-Jessica Knight, "Grandparenting 2.0: The Pros and Cons of Keeping in Touch via Skype"

My cousin and her son, Nico. Without a doubt the most adorable baby I've ever seen.

Honestly, if you blinked while watching it, you might have missed it over the audience laughing and watching Leno's facial expressions. No, it wasn't politically correct--but what is on late night talk shows? I don't think this man, who is trying to take on an enormous task and adjust to a new life, should be punished for this.

I'm sure there were some mentally challenged individuals who laughed at the comment themselves. Ever seen The Ringer with Johnny Knoxville? It's simply a term in this day and age, Obama meant nothing derogatory by it.

Lest we not forget that we elected to have 8 years of Bush's vocal gems.

That's hilarious until you get about 4 minutes into it. Then, if you're like me, you'll probably just become disgusted.

I was interested to discover how the jingle entered the running--presenting that was probably risky even for a member of the McDonald's marketing team. So I took it upon Google to help me figure things out and this is what I found: Behind McD's Weird Filet-O-Fish Ad

Pretty much explains it all. I'm very interested in marketing, and I've probably mentioned before that I analyze (scrutinize, mostly) commercials all the time. I think the billion dollar burger giant hit the mark with this one; I hear people singing the jingle all the time, and the lyrics have been in so many away messages on my buddy list. With that said...

Give me back that fillet-o-fish, give me that fish--OOO!

Sorry.

It was strange not being able to enter an office I'd had access to for three years. It was such an odd wash of emotions. I felt disappointed first that I couldn't accomplish what I'd come to do, sad of course, but satisfied in the end. I'm no longer the editor-in-chief, because I graduated.


I graduated.

Most of the people who will read this are on their way to doing the same, and the other handful probably already did.

Each institution of higher education is different, but we've all gone through the same process in general. For me, it hasn't been the fact that I could stack work I've done in my time at Seton Hill to the ceiling (probably several times), or the academic achievements. I feel fulfilled because I stuck with something I didn't have to for four and a half years, through the tremendous ups and downs.

In the end, looking back, of course I would have done a lot differently. Those things I would have done differently, though, got me to where I am now. I was always a motivated person, and now I know how to generate that motivation into productivity. I learned what to worry about, and what to let go. Time management was my best friend.

Here I am, three months after I drafted the above paragraphs, with absolutely no recollection on where I tended to go with it.

I'm enjoying the break from school physically; however, my brain is turning to mush. If all goes as planned I'll be working toward a Master's in Instructional Design at SHU beginning in June. I have a ton of support from my family, and I enjoy being a student. I'm choosing a field that in a way will allow me to be a student and a teacher every day. I'm lucky that the different skills I gained and also enjoy from the New Media Journalism major tie into one field. Not everybody gets to be so choosy with their degree. I do see myself in a school setting further in my career, which is the area I plan on concentrating in. At first I wanted to work with adults on the job, but the past few months after further self-searching and research, I've decided otherwise.

So, here's hoping all goes well.

That's really all you need to read of that caption for the remainder of this blog.

Must the writer use the word 'confessed'? It wasn't a big secret--we could tell she's been gaining weight again. She's one of the most public figures in America, whether or not we want to see Oprah every week, we more than likely do.

Gaining weight isn't a crime. Oprah is still as beautiful in a 16 as she was in a 12, which is what she wore at her lowest weight on her 50th birthday a few years ago. The fact that she's *gasp* 200 pounds changes nothing about her. Nothing, that is, but her health. Oprah's making that the focus this entire week on her show.

She said herself that she can't believe she's still talking about her weight. I'm sure she's just as tired of it as we are, but yet the media won't shut up about it. I applaud Oprah for talking about it, because it's unavoidable for her.

Weight is one of the most emotional issues for women, and one of the hardest to control if you're like myself or Oprah who have incredibly slow metabolisms. My doctor told me after he diagnosed me with a certain disease that my metabolism is that of somebody 5 to 10 years older. Oprah has a thyroid problem which causes her metabolism to slow down as well. This makes us gain weight more easily, and it's also much harder to lose.

