New Year's in Memphis: A Victory at the Liberty Bowl!

Bearcats are #1!  I'm super excited for my
first field interviews and the victory!

I'll admit, I sometimes wonder how much a certain event will cause affect to the rest of my life...Really, how will my experiences carry with me through life?  Will a four day trip to Memphis have any lasting effect?

To better answer this question, I should better specify that the four day trip was to the 2011 New Year's Eve Liberty Bowl and that I was going as the official UC Band Videographer.  That changes the context of the trip a little bit.  This trip was not the first time I traveled with the band in that role-->as a four year member, it was definitely not my first band trip!  As you can see below, I traveled with the band to Pittsburgh in early November as the UC Band's Videographer!

Starting quarterback Zach Collaros rushing past his
Vanderbilt opponents at the 2011 Liberty Bowl.

I suppose that since our memories are one of our most precious commodies, that an experience of any variety can have a lasting effect.  Some just might serve a better meaning later...Only time can tell :)

Eventually, you will have the awesome opportunity to see a video of the trip--Subscribe via email on the right hand collumn and you'll get the alert when the video is ready.  I have lots of awesome footage (5 full tapes worth!) and my goal is to edit a piece that the band will be able to appreciate in an awesome DVD format!  The only problem right now is I don't have a firewire cable!  The finished product will be available both here, YouTube, and Facebook soon enough though!

President Williams helping the
Bearcats celebrate Victory!

The most exciting part of the trip for me though was the game!  Not only did the UC Bearcats return victorious, but I conducted my first field interviews!  I was able to interview both the starting quarterback, Zach Collaros, as well as the President of the University of Cincinnati, Gregory H. Williams.  The UC Band photographer has pictures for me too!  I'll share them once they are available!
Of course, since I am:
          1) a long time band person, and
          2) I was traveling with the band, I had to ask questions about the band! 
Both Zach Collaros and President Williams said good things!  Zach is even friends with one of my friends from band because they went to the same high school!  As a video to be a memoriable keepsake for the band, I'm sure the inclusion of two big names recogizing the band will only add to the band's experience and memories!

Overall, I had a GREAT time in Memphis!  I suppose the true test to how the experience will effect me will be to let time play itself!

So...Job Please?

Now that I am a 'big girl' --you know, a college graduate and all-- I am on the hunt for my first 'big girl job.'

The search is rather frustrating...

Idealy, I would like to have my start in the world of talk shows.  I absolutely loved my internship with Daytime Columbus last spring.  My problem, is that I am having a difficult time finding entry level jobs with many of the talk shows.  That was my concentration of primary interest for the past few months.

What's next though?

One thing I had noticed in searching for talk show production jobs was 'related experience' in reference to news.  I have therefore officially begun to search for an entry level production position.  What I have found is that many stations are hiring for/continously accepting applications for production assistents (or something very similar by a different name).  Unfortunately, all the positions I have found are part time.

While I have always said that I am willing to move to where the job takes me, especially now so I can get the experience I need, I am hesitant to pack up and move to a different city for a part time position.  I already have a part time position.  I won't lie and say the pay is great, but it is above minimum wage and I am able to pay all of my bills without calling my Dad for help.

I did interview with a local station in Cincinnati recently for one of the above aformentoned part time jobs.  I think the interview went well.  I was given the follow-up writing assessment, which has been compleated.  Now I just wait.  I was told one week ago that I will not hear anything for two weeks.  The position is a 'News Content Specialist" position.  As it was explained to me, it is a glorified production assistent.  I'm completely OK with that.  I feel that I am a competent writer, I have confidence that I do good work in a professional manner, and I have previously completed the other tasks mentioned.  Something just felt right about that job.

I suppose that if I am not supposted to have that job, then it wasn't meant to be and I will find one later that will be right.  Until then....   :)

December 2011, Part 2

As a third generation student, I can now
proudly call this my Alma Mater too!

It may seem odd to call this part two when my college graduation occurred nearly two weeks before the events detailed in part one.  But as the rest of life, it is what it is.

December 10th was a day nearly five years in the making (or over five years... depending on how you want to think about it).

The Berne Union Golden Rockets
gave me just the start I needed!

I spent three-quarters of my career as a high school student saying I would not consider the University of Cincinnati because both of my parents were alumni, as well as three grandparents and a handful of my extended family.  Thanks to opportunities my high school band director provided me with in Audio Lab Production 1 & 2 during my junior and senior years, I came to realize that I was meant to go to UC.  In Audio Lab, I learned basic intricacies of the world of music production and audio post production.  Desiring to follow these skills to college in hopes of finding a career in music production, I braved to ask for a suggestion of where I might study further.

As I was already aware, the first suggestion my teacher gave me was Berklee College of Music, Music Production and Engineering Major.  Being from a very small town (excuse me, village), the [then] $36,000 annual pricetag for a prestigous music school in Boston (a 14 hour drive) seemed way out of the question of even discussing with Mom and Dad.  To get into that program, you also needed to be accepted to the school for music performance and switch during your second semester.  I was a part of a good band program, but I still doubt that I would be able to get into Berklee today even if I really wanted to.

The second option my teacher gave me is one I had not been at all aware of to that point.  By having kept in contact with a previous audio lab student, my teacher was able to recommend the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music's Electronic Media Division.  I went home, googled it, and told my parents that I wanted to look at their alma mater...after years of telling them I didn't want to consider it.

