Vent Much?

Ahhhhh I want to be a copywriter! NOWWWWWWWW.

But I'm hesitant to submit my portfolio to agencies because of my Photoshop skills. Damn my photoshop skills. I've been working on them, and I possess pretty decent photoshop skills, but I'm no Jack Tinker.

Question: When applying to an ad agency does the AD in a copywriter's portfolio need to be as strong as the AD in an art director's portfolio?Or can their copy speak for itself?

Question: If so, then does the copy in an AD's portfolio need to be as strong as the copy in the copywriter's portfolio? Or is it their design skills that are mainly being critiqued?

I wish one could submit ads in a portfolio with copy only (headline, body copy if there is any, tag line etc). Then maybe a descriptor of what you envision for the picture. If this was true my portfolio would be done years ago! I've fully concepted a million products it seems, I just haven't gotten to the AD. Sometimes I've tried to ask other AD's I know if they want to take on the project but the one's I've tried to work with are often take forever and seldom finish anything fully. Maybe because I cannot pay any of them!

Timely Favors? Non-existent.

Insomnia?

I need to start going to bed earlier.

But. I don't want to start going to bed earlier.

My pillow is inviting.

But my new addiction to the show Weeds is stronger.

My bed is super warm and cozy!

However, job searching seems more important than sleep.

My king size mattress is fit for...a king?! haha

But I feel too lazy to leave my desk chair.

SIGH.

Raindrops or Snowflakes. I'd choose 1,456,201 x 10^23 snowflakes.

It's raining today.

I tried to catch a raindrop on my tongue. It didn't work. And if it did work unbeknownst to me, which seems quite likely, I could not feel it. I did not taste it either. But then again, it would just taste like all water wouldn't it? I mean water in general really has no taste to begin with. After all, they call "flavored water" flavored because the water has some added taste to it. Either way, whether I did or did not catch a raindrop on my tongue, it got me thinking about my childhood.

By definition a blizzard contains exactly 1,456,201 x 10^23 snowflakes. As a kid I only experienced one blizzard when I was in first grade. It was the same day I was supposed to travel to the state spelling bee. I was so busy whining about missing the spelling bee that I never took the time to go catch those 1,456,201 x 10^23 snowflakes on my tongue.
When I was young I remember attempting to catch snowflakes a lot more often than I strove to catch raindrops. My mom would often recite a poem of hers to me. The poem talked about how difficult it was to catch snowflakes, "sometimes I think I've caught a million, but I've only caught just one." It concluded with her wish have "a tongue 6 feet long." Snowflakes tend to fall a lot slower than raindrops. Perhaps this is because, from a Physics standpoint, there is less wind with rain. Whatever the reason for their different speeds when falling to the ground, both raindrops and snowflakes are difficult to catch. The satisfaction, however, that comes with catching a sly snowflake is unlike any other satisfaction in the world. So great I would actually consider giving up chocolate!

I remember riding a rollercoaster at Kings Island last summer. As the rollercoaster came to a stop, the guy behind me yelled "I would give up sex for that!" That statement got me thinking. For the rest of the summer, whenever I experienced something truly amazing, I would think I would give up ______ for that. It was so silly, but I kept thinking that way for awhile!
I would give up chocolate for snowflakes on my tongue. Which, in essence, is giving up chocolate for nothing more than ice which has condensed from water vapor ...and yet, the elation of catching a snowflake on my tongue would be worth it. But then the question arises whether catching a snowflake would lose it's joy if it became an easier task. I will ponder that later...

Right now I want to discuss the rain again. A few weeks ago it was pouring down rain much harder than today. On that rainy Monday I did not have my Woody the Woodpecker umbrella with me. I was umbrellaless. Sadly I watched cozy, dry students pass with their huge umbrellas, wishing one of them was a friend. I believe we all can identify with that feeling of longing. As a boy with an oversized umbrella passed, I finally decided to try to fulfill my need (note it was a need, not simply a desire) to stay dry.

I quickly picked up my pace as to catch up with the young man. As we walked side by side, I began commenting on his huge wetness repeller. He laughed and commented on how he loved it as well. "It even has a side wall to keep out the wind, see?" He remarked. "The umbrella could probably fit four people under it, couldn't it?" I asked quite coaxingly. "I bet it could! I've never tried" was his only response. At that point in the conversation it became clear to me that it did not matter how long I stood drenching in the rain next to that young man, he wasn't going to offer to share his umbrella with me.

I share this story because it reminds me of how often we could easily fulfill each other's need, but don't. The main problem, I believe, is our inability to recognize need. If perhaps we listened a little more, or opened our eyes to see the drenched, cold begging girl next to us, we would better be able to fulfill each other's needs. After all, how can we practice compassion if we are are not even aware of someone else's suffering?

