We FINALLY got the grades for the written final exams we took in january and I got a 10! I know that means absolutely nothing to anyone outside of Denmark, but I would say it is equivalent to A/B. Needless to say, I am very satisfied and happy today.
The class was "Corporate Communication" and the final counts for 100% of our final grade. It was a 72 hour test, meaning we were given a case and an assignment at noon the first day and had to turn in our final paper 72 hours later. Our specific case was about the corporate communication of Starbucks. Specifically, we had to write about CSR (corporate social responsibility) corporate identity, and stakeholder communication and management.
Bragging over and out, back to studying so that I may continue to pass classes....
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
on something sure to create controversy and mixed opinions
Some friends of mine posted a link to this article on facebook.
NB: Don't read this if you don't like to read about religion and/or politics/separation of church and state
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NB: Don't read this if you don't like to read about religion and/or politics/separation of church and state
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Friday, February 26, 2010
Maryland to recognize same-sex marriage
Can I get a WOOT WOOT for Maryland??
Baby steps, baby steps.... Just like our parents and grandparents could talk of a time of segregation by color, women not being able to vote, etc., I am sure that we will be telling our children about “a time long ago when gay marriage was illegal,” and they’ll be like “whaaaat, why? That doesn’t make any sense!”
(Note that I do realize this new legislation does not mean gay marriages can be performed in Maryland, but it does mean that those couples married in states where gay marriage is legal will enjoy the same legal rights as any other couple. Like I said, baby steps).
Baby steps, baby steps.... Just like our parents and grandparents could talk of a time of segregation by color, women not being able to vote, etc., I am sure that we will be telling our children about “a time long ago when gay marriage was illegal,” and they’ll be like “whaaaat, why? That doesn’t make any sense!”
(Note that I do realize this new legislation does not mean gay marriages can be performed in Maryland, but it does mean that those couples married in states where gay marriage is legal will enjoy the same legal rights as any other couple. Like I said, baby steps).
Monday, February 22, 2010
on life-changing changes in life
Even though I am pretty happy with my life in general (ok, more than pretty happy) there are moments when I feel like my life is still kind of standing still. Most people probably have periods of their life where they feel bored, or feel like they are in a 'waiting-for-something-to-happen-phase." That's exactly where I feel I am. Even though I will be the first to admit how much I love the student lifestyle, I sometimes feel bored... I feel like I should be further in my life. Have a job, travel exciting places, change the world, become an adult.
This weekend, my BFFFF Erin (and her wonderful boyfriend) became homeowners. They now both have full-time big-kid jobs, they got a dog together, and own a home. Oh, and she bought a brand new car. She is officially an adult.
Also this weekend, my (Biffer) Jess told me about the list she just recieved with the locations where she might be stationed very soon. Within the next few months, she will graduate from Intel school and officially be stationed as part of US Air Force. (She falls within the category of 'changing the world'). I hope she already knows how proud I am of her.
So, my friends are moving on with their lives and becoming adults. It's natural at our age (not teenagers yet young enough to still need to get partying out of our system) for people to be scattering all over the place, trying new things, all that jazz. I'm guilty of it too for leaving 'home' to go to grad school. But however good change may be, it is almost never fun nor easy while it is happening.
There's no intelligent conclusion to this post, because I think most people know what I'm talking about. It is difficult to put into words how I can simultaneously be happy with my own life, yet jealous of others lives. Change is natural, people come into your life to affect it in different ways, people change, and thankfully, a few precious things never change.
In other news:
If you don't already, you should check out my friend Cari's blog on social responsibility, because it is a really interesting read.
If you know me, you know that I love the Olympics. Mainly my love is focused on the summer Olympics, but the winter olympics can me a little bit excited as well. So anyway, long story short: Denmark hardly ever has any medal chances at the winter Olympics, EXCEPT in curling. The other day I was watching the men's team play a game against Norway, and the only thing I could focus on were the ridiculous pants the Norwegians were wearing. Seriously? My favorite part is how the rest of the world took notice too.
