My Sun Sets To Rise Again

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

Over three years ago, I contacted Jack via private message on Facebook with a question:

Would my skills as a fashion blogger be of any interest to TTAC?

A few months had passed since I was let go (with everyone else) from my previous – and only – full-time job, and I wanted to take my writing to the next level by breaking into journalism, one way or another. Jack brought me aboard, and my journey began in April of 2012.

Nearly two years ago – just after Jack and Derek took over TTAC from ousted editor-in-chief Bertel Schmitt – Jack asked if I was in a place in life where I could start writing again; I disappeared during the summer of 2012, though I did keep busy in the interim. He also informed me I would be paid to write for the blog if I came back. Thus, with “Posse On Broadway” booming from the trunk, I returned in October of 2013.

Alas, all good things must come to an end.

The long version of the story?

* * * * * * * * *

As of July 1, you will have a new news editor joining this blog, whose duties will include what has been – until now – my duty in presenting daily news summaries from around the industry.

I don’t know who my replacement is or what they’ve done in the past – I didn’t ask – but I do know they have something I don’t: a driver’s license.

Seeking the most bang for their buck, VerticalScope decided they needed someone who could drive as well as handle the news, something I could not give my client when they were interviewing for the news editor position earlier this month.

This is what happens when I don’t finish what I start, circumstances be damned.

So, where will you find me now? My portfolio is a good place to start, especially if I can be of service to you and/or your organization. I will be writing for other publications, as well, particularly those where the only skills I need to bring to the table are clean copy, accuracy, and quick delivery.

And of course, I will finish what I started here regarding my license. After all, how else would I contribute more original writing to TTAC down the road if I’m still unable to drive?

* * * * * * * * *

Some of you will no doubt protest, perhaps to the point of firing off angry emails, Facebook posts, and tweets to my editor and/or the powers that be. While I appreciate the sentiment, you needn’t bother. Trust me on this.

I won’t miss waking up early/staying up late to scour the Internet for — and pitch to my editors — five articles per day, five times a week, wondering how well or poorly I reinterpreted what I read, or if the source in question was legit or meant to deceive. Nor will I miss the concept of citing someone else’s work in reporting the news; I would much prefer such content to come directly to TTAC, one way or another.

But I will miss you. I will miss you, dearest B&B, whether you gave me grief over how I wrote a given piece and/or headline, were pleased to see an original piece from me instead of the robotic/PR-ish/copypasta retellings, or gotten to know me through the comments while at your worst, and at your best.

And I will miss you, dearest TTAC Zaibatsu. You took a chance on a fashion blogger with a love of cars over three years ago, and for that alone, I thank you. And though I only met one of you in person the entire time I was here, I’ve enjoyed getting to know as many of you as possible, and watched you go places I can only hope to visit someday.

It has been an honor to serve you all. I will never forget you.

My sun sets to rise again.

(Photo credit: Giorgio Galeotti/ Flickr/ CC BY-SA 2.0)

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • VolandoBajo VolandoBajo on Jul 07, 2015

    Didn't comment much, but lurked, taking in much of your work, and enjoyed it all. You seemed like an interesting and complex person just from the voluminous output. But having read JB's story of his interactions with you, it is clear to me now that the story is even deeper than what has been seen on the surface. Clearly you are a marvelously talented individual, and one who has accomplished numerous things in a relatively short (so far) life. All the best to you in your new endeavors. I'll be watching for more of your work here, as well. But beyond having a brilliant future as a writer, I also wish you a long and happy life. Not a huge fan of anime, but your choice of anime for your farewell was quite touching. You clearly never give up. Maintain your excellent track record. And let us see you conquer the inner workings of the driver test, too, please. All the best...

    • Cameron Aubernon Cameron Aubernon on Jul 08, 2015

      Thank you. You'll see me again soon enough, once all the pieces are in place. :)

