I'm Engaged!!

My boyfriend, Will asked me to marry him this past Friday! I've been so busy since then that I haven't had time to write. I'm so excited!!! This means that I'll be planning a wedding for the next year. We think it will be on June 5, 2010. So here's the story:

Will works in Cincinnati right now and after work on Thursday he immediately started driving down to Alabama. Well, he told me that he was driving home to Michigan and then driving another hour past his parents house to where his sister lives to hang out with her for the night. So I had no idea that he was even coming to visit! I talked to him a couple of times that night and he was always in the car. I thought he was driving home after a long night out with his sister and I didn't hear from him again until 3am. "Mare' I'm sooo tired! I'm going to bed now." He was not in bed in Michigan however, but he was about to go to sleep at his friend's house where he used to live when he was in Alabama. 

Little did I know, he woke up in the morning, drove out to rural Alabama to my parents' house, gets lost on the way, and when he finally gets there has a two hour conversation with my dad. Ultimately my dad gives him his permission and tells him welcome to the family! He was soo nervous!

He drove back to Tuscaloosa to find me. My roommate had set it up with him so that I would be spending the day with her and he would know exactly where to find me. She took me to get my nails done, saying that she had a big date and wanted me to go with her. Then we went shopping at Plato's Closet to look for an outfit for her big date. While we are there, Will comes in to surprise me but he can't find us because we are in the dressing rooms. I happened to come out of the room once to see him walk by quickly with a grin on his face. It was surreal to me because I had no idea he was in town and since I never see him, I am always taunted by guys who look like him for a split second but aren't him. I was a little weirded out then brushed it off. But a minute later there was knocking on my door and when I opened it there he was looking adorable with that big grin!

He told me that I had to hurry because we had dinner reservations in an hour at Cypress Inn and they had made special arrangements just for him because he had driven so far. This restaurant in right by the river and he had asked me to be his girlfriend on the pier by the river almost 2 years before. We hurried to my apartment where I took the fastest shower of my life, threw on a dress and jewelry, touched up my makeup and was ready to go. When we got to Cypress Inn, we walked down to the river and the pier was flooded because it had rained the night before. Will got all upset and I was like "We don't have to go on the pier, its ok." He was thinking, "We have to go on the pier!" But we sat on a rock ledge by the river and looked at a scrapbook that I had made for him about our relationship. At the end I had written a note that said, "These are some of the best times of my life and the best is yet to come!" He asked me if I believed that and I said yes. Then he said, "Well, I do too and I have something for you!" He made me stand up and he got down on one knee and said, "Mary, will you marry me?" I was so happy and I cried so I could hardly see anything! I knew it was coming when he said he believed that too, but it all happened so fast that I could hardly believe it was happening. I was almost in denial that I had been lied to all week and I couldn't comprehend that he had talked to my dad. But it all made sense after that. It finally made sense why he was able to get special arrangements at the restaurant and why he didn't surprise me until late afternoon instead of showing up first thing in the morning.

I'm so excited for so many reasons. I get to go dress shopping. I get to have fun planning a wedding. I'm going to be a part of a new family and have sisters and an older brother, neither of which I had before. But most importantly, I get to spend my life with my best friend and my love. The weekend was so special and I am happy to say that I am marrying the man that I always dreamed of. 

dreams

Ever since I can remember, I thought that I could be an actress. It’s not something that I later pursued as my career, but I still have this dream. I learned to focus on an art-related career as that is my greatest talent, but I still want to be in a movie. I am one of those people that itches to be on stage and in the limelight. As a dancer and cheerleader in high school, I got to do that a lot. However there were not a lot of plays at my school so I only got to practice acting skills in 2 of them. One was a play that my 8th grade class wrote called “Elvis is Alive.” Since my English teacher was obsessed with Elvis, I played a Bachelorette in a game show with the same obsession. All of the bachelors were Elvis in his different life stages. Senior year, I was a Palace Designer for a modern Cinderella story called “If the Shoe Fits.” I don’t have a lot of experience, but every time I see a play or movie, I want to be in one.

I’m taking my first step to this goal now. I learned about a low-budget film that will be filmed nearby in Mississippi. It’s called Butterfly Rising. I don’t fit any of the demographics for the characters, as most of the roles call for actors that are either in their late 20s and older or black. Since I am neither, I was a little discouraged, but I may be able to be an extra. I just sent an email to find out more information! I usually would have left it alone since I don’t fit the part. However, I am determined to cross this one off my list and I’m going to take every opportunity I have to do so!

