Getting back into the swing of things

Today I have officially been a college senior for a whole week. Whew! What a week it's been. Adjusting to waking up for class, getting back into the habit of riding my bike across campus, trying to find good deals on textbooks (an impossibility as far as I'm concerned), coordinating lunch dates with friends, and re-adjusting to campus life in general has been interesting.

I'm actually excited about my classes. My schedule, I have to admit, is pretty fabulous. No class on Fridays, not ridiculously long breaks in the middle of the day and let me tell you- it is wonderful. It took me four years to figure out how to make the best schedule.

As a senior, I'm finally taking mainly major classes (which for those of you who don't know is Marketing). I'm really enjoying the mix of major classes that I have too. Creative, Research, and Consumer Behavior. The main three fields I'm considering in Marketing. So I'm thrilled to be taking them together. Only a few class meetings in and I can already tell that yes! I did choose the right major for me! I'm super excited about actually applying what I'm learning in real situations. (And yes I do realize just how nerdy that sounds but hey! I am excited!)

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the semester and I hope everything continues to go smoothly. Of course my last year of college isn't going to be spend completely in the books but I know what I came here for so I won't lose focus. Trust me: when the weekend rolls around (which starts Thursdays for me!) you can bet I'll be living it up like a college senior should!

True Blood, Harry Potter,...and the dying art of reading

Making books into movies and television series seems to be all the rage these days. TrueBlood, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Twilight and others have recently been "brought to life on the big screen." I like that movie makers and TV executives can see value in these works of literature but a lot of the time, books made into movies or TV shows lose the integrity of the storyline which really disappoints fans of the books.

Personally I love reading. I devour books. Let me give you an example. Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels which has been turned into the hit HBO series TrueBlood, has written 10 parts to this series. I read all ten of these books in the span of approximately a week and a half. I know I know it seems a little intense or even to some like a waste of time, but I simply enjoy immersing myself into the different worlds of these characters and letting myself really get into these stories. It's not just the fact that vampires are cool and therefore everyone is jumping on the vampire book bandwagon, I love to read all kinds of books and I personally love book series because it takes a special kind of author to take the same characters and let them grow and adapt and change over the course of several books. I really admire the authors and I feel like it is insulting to them for their artwork to be picked apart, overly edited, and changed to fit into a mold that some producer or director thinks will make the most money without regard to making sure that the storyline is intact so that readers and fans will not leave the theater unhappy.

Take the Harry Potter series for example. Yes I understand that 300-700 page books would be incredibly difficult to condense into a two and a half hour movie but I feel like there is a way to make sure that large important parts of the story are included. I guess that for some people, especially those who haven't read these stories several times and really gotten into the specific details of the plot and how seemingly small things are related to one another in the big picture. Some of the changes that are made are just wildly inaccurate. Now when I go to see a movie or a TV show based on a book that I have grown to love I spend my time not enjoying seeing a representation of a great book, but instead I spend time focusing on the flaws and the inconsistencies.

Apart from my own personal disappointment in these kinds of movies, I've met people who call themselves TrueBlood fans or Harry Potter fans and even Twilight fans who have never read the books. I understand that it is possible to like these movies independent of the books they were based upon but it is still mind boggling to me that there are so many people who would rather wait for someone else's interpretation of a book than to first read the book and paint the image in their own minds. I love it when the producers and directors get it right! For example, Carlisle in the Twilight series looks EXACTLY as I imagined him from Stephanie Meyer’s description.

It makes me nearly want to scream every time I bump into someone who says, "I don't want to read that book; I'll wait for the movie." Why aren't more people drawn to the world or reading? What happened to that fervor for learning that we had when we were little and the Cat and the Hat was our source of entertainment? Why is reading falling by the wayside? Are television and movies really going to hijack something that is so important in our society? Reading helps us to not only tap into our creativity when imagining the scenes and characters depicted by the words but also helps improve language skills which in our country these days is increasingly important. When there are people in upper level college courses who cannot read aloud without mispronouncing common words there is a severe problem. In a country like ours where access to knowledge and books is virtually universal, it is appalling how many people fail to take advantage of these things.

Next time you want to be entertained instead of reaching for the remote or standing in line at the movie theater, break out that old library card or go to your neighborhood bookstore and peruse the shelves. You never know what fascinating world you may stumble into. Don't rely on the imaginations of others when you can paint just as vivid pictures within your own mind.

It's been a while...

Hey everyone,

I know it's been a while since my last post but it's been a whirlwind of a summer and I can't believe it's already over. I'm starting my senior year in college and I can't for the life of me tell you where the time went.

London was amazing. I can't even begin to describe my experience in any way that will really convey what all happened and what I experienced. I can tell you this though- I've made new friends that I hope to keep for a long time and I have memories that will definitely last for the rest of my life. I took a zillion pictures and even those don't do it justice. My advice: if you get the chance to go abroad for any reason, TAKE IT! Pictures and movies and personal recollections can't realy explain that it's like. It's not just the fact that you see things and can touch things that have been around for centuries but also the sense of independence and the feeling that you can do anything is exhilarating. I wouldn't take back my experiences over there for anything.

