Phish or Phancy?

I really love going to my cottage up north. We have had it since before I was born and it has always been really comforting for me. Whenever I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed it is the perfect vacation spot for me. It is far enough away from everything that I can get a sense of seclusion, but can still communicate with others if I so choose. Swimming in the lake and walking through the forest reminds me how much I love nature. I wish I could spend more time up there, but with my busy schedule it is sometimes hard to get away.

I have always felt most at home on stage and spent most of my teenage years in my high school's theater. Whether I was singing in a choir concert or performing in a musical or play I loved being on stage and spending time there with my theater "family". I also student directed and volunteered at the middle school and junior high shows. I would love to be able to use my degree in a setting related to the performing arts some day. I've always wanted to achieve two things when I "grow up": make a positive impact on the people around me and truly love going to work every day (or almost every day). I know that I would be able to achieve both of these things if I incorporate my public relations and communication knowledge and the theater into my career.

Although I am in the Advertising management track, I do consider myself a creative person. (Even though I can not paint like Picasso) My grandmother was a metalsmith and her two daughters followed in her footsteps.  She taught jewelry classes and was a beautiful drawer and painter - I like to think I inherited some on this gene. Consequently, I love to 'craft'. Scrapbooks, photography, sewing, crocheting - making things by hand gives me a sense of authenticity and is my true outlet and one of my passions. I would love be a able to find a job that allows me to incorporate these skills into my job in some way.  I feel advertising and public relations takes a creative mind and having this edge I think will help further my career in the future, as well. 

I am also a fellow music aficionado. I took piano lessons for 8 years and I enjoy many types of music, especially live music.  I coincidently am attending a music festival in a few days, Bonnaroo, as I figure you only live once and while I am young and have no money I can spend a little extra to go on a road trip, camp and see about 50 amazing bands than to otherwise pay about a third of what i'm paying to just see one.  It should be an experience in itself and will be a wonderful creative outlet for me as your concert served you, too. 

Like many other women out there, I have delveoped an affinity for making and decorating cakes. I took a cake decorating class with my Mother a couple of years ago, and absolutley fell in love with it. Just this weekend I made two cakes for my brother's comfirmation, and people where asking where we bought them from! I think part of the reason I love doing it though, is that I don't get to do it very often. For me, a passionate intrest is one that would go away if I spent too much time with it. That's why I choose a career that interests me and is constently evolving, I get bored easily.

It’s only fitting that I have a passion for advertising, since that is my major but besides that shopping, spending time with family and friends and staying active are things that currently float my boat. I have always been very athletic and enjoy keeping myself fit.  I love to shop for anything, clothes, furniture, shoes, whatever!  But it only makes sense that finishing school and doing whatever I need to do to finish is what floats my boat right now. Once I am finished with school this will obviously change to something involving my career. Spending time with friends and family never gets old and most of the time is a lot cheaper and easier then going to the mall. Just sitting at home watching our favorite shows or movies is one of my favorite things to do. It’s almost always free and always fun. 

Derek

Looks like a great opening number - wish I had 25 minutes to watch the whole thing, but I have homework to finish. Maybe when I am done commenting, I can take the time to soak it all in. I am, and have been a huge music fan for most of my life, starting with Bowie's Ziggy Stardust & Jethro Tull's Aqualung in high school, morphing into the punk scene with the Sex Pistols and many local bands at great old clubs like Bookies Club 870, St. Andrews and Todds.

The 80's and 90's (when I was in my 20's and 30's) were some of the greatest musical moments of my life and it ties in with your thoughts about following your dreams and what really floats your boat. To all the college students in this class, take these early and formative adult years to enjoy the hell out of life.

You'll age, probably get married or settle in with a long-term partner, work your ass off either at your own gig (or someone elses) and life will fly by. I have 1 wife, 2 businesses and 3 kids and there just isn't enough time to appreciate some of the simpler things life has to offer. Responsibility seems to get in the way. I'm not complaining, mind you - my 52 years have been chock full, for sure. But your life will change. TAKE THE TIME NOW TO ENJOY 25 MINUTE JAMS!!!

