Book Review and Thoughts: The Happy Atheist

Though I have to burn the morning oil in about seven hours, I had to get this post out. I picked up this galley of a book called The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers. My internship boss happens to be a judge for this year's National Book Award, so he got the pleasure of receiving plenty of books from all over to be considered for nomination. This particular title caught my eye because I used to be an atheist, and I find their way of thinking fascinating in comparison to the Christian perspective. I also thought it would be a quick read, so what the hey.

So here is my review: I don't really like it. It's not written very well. There's lots of opinion and the same tired lines atheists like to throw around (yes, they are tired): the bible is a bunch of myths, Jesus was just a prophet, but he didn't really do anything for anyone, God doesn't exist, etc. I was looking forward to seeing what makes him a happy atheist and how he debunks theology and faith as a whole, and I was left with much to be desired. I checked out a few review of the book, and apparently the book is a culmination of blog posts. I have seen a good way and bad way of this culmination. The bad way was a book released earlier this year geared towards Christian women.

I didn't actually read the book, but I read some of the blog posts that were featured in the book, and figured there was no need to buy the book. If it appears in a library, I just might check it out to save money, but based on the blog posts, I might pass.

The good way is a book I am currently reading, Paris in Love by Eloisa James. She gave a heads up that the majority of the book were Facebook posts from when she was in Paris with her family for a year. Since she chronicled her time a smaller spurts and some of those spurts coincide with one another, the book flows rather well. Not to mention my fondness for Paris has increased all the more. Will have a review for the book as soon as I finish!

But I digress. The book served the basic purpose of challenging me and what I believe, but there was no proof of the delusion of millions of people seem to be living. The little blue galley is going straight back to school.

My thoughts: since Dr. Myers decided to omit any proof of God's nonexistence, I just figured he's this disgruntled biologist that is clinging to Darwinism for dear life and seriously take it to the grave. He mentions that critics have often said that he just doesn't understand, and unfortunately, I will have to agree. All he bashed were the culturally known Christians and specifically Catholics. What his beef with Catholicism is I have no clue.

Since I'm not Catholic, I cannot adequately defend the faith and all its doctrine. I just know Baptist in the simplest form. What struck me the most was the fact that he kept saying that people give into the lie that doing all this good will lead to paradise or heaven after death. That is the greatest misconception about Christianity. Come on, Dr. Myers. I thought you were smarter than that.

I would have for sure thought he knew indirect that only belief and faith in God through Jesus will connect humanity with God. Duh! That's what the entire bible comes to. Works are the outflow of that faith. People are always these do-gooders we like to think we are. We wanna cuss people out so they can feel are tiny moments of wrath towards their shortcomings, and it's very easy to ignore the poor, in America and abroad. We're not good, plain and simple, no matter we may aspire to be good people.

If I could ask Dr. Myers anything without him calling me some insane lunatic, I would ask him, "if we are all here by chance, then what's the point in being here in the first place?" One of the biggest questions I've pondered is what our purpose is here on Earth. If there is none, then we might as well just die and call it a day. What he calls freedom to do whatever you want is a silly lie we want to believe when in reality it's not satisfying to the level we expect.

Whether he wants to admit it or not, many people want something to believe in. We're just wired that way. They want purpose. They want to make sense of the world they live in. What he still fails to see is the fact that Christians don't live in a fantasy world. We want to be recognized for the stuff we do as much as the next person, but there's something deeper that motivates us to do what we do. Chance does not provide enough motivation to get rich and care for others. In fact, in the six years I've been a Christian, I've slowly but surely learned the good that comes from not just thinking about myself all the time. Thinking about and caring for others is extremely profound.

But that's my spiel. Please, do not go buy this book. It came out earlier this month, and unless you want to get your kicks at the expense of believers, then be my guest.

I shall return with a more positive post in the next few days and a special post for this coming Thursday!!!!! Stay tuned.

Drika

My Send Off to Mr. Zimmerman

If anyone watches Melissa Harris-Perry's show on MSNBC, you might be familiar with the letters that she does on the show in which she addresses someone or people for the week. I'm going to do something similar. This is my send off to George Zimmerman.

