V-day

Let’s be honest , I’m sitting on my couch at my apartment with a friend. We are talking about Valentines Day and how much it is going to suck this year.

This year we broke up with our boyfriends.

This week, we stopped dating our potentials.

This Valentines Day we will be officially Date-less.

I mean, we could have waited until after V-Day to tell the boys its over, but if we’re being serious, we could not take another second of them.


So let’s assess the situation.

I don’t exactly know the history of V-day, but whoever thought of it sure had a good idea. A good idea that caught on

But I feel that if a man decides that he is going to take one night to treat the girl the way she is suppose to be treated everyday, then that is not a man worth having around. People get comfortable in situations, they forget how to open doors, how to be nice, how to go out of their way and show they care. But, if we make it a national holiday ( I don’t know if it’s official seeing as we don’t get the day off or anything, but its national so I guess that counts just as well.) then a guy suddenly remembers what it’s like to have a little chivalry.

So what is a girl to do?

Well that is still something I am trying to figure out. Last year, my friend called me and said, “ I hate today, I hate being single, and I hate that everyone is out on a date right now.”

Of course I ignored his childish manner, because, 1: I had a boyfriend and could not relate. 2: Boys that whine about something they can change upsets me.

But it got me thinking. I guess not all guys think of this as an OBLIGATION on their part.

But I really feel like I’m too much of a feminist to ever let a guy pay for EVERYTHING.

I like going Dutch sometimes… And I really hate when girls let guys pay for their expenses. Its cute once-in-a-while.. But it gets ridiculously old quick.

I think that is my main problem. Im caught in-between letting a guy go nuts on you for a day, and then having everything go back to normal.

So how do I really feel about this day? I have no idea.

Haiti

My first reaction when I heard the news about Haiti was that it is such a tragedy. It seemed every media source as well as social networks were spending all their time covering Haiti.

And I started to think. Exactly how many journalists are at the site of destruction? And, how many are actually necessary?

There are over 300 journalists covering Haiti for their broadcast news, newspaper, and every other sort of media. And it was somewhat disappointing.

The people of Haiti need all the help they can get. There are too many dead, too many orphaned and too many wounded. I guess I just feel like 300 extra people to feed and house is unnecessary.

And I thought, “ wow, how shameful to have journalists only think about their job, and not care about the devastation.” I was embarrassed in a way to think that these journalists were fitting into the mold that they will do whatever they can to get their story.

But I understand that we need to know what is going on. As citizens we need a constant update on what is happening and if there is any progress in Haiti. But 300? I thought that it would have been a good idea to possibly share stories to have fewer journalists over there.

And then a media outlet ( I forgot which one) said that every one of the journalists that was covering something in Haiti took their own food so that they would not interfere with the aid that was being provided for the people of Haiti. I thought , “ oh, well I guess this makes things a little better if they are being considerate.” But what about housing? Where is everyone staying? And even if they are paying for their own housing, they are still occupying space that could be used to house the Haitians during their time of need.

As an aspiring journalist, I know that this would be huge to cover, and I don’t think that many journalists could give this up. But I think that every network, and every media outlet is telling us the same thing. So why not have at least half of the journalists return to their places and only leave the journalists that are needed.

And I guess we should all be grateful that so many people are coming together and helping out in any way that they can, because I feel like there is a huge amount of people helping, and its good to

I don't think I'll ever come back down

Last semester we were told to find our niche. Of course I chose music. A niche is something you feel you know a lot about. But just like a new semester, my life in college is just as new. No, I’m not new to college, I’m new to the college life. So, if a niche is something you’re good at; this is it.


My life, along with the life of Bre Armstrong has shifted. For the better? We’re still figuring it out.

So this is the statement we are living by : Anything that could possibly go wrong for us, does.

Someday when we’re out of college, we will laugh. In the mean time, we’re just two young girls trying to survive ridiculously bad luck.

So here are a few things a college girl should avoid :

The James Building.
Let’s face it, as much as we all want to overlook the fact that our school has catacombs in the basement, it does not overlook us. On a random night, Bre and I experienced something no one should ever have to. Footprints, noises, flickering lights, and chains is not something you want to experience when there is no one else around.

