The Paper[less] Route

Don't call it a comeback.

2011-01-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Just call it a new post :)

Sorry to have taken this long to get back in the game, but I've been mightily distracted. First and foremost, this post is dedicated to my cat who has been missing for 3 weeks now. We know if he were alive he would've made it back to us.

No matter what I will always love you, Ollie. You will forever be in my heart.

Now. To get to less painful subjects; let's do a little writin'.

I've decided that I'm going to start a story here. Whether it's a short story or not is up to your perspective. Ahem.

Part One.The Storm.

Talia jumped as a peal of thunder shook the floor of the dank, dark and silent cabin she was currently huddled in.

"A great adventure....just trust me...hah, last time I'm listening to her." Talia muttered under her breath as she shivered and pulled her knees closer in to her chest. Just need to create more body warmth. Maybe if she jumped up and down and did some jumping jacks--BOOM!

"This weather is getting ridiculous." Talia scoffed, trying not to feel the fear sneaking up on here. She didn't know these woods as well as Becca; this was Becca's back yard practically. She wouldn't be able to find her way back to Becca's house alone. Where did Becka go anyway? They were both scanning the woods for some shelter from the storm that blew in unexpectedly and the next thing Talia realizes is she's standing in the woods. Alone.

She started yelling her friend's name, competing with the howling wind for dominance. Talia decided to wait the storm out somewhere, and then she would go looking for Becca. A bolt of lightning lit up the darkened cabin and Talia immediately starting counting. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi--BOOM! The storm was less than a mile away.

Trying to abate her fear, Talia started to think of all the things she needed to get done that week. Apply for more jobs. The cabin lit up again. Go pick up her new kitten she found on Craigslist. One Mississippi. Get her brakes changed. Two Mississippi. Plan out her trip to Miami for her birthday. Three Mississippi. BOOM! Talia blew her breath out impatiently, dropping her head in her hands to try and block out reality.

She never liked storms. They always reminded her of what happened when she was five. Or rather, what almost happened. Not a great time to think of that right now.

Don't think about it, she told herself. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Talia began to chant in her head. Anything to drown this out.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Think about it. Think about it. Think about it. Think about it. Think about it. Think. Think. Think. BOOM!

Talia looked out the window. The rain is coming down in sheets and it looks like so much fun. She pressed her nose against the glass longingly.

"Talia! Get away from the window, darling. I don't want you getting hurt!" Her mom ushered her quickly away from the window, plopping her down at her play desk and handing her some crayons. "Why don't you draw Mommy a picture while I do some ironing, hmm Sweetie?" Her mom turned back to her ironing board and started humming.

Two colorful houses later Talia, bored of drawing for Mommy, looked back to the window. If only she could get out there without Mommy noticing she could go swimming in the water that's outside! She could make it back and sit down at her table without anyone the wiser. Talia nodded her reserve and crept away from the table. She walked into the kitchen and tip toed dramatically to the door.

She reached up and grabbed the doorknob, turning it slowly and soundlessly pulling open the door. Talia looked out from behind the screen door and smiled. This looked like so much fun! She pushed open the screen door and leaped out the door with a joyful shriek. Talia clapped her hands over her mouth and glanced back at the closing screen door. Mommy might have heard that. Better run so she doesn't see me out here! Talia thought as she took off running.

Talia ran in no particular direction. She leaped and galloped and skipped and slid. She laughed hysterically when she slipped in some mud and fell on her bottom. Looking up at the sky was difficult; the water kept getting in her eyes. While she was running, she saw a streak of white flash through the sky.

Oooh, how pretty was that! Talia giggled and kept running. A loud boom alerted her to something not quite right. I know that sound, Talia paused, that's the sound that makes me crawl into Mommy and Daddy's bed at night.

Suddenly frightened, Talia started to run back toward her house. She came out from underneath the tree's branches in the field behind her house. As she was sprinting at full speed back to her house, her mom came out the back door.

