The Interactive Journey

Game day

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:06:32 -0400

Game day

Baby girl

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:05:50 -0400

Baby girl

America!

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:01:12 -0400

America!

Insanity Update

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:47:33 -0500

Update: Insanity is awful and I find myself cursing Shaun T on a daily basis. However, I did get a positive response from Roy while trying on bathing suits when he said “Wow, look at your stomach!” Positive reinforcement is the best motivator. So I’m powering through with my man, Shaun and his insane workout. Looking forward to the final results.

Insanity: Before

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:43:50 -0500

I’m starting Insanity tonight. I’m terrified.

Cutest dog ever

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:35:47 -0500

Cutest dog ever

Impressed with iMedia projects

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:21:07 -0500

I haven’t blogged in a while and I feel guilty about it. Day to day I just feel like I don’t have anything overly interesting to share or say. However, I decided I need to be more self-assured and maybe part of that is writing more. It’s not like anyone really reads this stuff anyway, so why not just let it all out.

So, anyway— even though I’ve been out of school for 8 months now, I still try to keep up with what’s going on over at Elon’s iMedia program. This week they finished working on their fly-in projects. Small groups of students visited Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and Iceland and worked for nonprofit agencies to develop interactive initiatives. They’ve posted some of their work and it all looks great. They aren’t professionals yet, but the work they’ve done is pretty darn close. Check these 2 out:

http://www.natacad.org/

http://www.tortuguias.org/

Small Triumphs

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:43:54 -0500

You come to a point in life where you stop asking Santa or mom and dad or your boyfriend or whoever, for things you want for Christmas, and start asking for things you need. Maybe not everyone goes through this. But at 23, and on an intern’s salary, there are a lot of things I go without.

One of the most annoying things I have to live without is a washing machine. If it wasn’t for Roy letting me do my laundry at his place every week, I’d probably smell really bad. There are a lot of cooking supplies that I go without, as well. I try to cook at least 3 nights a week. Not like heating up a lean cuisine, either. No, I mean real slaving over a hot stove, chopping veggies and using spices and seasonings kind of cooking. I’m not bragging. It’s just the cheapest way for me to eat well. So ya know, it’d be nice if I actually had a ceramic baking dish or an apple slicer or a vegetable peeler

I’m not really complaining because these aren’t significant things that I’m going without. I’m not going without food or water or electricity or housing. In the grand scheme of things, I live better than most people around the world. And for that I am grateful.

However, I’m not in a position where I can run out to the store and spend $30 on a ceramic dish, much less $500 on a washer/dryer. So, I make do with what I have and really, besides this blog post, I don’t complain about it very much.

But, when Christmas and birthdays come around, I know that I have the chance to finally ask for the things that would make my life easier. This leads me to my next story: the epic tale of Jordan v. the vacuum cleaner.

Anyone who knows me, has lived with me or has been to my home knows that I am a neurotic clean freak. I Lysol and sweep my kitchen 3-5 times a week. I make my bed most mornings. I never leave dirty clothes on the floor. I don’t leave my toothbrush hanging over the ledge of the sink. Roy, bless his heart, is not as tidy as I am, and he can attest to the visible difference in my mood and demeanor compared to when I’m in a very organized and clean location vs. a messy or cluttered area.

So, when my vacuum cleaner stopped working a few months ago, things really went downhill in my life. I have been borrowing Roy’s vacuum for when I want things to get really clean. I’ve also spent time on my hands and knees using handheld mini vacuums. My dog sheds, so in order for me to feel like my house is clean, I’d need to vacuum at least twice a week. This became impossible when my vacuum stopped suctioning and started pushing the hair into clumps around my home.

So, I decided that I would ask for a vacuum cleaner for Christmas from my parents. I would forgo the list of things I want: new boots, warm winter clothes for work, cable television during basketball season; and ask instead for the only thing that could satisfy my neurotic cleaning tendencies.

However, last night, in a fit of frustration, I decided to take on the dreaded vacuum cleaner once and for all, and see if there was anything I could do to get it to start working again. I downloaded the owner’s manual online (because obviously I threw the original away when I bought the thing) and got to work. In what could only be described as an hour and a half of vacuum rape, I unclogged the hose and voila!, I once again had a working vacuum.

This was hands down one of the most triumphant moments of my adult life. If there was a Nobel Prize for vacuums, I would have won it. Not only did I do this all by myself, but now, I can maybe even ask my mom and dad for something I want for Christmas! I’m sure that to most people, this wouldn’t seem like a big deal. But to me, it was a testament to the fact that I am an independent woman who can take care of herself and fix things herself. I don’t need no man to do my bidding.

So I guess all this rambling is about growing up. It’s about the emergence from dependent to independent. From a girl to a woman. From prioritizing what you need, rather than asking for what you want. When we are kids, we all want to grow up so that we can do whatever the Hell we want. And now that I’m an adult, I wish I could be a kid again, so I could do whatever the Hell I want.

