Getting Started

I decided that I wanted to get free stuff. So I looked online and found several sites that will send you free stuff in exchange for feedback. These sites are much easier to join than the sites that offer to pay you for your feedback, and since I was just interested in getting free stuff I did not mind not getting paid in cash to write reviews.

Once of my friends actually introduced me to this concept so I started looking into it. I found several sites that outline how to do this kind of thing.The Penny Hoarder.com is one of the places that I found very useful. I was also recommended by a friend to join Smiley360. Here you do a series of surveys to find the kinds of products you would like to try and they will start finding products that fit your interests. They send you these products for free and you simply write a review of your experiences with the product. Simple as that. There are several more sites you can join and I will keep you updated as I try several more out.

If you want to look into any product testing sites I found quite a few of them on a page called Money Pantry. I have not looked into most of them by I have joined Smiley360 and BZZAgent.

Idea Flow

Last week towards the end of my work day writing ideas just kept coming to me. They came so fast I didn’t even have time to write them all down. Some I wrote down and others I swore I would make myself remember. Now that I am back at work after a busy weekend I cannot think of a single one. Even the ideas I jotted down in hopes that it would help me remember are not developing into anything beyond that page. While I try to rack my brain for the flow that existed last week, I started exploring some of my old stories.

Some stories I thought were “good,” others are really bad, and some I wonder what professional writer broke onto my computer and wrote a story like that. As I recall the majority of these stories were written during my first two semesters of college back around 2011. That was back before I chose writing as a profession and I just did it for fun.

Some stories made me laugh and note how witty and quick with my words I was, another story even made me tear up a bit. I wrote them so long ago that even I did not know how some of them ended. I was pleasantly surprised by quite a few, and realized that others were never finished. Some take me back to past adventures that I forgot even happened.

My next thought was what do I do with these. Should I try to get them published? But when I looked up places to publish works of fiction, the majority of them are looking for very specific guidelines that none of my stories would fit into. It is relatively disheartening when you sit back and realize the only way to make it big in the fiction writing industry is to write a less than perfect series of novels that teen girls will fall in love with. In order to do that you have to create a rebellious female character who is caught in a love triangle and has to fight to get what she wants (Twilight). Or a rebellious male character who takes 6 books (Harry Potter) to do what Katness did in one. In the adult world, it seems to be the dirtier the better.

Which is interesting when you look at it. For teen girls, their role models are these extremely strong female characters who do not give in to the demands of society (Hunger Games). Then the older women are obsessed with a women of low self-esteem involved in an unconventional abusive relationship (Fifty Shades of Gray). All of these books are less than perfect and are not short of criticism.

I will admit I did read all of these books, starting with Harry Potter, then onto Twilight, Hunger Games, and yes even Fifty Shades of Gray. The Harry Potter series took a very long time to get to where they were going. Twilight had such extremely complex character profiles that even Bella herself was confused. Hunger Games (even though I am still obsessed with this series) has the controversial plot of kids killing kids. Fifty Shades of Gray I only read because of all the media hype and I must say I was VERY disappointed. It was full of awkward sex scenes and terrible writing, not to mention the glorification of an abusive relationship. I read the first book, struggled through the second, then decided not to waste my time on the third.

So all I have to do is write a book that is controversial at best and get a publishing company to advertise the crap out of it until it becomes the talk of the town. Easy enough.

Mindless vs Mindful

After a long weekend of riding my horse and fighting confederates, it is now time to go back to work. You would think that after so much time off I would be able to concentrate fully on the task ahead… Wrong. Today has so far proven to be a writers block day, and it’s not just me, my partner is also having trouble. We are supposed to be writing short quotes to go along with pictures of various school related things. We have not been able to come up with any new ones so far and on top of that after reading through all of the ones we came up with last week we came to the conclusion that they are all very corny.

So what are we to do? We work a very creative job, where our brains are always brainstorming and sifting through new ideas. Sometimes this brainstorming process goes rather well, other times it leaves us pounding our heads against the wall hoping ideas will fall out of our ears. This theory is usually not successful. Yes, I know… I have it easy working at a desk in an air conditioned office with no real deadline to keep track of, but my brain hurts from all the unsuccessful attempts to come up with a quote.

