Upon the Recommendation of the Faculty....

I would like to say that since graduating college I have been super busy and that's why my blog is silent. That would be a big fat lie! The couch and I have become best friends and I am fully caught up on all my favorite stories (aka TV shows).

As happy as I am to see that diploma in the mail, nothing feels different. I guess my education hasn't been a priority for so long that graduating just seems like the last piece of a puzzle that I have been working on for a very long time. That very last piece isn't really that exciting is it? You can see the complete picture and you know exactly where that spare piece goes. There is no mystery. no surprise. It's just the last thing you do after hours of working on that puzzle.

So for now it will stay in its package until we have a nice frame and maybe I will feel a little more proud once reality kicks in.

MATH, LING & POLS

Summer 2013. MATH 1030- Intro Quantitative Reasoning. Grade: A

That's right ladies and gentlemen..another A in math for Meggie. This A came with plenty of tears and emotional breakdowns but I learned a ton!
I could tell you how much money you would save if your interest rate went from 5% to 5.5%.
I could also tell you if compounding interest monthly or yearly is better for your account.
I could tell you how much interest you are going to pay over the course of a loan and how much you would save if you upped your monthly payments by $100.
This all came in handy since we were applying for a home loan and I knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into. Did you know you will almost pay double what your original loan payment amount is because of interest? I mean most people don't live in the same house for 30 years so it doesn't apply but still, going from a 30 year loan to a 15 year loan would add a few hundred dollars to your monthly payment but take off tens of thousands of dollars (if not hundreds of thousands) off the total amount paid.
Boom. that right there is MATH you guys. I totally got my money's worth in this class. I also ate lots of dark chocolate, cried many tears to Bart and Instagramed my feelings/experiences more with this class than any other.

Fall 2011. LING 3160- Language and Cognition. Grade: B

Ya know how I said earlier that I loved Linguistics? This class slapped me in the face and said NO YOU DONT. It was a ton of reading. Like 100+ pages of reading per assignment. That might not seem like a lot to some of you out there..but when I just have to create a Twitter account or cut a video for my other classes...it seemed like a lot of reading. The semester ended with a 12 page paper on a topic I don't remember anymore. I just remember BSing my way through that paper enough to get a C on it and pass the class. #nailedit.

Spring 2013. POLS 3001- Political Analysis. Grade: A-

What do you get when you combine a 4 hour night class with a boring topic and a foreign teacher? THIS CLASS! The stuff he taught was complicated statistics. Don't let the Political Analysis name fool you..this was straight up numbers and programs...not news stories and opinions. I really liked this professor and I thought he did a great job explaining the concepts.

There was a stupid biotch in this class that I wanted to punch on a weekly basis..but I resisted. She kind of reminded me of myself when I was younger and much more sarcastic. Was I that bitchy girl people wanted to punch in the face?!?! I really hope not and I'm sorry if that was the case.

I learned how you can figure out what is the best way to save money on your gas bill. Three things affect your gas bill..but which choice makes the most impact?  1. amount of installation you have 2. the age/model of your furnace or 3. the temperature outside. According to the research and the statistics it's the temperature outside...not the age of your furnace.. so no need to go buy a brand new appliance to save a few bucks.

JCOM, HEDU & COMM

Spring 2011. JCOM 2160- Intro to Online Journalism. Grade: A

This class was taught my some young dude computer genius and yet I didn't learn a thing. I guess he showed me how to kind of use Photoshop and the very very basic of HTML (so basic that I don't even know what HTML means anymore). A lot of my Journalism/Communication courses could have been so much better! I wonder how much I could have learned...but then I also wonder if I would have ever used it in the real world anyway...

Fall 2011. H EDU 5300- Diversity & Health. Grade: A-

This was my first semester at The U and since I couldn't really get into any classes for my major I stocked up on classes that were higher than the 3000 level so they wouldn't be a complete waste of time and money. It was actually a great strategy because I won't be graduating with extra credits! Go me.

I really liked this class. The professor was a hard-ass-so-you-take-me-seriously type and never really cared when I had a comment to share...but the content was fascinating and it definitely made me think outside the box. It was similar to my History of Sex class because it made me think of my values in a different way. Not bad or good. Just different. I wrote THIS blog post after a particularly interesting day. (The first half of the post is talking about above-mentioned History of Sex class, the second half is about the class I'm currently talking about).

Many of my arguments/differences of opinions with Bart stem from what I learned in this class. Did this class make me a liberal? I don't think so...but it did give me a new way to look at things like poverty and the welfare system and minorities. So Left of me I know.

