I've been doing some thinking?

In little less then a month I am going to start my senior year of college.  Only two semesters to go before I graduate.  The thought literally scares me but I digress.  I am  a semester away from finishing up my History major and a few credits short of a journalism minor.  So, am I crazy to even be thinking of applying to the J school this semester?  I am so close to being done.  I should be thinking of getting my resume in order and looking for full time employment, not adding another major.  I have several different theories. 

1. I really don't want to graduate because that means, I really have to be an adult.  The end of financial help from my parents, working full time, dealing with insurance and all the other responsibilities that comes with being an Adult.  Now, don't miss understand me.  I have been paying rent and my own bills for more then two years now but I do not feel like I'm completely independent of my parents yet and I like having that safety net. 

2. Now that I am almost finished with school I realize how much I actually enjoy it.  I did not believe people when they say that I would miss school after I graduate but I'm beginning to understand.  I enjoy being in the class room with people of the same interests.  I am not the best student when it comes to doing homework and I always seem to wait for the last minute to write papers but I love to research things.  That truly is my favorite part.  Give me a subject and I'll go look it up.  Academia and I have not always got along and I doubt that I could ever be a student for the rest of my life.  I don't think I'll be going to graduate school anytime soon but I know I will miss college.

3. After spending my first three years of College having absolutely no idea of what I wanted to do with my life, I think I have finally decided what I want to do.  I would really love to be a tennis journalist.  Cover the sport around the world.  That would be cool.  If not specifically tennis, a sports journalist.  Journalism used to be a field that you didn't need specific training to be a journalist.  You learned as you went but it's become a better science.  If I am truly serious about working as a journalist, it would benefit me to take the journalism course.  So, I think.

It's times like this that I wish I was more serious about studies my first couple of years of school because my gpa is not exactly stellar.  If anything, that is what is going to hurt me when I apply for the J school but I think I have had enough experience working as a journalist at tennis tournaments.  If I am accepted, I figure that I will only have another year of school to complete it.  I only have a semester left for my History degree and I because I am minoring in Journalism already, I have already taken some classes and all of my Gen Ed's are completed.  So, all I would have left would be the required labs. 

Maybe this will work out and maybe it won't but I'm going to try.  Who knows, maybe I'll go through all the program and find out it was unnecessary or maybe I will find out that it was will with my time.  Who knows.  I'm just finally happy that I have made up my mind about a career to pursue.  That's a step up for me.

I only read it for the articles.

Ok, Kat is the magazine lead at our Barnes and Noble so she has the first pick of all the magazines that get stripped.  That's when an old issue hasn't been sold and the front cover is sent back to the publisher for credit or something like and the actual magazine is thrown away.  At least it's supposed to be but after the magazine is stripped it's up for grabs to anyone who wants it.  Kat usually saves me Tennis Magazine and People Magazine, now that my subscription has run out.  Kat the magazine queen that she is always brings home the most interesting of magazines.  Mostly of photography magazines though.  I like to look at the photos in them because you can well imagine they are really good.  The last three months though, she has been bringing home Playboy.   Now, I know what you all must be thinking.  Yes it is porn but it also has some of the best magazine writing I have read in a while.  We all know that phrase that "I only read it for the articles".  Usually when people say that though, they don't mean it but I can honestly say in mine and kit's case it's the truth.  I'm not going to lie and say that I don't look at the photos because hey!  I'm curious and they tastefully done.  Last month, was an interview with Michael Moore.  Personally, I think Mr. Moore is an asshole but I feel he brings up a lot of good points in this interview and some of this other movies.  In this particular article he suggests that we let the Israelis take care of Osama Bin Ladin because they are so good at getting rid of those who get in their way.  That was a bad paraphrase of what he said.  As I reading this, all I could think of is that I hope he is joking and isn't serious.  I'm not even sure if he is serious but now we are getting off topic.  This entry is about the writing of of Playboy.  I think there are very few publications that one could feel comfortable of even saying that.  Two months ago E.L. Doctorow wrote an essay for Playboy.  The same man that wrote Ragtime is in Playboy!  It may be nothing more then a skin magazine to most but it does get it's fair share of famous writers in it.  I may not agree with all that it stands for but I have to admit that I have enjoyed reading it the last couple of months.  It's an interesting magazine, let's put it that way.

Shopping!!!

I love shopping.  Kat says that malls are the saddest places in the world but I don't agree.  I say malls are full of hope.  They are nothing but new beginnings.  Ok, that's a stretch but I like going to malls.  The fact that I work in one hasn't dimmed my enthusiasm for them, except for the mall that I work in.  The less time I spend there the better.  My mom and I are going to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, for our annual summer trip to the mall.  We usually go in January or February, then maybe around spring break, then sometime in the summer and then finally the first weekend in November to start our Christmas shopping.  We go all the way to there because shopping here in Iowa is so dismal.  The selection is just so small.  So, we go and have fun.  We have gone so many times that we have it down to a science.  It's not just about the shopping.  We know how to shop.  We usually go someplace to eat and plan our attack.  Sometimes we go to a movie or go back to our hotel and have a bottle of wine and watch a movie there.  I can't wait! Mall here we come!!

21!  

It seems like everyone is turning 21 these days.  On Wednesday my friend Rachel from work turned 21.  We went to the Q bar to celebrate.  I think because it was $1 pitcher night on domestic beers and the birthday girl gets free pool.  It was so much fun and yet odd at the same time.  It's a little weird to see some people outside of work, like one of your managers.  There are several people from work that I socialize outside of work on a daily basis.  For instance, our friend Elizabeth, who we went to Europe with, we know from work.  Kat and I also go out for wings and Monday night football with Andy and Nancy (who used to work with us) but seeing one of my managers, Darren in a bar was a bit weird.  Don't get me wrong.  I like Darren, he's a good guy but just weird. 

Tonight, I am going to my friend Melinda's 21 birthday party.  We  have been friends since Junior high.  No one is as cool as Mino.  She's hilarious!  She's kind of the baby of our little group of friends because everyone else is already legal.  I've been out drinking with her so many times that it's kind of hard to believe that just today she is turning 21.  Anyway, we are going to the restaurant Granite City for dinner.  It is a relativity new restaurant in Cedar Rapids.  I've heard good things about it so I'm excited.  Then I think we are coming back to Iowa City because the bars are just better here, in my opinion.  It should be a good time!  Happy Birthday Melinda.

Next week is another 21 bash for another girl I work with Felicia.  I may stop by but not stay very long because next week it's back on South Beach, which means no more beer.  That's really not to bad because I have never really been a big fan of beer.  It's been harder for me to give up potatoes and bread.  ummm...Potatoes!  How I love thee!! But back to the topic.  So, yeah, lots of people turning 21 lately.  It's a great age.

Viva Europa!!

Ok, so I know I'm mixing languages there but I really don't care. I have just spent the last 19 days in the lovely continent across the Atlantic. My sister, Kat and our friend Elizabeth traveled through seven countries (well they actually traveled through eight because they also went to Wales) Scotland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and the Vatican City, which is it's on Principality so it counts as it's own country. We were only in France long enough to catch our next train and I completely slept through Switzerland but that's just being nitpicking. We just had the best time. I really don't think I can even describe how much fun we had, so I'm just going to give the highlights.

1. Going to the Pubs with our friend Alistair. He went to college with Kat and they have stayed close since then. He is just so cool. He is so funny and very intelligent too. I love talking to him because he has such interesting insights into American politics that I miss because I live here. I usually subscribe to thinking of "No one can hit my little Brother by me" when it comes to criticizing the USA but because Al has spent a fair amount of his life living in the US, working and going to coverage I think he has a better understanding of politics here and the advantage of looking in from the outside as well. Anyway, we had a wonderful talking and going from Pub to Pub. Scotland is great for that.

2. In Edinburgh, we did a Literary Pub tour, which explained the history of the new and old cities of Edinburgh and the major authors great works and inspirations. Not surprisingly, a lot of them came from what they saw in the Pubs. They are Scottish after all. *lol* After the Tour, we had a couple of pints with one of the Tour guides, James. Who was just a riot! He walked us back to the train station because we were staying in Glasgow and out of nowhere he started singing "American Pie". Elizabeth just happened to know all the words to the verses and we all fumbled through it until we came to the chorus. I'm sure everyone thought we were mad.

3. Queuing! I got to see my good friends Anne and Caz again. They are just two of the coolest people I know. And then you add in Jeff and you have a fun group to hang out with. The first night, we spent catching up and talking about tennis. We in line behind two Aussies and up the street was two different contigents of Scots and Welsh men. We spent most of the night drinking and talking everything from who America doesn't have history like Europe to music. Eventually we were told we were to loud and had to go to bed. As for the next two days, Anne, Caz, Jeff and I were all over the AELTC watching the best tennis players in the world and avoiding the rain. On the third day, Anne and I went by ourselves. The day was a complete rain out but we had fun anyways. We got to see Andy Roddick and other players on the Weakest Link and cleaned out the Wimbly shop. Well, not quite.

4. Twice in Barcelona we got to see Penguins! I love Penguins!!! First we got to see Humboldt Penguins at the Barcelona zoo and then at the Aquarium. I highly recommend both of these places if you go to Barcelona. I know, why go all that way to see a Zoo or an Aquarium but they are both excellent and worth seeing. And did I mention you can see Penguins!

5. We got to see the Barcelona Gay Pride Parade from the balcony of the Erotica Museum. How perfect was that? The Museum had a wonderful collection of artwork from as early as ancient Egyptians(they were reproductions) to Playboy. We heard the music from the window and stepped out on the Balcony to watch the parade. It was so cool. The Brazilian were there with their drums, there was a little old lady holding the transected flag, a whole team of Gay Elvis's but best of all was the guy who saw us standing on the balcony underneath the sign for the museum and realized where we were and gave us the thumbs up. Now that was cool.

6. Rome is a beautiful city but not the easiest to get around. They only have two metro lines because every time they try to make more stops, they find more ruins and have to shut down productions but one sight you can't miss when you come out of the Metro station is the Coloseum. It is literally the first thing you see when come out and it is just an amazing sight. To see this 2000 year old building coming out of a modern mode of mass transportation. It's just awe inspiring!

Hmm...That's all for now. Maybe I'll come back with part two of highlights but after all that traveling, I need a nap.