Speaking of the olympics, how awesomely badass is Shaun White and his Double McTwist? Now, I'm a snowboarder, just not one of the very adventurous ones. It's an accomplishment for me to not fall when I do the little jumps on the side of the slopes. Or, I'll stop kidding myself, it's a pretty big accomplishment to NOT fall when getting of the lift. Shaun White is just Awesome yo.
By the way, I do realize how bipolar this post is.
This weekend, my BFFFF Erin (and her wonderful boyfriend) became homeowners. They now both have full-time big-kid jobs, they got a dog together, and own a home. Oh, and she bought a brand new car. She is officially an adult.
Also this weekend, my (Biffer) Jess told me about the list she just recieved with the locations where she might be stationed very soon. Within the next few months, she will graduate from Intel school and officially be stationed as part of US Air Force. (She falls within the category of 'changing the world'). I hope she already knows how proud I am of her.
So, my friends are moving on with their lives and becoming adults. It's natural at our age (not teenagers yet young enough to still need to get partying out of our system) for people to be scattering all over the place, trying new things, all that jazz. I'm guilty of it too for leaving 'home' to go to grad school. But however good change may be, it is almost never fun nor easy while it is happening.
There's no intelligent conclusion to this post, because I think most people know what I'm talking about. It is difficult to put into words how I can simultaneously be happy with my own life, yet jealous of others lives. Change is natural, people come into your life to affect it in different ways, people change, and thankfully, a few precious things never change.
In other news:
If you don't already, you should check out my friend Cari's blog on social responsibility, because it is a really interesting read.
If you know me, you know that I love the Olympics. Mainly my love is focused on the summer Olympics, but the winter olympics can me a little bit excited as well. So anyway, long story short: Denmark hardly ever has any medal chances at the winter Olympics, EXCEPT in curling. The other day I was watching the men's team play a game against Norway, and the only thing I could focus on were the ridiculous pants the Norwegians were wearing. Seriously? My favorite part is how the rest of the world took notice too.
Speaking of the olympics, how awesomely badass is Shaun White and his Double McTwist? Now, I'm a snowboarder, just not one of the very adventurous ones. It's an accomplishment for me to not fall when I do the little jumps on the side of the slopes. Or, I'll stop kidding myself, it's a pretty big accomplishment to NOT fall when getting of the lift. Shaun White is just Awesome yo.
By the way, I do realize how bipolar this post is.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
on Valentines Day
I’m pretty sure that most people have ambivalent feelings about the whole concept of ‘Valentines Day.’
People in relationships love Valentines Day, look forward to it, celebrate it, and make all the single people feel even worse about themselves than they already did. At the same time, they might feel a lot of stress because of the pressure for the day to be as close to perfect as possible.
Single people tend to hate Valentines Day because it reminds them of everything they don’t have, and because it seems to be a societal expectation that you must be in love and in a relationship to be happy.
As someone who was happily and (mostly) voluntarily single for a long time, I’ll let you know that it is indeed possible to be happy without being in a relationship. It’s my personal belief that it is necessary to be happy on your own to also have the ability to be happy with someone else. ANYWAY, this year I am lucky enough to be celebrating Valentines Day as one-half of a couple. Looking back, I think this is actually the first time I will be celebrating Valentines Day A) in a relationship, B) with my significant other, and C) on the actual day. This is all pretty impressive considering Valentines Day is a very American holiday that has only recently been adopted by other countries.
As happy as I am to be able to celebrate Valentines Day with a special someone this year, I am also feeling a little sad and nostalgic. Why, you might ask? Well, because I’ve spent the last three Valentines days with my Brothelites, some of the people I love most in this world. With everyone being graduated and moving on with their lives, it means our tradition of Valentines Day Fondue has officially come to an end. The last three years we have celebrated Valentines Day as a group, with lots of delicious food and even more wine and champagne. As with everything else we did, we came as a group package deal. V-Day for us was always a happy mix of couples, singles, and everyone in between. Everyone was always welcome at the Brothel.
