Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Countdown to real life
Graduation is in 46 days. Brian and I move in together in 33 days. This next month will likely move super quickly, and I am so excited (and overwhelmed). There is so much to do.
The job hunt is still ongoing. I've applied to a few places but put it on hold for a bit because of a new opportunity that presented itself. I'd tell more, but I am not trying to jinx it... Let's just say it would be awesome and even thr prospect of this job is thrilling to me.My jobs at school are (maybe) winding to a close. The official transition from one staff to the next at The Diamondback takes place on May 1, which means less hours for me. But that's good. I'll get to spend my last couple of weeks just hanging out with my roommates and enjoying a relazing time off. Speaking of time off, I am having the hardest time deciding when to stop working at the Smith School before I start my future job. I'd like to have time off, but I hate sitting at home and doing nothing. And I also hate having no money. But graduation gifts should help out with that a lot... but still. I know me, and I think I'll get restless... especially if I don't have a job lined up immediately after I graduate.
Lastly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE!!!!!! It's my sister's birthday and she is 25 :) Woohoo!!!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A day in the life of a graduating college student
Fact: I want a job.
Fact: I need a job.
Fact: I don't have a job lined up after graduation.
Fact: There are no journalism jobs.
So after four years at the university, the who "newspapers are dying" thing is finally seeming as though it is true. I'm a well-qualified candidate for so many potential journalism jobs, yet none are available at all.
Basically, I spend my days, resume and sample cover letter on hand, refreshing journalism jobs, naively hoping that a job will pop up that a). I am qualified for, and b). no one else ever sees. But we all know that will never happen. It is very discouraging.
But life goes on, job or no job. The semester is real busy right now. I have assignments due left and right for my two writing classes, a new group project to work on for my sociology class, and looming photo assignments that I know will kick my butt. In the midst of all that, I am still working two jobs, planing my wedding, trying to figure out how I'm furnishing my apartment, etc., etc., etc.
Busy busy busy. But when am I not!?
Fact: I need a job.
Fact: I don't have a job lined up after graduation.
Fact: There are no journalism jobs.
So after four years at the university, the who "newspapers are dying" thing is finally seeming as though it is true. I'm a well-qualified candidate for so many potential journalism jobs, yet none are available at all.
Basically, I spend my days, resume and sample cover letter on hand, refreshing journalism jobs, naively hoping that a job will pop up that a). I am qualified for, and b). no one else ever sees. But we all know that will never happen. It is very discouraging.
But life goes on, job or no job. The semester is real busy right now. I have assignments due left and right for my two writing classes, a new group project to work on for my sociology class, and looming photo assignments that I know will kick my butt. In the midst of all that, I am still working two jobs, planing my wedding, trying to figure out how I'm furnishing my apartment, etc., etc., etc.
Busy busy busy. But when am I not!?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A Spring Break To-Do List
- Try new recipes
- Apply for jobs (everywhere)
- Run outside every day
- Refurbish some furniture
- Make new jewelry
- Take pics of jewelry
- Pack up some unneccessary stuff I have at my home
- Figure out my life
- Spend some quality time with roomie Ashley
- Go for walks
- Take a million pictures for photo class
- Not think about the fact that I'm staying in boring MD for my last Spring Break ever
- play with my new computer
- not sleep in all the time
- more....?
DBK story I wrote for class
I wrote this kinda fun story for class about a night in The Diamondback's newsroom. Enjoy!
In the days when journalism is said to be a dying profession, college newsrooms have never been more alive. The Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s independent student-run newspaper, is no exception. Each night, Sunday through Thursday, students fill the newsroom, hustling and bustling to put out the next day’s paper and creating the energy that is keeping their future profession alive.
Please keep your arms inside the car at all times, because working in a newsroom can be like a wild roller coaster ride.
Each day starts out slow and calm with a meeting of the minds: editor’s meeting.
Enter Kevin Robillard, the newspaper’s editor in chief. “Thoughts on today’s paper?” he asks.