"Talia! What in heavens are you doing? Get back in here now! You're going to get struck by lightning!" As soon as the words left her mother's mouth, a bolt of lightning hit the tree behind Talia. Sobbing, she pushed herself even harder to get to her mother than before.

She slammed into her mother, a bawling, wet mess. Her mother whirled them both inside, shutting the door quickly.

"Talia, Baby, are you okay? Aw Honey, it's okay. Come here, let's dry you off." Her mom murmured soothing words as she toweled Talia off and changed her into dry clothes. She grabbed her Teddy off the bed and clung to her mother for dear life. Never ever again was she going out in a storm. BOOM!

Talia jumped, shocked out of her reverie by the cabin trembling fearfully again. She didn't blame the cabin. She was never listening to Becca again.

Terrifying thoughts

2010-11-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

Almost a month later, I sit down on my newly fixed computer and type out what it is that haunts my dreams at night. And I'm not talking about monsters that go bump in the night, or anything that silly. I'm talking about that kind of fear that creeps up on you and paralyzes you; making you unable to thing clearly about what you want out of life. I'll start with the biggest and work my way down. Deep breath. Here goes.

My biggest fear in life is being nobody. This sounds generic, but my entire life I've fought to be known. Fought by being the loudest, being the funniest, having the biggest laugh and biggest smile. This fear has brought out sides of me that aren't that flattering. I've compromised myself and morals to be someone that everyone can like. The saddest realization I've had about myself is that I can be swayed easily from something I previously felt passionate about. It could be one of my quirks. I can be gung ho on a project and a week later I've lost interest. This is what I keep telling myself.

So this fear that sits in the pit of my stomach at all times has been gnawing away at me. Could I be somebody? I've always loved writing, loved acting, loved being the center of attention. But the part about getting out and actually making that happen? That's when the paralysis kicks in. My entire life I've thought that I want to go out of this world having made an impact. Now I know not all impacts are splashy and public; my kids will remember me long after I'm gone. But I want this world that we live on and rotate with to change slightly by me. And I'm not sure exactly how I want to make an impact, but I just know that being nobody scares me. But that fear somehow worms its way through me so that I can't do that.

Which brings me to my second greatest fear: getting a job. But not just about having the job, about trying to get one. Ever since 10th grade, I could get any waitressing job I've ever wanted. Or any small, part-time job. I knew how to do that. Go in, fill out an application, hand it in personally to the boss, and charm them. Having experience made this easier; made me confident. But I don't know how to translate that experience with job finding into this new, grown-up world. My experience is nowhere near as vast as my waitressing experience so my confidence level is lower, and I feel like the job seeking process should be different with the kind of job I'm looking for. I'm not looking to work through these problems on my blog, just simply state and explain them. Maybe writing them down will help me conquer them though. Here's hoping.

So those two are the greatest fears I have (besides never finding love) that I feel directly effect me finding a job. I want a job. I could be great at whatever I do. I put my all into work that I feel passionate about, and I'm always looking for creative outlets for my energy. I'm ready to bust out of my little comfort zone and try something new and different. Let's give it up for working through problems indirectly. Writing always helps me.

Stay tuned for another highly anticipated blog entry from the Paper[less] Route. I think I may be changing directions next time, so bear with me folks. :)

Next blog

2010-10-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'm going to write a little intro before I write my next entry.

A good friend of mine told me that I should write about what terrifies me most on here. What I think my weaknesses are and what's holding me back from the next chapter in my life.

I think it's a good idea to put those down in writing because it will be easier to defeat those and rise above; at least, that's what I'm hoping it will do. So stay tuned for the next chapter of Ashley Turner's life. It should be a good one.

Sweet

2010-10-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Honey is sweet. Honey is kind and a typical do-gooder. But Honey is tired of being good and sweet and kind and boring. Honey wanted to be bad.

Honey is a waitress. Honey goes to her job and works dutifully and well. But where is all this goodness getting me? She thought.