As with most things in life, all good things must come to an end. In this case, it is being replaced by something just as good. I’m just glad I can think back on Valentines Day at the Brothel with many fond memories.
I miss and love you guys <3
PS Happy Valentines Day!
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People in relationships love Valentines Day, look forward to it, celebrate it, and make all the single people feel even worse about themselves than they already did. At the same time, they might feel a lot of stress because of the pressure for the day to be as close to perfect as possible.
Single people tend to hate Valentines Day because it reminds them of everything they don’t have, and because it seems to be a societal expectation that you must be in love and in a relationship to be happy.
As someone who was happily and (mostly) voluntarily single for a long time, I’ll let you know that it is indeed possible to be happy without being in a relationship. It’s my personal belief that it is necessary to be happy on your own to also have the ability to be happy with someone else. ANYWAY, this year I am lucky enough to be celebrating Valentines Day as one-half of a couple. Looking back, I think this is actually the first time I will be celebrating Valentines Day A) in a relationship, B) with my significant other, and C) on the actual day. This is all pretty impressive considering Valentines Day is a very American holiday that has only recently been adopted by other countries.
As happy as I am to be able to celebrate Valentines Day with a special someone this year, I am also feeling a little sad and nostalgic. Why, you might ask? Well, because I’ve spent the last three Valentines days with my Brothelites, some of the people I love most in this world. With everyone being graduated and moving on with their lives, it means our tradition of Valentines Day Fondue has officially come to an end. The last three years we have celebrated Valentines Day as a group, with lots of delicious food and even more wine and champagne. As with everything else we did, we came as a group package deal. V-Day for us was always a happy mix of couples, singles, and everyone in between. Everyone was always welcome at the Brothel.
As with most things in life, all good things must come to an end. In this case, it is being replaced by something just as good. I’m just glad I can think back on Valentines Day at the Brothel with many fond memories.
Valentines Day 2007
(Christine, Sara, Katy, Derek)
Valentines Day 2009
(Gerdes, Shiela, Rachael, Monika, Jessica)
(Gerdes, Shiela, Rachael, Monika, Jessica)
I miss and love you guys <3
PS Happy Valentines Day!
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Friday, February 5, 2010
on 'me as a writer'?
This semester I am taking a (required) class called Strategic Text Production. The class meets once a week for 3 hours and will take a workshop format. I know this kind of class isn't for everyone, but I'm very excited about it. Each week we'll have a different topic and reading materials for that topic (I believe next week is pretty simply just called 'persuasive writing', but we also have one call 'the sales pitch'). In class we will then be given 1-3 assignments to write based on the readings and the topics. We will have to write actual Press Releases, employee newsletters, brochures, advertisements, etc. Personally, I'm just excited to actually get to produce things and put some of ALL that theory and schooling to some good use.
Since the first day of class is usually always full of 'fluff,' we were given a more creative writing assigment for this week, mostly, I think, as a way for us to get our creative juices flowing. We had to write an Autobiography of ourselves as a writer. Since I can't think of anything else to update my blog with, I'll just post it here. Enjoy =)
Since the first day of class is usually always full of 'fluff,' we were given a more creative writing assigment for this week, mostly, I think, as a way for us to get our creative juices flowing. We had to write an Autobiography of ourselves as a writer. Since I can't think of anything else to update my blog with, I'll just post it here. Enjoy =)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
on 2010!!
I still suck at blogging, and it doesn’t look like I’m getting much better at it.
So, forgive me readers, for I have procrastinated. It’s been over 2 months since I last blogged.
It’s not that I don’t have the time for it, it’s that I forget about it, I don’t have inspiration for it, and I just don’t always feel like doing it.
