Thursday, December 11, 2008

Finale!

Semester three down, one more to go!!! I had my final critique this morning/afternoon and am glad it's over. I'll post pictures of my table soon, but for now I need sleep. Yay!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

El Nino.

This afternoon in Austin - 81 degrees.
Now at 11:20 pm - big, fat SNOWFLAKES!!!

Here is a photo I took of a car at my apartment getting a nice little coat of snow!



And I'd like to think this is God's little present to me for finishing all my ads today. Or El Nino's gift. Either way, it rocks.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Lists.

DONE

AGC presidential duties.
C3 internship.
Independent study.
Balsam Hill Christmas tree ads.
Wild Eyes ads.
Veggie Wash ads.
Goodwill non-traditional ads.

NOT DONE

Theories paper.
Goodwill ads.
Wild Eyes non-traditional ads.
Mounting and cutting all ads.
Christmas shopping.

I'm going to treat myself to a new album to psych me up for these final few days - any recommendations? I need something good and upbeat that I can party to. (Party = make ads.)

Monday, December 1, 2008

Owlie.

Ames, my partner for Balsam Hill artificial Christmas trees, and I are looking for pine tree dwellers to put in an ad. I'm searching for owls and will now post an entry on all the crazy owls I found.

Scary Eye Owl.


David Bowie Owl.


David Bowie Owl in Flight.


Crazy Whitey Owl.



Crazy Ear Owl.


Crazy Puffy Owl.


OK, bye!

AGC Finale.

Tomorrow is my final day as AGC President for elections are tomorrow night. I must say that I'm pretty excited for the new group to get in and take over - that means more free time for me! Hooray! But it's been a fun year and I'm ready to have one less thing on my plate. Yay AGC, I'll miss you!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Wild.

Not only is the final part of my semester wild, but it's wild that my partner Kelley and I have finally got our campaign for our first product green-lighted. Yes, our Wild Eyes campaign is finally a go! Great success!

Here's a sneaky peak at one of our shots - this is the "Ice Fire" contact lens. I'm going to actually shoot this during the Turkey break - probably using my sister as my hand model, so the final rendering will be different. Plus, I've gotta make that lens look much better. But Kelley and I are sharing the photoshop responsibilities and it's a great partnership - high five to us. A big beer will be had once critique is over. Yes!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Senior Picture.

So, I'm convinced my dog is just the most darling little thing ever. A few points...

1. She uses her pee bell. It's hanging on my door and she'll ring it when she has to go outside to pee or poop. Amazing.
2. She cuddles with me.
3. She gets on her perch on the back of my couch and gives me the one-eye when she's trying to sleep and I'm being too loud.
4. She does her tricks so well - minus the "come" command. Hmm.
5. She loves to swim more than any dog I've met before so I sneak her into my apartment pool every so often.
6. She has a nighttime ritual of chewing on her purple. Her purple is this stuffed dog/elephant-looking thing. It's purple. Duh.
7. She poses for her senior pictures like this...

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

"Grammar."

If you're a close friend of mine, you know how anal I am about grammar and punctuation. I'd like to give thanks to my experience as a TA for an AP Style course at Oklahoma State. I'll often correct friends and family on little pet peeves of mine - either verbally or just in my brain. The biggest one? Anxious = experience worry, unease or nervousness. Eager = wanting to do or have something very much. Anxious = bad. Eager = good.

Well, to my enjoyment I've run across a fabulous blog about quotation marks being put in the wrong places. I've added this to my Google Reader so I can get a laugh daily with the awful placements. Now, I pass on the goodness to you...especially you, Grandma. You are my proper English inspiration.

"Enjoy."

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

One of my favorites, except these quotation marks may actually be necessary.



Also, the first rule we learned in portfolio was NO PUNS. They're easy, simple and bad. However, this rule doesn't stop most advertisers or businesses from going straight to the pun. Here's a blog alllll about puns - the name is That's Punny. I'm happy I found this. I'm thinking this could be inspiration for a post - God knows I see an advertising pun every freakin' day. Here's one of my favorites from the blog...

Monday, November 10, 2008

Turkey.