  • VolandoBajo VolandoBajo on Jul 15, 2015

    Cameron, my 21 year old son just took his written test for the first time. This is both to tip you off to a couple of "quirky" things about the written test, which I believe "fake out" most first time written test takers, and is also to suggest that such aspects of written driver's tests make an easy target for a day on which you do not feel like suffering fools. Examples all center around the fact that many of the questions have much to do with the administrative process by which licenses are administered, and little or nothing about the process of driving itself. As my son pointed out, why would he have thought that he would need to memorize the amount of the fine for a particular type of traffic infraction? That it is against the law, yes. Perhaps some knowledge of the severity, such as passing a schoolbus vs. crossing a yellow line when the lane is blocked. But the AMOUNT of the fine? How does that make anyone a better driver, or serve to weed out the good and well-prepared new driver from the clueless one? Another odd one. What is the order in which the lights appear on a stoplight? Well, yes, both red, green, yellow and green, yellow, red are correct, whereas, for example yellow, green, red or red, yellow, green are not, but such word-based presentations can be confusing to a test-taker, while a direct question would test the knowledge just as well if not better. "A green light is followed by a red light and then a yellow light -- True or False", for example. And our son had no big desire to have to work to pay most of his money for his car insurance before he turned 21, so he chose to wait, meanwhile studying traffic patterns and driving decisions by serving as my navigator, while we discussed driving decisions at least twenty per cent of the time when we were in my car alone. (We didn't bore my wife with the lessons, usually, when she was with us.) So he is well-prepared about such things as how to look out for black ice, a/k/a glare ice, how to watch for children playing in yards behind car fenders when driving in a residential neighborhood, how to spot an incipient bonehead move by another driver etc. But why would he need to study and know the licensing procedures and driving restrictions that only apply to new drivers under the age of 21? And worse yet, one of my favorites "The special sticker to indicate that a learner driver under the age of 21 may be one of the drivers of a vehicle is colored (red, pink, yellow, orange)?", followed by a second one "Such an indicator must be affixed to (rear license plate, front license plate, the back of the rearview mirror, the rear window, the windshield on the driver's side)?" Those questions alone are enough to cause enough wrong answers to use up a half of all the wrong answers you are allowed. And there are more that do not in any way make a person a better driver...they just test knowledge of DMV administrative procedures, such as how soon can you take a retest if you fail the written test, or the fine structure for certain offenses. Boy, howdy! I really feel safer knowing that our state won't let a new driver behind the wheel after they have passed the written test, until they have demoed that they know how long they had to wait between written test attempts. The thought that such questions would not be on the written test lulled me into a false sense of security decades ago, and they did the same to my son last week, as they have done to just about anyone who took the written test for the first time. The second time written test takers go prepared to recite all the inner workings of motor vehicle administration and driver licensing, but it still doesn't make them a safer driver. How many traffic violation points before you have to take a remedial safe driving course? If the driver is already close to being there before they even pass their written test, perhaps they still need to be weeded out, and not passed. Oh, and my favorite pointless question, which alcoholic beverage is the most dangerous one when driving? They all are, to an extent, and none should be used when driving. The amounts that go over the line should be known. But which is the most dangerous? My wife and I thought whiskey, based on the percent alcohol content. The correct answer, at least to the DMV, was beer, based on the fact that it is the beverage that was consumed in the largest number of alcohol-related fatal accidents. OK, maybe you don't want the new driver to have a false sense of security about drinking "only" beer and then driving, but the right answer depends on what you mean by the most dangerous -- the one that takes a driver out of their safety zone more quickly, or the one that is used by more people. The answer they want is the latter, but how on earth does that make a driver safer to know that more people drink beer and drive than drink whiskey and drive? Those questions alone represent more than ten per cent of all the possible points, and twenty points wrong is an automatic fail. Most people spend hours before their second test studying arcana in a hundred plus page book, reading about truck driver licensing categories, truck weight ranges, where to put stickers they will never receive or use, etc., and so have a much better chance of passing the second time. But it seems like a waste of time and taxpayers' money to test new drivers about things that have nothing to do with their ability to drive safely and follow the law, and/or that only apply to certain special classes of drivers, for which the applicant is not applying. Do I need to know about motorcycle or truck safety and regulations in order to drive an ordinary car safely? I doubt it. But you, my online friend, Cameron Aubernon, will at least have a warning -- study the arcana of the new driver manual ... it will take more time up front, but will probably save you from having to take the test a second time. And I think you could get a heck of a funny perhaps April 1st true story about such questions, as a byproduct, if you wanted to. It could even be chalked up as a pro bono article, or a PSA. Good luck, though, especially with that first test...you will need it. But don't feel bad if you don't make the first one...seems it is almost designed to be sure to trip people up at least once. And don't forget that red sticker that goes on the rear license plate of drivers much younger than we will ever be again...we must be clear about that, or we could end up being distracted drivers! I suppose...

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