It's raining today.
Who wants under my umbrella?

The Greatest Food Ever (besides those you can eat lying down)

Almonds are basically THE most nutricious snack ever.

I learned this freshman year in my Dance Orientation class when they brought in a nutritionist the LAST class before Thanksgiving break. That's right, you heard it....the day before Thanksgiving break.

Dance teachers have a way of subtling attempting to manipulate your life. No, they won't call you fat. They will, however, bring in a nutritionist before you are about to eat the most gloriously fattening meal of the year. Anyway, I finally bought almonds at the grocery store last week. Oddly enough, they are delicious. I expected them to be awful since they are good for you. And not only did I love the taste of the entire first can I gobbled down. I also loved the label that said studies show eating 1.5 ounces of almonds a day decreases your risk of heart disease. Just talking about them now I need one. *snacks*

Ok. I'm back. But I'm worried. What if this almond craving becomes as insatiable as my need for chocolate 12 weeks of the year?! Almonds sound so senior citizen, but really...they're delicious. I think they can be cloned too, or? I know this kid at my highschool science fair cloned carrots since they have DNA. Do almonds have DNA? I should know these things. I'm a college graduate and I still don't know what foods have DNA. Wow. Disappointing. Almost as disappointing as the time my neighbors played their Marilyn Manson music while I was trying to take a post-sunburn nap.

One sad thing about almonds though is they are not edible lying down. Few great foods however fit this category.

The "laying down while eating" category is definately my favorite. As a child my mom would always tell me the same thing every time she caught me laying down while eating. "Don't you know that's how Mamma Cass Elliot died?" ...as if I knew who Mamma Cass even was at five years old?!

Yogurt is edible lying down. Cream of Wheat. Mashed potatoes. Canned peaches. Mayonaise....Yes, some people eat mayonaise on its own! So gross, but still cool since it is part of the "laying down while eating" category. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat foods sitting up. I do it all the time! Truth is, however, I'm lazy. I much rather lay than sit. Be horizontal than vertical. Check out the lines on the ceiling rather than check out myself in the mirror that sits on the wall across from the kitchen table. I should move that.

Also almonds fit in your pocket. Lots of foods can, but rarely will they not get your pocket all crumbly-mumbly in the absense of a Zip-Lock bag. I could spill my almonds all over the carpet, but the carpet wouldn't be stained at all! I could leave them in the sun for hours...they would still taste as good. In fact, almonds could even, if necessary, shower with me and still be the same. Well, showering is a bit much...but still. You get my point. Or do you? Did I have a point? Well yes, to get you to go try some for yourself. I can't believe I waited since the Thanksgiving nutricionist talk of freshman year until now to finally buy them. What was I thinking? Oh that's right..I got an apartment. I eat what I want : )

Yes I'm a Girl...Gamer.

The above commercial for Toyota Tacoma is one of my favorites!

As a gamer (one who plays videogames on a consistent basis) I had quite a few laughs watching Toyota use the game WOW (World of Warcraft) to tell their target audience how powerful their truck is. I am part of that target audience. Surprisingly of the 8,000,000 people that play worldwide, women make up a over 30% of the players. In college the ribbons, flowers and bows I loved to wear in my hair, along with my usual dancer style, inclined people to have the first impression that I would never play video games. That, however, is FAR from the truth. Do not let my dress, gentle nature and high voice fool you! I am an agressive, gaming, sports loving, amazon!

Not all the games I play, however, are violent. WOW, Call of Duty and the old-school James Bond are really the only bloody type I enjoy. Usually I'm playing SIMS, Rollercoaster Tycoon or Head Rush.

Studies show women game more then men, but often don't play multi-player games. Why do we so love to keep to ourselves? I pondered this in bed for a while last night. At first I thought perhaps our sex is not as competitive as the male sex, but then my all girls highschool education full of bloody noses in gym class and bruises during recess told me otherwise. Then I began to think women may play solo type games because they use games as a form of relaxation (while men turn to gaming as a competition of man verses the computer)! I began looking around Google for an answer this morning when I found this statistic:

"According to a study released in October 2008 by the Consumer Electronics Association, 65 percent of women ages 25 to 34 report playing video games, compared to just 35 percent of men. The report cites casual gaming as the reason why the numbers for women are so large."

To understand this statistic one must first understand what "casual" gaming is. Basically it refers to games that are entertaining, but simple (i.e you would not have to read a manual before playing). In my experience, casual games usually involve less strategy and cheat codes! Like Roller Coaster Tycoon. I can spend hours building an amusement park without even caring to meet the game objective (ex "aquire 100,000 guests in your park within the year").