Dear George,

Congratulations on your recent acquittal. I can only imagine what the last 17 months have been like for you. You're out on a neighborhood post one night, and the next thing you know, you're on national news, being prosecuted by your state and looked down upon by many, but you made it, man.

Kudos to your defense team. They made the victim's loved ones feel super silly on the witness stand, but they proved you innocent. Your self-defense cost someone else's life, but hey, you're still alive. They were rather impressive. I bet you're thankful for your supporters too, the people that saw nothing wrong with defending yourself, while the now deceased was attacking you, and you feared for your life.

And to the people who think you're a cold monster, well, they just don't understand. They were up in arms for no reason while you were carrying on before your arrest. They waited for months to see if this lost child will get his "justice." They were just throwing the race card all over the place, and for what?

So now you get to go free. People are relieved and upset. Rallies have sprung up across the country, and trust me, they could care less about how you feel. You don't matter. Some want you dead. It won't bring back Trayvon, but that whole eye-for-an-eye concept doesn't sound too bad either. Most of the opposing side feel that you didn't need to get out of your car, that Trayvon didn't look suspicious at all. He just looked like a teen going home.

Thanks to you, people will feel uncomfortable letting their teenage sons out at night to go grab some snacks, in fear that some dude from another ethnicity will profile him and try to get into a fight. Thanks to you, people are heartbroken, and two parents have to look at their government and get the sense that they're saying "Trayvon caused his own death." Thanks to you, people are talking a little more about the racial divide that still stifles America today, and ignorance runs rampant. 

Enjoy your wife. She must sincerely love you. Enjoy the youth you still have intact. You could have faced life in the pen. Enjoy the "freedom" you now have, where no one has respect for you and will call you a cowardly murderer for the rest of your life.

Lastly, pray. Seek Jesus man. Whether you feel remorse or not, there is absolutely no excuse for killing another person. NONE. Talk to God. Form a relationship with Him. Wherever you are in life, He will meet you. People are extremely unforgiving, but God is not. Redemption is attainable. Cling to God and ask Him to help you move you forward...and keep you alive.

Sincerely,
Shondrika

*with the exception of the last paragraph, there are levels of sarcasm and cynicism throughout. Please do not take it too seriously. Just my thoughts.

BET Awards 2013

After a few years of doing other things in my life, I was finally able to watch the BET Awards again live in real time. The last year I saw it live was 2009, when BET had only a good four days to scramble together an adjusted program because Michael Jackson has passed away. Since that summer, I was doing a mission trip in Memphis in 2010, I was in France in 2011, and I just couldn't watch at home last summer. After seeing who was going to perform and who the host was, I was really looking forward to watching. As a teen, I used to watch every year as the awards show further developed and because THE awards show to watch for great black star power. In latter years, however, I've noticed a decline in the luster of the show, and it hasn't ever broken 15 years. But I digress. I shall share some of my favorite moments and what I hope would happen in preparation in future.

I really enjoyed Robin Thicke's performance featuring Pharrell and T.I. "Blurred Lines." It had a sexiness to it, and it never hurts to see artists I have a great respect for. I may not be a huge fan of Thicke, but he is one soulful guy, and I'm glad he was able to perform his big hit right now, made popular by Beats by Dre. Kendrick Lamar's performance was interesting, but I didn't pay too much mind until Erykah Badu appeared on the stage. Now, she doesn't provide vocals on the recorded track, but it was awesome having her bring a little more soul to the live performance. 

My absolute favorite performance was the tribute to Charlie Wilson. Like seriously. The awards show had become a cookout in the middle of the summer. How fitting. It's the end of June/beginning of July, and we were hearing some great live music, and I mean some feel-good music. Something young people can hear and dance around. What set Uncle Charlie apart from other Lifetime Achievement award recipients is the fact that he came back to the music scene and worked with the new generation of artists out. So not only do my peers know who he is, but our parents and grandparents maybe. That's incredible. He was able to perform hits from his days with Gap Band AND his music with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell and Justin Timberlake. Like what? People were not only on their feet, but singing, grooving, dancing, smiling, and that was just the people there. I was dancing and jumping around in my living room grooving to the music. Major kudos for BET for capturing that moment. This is what BET has been been known for: chronicling black star power in ways no other network/organization can do.

