peaches

I spent the weekend in Atlanta with the freshmen Journalism and Communications Fellows. It was a blast. I made some new friends, and some excellent contacts and had a great time visiting a new city.

From Thursday to Saturday we were a whirlwind of nice clothes, clicky heels, notebooks and questions. I was placed with the strategic communications (PR) and print journalism group. We went to Atlanta Magazine (met the group at CNN briefly, see below), the Weather Channel, Weber Shandwick (the PR firm that holds the accounts for the got milk? campaign and Coca Cola), and Turner Field where the Braves play. I've posted some pictures below.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to visit the High Museum. It'll just give me another reason to go back to Atlanta.

In other big news -- The Pendulum was just awarded third place in the Pacemaker awards competition by the Associate Collegiate Press for our online election coverage package, and was given Best of Show for our Oct. 29, 2008 issue. This is huge, these awards are considered the Pulitzer Prizes of collegiate journalism. I'm so proud!

OK, on to the photos:
This is the view from my hotel window. We stayed in the Marriot Marquis, it was a beautiful hotel, the interior architecture is fabulous. I had my own room, care of Elon, and enjoyed a king-sized bet to myself.

This is the whole group in front of the CNN sign in Atlanta. Half the group went to the studio, then the rest of us met up with them for a photo-op. (I'm the one in the white shirt and brown pants.)

This is the view of Turner Field from the press box. We were taken on a tour of the press box and video production booth and then onto the field itself.

This is all of us in the dugout. (Green skirt, front row.)

And that's me, in the dugout feeling fully major league

when it rained on tuesdays

Today was the first Tuesday this semester that it has not rained. It has consistently rained every Tuesday since the first day of classes. Invariably, the day after every grueling Monday production night, the zombie day after has been met by gray skies and at least a chance of showers, if not a fully functional downpour.

But not today. Today wasn't particularly dreary at all. It was sunny, a little windy and crisp. Yesterday was, both personally and percipitatively (Is that a word?) miserable. Dreary inside, dreary outside.

I've been struggling lately with an overbooked schedule and an overworked mind. I like to be busy and I'm pretty good at organizing my time. But the past few days I've been in over my head. It all came to a head yesterday as I sat at 8 a.m. still working on finishing reading I'd abandoned at midnight from the night before, desperately trying to stay awake over my Cheerios. I realized as I looked at the little life rafts floating in my milk that if I didn't slow down, I'd be needing more than one Bethany-sized life raft to keep me from drowning.

The stress has passed -- today was the biggest day of the week for things to be finished. The rest of the week will be easier (and supposedly sunny also): I'm seeing Minus the Bear with Kiersten tomorrow night and then am heading down to Atlanta for the weekend with the Journalism and Communications Fellows. That's not exactly a holiday, but it will be a welcome change of scenery.

I often find it odd how one day can be so different from the last. It's cliche, but hindsight is completely 20/20. Historical perspective is absolutely everything. I think that's something I need to remember, when things look bad, just give it a little time and don't forget to carry the umbrella.