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It's all in the pitch

I’ve been thinking about pitching lately and I don’t think it’s entirely because the MLB’s opening day was earlier this week and the Cards practically killed Cinci in their series.

Lately, my life has been about pitching. Not baseballs, but pitching myself and my ideas.

You see, while I was home on Spring Break I spent my time applying for tons of jobs and internships. And before I left, I pitched story ideas for my final project in my convergence journalism class.

The pitching of myself went pretty well. It looks like I’ll be interning at The Source Weekly back in Bend this summer. Still working on that job thing though. So if you know of anybody hiring back in Bend this summer, please feel free to let me know J

The story ideas though didn’t go well, though. Our first round of pitches went well until we were informed that we wouldn’t have anything to film for the project. And as it turns out, you need to film things and take still pictures to make something count as “multimedia.” So we came up with 10 more ideas and submitted them earlier this week. We submitted two more pitches last night. Luckily, one of them was picked by our lab instructor to be the focus of our project. We are now two weeks behind in our reporting and our storyboard is due in a week.

I would like to say that I am not freaking out. I am calm, cool and collected about this. And definitely NOT freaking out.

We just have a whole lot of reporting to do next week. But that’s what I love about journalism – the reporting. I love finding the story and then seeing it into print. Or in our case for this project, seeing it posted online.

So now that I’ve updated my blog for the first time in nearly a month, it’s time to do some more research on how the different ways that public schools and faith-based schools teach science in Columbia, Mo. And practice some more pitching for the next round of job applications.

20/20 Vision

In my last post, I blogged about needing some sunshine and then it was magically sunny, but still cold. And then it got warmer. It was even warm enough to spend the weekend in brightly colored sundresses. But now it is rainy. And that is sad.

So this blog is again about needing some more sunshine but about the need for vision.

Not just the 20/20 vision I will have after getting Lasik someday, but vision for the future.

I'm a planner. I would be completely lost without my iCal or my hard copy planner. And not having a plan makes me a little nervous and interferes with my New Year's resolution to be more spontaneous.

I'd like some sunshiny news about my future. I just want to see what I'll be doing in 10 years so I can stop stressing about it.I want to know what avenue to pursue, I want to know where to apply for jobs, I want to know the best place for a media-related internship this summer. But most of all, I just want to know that I'll be happy and wildly successful in whatever I choose. Not to much to ask, right?

The University of Missouri Journalism School is looking at 2020 as well. Last week they sent students an E-mail asking for input on what we want to see changed at the J School in 10 years. And I have tons of suggestions for them, starting with coming up with a better admissions process.

I'd like to see the school judge potential students by their portfolio and dedication to the field instead of accepting new students merely on grades alone. I think grades mean nothing and do not adequately measure a budding journalist's commitment to good journalism or talent. Grades are something you send home to your parents so they can stick them on the fridge in the kitchen. Good journalism is world changing; even if your world is just a small microcosm of society. Producing good journalism starts early. That inner drive is something that a student must possess if young journalists are going to change the way the masses view the media.

Grades are pretentious. Good journalism is not pretentious or self-serving.

I also think that just one or two semesters spent reporting is not enough to prepare new journalists for the real world. After all, the famed "Missouri Method" is to teach students by doing and not by sitting in a huge lecture hall. I’ve spent three semesters in huge lecture halls with professors hiding behind a lectern making classes as boring as possible to weed out potential journalists. Anybody who has taken J1010, J1100 or J2000 at MU can vouch for that point.

I think that students should spend a reporting semester someplace besides Columbia. MU has campuses in major metropolitan areas across the state. So why can’t we utilize those campuses as a base for branching out and teaching journalism in new, exciting environments?

Just like me, my college has a lot of growing to do in the next decade. Tomorrow night, I’ll find out where the J School is going in the next decade.

Even after Thursday, I have no idea where I will be heading in the next 10 years. But I can foresee with nearly perfect clarity that Lady Gaga and Fratmusic.com will provide an epic soundtrack for this weekend and all remaining weekends of my college career. And just knowing how 2/7 of my the rest of my collegiate life will go is good enough for me at the time being.