At this point I would rather work a mindless physical job where I can just let my muscle memory take over. Like working at the fast food place that is my second job. That is a completely mindless and muscle memory job. Not as much as my factory job was but I still don’t have to do any real thinking. Just listen to the order and type it in, give the total and take the money. Simple.

But then I think about how boring that job is and I remember that I like my first job better than my second job because I get to be creative and do something a little different every day. So I need a job somewhere in the middle. One that requires thinking, and problem solving, but also something physical. Then again I am kind of lazy at times, so maybe just a job that requires thinking and problem solving…. Which is the job I have now…. hum, well that came full circle. Maybe my writers block day will pass and I will be able to come up with some epic quotes but I’m not holding my breath. Time to get back to work.

I just Smile

I don’t write poems anymore
I am not sure why
Maybe it’s because I only did
To help me heal from depressed times

Right now is a happy time in my life
Therefor I don’t need to cope
With the endless torture my mind
Put me through on a daily basis

In fact I don’t even write poems the same
The way I used to everything flowed together
But each line was one single thought
That you could pull out to stand on its own

So it’s clear to me that poetry
Is a good way for me to express hard emotions
Because when I am happy in life
I just smile

Only Two Weeks!

I only have two weeks left of college and I am freaking out. I have a lot of work to do but I am plugging away at it. There is a certain class where every time we meet he adds another part to our final project. This project is worth 150 points. We had to write a communication journal 3 times a day for 26 days. I have over 15 pages of journals, today he added that we should write journals for an extra 5 days just to make it a month. Which means that I have to write journals longer than I thought I had to. On top of that every Monday, after writing the 3 entries we have to summarize all the communication exchanges we had that week coming to a total of 4 summaries. Then we have to take all that we have learned and put it in a final paper, which we cannot start until all of our journal entries are in. Journals end on the 2nd of this month. I have to turn the final paper in on exam day on the 5th. And then take my exam for this class.

At least my other class gave us all our assignments in advance. I have completed all but one which I should have done by today. I even completed the final exam already.

Then there is my 3 independent studies. I have completed one of them, still working on finishing touches in the other, and the last one I still have a lot of work to do. I have 5 news articles to finish, I have a 5 page paper to write on a ethical issue, and several assignment to put finishing touches on so I can add them to my professional portfolio.

Oh yeah, one last thing. I have to find an internship for this summer. Talk about stressful. One week of class left and one week of exams. If I live though this stress I will need a few weeks to recover. Here goes, back to work.

How to Write an A Paper in 3 Hours or Less

If any of you are like me, you find yourself procrastinating until the last minute to write your paper for class. Doesn’t matter that we got the assignment 3 weeks ago or have had class time to work on it, its still not done. It is now 10pm and the paper is due tomorrow in class.

The first thing you should do is get out the assignment sheet and write down what is required to be in the paper with a few lines in between each criteria. Then choose what your paper will be about (I usually go with the first idea I come up with because it saves time). Now under each criteria write a few words related to your topic.

On that same sheet of paper write “Intro, 1st paragraph, 2nd paragraph, 3rd paragraph, and conclusion. If it is a longer paper, just turn the “paragraph” sections into “idea” sections so that you can include several paragraphs under each idea. Now do what I call “the BS Fluff”. Write several subheadings under each section of ideas.

Now under the Introduction, just take what is written on the assignment sheet and restate the “point of assignment” that the teacher has written in your own words. Then write your three ideas under that, first in a list then moving on to briefly explain each section. This will be your lead into the second paragraph.

The next part is easy. Take your brainstorming, BS Fluffing, outline and write each idea and subheading in complete sentences. The majority of your paper is done. If you have to have citations in the paper, go to Wikipedia. Although you cannot cite Wikipedia in your paper, they did the connecting work for you. Pick a random page and find a random statistic or quote that you can BS’ly tie into your paper and  your citation is done.

