Ay yai yai, WHERE to begin?!

I'm not the most tech-savvy of gals; anything related to computers that can't be explained in a short YouTube video is too complex for me. BUT, I am excited to create an advertisement that I'm proud of because literacy is an issue I feel very strongly about. Cosmo, while terribly fun, does not constitute brain-food (it's really the equivalent of a Pop-tart as mind nutrition goes)--eat your book veggies or no dessert!

Now, how to present the facts about how READING IS FUN/COOL/MAKES YOU SMARTER/MORE EMPATHETIC to teenagers in a fresh, engaging way? I think I'll be using logos and pathos, with maybe a little ethos thrown in for good measure. The report that I read, prepared by the National Endowment for the Arts, had tons and tons of good stats on the effects of reading on teens. It particularly stood out to me that there is a strong correlation between reading and high reading comprehension scores on standardized tests (SATs, SATs, she whispers softly in the background) *wink wink nudge nudge.* 

I definitely want to use video, since stills in ads sometimes seem kind of dull. As a laugher at SNL, I was thinking that it might be funny to have a "reading dating app" commercial in the style of their commercial spoofs. OR idea #2 is a bunch of teenagers in a blackout without wifi (the horror) who have to READ to fill the time. I'm still playing around with the particulars of it!

The college essay. *cue haunted house soundtrack* 

I merely kid. The essay's not that big of a deal. Except for the fact it's the only place to show admissions counselors your uniqueness. Otherwise you become another faceless applicant, recognizable only by arbitrary numbers.

I've heard of college essay bootcamps. No, that's not a typo. Parents pay an inordinate amount of dough (and not cookie dough, I might add) so their precious children can get into their Dream School. For real?!

But I personally like writing, and I happen to be the foremost expert on myself. I'm quirky and nerdy and not at all ashamed that those words are my defining adjectives. An essay serves two purposes: show colleges that you can write and that you have something to say. Soooo, the personal essay topic I would assign is:

You may be wondering, "What kind of convoluted, cokamaney question is that?!" Allow me to explain. This is a topic that literally has no wrong answers and unlimited right ones. Applicants wouldn't have to worry about writing the same hum-drum essay as everyone else, because every person will have a different favorite word for a different reason. It's a creative enough question that Englishy folks will have fun with it, but not too out there that more straight-edged applicants wouldn't have anything to say. 

My favorite word (well, one of many): serendipitous. 

I have a hate-hate relationship with my hair. And by "hair," I really mean the wild mess of frizz and thick kinda-sorta curls residing on the top of my head. Seriously. I have a Jewfro. I look like Mia from The Princess Diaries pre-makeover.

Ugh. I've tried so many products--gels, sprays, deep conditioners, creams, and on and on and on until my bathroom looks like a bona fide Target aisle--and have never been pleased with the results.

I've had short hair (I looked like a little boy when I was in 2nd grade). I've had long hair (too high maintenance). For a time when I was younger, I took to giving myself a trim every now and again. Let's just say the results were not favorable.

So what to do with hair that just won't cooperate (guys listen. My hair is as rebellious as a teenager with a curfew)? Well, nothing really can be done. 

My mornings look like:
Shampoo.
Condition.
Rinse.
Comb.
Cry.

Even putting my hair into my regular bun or ponytail or braids requires arm strength that I just don't have. I guess my hairstyle says, "I tried. I failed. It's 7am and I'm too tired for this nonsense."

I'm way jealous of girls with stick straight hair that's glossy and perfect and belongs in a shampoo commercial. The struggles.

While we're on the subject of hair, please please please consider donating your hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths:
http://pantene.com/en-us/experience-main-section2/beautiful-lengths

If I were to be set up on a blind date with an English elective, Literature of the Millennium would be a successful match for me. I say this because I'm in a committed relationship with reading and it's probably the thing in my life I'm most passionate about.

I love hunting around my library to find a new best friend (er, did I say best friend? I meant book).

I love going downtown to the adorable local bookstore. Hot cocoa + supporting local business + book = success for all involved parties.

I love going to Barnes & Noble, even though it reeks of corporate blandness. ALSO, have you seen You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan?! The only acceptable answer is "yes"--but the movie is about a bookstore chain owner falling in love with a local children's bookstore owner. *swoon*

I love browsing Amazon ad nauseam and tracking my package on an hourly basis until I can rip apart the cardboard box and read.

Just the act of writing this post has made me antsy to read. Soap opera couples sometimes say that passion fades from a relationship over time, but the passion between me and my books will forever be palpable. 

I'm a homebody. 

There it is. I would rather stay at home watching Netflix. In fact, I need a phrase more severe than "binge-watching" because I've developed quite the TV stamina over the years; I could watch for eight hours straight, no problemo.

But when I do travel, which is (re: homebody status) infrequent, I enjoy it. 

When I was younger, my family would go to a different beach locale each summer - Cape Cod, Block Island in RI, etc. (beach towns seem to blend together in my mind as a twirl of pastel and sunburns). I've also visited Washington, DC a few times and Nice, France for a two-week homestay. And I can't forget Disneyworld!!!