All of a sudden I'm a senior in college. A senior. In college! That means in a few short months I'll be (hopefully) moving away and starting a real job. While I really do feel like my classes and internships are preparing me for the real world I feel as though time is suddenly speeding up. I feel as though my safety net is being pulled out from underneath me. I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way and I won't be the last but this feeling of now knowing what is coming is so unfamiliar and it's both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I feel as though my life is about to change dramatically and I'm just treading water until BAM! things take off and I'm on yet another roller coaster that hopefully will lead to fun, fascinating, and incredible things.

I have no idea what I'm going to do, where I'm going to go, or who I'm going to meet but I trust that things will happen in exactly the right and best way for me. Even though I am terrified of what's coming in the next few months I know that all this training and preparation that I've taken will help me succeed. Now I just have to keep my head above water as things begin to speed up. A full class schedule, an internship, an job, and trying to savor every last moment of college life is going to be a day-at-a-time process but hopefully I'll make it through!

I Get by with a little help from my Friends

Why pay for what you can get for free? I've always thought this made logical sense. Thanks to my family, friends, and teachers I've got everything I need for my trip! (7 days! woohoo!) Granted I did work my butt off for two summers, two Chrismas breaks, and even Spring Break and semester after semester of working the desk. Hard work and help and support from people who love me have helped me get to where I am now.

My lovely sister who's already experienced the wonder that is Europe has given me a crucial appliance for any traveller who is female. Yes- the ever helpful flat iron. My parents have provided me with a roof over my head, transportation, love and a million other countless things that only parents can provide. Friends who have been overseas have given me advice, travel books, tips, and information that is going to help me have a great time in Europe.

I can't begin to describe how excited/nervous/giddy I am about my pending adventures! But I know that without all of these people I wouldn't be able to even think about going to Europe for a month. These people who have supported me and loved me and took care of me for my whole life are so important to me and vital to my success. I can't even begin to thank them enough for all they've done for me.

Trading Up

In our society people are always trading up. Oh that iPhone is starting to lose some of that new phone shine? Here's a new iPhone4! Nevermind that it has a lot of problems. It's new! Here have one! Oh, you say you bought a dress last summer? Well now it's this summer so clearly you need to get this extremely similar-yet omigosh clearly different dress for this summer! And don't even get me started on shoes and other accessories that seem to have a shorter lifespan than fruit flies. What happened to high quality goods that last longer than a year or two? why has the attention span of Americans gotten so short that we cannot recognize that our consumer goods are no longer meeting our standards for quality?

I acquired a pair of Dockers plaid pajama pants. These pants are comfy and roomy and just about everything a gal could want out of pajama pants. I've had these pants for two years and golly- i still love them. However, about a month ago I noticed a large rip in the butt part (naturally) of the pants. Being the sentimental and resourceful girl (or woman I should say) I didn't let a little tear get me down! I took a needle and thread and sewed the rip together. Granted the plaid design was slightly more crooked than it had been before but at least my favorite pajama pants were once again intact. Sadly, tonight the rip decided that the stitches I painstakingly (okay...maybe that's an overstatement) stitched into the fabric, were useless, and the rip re-opened once again.

I'm faced with a dilemma. To repair or not to repair? That is the question. I feel that the two years that I have had these pants is obviously past the intended time of wear. I'm sure the people at Dockers are just waiting for me to run out to the stores to grab up more pajama pants to fill the void of my beloved, yet torn, pair. However, I feel as though I've been cheated out of my favorite pajama pants. Don't misunderstand me. I understand that clothes cannot last forever, but is it too much to ask that things last just a little bit longer? Why not make consumer goods more durable. Sure these pants weren't top-of-the-line pajama pants but still. It's a sad day that I'm letting this pair, that has served me well, go to that place where all discarded and torn and out-of-date clothes must go.

Getting Ready

For the past two weeks (months, really) I've been burying my nose in several travel books. I've taken leisurely strolls through Barcelona and Venice and the French Riviera and Amsterdam, and Belgium. I've read about the countless museums and churches and buildings that have been around for centuries. I've seen pictures of the canals in Venice and the skyline that can be seen from the London Eye. I'm captivated by all of the things that I've read and by the pictures I've seen and I almost don't believe that I will (in 17 short days) see many of these things FIRSTHAND! I'll be in Europe (London mainly) for 30 days and I hope to see everything and go everywhere that I possibly can.

In addition to relying on the ever helpful Fodor's guidebook to just about every imaginable destination, I've also been diving into the representation of the great city of London from British fiction writers. I've read about five books in the past week that take place in London. They highlight not only the vastness of the city but also the eccentricities and cultural differences that can only be understood through experience.

This trip is not only intended to feed my desire to see the world but also to help expand my knowledge of the career field I've chosen: Marketing. I'll be taking classes and hearing from prominent business professionals from the UK in order to learn all I can about International Business and Marketing in particular. The current economic turbulence that's going on in Europe right now with the Euro and the European Union makes for an interesting time to be studying European business.

On top of being totally excited (woo hoo!) I am beginning to get nervous. I'm trying to just make sure that I'm as prepared as is humanly possible. I've planned for various temperatures and weather (I just got a cute new rain jacket), I've gotten a pair of great walking shoes, bought a new backpack (so I'll really be able to say that I backpacked through Europe) and I've read everything I can get my hands on about all of the places that I'll be visiting. I know that even though I feel prepared that there are going to be so many things that I haven't anticipated but I'm ok with that. Part of the fun of travelling is getting lost and learning about your new surroundings through firsthand experience and I can't wait!

17 more days! woo hoo!