Let's Talk About Today

So today my alarm went off, and this was my exact response: "GurrRRGhhh!"  Then, I began my lovely day by dousing myself in water in the handicap shower.  This thing is an amazing discovery. It is actually a normal sized shower, and does not make you feel like you are in a capsule being preserved solely for research purposes for future generations.  You can actually move around without fretting that you will get some fungus.  Really.  The shower is usually busy, because people usually have to worship it in the morning because of its amazingness, but I snagged it!

Then I had breakfast with friend KM, who had me fill him in on the absolute fabulousness of the Redskins.  Or maybe I just kind of forced it on him.  He didn't get too jealous, because he is a Jets fan.  I did manage to sneak in a few snide remarks about the Jets' throwback jerseys though.  Here's one thing about going to Ithaca: I don't think I ever had a conversation about or even referencing the Jets until I came here.  I kind of ignored their existence.  Then, I came to New York. Now I pretend that I didn't grow up thinking that Jets fans were lame.  Thank you father, you have taught me the ways of football fan-dom well.  

In journalism we had another quiz and I rocked it.  My confidence was boosted because I got one of the bonus questions right:

Which NFL team fired their head coach today?

It's the Rams, which I hadn't actually heard that morning, but I made an educated guess because I am awesome.  

My journalism professor is a sports fanatic.  And a Raiders fan. So, I expect another question like that soon.  

Then, I had sports management and my teacher spent a lot of time making fun of the Mets.  I don't understand baseball at all.  No one I know, except for my uncle, really follows baseball.  In D.C there are a few fake Red Sox fans, a few former Yankees fans, some middle-age Orioles fans, and absolutely no Nationals fans.  At least, this is what I observed in a high school setting. 

APPARENTLY in New York they care about baseball.  Again, who knew? 

In cultural anthropology I thought a lot about how I wanted to sleep for the rest of the day.  I also considered the differences between race and ethnicity.  PARTY!

Then, I headed down to the Ithacan office, where I worked out the kinks in my article with my editor Cory.  It actually turned out pretty well, despite it being cursed and all.  THEN, he told me that I have earned the title of staff writer!  No more "contributing writer" for me!  I'm mad excited. Love it!

The weather is awful.  It was about 53 degrees today.  No more flip flop weather.  Or, knowing me, I may try to push it a few more days...

YAYYY

THE REDSKINS WON!

THE COWBOYS ARE NO LONGER UNDEFEATED!

Oh yeah, but guess who are still undefeated? That's right, the Bills.  

What is awesome is that they were actually playing the Redskins game up here because it's the Giants' conference.  So I actually watched most of it.  I stayed home from water polo, mainly because my deadline was 7 p.m.  

So even though my feature was cursed, it turned out fine, and I guess I got some good karma.  I wore my Darrell Green jersey today, and then the Redskins beat the number one team in the league.  

I love life.  

I still have Gridiron at 8 and some work to do.  But that's totally fine because WE WON!

YAY!

A Rainy Lazy Saturday

Boothroyd Hall is kind of infested with a cold right now. Everyone up and down the hallway has a sore throat and the sniffles.  I woke up this morning and ugghhh.  I let the Inquirer know I wouldn't be at filming, which was fine, and snuggled back under the covers.  After a few more hours of sleep, I felt much better.  A bunch of my friends who are also feeling under the weather and I headed down to brunch and drank hot cups of tea and ate fruit and muffins.  It was a nice contrast to the drizzly, chilly weather outside.  

In Ithaca, I think the weather is either fantastic or dismal.  For some reason, most of the weekends are icky.  Oh well.  Yesterday was loads of fun.  After class my friend K and I rearranged my side of the room, and it makes the room feeling even bigger.  I really love the way it's set up now. My friends K, L and I also ordered Mediterranean food and I had a pita that had random stuff it in with chicken.  I'm not sure what it was, but it was tasty.  You can really get anything delivered in Ithaca.  All kinds of stuff.   Later, almost all of us headed over to the IC After Dark party, where I got to ride a mechanical bull, and we all learned to line dance.  So much fun.  

Today, some homework, an update on the field hockey away game (PLEASE WIN) and a bit of relaxing.  

Another "I'm Happy It's The Weekend" Post

I'm happy it's the weekend.  Very happy.  

And so I posted a picture that makes me happy, and it will probably make claire send me a very stern text message.  I love her!

