What do eye exams, blogs and a full-time job have in common?

Well, I  certainly have been slacking on this blog lately! And, worst of all, I basically only have three tiny things to contribute right now.

1. I had an eye exam today at Empire Vision. It cost me nearly $100 for him to tell me my eyes hadn’t changed since my last exam. Grrr. But at least I learned a couple interesting things:

     (a) That sleeping with my eyes partway open, as anyone who has seen me sleeping before will say I do, could be the reason why my eyes are so tired and dried out. And now that I’m thinking about it, it’s probably worse now because I sleep with a fan blowing on my face in the summer, and if my eyes are open with the fan blowing on the all night, no wonder they’re dry all day! I bought some Thera Tears night eye drops that should help.

     (b) I asked him why my pupils are so large at times. I have looked it up online and had all these wacky theories. (You know, everything from cancer to emotional distress) Turns out, it’s completely natural for young, healthy eyes to have large pupils and that as I get older my pupils will get smaller. All those years my mom accused me of doing drugs, I was just a healthy youngin. Who’da thunk?

2. I have been thinking about a topic for a blog that would be more journalistic-like instead of so opinionated and experience-oriented like this one. Not to say that this blog isn’t interesting, but I might be able to get more people to read my writing if I were to write something people couldn’t find anywhere else and if I were to use interviews more than personal experiences. Few, if any, blogs exist on my hometown, Elmira, N.Y., so I thought that would be a cool place to start. Perhaps I will do that some time, if I have time, which brings me to point number three…

3. Working 40 hours a week sure does take up a lot of your time! The eight-to-nine hours wouldn’t even be so completely bad if I wasn’t always so exhaused by the time I got home. I guess it’s all just part of turning into an adult, though.

Twitter Chat: A great experience!

Tonight I experienced my first-ever TwitterChat. It was great!

I started following #journchat a little before 8 p.m. and I couldn’t stop even though I felt like I should have been doing other things (like working on my internship log). But I’m glad I stuck with it. It was sort of like a class with one of my j-school professors–learning a bunch of useful information and hearing a bunch of educated opinions on the craft of journalism and mass communication. Even though it became rather challenging to keep up with and, therefore, chime in, bceause of its speed, I enjoyed reading insights from people in Georgia, California and everywhere in between. You just can’t get that anywhere else!

Topics in tonight’s chat included using Twitter tweets for sources, coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and how social media has changed people’s jobs.

Even though it was difficult to keep up, it was nice because I could go away and come back if I needed to. After speed reading through a few entries, I could catch right up and jump back into the conversation.

In addition to all the expertise and opinions in the media world, the chat also helped meet a few new and intresting people to follow on Twitter. I’m always looking for interesting tweeps!

By the time the chat finished and I had contributed a ONEPITCH for my blog (yes, this one!), I had just enough time to write this blog before heading to bed. Another long day of work tomorrow, but I’m glad I spent tonight as I did!

You can find out more about journchat and even read the Twitter transcipt from tonight’s chat here: http://wthashtag.com/Journchat Enjoy!

Michael Jackson memories

Well, if you haven’t heard by now, you must be living under a rock: The King of Pop is dead. Naturally, everyone in the media world–from Twitter to CNN and the NYTimes–is talking about and remembering the legend. I wasn’t born until 1988–a few years after Michael’s flaming-hair, fan-crazed Thriller days. However, bceause Michael did heavily influence my parents (especially my father, who graduated from high schol in 1984), Michael’s music influenced me from babyhood and it’s still with many of my friends and me. So, rather than write a straight post, I thought I’d just give a list of childhood memories I have that relate to Michael–some good, some bad:

1. My parents would blare the music regularly when I was growing up. And I mean BLARE. They especially loved blaring it during long car trips when I was a stupid 13-year-old who hated MJ at the time simply because my parents loved him. I especially remember them blaring “Dangerous”, although my mom did frequently listen to “Thriller” and “Beat It”.

2. My brother and I received a keyboard for a present one year; it came with a Michael Jackson “Bad” soundtrack piano music book.

3. My Dad’s stories about the girls who went nuts at his high school when Michael’s hair caught on fire in that Pepsi commercial. My dad also said he used to have a Michael Jackson outfit with that red sparkly suit. Too bad he lost it.

4. My brother used to love playing “Black or White”, mostly because of the part in the very beginning where the father tells the kid to turn the music down, but the kid doesn’t want to. So he says “Eat this”, slams the tape in the player and jams those distinctive beginning chords to one of my favorite MJ songs–the lyrics are just so great and wholesome.