However, the best place I've visited isn't really a "landmark." At least, it isn't a landmark to anyone but me. Downstate, about thirty minutes outside of NYC, is my aunt and uncle's house and one of my happiest places ever. While their town (actually, it's so tiny it's a village) may not be on a "Top 10 Places to Travel to" Bucket List, I love it there. I can unwind, go on rustic nature walks, and walk to shops/ice cream places far more accessibly than I can in my hometown. 

My aunt is the textbook definition of a hostess with the most-est. She always is checking in on me to see if I'm hungry or want to do something or go somewhere. So while the "traveling" part is quick (less than two hours on a comfy Amtrak ride), the visiting part always has a heartfelt, calming effect.

The word "adversity" comes from the Latin "adverto," meaning "I turn to" or "I give attention to." I think there's something strangely poetic about the word's origin... Okay, geek out moment over. Let's continue.

In my opinion, there are two types of adversity. First is the obvious kind, such as when you want to accomplish something and the world flat-out says, "NO." The second is a sneakier kind...it occurs when you have a goal, but you are your own obstacle. Adversity I've experienced is typically of the second category--sometimes I just want to yell at myself for not believing in me more. Come on, self!

I love a success story. From Oprah to Sonya Sotomayor, I can't help but feel a surge of pride for people who kick adversity's butt (especially when the person kicking is a strong woman!).

I haven't lived for very long, but here are some timeless lessons:

1. Make a list (I l.o.v.e. lists. Give me a neon gel pen and an index card and I'll rule the world). Write down your goal, no matter how big or small. Write down all the steps you need to take to get there. Put your list somewhere you'll see it all the time. (I keep my New Year's Resolutions list above my desk). Adversity doesn't have to be a nameless creature. Own your adversity.

2. You'll never know your strength until you're forced to test it.

3. Be your #1 priority. Adversity can't stand a chance when you are taking care of yourself (so have fruit & veggies with every meal, use the stairs--or speed walk to class, and take ten minutes each day to meditate/relax/be one with the world).

4. Do one thing that scares you every day. For me, that might mean saying hi to a complete stranger. But the more you acquaint yourself with going out of your comfort zone, the easier it'll become.
 
5. Say "thank you." Focus on the positive or the monster under your bed (i.e., Adversity) will eat you up.

My apologies if this post sounded like a Self-Help book. I'll leave you with this quote from Queen Beyoncé:

"If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow."


Today is not a snow day. But, if it were, I'd be in my pajamas with a cup of hot cocoa (with mini marshmallows) and a Disney movie. I can appreciate the creativity behind the Disney conglomerate--who doesn't love Hercules?! No, seriously, who? I want names. Reading this article, however, I'm realizing that maybe Disney isn't as creative as I thought. Maybe the company just had really good timing and was able to snatch up (other peoples') ideas before the law decided what's what. Maybe the company's transformation of works in the public domain (for example, taking a Greek myth and turning it into a classic) means that the new work is suddenly original again. Or, maybe, Disney isn't the happiest place on earth (for the princess within me, I hope this isn't true). Disney shouldn't get exclusive rights to build on fairytales and fables. After all, many creators passed on before their literary works could come alive. But no one is saying that only Disney can be inspired by The Little Mermaid. It's a teetering path between protecting creativity and encouraging the public good (and yes, a childhood favorite on a snowy day is always in interest of the public good).

Copyright refers to the legal ownership of one's work, be it a poem or a music video (and everything in between). In the digital world, where stealing someone's photo is as easy as "Command + Shift + 4" (aka screenshot), copyright protects a creator's artistic product. It's so easy to drag a Google Image into a project, blog, etc. that copyright has to work double-time in The Internet Age.

But just because something's easy to do doesn't make it correct: copyright infringement is a (very serious) violation of federal law.

Plagiarism, stealing someone else's intellectual property and calling it your own, is not the same as copyright, although the two notions have similarities. To avoid plagiarism, you credit the person's work (attribution). To avoid copyright infringement, you must follow copyright guidelines. So, linking out to the original material is NOT adequate. You either need to have the creator's explicit permission or have grounds for fair use. If you want to use an image, the easiest way to steer clear of infringement is to use one from the public domain.

Making changes to someone's work doesn't release you from copyright laws--unless your changed work is considered "transformative" and bears no resemblance to the original.

For our class work, which includes blogging, creating book trailers, and other digital media, we have to be vigilant when it comes to using someone else's work. Adding a photo to a blog post is great, but only if the photo falls under fair use.

Resources for copyright free images and music include:
http://www.morguefile.com/
https://www.flickr.com/commons/
http://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos

We've all been there. It's late, you're anxious, and there's a pint of Ben and Jerry's Half-Baked in the freezing just CALLING your name. Or, there was a pint. (Disclaimer: maybe this is just me?)