A few months ago I got on the scale and it read 180 pounds. I was mortified. My junior year in high school I was 123, by the time I graduated I weighed 150. My weight held pretty steady during the majority of college. Quitting figure skating (which I had done since I was 4) caused an already above average amount of muscle to turn to fat, and the college lifestyle didn't help matters.

I knew I was heavier than 150 by my junior year at SHU, but I never stepped on a scale. When I saw 180, I vowed to never weigh more than that. My mother always tells me that weight the one thing we can control about our bodies. I took that control, and I'm down to 160 just by eliminating pop and ceasing to shove my face at the first sign of fullness. :-)

I'm a size 12 and I'm content, though I still want to lose at least 15 more pounds (so I can skate again without buckling a knee). When I watched the premier of Oprah's "confession" she stated how she felt a 12 was normal for her body, and body type something that needs to be considered more--by EVERYBODY, especially clothing manufacturers.

Not every woman is 125 pounds with bones visible that shouldn't be. I've been working in clothing retail for 7 years and the way sizes have changed astound me. The years that I was 150 steadily, I still climbed up in pant sizes out of juniors into misses. I'm glad I can fit into a juniors 13 again, don't get me wrong, but there's something to be said for that. The sizes alter because the image of size has been altered. Ever seen a Botticelli? He didn't choose to paint women of that proportion because he had some fetish. The kind of women in his paintings were seen as beautiful in that era. When was the last time you opened a magazine and saw a Botticelli-esque babe?

When I look at clothes for women now, the message I get is: If you don't have a perfect body according to today's standards then you don't deserve to look sexy. Nobody wants to see Oprah in a tube top, but she shouldn't feel restricted to spandex and elastic, either.

Nothing I'm saying is news, I know that. That caption just rubbed me the wrong way, that's all.

Two years ago I published this entry and last year I just wasn't scheduled. It was a miracle.

This year, my department manager at Burlington Coat Factory asked how I pulled that one off...I really have no idea. A god must have been with me when the past manager wrote the schedule.

At the end of the biggest shopping weekend of the year, I am exhausted. I wore a pedometer one day at work for fun, and walked 11 miles on an 8 hour shift. My legs feel like I just put them through a marathon.

I worked 2-10 Friday, 12-8 Saturday, and 11-7:30 yesterday. We closed at 7 last night, but we didn't get to clock out until 7:30 because there was a couple who had no intentions of leaving after the closing announcement was made.

Who followed them around the entire store for that half hour with their arms crossed? That's right, me.

If you want to shop when the store is closed, I'll be damned if it's not going to be an awkward experience for you. Customer or not, you're on my time now. I may be wrong; I understand it's my job and I'm being paid for that time, but the sheer ignorance ignites my fuse like nothing else. Black Friday we were out by five minutes after.

This is a somewhat regular occurrence at Burlington. Last night, the wife of this fantastic couple casually leaned on her buggy with her head in her hand, pushing it slowly through the store. At the end of the announcements, the manager says, "departments call 117 when clear."

The registers all have phones, as do the departments (8 in all). It's easy to hear the rings at the front end from the various departments when the store is closed. Seven rings later, the speakers beeped to prompt the announcement, "youth dial 117 when clear." I don't think I've flown through the shoe and coat department from my own so quickly in the past year and some odd months. I arrived at the youth department to find my fellow employees up in arms watching the couple pick at the racks.

"I'd love to find out where he works so I can go park my car behind him when he wants to leave!"

Yep. Agreed, Scottie. It's simply beyond rude.

All in all though, despite the exhaustion, late shoppers, and another customer threatening to knock me out (she had the last of an item with no tag and apparently I wasn't fast enough remedying the situation), it was a good weekend.

I got to talk with Barb, my Sunday regular who comes from Uniontown every week without fail. She noticed I've lost almost 20 pounds and complimented my eyelashes. It's people like her who get me through the day. I listened to her complaints about the new Uniontown store and talked fashion with her--she's quite forward in the subject for her age.

I helped a handful of teenage girls find dresses for their Christmas dance. Another woman told me I was fabulous for finding her a shirt at the last minute when she'd given up. An elderly woman showered me with thank-yous for helping her find a skirt in a petite size, "they just don't sell them anywhere anymore!"