After seeing Mrs. Tamela Mann perform at Celebration of Gospel, I knew she had to sing again at BET Awards. No question about it. She let God sing through her, and you can't help but feel your spirit stirring when you hear her voice and her style of singing. Mind you, she is 47 years old, and she sounds better than some of these 30-something and 40-something singers that have been singing the same length of time (about 20 years). I'll tell you what, God makes known some of His chosen people through their gifts. There was a moment when the chorus was cut short and went straight to the bridge, and you can tell Tamela was caught off guard. She had sang through in past performances (if you ever heard "Take Me To the King" or seen the performances, then you know what I mean), so I was a little upset that whoever had set up the song that way. Nonetheless, she kept going and ab libbed until she got to a more comfortable spot in the song. Tamela was phenomenal, and her dress was fierce. For once, I didn't look to see if most people were going to be sitting down because it was a gospel song.

An additional portion of the awards that I liked was the opportunity that filmmakers took to announce future movies. Two programs will be on BET this week alone: Being Mary Jane, a BET original film starring Gabrielle Union, and a documentary titled Imagine a Future that will premiere on Tuesday and Friday, respectively. Also, the cast of The Best Man is reuniting for The Best Man Holiday, set to be released for the 2013 holiday season (!!!). An indie film is going to released later this month, Friutvale Station, and Think Like A Man Too will be released next year (they've been filming in Vegas this past spring). Add The Butler later this summer into the mix, and you have some black films to look forward to see. Not to see that these films are specifically aimed towards black audiences, but seeing black ensembles perform in a work of great depth is a rarity in this age...still. 

I was a little disappointed by Chris Tucker being so awkward. For wonderfully awkward, they could have just had Kevin Hart back. Some of the segways were a little off, so I'm not sure if they ran that writing by anyone. The show itself did indeed run smoothly, so that's good. Not to put down Nicki Minaj, but since I don't like her very much, it doesn't matter. Her award could have been presented earlier. This is her fourth straight best female hip hop award, and it's by default (yawn). I would have loved to see Kerry Washington receive her best actress award because she deserved it, with her crazy successful show Scandal and Django Unchained. 

There was also this island music set that they decided to do, and it was pretty awesome. I love being able to see how Africans are in the arts far beyond our American borders with reggae music, for starters. I wish we knew that was coming. I believe BET took to the "anything can happen" theme seriously, and it left people a little confused. A little lackluster in my opinion. I would have love that set to have been longer with a few more artists featured.

Overall, this was the best show in a while. I have thoughts of how it should be better next year, but it consists of featuring only people I know or featuring more categories other than music, because....black stars are doing way more than just music. They're lighting up our screens and trying to change the world one little bit at a time. Watching the awards literally showed me why I'm here in Boston doing what I'm doing, pursing publishing. I want to create something for my people with great quality and substance, something that can read and shared with friends and offering content that people can take and really think about but enjoy. I have big dreams and a vision in my head, and it is my hope and prayer that I can bring it into fruition.

That's my view and spiel on the BET Awards 2013. Until the next major awards show, I will hang up my critiquing hat.

Drika

When Faith Finds You

When I came up with the title of my blog, I was looking forward to sharing how my faith and how it's been progressing while in Boston. Somehow that hasn't happened. I tend to be really into the things around me, and there is a disconnect between what I see everyday and what I believe beyond all that. Well, let me tell you, God showed out this past week. I have grown to be a little smarter with what I share online, but this is God at work. I gotta let it out.

I had found myself in a situation with rent...and not being able to pay it all...for a few months. I was left with some choices to get myself caught up, but I wasn't taking them very seriously, and every now and then I would ask God what to do, but not really stick with it. I became focused with finding a job, and not any ol job. I wanted to at least like the place or something, and then apply and wait for them to call me back. When that wasn't working, I would have a random moment of asking God, "what the heck is going on? How am I here?" Guilt was creeping up at a faster rate, and I began to feel less deserving to even keep the blessing I was granted last year.