Downtown Riverside.
Just because there is no one around, is not an excuse to park in a tow zone. The mean( and shady) tow people will try to take your money, and your car! A 10 minute boba run, could turn into a 3 hour license revoked dilemma that involves middle men, cops, and rap music.

Night runs through a drive-thru.
As much as we probably don’t need the calories; we most definitely do not need the car accident either. We don’t need the guy in front us to decide to go reverse and back into your beautiful car that is like a child to you. But, I could not be mad, accidents happen.

But there have not been two girls with worse luck. The only thing we seem to be good at, is laughing once the trouble has subsided.

So last night as Bre and I slept on the floor of my apartment( well more like I on the floor, and Bre the obvious former girl scout built herself a cot out of cushions and pillows) we tried to come up with solutions to our problems.

This is what our conversation ( at 3:30 am) consisted of:

“ Lisa, we have the worst luck any two girls could have”

“ why does this always have to involve our cars?”

“ I got an idea! Let’s write a book! This stuff is straight out of a movie!”

“ or we could just invest in some bikes”

“ I gotta learn how to ride on first”

“ wait what?!”

“ my friend fell off a hill in her bike”

“ uhhh”

“ man, I love when people fall…and hurt themselves”

In reality, this probably isn’t the best idea for us. We PROBABLY would fall and get hurt. Bushes, scabs, rubbing alcohol, and band-aids would be involved.

So until our good karma starts kicking in, we’ll continue …..whatever it is that we’re doin’.

Prof Romo. Blog 1

I don’t have one particular moment that was significant that happened over Christmas Break. But I still had a good time. When finals came around for the end of Fall, I was ready to go home and relax.

Since all my friends were home from college, I definitely took advantage of it and saw them all while they were home. My days consisted of going Christmas shopping, standing in long lines, fighting for parking, and going to the mall several times a day.

My nights consisted of reminiscing with friends over coffee, laying on the couch watching re-runs of the Vampire Diaries.. and watching movies.

I spent several days in San Diego hanging out with friends and of course, going shopping. But, after a while, I wanted to go back home and just do NOTHING!

Christmas was full of the three F’s : Family, fun, and food! Three of my favorite things. But once it was over, I was a little relieved. As much as I love Christmas, I hate hectic situations and I was ready for the holidays to be gone.

I was really excited for new years. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I was going to do something. So, spur of the moment we decided to go to Las Vegas. When we arrived, it was dark already. So, we had some fun and waited. The strip was completely shut off so it allowed people to be walking through the streets without having to worry about traffic.

Las Vegas was packed. As a child and throughout my whole life, Las Vegas was always my second home. But I had never been there during New Years. So when 12 midnight hit, the people gathered around, and the sky was lit up with fireworks from every direction. It was quite entertaining. Next came the journey to the car. After what seemed like 12 hours to reach it, we finally made it. And I was beat!

Since we were located on the roof, and there were six floors ahead of us, it took over an hour to get out of the parking structure. But I didn’t care, I just wanted to sleep.

It was freezing, the drive home consisted of me trying to sleep and trying to defeat the 27 degree weather on the way home. It was not a happy time. Luckily I ended up falling asleep and by the time I woke up, I was already home. A 5 hour drive does not do anyone any good.

My next several days consisted of getting ready to go back to school, saying bye to my friends, and leaving my family. I love home.

Loud and out of key.

I am suppose to find my NICHE. We have had weeks to try to figure this out. Except, as I look at this right now, I wonder what my niche is.

So, as the over-analyzer that I am, I begin to wonder what my "niche is"

My life has been so hectic, that my priorities have shifted a lot. And, I hate change.

I hate change so much that I get a stomach ache just thinking about shifting. But, life is about change, and as humans... we constantly shift.

So is change the reason why I have lost my niche? Maybe.

But I have a constant in my life-MUSIC.