A lot has happened since November 11th, and I’m not even sure where to begin to recap it. I got through the end of the semester and then travelled across the pond to celebrate Christmas ‘at home.’ Thanksgiving passed with only a small bout of homesickness. I spent 3 absolutely wonderful weeks at home with my family and visiting friends. The time at home was way too short and I didn’t get to do everything I wanted (I never actually did get to eat Freddie Fries!) or see everyone I wanted to see. I came home to take and study for finals. Now I am finally on ‘real’ winter break, meaning there are no exams hanging over my head, and I just have to wait, and relax, until school starts up again next week. Something life changing happened: I was introduced to the very wonderful world of “How I Met Your Mother.”
(Speaking of which, the description of this show is that it is a love-story in reverse. How, exactly, is this in reverse? Everything is told in chronological order, except the narrator lives in the year 2030. The story started in the year 2005, and has now made it to 2010… it’s not in reverse, it’s just a normal story. I guess ‘love-story in reverse’ just sounds better?)
Despite being in a foreign country, I was lucky enough to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year (remember how Thanksgiving is an American holiday and other countries don’t do it, except Canada, but they do theirs in October?) The first time was on the actual day, and I had a small version of Thanksgiving dinner with some people from my kitchen. We made Turkey (a Turkey breast), mashed potatoes, corn, and green beans.
The second time I had invited a few of my girlfriends to dinner, and this time I went all out. Except for the turkey though, because making an entire turkey for 4 people is overdoing it just a little. Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole made entirely from scratch (they don’t have Campbell cream of mushroom soup so I had to make the soup from scratch as well). There was also Apple Pie and ice cream, and lots and lots of booze (I mean, we are Danish…)
In other news, my bike was stolen the day before I left to go home for Christmas. Who steals a crappy blue girl bike, honestly? So tomorrow I am going to a police auction to buy a new (old/previously stolen or lost) bike. Except it’s supposed to snow (again) which might make it hard to get there and back (I don’t own a car, I am dependent on public transportation, my bike, and my legs. It’s called walking). It’s been the coldest winter in something like 50 years, which actually makes this whole ‘not having a car’ thing a real drag. We haven’t had a day above 0 c (32 F) at all in 2010. It’s starting to get a little bit old for a person who generally only thrives in sunshine and warmth.
Until next time…… and hopefully it won’t be 2 months this time.
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So, forgive me readers, for I have procrastinated. It’s been over 2 months since I last blogged.
It’s not that I don’t have the time for it, it’s that I forget about it, I don’t have inspiration for it, and I just don’t always feel like doing it.
A lot has happened since November 11th, and I’m not even sure where to begin to recap it. I got through the end of the semester and then travelled across the pond to celebrate Christmas ‘at home.’ Thanksgiving passed with only a small bout of homesickness. I spent 3 absolutely wonderful weeks at home with my family and visiting friends. The time at home was way too short and I didn’t get to do everything I wanted (I never actually did get to eat Freddie Fries!) or see everyone I wanted to see. I came home to take and study for finals. Now I am finally on ‘real’ winter break, meaning there are no exams hanging over my head, and I just have to wait, and relax, until school starts up again next week. Something life changing happened: I was introduced to the very wonderful world of “How I Met Your Mother.”
(Speaking of which, the description of this show is that it is a love-story in reverse. How, exactly, is this in reverse? Everything is told in chronological order, except the narrator lives in the year 2030. The story started in the year 2005, and has now made it to 2010… it’s not in reverse, it’s just a normal story. I guess ‘love-story in reverse’ just sounds better?)
Despite being in a foreign country, I was lucky enough to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year (remember how Thanksgiving is an American holiday and other countries don’t do it, except Canada, but they do theirs in October?) The first time was on the actual day, and I had a small version of Thanksgiving dinner with some people from my kitchen. We made Turkey (a Turkey breast), mashed potatoes, corn, and green beans.