Then Sunday happened. I went to church like I usually do, and sometime later, someone I don't know super well offered to give me the amount that I owe. Past, present, and future all at once. I was so shocked that I couldn't cry like I thought I would have expected to do. A humongous burden was lifted from my shoulders, and I was not on my knees crying out to God constantly. 

Not only did God offer His abounding grace, but He put me in my place. I am nothing without my faith. I don't care what anyone says. God helps and directs in His own timing to His liking to whomever He pleases because He's God. Point blank period. Why? Because He loves us. He has a plan for each and every one of us, and there is reward for those that follow Him, and it's not a gold star. It's much more, and you get to experience them little by little while you're still on earth. 

Habakkuk 2:4 says "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.(emphasis added)" 

The bible talks time and time again about how a man that follow his own ways heads into utter destruction with himself, yet I for one keep my pride fully blown. It's a severe struggle that I have that shows sometimes at work, and school, and maybe at church a time or two. Time and time again God has sat me down and reminded me that I am a mere human. I only have so much power. God likes to come from way left field just to show Himself, and in the end He gets the glory. Nothing is more humbling.

I've been wondering what I can do moving forward, besides a few obvious things, including loosening my grip on controlling my life and putting that control to better use. I still feel guilt-ridden because I battled myself when it came to taking action. My calmness turned into nonchalance, and that's not cool. But the learning lesson from it all is what life is about, especially in my 20s. I have learned so much about life in the last 4 1/2 years it's not even funny.

All in all, praise God for sitting me down and taking over the situation. And if anyone who reads this was praying for me, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I barely give much thought to people praying for me, but I really needed it in this situation, and I see that those prayers were answered...loud and clear. Faith has found me again.

Drika

Paula Deen is Done For, Y'all

As if it was the Shot Heard Around the World all over again, some comments from Paula Deen have been released out into the world, and the world has had no problem tearing her up, so to speak, taking to social media and reacting to what she's said. What did she say, you ask?

Well, she said a few different things, but at the very root, she didn't hold African Americans in the most flattering light. Here are a few of the bombs:

• When asked if she has used the n-word, she responded with "why, of course," possibly nonchalantly, further stating that she was alive during segregation in the South, and it's been a very long time since she's used it.
• She mentioned for a small moment having the desire to have an antebellum-themed party at her restaurant or some similar place, accompanied with an all-black waitstaff, like slaves. Not sure if any black people would be invited to that shindig. 
• In an interview with The New York Times, she said a few odd things, saying a black man, Hollis, was as black as a blackboard, black folks were such an integral part of the South pre-Civil War, and they were like family. Turns out she is the great-granddaughter of a former slave owner who, at the end of the War, committed suicide because the loss of his son and his "labor" was too much change to bear.

While I wasn't quick to become offended and scream "racist!!!", I do believe this was poor taste of her to disclose her views in such a way. There are people that are rather sensitive to the race issue in this country, and you share thoughts of black people dressed as slaves at your dream party? Good luck finding volunteers for that venture, missy.

I think what bugs me about the party idea is the fact that being dressed as a slave is the most unflattering way to perceive an African American in this country, given the way that slaves were treated and subjected to be counted as not even a whole person just for their own personal gain. Slaves are not alive today, but we are the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren of slaves and former slaves that lived on this land. I personally would not pretend to be anybody's slave unless it was for an artistic depiction (play, film). Not for a party to appease nobody's southern friends. 

Since everything has been release, Food Network announced that they would no longer renew her contract at the end of the month, ending her time on TV. From a publisher's perspective, I see possibly a domino effect. TV was her main source, which lead to books, a magazine, and appearances in Food Network Magazine. I wonder if publishers will follow suit and cease pursuing her for book deals. She also has cookware sets (nice cookware mind you) out in various retailers. Will that merchandise be pulled?

A blogger I follow asked a really good question, though I didn't think too deeply about it at the time. She asked how the Neelys would feel about the statements. For those who do not know, Pat and Gina Neely launched their Food Network career after appearing on one of their shows. They may or may not have felt indebted to her for the success that they now have, but I can imagine some level of indignation and sadness over the situation. 

