern Blog Riddle Contest has arrived! In Week 1, Kristen Daum, a.k.a. the Dakotan Decipherer, was the only intern to solve two riddles, moving her within one answer of a free lunch at the restaurant of her choice! But fellow interns Nathan Curby, Adrielle Harvey and Monica Albert are right on her heels with one point apiece, and Sarah Wire personally guaranteed me she’d secure at least one point this week.

Today, we’re going to do something a little different today. I designed two puzzles yesterday at lunch — one too easy, one too hard — so I’m going to post both. The easy puzzle will be worth .5 points; the hard puzzle with be worth 1.5 points. This means there are two full points available today. In subsequent days, I may do something similar, so two .5-point answers can become a full point. I doubt anyone will solve the hard puzzle, but I hope someone proves me wrong. Without further ado, here’s the easier puzzle:

The eight letters in the phrase CAGY HURL can be rearranged to spell two opposites. What are they?

And now the harder puzzle:

The 19 letters in the words CRABBY REALISM RANTER can be rearranged to spell three synonyms. What are they?

Good luck, and please e-mail me your answers!

Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern

Happy Monday!

I am working from the Norman office this week, which is already proving to be a fun, interesting experience. It’s like a very miniature Oklahoman office, except my phone rings alot less. I can’t say I miss it too much. A break from the drive was nice, too. I caught up on some z’s.

I am getting ready to do a story over a kids’ camp that is incorporating fitness into its everyday activities. I think this is so interesting with all of the new (and relevant) child obesity information out now. It seems many schools and camps are taking responsibility for children’s health, even when parents won’t or don’t. America seems to be a country that has one of the very worst problems with this. I’m interested to see how the kids react though, and I honestly expect them to think it’s fun.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week. I wish I could have made the get together, but to make up for it, I would LOVE to host a barbeque. The downside? You will have to drive to Norman. But I will make it worth the while, I promise. I am going to Las Vegas this weekend, and I’m sure everyone has 4th of July plans, but we will figure something else out. Kimball, I’m talking to you,too. Just because you won’t blog doesn’t mean you can’t socialize… 

Monica Albert, Metro Desk intern

Riddle Wizard Jason Singer begins his internship on the Metro desk today - and his first assignment this morning has him writing on deadline.

So he’s asked the Dakota Decipherer to let y’all know that today’s riddle will be posted around 12:30 today, instead of the usual 10 a.m.

Check back then,

~ Kristen M. Daum, City Desk intern at The Oklahoman.

Last night, five of us Oklahoman interns embarked on a night of bonding and camaraderie to celebrate the halfway point of our internships!!

The invitation was open to all interns, but several couldn’t make it because of other commitments - so it ended up being just five of us, and ironically, all out-of-state’ers: Amy Rymer (Photo), Jen Adams (Graphics), Sarah D. Wire (Features), Jason Singer (Sports/Metro) and myself.

We kicked off the night with all-American food and fun at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar (& Grill) restaurant in downtown Oklahoma City’s Bricktown neighborhood. All of us girls stuck with a cheeseburger, but Jason just had to be different and get those BBQ ribs!

It was good conversation and a nice way to reflect on each other’s experiences so far at The Oklahoman.

After a relaxing meal, we took a stroll along Bricktown’s canal as the sky turned from dusk to dark. It was fun to hang out down there with all the other Oklahomans enjoying a steamy summer evening. Plus we got some ideas for future “intern bonding” activities before our summer’s over!

Then Sarah, Jason and I were feeling youthfully spontaneous and went to go see Disney and Pixar’s latest creation, “Wall-e.”

(Jen and Amy had already seen it earlier in the day, so we parted ways for the evening at the Bricktown movie theaters.)

Our “official” Oklahoman intern review of “Wall-e” was unanimous: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

It was fun, hilarious and cute - yet it tackled some of the most prevalent issues of today: mass human consumption, the environment and obesity.

So while you’re observing the heart-warming and endearing antics of Wall-e and E.V.E., you also get an eye-opening lesson on how today’s problems might end up 700 years from now.

Plus, we’d also highly recommend getting to the theatre in time to see the short-cartoon just before the film. As Jason said, it’s worth $8 alone of the $9 ticket.

Ah, great times with great friends = fun memories!!

~ Kristen M. Daum, City Desk intern at The Oklahoman.

Being a graphic designer can definitely  have rewarding days! These are the reasons why I love being a graphic designer. Not just for the work but for the outcome of the work. Today is one of those. Check out the cover of Weekend Look today! That is mine! It’s also posted below. So for the past few days I have been working on this gas getaway project, which I found out is the page one center piece for July 2nd, so check it out! Today has been a pretty good day. I dove a little further into my flash knowledge today which is awesome! I was taught a little more advance action scripting.     (more…)

Kristen “Puzzle Master” Daum, a.k.a the Dakota Decipherer, has earned today’s point in the Intern Blog Riddle Contest, moving her into sole possession of first place and within one point of a free lunch at the restuarant of her choice! However, her victory wasn’t without drama…Today’s initital puzzle, Riddle No. 5,  stumped everyone. The riddle:

What six-letter word could be a crossword clue for either STAR or STARE?

The answer: “Glower.” It’s a word meaning “an icy stare” or “something that glows” and could be used as a crossword clue for both STAR and STARE. (Below, a young man “glowering” next to a star, or “glower”).

But in an attempt to still give away a point today, I sent out Riddle No. 5b, hoping it would be a little easier. And easier it was. Three people solved it in the first two minutes. But Kristen, quick-witted Kristen, solved it in six seconds, giving her sole possession of first place. The riddle:

What popular automobile maker becomes a regular, uncapitalized word when you add the letter “J” somewhere to it? What word does it become?

The answer: Fjord (Ford + J).

Congratulations again to Kristen, and to Monica Albert and Nathan Curby, who I believe have each solved three riddles apiece now, and if there were no time constraints, would have already won this contest.

The next riddle will be posted at 10 a.m. on Monday. Have a great weekend, and go watch WALL-E, the best-reviewed film of the year!

Jason Singer, Sports Intern