The rest of how I came to study at UC is history.  I submitted my application less than a week before the deadline, my supporting material (all from my audio lab classes) a few days later, and received my acceptance letter on January 25, 2007!  Nearly five years, fourteen quarters, 217 credit hours, one 3.613 Cum Laude GPA, and 1,773 days later...I graduated.

The Electronic Media Division of UC's prestigous College-Conservatory of Music
gave me the proper foundation I was looking for to build the career I am now seeking.

December 2011 Part 1

So...December had both high and low points.  For starters, I became a college graduate.  We'll chat more later.  On the low points...I lost both my beloved Kitchi (guinea pig) and my Grandma Shaw.

Kitchi begging on the edge of
his cage for a carrot!

    Kitchi had his first respiratory infection in November just before Thanksgiving.  Knowing these infections can be fatal, we took a trip to the vet where he was prescribed an antibiotic.  He did get better, but within a few weeks, I was beginning to notice he was loosing weight.  When you weigh barely above a pound to begin with, any weight loss will be noticeable.  We went home home on December 22 to spend a few days with my parents and sister for the holidays.  That night I could just tell that he didn't feel well.  He loved carrots...possibly more than me...and he turned his face at carrots that night.  The next morning he woke me up.  I found him struggling on his side with only half of his body moving.  Not knowing what I could do to help him, I picked him up and held him as his body was shutting down.  He seemed to have trouble breathing too--which makes me think he had another respiratory infection.  I don't know if was aware of me or of what was happening to him, but I would like to think that I gave him a good life.

    Kitchi and I met at This Little Piggy & Me --a guinea pig adoption facility in Cincinnati.  My sister was still a student at Miami University and I was a student at the University of Cincinnati.  We were both happy guinea pig owners when we were younger and still love the cuddly cavy.  Sister found the guinea pig adoption facility online and told me.  We were both approved to become new guinea pig owners!  I adopted Kitchi on November 8th 2008.  He found his way to the adoption facility through a college girl (as told to me through the family that runs the facility) literally stole him from a party because his owners thought it was funny to feed him beer!  In his temporary home with This Little Piggy & Me he was given the name Kitchi--which means 'Brave' in the Native American dialect of Algonquin.  The little Kitchi was with me through the rest of my time in college but sadly needed to cross over the rainbow bridge on December 23rd 2011.  Now he gets to spend the rest of time buried next to my sisters "Piggy" whom Kitchi was very much in love with while they were both alive.

    My Grandma Shaw was a big part of my decision to choose the University of Cincinnati.  Knowing that my parents already regularly traveled to Cincinnati to see our extended family--always staying at Grandma's house in the process--made the decision feel practical.  Grandma's house is a mere 6.9 miles from the center of campus..  I had the opportunity to go to school away from my parents, but still be able to leave campus and see my family easily and at a moments notice.

Grandma and myself at my high
school graduation in 2007.

    This is the grandma that used to feed my sister and myself ice cream, even when mom said 'no.'  This is the grandma that used to let me come stay with her for a week (or so) at a time for what we called 'Grandma Camp.'  (I never really liked going to camp where I would make friends for a few days that I would never see again)  This is the grandma that would host sleep-overs for all of the cousins, stay up late with us, and give us a cookie before bed.  This is the grandma that used to give me a 'rub-a-dub-rub' with an oversized towel to dry my off as I climbed out of the bathtub.  Needless to say, she has had a big impact on my life.

    Her decline of sorts began on Easter of 2009.  That is the day that she broke (spiral fractured) her femur.  From there began other problems including trouble walking, eating, and general loss of strength.  She has had two extended hospital visits, each followed by stays in a convalescence center.  The end of the end was quick.  She celebrated her 88th birthday in October.  Less than a week before Christmas she was accepted as an at-home hospice patient.  That was a Tuesday.  Thursday she was barely conscious.  Friday she was peacefully sleeping.  Saturday was Christmas Eve.  She went peacefully during our traditional White Elephant gift exchange.  The game was originally her idea and she loved playing with us every year.

    To think of these events on a positive note, Kitchi was securely in my arms at the end and was able to have a happy life filled with treats and carrots with me.  Grandma lived a long life, she traveled the world, and was able to be in her own home, her own bed, and surrounded by family when she went.  She was, in a way, a Christmas present for family and husband.

    I'd like to believe that both Grandma Shaw and Kitchi are going to be with me for a very long time.

The UC Bearcat Bands Feature! It's Complete!

     I promise, this isn't another project by a band member about the band.  I don't want to brag too much, but I think my feature turned out pretty well.  If you're interested, here it is!

So, as you may remember from one of my earlier posts about this project, it was created as a part of my class, Uptown--part of the Electronic Media Division of the College-Conservatory of Music.

This piece is an insider look to how student involvement in the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands program affects students in positive ways.  It also portrays the variety of interests and activities that the band participates in at both the university and local community.

My role in the creation of this project has been in the making since the fall of 2007.  I was an active member of this organization for the first four years of my college career as a flute/piccolo player and squad leader.  Now, in my fifth year, I am a part-time videographer for game days and concerts.  Because of my involvement with the organization, I had a great experience working on this project being a fabulous one-man-band of a reporter.

I was the videographer, editor, writer, producer--you name it, I was it for this project.  While this is one of the first projects I have completed completely by myself, everyone that viewed this so far has loved it!  In fact, Dr. Frenz even requested a copy to take with him to a meeting he had with the President of the University, Gregory Williams!  (It may even find itself on the band website too!)

The Bearcat Bands has a long history of pride, tradition, and service to UC.  For more information, visit the band website here <http://www.ucband.uc.edu/band/> or call the office directly at (513) 556-BAND.