Hello, Sunshine.

I am in desperate need of some sunshine.

And not in a metaphorical sense.

I need nice, warm cancer-causing sunshine.

Although I do love the winter months, I am ready for a change. The time has come for me to shed ski jackets, jeans and Uggs in lieu of sundresses, stilettos and sunglasses.

In the winter months, your wardrobe basically stays the same: skinny jeans, Uggs and a ski jacket. There are only so many times that you can wear this outfit without getting sick of it. And it turns out that Uggs really aren’t the best shoes for the snow anyway.

Let me explain:

So last night was Valentine’s Day. Actually all of yesterday was. But my story is from last night.

Anyway, my date and I went out The Cliffs off Rock Quarry in Columbia. It was super snowy and beautiful.

I mean how can you top a night hike through the woods in the snow?

You can’t really.

But you can make it incredibly awkward for everybody involved and wish that you could just roll off a cliff because you are so embarrassed.

Which, of course, is exactly what I did.

So I was walking up the hill to the look out point and I lost my balance and slid down the hill. By the time my date turned around, I was at the bottom – covered in snow. I wanted to disappear. And forget about the whole thing. But that is hard to do when you are on a date with a cute guy that you’d really like to have think that you’re cool.

I blamed the slippage incident on the Uggs and then I realized that I was lying – partially. I then had to explain to my date that I am an absolute klutz. I walk on my toes, I trip over my feet, I’m insanely uncoordinated and I apparently slide down hillsides.

But I firmly believe that the sunshine will help me with my klutziness issues. You see, the sun will melt the snow. And then I won’t have to wear Uggs. And I won’t be able to slide down hillsides and get covered in snow.

And the sunshine will give me an excuse to wear stilettos, sundresses and giant sunglasses.

So until the sun comes out again, I’m just going to hide in Theta until it is safe to go outside again, sans Uggs.

A Foundation.

Today is Kappa Alpha Theta Founder’s Day. In theory, we all should be wearing our pins and spreading the good news of Theta’s 140th anniversary.

I’m not wearing my pin. I celebrated today by tweeting at @BettieLocke to thank her for starting our wonderful fraternity. And now I’m wearing black yoga pants and a yellow shirt – my subtle (and comfy) tribute to my fraternity.

But the reason that I’m not out on campus dressed in business casual attire and sporting my beautiful kite pin over my heart for the world to see is that I am currently working on my own foundation.

You see, every class I’m taking this semester is an introduction – a foundation, if you will – for my future endeavors and I couldn’t be more excited.

I’m taking a reading and writing intensive course-load. I figured that I should at least attempt to boost my GPA and not seem like an absolute failure compared to my Theta sisters - our house GPA is 3.526 which completes 32 semesters as having the top GPA on campus- that I should play to my strengths. I can read. I can write. And I can’t do math.

The class that I am most excited for is my J4802 class in which we learn the fundamentals of television, radio and photo journalism. I tried really hard not smile and laugh hysterically when I got to my lab section in the Reynold’s Journalism Institute’s editing lab. I was so excited by the technology that I would be utilizing during the remainder of my college experience. And its not just the technology that I’m so ecstatic about – I’m excited about how I can use the technology to serve the community and produce good journalism.

The class I am most intimidated by is my Introduction to Literary Theory course. On the first day of class, the professor spoke about all the wrong things one can do in their writing. It turns out that I not only do all of them but they are things that I had previously found pride in doing quite well. But now that my writing ego has been majorly deflated, I cannot wait to learn how to be a good writer. I vow to not settle for juvenile or mediocre. I will be good. Eventually.

It’s beginning to look like this semester will be key in my foundation as writer, as a journalist and as a better Theta.

Say "nein" to Nine.

I just got back from seeing the movie Nine a little bit ago and to be completely honest, it was one the worst movies that I have ever seen.

Everything was perfect, or at least it should have been. Incredible cast, beautiful set design and scenery in addition to wonderful costumes and accessories. Any scene from the movie could have been a postcard. Absolutely everything looked picture perfect. but it just wasn't. I couldn't tell you exactly what component didn't work - even the script was decent - but the movie was still just terrible and I hated it.

