Wow, it's hard to believe that I haven't written since before my birthday. Time flies, and I keep telling myself I'm going to write this all down, but I never get to it. Or if I do, it's in a letter to someone else. I tell myself, "That's ok, you'll remember it." I want to remember all the neat things that happen, and writing is such a good discipline (something I could use a lot of), but I was just thinking the other day of all the things I haven't thought of in such a long time. Like my first business suit. And my first "business meeting" at DQ. Haha. Crazy times. Ok, maybe you have to be me to appreciate these things. Or Sam. Maybe you have to be Sam.
That's one thing I'm looking forward to, both in D.C. and college - meeting people who have this crazy passion for the same thing I do. The one place where I think I branch off from a lot of people my age in journalism, however, is that I've had quite a bit of PR, advertising, and just general communications experiece aside from journalism, and I love it all. I just love some aspects of it more than others.
Well, I'm 18 now. Keri, Mandy, Al and Joe came over on my birthday and we ate DQ icecream cake and frozen Korean food. We listened to Q 98.5 and talked. It was a stellar time. Joe got me a cute coyote doll from his trip, Al got me a SuperT gift card, Mand got me a Divine Truth gift card (I got a Josh Groban cd), mom bought the pink business suit, and Mand also got me a glow-in-black-lights Spiderman poser, and a black lights fixture. Neat stuff!! The grandparents sent money. Grandma Oliver doesn't remember anything anymore. Which is MORE THAN OK. I just feel so bad for her. I should drive and go see her some time. Keri got me a Gordman's giftcard, and with that I got the neatest dress with blue flowers and a silk tie-bow in the back. I get a lot of compliments on it. The evening of my birthday I coverd the 311 concert and the rest of the weekend I covered the Omaha 150 Celebration, which turned out to be a crazy lot of work, driving, frustration, and fun. It really was an 18th birthday week to remember. I'd have to say, aside from being with my friends, the best part was probably being on the special stage built on the old Mo right there with the symphony, taking pictures, watching the sunset and fireworks, and looking at the hundreds of thousands of people on the other side with the other handful of journalists.
Priceless.
I like the comradey.
Today was Joe's last day of work @ Godfathers, it turned out, so I went to eat and say hi. He ended up taking his break and sitting with me and talking, which was super cool. He brought up the dinner party again, just to say, "Man, it was super. The guys were HUGE jerks." That's the thing about Al: he's 100% sincere and honest, to the core, and I knew he was bringing that up because he thought I felt bad, but I knew he meant it 100%. He's just so reassuring. I'm gonna miss him when he goes to college, and I hope we can keep in touch. Now just where did I put his email address? Lol MAN.
Tomorrow is Thursday. The rest of this week will be crazy. I feel like I've been hit by a truck.
Last night I went to work, only to find a card from Shala and a card and a beautiful present from Jessie. How sweet! Though work there can get a bit boring, I like it because I know what's expected of me, and I can concentrateon doing a good job ... there's no pressure to excell beyond the pressure I put on myself to stay busy and do what I do well. And I love hanging around the girls. It's like one big sleepover with an occasional grumpy man who pays for an $18 haircut in quarters. The cash box is *never* gonna live that one down.
In any case, I have to great ready for work because I leave in an hour. I also have to get kiddie lesson plans ready for Morgan, because she's filling in for me tonight. I went downtown to see David @ the Flux today, which was very nice, but very short. Wish there would have been more to talk about. I hope someone saw that the meter had ample time when I left, and took advantage of the coins I had deposited, because let me tell you, I was there about 25 minutes top - long walk back and forth included.
Scott, if you're reading this I found your entry very amusing. :) You're a good writer, and you're a crazy kid. Good + crazy = fun.
You're welcome. ;)
Hey did you like + like = love?
That's what a shirt @ Old Navy told me the other week.
Jon if you're reading this write another entry if you're back, dude! And we need to hook your gf up with one of these. And move Dan over, and get Shelley on here too. We have our work cut out for us. :P
So I'm sitting at home, sick, and determined to actually get something done today, while I'm sitting at home, sick. Imagine that! Man, I really need to. I really need this day home - I have about a billion calls to make and things to do ... so I just can't waste this day. I can't. I don't work till 6 PM tonight at the other job, so I absolutely HAVE to make the most of this.