Casual gaming or not, the 65% of women gaming is astronomical compared to the 35% of men. This statistic so surprised me that I had to come blog about it immediately! In today's society the feminine ideal is definately changing from the stereotypical "baking, cleaning, housewife." Now I need to go investigate other things I believed as conventional truth.

Now what is the statistic for women verses men who watch sports...?

WHY YES, I sang in the shower

why yes.

what a weird phrase.

It would make more sense if we just said "Yes"

... why "Why Yes"?

I would discuss this more, but I rather leave my audience to their thoughts. Imposing my feelings surrounding "why yes"-ness could sway readers to a realm they are not prepared for (aka a discussion of the English language and all its pecularities).

Keepers of the Cookies Unite!

In 1987 a bright young college kid at Middlebury, named Robert Fulghum, said
"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.”

If this man was not 20 years my senior, I would most likely be his best friend. Not that a 23 year old young woman can't be best friends with a 40 year old man probably going through his mid-life crisis, but ...well I don't think I need to list the cons of such a relationship. Oh wait, my dance partner is 42 and we're close friends...we saw Cats together recently...HMm.

Moving on, or rather moving back...the topic is cookies with milk followed by a nap. Brilliance. Pure brilliance. After all, who decided in the first place that at the age of ten or so we no longer deserve a good cookie and nap? What evilness could imagine, and then proactively pursue, such a dim world?

Possible culprit: Models. But not all models avoid cookies! I know I tend to eat every sweet in sight. Another suspect: Workaholics. But this theory falls apart when considering that most workaholics would be too busy working to take time and put an end to cookies & naps. Most likely evil-doers: Santa or Cookie Monster. These two characters both know how great cookies and milk are. Also, due to their extremely free schedules, I'd bet a dollar that they both like to nap as well. Perhaps, in their extreme addictions, they sought to change the world. By ridding us of cookies and milk (followed by naps!) they would have more cookies for themselves. Greedy b@$$+@r#$!

Whoever changed the world from the blissful state of cookies and naps to 3pm traffic will not be held responsible. That's OK with me. What's important, however, is that a return to blissful normalcy be enacted as soon as possible.

By calling 1-NAP-AND-MILK you too can voice your concerns. Actually (like many things I say) I made up that number. Sometimes when I get bored with life I may up things. A psych once told me it's the writer inside of me. I usually follow my made-up stories by "not really" statements. This helps me believe my psych is right (instead of me simply feeling like a chronic liar).

Readers of this blog may be wondering, if everyone was napping at 3pm, won't some things fall apart? My answer is simply this: no. If everyone truly decides to nap, crime will cease...war will end...even world hunger will be solved with cookies, milk and naps! Only good could come of such a state.

But what of those who cannot nap? Those who lie there for hours straight, slowly losing the contentedness of their milk and cookies when sleep will not follow. Insomniacs will have the highest place in the nap hierarchy for they will be Protectors of the Dreamers. Guardians of the Night (or afternoon). Keepers of the Cookies. You get the idea ; )

And I'll have one snickerdoodle please.

Well, I really could contemplate this for hours...literally. Alas, the time for my own "nap" has come. It's 1am ... although I am a huge advocate for a nap at any hour of the day. Yes, I roll senior-citizen style and that's perfectly ok. Currently, I must walk away from this cookie/nap nonsense and, therefore, stop listening to background re-runs of Will & Grace, Friends or Sex & the City. Although Sarah Jessica Parker did just comment on cookies, so I will leave her cookie quote as a conclusion...

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand"

Fierce miss Parker...Fierce. ALMOST as fierce as Robert Fulghum.

LA LA LA LA LA: I Can't Hear You!

The voices in my head told me a few things today. One was not to wake up. I did.

I really should have listened to the voices because I spent most of this day extremely tired. I'm not sure why seeing as I experienced a blissful 9 hours of sleep last night (proof that God does indeed exist!). As I finally crawled...no seriously, I actually crawled I was so sore and lazy....to my bathroom the voices told me to roll over and sleep. Again, I ignored them.

I took a shower hotter than a peep in a microwave, put on lots of muscle rub and splashed my face with cold water, but the voices still beckoned me back to bed.

In an effort to overcome their desires, I put on makeup, did my hair in a unique up-do (lots of bobby pins!) and ate a big breakfast. As I opened the front door to see the neighborhood stray cat on my porch, the voices began to persist that I listen to them. I gave the cat some milk and went back to my couch to lay down for 15 more precious minutes before work.
Besides a director's rude comment on my hair "that hairstyle is...interesting" *sigh* rehearsal was managable.

