Park Performs Perfectly

As of recently, I have really gotten into the live music concert scene.  Not only is it something fun and out of the ordinary to do, but I’ve also found it’s a great stress reliever.  Personally, I like really chill, Indie music, so I luckily have a few venue choices here in Omaha. From the Slowdown, to The Waiting Room–great acoustic bands and artists somehow always make their way to Omaha for shows.

Last night I went to Patrick Park’s show at the Waiting Room. His performance was amazing…Patrick seriously has some real talent. I had interviewed  him over the phone earlier in the week for the Creightonian Newspaper, and knew he would be a great performer just from his personality. Little did I know he was the whole package, I’d marry the guy.

Disappointing I’m sure for Patrick, the turnout was minimal, however I selfishly preferred it. No lines, no crowds, no pushing or shoving. My roommmate and I were able to sit  at a cocktail table as close to the stage as possible. I was even able to record video and get photos of him due to the lack of fan-crazed girls shouting in my ear…what a treat! There really is nothing better than enjoying some of your favorite music in a low-key setting. To me, that’s the perfect way to unwind after a long day.

It Will Always Be A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

Anbody whose anybody (in my book) knows exactly who you’re talking about when you paint this portrait: the kindest man you could meet, he wears a cardigan sweater, he enjoys singing, he takes off his dress shoes and puts on sneakers….Now if you haven’t guessed Mr. Rogers by now, then you may as well get lost, because everybody knows Fred Rogers was a man with a heart of gold. Unfortunately, I’m certain that men just aren’t made that way anymore.

When I read “Can you say … Hero?” by Tom Junod from Esquire, my heart sank (http://www.pittsburghinwords.org/tom_junod.html). Junod’s written skills are phenomenal, as he brings his story with Mr. Rogers to life. From his parallels to ‘Old Rabbit’ and prayer to God, to Mr. Rogers telling a young boy he is strong on the inside,  you all of a sudden feel a burst of emotions toward the familiar man in the neighborhood you thought you knew so well. A strange sense of having a personal connection with him is established and an uncontrollable desire to start living life as Mr. Rogers did came over me. Whether it be Junod’s detailed attention to his environment, or the humanization of Mr. Rogers as a person, rather than a TV character, your heart is captured.       

I personally loved this article, even despite its lengthiness, it kept me wanting to read more and learn more about this hero’s life. Despite the absence of his show and his work done on this Earth, Mr. Fred Rogers beliefs will forever be echoed in my neighborhood. And as long as that’s so, it will ways be a beautiful day.

Stupid Sugar Sobriety

For the past two weeks, three days, 22 hours, and 56 minutes, I have been completely, totally and depressingly sober from sweets (Not that I’m keeping track or anything). You see, sugar is my Kryptonite, my lover, my go-to. Maybe I should just start out like any addict would. Hi. My name is Lucy and I have a problem. Ever since I was little, sugar has been my sanctity. Even ask my mother, at 6-months I had learned the manipulation of  ‘cry until you get sugar on your pacifer’ ole trick. But, even as I grew older and my other siblings were eating cereal and toast for breakfast… I somehow always got away with donuts, toaster strudels with extra frosting, or sometimes plain old icecream. I think there just came a point where my mom sadly realized it was a NEED rather than a WANT for me. So with that in mind, let me just say it has been literally the hardest two weeks, three days, yattah yattah yattah…of my life.

Despite small hallucinations of red shoe strings looking like licorice and dog poop looking like tootsie rolls, it’s safe to say I have somehow remained considerably sane. Why, you may ask am I doing this? Well besides nearing three cavities, I want to learn about self-control…something I haven’t had for 21 long years of my life. It’s funny, I decided to write this blog about my Anti-Junkfood Journey, because of one lady’s blog I came across: http://blasfemy.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/food-guilt-indulgence-and-maintaining-the-balance/ This awesome blog is realistic for girls because it talks about indulging and the aftermath of guilt…bothare things I can relate to. Reading this was an eye-opener that afer my 21 day cleanse, that I can go back to eating sweets…just in normal amounts. Honestly, this whole experiment has been a good thing, because it has taught me self-control. So rather than go buck wild once my time is up, I will commit to quit my over-indulgences. It looks like this addict is under control.

The Right Way to Write

Over the past three years at Creighton University, I have had grammar, style and writing etiquette crammed down my throat. With that pleasant visual in mind, I must add that as a modern-day journalist, the AP Style Book has become my Bible, my rock, dare I say… my friend?  Ok maybe I don’t feel that deep of a connection for my Style Book, but nevertheless it has taught me more than any other book in any other class. Unfortunately, because of this book I have an extreme love-hate relationship. This is because of the uncontrollable cringing it has caused me any time I see incorrect punctuation or tenses used. Sometimes it even makes my stomach turn.  The fact of the matter, however, is that aside from logical grammar rules, there is no RIGHT way to WRITE, because everyone has their own style, preference and even personality put into their work.

