Happy New Year.....and a MASSIVE update

Welcome to a new decade!

Ok. Now that I said that..WAIT--we're in a new decade?! I cannot believe that it's 2011! Ten years ago at this very moment I was a freshman in college beginning my second semester as a Zoology (pre-med) major.  Ten years later, I am beginning my last semester as an Integrated Marketing Communications graduate student and an intern in said field. I never would have guessed this ten years ago-EVER!


I know my posting has been shoddy at best the last two months or so.  Such is the life of a girl in the city.  I guess in a way I should be grateful, because that means I have a plethora of friends who invite me to all their activities and I try to participate as much as I can.  I will not complain about feeling the love (especially in these days) and you should take my absences as a something positive, because that means I'm gathering more material for us to sift through together.  So let's discuss some of the highlights...

One of the reasons that I began this blog, was to market myself because I am in the midst of making a career change.  For anyone considering switching careers, to tell you it is difficult is an understatement.   I knew that it would be a challenge, but I was not prepared for how discouraging it can be to one's optimistic mindset. As a career-changing student set to enter the workforce in May, one of my focuses has been to secure an internship.  Why? Because I need relevant industry experience.  Sadly my degree is not enough to guarantee entry into my field.  Truthfully,  I have been searching for an internship off and on since I began my program.   I will not sugar coat the facts, and say it's been cake walk.  It has not been easy.  At all. It is frustrating, and time consuming.  Rejection can make you want to rip your hair out, and even worse, doubt your academic  (and sometimes personal) prowess.  To the nagging self-doubt I say do not get discouraged everything ALWAYS works out for the best!

Anyway, remember how waaay back in the beginning I said I had some things on the horizon I was hoping  would pan out?? Well- they have!!!  I am an intern!  WHOOO!!!  Last week I began my internship at a multicultural (yes!) advertising and pubic relations firm.  When I interviewed I was placed in the account services (advertising) division, but after some company restructuring I am working in both account services and public relations! At first, I was shocked and a little weary.  Truthfully, I did not have a good view of PR from the class I took.  After working on a public relations project the last few days my opinion is changing.  It feels great to finally start advancing up my career path.

Yesterday evening I had my first class of my last semester. Ever (I think).  This semester I am taking Creative Campaigns and Campaign Planning with my two favorite professors.  I know they will challenge me, and as a result of those challenges I will be the best IMC Maven I can.  Ending my studies with these two individuals teachers is priceless and words cannot suffice. I cannot wait to see what tonight's class will bring.  Can you feel my joy and excitement?!

During class I had one of those indescribably rare moments where I KNEW that I am in the right place on the right track. Whenever I have one of these incredibly rare moments I smile and my heart warms.  I honestly feel it is God's way of letting me know that in the end it's ALL worth it!!  I have these moments at work as well.  I am learning so much as I apply my schoolwork in the real world.  On Monday I tweeted, "It doesn't feel like work if you like what you're doing!" If you think I'm lying consider this: I have more fun working as an unpaid intern than I do as a (considerably more) paid paralegal!  In all seriousness, I urge those readers who have not found their passion to take the time this new year to seek that which fulfills you. You only live once, and shouldn't you enjoy where you spend the majority of your day/week/life?  Also, living  life will put you through enough pain and suffering. So why not avoid some of it if you enjoy your career??

A few other miscellaneous things:
I know this is a blog about media and recently I have gotten away from that a bit.  Don't worry, there will be media reviews in the upcoming posts.  While I'm speaking om the blog format, I am going to include another facet: the graduate student on the job hunt.  I have some definite ideas of where I want to go with my career and leads to pursue, but I thought it could be fun to chronicle my journey.  Lastly, I am also tossing the idea around of having this be an informal journal of my last semester of school (maybe?) ever.  I hope these changes don't bother you. If they do, go read Ad Age or Ad Week. They're straight media no personality. (Not to say they aren't great reads, but here you get a personal take from yours truly).  Let me know what you guys think. I always love to hear it.  I'm not quite sure how to get alerts on comments, but I LOVE them and try to respond when I can.  Oh, and can you do me a favor? Would you mine spamming the crap out of the blog on FB, Twitter, email blasts, WHATEVER?! I'd like to increase my readership!

Thanks and Happy New You!

A Small (but serious) Request

First off, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and any other holiday season occurring now that you may choose to celebrate!  My final final is tonight and I could not be happier!  I know it's been awhile since I've updated, but I feel required to write this blog at the core of my existence.