I define anxiety as a constant and penetrating nervousness toward the uncertain. It can be debilitating, yes, but I think it's a part of growing up and dealing with "real world" issues. (As an aside--I hate the expression "real world." Is what I'm doing now somehow fake?) I'm a naturally anxious person, but I don't necessarily see that as a personality flaw. The more I think about anxiety, but more specifically my unique brand of anxiety, the more I can come to terms with it. Tests give me anxiety because they seem so defining to my Future. Books cause anxiety because I become so attached to characters and I just want them to live happy lives. TV shows (I'm looking at YOU, Criminal Minds) and movies make me anxious because scary events are, by their very nature, anxiety-producing. 

There is wisdom to step-based programs. You recognize the problem (hello, anxiety), you enumerate the consequences, and then you find solutions. When I'm anxious, or just Stressed Out, I like being able to get to the source of the matter. To ameliorate any anxious-tendencies (I have an awful habit of gnawing at my nails when I'm worried), I like to take time for myself. I'll drink some warm tea, do some yoga, or read a book--things that are a natural antidote to my anxiety. 

I know what cyber means. I, more or less, know what punk means. Put the words together, however, and I get lost. After some digging, I've found that cyberpunk is a subtype of science fiction set in futuristic locales. The societies are post-industrial, dystopian, and technologically-centric. According to Lawrence Person, a cyberpunk author, this genre's protagonists "were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society." Imagine Holden Caulfield, but way in the future. I don't recognize any cyberpunk titles, but the genre does seem to have a staunch following. Cyberpunk appears in various media, including books, movies, video games, anime, and the like. Examples include Neuromancer and The Blade Runner.

Here's my (very rough--I'm not an artist!) interpretation of a cyberpunk town, with futuristic jets:

I'll be honest. I had every intention of reading for just thirty minutes. I even set a timer to let me know when my time was up. However, I just could not stop myself once I picked up my book, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. Also, I have a reading habit in which I never (well, almost never) stop reading mid-chapter. Typically, I read about a page every minute or minute and a half, so I guess I go at a moderate pace. My friends are always reading on their Kindles or Nooks or iPads, but I personally like the simplicity of "old-school" reading with a physical book to flip through. Since reading is a time for me to be in my own world, I like taking away the distraction that technology brings with it. If I listen to music, then I'll put Pandora on a soothing station and put my phone on "Do Not Disturb." I love to read by the fire in the library, usually sitting criss-cross applesauce on a pillow. I've tried reading supine or on my belly, but then I'm fidgeting and can't hold the book at a comfortable angle. I always read the book straight through because otherwise I feel removed from the storyline. Sometimes, if I'm really anxious to find out what happens to a character (particularly with scary novels!), I'll ask a friend who has read the book. Otherwise, though, I like the ending to be a surprise. I'll usually read a book's back cover to get the gist of a book's premise, but I know there are some people who forbid themselves from doing so. In the past year, I've let myself give up on maybe one book, because if I'm not enjoying it, it doesn't serve its purpose.

The Best Books for Young Adults Award, until 2010, was given annually to fiction and nonfiction books meant for readers between the ages of 12 and 18. The award has since be renamed to Best Fiction for Young Adults. Committee members, 15 in all, are chosen by the VP/President-Elect of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) for intervals of one year or two years. I've read a few titles off of the 2010 list (such as Hate List and Catching Fire), but I've only even heard of a couple on the current list of YA Fiction bests. The list is eclectic, which makes sense considering that what I used to read during middle school is not what I reach for now. I'm very interested in Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, whose debut novel Between Shades of Gray really moved me (I cried…a lot).

I rely on WikiHow often; it is my go-to site for how to properly wash laundry and wrap presents. However, there are some things that cannot be enumerated in a "How To" list. This article is a prime example of when a list of items to be checked off fails to describe an activity as broad as reading. I found the article pretentious, overreaching, and even a little insincere. The writer is more interested in playing the part of a well-read scholar than in becoming a life-long lover of books. I don't consider myself well-read because there are certainly more books in publication than I will ever read. Moreover, there are inevitably more books in the universe than I am interested in reading. I agree that readers should challenge themselves and diversify their bookshelves, but The Aeneid is definitely not for everyone. Reading doesn't have to be linear or a bore. After all, reading should act as a reprieve from dull or upsetting days, not just one more thing to get done. I like the advice of listening to an audio book, and I'm interested if experiencing a book in a different medium makes it more or less enjoyable. The author doesn't mention libraries in detail, but one of the best ways I find books is to browse a section I like and randomly select a title. I was surprised that some of the books listed are ones I've read and loved, such as Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. I think of myself as a fairly lowbrow reader as most of my favorites were under the "popular fiction or nonfiction" category. I already make goals for myself (my New Year's Resolution is to read 52 books) and use Goodreads constantly, but I've never written a book review before because I know a really negative or positive review completely sways my experience of a book. I do like that writing a review would force me to think about the broader meaning of the book. 

A good book is a book that challenges me to become a more introspective thinker. It is a book that engages me emotionally to the point where I don't want to close it. It can be a classic, but it doesn't have to be. I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice Oprah's seal of approval or the little blurbs on the inside jacket. Reading is my "me time," so I'm more interested if a book will let me escape, if only for an afternoon. Award recognitions have significance, just not end-all, be-all significance.