Some people.

I just want to say a couple things before we get started:
I am the expert of me. You are the expert of you.
Right?

Today, I met with my "mini advertising company" for my WR 414: Advertising and Public Relations class. We had to work together to come up with a mission statement for our group. I, of course, was having issues focusing. We thought it'd be a great idea to meet outside in the nice sunshine, rather than the stuffy classroom. But it just distracted me instead.

Anyway, we got talking about our lives, and I mentioned how I've been busy lately. Of course, I mentioned my wedding, because it's a fun topic for me to talk about. However, instead of the support I'm used to, it turned into a conversation about how the majority of the group was "not into relationships" and seemed to considered marriage as a barrier, not an opportunity.

I was speechless. I honestly didn't really know how to react. I just responded with "Well, I'm glad I'm engaged. I'm really excited." But, no response.

I think it's a culture thing. My friends "back home" are highly supportive of the Keith and Emily union to happen in August. However, I've noticed that people in classes and some people I interact with at work are "happy for us," but there's an undertone of "marriage? really?"

Has this happened to anyone else? I feel like people know my relationship and feel the need to tell me what they think I should or should not be doing. Come on, it's my life.

Come on.

I love my job

I just want to brag about my life for a moment.

Even though I grew up in Eugene, in the heart of Duck Country, words cannot express how thankful I am that I go to Oregon State.
I work at Dixon, for the Department of Recreational Sports, for the Adventure Leadership Institute (ALI). I work at a climbing center, a gear rental center, and a challenge course. If I could get paid full time to be here all time every day, I would jump on that opportunity faster than you can say flapjack (I'm also craving pancakes right now, in case you can't tell).

I'm currently sitting in "my office," which is a student work room at McAlexander Fieldhouse that no other students have bothered to use on a regular basis. The door is cracked, and I can hear 80s music from our climbing center. Keith is over there with our co-worker Winkle, and they're in the middle of teaching a Rock 1 class.

What I love most about working at for ALI is getting to do stuff that most people rarely do. I get to teach climbing techniques to fellow students. I get to go on backpacking trips and get paid. I get to hang out with some of the coolest people I've ever met, and all while taking classes.

They always say that the best thing you can do in college is get involved in something on campus. I used to think I was "above" that. That I had a well established group of friends that I didn't need to branch out. I was totally wrong, or "totes wrong" as they say on the streets.

Anyway, if you want to see more of what I do, here's some links to check out. It could just be the nice weather, but I'm really thankful for my job today.

ALI Flickr
Adventure Leadership Institute
Adventure Club
Silly video

Enjoy the weather, everyone!

Oregonians are Desperate

You know who you are.
You get excited when it's 50 degrees outside for the first time.
You wear shorts and sandals with your puffy or fleece jacket.
You suddenly feel the need to go to REI and buy "summer stuff."

If you felt the previous statements were close to home, you are suffering from the Oregon Syndrome-- the need to cling to any hope of "nice" weather whenever it comes along.

After a long weekend of frisbee-playing, iced-coffee-drinking, beach-fort-making, tank-top-wearing, and sun-lounging, I realized that I am a desperate Oregonian. Suddenly everything I needed to get done was low priority, and all I cared about was tanning my ghostly-white thighs.

But, of course, reality hits in, and I realize that I still have a life that is not weather dependent.
Wedding plans.
Other peeps' wedding plans.
School.
Work.
Etc.

I can tell already that this term will be hard to get through. It's only week 4, and I already find myself feeling the "senioritis" that should have been cured last spring. Unfortunately, not all of us can be overachievers and "get 'er done" in four years. Sorry Mom and Dad.

Fortunately, I do have a lot to look forward to this term. I've been taking a crack at teaching one of the classes offered through the Adventure Leadership Institute this term-- Canoeing.
I won't bore you all with the details of this experience just yet, but a couple weeks ago, my boss told me about this little gem, and I thought I would share it all with you. It's no girl-and-kitten video, but it's pretty darn great.

Ladies and gents, I present to you Marc Ornstein.

Enjoy.

A Blog is Where You Write Stuff

I study media.
More specifically, "new media."
It's defined as "a broad term used in media studies to that refers to the on-demand access to content at any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content." At least, that's what Wikipedia tells us. And we know they're always right.

If there's one thing I've learned so far from my studies, it's that they encourage media immersion. My Social Media class had our final on Tumblr... My Media Management class had a Facebook group... I'm constantly told to be in the media more and more and more.

So, what's the next step? Start a blog. Because, I want to share the pointless memes, idiotic quotations, absurd articles, and priceless videos, and hopefully original thoughts that I encounter in my quest for knowledge.

Thanks for reading my first post. For your allegiance, I leave you with this video:

Hasta luego.