Spring 2012. COMM 3560- Video Production I. Grade: A

If you have read all of my 122-Hours posts than this class title might look familiar...because I had technically already taken this class but the good ol' U wouldn't accept it. Yay for me! I wish I could tell you I learned more the second time around...but I'm not a liar. In fact, the current class I am in (advanced video editing) further proves that I learned not a whole lot in this beginner course. I barely learned how to check out equiptment. (which is a pain by the way).

We did a major class project where we had to create a video and luckily I landed a pretty cool group. We had the idea of recreating "bad roommate" moments. I had plenty of memories to inspire the script...here it is...don't judge me!
We took the approach that girls never say anything each other's faces..they are just passive aggressive and complain and boys will yell at each other and get over it. Pretty good right?
-Video 101-white balance is a thing.
-Don't act like my karaoke was anything short of genius. 
-p.s. the whole sex scene with Girlfriend was not my idea but apparently it was really funny?
-p.s.s. it was actually pretty fun to film.

JCOM, JCOM & BIOL

Spring 2009. JCOM 1500- Intro to Mass Communication. Grade: B-

I want to say that I remember this class. That what I learned within the 4 walls of the classroom changed my life forever and paved the way for my future and helped me become what I am today. But that would be a bold face lie...

Spring 2011. JCOM 4350- Special Topics in Communications. Grade: B

They called this class "boot camp". It was a test class to see if it could actually be considered a course one day. Test classes are the best because no one knows what they are doing. There isn't really a clear grading outline, no one knows how to work the technology and the teacher is usually too busy with other things to really care about what is happening. That being said, I learned a ton in this class. It's amazing what happens when adults just chuck you into a pit and say "get out of it" with no real direction or guidance. I was proud of THIS project and I mostly love it because it reminds me of that fun trip. That's the great thing about video..it can capture a moment you want to remember! I didn't get the best grade on it because all the footage was shot within the car. The professor expected me to stage the road trip so I could get better footage. I thought this took away from the authenticity of the video.

My hate-hate relationship with technology blossomed during this class. i learned the hard way that Macs and PC hate each other. I learned a few new swear words.

Spring 2010. BIOL 3030- Genetics and Society. Grade: CR

This was the first and only class that I opted out of the grade. All I had to do was pass and it wouldn't reflect negatively on my GPA. I have never been good at science and this genetics class was a biotch. The teacher was foreign and acted like we were experts in the field. I always found genetics fascinating...just not fascinating enough to understand what I was being taught. But of course my grade would have been a B if I had just accepted the grade...but I had to learn eventually that copping out because you're afraid of a grade isn't going to make the class any easier!

COMM, MUSC & ENGL

6 more weeks of class! 6! Which means I need to get going because I still have 16 more classes to review before I finish...

Summer 2013. COMM 3640-Writing for New Media. Grade: A

I almost managed to make it through college without taking Summer classes...Once I realized I could finish in 2013 I decided to suck it up and take a few. This one was online so it wasn't so bad. I liked the way my professor organized the class. Discussions, quizzes, assignments. That's it! For my final project I created a Twitter Account. The requirements included regularly tweeting, finding a topic that could appeal to a specific audience and engaging with that audience. I was only a few months into my Hashimotos treatment so that was the main thing that occupied my mind. Turns out there is a big following out there when it comes to health, thyroid disorders and Hashimotos. The professor had us each create our own rubric to grade us. I made a good chunk of points go toward getting more than 50 followers (in 1 month). She messaged me and told me that was a lofty goal and to maybe aim a little lower...I of course became determined to succeed! I had over 100 followers by the time she graded me. Hence the A.

I think "new Media" is kind of a stupid term these days. Anyone who is in college is use to the media everyone is using and it isn't really "new" to us. I understand why the older crowd calls it new...but I would say my generation just calls it media. Either way, I learned how to write for it...whatever that means!

Spring 2012. MUSC 3600- World Music. Grade: A-

I needed an art credit. World Music fit my schedule. It was a class with 700 students in a huge auditorium. Participation was based on our Clicker answers. It could have been a disaster...but our professor made it work. I really liked how she approached each new chapter. Every section we started out listening to a piece of music. We listened to the song uninterrupted..unsure of what we were listening to. Most of the time it just seemed like noise. and not pretty noise. The kind of noise you turned off immediately. However, throughout the lectures she would break that song down and explain what we were hearing. She would teach that certain noises and instruments meant different things. That there really was a meaning behind the madness. Then we would listen to the song again. It was completely different. I could pick out the different instruments and I understood what I heard! It was a genius way to teach this class and I really enjoyed it.

Fall 2010. ENGL 2010-Intermediate Writing. Grade: A

My second and last required English class. Almost sucked as bad as the first one. I wasn't interested and my papers usually showed it. I remember a few annoying people in the class...and my professor telling me I could do better...but I got the A and moved on. Go college!

