Well last week’s trip to St. John Fisher was very successful. I think it was a great learning experience for both newspaper staffs. We basically looked at each others’ papers and picked out things that we liked and that we didn’t like. Hopefully we will both benefit from the visit. I was also really excited to meet their staff because we will be going to NYC with them this Spring Break for more newspaper-related fun. I love New York, so I can’t wait to go!

More relevant time-wise, though, is that tomorrow is the last day of classes before break. I am really excited to have a few days off and I have been trying to get all my work done before I go so that everything is taken care of and I can really relax. I love Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to eat. (I’ve also been missing home-cooked meals in general, so I am excited!) It will also be nice to see my family and tell them all about what I’ve been doing at school.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.
Be sure to enjoy the time off - I know I will! See you in a couple of days!

This weekend was awesome! I acutally got to hang out with some of my rommmates. Becky stayed here this weekend and I seriously don’t think we moved from the same spot all of Saturday and Sunday. We didn’t do anything that would seem like too much fun, we watched hours of CSI, VH1 and MTV reality TV and some movies. I also think I got a really bad sugar rush on Saturday night after eating almost a whole boc of Gobstoppers and then one giant lollipop. And that was pretty much right before bed. I know a dentist’s worst nightmare.

Although I didn’t really do much this weekend I did go to the Women’s and Men’s basketball games. And while the girls lost the guys won the home opener! It was such a good game and so close that I was shaking afterwards from excitment. I’m such a dork, but I love basketball. I’m so proud of them. This was a really good weekend for my guys team. The Mavs won and Orlando beat Boston showing everyone they are beatable. The only downside of sports this weekend had to be the Bills losing to NE although I’m also a NE fan.

One of my friends called me from the game and told me that some of the NE players did the Soulja Boy dance.

This week has been nonstop go! First there was shadow night on Tuesday and we went rock climbing… I never knew hanging from a piece of plastic high in the air (okay, I’m 5′2 so anything above 6 feet is high for me) could be so much fun. I’m even proud to say I tried what I dubbed to be the “scary wall” and I didnt give up, I just fell off.

I woke up the next morning sore as can be, my arms aren’t used to that kind of stuff, I’m a weakling. I can’t wait to go again, I even told my friend when she comes to visit we would go because I think she would love it.

Then Weds. night I had a field trip to St. John Fishers College to have a newspaper conference with their staff. It was so weird doing the drive home and not actually going home. I was so close that I just kept telling myself only a few more days and I could finally go home. I haven’t been back since August.

Fisher is HUGE! Its so different from Medaille, but at the sametime I think I would get lost on a larger campus. They took us through the nursing building and I was confused. It was nice to visit though and we told them next semester they have to come here. And it was helpful, although after talking to their Photo Editor I feel as if I don’t know what I’m doing at my job.

And we all got excited about our NYC trip in March since we get to hang out with them again.

Next week is Thanksgiving break and I for one am soooo happy to be going on break. As much as I love it here I need a little vacation. Plus, all my friends from home will be back including my one friend who goes to school in Boston and I never get to see her. Its exciting we all have plans already. We are going to dinner and to see August Rush which looks amazing. Oh and I have to write a 15 page paper so I guess my break really is more of a working break.

When I woke up this morning, I was unaware that my first class would be taking a morning-long field trip to the Buffalo News. So when I walked into my classroom and noticed some unfamiliar faces from a later class, I didn’t know what was going on. With some help from the other students, I figured out what was happening. We hopped aboard three Medaille vans and took a short drive to downtown Buffalo, where the News is located. Our tourguide took us from floor to floor, explaining the different types of work there is to do related to the completion of the paper.

We also learned a lot about the history of the paper, and how it has developed over time. We were taken through a timeline of production techniques, which were very interesting. Today, everything is done on a computer, but obviously, this was not always the case. In the past, each page of the paper would have to be made into a 40-pound imprint of the content. 25,000 copies of the paper could be completed in an hour using the old techniques. Today, 75,000 copies of the paper are printed in an hour. It’s really cool to see how far we have been able to advance over time.

In addition to this field trip, I have another field trip that I will be leaving for in less than an hour. The newspaper staff is hiking out to St. John Fisher, and it should be a lot of fun. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Today was a big day for Medaille. The mayor of Buffalo declared it Medaille Media Day. This meant that all of us media students got to get ou of class and attend sessions. Some were on writing, radio, TV, PR and other I went to one on journalism and “managing the message.” There were a ton of alumni here to talk to and meet. The last session of the day everyone attended. It was with four onair anchor people from Buffalo. Hopefully, Medaille continues with this in the future because it is such a great chance to meet the people that could be hiring you in the near future.

Today - Friday, November 9 - was officially the First Annual Medaille College Media Day. The day was filled with informative and interesting sessions that students signed up for to learn more about particular concentrations of media. There were 26 guest speakers who came to Medaille in order to enlighten our students on how to succeed in the media industry. Among them were directors, instructors, reporters, publishers, managers, on air personalities, and news anchors. Without a question, it was a really great experience for students of all ages. Underclassmen were able to learn more about the particular field that they are interested in (or learn that maybe they are not so interested?), and upperclassmen were able to do some networking, make contacts, and learn about how to get a job, since it is in their near future.

