Old friends....

Today I hung out with one of the greatest people in the world... Nicole Bridge! We went to junior high and high school and played softball together! We share a common brain wave which we like to call ESPN, the N stands for Nicole and we partially mock the movie Mean Girls! We have the same sense of humor so we understand each others jokes and just laugh all the time.
We haven't seen each other in over a year! For the past 6 months she has been studying abroad in Amsterdam and totally loved it. Tonight we hung out and it was one of the greatest nights of the summer. We didn't even do anything but talk and caught up on life! You always know a true friend when you can pick up after years and talk like you never skipped a day.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

My family and I were able to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house yesterday! The building is simple in design yet elegant. One of my favorite features of this temple is the marble flooring throughout and the vibrant paintings of Christ and other stories from the scriptures.

I cannot wait for the day when I go through the temple, to be filled with the knowledge of this life and the hereafter! Sitting in the sealing room listening to a couples testimony about the importance of eternal families touched my heart and put my life into perspective. There is no other way that I want to be married except for time and all eternity!

Family Camping Trip

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Baseball games

Tonight I got to enjoy a beautiful evening at the baseball park. I love it! It was a good game, good company and good Action! (Action is a betting game)

Sleeping In

Last night 2:00 am just didn't seem that late. I wasn't really tired and I was blogging and digital scrapbooking. I had set my alarm at 7:30 to make it to work by 10:00. I turned off the lights and fell asleep instantly.

My mom came into my room at 10:30 and asked, "Are you supposed to work today? It's 10:30!" I flew out of bed and looked at the clock seeing it was 10:36. I frantically got ready and was out the door by 10:45! I was impressed with how good I looked for only 10 minutes and I walked into work at 11:00.

Approaching the studio it looked hectic. There were three appointments there, two viewing and ordering pictues and one waiting to go back. My awesome boss Melissa managed to help all of them at once calmly and collectively. I got into the studio and took a few pictures of a couple cute families.

After, I talked to my boss who just laughed and said not too worry. She said she was kind of worried because I am always ten minutes early and when she noticed I wasn't there she called me.

On the way home I stopped at my brother Jared's work to bring him some glasses and he treated me to Red Mango! It has turned out to be a great day!

Craftiness

So there is a little piece of me that loves art and crafts. It doesn't really matter what kind and if it's a good day then they turn out pretty good.
This summer I decided I wanted to repaint my room and in my mind I had this beautiful vision of how I wanted it. Now if any of you have tried to pick paint before it's not that easy. What you think you are looking at on this tiny little piece of paper and what actually goes on your walls are two completely different colors. So this worried me that my vision may crash and burn all because my color perception gets skewed.
Well after five days of looking over and finally decided on colors, 12 hours of taping, painting, taping and painting my bedroom turned out EXACTLY as I envisioned. So here it is... my vision that came to life!

My Room Before

The taped stripes which took almost 2 hours with my aging parents!

The beautifully envisioned stripes!

The finished product!

Summer Rain

There is nothing I love more than watching a dark gray cloud move in and cool down a warm July day! The smell of rain reaches me before the rain itself and I just sit on my front porch and wait for the beauty of summer as the storm moves in.
I love everything about the rain, the smell, the sight, the sounds and the feel of cool droplets on my warm skin. Standing in the middle of the yard with my arms stretched up and my head tilted back; watching the large drops fall to my face with some poking out my eyes!
The rain is magical and enlivens me! I can feel the thunder as it resonates through my body, and the lightening as it lights up the sky and quickly kisses everything in it's path!

Reunited Adventure

Lindsey Merie and I went on a hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon yesterday. We hiked the Broad Fork trail which is at the bottom of the 'S' turn in the canyon. The hike was moderate and had a great variety of both steep and flat parts and some very rocky parts.
This was our first real adventure we have had together since Summer 2007 in New York. It was so good to be back together enjoying the beautiful mountains which we both love.
We hiked for about two hours crossing the river on this cute little bridge and getting to what we thought was the top. But when we got to this flat/meadow area we noticed the trail kept going, so we did as well. We didn't want to stop because we were so curious to see where this trail led. Around 5:15 we thought we better turn around because it was getting late and we still had to hike down. We didn't make it to the top so we carved our names into two trees so that if we ever hike this trail again we will know exactly how far we went and then can keep going past it.
Linds and I have a goal to do one new hike a week and have many more adventures in store for each other!

