Ten Years

            My first thought as I put on my makeup today was that ten years ago I didn’t wear makeup. The last time I saw my mother alive I was fresh-faced, my biggest worry was how fast I could run a mile in P.E. and my big weekend plans still involved the Disney channel. It’s amazing how much life can change in one decade. In fact, decade is a hefty word full of meaning. It represents an entire chunk of time passing, with new cultural fads, new technological innovations. As much as my life has changed, I hate the fact that a decade implies that enough time has gone by to escape the hurt that comes with losing someone so close to you. It’s not. No matter how many personal changes I’ve gone through, that hurt remains with you for life. The regret for words left unsaid has followed me into each new relationship. Career accomplishments come with the shadow of the one person who can’t tell me they’re proud of me. The loneliness can find you anywhere, even deep in the hills of Tuscany where I thought I could disappear from everything left behind.

            That’s not to say that strength doesn’t come from tragedy.

Trepidation to Education

(A look back at my internship experience in PR)

I think it is safe to say I started my internship at Freestyle Public Relations with a fair amount of trepidation. The word “intern” had my mind instantly conjuring up images of how my summer would be spent: making coffee, trying to figure out how to translate that skill to my resume, and working for someone who would probably mispronounce my name for three months. As my internship wraps up I am glad to say my preconceived notions have been proven false. Now when I hear the word “intern” another word comes to mind­— “opportunity”. Contrary to what I had previously believed, I spent my summer learning about the PR industry, furthering my skills, acquiring new real-world techniques and immersing myself in the industries of Freestyle’s clients. Also, my name was pronounced correctly every time.

 The Top 5 Things I Learned from Freestyle

 1)Lots of work and RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, go into everything
One thing that particularly struck me while working at Freestyle was just how much work goes into a successful public relations effort.

Stereotyping? There's an App For That

Twenty questions. It’s not just a game. That’s how long makers of the Android app “Is My Son Gay?” believed it would take mothers to get an answer. LGBT advocacy groups like Allout.org had the app, made by French development company Emmene Moi, taken down within a matter of days. No word yet on whether they will release a “Is My Mom a Bigot?” app anytime soon.

Visit Allout.org to see how you can help fight other problems facing the LGBT community.



(Wednesday Writing Challenge: 50 words)

Disaster in Italy

Three months ago I had the life-altering chance to work and live in Florence, Italy. While there I fell in love with the land, the people and the culture. However, that's not to say there is never a downside to traveling in a foreign country. The travel guides don't exactly highlight the less-than-glamourous side of travel which can include having to pay to use every public restroom, hostels that haven't changed the dirty sheets and "bathrooms" that are literally a hole in the ground. One trip in particular that I took with my friends was a series of unfortunate events from beginning to end. This is the story of Lido di Camiore...

I’m sure that Lido in and of itself is a cute town with a beautiful shoreline, but in my mind, Lido is hell.

After a beautiful day in Cinque Terre we (myself and five other interns) met up with the other 80 or so kids in our program to take the bus back to Lido di Camiore, where they had been having their two-week orientation while we had been in Florence. As we drove past all the towering mountains chock full of the marble that has created the art of Florence for centuries, we got more and more excited for our stay at the seaside. Truth be told we had been somewhat jealous of the other kids who got to spend their time between classes on the beach.

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Music Reviews (Part 2)

Marie Digby

Unfold

Marie Digby is more than just a cover artist. She blew up YouTube with her acoustic version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, but Digby’s first album shows triple threat stardom ahead. With a soulful, sultry voice and piano playing skills Vanessa Carlton would compliment, the rich lyrics are just icing on the cake. Digby is the opposite of today’s pop divas. You won’t find Auto-Tune anywhere on Unfold. She sings with that clear acoustic quality we wish all our favorite crooners had stuck with from Day 1. Instead of lyrics about getting drunk in clubs, Digby sings with vulnerability about love and heartbreak in tracks like “Stupid for You” and “ Miss Invisible”. Maybe we should all surf the web for our next music sensation. It they’re as talented as Digby, we won’t be disappointed.

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Music Reviews

Ke$ha

Animal

Ke$ha is the epitome of a foul-mouthed party girl that can’t get it together. She wears clothes made of trash bags, gothic proportions of eyeliner and glitter in places it just shouldn’t be. She has all the makings of a star people would love to criticize, but the crowds can’t get enough of her. Everyone loves a hot mess after all.

It’s because she owns up to everything. Ke$ha is Ke$ha and she doesn’t give a f*ck what anyone thinks. With lyrics like “I wanna be naked ‘cause you’re wasted” and “got a water bottle full of whiskey in my handbag,” the singer vocalizes what straight-laced girls wish they could be when they let their hair down. Yes, the album lacks any and all musical quality. And yes certain songs like “Dinosaur” deserve an immediate hit of the skip button (think Gwen Stefani’s spelling of ‘bananas). But sometimes a girl just wants to dance to a good beat and ridiculous lyrics. Here’s hoping her second album is just as much of a lovable disaster.

Roadtrip: Days 5 & 6

There has been a change of plans. Day 5 of my roadtrip was supposed to consist of me driving back to Pittsburgh then flying to Chicago, Day 6 would have been filled with shopping at Woodfield Mall with a sorority sister from school and Day 7 was going to be going to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Last year's Cubs game turned into quite the adventure when a gigantic downpour started right after the ninth inning, nearly flooding the stadium. Since we were all being cheap after an expensive weekend in Chicago, my two girlfriends and I ran through the rain/took a cab for a little bit/ran some more to get from Wrigley Field to Union Station. I was really looking forward to more such adventures, but ended up in Pittsburgh for the weekend instead due to various circumstances. However, this is also good news as it means more time with my dad before I ship off in August.

Today (Day 6), we went to downtown Pittsburgh so I could do some shopping at H&M and get some lightweight dresses for work in Italy. The thought of voluntarily subjecting myself to more 100-degree temperatures after the week we've had is a little disconcerting, but I keep reminding myself that I've dreamed of this since I was little. (I try not to tell people that I've dreamed of it since watching some Mary Kate & Ashley movie where they go to Rome. Perhaps it was Hillary Duff? Either way, I'll make up a different story before I leave :))

We ate dinner at this very authentic German restaurant where the waitresses dressed in traditional costumes, live polka music was performed and the beer flowed freely. I got a chicken ceaser salad. Yes, I'm that girl. But I really wanted something fresh after all the eating out we've been doing.