I wanted this movie to work and be wonderful. I read about it and eagerly awaited its arrival. But I have never been as dumbfounded as to why a movie just didn't work.

But maybe it did work - in a bit of a twisted way.

Maybe Nine is an allegory for life. Sometimes you've got the perfect setting, the perfect cast, a great storyline and all the right accessories but it just doesn't work out. In theory, everything should be perfect. After all, you have planned everything out and no detail has been overlooked. But it just doesn't work. And by the time that you have realized this ad fact, you’ve already put so much time and energy into making it work that you just can't abandon ship and start anew.

So what do you do?

You keep trying until it makes sense.

And so to my readers: Say “nein” to Nine unless you want to be disappointed and cheers to a new year full of revelations about those mysterious castings and sets of our lives.

I see Oregon people.

When I got off my plane in Denver, I saw people with Oregon sweatshirts on. I nearly attacked them with questions about my home state. I'm quite partial to these folk as they can pronounce "Oregon" properly.

But anyway, there were lots of them. It was like Oregon overload!

I can't even explain how happy it made me feel to see mountains as we flew in to Denver. I'm not sure I'll ever want to go back to the Missouri flatness ever again. And as I'm stuck in this airport that hates Facebook (it won't load Farmville. This is a travesty.) So I'm going to blog. It might be fantastic. Which means that it will take up a half hour of my time here in Denver.

I've always loved airports because they are full of stories. Some people are flying off to far away places while others are returning home from long trips away from their loved ones.

For instance, as I was drinking my morning coffee in the Kansas City Airport's Starbucks, I saw a couple reunite. The girl got off of her plane and was walking past Starbucks with her bags when he caught sight of her. He yelled her name down the concourse and started running toward her. She dropped her bags and ran toward him.

It was so movie-esque, but it was so sweet, I couldn't help but smile.

And be slightly jealous.

But my time will come.

Eventually.

Hopefully.

Someday.

But anyway, everyone has a story and I would love to just muse about them, but that is more than a little creepy.

And plus I can't focus because I've been sleep deprived all week. Seriously. 20 hours of sleep in the last week. Ugh. Not good for focussing. Which is why I'm saying adieu from Gate B89: the farthest place from everything (including a power outlet) at the Denver airport.

Sophomoric Lessons

For this week’s blog, I thought that I would share with you some of the incredibly insightful and useful (ish) things I have discovered thus far in the semester:

• Wool sweater + windbreaker = winter jacket

• Black leggings + Uggs + over sized v-neck t-shirt = absolute most comfortable outfit one could possibly wear. The only downside to this outfit is that only sorority girls wear this and we get nasty judging glares from non-Greeks while wearing this outfit. The wonderfully comfortableness of this outfit makes it easy to ignore the glares.

• Once you tease your hair, you will never go out in public without it poofed ever again. Expect to add 10 minutes to your morning routine.

• It is necessary to consume caffeine at several points during the day. I recommend started out the day with a cup (or two) of black coffee, having a latte with lunch (or as an afternoon snack) and then having a diet coke with dinner. This will ensure your ability to wake up at 7 a.m. and continue studying and functioning until 1 a.m.

• Do not try to go two days with out caffeine, as it will only result in severe headaches and shakiness.

• Downy Wrinkle Release + Febreeze = not having to do laundry every week.

• An increase in the amount of homework you’ve been assigned over the weekend is proportionate to the increase in one’s desire to go for a run or blog.

• Sunday is the greatest day of the week for news. It should be celebrated with Meet the Press in the morning, Time in the afternoon and 60 Minutes in the evening. CNN.com should be checked regularly throughout the day.

• Naps are absolutely necessary for survival.

Tintern Abbey

For Brit Lit today, we read Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey. I haven’t been affected by literature in this way since I was struck by McCarthy’s exceptional poetic prose in All The Pretty Horses.
What struck me about this poem was how it describing communing with nature and being one with the world.