I have a feature due sunday. I'm doing it on the field hockey goalie, because I really had nothing to write about, and I decided, "I like goalies!"  Also, the players straight up asked me not to do an article about the coach.  Really.  So the goalie it is.  I did my interview with her today, and she was a tough one.  Getting info was a bit like pulling teeth, but I kind of enjoyed the challenge.  It was good for me.  I really had to dig for any, well, emotion I guess.  

Anyway, tonight is "Urban Cowboy" night at IC AfterDark, which essentially means there is a lot of free food and a mechanical bull to ride.  It is nasty outside tonight, so we shall see whether we venture out into the disgustingess that is the weather and go to it.  By we, I mean my dormmates and I.  

Apple Fest.  Caramel apples in dorm kitchen.  Cheez-Its from my parents (and a Darrell Green jersey!)

I think it's going to be a nice one.  

Let's Try Some Vloging!

So with the MacBook it's very easy to take videos.  I showed a little bit of my room and talked about my day.  I was inspired by Aida and now I just want to do it all the time.  Let's see how this works!

So yeah.  Exciting, right?  It's only about 5 minutes.  

Short Update

I'm sorry I haven't been able to update lately, usually I'm so good about it. 

Work has been out of control right now, but it's all right because I don't have a field hockey game to cover this week.  So that worked out.  Update:

1. Yesterday I officially colonized the Ithaca College library for myself.  I have taken over, and I will probably never leave.  Except when I sleep, or in the morning, like now.  

2. I discovered I really miss cheeseburgers.  I called my mother to inform her of this fact.  

3. Dormmates have confirmed that yes, the meat products provided by the Ithaca College dining services are a little suspicious looking/tasting.  Enter my consumption of hummus. 

4. The weather? Still fabulous.

5. Yesterday, The Ithacan Inquirer had field-shooting at IC Feminists meeting.  Let's say I probably can't join now.  I don't think they really understood what we were about.  Think Colbert's interviews. Hilarious.

6. Didn't watch the Jets game. Tragic, I know.

7.  It's Wednesday!  This weekend is AppleFest!!!!!!  Which means, Ithaca gets taken over by apples and all sorts of apple products, and people go crazy for it. 

8. Breakfast time, more later perhaps.  

A Good Day

What a great, great day in football.  So many good games.  I got to watch some, which boosted my mood crazily.  I got to watch some of the Bills game, with the amazing ending and all.  I finished a very satisfying game, chucked my Easy-Mac cup in the trash, and headed upstairs to get ready for water polo.  It felt strangely good to pull on my swim suit, because it had been quite a while since I'd been in the water.  I stuffed all my belongings in the Speedo bag we bought, what, 8 years ago? and I headed out into the mildly chilly temperatures. 

Today was one of those days that looks like it could really snow all day, but the temperature is just hovering around 57 degrees.  So no chance of that.  Anyway, water polo was a work out like none other.  It was really fun, but waaayyy harder than I expected.  It's pretty much a bunch of senior guys, two senior girls from the swim team who started it, and a freshman girl who played in high school, and me.  I'm a bit behind, but they don't mind because they had no idea what they were doing at the start either.  Oh yes, we have the awesome looking caps to wear and everything.  I have not yet gazed in a mirror while wearing it, but I assure you it looks fabulous on me.  Really.  

Then, it was off to Gridiron where I went on pizza duty with director Dave, helped with some tech a little, and then we all sat on the ground waiting for Newswatch to get out of the studio so we could plunk down and get everything going.  What's interesting is watching each show come out of their studio after finishing live.  Today, for instance, the Newswatchers come out slowly.  "How'd it go?" asked Griddo producer Becky.  "I don't want to talk about it," says about every single person.  Our show was flawless, if I do say so myself.  

Then I came back, and much to my happiness, there was a miniature dance party going on in friend A's room, and I joined in and happily as we all started singing to the Lion King soundtrack.  That's one thing about college: five-ten minute dance/karaoke parties happen frequently.  Like, at least twice a day.  

Oh yes, and the Redskins won!  I just can't believe the Patriots...ugh.

But other than that, it was a really, really, REALLY  good day.

Tomorrow: classes!  Jets on Monday night? Should make for interesting viewing.  

I am Currently Wearing Sweatpants!

My title is very true.  I am currently wearing sweatpants.  A bunch of us are staying in tonight because somehow, the weekends have become as busy as the weekdays, and we have some relaxing to catch up on.  So I am extremely comfortable right now.  