One customer, who finally found her gift card after I'd completed her transaction, asked if I would come to customer service and stay with her while Jerry did the payment exchange for her. I knew she was just a little weary and felt more comfortable with me there, it was adorable.

I had several customers approach my manager to compliment my service to them, mostly at the register. Besides maintaining the second busiest department in the store (which pulled in 20 grand on Friday with the average price of an item being around 8 dollars), I was a back-up cashier all weekend (oh yeah, and even the greeter for an hour on Saturday).

People laugh at retail jobs, but I've been doing this since I was 16 and it's taught me so much and definitely shaped who I am. Working at the mall for four years hardened me; but Burlington gives me the chance to really build rapport with customers. At least I wasn't killed this weekend.

I'll never be on the other end. I refuse to shop on Black Friday. I had a pair of customers come through my line with matching shirts which read, "I eat, sleep, and breathe Black Friday." My friend stood for nearly 2 hours with her hand on a GPS at Wal-Mart waiting for the go-ahead to fly to the registers. My mother lost it on some lady who was hitting her in the ankles with her shopping cart at 5 in the morning at Sam's Club. The retailers just create this mess.

Alright, now to enjoy the day off.

Sun and Storm: yuuup

maverick9825: im writing about this

maverick9825: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROpmVabrBB8

Sun and Storm: the dreaded blockage.

Sun and Storm: OOO! my stud!

maverick9825: i have to write an appeal to the reason

maverick9825: appreal to emotion

maverick9825: and appeal to credibility

Sun and Storm: i LOVE this commercial.

maverick9825: yea me too

Sun and Storm: of the commercial?

maverick9825: yeah

maverick9825: we're learning about like rhetoric

Sun and Storm: what do you mean by an appeal?

maverick9825: like you as the viewer

maverick9825: appealing to this commercial

Sun and Storm: oh haha okay

maverick9825: like emotion passion for hockey

Sun and Storm: okay so tell me your thoughts so far

maverick9825: i dont know i hate doing this

maverick9825: well reason for appeal

Sun and Storm: HAHAHA nicholas come on lemme get it outta ya

maverick9825: the reason for the appeal for me is the talent that is being taken place

maverick9825: its sidney crosby

Sun and Storm: what's appealing about it--think about it... your audiences are going to be different. or is this just YOUR personal view?

Sun and Storm: okay so it's just about you.

maverick9825: i think

Sun and Storm: that's a good start. you can talk about how hard it is and how much practice it takes to be able to execute those kinds of shots

Sun and Storm: basically you want to expand on your reasons as much as possible

Sun and Storm: it's appealing because he's the essence of athleticism, you know?

Sun and Storm: is the paper concerned at all with what the ad is selling?

maverick9825: see this is why i ask you for help

Sun and Storm: all men, and even many athletes strive to be as good as sid

maverick9825: yeah

maverick9825: it just says appeal to reason

maverick9825: and then a bunch of blank spaces for me to write in

Sun and Storm: haha

Sun and Storm: think of the tagline too, i am what i am

Sun and Storm: the ad is telling the audience that it's brand can help you better your unique talents

maverick9825: yeah

Sun and Storm: so that's your reason... now what enforces that

Sun and Storm: he's wearing all reebok when he's doing the different activities in the commercial

Sun and Storm: weight lifting, off ice training, his uniform on the ice

maverick9825: yeah i think i got it now

maverick9825: i just went up there and asked her

Sun and Storm: HAHAHAHA

Sun and Storm: you're cute

maverick9825: i HAAAATE working in groups more than anything

Sun and Storm: oh is that what you're doing?

maverick9825: yeahh

Full Sail University gives each student a laptop. It comes in handy, haha.

Amen, mom. Amen.

I'm working on that...

I heatedly moved out of the house that was built around me as a baby the day I graduated high school due to complications from my parents divorcing. I moved in with dad, and Dougie stayed with mom. It's been that way ever since, and though we're about 5 minutes away from each other, with our schedules we're lucky if we see each other twice a week.

