Christmas break--so far

Normally, I wouldn't be in the best mood with being so exhausted and lethargic today (although I did help clean around the house a bit--something pretty unusual). But there is a good reason for this: I've gotten to see some of my favorite people over break..and I've only been home for a little over a week!

Of course, there are still people I want to see and hopefully I get a chance to do that (I'm thinking next week--after Christmas--would be able to fix that problem!). It's been so nice to just sit back, relax, and simply be with people you love. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing and catching up with people who you haven't spoken to for a while. I just hope I get to do a little more of that over the next couple weeks!

Really, it all reminds you of how busy life can easily get. We all get way too consumed in our own lives that we forget about others. And when we finally get that much-needed break (in the form of holidays, usually) it's not until then when we realize how much of life we missed out on. We focus on ours so much that we block out everyone elses; and yet, it is other people who remind us that we need to slow down just enough to appreciate what is actually happening in ours.

Hopefully we all take some time to do just that. I hope everyone enjoys these last couple days before Christmas and stays warm :-). Christmas pics to come! (this time, I promise.. I know I've been slow at uploading!)

J520: Web site video project link

One thing I forgot to add to that last post--the link to my web video project that I just completed for my visual communications class. Here you will find my video project for an animal shelter volunteer I profiled--Muff Johnson--as well as other videos and photos to go along with her story. It was neat getting to know her and going into the shelter to see all of the animals. It's just too bad I had to leave without any!

Anyways, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. :-)

CLICK HERE FOR LINK

Home for the Holidays!

It is crazy to think that it was over nine months ago when I found out I'd be attending IU for journalism grad school. It feels just like yesterday when I received the thick, brown package in the mail filled with letters of congratulation. Now, a full semester is under my belt and I'm looking forward to beginning a new one in a few weeks!

My time at IU has been a pretty good experience so far, although I plan to become more involved next semester. Focusing on my four classes and working as a graduate assistant pretty much took up most of my time (not to mention adjusting there). Even though I will still have four other classes while working as a grad assistant for the entire semester--as opposed to a couple months, like this past semester--I feel like I can make some time for other things, like working for the Indiana Daily Student (the school's independent newspaper). We'll see how everything goes, but I feel like if I stay on top of everything--why not try?

One of the most important things I learned this semester is the fact that before you learn to do anything else, you must learn how to manage your time; or else, you will end up learning the hard way. I managed to stay on top of my homework and, as I found out today, received straight A's! :-) It is always a nice feeling to see hard work pay off at the end of everything.

Aside from being happy about having a great first semester, I've also been happy (for the most part, at least) about my 9-4 Bengals. Yes, you had to hear something about them on this post. C'mon..this is only my second post in months and you thought you'd get away with not reading something about the division leaders?? Sure, they didn't have the greatest outing last Sunday against the Vikings (okay, so it was downright awful in my opinion), but I believe they can band together tomorrow to pull off an important, emotional victory.

A win would not only not only give them a division title; it would give them strength and reassurance that Chris Henry--one of the Bengals most athletic, talented young receivers that died a few days ago--was indeed watching the game with them from above. It's truly a sad end to his life that he was just beginning to turn around, but life must go on. The Bengals have games to play, and..oh yes..a division to win. OchoCinco will be wearing Henry's #15 in honor of him, despite any fines he may rack up (although I'm pretty sure the NFL co. said they would cover them..just this once).

This is a game I am really looking forward to seeing. Not because I just want to see the Bengals win a game. Not just because I want to see them clinch their division and get on the right track again.

I just want to see them win one for Chris. And I believe they will. GO BENGALS!!

Cultural Lens: J520 Video Project

Wow.

I didn't realize I haven't updated since being at IU! So, here you have it. And this time, there is an added bonus: you get to see my first video package from my J520 class! It's a visual communications course designed to give us hands-on experience with using cameras to tell stories. Just a bit different from my print background. It's definitely fun, though.

As for life at IU, it's been interesting--but in a good way! It's definitely nice walking everywhere and not worrying about gas. This isn't to say I'm without any worries, though. Try crossing the street over here. You'll see what I mean...quickly. This is why I shouldn't ever try going anywhere before 9 a.m. It's just not safe for anyone!

Aside from enjoying the gorgeous weather and scenery (fall pix to come), I've just been busy with school--esp. with my video comm. class. While it's a demanding class, it's also really enjoyable and applicable to the real world if I choose to go that route. Plus, it never hurts to have some clips of any media!

