FB withdrawal.

So this past Wednesday began the season of Lent, as some of you may already know. For those of you who weren’t aware, let me offer you this definition of Lent, courtesy of the all-knowing Wikipedia.org:

Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where according to the Bible he endured temptation by Satan. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

All right, enough with the religious rhetoric…I’m not here to convert anyone. However, the Lenten season plays a large part in the topic of this post. During Lent, it is common to give up something that you enjoy on a daily basis—for example, pop or ice cream. Hence the self-denial thing. So these 40 days I have decided to go without…are you ready for it? Facebook. Yep, you read correctly. And you know what else? It is only day three and already I’m dying. And to be perfectly honest, I’m not too sure why I feel this way. I mean, it is only a website. Really. I had thought much higher of my self-restraint. I should be able to go a few days without seeing if someone wrote on my wall or commented on my status.

So I’m looking to you, dear readers, if you are still out there and haven’t been swallowed up by the copious amounts of homework professors are handing out these days…what is it about Facebook that makes it so hard to live without? I have my own assumptions, but I’d like to hear yours first. Maybe once I’m further along in the detox process I’ll be able to write about it without feeling my right hand spasm towards the Facebook bookmark at the top of each webpage. Hope to hear from you soon!
-Nadine

Is it spring break yet?

All right, folks. I have a confession to make. I’ve been avoiding blogging because I feel like I have nothing to talk about. I know, I know—it’s a blog, write whatever you want, there are no rules, etc.

But here’s the thing: winter quarter has sucked out all the happiness and originality from my soul. Extreme, you say? Perhaps. But it’s how I feel, nonetheless. I’ve spent so much time in the study lounge down the hall these past few weeks that I have a pillow and blanket stowed away in the corner, just in case my homework load gets out of hand. What is more (warning: impending girl moment), I feel pale and chubby and I do not like it. However, this is not a venting outlet for me, dear readers. Quite the contrary…I am confessing all of this in order to share with some of you who may feel the same way a revelation I had. The other day, I was wondering what might be the cause of this recent uneasiness with my life…after all, I thought to myself, I don’t remember this happening in elementary school or high school in the winter time. It was then that I stumbled upon this quote, by good old Anton Chekhov:

People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.

Hmm. Interesting. Could the weather really not be responsible for my foul mood? I mean, if I was truly happy, it shouldn’t matter if it is cloudy and 25 degrees outside, right? And to be fair, there’s a lot of beauty to be found in wintertime—what with all the snow on the ground and in the trees. My conclusion: I need to stop using the fact that it’s winter as an excuse to be lethargic and irritable. For so long I’ve been telling myself that I’ll be better come spring; that once this quarter ends I can go back to being a pleasant and active person…but to use the weather as a cop out for reaching my true potential is kind of immature.

So, I’m going to take a few vital steps to expel these so called “winter blues,” and you can join me! In these next few weeks, I’m going to avoid clutter in my room and keep the blinds open to let some light in. I’m going to exercise more, replace sugary coffee drinks with tea, and stay in touch with family and friends. Any other suggestions? Let me know! Hopefully soon, we’ll all be able to be happy in spite of the chilly weather and, like our friend Anton says, not even notice whether it’s winter or summer.
-Nadine

Diving into the PR world

Hello everyone! It's been ages since my last blog post... so here we go. I want to start out by saying that in comparison to last quarter, this quarter has been going a lot more smoothly. Despite the constant studying that Journalism 133 entails, I am actually enjoying that class and finding it nice to have a lot more time on my hands to get my studying done and an adequate amount of sleep.

A few week ago, I had the opporutunity to attend a focus group for Zolio.com. I came into the experience a little nervous because I was afraid that I would be put on the spot and my inexperience with focus groups would show. However, to my surpise, the focus group was laid back and everyone's input was appreciated. For those of you who don't know, Zolio.com is an online resume builder that was started by two Bobcat alums. Zolio.com allows you to build a profile that includes your resume as well as work samples. You are able to highlight your talents with not only your resume, but with work samples or videos about yourself that can be easily uploaded. Zolio.com is just getting started, however exciting things will be coming in the near future. The founders of Zolio.com hope to create a video podcast where employers can set up video interviews with you, a service where with a few clicks of the button you can have your resume sent to fed ex, personalized, and shipped to future employers, as well as an online organizer where employer contacts can be stored. I encourage all of you to visit the site and build your own profiles.

On another note, I am so excited to be going to Chicago in about a month. So far this year, I feel that I have been submerged in the PR world. Although I have learned a lot about what the PR world is, I am excited to actually see a PR agency in person. Coming for a small town in West Virginia, I have yet to have had this experience and I am excited to go to Chicago so that I can make sure PR is a field that I want to go into.

For my next blog post, I plan on dedicating it to classic rock. About a month ago, I went to the ACDC concert in Pittsburgh. In March, I am going to a Nickleback, Fleetwood Mac, and Eagles concert. Anyway, thanks as always for visiting our blog :). Peace and Love!
-Bethany