JCOM, MATH & ENGL

Fall 2010. JCOM 2010- Media Smarts: Making Sense of the Information Age. Grade: B+

My teacher always emphasized that we as journalists were supposed to be completely unbiased in our opinions and research. My teacher was also the most biased person I had ever met. She was a crazy liberal who pushed her agenda all semester long. Sometimes I liked it...sometimes I didn't. Our final assignment was to watch The Daily Show with John Stewart and The Colbert Report to see how their "newscasts" and FOX News' newscasts were similar (basically saying that FOX news was as credible as a satire show.) If that isn't an assignment with a biased agenda I don't know what is!

I took this class when there was all that drama about putting a Mosque in NYC close to where the World Trade Centers use to be. I remember getting in my first political holiday argument with my Grandma during Thanksgiving. It got heated enough that my dad had to break it up and my Grandma said my education was turning me into a crazy liberal.

It made me realize how hard it is to get ALL the facts from both sides of every issue. It's almost impossible. Without all the facts I have a hard time generating an opinion about something. Since this class I have learned to keep my mind open and research something if I really want to be able to talk about it. I hate ignorance and I think people on both sides of the extremes of the political spectrum are ignorant. If you care about a topic enough to discuss it with people, read FOX news and CNN.

Spring 2013. MATH 1010-Interm Algebra. Grade: A

This was the first math class I had taken in over 6 years. All growing up I was actually really good at math. I understood everything and did well in High School. You never would have guessed that 6 years later! I'm pretty sure I googled "how to add/subtract/multiply/divide fractions" every.single.homework assignment. I still don't understand how to do it. But I passed and even got an A! This teacher was awesome and a very gracious grader. I might not be able to tell you how to add fractions...but I still learned a few things!

Spring 2009. ENGL 1010- Intro to Writing. Grade: A.

Oh college English classes...you make me realize how great I am at writing when I have to peer-grade other people's work. It's no wonder I would get full credit on papers after I read some of the trash other people wrote. I get that writing isn't for everyone. No worries, you have other talents. I'm just happy I don't have to read Freshman English papers for the rest of my life. I think of Hell and that activity would be included.

USU, COMM & JCOM

Fall 2009. USU 1350-Integrated Life Science. Grade: B-

Another USU required class with too many people and not enough dedication on my end. I've never been good at science and this class was no exception. What does Integrated Life Science even mean?? It's a stupid name.

Spring 2012. COMM 4610-Magazine Writing. Grade: A

I would call myself a writer. I wrote news for Utah State's paper for years. That was of little help to me in this class. This class was all about creating images in the reader's mind. Using your own opinion and voice to tell a story. I don't have to use my own voice in news stories. My opinion isn't ALLOWED in news stories. News stories was all I knew...so this class was a challenge. My professor was a young guy who was the head of some new-age hipster magazine. He was pretty cool and I enjoyed our assignments.

I learned how to write Reviews and my favorite homework assignment ever was writing a How-To. (Side note...if you're writing a How-To...don't include How-To in the title.) Once I caught on that magazine writing is kind of like writing in my blog just more refined I started to enjoy myself. My final assignment was somewhat of a disaster because I wrote about sex education and let's be honest...that's a boring subject.

I've always loved to write and this class taught me how to be a better writer. I wouldn't be apposed to writing for a magazine one day...

Spring 2011. JCOM 2220-Intro to Video Media. Grade: A-

Let's be honest...the likelihood of a class sucking when it has the word "intro" in the title is pretty high. Intro classes are meant to teach you the basics but they usually end up being a boring way to spend a few hours and a few thousand dollars in college. I think some classes are made to weed out the kids who don't plan on taking their choice of major seriously. I would say this class was one of them. Taught by an 90 year old who was use to working with ancient equipment and refused to accept the new technology...this class was a train wreck...but I still learned something. (Funny how that works isn't it?) Looking back on some old blog posts...here are a few things I learned:

1. When you download something, that means you are taking all of the information that is jumbled up, and organizing it into the sequence it should be in

2. On the other hand, when you are "streaming" something, the information is being put in order as you go along so if it is "buffering" the information hasn't gotten there yet.

 

3. If you speak into a microphone the audio focus is on that person. If the microphone is further away it will make the listener feel like they are now listening to someone's conversation instead of being talked to directly.

Responsibility is shooting me in my broken foot

I come upstairs to get started on homework. Because I'm responsible like that. Too bad my technology isn't on the same page as I am. My hard drive won't ready any of its files. NONE. The only way to do the work is to open up the video files on the hard drive. ...the hard drive that won't open anything. See the issue? I emailed my professors and the members of my group hoping someone else has their hard drive to lend me. So much for being an overachiever and getting things done early.

