post game wrap up

"Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost." - Martina Navratilova

As finals approach and the semester draws to a close, many college students can't help but wonder how time passed so quickly, and I am no different. Over the course of the last two semesters, a lot has occurred, and being the competitive personality that I am, I have definitely kept score. So how will my junior year be marked down in this chapter of my life, as a victory or defeat? I've never worked harder in my life on anything before this year, whether it be academics, athletics, or relationships. All three have been incredibly tumultuous as well as taxing in their own right.

Classes this year have been harder than ever. Statistics quickly became the bane of my existence; the combination of numbers, letters, hypotheses, and graphs at often times seems like an entire other language to me. Yet, I also took the most rewarding course in my entire academic history. For those of you attending IU, journalism majors or otherwise, I recommend J349, Public Relations writing, with Jim Parham. Beyond merely a writing class, Jim restored my confidence in my writing as well as expanded my repertoire of types of pieces I was capable of producing, from speeches to emulation pieces to crisis plans. A lot of my work from that class is showcased on this blog. In fact, I doubt I would have even written this blog if not for this class. A man who has met many people and done a lot of admirable things throughout his life as well as the current COO of Hirons, a major PR agency, Jim showed me so many different facets of the PR industry. He also was unafraid to constructively criticize and give our class the kick in the ass we needed to bring out the best in ourselves and reflect it in our writing. Thanks to him, I not only have a portfolio I am proud of to show potential employers, but also the confidence to believe that I have the skills & talent to achieve the job of my dreams.

However, not all dreams came to fruition this year. I did not ride in the Little 500 race, as I had been planning since last year. However, cycling has played a major role in my life in the last year, especially when it comes to dealing with stress, so I am definitely not giving it up. In fact, I have begun training to be a triathlete. The cross training will definitely help me not only stay in shape but become a better athlete in all three sports. It will also give me a great outlet for extra energy as well as a way to deal with any anxiety.

As for relationships...I'm not sure where to start. I thought I had it all in August, and quickly the relationships with those I loved deteriorated. At one point last semester, I was unable to carry on a conversation with anyone close to me without arguing. Following an admittedly messy breakup with a questionable boyfriend, I decided to reevaluate and reprioritize. Since then, I have become much closer with my parents & brother. Home in Indianapolis has become more than a place for me to run away to when the going gets tough in Bloomington. I love and appreciate my family for giving me the time to work out what I needed to and a second chance to show them that I do care about them very much. New friendships have been formed back on campus, and I am thankful and blessed to have the wonderful people I now surround myself with.

It's exhausting to try to recall all of my memories from over the last school year. I am not really sure whether I laughed more or cried more. I don't know how exactly many quizzes I failed or tests I passed, friends I made or friends I lost, personal records I broke or times I could not beat. But really? I can't argue with the results. Any way you add up my triumphs & tragedies from the last few months, you get winning results: lessons learned, new goals to strive for, and being lucky enough to have the most amazing people in the world to celebrate future victories with.

mock pitch letter assignment

Megan Brown
meb2@umail.iu.edu
317.xxx.xxx
Special to: Sarah Bloom, Indiana Daily Student

Sarah,

I recently read your article in the Indiana Daily Student regarding Gov. Mitch Daniels’ plans for a highway infrastructure stimulus project. I thought you might be interested in attending the Annual Governor’s Luncheon on Thursday, March 26, where Daniels will speak about this project as well as other issues important to IU students.

The luncheon will take place at the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center and will be from noon to 1:30 pm. General admission tickets are $45, and chamber members’ tickets are $35. Registration opens March 26 at 11:30 a.m. Questions are reserved for chamber members only, however there will be an opportunity for photographs of the governor before he speaks.

Daniels will be addressing topics ranging from new changes at IU in both the athletic department as well as the university budget to construction projects on campus as well as throughout Indiana. He will also be discussing recent education issues, such as department funding and the opening of new departments.

I strongly encourage you to cover and attend this event; Daniels will be addressing issues that the IDS and IU student body is concerned with daily.

To reserve your ticket, you may call the Chamber at: 812.336.6381.

I look forward to speaking with you further! Please contact me on my cell phone (317.xxx.xxxx) or e-mail me at meb2@umail.iu.edu to further discuss this notable and informational event.

Sincerely,


Megan Brown

obama healthcare speech

Another great assignment we had was to write a speech for Obama on healthcare: limit 400 words, had to be in the style of previous speeches on the same topic. Enjoy...It's in speech style, therefore all caps, sorry.

FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOR INVITING ME TO COME SPEAK TODAY ON A TOPIC CLOSE TO MY HEART. THE UNITED STATES IS CURRENTLY IN A PERIOD OF ECONOMIC REAWAKENING. WHILE WE ARE REVIVING THE ECONOMY, WE MUST ALSO RESTORE THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. HEALTHCARE IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN OURSELVES AND FUTURE GENERATIONS THAT MUST BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY. I HAVE INVITED HERE TODAY 17 YEAR OLD BILLY AND HIS FAMILY. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THEIR STORY WITH YOU.

BILLY LIVES AN HOUR OUTSIDE OF THIS CAMPUS. HIS FATHER WORKS FOR THE STATE POWER COMPANY, OFTEN RISKING HIS LIFE TO LEAN OUT OF A HELICOPTER IN RAINSTORMS TO REPAIR POWER LINES. HIS MOTHER WORKS IN THE LOCAL TEXTILE FACTORY. THEIR FAMILY IS VERY CLOSE KNIT, BILLY’S FATHER COACHED HIS SON’S LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM, AND BOTH PARENTS WERE PROUD WHEN THEIR SON MADE THE VARSITY TEAM AS A FRESHMAN. BILLY IS ALSO AN ACADEMIC ALL-STAR AND ALWAYS DREAMED OF GOING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL TO BECOME A DOCTOR. HE IS ALSO A FUTURE MEMBER, UPON RECEIVING HIS ACCEPTANCE TODAY, OF THE IU CLASS OF 2013.

HOWEVER, THEIR WORLD WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN LAST YEAR WHEN BILLY WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKEMIA. LUCKILY, IT WAS CAUGHT BEFORE IT SPREAD TO HIS CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, BUT HE HAS HAD TO UNDERGO NUMEROUS TREATMENTS, INCLUDING BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY. THESE TREATMENTS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL THUS FAR, BUT THE COST OF HEALTH CARE AS WELL AS HEALTH INSURANCE ITSELF HAS LEFT HIS FAMILY BANKRUPT. BILLY’S PARENTS ARE AFRAID THAT THE MORE THEY GO INTO DEBT, THE MORE UNLIKELY IT IS THAT THEY WILL EVEN BE ABLE TO FIND A PROVIDER TO INSURE THEM. THERE IS NO MONEY LEFT FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT MEDICAL BILLS, NOT EVEN HEAT LAST WINTER. AND EVEN THE MEDICAL BILLS ARE REMAINING UNPAID.

BILLY AND HIS FAMILY ARE NOT THE ONLY AMERICANS WHO HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT IN THE COLD BY THIS INJUSTICE. PEOPLE ALL OVER OUR GREAT COUNTRY ARE UNABLE TO FIND HELP WHEN THEY NEED IT. 45 MILLION AMERICANS ARE UNINSURED, BUT IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE CONTINUOUSLY RAISED PREMIUMS, AND DUE TO THIS, MANY COMPANIES ARE NO LONGER PROVIDING COVERAGE FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES, LEAVING A RECORD NUMBER OF AMERICANS UNINSURED.

MY PLAN TO FIX THIS PROBLEM IS SIMPLE: GIVE EVERY AMERICAN COVERAGE. EVERYONE WILL HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE WITH LOWER PREMIUMS THAN BEFORE. THE GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE SUBSIDIES TO THOSE WHO NEED HELP PAYING FOR THE INSURANCE. NO ONE WILL GO WITHOUT – NO MATTER YOUR AGE, YOUR SALARY, OR YOUR MEDICAL NEEDS. BUSINESSES WILL BE CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR EMPLOYEES’ WELL BEING IN A GREATER WAY THAN EVER BEFORE BY FUNDING PART OF THIS COST.

TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP OUR COUNTRY RECOVER. WE NEED TO BELIEVE IN AND CREATE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE. FAMILIES LIKE BILLY’S SHOULD NO LONGER HAVE TO FACE PILES OF MEDICAL BILLS THAT THEY CANNOT PAY. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS CHANGE, SO MUCH SO, THAT BY THE TIME BILLY DOES GRADUATE FROM MEDICAL SCHOOL, HIS PATIENTS WILL NOT HAVE TO SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.