Lost without my best friend

Two weeks ago my best friend of my entire life left for her mission! It is so hard not talking to her everyday and being able to tell her all my thoughts, feelings, questions, concerns and adventures. She has always meant so much to me and we have been so close for the past year especially, but I didn't realize how much I depended on her until now, when I can't talk to or see her. I know she is doing the right thing and I am so happy for her! I love her and miss her!

"Let's pack up and move to California"

Today was the first day of our TEAM OHANA road trip! Lerin, Alexa, Merv, Stacia and I are taking one last trip as college girl friends before Stacia leaves on her mission next Wednesday and Lerin leaves on her mission after she gets her call in three weeks!

We left from Salt Lake this afternoon at 3:30 and headed to St. George to spend the night at the twins house! The drive was really great and went by fast! We played a great game of 'My father went to Africa...' and he brought back some great animals!

Once in STG we went to visit Lexa at Harmon's where she works! On the way home we stopped at the adult playground which has some great toys and attractions that are big enough for us to play on. We got so dizzy we all left sick and having to pee!

When we got back, we all had fun and talked about/planned the rest of our trip! We decided that Merv, Stacia and I are going to gamble for our first time together in Vegas tomorrow so Lex gave us all some gambling money! We are sad the twins will miss this moment by a week but it's the last time we will be all together to do it!

Yard Work

There is nothing more satisfying then spending the afternoon working hard in the yard. I mean, you get to be outside enjoying the beautiful spring sun while working hard! Nothing is better! And the best part is at the end of the day you can sit down on the porch with an ice cold glass of ice water and look back at what you accomplished in the day!

An Evening of Firsts

This afternoon I returned to Logan for the first time since school got out and it is so great to be back! I came to Rachael's new apartment that is set up like a three story skyrise! It is this tall skinny cube apartment with three stories and five bedrooms. It is really cute and a great butt workout getting to her bedroom on the third floor!

This evening at 5:00 p.m. the first HOWL 2009 meeting took place! Rachael and I met the other chair Monica! I will definitely have to get used to working with her because she is kind of janky and has a tough-girl attitude! But between us three girls and Josh, we will have a great team! Monica is really good at design and entertainers while Rach work so well together on decorations and publicity! We have a great theme chosen and some great activities and decorations to go along with it! This will definitely be the best HOWL ever!

After the meeting we hung out at the Pike house with our dear friend Tyler Haws. We had a great time catching up on summer adventures! For dinner Rachael cooked some rockin' macaroni and cheese with real cheese melted in, which was a first for me and then we started watching Pride and Prejudice which I also have never seen! We didn't finish it but it was pretty good so far!

Life's True Joy

Bare feet run across the hardwood floor
two more pairs quickly follow!
Carefree laughter and a hurried rustle
fill the quiet kitchen.
Out the front door with shoes on
running, jumping, playing...

What I would do to go back to the years when nothing mattered and joy was found in every little thing in life! Everybody was a friend and age didn't matter! Unmatched outfits and dirty hands were always in fashion! Playing outside until the sunset was all that I had on my agenda and pajamas were the most relaxing thing on the planet!

Today, I spent my afternoon and eventing with six children whom I love so much. As I sat their and watched them interact with and entertain each other I thought back to how great those days were and how fast they went. Although, getting older is fun and adventurous I can never forget those great carefree years.

Job Hunting

You know, finding a job is not my favorite thing. I have never really had to apply for jobs before. I have always had a way of finding jobs without filling out applications and turning in resumes.

Now that I am 21, I guess it's time for me to face the reality of life. I just moved home from school on Saturday and have spent the last three mornings applying online and improving my resume.