Plus...I may or may not have broken my foot. okay...it's not broken...but it hurts like hell and I can't walk much less run on it so it might as well be broken. I went out for a run this morning and 2 miles in Bart had to come save me. I was limping my way down 3200 West (and NO ONE stopped by the way. I was clearly in pain and NO ONE stopped. You suck residents of South Jordan) and luckily Bart was home to come get me. I've been icing it and limping on it all day. Who knows what happened...maybe it heard Bart and I talking about running a full Marathon and got mad at me. Low blow foot...low blow.

I am also taking offers for anyone who wants to come decorate my beautiful new house for me because I'm not crafty and have no idea where to start. 

JCOM, GNDR & ENGL

Fall 2009. JCOM 1130-Beginning Newswriting for Mass Media. Grade: C+

This was one of my first JCOM classes at Utah State. It was taught by the one and only Jay Wamsley. The AP Style Book became our bible and the daily quizzes were kind of a biotch. I had it with a few people who eventually would become my college friends. The AP Style Book came in handy when I joined the USU Statesman newspaper staff and learned things like "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. when referring to the corporation, and Wal-Mart for an individual store." and "Capitalize fashion week in an official name: New York Fashion Week or London Fashion Week." I remember having to be current on the daily news and I usually failed miserably. Jay was one of those professors that you never really knew where you stood in the class. he's a nice guy...does that mean I'm passing? Harsh quiz score...does he grade on a curve? Let's just say that C+ was a surprise at the end of the semester. It also goes to show that grades aren't a reflection of what you learned because I learned a heck of a lot!

Fall 2011. GNDR 4630- History of Sex in America. Grade: B

This class sounds as interesting as the name implies. It was my first semester after I transferred to the University of Utah. Since I had transferred so late I couldn't get into many Comm department classes. Instead I took high level courses to fulfill other requirements. This was one of them. The first day of class we wrote every dirty word and or sex word the class could think of on the board. From blow job to vagina and everything in between. Things you heard in the Jr. High halls wouldn't have been as inappropriate as the things we had written on the board. I left that day feeling a little dirty and wondering if I should morally take the class. I have standards, but I also have a desire to learn. In the end I'm glad I stayed.

The professor was a lesbian liberal with very interesting views. My eyes were opened to a new way of looking at things. I appreciated these classes throughout my education because they tested my own beliefs...and made them stronger. I came out of this class with a full knowledge of the history of gay sex and prostitutes and in the end I still believed the things I believed going into the class.

One of the notes she made on my quizzes was that I needed to speak up more in class. I didn't speak much because I didn't feel like I had anything valuable to add to the discussions. I remember there was a 60 something year old man in that class. I appreciated his presence and his desire to learn a few things too!

Here is a post I wrote about a few things I had learned that week in school...

Spring 2010. ENGL 4200-Linguistic Structures. Grade: A

If I had a top 10 list this class would be on it (Maybe at the end of this college thing I will make that list). Linguistics was one of the most fascinating topics. I learned that babies' brains are designed to pick up as many languages that they are exposed to. I learned the phonetic alphabet. We talked about the importance of language in general. The reason I wanted to take this class was because of my love for language. My love for writing. I felt that if I understood language at a deeper level it would make me a better writer. I don't know if that's what happened, but it was fascinating either way.

Other than criminology, linguistics was the other topic I would consider majoring in if I did it all over again. I thought this class was going to teach me how to diagram sentences and explain why diagramming sentences matters. And I think we spent some time on that. But the thing I remember most about this class is realizing how incredible language is. Every civilization has a language. Some are different from what we are familiar with. But everyone communicates. Everyone.

13.1 Miles and a Whole Lot More

The craziness has finally subsided! We moved into our beautiful new home and have most everything unpacked. I am back to producing just ONE show a day instead of TWO. The half marathon is OVER and school is in full swing.

I can finally breathe!

Bart and I have been internet-less the last 10 days since moving in and it's been interesting to say the least. I spent most of my evenings/afternoons on Campus (40 minutes away from home) and Bart has been going to work early to make his lesson plans. Who knew we needed internet so much?? Hopefully we will have it by the end of the week. 

On a side note, we LOVE our new house. It's so big and quiet compared to our past apartments. Our bedroom echos because the ceilings are so high. We have an empty second bedroom and not enough stuff to fill up the space, but I love it. I know it will fill up eventually. We haven't seen much of our neighbors which isn't a bad thing since we both hate most people. Someone parked in Bart's assigned spot and he through a little bitch fit...but other than that there have been no problems :)

I was finally able to figure out how to log video from home (without a MAC computer and without internet) and to be honest I was almost more excited about that discovery than I was about finishing my first half marathon (which we will get to soon). Now I can spend countless hours logging video from the comfort of my own couch instead of paying $23974 for parking at the University of Utah library (F-YOU for raising prices BTW). This semester is going to be long and time consuming and honestly I have been making it a priority over work, but I just have 3.5 more months left...forever...so that is what I keep telling myself. 