Honey is a good daughter. She lives at home with her parents and does not give them trouble. Honey is always home on time, calls her parents to let them know where she is and helps with the bills. Where is the fun in that?

Honey licked her lips as she stared up at the neon sign in front of her. The phone in her pocket buzzed for the second time; "Home" flashed on the screen. For the second time, Honey pressed ignore. The breeze nipped around the flash of her legs not covered by her short skirt and her knee-high boots. Honey shivered in anticipation and pushed through the door.

Honey hiccuped loudly and then giggled. The arm draped around her shoulders tightened slightly and pulled her in closer. You taste sweet...like honey, the voice slurred in her ear. Honey laughed, head thrown back and flung her laughter to the stars. How can honey taste sweet when she was being so bad?

It's been a while

2010-09-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

I would like to stop making excuses for myself. So. Here is a new blog, sorry for the delay.

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and it just took me a while to put it up, but this theme is happiness. I wrote it with pencil and paper first, then transferred it onto the blog.

I touch the pencil to paper and try to catch the tail end of the thoughts that are racing around in my head. Like the elusive thoughts, the definition of happiness seems to always be out of reach.

How do you define something amorphous? How do you assign one or more lines of paper to a feeling so interchangeable? By describing certain moments in time where happiness was the prevalent thought in my mind.

I hear the blood rushing in my ears, feel my heartbeat thudding along in time with my footfalls. My eyes roll heavenward to take in the blue sky with clouds lazily drifting by. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes as the smell of nature fills my lungs and one thought drifts through my mind like the clouds in the sky: happiness...

The door slams behind me and I slump on the stairs, defeat rounding my shoulders. My breath escapes lungs and runs out of my mouth, forming a forlorn sigh that bounces loudly in the big, empty house. A tear rolls soundlessly down my cheek as I think about what a horrible day I've had. Just then the clicking sounds of my dogs toenails on the hardwood floor draw my attention and my eyes up from the floor, focusing on his little doggy smile aimed my way. Max, my Yorkshire Terrier, smiles at me whenever he's happy to see me and it makes my own lips turn up at the corners. His joy at seeing me lifts my own heart and I draw him into my arms, kissing his little snout in gratitude. As the bad day slowly evaporates, one word quickly takes the empty space left behind: happiness...

I settle in to the fluffy pillow behind me and pull the warm blanket up closer to my chin. A book sits on the table beside me and a sigh of contentment drifts out of my mouth. I'm not sure if this moment could be made any better. I look around the room that I'm currently resting in and breathe in the quiet and dim lighting. The sushi pub at my job is usually filled with people, blaring televisions and noisy chatter, but currently it is calm and peaceful; inviting me to pick up my book and enjoy my break from the calamity. Before I immerse myself in the world of my book, I think about what this moment in time feels like to me: happiness...

Next theme: Sweet.

Lazy Sundays

2010-08-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have jotted down some stuff for my first theme: urges. I'll copy it down here just to get the ball rolling. Now. Just to clarify my writing style, each week will be different. Some weeks I may write a short story, some weeks I may write a continuing story, some may be a poem, and others just feelings written down. Here's some ramblings for the previous week.

So many urges inside.
One person cannot hold them all.
Urges to be good; urges to be bad.

I'm a daughter. I'm a Christian.
Both urges seem good.
But when I feel that pull,
I decide to go bad.

There are good urges.
Be a good daughter; respect.
But the other side, they're bad.
Drink, cuss, steal; I'm consumed.

A fire burns inside.
Good and bad rages.
It's a never ending battle.
And who knows which side will win.

Be an asset to your community,
and give your all for free.
But then you need to earn your keep.
Go out, work; then fall.

Promise I'm not always this melodramatic :-D It's just been a stressful week. Okay, next week I will post a new theme and some more writin' for you guys!

