I TOTALLY Failed

Yeah, the photo project worked until, oh, prep for midterms…which weren’t even that stressful.  I had an interview (did a phoner earlier than the class, so prepared!), and then my voice and articulation midterm which was only hard in that she wanted so much.  Poetry reading and story telling, pre-recorded (took 10 minutes in a booth, fine).  A prepared monologue for class (did one from V for Vendetta).  Then a self evaluation paper about how we prep for class and then reflections on each piece we’ve done thus far.  Oh, and warm up exercises, in partners.  Shannon and I had “relaxation” and we completely forgot that we needed to do write ups on the exercises until the night before.  Thank god that’s over.

Oh! And the weekend before was the Columbia College Radio Conference (go here to listen to the promo I threw together for it, under “Featured News”) and I worked that from 8-5:30.

I was probably asking someone to repeat their last name, everyone mumbled their last name and that was the critical part of their name for me to find their name tag. Kudos to Matt D. for the photo.

So yes, there was that.  I sat and watched a panel for “Internet Radio” which was really supposed to be called “Streaming Your College Station,” too bad they didn’t let the moderator know.  I got to meet Jim DeRogatis from Sound Opinions, he was our keynote speaker and was fantastic, easily the best part of the day.  Then I watched “I Need a Job!” and learned what to put on a demo should I decide to be an air talent (good to know, but it’s not my goal) and then helped with tech/moderating for a Production panel.

And then there was the Post-CCRC conference at Bar Louie.  They opened up the balcony for us crazy radio kids (uh, at least 30 of us at one point?) to drink our silly faces away.  With some experimentation, I found that I can drink Mike’s and Woodchucks annnnnd found that three Woodchucks get me plenty drunk (I felt awful around 11, when I got home, oops).

This is a good sampling of the people I was with. This is one in a series of photos that get crazier as you go through them. From my camera, courtesy of Lee. PS, I love that Matt and Mary are doing jazz hands.

Uh, yeah, we only got crazier and that night pretty much exemplified why we should all do this more often.

This weekend is Halloween and I am, once again, going back to DeKalb and not doing anything.  I don’t really do Halloween, so it’s kind of “whatever” for me.  I will mostly be sitting in Caribou in DeKalb with a good latte and my homework for the week.  Call me lame, I’ll call me productive.

There is no news on the knitting homefront, still working on the chevron scarf but it is going slowwww.  I’ve recently had to bust out my wrist brace again ’cause Filbert the Cyst has come back and well, that’s slowing me down. Meh.

 

I Suck At This Everyday Thing

The bar/grill where we got dinner our first night on the Island.

Soooo I’m bad at this updating all the time thing.  I’m going to fill this entry with a bunch of Mackinac Island photos. Yay!

This is what we woke up to, taken on our private porch at our B&B.

Taken a bit northwest of Main St, off the boardwalk.

A gorgeous house on the bluff.

Annnnd that is part one.  I will post EVEN MORE tomorrow, most likely.

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct. 18: Awesome Weekend!

Outside the Grand Hotel...we didn't actually stay there.

Okay so I have a ton to write about this past weekend and about a gazillion pictures but this is not the time.  It is time to sleep and cuddle with the cat (he won’t leave me alone ’cause I’ve been gone all weekend).

Anyhow, roadtrips and hiking and walking and photographing and eatingeatingeating and walking and GHOST HUNTING.  It was an awesome weekend.

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct 15: MAP Grant Lobby Day

After taking this, I shook Gov. Quinn's hand.

I didn’t post for yesterday.  I’m making up for it today with my review of MAP Grant Lobby Day.  All pictures were taken with my cell phone ’cause I wasn’t sure how security was about cameras in the capitol building.

Some may know, most will not, that the Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant was cut in half for this school year back in July.  This means that those of us who filled out our FAFSA forms were told that we were getting a certain amount of money in the fall and in the spring only to find in August that we would not be getting money in the spring.  I lost $2,500 towards my spring semester.

At Columbia alone, about 3,000 students lost money.  Many of us depend on this money and several students will drop out next semester if this money is not reinstated.  Today, about 20 of us (most from the Student Government Association, some, like me, were not) rode a charter bus down to Springfield to rally with hundreds (thousands, even) of other students to “SAVE MAP NOW.”  The above photo of Gov. Quinn was taken at the rally where he spoke for the press (both collegiate and network) and then shook hands with students.  When shaking his hand, I had the urge to kick him because, afterall, he is the one that signed the budget back in the summer and now he is blaming the legislation (Hey, Gov? That wasn’t a field trip form you were signing…). You know. Politics.

Pulling Reps off the floor during session.