I guess I haven't updated lately.  I don't particularly have anything interesting to write, which I'm sure is exactly what you want to read in a blog post.  

The homecoming pep rally and following bonfire was a blast.  I didn't get to go to the football game today because of field hockey.  I WISH I could've.  Because seriously? The Bombers won 62-45.  That's worse than Dallas-Philly.  That's D-III football for you.  

Garrrr!!

Also "garrr" worthy is the fact that the field hockey team lost, which was spectacularly un-fun.  I don't know a better way to put that, and I guess I'm a little spoiled, but it is far easier to interview happy people.  I guess I should get used to it.  6-11 last season, remember?  

Tomorrow: water polo and Gridiron.  What perplexes me is that taping this show is keeping me from watching the Dallas-Green Bay showdown at 8.  I am not-so-patiently waiting for the Cowboys to lose.  Please!  

Speaking of winning: here's something for Claire.  

So Close to the Weekend

So I guess a lot of my entries, or entry titles refer to me wanting it to be the weekend.  Because I do.  Thursday is always a long day, but luckily I only have two classes on Friday.  So, when Thursday ends, I get very excited.  Today my classes were spectacularly dull, and I worked the salad bar in the dining hall. Again.  Which is not so bad, considering other jobs I could have.  

It's going to be a pretty full weekend.  Saturday morning I'll roll out of bed to the Inquirer, then right on down to Yavits field, where I will desperately hope the Bombers win.  Then, I'll head back and type up my article.  Speaking of which, I'm published again!  You can see it here.  The Ithacan publishes Thursdays.  It really brightens my day.  I've got a sports meeting tonight.  Yay! Sunday, I have water polo and Gridiron taping. 

It was another beautiful day here.  I also got a package full of food from my lovely parents.  I suppose I should let Claire know that it included Easy Mac, and I'm officially a convert.  That stuff is great.  I wish I had something funny and/or interesting to say, but it was a pretty tame day.  Which is nice, I guess.  Oh.  Well, I washed my towels and such.  Um, let's just say that somehow, even though I washed bright colors on cold all together, some how my light yellow towel is kind of...moldish colored now.  So that's pleasant.  I've also discovered the amazing wonder that is the handicap shower here.  Basically, with that shower, you can actually exhale without fearing that you will get some type of fungus from the shower by touching the sides.  We might as well start the tally now:

Items uglified: 1

Items lost: 0

Items broken: 0

Let's keep it that way, shall we?  

Happy Things

So I've officially joined the water polo club team, and I'm very very excited.  According to the president, none of them really played before joining as a freshman, and she said they mainly get together and just have a blast.  Which is something I totally need, because I miss being on a sports team.  I will just have to RUN from there to Gridiron taping, but it will be so worth it, I'm thinking.  So that makes me very happy right now. 

One not so happy thing is that I believe the field hockey team is UNABLE to win when I don't attend their games!  Seriously! They have lost every single away game.  Badly.  Granted, two of the losses were to nationally-ranked non-conference teams, but still.  They need me.  Or they just play better at home.  They need to stop this losing thing fast, because I don't want to interview the coach saturday about a three game losing skid, especially if it includes a conference loss.  I really don't.  Last year their record was 6-11.  PLEASE GOD NO.  That's all I'm saying.  

So classes were busy today, I had three in a row.  I had about a twenty minute break before one class, so I didn't have time to go back to the dorm.  So, I laid on the grass and read some of my political communications book (one of the FOUR).  I kind of felt like I was in a college pamphlet.  I really thought no one did that in real life when I saw those things.  They do, at least at Ithaca.  We're all over grassy areas.  People live for that stuff here.  Mainly because weather like today's is rare.  But it was fabulous anyway.  

I was in a rough mood earlier.  Now? Much better.  

Nothing in Particular

Last night I had SO much fun watching the game, Cowboys vs. Eagles.  Of course, I didn't get the outcome I wanted but getting there was a blast.  I watched with about five football-obsessed guys, one was a die-hard Eagles fan from Jamaica, and there was the usual scattering of Jets and Giants fans.  One kid had Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb on his fantasy team, which combined for hilarious results.  DeSean Jackson is the biggest idiot I have seen in quite some time.  There were many discussions about whether it was getting boring to hate T.O, whether Donovan McNabb was too old, if the Eagles actually had a ton of talent that is just managed incorrectly, and finally, if it was true that all women have a secret obsession with Tony Romo.  That, I guess, was my area of expertise. The answer was NO.  If it was Tom Brady, well, that's another thing all together.  Tony Romo is dating Jessica Simpson.  Do you really want Jessica Simpson's leftovers?  I don't think so.

