Ga-Ga-Ga-Gadget

I promise the last part of the online dating saga will be posted soon--you'd be surprised how draining my J-Term was.

In the meantime, I wanted to draw unnecessary attention to the new gadget I added to the top of my blog.  It's a Jackson Pollock gadget (if you don't know who that is, check it out on the Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock) that allows you to, uhh, paint! You can make it look all crazy, just like Mr. Pollock.  Just drag your mouse across the white box, and left click to change the color of your paint!

Feel no shame if you're now visiting my blog solely to pretend to be Jackson Pollock--now that you know how much of a bada** he was.  If you fall in love with your artwork, you can do a print screen and save it forever, but there's a major drawback:  Whomever created the gadget embedded their name and information into it.  So...boo on them for that, but yay for them for creating this ultra-fun gadget in the first place.

ENJOY! :)

Intermission

This is a (long-winded) break from my online dating saga to talk about something more significant.  In all honesty I wasn't even going to write about this, but then I realized it's important and maybe even refreshing to look back as well as forward.

What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
Single? I have to pick ONE? Not gonna happen.  On two separate occasions I had the chance to lend a marketing hand to help others…talk about a warm fuzzy feeling.  The first class project was a last-minute idea for a final project that our professor came up with.  The Tsunami had just hit Japan and he thought it would be a great idea to help the victims.  How can little ol’ River Falls, Wisconsin help people in Japan? Easy! Plan a concert at a local bar & restaurant, ask for donations, and peoples’ lives are improved at least a little.  We asked for monetary and sock donations so that victims had clean, dry socks to wear, as well as baggies to keep some of their belongings in.  We pulled Rock for Socks off in less than two months, raised $1008.15 and collected 200+ pairs of socks.  Not too shabby!

The other event was also thrown together in just under two months and was held to benefit Turningpoint—a local non-profit that provides resources for victims of abuse (check them out here:  http://www.turningpoint-wi.org/welcome).  Fittingly, the event was called Esuba Jam.  Esuba is abuse spelled backwards, as if we are reversing the cycle.  Pretty clever if you ask me.  We raised $1453.31, and collected ~$1,000 worth of personal care items.

For the marketing skeptics out there…I challenge you to rethink your marketing hatred.  It’s not about hassling people to buy electronics or sending direct mail.

I also had two amazing internships—both of which were handed to me, and I’m beyond grateful to have had those experiences.  My first position was at Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery working as a “Digital Marketing Intern”.  Before I go on, I must say that my title wasn’t 110% accurate.  I would argue I was more of a Marketing Communications Assistant.  The other internship was with Chippewa Valley Technical College, as a Marketing Assistant/Intern.  Both positions gave me the opportunity to explore the marketing world in real situations, solving real problems…and it was amazing. 

What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Giving some background info:  2010 was a stressful year, since my serious relationship ended, forcing me to live on campus (which I had never done before…talk about a shock to the system), and my gramps passed away quite suddenly shortly after.  Naturally, going into 2011 I was hoping for a better year.  A day or two into Spring semester, I woke up to my phone ringing at 6:30 in the morning.  I saw it was my mom, and went into panic mode.  She told me that my grandpa passed away earlier that morning.  Although we all knew it was coming, it didn’t lessen the pain.  For anyone who truly knows me, knows that I am extremely close with my family.  I spent most of 2010 and 2011 trying to adjust and live without two amazing people that played such a huge role in my life.

What a bittersweet reflection.  There are so many other things that I could ramble on about, but I think I bore you with every other post, am I wrong?

So what do I hope for in 2012? First of all, I hope to hell that the world will not end.  Why? Because I don’t think it’s fair to graduate in May only to have the world end in December.  On the other hand—I would have only made one student loan payment by then…so maybe………

I could say that I want to lose 40lbs, or visit Australia, but I’m going to be more realistic.

In 2012 I want to:

• Appreciate the people in my life and love them unconditionally
• Be healthier than I currently am
• Start my career with optimism

Sure this post may be considered “late” by some, but it has taken me a while to reflect on past events and think about what life is truly about.  

What are YOU looking for in 2012? 

Yup, this thing is on...

So there I went being a crappy blogger again and I apologize.  I have no legitimate excuse other than it was finals week, I went home, then Christmas happened, and then New Year’s.  Don’t worry, I grounded myself until Spring semester starts.  I am to travel to and from work and nowhere else.  Ok I lied…grounding myself is silly but I do feel bad about neglecting the great blog I had going and I’m sure everyone has lost sleep over my absence…

Let’s see…Oh yes! I left off talking about the whole online dating jazz.  I still have to laugh to myself—or at myself. 

