Monday, 25 March, 2013
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Call for Submissions: Wander Magazine Wants “Travel Horror Stories” From YOU!

#DailyWings: “I am on the alert for the first signs of spring, to hear the chance note of some arriving bird, or the striped squirrel’s chirp, for his stores must be now nearly exhausted, or see the woodchuck venture out of his winter quarters.”
– Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Earlier today, we were greeted — as if “greet” is the right word — with a flurry of snow. On my way to class, the wind and snow almost knocked me over! Either North Carolina weather is being ridiculous or I need to start eating meat again. What is going on, y’all? I mean, it’s almost April.

Now that we’ve established the peculiarity of April snow, I wanted to share an awesome opportunity with you: Ever wanted to be published in a magazine? 

One of the best things about being a student at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism & Mass Communication is getting involved with various media projects in a professional news setting. This semester, I’m on the staff for Wander travel magazine, a JOMC 456 class project that has just released a call for submissions. My wonderful readers, if you have studied abroad (or currently are), spent a holiday somewhere exotic, conducted research in different parts of the world or engaged in other all-around cool things while traveling, this might interest you:
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Friday, 22 March, 2013
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In a Nutshell: My Week as a Vegetarian

#DailyWings: “It is better, I think, to grab at the stars than to sit flustered because you know you cannot reach them.” — R.A. Salvatore, Sojourn

I used to be one of those people who said they’d never go on any sort of diet because of how much they love food. Well, the latter still applies to me: I love to eat. (Who doesn’t? In the end, no matter how terrible your day is, pepperoni pizza and cookies and other comfort food will always be there for you.)

But since coming to college, I’ve developed a bad habit of eating junk like processed edibles, unhealthy snacks and fatty meals because of the convenience. And, let’s face it, junk food tastes pretty good. I was lucky enough to avoid gaining the “freshman 15,” but having a fast metabolism doesn’t necessarily equate to top-notch health, nor does it last. Earlier, it hit me that I’m going to be 21 years old in a couple months — well into adulthood — and, unfortunately, can’t eat whatever the hell I want anymore. 

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Friday, 08 March, 2013
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What Makes You a Writer

#DailyWings: ““We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.”-Thich Nhat Hanh

It’s been a while. With newspaper articles, magazine stories, research papers and midterm exams swinging at me like cherry bombs every few days, I’m beginning to understand how a juggler must feel. These days, I’m averaging four hours of sleep and barely have time to eat or take a mental breather. Occasionally, I’ll watch an episode of “My Mad Fat Diary” just to remind myself not to go, well, mad. 

I miss writing. To keep myself content, I have written some poetry. Short pieces, portholes for me to displace my strongest emotions.But I miss prose. I miss long-winded sentences that keep going and going until you aren’t quite sure how you got from Point A to Point B but you know you’re in a different place than you were before you started and it feels like a good thing.

It’s true that I crank out two to four stories every week for the town newspaper, and it’s been an incredible training experience so far. But last night, I cracked open my journal for the first time in a month. One month! I couldn’t believe that it had been that long since I actually sat down to write for myself without worrying about making the sentences perfect. I miss making mistakes and letting them be. I miss writing for the love of it.
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Monday, 04 February, 2013
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Celebrating My Three-Year Blogaversary, featuring Guest Poster Mia “Awesome” Hayson

#DailyWings: “Whatever you desire is already connected in some way to who you are and what you now have. Find that way, follow the connection.”
-Ralph Marston

I’m incredibly proud to announce that today is the blog’s official Three-Year Blogaversary! *cheer* To those of you who have been with me since the very beginning (yes, I know who you are), THANK YOU. And, of course, thanks to ALL of you for sticking with me, no matter how long! Your comments and encouragement always keep me going. It’s wonderful to know that there are people out there who identify with the things I write, that my musings and observations of daily life resonate. Isn’t a human connection, after all, one of the many things we constantly strive for?

As part of the celebration, I have the lovely Mia Hayson from My Literary Jam and Toast as a guest blogger. HOORAY! Mia is an incredible individual and never fails to make me smile/laugh/feel fuzzy. A writer from Scotland, Mia blogs about the art of writing, delicious novels, fun blogfests and the occasional zombie. Today, she will be talking about the fear of writing.

Let’s talk about gut-wrenching fear for a moment. The last time I was really scared out of my wits was when I watched “The Shining” (1980), a psychological horror movie based on the book by Stephen King, in my film analysis class. I hadn’t heard about it before, and our professor didn’t tell us that it was a scary movie (admittedly, I should have done the research beforehand).

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Monday, 21 January, 2013
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Observations of an Editorial Intern: A New Weekly Blog Series

#DailyWings: “I’m glad you’re getting a chance to bust your chops on the journalism block.” -an anonymous friend of mine

Introducing a new weekly post series on my blog: “Observations of an Editorial Intern” (as inspired by the CAFME Summer Intern Diaries)! This series focuses on my experiences of interning as a journalism student for a town publication. Any viewpoints expressed on my blog are not reflective of the publication I work for. 

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This isn’t reporting class, I thought at my new work station. This is the real thing.

The first day tends to be the most nerve-wrecking. You’re getting used to the work environment, the publication’s style, the pacing. It’s the one day when you really feel like an intern, because everything is so new. 