For as long as I could remember, music has influenced every part of me: the way I treat people, the way I see life, the way I have developed my personality, the way I think, the way I make certain decisions in life, the way I want certain things, and most importantly, the way I want to be a journalist. A music journalist.

I mean really, music has been such a huge influence in my life that I can say I have never gone more that a few hours without listening to it.

Until I become a 21 unit taking college student. And, music went out the window, along with a lot of other things I enjoy in life.

And the only time I can listen to music for a nice period of time is when I'm driving to and from home on the weekends. So I do... I listen to music as loud as I can until I reach my destination. And I completely disregard the way momma always told me to never listen to music so loud that I sink into oblivion. Sorry mom.



So, I may have come up with a solution. Music can be part of my college-livin'-life...As my niche, I can update my blog, with anything music related... Strictly for educational purposes, right?

Reforming Journalism?

No! I don't think federal government should fund public-affairs journalism. I think it would change how liberated the media delivers news. Theres a difference between how this country runs, and how it delivers the news. And, I think the reason the media does whatever it does is because it doesnt take government funding therefore there is not an obligation to cover anything up or make anyone look good. Taking money, I think would compromise the truth journalist pride themselves on.

I understand that because the journalism field is changing, it requires more skill to land a job. Being a good writer does not cut it anymore. Journalist now have to be savvy in many other media fields because employers are looking for people who can do multiple things. And, because of this economy, there are fewer and fewer jobs out there, leading to competition, and fewer jobs. With federal government stepping in, and helping, this would provide more resources and more jobs for journalists, and because of this, I think people think this is a good idea. But do we really want to resort to the government telling us what to report?

Clean hands, clean hearts.

I've always been used to my nice hometown. Im used to my parents always being there for me, Im used to a small city where I am protected.

Today, it was different.

As I moved out of my house, to the city.. way larger than my home, and taking the Freeway being a normal thing here, I knew I was going to have to grow up sooner or later. I knew I was not going to have anyone hold my hand through every mistake I made in life...sometimes, I would have to deal with things on my own..like a big girl.

Today, I did just that.

I joined the PR club on campus, and in the middle of trying to get an event planned, I went downtown for some info. It being traffic hour on the roads, I decided to take the freeway. My ride through the Freeway was a smooth sail. But, as I was getting off on the exit near my apartment, I slammed into the car in front of me. Instantly, I knew I was to blame. Instantly, I get out of the car and checked my car, my beautiful car, the hood was a little dented up, and the front bumper was cracked in with a very noticeable hole. The cops were called, we did not file a report and we exchanged information.

Funny thing, the lady I crashed into has the exact birthday as me. I've never met anyone with my birth date. Another funny thing, shes a teacher and Im a student. She lives 3 minutes from the crash site, and so do I.

So, as I was holding it together, being the "adult" that I should be, and exchanging info, calling insurance companies, all I really wanted was my MOMMY. and my DADDY..

So, as Mr. nice Highway Patrol man leaves, the lady I crashed into and I got to work on fixing things.

And, finally , we are done.

So I say, " thank you for everything, I am so sorry this happened."

Really. truly, I felt like the most irresponsible typical college student on earth.

Her response was, "No problem, our insurances are going to fix this"

And, I quickly nodded and said, " yes, they are, but I truly am sorry"

Her response startled me, she said, " be careful next time. You're young, you're in school and you have things going for you in your life, you don't want to have an accident."

I smiled, and quickly got into my car.

I lost it. My three minute drive home seemed like a 3 hour drive home. It consisted of crying, and praying. I am so stressed with school and everything going on, that I forget to breath sometimes.

and I kept saying to myself , " suck it up Lisa, this is your fault."


And I complain how I'm so busy but I'm ok. Im lucky to have has such an understanding lady. I am lucky to have a nice roommate who offered me water and I was crying.

I could have hurt someone innocent, I could have hurt myself... I've never thought about the damages I could cause because of something so unexpected.

Today, I was forced to grow up and see things differently.

I was having such a good day too!

This is an eye-opener, and I thank God we are ok and that no one was hurt in any way.

But, I am still having a good day. I am still good, I am alive and I am well.

I am really blessed.