Saturday, November 30, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 335

This is totally awesome. And another reason why I would love to live in New York City.

Friday, November 29, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 334

I started watching Mad Men last night, because if there's one thing college students do when they go home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter break, it's that they lounge around in their old room, eat all the food in the house, and waste time on the Internet. And that's precisely what I did when I went home for Thanksgiving break.

I've always wanted to watch it, after I played Betty Draper in my friend Cameron's ad movie, but was in the middle of Dexter or Breaking Bad. And now that I'm all alone and done with Breaking Bad and bumming around at my parent's house for Thanksgiving break, I thought it was a good a time as any to start watching it. And boy oh boy do I love it already.

Here are some reasons why:

- I love the way everyone dresses and does their makeup. It's so classy. I'm so sick of seeing UGG boots, leggings, short shorts, flip flops, and spaghetti straps on campus, as well as teenagers that look like raccoons with how heavy and dark their eye makeup is. I'm so in love with Betty's simple look. Pretty pink lipstick, delicate lace dress, full skirts, and classy hair. And I love how the men dress too, with French cuffs, slicked-back hair and pocket squares.

- I love the fact that Don always drinks in his office. That's so classy, I think - having bottles of expensive liquor sitting in your office waiting for you to drink them after a presentation goes terrible or amazing. When I worked for Career & Leadership Development, I would have small victories or fiascos a day (they were mostly fiascos... the second year, at least), and all I wanted to do was go home and have a glass or four of wine. It would be so nice to just have a glass of scotch (actually, a brandy old fashioned sweet) in my office. Drinking wine sometimes helps me become more creative. I'm so happy I can work from home and drink while I work as I please.

- I love the office culture at Sterling Cooper. Well, I do and I don't. It's interesting to me how the women are secretaries and have gone to secretarial school and just type type type on their typewriters all day, and how the men just drink and smoke and sometimes have pitches. It's interesting to me how the women all put the covers over their typewriters right at 5pm.



Song of the Day - Friday Favorites

I always say that this is my favorite song when someone asks me that dreaded question. This was my favorite song in high school, and although I still can't relate to it ('so I can score an eighth from the lesbians out west in Venice...' nuff said), I really love it.

Jack's Mannequin - Holiday From Real

Thursday, November 28, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 333

Best part about going home for Thanksgiving? Well, besides getting delicious home-cooked food, seeing my grandparents, getting to do laundry in my parents' new washing and drying machines, and hanging out in our newly renovated kitchen? Hanging out with my sister, brother in law, and their adorable children!

My sister Beth couldn't make it because she lives in Arizona, so my dad printed out a picture of her. It works. I look absolutely thrilled, I know.









Song of the Day - TBT

It's just such a good song.

Semisonic - Closing Time

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 332

I watched The To-Do List the other night, only because it was recommended to me from BuzzFeed and it had Aubrey Plaza in it. That sparked my interest in finding everything I could on Miss Plaza, my woman crush Wednesday pick for the next two years. Thus, finding this gem.

I imagine this is what it would be like if I was interviewed for something. I've only been interviewed a handful of times - for the internship with Career & Leadership Development (and the first time was over Skype), for my internship with College Lifestyles (and that one was over the phone), and for a serving position at a posh restaurant in town (which I didn't get...clearly. Must be because I have terrible interviewing skills). I'm much more used to interviewing people. I've done it so many times when I was a writer for the Royal Purple, for my journalism classes and for Career & Leadership Development.

Enjoy.


Song of the Day

I'd have to say this is one of my favorite Imagine Dragons songs. It's never played on the radio, unlike Radioactive or Demons, but it should be.

Imagine Dragons - Emma

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 331

I'm loving these perfect sentences from Publishers Weekly.

'My father was right: you could make anybody amazing just by insisting they were.' - What We Know About The Lost Aztec Children by Elizabeth McCracken

'I sleep with a glass of water on the nightstand so I can see by its level if the coastal earth is trembling or if the shaking is still me.' - In The Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried by Amy Hempel

'He knew he was going to die but he thought this little thing might provide him with a nothing stool way off in the corner of heaven that nobody cared about.' - The Known World by Edward P Jones

In other, less inspiring news, I quit my job at Career & Leadership Development today. Well, I told everyone I was quitting a few weeks ago, but today was my last day. It was a long time coming.


