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.