Category Archives: Updates

F1: February 24, 2010

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Academic week eight of ten, and in fortunate light, everything is coming to a close relatively nicely. The weather has somewhat improved over the days, but it is still far from “spring” status. It seems that the next couple of weeks, if managed well, will conclude to a nice, one-and-a-half week spring break. But until then, there is still plenty to focus on.

  • In COMM-114 (Argument and Critical Discourse), we have our final extra credit arguments to present tomorrow. There have been a total three of these speech/informative presentations – one each week. My group won the first round, however, many of our members were very busy and burnt out to give the second round any effort. We thought that we’d just opt-out since it’s likely that our voting class would have a bias against us anyway, since we already won extra points. But, we didn’t know that if we opted out, we would lose our points from the prior week. What did we do?… We winged it. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty – but even our T.A. said it wasn’t that bad for being presented without research or rehearsal. At least we got to keep our points.
    • There was one group last week that put a lot of work and practice into their presentation, but as a class we voted the winners to be a different group. Yesterday, one of the kiddos from the group that lost had a little chit-chat with our T.A. – complaining that it was unfair that they put so much effort forth and didn’t win. Can you believe this guy talked our T.A. into giving them extra credit points?! They were awarded half the amount of what a winning team gets – so five points instead of ten. I was still a little angry because I feel that it’s just tough luck if the class didn’t pick you. Now I feel like there needs to be a solid guideline in the class justifying who will get the effort points. They are awarded just out of her discretion? Now that is unfair.
    • Tomorrow’s presentation… We are going to win! No points for you whiny Group A! My group meets tonight at 9pm – this class requires us to meet so often to get our work done, that 9pm on Wednesdays has become similar to a ritual.
    • We have our big presentations covering our term-long research next week. I’m pretty nervous – fortunately I have the conclusion part of our argument… I feel like this is my strong-point.
  • In my NMC-301 (Writing for the Media Professional) class, we’re in our own small groups and have been working on one, giant project all term. We have lots left to record – not to mention editing! But I know we will pull it off… And it’ll be great! I’ve never failed a project like that in the past… Never will.
  • I register for classes tomorrow evening – I didn’t set up a counseling session this time – but I know what I need to take for requirements and whatnot – I just need to let them know that they made a mistake on my degree. But I’m also quite happy because I worked two schedules that I’d be willing to take next term. This way I have like a fail-safe… If one fails I’ve at least got the other… And no Friday classes again. This is so good! I can imagine the spring and summer weather already… and no strings to hold me down on Fridays. This should be fantastic.
    • I’m also considering volunteering at KBVR. I need experience for the real-world and practicum credit. The sooner the better. I feel like I’m starting a little late if I want to get a summer internship. Maybe… Lets hope for the best.
  • Recently, I’ve taken up running – mainly in the late afternoon or evening. It is absolutely phenomenal because I can jog now and not get so tired. When I was heavy, I just plainly never considered running. Towards the end of freshmen year, I tried running at a nearby track. My legs… They would hurt so bad. And my lungs and heart… They just couldn’t provide for my heavy self. Now it’s so different. The only thing that’s really holding me back are side-aches and mucous stuck in my mouth because I can’t spit. Talking about this all I want to go running right now, even though it’s raining. Dry and warmer weather ASAP, please!

F1: January 11, 2010

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The second week of winter term has commenced, and mentally I’m feeling okay. But physically…

  • It had to come sooner or later… I’ve got a cold. The last time I was sick was the weekend before school started. I had a bad fever and was so hot/cold I didn’t want to roll over and sip some water. So, I should be thankful it’s just a cold (so far). I think I might just cozy on up and read… But at the same time a coffeehouse sounds like a nice place to be. However, another bad part of a cold is the loss of taste. For lunch I grabbed some Pita Pit down the road on the way back from class… I could hardly taste it despite all my deep-breathing, nasal-clearing, pre-eating efforts. Really all I could get out of the flavor was the eggplant hummus and a little bit of the scrumptious Tzatziki dressing. Good enough for me.
  • However, the diet is going well. Over winter break, as you know I was very worried about weight gain, but then I don’t know what happened and I came back to school having lost five pounds. Yee yee! I’m getting really close the 160′s now… Maybe one more week? According to an online BMI Calculator, I need to get to 159 pounds in order to be considered normal weight in body mass percentage terms. But I know calculators can be terribly inaccurate in addition to the fact that I tend to actually be more big-boned. So… I’d say by now I’m getting pretty close to that mark. Once I get there it will be a celebration. In BMI sense, I will have crossed an entire category, dropping from the “obese” ranking down to “normal”. There’s no stopping me now as my whole life has changed.
  • I also tend to notice that I eat differently. Often I find that I’m content with just consuming food to keep my body fed with calories. I don’t necessarily need the best tasting stuff. For example, the no-meat Mediterranean pita I had for lunch today… Or the Egg Beaters I had for breakfast. I actually hope I’m getting past that need for the best-tasting food. I want to be one of those people that don’t obsess over what their meal will taste like and rather what’s in it and how it was produced. I want to be a health nut and go organic or something. We will see where it goes… Probably just a fad.