I had this image when I was 15, 16, 18, 21—that I would have my life together as soon as I graduated from college. While I’m finding that unfortunately, that is far from the case, I’m really enjoying the trip I’m taking into adulthood. The little triumphs, like my vacuum cleaner tale, are a small part of the grander journey I’m taking.

This looks amazing and I can’t believe I have to wait 4...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:10:18 -0500

This looks amazing and I can’t believe I have to wait 4 more months until this comes out. #thehungergames

I wish I could be Joan every day. Sexy, fierce, confident,...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:28:35 -0400

I wish I could be Joan every day. Sexy, fierce, confident, smart… the perfect woman.

Halloween. I was Joan Harris from Mad Men

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:27:31 -0400

Halloween. I was Joan Harris from Mad Men

Why I Care

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:33:00 -0400

This week has been exciting for so many reasons.

My baby nephew was born on Oct. 26. A healthy, 8.2 lb. little snuggler.
Homecoming is this weekend and with it comes an influx of my college friends!
The Scotland/Richmond game

I’ve tried to explain to my friends, people at work and even my boyfriend why I care about a stupid high school football game. I am sure it’s a little silly but I think that unless you are from a really small town, it’s hard to understand.

Where I grew up, in the fabulous town of Laurinburg, NC, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. I hear friends from places like Winston-Salem, Asheville, Greensboro, Wilmington, etc. talk about how boring their towns were and sometimes I want to smack them. OK so you hated high school but like, there wasn’t a real movie theater in my hometown. We don’t have any chain “sit-down” restaurants (not even an Applebee’s). Hell, we aren’t even cool enough to have a Chick-fil-A. We did have a skating rink and bowling alley and those places were full of Laurinburg’s finest on the weekends. While my friends and I did frequent these places every once in a while, they were a little raunchy and maybe a little unsafe. Not exactly the kind of places mom and dad felt comfortable dropping us off.

One time, when I was driving through home on the way to Savannah with some college friends, one of them asked, “So, where did y’all buy clothes? You haven’t showed me your mall.” HA. That is hilarious! We had a Belk and a Goody’s but seriously, that was it. Usually, we drove over an hour to the closest mall (that would be Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville) or if we were really lucky, we got to drive two hours to Southpoint.

I think I’ve painted a pretty clear picture of Laurinburg for you. There was nothing to do. I’m not complaining. I love my hometown. But there was no live music, no “culture,” no movies, no bars, no escape. But you know what we did have? Football.

Every Friday night for as long as I remember, my family went to the Scotland football games on Friday nights in the fall. It didn’t matter if you had a kid in high school or not, everyone went. There was only one high school in the whole county, so you knew your kid was going to go there eventually, which meant that living in Laurinburg made you a fan by default.

My parents (like all my friend’s parents) would dress me up in little plaid cheerleading uniforms that matched the ones worn by the varsity girls, and our whole family went to the games. When I was really little, like 7 and under, we would leave after the Marching Band, who dressed in kilts and traditional Scottish garb, played the halftime show. This was our entertainment. This is what we did for fun.

It was part sporting event, part social event. You were noticed if you weren’t there. “Where’s Burt and Peggy this week? Did they go on down to the beach after school today?”

My family had season tickets to these games. It might sound crazy, but I’m serious. We sat in the same seats in the reserved section of the stadium for at least 18 years.

From the time I was a very little girl, I knew I wanted to be a Scotland High School Varsity cheerleader. People really like to criticize cheerleaders and paint them as a certain stereotype, but I think it offered a lot to young women in that town. In a school of 2,000 students, we usually had at least 150 girls show up to the first day of tryouts. So it was kind of a big deal if you were one of the 18 girls on the sidelines on Friday nights, cheering on the football team. Looking at who I was in high school, I’m actually really proud of myself for being one of those girls and for having the confidence and determination to make that squad. It’s a legacy. I still remember a lot of those cheers and dances and the girls who are on the squad today still do them.

The social side and my experience with cheerleading is all secondary in relation to how good Scotland is at football. They’ve always been good, usually finishing second in conference standings each year. I remember going to away playoff games almost every single year growing up. One of my most vivid memories from HS is the night we lost to Davie High on the road in the third round of the playoffs. Tears streaming down my face on the sidelines, I cried at the loss, and the end of my cheerleading career while I did the highland fling one last time.

This is how I remember my town. This is what I think of when someone talks about high school football.

Which leads me to the present. Scotland is ranked #1 on Maxpreps this week. They are undefeated, having the chance to go 10-0 against our bitter rivals, Richmond County (8-1). Scotland hasn’t beaten Richmond in 17 years. That means that the last time we beat them, was the year that Scotland High School’s current senior class was born.

There is so much hype to this game. A conference championship on the line. A chance at a #1 seed in the state playoffs. Tradition. Legacy. And the chance to finally break the streak.