The voices seemed to disappear, that is until I sat down again! I almost fell asleep while eating lunch and listening to an afternoon lecture. The voices called out things like:

"just close your eyelids, you can still hear the lecture"
and
"your bed is super warm and cozy. In fact you can even plug in your heating-pad when you get there!"
and
"when do you ever take a break?"
or
"you won't make it through your afternoon Jazz rehearsal"

It's now 12:22am and those voices are still talking. Don't they ever need a nap of their own?! Probably so, but seeing as their sleep most likely coincides with my sleep...well...it's going to be awhile. I have been working on creating a registry. Apparently wedding registries need a few items on them before the engagement party... unless you want to end up with a million Welcome Mats. It's not immediate, but I'd love to get it out of the way before the next show weekend. The voices don't want me to. But I can block them out better than I could block out my dad during a family meeting (and that's saying a lot!). I'm not sure if it's a naturally God given gift, or aquired talent, but either way...I can't hear those voices anymore...

well...almost.
.

Colors of The Heart

December danced with your wishful smile, white
The next month came the “I love you’s”

February freed a poetic side, pink
While March created a newborn fool

April answered with a reminiscent moment, red
As May overwhelmed with balloons

June trampled a tender heart, transparent
And Today simply beckons old ruins.

-Author: Marielle H. Perrault

(I just submitted this for a poetry contest : )

Talking with Another Generation

Dear Diary,
I spoke with my grandma the other day. I hadn’t seen her since July, but she is always the same. It’s amazing how much I can read her. I know her so well I could probably have a conversation with myself by simply predicting what her replies might be if she were indeed there. It would probably go something like this...

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Me: “Grandma, you smell so good,” ….
G: “Oh I guess, if you like the smell of decay.”
Me: “Whatever. Give me a hug”
G: “Careful, my sternal wires are all that’s holding me together”
Me: “Ok”
G: “Sit down. As usual you are never letting your body rest, constantly running around”
Me: “Actually this weekend I’ve had only one dance class and no homework”
G: “Still I bet you didn’t sleep much either way. Can’t you even let your mind rest. No, not there…floors are covered with staph and strep”

Me: “they look clean to me”
G: “Why don’t u go share a seat with your brother. Joey scoot over for her.”
(Joey picks me up)
G: “Put her down. You will give yourself a hernia before you’re 16”
Me: “Oh he’s fine gram, he lifts weights at the Y every other day”
G: “Joey, I thought you hurt your back in football”

(Joey replies saying the physical therapist approved him to play again)

G: “Well of course he signed off for you. He’s a sadist like half of the country. Why do you think we let our boys go to Iraq? Our country likes watching the young suffer”

Me: (laughing) “Sure… I bet that’s the reason why. I mean after all that’s why Michael Jackson is still living with open doors”

G: “Someday that woman is going to see what happens when the sh** hits the fan”

Me: “Grandma, can I use the phone?”

G: “Do whatever you want. If you have the mind like half of my kids you already made up your mind before even waiting for my answer so it doesn’t matter either way”

Me: “I’ll take that as a yes”

G: “Darling there’s some strawberry shortcake I got for you in the fridge”

Me: “Awesome. Let’s see (begins placing the food on plates)… you want some Gram?”

G: “No. no no. I’m completely full. I just had some toast.”

Me: “Ok”

G: “Alright, I guess so. Just a sliver for me though”

Me: (cutting the shortcake…) “I knew you’d give in. You can’t resist sweets, can you?”
(looks over to see that the grumpy grandma is fast asleep in her chair)

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So diary, I guess my conversation with both you and G (grandma) has come to an end. I’m so worn out and just need some rest. I guess she was right… I do need rest. She can have a mean way of saying things at time, but I know she loves me. She’s been through a lot in her life, I’d probably be the same pessimist she is when she gets tired. My friends all love her. She is such the social butterfly and most caring person I know. She worked at the blind school for years, raised 6 children basically on her own, grew up in the orphanage with her numerous siblings and went from foster home to foster home and yet still she has all this love to give. To the stranger looking on, you’d think I’m insane, but she really is so sweet.

I think it is valuable to speak with people from other generations. My grandma is very wise and her stories tell me about a time much different from today. I look up to her as a pillar of strength and knowledge in our family. Every conversation with her is a dear memory which I savor and hope never to forget.