Countdown: 17 teeny days until my annual Turkey Coma. I'm ready, folks.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Photoshop.

Will you take a close look at this photo? Oh geez, what the hell?!



I have major problems with the way women are photoshopped to have teeny, unrealistic waists, thighs, faces, whatever, but this is just ridiculous. Does the company not have an editor who checks things before they go out the door? Thanks to my new favorite blog, Photoshop Disasters...

My favorite comment? "No disaster here. The model just used too much cellulite cream."

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Mabel's Dance.

I got some inspiration from my friend Erin to teach Mabel this new trick. Enjoy!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Final Push.

This past week was crazy. Lots of ads to do and even more theory research to do. Have I shared my research topic yet? I'm looking into weight loss programs and how these programs can more effectively target the female African American subculture...meaning, African American women, and men too, have more open ideas on what it means to be "attractive" and "thin." This culture doesn't want to be stick thin, like many Caucasian women tend to strive toward, so they are sometimes a little more overweight - and this is all right. This overweightness (that's not a word....) isn't looked down upon - instead you're seen as being "healthy" and not starving yourself to be a stick. So, how can weight loss programs keep this frame of thinking while developing advertising? Jenny Craig, the company I've been focusing on, has started this new focus with a campaign with Queen Latifah as a new spokesperson. Her message is to be "happy with your size" and to decide what's "healthy to you." Quite a new approach in the ad world. Mostly you'll hear "lose weight!" or "be thin!" I enjoy the change of pace - maybe JC has cracked the code on this subculture's way of thinking and, in turn, could grab more viewers and purchasers. Sweet.

So, ya, that's what I've been researching and thinking about. More on this later when I get feedback from my professor. Hopefully it's good feedback.

Friday was my midterm review for Portfolio 2, where I turned in the final concepts for my first two products: Wild Eyes Contacts and Veggie Wash. Tiffany, my Veggie partner, and I have a solid campaign and we're feeling really good about it. We're actually teaming up with a Radio, TV and Film student who will film our three TV spots for us - great for our portfolio and his as well. We're also working on some non-traditional ideas for grocery carts and handle wipes. I'll post those later. But for the Wild Eyes, my partner, Kelley, and I are finally getting the ball rolling on a good idea. I don't know if our executions for the midterm are where they need to be (probably not) but at least we have a thought of what we're going to do! That's a huge relief. I didn't think it was going to come to us until December when critique was 23 hours away...haha...oh man, that's the worst. But I'm really glad all this is over because now I can breathe and enjoy the nice weather outside. And drink cider. And play with little Mabel girl. So, I'm excited for this.

Oh, something very Martha of me - I've redesigned my resume and created an Excel spreadsheet to help me keep my possible job contacts organized. I've sent my resume out to a few folks in Denver, just in case Tulsa, OKC, or Austin don't happen. Oh yeah, I'm looking for jobs back in Oklahoma. I've got this strange pull to go back and share my learnings with my homestate. I'm not really sure if this is what I'm supposed to be doing, but so far it feels pretty good. I'm just nervous I'll get there and realize I'm not ready to be back home. This is my only hitch. Am I supposed to be back or am I supposed to keep my wings spread for a bit longer? Are there more interesting job prospects there or here in Austin or somewhere unthought of? What about C3? That place is so amazing. Are my contacts better in Oklahoma? Probably. Are there inspiring places to visit that will keep my creative mind churning? I hope. What if I get there and it's not what I hoped? (See? Sometimes I overanalyze my world.) But I try to keep the faith that it'll ALL work out. All of it. I also keep the idea that I looooove my family more than anything and I want to see them much more often. All 4 grandparents healthy as heck are reason enough to be back - I want to hang with them as much as I can. And my folks...they're excited for me and will support me with whatever path I take, but I know damn well that they'd love to have me back. And I don't mind that. And that I love my sister, who's about to be a married woman, and I think that we can meet up for dinners and brunch on Sunday mornings. And I miss Jeff more than...more than...anything. I'm ready to be back in the same freakin' zip code as him. And Millie. These things keep my wandering mind excited about this Oklahoma possibility. But I'm still nervous. And I just cried a bit.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Um...