Lisa Van Valkinburgh, the chair of the Communications Department, and Richard Jurasek, the President of the College, made some opening remarks and welcomed Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, who officially declared today Medaille Media Day. Brown made some very flattering remarks about Medaille’s Communication Department, declaring it one of the best programs in the area. Sessions followed this introduction and began at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15. I attended “Putting it in Writing: A Career in Print Journalism,” “Getting the Word Out - Public Relations,” and “Television Today.” I found all three to be extremely informative and very helpful. All of the guests were cheerful and open to questions. Some of the other sessions included “Radio 2007: The New Frontier,” “What’s Next: Integrated & Multi-Media,” “On The Front Line: Managing the Message,” and “Behind the Scenes: Radio and TV Production.”

I felt that the event was enormously successful, and the turnout was really great. I look forward to future years of Medaille Media Day, and hope to see it get better and better with time. I think it is especially important to recognize that Medaille, which is such a small school compared to some of the other area colleges offering Communications, has the ability to host such an amazing event. I guess sometimes, smaller is better.

As a freshman at Medaille, every student is required to read a book entitled Amusing Ourselves To Death, by Neil Postman. This book is basically the focus of your Gen110 class, which is required as part of the core curriculum of the college. Postman argues that technology in general is interfering with direct communication, and cites the negative effects of watching television, sending an e-mail, etc. He argues that personal interaction is becoming less and less due to these advances and warns his readers not to fall into the trap.

Tuesday, November 6, one of Postman’s former students, Lance Strate, came to Medaille to give a lecture called “Amazing Ourselves To Death,” reflecting on the relevance of Postman’s ideas. He also met with a group of Honors students to talk about “Neil Postman: Teacher, Colleague, and Friend.” It was really interesting to talk to someone who actually knew Postman as a person. I spent a semester reading and dissecting Postman’s work, so learning a little about his personal life was pretty cool. I would have never known that he was a college basketball star, or that he liked the fax machine, and played Minor League Baseball. Did you know he went to Fredonia State College? Learning these facts made the author seem a lot more real.

I think it’s really awesome that the Scholars Program is able to present these type of events that give a completely different insight into what we are learning in the classroom. Strate’s talk was informative and interesting, and could not be learned by simply picking up Amusing Ourselves To Death.

The semester is halfway done. That means only 1.5 semester left until I’m done with school. At least until I have saved some money to go to Grad. school. I didn’t think I ever wanted to continue on with my education, after my B.S. anyways, but then I started to think about what I want to do with the rest of my life. Yes, I want to work in magazine and hopefully do photography and some day own my own magazine, but then afterwards I really want to teach.
I could never teach children (high school, ect), but I’ve been thinking I really want to be a professor someday. I’ve seen the difference some of mine what made in my life and I know that I want to make that difference in someone’s life. So someday I plan to go back to school and get my masters and then doctrine. So I guess that means that I’m not almost done with school, at least not for life.
Plus, with this semester almost halfway done that means I get to go home! I haven’t been home since August and I miss my friends, family and dog really bad. Plus, one of my really good friends that goes to school in Boston is coming home and I rarely get to see her as it is! We already have a bunch of plans for break (more plans then I think time).

I have always been big on taking pictures. When I was 17, I got a digital camera for my birthday, and it was all downhill from there. Taking photos is a great way to capture moments - from semiformal to prom, to just hanging out with your friends. I have photo album after photo album full of pictures from high school and now, college. However, up until this year, I have really only worried about two buttons on that camera: the power button, and the button that takes the picture. I never knew what all those other symbols meant. Needless to say, my camera expertise was extremely limited.

This semester, I’m taking a Photography class that has really opened my eyes to the possibilities that having a camera in front of your face can present. Though I have always been interested in taking pictures, this class has sparked my interest on a much deeper level. I now find myself looking out the window when I’m in the passenger seat setting up photos in my mind. I can’t tell you how often I hear myself telling a friend that “wow, that would be a really pretty picture.” When our teacher told us to create an account on flickr.com, I found myself looking at photos for hours. I was seriously addicted to flickr for at least a week. (I’ve been trying to cut back, because it was interfering with my homework.)

Last Wednesday, we took a field trip during our class to Elmwood to take pictures. Since it was Halloween, we were encouraged to find objects like a jack-o-lantern, candy, a candle, a mask, and a shadow. Surprisingly, some of those things were difficult to find. There were a bunch of other cool photo-ops, though, and it was fun to get out of the classroom in order to work on our photo taking skills. I’m glad that Photography was a required course, because who knows if I would have stumbled across my new interest some other way.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing up and pretending to be someone else. But this year, that pranks have gotten out of hand! Living with a bunch of girls is down right scary at times, I mean have you ever seen a bunch of girls first thing in the morning? Yeah, no make up, hairs not done, and everyone is grumpy. That is probably the scariest thing ever. That is until Sunday night.

I was sitting in my room with my headphones on doing a paper. It was around 10 pm and my door to the living room was closed. Midsentence I hear my roommate Sharon scream the scream of a person about to die. My first reaction was to lock my door and call Public Safety. That was until I heard my other roommate Carter start laughing. I thought they had run into each other in the dark. However, I was mistaken.

I opened my door to find Sharon curled up on the ground and Carter wearing a Jason costume, mask and everything. No joke. Apparently, what happened was Carter had decided to play a little prank on us. She knocked on the door and waited, but then realized that she had her key so she let herself into the apartment. Just as Sharon stepped out of her room and into the dark hallway. All of the lights in the apartment were turned off. Carter ran towards Sharon screaming and Sharon screamed and fell to the ground in a little ball. Thats when I opened my door.

I still make fun of Sharon for just falling to the ground and not running into her room and locking the door. Personally, if someone ran towards me in a Jason costume  you can bet everything you own that I would have probably punched them in the face.

Or peed my pants from fright.