I remember when I started in this office this summer, I was so stoked for everything that I was going to accomplish with this social media and blogging position. But, things changed, as would be expected in any job, and I didn't agree with the changes and how my new supervisor ran things, so I quit. And I can say honestly it was one of the best things I've done this year. I credit my blogging and social media skills to this internship, especially Laura Jacobs, who taught me so much. But it was time. It was bittersweet leaving my little office for the last time.

Song of the Day - Covers

Original is by One Republic

Alex Goot & Megan Nicole - Good Life

Monday, November 25, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 330

I absolutely love these prints by Evan Robertson. Great quotes by amazing authors on a creative poster. I want them all.




Song of the Day - Music Video Mondays

I'm not a really big fan of this song, but the music video reminds me of Grease, so it's okay in my book.

Weezer - Buddy Holly

Sunday, November 24, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 329

These are actually all accurate. Sometimes I've wanted nothing more than to buzz cut my hair. But then I see a pretty picture on Pinterest of someone's curly braided hairstyle and I think, hey, I'll do that tomorrow. And when I do it just ends up like Lady Gaga vs the 80's.

These are from sandra's daily stupid drawings.





Friday, November 22, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 327

'We enjoy and even thrill to the godlike possibilities we see in ourselves in peak moments. And yet we simultaneously shiver with weakness, awe and fear before these same possibilities.' - Abraham Maslow

This video is so inspiring. His words are so poetic. I love it.

Song of the Day - Friday Favorites

One Republic - Counting Stars

Thursday, November 21, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 326

I like this. All hail the college students who aren't ready to get a real job after college! Making money isn't everything. 

This article hits close to home because I am planning on quitting my paid internship for an unpaid internship. Story below this Thought Catalog article.

Why Getting a 'Real Job' Right After Graduation Is Not The Right Decision
By Andy Evanko

There is a ton of pressure on senior year college students to be accepted to a job before graduation. You and everyone close to you want to see all your hard work pay off over the last four years, start making money and paying off those loans immediately. However, don't move too fast. Be wary of your first job; don't just jump into it.

I majored in communications and after graduation, to the surprise of everyone I knew, I had gone through the job search, passed three rounds of interviews, and after having a 'real major' I landed a 'real job' in sales. From graduation to 'real job' in only a month and I was ecstatic to start. To quote my mom, 'He got a real job with benefits and everything!' If you never had a job in sales, don't be fooled, they will hire everyone no matter what your qualifications. If you're not a money-sucking-heartless-shark of a person, you won't be successful and the company will drop you quicker than they so pleasantly hired you.

The 'problem' (I quote problem because this is a flaw not a skill) was that I was pretty good at lying my ass off and convincing struggling business owners to buy my shitty advertisements. I was the youngest sales person in my area and quickly started to learn sales tricks from the other more seasoned sales reps. As soon as the reps were around long enough for me to learn their heartless closing skills, they were gone. Sales reps were dropping left and right for not hitting numbers or getting laid off because my boss or someone higher up the latter didn't approve of their sales tactics. I was stressed out every quarter. I found myself running around to try and get the required number of new sales. My boss was on m y ass following my every move. I started going against my morals and bullshitting a product just to get one last sale for the quarter, being unaware if I was the next one to get canned.

The worst thing about my 'real job' was that I had plenty of money. I had more than enough dough to live by happily but, to keep my job, I had to keep hitting numbers. That is one thing I will never understand about sales jobs. The more successful you are at selling people into your company's trap, the more you have to sell. The only reward is money, bonuses and stupid incentives. My job situation became all so clear to me. I was just being held hostage by this company (which will remain nameless). Then, without warning, my closest co-worker and the number one rep in the area was fired. I couldn't believe it. I had learned so much from him and it didn't matter. He was gone with a single Donald Trump 'you're fired.'

I found myself changing as a person, losing weight, staying up all night preparing for presentations the next day, hounding business owners on the phone every hour. My girlfriend even started to take notice of how much I had changed that our relationship began to struggle. Why was I putting myself through this for a job? It just didn't make any logical sense to me. I made eye contact with myself in the mirror with my button down shirt and tie and told myself I couldn't go on like this. I was no longer the free-spirited communications major I once was and I wasn't ready to change. I sent my boss an email the next day and gave my resignation letter.