So, here I am in the creative lab at UT doing some research for my first product, Wild Eyes Contacts. Kelley, my partner, and I are having a tough time trying to figure out what direction we want to go in before our midterm review on Friday. Yikes. So, I'm going all over the Internet trying to find inspiration, weirdness, anything to give me a hint on what to do. I start searching creepy things on the Guinness Book of World Records, which is too much fun, and I found something that took my interest right away. Gurning. Prepare to be amazed and enthralled.



There is an annual Gurning competition - here are a few of my favorite photos from the Web. According to Wikipedia, a gurn is a "distorted facial expression, and a verb to describe the action. A typical gurn might involve projecting the lower jaw as far forward and up as possible, and covering the upper lip with the lower lip."


Thursday, October 23, 2008

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The winner...

Earlier, I posted all sorts of costumes for Miss Mabel to be for Halloweenie. Well, I recently got a package from Momma. And the winner is........



The Mermaid!!!

Mabel girl likes wearing the mermaid - and I like it even more. She's so funny! Wooooo wooo woooooo!

Long time.

Well! I've been a busy gal - school is going well, the social life is fine, Mabel is precious, and C3 is still kickin. Mainly, the reason why I haven't been on this blog is because I'm working mainly on my blog for music promotion - you can check it out here. :) Feel free to comment about anything I'm typing over there. Party on, Wayne.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Mabel on YouTube.

I put Mabel girl on YouTube! Check out her tricky tricks! Success!

Monday, September 22, 2008

P2

Here is what I'm working on so far for my P2 class.

Small Durable - Wild Eyes Contacts
Service/Retail - Goodwill

I haven't figured out my other two products, but soon I'll work on it! I'm really excited about both products so far - the Wild Eyes campaign is going well so far! My partner, Kelley, and I are enjoying the challenges of making the product's ads more surprising and unsuspected. We'll see (heh) how it goes.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Halloweenie!

So, I'm starting to consider what Mabel will be for Halloween, and boy have I found some awesome costumes from Target. I bought Herbie, Kelly's cat, a nice lobster costume last year - he looks adorable in it. So adorable, in fact, that he's on the Web site www.stuffonmycat.com. Here is his nice debut...



Anyway, back to Mabel Mabel Kitchen Table. Here are some ideas for the year...what do you think she should be??? A mermaid? Jurassic Bark? A dragon? Or Wonder Woman?






And in honor of Smudge, mom and dad's pup, here's a nice costume. Smudge got skunked a few days ago...maybe if she wore this she'd be friends with the skunks instead of targets!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Independent Study.

So, school is going well so far! I'm in full swing with my portfolio 2 class - my partner and I are working on a campaign for Wild Eyes contacts...we're pretty excited about the unique opportunities with the product! My theories class is pretty neat, too - I'm learning a lot about...you guessed it...theory!

Also, I'm now going with my independent study I wrote about a while ago. Here's the blog link if you're interested in checking it out!

I'll have a much better update soon. Over and out.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Buddy!

Check out the new addition to my life! Mabel Grober - adopted Sept. 2.


Sunday, August 24, 2008

Africa.

Here is a "good luck" post to a very dear friend of mine, Robert Thomas Quiring. Roberto is going to Kenya on Tuesday to live for a year while participating in the YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) program and will be working for a non-profit while he learns about the lives of African people. He has a blog and will be keeping us all updated on his happenings - if you want to check it out, go here. I got to snag him up for lunch today and we had a great time catching up and chatting about everything that he's about to encounter, and I must say that he's about to embark on such a journey that will definitely change his life.

So, Robert, good luck in Kenya and be sure to keep me updated on everything that greets you! See ya in a year!

In case you have yet to have the fabulous opportunity to meet RTQ, here are a few token shots of him...enjoy! And Roberto, don't forget to do the Lion King for me!



Monday, August 18, 2008

Newbs.

This week marks the beginning of the new grad student's careers at UT! This morning we had orientation in the ACL studio, but now they're all ours! AGC (the Advertising Graduate Council I'm president of) has planned all sorts of f-u-n for the new cats. Take a looksie!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Colorado?

