back to schoolings

back to school, back to school, to prove to dad I'm not a fool.

Also, I realize this blog has lost some substance over the past few months. I apologize. But not really. Because summer 2010 sucked the life outta me. For reals.

P.S. I am blogging this from school where these two returned missionaries will NOT stop talking about how they picked up their wives in Russia, NOT because they were Russian, but simply because that is whom they happened to fall in love with. Get real. But maybe get real somewhere else. Nobody cares.

Anyways. My friend Fish blogged about something I've been giving a lot of thought to, and it seems everyone else has as well. You may have heard about the proposed and approved mosque and community center near the 9/11 site. Unless you're like me and call Us Weekly the news.

This plan was approved by a city panel, just two blocks from ground zero. As you can imagine, controversy has ensued ever since. Sarah Palin was so upset about the whole thing she even asked for peaceful Muslims to "refudiate" the plan, and called it a stab to the American heart, all via Twitter. Lots of problems with this statement, beginning with the fact that refudiate isn't actually a word to begin with. Anyways.


I understand both sides, but I really think the issue has gotten a little out of hand. So how should something like this even be settled? Precedent? A coin toss? My friend Fish had the idea to "put a New York Yankee on the very top of the freedom tower (that doesn't yet exist.) Now, it needs to be an American citizen. No Mexicans. Probably not even a Puerto Rican. And not just some naturalized player. A real live multi generational citizen. Now, let that Yankee drop hit a baseball as far as he can, from the tip top of the non existent freedom tower(s), and where that ball lands, is the closest that any Mosque may be built". In my opinion this is the best idea yet.


I also remember another religious controversy involving Catholic nuns praying for Auschwitz victims in a chapel near the historical site. Even though they were nuns, just about the least threatening entities on the planet, Pope John Paul II asked them to leave as it still indicated an expropriation of the memory of the Jews killed there. The place was just too sensitive for families still in the area, and they stopped praying there when they realized it was causing them pain. I'd like to think that if the RLDS church ever was involved in some sort of American tragedy they would not build a pray center right next to the site. It's just insensitive. I think that overall the Muslims don't mean any harm, and that it's time, for us as Americans, to MOVE ON.

time to update your resume

everyone knows the current economy makes it tough, if not virtually impossible
to find a job upon graduation.

I've heard from more than a few recent graduates that they are struggling to get hired, and
are unsure what to do about it.

during the P.R. trip to New York this March, I asked one of the hiring directors at MKG Productions what they looked for in new hires, and in hiring interns.

He said, "Be creative with your resume."

Be honest everyone--how many of you think that by taking the time to create a resume and cover letter in a Microsoft Word document template is going to get you hired?

I know we've all been guilty of this, and most of us still are. But in an economy that is making it less than comfortable to graduate, you need to be doing more.

"A template resume can be spotted a million miles away," said Bonnie Vieira, Director of Client Services at j. simms agency. "You may as well tell them you don't care, and aren't creative."

Harsh. But true.

Especially in the fields of advertising or public relations, your competitive counterparts that are looking to get hired are doing more than you. Although it may not seem like much, the content of a resume is just as important, if not more so, than its design.

Elizabeth Jenkins, fellow P.R. grad from BYU, recently updated her personal blog (which you should all have) with a link to her "professional portfolio" blog.

She has taken it upon herself to upload her working portfolio to a blog she keeps online.

Generally speaking, all resumes should be kept to one page. Especially if you are recently graduated, there is no reason to have a lengthy resume.
(no matter how talented you think you are)

The resume should present all of your information clearly, concisely, and in a way that makes your experience relevant to the position you're applying for.
(this goes for cover letters too. do NOT use templates, and tailor the letter to the company you're applying to.)