Personally, I would best describe my writing as creative…no wait, scratch that. How about an occasional stream of consciousness…no that sounds bad too. You see, I tend to write the way I talk, so if you know me well you can basically hear the exact tone I have embedded into each sentence. So, if you don’t understand sarcasm and have no sense of humor, you probably won’t understand my writing, nor me. And that’s your loss buddy.

That’s the beautiful thing about journalism. Any random person can take a simple story and transform it into their very own. If you were to ask five people to cover the exact same story, you still would have compeltely dissimilar work and focuses. It allows you to open up the creative part of your mind and work accordingly, without limits.  And creating stories without limits or boundaries, my friend, is the real RIGHT way to WRITE.

DOGgone Social Media

This past week, our Social Media class was lucky enough to pay a visit to the Nebraska Humane Society. Not only were we enthralled with the adorable doggy, Baxter, but we also learned a thing or two from a Creighton alum named Elizabeth.

Elizabeth explained to us in the simplest way possible, that the social media world is to be thought of as a mountain, or journey. Not using the cliche “social media expert” phrase, Elizabeth made clear that this new mysterious world of technology hasn’t even been around a decade, so how can anyone be considered an expert? I definitely agree with this, though I have never thought of it that way. Elizabeth, like Danny, are both young and at the top of their game. They are lucky they got such a jump start on the social media world, this is something you have to get started with early in order to be successful with it. Although aspirations of becoming an expert are unrealistic, you can still work hard to become one of the top dogs in that area. We learned the importance of being as socially connected and active with your audience as possible, because this establishes relationships and reliability. As Elizabeth said, she makes sure to reply to almost all comments posted on the Humane Society webpage, making it a constant job. However, it’s worth checking in on it all day long so that people realize how committed you are to them and their questions/comments. Being connected on mainly Twitter and Facebook is a good idea, so that you can start small and really get into that application. Later on, you can become involved with other things, like Silicon Prairie did, and get in touch with Linked In, Four Square, and other social media sites. Both Danny and Elizabeth explained the importance of monitoring the info being put on your page. Whether it is negative comments or unnecessary input, you have to learn how to deal with it and what to do in specific situations. All content posted should be taken into consideration so you can better what you’re doing and make changes as needed. Taking in all input for constructive criticism, will only help you down the road. Both speakers enlightened us with the importance of getting on the social media bandwagon now, so that we won’t be left behind later.

“Eat, Pray, Love” AND believe in yourself

I was so excited when I heard my favorite book, “Eat, Pray, Love,” by author Elizabeth Gilbert was going to be made into a movie…starring Julia Roberts! This memoir is one of the most inspirational and motivating book I have ever read. It begins with the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, facing one of the most difficult times in her life, as she is dealing with a messy divorce and no one to turn to. She ends up crying alone on her bathroom floor and finally turning to God for help. From there she decides to pack up and travel around the world for the next year to spend some quality “me time” and attempt to discover herself.

Italy is Elizabeth’s first adventure, this is where the “Eat” comes in. She ends up gaining about 15 pounds off of gelato and pizza, but is 100% ok with it  because she wanted to immerse herself in the culture and indulge in the kind of pleasure only food can provide. (I know all about that.) She then traveled to India to find herself a guru so that she could get in touch with her spiritual side.  This is where the “Pray” is apparent. After much failure with mediation, she finally succeed ands reaps the benefits for this sucess. Indonesia is her final stop and covers the “Love,” when she falls in love with a man who teaches her about herself. This liberating memoir is about discovering the only person who can turn your life around is yourself. Tragic things are bound to happen, but how we choose to pick up the pieces is what matters most. 

After reading this book, I literally  had a revelation. I mean, it’s not like I had been going through some devasting relationship crisis because you kinda have to have a relationship before you can go through the crisis…I lack in that area. But anyways, it made me think that in any situation, your attitude is what determines your happiness. Once this realization has finally soaked in…it’s almost like, duh!! Why didn’t I understand this before?!

So ANYWAYS! After reading the memoir and getting excited about the movie coming out, I decided to do a little research on my new favorite author and see what I could find about her. TURNS OUT, she also gives inspirational speeches! I viewed her live talk on the TED website and was really wowed by her conversational way of elaborating…much like her writing. She discussed the fear she has of never writing a book as good as “Eat, Pray, Love” and never finding success again, and how this stigma of failure has been a dark, heavy shadow over artists for years. She explained how vital it is to find your creative passions and go with it, believe in yourself, no matter what people’s critiques may be. This twenty minute video is a real self-esteem booster, one that’s worth watching. I even came across a bunch of blogs discussing Elizabeth Gilbert’s work and inspirational speeches. Spread the word and check her out1

Dan the Man

After listening to Danny Schrieber today, I was rather intrigued as to what I have been missing out from NOT knowing about Silicon Prairie News. His presentation made it pretty clear how important it is to network and be apart of this ever-changing social media society.

