everything looks different in the light

I wish everyone was as lucky as I. The drive to my house in DE is the perfect length for the perfect solo sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs road trip. The best thing anyone can do when in the need to soul search is put the Ipod in shuffle and sing along with everything. All anyone needs to know is that I sang (on key and everything) the following in full succession without skipping:

Spoon "Someone Something",
Her Space Holiday "Sleepy Tigers",
Less Than Jake "The Science of Selling Yourself Short",
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Tick",
Yo La Tengo "Mr. Tough",
Hello Goodbye "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn",
Prince "Little Red Corvette",
Jamie Lidell "You Got Me Up".

My name is Reb and now you know all that needs to be known. (thank you last.fm for an accurate playlist)

I plan to write for Buy or Don't Buy about my unacceptable love for Prince.

After the whirlwind of the past few months, it's nice to finally come home for the Thanksgiving holiday and remember what is most important in life: books, music, a sweet turntable buried underneath more books, and pumpkin pie. Whenever I move back to LI for school, I have to leave what's most precious behind: the lovely turntable/stereo/speakers I've acquired (for free) the past few years and my astronomical collection of books.

I also found this beauty in my closet. At the end of my senior year of high school, my friend Liz and I put together "Rock the World" a benefit show with all of our friends' bands to raise money for environmental charities. It was a success - we raised about $1,000. It's now an annual event at our high school and gets larger with every year. It still stands as one of my proudest accomplishments - basically because I brought my passions together with what I was good at.

I got an internship with Rubenstein to work with them on the Tribeca Film Festival. I've been looking forward to it for over a year and it's a step in the right direction. I would rather do public relations work for cultural institutions and events than anything else. One of my biggest fears is as I am evolving into a professional and starting a career, I'll lose the artistic, creative, sub-culture bohemian self. Is it a matter of being corporate 9 to 5 and then in after hours listen to records and long for "the better days" of artistic revolutions and revelations?

I've been watching a lot of Andy Warhol specials and documentaries. He understood marketing, branding, and public relations far more than anyone believes.

you moved to montreal to be closer to france

I opened a letter from my mom that included the insurance card for the car (not so fun).

However, she did send a card with a thoughtful note including leaves from our backyard.

I started crying and hyperventilating slightly.  

Odd reaction, no?

As much as I love being in NY, it's unbelievable how homesick I get for my house and my family.

Thanksgiving couldn't have come at a better time.

Tonight I went to Witches' Brew with Pamela.  They had a sign saying they were hiring - I was asked such important questions such as "how long can you stand on your hands?" (not long, I'm tall and have little upper body strength) and "how long can you hold your breath underwater?" (i don't swim, i like to float).  I wrote my previous experience on a brown paper bag.  

Also picked up a copy of New York Twist Magazine.  Very excited to read it - there's an interview with Portugal the Man!  If anyone has been keeping up with my playlists from WRHU, I play them too often.

i can't keep quiet any longer

(positive note: I was searching for an image of an angry little girl after writing this rant of an entry and I discovered "Angry Little Girls" cartoons by Lela Lee.  Good does come out of ranting!)

Jim Cameron of Cameron Communications, Inc. spoke tonight at Hofstra in the Cultural Center theater to a bored, apathetic crowd of PR students.  I am embarrassed on how barely anyone answered questions nor gave input.  Cameron himself kept commenting about how he "was afraid for the next generation" and how we students "need to know what's going on in America". 

Tonight just capped off another cycle of my love/hate relationship with PR.   Though I did thank Cameron afterwards for giving his time to us, the information he provided only reinforced what I already learned in Chapter 6 of my media relations textbook.  I must say it is not Cameron's fault that I had a headache, it was the end of a long day, and earlier I had an awkward verbal discourse with a fellow PR student.

I don't find PR courses difficult; courses in your major shouldn't be if it is something you are meant to do.  It blows my mind how PR majors try to pass by with C's in PR 100.  It blows my mind how there are 75 members of Hofstra's Chapter of PRSSA and maybe 20 who are actively involved in committees.  

All the basics of PR I learned from my mother: always put on an optimistic air, be aproachable and courteous, watch your grammar, follow up and call back right away, keep that hair out of your eyes.  