So, for the post-graduation living situation it's very possible I'll be in one of two very exciting cities: either Austin or Denver. And I couldn't be more excited!

Now all I need is to find a place in Denver like my internship - C3 Presents - and I'll be set on a great time. Anyone know anything great up there?

Monday, July 21, 2008

Independent study.

I've been thinking about this coming semester and what I'm to do with my schedule. So far I'm enrolled to take Portfolio 2 and Theories. I obviously need another course, but I've been struggling with what to take and why. Until...

Today I talked with a good friend, Krystha, who just graduated from the program and who has a killer internship with an agency in NYC. We spoke about independent studies (she did one) and options for me - and she helped me come up with the idea of doing a study on the promotions and advertising that go into musicians - what works? What doesn't? What's a waste? And I think I'm gonna run with it. I've asked a favorite professor to be my guidance through this possibly eye-opening experience, so I hope she agrees! Do I want to mainly focus on MySpace music garbage, festival promotions, advertising at concerts, etc? Any ideas???

Plus, what a deal to be interning with C3 Presents - I could get some excellent interviews with management, musicians, etc. about what they deem worthy of advertising. My study would be in the format of a blog or video blog through YouTube shorts - something more creative than a paper. (But let's be honest - I LOVE writing papers more than any human, thanks G-ma!)

So, that's what I'm thinking...I have a LOT of details to nail down, but so far I really like where this could end up. I could even do some ACL references and research. Love? I think so!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Robot Love.


An interesting article about the future of product promotion in movies...

Here the author talks about how the movie Wall-E subtly places Apple products throughout the movie (a brief iPod sighting, the sound of an Apple computer booting up when Wall-E is charged.) Rather than shoving products in the faces of movie goers, is this the way of the future?

Side note - Wall-E is darling and thought-provoking. If you haven't seen it yet, go.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Farm!

I got to spend time at Jeff's family farm in Illinois for the 4th of July holiday - check out the photo fun!!!









Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Boone Pickens.

Congrats to oilman T. Boone Pickens for a successful launch of his new wind energy plan to reduce the U.S.'s dependency on oil. What an amazing and humble man to realize that we need a new alternative to oil - his baby.

Here's a USA Today article about the Plan.

Here's the Web site for the Plan.

And here's my standing ovation for Pickens. Thank you for thrusting this issue upon our nation and our soon-to-be president.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Question.

If I didn't question my journey in life on a daily basis I'd start wondering if I were becoming static and unaware of my surroundings molding me without my consent.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

New things.

I figured it's about time for an update on my life in the ATX. Lately I've been getting up to work at the Observatory from 9:30-12:30 then heading to beautiful downtown to intern with C3 Presents from 1-6. It's been a real trip, honestly, to be working in such a great place - the folks there are wonderful, creative and driven. The downfall: I'm an intern. It'll be nice (yes, I'm actually saying and admitting this) to have a job someday where I don't come home to homework, projects, tests, portfolio madness, etc. However, this does not discount my love for school - I still enjoy every living second of my studies. It'll just be nice someday, that's all.

So, at C3 I'm working in the management department, working on the indie side of things. I'm helping manage Ben Kweller, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Sparklehorse, Heartless Bastards and finally, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. I help with tour marketing, designing ad mats (the posters you see up for shows), finding flights for BK, thinking of new ways to market our guys, designing merch, which has become my favorite task as of the past day or so. I also did Milwaukee's vinyl layout. The artwork is from their album, but I arranged it on the vinyl layout and added credits and other important things. Fun! Here's a shirt I did for Milwaukee (with inspiration from a friend, Demus):




It's been really fun being at C3 and I hope I can still help out this coming school semester, since I'm only taking 9 hours (yes, that's still full-time) and TAing. I think I can do it because I love having a full plate - I'm way more productive that way.

Ben Kweller is releasing his new album "Changing Horses" soon, and let me say that I love it! It's quite different from his old stuff, but the new phase/change/face is great. To those of you who are fans, prepare yourselves. It's great. The rough edits cd my boss gave me makes me giddy.