The brief discussions that ensue sound eerily similar to each editor’s meeting before. “Front page looks real nice,” one editor says. “Centerpiece is great.” Criticisms follow. “I wasn’t crazy about today’s guest column,” another editor comments. Shortly after, each section editor – News, Opinion, Diversions and Sports – lays out their story budget for everyone to discuss. Each day, it is the same old same old: Editors goof off. Editors get back to work. The meeting ends and the real work begins – the ride starts to get good.
Enter the copy editors, the most under-appreciated employees at The Diamondback. Each day at 3:30 p.m., they get to work and start reading the stories for the next day’s paper. Each story get’s checked for facts, AP style and grammatical correctness. When things go slow, they get blamed. When mistakes make it into the paper, they get blamed.
“Wow, it’s hot in here today,” someone complains.
“It’s cause I’m here,” Mike Warley, a copy editor, replies in witty fashion. The newsroom laughs, welcoming the short break from work. Then everyone goes back to their respective jobs. Warley continues to fact check a Terrapin men’s basketball story before passing it on to another copy editor for a second read.
As the day trickles on into night, stories creep through reads, layouts are designed and finalized pages roll to the printing press.
Enter Anna Eisenberg and Rob Gindes, The Diamondback’s front page designer and opinion editor, respectively.
Tonight, they battle the newsroom. A lame diversions tease impresses no one, and Gindes suggests teasing his page, specifically a funny column about girls wearing skirts at the university. It would be the first ever opinion tease to appear on the front page of the paper.
“I am just happy because I get to play with skirts,” Eisenberg jokes as she designs the tease. She types “Skirting’s the issue” into the tease. It doesn’t fit. She changes it to “Skirting the issue,” which Gindes argues isn’t as fun of a pun.
Soon after, Robillard comes over to the editors who are hard at work. He tells them the tease has got to go; he isn’t comfortable teasing opinion on the cover.
“It’s so cute,” Eisenberg argues, frustrated that the tease she spent the last half hour creating was being wasted.
“I understand that it is cute, but cuteness doesn’t determine things in a newspaper,” Robillard answers back, knowing that as the ultimate authority at the paper that he’ll likely have his way.
Eisenberg and Gindes fight for their tease, like editors before fought for things they believe should or shouldn’t end up in the paper. At the end of the day, they lose. No opinion tease will appear in tomorrow’s paper. Eisenberg and Gindes, upset at the lost battle, leave the newsroom to let of some steam. The newsroom goes quiet.
Enter Allison Stice and Marissa Lang, Diamondback news editors.
Stice and Lang work at separate ends of the newsroom editing separate stories. They interact frequently throughout the night, but never for long. At this point, Lang, Stice’s boss, looks over at her editing a story with a reporter. In Stice’s hand: an Iron Man figurine from the 2008 film.
“Are you licking Iron Man?” Lang shouts from across the newsroom.
“It’s mine!” Stice answers defensively, and then bursts out laughing at how ridiculous she sounds.
The Iron Man figurine, given to the Diversions section editor back in 2008 as a temptation to review the film, is a treasured object in the newsroom. Each day, it ends up with someone new. And each day they press the buttons on the toy, making it shout its catch phrases over and over again: “I am Iron Man,” it says, in a deep, computerized, machine-like voice.
After the commotion caused by toy dies down, the newsroom fades back into the silence.
Like a roller coaster ride with its ups and downs, the newsroom often goes from loud, bubbly and chaotic to quiet and calm. Each hill is a new problem, each dip is the solution.
Hill: “Do we want to call them men or women?” Lang asks about a transgender criminal caught shoplifting at Rugged Wearhouse a few months ago.
Dip: “Call them transgendered individuals,” Sports Editor Aaron Kraut immediately answers.
Hill: “Our reporters keep spelling people’s names wrong,” a copy editor complains to Lang.
Dip: “We’ll talk about it at our next beat meeting. I know it’s unacceptable,” she replies.
And so the night goes. Hill, dip, hill, dip, hill, dip.
Enter rap music. As the night winds down and most of the staff leaves, editors fill the noise void with music and YouTube videos.