As you know, this blog is 90% about my thoughts on media and 10% about me (if even).  However, in the last few weeks I have had some really wonderful and really awful things occur to me (to be updated in a future post).   I have seen a lot of death as the holidays have approached.  It is nothing short of painful to witness people you care about pass away or endure a loss in their life.  You are helpless.  The only comforts to offer are to be there for them, listen, and encourage them to take life day by day.  Unfortunately, we cannot take some of the burden on their behalf.

Life is short.  I hate to say I am speaking from experience, but I am.  Twice in my life I have been about to talk with or make plans with my friend, and then they were suddenly no longer among the living.  Devastated is putting my feelings mildly.  From these lessons I have learned to always tell those in my life how I feel about them.  I have also realized not to sweat the small stuff. It is just STUFF.

I made a decision earlier this week that as my 29th birthday approaches (tomorrow) I am going to start living my life a little differently.  I am going to throw caution to the wind and listen to my heart rather than my head.  As a pragmatic person, this was a scary thing to do.  But if I'm given ONE life am I really living if I'm living in a world of fearful, rational explanations? I'm not. I've done it for 28 years, and for 29 it is time to try something different.

Therefore, I implore you to tell those that you love and care for that you love and care for them.   I'll go first:

 

 

Some of my Favorites on a memorable night

To all my friends old and new I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Da Mayer

As your music-loving media maven I feel it is my duty to introduce you to some of my wonderful musician friends.  Oddly, the two I plan to feature first are friends in the same hip hop crew.  I believe in these men and their music, and I think you could too.


First up: Mayer Hawthorne

Me, Karla, Mayer

I have to say I am sort of a music snob.  If you discuss music with me, than you discover my general disdain for today's R & B genre.  To say I think it is terrible (with the exception of Neo-Soul) is an understatement.  The quality of the material within the songs and the lyrics has decreased exponentially, and the artists themselves cannot sing.  When people ask me why I feel this way I explain that I grew up listening to my parents music: Motown, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder etc.   I wish that quality of music would revive itself.  Generally those that disagree with my stance on today's R & B concede that the music of our parents generation is unquestionably better.  Fortunately, there are now a group of artists that have focused on soul, and one of them happens to be Karla's (my sister) close friend!

Yesterday Drew was in the New York Times, and needless to say we were beside ourselves with excitement.  If you are  unfamiliar with Mayer Hawtorne here is a taste of loveliness that your ears have been begging for.  Maybe So Maybe No,  is my favorite song.  The video is pretty sweet and I have to give Henry DiMaio some major credit for standing out above the pack:

North Coast Music Festival 9/5/10

You know when you listen to a CD that you love over and over, and finally see the band live and it is beyond disappointing? I hate that!  It leads one to feel they have been tricked by the sound engineer.  Well, I am happy to say you will NOT have this problem when you see Mayer Hawthorne.  Seriously.  I can say this with authority, because I have had the opportunity to see Mayer Hawthorne live three times within the last six months.  I have also seen them in a variety of venues: in a large theater with awful acoustics, at the North Coast Music Festival, and in an intimate club setting.  They rocked it every time, and I was never disappointed.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  Each time their show has gotten better and better.  The show is a fusion of hip hop, classic soul, and a little funk.  It is also a fun dance party guaranteed to have you leave with a smile on your face.

 One of my favorite aspects of the show is the eclectic crowd.  In a city as segregated as Chicago it is rare to see the races, ages, hipsters, hip hop heads interact.  Mayer Hawthorne is one of the rare catlysts that bring these groups together-that in itself should explain the magic of these performances.  

Finally, I would like to add Strange Arrangement is one of those CD's that you can listen to straight through on repeat.  Yes, it is in the ranks of "Nevermind" "College Dropout" "Rage Against the Machine" "Off the Wall" "Reasonable Doubt" "Are You Experienced?" and "Midnight Marauders." I'm sure you're thinking "Yeah, right you're just saying that because you know the dude."  To that I say: if you remotely like or love any of the aforementioned albums I implore you to check out Strange Arrangement.  It would behoove you to give it a try.  Trust me your ears and soul will dance.

November 17, 2010-NUD

Anton and I (Mid-Dougie?)

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. I did. I was a pirate--YYYAARGGHH MATEY!!!!  Truthfully, I was a pirate because I received an eye-patch during Michigan Homecoming.  Long story.  I already had the clothes so I decided to have a comfy, cheap, and fun Halloween. The evidence of said fun:

 Just thought I'd share that little nugget, because I LOVE Halloween.