Week 1 of my new responsibilities was last week at work and I thought it went really well! I have a good groove down and everything seems to be working out.

Now for the exciting part of my weekend...I ran my first half marathon! My official time was 2:27:11! It was really fun..until about mile 11 and then I just wanted to crawl to the side of the road and die. It was fun to have Bart run with me. Since we were running a few minutes/per mile slower than his usual pace he was fully enjoying himself and was a great cheerleader..especially toward the end. I sprinted to the finish line even when my body was all out of juice. I almost passed out after the finish line but I'm just going to take that as I really did give 100% to that race! We made a few friends along the way and I achieved my goal of finishing without having to walk. 

6 am it's-dark-outside-keep-me-warm pic

matchy shoes. matchy bibs.

WE DID IT!! I'm so happy Bart was able to run with me!

After I finished..before I almost passed out.

All done :)



It's amazing what our bodies are capable of! It never ceases to amaze me. I am so proud of myself and really happy training is over :) Around mile 10 when we were feeling pretty good we started talking about training for a full marathon...we may or may not start training when football season ends...stay tuned! We have the Dirty Dash this weekend which is always a good time! Who doesn't like to get dirty every once in a while??

Last Class

Sometimes I really hate school. And my sometimes I mean most times. I especially hate video editing classes that use us for interns and don't really teach anything. I also hate when it's expected to do 10 hours of homework each week (recorded) for a 1 day a week class. Screw you! Why do you think I'm taking a night class? BECAUSE I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN GO TO SCHOOL.

They don't teach anything and then send us on our way. I had to figure out on my own how to dictate video into written text so I can log interviews. It's awesome. I've been at the library for 2 1/2 hours already and I will probably be here another 2. I hate video production. I'm not interested in doing this for my career. Waiting for things to load and render and hoping the equipment works is not my cup of tea. Maybe if it was my job to sit at a computer and wait for things to load I wouldn't be so upset. But it's not. And this is my LAST CLASS for graduation. Kill me now.

Also, don't bring your freakin' baby to the library. I'm sorry you got knocked up in the middle of your college career, that sucks for you, but don't make it suck for the rest of us. We're not interested in hearing it cry all afternoon. Take it outside and don't bring it back!

Did I mention I was upset? Because I am. I'm hungry, tired and upset. We have been fridgeless since Saturday when we moved in. Living out of a mini fridge. We have tortillas, cheese, turkey bacon, eggs and carrots. That's what I've been eating the last few days. Bart also made homemade guacamole so we enjoyed that the other night. But still, I'm starving and I need a damn fridge!

My first half marathon is this Saturday. I think my marriage will make it until then. I'm pretty sure every time I wake Bart up for an early morning run he thinks about leaving me. He has been such a good sport I try to pay him back :)

After three hours in the library it's clear I won't be able to finish my work. I don't understand Adobe Premiere and they didn't teach it to me. Is it expected that I understand it? Am I just out of my league here? That's what I'll be asking my professors tomorrow when I turn in a unfinished project!

Note to Self

As I'm sitting here watching Utah State play the University of Utah I can't help but think of all the things I have to do. But first let's mention...I'm watching football...by myself....and I'm actually enjoying it. It's amazing what just a few years can do.

Moving on..

These last two weeks have been crazy busy. 

I'm training for a half marathon

I was giving a promotion at work and have been doing double duty 10 hour days 

Class started (and it's going to be a biotch this semester ladies and gentlemen)

We bought a house (yay!) and we're moving on Saturday

I haven't had time to do any of those above things exceptionally well. I've had to leave work even when I'm not completely done to go to the Title company or go run or get to class. I haven't been able to focus on class because I'm more concerned about my job.

Running is a great de-stresser but sometimes waking up at 4 a.m. just isn't going to happen. I don't think Bart and I have enjoyed dinner together for a few weeks. Eating consists of a rice cake with almond butter in the morning and shoving brown rice down on my way out from work headed to class. Snacking on carrots and sipping water.

I'm stressed and I'm tired. Even if I just had to handle 2 of these things at a time, even 3, I think it would be okay. But dealing with all 4 crazy changes and time consuming commitments is overwhelming. 

Tomorrow is my last day of producing two shows and I don't necessarily have anywhere to be in the afternoon so I can stay at work and get caught up. Then my afternoon will consist of packing up and doing laundry and getting ready to move into our new house. I'm so excited for the move, I just wish it wasn't smack dab in the middle of everything else!

So I'll put everything in my day planner and I'll download my class programs. But at the end of the day I will sit and watch the Aggies play. Because sometimes you can't do it all.

I Suppose.....FML

O.M.G.

You know what's great about online classes? They are usually silent. Unless I'm having a jammin sesh. Quiet. Oh the quiet.

