Single Bridezillas

Today on Twitter, my friend Laura shared the following ABC article with me:

'Single Bridezillas': First Comes Wedding Planning, Then Comes the Groom

This article explains the recent phenomenon of single bridezillas- women who are happy to finalize their wedding plans before their marriage proposal. It tells the stories of various women- engaged, single, those who have chosen their dresses for themselves and their bridesmaids, those who have been planning the day since they were 6 years old, the fables continue.

I know myself how realistic this is. I have a notebook document on my computer with a tab for each friend who has told me I am planning their wedding or helping out in some capacity. The document contains pictures found online of everything from flower bouquets, dress styles to color tones. Lists of who the bridesmaids will be, who must be invited, what the first dance song will be, potential venues. Let's face it: I AM a single bridezilla.

The last subhead on the second page of the story said "Is planning ahead a mistake?" I sighed of relief thinking this is where the writer acknowledges that these women don't have partners yet, and how they are still going to put effort into their relationships. Care about the man more than the wedding. Be patient looking for the right person and not just rushing to marry someone to have the wedding, but to marry that individual. And you know what it said?

"Attitudes change, weight changes, styles change." said Urshel. "So to [plan a wedding] way ahead of your wedding date, that is going to be a very difficult thing."

What kind of society do we live in where this is an acceptable thing to say?! The biggest mistake of planning ahead is that you might have to hem your dress? Buy a new one? Choose a new centerpiece?

I think the biggest mistake of this "planning ahead" is rushing into marriage to host an event! Not putting enough time and effort toward a relationship because you'd rather look at what's next- the engagement/wedding- rather than the present. One woman in the article tries to acknowledge this by saying, "I've made myself a promise that for every hour I spend wedding planning, that I'm going to spend an equal amount of time working towards the marriage." 

Well you know what? She should spend a little more time than that working toward her marriage if she plans to not get divorced the first few days after she's married. As crazy as single bridezillas (like me) are, and like to have fun planning things, let's at least begin to acknowledge ourselves and in the media that a solid foundation for a good relationship is more important than a wedding.

Español

Although I completed my Spanish minor in Argentina, I decided to take a Spanish class this semester just for fun. Spanish 4471: Spanish American Literature. While originally contemplating why I would voluntarily take a 4000 level, three-credit hour, reading course "for fun," the first week and a half has already proven my gut feeling correct.

The literature on the syllabus is all short stories and poems written by Latin American authors, which carry not just new vocabulary- but a lot of meaning and symbolism. Today, we read a story called El Matadero by Esteban Echeverría, a writer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It described what happened during Lent in the early 1800s when a poor neighborhood near Río de la Plata in Argentina flooded, and the city of Buenos Aires had such a huge beef shortage (going on 15 days) that they were killing their own citizens for meat.

Regardless of the crazy plot line (which we read many stories like in Argentina), it was so fulfilling to read this story entirely in Spanish and know that I not only gained this skill by studying abroad, but so much background knowledge along with it. El Matadero had a lot of references to the corrupt government, specific neighborhoods and culture of Argentina, and I understood them perfectly. It was truly a feeling of accomplishment to so easily pick up on the cultural hints and the value of how much traveling and familiarizing yourself with different places and cultures teaches you. Who knew that it would take reading literature in another language to get me to appreciate English literature and the significance of analyzing authors, their whereabouts and more!

SOPA/PIPA Blackouts

A Wikipedia screenshot

In case you haven't already noticed, Wikipedia and other online outlets have "blacked out" to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) & PIPA (Protect IP Act). What are your thoughts on this?
Do you think it was effective?
Will Congress ever rewrite these bills to make them more neutral toward both content producers and consumers of internet knowledge?
Would the passing of these bills create a government that ultimately controlled us?
Diminished and eliminated all freedom of speech, nonetheless information?

That's just a small list of questions that come to my mind amidst the protest, now what do you think?

College summers- Can online college courses make them more fulfilling?

The dreaded question to any college student: what are your plans for this summer?