 By holding on to your true sense of self - that inner child that won't go away - is what sets you apart from the masses.  Therefore, my true self is a middle child who feels they never get enough attention and constantly worries about what others think; a self-proclaimed creative nerd who would like everyone to be her best friend; who though she looks great in corporate wear rather wear the forbidden ripped band shirt and scraggly hair.  I have been genetically molded to be a PR person - always seeking attention, wanting to be in the know, hiding in order to keep up appearances.  

I will be really pissed if after going through the painful experience of high school, having to enter another sort of popularity contest. 

I might be incredibly delusional to "how the real world works" and I may get backlash for not wanting to join the official club of bubbly clueless pr girls who just want another sorority (there are males in the pr industry after all, let alone in our major).  

 I am tired of apathy overall, and the nasty competitive nature of the PR major at Hofstra.  To give some credit, it may just be a bad year.  However, I have to admit that I need reaffirmations that this is where I belong.  

I also made a snarky comment to Jim Cameron during the lecture.  I am a terrible person.  

but at least I can find interesting cartoons. 

the most interesting part of the weekend lasted 45 minutes

Before my train back to LI on Friday I was able to duck into the MOMA for a bit. I walked across two exhibitions: Looking at Music and Here is Every: Four Decades of Contemporary Art. Looking At Music looks back at the 1960's and 70's and the connection between music, art, media, and technology. In other words, a reason to show music videos of The Beatles and David Bowie.

Here is Every was an exhibition created out of the MOMA''s personal collection (i.e. economy is terrible = art and museums have to suffer for it). A majority of the works were obviously selected due to how groundbreaking it was when it first appeared. In other words...random. There was a video of a deer and a wolf together...chasing one another?...

I was interested in one work that consisted of hundreds of framed photographs of body parts - all body parts. It took forever to take this picture since many people could not help but stare.

I also get a kick out of how certain art is created in the intention to provide great meaning - yet is interpreted for practical uses. I speak of the girl using the mirror....for a mirror and the little girl that stood by a wooden sculpture and saw a playground.

I also love/hate my habit of taking Myspace inspired photos. Maybe it's due to a need to expose my narcissism.

A girl's needs just don't agree

i literally woke up from a dream this morning about a buttered chocolate chip muffin. of course i satisfied my dream after French this morning. does this happen to other people?

my sad little LG of two years officially failed me yesterday. it only works when it's charger is plugged in, therefore defeating the purpose of a cellular phone. though I have been planning on buying a blackberry, now is not the time - i need to save for Venice and money has been especially tight this semester. Also, I know nothing about cell phones and need any one's recommendations. I have Verizon Wireless and have been happy with it, therefore the Iphone, Google phone, or Sidekick is not going to work out.

I usually get random friend requests on Facebook. As long as they go to my school and we have similar friends, I honestly see no harm. This morning I was "friended" by this grad student who has a little project called New York Twist Magazine - "dedicated to the lovers of multimedia art" (that's me that's me!) The Myspace itself didn't say too much about the content of the magazine, but evidently issues are available around the area. When I pick up a new phone tomorrow at the Verizon Wireless store in Roosevelt, I'll stop by FYE to pick up a copy.

There is a great article on the front page of the New York Times about how Obama is adapting to his new life as President-elect, from not being able to visit his bartender Zariff to having a date with Michelle at Chicago's Spiaggia accompanied by 30 secret service agents. I can't help but think of the comparisons to Kennedy when I read articles about Obama's life. Idk if it will extend to the extreme voyeurism that most celebrities experience today.

I'm going in for another interview in the city with Joe Carozza of Rogers & Cowan, an alum of Hofstra. It's odd - I looked at a picture of him and I recall seeing him around campus my freshmen year. Professor Frisina said to give him a hug for her - but he may be put off by that first impression, who knows. Hopefully today will go well (i.e. make the train on time and not have to pay for a taxi).

I'm going to try to run into the MOMA for their free Target night in order to see some van Gogh afterwards. can't stay long - I need to get back to LI tonight to work at an event at LICM.

I found The Cribs' Men's Needs (Remixes) at WRHU, which has three different versions of "Men's Needs", which is awful since I will listen to those three versions in succession, constantly over and over again.