One saying I've learned to live by in my short 21 years of age is that "the wise man knows that he knows nothing at all." I've come to find that my passions are fleeting, and just when I've come to a conclusion about myself I've changed completely. I find that we are all walking contradictions, so I am hesitant to say indefinitely what I want for myself or idealize my future. Right now my passions include biking, beaches, shooting the breeze, and life's obscurities. I love being apart of things that make me feel valuable and content, and those things tend to be ever-changing.

In my future I'd love to live somewhere within walking distance to a non-polluted coastline and a Starbucks (that shouldn't be hard to find right?) My career goal since beginning undergrad has been to become a professor, since I enjoy researching. But as for today instead of going nowhere fast, I'm just happy to be going somewhere slowly.

Behind us are the two stadiums, the one on the left is the New Meadowlands Stadium and the right Giants Stadium.

I also love live music whether it’s a concert or a cover bad at a bar. One of the best shows I have ever been to was two Octobers ago. Bruce Springsteen at was Giants Stadium, the last night of his concert series and the last concert ever in Giants Stadium. It was a warm October day, kegs were flowing, hot dog & burgers were on the grill and The Boss was being played on every car stereo. The atmosphere was epic and the people were ready to witness history. A few friends and I had general admission floor tickets, were heard the opening bands come on and knew it was time to chug another beer, or two, and head into the stadium. We head to the gates in excitement, through the turn styles and onto the field. I instantly loose myself, my heart is racing and I have butterflies, I've been waiting for this concert all summer. My sister and I look at each other and we immediately know what the other is thinking, make a run push through the crowd and get as close as possible. After running into some territorial fans we maneuver our way to the front. Tonight's concert set list was based on Bruce's Born to Run album, consisting songs like Thunder Road, Backstreets, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, Jungleland and of course Born to Run.  He played them all and more, he never left the stage, he is a true entertainer and Rock Star. Born in the USA was amazing, the stadium lit up with out nations colors and it was truly a memorable moment.

However, one moment I will never forget is when he left the stage (with an obvious encore coming), the lights went dim, and the stadium starts chants, "BRUCE! BRUCE! BRUCE!" and then... an infamous soft melody, the crowd is electric! Then the words..... "I got no time for the corner boys, down in the street making all that noise". This might seem like a no brainer Bruce Springsteen, from New Jersey, he's playing in New Jersey and singing Jersey Girl. But it's not Bruce doesn't play this song ever time he tours, out of a five night concert series he sang it twice. Lighters and cell phones were in the air and it was one of the best memories of my life. After he sings the last words and the crowd goes into mayhem, he smiles speaks about his memories of playing at Giant Stadium and says this will be his last song, one he wrote for the occasion, Wrecking Ball. 

"I was raised out of steel here in the swamps of Jersey, some misty years ago 

Through the mud and the beer, and the blood and the cheers, I've seen champions come and go 

So if you got the guts mister, yeah if you've got the balls 
If you think it's your time, then step to the line, and bring on your wrecking ball"

Two days later in the late afternoon, the stadium was torn down piece by piece.

One thing that I love doing is dancing. Whenever I'm driving in a car or even just laying around my house, I alway's tend to get up and bust out dance moves. I started dancing when I was a young girl at the dance studio that my mom had managed at the time. Dancing is something I have a passion for and I will always love everything about it. I have this crazy goal set in mind where in a few years, maybe even next summer, I want to try out for a professional dance team. Every time I tell someone my goal the responses I get are positive, so I am really hoping I can reach that goal someday.

I enjoy many things but those are activities that I like to participate in on my spare time. Advertising is something that I have wanted to be apart of since I was in highschool. My teachers always used to tell me that I would be the perfect person for the advertising world, and well here I am, I ended up getting a B.A. in it this past May. Advertising is a lot of fun and it's fun working together with a team and accomplishing a goal; advertising is the perfect major for me. 

After watching this video footage from a recent concert, I like the music I think it has a nice summer time feel to it, but I don't think I could listen to it all the time. I enjoy all different kinds of music. My Dad and I both enjoy going to concerts, it is something we have just always done together. 

