Guess What I'm NOT Doing Right Now

Oh, that's right. I'm not writing papers.

You see, as I was reading through my sources for my next paper, I decided I did not feel like writing it at all.

In the past week I have presented on extraordinary rendition and written 10 pages about torture policy. Last night I started my 8 pager on hate crime legislation. Now I'm working on a final essay about witnessing injustices in the West Bank. THIS IS NOT CHRISTMAS.

My roommate and I were so fed up with the general crappiness of these past few weeks that we totally exchanged presents on like, Wednesday. We "wrapped them" in a sweatshirt and a towel. It was awesome. We also like to play music if we're not too focused, which means sometimes I was researching torture memorandums and she was studying fetal pig insides while listening to Christmas music. College, right?

But in general I think I have everything under control. I'm finished with classes. It's unreal because I'm pretty sure I just got here. Just like I just started crew. But somehow it ended up being a gigantic part of my life. One of the best parts, I'd say. It's certainly the sweatiest. Now we don't have practice January.

I have a week until I'm finished with this semester. It's go time. I'm locking down and finishing this stuff.

Switchcast and Other Stories

On Saturday morning I got my butt (and my poor, poor news director's) out of bed and went to film for my first news package ever. Not that I did any actual filming. We've discussed how much I fail at technology.

Anyway, I went to conduct the interviews. My third story option turned out to be the one in which a source would actually call me back. So we headed down to the Catholic Charities of Ithaca to talk about how they'd run out of children's clothing for their Share the Warmth drive in three days, and how the community had responded in such a big way. Hard hitting journalism. But it was a story, and I was happy with it. Plus, everyone there was super nice and accommodating, which is pretty much a breath of fresh air when you're a journalist.

When I got back to campus, I threw on comfy clothes, worked on papers and watched snow fall. Then I curled up with a book...well, essays debating neo-conservative foreign policy...and watched Florida lose the SEC championship. A quality day.

Sunday involved me sleeping in way past my alarm, mildly panicking, grabbing breakfast, and running over to Park to get started on my package. A senior journalism student (I know! Proof I'll learn useful things and be competent!) who is usually one of the anchors on Sunday showed me the basics of Final Cut Pro and helped me record voice overs on a linear editor. It was really cool, and basically a crash course in everything I'll learn in News II. Sometimes I think my parents are paying my tuition for me to learn everything in extracurriculars.

Sunday night I sat back and watched the absolute madness ensue. Really, Switchcast is always a mess, but I am pretty sure my package was the only thing that got onto air unscathed. It was absurdity. And of course, there are the pranks. One anchor actually had to read:

"Next on Newswatch 16, hamsters that could kill you and your cat wants some noms."

I have my suspicions about who wrote THAT one.

In other news, yesterday was my mother's birthday. She turned...like, 30, or something. It's an estimation. I tried to call her, but I guess she was too busy partying like the wild child she is to call me back. Or maybe I just called at too ungodly of an hour. I am a college student, and am not good at keeping track of these things.

I gotta say, I'm lucky that I've had her as a Mom for 19 years of her life and counting. She has handled all the crazy, all the late night stressors, all the homework, the sports events and college crises with grace. Not that those are entirely over, even though we're separated by a few states. Sorry about that, Mom. I love you. You are an awesome mom. I don't know how to say it in a non-cheesy way.

And...that's about it. Bring it, finals.

These Weeks are Seriously Depleting My Tums Supply

Yeah, and that's a problem, because I only eat the green ones. And they are in limited availability. In that, my Dad hates the green ones, and then gives them all to me. Because we are both five. Or maybe I'm just the immature ones, because at least he's willing to consume multiple flavors.

I never said I wasn't a psycho.

This week there is just SO MUCH DUE. And on top of that, I'm reporting for the first time for Newswatch, and I'm pretty sure no one is aware that I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. And no one wants to be interviewed. Or be able to film said interview if it is acquired. And then there's no guarantee I'll be able to find transportation to said interview and filming location with my hundreds of dollars of filming equipment. Which I probably won't be able to check out anyway, because I'm a journalism major and they don't let us check out anything yet, except like a fancy audio recorder. Which is about all I can handle, so I suppose that policy is wise.

Let me go find some more antacids.

Anyway, SOMETHING will be going on the air Sunday, theoretically. Not that I know how to edit it, or put it together, or anything crucially necessary like that. No.

On top of that nightmare I have two final projects and a final paper to complete this weekend. Then there is everything next week due. Then finals.

But you know what? This is college. I'm lucky to be here. Before I know it I will be passed out on my couch with all these classes complete and with absolutely no work to do. With gumdrops dancing, etc.

So for the time being, I'm going to have to focus on whatever I have control over. I'm going to run down to the boathouse for practice and I am going to be able to think about nothing for two hours. And even though when you're on the erg it's harder to breathe, afterward it's much easier.

Oh, and there are always internet distractions to make me giggle.

Like this.

Great Thanksgiving

If this break really proved anything to me, it's that what I'm really thankful for is my family.

They are hilarious and take care of me. All of them. My Amma and I drove up and down the coast in the past week, giggling the whole way. My Mom humored Claire and I to the extent that she stayed up till four a.m. on the Shopping Trip From Hell (Black Friday at midnight? DO NOT DO THAT. JUST DO NOT.) My Dad gave us sage advice and humorous (constructive) criticism. My sister and I just hung out, when she wasn't napping, or studying chemical processes WAY over my head.