I have applied to all the open positions I can find that would give me some experience with my major. Since that isn't really working out, I am going to start applying anywhere and everywhere. At this point, a job is a job and as long as I am being productive I will be happy.

It Was A Party!

Moving Out

Things between me and my roommates of the last two years are a little rough. I think the change to Utah State from Snow College has been rough on us and out chemistries don't mix as well up here in Cache Valley as they did in Sanpete County. Over Christmas break I made the decision to live with Petra next year, but I have not told my roommates yet. I am a little nervous because I don't know how they will take it. We are a family and we honestly do love each other but things aren't going as I would like them too. I know when i tell them they will get uptight and will be hurt, but it's nothing personal against them, it's more that I need to turn a new leaf and start something new.

Change!

So back in January I mentioned moving away from the roommates I have lived with for the past three years. This decision wasn't too hard initially because things weren't as good as they had been between the four of us. Once spring semester started we got along much better and I starting second guessing my decision of moving out. Finally, just last week, I decided that I am going to move out. Living with the same girls as I have for my whole college career is just too safe. I need a new adventure that will bring change in my life and also open up my social network. I am really excited for next year and I am going to start a great new chapter in my life.

End of Year Bash

End of Year Bash was last night and the turnout was absolutely fabulous! At noon we gave away free lunch along with a concert by Raining Jane. The girls put on a great show and we had about 1000 or so students attend.
After the concert the Balloon Prize Scavenger Hunt kicked off. There were 75 balloons around campus with a number in each one. Students started in the lounges and when we said go they all ran out to get a balloon, then brought it back, popped it and got a prize. Each balloon had a prize and many students were really satisfied. One of the goals chairing the event was to reward students and help them celebrate another year completed. I believe we met this goal by giving away so many great prizes to so many students.
Later that night, the semiannual break dancing competition, Bust-A-Groove took place. There were dance crews from all around who came with their best routines and moves. It started with a poppin' contest of six individuals. I was amazing at the talent that had come out that night. Those boys moved their bodies with great confidence, style and personality. Then a battle of 3 on 3 between five crews battled it out.
After, DJ Cameron put on an awesome dance party from 9-midnight. The dance was well attended and everybody was having a great time. In the middle, a light stand got nocked over by somebody and it came crashing down and cut a guys head open. It was bleeding pretty bad, but we got it under control and took him to the hospital.
All in all the day turned out to be one of the greatest day of the semester. This was the only the second year of End of Year Bash and it was a great improvement upon last year and we are excited to do if next year for the third time.

Prize Hunting

Over the past two days, Emma, Josh, Tyler, Leezanna, Rachael and I have been hunting for prizes for End of Year Bash. On Friday we are having a big event to celebrate the school year and we are going to reward students with some awesome prizes. We have over $500 in gift cards to various restaurants and then some great prizes such as digital camcorders, a digital camera, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, $125 gift certificates to the bookstore, hoodies, t-shirts, board games, a tent, ipod shuffles and movie tickets. Friday April 10th at 1:30 will be the greatest prize raffle that Utah State has ever seen!

Raising Mali

The Val R. Service Center at Utah State University as raised over $2000 for the middle school in Mali Africa. That has all been done in two days and we are hoping to raise over $3000 at the end of Service Week.

Service Week is Off to a Good Start

Service weeks theme is Rising to the Challenge and the main project is Mali Rising. Utah State is raising money to build a middle school is Mali, Africa. All the proceeds from the weeks events will go will go towards this cause.
Monday was a great day to start off the week. Starting with free breakfast in the TSC, students came and got involved in the USU vs. Weber blood battle and helped STAR and Storytellers with their orphanage service project. Monday night was $1 mini golf at the Willows miniature golf course and over $100 was raised for Mali rising!
I am excited for the rest of service week, it's going to be awesome!

Twitter

Last week my brother emailed me telling me to sign-up for Twitter. Once I signed up I was he told me to look him up and then follow his tweets. I didn't know what tweets were and I didn't even know the purpose of Twitter.
Once I signed up it was so simple that it was hard. I didn't know what to type and where to type it at. When really it's the easiest thing in the wold. It's a personal blog that can't be more than 150 characters long. On the home page it has a text box that asks 'What are you doing?' and that's it.
They say Twitter is great for networking but honestly I don't see how, but I continue to Twitter because it is fun and continues to waste my time while on the computer. Hopefully as I Twitter more and more I will discover this 'network' that it is intended for.

Being PR Director

I am so excited for the 2009-2010 school year. I was just appointed the PR director for the Val R. Christensen Service Center. This new position will give me a lot of hand on PR experience. I will be working with a great council that will do great things for the service center!

An Exciting Year to Come

Student leaders have just been elected and all other positions have been appointed! The new group of Student Government leaders is diverse, optimistic and excited for the upcoming schooling year. There will be a new dynamic on activities, service, budget and leadership in general and I think it is a good change. I am exciting for the year to come, for the new people who will be brought in to get involved and the new flow of ideas.

Best Spring Break Ever

This year I went to Galveston Texas with an amazing group of 15 other students to do hurricane relief. Our service projects included painting, clean-up, demolition, reconstruction and working with children. It was the most physically exhausting week of my life but as a group we never laughed so hard and had so much fun.

Our group didn't know everybody before we went but by the time we came home all of us had become the best of friends. We grew to love and appreciate each other for who we are and the talents we have to offer. Serving and working hard with people is the greatest way to really get to know them. I got to see how this group of students worked together in good times, bad times, easy times and hard times. These friendships didn't end with our flight home either. Now that we are all back in school and carrying on with our separate lives, we still contact each other and spend time with each other.

Service Photos

1.The warehouse demolition crew!
2.Some of the children we got to spend time with at Head Start in Galveston!
3.As part of reconstruction we had to install some insulation. These girls are the amazing Insulators!!!
4.The whole group after serving food at with the food bank and tearing down a warehouse!
5.Everything Sherri owned was in this garage. It wasn't even halfway full and she lost everything during the storm. We had to clean the garage to get rid of mold and throw away other damaged items.
6.We gutted this house one day to get rid of all the mold and bacteria that had grown from water damage. Sherri owns the house and had an amazing story and was so grateful for us to come help her!

Assignment 5

1.Change saturation

2.New layer

3.Desaturate

4.Erase background

5.Create text box and change font, color and size

Assigment 5

1.Change hue/saturation and brightness

2.New Layer

3.Change cyan saturation

4.Erase people so only water gets brighter

5.Click and drag spring break photo

6.Change contrast

7.Change opacity

PR field: Lesson 2

Marylee Sachs advises junior PR pros to speak up about their ideas and have strength in their convictions. "It's important to stretch yourself and go for it," Sachs said. "It's important to stretch yourself and go for it. Persistence pay off."

PR requires some tasks that may put you out of your comfort zone, but do what it takes to overcome those barriers. Sachs had a hard time with presenting and public speaking, so she became a teacher at Syracuse University in London. She said teaching in front of students every week helped her become comfortable with herself in front of people and also how to present in effective ways.

It is important to know yourself and you must trust your intuition. "Know your strengths, weaknesses and what ignites your passion," Sachs said. "If you have passion, you'll do your job better, enjoy it more and have more energy."

Why must we blog?

This semester I am required to blog for two of my classes and my question is, why? Blogging is not cool and it's kind of a waste of time. Why do I have to spend unnecessary time on the computer making up some bogus blog just to get my assignment done for class? It isn't productive and half of the time it doesn't even relate to my class! Blogging is not improving my educational experience and I am not learning anything new. My professors say a blog is creating an online footprint and when I apply for jobs it may give me an advantage. Honestly, I don't like how everything is online and digital. An employer should call me in their office to get to know me, meet me and honestly see who I am. I can post anything I want online and who knows if I make myself much cooler and more qualified online.

