Unproductive Day:

Elan would be proud of me. Here was the break down of my day:

1. Woke up at 12 noon. I was supposed to work at 10AM at the pool, but I was on duty (RA thing) and didn't get to bed until 3AM and completely spaced on setting my alarm.
2. Ran errands with my friend Jade and went tanning.
3. Went to Harpoon Brewery to celebrate my friend, Ally's, bday. Got drunk at 2PM because I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. But had a great time hanging out with friends and joking. I guess I should review the beer. I'm having a lot of fun trying out different breweries and learning about beer. To me it's almost the same as wine tasting. Anyways, here is what I tried (in order):
4. Harpoon Ale
   
5. Hibernian Ale (Seasonal)
6. Harpoon Cider
7. 100 Barrel Series (Cast) - #22 Steve Stewart's Firth of Forth Ale
8. UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen
9. Took a 2 hour nap 4:30-6:30PM.
10. Grabbed dinner with my friend, Claire, who I went to Greece with last Spring Break and studied abroad last semester so it was good to catch up with her.
11. Am now working at the pub - which is completely dead, due to the fact that tonight is the Bentley Ball - thus I'm writing this slightly pointless blog about my day. Will probably go watch my friends do a case race later tonight.
12. Then attempt to fall asleep at a decent time.

I hope everyone was slightly more productive than I was today. But had a good time as well.

Review of the Greg Mortenson:

Wow! This man's life is amazing. From growing up in Africa, attempting to climb K2, to building schools and promoting peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan. What I loved most about his lecture is how much he focused on educating girls. He shared an old African proverb that states: "If you educate a boy, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl you educate a community." This really spoke to me because at some point in my future career I want to work with girls in 3rd world countries. It is a passion of mine that I have yet to officially discover (aka I've never done it before but I believe that is why God put me on this planet). I have the entire lecture on my computer. However, I can't figure out how to post it. So if you would like it I can email it out. Just let me know. I also got a signed copy of his book "Three Cups of Tea". I can't wait to read it on my Spring Break trip (I officially bought my plane ticket tonight!)

Road Trip Update:

Got another place for my list. Four corners!

The Navajo Nation cordially welcomes you to one of our most unique landmarks - The Four Corners. This is the only place in the United States where four states intersect at one point: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. This location is very remote as you will experience when visiting.

Anyone been there? Any more suggestions?

MoNdOtEk - aLiVe (Vidéo Clip TeCkToNiK)

Something I need to learn how to do the next time I'm bored.

It's Official:

Spring Break will be spent with one Miss Julie Mantius on Norwegian Cruise Line on a 5 day cruise from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico to Georgetown, Cayman Islands!

More details to come - but for now, Lost and bed are calling my name. Busy day tomorrow!

Things I need to Do (not in any real order):

• Buy a water bra (cleavage = free drinks ;)
• Go tanning
• Order new charms for my flags bracelet
• Pack
• Figure out plan tickets
• Figure out excursion
  

Wikipedia Timelapse - VT Massacre

Cool little clip that shows the time lapse breakdown of Wikipedia's Virgina Tech Massacre page.

For Extra Credit Today:

I went to a lecture by Gerald C. Kane on "Knowledge Management in a Web 2.0 World: Wikipedia and the Virgina Tech Massacre." I learned some really interesting stuff. Including:

• The NY Times stated the article was better written than their articles on the event (and this was done by 2,652 contributors)
• Wikipedia is run by 7 employees and operates on less than $1.5 million - yet it is the 5th (I believe) most visited site on the web
• The 5th highest rated editor on wikipedia is "WhisperToMe" and he is a 15 year old high school student
• The VT Massacre page is the 3rd most vandalized article on Wikipedia (after Germany and Cannabis)
• Wikipedia has "bots" that automatically fix most problems caused by vandals such as swearing, !!!, CAPS, and completely deleting a page
  
• Overall motivations why people write on wikipedia are:
1. Emotional motivations: way of coping with the tragedy (VT example)
2. Psychological motivations: Many contributors suffer from Asperger's Syndrome
3. Ideological motivations: single-issue editors (gun control for example)

See the video above to check out the break down of the creation of the actual article. Pretty cool.

Spring Awakening (The Review)

First off, it was AMAZING!

Second, it was very provocative (a teen age boy motorboats his piano teacher and they actually simulate sex on stage - bear butt and all - a lot of swearing too!)

Third, I loved it! I loved the songs! I loved the story!

Oh the story, I can finally tell you what it is about because I've actually seen it now. Taking place in the 1890's in Germany its about a group of young teenagers who parents refuse to believe they are growing up and tell them about the birds and the bees. Left up to questioning, researching, explaining, and experimenting. Each of the kids ends up in different places, reformatory, dead, pregnant, living among gypsies, etc. Brilliant! The play deals with aspects of abuse, finding one's self, sexuality, love, abortion, masterbation, and suicide. There were some funny scenes, sad scenes and definitely a couple awkward growing up scenes. Here is the wikipedia description (warning spoilers).

Overall a very good first ever Broadway show pick.

Graduation Announcements/Senior Portraits

I meant to write this on Friday but I was trying to beat a snow storm in MA to get to CT...but...
I BOUGHT MY GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SENIOR PORTRAITS!!!

I am so excited, can't you tell? After my graduation, I am going to have a mini party with my family and extended family here before my cross country road trip. (Don't worry I am going to have a real one in Oregon that you are all invited to). I'm so close to being DONE it's not even funny!

