To Sir, With Funyuns

Spent a mind-blowing weekend in Columbia, S.C., with the hot-shot students of the Southern Interscholastic Press Association. Honestly, I was a total waste-case as a high-schooler, a real bonehead. But these kids today, good lord -- they're smart, good-looking, pop-culture savvy and a helluva lot of fun. I judged a review-writing contest and couldn't believe the stuff they were spinning out. (Plus they indulged my love of alliteration. Take that, j-school profs.) I'm supposed to get the winners' work sent back to me. When I do, I'll post the goods here, including brilliant stuff from my new pals Katie Dickson (the cutting social critic) and Megan Lamb (the withering smartass).

Anyway, I taught four classes and gave a keynote address. (Sorry about the anatomical Guns N' Roses story. The kids made me do it.) And although I'm absolutely wiped out today, it never once felt like work. So thanks to the folks at SIPA for having me.

Oh, and I'll never forget the wildest, most potentially litigious compliment I've ever heard. After my speech, a young woman pointed at me and, pretending to rock an infant in her arms, mouthed the words, "I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES." Remember that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Professor Jones' student writes "Love You" on her eyelids? Yeah, like that.

Comments

[Marissa]

I so totally predicted one of the co-eds would make some sort of motion ala Indy Jones to you. HA! I knew it. I mean, who wouldn't? You're hot, Daly!

[Marissa]

Oh, great photo, too. You look so coy; yet devilish.

[Jeff in Cuba]

SD,

What's with all the hot-rockets in that photo? I didn't know the Pussycat Dolls had endowed a seat in Journalism at USC.

Where are all the retainer-sporting, comic-book-reading, Clearasil-soaked j-school dudes I knew in college?

[Marissa]

Jeff, they were probably hanging with the female speakers. I believe these kids knew what their guest lecturers looked like ahead of time. I know which classes I would have picked.

[Sean Daly]

Wow, I'm blushing. It's good to be back...

[Kristen]

"jeff in cuba" is wacked! i was there, and i can assure you that was definately not what the people looked like!

and sean daly, your amazing!

[jane]

Nice to know I wasn't alone in getting my typewriter-ribbon-ink-stained hand slapped for alliteration by j-school profs. My reporting lab TA nailed my tuchus on that more times than I can remember -- killjoy.

Sounds like you got as much out of the weekend as your audience, Mr. Daly.

By the way, the best dressed people in the j-school, in my experience = always the PR majors. ;-)

[Bassnote]

Good to have you back Sean.

[Marissa]

Sean, I just couldn't resist. This is one of my favorite tunes and movies of the 60s, by the way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wNNLePF9e4

[Sean Daly]

Thanks, Kristen. You guys were pretty amazing, too.

[Little School Girl]

Mr. Daly:
Wishful thinking on your part.
You misread my pantomime.
I was really mouthing, "I want to eat some hoagies" while rocking what I meant to be a foot-long with double meat.
Sorry for the confusion, but acting is obviously not my strength.
Boy was I hungry.

[Mrs. Sean Daly (wish I could be)]

Actually, I was asking if you were pregnant.

Or, is that just the damage wrought by 30+ years of abusing Funyuns?

[Guy]

"My next wife isn't even born yet" -
Anonymous

After attending this event, would you second that remark?

[Jeff in Cuba]

I'll admit that I wasn't there, and I'll even sign on to the fact that I am "wacked", but I lived with the copy editor of the Colorado State school paper for two years, and the crowd Sean was hanging with doesn't look anything like our old j-school friends.

I wasn't trying to be pejorative (for once), I was merely noting the change.

I'm also second-guessing my decision to turn down that Journalism scholarship!

[sparky]

Jeff, Are you saying that the J-school crowd would kind of remind me of Civil Engineering classes at PSU?

[Jeff in Cuba]

Sparky,

Six of one; half-dozen of the other.

There was a reason my CE buddies and I were hanging with my roommate and his j-school crowd.

And it wasn't to pose for group photos with hot co-eds.

[Jordan (girl w/ the UM hat)]

I really enjoyed what you had to say this weekend. I had expected all the speakers to be old haggard j-school professors spewing out all the same crap. So it was very refreshing to have someone upbeat talking about subjucts us teens actually care about and are interested in. So with that being said, thank you for coming and speaking with us. See you around the area.
Jordan

[Sean Daly]

Hey Jordan, good to hear from you. You guys bailed me out a ton. Without your questions, my classes would have pulled in at the 15-minute mark. So thanks for that. See you around the 'hood.

[Laura]

Hey! Just wanted to say thanks for coming to SIPA. You were a pretty awesome and so were your stories. All of you guys there made it really feel like you can be successful doing what you love which definitely made an impact. So Thanks :]

[Sean Daly]

Thanks, Laura. I totally advise you to be selfish and do what you love. Of course, I had to eat $1.50 frozen dinners for most of my 20s. ("Salisbury fakes" we called them.) And I still drive a crappy car. But I don't regret a thing. There's great value in not hating your job. Trust me.

[Francie]

hell yeah katie!

can i get a SEAN DALY?- (best SIPA ever)

[jessicahell]

I just wanted to say hey to Marissa!
--you received your 15 minutes of fame this weekend when Sean told us all about your loyalty to his blog.
haha
thanks for all the laughs Sean!

[Kristen]

in response to francie- SEAN DALY!

definately best SIPA ever. thanks SD!

[Ariana]

Sean Daly, I want to thank you for taking that picture with us. You look cherub-esque (in the best possible way).

[Marissa]

Well, who'dathunk it! Thanks for the shout out, Jessica. At least I think a thanks is in order.
I do get a charge from Sean's writing. That's what keeps me coming back.

[Lydia]

thanks for a a great 1st trip to SIPA Sean!!

[Marissa]

Oh wow! Crazy thought here, and I'm going to share. I just had this vision of all your adoring NEW fans standing on their seats as the boys in "Dead Poet's Society" did for Robin Williams.

Yeah, I'll leave you alone with that thought for a while.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Riss,

I was going to go another direction and point out how this post is starting to feel a lot like last month's Jonas Brothers post.

So Sean, what is your favorite flavor of glucose tab?

[Marissa]

Ha! Jeff, priceless.
Frescos of Sean's likeness will be cropping up in dorm rooms. His hand reaching outward ... into a bag of Funyuns.

And here all I have is a glossy 8x10.

[MeganL]

Sean Daly, you are awesome! I'm really glad I decided to come to SIPA this year. Thanks for the laughs & encouragement!