-
How to Write a Letter and get a Response
Everyone writes letters but does everyone actually know how to write a letter? The short answer is that letter writing is a genre in its own right and many people don’t actually know how to write letters. I’m not saying there is a wrong or a right way to write letters. I am saying that there are a few conventions you should follow when writing your letters. What makes a letter a letter? Some people think if you send something to someone via snail mail (USPS), it’s automatically a letter. This is not true. While there are many mail genres that seem the same, they are all distinct in specific…
-
A Guide to Complaining When You and Everyone You Know is Emotionally Exhausted
I don’t know about you, but I am emotionally exhausted. The global covid-19 pandemic is emotionally exhausting as much as it is scary. And if you are trying to be responsible and stay informed, the news updates everyday can be overwhelming. I have decided to go about my days expecting that everyone I know feels exactly the way I do (regardless of if they do or not). So what do you want to do when you are emotionally exhausted, lonely, and scared? You might want to scream and never stop screaming. You might want to escape to the nearest forested area, lie down, let the moss claim you, and become…
-
Learn How To Say and Practice Saying “No”
In the past I have talked about how to say no to selfish friends ; but that’s no easy feat. In the post I talked about clear ways to tell your friends “no” without saying “no” and when to evaluate and communicate in a relationship where you feel you are being used by a selfish or toxic friend. Sometimes learning how to just say the word “no” is the real challenge, but you also need to practice using “no.” A lot of us feel that the word “no” makes us disagreeable and may lead to confrontation. A lot of us have been in relationships and situations where our “no” was disrespected,…
-
Why I Have a Problem With Sarcasm
Sarcasm can be mean, it can be unhealthy, and can hurt relationships; yet so many people treat sarcasm as a personality trait synonymous with cool, clever, and witty. I have a problem with sarcasm for a variety of reasons; primarily because a lot of people use sarcasm inappropriately and cause a lot of damage in the process. My main reasons for hating sarcasm are these: people use it as a weapon and an excuse for bad social skills, it’s bad communication, it’s an unhealthy coping mechanism, and people treat it like a personality trait. Sarcasm as a Weapon The definition of sarcasm from Merriam-Webster is: a sharp and often satirical…
-
Make it a Habit: How To Consume Media Critically and Carefully
As we get closer to the 2020 election and potential presidential candidates are out campaigning, we are sure to start hearing conflicting stories, dissenting opinions, and mudslinging (something that has happened for hundreds of years in politics). I am someone who works in media (broadcast, and now formerly print) and consumes media, I can confidently say that how we consume media and where we get it is important to how we form opinions and arguments (which are not the same thing BTW). Something I hear all the time in class, at work, and in social settings is that the media is evil and has an agenda. While yes there is…
-
I Graduated College? Now what?
I haven’t posted since April, which is quite a long time, but I have my reasons and I also know that those reasons are no longer an issue. So back in June, I walked in commencement and “graduated.” I didn’t actually graduate. But I will! I hadn’t completed an internship yet so I technically couldn’t graduate at commencement, but I am completing my internship over this summer and will graduate upon its completion in August. When I first started college I wanted to graduate in four years without taking summer terms. Well, that didn’t happen. I’m a little over five years in (not counting the college courses I took in…
-
How to Say “No” to Selfish Friends
Sometimes we have friends that are just selfish in nature. They expect you to drop everything for them when they need or want you to. They might even seek you out more than your other friends because they know you will say yes. And you do say yes. But what if you had said no? What would have happened? Would your friend have accepted your answer or would they have turned against you?
-
About Me: 5 Facts
It’s the end of the first week of September. It’s still hot as hell (WHERE ARE YOU FALL?) and I’ve been preparing for a 10 day road trip that I start this weekend. I realized, I really haven’t done anything recently (or ever) to tell you about me and my life (outside of my phone addiction challenge). I think this week is a good opportunity to do that. Next week I will post about the road trip so keep an eye out for that! To be honest, I was looking at a bunch of pinterest pins about journal and blog prompts in the patterns of “30 days about me.” I’m…
-
I Spent 10 Days in Paris For $3,000 and Got College Credit
My school has the opportunity to go to Paris for an international Media Seminar. It’s a class that is open to all majors, but benefits communication students more. Because it was a class, we made all our reservations together and scheduled through some influential media moguls in Paris, which cut costs significantly. I went with 12 other students, my professor and his family, and we were there with a college from Kansas with around the same number of students. I came back with
Our Lives in Stories