When I finally checked out their website, I was more than impressed. From the Omaha Fashion Week information, to local Nebraska sports–this blog covered anything and everything you would want to know in the media aspect. Despite all of these random social article, the Big Omaha Water Charity campaign sparked my interest most. Maybe because I heard Danny talk about it, or maybe because the heart-warming photo next to it. Either way, this campaign shows the importance and value within social media. Often times, people think of social media as just celebrity gossip or trashy tabloid news…but this site is definitely not the case! This campaign proves it. Social media has created the potential to reach out to people all over the world. With just the click of a button, people can donate money to third world countries…how cool is that!

Danny also covered entrepeunership and  how important it is to go out and get what you want. Hearing his story about packing up and flying to San Francisco, fresh out of college, seemed really scary. But hearing that THAT is exactly what it takes to be successful, really sparked my interest and made me think…”Hey! Maybe I could do that too!”  Overall, Danny’s presentation and my viewing of the Silicon Prairie News website made me want to get networking ASAP and want to put myself out there into the world of social media as quick as possible, because technology will only keep advancing, and if we want to be successful, we have to keep up with it!

Oh The Places You’ll Go

As my junior year comes to a close, I really start to wonder where my life is going. I wonder, where will I get a job? Where will I live? Will I be happy? I am certain everyone goes through these roller-coaster ride of emotions, but the question still remains…what do I do in the mean time to prepare?

I have decided it is vital to start looking ahead to my future, because I figure it’s better sooner rather than later. Although I wish I could spend the rest of my days at Creighton, living the college-life, I have to snap into reality and open my eyes to the dreaded…real world. I always thought I would end up living in Omaha for the rest of my life, it really has everything I want. However, as of late, (especially after my Euro-trip) I decided I should see the world and live off by myself for sometime before deciding on a definite living place. With this in mind, I am contemplating taking a year off after I graduate and doing service/missionary work in South America. I have been reading up on various Jesuit groups through Creighton that go down and teach communities how to read and write and live with these indigenous people. This sounds amazing to me, and a once in a lifetime opportunity. However, the scary part is that I tend to be a “fly by the seat of my pants” kinda girl, and I don’t want to make a big decision like this on a whim and then regret it. But as for now…this is my plan for my first year out of college. I think it will be a great prep before living off alone and working in this dog eat dog world, but ultimately I will make an impact on other’s lives. Oh decisions, decisions! But as for now, I am plan to soak in every last minute of the college life and be content in where I am at, and that’s the best I can do!:)

CHOW Bella!

Although my past summer in Italy is only a distant memory, there are pieces of the culture I took home with me. Three factors made me fall in love with Italy: the romanticism of the city, the history and architecture, but most of all…the food. First, I think the emphasis on love and romance found in Florence is so beautiful. You cannot go to a park, gelateria, or even a train station without seeing couples happily in love-and really showing it.However, at first I found it endearing, but by the end of the trip…it made me want to barf. Nevertheless, Europeans are extremely expressive and public display of affection was commonplace.

     As far as the history and architecture goes, it is all around you. I loved walking down the cobblestone streets and imagining Italian soldiers once passing by the same pillared buildings  centuries ago. The idea of architecture being older than a couple hundred years to Americans is unfathomable.But in Italy it would be unusual to see a completely new and modernly built building. I liked this way of life because it was so rich with tradition.

    Italians know their food. In a place where freshness is most important, one can only expect delicious meals. I made a point to try something new on a menu any time I went to a restaurant. My favorite dish was gnocchi with pesto sauce–it was delicious! One of my favorite memories was when my roommates and I  went to an Italian cooking class close to our apartment.  A chef named Fabrezio would dictate what to do with the ingredients given, and we would follow. We ended up making potato gnocchi with a light vegetable and meat sauce, spaghetti with olive oil and freshly picked tomatoes, and lastly an amazing tiramisu. After two hours in the kitchen, we were able to sit down and eat the meal we had prepared. I was so impressed with myself and with how easy it was to make. Since going to Italy, cooking has turned out to be my new favorite hobby. I found that every opportunity presented to me, was a chance to learn something new about myself!

On Your Mark…Get Set….Go!

I would consider myself a very passionate person. From reading and writing, to cooking and eating, anything I do…I do it full force! This past year, I decided I was lacking a specific passion from my life. I grew up an active person and played sports in highschool, but found that aspect of my life was missing once I got to college. I decided I needed to find something active that would fill this void.

I began running leisurely at the beginning of the semester. It was really convenient get done with class and head to the fitness center since I was already on campus. However, with time, I found this was the BEST and most effective way to blow off steam from a long day of classes, a tough day at work, or even a fight with friends. Soon enough, running became my favorite way to unwind, and also the most beneficial. This past month, I entered myself into the Lincoln Half-Marathon and began training. It feel so good to start doing something competetive again and setting goals for myself. I’ve found that it’s so important to do what you love and do what makes you the best YOU. Exercising has put me in the best shape and mindset I have been in for a long time. So no matter what you’re passionate about, do what makes you happy and you will find meaning in waking up every morning.