In any case, I thought if I got this out of the way, I'd work better. Maybe not. haha. But anyways, one thing I've been thinking about lately is records in history. Watching the US Olympic trials last night, a couple of world-records were broken, to which the announcers would proclaim, "That's the fastest time in history." Alright, in your history. In recent history. In recorded history. All I know is that there were quite a few years where people either couldn't write this stuff down, they wrote it down and we don't understand it, they wrote it down and it got lost, they didn't think to write it down, etc. This morning I read an odd article on CNN about "possibly the oldest dog in history." Whatever. I was going to propose recorded history, but there are many a record of history during times when 1) if you had an old dog, it was simply an old dog. 2) if you had an old dog, the only people who knew about it were in a 2 mile radius. 3) it didn't mean anything to have an old dog. 4) even if you thought it meant something, you likely weren't in the .1% of civilizaiton who had the skills to write it or articulate it, or you probably didn't have the access to materials. And if somehow you managed to draw the message in a soft-clay stone with your own hieroglyphics, the scribblings undoubtedly got washed away by the rain or pooped on by a bird.
Another weekend come and gone with nothing done that needed to be done. Way to go, me.
To my credit, I've been sick all weekend. I stayed home Thursday, and managed to pull it together Friday to go to work and to shop some on Friday, and to go to the dinner party with Al. The dinner party was fab. Chris (Kate's boyfriend), Nick (Mand's boyfriend), and Al picked me up (eary, even! Al came in and waited for me) and drove the thirty or so minutes to Kate's house. Her family was out of town. The house, in and by itself usually, is gorgeous. The whole thing looks like an Italian diner, with authentic decor, silk curtains, plus velvor couches, armfulls of pillows, etc. Mand and Kate were already there, and had much of the thing set up with the best gold-rimmed dishes out, colbat glasses, beer-battered chicken 'kabobs, the works. The boys grilled the 'bobs and talked outside while we sat inside, boiling pasta, getting the table ready, and talking over candles, tea, lemonade, shrimp, and mini guitar shaped pizzas in our elegant dresses. Mand and Kate wore their graduation dresses. I would have worn mine, but after the wedding at the lounge, unfortuantely, mine pretty much smells like the booze and smoke of others. In any case, I bought a simple, strapless black dress with balck ruffles down the middle and a pin-on lime green rose. Morgan lent me her faux diamond bracelet and pearls. In any case, we ate with dimmed lighting and candles for ambiance, with classical music in the background, place cards, and all. The guys, with an exception of Al, eventually got alittle ticked. Chris drove home like a frickin' maniac, and scared Al and I half to death, though Al kept lookin over and smiling and givin thumbs up to reassure me. In any case, it was good time, despite the fact that I wasn't sure if we'd make it home in one piece. I called Al today to thank him for askin' me to be his date, and to tell him if I said anything (or too many things) dorky Friday, I was really sorry. I know Kate and I got a little carried away in just laughing and giggling, which is fine, but Nick and Chris were in a bad mood, and Al (as always, siding with those in the right) ... well I think the guys probably got mad at him and I just felt bad that he was in the position. Al assured me I had absolutely nothing to be sorry for and that I was a lot of fun, so yay. Him and Mand are comin over Friday afternoon for Korean food for my birthday.
Well, a ton to get on top of. My Aksarben article is due in a week, and I work nearly every night this week, so I must get on top of that. Celebration copy is due in two weeks, and so far every possibility has burned out. It may be time for some in-perosn calls.
On a side note, I love seeing young people passionate at something, and excelling at it. It's just so inspiring, and who *can't* help but root for that? I think I fell like that because, though I may or may not achieve it, it's what I strive for. Fresh, young journalists. A twenty-one year old college student running for state senate. A college grad working on his second book and networking like wild-fire in the business world. A college student who saves the Italian program, earns an ambassadorship to Sweeden, is fluent in Italian and works at Borschiems and an art gallery. Heck, I'm even getting into the Olympics these days. And I always find myself rooting for the youngest candidate. If God grants me the days to be an old, esteemed vet at something - when all my zest is gone, I'm positive I'll be living vicariously through someones. Youth is a wonderful thing. It's also fleeting.
