I understand that I've been lacking in my blog updates, but I hope my excuse is good enough to earn your good graces. I've been working for ESPN for several weekends, helping to cover Indy Racing League races around the country. Yes, ESPN: The hallowed four letters that I've been chasing since I was old enough to stay up to watch the 11 p.m. Sportscenter.

It was a whirlwind start, an e-mail that asked "can you be here tomorrow?" And of course, my answer was yes, yes and yes. I ran around my apartment, screaming and waving my scraggly, pale arms around my head. After two months of unreturned phone calls and e-mails, of feeling like a failure, a friend had given me the "hook up" with the company I've been striving to work for my entire pre-teen and young adult life.

The experience was everything I had hoped it would be. A whole compound on the track infield of people who love sports and who love making sports happen. Every person knew their role and everyone was qualified for their job (a rare double occurrence, if you've ever set foot in a workplace).

I made my mistakes (my nickname is Crash), but I guess I worked hard enough to be a runner for ESPN for five of the last seven races of the season. I'll be posting schedules, running water bottles, chauffeuring to and from the media center and making sure no vulgarities from the drivers make it onto the air.

In the process, I'll be learning production skills from some of the top people in the business. These are people who work on the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympics by request.

The only down side is the lack of guarantee. I'm working four days a week until the beginning of September, making about as much money as I'll be putting into my gas tank to make it to the gigs. Will my hard work turn into a full time job with the World Wide Leader? I don't know. No one knows. But it can't hurt to try to make the most of it. This is my chance to make my dreams happen.

Melinda Quasius may be reached at melinda.quasius@gmail.com