Now it is time to discuss the point of this post.  I truly believe we need to get the word out about NUD as quickly as possible.

I am quite sure you are pondering, "what is NUD and why haven't I heard of it?" NUD was invented by Jimmy Kimmel. It is National Unfriend Day (November 17, 2010).  He explains his rationale below:

Frankly, I think Jimmy is onto something.  I know that social media has integrated itself into our 2010 way of life, but I think that as first generation users we need to be critical of  our usage.  Our number one concern should be the rationale of inviting all these "friends" into our personal lives.  Now, I have been on Facebook since 2004. I was on there when one needed a .edu domain to register, and they were building the network up slowly school by school.  Back then it was exciting to see the daily announcement of schools that were finally granted access to the medium (especially if you had a gaggle of close friends who attended said school).  When they opened Facebook up to the world things started to go crazy.

All of a sudden family members I had no idea who they were wanted to be friends and join Family groups.   This is not to say that I don't love my extended family (I love you guys!), but seriously if I can't pick you out on the street what is really the point?  So you can check my status and feel like you know me if/when we finally meet??  (If I haven't met you at 28...I am going to assume the chances are slim). Or perhaps you want to check my pictures and see what a day in the life of Gloria is like? I don't get it. 

Another use I do not understand is inviting work and/or industry people into your personal space.  I understand that social media can be used as a networking tool, but honestly I am not trying to have you "know me intimately" for us to network.  Would you really hire someone that you knew went out faithfully every Thursday night for Thirsty Thursday? Or what about if they received the School Night Badge on Foursquare and it showed up in their wall posts?  No, you would not take them seriously. Especially after you saw their weekly video and photos from said outings. **Disclaimer: I am just using this as an example, and am by no means describing myself. Hello potential employers!!**

While I am on the subject of appropriate vs. inappropriate friendships, why is it that when I meet a man (in the romantical way) the first thing he wants to do is friend me on Facebook? Maybe I'm a Facebook prude, but I only "friend" people I know.  That means I've known you longer than a conversation, a drink, a meal, even a few dates.  It does not grant you full access to stalk my personal life.  You are denied the right to see my pictures of adventures with my friends, where I am at the moment (I love my Foursquare), how I'm feeling, and who we have in common (so that you can pump them about information on me).  When I explain this to men, they seem taken aback. Maybe this is because I am not the norm, or maybe it is because I do not reciprocate said interest in them.  Either way, if I get to know you in a romantic way I would like to leave the social media aspect out of it as much as I can.  Let me get to know the real you, not the online you.  I believe technology has made people lazy in all aspects of their relationships.  It is time to take the power back!

The aforementioned laziness, stalking, and clogging of my news feed are a few reasons why I think National Unfriend Day is great.  Not everyone you meet needs to be your "friend." Cut the fluff!! It won't kill you-it'll probably make you stronger! 

I have a high school classmate who will be getting the axe on National Unfriend Day.  I thought said friend was a nice guy-we even had our lockers near each other and he loved to sing G-L-O-R-I-A!!! Every period to me. (Yes it was that irritating, but it grew on me).  Now, he writes things that I believe are truly offensive and racist.  Hello sir, not everyone shares your political, social, and moral views; perhaps if you want to put said comments on the internet you should do it on a forum #ImJustSayin.  Have some discernment people. 

Lastly, I want to take the time out to say thank you to ALL the veterans and soldiers around the world.  Without your willingness to fight for the freedom s we take for granted I would not be able to express myself.  It is much appreciated. You are in my prayers.

Season Finale Alert-Project Runway

THE SEASON FINALE OF PROJECT RUNWAY!!!! Can you feel the joy?!
 
After a a season of intense challenges, break you down into tears judge commentary (Michael Kors and Nina Garcia I'm talking to you--and LOVE you for it) , catty hate (Gretchen and Ivy...um why?!), and inspirational stories (Mondo revealing his HIV positive status and Michael C. making it to the final four without proper sewing/pattern design skills) one of my favorite shows end until spring.  It is bittersweet: I look forward to seeing who wins the wonderful prize (GO MONDO!!) and who packs up and goes home empty-handed-except for the name recognition they created. I also can't wait to have some of my DVR space back.   On the other I am sad to see my product placement show end