Now for the video. We had to research, shoot/edit video, and write a script for a project geared toward diversity. We basically had to profile one person who we thought represented diversity, putting it into context of a "bigger story." I chose to interview Jenelle Dorner, a 7th-year PhD student at IU who has mitochondrial disease, causing fatigue and numerous other problems.

While some minor errors are definitely there, I feel like it came together pretty nicely. Enjoy, and don't be afraid to leave a comment or tell me what you think!

9 Days and Counting

Nine days.

That's how much time I have left before I officially leave for Indiana University. Scary, but exciting! While I won't actually start classes until a couple weeks from now, I have to move in all my stuff a week before since orientation starts then. Oh, the joys of preparing for school. I knew they'd be back soon enough.

My summer has been enjoyable, though! If I wasn't busy working, I was preparing for grad school (apartment searching, visits, and oh..deciding which one to attend)..OR hanging out with friends. I've made sure to enjoy myself this summer and hang out with lots of friends since I will be leaving a few hours away. Of course, most of them plan to "surprise me" and come visit--which could be a very good or a very bad thing! I think it's safe to say I will have to plan way ahead for visits..I'll be pretty busy!

I did do an exciting thing a couple weeks ago, though. I sent in three query letters that I wrote during a feature class a couple semesters ago. I made sure to edit them and look up general information on query letters. Also, I had to research the publications I was going to send them to; but realized, for next time, I need to do a lot more research. This is a learning process, though--it was my first time sending things to actual publications! Pretty cool stuff. So I am waiting to hear back from them, even though it will probably take at least a few months. This is where that patience of mine (wherever it is) needs to really show!

Besides grad school, another exciting thing is just around the corner--FOOTBALL! So naturally, that means I will be glued to the television (and yes, each of us in the apartment will have our own tv) when the Bengals are playing. 4-11 season last year? Psh. I'm still watching them.

Who-dey baby!

Curtis Stone Competition

We all know him as the tall, rugged chef who appeared on TLC's "Take Home Chef." Surprising shoppers at various supermarkets, he would ask them if he could cook a meal for them and a loved one. Most of the time, people say yes--unless they are absolutely crazy. Having a home-cooked meal from Curtis..Curtis Stone? How is that ever a bad thing?

Well, my chance has finally arrived. I saw this contest where you submit a few paragraphs on why you think Curtis should cook for you and three other girlfriends. I thought if I related it to grad school this fall, it might do the trick. It may neen some help, though, since I just whipped this out. Here it is:

For the past few years, I have religiously watched Curtis Stone cook for and inspire thousands of people. It doesn't matter what he cooks; whether succulent steaks, fresh seafood or gourmet hamburgers, he always make it seem so easy. And that's exactly the kind of advice I need for this fall semester!

In August, I will be starting journalism graduate school at Indiana University. Aside from dealing with challenges inside the classroom, I will also face an even bigger obstacle outside of it: attempting to cook for myself. I can't think of anyone better than Curtis to show me how fun--and simple--cooking can really be. And, not to mention, my three other girlfriends could use the tips when they are on their own, too!

Curtis would not only allow me to cook easy meals for myself, but he would also show me how important other skills are that I will need throughout the semester, such as time management skills. Just because you may know the ingredients to a savory side dish or a tasty meal doesn’t mean you know how to effectively manage time in order to make it. As for me, I’m not too sure I know ingredients to basic meals or how to manage time while doing it!

Also, he would probably show me how to think more creatively inside the kitchen. Journalists need to constantly think of creative, fresh ideas for stories, Hopefully Curtis would help me be even more creative in combining different ingredients, opening up my mind to new possibilities. Once I learn to balance multiple skills in the kitchen, I can only hope they will translate to the classroom!

Being in graduate school will prove to be different than undergraduate studies in many ways, and Curtis would make a great teacher just from showing how to cook a delightful meal.

Summer update

Since more than a month has gone by since I last updated, I thought I would at least post a little something.

As far as IU, I have both good and bad news. We will start with the bad: No financial aid news yet. I have no idea what the university will offer me, if anything, for the upcoming fall semester. I would think something, but we shall see. Now for the good news: I have a place to live in Bloomington! You may be thinking.. yes, that is good, but how do you know if you can afford it if you haven't received financial aid info yet? Well...good question. So good of a question that I am not sure of that answer yet. However, I honestly think everything will be fine. The place I found (with 2 other roommates) is more expensive than I had in mind, but it is also very convenient to the journalism school--saving me gas $$.