On to other news. My seeester, Kelly Andrea Grober, is ENGAGED!!! I got to travel back to Oklahoma this past week to be there after the big engagement. Carl asked her at their new house and brought her to the restaurant where we were waiting - Kel had NO idea we were there. Mom and I were "in Dallas shopping" for the weekend...muahaha! So, to say the least she was so happy and surprised to see us there to celebrate! The ring is gorgeous - three fancy diamonds, two of which are from Carl's g-ma and great g-ma...very, very special. Now we get to plan a wedding and I get to design the invites, programs, etc. I'm ready! Cheers, Kel and Carlo! And a word to Carl - our family is nuts, so prepare yourself for some craziness. On the contrary, we are full of love, support, and all sorts of other good things to counter-balance the weird side. Welcome to the fam!

Tonight my buddies and I are going to the Blues on the Green at Zilker Park. This is a summer show that happens every other Wednesday in the summer where the Parks Foundation brings in a different artist to play for free out at Zilker...two weeks ago we say Asleep at the Wheel, which was DARLING! We had a great time, but tonight will be great because we're going to have a little picnic with chicken, side dishes, beers, etc. I'm excited to hang outdoors down here...in the evenings it's just sublime.

I'm still working on wedding things for lady friends of mine. Lindsay Zuck let me do her invites a while ago and I had the pleasure of making her wedding programs, and if I may say so, turned out so charming! I'm still working on a Web site to post all my work so brides can check out what I'm capable of. By the end of summer I'm hoping it'll be up and running - we'll see! Here's Zucky's program:





OK, back to life! Happy Hump Day, everyone!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Jesus Frequency.

So, every once in a while a little something will come along and make my day (week, even) so enjoyable that I can't stand to not share it with everyone who reads. This letter came to my work at the McDonald Observatory, addressed to my boss, Rebecca, the editor of StarDate magazine and press officer for the McD Observatory. Allow me to replicate the beautifully-crafted letter, minus the yellow legal pad paper:

Dear Rebecca, Editor,

My name is Vernon H. I am an amateur scientific researcher. I would like to write an article titled; Light Travel Is Here!!!

I have taken Einstein's theory of light travel and applied it to practical usage. I am broadcasting to planets with inhabited life through my radio show, The Jesus Frequency.

I would like to explain how it works in an article to your readers. Please respond to my address below.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

War.

McCain launched his national post-primary cable ad campaign today. What do you think?

Monday, June 9, 2008

Non-green.


A big two-thumbs-down to Oklahoma for being the least "green" state in the U.S. And an even bigger two-thumbs-down for Sen. Tom Coburn for his quote on global warming. Classy. Click here for the article.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Summer!

Well, well, well! It has been a long time since I've been around, but you know how grad school can go. Here's a quick synopsis: my ad critique went well and I get to move on to P2! Yee haw! I got another great GPA this semester. I got a scholarship. I got a TA position (holla!) After critique I cruised back home and was in a best bud's wedding. Stacy was absolutely gorgeous and we had a blast at her barn reception! I loved it all! I got to spend LOTS of time with my hilarious family and my main squeeze. The Grober women took a cooking class in Tulsa...tons of fun! Jeff and I spent Memorial Day weekend at Lake Eufaula and I loved every second of it...I sure do like that cat.

Now, on to more summery things...

I've begun my internship with C3 and I'm loving it already! I'm helping manage Black Joe Lewis, Heartless Bastards, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Sparklehorse and Ben Kweller. It's really interesting seeing what all a manager does, so I'm learning a lot, and I'm getting to show my boss what I'm made of: hard work ethic, brains and Martha Stewart. Ha! But I want to learn more about the festival planning/marketing/designing side, so I'm hoping I can hop around the office to take it all in.

I joined a gym (where my friend Rebecca goes) so we can be each other's workout buddy. I'm going to take classes so I can get back into shape. It's not a healthy lifestyle to sit around and read about ad stuff or to work on a computer making ads. So, a gym will get me back in the game!