All resumes should include:

• Contact Information: Full name, address, phone, (a Twitter account is always a good idea, especially for PR)
  
• Education (start with your highest education first, gpa is optional)
  
• Skills (include all skills that are job-related, try to use action verbs)
  
• Experience (always list most recent experience first, and make sure the verbs are correct in their past/present tense)
  
• Activities (campus activities, memberships)
  
• Personal (honors/awards, certificates, etc.)

And most of all, be creative, and appropriate to your job field.
These resumes would not work for someone applying for an accountant position.

I'm definitely not the bees-knees here, but I did update mine awhile ago following the advice from Peter St. John at MKG. Now we'll see if I get hired.

an affair to remember

Wow. So many things happening lately.

I spent March 17-20 of last week in New York City, on UVU's dime. Holler.
The Communications department picked 7 students with stellar resumes, obviously, to go to NEW YORK and meet with public relations professionals at the top of their game.

We flew into Newark, NJ via a nonstop flight with no food. Peanuts only. Really Delta? And half a Diet Coke. Apparently we're in a recession. It's a good thing I'm always packing protein bars.


We checked into the hotel, none other than the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. NBD.

I met up with my good friends Ed Felix and Casey Lewis that night to go to dinner, so fun! It's possible that Thai food tastes better in SoHo...but not as good as Siamese Hut.

Thursday was ridiculously busy, but went a little something like this:

Starbucks. Nonfat Chai Tea Latte. Check.

Meeting with Rachel Cohen, Director of Multi-Media at SVP Worldwide.
She was darling.

Subway. Check.


Meeting with Maneesh Goyal, President of MKG Productions.

My dream job. Enough said.

Meeting with Kathleen Huddy, Textiles Director at Good Housekeeping.
She was so on point. So sharp and exactly what an editor should be.


Ate dinner at SushiSamba in Union Square.

Went that night to go see In the Heights on Broadway with Ed..featuring Corbin Blue. Aaamaaaazing.

Dessert at Amy's Breads. Eat the monkey cake. Seriously.

Friday.
Meeting with Randy Herbertson, co-owner of SeeSaw.
Again, another one of my favorite appointments. Nothing quite compares with talking to people who are doing what you want to do, who also happen to be the leaders in the industry. Such a thrill to be able to pick his creative brain.

also spent a lot of time with this talented young lady. she is such a hard worker and I'm sure she will succeed wherever she goes! But Kaiti, as much as I love you I'm not much of a cuddler at 4am. Stay on your side of the bed!

Meeting with Mark Newman of Hunter Public Relations.
Super informative and he was so down to earth.

And finally, we met with Ahmad Corbitt, the Director of International Affairs in New York for the church. And we got to speak with four UN Ambassadors. I asked a question. In the microphone.


Dinner at Carnegie's Deli...dessert crepes at the Creperie..and a poetry slam in the Lower East Side. Thanks Ed. I'm pretty sure I was one of three white people there. I did learn that "purchasement" is a word in Brooklyn, courtesy of Mahogany Brown.

Saturday we checked out of the hotel, did some shopping, some Central Park, and Ed and I stood in line at the ShakeShack for an hour.
But it was sooooo worth it.


It went by so fast, and was an absolute blast. I loved every minute of it, and was so grateful for the experience and the connections made there!

I came back even more excited to graduate this year, and even more senioritis. Am I allowed to have that already?

Get me graduated and back in Manhattan.

math may keep me from graduating

this is why I suck at blogging. brain dump.