Procrastination at its best

2010-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Okay guys, here's the deal. I know I was supposed to post the themes by now, but guess what in the world happened. (Drum roll please, because I know you all are dying to know this) My laptop has passed away. *Moment of silence*

The screen is actually destroyed, and I can't see anything. But I've got big plans for this blog yet. As soon as I fix my computer (or get a new one), OR gain access to Illustrator or Photoshop, I'm going to design the header for this blog. So. Be patient, fair readers. I'll write you another love letter soon :)

Real life is hard

2010-08-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

Since I graduated over a year ago, my life has been making it from paycheck to paycheck. Before college, and during, I was convinced that all I needed was a college degree and I would be ushered into the Real World with a ready-made job with a nice paycheck and a cushy life. Wrong.

My friends around me are making things happen for themselves. They are designing blogs, furthering their education post-graduation and filling their portfolios with their work. But a lot of the things they are doing for their careers and with their degrees are easy to show. That is my good friend Janet and she is amazing at what she does.

But for me, it's not easy to put in jpeg format and post online for all to see. I'm a communicator. To see what I do best, come to Kanpai of Tokyo and watch me interact with guests at our restaurant. I use my skills that I learned from Clemson University to handle the public at that job. Even though I feel I am utilizing what I learned in school, I still feel I haven't reached my full potential and I won't be able to at this job.

I want to flex my literary muscles and actually work at something I'm good at for a paycheck. I love to write. That's simple. But how do I get a job that includes writing as a job asset? I guess it could be simple as well: start writing on this blog.

I'm going to take away from my friends Janet and Amanda and come up with a theme each week and write about it. (Go here to witness amazing converted into pictures and a blog).

Tomorrow I will start showcasing my skills and building up my portfolio. Stay tuned.

Long awaited

2010-07-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hello readers who happen to stumble upon my blogspot (by accident or on purpose), welcome! I decided to revive this blog and use it to show off my superior writing skills (ha). I wanted to discuss an advertisement I created for the Kanpai of Tokyo bar this past year.

If you're a little slow like I can be sometimes, the picture to the right is the advertisement I created. My manager came up to me one day and asked if I would like to help her create an ad for our new pomegranate martinis and I was all for it. I love being creative.

So I started out with just the picture of a pomegranate martini. I know I wanted something catchy on it and also tie in to the popularity in the pomegranate martinis. I put together the sentence up top and was thrilled. I thought it looked like an ad you would read in a magazine. Short and simple, enticing the customer to see what they really have been missing out on.

The font choices to me were easy. The main message was meant to emulate an ad that really would be in the magazine, so I went with a font that seems simple, plain, and easy to read. I chose the one at the bottom because italic script always seems so...fancy, so I went with that one.

So there is an original Ashley Turner, guys. How proud are you?? I know I'm super proud and I have completed my task of showing off my *ahem* superior writing skills for the day.

The results are in...

2008-04-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome back! Where we left off last time was my proposal to put the Uncertainty Reduction Theory to use in my own life. First of all, here is a picture of me and the girl I bonded with.

When I went over to my friend's room, her two friends whom I've never met were there bonding it up already. I was introduced to Lauren and automatically I told her I liked her shirt. It seems that every time I bond with a female I look for something on her person (subconsciously) and compliment her on it. It is either her shirt, shoes or purse. With Lauren it was her shirt.

One thing I pointed out as well is that my middle name is Lauren. So take a moment here. This Uncertainty Reduction Theory seems to be on point here. I just revealed to this person that my middle name was the same as her first, but if this weren't the first time I met her, I would not have mentioned that. Huh. So it turns out that scholars are on to something with this theory...

Or I'm just really awkward.

Well I'm a little uncertain...

2008-04-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

So as my two readers know, I have started this blog for my Communications class and am encouraged (required, whatever) to have some of my blogs be about communications studies! So tonight, dear reader(s), I introduce to you UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY!

Here's the basic premise of this theory: when you first meet someone, you disclose more information about yourself than you normally would to reduce uncertainty. If you have high uncertainty (or if you're really nervous in a situation) then it is more likely that you will tell this stranger a little more than you would tell an acquaintance.