5. Watching the Thriller video with my dad and brother at the hotel in Norfolk, Va. Yes, in it’s entirity (like 15 minutes!) on VH1.

 6. The Free Willy Song!!! I believe it’s called “Will  You Be There”. Very inspirational tune that instantly brings that great movie to mind.

7. A couple of my long-lost friends, Calvin and Bear, used to jam out to Billy Jean constantly back in high school. Complete with high-pitched voice. I think one of them was even “Jacko” for Halloween one year.

8. My friend Eddie has a stellar Thriller dance he can do after a few drinks. It’s really pretty sweet.

9. Again, me with the teenage angst against Michael because my parents and brother liked him. When my aunt bought my brother “Thriller” at some point in that angsty middle school phase, I made fun of him because it was “old” music. Once I listened (and, of course, got over that phase) I really loved his music.

… and if I sat here and thought long enough, I know I could think of plenty more.

     ——————————————–

I’m sure my memories are kind of lame and pathetic compared to a lot of other people’s. But they’re mine. And the whole point of this is the joy his music brought (even if my teenage self wouldn’t admit it right away).

His music had everything–some great beats for dancing, some great messages when you need it. Just great musc overall.

Often people forget someone’s bad side once that person dies, but Michael’s contributions to the entertainment and music industry are just too great. Without him, there would probably be no Usher, no Chris Brown.

In all honesty, anyone who only looks at the most recent, troubled years of his life obviously didn’t pay enough attention to the years of his life that truly mattered–the years in which he not only created his own fame, but also made it possible for future singers and dancers to do what they do today.

No matter your opinion on MJ, no one can deny his affects on music, race relations and the world. Despite his death, he lives on forever in the music and in the millions of hearts he touched from the first time he took the stage as a boy until his death. RIP MJ.

Choose the loser: Pothead politicians or gramatically incorrect journalists

If you chose the later option, you’re correct. Check out this article: Drew Griffin blog post

I am not a pot smoker. I took one puff in eighth grade and that’s it. I don’t regret it and I certainly don’t think I’ve turned into a “loser”. I’m about to graduate from a private Catholic university with a journalism degree, a 3.8 GPA and an internship at a Fortune 500 company under my belt.

Drew Griffin’s logic is just off. I may be a little biased because I do not believe the government should interfere strongly with what we decide to do with our own bodies. But arguing marijuana should be illegalized because it creates losers just shows Mr. Griffin has no idea what he’s talking about. Yes, you spoke with all prosecutors and police men. But did you talk to any average people? Or any other successful people? Last time I checked, success isn’t confined to police officers, prosecutors and DEA officers. And, by the way, did you ask any of those prosecutors or police men if they have ever smoked pot? Now that would be an interesting story.

Anyway, by saying rappers shouldn’t be allowed to talk about pot, Mr. Griffin is saying because something is illegal, no one should talk about it or have his or her own opinion on it. Think about it this way: drinking is illegal for those under 21. No matter what you think about the drinking age, any sane person would agree that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be allowed to talk about it. If the First Amendment protects hate speech, why shouldn’t it protect someone who talks about drugs or sex or alcohol?

Even more frustrating than Mr. Griffin’s desire to throw out the first amendment is his assumption that everyone who has ever smoked pot is a loser. Here are just a few presidents who have definitely or who have been strongly rumored to have smoked pot (Info courtesy of Presidents and Pot)

George Washington (grew it on his plantation and smoked it to aid toothaches)
Thomas Jefferson (grew and smoked it)
former President John F. Kennedy
former President Bill Clinton
former President George W. Bush (it’s also highly suspected he used cocaine)…
President Barack Obama (also admitted to using a “little blow” in one of his books).

 

Image courtesy of 420magazine.com

(It might be important to note hemp had many uses at in the 1700s, which could be one reason why early presidents grew and used it.)

OK, so there you have it. Whether you loved or hated any of these presidents, you can’t deny that becoming the president of the United States of America probably proves you are one of the most, if not the most, successful people in America. And some even did cocaine. And survived. And went on to live normal lives. But just in case that list wasn’t enough, here are some more “successful” people who have smoked pot before:
Michael Phelps
Michael Bloomberg
Ted Turner
Stephen King
Arnold Schwarzenegger

(Info courtesy of  Coed Magazine; Image courtesy of socratesvotes.com)

Losers smoke pot. So do average people. So do successful people. People smoke pot to unwind and relax, basically the same reasons people have a glass of wine or a scotch on the rocks. To chill.