Paula did ask for forgiveness, though I didn't find it to be sincere. Nonetheless, the most people can do is forgive the woman. Her empire is about to crumble, and I doubt she will be able to bounce back like Martha Stewart. She's not as famous, and some people had already turned away from her when she revealed that she had diabetes. For the believers out there that may be as into the story as I am, let's just pray for her. People are prone to be extremely unforgiving, but the God I serve forgives all because of Jesus. Who knows? Maybe this experience can be an opportunity for her to hear the gospel if she hasn't heard it already.

To Ms. Deen, I hope this serves as a lesson to you. People are not surprised that you said a word or thought a certain way, but the lack of awareness of the times and sensitivity of others gave way for a poor choice of words. We all have moments like that, but knowing your story and what you were able to build, I feel bad because people will not see you the same way anymore. Sure, you will have supporters, but not like the past.

The person currently suing Paula for sexual harassment and racial discrimination may get a big payday soon. Ouch.

One last note. Some people are saying "shame on Food Network for letting Paula go" and such, but I think it was a valid decision that was made. They did not fire her on the spot; she has one last week with them and she will be done. You have to think about the network and how they may be thinking. The backlash for them keeping her may be greater then the criticism of letting her go. Maybe they don't tolerate such viewpoints being shared. She did represent the network, you know, and sometimes disassociation is the best move to make. I'm not sure if they would consider having her come back in the future, but for the times we live in, I think Food Network did what was best for them.

Rap & Religion: a tumblr post from Trip Lee

I just read a post from Trip Lee talking about how religion has been tossed around in rap song in more recent years. He spoke truth about the severity of what rappers are doing. It's not just music. They're not spitting lyrics for the heck of it. Here is the link if you would like to give it a read: http://tmblr.co/ZtVEfxncQnpQ

Book Review: The Devil Wears Prada

In my quest to find a good book to read, I stumbled upon Revenge Wears Prada, the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. I was immediately intrigued! I had seen the movie, but had not read the first book. My book publishing class kicked in and figured that if the sequel is being released, then the first book will be at the bookstore. Surely enough, it was, and I purchased with glee...okay, maybe a little disappointment. I bought it a day after Employee Appreciation Week at work, so my discount was back to normal, but I digress.

For those who are not familiar with the story, here's a quick run-through. Andrea Sachs somehow lands the job that "a million girls would die for": the assistant of the most powerful woman in publishing and fashion. Andy has her own dreams, but is willing to take this job for a year just to get ahead and later work at another publication. What Andy discovers is that her boss is super-no-nonsense, lacking compassion, and super demanding. Within the span of that year, she learns what it takes to make it and how much she is willing to sacrifice to appease her boss in any way possible.

I quite enjoyed the book. I was able to finish it within a week, which is a record for the past year. While reading, I thought of two people: myself and Mia. I want to eventually get into the world of publishing, more in particular the fashion magazine industry, but with the two degrees I'll have in the next year and a half, I feel I'll have to start from the bottom of a publishing house and work my way up for fear that I do not know enough about fashion to score a higher position fresh out of school. And Mia, as in Princess Mia from The Princess Diaries series, because Mia was awkward in some ways, but she had spunk and big dreams. The great irony of these two stories is the fact the Anne Hathaway played both Mia AND Andy. How fitting, huh?

Truth be told, I had thought about buying the book a year or two ago, but I read a review that turned me away. It was actually recommended in another book I have about making it in the fashion industry. Now that I have read it, I think I would have enjoyed it regardless, but now that I have done one year of graduate school in publishing and writing, I have a better understanding of the industry and experience. I highly recommend this book for any other ladies (or gents) that want a good laugh and some look into publishing (it is said that the story was influenced by the author's experience with Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue.)

$14.99 at Barnes and Noble, or less on Amazon, but go to a bookstore. Down with Amazon!

Note: this is my first book review. I usually fly through a book and move on, but I decided to finally share my thoughts on one.

The Inspiration for the Hip Hop Blog!

My Love for Hip Hop

If you know me, you know I love music, and not only that, but hip hop has a special place in my heart. Growing up, there was no more space for anything other than hip hop and R&B. That is the music of my people and my culture and my time. I mighty not have understood fully was the subject matter was, those songs carried so much.

Why am I talking about hip hop, you ask? I just saw this spoken word on YouTube in the wee hours of the night, and I was feeling it from beginning to end. I mean phenomenal. I caught most of the references the poet made, and that says a lot for me being the 24 year-old who was perceived to not be much in tune with her own culture. Oh no, I listened to it. I still remember my mama telling me time and time again to stop listening to that music. That never stopped me.

I know about the Sugar Hill Gang, KRS-One, Erik B & Rakim, NWA, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, Tupac AND Biggie, Missy and Lil Kim, and countless others. The genre has done so much in the last 30 or so years alone. Yet to me there is a decline.

For some odd reason, the content of the most popular songs today is very bland and rather vulgar. Either "you mess with me and you die" or "pop that, bust it wide open." I mean what is that? I am not a stripper, and you need to grow up before you decide to take someone's life over some altercation at the club.

I'm not quite sure why hip hop music has gone down this path. You could blame the artists themselves or the songwriters, the managers and record labels, or the audience for even accepting such crappy music. What happened to lyrics that made you think, not lyrics you wanna forgo for a good beat? The last I checked, songs are a form or poetry. I wouldn't put this stuff next to Keats or Shakespeare. Shoot, not even Dr. Suess's rhymes have more clout than the music today.

Most of the artists today are easy to forget. I feel that they want to be famous for some reason, not having a genuine passion for making music and sharing it with others. Are we past that age? I hope not. I'm not even 25 yet. I want to enjoy this music before I'm considered too old for it.


*I typed this out on my phone last night, so here it is!

Why I Write

Hello again! I am back in Boston from my illustrious trip to Houston. On my final flight, I decided to write a little. I couldn't get to my journal, so I typed on my iPhone. This is what I came up with, give or take some corrections.

I'm reading this book…

So I’m reading this book called Why We Write. It’s a compilation of 20 writers that are talking about their experiences as writers and essentially “why I write.” I really like the book so far. I’m about halfway through at the moment. I haven’t read this much in a long while, and I’m glad that I’ve kept at it, even while being at home and traveling all over the place. I may want to get into magazines, but these authors have some great wisdom that I can use for myself. It has me thinking about my own writing and whether or not it’s worth reading.

Do I even want an audience? I have come to learn that I do not have the desire to captivate an audience, but I can talk to big groups of people without getting stage freight. How can such a shy girl be able to project her voice and…dare I say it…socialize? I have developed a fondness for my regulars at work, and there’s quite a few of them. I like them more than some of my co-workers sometimes. But I digress.

Here’s a good question to ask myself: why do I write? Why do I write for school? Why do I write in my journals? Why did I write to my cousin Rodrick while he was incarcerated? Do I like writing more than I really think? Why have I run away from writing so much, for years on end even? Why do people find my major so fitting for me? Am I the last person to see what I am destined to do?

Well, I write for different reasons. I wrote my short stories growing up because I was inspired by an idea and other things around me. I just gathered it all together and formed a story in some way. I still feel some kind of way about my story from eighth grade. My middle school was having a digital book fair, and they were going to take submissions from students. I wrote this lengthy short story in a matter of eight days. I was crushed when my story was immediately shut down. At the time, some of the content I wrote was too mature for someone my age to be writing; I was 13. Nonetheless, I had been writing like a madwoman, and I couldn't do anything with my creation. I think it was at this moment that I wanted to do music more. I love music so much, and I understand it more than the average person. I was able to see that in college, but I also learned that you cannot pursue something you don’t have much practice in.

Sure, I performed here and there throughout school, but I was not dying to take piano lessons. Otherwise, I would have begged my mom to enroll me somewhere. Instead, I did more reading and writing than anything else. My reading was off the charts in middle and high school. I don’t remember so much in middle school, but I visited the library a lot and found all of the new non-fiction titles.

In high school I switched to fiction because I wanted a boyfriend, and that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. Writing for school assignments were always a drag to me. I just didn't want to do it. I would wait until the eleventh hour and then try to crank out something…or I would just not work on it and take the zero. I still feel that way in graduate school, thought I’m not as simplistic in my writing as I used to be.