Last for your conclusion, just take your intro and turn it upside down. List the ideas you talked about, then restate the point of the paper. You have now written a grade A paper in 3 hours or less. This is how I outlined all my papers through school and so far it has worked swimmingly.

Subtle Colors

There are only a few weeks left until I graduate college. This is both exciting and scary. I was blessed enough to have several possibilities available to me for my next chapter. My first task is to chose where to do my internship this summer. I have several options to chose from. I can do anything that involves communication, writing, or advertising, but I would love a job that combines all three.

Lately I have been working on a newsletter for the Michigan Calvary Brigade (MCB), and have discovered that I enjoy page layout and design very much. I like the challenge of making every page look a little different but also sticking to a layout that will be a signature layout. I want people to know that the page they are looking at belongs to the MCB newsletter.

I have noticed throughout my 6 years in fast food that the advertising has changed but also kept a signature look. I love when new posters come out because I like to break them down and analyze them. For example, I have noticed the new direction certain fast food restaurants are headed with their advertising. They are using unique colors and simple shapes to give our generation our signature look. We all know when we see something from the 60’s and 70’s era. Well, I have started to notice the look for our era and I am seeing it in the adverting and designs of the major companies.

They all seem to be heading in the same direction. Light blues, greens, yellows, and reds. There are no neon colors, they are all a washed out subtle color. As if the color has sat in the sun for a few years and then put into an advertisement. The most exciting thing about this is that I recognize the changes and the new direction, which tells me that I am ready to step into the world of advertising myself. I know there is a lot more that I need to learn but I feel confident that once I learn the tricks of the trade there will be nothing stopping me.

Identity Poster Reflection

When I thought about what to include on a poster that reflects my identity as I see myself and how I want others to see me, I first thought of symbols that represent my life. I came up with an ink quill pen, a tree, a note book or journal, a horse, wings, and a cross. I chose the colors blue, green, and brown because these colors reflect my personality. I then asked people who know me well to think of some describing words that they think represent me and what I stand for. They came up with determined, creative, hard-working, imaginative, motivated, persistent, outgoing, reliable, and trust-worthy. I then looked through some old pictures and picked ones that I thought would represent me and important things in my life. After it was all said and done poster was more impressive than I originally pictured.

The symbols I chose all mean something to me. The ink quill pen represents me being a writer in all its forms, from creative writing like short stories and poems, to technical writing like memos and brochures. The tree represents something that can stand on its own and be strong, or can be in the middle of the woods and be part of an even stronger community. The note book or journal is how I record my journey through this life. Through the good times and the bad I write down my story because in the end no one can take my story away. A horse because they are an unpredictable spirit that captures the imagination of those who come into contact with. Specifically my horse has taught me responsibility, patience, and persistence. A pair of wings represent the strength it takes to be free and how I got to where I am today. The final symbol is a cross because I am a strong believer that there is a grand plan to this crazy world and that everything happens for a reason.

I chose the colors blue, green, and brown because they are my favorite colors and they look great on redheads. They are the colors that you do not have to go very far to see because the earth is made of them. I chose the shades of blue, green, and brown because they are bold enough to be seen, but gentle enough to relax.

The words spread throughout the poster are words given to me by people who are close to me. I agree with all of them and am proud of the fact that others use these words to describe me. The poster itself is a demonstration of how I can be imaginative, innovative and creative. I am persistent, hard-working, and determined in many areas of my life, especially with horses. Being outgoing, trust-worthy, and reliable is how I try to live every day because I think they are important qualities for someone to have.

Inside the note book that says “Tabetha’s Journey” are four pictures. The first picture is of me the spring I graduated high school. So much has changed since then, and yet so much has stayed the same. I am not pursuing the same job I thought I would be pursuing in that picture, but the drive I have towards my current career path still has the same intensity as back then. The second picture is one of my horse, Diamond, and I at a Civil War reenactment. Not only are reenactments a great way to bond with my horse and meet new people, but being part of these events has taught me the meaning of community in such a way I could not get anywhere else. The third picture is of my dog Jewel and my cat Fred. Pets have always been important to me because they are always there for you and need you to be there for them. It is a relationship that you lean on and can be leaned on. The fourth picture is of my Mamma barn cat, Calli, and her daughter Rose. This picture represents the relationship I have with my mother and everything that she has taught me. She taught me to be independent, strong, and when the situation calls for it, stubborn.