“Life is such a … roller coaster ride, then it drops/ But what should I scream for, this is my theme park,” the rap song goes. It is a fitting end to the evening, as the roller coaster draws to an end and the newspaper staff exits the ride until the next day.
In the days when journalism is said to be a dying profession, college newsrooms have never been more alive. The Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s independent student-run newspaper, is no exception. Each night, Sunday through Thursday, students fill the newsroom, hustling and bustling to put out the next day’s paper and creating the energy that is keeping their future profession alive.
Please keep your arms inside the car at all times, because working in a newsroom can be like a wild roller coaster ride.
Each day starts out slow and calm with a meeting of the minds: editor’s meeting.
Enter Kevin Robillard, the newspaper’s editor in chief. “Thoughts on today’s paper?” he asks.
The brief discussions that ensue sound eerily similar to each editor’s meeting before. “Front page looks real nice,” one editor says. “Centerpiece is great.” Criticisms follow. “I wasn’t crazy about today’s guest column,” another editor comments. Shortly after, each section editor – News, Opinion, Diversions and Sports – lays out their story budget for everyone to discuss. Each day, it is the same old same old: Editors goof off. Editors get back to work. The meeting ends and the real work begins – the ride starts to get good.
Enter the copy editors, the most under-appreciated employees at The Diamondback. Each day at 3:30 p.m., they get to work and start reading the stories for the next day’s paper. Each story get’s checked for facts, AP style and grammatical correctness. When things go slow, they get blamed. When mistakes make it into the paper, they get blamed.
“Wow, it’s hot in here today,” someone complains.
“It’s cause I’m here,” Mike Warley, a copy editor, replies in witty fashion. The newsroom laughs, welcoming the short break from work. Then everyone goes back to their respective jobs. Warley continues to fact check a Terrapin men’s basketball story before passing it on to another copy editor for a second read.
As the day trickles on into night, stories creep through reads, layouts are designed and finalized pages roll to the printing press.
Enter Anna Eisenberg and Rob Gindes, The Diamondback’s front page designer and opinion editor, respectively.
Tonight, they battle the newsroom. A lame diversions tease impresses no one, and Gindes suggests teasing his page, specifically a funny column about girls wearing skirts at the university. It would be the first ever opinion tease to appear on the front page of the paper.
“I am just happy because I get to play with skirts,” Eisenberg jokes as she designs the tease. She types “Skirting’s the issue” into the tease. It doesn’t fit. She changes it to “Skirting the issue,” which Gindes argues isn’t as fun of a pun.
Soon after, Robillard comes over to the editors who are hard at work. He tells them the tease has got to go; he isn’t comfortable teasing opinion on the cover.
“It’s so cute,” Eisenberg argues, frustrated that the tease she spent the last half hour creating was being wasted.
“I understand that it is cute, but cuteness doesn’t determine things in a newspaper,” Robillard answers back, knowing that as the ultimate authority at the paper that he’ll likely have his way.
Eisenberg and Gindes fight for their tease, like editors before fought for things they believe should or shouldn’t end up in the paper. At the end of the day, they lose. No opinion tease will appear in tomorrow’s paper. Eisenberg and Gindes, upset at the lost battle, leave the newsroom to let of some steam. The newsroom goes quiet.
Enter Allison Stice and Marissa Lang, Diamondback news editors.
Stice and Lang work at separate ends of the newsroom editing separate stories. They interact frequently throughout the night, but never for long. At this point, Lang, Stice’s boss, looks over at her editing a story with a reporter. In Stice’s hand: an Iron Man figurine from the 2008 film.
“Are you licking Iron Man?” Lang shouts from across the newsroom.
“It’s mine!” Stice answers defensively, and then bursts out laughing at how ridiculous she sounds.
The Iron Man figurine, given to the Diversions section editor back in 2008 as a temptation to review the film, is a treasured object in the newsroom. Each day, it ends up with someone new. And each day they press the buttons on the toy, making it shout its catch phrases over and over again: “I am Iron Man,” it says, in a deep, computerized, machine-like voice.
After the commotion caused by toy dies down, the newsroom fades back into the silence.