Class started this week and bad news. It was full of MP3's..NOOOO!!!! I have to listen to my professor every week. No video. Just audio. and her voice is annoying. of course it is! of course it is. She laughs at herself, is very breathy (you know what I mean) and says ' I suppose' waayyy too much.

Please excuse me, I'm going to cut my ears off now.

USU, COMM & USU

Spring 2009. USU 1360-Integrated Physical Science. Grade: B-

Another USU required course that I didn't do very well in. I remember sitting on the right side of the classroom and halfway down the rows. I hadn't embraced the front row just yet. Science isn't my best subject. And by that I mean I suck at it. This was the typical here is a cell class. Cells have mitochondria and other cool stuff inside them. They all work together like a well oiled machine. Now let's learn about the plant and animal system. We are homo-sapiens (I think....) and this is where we fall in this tree of life. Can you tell how much I learned?? I wish I understood slash cared more about science. But I just don't.

Fall 2012. COMM 5300- Mass Communication Law. Grade: B+

Throughout my whole communications/broadcasting degree I was told that Mass Comm Law was the hardest class you'll take. Take a light load because this one is a biotch. Well either I'm a freakin' genius or I got lucky. I'm going to go with the latter. This was a night class at the U because I had already started by job at ABC4. This was my ONLY class this semester #overachiever so I could focus all my mind powers on passing. It wasn't that hard and I actually learned a lot.  The main thing I learned is that many lawyers conversate the same way. My dad is a lawyer so I have a little bit of experience in this department. If I closed my eyes it was almost like my dad was teaching this class. They just have this attitude and way of speaking (not a bad thing). They also have a way of dealing with confrontation. They deflect and bounce it back onto you. It's annoying and sometimes humiliating.

I blogged about this class when I finished it and I'll steal a few things I learned from that post:

Stuff you may or may not know about Mass Media Law

Promissory Estoppel belongs to the source. Basically they can sue a journalist if a promise of anonymity was made and then broken (pending a few exceptions of course, because this is the legal system we're talking about)

Intellectual Property should be copyrighted once it's in a tangible medium, or you can't really seek damages if someone infringes on your work.

The work you do while employed is considered "work made for hire" and belongs to your employer, not you.

Fanciful Marks are the best kind of Trademarks (the Nike Swoosh wouldn't exist if Nike didn't)

Same-party candidates have to be allowed the exact same amount of air time as their opponents during a primary election

Obscenity is illegal, Indecency is legal

Children's programming can't have more than 12 minutes of commercials per hour during the weekday and 10 minutes of commercials during the weekend


Fall 2009. USU 1330- Civilization: Creative Arts. Grade: C

Don't judge me for getting a C in creative arts. Creative arts is a stupid class with 900 students who don't care what the teacher is saying. I would have to go to plays and sit in the very top row for 5 hours and then write a report. After one of those hellish experiences I learned to check in at the front, and have Bart pick me up around back when I snuck out the other exit. At the time I really felt like my time was more important than furthering my cultural experiences.

COMM, SOC & SPCH

Fall 2011.  COMM 3520- Radio Journalism. Grade: A

This was one of my first classes at the University of Utah after I transferred from Utah State. I ended up registering late so Radio was the only class I could get into that had to do with my major. The rest of the semester was full of other classes the U required to graduate. I really liked this class and I feel like I learned a ton. Just a few months previous I was interning at a radio station in Logan so I kind of had an idea of what I was doing. It's always nice going into a class and having a small understanding of the way things worked.

One of my main projects was creating an in-depth radio story (2-3 minutes) about the new Timponogos Highway that was being put in close to the point of the mountain. (It's now the main road that connects the freeway to Lehi/Alpine). I spent a day with a hard hat on following around a UDOT employee getting Nat sounds of trucks and traffic and interviews. I remember my recorder STOPPED WORKING in the middle of my biggest interview. I had a little inner freak out session and without the person knowing (hopefully) switched over to my iPhone and finished recording. It saved the day!

My professor was kind of a douche and always made the excuse that his other job kept him too busy for the classroom. That is one complaint I have about the University of Utah...a lot of the professors are "too busy" with their real jobs to worry about the class. Me and my $45935 aren't happy about that.

Fall 2010. SOC 1010- Introductory Sociology. Grade: B

Another introductory class I don't remember anything about! Oops. I must have liked it though because I decided to take more Sociology classes right away. I remember my other classes, but this one bites the dust.

Spring 2011. SPCH 5300 Visual Rhetoric. Grade: B+

This class was taught by the same professor who taught my interpersonal communications class. I really liked her, even if she didn't like me all that much. (Let's be honest...you can just tell when teachers don't like you). This was a facinating class. It addressed the aspects of visual communication that most people don't even realize is going on. Why are certain colors used in social campaigns? Why do you like this color of paint for your kitchen but not that one? Why is a picture worth a thousand words? These are all things we talked about. Diagonal lines in a picture gives us a sense of movement. Larger objects have more power, and we sort things by color before we sort them by shape.