Today I did a ton of laundry and studied in the morning, and then trekked off to politics and then later mass media.  I had dinner a bit ago, and I'll be heading to the gym in a few minutes.  I swear I am not fat and lazy!  Tomorrow I have class from 10-3 straight.  What a party.  It's getting chilly here, and I may risk saying, "It's only mid-September!" and I will sound like an idiot.  I'm not sure if this is normal or not, here in the Fingerlakes region.  

Okay, off to the gym I go!

Oh, but if you're interested, here's something funny from my new obsession The Onion:

here

God Made Live Television to Give Me Ulcers

Okay so last night was the first episode of The Gridiron Report, for 2008.  I don't know how closely it followed the standard set by Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night, but it did have one of those little rooms where Felicity Huffman would stand, panic, and give orders, and it also involved lots of linear editing.  Which I learned how to do.  Which is good.  

I am not going to lie and say that doing the teleprompter is all that challenging.  But I get to do extra stuff too, which usually involves me following people and learning how to do things, or  the other freshman and I stand there in awe and random things we have never heard of happen. Which is why I'm there.  

It's nice not to be the dumbest one of the group, and luckily most of the freshman have no idea (like me) what they're supposed to be doing.  One guy, a Strategic communications major (?) is there because he likes baseball or whatever.  Umm....

We also ate the greasiest pizza ever, and you could pick out the New Yorkers by whether they tried to find like the 9 paper towels it required to soak up the grease.  I felt a bit nauseous after one piece.  Maybe I will pass on having heart attack-inducing food next time.  

I didn't get to watch football yesterday, because I am pretty sure the world wants to fill up all my time.  I did receive Pats updates, and was very happy with the Redskins result.  So far I have resisted all the attempts made to stop me from liking the Patriots.  

In Professor Farrell's management lecture today:

"See, you can't always trust your leaders, your CEOs.  Look at ENRON!  Belichick!  ENRON!"

Bills fan.  

Today I slaved away in the Ithacan office with my editor Cory, tidying up my profile.  Luckily, he really liked it and the changes were minor.  Also, the cross country writer only had one source in his.  So basically, by comparison, I was practically David Halberstam.  

I have a paper due tomorrow for political communication.  Party! Oh and I also had my first quiz in journalism, and I believe I did fine.  I got a little extra credit, because I knew that Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy.  

Go me!

***Edit: Earlier in this post I used the wrong "to" and published it.  Seeing as that is one of my pet peeves, I'm very embarrassed.  It is now fixed.

***There are tons of grammatical errors in this.  Please forgive me.  I fixed a few more, but woah.

Blog Break!

Right now it's a typical shutdown-Sunday in the dorm.  Sundays seem to be designated as study days.  Or nap days.  I've just finished my field hockey profile (yay!), so I thought I'd take a short blog break.  

It was a fun, pretty low-key weekend, and it pretty much flew by.  Yesterday I had journalism boot camp, and got a little advice on writing features.  It helped.  It was a rainy weekend, so there was a lot of movie watching and game playing.  After the first full week of classes, it was just what the doctor ordered.  Today's my roommate's 19th birthday.  I guess I'm kind of the baby of the bunch.  There are a few other kids who've yet to turn 18, but most of them are boys.  That fact interests me.  Are people more likely to start boys earlier in school than girls?  

Who knows.  

Tonight I have a Gridiron taping.  I'm sure I will quickly master the difficult task of teleprompting.  I expect to be an expert very soon.  Anyway, I am really enjoying having a room to myself.  It's very productive.  But at the same time I'm glad I have a roommate.  

I wish I had something more interesting to say, but that's about it.  The upcoming week?  It's technically homecoming week, so there's a pep rally friday (and a 2012 one today, but I've got Griddo) but other than that, not much.  A paper or two due.  

How about Penn State yesterday?  It's great because my sports management teacher just loves to rag on Syracuse ("Akron? REALLY? AKRON?!!")  

PSU Students Know What's Up

  Penn State students added a little Obama support to their white-outs.  Apparently they call it the "O-Zone." 

