long time, no see!

hello friends,

I know you've missed me...I apologize for my lengthy absence, my computer took a shit and there was tons of crap involved with replacing it...

So let's see...
The Attorney General internship has begun!! Everyone I work with is amazing, so far and I got my 1st two article assignments on Wednesday!! I'll definitely be coming here for practice and feedback :)

They are both for the July editions of their division and Texas OAG newsletters.  One is for the wellness section, any topic of my choosing. The other is an introductory piece of all the OAG interns(in the STATE!)

Friday I went and observed child support hearings and negotiations in court. It was pretty sketchy, but also very interesting! Sadly, I was on my lunch break during the most exciting part...someone got kicked out of the court room for being belligerent! Unfortunately I am not at liberty to give much more detail on my day than that.  It was definitely something I would consider doing again.

OH! So my birthday was about two weeks ago! TWENTY-ONE!! woohoo! haha

I don't remember most of the night before when we went out to the bars, but the day of was both extremely fun and exhausting.  I got to spend it with some of my favorite people floating the San Marcos River :)
Last weekend I went home to celebrate with my family, went to a super nice and yummy mexican place, got some queso fundido, margaritas, enchiladas verdes....yuumm!! And the next morning we had brunch and mimosas (double yumm!)
I got extremely spoiled, too. I had to get a new laptop(and may i say, i LOVE my new baby macbook pro!) so I figured that would be my present bc it was so damn expensive. Apparently with my good grades and new internship my dad decided i deserved a little more, so he got me an iPhone 4! woop!
LOVE it!!!

So now, I'm applying for jobs since my internship is unpaid and just being super busy! I love it! I feel responsible and productive and it's a really good feeling to be doing something that you know is really going to benefit you in the long run!

I'm sure there's tons more I can say about the time I had no computer, but for tonight i'll just leave you with this video(because I've decided Miranda and I are the same person...except she's GORGEOUS and has Blake Shelton and is famous and...okay so not really the SAAME, but you know...)

lessons learned...part 2!

Oh yes, I did decide to make this a two-parter.  The past couple months have been FULL of my learning lessons through experiences.  Some are good; most are those "damn! coulda-shoulda-woulda" experiences.  

Take today for instance:

I screwed up my and my friend's project(that was going to be AMAZING) because of a small, stupid mistake.  We've been video interviewing to make our last website about professors and after almost 10 minutes my camera died. DUMBDUMBDUMBDUMBDUMB!!!!!! He was kind of annoyed, and I do NOT blame him! I should have realized how much we had done the day before and charged the battery over night last night. Lesson learned. 

Now, our project will definitely be amazing still!! Guaranteed!!! I will definitely post it up on here for ya'll to see our wonderful work :)

Anyway, I think I had a mini anxiety attack when it was all over.  I think I've been injected with something that sucks the life out of batteries...my camera died, my computer died, my camera died AGAIN (luckily, we got most everything we needed the second time), and then on my way home, mid-conversation with my mother, my phone died! I freaked out. I can admit it. Luckily, I was home a couple seconds later and plugged it in before my phone interview.  

Speeeaaaking of which :) I've been officially offered an internship! Entercom, a huge radio broadcasting company, has a branch in Austin with 3 stations.  The promotions and events department wants ME! I can't get over it when I have good interviews!! It went fabulously! I was super nervous about it but it was great! And at the end of the conversation she offered it to me!

One problem: second interview with the AG's office is next week...both, while very different experiences, are fabulous learning experiences! If I get offered the AG one too I, honestly and as crazy as I may sound, do not know how I'll pick!! I mean some people may look at me like I'm a crazy person and wonder how I would have trouble choosing between a radio station and a Judicial official...but honestly they would both be fabulous opportunities!

I believe that by the middle of next week my life will just settle and I will physically feel the weight that will be lifted off my shoulders! Just in time for my 21st birthday :) :) :) 

And then right after that things will start to get crazy again! But a good crazy.

Okay people, learn from my experiences:

• flash drives are your best friends! get the biggest one you can afford and keep it on hand at all times!
• back up batteries! soo necessary!! 
• and if you are doing a project such as mine: keep chargers, backups and MORE backups on hand!!
• take care of important things; my computer is falling apart after only 3 years, i don't care if you're the richest person in the world and can buy a new laptop every day! take care of it! if you're like me, it has your life on it and if it just dies, you'll have a panic attack! and no one wants to have to witness that!
• organize! organize! organize!
• interviews: whether interviewer or interviewee; it will only go as well as you prepare for it! sometimes you get lucky, but if you want a guaranteed good interview: do your homework on the person/organization, take notes, keep necessary things on hand(resumes, information, notes and a list of questions)
• social media: come on people! it's pounded in your head! do NOT display your ridiculousness online, not only do I not care how many times you can curse in one measly status update at 5 am (let alone what you're doing awake at 5 am!) or how many drinks you can consume; but businesses really will look you up and your early morning/late night, drunken, stoned etc rants, raves and pictures WILL bite you in the ass! c'mon guys, try to be a little bit classy! 
• and I am not judging, here! I've had my share of drunk, sober, angry, sad rants! I've posted and been tagged in my share of not-so-classy pictures...buuuuut, I grew up, quit and untagged! DOOO IT!
• cheesy things that could be your new best friends: researching things you hear about and don't know enough about; learning new words daily(yes, i'm trying to get around saying "word of the day" anything); watch/listen to/read more news...keeping up with current events will help you in everything...and develop opinions, your own opinions
• READ, READ, READ, READ!! every day. read anything. read everything. reading keeps you up on current events, keeps you up on past events, increases your vocabulary and your knowledge, increases your writing skills, and most importantly takes your through the lives and experiences of the characters and helps you learn!

sorry for lecturing, lovvees! here's a beautiful cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love:

lessons learned...

So, I finally got the interview I've been dying for, and I think I might have blown it!

Okay, I only blew one question, but it was a question that made me look like an air head idiot!

"What are your thoughts on free market economics?"
"Uhhh, ummm, well...."
"Do you know what that means?"
"Well, not completely....uhhhh..."
".....Okay...."

Really?! I claim I want to work in journalism, and do PR for a news organization and I can't answer a basic question.  I blame it on my nerves, and the fact that I have not watched/kept up with the news as much as I, as a journalism student, should.  "Free market economics" aka CAPITALISM!

Duhh!! The reason our country exists, and the only way it will survive!! If only he had asked me about "capitalism" instead!!!
Well, I followed up the phone interview with an email letting him know that I do in fact know what that is and am a little embarrassed about fumbling that question.  Also letting him know that no matter what the outcome of this decision is, I fully intend to keep learning and earn my way into the world and the opportunities I plan on being involved in and that I hope he will remember me when I contact him in the future! Virginia will be seeing me!!! (unless something better comes my way; but, at least while i'm still in school and still learning, this is the best i can imagine!!)

I feel good about it despite fumbling because I let him know how hard I intend on working to get where I want to be!

In the spirit of keeping up with the news: