A word a day

This week's theme: terms from French.

frisson (free-SON) noun
A sudden, brief moment of excitement or fear; thrill, shudder.

I had one of these last night when I realized I left my purse on the Annapolis shuttle. The last day of CNS and I pull something like this. I didn't realize my mistake until I had dropped off Beth, Shawn wasn't home and I had to race back to Annapolis, crying and furious with myself. I guess alls well that ends well because the bus driver had rescued my purse and I'm ok, but it was a horrible night.

~m.
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:Mari
Birthday:Nov. 26
Birthplace:Lawton, OK
Current Location:College Park, MD
Eye Color:blue
Hair Color:dark brown
Height:5'6"
Right Handed or Left Handed:right
Your Heritage:European
The Shoes You Wore Today:brown, scuffed bowling shoes -- it's snowing!
Your Weakness:Owen Max
Your Fears:Wasting time, longterm... Not knowing what I want and not getting it.
Your Perfect Pizza:Papa John's -- lotsa meat
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:Next year: graduate and find a bangin' job
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:lol
Thoughts First Waking Up:Brrrr...
Your Best Physical Feature:Eyes
Your Bedtime:usually 11-12 p.m.
Your Most Missed Memory:my Perkins Road 2-br apartment ... after the fall
Pepsi or Coke:Coke, but Dr Pepper is tops... soda is on my not touch list for now though
MacDonalds or Burger King:McD's, but I sure miss SONIC
Single or Group Dates:single single single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:Uh, neither
Chocolate or Vanilla:Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee:Coffee, black, hot and venti
Do you Smoke:No
Do you Swear:Vaguely
Do you Sing:To myself and/or Shawn
Do you Shower Daily:Absolutely
Have you Been in Love:Yes
Do you want to go to College:Been there, still doing that
Do you want to get Married:YES
Do you belive in yourself:Sometimes
Do you get Motion Sickness:Never happened yet, knock on wood.
Do you think you are Attractive:Sometimes
Are you a Health Freak:No
Do you get along with your Parents:Yes
Do you like Thunderstorms:ABSOLUTELY!
Do you play an Instrument:no
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:Yes. Some wine at Mellen's party
In the past month have you Smoked:NO
In the past month have you been on Drugs:NO (unless antibiotics count)
In the past month have you gone on a Date:Yes. That Shawn is tons of fun.
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:Yes.
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:No, I wish.
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:No.
In the past month have you been on Stage:No.
In the past month have you been Dumped:No... but it could happen!
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:No
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:No
Ever been Drunk:Yes
Ever been called a Tease:Probably but not to my face
Ever been Beaten up:Elsie T. hit me once in sixth grade and I got a bruised eye
Ever Shoplifted:No
How do you want to Die:Easily
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:A mom and PR/communications/copy editor/something journalistic
What country would you most like to Visit:Great Britain -- specifically a town called Putney to visit a family called the Burnses. God love 'em!!!
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:Blue
Favourite Hair Color:Dark
Short or Long Hair:Short, or medium
Height:6'1" or a bit taller so I can wear heels and still be shorter...yeah i'm a girl
Weight:Strong
Best Clothing Style:Comfortable: jeans and T-shirts


Number of CDs I own:nearly 200 ... they're going out and are worthless though
Number of Piercings:7 all in my ears
Number of Tattoos:zero
Number of things in my Past I Regret:two.

CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

fact

Fun Fact

The turkey gobble is a seasonal call that only males make.
Female turkeys make a clicking noise. Males, or, toms,
gobble when they hear loud noises and when they settle in
for the night. One can hear a turkey gobbling up to a mile
away on a quiet day.

Source: Fact Monster

Funnies.

Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get
rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard
and hung a sign on it saying: "Free to good home. You
want it, you take it".
For three days the fridge sat there without even one
person looking twice at it. He eventually decided
that people were too un-trusting of this deal. It
looked to good to be true, so he changed the sign to
read: "Fridge for sale $50". The next day someone
stole it. Caution! These people Vote
=======
While looking at a house, my brother asked the real
estate agent which direction was North because, he
explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every
morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the
North?" When my brother explained that the sun rises
in the East, (and has for sometime), she shook her
head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that
stuff"... She ALSO votes!
==========
I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call
center. One day I got a call from an individual who
asked what hours the call center was open. I told him,
"The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific
time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh,
Pacific" . . . He ALSO votes!
==========
My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our
cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative
assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her
weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a
convertible, but "did! n't thin k she'd get sunburned
because the car was moving". .
She ALSO votes!
==========
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car It's
designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets
trapped. She keeps it in the trunk. .
My sister ALSO votes!
==========
My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that
the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big
party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2
times 10% and gave us a 20% discount...
He ALSO votes!
==========
I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman
with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain.
My friend said, "Wouldn't the chain rip out every time
she turned her head?" I explained that a person's nose
and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which
way the head is turned...
My friend ALSO votes!
=========
I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage
area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told
the woman there that my bags never showed up. She
smiled and told me not to worry because she was a
trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now,"
she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?". . .
SHE ALSO votes!

funny saying

"I'm going to punch you right into next tuesday, where my future will be waiting to punch you back into three seconds before I first punched you, creating a neverending continuum where I just beat your ass until the end of time."

Blogthings - Your Birthdate: November 26








Your Birthdate: November 26

Your birth on the 26th day of the month (8 energy) modifies your life by increasing your capability to function and succeed in the business world.

In this environment you have the skills to work very well with others thanks to the 2 and 6 energies combining in this date.

There is a marked increase in organizational, managerial, and administrative abilities.



You are efficient and handle money very well.

You're ambitious and energetic, while generally remaining cooperative and adaptable.

You are conscientious and not afraid of responsibility.



Generally sociable and diplomatic, you tend to use persuasion rather than force.

You have a wonderful combination of being good at both the broad strokes and the fine detail; good at starting and continuing. This birthday is practical and realistic, often seeking material satisfaction.



Girls Technology Symposium

A statuesque woman in a black and white print, African-style dress, her shiny dreadlocks upswept to frame her face, addressed a group of teenage girls Saturday using an acronym for G.I.R.L. power, "greatness inspires responsibility and leadership," to encourage the girls to "own your greatness and take care of it."

Blanche Williams, host of an XM radio show "Greatness by Design," was the engaging motivational speaker who ended the first Prince George's County Girls Technology Symposium.

"Science rules the world," Williams said, reiterating the theme that emerged from the event's 10 other presenters.

About 50 girls and a few parents and younger siblings heard from a dentist, medical doctor, food scientist, FBI special agent, forensic chemist, financial planner, web developer, engineer, lieutenant colonel in the fire department and astrophysicist.

The presenters, who were all women, stressed the importance of taking as much science and math as possible in high school to prepare for college and careers.

Williams, who at 6'3" and with a dynamic personality, easily captured the attention of those crowded in a conference room at the county's RMS building in Largo.

She took the science, technology and math theme a step further than the more concrete advice from the other professionals, urging the teens to choose to be great and respect themselves.

"Greatness attracts greatness and repels mediocrity," Williams said.

Williams reached the girls on their level by speaking their language, peppering her diction with slang such as "bomb diggity" and "roll like you are."

Throughout her 40-minute talk, Williams elicited participation from the teenagers, which they were more than willing to provide, particularly when Williams asked "Are you ready for your parents to step off?"

"YES!" was the emphatic answer from the girls, although their parents didn't seem so convinced.

The teenagers were also willing to share their career aspirations, which included veterinarian, neurosurgeon, psychologist, pediatrician and pharmacist.

"It's like she knows me or something," high school freshman Ashli Mitchell said of Williams. "I even took notes."

Mitchell's mother was equally inspired by Williams' talk and said the entire symposium appealed to more than one age bracket.

"She was remarkable," Jeannette Nash said. "There were things to her speech that were beneficial to me, and I'm 50."

One of the few men at the girls tech symposium, James A. Dula, deputy chief administrative officer for Health and Human Services in Prince George's County, opened the program.

Dula offered some inspirational wisdom of his own, quoting W.E.B. DuBois and African spirituals.

"A plan is nothing but a dream with a deadline," Dula said. "You have to keep your dream alive. … You can't let anybody turn you around."

Dula's offered some advice he heard from a high school valedictorian, that students must receive three "B.S." degrees: "Be smart. Be successful. Be somebody."

Many of the girls responded to that statement, saying they already are somebody.

Mitchell will be a sophomore in the fall, and she has attended Largo High School. She said she wants to help people and her future career goals are to become a psychiatrist or basketball player.

She said she will focus on basketball for now.

Janee Minor, who will be a freshman at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, said she liked the symposium because it will help her realize her dream to become a NASA astrophysicist.

"I learned how to get into NASA and what degrees I have to do," Minor said as she wrangled her little brother, Justin, and kept him from the turkey sandwich in her boxed lunch.

The event was designed to spark the girls' interest for math and science, and presenters emphasized the importance of math and science education to prepare for such careers.

"I like science," Minor said. "Math is OK, but it's not my favorite."

The symposium was sponsored by the Prince George's County Commission for Women, the Department of Family Services and the Maryland Commission for Women.

Nash said the organizers should be commended for their efforts in putting together the program.

"The information was interesting and beneficial," she said. "If utilized, it could take these girls far."

Each girl received a purple drawstring backpack full of information on the speakers and career options in science, math and technology.

Door prizes were also awarded, and several girls went home with gifts ranging from a handheld radio to a digital camera to a pocket computer.

You are Special

Happiness keeps You Sweet,

Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!


You are so special!

MedillNewsDC.com | Views On The State Of Public Affairs Reporting

MedillNewsDC.com | Views On The State Of Public Affairs Reporting

Public Affairs Definition...

http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/inside/2002/pressclub.html

Public affairs reporting is synonymous with the coverage of government. However, because government is so entirely pervasive in our society, there are few areas of social and political affairs that fall outside the range of the public affairs reporter.
~http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/syllabi/dilts/J501Fall04/

Stressing the watchdog role of the press and investigative techniques. Topics include local, state, national and international government and politics, defence, immigration and multiculturalism, health, education and welfare, the environment science, industrial issues, economics and finance.
~http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/2002/coursesyn/J/JRN2004.htm

http://journalism.okstate.edu/faculty/jsenat/ (This one breaks my heart)


A quote...

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience
with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own
imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them--
every day begin the task anew.
--St. Francis of Sales, 17th Century Bishop of Geneva

5 Leading Institutions Start Journalism Education Effort - New York Times

5 Leading Institutions Start Journalism Education Effort - New York Times

I LOVE (and hate) that Maryland isn't one of the "top 5", but i think that's pretty arbitrary. MAYBE this will have a spillover effect and I'll get better jobs? we'll see.

~mari...

End obsession with SELF

Ending the Obesession with Self

“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

Have you ever considered how much time you think about yourself? Do you wander by a mirror and catch a quick glance? Do you browse fashion magazines and imagine for hours how you would look in some snazzy new outfit? Have you ever thought about how many of your sentences begin with “I” or end with “me”? The obsession with self starts early. Moments after birth, the self demands its own way. A baby will scream, pout or keep his parents awake for hours at night asserting his obsession with self. Have you ever wondered why it is that your parents never had to teach you how to be selfish? For most, no matter what the issue, life seems to revolve around answering the question, “What do I get out of this?”

One of the most compelling sermons I ever heard was given years ago by the former president of Moody Bible Institute, Joe Stowell. The sermon I heard hit me at the core of my being. He said, “One day, life won’t be about 'me’…it won’t be about you. It won’t be about the covers of magazines, or CEO status, or diplomas or anything else. Life will come down to Jesus.” I was challenged by the following portion from Joe’s message and hope you will be also:

“I’m only fifty-seven, and I already find myself weary of the hollow thoughts of what few accomplishments I may have mustered in my life. My failures continue to embarrass me. The inadequacies I have carried with me since my youth still frustrate me. My insecurities still trouble my soul. And the praise of others has an increasingly hollow ring. I’m tired of worrying about what people think about me. I’m weary of the carnal feeling that sometimes haunts me when someone talks about his favorite preacher and it’s not me. Bottom line, I just get flat-out tired of me. BUT I NEVER GET TIRED OF JESUS. After all these years, I still find Him more compelling, more engaging, more awesome, more surprising, more fulfilling, and more attractive than ever before. I never get tired of singing His praises or of watching Him perform. I find Him to be gripping. Absorbing. Beyond comprehension. And that’s why – along with Paul, my grandmother, Billy Graham and countless others through the years – I find myself longing to know Him better.”

Today, work on ending the obsession with self by taking your eyes off of yourself. Instead, direct them toward Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

GOING DEEPER:
1. How much are you obsessed with yourself? Monitor your thoughts and actions during the day today. Then tonight, talk to God about how much you think primarily about yourself and how that affects your relationship with God and others.

2. What can you do to break the obsession you have with yourself?

FURTHER READING:
Psalm 139

This devotional was written by Robin Dugall.

Cities

American Cities That Best Fit You:

65% Miami
65% San Diego
60% Portland
55% Austin
55% Seattle

Samaritan's Purse

Welcome to Samaritan's Purse

Was mentioned in the sermon Sunday. If all American Christians tithed the churches could put a stop to world hunger. pretty amazing.

~mari...

commenMARI

SO, I guess I'm supposed to comment on the articles I'm posting on here. Not that I didn't know that, I just didn't do it when I found all these articles. No one is reading this really, so I'm kinda FREEEEEE to do what I want and I've been using this as an online bookmarking space. Does such a thing exist for that purpose? If not it's a good idea because people (including me) use so many different computers in a given day.

BUT, I do have comments and I guess really commenTARY (or commenMARI) on all the articles I linked, including some that I'll use for my Women in the Media class journal. (aside: in that class I was told my writing is awkward -- true, esp. for the paper I turned in...but it's sad that something I do SO MUCH of actually isn't much good at all. and how do i turn that around? maybe i need a break?)

so, commenMARI, from the top down:

Obesity story in the Post: my coworker showed me this. WE ARE GOLDEN if it's true. But medical research is very in flux, so I can't be too thrilled about it. And the fact is I FEEL better when I'm smaller and have less weight to drag around. I'm probably more overweight than "just a little" or whatever the study says is healthy, but it was still kind of a neat twist on an old tale. The bottom line is: we're all going to die, so it's a little naive to talk about the "risk of dying," as our risk is 100%. The only question is WHEN, right?

Internews, women and media section: can we say PERFECT? This will really help me as I try to rewrite, edit and smash together my paper about Humphrey Fellows studying at the University. So far it's 15 pages, but some of that is just crap I'm sure. The professor has it, as a draft, and should get it back to me shortly. We'll see how that goes. Basically this site focuses on international women in the media and stories from abroad that focus on women. perfect!

The next two are basically links to my work online, either headline writing (which is always in flux too since new stories come out and the lines i wrote would be bumped down and then off) or story writing. For a while the Voice will have my work in it -- I've completed one story for the next issue (it's monthly) and have two more in the works. Both on tap for this weekend's projects: a profile and a meeting story, the task force meeting I went to last night.

The next batch is a list of links I also think will be helpful in my research/independent study paper because I originally was trying to focus on international women journalists, etc. So these links offer some more possibilities and maybe some more indepth/varied stories and material.

Looks like the rest of my entries/posts have some comments. The others just seemed to be floating out there, wanting SOMETHING. But then I guess you could always click the link to see what they are, but again for me it will be helpful to have a description.

CARRY on. ~mari...

Yahoo! News - Top Stories - Knight Ridder Newspapers

Yahoo! News - Top Stories - Knight Ridder Newspapers

I wrote a lot of these headlines: the discovery one, domestic terrorism and 14th presidential library. i bet they're bad. weird to think my stuff goes out without someone changing the heads! aiyiyiah!!! i'll have to pay attention to this site and print out my headlines for future clip packages.

ugh. ~mari...

Takoma/Silver Spring Voice: News

Takoma/Silver Spring Voice: News

An article by me. There's another that's weird and they made a mistake pasting it into the Web program, but I'm not bothered enough to tell them. I've got three more stories coming up with this publication -- a monthly news magazine. Good times. Not really women related, but I wrote them AND a lot of the leaders on this task force are women.

~Mari...

No Train, No Gain

Discussion Threads

Here's a site for aspiring journalists and journalists alike. I found the profile thing helpful, which I got to because I'm at my internship searching the Internet waiting for stories to drop. Almost been here five hours though, so I'm out.

Cherry blossoms were gorgeous today! It was cloudy and cool but I got some good shots. Will post them on tripod sometime this weekend.

Out. ~Mari...

Really good Chicago Tribune article ... and more!

Chicago Tribune From `silent purchase' to `new freedom'

This is a GREAT article that I'm going to use for my Women in the Media journal that I do for the undergrad class I'm in. I found it thru ms. musings, a GREAT blog that's been really helpful to me in the few weeks I've been reading it.

The presentation in the class about WAM!2005 went really well. The girls were all interested in what I had to say and asked intelligent questions, including "WHY DID YOU GO?" when I expressed my surprise at how political the event turned out to be, which was just something I hadn't expected, not necessarily something that I thought was good or bad. I like that girl though. And my answer was that it really does pertain to what I'm interested in re: media (women) AND i'm from Oklahoma -- i don't get out much so any opportunity to see the world is a good one.

I had some interviews for my graduate level project I'm doing for that class. I'm talking to the journalism Humphrey fellows who are in residence for a year at the University of Maryland. I got some REALLY interesting stories and opinions on women and the media, both here and in their home countries, made some good contacts and think I'll end up with a pretty nice paper, which I'll try to at least link here assuming I get it finished.

I've also got to work on a "birthday" paper for that class. We're to look up a publication from the day/month and year we were born and compare that to the same publication from our most recent birthday (specifically compare how the coverage of women has changed). My mom, a fabulouso librarian -- every journalist should have one in the family, made me copies of our local newspaper, so it will have a little Oklahoma flair! Good times. Now I just need to WRITE the darn thing. That's on tap for this weekend, since it's due Thursday (also it's completely optional for me since I'm doing the Humphreys paper, but it's such a cool idea).

At my internship waiting for stories to roll in. The POPE is on everyone's mind and they're freaking OUT about what to do if he dies while no one's here -- basically how will the copy get moved. It's an interesting dialogue to eavesdrop on. I'm a nerd though. The thing about that, although I'm not Catholic, makes me REALLY sad, is that he doesn't have a woman to be by his side. I think a wife can offer something that all the male advisers in the world can't -- a love that will be only second to the love the pope (and everyone) experiences from God. So while I know it's his vow and everything to be celibate, not have a wife, I think he's missing something crucial on his death bed. I just base this on the experience of my grandparents and my grandfather's death in late 2003. That's just something that's rolled around in my head, but I know he's being taken care of, it just bothers me that it's by MEN. But then maybe that's sexist of ME. I never claimed to be perfect, OK?

Reading all the WAM! listserv listings has been a real education. I'm so glad I'm on it because it is broadening my thinking skills, I really believe. I don't think I can be completely converted but I'm definitely in a transition point ... ooooh. got a story -- about the POPE no less.

onward. ~mari...

WAM!!!

Getting started with a blog at a Women and the Media conference. So far today I've been in a session about Making the Media Work for Your Organization plus hearing Jill Nelson speak. So far it's been a pretty good day. Last night was Medea Benjamin. I'll probably write more specifics, condense my notes and practice my information/presentation for women in the media class next Tuesday.

This session, How to Build a Blog in 90 Minutes IS having us make a blog, which was unexpected and really cool. It ALSO means we get Internet access, and I could check my e-mail. Good times.

The next session is Housewives, Bitches and Swans: Feminism in Pop Culture. TOO COOL, huh? I'm really hoping that will be cool.

Well everyone is catching up with me so I'd better continue and get in gear so I don't get left behind.

Smooches,
~Mari...

Want to Order a Crochet Hat?

Thanks for your interest in silvermari crochet hats . Most of what I make are sized for infants and toddlers, although I can size up and dow...