That’s why I’m going home this week. That’s why most of my friends are going home this week. Because we all have a fondness for our Friday night memories. Because we want to support our town, our team and have a chance to relive the rivalry. I heard that over 9,500 tickets have already been sold to this game. That’s about half the population of my entire county.

Have you ever seen Varsity Blues or Friday Night Lights? That’s what we lived in Laurinburg, NC. That’s what they live in Rockingham, NC. It’s that serious. In a place with nothing to do, football is King.

So for those of you who don’t understand, I don’t expect you to. It took 18 years of living, breathing and loving my small town for this feeling to be bred into me. If Scotland wins Friday night— No; when Scotland wins Friday night, there will be tears, cheers, hugs and I’m pretty sure the goal posts will come down. There is a lot of pressure riding on these teenage boys. And I hope, for the first time in 17 years, that they will be able to live up to it.

Go Scots!

Matt on turning 24 and achieving life goals.

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:26:18 -0400

Me: what are you doing for your bday?
Matt Smith: working lol
Me: gosh i can't believe you are going to be 24
Matt Smith: I'm almost a quarter century old
Me: I've known you since you were 11. We are grownups. Damn
Matt Smith: I don't feel like a failure yet cause I actually have achieved my goals. I just didn't know my goal sucked.
Me: hahahaha

Photo

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:37:36 -0400

Smorgasbord: what's your favorite memory?

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:47:00 -0400

Smorgasbord: what's your favorite memory?:

My friend Kallie has already reblogged this but I got choked up watching the video at work today. It made me start thinking of some of my own favorite memories. I’d love to know what Emily and Kallie’s are. Here are some of the ones that came to mind right away and made me smile on this Friday afternoon.

1. The day I adopted Ozzie and every single snuggle he’s given me since that day.

2. Summers growing up at OIB. We had a beach house there that was always always always filled with family, great food, laughter, relaxation, and fun.

3. The day I got in to UNC.

4. Bar golf senior year. The last hurrah for me and my college friends. Anna Chase won $200 from some golfers visiting from Chicago and they ended up buying our drinks all night long. It was the summation of my college experience with some of the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for.

5. The smell of the house I grew up in in Laurinburg.

6. Sitting in bed or on the couch at night with Roy, watching our dogs wrestle while we watch TV/drink beer/hang out. It’s the first time in my adult life that I’ve felt part of a family with someone besides my own blood.

7. Key West for SB senior year of college.

8. Cheerleading for the Fighting Scots at Friday Night fooball games.

9. UNC winning the 2009 National Championship.

10. Spring break in 8th grade, at OIB. Paul Harrell, Matt Smith, Sam Rush, Natalie McCook, Thomas Brigman, John Manzo, Charles Hicks, Will Shytle, Chris Patterson, Abbie Spaciel— most of these people I’d known all my life and we got to hang out at the beach together for a whole week, throwing water balloons (and breaking a window with one), jet skiing, bike riding, and swimming. It was a very innocent time, none of us had tasted alcohol yet and I hadn’t even had my first kiss yet, but it was the most fun I remember having as a teenager.

So now that I’m teary eyed thinking of all of this, I should probably get back to work.

emilycwidle:

Laura sent me the video below last Friday. The premise: Fifty people in Chicago were asked the question, “What’s your favorite memory?”

I became curious about where the video even originated from. I found out it was inspired by a larger project that began in New Orleans in 2008 called Fifty…

Harsh Article in DTH

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:16:00 -0400

Also, this is really harsh. And exactly why UNC fans have a bad reputation in this state.

http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/09/ready_to_get_embarrassed

ECU fans have been all up in the comments section and they seem to be really offended. I don’t even understand how this got printed? He’s not a bad writer but seems to be a bad journalist.

Also, I find it really hypocritical that most of the comments from ECU fans are bashing UNC students and fans… and UNC as a school in general. They are using just as many stereotypes as Jones did in his article. I don’t get how you can be up in arms over something and then respond in the exact same bigoted way?

Photo

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:09:50 -0400

stole this from a friend who stole it from a friend.

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:39:53 -0400

stole this from a friend who stole it from a friend.

This is good. Adele cover.

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:33:00 -0400

This is good. Adele cover.

Word Wit

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:32:15 -0400

Me: Work is good. They've got me up here doing some graphic design work

Matt Smith: finally

Me: ha sike. They should noooot let me do this, I'm terrible.

Matt Smith: hahaha oh come on. You're not..that..bad :/

Me: lol I don't mind doing it if it's for someone who doesn't know anything about design but when I'm working on something in place of our designer it's intimidating bc I know she's going to look at it and be like wtf?

Matt Smith: You designing the company logo? lol

Me: haha nope. A chart. Not that big a deal... but still

Matt Smith: lol You'll "excel"

Me: hahahaha Oh, you are so punny!