Yes, you read that correctly. I did call this my favorite product placement show.  Project Runway shamelessly flaunts products throughout every episode in its entirety.  Sadly (or ingeniusly) I can remember a large number of of the products they promote including: Michael Kors, Marie Claire, Garnier Fructis, Saturn, Brother Sewing Machines, Hilton Hotels, Mood Fabrics, Atlas Apartments, Parsons School of Design, L'Oreal, Bluefly.com, and even Cadillac.  The odd thing about this is that I do not mind the shameless promotion on PR.  I am not sure if this is because I expect it on shows featuring the arts such as Project Runway, America's Next Top Model and Top Chef.  Truthfully PR has converted my mother and I to Garnier users.  I think that in shows where someone or something is created and/or transformed I love watching the product at work in the hands of professionals.  I know that I can't create that smokey eye like you can, but I can at least try with the same exact tools you have! Maybe just maybe, it will work.  Now, what I do not want to see happen is all reality shows because venues for product placement. Keep it on cooking, fashion, and design shows. 

Throwing my support behind the creative genius!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month??!

That's a joke.  In all seriousness these Breast Cancer Awareness (going forward we will say BCA because it's too much to type) marketers have really impressed me. This years media blitz hit the ground running!! It's only October 4th, and unless you live under a rock you know it's BCAM.  You have seen at least ten ads, and perhaps even already donated to the cause.  Personally, I attended a fundraiser Saturday--yes on the second day of the month.  Ford had Neil Patrick Harris encouraging the world to Suit Up! And wear a BCA tie in a prime time commercial of  "How I Met Your Mother." During Sunday's games the NFL players/teams/coaches are all wearing pink either in the form of cleats, gloves, or on their team gear. Even the goal posts are wrapped in pink padding!  But it doesn't end there. 

This evening when I returned home from class I turned on the game in time to see Kelly Rowland singing "Survivor" and breast cancer survivors marching on the football field. Now, I don't want to sound like I don't care about breast cancer. I do. BUT this is almost ridiculous.  I understand that you want to put your cause on the largest platform available, but this doesn't go well with football.  First of all, it's not tradition to see star-studded halftime shows during Monday Night Football.  What was the point?  Wouldn't this be better suited for a format such as Project Runway?  Sidenote: I do believe they'll tie it into Project Runway just wait!! Likewise, where was the rest of Destiny's Child?

There is a such thing as overkill.   It seems whoever coordinated this campaign did not believe in it.  This is based solely on the amount of BCA paraphernalia invading our world.

My rating of the BCA program is three stars.  You have done well with alerting us of your cause. It has become second nature to associate breast cancer with October and pink ribbons.  Congrats.  Where you messed up is in drowning us in your media blitz.  If you lose us now all your efforts were in vain.  It is only October 4th.  We have 27 days remaining in the month.  Let us breathe!

Update: Had some technical difficulties with this post. Better late than never!

Current Obsessions

TV: How I Met Your Mother.  It's a hilarious show.  If you haven't already;  check it out.  The cast is fantastic and I cannot get enough of Barney (Neil Patrick Harris).  His portrayal of a sex-crazed, suit wearing, bro code self is classic--or in his words LEGEN---wait for it  DARY!!

Sports:  Football.  I love you fantasy football. I love you Game Day.  I love you MNF.  I also enjoy the commercials featuring my favorite sport (more about those this week).  I know you signal the end of the summer but I love you regardless.

TV again: Welcome back prime time!!! I am so happy you have returned.  I feel badly that I have not had time to catch up with my DVR. But I might have to get another DVR just to keep up with all the loveliness that Thursday night has to offer.

Social Media: I have this amazing class Monday nights.  My professor challenges everything I have learned in school thus far.  

Fall: I hate the end of the summer but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall.  This means we get to layer clothes and wear costumes soon.  Can't wait.  Living in Chicago we appreciate every warm day we have left.

My iPhone: No, I don't have the new one, but suddenly I have fallen in madly in love.  I truly don't understand how this happened.  I wonder if BlackBerry will exist in three years??  They need to come up with something and QUICK.  Having a touch screen isn't going to cut it.  I do like the new ad campaign that they're doing.  However I don't think BBM is a strong enough value proposition to lure people by the masses to BlackBerry.  They're on a slippery slope.

Running: I have recently gotten back into the hobby and it's starting to feel great.  I have started to get the feeling that I need a good run during the day.  Exciting stuff.

Apple advertising: I love that jingle they have for the iPad.  It's super catchy and very distinct.  Apple always does an A+ marketing job and they haven't let me down....Oh, and the product is pretty awesome too.

Let's make it a great week people!!!  Also, I really enjoy your comments and hope that you continue to leave them.  I want to interact with my friends. If you have any ideas on posts please feel free to email me.