Photoshop Assignment

Group Projects

I have never done more group projects in my whole educational career than I have since I have come to Utah State University. Why do teachers make everything a group project. This creates an easier ride for some members in the group because the work is never distributed equally. Every group always has the one if not two slackers that don't do anything or next to nothing; yet they get the same grade as everybody else who worked twice as hard.

One might argue that it creates less work on each individual student, but I think it creates more stress. People aren't that dependable and don't always put the same amount of time or quality into their part. This just wastes more time formatting everything the same or editing it to be more detailed.

Online Resume

Check out my online resume
Online Resume

Stepping into the PR Field: Lesson 1

Ed Adler works for Time Warner in corporate communications and has been in the PR field for 20 years. When he thinks back to his first days working with public relations he recalls three major keys to success.

First is to build strong relationships at all levels of your organization and with the media. If you have a strong relationship with the people you work with then a trust will be built and confidence between coworkers will develop. Adler says, "You can't rely on one way of doing things." Personal ideas aren't always the best and sometimes we need to sit back and listen to and observe those around us.

Second is to stay current with media, industry and world changes. The way it has always been done may be going out style or becoming out-dated. There is always change in the world and as business leaders we must adapt to this change to cater to the current working generation. The biggest change I have noticed is the ways society goes about social networking and communication.
Third, Adler recommends to work hard and do everything you're asked. Along the road of life you will come across people who don't believe you can or will succeed. Adler said, “[You must} figure out why they thought that and how
to change it. You must keep proving yourself. There’s
not one way, one personality, or one skill set that succeeds.
Know who you are and what works for you.”

Facebook "Friends"!

I have my friends and I have my true friends. If you are my friend that means I have met you in person and we have shared a moment together while being in the same room at the same time. A true friend is somebody that I care enough about and that I am close enough to that I will add them to be my Facebook friends list. Not everybody will make the cut because I don't want everybody who ever knew me to be able to "Facebook stalk" me.

For those of you who don't know, Facebook Stalking is popular and everybody does it one point or another. It is when you go to ones Facebook page and you see what they are up to in life based on their photos, wall posts, personal information, etc.

I don't think having hundreds of friends on Facebook says how 'popular' or cool somebody is. If you do have hundreds of friends do you honestly know ALL of them? Have you had personal contact with ALL of them at some point or another in your life? Most of the time the answer to this question is no, not ALL of them. So in my opinion, why have "friends" that aren't really your friends?

Facebook is not a way to mark or display your social status in life, and it's not a contest to see who can have more friends than somebody else. Facebook can be a useful tool to stay in contact with friends and loved ones who you don't have the chance to see or talk to very often. It is fun to see what your friends did over the weekend or to see how cute their new boyfriend is! I enjoy Facebook and I check it often, but I won't add somebody just because I know of you, but only if I really know you!

College Life

Being a freshman in college is nerve racking, uncomfortable and different. You never know where to go, what to do or who to talk to. You kind of miss your parents but don't ever want to admit it because you are supposed to be this cool college kid who is on their own and independent.

As the college years come and go there is so much to be learned about life, yourself and others. College is the greatest phase in life because it's where you become yourself. You aren't living under your parents influence as much. You take what they have taught you and then decide what to to do with the knowledge given. Big decisions are made like what am I going to do for the rest of my life? Who am I going to marry? What kind of friends am I going to associate with?

I love college and the friends I have made, the memories I have created and the direction I have chosen for myself. I have branched out to so many new people and experiences and I have found new talents. I have created new dreams and ideals for life and I have learned out to stand on my own two feet with nobody else there to hold me up.

Take a risk! Be yourself! Do something different! Make new friends! Complete your bucket list! Try new foods! Experience a new culture! Step out of your comfort zone! Express yourself! Work hard so you can play harder!

Did an "American Hero" let us down?

As we all know Michael Phelps was caught this weekend smoking marijuana. Many beloved fans of all ages across the nation were upset with this picture. They were let down by their American Hero. Amongst all the great things Phelps has done I am really not surprised. He is a 23 year old kid who is not perfect. He is young and will live an adventurous and unexpected life. There isn't one athlete that we can really look forward to. Stars and athletes get caught with drugs or alcohol possession and consumption all the time and they get away with it. Phelps shouldn't be any different.