Saying people who smoke pot are only losers just proves how truly uninformed the author is.

And I’d also like to point out, in my eyes, the author lost completely every inch of credibility when he couldn’t even use a comma in the correct spot. He wrote, “The DEA agents who raided this home, could raid similar homes everyday, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and still the marijuana would grow.”

Answer me this question, Mr. Griffin: Is the loser the man who smoked pot a few times during his childhood and later went to college and became president of the USA? Or, maybe, is it the man who doesn’t even know you never place a comma between the subject and the verb of a sentence unless it has a non-essential clause between it?

Just think about it.

Tampax: The new thing for guys?

Not really. But P&G/Tampax just realeased this cute little marketing campaign/Web site about a 16-year-old guy, Zack, who woke up one morning with girl parts instead of guy parts “down there.”

It’s kind of odd at first, but after watching a little longer, it turns cute. It turns in to more of a campaign supporting the cliche problems women face and what might happen if a guy were to transform into a girl.

According to this campaign, guys would be nicer to their sisters. Geez, I wish my own brother would grow some girl parts. Girl parts also lead Zack to understand why girls/women always hassle guys to put the toilet seats down. Putting your bare bottom on a nasty toilet seat is just awful!

And more than just going through what a girl goes through “down there”. He started to mature faster than the other guys–since typically people say girls mature sooner than boys do. He got into petty arguements with his guy friends that made them sound married. He got cramps and back aches!!!

“I didn’t go to April’s party. I felt gross, like I wanted to crawl out of my skin.” Man, this company really has the whole female period thing nailed.

And cute little insights. “I wonder what pioneer women did when they got their period during French class.”
And then… “I could feel that the man pad I made wasn’t cutting it.” haha! Of course, any girly product with “man” added to it is instantly more funny. (Thank man boobs, aka moobs!)

Perfect product placement in the bathroom during French class! And, wow. I never thought a guy growing a vagina could make me feel proud to be a woman and feel so empowered! ha. I give Tampax three thumbs up! A great message (girls have it much harder than guys!) with an interesting twist–telling about female physical struggles through a young male. Who woulda thunk!?

And the best part? Call me a cradle robber, but Zack’s cute. He looks like a typical preppy/macho guy lots of girls would want, which, I would imagine, would be even more helpful toward attracting the teenaged market.

And a cool thing I just realized… Tampax chose French class as opposed to math or English because it has feminine and masculine articles. Zack’s difficulty with distinguishing the articles symbolizes his transformation from male parts to female parts. Ha! How creative!

Visit the page by clicking here:

Watch it and tell me what you think!!

Researching social media through my internship this summer had really helped to spark my own interest in the topic. I, personally, began hearing the official term it in my advertising and web communications classes last year even though I’ve had MySpace and Facebook accounts and a blog in some form for almost five years now. The words “social” and “media” alone intrigue me because I’m interested in both things social and things media-related.

I use social media to keep up with friends and news in which I’m interested. However, I’m beginning to realize social media can give you more than news and friend requests; it can keep you attuned to what is truly happening across the globe.

For example, take a look at the Iran protests of Ahmadinejad’s re-election. I don’t follow TV news too much–the most I really get is less than an hour’s worth while I get ready in the morning. However, I have heard the U.S. media has been cautious in reporting on the protests. So, that stinks for the people of Iran who are trying to have their voices heard. After all, protests aren’t really that effective if no one else knows about them. And the more people who know about the injustices, the better. It’s especially good for the protestors if they can get a giant on their side, like the U.S. While I don’t believe the U.S. has taken an official stance on the issue yet, I would hope it would reach out to the more democratically sound group. The questions is, however, how does the U.S. determine the most democratic group?

It would seem America would want to move toward the power of the people, but it must be careful. Who knows how these protests could turn out. If Ahmadinejad ends up overcoming the protestors, he surely wouldn’t like the U.S. for helping others rebel against him. However, if the U.S. sides with Ahmadinejad, which would generall be against our nation’s values, and the protestors overcome the president, we wouldn’t be in good standing with them in the future, either.

So, what to do? Looks like the only option the U.S. has–no matter how badly it would like to stick up for the people, for the little guy–is to keep its nose out of Iran, for now.

My whole reasoning for going off on this Iran protest rant? Well, it was the subject of a Twitter chat tonight and Iranians are Tweeting and posting videos and photos of the protests as we speak. It’s just so interesting to see news unfolding right in front of our eyes, without the media barrier to tell us what we should and should not see. Not that I’m against the media at all. But it’s going to be interesting to see how this fiasco turns out in light of social media.