In the beginning I took it seriously as if I was on some kind of great life mission.  Upon receiving mail from someone I would never touch with a ten foot pole, I decided to respond with a kind message explaining that they just weren’t my type.  Wow, did I mess up.  People did NOT enjoy that response, and retaliated with, “You’re so rude! You don’t even know me! We might work out to be really good together, you seem so laid back like me” (grammar has been altered for readability).  You’re right, I DON’T know you and I barely have anything on my profile in hopes of forcing you to get to know me instead of assuming… For some reason they thought we would make a great couple because I seem “laid back”—which happens to be the most overused phrase for online dating. 

Soon enough I scratched that method for freaks and decided to say nothing at all—pretending like I never even saw the message.  Well guess what? I messed up again.  This is one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situations.  My lack of response led to angry emails from Jersey-Shore look-alikes that could probably crush me with their pinky fingers “What, you’re too good for me? Why won’t you respond? I think you’re really great and you should just give me a chance.  Quit being such a bitch and just respond to me” (grammar has been altered for readability).  That’s not creepy at all, right? I didn’t lose an ounce of sleep…

After a few of those weird responses I decided not to take it so seriously.  Just my luck—I found a guy that may be serious.  How exciting.  I went back to taking it seriously, as I figured this particular individual had some potential.  We talked for a while, got acquainted, and eventually met in person.  Let me just tell you about how thrilled my mother was…I’ll save that for a different post.  We met for dinner and hit it off quite nicely.  Being a female, I felt all giddy and envisioned glitter, unicorns, glittery unicorns, and unicorny glitter.  Most importantly: This fellow lived near my hometown, which is what I’m (not-so-) secretly searching for. 

A week and a half went by.  No response.  Surprising? Not really.

Turns out our age was a big problem (me 22, him 25).  Really? Oh, and “we’re at different stages in life”…good one. 

That poococky-nonsense made me realize I was taking it too seriously.  My next move? Turn it into a game.

To be continued…

Yeah, yeah…It’s going to be three parts, get over it. 

Check, 1-2 Is this thing on?

I think now is an ok time to discuss something I did a while ago.

Let’s take this whole thing back a few steps first:  I haven’t had a meaningful relationship in quite some time, and quite frankly I was starting to feel like I needed someone to bond with.  Roughly seven months ago I said to myself, “Self…you’re a fabulous person and you should share your fabulousness with someone just as fabulous.  Go get ‘em tiger!”

This is where the story gets kinda funny and really stupid:  I joined an online dating site.  Yes, seriously.

I kept it a secret from my parents (like I’m 12 again) because I had a feeling they would straight-up scalp me if they knew I was meeting dudes online…in person.  I also kept it a secret from my friends because if I thought the whole thing was silly, they would think it was even sillier.  Is that a word? Anyway… 

Covered in the slobber of my new found confidence, I went to town creating a profile, complete with my most dashing photos (so, like, 3?).  In the back of my mind I was screaming “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!”  I called myself every name in the book.  Did that stop me? Of course not! Now, I do not necessarily condone online dating activities, but I’m not totally against it.  I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? Meet a weird dude, give him your phone number, he somehow finds your address, stalks you for a month, you end up dead in a broom closet at your local gym (like I work out…), then you’re on the news.   I know, I know, it’s very real and I shouldn’t joke about it… 

Soon enough my inbox was flooded with emails.  No, I’m not saying this to make myself sound cool because honestly, anything I say from here on out is going to make me sound like a complete online-dating moron.  They were, in a weird way, flattering.  And in a flattering way they were weird…? Of course I got weird messages! That’s what online dating sites are all about!

Did I meet anyone? The answer is yes.

Did I meet anyone worthwhile? The answer is no.

For now, this is what my experience can tell you:  If you’re looking for complete weirdos ranging from 42 year old sex addicts to insecure 20 year old llama owners, a FREE online dating site is the way to go.

To be continued…

New Newish News Newt

Holy crap.  More like holy s**t.  As I sit here with my cat draped across my arms, cutting off circulation and complicating my typing efforts, I have updated my blog.  I know, I know, it's nothing special.  BUTTTTT I didn't know that I could change the background with the template I was using.  See what my college degree has done for me? Impressive.  So now my pointless stories will appear mostly in black and white, hence the name of the blog.  I'm rollin' with a zebra-ish background and the title color may change with the seasons.  Right now it's green because I love Christmas.  Zebra print and Christmas--how perfect.

Such. A. Nerd.

I have nothing more to offer right now.  Aren't you glad you wasted your time reading this? I promise I'll have something less boring next time I post.

I knew this was coming...

Snow.

Yes I was born and raised in the fine state of WI.  Yes it snows ev-er-y year.  Yes I'm sick of it.  "If you don't like it, move!" How about, no? How about if you love the snow so much, you move to Alaska? Hmmmmm? Didn't think of that, did you? Didn't think so.