I really do want to be better at keeping my blog. I have some good things to say.
I turned 23 in January. Dinner at Carrabas with my besties, and otherwise uneventful. I don't think I'm as mad about 23 as I thought I was going to be.
I'd love to let everyone know exactly what I think about the Biggest Loser, but my roommates are too cheap to let us have DVR. I swear this will be resolved next year.
Still training for the Salt Lake Marathon. Not sure how I let Megan talk me into this one, but it worries me. She may have some sort of Jedi mind-trick abilities I'm not yet aware of.
My life has been taken over the 2010 U.S. Census. I should be happy. I was chosen as team leader for UVU's Bateman team to compete in the PRSSA 2010 National Bateman Competition. I've also acted as the creative director of the campaign, from logo, to branding, to ensuring the visual messages were always clear. Sort of fun and exciting, but more than a little bit stressful and demanding on my Tuesday/Thursday schedule.
The most significant thing that happened to me this week: I ate free JDawg's, at Wolverine Wednesday on campus. This turned out to be a very costly mistake. I thought free meant it was a good idea. Free = the hardest most disgusting 4 mile run of my life. It was supposed to be my easy day. Instead, at .84 miles I felt like throwing up, and was sweating profusely. I will never eat JDawg's again.
Midterms has already come and gone, not sure how I feel about that.
Six days left of the Census campaign.
I got picked to be one of seven PR students to go on a school-sponsored trip to Manhattan in March...just found out we'll be staying in the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, NBD. We leave March 17th...
Still working on finding an internship, I really hope to find something in San Diego. We'll see how that goes.
I love watching the Olympic games. Very mesmerizing. Picture a small child watching Disney cartoons. That's me.
Apolo Anton Ohno is amazing. But still a tool. That small hairy distraction on your face needs to go. Look at him.

I tweeted this early this week, but I restate it because of its importance. If anyone ever finds me in aisle six of WalMart, 17 months prego, hoarding yet to be paid for powdered doughnuts, whilst wearing an oversized BYU sweatshirt and making my acne-prone husband carry our other dirty-faced infant, shoot me.

semester in review.

this semester was awful. it's over now. as of 5:00pm.

I can't believe it's christmastime. christmas always sorts of sneaks up on me with finals and everything, summed up by the sign on the library door:

"god rest ye merry gentlemen...after finals. until then, we're open until 2 a.m."

freak. they do not mess around. last night was my last night of studying for finals. holly met me at the library with a $5 pizza from little caesar's. food is not allowed in the library, so we decided to stick it to the byu security man. we wrapped the entire pizza in paper towels, put it in my backpack, and brought it inside. it was delicious. the bad part was when I drowned my phone in pink strawberry gatorade. it was phone number genocide. nothing could be saved. that's my second phone this year. we're leaving to go home tomorrow, finally!
here is the list of things I am grateful for, and that got me through this heinous semester:

1. best find: hanes v-neck teesthese little gems really saved my life. 8.99 for a back of 5 at Target or WalMart, and fit just like the American Apparel regular v's. I wear them to bed. I wear them to school. I wear them to the gym. (not all the same shirt guys. I change in between) These have been such a huge part of my life, my blog title was inspired by them. And also a little bit by Megan, who greeted me "oooooh haaaanes" when approaching her at the gym. the best/worst moment of my life when I realized I should probably stop wearing them so much.

2. cheapest pick-me-up: crest diet cokes

okay everyone. I need to have a diet coke everyday, and I am okay with that. there are worse things, they kept me awake, and comforted my soul.

3. most convenient breakfast: Fiber One Bars / Zone Perfect Mint Chocolate Bars

I ate these for breakfast, it'd be very safe to say everyday. they are delicious. and 9g of fiber.


4. quickest fix: shampowder dry shampoo

this dry shampoo can be picked up at target for a measly $15. it works wonders. and I guess what I'm trying to say is: I didn't have a lot of time this semester. including always washing my hair. so sue me.

5. best laughs: seinfeld dvds


I own seasons 1-9. for those who don't know, that's all of them. I don't really watch them anymore, but like to listen to them while I'm studying. and by listen, I mean quote them to myself and laugh like I made the joke.

6. always good, never not good: subway 6" veggie on wheat

let me just say first, that there are a lot of things wrong with this picture. I HATE meat sandwiches. there is something very strange about meat on bread. texture or something. so this is not an exact depiction of what my lunches every tuesday-thursday look like. (the other pictures looked disgusting, you should be thanking me for searching for this gem.) I probably spent a lot of money there this semester, but it was worth it. plus I went with my gorgeous sister Holly right before our crazy reporting class started. by the end of the semester they knew our orders. not my brightest moment.