Man, I always "get too busy" to write about the good times, but exciting they are ... and I just have to write about them. :)
I don't think I ever wrote about me and Joe's romp through Papio days. That was a great time. I've always wanted to take a good friend who wasn't familiar with the whole set up and get to show them around. It's so unqiue and quaint and I think that's something Omahans miss out on, but any how, we met at my church (it was nice that he got to see it) and walked around for awhile. I got to show him where I went to preschool and junior high and the park I played at when I was a kid ... we joked around, looked at the booths, rode some crazy rides that I certainly wouldn't have gone on had he not been there (ok, so they weren't that crazy, I'm just a wimp, and I'm glad I did suck it up and do it though), and went to the Remedy concert. Afterwards, we had drinks up in the loft and played pseudo-Connect-Four with two little girls. Crazy! Remarkably, we both wore Italy shirts. How crazy is that? I tell ya, sometimes we can be incredibly like-minded. Other times, it couldn't be further from the truth.
Anyhow, yesterday I met up with Jay at the gallery for a lunch to catch up and talk a bit of business. Good times. I got to see a bit of the gallery while I waited for him, and we ended up eating Dog Spot catering at the OM Cafe in some exclusive room with a kitchenette and some really interesting oriental art. Jay brought along a friend who does a lot of the same job as him, and that, evidently, I went to church with before Jay was even living anywhere near the Omaha-area. We had energy elixers and Jay and I ended up eating each other's food without noticing till the end because we were both busy on the phone. The food was way different, but way excellent though. I think they're possibly interested in working with OPub for some ads, and even if they hadn't been, it was good just to catch up. I'm workin on pitching a profile of Jay as a young up-and-coming for our business quarterly, and I'm very excited about that. His personality is perfect for it. Anyhow, we're hopin to get together again before I take off. I'll have to get the remainder of the tour of OM and the gallery, and hopefully by then my Omaha Press Club pass will be in so we can eat there. Good times. Thank God I got down town safely, on time, survived without a parking ticket, etc ... dude. Small miracles. ;) No miracle is small though.
Well, I am fully stoked. Tired, but stoked. A TON of my plate, but stoked. Traffic court was a joke this morning, and I ended up with 66.50 for my ticket, incluing court costs. I'd rather not pay anything, and it was an ACCIDENT, so i don't think i should have to, but still, i got off easy and i'm grateful. Mand went with me too, so that made it like 10 BILLION times better. Then, this afternoon while I was napping, Al called for me. I called him back, and he was just wondering if I wanted to go to a dinner party with him with Kate and Mand and Nick and I was like, yeah, I would absolutely LOVE to. He said great, he'll pick me up around 6:30 pm on Friday and to dress in very nice attire. Hooray for that!!!!! I'm just, so stoked. Mand says she's wearing her graduating dress, and I either have to get mine drycleaned after that wedding, or go out and ... haha ... find a new one. We'll see. Either way, I COULD NOT be more excited!
Oh, there was so much to get done this "break", so much that I didn't get done. It's crazy ... when I was in school, snow days, three day weekends - all of those. I'd have huge plans to catch up on those days, and I'd succeed at nothing but goofing off. Which, as lazy as it sounds, was possibly how I kept sane with all I did. I used to think, "If I could just be out of school ... if I could just graduate. If it would just come sooner. This summer I'll be working, I'll be busy. But it will be DIFFERENT. I'll love it."
And it is. And I do.
But there's the inescapable fact ... facts, actually. Work, no matter how much you love it, is work.
And so, this four day weekend of sorts has been wonderful, but I've accomplished next to nothing I wanted to do, and only a few nominal, unncessary things at that, including:
Making cookies for the Hejkals (hey, I don't regret that one bit, I just didn't get much else done) Watching Spiderman and Spiderman 2 Updating my AIM Buddy Profile Spiffing up my blog Working a half day on Saturday Dropping off cookies at Joe's and saying hi to Moriah today Listening to a lot of internet radio Browsing Thrift America and Create A Page
That's about all, folks. I'm hoping, with the remainder of tonight, I can get some things organized, update my portfolio/clips file, get a proposal written, and ge my ducks in a row at least. As always, I have so much to do. I bite off SO much.
Sometimes, oh man, I just find myself SO wishing to be on this wide, wonderful path ... smooth. Easy. That's not life. But sometimes it's my standard ... and I so let myself down.
