Update and Wokka Wokka Wokka

So the internship at LoudounExtra is going really well- things have changed a lot since I first started. My days are way more structured now, and I do a lot more for the website. I update the linked up in loudoun blog daily, update the you said it feature (which pulls a comment from a reader and puts it on our front page), and do pretty much whatever Meghan wants me to do. I coordinate the weekly entertainment feature that Sydney, the other intern, and I write. We're working on expanding it a little more every week- so it's pretty fun.

I did a pretty awesome package of stories for Fourth of July that involved a lot of google map making- it was great fun. Today the first story in our new Q&A series got posted- it's mine! I interviewed the very cool founder of the Loudoun County Skate Project and got some badass pictures of him skateboarding up on the website (view the evidence below- the picture quality here is crap though, so go look a the story on the site). I'm very proud. : )



So LE is going great. I love it there. I'm trying very hard to stay on through school (it's up to my bosses to see if they like the hours I can give them or not). I'm a little worried about overcommitting myself- I'm taking 5 classes in the fall that I don't really want to drop (the 4 journalism classes decide whether I can go to London in the spring on an intern abroad trip). I've got the August 1 rock harp gig (that I seriously need to practice for), and I just applied for another writing gig which would be blogging on a (at-least) weekly basis for a youth political blog run by UWire, Washingtonpost.com, and CBS.com. Even though it would make my life CRAZY if I got it, I really really want it- I have a ton of videography ideas I want to put into being.

-sigh- It's times like these that I remember something a senior (filled to the brim with activities) told me back when I was a sophomore in high school trying to write stories for the Pony Express. I asked him how he made all his activities fit in his schedule and he just looked at me- dead-serious- and said, you make the time for what's important to you and you make it work. (At least somethign along those lines. I'm pretty sure it was in a slightly less Tim Gunn-ish way) The sentiment, at least, has stuck with me all these years (thanks james aton, wherever you are).

You make the time for what's important to you. I have so many things important to me coming up for this fall. It's important that I take these classes so I can intern in London in the spring- It's important I take the history class because I absolutelypositivelyamdying to be in Mills Kelly's class of awesomeness. It's important that I'm active with Lutheran Campus Ministry so I fulfill my role as a peer minister and serve the youth in the ministry as best as I can. It's important that I stay on at Loudoun Extra so I continue to get money and get amazing experience and connections. It's important that I try for this political blog thing- even though I probably don't have the time- because it's such an amazing opportunity to get my work out there in a really amazing year for journalism that I can't possibly turn it down.

And it's important that I try to see my boyfriend and friends a little too or I'm going to go stark raving mad. It's happened before.

Mehh. part of me can't WAIT for the fall, and part of me wishes it was still a million miles away.

Oh well.

And now an homage to my love for all things pacman.


Wokka Wokka bitches.

G'night

<3-Rach

Internship Blues and Harp Girl

I want and need a freaking internship this summer and it's making me very upset that I haven't found one yet.

My resume looks really good for newspaper stuff- I have awesome clips- an awesome cover letter- what's going on? I don't know if it's because I'm too young or if because I tend to submit applications on the day they're due or what...but this is getting frustrating.

I have an interview tomorrow. ThankGodfinally. It's the first one I've gotten so far, I'm embarrassed to say. It's via phone- I don't really know the etiquette for that. I hope I do well.

If I don't get an internship the fall back plan is to take classes this summer and work at the restaurant to make lots of money. That wouldn't be bad, it's just not quite what I was hoping to do this summer (Aka build my resume).

I'm already looking for internships abroad for next spring. I really want to just spend a couple months in a foreign country working in the profession I love- I think it'd be fun, enlightening, and a great thing for resumes. I've contacted the LA Times about possibilities in their bureaus- they basically gave me a list of all their bureau chiefs and were like- "here, go talk to them- it's up to them if they take an intern or not." So I'm going down the list now- London's a no go because of issues in the bureau, I just contacted Rome, and I'm hoping to also talk to Buenos Aires, Bogota, Johannesburg, Tokyo, New Delhi, and maybe a few others. I'd love to be either in Europe somewhere (so I can travel and see everything around the country I'm staying in) or in South America, where I could polish my Spanish (a skill I really want to work on more). That would be so cool. I have an awesome former professor looking into an opportunity in the Netherlands for me...

I just really want this to work out- I want to start getting experience abroad so I can make this whole foreign correspondent dream a reality.

We'll see what happens.

In other news, I played harp and sang in the Vox Pop talent show today- I was nervous as hell but it went really well. (hey that rhymed!) The crowd really liked it- they kinda made me come back to do an encore. I was hideously embarrassed because I only had the one song prepared- I just played it over again. (I'm never going to make THAT mistake again. My teacher always told me to bring extra music just in case- now I know why!) I picked up a new nickname in the process I think, apparently people couldn't remember my name so on the voting ballots they just wrote some variation of "Harp Girl."

I think I'm okay with that. It was a great feeling- being up there performing. I love singing and I love music- especially rock and folky type stuff. I did it a lot in junior high, a bit in high school, and really haven't done anything with it in college until now. I've been wanting to get back into though- I get such a rush from being in front of people. Plus, who am I kidding? I'm the kid who not only rocks out in the car to music, but also harmonizes, plans duets, and choreographs stage movements, equipment, and costumes in my head. It's kinda sick honestly. I've just been held back until now because of my um, limited piano talents and nonexistent guitar skills (I did figure out how to play the guitar hook from Crazy Train though!)

But this whole experience has made me realize- maybe I can use my harp experience for more than just playing songs with the Orchestra and the occasional luncheon. Maybe I can harness that and use it to pretty much...rock out. The thought definitely appeals.

I love writing lyrics and melodies- anyone want to help me write harmonies and such and pull together some songs? (background music is my weak point) This could be very fun- and I've heard Vox Pop might be doing another show soon. : )

I also find it amusing that the new nickname, Harp Girl, has the same initials and set-up I gave myself when I started this blog- Hyperbole Girl. Hm.

Anyways. I should probably finish studying for my Spanish exam now.

Peace, kids.

Rach