Some things I'll do this summer:
1. Make mom and dad a Grober logo/monogram
2. Workout 3-4 times a week
3. See Dave Matthews (for the 7th time)
4. Lake it up
5. Read a non-ad book - Franny and Zooey is sitting on my shelf looking at me
6. Make a Web site (we'll see if this really happens...)
7. Get more brides as clients (I do wedding invites/programs/anything design)
8. Watch So You Think You Can Dance - yes!
9. Visit friends
10. Sit at the pool
11. Catch up on all the Rolling Stones I've not been able to read
12. Enjoy my last summer - I almost cried when I typed that

OK, I'm off to start the fun! Go team!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Ads!!!

Well, I just finished drawing, painting, editing, tracing, coloring, blending, sizing, printing, mounting and cutting my ads. Woooo weeeee! I've been working on these concepts all semester and they've finally come together. I spent the past 5 days in the creative lab on campus and here's my non-traditional campaign for Nature's Way prenatal vitamins. These can be posted at gynecologist's offices and in other places where pregnant women may be. I'll post more ads later when I finish downsizing them.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Update.

Here's the scoop on the happenings lately. Well, after I went to Oklahoma I realized that I wasn't 100 percent thrilled about the moving out of Austin, going to Nashville for the summer deal. I was so excited for the opportunity, obviously, but I couldn't get over the fact that I wasn't 100 percent into it. I thought about it, got some good advice to keep all my options open, including those in Austin. So, I got an interview with Megan at C3 Presents in the talent management area. Some of my favorite acts they manage are Ben Kweller, Blues Traveler and the Eli Young Band.

Well, I got the internship! This could very well be a step in my path that will hopefully lead to a career in this industry. When Megan asked me what I wanted to get out of the internship, I very earnestly said, "a job." That was quite a leap for me in my Peter Pan don't-wanna-grow-up world. I gave myself a little pat on the back for that one. I think my mom would too. Megan said that I'll be able to get my hands on a lot and that I'll be able to cruise around the office and learn as much as I can from the folks there.

I'll now be in Austin for the summer, hoping that I'll have some visits from friends and family! Lake Travis is only about a 30 minute drive away, so Jeff might bring his boat down for some most excellent lake days! I'm really happy with the decision I made to stay and intern with C3 and I hope I learn more than I can imagine...it's a good thing. It's a damn good thing.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Oklahoma.

I got to go back to Oklahoma this past weekend for a great friend's wedding. First, my Pawpaw picked me up at the airport and I got to catch up with him and his life after the furniture business. He just sold his land to the highway department and has already sold everything in his store. It'll be sad to see Beeline go - Kelly and I spent many days there jumping from mattress to mattress while mom and dad shopped for furniture. Then, Kelly and I had lunch at Utica Square, my favorite part in Tulsa, and we got to catch each other up on what's new. It's so much better to have face-to-face conversations with people...it's just more personal! And I certainly miss my sister. She's my favorite person I know. And the coolest. Always. Later on, Mom, Dad, Kelly, Mamaw, Pawpaw, Jeff and I had a very lovely dinner at a sweet little Italian restaurant. It's always fun being with the family...I sure do miss it often. Mom and Dad are busy building their new home, which I'm thrilled to see the finished product! They've worked hard for 30ish years to finally build their dream home and I couldn't be happier. It'll be a great nest to come back to.

After dinner Jeff took me back to his house in Oklahoma City (so cute!) and I got to see his family, and especially his dad's new Porsche. Yeow! The next day we left for my friend, Megan's, wedding. It was most excellent catching up with all my beautiful pledge sisters...and we can just say that I got pretty nostalgic with all my buddies, learning about their lives post-college and getting to share my life with them. It was me, Jeff, Jaryn (one of my best gals) and Grady (one of my best guys.) The four of us drove from Oklahoma City to Mangum, a little town where there are rattlesnake rodeos. No kidding!
View Larger Map

After the beautiful wedding, we invited all our friends to our hotel room for more beer and chatting. I think we finally hit the hay around 4 a.m. The next day we slowly woke up and drove to Snyder, where Grady has his family farm. Hearing Grady talk about how much he loves and misses his folks was just precious, but not as precious as his folks themselves. We got freshly-baked cookies and got to hear all about the new baby lambs! His parents are just great people. Great Oklahoma people. We left and drove back to OKC, dropping Jaryn off to meet her family for the grandma's "37th" birthday. I got to see Jar's dad, who is just so kind and welcoming. I loved the whole weekend, needless to say. It was damn hard getting on that plane to come back to school. Damn hard.