I analyzed this photo for 7 pages for my final paper. A little background of this picture: this was a young girl who was immortalized in a single photograph. This is back in 1985 when a volcano erupted in Columbia and over 25 thousand people died. This picture was taken just hours before she died, trapped under debris from a mudslide. The photo was controversial because why wasn't the photographer helping her? Was this too private of a moment to capture? There are opinions on both sides of the issue. The point is that photos tell a story and photos make a point.

This was also the class where I said "you can basically make crap up and still be right/correct" and the teacher heard me. she later wrote me an email saying I should get out of the class if that's all I think visual rhetoric is about. I stand by that comment. You can look at a photo and it's your opinion what you see. There is no right or wrong answer. She didn't like that very much.

POLS, SOC & SPCH

Fall 2009. SOC 3010- Social Inequality. Grade: B

I remember this class, but I don't remember anything I learned. Make sense? I remember a lot of (hot) football players had this class but beyond that nothing else comes to mind. I wish I had more to write!

Spring 2010. POLS 1100- US Government & Politics. Grade: C+

This was one of the classes in the semester I mentioned last time...the one where I was taking too many classes that depended on the scan-tron test! I suck at scan-trons. I remember I had this class with a friend who never came and never studied, but he did better than me on every test. awesome. I don't remember much about this class either. I wanted to see if I was interested in politics and it turned out that I was most definitely NOT interested in politics.


Fall 2010. SPCH 2110- Interpersonal Communication. Grade: B+

Interpersonal communication class is all about how to talk about your feelings and develop healthy relationships blah blah blah. I've never been an awesome communicator so I guess that made me the perfect student. It was one of those classes where you put the desks in a circle and are expected to participate in the discussions. It was a lot like a therapy session with everyone chatting out their feelings. Totally my kind of thing.

For our final project we had to pick a relationship that we wanted to improve our communication and document our findings. I chose Bart. We were recently engaged and he had a problem with the way I communicated ( aka I DIDN'T communicate and he hated it). It was actually pretty beneficial. I learned that I was a bad listener and tuned him out a lot. I realized I needed to listen to him all the time, not just when I thought it was important. I still sometimes struggle with this, but I have definitely gotten better.

The main thing I remember is this professor said hardly anyone got an A in her class. This of course made me want to get an A ( I didn't...). The same day she said that was the same day we talked about self fulfilling prophesy: you tell someone something and it's more likely to happen. I found it ironic that she made sure everyone knew they would most likely NOT get an A...thanks for that! In the end she was one of my favorite professors even though she didn't like me very much.

SOC, HIST & USU

Spring 2010. SOC 3200- Population and Society. Grade: B+

Have you ever had a bad teacher? I mean a really bad teacher? The kind of teacher that makes you upset because you are paying thousands of dollars to this institution that allows teachers like this to exist? I did. And this was the class. This old man was so horrible I was close to writing to the president of the school to complain. Then I thought about that extra work, and decided to just hate him in silence instead. This professor was 90 years old and admitted to the entire class on his first day that he hadn't taught this course since 1995. AWESOME! This was the year the 2010 Census was being conducted. So that's what we learned about. The first 5 minutes of class was spent listening to polka music (yes, polka music) and watching him do a little groove. The next 30 minutes were spent on figuring out how to work the projector, and then the next 15 minutes were spent going over the slides we went over last class. The final 10 minutes were spent "learning" something new. What made me the most upset? Is this guy noticed when I missed class and docked me points. (hence the B+) what a dick right?

Spring 2009. HIST 2710- United States 1877-Present. Grade: A

If you went to Utah State University, did you have the pleasure of having Ms. Denise Conover? If you did, you probably have a good idea of how this class went. This lady was from the South and had plenty of strong opinions about the government. Lucky for me, this was also the semester she had to get shoulder surgery so most of our classes were cancelled. This was also the class that Bart apparently had with me. ( I don't remember him...but Bart remembers me. According to him, "I looked mean").

In this class you NEVER had your phone out because this crazy lady would call you out and yell at you for a solid minute. If you looked down while she was giving some kind of announcement she freaked out until  you told her you were just writing down the test date. Our grades were based on the roll that she passed around. Sign your name and chances are you'll get an A. I didn't do my final paper and I still got an A! The perfect class for a college Freshman.

