Designated Doodler

As the collegiate year kicks off for millions of students, excitement fills the air. But this exciting new adventure isn't everyone's idea of fun. For many students, especially college freshman, the year is fraught with tension, anxiety and uncertainty. Many young people have to deal with things in college that they've never had to deal with before. For example, as an only child, I never had to share a room with another human being until college. Luckily, my roommate went to bed around the same time I did and we got along. But that isn't always the case. Things you may have to deal with include: 1) Being really broke 2) Being homesick 3) Hating the food 4) Adjusting to the level of college work you have to do 5) Making friends 6) Traveling home 7) Dealing with tough roommates/suite-mates 8) Discovering the horror of communal bathrooms and Ramen noodles for three meals a day Anyway…the point is…there's a lot that you may not like about college and i...

Four years of my life are scattered across two thumb drives and a laptop or two. Downloads of papers that other's have written sit stale, saved, long past review. Half my wardrobe is purple, and too casual to ever wear My bike sits in the garage, resting on deflating tires A tired relic of a time when I biked everywhere Sometimes my fingers ache to turn the lock In a series of fluid motion that my heart never forgot My first semester I had no friends, but made a 3.9 Welcome to college, welcome to the dean's list Second semester I joined a Christian sorority I thank God for it, because they were, they are, my family And on a whim cut off most of my hair The hairdresser hesitated to do it, and in the end, he was right I thought moving out that first year and going home Was one of the best days of my life

I still haven't accepted the fact that I have to work on Memorial Day...is that even legal? I mean...is it? There's probably only a handful of corporate companies that are working on Memorial Day (it's not like we're in retail)...and I happen to work for one of them. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. However, since I also work teaching art on the weekends, I usually only have one work-free day a week. I really could have used two :( So to cope with the madness I'm making delicious cream cheese swirled brownies and my awesome coworker is bringing me a Starbucks (because she's precious :) So we're going to make the best of the situation. All the big wigs and people who have vaca time will be gone...so more brownies for us! I've also decided that this blog post shouldn't be all BLAH BLAH so I'm including "Snippets from my life" One of the paintings I taught a couple of weeks ago. This is mine. I love geology jokes......

If you are considering joining the advertising field professionally, there are a few things you should know. 1. It's a Highly Competitive Field A lot of people think that they will be able to be super creative and come up with new campaigns all the time. This isn't true 90% of the time. But it's the idea and the excitement that lead a lot of people to this field. I can tell you right now that this field is nothing like what's portrayed on Mad Men. If you're looking for a super sexy career path, consider becoming a Kardashian. 2. You Have to Know Where You Fit There is no "advertising" job. There are many jobs within that umbrella term of "advertising." There are four aspects to advertising: copy, art, client servicing and media buying. Client servicing professionals usually have a background in marketing and are the ones that work closely with the client and the creative team to make sure the ideas stay on track. Media buyers buy space in t...

When I was a kid I remember asking my Mom for advice about "how" to fall asleep. I was surprised that the answer wasn't as clear-cut as being told how to flip off a light switch or tie one's shoes. My little seven year old brain wanted a method. I remember looking over one night when I was very young; shocked that the clock said 10 p.m. and I STILL wasn't asleep! Well...after a small bought with insomnia during high school I came away with some tips and tricks that help me fall asleep...and I thought I'd share with you...so try to stay awake. Prepare your surroundings...don't go listening to Deadmau5 or Skrillex and dancing around with all the lights on in your apartment right before you need to be asleep. Turn most of the lights off an hour before sleepy time.  Don't eat stupid shit like the sugary caffeinated Coke, taunting you from the fridge. Also, if you have a teeny weenie bladder like me...don't drink anything at all before bed. Have...

I dream of college constantly. It is a recurring dream. In my dream I'm in Fort Worth being told that I have not actually graduated, but have another semester to go. If I had a quarter for every time I've had this dream...I'd have a shit ton of quarters that I'd need to take to Kroger and put in that change machine thingy. I get asked every once in a while if I miss college...and I'm not really sure of the answer. I'm kind of weird...the part I miss most is class. I miss making new friends all the time and...well...showing off in class. There I said it. I liked class, I loved it. All the reading, all the tests, all the ridiculousness that the better part of you knows you'll never use again. I mean, let's face it, do I remember any of what I learned in World Geography? Of course not! I remember that it was a three hour class on Thursday night, that I was starving every time an hour in, and that we were forced to copy pages and pages and pages of informa...