The coordination there never ceases to amaze me.  Love it!  

Today, I've got journalism boot camp and a lot of work to do.  Some of that work will involve laying on my bed, maybe, or jumping around my room because I've got it to myself.  Then, I'll write up a re-cap of the Skidmore game and try to find somewhere playing the PSU-Syracuse game, because it will be hilarious, if all my expectations are met.  

Yay!

A Short Update

It's now the weekend, and since there is much fun to be had, I'm a bit pressed for time.  But I decided to squeeze in an update.  Here's the main points.

1.  The profile feature is going well.  I met with, well, the subject today and got to do my first real extensive interview.  She was really nice, and talkative, which is helpful.

2. It is raining and will all weekend.  Which is gross.  But it means I have an excuse to wear sweatpants for an extended period of time.

3. My roommate is heading home for the weekend.  I am mainly going to just revel in the amount of space and freedom this gives me.  I am also going to stay up very late doing nothing, being happy I have a room to myself, that is not pitch black.

4.  I plan on watching much football this weekend. 

5.  We are ordering chinese tonight.  Lots and lots of chinese.  

6. I like college.  

That's about it.  

We're getting there!

This was one of those mornings when I smacked the alarm and wondered if it was actually safe to get out of bed.  It just felt like one of those days.  It started off that way, with stubbed toes and the mess up on my field hockey headline on theithacan.org.  We don't write the headlines for our pieces, obviously, and I was very surprised to see that the Bombers had defeated Skidmore yesterday, rather than Brockport.  Luckily, it got fixed pretty fast.  

Dining hall was entertaining, because I was working salad bar and it actually keeps me busy.  You wouldn't believe how many people can stomach salads with ceasar dressing and lots and lots of peppers at 10 a.m.  The point is, the time flew and I could book it to class right when the lunch rush was hitting insanity-level.    

I also found out I have a feature due Sunday, which of course is a blessing and a curse.  It means I get published on paper again (yay!) but practically get an ulcer over the weekend (eep!).  I mean, getting published early is why I signed up for the beat job.  Because it's a lot of time and a lot of words for a freshman.  I just have to remind myself of that when I'd much rather, you know, not work.  

When I feel sorry for myself sometimes it helps to call up Claire and then I feel very very pleased with the six to seven hours of sleep I'm getting.  I love that she is a hard-working, crew-doing bio major, and I am also very glad I'm taking political communication instead of chemistry.  

I'm going to try to get in on club water polo, because I really couldn't do club field hockey because of my beat assignments.  We'll see.  

Tonight I've got a sports section meeting, and, of course, homework.  

Yay. 

I really really really don't feel like working

So it was a really long day, as was expected, and it's not over.  It went really well.  But that doesn't mean I feel like writing up my article. And/or reading about the George McGovern's campaign.  

Things pretty much went my way today!  Let's walk through it.  First was Intro to Journalism, which is the type of class that will give you an upset stomach depending on the day.  Luckily, I had actually skimmed the Washington Post headlines that morning, so Professor Loop's fury that no one else could come up with a current news topic was not directed at me.  I also had quite the IB history-student background on Kim Jung Il to pull out.  Us IB kids?  We can come up with anything on the spot. 

Phew.  I'm learning a bunch in that class.  

Then, I did some reading and had lunch with friend AP, who, I have just realized, has the same initials as me. 

I love, love, LOVE Intro to Sports Management.  There will be some random capitalization in the post, along with some bad grammar.  I am tired.  Anyway, my teacher is hilarious.  Which I have said a million times before.  But still.  She is. 

Then it was off to Cultural Anthropology, which I also enjoy because Professor Turkon likes me.  Why?  Because, again, I can come up with anything on the spot.  Really.  I should be in PR. It's also neat because when in high school would the presentation be about your teacher's hands-on research about the HIV/AIDS crisis and industry of death in Lesotho?  College is awesome. 

Earlier in the day I had stopped by The Ithacan office to do a little chatting with people I didn't know about tape recorders.  There was some debate and a bit of discussion and I was pointed in the right direction.  In the bookstore, they had just about a million different tape recorders.  I got a microcassette recorder, it's supposed to be good.  I used it today, and it picked up sound crazily well, and so I am very pleased with my purchase.  