Like a roller coaster ride with its ups and downs, the newsroom often goes from loud, bubbly and chaotic to quiet and calm. Each hill is a new problem, each dip is the solution.
Hill: “Do we want to call them men or women?” Lang asks about a transgender criminal caught shoplifting at Rugged Wearhouse a few months ago.
Dip: “Call them transgendered individuals,” Sports Editor Aaron Kraut immediately answers.
Hill: “Our reporters keep spelling people’s names wrong,” a copy editor complains to Lang.
Dip: “We’ll talk about it at our next beat meeting. I know it’s unacceptable,” she replies.
And so the night goes. Hill, dip, hill, dip, hill, dip.
Enter rap music. As the night winds down and most of the staff leaves, editors fill the noise void with music and YouTube videos.
“Life is such a … roller coaster ride, then it drops/ But what should I scream for, this is my theme park,” the rap song goes. It is a fitting end to the evening, as the roller coaster draws to an end and the newspaper staff exits the ride until the next day.
Monday, March 8, 2010
C'mon May
Life update: As of yesterday, Brian and I put down the security deposit on our first apartment together. We will be moving into a one-bedroom apartment with an added den and a fireplace. It's on the ground floor of our complex so our puppy (if/when we get one) will have easy access to his pee/poop spot. We are moving to Bowie, which is really exciting because neither of us are super familiar with it, so it will be new and exciting to explore it. And our complex is super nice. It's near the Bowie Town Center and another shopping center. So, within minutes of our home will be a Target, Kohls, Best Buy, Michael's, A.C. Moore, Panera, DuClaw... There is also a David's Bridal in BTC, so when I do dress shopping I don't even have to go far! Exciting. Here's a look at the floorplan with our stuff (kinda) in it:
In other news, my roommates were able to meet with our landlord (finally). Nothing really came out of the meeting, except that our landlord isn't fit for his job and that we still are screwed over moneywise by living where we do. Great. Our house is being foreclosed on, our water bill is out of control, past tenants don't receive their security deposits back... Fantastic. Looks like we chose a great one.
And, not to have too sporadic of a blog post, here are some recent things I've had published:
I wish it would hurry up and be May already. Two months, two months, two months. I cannot wait!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Earrings for Chile
I've sold 8 pairs of earrings so far to help the earthquake and seaquake victims in Chile (http://www.smashingdarling.com/item/chilean-mermaid-earrings). I'm pretty excited about it. My goal is to be able to donate $100 to the Red Cross' relief efforts down in Santiago and Concepcion. So far, my cousin has bought 2 pairs, my godmother bought a pair, 2 friends from school bought a pair each, my roommate bought a pair, a friend from high school bought a pair, and my sister's roommate bought a pair. And, I saved 4 pairs for me, my sisters and my mom. For each of those pairs I'm donating $5 each, too. I'll be at my goal of $100 in no time (I'm at $60 now!). I love doing stuff to help people without just forking over money randomly. It's nice that people are bying the earrings w/ beads from Chile becuase it will hopefully remind them every time they wear them that they helped out people in need. I think it's way more meaningful.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Photojournalism at its best
OK, so obviously I am not the world's greatest photographer... or even a good photographer at that. But I took this photo for class and I adore it. I think it is wonderful :)
Spring Break
Spring break is quickly approaching and it will be my first year not going anywhere during break. It's a little depressing -- actually... it's a lot depressing... but I'm going to use the time to apply for jobs everywhere... maybe I'll get a job over someone who spent their break tanning/ getting wasted in Florida. Haha I can hope!
My goal is to apply for 5 jobs per day. It seems doable, but I know I'm going to have to force myself to do it. I also want to cook dinner at home each night, and not my usuals (tacos... tacos... more tacos...)... I want to try new recipes! Should be an OK week off of life... and could be nice to have the house mostly to myself I guess. Although I'd rather have company.
Here's to being positive... and to being in Maryland and not Florida.
My goal is to apply for 5 jobs per day. It seems doable, but I know I'm going to have to force myself to do it. I also want to cook dinner at home each night, and not my usuals (tacos... tacos... more tacos...)... I want to try new recipes! Should be an OK week off of life... and could be nice to have the house mostly to myself I guess. Although I'd rather have company.