Now I've been thinking about Oklahoma folks in general. If you fell on a ski slope, an Oklahoman would stop to make sure you were OK, as Jar's dad would say. If a flat tire were keeping you on the side of the road, an Oklahoman would stop to help. If you are sitting at a restaurant, walking down the street, or doing anything, for that matter, an Oklahoman would say, "Howdy, how ya doin'?" These little things are just charming and it's what makes my home and my heart in that great state. I miss it always, and I'm always looking for a reason to go back, visit and be reminded of how heart-achingly awesome Oklahoma is. I will surely return someday, but for now I can sit back and admire how I learned to be a nice and friendly person from where I was born and raised.


Here are some photos of my dear friends at the wedding...



Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Grant application.

I'm turning in my grant application today! I'm turning in...

Resume
Letter of intent
Budget breakdown
Internship summary
Letter from internship
Letter from faculty sponsor
Transcript
Application form

Since this is a music internship grant, I decided to use an old record sleeve that my mom brought me from her collection. What do you think? I find out in one week if I get an interview. Fingers crossed, folks.


Sunday, April 6, 2008

Update!

I have accepted the internship in Nashville! I'm thrilled! But now I have a few more things to do...

My grant application is due this Friday, April 11. I must have my housing all arranged and all my expenses figured out. The application packet will be pretty big, so I'll be perfecting it all week. I will hopefully get an interview the following Friday and then I'll find out if I get the grant on April 21. So, things are going fast, but I work faster, so it's all good.

Just keep your fingers crossed for the interview. Yea!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Internship.

Update:

I have an offer to intern in Nashville for the summer! I also heard from the City Parks Foundation in NYC, but I'm not sure if it's enough of a music thing. I'm looking into it, though! :)

My grant application is due April 11, so I have two weeks to figure this stuff out: including housing, transportation, intern place. I have to have all the costs estimated in my grant application so I can receive proper funding. Ah! This is nuts! I'm just glad things are happening.

I still have three other major things to hear about: two groups of scholarships I applied for and the TA position I applied for. So, at least I have an internship possibility! Twenty-five percent of my major things ain't bad! :)

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Guns N' Roses N' Dr. Pepper




Amazing, Dr. Pepper. Amazing...(I'm clapping my hands as I think this.)

Here's the deal. If Axl Rose, the frontman for Guns N' Roses, releases the GNR album Chinese Democracy in 2008 Dr. Pepper will give everyone in the U.S. a free drink. Easy, right? NO!

Chinese Democracy has "been in the works" for 15 years, my friends. Fifteen freaking years!

Dr. Pepper has set up a blog so we can read any headlines about the singer's progress on the album. Visit their site here.

One of my favorite entries so far...

"We are on the verge of economic collapse, the housing market is beyond repair and rock n' roll has been taken over by wannabe singers and musicals about high schoolers. Never before in the history of time has the world needed a savior as badly as we do now. That savior is Guns N Roses.

To encourage Axl to save our world, we will satiate the thirst of every American if he delivers the album this year...Check out the official release here.

Do you believe in Axl? You better, better..."

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Also,

Have I mentioned that my Radio Flyer red wagon campaign is my most favorite thing in my college world right now? It is. If I had a scanner I would scan my roughs so you could view the beauty. I'm happy!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Ballers.



AGC participated in a double-elimination March Madness dodgeball tourney on Saturday!!! We sponsored two teams at $50 each. The registration fee went to a philanthropy that will feed and clothe children in India. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have our organization participate in this great cause. Plus, who wouldn't want to play dodgeball!??

We had two teams...BADvertising 1 and 2. We both lost our first game, won the next two and lost our fourth. Then we decided that the BADvertising teams should play each other! And yes, I am sore today.

We had a lot of fun out there and I'm glad we're doing activities that are for a good cause! Go AGC BADvertising!