The judgment is at its maximum. Thankfully, the past two years, I have had pretty good answers to this question. Freshman year, I followed it by explaining how I was volunteering and interning at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, making money beforehand & traveling afterward. Last year I got to say how I had a marketing internship through the J-School in Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of the largest cities in the world, while gaining credit for four college classes. And this year? I don't know yet. Absolutely no idea.

Summer is supposed to be all about relaxing, having fun and partying. But to some people, it's a chance to catch up on learning they couldn't get around to during the traditional school year. They can take online college courses for example. Online programs have courses to fit any stage of your education. Students can also apply for summer jobs, or internships. This government internship website is one of many you'll find online. There seems to be increasing pressure on students to do something with their vacation time.

There is is a lot of pressure in college to obtain the best summer job or internship. Gaining job-related experience (paid or unpaid) is vital in today's market to receive any type of employment post-graduating. But the one underrated idea I have come to realize about summers is that for the most part, it is the one time in life before entering the work force that you have to do whatever you choose.

Taking internships and jobs are obviously investments in the future, but what happened to living in the present? You could choose to take up a hobby you really like, travel the world, be with family, make money by waitressing or working at a camp; overall, follow through on something you really love. But we forget about what we want and conform to what the world (professors, employers, our own friends) tells us we should do. And in a lot of cases, that is work.

I am trying to embrace this idea of limited time by only applying to an internships that I would love to have the opportunity to complete and never even look back on. But unfortunately, I am a conformist; my mind can barely grasp taking a few weeks off and waitressing like I did in high school to get some money, flying across the country to visit friends or see places, or be a camp counselor. Would all of these be incredibly fun? Of course, but in a world of validation, too many people get shunned rather than respected for doing what they love rather than getting another resume builder.

If there's anything I've learned in the past few days, it's to make investments in the present. Take the trip. Take the unpaid job if you like it better than the paid one. You don't need an internship because it's what your friends are doing, do it because it's where YOU want to work. Use these summers to your advantage because one day, you'll be fighting for days off to go on vacations with your kids. And don't be afraid of what others think!

An eventful week

The more I think about it, 2010 & 2011 have been two of the most eventful years of my life. I've traveled a ton, studied abroad, done service work in Mexico & Joplin, served on committees and worked on teams that I will never forget. I'm always on the go and always happy that way, so I keep doing it. This past week was a great way to kick off the year because we did just that, adding to that list of memories & seeing how much you can do in a short period of time!

Starting a week ago, I hosted some friends for a pre-celebration of my 21st birthday. Since not everyone lived in Chicago, we planned a lot of outings, hit up a lot of restaurants, and stayed at the Hilton Chicago downtown for a cocktail party!

Sherman, Kathryn, me, Shaina & Andrew
(all of our "roommates" for next year except Laura who is in Spain!)

I'll never understand how this happened, but in my two bedroom suite reservation, we got a beautiful suite on the 18th floor with three rooms- a main room with a king bed, living room & bar, a king bedroom & a twins bedroom- with four bathrooms. It was lake view too- and we were able to see all the way from Navy Pier to Soldier Field! We had 29 people come throughout the night and 18 sleep over!

The night view on the Navy Pier side, you can see the Ferris Wheel in the distance!

The sunrise view- Adler Planetarium/Field Museum side!

Even Maria & Eleni made it!

Sisters

The hotel itself is beautiful, and is where GBN had prom. The Torch alumni took a photo by the huge Christmas tree downstairs! 

Alyssa, Michelle, me, Kara & Meredith

 The next day, we roamed Michigan Avenue and stopped at the Grand Lux Cafe!

Mizzou group

If those 24 hours weren't packed enough, we ate and walked Wrigleyville that night, and did the suburbs the next day ending in Whirlyball! Whirlyball is a fun game with bumper cars and scoreboards where you on teams, try to score with a scoop. Eight of us went!

This trip was one of the things I was looking most forward to this year and it went incredibly well! After a crazy week being around a lot of friends, I took a small trip to Ohio for the end of break to visit family & friends! I'm glad to make the most out of this time before one day, it's all spent working! Thanks to everyone who came to things! 

iPhone update

Now that I have had an iPhone for three weeks now, I've been thinking about how it has changed my life. Here are the top 10 most noticeable differences!