F1: December 19, 2009

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Mmmk… It has been a whirlwind of a past couple of weeks. I drudged through fall term finals, poked my head up for breath in the first few days of winter break, and am again slammed with busyness.

  • I began my two-and-a-half-ish weeks of seasonal employment back at the Tualatin Haggen Service Deli. It wasn’t difficult or terribly stressful coming back to work after two-and-a-half months of absence. Though, after completion of my first shift, I was really having withdrawals from my winter break freedoms. I was kind of bummed – I kept wondering if it was a mistake to return to the working world, if only for a couple of weeks. I kept touching base on the idea that this is my vacation from school – the biggest break of the school year… and I’m working my butt off? Yeah. I would love to go on vacation somewhere – anywhere, but the best choice is to earn as much money as I can to pay off rent and utilities. I’m feeling better now, and seeing more of the positives rather than the negatives in this process.
  • Change in academic plans? A bit. I’m beginning to see more and more how difficult the broadcast/journalism industry currently stands as. First of all, you’re lucky to even get a job. Second of all, your starting pay likely sucks. Third and finally, you could get canned unexpectedly. This is why I’m starting to take some time to consider alternatives in the technology/media/writing/communications options. What could I do in this world that would pay well and be my ideal job? I was thinking about technology and communications in health systems – like how hospitals operate their databases and communicate from organization to organization. Maybe there’s a need out there for them to enhance in the digital world… I keep coming back to the likings of Twitter. There’s something about Twitter than leads me to believe a greater, more efficient, more powerful form of “new media” is out there – where I will be at the head of the game and be skilled and informed very well enough to be a solid asset to a company. I am left with this question… “What technological form of communication is on the forefront, and how is it a perfect match for health systems?”
  • By the way, Twitter was hacked the other day. Our world’s involvement with new media communications is definitely evolving.
  • Charles Gibson signed off one last time on ABC’s World News. He is retiring, and my fascination with news media was a bit damaged as I was at work and could not watch it on television. Other signs of my broadcast love: KATU, 9/11 coverage, YouTube’ing old ABC promo packages, Wikipedia’ing journalists, and Peter Jennings’ passing away. There’s a love for the news, but I just don’t know if I can act upon it. Diane Sawyer, another one of my idolized journalist, begins hosting World News on Monday. Watch out Katy Couric.
  • In other news… My diet and weight loss is in a holding pattern. I eat Mom’s cooking – again props for how amazing and delicious it is – and how thankful I am for her love and care. But I need to counterbalance this new level of food ingestion. I never ate like this in Corvallis. I eat just enough to get me by – and healthy items at that. I come home to an Italian-style home of cooking. Dangerous. I got a free 21-day guest pass at 24 Hour Fitness. In my first few days of winter break, I could easily take advantage of its 8am-8pm workout time restrictions. But now with work, I find it so difficult to visit the club. But the weight has only risen slightly, something that I know I will get back down ASAP.

F1: November 19, 2009

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Finally, an update! It has been a couple of busy weeks – either that, or just so drab that there’s nothing worth posting. I don’t know; I don’t want to stop and think about it really. Anyway, here is the latest scoop:

  • I have been working on the final, big assignment for my Writing for Media class. Our task is to interview someone and portray them in our writing, using quotations and observations. Several weeks ago when we were just being introduced to the project, I sat in the desk and tried to think about who I would interview. I was pretty nervous, pondering whether I should choose to converse with my current math professor (who I don’t like). It didn’t seem like a good idea. I’ve learned that great writing comes from a subject you enjoy covering. So… I went a while without any idea who I would talk with. But then I let my brain talk to me, and I began to consider someone I have a lot of respect for – who works in an industry and at a news station that has held my interest for years – who has achieved very high educational standards – who is friendly, thought-provoking and helpful, all the while balancing business and personal life. I talked with my writing professor about my ambitious thoughts, and after some procrastination, I finally sent off a request-for-interview email. About two weeks later, here I sit having not only worked through my second interview ever, but also having got to meet someone I consider my idol in broadcasting. Anita Kissee of KATU-TV in Portland was a joy to converse with and made my day.
    • To our advantage, there was also a great casual media event called Media Circus! that was open to the public which took place in downtown. We set to rendezvous at Invasion, the hosting location of the event, about 45 minutes prior so that we could talk without distractions. We headed to the local Java Man coffeehouse where we began our chat over a cup of coffee. It worked out perfect. I got to ask many questions about Kissee and KATU that I just couldn’t have ever achieved through Twitter, Oregon Media Central (OMC), the internet, or anything at all. There’s nothing like meeting someone face-to-face. About an hour later, we walked one block down the road and arrived at the event where we got to talk with some radio and unemployed folk. It was a solid time.
      • Funny story: I walk into Invasion which is the hosting location of the media event, and since the event was free, the employees really encourage and sort of hustle you to purchase a drink. Keep in mind this place is a cafe by day, a nightclub and lounge by night, so when I nervously ask what they’ve got (since there was no menu), the guy gestures to the 10-foot hight wall of alcohol. My mind kind of stuttered – I was thinking, “Holy crap – FINALLY my appearances pass me as 21!” I politely declined to purchase a drink, and good thing I didn’t say I was a minor. Later, on an OMC Media Circus! follow-up blog posting, I read that a woman with her kids was not allowed to attend the event because, it turns out, the OLCC changed the liquor rules just days prior to the event changing Invasion to a full-time no-minors location… What a good day it was.
    • The profile assignment is due on the 30th of this month, and I have about half of my draft done that’s due tomorrow. Yes, three hours at Starbucks equals half a rough draft…