See more progress on: Be in a Movie

How to take a Ferguson Discovery class

"It was a great crash course on wedding planning and I learned some valuable information that I will be sure to use in planning my wedding or helping with others!"

How I did it: I finally decided that since I had been seeing fliers around campus advertising these classes, that I should just sign up for one. So I went to the Ferguson Center website, looked at the class offerings and picked one that looked interesting. It was only $5 so it was definitely affordable! I filled out the registration form online and all I had to do was show up at the time and place and pay when I walked in the door! It took two hours of my time, but I enjoyed myself and learned a lot. I'll be taking Yoga Basics next!

Lessons & tips: I have been wanting to take one of these classes since I was a freshman. I am a junior now. Take opportunities when you see them and don't wait as long as I did to take the steps to do it. Even if you have to go to a class or workshop by yourself, it is worth it!

Resources: Look on your local college or university student union website. They may have a hobby series like dance lessons, yoga, etc that you can take, even if you are not a student. If you go to the University of Alabama, go to ferguson.ua.edu and click on the Discovery Classes link. If you want ideas for a 2 hour crash course series, take a look at this website because they have some great offerings. 

It took me 2 days.

It made me happy!

See more progress on: take a Ferguson Discovery class

Life's an adventure...

I decided this last night. I think I want my blog to be called this so that I can write about my adventures from day to day. I don't always write about what I am doing since I also want to post projects that I am working on, so I'll just keep the title as is for now. 

Sometimes I get bored with what I am doing and I have to remind myself that life is interesting every step of the way. I am truly blessed with all of the opportunities and talents that I have been given and I need to remember that and stop focusing on the next big thing. I have great things happening to me here and now. Even if they are not great occurrences, at least it may be something that will make me laugh or teach me a life lesson.

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing" -Helen Keller

"We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character" -Henry David Thoreau

The first adventure that I want to record happened yesterday morning. It really started the night before, when I was driving back to school from home. It was dark and I was on a windy, hilly backroad. As a car was about to pass me from the opposite direction, I had a sudden feeling that something had run or flown across the road and sure enough, I felt a thump on the front of my car. I'm always terrified to think that I have killed an innocent creature and I hoped desperately that it was not a cat, because I love cats and it reminded me of my kitten, Sarah who my grandmother has been so gracious to take in since I can no longer keep her at my apartment. I also hoped that I  had not killed a sweet little bird and that it would not be stuck on the front of my car. When I got back to my apartment I took all of my stuff inside and didn't think any more about it.

When I woke the yesterday morning, I noticed that I had a picture message on my phone from my roommate - a picture of my car with something stuck on the grill. I walk outside and sure enough, from the second floor of my building I can see a wing sticking out. Poor bird, I feel so mean! I cannot believe I did not see this when I got out of the car! Since there were no gloves in my apartment, I had to wrap my hands in plastic grocery bags to get this bird off my car. Of course, it is stuck! It had dented a plastic piece on the front of my car and was stuck. 45 minutes later, with the help of a friend, we had taken the plastic piece off and disposed of the dead bird.

Sounds disgusting, but after the fact it was hilarious!

Welcome to my life's adventures!

The Future of Internet and Music

Internet is affecting media more and more every year, as consumers start to progress toward using the internet for everything. We already use the internet to download music and movies, but I see the future bringing more copyright rules about internet media use. When the world reaches the age in which we no longer have the need or the option to buy hard disks for music and movies, the recording companies and artists will want to do away completely with free downloading programs such as Limewire. Monthly subscription services could be offered, as well as pay per song, that programs such as iTunes already offer. There will be increasingly more legal battles over the ownership of music and more people will get in trouble for downloading free media. Of course, streaming radio will still be offered for free and cars may have internet radio instead of the regular and satellite radio that we have today.

My Job Search

The job search isn't easy. I've already applied to Victoria's Secret and Express, started an application to Gap and the new Paradise Beach Tanning. I'm hoping I can get that job at the tanning bed place, so I can get discounts on tanning. That would be sweet! I've applied at UNotes, so I can get money for the notes I take in class. They already e-mailed me because they are interested in my Geology notes. Gigi applied for a job at Southern Marketing Talent, and she's already been called to work an event for Venus razor company. So I think I'll definitely apply there! I'm now on the Graphic Design Team for the Promotions Department at 90.7 WVUA-FM, the University radio station. That's not a paying job though, but it does count for work experience, volunteer hours, and I can build up my portfolio!