Since this is a theory that is published in a college text book, let's put it to good use. I am going to go over to a friend's room tonight where she is hanging out with two of her other freshman friends (I am a junior) that I do not know. While I am thrown into a situation like this awkwardly let's see how I interact with the two new girls. I'll test out the theory and see if it's all it's cracked up to be...

Technology My Way

2008-04-03T20:45:00.001-07:00

Now that the whole world is becoming digital it's no wonder that television shows are taking on the internet as well. The thing that probably really spurred this movement was the fact that people were recording the episodes and uploading them illegally for people to watch for free. So NBC and ABC finally caught on and offered full episodes on their websites for free, but to still earn money they air commercials (one or two) in between.

It took Fox a little longer to catch on and they're still very slow. The new episode isn't uploaded until after the next one airs on television which doesn't make any sense. If all viewers are able to watch the episode online and catch up, by the time the actual episode rolls around, more viewers would tune in. So thanks to new technology, I am able to cuddle up with my laptop (as if that's my actual laptop) and spend hours at a time watching episodes with limited commercial interruptions. :)

That Yeti Is One Smooth Talker...

2008-03-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

While watching Nip/Tuck the other night, I thought about how upsetting it would be if FX decided to end the series after this season (Season 5). It seems that a normal span for television shows is about five or six seasons, but when a show is so good, I think it's fitting for it to stay on longer. Like Friends and Seinfeld lasted for ten seasons and even though that seems like a long time, I still miss new episodes of Friends.

Nip/Tuck is only a half season, so comparably it's going to be starting the second half of it's third season since it takes up half the time normal seasons do. Around the sixth season it seems that shows start to become repetitive and boring but Nip/Tuck is getting even better. The season finale was such a doozie that all Nip/Tuck fans, including myself, are itching to see the new season. In the last episode, Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) was stabbed repeatedly by his crazy stalker/ex-talent agent while in the middle of performing surgery on his 12 year old daughter who was injured in a car wreck caused by the paparazzi. So yes. Nip/Tuck is one show I will be watching as soon as it comes back on. So here's hoping it will have a long prosperous run like our Friends.

Lipstick and Cashmere

2008-03-07T12:16:00.001-08:00

So there seems to be a trend out now with empowered females who kick butt in the business world. I watched Cashmere Mafia first and fell in love. I don't think it's so much the empowered female aspect but just the good plots, talented actresses and great writing. And it's spreading to other shows as well.

I was at the book store the other day and saw the book Lipstick Jungle and saw that it had been turned into a television show. I'm not a big fan of Brooke Shields but it looked a lot like Cashmere Mafia and I wanted to give it a shot. Turns out it's just like Cashmere but with only three girlfriends instead of four. Also, Lipstick is not afraid to show some skin. It's not nearly as graphic as Nip/Tuck but it's enough to make your tummy tingle.

But if you're on the side of females in charge, it definitely gives you plenty of that. The three women in Lipstick Jungle are the most successful business women out there and know it. It shows us all aspects of a love life when the roles of power are switched: a happily married Wendy (Brooke Shields), a married Nico (Kim Raver) with a mister on the side, and a single Victory (Lindsay Price). Both shows are clever but it makes one wonder if one's not just modeled after the other.

Whichever it is, I know I'll be in front of the television at ten o clock on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Jumper

2008-03-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

So I just went to see the movie Jumper with my sister-in-law this past weekend, so it's time for a movie review! (yayyy)

Here's the synopsis I found on SmartCine.com: The science fiction thriller leaps into a new realm with JUMPER, which begins the epic adventures of a man who discovers that he possesses the exhilarating ability to instantly teleport anywhere in the world he can imagine. From New York to Tokyo, from the ruins of Rome to the heart of the Saharan Desert, anywhere is possible for David Rice (HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN), until he begins to see that his freedom is not total, that he's not alone . . . but part of an ongoing, global war that threatens the very survival of his rare and extraordinary kind.