As I sit here sipping my Pike's blend and eating baby Kit-Kat's I'm wondering where I went wrong in life. No, just kidding. But seriously, who buys baby candy? If you go to get a Kit-Kat wouldn't  you rather it be full sized? And why do they call that tiny candy "Fun Sized" as if getting less chocolate is somehow a deal. But I digress. You know, it's amazing how much faster time goes by when you have something solid to do. That's exactly why I wrote blogs and drew cartoons in many of my college classes. A word to the wise though, make sure said prof's aren't following you on Twitter where you mention your blog update. College truly ruins everything. High school is a hellish nightmare that entraps you for eight hours a day and then you go to college and you're all like..."oh, I can go home and nap now!" "I have freedom, and an active social life and spare time and a newfound appreciation for Ultimate Frisbee." And s...

Invites The new statue  Man...that was a tasty cake This is what it's going to look like this Saturday! Hmm I wonder who that is? Aren't I adorable? Tulip season at TCU Superfrog + Me *Sigh* I can breathe now.

I go to Texas Christian University...and am proud to say so. The actions of some do not define the mentality or actions of all. I personally have never done drugs, but am not surprised to learn that there's a problem in a college campus. There's a problem on every college campus...but TCU is being made an example of because we are a private Christian college. The former journalist in me knows why this is being so publicized, the former journalist knows that this qualifies as a "good story." And that's a shame. There is a problem on every college campus with illegal substances...and the bigger the school, the more widespread the problem. And here I sit a graduating Senior from a school that's all over the news. And yeah, it pisses me off that anyone would dare tarnish the name of such a great school. It pisses me off that so much has been thrown on Gary Patterson who has been nothing but an extraordinary coach working his heart out to get us on the map. I don...

This ridiculous semester is almost over and I'm almost peeing myself with excitement at the prospect of leaving. But alas, here I sit in my empty apartment avoiding the unformed boxes that are staring at me from across the room. If you've ever moved (which you probably have) you know that moving is a bitch. I've lived in 3 different states, 5 different cities, and have "moved into" a room about eight times. Being an artist you can imagine that I have a lot of shit to move. I am also an avid reader and lover of books so that means that I have even more shit to move. OH and I love xbox and games and movies and full season collections of my favorite shows....you get the idea, a lot of stuff. And the campus is errily quiet and I get to spend all day reading on Facebook about how all my friends have already left and are comfortably situated at home. It really hit me how empty campus was when I could actually find a parking spot today on campus, and in a prime location....

I have learned something about college; and unfortunately, it's that it can be really lonely. Don't get me wrong, I have lots of friends, but college isn't the roller coaster of pure awesome that so many people make it out to be. And the more stressors that are present, the more of your time is taken up and the more time is taken up the lonelier you feel. Rushing from one thing to the next, from one class to the next from one internship to a class, from class to a job from jobs to interviews from interviews to sorority meetings. It's more like a roller coaster of ridiculousness that involves odd sleeping habits, poor eating habits and a constant struggle with parking, papers, tests, projects and lots of TUMS. My second most popular drink is Pepto Bismol and ZONE protein bars, Nilla Wafers and Yoplait are keeping me alive. Anyway, so here I am, half-studying, half nursing an upset stomach and fully invested in watching this new episode of HOUSE M.D. I'm not quite sur...

This morning I woke up at eight something, so much for sleeping in late. I laid there in my pink plaid pajama bottoms and pink TCU hoodie, wrapped in a sea of green sheets. I rested my hand on my chest and felt my heartbeat through both layers of clothing. It beat fast, as usual. And I continued laying there, relishing the fact that I didn't have to be anywhere. My obnoxiously squeaky bed screeched in protest as I got up and opened my blinds. This was going to be a day of errands, artwork and reading my media law book. But no matter what exactly I'm doing the realization that I'm nearly half-done with my last year of college is never far from my thoughts. There are so many possible directions for my life to take post-college that it's mind boggling. Haha, that reminds me of last night when I got caught up on an episode of Community I had missed. Ahbed and Troy had a housewarming party and Jeff created six parallel timelines by rolling a die to see who had to go answer t...

One day in the summer before you begin college you will be sitting at your desk ordering as much collegiate paraphenillia as possible. You will be pumped about beginning your higher education! And then three and a half years later you will find yourself a jaded senior, sitting in your media law and ethics class hoping that your prof won't notice that your on blogger.com attempting to keep up your blog. It's not that a law class is boring...I just have a rather fast moving mind and a deep love of multitasking. Just sitting down and listening/taking notes just isn't stimulating enough for me. And being on a laptop and unable to doodle, I have turned to my neglected blog to satiate my mental needs. Anyway, back to the discussion...about college. I'm at a private university so keep that in mind. So you probably know that Junior year in college is the hardest right? Well...wrong. If you think you're going to sit back and enjoy your last year in college you are sadly mist...