7. best read: the hiding place

I read this book for the first time in highschool, but it's so good. I started reading it again about a month ago, after my Dad decided to gift all of his kids a copy. so good. I promise, if you haven't read it, READ IT. you will not be sorry.


8. best jams: semester in a playlist

1. Meet Me Halfway (Black Eyed Peas) good job Ferg.
2. 3 (Britney Spears) catchy. especially when my 3 year old nephew sings it.
3. I Can Transform Ya (Chris Brown) I think he's pist about Rihanna.
4. Down (Jay Sean)
not my fave, but inevitably became the theme of the semester with a 1/4 chance it was going to be on the radio.
5. Body Language (Jesse McCartney)
6. I Look So Good (Without You) (Jessie James) totally girl power. it was a phase.
7. Who Says (John Mayer)
8. I Got You (Leona Lewis)
9. Lollipop (Lil Wayne) guilty pleasure. creepy voice. never gets old. thanks meg.
10. Blame It On The Girls (Mika)
11. 1901 (Phoenix) whole album is amazing.
12. She Wolf (Shakira) awooooooo
13. Marching On (Timbaland & One Republic)
14. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To (Weezer)
15. Motownphilly (Boyz II Men) throwback to my first cd I ever owned.
16. Lean On Me Remix (Swisha Cutz)
17. Bang! Bang! (The Knux) best running song ever.
18. Haven't Met You Yet (Michael Buble) okay I might still be in the phase. plus this song is darling.
19. You and I (Ingrid Michaelson)

my happenings as of late,

I'm not a blogger. I'm convinced I have nothing interesting happening, and if it does happen it happens with this lady, and gets written on her blog. But I don't keep a journal. So I'm trying this as an alternative.

Today, I'm studying for finals. As I have been for the past week. For those wondering, I'm alive. For those who didn't notice, good riddance. I took 18 credit hours this semester. I probably won't do it again. I don't know much about numbers, but don't think that it's been a good ROI.



Today, I went to In-N-Out with James Sukhan. As if that weren't fun enough, there was nowhere to sit. (Utahns have taken this In-N-Out thing a little too seriously, and the line has been out the door since it opened last month). We decided to take up seats next to a lovely couple named Don & MaryAnne. They assumed James and I were dating...so we decided not to argue. A short excerpt from the conversation went as follows:

Don: "So how did you cute guys meet?"
James: "Well, that's an interesting story. Roxy?"
Me: "Funny you should ask. About three years ago, in the same ward, he was dating my good friend."
MaryAnne: "Oh, how is your friend?"
Me: "Oh, just lovely. She's fine."
Don: "How long have you two been in love?"
James: "She actually doesn't know we are yet...I was going to tell her at Christmas."
Don: "Ohhh..I'll make sure not to mention it."
MaryAnne: "Are you guys dating?"
James: "Not yet."
Don: "Look at how darling she is. Why aren't you dating her? You'd better snatch it up before someone in your ward does."
James: "I know, right? Look at how the sun is hitting her hair. She looks like a Christmas miracle."

It was amazing. I love having the opportunity to meet new people and find out their stories. Right now, my sister Holly and I are in the library on campus. Story of our lives...with an extreme case of giggles. It's probably not that funny. I hope she knows how much I love her, and it's been so fun to have her on the same campus as me all year!

And to sign off, here is an amazing way to sum up how I feel. Good work Danielle.

{my prayer}

Now I lay me down to study,
I pray the Lord I won't go nutty.
If I should fail to learn this junk,
I pray the Lord I will not flunk.
And when I lay me down to rest,
I pray I'll pass tomorrow's test.
If I should die before I wake,
that's one less test I'll have to take.
Amen.