Anita Kissée

  • The end of fall term 2009 is really closing in fast. Half of next week is Thanksgiving break, and when we come back to class we’re amidst dead-week (the week prior to finals). One week after that and it’s winter break for three weeks!
    • I have talked with Haggen and will be working during the big break… It will be fun.
  • Last but not least… I hate being relied upon as a chauffeur. One can try to barter, trade, or compensate for the travel, but when it comes down to it, I am being used as a service, and any form of reimbursement won’t make up for the act itself. A car for transportation is a luxury that I ante-up for and pay to provide myself with as my own service. The costs of the vehicle and just the ability to have it here is more than just gas. There are a variety of risks and other factors that I must afford and endure, such as insurance while the car is away from the home location, the increase of miles on the odometer, the risk of damage or theft, and the overall maintenance to keep the car up-to-date and running. There are already a pinch-full a minor fixes that should be addressed that no one else will cover but myself, let alone if my prize possession decides to even conk out on me. Splitting gas? A temporary offering which works for the most part and for the time being, but surely doesn’t justify these four wheels as a mutual and fair ride for all ages.
  • Party tomorrow? Yeah, maybe. Just let this week be over.

F1: October 24, 2009

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One of the best days in a long time!…

  • Today was the big shopping spree for new clothes – and it was a whole lot more than that, it was the search for a new style. I think I found what I’ve been looking for.
    • I’ve really liked the preppy look – full pull-over sweater on top of a collared shirt… so awesome. Well, my weight loss hasn’t led me quite to that point in playing dress-up, but I think I’ve accomplished a sub-step on my way there. I got a few collared shirts, a pull-over sweater with a turtle-neck, a vest, and plenty of new jeans, as well as a sick sweatshirt. And get this!… I dropped two pant sizes. I was so ecstatic! I haven’t fit into 34′s for ages (literally).
    • Anyway, I’m extremely happy with my outfits and cannot wait to bring ‘em to the ole Corvallis. Could not had a better time shopping… Well… Maybe. I feel so changed and definitely hope to leave behind the old me.
  • I’ve decided my Halloween costume. I shall be a DJ! I’ve got my basic Sennheiser headphones and my T-Qualizer shirt (that basically fits now – has ALWAYS been a challenge since it was imported from Europe). I am thinking what else I might need. I don’t really want to go hardcore, so maybe this is enough.
  • So stoked for Halloween weekend to come in 6 days! Kevin’s good friend is visiting with his girlfriend (and her friends, too) and are staying the night. PARTAY!… Campus will be buzzing!
  • Haircut tomorrow, along with shoe shopping and a few more errands.
  • I miss Corvallis, though. I feel bad leaving Kevin at the apartment alone. Ok, it sounds weird, but it’s something I think about. I don’t have as much of a desperation to go home anymore like I did during the stagnation of dorms. I love the apartment!
  • Hit up 24 Hour Fitness tonight – man the food I’ve consumed yesterday and today since being home is inevitably going to put me up a pound or two – had to at least try to burn some of it off. I can’t wait to get back to the normal routine of working out at Dixon. I come home and I see how I used to live – and how contrast it is to my way of life in Corvallis… The later being better, actually.
  • Went to Haggen to pick up my final paycheck. My coworker’s paycheck was there, and his last day was one day prior to mine… so mine should be there too – but it wasn’t! There’s more workarounds, but it’s a pain.
  • Ready to turn the page and start a new chapter… Bring it on!

F1: October 23, 2009

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  • The rain made its way back here to Corvallis… Absolutely EWE.
  • Driving home this afternoon and staying in Tualatin until Monday mid-morning – practically all my clothes are packed up so I can swap out for newly purchased, better fitting items.
  • Workout predicament… I didn’t work out yesterday due to my busiest day of classes and the need to complete my most difficult essay this year so far. That makes twice this week I didn’t go work out. I feel I should go to Dixon today and work out because I am most likely going to be gaining a pound or two this weekend at home with little options to work out there. Such a hard decision!… Here’s the downer, though… I’d have to skip Math 245 to do so. I looked over the notes online and I understand the content. Decisions, decisions!