THANK YOU.

emulation project, article 2

In the Studio

Jamie Cullum Fights Heat with Cool Jazz

Album - London Rain
Due Out - May
Producer - Alan Bates

It’s 80 degrees inside a studio in Santa Barbara, California, and Jamie Cullum isn’t breaking a sweat – yet. He sits at a piano, brow furrowed in concentration as he attempts to pick out the notes to Pharrell Williams’ Baby. Williams looks on, visibly impressed, as Cullum fuses jazz vocals with rhythmic, gritty beats. “The air conditioning broke, but we’ve got something great going on right now, so we’ll stay til we melt,” the Neptunes producer says. “The sound of this just feels to good to stop.”
An energetic mix of jazz and rap is exactly what underscores and propels Cullum’s new album, London Rain. The 11 tracks planned for the album are a departure from typical contemporary jazz, however the smoky vocals infused with crossover vibes from swing, R&B, hip hop, and pop is similar to the genre blur of his previous album, 2005’s Catching Tales, except with a little more edge. Besides collaborating with Williams, Cullum has also worked with Kanye West, John Legend, and Joy Division to create an.
“The last record was a great prelude for this one,” says Cullum. “But I take jazz and stretch it to its furthest limits this time.” The buoyant tempos mixed with seductive jazz cadences are evident in “Once Again” and “Wrong,” with a salsa influence manifesting itself in “Stars Out Tonight.” Cullum even beatboxes on “Didn’t You?”
“Yeah, I beatbox at every concert, since I like to do a lot of covers, and people kept asking me when I was going to actually record a track like that,” Cullum says. “Then Justin [Timberlake] comes to me and says ‘I wrote this, and I want you to see what you can do with it.’ I wasn’t going to turn that down.”
However, a jazz record isn’t complete without brooding ballads, and a cover of Sinatra’s “I’ll Be Seeing You” and the original “On My Mind” are almost operatic in their composition. Cullum manages to stay true to his roots, though, paying homage to his hometown of Essex, including sounds recorded on the streets of Essex in the undoubtedly piano-driven “London Rain.”
“I felt like shit when I wrote that song, I was going through a lot,” Cullum says. “I tried to make it as raw and real as possible yet uplifting.”
The result is an album that is an eclectic mix of elements anchored by a jazz core. “A lot of people say I’m pretty young to be trying to completely revitalize the jazz genre,” the self-taught Cullum says. “But I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing, and I’m not sure I care, as long as I keep my jazz cool and my beats hot!”

emulation project, article 1

In the Studio

Inside the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Rural Retreat

Album - It’s Blitz
Due Out -April
Producers - Nick Launay, Dave Sitek

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were huddled over hot cocoa and roasting chestnuts in rural Massachusetts barn-turned-studio when they wrote “Zero” – a synth-charged dance-floor anthem that became the linchpin for their third full-length album, It’s Blitz. “I feel like my Karen O persona was born on the dance floor, so I really started playing around with that kind of stuff,” says the singer. “It’s purely feel-good song, and it’s impossible not to want to dance to it. For three days after we wrote ‘Zero,’ I was high because of that song.”
The boost of energy provided by “Zero” galvanized the trio and helped them move past the melancholy vibe of their previous album, 2006’s Show Your Bones. “That record felt so dark in many, many ways,” says guitarist Nick Zinner. “We were happy and thankful not to go back to that place.” The uptempo groove continue on “Heads Will Roll,” where O chants, “Off, off, off with you head!/Dance, dance, dance till you’re dead,” over a massive bass line and an orchestral synth sample. Even the weepers are sort of energizing: “Skeletons” and “Soft Shock” both crescendo from lullaby to rallying cry in under five minutes. “The new songs have an uplifting quality that we’ve never had before,” says Zinner.
For the first time, the band members recorded outside their hometowns – O lives in Los Angeles, Zinner and drummer Brian Chase in New York. Besides working in Massachusetts, the trio camped out for several weeks at a 1,700-acre pecan orchard in Tornillo, Texas, with producer Nick Launay (he helmed the YYYs’ 2007 Is Is EP). “We wanted to go somewhere where we could be detached in our own little word,” says O. (They also worked for a few weeks in Brooklyn with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek.) The process, Zinner says, ended up being the band’s most collaborative record yet. “It was all three of us working together, unless someone wanted to be left alone,” says the guitarist. “We were all up in each other’s shit.”
In the end, O is satisfied that the group came up with an album that will surprise and please its fans. “We’re always gonna have Yeah Yeah Yeahs hooks and energy,” says O. “But we came up with something new that we’ve never heard before from ourselves. Less angst and more positivity, man!”

what is real?

So, I had an assignment for my PR writing class...I had to type up an article from Rolling Stone & then write an 'emulation' piece in the same style. Then the prof & the class heard me read both and then voted on which one was the bona fide Rolling Stone article...want to play? The following two posts will be either the real or emulation, emulation or real...guess!