I made a conscious effort to photograph more of my life this summer in St. Petersburg. I also mapped where I went for fun and to report. It’s nice now to have a record of what I did.

As a new intern in a new city in a state I’ve never lived in, I’m finding it’s not always easy to find story ideas to pitch. And finding a story idea still means making sure no one else in the newsroom is working on anything similar and checking the archives to make sure it’s not a repeat of something we’ve already done. It takes some time and looking in unusual places to find something that will work.

That said, I was thrilled to find this video with 20 tips for finding story ideas from the Times’ Lane DeGregory, who won a Pulitzer for her story “The girl in the window.” The video is more than an hour long, but I listened to the entire talk twice. Some of her tips: talk to strangers, write about losers, give everyone your phone number, work holidays and play dumb.

One of her tips (No. 10: hang out at bars) inspired me to check out a bikini bar for a story I was working on. I didn’t need to go out to the bar, and the thought of visiting one was definitely was outside of my comfort zone, but I was immeasurably glad I did in the end. Not only did I gain a new perspective on the bars, but I met really interesting people who had interesting stories that were different from what I already knew. And while I didn’t take them up on it, but I also was offered a chance to learn how to pole dance. Not your usual day in the office.

I got to cover when Al Roker stopped in Little Rock today as part of his five-city, five-charity “Lend a Hand” tour. He presented $600,000 worth of donations to the Arkansas Rice Depot, a statewide charity that helps feed children, adults and the elderly. They serve 300,000 people annually.

More photos on Flickr.

After getting there at 5:30 a.m. in anticipation of their 6 a.m. airtime and waiting in between live shots in the steamy Arkansas weather, I can’t say I’m jumping to get into the TV industry.

But Roker talked with me for awhile for my story, and we talked about Twitter - I heard the staff travelling with him talk about how he is constantly tweeting and posting photos. He talked about the video chats he does with his kids when he’s out of town and how they keep in touch.

We also talked about Charlotte, where he’s headed next on the tour. Andrew Dunn’s covering him there for The Charlotte Observer.

I’m five weeks into my internship, and I haven’t toured hardly any of the Little Rock spots I hoped to visit during my summer here. Today I did the most sightseeing yet, stopping by Little Rock Central High School and the Governor’s Mansion.

For the last half of my internship, here’s where else I want to go:

• Clinton Presidential Library
• Arkansas Old State House and the State Capitol Building
• Heifer Village
• Little Rock Zoo
• La Petite Roche - the rock that Little Rock gets its name from
• Hot Springs, Arkansas

I’ve almost finished up my first week at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and I’m finally settling down a bit in Little Rock.

I’m here for roughly 10 weeks doing general assignment work. So far I’ve covered a town meeting in Wrightsville (an unsuccessful attempt to replace the mayor who resigned a few weeks back), the ubiquitous Memorial Day travel story, a North Little Rock housing employee charged with rape while on parole for a 1980’s murder conviction), and various police briefs. (I’d link, it’s subscriber-only.)

I’ve had a great time in the newsroom so far. This is my first time working in a metro newsoom - my past two internships were at community papers - and the dynamics are definitely different. The DemGaz hasn’t been spared from budget woe and layoffs (they’ve had two rounds this year, the second this month), but the atmosphere here is much more positive than in other newsrooms I’ve visited. There is apprehension, but not yet depression, when the future of journalism is discussed.

The Washington Post ran a piece yesterday about the DemGaz’s online strategy. I think the point at the end, that each newspaper must find what works for them, is a useful one to learn, and what we’re emphasizing at the DTH.

And one thing that’s unmistakable is the quality of reporting and writing at the DemGaz. That’s something that’s important no matter the medium.

I’m excited for the rest of the summer.