Tomorrow I'm meeting Jay for lunch and he's going to give me a tour of the gallery. We're going to talk business and catch up. I went on the website, and I guess the gallery's even closed on Tuesdays, so I'll get a real exclusive tour. haha. I'm excited about that. We haven't talked ... since last Fall, really, and I'm hoping we get together once in awhile. He's just a cool kid. And I am excited about the business aspect. Like he said, I'm sure this will be mutually beneficial.
Grrrr traffic court Wednesday.
I'm trying not to think about it.
I try not to think about unpleasent things, bu eventualy that ends with one not being able to think at all.
Priorities ...
Alright, I'm letting Amazing play one more time, and then I have to go get something done, for goodness sakes.
My dad's leaving tomorrow for SanFran, and I'm tiptoein' around the driving issue.
We could all forget, and make it a nonissue.
"I said baby, you're amazing. And I want to let you see. You are everything and more to me. I will let you be. Cuz I will. I will."
I'm going to have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow so I can take care of some Salon and Spa issues before I go to OMag to catch up and then meet Jay. So yeah, I'm thinkin 5 would be the best case, it will probably wind up a lucky 6.
I really wish I could play guitar. You can write poetry till the cows come home, but unless you put it to music or you're INCREDIBLY talented, it's doesn't have the same kind of amazing, universal appeal.
Just my opinion.
Sometimes I just turn the music off and type. If I like the music, which usually is the case, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to what I'm typing - I just kind of let my fingers go.
"You are everything and more to me. I will let you be. Cuz I will. I will."
Ever stop and think that nothing, except the spirital, which we so often and so easily neglect, is temporary.
That means it's fading. Passing.
Sketch marks soon to be erased by a beautiful oil painting.
Will you be of the mind that you can enjoy it? Or will you be painfully erased with the pencil marks?
The one thing that has been running across my mine the past few days is the fact that, well, a lot of people have better hair than they'd like to think. Now, disclaimer: I love working at the salon I work at, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting your hair done once in awhile. It's just people like ME that make me roll my eyes. I used to think my hair was borning. Granted, I didn't always get the best cut in the world, but looking back, at least my hair was healthy and smooth. The minute I got permission to do the long forbidded (to dye my hair - purple streaks no less), things went down hill. The purple was harmless. Lots of fun actually. Not very visable since the hair under it wasn't dyed. The real trouble, however, started when I had streaks in my hair bleached and then died blue. Again, tons of fun. And again, very crazy. (What in the world was I thinking?) Then there was the perm ... and the highlights ... and now, honestly, my hair's a mess. I just got my hair repermed the other day and cut. It looked AWESOME when Stacey and Katie did it ... but ever since, I haven't been able to get it even close to what they had it looking like. I don't think the perm took as well as we all thought it would, and it certainly wasn't anyone's fault. They also had the disadvantaged of perming my already damaged hair ... so they errored on the catious side. Way to go, girls. Seriously. But I'm left thinking, man, my hair a year ago? Pretty alright. My hair now? Yikes!! I've spent over $150 on products in two months and nothing ... you're just never satisfied when you start this and it eats up a lot of your money, discount or no discount. Find a good salon, like the one I work at -- but if you have nice hair, get a couple of non-bleach highlights, maybe, if you really really think you have to have them, get your hair cut regularly, find a funky cut you love, mix it up a bunch if you wish, and leave well enough alone. You probably don't need incredibly expensive shampoo or conditioner ... find a good styling product that works - one that won't rob you of your hard-earned cash, but one that truly works. You're not doin yourself a lot of good if you're goin though a case of varied dollar store styling products to find one that truly works (you may as well have bought the quality product in the first place, saving you cash and your reputation - appearence does weigh in @ the work place). But you're not doing yourself any good if you're buying a truckload of expensive salon products, half of them to "undo" self-inflicted damage, and the other half are impulse buys.
After a short break, I think I just got my hair to function for the day. Function is the key word.
Sometimes you just have to leave it be and go back to it.