(just filled out survey about improvements on the Computer Labs at Hofstra. pat on the back for taking time out to do a good deed)

Fear and Convenience

TONIGHT'S AIRWAVE PLAYLIST

artist	song	album	C/A/R
Hot Lava	Blue Dragon	Lavology	A
Miniature Tigers	The Wolf	Tell It to the Volcano	C
Peachcake	Did I Just Do That, Or Was It Jim Carey?	What Year Will You Have the World?	C
Yelle	JeVeux Te Voir	Pop Up	A
Thao	Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)	We Brave Bee Stings and All	A
TV On the Radio	DLZ	Dear Science	c
The Size Queens	Can A Woman	Magic Dollar Shoppe	C
VHS or BETA	She Says	Bring on the Comets	A
Starf*cker	Myke Ptyson	Starf*cker	C
Moving Units	Pink Thoughts	Hexes for Exes	A
Foals	Cassius	Antidotes	A
The Dirty Hearts	Record Store	Pigs	A
Her Space Holiday	The New Kid Revival	XOXO Panda and the New Kid Revival	C
Pale Young Gentleman	This Is A Place?	Black Forest (Tra La La)	C
Mad Gregs	White Out	Big Nun	C
Bat For Lashes	What's A Girl To Do?	Fur and Gold	A
Land of Talk	Young Bridge	Some Are Lakes	C
A Block of Yellow	You Shook My Head	Do I Do	C
Boy Kill Boy	Back Again	Civilian	A
Chop Chop	I Met You At A Space Station Bar	Screens	C
Caw! Caw!	Escape the Read Giant	Wait Outside EP	C
Amanda Palmer	Runs In the Family	Who Killed Amanda Palmer?	C
Women	Shaking Hand	Women	C
Ladyhawke	Danny and Jenny	Paris Is Burning EP	C
Boy Eats Drum Machine	Planets + Stars	Booomboxxx	C
Japanese Motors	Coors Light	Japanese Motors	C
State Shirt	This Island	This Old Shirt	C
French Miami	Science Fiction	French Miami	C
Larytta	Ya-Ya-Ya	Difficult Fun	C
Black Kids	I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You	American Teen Soundtrack	A

typical angst filled entry - please ignore if you take me seriously

If you ever see me wearing this outfit, it could mean one or all of these things:

1. I had three hours of sleep the night before
2. I had/have a french test that morning
3. I am NOT in a good mood

Frankly, I have been procrastinating everything important this entire semester. The following is the typical cliche rant of all college students. Wah wah I have too much work blah I need to sleep wah I can never catch up meh I would be perfectly happy instead to live in a box and be a starving artist (maybe not so typical).

This is what my desk looks like after TWO days of classes:

1. 

It's getting ridiculous. On the bright side, I was asked out on a date (kind of) online. Is this where social media/dating is going? As you can obviously tell from the evidence above, I don't get out much - at least during the week.

Man, I always have great plans to write a ranting and raving entry, but then when I finally get home and get online, the effort is too much. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

like a monkey with it's miniature cymbals

Friday morning was my big "wear corporate gear" day. It also made me realize that it's the little things that matter when it comes to my love for New York. Friday morning at the School of Comm.'s internship fair I met these great people from DScribed Strategic Communication and Design . Both young and fun. Just their website alone makes them attention worthy. I drove to Mineola to try to catch the 12:03 train and had a living nightmare about no parking, an unreadable debit card, and three inch heels. I caught a later train, got in around 1:33, hailed my own cab for the first time, walked into Rubenstein Associates, Inc. and razzle dazzled HR rep Megan Wheeler. I felt I did well.
Went to Union Square to wait for Sara to get out Edelman Digital . I was looking at beautiful flowers and thinking about their existence in an otherwise gray environment when I heard Daft Punk floating through the air. Two dancers, one of which was evidently a yogi, were performing. Basically they spent about 20 minutes warming up to dance for five minutes, do a creepy spider crawling thing, and jump over eight children.

















Went to Strand, bought books. Go figure.
Sara and I met Steph and Tiel at Aperture for the gallery opening for Luigi Ghirri's "It's Beautiful Here Isn't It..."
( November 8, 2008– January 29, 2009) to have Julia aid us in drinking surprisingly potent wine.
Sara, Steph, and I then took the JMZ to Myrtle Ave for the smokiest loft party I have ever been to. Keep in mind - I am still wearing corporate wear (trust me, I regret it now). Met a cute Jarvis Cocker look alike from Oklahoma. Hopefully he wasn't put off by my placing a business card in his pocket.
Passed out on the JMZ to Jamaica around 2 am.
Drove the girls home, slept well.
Saturday wouldn't stop raining on my parade.

Worked all day today at the LICM's "Friends Around the World" event. Pamela was dancing with Shake It!. Her camera died, so I tried taking pictures with my cell phone. Obviously not stellar.

Have been listening to Hot Chip's "Over & Over".....over and over again.

it's a little after the fact but.....

I can't wait for Venice

over and over and over again

yet again, one of those long days that can only be shared through bullet points. At least I look good in business casual...

• PRestige meeting. Next semester I will have a new position focusing on Development and Publicity. The ideas in my head go on endlessly. Some possible clients for next semester are HTVi and the Hofstra Music Fest. I suggested that when searching for new members to fill the soon to be vacant positions of On-Campus Account Executive and VP, we ask them to submit resumes to better judge their overall work ethic and potential.
• 
  
• PRSSA meeting, wondering about whether to run for E-board next year. This will mean no internship in the fall. Will have to weigh out the odds.
• 
  
• Met with Frisina about creating a general Hofstra PR blog to work as an internal communication vehicle for the major as well as a way to "boast" to the world about the successes of Hofstra's PR students. Frisina puts on the role of momma bear by asking if I can take on the workload. We think we can make it where I earn three independent student credits and maybe some Individually Negotiated Honors Option credits too. Hopefully so, time is winding down.
• 
  
• went to "From FACEBOOK to Face-to-Face:Ace Your Professional Style in a New York Minute!" networking dinner with speaker Trish Rubin - a woman who I officially want to make my best friend. My goodness. She was vivacious and passionate and definitely pulled off the "personal but professional" aura I want to perfect. Rubin opened with asking us in a year from now, "where do you want to be?", and then plan backward from that. Rubin mostly discussed how to network and make first impressions. She gave great pointers, such as to put "good energy" out there and say good morning to everyone, including the doormen, new stand people, and construction worker. Another point she made that I live by is be a continuous learner. she also said above all, be not humble! Rubin also referenced Wawa oh how i miss that mid-atlantic convenience store with wonderful iced tea....Frankly, she was a fascinating, engaging person and I hope I will become that admirable in the future. I barely had the time to run to her. I basically blurted out "I'm the PR person - I came to see YOU!" and handed over my strangely geometric shaped business card. As creepy as it is, never before have I heard a speaker at Hofstra that I want to make my best friend. It shall happen -- thanks to social networking ta DA!

I was originally planning to write about the brilliance of Obama's campaign, but here are two articles (thanks PRSA email)about it. From PRWeek :Obama's savvy comms propel him to victory. Advertising Age: How Obama Killed 'Election Day' and Became President.
Basically, everyone agrees that Obama's campaign was smart enough to use the Internet and social networking to increase support. Kudos.

On Friday I have the first interview with Megan Wheeler of Rubenstein Associates, Inc. for the Tribeca Film Festival internship I have been looking forward to for a year. Next Monday - Interview with Joe Carozza of Rogers & Cowan. Frankly, just entering their website I heard birds singing. The Arts/Culture page is so beautifully written. I nearly teared up.

I don't even want to think about the butterflies. According to Trish Rubin, I should listen to music before the interview in order to emit *SPARKS* , something equivalent to what "We are the Champions" was for the Mighty Ducks. How do I feel? Scared, nervous, excited, anxious to be uber impressive. Hopefully I can buy a pair of tights without holes before Friday...

Speaking of Tribeca Film Festival, I get this handy daily email filled with various "film" news from Tribeca Film. Today: 5 More Reasons to Love Paul Rudd. I'm trying to think of the first movie where I fell in love with him. Either Clueless or The Cider House Rules.

The lil sis Angela turned 18 today....AFTER the election. Poor baby sis.

Obama-rama

Yeah we did.
I am in complete awe of this monumental event in history.