Although I would love to tell you that otherwise, I’ve always had an inner hippie deep, deep inside of me. But to my defense, I am from Oregon, so I never really had a choice in the matter. And today, Tintern Abbey made me actually confront it.

Never before have I read something that so accurately and poetically captured that feeling you experience when you’re standing atop Sentinel Dome in Yosemite or hiking through the Tetons. It’s a sense that you are part of something so much bigger than yourself. It’s that feeling when you feel completely whole and in balance with the world. I imagine that enlightenment would constantly feel that way.

The poem also went on to discuss our relationship with the world at certain points in our lives. When we are young, we are naive and we don’t use logic to confront the world because we haven’t developed it yet. We are blissfully oblivious to bad and scary things. But then we progress to post-adolescence where we realize our logic. This new way to view the world scares us. My professor described it as being terrified by something you love. But then you come to terms with the world and your logic. You can finally experience the world that you love with out being scared. You can fully live your life. And that sounds so incredible.

But being as I am only 19, I still fit into the obligatory post-adolescent category. I first experienced this when I went off to college in a completely new part of the country. I saw the world from a brand new and no longer naive viewpoint. It was scary. I was taken completely off guard by its differences from the West Coast. But I’ve learned so much about the Mid West. I’m inching away toward the final category where I can experience the world from a non-scary logical viewpoint.

Goodness gracious, I love reading all of the romantic era poets for Brit Lit. I can’t wait to take the 3000 level Brit Lit course next semester!

237 hours.

I haven't been home in nearly 8 months.

And it's not because my parents don't love me.

It's because they love/trust me enough to let me make my own decisions.

It's also because I made the decision when I was 17 and fed up with Bend/high school/life that I wanted to go 2000 miles away from home for school. At the time, it was the perfect distance. I relished the idea of being independent and away from home. I couldn't wait to start living my own life. And at the time, hearing that I would have to be away from Bend for 8 months was just the icing on the cake.

And now here I am. I'll be back home in roughly 237 hours. I've learned a lot about myself. And now I'm ready to go home.

I think something that I have realized the most since I left home is that even though you hate it sometimes, home is home.

After senior year, I was so fed up with Bend. Events happened that summer that just made me want to leave even more. I never wanted to go back.

But that was over a year ago.

I've realized that I'm not a mid-west kind of girl. I miss mountains and oceans. I'm also not a city girl. Believe it or not, I got sick of staring at a brick wall for nearly a year. I can't wait to go home and see some beautiful pine trees, breathe in fresh air and drive 10 miles without seeing a single cornfield.

I can't wait to see my family and friends. And my ponies and kitties. And my replacement.

I've been waiting for this time for so long - I can't even begin to describe how surreal it is to know that I will be home in just over a week. 11 days left so serve of my self inflicted 238 day sentence.

If I had the choice, I really don't think that I would do it again. But I am glad that I have had this experience.

Everything that I've been working for is finally paying off. I found myself a job, moved to one of the biggest cities in the country by myself, I survived summer in St. Louis, I moved back to Columbia, I was granted Missouri residency, I was accepted in to my journalism sequence, I've found a great charity to volunteer with and I'll be moving in to the sorority next semester.

I am just so excited to be almost home. Which I'm sure you can tell by now.

Only 237 more hours!!!!

Glee for all!

So there is this show on Fox and I love it.

I've never watched Fox before. Mostly because it's run by News Corp. and I'm not a big fan of that.

But I watch this one.

Every week.

Except for this week.

Because somebody decided to schedule baseball instead of Glee.

It's not that I don't like baseball. I can stomach watching the Cardinals on TV for 15 minutes. I'm basically a big fan.

But back to Glee - This show is wonderful. Besides the breaking out in to perfectly choreographed song and dance numbers, the characters could have been plucked right out of Mountain View circa fall 2007. And I can't stop laughing every time I watch the show. I just love it!

Let's start with Sue - she's the overbearing cheerleading coach who has more control over the school than actual principal. She's all about the favoritism and doesn't care about anything except for winning. I also bet that she a lot more money to her program than what should be allotted to other programs.