Fast forward two months later. I was living at the beach with my mom making sandwiches at a restaurant for the summer. I grew my hair and beard out and I am now spending too much time in the sun. Leaving my 'real job' was one of the best responsible life decisions I could have made. However, I still get asked, 'What do you do now?' 'When are you going to get a real job?' 'Are you ever going to use your sales experience for anything?' I don't understand why that seems like the path we all have to take. Is it so bad I am actually happy making sandwiches at a service job? I hated having a 'real job' having to answer to someone that doesn't take you seriously and only cares about hitting the sales numbers for the next deadline.

Growing up is not having someone dictating you, it's standing up to the dictator and doing what truly makes you happy. My 'real job' was more of a problem than a solution and it was forcing me to change myself. Making another struggling small business buy another advertisement isn't going to make a difference in the world. In all seriousness, advertising probably does more harm than good in the world. I would rather flash a person a smile and make them a nice lunch. Maybe they think it was the best sandwich they ever had. One can hope.

From time to time, a woman in a high-waist pencil skirt with a tucked in blouse having just enough buttons open showing off some corporate cleavage will fly into the restaurant accompanied by a business man in a tailored suit, gold pen in his chest pocket, neck tie restricting his airway just enough to being out the bags under his eyes and ask, 'I need 5 of this sandwich, 6 of this sandwich, a turkey with no mayo and 13 coffees.' To them I'm just some loser behind the counter that wouldn't last a day in their world, but to me, they're the ones losing because they were sent to get lunch.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This article rings true for me for a few reasons. As you might know, I'm one of the career social media student managers for Career & Leadership Development at UW-Whitewater. I'm planning on quitting. One reason is because I got an awesome internship at College Lifestyles - YAY! Another reason is because, like the author, I don't feel like I'm making a difference at my job. I have yet to be recognized or congratulated for the work I've been doing (which is keeping up with the Career Spotlight Blog and UWW Career Pinterest and e-mail accounts. It's not much, but it keeps me busy). That, along with the fact that my totally awesome boss, Laura, got offered another job, and our new supervisor is a nightmare. 

I miss my old supervisor so much. It feels like there is something missing in C&LD. She knew everything there was to know about blogging, scheduling posts, social media, analytics and more. My former coworker, Heather, and I used to joke about how we would love to have Laura's job after we graduated. Don't get me wrong, I am so incredibly happy for Laura, and she seems to love her new job, but the internship wasn't the same without her. While her being gone took a toll on me, our new supervisor took an even bigger toll on me. I won't talk smack because I know that's unprofessional, but lets just say her and I didn't see eye to eye. I didn't agree where she wanted our social media department and C&LD as a whole going, coupled with a few unprofessional incidents, and I couldn't take it anymore. Much like the author, I 'hated having a 'real internship' and having to answer to someone that doesn't take you seriously' (which she really didn't).

I'm here to tell you that having a paid internship isn't the most wonderful thing if you're not happy. I wasn't happy. While I loved the work that I was doing and I loved my coworker, the whole work environment wasn't as great as people made it seem. There were even cliques in our department. With professional staff! Yes, with staff who have been out of high school for years! I didn't agree with the dynamic of C&LD this semester, and while receiving this internship a year and a half ago was the best thing that ever happened to me, quitting was also one of the best things I've ever done.

Thankfully, I applied for an internship with College Lifestyles, an online magazine for classy co-eds, and got the writing internship! It was one of the best days of my life, getting that congratulations e-mail. I'm so happy that everyone at CL is so nice and friendly. We share the same values and I can tel
l how professional and classy everyone is. Check out their website! (click the picture)


Song of the Day - TBT

Blessid Union of Souls - She Likes Me For Me (Hey Leonardo)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 325

This is honestly like the cutest, most creative thing I've ever seen. Javier Perez transforms everyday objects into cute sketches with stick figures.






Song of the Day

I'm obsessed with this pop singer! He reminds me a lot of Olly Murs and Alex Clare. Mmmm.

John Newman - Love Me Again


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 324

'70% of men think that women need to downplay their personality to be accepted. Pantene asks everyone to whip away the double standards that hold women back. Because when you stand strong, you shine.'