Fall 2009. USU 1320-Civilization: Humanities. Grade: C-

Fall 2009 was a bad semester. It was my second semester and I was taking 6 classes. They were almost all USU courses AKA generals. The classes with 200 people and scantrons. My worst enemy. (I don't do well with multiple choice). I hadn't caught on to the importance of regularly attending class ( that realization would come after I got my report card..almost all C's). I honestly do not remember what class this was. I looked it up on USU's website and here is the description  "Provides basic understanding of a broad range of themes, which cut across human history and continue to be important in contemporary society." No wonder I almost didn't pass. I don't do well with such general guidelines.

p.s. I think this might have been an art-type class. If so, I had a mean red-headed teacher who demanded we include Doctor in her title because "she worked hard for that title."

Help a Sista Out

Hey all! For my online class I had to create a Twitter account about a specific topic with a specific audience. I chose Hashimotos since Twitter was one of the first places I looked when I was diagnosed. Help a sister out and follow me! (My few tweets a day won't get in your way...I PROMISE) :)

https://twitter.com/HashimotosHelp


Just do it.

SPCH, FCHD & SOC

Going through the list of classes I have taken has brought back a ton of memories! This blogging series might be more fun than I thought.

I don't plan on doing these in order...where's the fun in that?


Spring 2010. SPCH 1020-Public Speaking. Grade: B+

Oh public speaking. I'm horrible at it. HORRIBLE. I remember taking the class with a friend who was great at it. He could get up there and entertain a crowd all day. The end result? He almost failed and I got a B+. Where's the justice in that? This class was taught by a student teacher so he was totally focused on us following all the rules and guidelines. Luckily for me he didn't care how good we were at actually speaking to our group...he just wanted us to follow the outlines and the rules. I am the bomb.com at following rules so it worked out. I don't even remember what my speeches were, I just remember them being horrible. This horribleness hasn't gotten better. You should hear me speak in church...unless you're totally in tune with your spiritual side, it's pretty bad.

Fall 2009. FCHD 1010- Balancing Work and Family. Grade: C+

I know what you're thinking...Meg, you got a C+ in FCHD? yes. yes I did. Just further proof I'm never meant to be the crafty mom that talks about looooove buckets and makes chore charts. This was my second semester of college and this class was as stupid as it sounds. We spent a whole section talking about the Love Bucket (Pronounced Luuuuuuu-ve Bucket). The idea is that everyone has a bucket. At the top of the bucket is where love should be coming in, and there is a small hole at the bottom of the bucket where love comes out. To be happy, you should be constantly filling this love bucket. (This is really technical stuff you guys...I understand if you don't quite get it..) All jokes aside, this is the ONLY thing I remember from this class, so I guess the old happy man with a santa beard got his point across.

Spring 2011. SOC 3420- Criminology. Grade: A

If I didn't go into journalism, I would have gone into criminology. This stuff was fascinating! Learning why criminals are criminals. Cool stuff.  I still remember the main things people need in their lives and if they're missing too many of them, they are more likely to become a criminal. I don't remember the exact wording but I'll try to break it down for you.

People need someone to hold them accountable. If you don't have anyone in your life that would be disappointed in you (ie. parents that care), you're more likely to do disappointing things. You need something that's valuable. If you don't have a college to get kicked out of or a job to get fired from, you're more likely to do stupid stuff since you have "nothing to lose". You need to feel accepted. If you don't feel accepted you're more likely to hang around a group of people (ie. gangs) that are doing bad stuff just so you feel a part of something bigger than yourself. Makes sense right? There were a few more but I don't remember.

We were asked the question "is there a crime that is considered wrong everywhere in the world, and at all times?" This caused some conversation. people of course listed murder...but what about during war? Treason was an example...but what about the men who committed treason for The United States? I think Rape was the only one most of us could come to the agreement on...and even then it was iffy.

I remember another lesson where the professor had every one write down all the crimes they had ever committed (anonymously) and then read them to the class. It was a room full of thieves, liars, aggressors and robbers. A university course full of criminals.

This was one of my favorite classes and it made me want to continue to take more Sociology courses. (Before I transferred to the University of Utah I planned on minoring in Sociology).

122 Hours

122 Hours.

The number of hours I have worked at the end of 3 weeks (ish)
It is also the number of hours it takes to graduate college.

This is what is required for a bachelor degree at the University of Utah. I will graduate with 123.

I just signed up for my last 6 hours ( or two classes ) and it made me so happy! I have had to prolong this graduation thing thanks to a job offer I got last year, but I know the decisions I made were right.

I'll graduate in December with a year and a half experience in the exact job I was getting a degree for! Not many college graduates can say that.

122 Hours.
That number is deceiving. How can it take so long to get through a seemingly small number? I can't even begin to write down the things I have learned in those 122 hours...but I want to try! I am going to start an installment of things I've learned the past few years and throughout those 122 long hours.

...but not tonight. Because it's almost 9 p.m. which means it's almost my bedtime...