Mr. Shuester is the great teacher who has the students best interests in mind. His plan and commitment to revamp the glee club is a catalyst that sets the school afire.

And then there is the actual club: every clique is represented and they get along for the most part.

I'd be lying to you if I said that I didn't identify with Rachel. But that's the point of her character - every girl who has gone through high school has been just like her. You don't really fit in, you get ridiculed for your favorite activities, no body really understands you and the guy you like doesn't know that you exist. Oh high school angst, how I miss thee. Or not. If only she were freckly and semi-ginger.

I was the girl who wanted to be Quin - the prettiest and most popular girl at school. Except the part about being a mole and getting knocked up by her boyfriend.

And then there is the boy - Finn. He's that super-jock who is smart and is the best at everything and is incredibly attractive who doesn't know that you exist. And he probably won't ever realize that you exist. Even in college. But maybe he will after college. My fingers are crossed.

So that is my little plug for Glee - my new favorite show that is on my least favorite tv station. It's such a conundrum to watch, but I love it so so so much that I'm not going to stop. And you should watch it too. But on Hulu. That way you don't support Fox.

And someday I may regret writing that. Hopefully I don't.

It's my space. Not yours.

This is an ode to the original social networking mecca: MySpace.
It transformed from the really cool thing to do when you were 15 in to something for middle school kids to pollute and bored college students to satirize.
This one's for you, MySpace.



Are you ready to answer these questions honestly even if it starts to get hard?
It's a MySpace survey. The questions aren't hard. They're stupid.

You never know what you got until you lose it? True or false?
If you can't appreciate what you have then you are better off not having it in the first place.

When is the last time you actually hung out with your first friend on your top?
July.

What is the last thing you drank today?
Water.

Is there anything you would like to say to the person that you like?
Oh why yes and I think that posting it in a MySpace survey will surely get my point across.

Where would I have found you last night at 11pm?
StuDYING.

Do you care what people think of you?
not really. That's definitely a high school thing.

Do you dislike anyone at this moment in time?
No, but if I did I would post vague clues about them in this section.

Any up coming events you're excited about?
Let's see: tests, pomping, painting, PR, Homecoming, (not) giving blood, and MySpace surveys

What's your plans for this Friday?
Teaching disabled children to ride horses and then attending a very classy bonfire.

Do you love anybody & would give up anything for them?
Yes and this is where I should declare my love for them

Have you ever slept on the floor with someone you liked?
Whoa. Personal information. What do you want? Like my life story here?

Are you texting anybody?
Why yes. Yes I am. And I hope they too are on MySpace and feel special that I am texting them and writing about them.

Where are you right now?
My dorm room. At Mizzou. In Missouri. Located in the southern region of the midwestern section of the United States. In North America. On the Earth. In the universe.

Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to?
and I want to make them feel special by writing about them right here. Helloooo there, lovely confidant!

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone & what did you talk about
Because I feel like divulging this information on the internet and I seriously think that you are going to care.

Do you curse in front of your parents?
Absolutely not. Cursing is for baaaaaaad baaaad bad people. Or those who are easily frustrated.

What would you do if your best friend told you they were moving?
It would be along the lines of this: "Why are you leaving me? Why'd you have to goooooooo" (​uncontrollable sobbing) "Nooooooooo!" (more sobbing)

Who pissed you off yesterday?
The guys walking in front of me on my way to class. You are so slow! That person who cut me off. Jerk! I hope you all read this and feel guilty. I'll accept large bouquets of pink, cream, and light purple roses in addition to a Starbucks gift cards as an apology.

Does anyone hate you?
Oh yes. I want to name them all here so that they will hate me even more.

Do you want a small or big wedding?
This is a little personal. And I totally feel like divulging this information in a survey will help me attract a potential mate. And I highly belive that I will find one of those on MySpace.

Who was the last person that could tell something was wrong with you?
The last person who could tell? I think that means that they couldn't tell. I'm guessing that would be a stranger lived in a cave and was immune to experiencing human emotions.