1. I actually READ Twitter
All of those dull moments where I'm waiting- to get picked up, in lines at the grocery store or at a stoplight, there is now something to do. I can catch up on news and my friends' momentary thoughts on the Twitter application. So I'm definitely over-informed. 

2. GPS 
I've never owned a GPS, so setting out to drive somewhere (like Ohio where I am right now) without even writing down directions is a relief. Because of this, my goal is to still always know my bearings and where I am going and not just follow what the GPS says without having any idea where I am.

3. Email....without a computer
I was able to take a vacation without my laptop for the first time in years, and STILL have full access to my email. I could reply if I wanted to or just know things right as they come, without carrying around a huge device! The iPhone definitely offers plenty of ways to keep in touch with work life.

4. Voice activation
If I am driving and want to reply to a text message, I can just dictate to the phone what to type rather than try it myself! Granted, you need perfect enunciation for this, but it's pretty awesome!

5. You can look up anything nearby
Apps like AroundMe let you choose a category (ex: gas, coffee shops, grocery stores, bars) and it will show you the names, addresses and phone numbers of all locations. You don't even have to think about entertainment, coupons or specials when leaving or going into a city- it does it all for you!

6. AutoCorrect
In a book I presented for my management class about how the internet is changing our brains, it reported that we strive less for perfection in terms of spelling, writing and more because we live in an immediate world where you just want to be out there. AutoCorrect confirms this hypothesis by making me a lazier typer, just typing words close to what I'm trying to say knowing it will change it. I've never been this way with spell check, so it's a strange difference, but a convenient one. Copying and pasting allows you to send the same thing to multiple people without others knowing...muhaha.

7. HeyTell
HeyTell is a walkie talkie app that you can use with other friends who have smart phones. Most question why a walkie talkie is necessary when you have a phone, but I am a fan: you don't have to text or type out messages, you don't listen to rings and the other person can reply at their own convenience. You can Hey Tell people when you get outside to pick them up instead of waiting to call. And my friends think it's the most fun thing that's happened to our phones!

8. Headache from the screen
If I stare at the screen for too long, especially in a car or moving space, I get a huge headache. Therefore, I'll have to be careful about how much I think I can do on my phone!

9. Push notifications 
"Push notifications" can be granted to any app, giving you up-to-date reminders about what is going on with it. This sense of immediacy has definitely changed how I think about things, from email, to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, maps and more. The option to know things right as they happen is insane but where society is at.

10. iPhones are like Twitter- the more friends of yours that have them, the more fun they are.

I don't know what provokes such excitement, but when a friend responds to a text message and the text is blue, I am ecstatic. This blue text denotes that the person you are texting is actually "iMessaging" you, or sending messages through the Cloud. Which next, means that they obviously have an iPhone. You can then FaceTime them (which I still haven't tried yet), be friends with them on other apps, and more. Therefore, it's a lot cooler to have friends with the phone for sharing purposes as well as group MMS text messaging that puts multiple people on the same message!

Puerto Rico!

This past week, my family took a vacation to San Juan, Puerto Rico! While I am adjusted to do-it-all traveling where you pay to go somewhere and practically tear apart every tourist location of the city, this vacation was what my father would call a "recharge." We learned the art of relaxation by waking up, going to the pool, walking to the beach, swimming, going back to the pool, eating dinner and going to bed. It worked out nicely!

The Embassy Suites pool where we swam each day

My family on the beach

The Embassy Suites we stayed at is in the Carolina area, and reminds me of a college town. The hotel is a 5 minute walk from the beach and there are a ton of restaurants on the walk, so we had some walking time in and weren't too spoiled for our own good. From the beach, you can see the small San Juan strip!

A popular tourist attraction about 10 minutes away was Old San Juan. Many cruise lines come into here, but we took a taxi from our hotel. My favorite part about Old San Juan is the South America feel with the thin streets, balconies, architecture and colored buildings! Our family had an authentic dinner one night and proceeded to the casino, where Dad likes to prove to us that you never win. 