And just to think in a little over a month, I will be preparing to start graduate school. It really is a scary proposition, emersing yourself in a completely new environment for at least the next year. But it will also be a great opportunity--an opportunity that I will make sure to embrace! I hope to take advantage of IU's reputation of great travel opportunities for students. I would love to travel and report on news stories in different cities, perhaps even abroad. But time will tell.

As for now, I have been working on editing my query letters/articles (from my feature writing class) to submit to a few different publications. I hope to have a couple of them sent to the magazines by the end of this month, if possible. I'm sure I can get it done, though.. the letters are just about finished. As usual, any input is welcome, though. :-)

As for everyone else, hope you are all having a wonderful summer and are enjoying the beautiful weather. Well.. let's not kid ourselves. This means once a month for you Cincinnati people ;-).

Summer is here!

Well.. it officially has been two weeks since I have graduated from college! Of course, the big question at this point for most people is.. "now what?"

I can proudly say that I will be attending Indiana University's journalism graduate school to obtain my Master's. On Monday the 11th, I officially accepted IU's invitation into their program. Now, I have to do what I got used to doing for a couple months: I wait. They are going to send more info in the mail to me by next week (e-mail, housing probably, and other program info). The housing search will be a whole other issue. I've been looking on campus and in the surrounding Bloomington area for apartments. And let me just say... there are a TON of apartments. Bloomington is the ultimate college town, and having a million apartments is only one piece of evidence. I should know in the next month or two (or I better!) about that decision. For now, just waiting on the info.

In the meantime, I have been relaxing and enjoying myself--two things I forgot to do during my last semester. Reading a good book, working out, and being with people I love. No matter how hectic life can get, it is always important to stop, take a deep breath, look around and appreciate everything around you. Going to San Diego in the next couple months will most certaintly allow me to do that!

Anyways, hope everyone has a great summer. Here is to the start of a long weekend!

Two More Weeks

Figured I'd update since it's definitely been over a month. A month of school, work, homework, projects, school, work.. well, you get the idea. A month of craziness.

The good news is that I will officially graduate in two weeks! Also, I have been further considering journalism grad schools. A little while ago, I was 0/1, with OU rejecting my submission. Hey, we all need a humbling experience or two. I like to think that everything happens for a reason.

About a week and a half later, I couldn't help but wonder what the other universities would decide; would they quickly glance at it and conclude that I wasn't the "right fit" like OU seemed to do? Or would they actually consider all of my application--the rec letters, resume, transcript, etc--and give me more of a chance? I didn't know what to expect.

That Saturday night, I had a very strange, vivid dream. I remember receiving a large package in the mail, with the words "Indiana University" written across it. To my surprise, I found out that I was accepted into IU. I remember thinking something had to be wrong; surely the letter wasn't addressed properly! I reread the first line of the acceptance letter over and over, somehow thinking I'd see a different sentence that told me I did not get accepted.

The very next night, I had another strange dream. It was of my grandpa who passed away early last month, rolling his wheelchair into a room filled with family members. I remember being shocked that I saw him. I looked around the room to notice that no one else could see him--only I could. The next thing I know, I am backing myself up into a wall and nearly screaming out loud.

The very next day, Monday, I found out that the IU letter was, in fact, addressed properly. That same, large package I received in the mail during my dream--the package that I thought would never come--sat in my mailbox all day. I opened the package, reread the first line over and over, and just stared in disbelief. Was this still a dream? If it's not, how is it that I'm reliving it? It was one of the happiest, yet strangest, moments in my life.

The part that made it a bit strange (in a good way): my grandpa went to the IU School of Journalism. Like I said, I like to think things happen for a reason. :-)

In Memory Of Papa

We have all heard that love hurts. With love comes pain, with beginnings come ends, and with life comes death. Sometimes the pain isn't that severe, the ends that abrupt, or death that sudden. Yet, it is sometimes hard to look at it any other way. Everything suddenly comes to an abrupt stop.

Yesterday, my life came to a halt upon finding out my grandpa passed away. Even though we all knew he hadn't been doing well for a coulple of weeks, it doesn't make the pain any less severe for us. We all knew his time would come soon enough, but I guess it was just weird to think of Houdini running out of magic tricks.