;)
I am constantly discouraged by the question of where my money goes. I know I go to the bank a lot, but I guess I drop a lot without realizing it. After paying this lovely traffic ticket on Wednesday, I'm not sure how much will be left. I keep saying I'm going to start a budget, but I haven't. Well, I NEED to this extended weekend. And I need to start writing down my purchases, so I realize what I'm dropping my cash on, and what is frivolous (probably a lot). I *AM* trying to cut back ... but it's always ... well, I always seem to come up with an excuse. It takes a LOT of restraint for me not to eat out two meals a day, when everyone else at all my other workplaces are ... and 99% of the time I don't ... but anyways, there's two probs for me: money and food. I am a glutton. I don't care if I'm 137 pounds, it's heavier than I should be. It all boils down to willpower. When there's barely anything around the house to eat, I'll just about starve myself and then pat myself on the back, thinking, wow I'm so hungry it's painful, I'm doing great! Then I'll come home and find that mom has gone to the grocery store, and the house has plenty of yummy things to eat ... and I'll eat more then I should, and excuse it over the fact that I've only eaten four meager meals in the past two days. It's a vicious cycle.
Yikes.
Anyways, I think we're going over to the Straws to eat today. It'll be OK. They're very very nice people and I like them a lot - I'm just not really in the mood. Then everyone's going to go watch fireworks, but I'm coming home. Fireworks are pretty boring. I mean, if a really great friend called me up and asked me if I wanted to go watch 'em tonight, and we could spend quality time and chat and all, then yeah. But to go sit with some people, who, although you like a lot you aren't terribly close to when you could (hopefully) be getting something done at home and making a little money rather then watching it blow up?
Yeah, I think it's obvious.
I read a business headline on Reuters yesterday. The basic jest of it was that firework sales weren't going to provide a big boost for the stockmarket. NO DUH! (Hopefully) people who don't have a lot of money aren't going to go out and buy a truckload of MO fireworks and light up their cash. And for those who do: that's less money to put back in the economy. So, in my untrained, but (I feel) rational opinion: fireworks aren't going to do anything but make the economy.
That's another thing that REALLY bothers me, speaking of economy. In my mind, economy links up with democrats. I was talking to the manager at the salon yesterday, and she was talking about how, before she was a Christian, she used to be a democrat because it was the "cool" thing to do. I saw this time and time again at Westside, and it sickened me. The air of "democratic cool kids" is so thick you could cut it with a knife. 99% of these kids don't even give a hoot about politics. 99% of these kids won't vote, and if they do, they won't vote issues. We've fed them inclusion, and they're democrats because, "Yeah, ya know, everyone should get to be happy and married." Way to go. You're a thinker.
Being a democrat is never cool, and it's only made uglier when you don't even have a real stand on issues.
Just about to head to work, but wanted to "check in" of sorts. So much for this being a spectacular news commentary blog! Let's just say I'm not there yet ... and that might not be a bad thing at all.
Yesterday was a Friday, but it didn't seem much like one. Instead of heading in the office right away, Joe came over and we worked on his web page and ate Taco Bell for five hours. And got in some good chatting time. The work wasn't to much avail however, and I feel bad about it. But the time really flew by and it was nice just to be able to hang out, think, and work with him.
Nick and Mand picked me up last night to go see Spiderman 2 - something I've been waiting 2 YEARS to see!! I remember coming out of the first movie just blown over and totally crazed over it, and thinking soon after wow ... what a long time away it is ... but "the month I graduate" Spiderman 2 will be out! Well it's come and gone and been delayed, but I saw it and MAN - INCREDIBLE! MUCH better then the first ... a wonderful ending that still leaves room for a Spidey 3 ... high action, super plot, great tie-in's to the first one ... just SPECTACULAR! MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!! Haha. Before this it was a teetering tie - Luther and Spiderman 1. Now it's most likely Spiderman 2, Luther, Spiderman 1. Odd, yes, I know.
I'm pretty glad the concert was rained out last night. I'm always up for a chance to shoot (pictures, that is) but honestly yesterday I was just drained. Looks like I have me some regular writing for the remainder of the summer and through the school year, which I'm completely stoked about - just have to make sure this won't conflict with OPubs. It's not about contract, it's about ethics. Anyhow, keep givin OPubs first priority (it's a step up in expectations anyways, I believe) and things should be fine.
Well, I must go. I love work, but I hope I'm not bored out of my skull today. Oh, yeah - and I hope it storms.