There are lots of things I enjoy, so I really had to reflect on what I wanted to share in this post. I love traveling. I enjoy experiencing different cultures, and I just enjoy experiences. I would much rather spend money on a road trip, concert or vacation than a tangible item. Since we only have one life on this earth, I want to fill it up with great memories rather than a bunch of stuff. (Not to say that I don't enjoy my techie gadgets like everyone else!) Besides just traveling, I enjoy planning the trips. I think it gives me an advantage of knowing what a place will be like and making sure we see the best things and potentially a hidden gem we wouldn't have discovered. I like that you asked what floats our boat, as cruises are one of my favorite vacations! I like being able to visit many places in one week without having to do the navigating. Social media, reading, editing, swimming, etc. are all things I enjoy, but traveling has to be number one.

And thanks for the taste of your Phish concert. I don't know much about the group, but I enjoyed the background music as I wrote this post. I appreciate almost all music; I just have something against country--I think it reminds me of my small-town roots too much.

I could listen to classical music and find it just as beautiful at the end as I did in the beginning, I favor soft and slow piano so the Phish jam wasn't exactly my speed for clearing my head, but I could see how it may spark some good ideas, certainly more lively than the piano.

I guess my outlet and what I truly would love to incorporate into my career would be weddings. As odd as it is for a 21 year old to say that, I just simply love weddings. Every little thing in a wedding is important, every detail means something to the bride and groom.  I love looking through bridal magazines and reading up on the thousands of different weddings ideas, I think there is something so beautiful about creating a whole world that presents two people so visually. Is their wedding more of a party or is  it in a regal ballroom, did they pick vibrant colors or a more sophisticated palette. It's not even so much planning what I want my wedding to be as much as it is an opportunity to see what other people have come up with and what the smallest piece of decor can mean to a person. It's fun to think that each of these people took months maybe years to plan a single day that is uniquely them. How wonderful to start a new life with someone and be surrounded by beautiful personal things. Finding simple beautiful ideas from weddings has sparked my creativity on multiple occasions, and I don't think I'll ever stop loving them, even after I'm long married myself.

This summer, I have dived into the world of sales. Making cold calls into the random businesses of East Lansing can really be a stressful process, so the key to not getting discouraged on some days is to relax a little and clear your mind. Everyone does this in their own way, and mine is by running. I've had days where my 15 morning calls have all been miserable, and I have no motivation after lunch to go make my next 15 calls. On those days, I find that a quick, 30 minute run allows me to clear my mind and go back to work. Running is a passion of mine.

I have never run in a marathon or 5k, but that is on my to do list, hopefully this year.

Advertising has been a part of my life for a long time. With both parents working in the industry, I learned to love it. For me, it is coming up with ideas and putting that idea into realization. But Advertising is only half of me. I love spending time with my family up at our cottage a torch lake. Just being there is probably my favorite thing, but I also love the activities there. Boating, jet skiing, swimming, reading, there is so much to be inspired by. Jet skiing in the morning while the water is still, so that you are practically flying above it. The water so clear that you can see to the bottom, really seems to clear the mind. No other place, for me, is as relaxing as this.

As many of you probably already know by now, I'm a graphic designer. It's something I've always wanted to do and still enjoy doing it. And if you have read my blog, Venus in Orbit, you would know that I enjoy spending my time with family and friends and traveling. Derek's question is similar to my coworkers and I sometimes asking each other, "If you were independently wealthy and did not have to work, what would you do?" I would still be a graphic designer, but do it freelance. I would definitely travel a lot more and experience the things I have only read about or seen in pictures. I want to see the pyramids in Egypt, explore the Grand Canyon, gaze upon the Acropolis in Greece and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, walk along the Great Wall of China, swim in the hot springs of Iceland, and so much more. I love art and art history, so I would train to become a docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts. I loved painting with watercolors in college, but haven't picked up a paint brush since graduation. I would love to start painting again. I would take cooking classes to learn proper cooking techniques and learn how to make meals that are a little more advanced than lasagna. In recent years, I've grown an interest in writing. Having to create a blog for this class has pushed me to start writing and I plan to continue blogging long after this class ends. And, of course, I would continue to spend time with family and friends and visit the ones who are out of state.

I am not a fan of bands – like Phish and Blues Traveler – that jam forever on a song. So, when I saw that Derek's Phish video was 25 minutes long, I suspected that it would just be one long song. And I was right, LOL! That said, the song wasn't bad and the jam lasted just long enough for me to think about and write my comments about this blog.