At least I was fortunate enough to visit him a week and a half ago..that was very important. Even with him not being able to talk, we knew he appreciated us coming to visit. I also feel very blessed that I was able to interview him at the end of last year in order to write a story for my feature writing class last semester. It wasn't just a biography about him, either. It described his struggles over the last ten years and how he has overcome them with the help of my grandma (the story is posted here on my blog).

Life unfolds in very weird ways. This Friday, we will be attending his funeral--celebrating past life. On this same day, my friend will be getting married--celebrating new life. The world keeps on turning.

Below is a statement I wrote about him that I plan on bringing with me to the viewing/funeral, as suggested by my mom:

I won’t ever forget spending hours on the phone with Papa late last year, talking about his health struggles over the past ten years. I interviewed him and Nana for a drama story required in my Feature Writing class. His ability to overcome these obstacles—-heart attacks, congestive heart failure, amputations, and other complications—-was not what amazed me the most; it was his outlook on life, his strong will to live. Always a fighter, he simply chose to live life.

One quote from my paper perfectly sums up his attitude about finding strength to wake up each and every day, despite all hope seemingly gone: “I’m not going to waste away my life!” And he made sure he didn’t.

He has provided an example for all of us to follow: to live life to the fullest, love with all of your heart, and most importantly, never give up.

After all, he reminded doctors that he wasn’t one to give up that easily. When told that his second prosthesis would make it hard for him to walk, he simply replied:

"I think I’m going to try anyway.”

R.I.P. Papa <3

First Post of 2009, First Personal Statement

Wow, it has been a while. Here is to my first post of 2009!

While it won't be long, I at least wanted to say I updated. I am long due for a post! In the past month, I've been pretty busy. I started my internship and final school year, along with continiung to research and apply for journalism grad schools. It seems my search began just as quickly as it is ending-- I guess that is what you get if you want to attend school this fall.

The schools I am applying to are as follows: Ball State, Ohio University, and Kent State. I may jst submit an app. to IU just for the heck of it, even though I don't think I am as interested in that program as the I am in the others. It doesn't hurt to see what happens, though!

Since OU's application for financial assistance is due Feb. 1, I decided to finally write my first personal statement tonight (stating why you want to go to grad school, what you can contribute to the school, etc). Here it is:

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When I first entered college at Northern Kentucky University in the fall of 2004, I wasn’t exactly sure what field of study I wanted to pursue. It suddenly dawned on me-- or so I thought. I wanted to study Marketing. The job opportunities were endless since many companies will always need some type of marketing position; it was a safe bet.

Throughout the next two years of college, I successfully took the required marketing and business administration classes. I was doing very well in them, earning A’s in some of my favorite classes including Organizational Behavior and Consumer Behavior. I even was admitted into the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society and decided to join the Marketing Club.

However, whenever I walked into a business classroom, something didn’t quite feel right. Learning about operations management and marketing principles didn’t excite me, didn’t motivate me. Something was missing, and I was just going through the motions thinking I’d find it.

In the spring of 2006, it finally dawned on me-- and this time, I knew it was for good. I wanted to study journalism. I finally found what was missing throughout my beginning years of college: writing. I have always loved writing, but didn’t know how much I did until I was away from it for a couple of years.

When I began taking journalism classes, I felt like I had a purpose in the world; I felt like I could effect change. While I didn’t earn A’s in my first couple of journalism classes, I learned a lot that I would later appreciate. After taking a news II and feature writing class, I quickly realized why I was led to the field of journalism-- I was highly successful both of them. More importantly, I loved these types of writing. I had a passion for it-- especially for feature writing.

Feature writing allowed me to express my creativity in a variety of ways-- something I didn’t do as much in marketing classes. Out of four articles we wrote during the semester, I plan to get at least two published as recommended by my teacher.

Even while taking News II, my teacher saw what I saw in myself-- passion and determination to write. He, too, congratulated me on my motivation to write a thorough, compelling piece.

Despite journalists’ bleak job outlook, I remained determined to study journalism. The job opportunities weren’t endless. It wasn’t a safe bet. Even with all of the negatives pointing my way, I remained determined to succeed in my journalism classes – and I did. So many people go through college without ever finding their true passion, their true purpose; so many take the easy, safe route. That wasn’t good enough for me. Whenever I walk into a journalism classroom, I know I am in the right place.

I can bring this same motivation, determination, and passion to the student body at Ohio University, all while contributing to a successful journalism program.

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Hopefully this does the trick somehow, along with my rec. letters I have to collect. Here's to hoping!