I was a little hesitant to go see it because I had just recently seen the movie Shattered Glass (I was forced to for school) and a guy at Blockbuster told me it would have been a good movie if Hayden Christensen wasn't such a bad actor. I'm not sure if it was because the guy got it in my head, or he really was that bad...but I was thinking this when I bought the ticket to Jumper.

The beginning was great; it gave us just enough background information. The concept was brilliant, and the part where he was learning how to teleport was hilarious. I'm big on the tone of the movie. I think tone is set with lighting and how the director interprets the script. The lighting of the movie was fitting. I remember seeing the new Superman film and thinking that the darkness of the movie wasn't very fitting, but I guess they wanted to go dark. Well the darkness fit with Jumper because, while it had it's comedic moments, it was a drama. The choices the director made were great, too. I'm not sure if the script called for the ground to break where he teleported to, but that made it POWERFUL.

The actors and actresses made it great, too. This is a big step up from Shattered Glass for Christensen. I must say he did a good job of acting and not indicating (bad, bad form of acting). Rachel Bilson did a beautiful job of being beautiful and coy; she's such a great actress, I was happy to see her in this film. Now Samuel L. Jackson is worth a whole 'nother blog. The man is a legend and I am so jealous these actors got to act with him. He was amazing and played one scary bad guy.

So I am pleased to say I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to you avid movie goers out there. And to all the average Joe's as well :)

Music in Television and Movies

2008-03-04T21:22:00.001-08:00

This blog was actually inspired by Sergio Mendoza Hochmann's blog: http://www.therockgazette.com/ He has really great posts, so check him out.

So, have you ever realized how powerful a soundtrack is? Or just how music integrated at one point makes a scene AMAZING? My favorite thing to see is some guys (could be hot. Well, preferably be hot) walking and suddenly the walking slows down and the bass starts thumping or rock music starts rocking. My heart starts racing and I'm like, "Wow. That's hot." So what is it about that that makes it so hot? Maybe that their bodies are moving sensually toward the camera or the look on their face is promising to make you pant.

Or maybe it's the rhythm of the music seeping into your blood stream and pumping your heart to the beat. Whatever the reason, music in a show or movie has proven essential because it can make a moment that much better. There have been moments when the music swells at the perfect time and it makes my eyes water. For instance, in the movie "The Truman Show" the director (Ed Harris) is directing a "scene" and he's telling the crew to "zoom in here" and "cut to this camera" and then "And bring the music up..." and his face is a picture of complete rapture as he inhales the beauty of this scene. Truman is reunited with his dad and because the music was paired beautifully with it, it made half the audience misty eyed.

A lot of people don't even realize how much music influences a television show or a movie, but I'm sure they will pay attention now...

She actually slays vampires...

2008-02-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

I wanted to dedicate a blog post to the illustrious vampire slayer Buffy Summers. Before I started to watch Buffy obsessively, I was talking to a friend about it. I told her that the couple of episodes were really good, so it might be a show to watch. She then informed me that every fan of BtVS she's ever encountered has been a fanatic. I just laughed and said the only show I'll ever be obsessed with is Friends. Oh how wrong was I.

In my communications class (which I'm sure I talk about constantly in my blogs) I've chosen the show as the topic for my literature review. Basically what a literature review is is a summary of all the research done on your topic. Since I was urged by my teacher to choose a topic I wouldn't easily get bored of, I went with my favorite television show.

Instead of getting into all the gory details of the literature review, I want to talk about why I chose Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I would like to say I'm an expert on the show, but I think other than just an avid watcher I'm as average as the next fan when it comes to the technical aspects of Buffy. Researching this will be fun because while I know about every drama aspect of the show, I will become informed on the small little quirks that are very important to the story line. Like why they dress her in the girliest clothes possible to go a-slaying and the way that they talk (very funny quips and sarcastic remarks) and how they show has affected the real world we live in.