After buying the recorder I headed back to the dorm for a few minutes, which were entirely spent trying to get the recorder out of the packaging.  I am pretty sure it was packaged in a manner that would allow it to survive a nuclear holocaust.  Just in case the roaches want to maintain their journalistic integrity or something.  I'm not sure.  I resorted to randomly and violently stabbing at the plastic for about 10 minutes, probably scaring my roommate and her parents, because she was on the phone at the time, and I was kind of loud.  

Then, to the field hockey game, and they won again!  Four to one!  Loving it.  They played amazingly well and the other team only scored off a stroke penalty, which is pretty much a gimme anyway.  So I got to interview happy people. The biggest problem was I had to pee like I had been in the car for nine hours or something.  So the game ended and I booked it to the coach, who knows me by now (which does not mean to say she's much nicer, but hey) and she says, "Well, just for future reference, in other games I may not be this happy, and you're gonna have to wait a few minutes for me to...digest."  I hope that never happens.  I used my sweet recorder, got a few quotes, invaded some of the players' privacy a little (they actually like the interviews and are totally sweet about it, so that's good), and booked it to a bathroom. 

Then, dinner with the girls and I have to attend a speaker for my seminar tonight at nine.  Yay. Closer and closer to the weekend.  Closer and closer.  

Football at Ithaca

So I am a little less sad about Tom Brady.  A little.  I mean, there are a lot of very happy Jets fans around here.  Friend A said it best, "Okay, so as a Jets fan, I'm psyched.  As a football fan, I think Brady's one of the best ever, and seeing as he may never be the same, I'm really bummed."  I had a nice talk with Amma yesterday, and I guess Cassel get his first chance to start...since high school.

Classes were good yesterday, and that night I had a Society of Professional Journalists meeting, and I joined.  Then I headed over to the dorm that gets cable, and watched the first Monday Night Football game.  It was a good one.  Aaron Rogers was pretty exciting.  Here's the thing about watching football with guys that play fantasy football religiously: it is scary.  They know just about everything about every player, even the random ones no one ever really talks about.  But it's also fun, because I learn, and I know enough to not look like an idiot.  I also can't really announce that I think Adrian Peterson is attractive, in this setting, which is something I would normally proclaim very loudly while watching at home.  

I am totally rooting for Rogers.  When SI asked about the Lambeau leap he performed after scoring on a sneak, he said, "I've been dreaming about that for four years, to be honest."

That's pretty sweet. 

There's a comic tonight that I'm going to go see, and for once I actually have no meetings to attend today.  Just classes.  Tomorrow will be insanely busy with four classes, a field hockey game, and a speaker I am required to see for my seminar class, all back to back.

Eeep!

This just makes me happy

I was shifting around some of my files, and I found this. 

It makes me laugh!

Friday night and the whole of saturday was quite nice.  On friday the dorm headed down to the Commons and celebrated Lauren's birthday at Benchwarmers, my new favorite restaurant.  Hilarity and dancing ensued.  We returned to IC and danced in the hallways, because it is something that is very fun to do.  Then all the girls grabbed blankets and we laid outside just chatting, and sometimes shrieking at random noises.  College is a little like summer camp.  

Yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed for an early taping of The Inquirer, and I learned a bunch of tech-y things and got to be part of a studio audience, in a way.  Then I had a brunch with the Boothroyd girls, and they headed off to the football game and I grabbed my notebook and trekked down to Yavitz field for my first home-game coverage of Ithaca field hockey.  It was an exciting game, and we won 6-5.  I dread the day when I have to interview the coach and players after a loss.  That will be massively un-fun. The Bombers have an extremely productive offense, but their defense is very young, which leads to such high scoring matches.  My next game coverage is wednesday.  Then I met up with some football buddies for awhile, and was pressured into learning how to play Guitar Hero.  I am not very good at it, to say the least.  Back at Boothroyd I watched some Gossip Girl (a t.v. show) with some friends.  It's pretty soapy and extremely addictive, which lead to me getting to bed at a late hour.  

There's a collective agreement that today's a quiet day where everyone's mainly just going to study.  I'm going to find some football to watch.  Now, with the NFL back, I expect sundays to be characterized by a little homesickness, because right now I just want to lounge on a couch and watch way too much football all day and eat nachos.  

But I do love it here!

Working for the weekend!

Well, some of us thought it would never get here, but it is friday, and classes are finished!  Floormate L had her birthday and we're heading down to the Commons to celebrate.  I have a little bit of time to write, though, and I thought I'd update.  