And every week the person he continues to grow into never ceases to amaze me. Dougie was always a special kid, he was memorizing books by the time he was two. A stranger would have thought he was actually reading, because he knew what words were on what pages.When Disney released "Beauty and the Beast" he had the prologue memorized. You know the scene, where you first see the castle?

His memorization skills remain uncanny today, and his mental math abilities are reminiscent of "Rainman." I believe he was 10 when he reached third degree black belt in the Tang Soo Do discipline. I always say he's good at anything he wants to be good at.

Today he's a first-team All-Conference defensive lineman, and offensive left tackle for the Spartans, as well as a co-captain. He's also the starting heavyweight on the wrestling team. He had no experience in either sport previous to high school. I suppose his dainty 6'1" 280 pound frame tells the story: he was made to crush people. Haha. Our mom says that he's a "refrigerator with a head."

He basically consumes any doorway he passes through. He has a heart of gold, though. He never hangs up without saying he loves me, and will still give me a kiss in front of his jock friends.

Now that I'm done gushing, my main point for blogging this was to share some recognition my baby bro's been getting, and he most certainly deserves it. He's the essence of sportsmanship in my opinion, but of course I'm a little bias.

Both appeared in the print version of the Tribune-Review. The top was from the August 30, 2008 edition and appeared on the front of the Sports page. The bottom was from an issue last season, I'm not sure of the date.

This currently appears on TribLive. Do not make him angry. He benches 345 pounds and squats 460.

Good luck this season, Dougie! I love you.

And...

Me (11:20:44 AM): hahaha i have sent 8 e-mails since 9:56

Leslie (11:20:51 AM): gooodd

Leslie (11:22:56 AM): youre a mover

...But after this, I'm going shopping!

[Yeah, I removed the screen names - even though hers is on Facebook and mine is my e-mail address. I guess that's just a netiquette habit]

I took this photograph yesterday. Apparently my camera didn't like the new batteries. That was the only photo I was able to take, and from much farther away than I would have liked - I was even walking when I snapped it. Luckily it's a beauty.

At any rate, the weather was beautiful (as you can see, not a cloud in the sky), the company was grand, and there were over 300,000 motorcycles there yesterday.

Clearly the same photo (they use the same picture for the yearbook and ID cards) but the body is clearly altered as well as her hair.

First of all, I think this is so absurd that I'd swear journalists make this kind of stuff up, but it's real. It's hard to believe as an editor who publishes numerous photos of mainly people, and newspapers are disposable. What I mean by that is, people read a newspaper and generally throw it away or recycle it as an impromptu umbrella or gift wrap. A yearbook is a keepsake of cherished memories, a place where students attempt to present themselves at their best, that I'd like to say is priceless but are usually upward of $100 in most high schools today. My junior high year books were $50 and only a quarter of the size of the high school year book, which my little brother, a junior, just paid $85 for.

It's just ridiculous that anybody would consider altering these photos let alone actually doing it.

I do think the request to have the heads the same size and the eyes line up doesn't make sense. How did the high school expect Lifetouch to do that with out altering the appearance of the students? I could understand making the top of the heads line up, or perhaps the shoulders...

Regardless of the picky request, the employee who did this deserves to lose his/her job, and I sincerely hope nobody in the photography industry hires them again.

For my term project, I undertook updating The Setonian production manual which was last done in 2005 by then editor-in-chief Anne Stadler and Amanda Cochran, news editor (who went on to the top role after Anne). Basically the manual needed sorted through and organized. Most of the content was fresh and concise even from three years ago, but I added a few things like articles on editorial position duties written by other Setonian staffers, a handout on QuarkXPress, and other "examples" like article assignment formats.

• Informal Reflection- reflection on my term project
• Relevant Communication:

Portfolio 1- This first portfolio includes my project proposal


Portfolio 2- Second report of progress on my project within portfolio 2






Boord Talks Business- My article on Jennifer Boord, who was business manager for The Setonian until this semester, as per the class assignment to contribute to my project



• One Page Handout- This is a handout I included in my revised version of the production manual on layout tips and reminders