Here's to being positive... and to being in Maryland and not Florida.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Chilean Mermaid Earrings
My older sister is part Chilean and went to Chile at the beginning of this year to see her family. She brought me back these beautiful blue beads that look like mini globes, with cobalt blue, white and glimmering gold swirls all around them. Well, as most people know, Chile was hit was an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and, like Haiti, needs our help. My sister's family luckily wasn't harmed during the quake, but so many others were. So, I am donating 50% of each sale ($5) to the Red Cross in her name in an effort to help out. The earrings are light and the ear hooks are silver plated. Each bead is different. Some are larger spheres, and others are daintier saucer-shaped beads. Make sure you specify which you are interested in (L or S). These are some of the prettiest beads I have seen. So, show your support for another nation in need. These earrings will be a constant reminder of the help you gave to people in need. I will send a confirmation of a Red Cross Donation to each customer who buys a pair. All donations will be made in my sister's name.
I don't have too many pairs, so don't wait to get yours!
http://www.smashingdarling.com/item/chilean-mermaid-earrings
I don't have too many pairs, so don't wait to get yours!
http://www.smashingdarling.com/item/chilean-mermaid-earrings
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Engaged and underaged... well, half of that is true
So, two days after my last post, Brian proposed and I said 'yes.' Actually, I bashfully said 'maybe' a couple of times, got scolded for saying 'maybe' when I meant 'yes,' and then actually said 'yes.'
I'd recount the whole story... but really, only I want to hear it over and over again. So, it lieu of retyping it on the blog, anyone interested in our super sappy love story can read all about it on our wedding website -- yes, I made us a wedding website.
Enough about the proposal. Let's talk wedding planning. First of all, here is a fun fact for all girls out there: Even if you don't give a shit about getting married... even if you've never had any dream for your wedding... the second you get engaged, something clicks and you all of the sudden become a wedding planner extraordinaire, with glorious ideas and details that you know you must have for your special day. It's great fun, but I can barely sleep at night because of all the wedding plans, the job search and the apartment hunting.
Either way, Brian and I have visited two venues: Celebrations at the Bay and Turf Valley. We weren't crazy about either of them. Celebrations was WAY too expensive ($34k)... and there was just too much we didn't like... The wedding site was too small, the reception areas were on top of one another, the wedding rehearsal was online (talk about cheap!!). Turf Valley was way more reasonably priced at bout $19k... but I wasn't a fan on some of the decorations at the place. And, 20k is a significant portion of our budget... so, I wasn't too happy about that. Right now, we are looking into renting a hall and having it catered by Putting on the Ritz. It will run us about 12k. Very reasonable. Here is another fun fact... weddings in the DC area... expensive as all hell.
I'll keep updating...
I'd recount the whole story... but really, only I want to hear it over and over again. So, it lieu of retyping it on the blog, anyone interested in our super sappy love story can read all about it on our wedding website -- yes, I made us a wedding website.
Enough about the proposal. Let's talk wedding planning. First of all, here is a fun fact for all girls out there: Even if you don't give a shit about getting married... even if you've never had any dream for your wedding... the second you get engaged, something clicks and you all of the sudden become a wedding planner extraordinaire, with glorious ideas and details that you know you must have for your special day. It's great fun, but I can barely sleep at night because of all the wedding plans, the job search and the apartment hunting.
Either way, Brian and I have visited two venues: Celebrations at the Bay and Turf Valley. We weren't crazy about either of them. Celebrations was WAY too expensive ($34k)... and there was just too much we didn't like... The wedding site was too small, the reception areas were on top of one another, the wedding rehearsal was online (talk about cheap!!). Turf Valley was way more reasonably priced at bout $19k... but I wasn't a fan on some of the decorations at the place. And, 20k is a significant portion of our budget... so, I wasn't too happy about that. Right now, we are looking into renting a hall and having it catered by Putting on the Ritz. It will run us about 12k. Very reasonable. Here is another fun fact... weddings in the DC area... expensive as all hell.
I'll keep updating...
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