Can you sleep without blankets covering you?
This obviously a very important question that will help you to get toknow me on a deep, personal level.

Hold hands with anyone lately?
Uh Huh. I'm obviously 12 and think that means something really special. Maybe we'll be "going out" next week.

Do you think the last guy/girl you kissed cares for you?
Just a word to the wise, fellow MySpacers: If you kiss somebody who doesn't like you, what are you thinking?

Have you ever felt replaced?
Yes. My parents replaced me with a golden retriever puppy when I left for college. I have been depressed ever since and discuss this with my therapist at our weekly sessions.

Are you open about your feelings or closed off?
I'm filling out a MySpace survey. I'd say that means I'm fairly open.

Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
Totally. And I'll name them in this section for everyone to see and gossip about it in the halls at my junior high.

Think a lot before you fall asleep?
I'm not sure about other people, but I spend most of my day thinking before I sleep at night.

What were you doing at 4am?
Sleeping. What were you doing this morning at 4?

Are you a jealous person?
Of course. I was jealous that other people were getting your attention by posting surveys, so I'm filling out one, too.

Do you like to sleep?
Sleep is necessary to functioning properly. I enjoy as much as I do breathing.

What are you looking forward to in the next 5 days?
Life. Sleep. Breathing.

How many tattoos do you have?
zero.

Do you think you are a good person?
I think the real question here is who would answer no to this question and why are we friends?

Last movie you saw in theaters, with who?
WHo goes to the movies anymore? It's called NetFlix, people.

What are you doing right now?
Ten million other things. And this survey :p
Aren't I cute?

Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?
In a land where I don't have to read for a history or journalism class.

What's the worst way to say "I love you"?
When you don't mean it.

What did you do yesterday?
Lived. Breathed. Slept.

What are your favorite color(s)?
Blue


How tall are you?
5' 8''

Are you happy right now?
I'm filling out a MySpace survey, so I must be practically desperate for attention. Chat with me!

Have you ever lost someone you wish you didn't?
Yes. And it was the worst thing in my life. (I would proceed to tell you about this ordeal in great detail, but I value both my time and yours, so I'll let you come up with a story to insert here)

Do you honestly have feelings for someone at the moment?
Yes. And I want to proclaim my undying love for them on Myspace.

Is there anything upsetting you?
Yes. And I feel discussing it in a survey will make me feel better.

Do you have a Facebook?
Yes. Like most college kids, I'm on Facebook. And Twitter. And Blogger. I'm basically super cool.

Ever walked in on your friends having sex?
That would be awkward!

Ever lay on a couch with the opposite sex?
I honestly believe that this survey was devised by a very bored girl in middle school. And I have just wasted 15 minutes of my life filling this out. And you just spent a few minutes reading. Sucker! Bahahahaha.

And don't forget. Repost this in 5 minutes and your TRUE LOVE will call you tonight. If you don't repost, you will be haunted by the Hash-Slinging Slasher for the rest of your life. FYI.

This Made my Saturday Night

Big Dreams and Babies

This has been the craziest week of my year thus far.

Three tests, three quizzes, two discussion board posts, making stuff for my Theta Baby, Initiation, and I submitted my J4802 petition.

All I want to do is sleep. And I will be lame and do that shortly.

Today was Revelation, and although I was positive that my pledge daughter knew that it was me, I was still in a nervous frenzy.

What if she didn’t want me? What if she hated all my clues and presents during the week? Will she like the letters, picture frame, bulletin board, pin box, candle, and cookies I made for her?

About a half hour before I left to go to Revelation, I decided that even if she didn’t want me to be her mom, we would be wearing matching t-shirts and I made her chocolate chip cookies.

So, there.

But after running out the front door of Theta and “revealing myself,” she didn’t run away screaming, so I’m calling that a success.

My pledge baby is from KC and this summer, she came out west to go bungee jumping in southern Washington. So cool!


In other news: Earlier this week, I submitted my petition for admission to the convergence journalism program at Mizzou and I'm slightly terrified that I won't be accepted.

It's not that I lack journalistic experience.