I want people to know that there are many layers to who I am and you cannot just look at the surface if you want to get to know me. Though these symbols, colors, words, and pictures I have brought together a good representation of what my personal identity is. Everything that represents me has an outer meaning and a much deeper one. When it comes to the deeper meaning, I am an open book, all you need to do is ask.

“What do you want to do when you grow up?”

I am getting closer and closer to graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree in Technical and Professional Communication, a minor in Communication and a specialty in Advertising (I know it’s a mouthful, try saying it every time someone asks you what your studying). That means I am getting closer and closer to needing to decide what to do with my life beyond college. I will have an internship this summer, although I don’t know where yet, and after that I will be on my own. Scary, I know. But I wanted to write a blog about what got me this far in my schooling and how my ideas have changed throughout the years.

All through high school I wanted to be a Veterinary Technician because I loved animals. I wanted to be the one to love them while they got nursed back to health. I had a plan to go to a community college and take general studies classes in the Pre-Vet program, then go to on Michigan State University for the Vet Tech program. This plan was drastically changed the day I job shadowed at a vet’s office and passed out while attempting to watch a surgery (I’m still embarrassed about it). My dream to become a Vet Tech was over.

So I had to move on. I ended up graduating from a community college with an Associates in general studies. During this time I brainstormed potential careers that would work for me. I thought about an animal control officer, but didn’t want to do all the law classes. Then I thought about being a counselor and almost went to a different school for that, but that didn’t feel exactly right.

I still didn’t know what I wanted to do but not going to school was not an option. I chose a school that was close to my home so that I could work, go to school, and stay close to my family while I continued to brainstorm. I decided to get a Bachelor’s degree in English. This was simply because I loved to write. I figured I might as well do what I love if I don’t know what I want to do. About half way through the program I got so bored of the English and literature classes. They were all the same: read and write, and then read and write some more.

I went out looking for a better challenge and stumbled upon the degree I am perusing now. This degree is everything I like to do. I get to write both creative and business style writing, I get to read, I get to communicate with people, and I get to use my creative skills to create advertisements.

So I went from a Vet Tech to a Technical and Professional Communicator. It was an interesting transition. Don’t worry animal lovers, rescuing animals is now a hobby of mine instead of a potential job. But to the writing world…. Look out, here I come.

Land Ho!

I am entering the last semester of college before I step out into the real world. My parents and teachers have prepared me as much as they can for the journey that lies ahead. I take with me all the knowledge that I have learned while I walk down the road that lies before me…….

Blah, blah, blah, I sound like a valedictorian giving a high school speech. To be honest, I am terrified of what lies ahead. I have so many questions going though my head.

What if I fail?

What if I don’t succeed? (Wait, aren’t those the same thing?)

What if I do not live up to the expectations that everyone has for me?

What if…..

I have always been scared of the unknown, the what ifs, and the new. For me change is hard. The transition from high school to a community college left me scared that I may not be able to handle college life. The transition from a community college to a university left me worried because I still had no idea what to study. Now I am quickly approaching the transition from a university to the real world. I have studied all that I need to study. In fact, this last semester of college seems to be the easiest one yet because it is all review for me. I have done enough, seen enough, and I am looking for my next challenge. But with that challenge comes change, and with that change comes the unknown.

The unknown will stop me in my tracks. It’s like swimming in the dark ocean, not knowing what is below you and at any moment you could be grabbed and dragged under the surface, never to be seen again. But just like the transition from grade school to a community college and a community college to a university, I know I am ready for the transition into the real world. I am both nervous and excited for the journey ahead. Let’s make it a fun one.