I just wish people would stop screaming "Obama" outside my window so I could get some sleep.

peter shankman speaks about "poking" and it's west coast origins

In Breslin Hall in front of 4 PR classes, Peter Shankman begins in the typical way by sharing stories of his youth, delivering in a manner where he is rewarded with laughter. He first warns he is in a "crappy mood" since his MAC crashed. He advises to get rid of kegger photos from Facebook. His shirt is untucked. Social media is moving fast. Social media provides transparency, relevance, brevity.

One is always on camera. We are in a society that moves towards everyone being on video all the time- we always have been, we are not just aware of it.

We see corporate America as old white men - when you are old, you are set in your ways and you die. You get replaced. The boards are now being replaced by younger people: a generation who has seen companies disseminate, such as ENRON. Companies would get away with everything. Our generation says Screw that! "we will be transparent!"

Press releases are going to die. (knew that ) But the
ability to write will never go away. As PR practitioners we will be doing more writing than ever done before. info is now delivered in short micro bursts: blogs, facebook, twitter, stadium walls. 40 percent of news come from citizen journalists. How does it play in pr? It's the future of communication. Shankman is of the "mtv"generation - attention as long as music videos. For mine, it's a 140 characters.

Society takes mass events to appreciate new technologies. Twitter will be massive - a student was arrested abroad. He twittered "arrested" and 7 hours later it got to the State Department and was released.

Social media is the ability to screw up faster and to a larger audience than ever before.

Facebook is better than linkedin. One must be smart - no bong shots - one must be personal, yet professional. Facebook can be the first introduction to a new employer. It's more than a resume - it shows a person's personality and professionalism combined.

People like to feel special - not crappy. We like to make our friends feel our misery. We must treat our friends one level above crap - they will become fans.

Used well, pr is the ability to get other ppl to do your press for you: you are not telling story - you are getting other ppl to tell story for you. The ideal end result - you made $$$. You better help sell something. "Get one mom to tell 150 moms...that sells something."

This is where it gets crazy

Shankman uses examples of facebook birthdays - you remember most the people who wished you a happy birthday. No one cares anymore - it's always about me me me MEEEEE.
Going to networking events is "like watching a factory assembly line". As a society we do not listen. Networking is not throwing business cards. Shankman asks to see our business cards - forgot my cards at home ---damns---
are u basically telling me to have a more unique card? i know that. i was thinking about drawing with a crayon on mine -- childish or unique?
now Shankman is sharing a baboon story.
baboons and bananas.
i apologize - i missed the baboon story that somehow relates to corporate jobs.

People will remember a tactic if it has not been done that way before. Just because no one said you could do it, doesn't mean you can't. Shankman throws his business card at Micah Jesse - a poker chip with a picture of him skydiving.

Shankman made "It sank - get over it" t-shirts: He hated the movie "Titanic". One Friday night - he sold 500 shirts in 6 hours. Next day he was called into USA today.
Two months, 250,000 t-shirts, 250 media outlets.

You don't need a trillion dollars to start a company anymore. Don't be afraid to show off - (not a problem for me). "When you get made fun of in junior high, you grow a thick skin and don't care anymore" and never be afraid to have a new idea. We have a world where you can try anything that is different.

My generation will be "the one who takes it." Shankman is jealous to be in our position.

say it aint so

Halloween weekend is officially over, and so far I have counted 27 beer bottle caps in my room.

I forgot today was Daylight Savings. I originally set my alarm for 9:45 am in order to get to the gym before work. Therefore, I woke up at 8:45 - yet was not upset, for I had another hour to sleep. I loving "FALLing back" an hour.

Now that it's November it's time to get serious. I have two networking dinners in the next week and a half, an internship fair, 5 agencies to email, and 60 or so business cards to print out. Every ounce of spare time is being used for catching up. My time management for classes has been lacking. However, after this semester I will be done distribution courses and everything I learn will be more meaningful.

Masked Avengers - comedy duo from Canada, evidently prank called Sarah Palin .

I ordered Chinese takeout for dinner tonight and my fortune is great.

"The joyful energy of the day will have a positive affect on you."

Glorious way to start off the week.

I have been going through last.fm for the past hour and I found this Junior Boys video for "In the Morning". Not only is it a throwback to two years ago, but when watching it, you can't think help but think about what a great tutorial video it would be to drink responsibly. Don't get trashed --- you'll pass out on street corners and sink into the sidewalk.