What Gives Google The Right?

Did you know that Google saves all search entries and terms? Whether you are logged in or not, Google compiles all search entries for individual people. At first I thought this is not a big deal, Google will never need this again. But in law-suits and political cases these documents are becoming more valuable. Attorneys can ask Google for past searches on any person at any time and use them in court.

I don't think Google and other search engines should have the right to save such documents. I can understand them wanting to know what searches are popular and maybe making a tally of them, but there is no need to save each term for every person that logs on and uses their website. It is an invasion of privacy.

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act was created in 1986 and has not been revamped or changed since. We live in a world of changing technology and communication is nothing to what it was 20 years ago, let alone 10 years ago. It is time that officials revise and update the act to better suit the needs of this modern technology-based society.

Being a Meeting and Event Planner

As a sophomore in college I held a leadership position that required me to plan all campus events and activities. Through that experience I created a desire and passion for event planning. I decided to major in public relations with a minor in parks and recreation to follow my new dream of becoming an event planner. I love serving the people around me by planning fun wholesome events where people can relax and escape the rountined life schedule. This brings me great satisfaction and joy because I enhance others life experience.

Event planning has become a growing profession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there were 51,000 event planners in the United States in 2006 with an expected 20 percent increase in the next ten years. Event planners may work for religious, civic, professional and other similar organizations, for hotels and accommodation companies, educational services, government or they can be self employed.

As of May 2006, the median annual earnings of meeting and convention planners were $42,180. The middle 50 percent earned between $32,840 and $55,040. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,880 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $70,950. In 2006 event planners in the business, professional, labor and political field had the greatest income at $45,850. Traveler accommodation planners earned the lowest at $38,270.

Event planners spend most of their time in an office but during a meeting or event they will be on-site at the convention center, hotel or location where the event is being held. Regular travel is expected while planners attend meetings or look at future facilities to hold meetings and events. The extent of travel depends on the agency or organization they work for.

Work hours can be long and irregular. Most of the time planners work more than 40 hours per week with increasing hours as the event gets closer. Hours are especially long during the event with possibilities of starting at 5:00 am and working until midnight. Often events run on or through the weekends.

I did some research on Monster.com and Hotjobs.yahoo.com and looked at positions available right now to find out what employers are looking. They need well organized and self-motivated people who can manage many projects and tasks. A positive attitude and strong motivation is needed in the fast-paced environment event planners are always surrounded by.

The number one thing employers were looking for was experience. So many different situations and problems arise at events and the best way to deal with a problem as the planner is by dealing with stress and being able to work with what you have.

I think event planning is the perfect profession for me because I have a lot of energy and like to move around. Event planning is a job where you’re always on the go and it will channel my energy into a positive and helpful way. I also love to socialize and work with new people. As an event planner I will have the opportunity and privilege to meet people with different background and life styles. Also I work well under stressful situations and am a good problem solver.

Healthcare Provider Cators to Customers

Humana is a health benefits provider based in Louisville, KY. and has created a marketing campaign that people of this generation will notice and pay attention to. They have turned to video games and facebook to educated and motivate consumers about their well-being.
Good health habits start young and to target facebook users and video gamers is a great way to get a lot of younger peoples attention. Humana has created health-initiative games and a facebook application to battle the bulge.
In a technological-based society, marketing and advertising needs to change. The common television commercials and news paper/magazine ads aren't getting the word out well enough. I really like what Humana has done by looking at their consumers habits and hobbies and then found a way to market their product in an appealing way.