I've learned some lessons from my and my friends' job search. I have learned that there are fake marketing companies that you just don't want to work for. They're not necessarily fake, they have legit websites, an office, and you will get paid; however, they are complete crap. They won't look good on your resume, and they sure won't give you very good work experience. I am desperate for a job. I need work experience and I need money to replenish my checking account from all my Christmas spendings and to pay for rent next fall. All around campus I've seen these flyers: "Work for Students!" and "Semester Break Work!" It sounded good to me, so I went to the website on the flier. Apparently the company is called Vector Marketing. I applied for the job, and by the way, the application wasn't that extensive. Immediately afterward, I recieved an email telling me to call and schedule an interview. I scheduled an interview and I was a little excited about maybe getting a job. I told my boyfriend, who is in the Business school and he said, "Mary, do not go to that interview! Nothing good can come out of working for that place; it's a scam!" I also heard that it is a door-to-door marketing job and I don't want to be doing that! So, long story short, I didn't go to that interview.

Just today, my friend Lori was talking about her job search and she applied for Strategic Metrics Inc., a company that I almost applied for as well! She actually went to an interview and she said it was so sketchy! It was a hole-in-the-wall place on 15th Street behind Central High School. She said it was like a sweat shop, with weird people who work all in one room, making phone calls, soliciting people. Basically, you would be one of those people who call your home during dinner time and get yelled at by your dad. Not a very pleasant job and it only pays $6.50 an hour.

The moral of the story: Be careful where you apply, and especially avoid Vector Marketing or SMI... that is, unless you want to be soliciting calls or doing door-to-door sales!

Henri Matisse "Notes of a Painter" - ARH 385 reading response

Henri Matisse wrote a lot about expression in his essay “Notes of a Painter.” He gave a detailed definition of his views of what expression should be. He says, “Expression for me, does not reside in passions glowing in a human face or manifested by violent movement. The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive: the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” When artists rely on expression as an outlet for passionate, strong feelings, the composition is not thought out, and the artist may look at the piece later and hate it. Matisse himself said that he would not hang his paintings on the wall if they were made in a moment of “fleeting sensation.” If he sporadically painted a picture when he was angry, he would not want to look at it once he became calm again. Matisse compares this type of painting to that of the Impressionist painters. When Matisse speaks of his earlier paintings, he says that with experience he learned that he should not stay with his first impressions, but keep working on a piece and re-work it as needed. This is something that sets him apart from the Impressionist painters, who go with their first impressions, making their paintings seem very vague. Matisse’s paintings show his state of mind, not just fleeting sensations.

Matisse also speaks of the importance of color, and compares his use of color to that of other painters. His use of color is more by instinct and the way his subjects make him feel. Other artists set store by color theory, which defines the ways that colors relate to one another and which ones look good together. A true artist knows what looks right without learning a theory. Matisse says, “my choice of color does not rest on scientific theory; it is based on observation, on sensitivity, on felt experiences.” Color theory limits what an artist can do with his art, and it should not be absolute. Matisse describes how covers a canvas with different colors according to what satisfied his eye. Each color that is placed on the canvas effects the other colors and changes one’s perception of them. “It is necessary that the various marks I use be balanced so that they do not destroy each other.” Matisse had a very firm grasp on his color use. He could put red, green, and yellow together without hurting his composition and destroying the colors. Matisse follows the classic Fauve tendency, attempting to free color from its role solely as a descriptive part of a painting, and using it to convey meaning instead.

Just as Matisse is so interested in expression and a free use of color, he also does not like to be limited to still life or landscape. He is interested in the human figure, which shows more life in its movement and lets him express his awe towards life. With the human figure, there are endless possibilities in portraying a model’s expressions, muscle tensions, and even the way he paints the composition. When painting a woman, he says that he can display her beauty and grace, then if he looks more closely and removes himself from the literal representation, he finds a whole new level of painting that may make the figure unrecognizable at first. Matisse stresses the importance of representing nature in his work, and mentions other artists who try to do so as well. As Rodin says, “Copy nature!” Nature is free, so why should painting be any different?