Yesterday was a great day for me, actually.  I headed down to another dorm to watch an early-starting NFL kick-off, where I met some zealous Giants fans and a few Patriots fans who had decided to be Redskins fans for the day.  It's funny, up here, if you're a Redskins fan no one questions your affection for football.  Because you're obviously NOT bandwagoning.  That's for sure.  I was glad I was introduced by Jets fan K to the boys who had the t.v, because since they are very serious about football watching, they had actually purchased digital, high-def t.v.  Really.  They also have very overprotective mothers and therefore lots and lots of food.  Often, it works that way in college.  

Anyway, I had to leave early to head down to a sports section meeting, where my day was officially made.  We went through the issue that had come out that day, article by article.  My editor said the best things I could hear.  Really.  He said it was a great article and really clean, and it made things really easy for them because I got it in at such a great time and there wasn't much editing to be done. I'm learning.  Yay!  Then, to top things off, our faculty advisor came in to tell us all that based on this issue, the sports section is the strongest of the paper.  I practically died.  I'll have a lot of publishing online, which is where game reporting goes.  Now, the print sports section only publishes features, and I am scheduled to write one around mid-season after I pick up a good story and get to know the team better.  So I will be relishing this victory for a while.  The girls in my dorm cut out one of the copies and posted it on my door and wrote congrats all over the whiteboard.  So sweet!  

Classes are great.  My sports management teacher is hilarious and amazing.  She gets so into her lectures and debates, and she keeps everyone on his or her toes.  No one will EVER fall asleep in that class, I guarantee you.  

Weekend, but rain is supposed to come in tomorrow.  I hope there's not torrential rain while I'm sitting taking notes at the field hockey game.  That would be just fabulous.  

Why is it so hot here?  Isn't this why I came up North?  Hopefully the rain will bring a front in.   COLD one.  

I'm Published!

http://theithacan.org/am/publish/fhockey/200809_Turning_around.shtml

Yay!

A Positive Outlook

Yesterday wasn't the best of days, that's for sure.  But luckily I ended it with optimism and the knowledge that I have some really great people around me (whether physically or through the phone.)  

We lost our cat Bruschi this weekend, and his loss hit me pretty hard.  There was some crying, some awkward I-don't-know-if-our-relationship-is-exactly-at-this-level-yet hugs, and some comforting phone calls that made it much better.  It also helps to know that that cat got pretty much the ultimate kitty paradise of living in otis for two summers, watching fish and half-killing things.  He'll be missed.  

My classes are turning out really well, my Sports Management professor is hilarious.  And, of course, I got published for the first time today!  I snagged a paper copy and it looks sooooo good off the internet.  

Crazy.

I had the meeting for the Inquirer last night where we had to introduce ourselves with our name, class, and favorite pirate joke.  Pirates aren't exactly my specialty, and luckily they pretty much gave up on the joke idea before getting to me.  There are other people with the glamorous position of wire carrying.  We rejoice in it.  The importance of our work practically consumes us.  We even high-five each other.  They producers and such are a crazy bunch, which was expected.  It'll be interesting and fun to watch and learn.  

Today was floormate L's birthday, which lead to much celebration and food eating.  We concluded it only a short while ago with a serenade of "Happy Birthday" in a very crowded dining hall.  There was quite an enthusiastic applause.  

Today I worked the dining hall, and while it was a little toasty, I essentially cleaned tables for three hours, and my biggest problem was being ridiculously bored.  Then I headed to political communication, chatted about the RNC, and later went to mass media.  For lunch I grabbed easy mac from the little campus store and then had to tell Claire that it was in fact...not disgusting.  

Yesterday I got to have a long chat with friend L out in Providence, and it was such a help.  Everyone has been amazing.  Also, I really wanted to talk about the election, and the only one in the world I could think about who would be as excited as I was (if not more) was friend L.  It felt like old times (which is crazy, because it was like what, 2 weeks ago?).  I miss my little sisterhood like crazy.  I also miss my shower.  These are kind of icky up in Ithaca.  

Today, I am SO excited to watch the season kick off for the NFL.  That makes me so happy.  Football is a piece of home for me, though I will miss Dad's nachos and mom having to leave the room during Redskins epic failures.  

Today is an awesome day because  I got published for the first time EVER! The first time of many, I hope.  