I also realized that I am the ONLY ONE in my family unable to drop one-liners. I am not that quick thinking. It's really quite tragic.

Oh, and did I mention that they're also really, really ridiculously good-looking?

Not that I'm like, biased or anything.

"Waahhh Wahh Waaah Whine Whine Whine"- Claire

Apparently it is a problem that I haven't blogged in a week. So now it's 10pm on a wonderful Thanksgiving evening, and I'm blogging to make my sister happy.

So my break has been fantastic. I have been incredibly unproductive. I'm on football game number six at this very moment. Claire and I even took a road trip to visit our longtime friend K down in colonial Williamsburg. It looked a little different than my college, in that at IC everything is concrete, and at William and Mary everything is elegantly-aged brick. Ah, well.

One of the highlights of my break was listening to Josh McDaniels drop a not-so-polite word on national television tonight. I got a Park student high out of it. We love when professional media screws up royally.

At midnight Claire, Mom and I are heading out shopping. Yeah. Really. See, Claire decided she and I were going to start a black Friday tradition about two years ago, and this year we somehow managed to convince my mother that she totally wanted to come with us. I'm not sure I want to come with us. But I will and BY GOD IT WILL BE FUN.

This year we're even going all the way out to some J. Crew Factory store, because RPI turned my sister into a prep, and we are powerless against her will. I know she didn't go to RPI to be a lawyer, but I swear, that girl has a natural talent. If she was paid in polo shirts, there would be no one willing to face her in court.

Claire recommends that I also mention in this post that we ate our weight in pie today, and that it rains all the time. Logically these things are totally connected, because we both whine about them all the time.

I should also mention that I MADE A PIE. Yes. Me. My mother and grandmothers some how left me unsupervised in the kitchen and I made a pecan pie all by myself. All. By. Myself.

Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you are. Oh and yes, my house still exists as an entire, struturally sound entity.

It's a Christmas miracle!

It's Almost Thanksgiving, For Which I'm ENTIRELY THANKFUL

Do I have to preface this with a "my life is crazy sentence?" No? You got that point? Okay. Let's get to it.

I am blogging right now because it is far more fun to do that than actually write my papers or go to the gym like I'm supposed to. And, because I wanted to share with you something in my life that was actually FULL of WIN!*

You should know that I hate group projects. Loathe them, actually. I'm not so much a collaborator. I mostly like to impose my will and opinions ruthlessly and shamelessly on others. This is probably because I grew up in the DMV. Anyway, I was terrified of working in a final group project for my journalism ethics class, which involved a 20 minute presentation. It's being graded on a ranking scale. All the groups will rank which presentations they thought were best. The one averaged as the top will get an A, the second will get an A-, and so on for all 8 groups. Absolutely horrifying, right?

Luckily, I got a group full of girls just as competitive as me. We pulled the first presentation slot. We met obsessively for weeks. It all came together today, when we literally suited up and gave our presentation. And it was awesome. Our professor said we set the bar incredibly high.

And let me just say, this power-suit idea is totally true. Everything you say sounds 10 times smarter when you are wearing a suit. That is not to say that I in any way endorse Hillary Clinton's insane collection of primary colored pantsuits, but let's just say I kind of get it.

It is Tuesday. On Friday, I GET TO GO HOME. On Friday, I will have written two more papers and given one more presentation.

Keep your fingers crossed for more win!

*As opposed to full of fail...I am sure this makes no sense for those tend to speak english properly. This is just how we speak in the Paulson household and at Ithaca College. For example, on Sunday my news director wrote up an entire story about the SPCA in LOLcat speak, entitled "NOM NOM NOM." That was most definitely full of win.

Claire Told Me to Blog, So, Enjoy

This week has been entirely insane. Its low point was when I called my mother in meltdown mode over glitches in audio editing software.

Yeah. I mean, I cry over software and then I go to class and hear about human rights violations in Palestine and I feel like a huge jerk.

Basically I've spent this week trying to throw together the audio package from hell. It is about sustainability on campus, and how basically none of the students care anymore. It is REALLY REALLY DUMB. I am not even exaggerating. But whatever. I am so close to being finished with it. I just have to re-record two of my narration pieces because on one I sound intoxicated or something and the other my computer randomly deleted. WHICH IS AWESOME.

Cortaca, the big annual football game we're hosting against our rivals Cortland State, is this weekend. So this entire week we've been getting e-mails from the administration, e-mails our R.A's, posters in the bathroom, ads in the school paper, telling us all that if we do anything rude/illegal we will never succeed in life or be tasered or something.

At least, that seemed to be the gist of it. I don't know. I don't filter information as well when I'm sarcastic and crabby. A state of which I've been in basically all week.

I am excited for the game though, even though our football team hasn't been doing as well this season, and we will probably lose. But we are Ithaca, and we will lose with ENTHUSIASM and with cleverly worded t-shirts on our backs!

If anything more blog-worthy happens, I will totally let you know. In the meantime, I will return to fulfilling teenage stereotypes of sullenness and self-absorption...with a little audio editing thrown in.