In the last few months I've noticed something. I may not want to start writing anything, but once I get going, then things starts to flow out, and then it’s hard to stop. Sometime the outflow was too late for me to capture it all and form a paper worth reading. I have done a disservice to myself just because I don’t like writing papers. I have no writing method like the great authors of Why We Write. My writing just comes straight from my head either after too much has been stored inside or too much time has been wasted and I need to produce something in order to get a grade. I wish to stop this way of writing. I have a gift that I don’t even try to cultivate. Writing should be fun or some escape for me. I do like it. I communicate better in writing, I know.

This is why I am in graduate school. Sure, I may have learned how to be a better writer if I went straight into the workforce, but I doubt I would have totally appreciated the experience as much. I love my professors so much. I wish my work would show how much they are influencing me and opening my eyes to a world I have never known.

The Journey Back Home

I am in a writing mood, so I'll do another much shorter post. Tomorrow I will go back to Houston for a visit. I have a cousin graduating college (one of three this year), and I haven't set foot in Texas since last August. I am very excited to see everyone once again and spend a little time with friends and family. After the Boston Marathon bombings, the trip as a whole will be that much sweeter. Since I've just finished my first year of grad school, I'll treat this as a mini vacation of sorts. Ready or not Houston, here I come!

Start Spreading the News....

About six weeks ago now, I went on a very exciting trip to New York City! I have yet to get my life together, so now I am sharing the wonderful details of this trip. I hope you enjoy :)

It all started in December when an email was sent out to Emerson grad students about this program that they do every year: Graduate Experience New York. Students from three of the ten grad programs have the opportunity to visit major companies in their field in one day. Registration was $25, and we were basically on our own as far as travel, lodging and other expenses. At first I wasn't too interested because I wanted to see more details, but by January I decided to take a leap of faith and register. I had my travel arrangements made, booked a hotel that set a block for Emerson students, packed my bag, and was ready to go when I received an email saying the trip was cancelled. I was sad, but the trip was the second Friday in February, and if anyone remembers that far, a blizzard was coming to New England with a vengeance.

Nemo came and went, and the trip was rescheduled for Good Friday. Thankfully, no major storms were headed our way. I took the bus down with a fellow classmate and stayed with another classmate of ours. We made a Target run, bought ice cream, and watched Scandal in HD. 'Twas a great night.

Friday morning started off with a slightly rushed pace trying to get to the commuter rail. It was pretty neat being dressed up heading down to Manhattan. It was the dream of many, I would suppose. After some confusion with some MTA trains, we made it to our first company very close to on time. It was a miracle.

Our first company was Random House. They are THE book publisher in North America, and maybe even the world. Some of the biggest classics have been published by this company. We met in the Dr. Seuss room in their building, which says more than enough. RH was definitely ready for us, since they had a presentation for us and a panel of employees including two Emerson alums that were able to answer questions. I was very enamored by the world of books though I would like focus more on magazines. The first hour went by too quickly.

Off we went afterward to Hearst, the obscurely-shaped diamond like building in NYC's skyline. Architecturally, the Hearst building was very impressive. We were brought into a dimmed conference room, the natural light of the gorgeous sunny day breaking through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Waiting for us were two employees: one from Seventeen and another from Esquire. They told us about their positions and how they got to where they are today. Though it was nice to hear about all that, I would have rather heard some more about Hearst as a company itself, seeing as how they are celebrating 125 years of publishing magazines and such. The visit was nice nonetheless.

After a stop at Starbucks, a group of us walked south, passing Broadway, The Late Show studio, and MoMA along the way. Company number three was HarperCollins, my favorite of them all. We were welcomed to free books on the table and a digital welcome sign. I'm not sure I remember what was being said because I was so impressed by the free books. I did learn the Zondervan, a major Christian publisher, is part of the HC family. Good to know.

Last but not least was the company I was most anticipating: Conde Nast. Conde Nast publishes Vogue, GQ, and Vanity Fair, among other great publications. I could not wait to see what they would tell us. I was slightly discouraged to learn that they try to reach out to their interns when it comes to hiring. Kinda hard to accomplish when you're already a graduate student hoping to work for them one day. They were very hospitable, though. The host wanted to answer as much as possible while we were there; I think we were there for two hours instead of one.