College students can play disney trivia too

Okay.  I'm updating my blog this morning because I have discovered it is much easier to work in the mornings because everyone else is either asleep or at an early class.  So I get up much earlier than I have to, usually around seven, even though I don't have class until 10 today.  I'm starting to get into a rhythm, which usually involves me half-falling out of my bed, because it is a really abnormal height, grabbing at my keys in the dark, pulling on clothes and stumble blindly over to La Vincinta (complaining to myself that I can't believe how cold it is and, "Man, I should have worn a sweatshirt!") the little coffee shop, where I grab a nice black coffee and a totally unhealthy bagel with cream cheese.  Then it's back to the room, and I distract myself a little, do some reading, go over notes, and now, unproductively update my blog.  

Yesterday I had intro to journalism, where Professor Loop likes to scare the crap out of us and talk about our moral duties toward democracy and the dire importance of proper punctuation.  Then I trotted up to Political Communication, which even though it gives me the most reading and such, I love this class.  We discussed Sarah Palin at length, playing devil's advocate and discussing the implications of McCain's pick on the election.  We then discussed how and to what extent the media should cover her personal affairs and such.  I talk about all this stuff in my free time, but no one wants to listen to me then.  Roommate: "Who is Sarah Palin?"  

I had a small break and I tried to make popcorn with some people, but because I fail at making any sort of food for myself, it didn't even inflate or anything and kind of bust a hole in the side.  Oh yes.  I can't even handle popcorn.  So we ran and got smoothies instead, which is really addicting and I think I really need to limit my smoothie intake.  It will be difficult.  Floormate K and I discussed the merits of becoming obese so we could roll to class (seeing as Ithaca is on one giant hill) especially when we become lazier with cooler temperatures.  We decided the millions of stairs might be somewhat harmful.

Then Mass Media, which always scares me to death, and I'm not sure why.  My teacher is very nice, but very strict, and so for some reason I am always on edge.  Who knows.  

I got dinner with friend A and then I went to "The Ithacan Boot Camp!" Which is a mandatory thing for new writers for the Ithacan, which you are supposed to attend before publishing anything.  I guess they didn't tell the sports editors.  Anyway, we went over libel laws, and how a private college doesn't really have to tell you anything, and a little about AP style format.  We have another session with camera tech on the 13th.  

Oh, but in between everything I did get to video chat with friend S at Towson, which made me oh-so-happy!!  I totally miss my girls back home even though they aren't exactly...back home.  That's what Thanksgiving break is for, I guess.  

I played disney trivia with some of my floormates last night (yes, we just reek maturity).  They are absolutely fabulous and hilarious and I'm very glad I'm living in Boothroyd. 

I Did It!

Man, after the nervousness that was my last post, it's so great to write this entry.  The past couple days have been more stressful than my entire senior year.  That was mainly because I cared so much about doing the fall preview well, and making a good impression.  A little of it is that I'm a big believer in working to earn your position, I think, and I got thrown into this awesome position without really doing much to get it!  I wanted to prove to them that the risk was a good one to take.  I think it worked out pretty well.  I'm much more comfortable starting off with wire-carrying duties at the Inquirer and teleprompting duties (where I will have a mentor) at The Gridiron Report, because they totally recognize my lack of experience, and they're all about giving it to me. Half the kids in journalism I meet were the editor of their school paper or whatever. 

But I'm the one published on the website already!  I don't know if the link will work, but it's on theithacan.org, in sports updates.  They edited the living daylights out of it, and it's just a short blurb, but hey, it was my first try!  

I'm learning so fast it's insane.  Everyone says you end up learning more from joining the paper and the t.v shows than you do in a classroom, because it's a real world setting.  It's true Hopefully, I'm already developing a thicker skin and a thicker stomach lining.  Really.  

As chaotic as everything is right now, I have this weird feeling like I'm doing things basically right.  I wasn't so sure of that earlier this weekend, and the fear and stress was so bad at one point I wondered if I had made the right choice to jump into the paper so quickly and deeply as I had, taking on early responsibility and such a time commitment as being the beat reporter.  I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm really proud of myself that I pulled this off.  Before I left my parents told me to just go after it.  I think I did.  And I'm really glad this preview is done.  

It should be published Thursday, I hope.  If it does get published in the paper, which I hope/think it will, I am stealing a hundred copies and keeping them forever.  

Bottom line: I'm really happy and also relieved that I get to spend the week in classrooms!

I chose the right school.