The 20 of us split into 4 groups (each with an SGA exec and senator and then at least one person directly affected by the MAP loss) and we were off to lobby.  Both meetings we had were cancelled due to Rep. Burns being in session and then President of the Senate Cullerton being called back into session because the House passed the MAP bill.
When we found that Rep. Burns would still be in session, we set to pulling Reps off the floor.  We sent requests for Burns, Pritchard (representative for my hometown), and one other (can’t recall who?) but no one came out.  It was when someone else’s Rep came out and mentioned that the House passed the bill (unanimously!) that we breathed a small sigh of relief.  It still had to go through the Senate (which was called back into an emergency session) and then to the Governor.

From what I understand, the Senate passed it BUT with changes to how much money (uh, doubled?) so it needs to go back to the House so they can approve what changes were made.  What we are fearing for is that the House will end up killing it because instead of the $205 million, they put in for $425 million.  And there is still the question of just how this will be funded.

‘Course, now I am reading some news articles and I am seeing that it is going straight to Gov. Quinn. So maybe it won’t be going back to the House? I have no idea at this point.  We will see, but I’m crossing my fingers for it.

That was going to be the topic of the committee hearing where students could (and were going to) testify that was scheduled for 4pm that never happened.  Just before 5pm it was announced that the Republicans went into caucus and would be there very, very late and legally, there could not be a hearing without them.
As soon as we leave the room, we hear word that the caucus was let out. Magically. The hearing never happened, but that was an awful fishy caucus.

Since you’re here, check out this video:

This was put together by Columbia staff and students in 24 hours.  Read about it here on NBC, they did a really nice piece about it.
Our SGA president, Jessica, gave Gov. Quinn a copy of this on DVD when she shook his hand at the rally and explained what it was.  He asked where we were from, we said Columbia, and goes, “Oh! Columbia!! I BELIEVE IN COLUMBIA!” Great! So do we!  Now, about that grant, eh?

Lobby, lobby, lobby!

(October Photo Project)

(NOTE: I will be out of town…in MICHIGAN!… until Sunday.  No laptops allowed! I will update Sunday. Promise.)

 

Oct 13: My Debut of Sorts

Shannon and I guest-hosted with Eric on Hard Rock Revolution

I’ve had a bunch of my production work on WCRX before (as well as currently on the Radio Department website (click under News Item)) but I’ve never been live on-air before last night.  Shannon and I sat in on Eric’s show, Hard Rock Revolution and bantered back and forth with him and just had a bunch of fun in general.  It was something of a preview for something in the making for next summer.

That sounds kind of mysterious.

Anyhow.  This wasn’t posted last night because I was on campus from 9am until midnight.  Hey there, 15-hour day.

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct. 12: Recap

This sums up my night: Kiddie Cocktails!

So I didn’t take this picture (obviously…) nor is it particularly artistic, but it definitely sums up my birthday.  We went to a place in Lincoln Park called Irish Eyes which was a fun little bar.  This picture was taken after my friend Matt bought me a Kiddie Cocktail and Mary decided that she needed on ’cause it didn’t have alcohol in it.

I have no idea what the hell I was doing, but I love my expression.  It kinda sums up my life.

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct 11: Happy Birthday To Me!

A gourmet funfetti cupcake!

Today is my 21st birthday! Yay!

My mom and brother came in from DeKalb and we went to Rocks Lakeview where I got their turkey cranberry wrap and it was amazing.  After that, we went to Phoebe’s Cupcakes where I got this beautiful little cupcake.  The cake was dense and moist…and the frosting…sugary, but not overly sweet.  I was able to eat all of the frosting, which means it was awesome.

Annnnd tonight I am going out with a bunch of people from school/work. Yay! I can play with the big kids now!

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct 10: More Knitting (WIP)

A pointyful scarf!

Someone needs to remind October that it is NOT supposed to be this cold right now.

Soooo I really need to finish this scarf by…Friday? Yeah. I want it for Michigan.  It’ll match the awesome, pretty leaves that I expect to see while driving up to Mackinac Island.

In other news, I woke up at 8 this morning (there goes my goal of sleeping in?) and when I went into the bathroom, I realized how crappy my hair looked (I think I actually said, “Ugh!”).  Something needed to be done.  I called up the salon I go to, the girl who cuts my hair had an opening, and BAM! My hair is an inch shorter, my bangs look like bangs again, and my layers look awesome.  Woo!

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct. 9: Om Nom Nom

I definitely overcooked that chicken.

And those mashed potatoes are totally from a pouch.  Supposedly, they’re real potatoes.  Whatever, they were damn tasty.  They made up for the chicken that was not tender at all, which is probably due to it not being completely thawed and possibly cooking it too hot.  Still edible, though.

(October Photo Project)

 

Oct. 8: Let There Be Light

My thrift store lamp.

I give credit to my cousin for this lamp, we were at Brown Elephant and we saw the giant floor-versions of this IKEA lamp and I said that I wanted the table lamp.  Two minutes later, she found this lamp.  It was pretty awesome.

(October Photo Project)