Thirty minutes and muddling through Times Square later, all of the participating students came together for a reception with a few Emerson alums. There weren't too many doing publishing, but I met one woman: Georgette Pierre *waves hi if you see this*. She really talked to everyone and gave out some great advice for how to make the most of our time right now. We may be graduate school, but we also have the chance to work on personal projects. That's you get your name out in this business, and this is why I'm going to try my best to create more posts.

The night ended with a trip to Turntable, a restaurant a block away from the Empire State Building. Three words: Korean fried chicken. You should go try it. It will change your life.

Ever since my trip, I have thought more about moving there to pursue some publishing opportunities. Most of the companies I would like to work for are in the Big Apple, so we shall see. In the meantime, I look forward to visiting the city again as a tourist-like person.

Until words meet a screen again,
Drika

Establishing My Voice: Re-entering the Blogosphere

This blog post is an attempt to start writing again and have others read it. It's the only way to improve my love/hate relationship with writing. To celebrate this milestone, I will publish something I wrote and originally intended to post in January. I still think the idea holds true two months later. Enjoy.

January 22, 2013

Today I learned a very valuable lesson, and I learned it in two different ways. It was one of those things I was pondering about, and then later on I heard something about it, almost like a response to an unasked question.

In the earlier part of my day, I ran into an issue at work. I was hoping my shift was going to be covered by a kind soul, but my written plea on the bulletin board was virtually bypassed. I went into work to see what I could do in light of the conflict-- I was willing to work the hours surrounding my class-- but instead, I was reprimanded and asked why I didn't say anything sooner. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me to notify a manager in advance of the situation, that way they would have had ample time to help me out. Instead, I came off as a letdown. They were expecting me to be there for my late 8-hour shift, and to suddenly bring to their attention that I couldn't work was just not a good look. I felt horrible and was fearful of losing my job. The only relief I felt was in the fact that next week's schedule is relative to my class schedule. It was a very hard lesson to learn in speaking up and letting my voice be heard. My lesson: using my voice can really turn a situation around.

With my work debacle still on the brain, I headed to my first Tuesday night class of the semester: Book Publishing Overview. I primarily want to do magazines in the long run, but I am a bookworm first, so I was looking forward to it. I was pleasantly surprised! Sitting in class and intently listening to my professor made me think of the interests I have. I'm really getting into fashion now, but growing up, I loved puzzles and reading and building things with K'NEX. It was the building part of architecture that made me giddy. I love putting things together. I find joy in working with my hands, whether it’s with a crafty project or following a Paula Deen recipe.

We made introductions in class, and my professor talked to us about one thing he took out of it, a point of interest, you could say. For one girl, it was entering the editorial side of the magazine industry. He suggested she start a blog to establish her voice. The phrase jumped out at me, so I wrote it down for myself. I knew that I had a blog of my own that has been abandoned, and what better chance to re-enter the blogosphere than with this post?

For those who know me well, they know that I am a quiet individual at my core. Sure, I can be animated and opinionated, and maybe a little funny, but for the most part, I'm used to keeping my mouth shut. I'd like to say now, in retrospect, that was because I had no one to really talk to growing up, and the concept of being around people outside of school was extremely foreign. I oftentimes felt that I was tensely quiet at school, but when I got home, the true essence of myself would come out and relax in the comfort of my own home...with no one to really see it. I didn't really appreciate having a voice until college, when I met all kinds of people and developed new friendship. I was finally being heard by others, and people liked being around me. It was very an eye-opening and pleasant experience. Great college memories were made from it.

Unfortunately, I still struggle with establishing my voice. Since becoming a Christian, I have developed a level of transparency with other believers, but I still hold my tongue when I should really speak up. Today served as a reality check. I was shown the consequences of my lack of action, and it was hard to bear. I was even tongue-tied as I became flustered at work. The world is not going to be gracious to me if I continue to hold my tongue at the wrong time. If I want to be known for how I see myself, I must speak-- and write-- of what's going on in my world. It's the only way I can escape being inside of my head all of the time.

As an aspiring editor, I gain such valuable wisdom. I have a vision to share and a story to tell, so I must tell it. Otherwise, it will stay in my head, only to later vanish, and the world will never hear me. But I have a dream. My dream...is to be heard.

Drika