My “working girl” outfit

Friday was my first full work day at Chapel Hill Magazine’s THE WEEKLY, where I will be serving as an editorial intern for the spring semester. I report on local news and events, take photographs, conduct interviews for profiles, copy edit articles and anything else that needs to be taken care of.
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Monday, 14 January, 2013
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When Everything Good Happens

#DailyWings: “Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.” -Paulo Coelho

A person’s mood is like the waves of an ocean, a cosine graph. It fluctuates in a gradual manner. We all have our bad days, brought forth by a spilled coffee or perhaps traffic. And then there are great days, when everything seems to be falling right into place and we can’t help but smile at the good fortune this world has brought us. 

Lately I’ve been living on a high. Wonderful things have happened, left and right — an editorial internship at Chapel Hill Magazine’s THE WEEKLY, reunion with my closest friends, excellent fall semester grades, beautiful 70 degree weather, a position as Arts & Entertainment Editor for Blue & White magazine, inspiration for poetry, enjoyment of the masterpiece that is “The English Patient”. I can’t help but wonder how I have been able to deserve this good life. (Or rather the past two good months, at the very least!)

After weeks of straight studying for exams that never seem to end and pitching stories and tackling writer’s block, it’s incredible to see what has come out of it all. I feel like I’m moving forward. Then again, it could be that typing this all down will lead to a jinx. *crosses fingers*

To ponder over Paulo Coelho’s words: Last semester, it seemed like nothing was happening. Every day was just about the same, with minor changes such as in pizza toppings or class seating; I didn’t do much about it except keep going. Now that everything has happened all at once, what isnext for me?
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Thursday, 03 January, 2013
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Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Year In Review + Fourth Annual No-Kiss Blogfest

#DailyWings: “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art–write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” -Neil Gaiman

One of my main new year’s resolutions from 2012 was to meditate every day for a certain amount of time either somewhere on campus or at home, and I’m excited to say that, for the most part, I succeeded. There’s nothing better than lying on the grass in the campus arboretum, your vision cloaked by an entire blanket of blue sky, and letting your mind wander.

There are two ways for me to engage in meditation — one in which I try to rid my mind of all thoughts and cognition, and only allow sensations and feelings to take over the present moment. The other way is to simply not fight any of the thoughts that come to mind, but rather let them come as they “flow.” Both are helpful for me when I want to re-organize my mind (as if it were a sock drawer!), and both are good for long hours of travel.
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Thursday, 20 December, 2012
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Winter Break Productivity: It’s a Balancing Act

#DailyWings: “Other things awaited. It was good to be young and to know it for once. So much unfolding to do.” –The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

It’s been a week since I took my last final exam in social psychology and came home for the holidays. After reuniting with my family, receiving notice of my class grades and hanging Christmas stockings up by the fireplace, it feels like everything has fallen into place. Things are as they should be. I’ve taken the last couple of days to relax on my favorite couch at home with Mockingjay in one hand and a mug of hot chocolate in the other. Life is good.

And yet, there is a small tug in the back of my mind, reminding me that something’s not quite right. I have never been able to sit still for very long without getting antsy — especially if I’m not doing work. Leisure is wonderful, but winter break wouldn’t be the same without some productivity, too. Even as I immerse myself in the world of Panem, the thought of internships to apply for, blog posts to write and stories to pitch and always sucks me back into the real world.

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Sunday, 16 December, 2012
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To Families Affected by the Connecticut Shooting: You’re Not Alone

#DailyWings: “I know it feels like you have all these options and when you make a decision, you lose a world of possibilities. But the reality is, until you make a decision, you have nothing at all.” -Janet Finch

In light of recent events, I want to express my condolences to the families whose loved ones were killed in the Newtown elementary school shooting in Connecticut. When I first found out about what had happened, the news had spread all over social media. News outlets were reporting updates every couple of hours, and people all over the country were sharing similar reactions of grief, shock, horror. I didn’t — couldn’t — post anything about it because just the thought of the shooting made me feel sick. Robbing children of their futures isn’t just monstrous; it’s detestable, and can never be justified.
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Saturday, 15 December, 2012
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December Challenge: Countdown to Christmas

#DailyWings: “I thought I understood it, that I could grasp it. But I didn’t, not really. Only the smudgeness of it; the pink-slippered, all-containered, semi-precious eagerness of it. I didn’t realize it would sometimes be more than whole, that the wholeness was a rather luxurious idea. Because it’s the halves that halve you in half. I didn’t know, don’t know, about the in-between bits; the gory bits of you, and the gory bits of me.” –Like Crazy

Being done with finals is like breaking the surface of a very deep lake after having been underwater for much longer than your body can handle. And there you are, engulfing buckets of air and grasping desperately at nothing. Once you’re finally at peace with the waters again, you look around and realize you don’t know which direction to take next. You’re just glad you were able to swim to the top.

This is how I feel.

The weird thing about freedom is, after you get over the excitement of finally having time to do whatever the hell you want, there’s that moment when you really don’t know what to do first. Catch up on “Glee”? Bake cookies — and eat all of them just because it’s been days since you haven’t eaten anything not prepackaged? Write a blog post about being done with finals? Get back into reading that book you started three months ago?

Or maybe you’re like me, and you start writing a laundry list of all the things you’d like to do before the year is over and another begins (if the Mayans weren’t correct, that is). Let’s swap? Here’s mine: 

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