I mean let's be honest: I got my first gig when I was 12, my first national byline at 15 and I haven't stopped writing since. I've wanted to be a reporter since I was 10. And now here I am in the pre-journalism program at our nation’s top journalism institute. I've pressed the "send" button on that little application, which will be reviewed and will reveal the future of my journalistic career.

I feel that my terror is justified.

I'm sure that it's hard to understand if you aren't in my position or know the background info on why I want to be a convergence journalist so badly.

As I am positive that you all know, the newspaper industry is dying a slow death that is painful for all those who revere the news to watch. It's like watching a catastrophe happen in slow motion and realizing that there isn't anything you can do about it.

But I can change it.

And it is that knowledge that inspires me.

Convergence journalism adds a completely new aspect to the news industry. We can keep the world updated with news in all mediums and we can supplement print content. All we need to do is come up with economic model that can efficiently support this and we can save our industry!

All right, so there’s a lot more to do than that one thing. But I want to figure it out. I want to do good, cutting-edge journalism. And majoring in convergence is how I plan to accomplish that.

I should find out if I get in to the program in a few weeks. Keep my petition in your prayers!

Life and the Case of the Drafty Dorm Room

     In life, so I've been told, doors open and close.

     Sometimes doors open when a new opportunity arises and they close once that window has past.

     But in our case, our door keeps opening and closing either as a result of our dorm being really drafty or that  it's haunted.

     And, apparently, a girl did kill herself in our building once, so it might really be haunted. But I think I'll wait another month before I research that further.

     But it is a little surreal when you can see the metaphorical doors opening and closing in your life.
  
     Closed door: Stat teacher doesn't speak English.

     Open door: Free stat tutoring.

     Open door: Skit try-outs extended.

     Closed door: Going over to Theta and contemplating whether or not to tryout until you realize that it's 9 and try-outs were over at 8:30.

     Open door: I'm the group leader for my J2000 final project and we get to design a PR campaign, which is something I've never done before.

     To be completely honest, I am both terrified and thrilled to be doing something new for a final project which is worth a big chunk of my grade in that class. Although it would be easy to just pitch a story or do a photo essay, I really think this is going to be a great opportunity to learn how to do something new. And maybe somebody in my group will realize that Strat Comm is their life's calling while working on the project. The possibilities are endless and I would love to hear some feedback from my group members either via e-mail or the Facebook group I created for our project. That would be a hint to go do that now if you are reading my blog instead telling me what you think of our topic ; )

     I also found a new and exciting opportunity on a flyer I saw while walking to class last week and now I'm going to be helping out at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center for the next eight weeks. Not only to get some quality barn time in (I walked into the barn and it smelled like heaven: leather, saddle soap, grass hay and horse), but I also get a chance to help people do something that I love: riding horses. The program has been around for 22 years and they have never turned down a client. And now I get to help out. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of it.

    Doors are opening all around us this fall, and I've really got to figure that door to our dorm.

  





  

An Ode to Twitter

At first I was skeptical about Twitter, just as I was skeptical about Facebook in the beginning.

140 characters to express your thoughts? You’ve got to be kidding me.

But it works and Twitter is quickly becoming my newest way to connect to the world outside of Columbia, Missouri.

I don’t just use Twitter to update my followers on the random, inconsequential things that happen in my  life (10:06 Aug 18^th: "Don't Stop Believing" just came up on my pandora playlist. I love Pandora.), I use it to keep up on the news.

You see, those little Twitter status updates are like leads and teasers for upcoming events and breaking news. I found out the Ted Kennedy and Michael Jackson passed away by Tweets from CNN.com. I also found out that one can watch 60 Minutes online from a Tweet posted by 60 Minutes. I also stay up to date with major happenings from my home state by following several Oregon news sources.

As nerdy as I am (or “intellectual” as my dad puts it), I tweet about great articles that I’ve read, so that my followers will possibly read them and appreciate them as much as I do.

