25 thanks

I'm a pretty sentimental person. My closet is stuffed full of school projects, notebooks and magazines. I have a trunk of old clothes, shoes and other random items, including every single newspaper from my senior year of high school. Speaking of newspapers, I have boxes full of random newspaper clippings of stories I liked or pictures I thought were cool. So in the vein of sentimentality, I want to make a list of things I am thankful for this year.



25. JK Wedding Dance. How can so much joy be found in one youtube video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

24. My snuggie. How did I live without a blanket with sleeves? http://www.getsnuggiie.com/flare/next/

23. Cheez-Its. The only food that gets me through the day. http://www.kelloggs.com/cheez_it/

22. Three Wolf Moon. So, so much joy this has brought into my life. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=three+wolf+moon&tag=yahhyd-20&index=aps&hvadid=42616140011&ref=pd_sl_70511wxp57_e

21. Dove chocolate. The only thing that keeps me sane. http://www.dovechocolate.com/

20. Running water. It's true.

19. Twitter. I think my leads have gotten better because now I think, "Would this fit in a twitter status?" http://twitter.com/

18. Plaid. I'm finally cool! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaid

17. School. As much as I am burnt out and like to complain, I am very glad to have the opportunity to learn. http://www.uga.edu/

16. My netti pot. No sinus infections! A true blessing.

15. Cereal. Probably the best food ever.

14. Walking to class. Because I hate driving.

13. Books. Where would I be without you?! http://www.bn.com/

12. Harry Potter. I'm going to Hogwarts!! http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/

11. IKEA commercials. Another thing that keeps me sane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkSsOPC4ATk

10. The remastered Beatles. I have been waiting for these since I was 12. http://www.thebeatles.com/

9. Community newspapers. It's just nice to know I will always have a job. http://www.timescourier.com/content.aspx?IsHome=1&MemberID=1252&ID=1756&Module=Quickpage

8. Cartoons. Because I like to relive my childhood every chance I get. http://www.jaroo.com/

7. Bandaids. I get hurt. A lot. http://www.band-aid.com/

6. Scarves. I hate getting cold. I'm pretty much going to die in England.

5. JOUR 5410. What do we do in class? I'm not really sure. How much have I learned? So, so much. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/weekinreview/27wines.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=to%20fill%20notebooks,%20and%20a%20few%20bellies&st=cse

4. Going to Oxford. I can finally pursue my dream of pretending that I am a wizarding student at Hogwarts.

3. Glee. The best new show of the year. By far. http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=glee

2. My dog and cat. They teach me about unconditional love.

1. My family. Because they are the best.

The cassette tape, my favorite medium

A few weeks ago, I lost a friend very dear to my heart. After several days of trying to fixing her, my beloved Cyndi Lauper tape was declared dead. I was distraught. No matter how much I love iTunes and my iPod, cassette tapes will always be my favorite. Why? Since I got my iPod four years ago, I have only bought five albums, because given the option to buy a song at a time; I only buy the songs I like. I've found that on the five albums I've purchased, I only really listen to four or five songs and skip over the rest. But of all the tapes I have (and I have a lot of tapes), I never skip a song. Mostly because it's a pain in the butt if you do. It's hard to fast forward exactly to the right spot, so I listen to the whole album. Even though I have to flip the tape after the side is complete, there is something about listening to a complete album that is a magical experience. The way the songs flow together, the overall impression the entire work, not just a single song, gives. No offense to iPods and musicians producing albums today, but often it seems like they are making a series of singles, songs that stand alone and have no connection to each other. While Rihanna is awesome, "Good Girl Gone Bad" is still no "She's So Unusual," and Owl City may have some catchy tunes, but their debut is no "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust." So this is my ode to the tape, a magical media form that demanded amazing albums. I miss you.

Hello again

I've been out of the blogosphere for almost a month but not by choice. As my semester comes to a very welcomed end, I can't help but wonder why it is so easy to get bogged down in the little everyday things. How did homework and tests and readings develop an all-consuming power over my life? How did I ever manage to fit writing for fun in?
After thinking it over, it's not my homework's fault that I haven't written anything lately. Well, not completely (although it did play a major role in it). Lack of time-management? Maybe a little. Firm belief that I am Wonder Woman and can do everything? Definitely. In the end, it is the choices I made this semester that zapped me of my time and energy. While I would like to go back and change some of them (playing games on Facebook has been my greatest regret), I feel like if I did, I wouldn't have the experiences this semester has given me. If I hadn't worked for HandsOn, I would never have the opportunity to plan and host my own workshop on how to use social media. If I had dropped my dance appreciation or Hitchcock classes, I would never learned about the history of either subject. If I had dropped my journalism ethics class (God forbid!), I never would have heard the awesome stories Fink and all our guest speakers had to share. And I would have a really terrible resume. Yes, I have missed my blog. But I would have regretted not getting to have these experiences more. Ultimately, I am happy with the way my choices, and although it was hard, I wouldn't change a single experience.