I fell in love with the show after I saw the fifth season premiere, "Buffy Vs. Dracula." The character Xander is enthralled by Dracula and has become his slave and in this "trance" comes the funniest lines of the episode. The gang is brainstorming ways to defeat Dracula when Xander shouts from his corner, "No one can defeat the dark master!!! ....bater." They didn't know he was Dracula's bitch so he covered it up with one funny form of the word masturbation.

So based on my love for watching this television show I want to research the parts that make it so great. Maybe my whole senior thesis won't be as boring and tedious as I thought. Buffy expert in the making.

Hey Jude

2008-02-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

I just watched Across the Universe. Yes, I felt like a complete poser for watching it. I was one of those people who was like, it's an indie film, therefore I will be cool when I watch it.

It turned out to be amazing. But it also made me so angry that I cannot sing. I.wish.I.could.sing. And I also want to fall in love with a guy who can sing. But that is a different story for a different blog.

So in my Communications class we've talked about social construction. Socially constructing your world whether you want to or not (an interesting way to think about it). I really love the idea of social construction, that you can make your world the way you want it to be. In my house, our pets are people. They are part of our family because they talk to us (okay, it's actually just us talking for them) but I think that we have socially constructed the animals, our pets, to be a part of the family.

So with that example out of the way, in the movie itself, these people made their world theirs through their passion. Instead of taking the route that most do/have done and go to college, get a job, get married and settle down with the proverbial 2.5 kids, they made the world their own. But in a more literal sense with social construction is how the people MADE the movie. This world they created with the psychedelic colors and peace love sing a longs (I do understand it was a manifestation of all the drugs they were doing during the 60's) was such a magical place to step into. To float around while Jim Sturgess croons about how love is all you need, it was just the highlight of my night.

I find it hard to express my love for this movie in the form of Communications notes, but I think the characters in the movie constructed their world through, like I said before, their passion. Lucy (Rachel Evan Wood) decided that war was not an option for her, that she wasn't going to lose another person she loved to it, so she sought out someone to protest with. She participated in that peace movement against the Vietnam War, and they constructed it to be a way of life.

The movie was such a beautiful thing that it left me feeling like I was floating away on a cloud of mushrooms myself...not that I would know what that was like... :)

Good movies always make me happy. *Sigh*

Communications, you say?

2008-01-28T02:10:00.001-08:00

A fancy way to further communication within our society: blogging. I was talking with my mom the other day about blogging and I said, "So my teacher said that we could substitute one of our tests with a blog, even though it might be more work," but my mom cuts me off and says, "What?" I said, "Oh yeah, it might be more work but..." At the confused look on her face I trailed off and my sister-in-law said, "Blogging, it's like a journal online." Clarity dawned on my mom's face and I just smiled. It's so easy to be outdated now with technology rapidly becoming more and more complicated (or just evolving, rather).

So how great is it that we've added tools to keep everyone updated on our whereabouts and what we just had for breakfast. Blogging is the future but has it dampered our communications skills?

There are two sides to this. The other day in my Communications Theory class we discussed the consequences of Facebook; this is very similar. Facebook can lead to diminished face-to-face communications skills, bad health, bad grammar, unpopularity and a drop in productivity among many things. Blogging can be the same way and I've experienced this first hand. When there is nothing to do but homework a lot of procrastinators (such as myself) look for ways to put off doing work. I had a blog on myspace and a blog on Xanga and I must have posted two blogs on each page in the span of an hour. Talk about diminished productivity. People can get so caught up in blogging that it can become an obsession and take over your life.

But that can be the same for a lot of things. On the positive side, blogging can help you keep in touch with friends that live far away (or keep up with a long distance relationship), it can make your social and professional networking increase and it can help you sharpen your grammatical skills. I know that I use a lot of fancy words in my blogs that I wouldn't use in a natural conversation, but that's the fun of blogging: you get to sound like a professional.