Humana adds games to digital initiative

Consumer Blogs Change Market

At the beginning of the new year I was looking for a new cell phone so I got online to look at all the phones offered by my provider. There were a couple I really liked because of the features they offered and the way they looked. I have never really looked at ratings or blogs on a specific item before but as I was shopping this caught my eye because the phone I have now as so many issues with the battery, sim card and text messaging. I looked at the comments on the phone I liked most and every comment said the buttons broke in less than six months. I looked at the next phone I really liked and overall people said they really liked the phone and the only problem it had was that it needed to be charged almost every night.
These comments changed my purchasing decision and led me to a greater investment. It is great that I can listen to people who have learned through experience.
This article has a lot of facts about the changing marketplace and the effect of blogging. The concept of citizen journalism for consumers is great because they can give an unbiased opinion on a product. Retailers want to sell their product to the most people for the most money possible and so they never share the negatives features of the item. I am not trying to say consumer blogging is ruining sales in all cases. For example, the second phone I looked at had great reviews and everybody liked it, so it was promoting their phone and more people will probably buy over other options.

Blogs making a bigger impact at the point of purchase, study finds

Statesman Opinion Piece

The Fans at Utah State are questionable during basketball games. The Statesman was looking for two people with opposing opinions on the issue. I am a rare student to find in that I think our fans are out of control and need to change their cheers. This piece I wrote was published Monday January 12, 2009 in the UtahStatesman.

Utah State Basketball Fans Lack Class

“You suck, you suck, you suck…” is chanted by hundreds of USU student fans each basketball game as they try to tear down the opposing team. Talking to other students, I have heard everything from these chants are totally awesome to they are rude, yet funny.

When I attend Utah State Basketball games you will not find me standing in the heart of the student section and you will not hear me chanting any of these nasty cheers. This is not because I am not proud to be an Aggie or that I don’t support the basketball team, but it’s because I will not stoop to the low level of sportsmanship in which our fans seem to share.

Sportsmanship is a level of character for everybody involved in a game: athletes, coaches, officials and fans. The basketball team and coaches have good sportsmanship and represent Utah State University very well and I am sure they are a respected team in the league because they could put anybody up to a good challenge. But when somebody does not want to come to our campus because of the way our fans treat the other team, I think we have gone too far.

Have you ever thought that every cheer that is being chanted negatively towards the other team can be chanted right back at our own team at some point in the game? The cheers are hypocritical. Every time an Aggie shoots an air-ball I feel like yelling “air-ball, air-ball, air-ball.” Why undermine the other team when we are just as guilty? It’s not classy and students look like idiots.

Being on that court can be stressful and it wares on one mentally, physically and emotionally. All of you students who have been athletes at some point in life or another, think back to when you may have had a bad game. Weren’t you glad to hear your team and fans cheering you on and building you up, trying to send you the vibes of their energy and team spirit.

The USU basketball team is not perfect and definitely can use work in some areas. So as students why don’t we just put all of our energy into our own team? Who cares if the other team sucks, let’s not waste our breath. Let’s chant positive things to our own team and just leave the other team out of it.

Email Etiquette

Email has grown in popularity in the past few years and has now become one of the main forms of communication in society. In the beginning days of email people did it more for fun and were trying to get familiar with the new craze. But over the last few years as people have gotten familiar with email, it has become more professional and there are some rules of etiquette that people should follow. It gets annoying when people don't respond to your emails for a really long time because at that point you don't remember or don't care about what is being asked, or when you are trying to send a professional document and the people you are sending it to haven't updated their software for seven years and are using a program version that can't format the document. Yes that could be the senders fault because they should use a more common format, but isn't staying up to date professional too, especially in a technology-driven society?
Although there are many professional rules to email I think on a more personal level these rules can be set aside so that one may have fun while emailing. With friends and family use fun emoticons and your little acronyms such as lol so that you can portray a little more personality. Just remember there is a time and a place for everything and that definitely applies to email as well. Always think of who you are emailing and the significance of the person and issue being discussed.

Rookie

This is my first time blogging so I hope I can figure the whole thing out. I have never been much of a blogger because I see it more as a time consumer that isn't very productive. Life is more about the people you meet and the relationships you make, and my computer can't really love me any more or less so why spend unnecessary time with it. I guess I can be grateful for education that will force me to adapt to the modern blogging world.