Media Planning: Marrying Freud and Einstein

I don't think I'd make a great Media Planner. They are in charge of deciding which Media is best for the target audience. Because of this, planners must know how/when/why people use media while also staying ahead of the trends. It seems like the least likely fit for me...

Why?

Well, two years ago, I'd just gotten an ipod, learned how to burn a CD and "right click" with a Mac mouse. This may result from a few variables, such as:

1. I'm already constantly listening to music in the car or dance studio.

2. Two years ago I still owned a PC.

3. I choose to spend the little free time I have writing, decopaging and decorating minature

dollhouses.

Looks like I'm a bit behind the times in my media/technology use ...wouldn't you say?

Creating trends, simple. Taking on trends others have...somewhat harder for me. Maybe this is due to my leader mentality. I often find myself in positions of leadership: leading a conversation, a club, an event. I'm always the one making plans. Perhaps if I became a bit more of a follower I would keep up on media trends better? I'm not sure why I'm "behind the media times" exactly...but I am.

(This is not to say I haven't already gotten an ipad and iphone;)

The least interesting part of Media work seemed to be how they gain insight to the consumer. Research reports, media diaries? Don't get me wrong, I know very little about this part of the industry, but that sounds boring to me. I feel guilty bashing their job since I haven't "walked in their shoes." However, as my brain just asked me to share the "least interesting part" it's acceptable to include of morsel of bashing right? I'm just listening following my heart. Errr...brain!

On that note, I am also not that into "analyzing data and entering it into spreadsheets." I know this is the lifeblood of the industry, however I rather not be part of this vital task. I once worked doing research as an advertising intern at Conrad Phillips Vutech. There I looked at the top ten children's hospitals nationwide. Lots of statistics and spreadsheets. Let's just say it was not my favorite cubicle.

Speaking of cubicles.... ahhhhh! How is one supposed to accomplish work in such an environment?! Ok. Calm Down Marielle. You can rant about that later. Back to Media.

Since I have talked endlessly about what I don't like, let me mention what I do like about Media. I like that Media Planners take the creative concept and marry data with psychographic information. That's so cool that they do that! It sounds difficult but also quite intriguing. I imagine it to be like disecting Einstein and Freud's brains and joining them together into one MASTER BRAIN!

Sorry about the caps. I got excited.

Anyway, the Media people are pretty hip. I'm just not an ahead of the times techie who loves data. I used to be in middle school. I was obsessed with computers back in the day. Wanted to be an engineer. Go to MIT.... Things change.

Often for the better : )

think. speak. think again.

A friend of mine had her bible stolen. What a thing to have stolen from you! She didn't know if she should feel angry it was taken or joyous that it is now in someone's hands who obviously needed it. The idea of sinning to become sinless went through my head. I can't think of many other examples where a sin (like theft) could actually help you become sinless. hm.

Besides this perplexity, I have also been thinking about the idea of losing to become a winner. The idea came up when I was playing my 11 year old cousin in checkers. The first game we played I let her win (hoping to build her self-confidence). I barely tried, and acted quite surprised when her piece would take mine on the board. Appearently she is too old not to notice. The next round she emulated me and began letting me win. At one point I said "are you going easy on me?" She bluffed that she wasn't and I won the game. The fact that my cousin and I both felt like winners when we let ourselves lose was a bizarre concept. Maybe when we practice self-less acts in life we are doing it for our own self-esteem. Self-less for self-esteem. Wow, I need to move on...

And yes, by the way, I did spell it "losing" and not "loosing." These two spellings are commonly "mispelled" (as is the word misspelled). The first, spelled losing, means "suffering a loss" and rhymes with oozing. The second, spelled loosing, means "to make loose" and rhymes with goosing. Yes, I may just be one of those English language freaks who feels angered when the TV news reporter says "We will return momentarily." As an English teacher of mine once pointed out, for anyone to accomplish this assurance they would have to leave and then come back for a moment and then leave again. That could make CNN so much more amusing :D

In conclusion, whether we are sinning to become sinless or losing 5 pounds so our pants will become loose,WORDS should be thought of before they're spoken out & WORDS can really make you think.

The moral of the long drawn out blog post (that may have just turned from rambling into having an actual point) is simply: THINK. SPEAK. THINK AGAIN.

hello. goodbye

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oh yes, I wanted to discuss what type of learner I am (according to Multiple Intelligences). As a dancer many would most likely think that bodily/kinestetic learning is my preferred mode of problem solving. Nevertheless, I tend to love linguistic problem solving and interpersonal understanding. As you can tell from the previous discussion in this entry about "Thinking and Speaking and Thinking again," ... I LOVE words! Moreover, I LOVE people : ) I am always acting as a leader and bridger in group situations.