More to post about my Broadway adventures... LATER!

Spring Awakening!

This weekend, my friend Julie and I are going to NYC to see the Broadway Musical Spring Awakening! I'm super excited. I have never seen a Broadway play before so I'm ubber pumped. This ties into the whole "doing-everything-I-said-I-would-do-on-the-East-Coast" theme. I'm just making up for lost time. Anything else I should add to this list?

Like I posted a couple of days ago, Paul Gillin spoke to my class today. Check out his blog - he actually wrote about us! If anyone wants to borrow the book he wrote, the New Influencers, let me know I have a copy you can borrow. Pretty interesting stuff. He encouraged us to learn the program Twitter. Does anyone use that? He also talked about using Google's Ad Sense to make some extra money. I'm debating putting in the LOCC blog to see how it works. I don' t think it really pertains to my blog. He also liked my definition of a "hi-hall-friend." Does anyone else use that term or is it just me? Another cool thing, I checked out Gillin's blog today and he was writing about Shel Israel, the social media blogger I am following for class. It's crazy how interconnected this all is. Yup, I know, I'm a dork.

Bible Study Ideas?

I'm looking for a new book of the Bible to start reading. I started reading Psalms a couple of months ago and just finished. I really enjoyed it because it constantly reminds me to praise God. I also read Amos (short) and did some research into Job, for a Bible study I am involved with on campus, but more for research rather than personal growth and I've read it a couple of times already. So basically, I need something new. Any suggestions? Anyone want to join me?

On that same note, Tuesday, February 26th, Greg Mortenson will be speaking at our school. He is the author of Three Cups of Tea. Since our campus' Spiritual Life Center is hosting the event I have been asked to help out and escort Mr. Mortenson around campus. So if you have any questions you would like me to ask him please let me know.

Melinda Groth already wants me to ask him:
If he feels an the impact on his work, since Bhutto was assassinated last month?

Paul Gillin, who wrote the book The New Influencers, is speaking to my class next Tuesday. So if anyone wants me to ask him any questions let me know. He writes about new social media, which relates to my MK 402 - Marketing and New Social Media class. Pretty interesting stuff!

Grown Up Make Believe:

I wonder, do adults still day dream about make believe? If so, of what? If not, when did they stop? And why? I feel like I'm never going to stop day dreaming or making believing.

Since I have no Thursday or Friday classes I have a 4 day weekend all semester long, which gets even better when you have Monday off for President's Day. Yup, you got it 5 day weekend. I decided I would go visit my grandmother who lives on Cape Cod in a wonderful beach house (although it is freezing here) to get off campus and spend some quality time with her since I haven't seen her since Sept. or Oct. Since she goes to bed around 10PM, and I don't fall asleep until 2AM, I found myself being very productive, but relaxed at the same time.

I can't wait until I'm like 35, married with kiddies, and have this wonderful, awesome job, where I can take a month off from work, come to the Cape to my grandparent's house (which I now own in my dreams) spend all day playing with my hubby and babies during the day, reliving my childhood through my kids and at night after movies and ice cream sundaes, stay up and super productive and get tons of work done. Now is this my own determination or just a grown up version of a day dream?

Road trip Update #1:
Basic Outline:
1. Fairfield, CT -> Topeka, KS = 1,311 miles
2. Topeka, KS -> Keystone, SD = 708 miles
3. Keystone, SD -> Grand Canyon, AZ = 1,060 miles
4. Grand Canyon, AZ -> Las Vegas, NV = 277 miles
5. Las Vegas, NV -> Beaverton, OR = 1,065 miles

We are leaving 5/18 and need to be in PDX by 5/27. My dad also wants to do 500 miles a day, thus we need to figure some things out. But hopefully everything will go well.

100 Days...

When I was in kindergarten we had a big celebration for our 100th day of kindergarten. We collected 100 pennies, 100 buttons, looked how far we could go taking 100 steps, etc. It was a pretty big deal let me tell you. Tonight is senior pub night (our school does this once a month) and the theme is 100 days until graduation. 100 days from today (including weekends), it will be May 17th and I be done with my continuous college education (I might do grad school at some point but not for a couple of years - thus the continuous part). So before heading to the bar to celebrate being so close to being done. I'm sitting here thinking back to how long 100 days was to me when I was 5 and how short 100 days seems now that I'm 21.

Lent:

So, Lent starts today. And my friend and I are going to give up swearing for the next 40 days (hopefully longer since it is such a bad habit - this will make my parents happier too). My friend and I agreed to be accountability partners (funny thing was I didn't even know she was religious and I bunked with her over doubles last winter for two weeks). But we are going to be praying for each other (more importantly our mouths for the next 40 days). And are joking that if either of us ever feel the urge to cuss we would call the other anytime and place.

I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence." - Psalm 39:1

Career Fair Tomorrow:

Tomorrow is Bentley's career fair. I'm going to go check it out see if I can get any leads for a job. What I'm looking for:
1. A marketing job (back up management job).
2. A job outside of New England (West Coast or International preferably)
3. Something non-profit (or Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability aka not driven by money but will make me feel like I'm actually making a difference in this world)

Things I need to do before hand:
1. Fix my resume
2. Update my Optimal Resume
3. Print out like 20 copies of my resume
4. Look over the list of companies so I can pin point who I want to talk too
5. Straighten my hair