#WHIPIT





Song of the Day - Covers

Kodaline - Same Love


Monday, November 18, 2013

Sunday, November 17, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 322

I've been a Soundly Awake/Nicola Foti fan for a while now. His beauty channel, his different personas, his great accents, and his quick-witted banter make me laugh so hard. This one is a good one.

'I'm a feminist, because I'm sick of the word girl being an insult.'



And here's a funny one.

Friday, November 15, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 320

I had this bookmarked on my computer for a while now, and love the story, probably because it's a Day of Happy.

'You Deserve A Flower' Project
By Sarah Medina

'For whatever you are dealing with, you deserve this.'

Nathan Ira has distributed more than a hundred flowers with this message to complete strangers on the streets of Bozeman, Montana.

A 23-year-old cook and fine arts student at Montana State University, Ira began the 'You Deserve A Flower' campaign to help brighten the lives of complete strangers, reports the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

'Sometimes you can tell by the look on their faces or the way they walk,' he told the Great Falls Tribune. 'You can just tell they need a flower.'

'It doesn't matter who you are or where you've been, you're dealing with something difficult,' Ira told the Billings Gazette. 'It's one of the undeniable truths: Everyone's dealing with something.'

His dream is to watch the project take on a national initiative - a network where volunteers, donors, and random do-gooders can buy flowers for strangers anywhere in the country. Ira hopes that someday a stranger will hand him a flower.

'That would be really incredible if it came full circle,' he said.


Song of the Day - Friday Favorites

The Head and the Heart - Another Story


Thursday, November 14, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 319

This is pretty sweet. I wish I was as creative as this guy. He stitched together a one second clip from each day of his travels from the United Kingdom to Poland to Thailand to India and made this compilation, called 'Bits of Life,' via Mashable, of course.


Song of the Day - TBT

Throwback Thursday to this song from the OC soundtrack.

The 88 - How Good It Can Be

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 318

I had the pleasure of taking photos of the Miss Black & Gold pageant contestants tonight! One of the members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, who hosts this pageant every December, asked me to photograph the women. I was so flattered. I photographed them last year, and I'm so happy they remembered me and wanted me to take photos again! Here are some of my favorite photos of some of the contestants.






Song of the Day

Gregory Alan Isakov - Amsterdam


Monday, November 11, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 316

'When two brothers and their friend opened a Brooklyn-based apparel company, all they aimed to do was sell sustainably sourced consumer goods. But in the process, they ended up with the Holstee manifesto and started a movement encouraging people to take back their lives and live them in the fullest way possible. Every time I watch this video, I fall in love with life all over again. Finally, a place where I can spend money and feel good about where it's going.' - Ray Flores. Couldn't have said it better myself.


Song of the Day - Music Video Mondays

Moral of the music video: nice guys finish last.

Kodaline - All I Want

Sunday, November 10, 2013

365 Days of Happy - Day 315

Part I...

Here are some more photos I took of Nelson and Bre about three years ago. It was the first time I ever took pictures of a couple, and I couldn't have asked for a better couple to photograph.








Like I said, they got married on November 9! The wedding was in Minnesota, which is where Bre's family is from, so Ryan and I made a whole weekend out of the trip. 



We drove up to La Crosse on Friday afternoon and walked around Viterbo University on Saturday morning, which is where Ryan went to school for his first year before he transferred to UW-Whitewater. 



We drove up to a lookout and saw the entire city. La Crosse was one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been in! 



Their wedding was on Saturday afternoon in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, which is almost as beautiful as La Crosse. I went to two weddings this year: my sorority sister, Lauren's, in April, and Ryan's cousin, Oliver's, in October. I was a bridesmaid in my older sister Cary's wedding, about 8 years ago. I was even an assistant wedding photographer for Andrejka Photography two summers ago on Mackinac Island. 


I've been to my fair share of weddings, but I've never felt something so real like this one. I was definitely tearing up when Bre walked down the aisle and I could see Nelson's face, with tears in his eyes as well. I don't know how to explain it, but you get such a strong feeling when you see someone you love and truly want the best for get married. I'm so incredibly happy for Nelson and Bre.

I've never seen a love so strong and radiant such as theirs. No one deserves a better life than they do, and I can't wait to see everything they accomplish together.