The second time I had invited a few of my girlfriends to dinner, and this time I went all out. Except for the turkey though, because making an entire turkey for 4 people is overdoing it just a little. Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole made entirely from scratch (they don’t have Campbell cream of mushroom soup so I had to make the soup from scratch as well). There was also Apple Pie and ice cream, and lots and lots of booze (I mean, we are Danish…)
In other news, my bike was stolen the day before I left to go home for Christmas. Who steals a crappy blue girl bike, honestly? So tomorrow I am going to a police auction to buy a new (old/previously stolen or lost) bike. Except it’s supposed to snow (again) which might make it hard to get there and back (I don’t own a car, I am dependent on public transportation, my bike, and my legs. It’s called walking). It’s been the coldest winter in something like 50 years, which actually makes this whole ‘not having a car’ thing a real drag. We haven’t had a day above 0 c (32 F) at all in 2010. It’s starting to get a little bit old for a person who generally only thrives in sunshine and warmth.
Until next time…… and hopefully it won’t be 2 months this time.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
On being a student
Like Erin, I fail at blogging. I’m sorry. Despite my whining about not having a life, I actually do some stuff some times.
Part of my life, a rather large part actually, is my current job as a student. Yes, I just called it my job, because that’s what it is. I am in the fortunate position of being paid to go to school, which is both awesome and frightening. It is awesome because it means that not only do I go to school for free, I also get a certain amount of money each month for living expenses. It is frightening because it brings a certain amount of responsibility to pass my classes, show up to lecture, and work hard on projects and assignments. It is also frightening because even though I get ‘free money’ every month, it is not nearly enough to live the kind of life I would like to live. It covers rent, food, my books, and a little bit of fun. So far, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to get by without a part time job, but it is also hard to see how I would find time to add a serious time commitment like a ‘real’ job. It is also really hard to save any money or put anything aside for fun/big stuff, such as travelling. I guess once again I can only conclude that this is why I’m going to school: I’m hoping that down the road I will be able to lead a more comfortable lifestyle.
Don’t take this as whining though. I am very well aware of how lucky I am and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to continue being a student. Despite the whole ‘not-having-money-eating-spaghetti-with-ketchup-by-the-end-of-the-month’ thing, being a student is really awesome. It is a lifestyle that is all its own and we can make it into whatever we want. I can party on the weekends and spend all day Sunday watching reruns of my favorite shows. Sometimes, I get to read about organizational theory into the middle of the night because I chose to hang out with friends the night before. I can go to Ikea during the day on a Wednesday because I don’t have classes, and I have every single Friday off to do with as I please. I can live for a very small amount of money in student housing, and enjoy the pleasures of sharing a kitchen with 14 other students. Life is good.
Can I just be a college kid forever? (Is this real life? Is this gonna last forever??)
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Part of my life, a rather large part actually, is my current job as a student. Yes, I just called it my job, because that’s what it is. I am in the fortunate position of being paid to go to school, which is both awesome and frightening. It is awesome because it means that not only do I go to school for free, I also get a certain amount of money each month for living expenses. It is frightening because it brings a certain amount of responsibility to pass my classes, show up to lecture, and work hard on projects and assignments. It is also frightening because even though I get ‘free money’ every month, it is not nearly enough to live the kind of life I would like to live. It covers rent, food, my books, and a little bit of fun. So far, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to get by without a part time job, but it is also hard to see how I would find time to add a serious time commitment like a ‘real’ job. It is also really hard to save any money or put anything aside for fun/big stuff, such as travelling. I guess once again I can only conclude that this is why I’m going to school: I’m hoping that down the road I will be able to lead a more comfortable lifestyle.
Don’t take this as whining though. I am very well aware of how lucky I am and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to continue being a student. Despite the whole ‘not-having-money-eating-spaghetti-with-ketchup-by-the-end-of-the-month’ thing, being a student is really awesome. It is a lifestyle that is all its own and we can make it into whatever we want. I can party on the weekends and spend all day Sunday watching reruns of my favorite shows. Sometimes, I get to read about organizational theory into the middle of the night because I chose to hang out with friends the night before. I can go to Ikea during the day on a Wednesday because I don’t have classes, and I have every single Friday off to do with as I please. I can live for a very small amount of money in student housing, and enjoy the pleasures of sharing a kitchen with 14 other students. Life is good.
Can I just be a college kid forever? (Is this real life? Is this gonna last forever??)
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