I also follow Taylor Swift and John Mayer, which makes me feel like we are *almost* friends. Twitter is a great marketing tool in this aspect. By following celebrities, you see their updates and feel like they are talking to you. It also gives celebs the chance to beg for your vote (this is aimed at you, @taylorswift13) for awards at various award shows. To be honest, I did vote for you because of Twitter and the fact that your songs are basically the soundtrack of my life. Seriously.

Twitter is a great way to stay connected and get immediate updates on important global events (like Presidential speeches and The Bachelorette finale), as well the occasional #musicmonday or #followfriday post. And just like FB, you can moderate who follows you and who can see your Tweets. Snazzy, huh?

Well, Blogosphere, I’ve got to head to a journalism class to discuss the Twitterverse.

Happy Tweeting!

 

 

 

 

 

News Writing Class

This is how I feel about my first News Writing lab:

Seriously.

I Love College

Monday was my first day of my sophomore year of college and it feels just like high school. 

No, seriously.

It's like walking into school and having stereotype emblazoned on their shirts.

Every sorority girl (me included) is wearing her Bid Day t-shirt. Every frat boy is wearing a “Rush (letters here)” t-shirt. Everyone else either wearing a Mizzou shirt or one from his or her hometown. The first few days of school are like voluntary segregation. You walk to class with people of the same shirt style, you study with them, you eat with them, and you walk to Chapter together. Everybody moves in a massive group of sameness. And we are okay with it. It is wonderful to easily identify sisters in you giant lecture classes. It’s always nice to see a friendly face on the sidewalk. But we are everywhere. You can’t escape us.

Day 2 is better though. 

I choose to rock the same outfit that nearly every sorority girl wears: Nike running shorts and over-sized t-shirt.  It is the most comfortable outfit and I’m not sure why it’s only sorority girls who choose to wear this. We blend into the general population better today than yesterday, but we are still easy to spot, as we tend to move in packs.

It’s funny to watch freshman during their first week of school. I see girls walking around holding maps with highlighted routes to class, just like I did.

Something that isn’t so cute or funny is some of the frat boys who walk around in their Ed Hardy shirts, gelled hair and stud earrings. These guys also move in packs. They also move at a very slow rate of speed and take up the entire sidewalk, blocking traffic in both directions just because they feel entitled to.  I don’t know why they dress like this. They look stupid and they have stupid conversations. While stuck behind a herd of them this morning, I was lucky enough to hear one on their delightful conversations:

         Big stud earrings – “Dude, that party was awesome.”

         Blue shirt, gelled hair – “Yeah Dude. Remember that blonde chick with the huge tits? She was so WASTED!”

         Big stud earrings – “Yeah she was! She hooked up with everyone. What a slut.”

            Blue shirt, gelled hair – “I hooked up with her. She’s a slut. SCORE!!!”

         Big stud earrings – “ Awesome dude!”

High-fives were exchanged and I sidestepped around them so I could escape their asinine discussion and get to the geology building in a timely manner for my news writing class.

Here’s a fun fact about Mizzou: the geology building is not the one that says “Geology” on the front. It is, in fact, all the way across the quad, across the round-a-bout from the J-School. To make it in time, I nearly sprinted and got a prime seat in the very middle of the third row.

I am so excited about this class. I already have the optional grammar seminars penciled into both of my schedules. There’s also an optional lecture regarding the AP Style. I plan on going to all of these because I feel that my usage of grammar and AP Style happen to be mildly atrocious. I foresee this class being an awesome way to pull me out of my non-reporting rut. I’m also counting on this class to give me some opportunities to update my portfolio with clips that did not come from a high school newspaper.

Another class I am so excited for is my Brit Lit class. On syllabus day, our teacher started throwing out quotes from Shakespearean sonnets and asked students to identify the author, title and historical relevance of the quotes.

Of course, I was sitting in the front row and my hand went up like a shot and got to explain why Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 is so awesome. My classmates stared at me like I was crazy.  I’m not crazy, just enthusiastic about literature.

After class, I went over to a friend’s apartment and studied Anglo-Saxon literature and an essay regarding the historical significance of Beowulf while tanning poolside and enjoying some of Michelle’s momma’s incredible salsa.

It is safe to say that I love college.