I know we've had a very mild winter so far, as far as snowfall goes.  My main problem isn't even the snow.  It's the cold.  Sure, one could argue that when it's cold it snows, therefore I hate snow.  I guess that's not totally false.  To give you a better idea as to how I truly feel about snow, I compiled a list of things I hate about snow and things I hate doing in the snow:

1. EVERYTHING.

And let's be honest, you like snow, you DO NOT like the cold.  You belong in Colorado where it snows 3 feet, but you can go shovel in a t-shirt.  You DO NOT like walking to class when it's -20 and feeling like severing off your own limbs with a butter knife.  Why you would carry a butter knife to class with you is beyond me, but it made my point.  You DO NOT like scraping inches of ice off your car.  You DO NOT like having to nearly bust your door handle to get into your own damn vehicle because it's FROZEN SHUT.  You DO NOT like driving on the freeway and having to use an entire jug of windshield wash to keep the sh**-slush off of your windshield.  You also DO NOT like walking through all the nasty sh**-slush and having your feet get wet.  If you DO like that, please let me know, because you deserve to own that butter knife I mentioned earlier. 

Come to think of it, you're probably someone fortunate enough to have a garage.  If you DO have a garage and don't use it, I'll send you another butter knife--personalized...gift wrapped...shipped for free...

Just for the record, the first significant snowfall is usually 3% enjoyable.  I was going to say 2% but that reminds me of milk which has nothing to do with this pointless story.  I admittedly admired the snow in the street lights AND made a heart in the fluffy snow in the parking lot.  

Look! I even scrounged up photos of me in the snow!!

I was outside for 15 minutes:

I was forced to do this:

You also DO NOT like this:

K I'm done.  :)

 

The Downside of College

What goes up must come down.

Below are some great and not-so-great cons to being a college student...

1. You're on your own.  You rarely have time (or motivation) to enjoy the one thing you could really use: a home cooked meal.  Alternating between campus food, mac n cheese, and ramen gets old fast.
2. Sure, nobody is nagging you to do your work, but the amount of homework you have is nagging enough.  Most nights it feels never ending.  Additionally, each professor assumes their class is the most important class in the universe and assigns everything they possibly can.  Professors also like to have secret meetings to determine which day they'll have everything due.  
3. You meet people who drive you absolutely nuts.  There will always be the know-it-all, probably a few in every major.  Once you meet said person, you will feel as though there's a monkey on your back...or something like that.
4. Getting involved sounds great! IF you enjoy a complete lack of sleep and/or social life. 
5. Opinions are welcomed, but truthfully, nobody gives a s***.  None of your thoughts count because you're a student which somehow got translated into baby.
6. Yay! Discounts! ...that totally SUCK! 5% off my groceries? I'm not a math whiz, hence why I'm a MarComm major, but I can tell you that saving $2 on groceries goes completely unnoticed by your wallet.
7. Changing your mind and your major is fine, as long as you don't expect people to care about whether or not it works out or if you end up being successful.  Again, nobody cares.
8. As if working for a measly paycheck, interning for free, and eating ramen weren't bad enough, everyone assumes you want a crap-ton of experience.  Soon enough you'll find yourself doing side jobs (in relation to your major) for free.  Add that to your schedule. 
9. So you've worked your a$$ off only to realize that entry-level now means you need 5 years of experience, a receptionist practically needs a Ph.D, you'll likely be stocking shelves until you get a "real" job which will result in a $2 pay raise, and you're up to your eyeballs in debt.

Livin' the dream.

The Upside of College

I stumbled across some optimism tonight.  Being a rare occurrence, I figured I should document it via my ultra-super-mega lame blog.

Below are some great and not-so-great pros to being a college student...

1. The fantastical allure of being "on your own" and being an adult.  Fun when you're a freshy, possibly rolls over into your sophomore year.
2. Nobody nags you to do your work.  You do what you want, referring back to number 1 about being an adult.
3. You get to meet new people.  Some will be your best friend(s), others will be less than desirable individuals that help you realize how awesome you truly are.
4. There are clubs, organizations, sports, etc. that you can get involved with.  Not only is this another great way to meet people but it's a chance to stay active (unlike myself), make a difference, and/or discover a new hobby or passion.
5. Parties.  I'm sure some of you may be disappointed that this wasn't number one, but you'll get over it after a few drinks.  Parties are plentiful. 
6. You are entitled to your own opinion, and can express yourself.  
7. Hellooooooooooo?? College students get discounts on some sweet stuff: massages, software, travel, groceries, etc.  Nobody expects you to be able to afford anything.  Except landlords, they'll suck you dry.
8. FREE or cheap events on campus such as concerts, dances, yadda yadda.
9. College is about discovering who you are, where you're going and what you want to do, meaning it's ok if you change your major 12 times...though I don't condone such behavior because you'll end up being the creepy 35 year old on campus.