So blogging can be good or bad, depends on how you use your time. Blogging is a great step for Communications because it's a way to discuss things (theories, concepts, Communications class) with the world fast, and without spending money on postage.

Chuck Norris does not sleep, he waits...

2008-01-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

So the other day, Clemson campus was graced with an appearance from Chuck Norris! Oh, yes, Mike Huckabee tagged along, too, but that's not the important part. The important part was the Chuck. I wish I had known he was coming, otherwise I would have attempted to go to the rally. One of the guys in my classes even received an autographed card of Chuck Norris round-house kicking the photographer.

But the thing that really tempted me to blog about him was a girl in my Broadcast Journalism class. She said, "I think that Chuck Norris would hurt Huckabee's campaign, because he's only a big joke. The only reason he's famous is because everyone's made him a joke." I wanted to retort with something, but that is what I think of Chuck Norris. It's funny because of all of the Chuck Norris "facts." Such as the title of this blog. But isn't that what the entertainment industry is made up of? Angelina Jolie is just a big joke to people. I mean, she's a great actress and beautiful and all that, but all people see is a walking punch line.

And Britney Spears. Poor, poor Britney. Her life is nothing more than a mockery to the paparazzi and all the media outlets now. I was adamant in disliking her along with the rest, but when she had her breakdown, I could only think of her kids. These are real lives that are being invaded and mocked.

But with Chuck Norris, his life isn't being mocked, just his role for being on Walker Texas Ranger. Back to the comment, after the girl said this, our teacher pointed out that that's how Huckabee is reaching the younger audience with him. With a joke that all kids find as funny. But the older generation is being reached, too. Because adults who grew up watching Walker Texas Ranger (Peggy Bowers included) see him as the epitome of justice. Mike Huckabee may not be able to kick drug dealers' butts, but Chuck Norris sure can. He can deliver a round-house kick-o-justice to the bad guys' faces.

So. Huckabee chose Chuck because of the wide audience he influences and also the toughness that he emanates. I think Chuck Norris should teach a Communications class. He could teach a class about the effectiveness of communicating. It's not just about sending a message out, it's about the other person understanding the message and why it's being sent.

Okay, I've blabbered on enough.

My Director of the week

2008-01-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

Joss Whedon. This man is an institution. Not only has he created three television shows (one of which was wildly popular) but he writes for the funniest shows out there as well.

I am in love with Joss Whedon because of his ingenious writing. His ability to create this fabulous worlds that are dark and hilarious at the same time while keeping the writing sharp and witty is...positively amazing. All three of his television shows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly) are part of my TV shows on DVD collection. When I first started watching BtVS someone told me that the only people he knew of watching that show were fanatics. I thought I was impervious to that, but Whedon's words drew me in. I'm not sure what parts of his shows I enjoy the most, but I think it is the characters and their relationships. And their dialogue; if only I could speak like Buffy or Xander.

But apart from the small little charms that Whedon puts into his shows, it amazes me how one man can be so determined. A lot of people I put onto pedestals and think that they are a different kind of species; that they aren't made of the same things that I'm made of. Sort of like Bill Gates and Einstein. But Joss Whedon is just another witty writer (something that I aspire to be) who put forth this amazing work and determination to succeed, and did so. I'm not an overachiever by any means, but maybe I can make my dreams come true (cliche, but go with me here) by looking to what he did. I only need to make small efforts to do what he did. Put together a portfolio and send it off to some amazing magazine.

I choose Joss Whedon as my director of the week (or basically just person of the year in my diary) because this one guy created three of my favorite television shows. His vision was put out there for others to take part in and ENJOY and without him, without his writing or part in the creation, I would not have a sanctuary to go home to today. I would not have Angel and his group of friends waiting in my DVD player to keep me warm from the snow. So thank you, Joss Whedon.

And for those of you who are interested in Joss Whedon and his projects, go here: it's very lovely :)