Walking down the streets of Old San Juan

Mom, Eleni and I returned to Old San Juan to see its biggest tourist attraction, the two forts or castles. We had gone to the Castillo de San Cristobal last time we went to Puerto Rico three years ago, but had not seen the more historic one- Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was a beautiful site!

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

From here, you have a beautiful view of the ocean and a lovely park where people fly kites all day. The castle is 6 levels and you enter on the 5th, taking odd triangle, circular stairs down or inclines. 

Eleni, Mom and I

Maria, Eleni and I unwound each night at our hotel's hot tub. I enjoy the jacuzzi environment because no matter how shy people are, it's really hard to sit in a circle with people and not acknowledge their presence. It's an atmosphere for conversation, introductions, talking and overall bonding. It's less awkward than an elevator because in a hot tub, you're sitting for a longer period of time (even if it's just 15 minutes). We proceeded to meet a number of interesting families from all over the country- from New York, Michigan, Texas, to northern California and more. 

Comically enough, there were four east coast swim teams staying at our hotel, with mostly boys. Some of them included Cornell University, Colgate University, Marist College & Gonzaga High School. The boys loved having girls at the hotel, and appeared pretty intelligent to be college athletes at respected universities. We had some nice and hilarious conversations with them and had 25 to 30 people in the hotel hot tub the last few nights, scaring away the rest of the hotel. We got to the point where our new friends would introduce us to new hot tub visitors, and we would introduce them. It was nice hanging out with people around our age but not being bound on a two-week long trip with two-a-days swim practice like they were! Because my sisters and I aren't shy, we walked around the hotel saying hello to everyone as they greeted us as well. This made the trip very comforting and comical. 

Occupy the hot tub

Staying at the Embassy Suites cracks me up because a lot of small things are included, like breakfast and the two-hour Manager's Receptions where hotel customers receive unlimited alcoholic beverages and snacks. I found this hilarious because no one at our hotel was pleasantly surprised by this, they expected every last bit of their "free things." The breakfast & drink lines were huge, but always seemed to impress. A lot of Americans were at the hotel walking around in college shirts, just cracking me up at their similarity to my family. Overall, it was a great trip and thanks again to my mother for planning it!

2011 in numbers

Happy New Year! Last January, I published a post of numbers that tracked my year. So why not make it a tradition? Here are some numbers in various categories that measure 2011!

Photos

• 7,444 photos in my iPhoto library from 2011
• 2,865 tagged photos on Facebook
• 126 albums total, 29 uploaded this year

Social Media

• 2,165 Facebook friends (crossed the 2000 mark!)
• 1,190 tweets
• 318 followers, following 358 accounts
• 47 apps on my new iPhone! The minutes & text amounts are atrocious so they won't even be published. Thanks GroupMe texting. 
• Blogging
  • 169 blog posts, the most being 34 in June

Travel

• 5 road trips: Notre Dame, St. Louis for Katy Perry & Relay, Joplin, Lake of the Ozarks
• Not including 8 drives from Chicago to Mizzou or vice versa 
• Which totals to 88,000 miles on the car, at least 12,000 of them being THIS YEAR
• 2 mid-Missouri activity days: paint balling in Auxvasse and raspberry & pumpkin picking in the outer skirts of Columbia 
• 6 countries: Argentina, US, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Paraguay & Brazil 
• 6 trips in Argentina- Tigre, Lujan, Mendoza, Iguazu, Montevideo, Córdoba - totaling to over 40 hours spent on buses
• Not including the 1 hour commute each way to work or school on a bus or subway train daily
• 8 plane rides

Mizzou

• 8 Mizzou activities, up three from last year (MOJO, Homecoming Steering Committee, Griffiths Leadership Society)
• 10 meals catered by the University Club at Reynolds Alumni Center in the fall semester (yum, fancy occasions, and you even get to dress up! My favorite!)

Want to compare some of these to 2010? Click here!