Farewell Miss Black & Gold 2009

What I'm Listening To: Heard it through the Grapevine-Marvin Gaye

This weekend. WHOA. So basically, I've been training two ladies for the Miss Black and Gold competition. The competition was this weekend at UW-Whitewater. They both did very well and I was very pleased with what they had done with the training that I had given them. I was finally able to officially pass off my title as Miss Black and Gold Wisconsin to one of the girls that I trained, Erika Janea Dickerson Despenza. I'm pleased that Madison has been able to keep the tradition alive and win at the state level for six years in a row now. I gave a speech about my reign, in my gorgeous black and silver dress with silver accessories and silver tiara. When Erika was announced as the winner, I got the hugest grin on my face. Unfortunately, our work is not done. Now the regional competition is in Ohio, and she will have to be prepped for that. I think she'll do very well there.

The rest of the weekend after the pageant was all right. The Alphas had their convention, which was nice. The girls were put up in a hotel and I spent some quality time with my best friend, Britt. The only drama was that there were plenty of skeletons in the closet trying to come back out, and right before V-day too. Then it was difficult because I was feeling slightly under-appreciated, but that was all right as well. In short, I'm just glad that I'm back in Madison, but not happy that I have to study for two exams this week and come up with a plan for PRIME and fit in V-day monologue practice this week. Pictured below is Andreall Moore (the best ever), Erika (the new Miss Black and Gold), and me.

The 80/20 Rule (relationship wise)

What I'm Listening To: When I Grow Up-Pussycat Dolls

I'm doing a little bit of research on names, but besides that, I think that the book is coming along nicely. I have this really weird habit when I'm naming one of my characters--I go and look at a baby names generator online and come up with one I think will fit. One generator that I particularly like is really well designed and has baby names by country, origin, language, alphabetically, etc. It's the most effective and easiest for me to use. For my new book, I wanted to create really exotic names because the characters are anything but ordinary. I picked from the Akkadian language, Persian, Aztec, Gaelic, Asian, and even Arabic names to find names for my characters.

Still a lot to do for the Vagina Monologues, and I have a ton of homework to do for each of my classes. My friends were over last night and we were watching Meet the Browns, but what we really wanted to see again was Why Did I Get Married? because it has the 80/20 rule in it. Apparently that's when a person in a relationship has 80% of what they need. Many times, it feels like 100% until something goes wrong and then the person focuses on what they don't have. Suddenly, a person comes along who has what your partner is lacking in. It could be beauty, listening skills, money, etc. So you leave the 80% and go to the 20% only to realize that the 20% can't satisfy you and then the regret period follows. It was a pretty interesting concept.

Now I just really need to focus on doing the rest of the research for these names and then I should be all set to go to write!

The Age of Sweet Potato Fries

What I'm Listening To: Mighty to Save-Hillsong

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED. I was running around with my head cut off, and still am. Hopefully next week will be a little bit better. Some highlights are that I submitted NOSTALGIA to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. I'm excited to see the outcome of that, but we'll see how it goes. They go until people submit 5,000 copies or the deadline closes. I still have to re do my website and those logistics. I switched my major from Journalism to Communication Disorders. Prime Magazine is doing all right and hopefully it will only grow. Running a magazine is definitely difficult at times, but the goal is to keep doing what I can to make Prime a success. I'm applying to be a counselor of the Summer Collegiate Experience (SCE) this summer in Madison. Also, I've finally mapped out all of the history and finished the research for my new fantasy book about faeries and elves. I actually started writing last night, so I'm excited. I cut down from 16 credits to 13 although it still feels like I'm doing a lot. I'm still an Information Guide at the Red Gym and I've also taken on the position as Housing Specialist. I'm also training girls for the Miss Black and Gold pageant in a couple of weeks, solidifying my role in the Vagina Monologues in a few weeks, and going to Primetime with Campus Crusade for Christ more often. It's amazing. My friend and I are very happy to be a part of the organization. Mostly, I've been trying to do some reading. The Wicked Lovely series is truly awesome and I can't wait to read the other books. Most of my reading has been towards the spiritual side of my life. That's mostly it, other than the fact that I've been mostly eating out or buying random food because a lot of times it's awful and I'm sick of eating the same thing. So that's mostly everything in a nutshell. Wish me luck for ABNA!

EDITING

What I'm Listening To: Amazing Grace-Chris Tomlin

Nothing too good to report today. My fingers have been MIA because I got a really bad case of carpal tunnel the other day. I did get my first email issue of Publishers Marketplace today, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to just subscribe to the whole thing. As another note, I just finished Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr and it is fabulous. The conflict in that book was insane and reminded me a little of the love conflict in my book, but on a smaller scale. I definitely recommend it. I fell in love with it because of the amazing descriptions of the faerie folk and their world. Definitely reading Ink Exchange, the second book, and I'll have to buy Fragile Eternity, the third book. I can't wait for the fourth book to come out.

I can't even remember what round of editing this is for me. I'm debating whether to go through it again or to simply focus on researching agents for it. I still have to start my other project as well. I'm really excited about it. I have about twelve other projects that I would love to get off of the ground, but simply don't have the time. This semester is going to be even more crazy because I have to figure out how to balance my time more. My journalism school decision hasn't come in yet, and I'm not sure if that's a good sign. I still have to apply for all of these programs, and I still haven't memorized my monologue for the Vagina Monologues yet.

Hopefully I'll have researched the agents enough that one accepts this time. I'm nervous about a lot of things because they all have to be decided soon, and about my volatile future, but hopefully they will all be resolved soon.

FINALS & excerpt from the crazy life

What I'm Listening To: This Christmas-Christina Aguilera

This day alone has been CRAZY. My Spanish final is tomorrow, which is why this post will be brief. I was supposed to start studying on Friday, but I had a meeting for the Pink and Black Benefit and a Winter Formal to attend that night for Campus Crusade for Christ. Louisa from the Christmas party was there and so was Dana. After Dana left, Louisa and I hung out and she introduced me to all of the people she knew, which was great. One of the best parts of the dance for me was being single and still getting to slow dance. God knows me too well, and I really had an amazing time. So needless to say, I didn't study that night, but I got home earlier than I would on any other Friday night, which was fabulous. Saturday, I worked practically all day with Pat in the CIC and then Kayeloni came to visit from practically near Green Bay, so I HAD to hang with her because I hadn't seen her in FOREVER. I miss some of my SCE people. So we kicked it for a bit, ate at BW3's, and then hung out in my room, catching some of the Marquette-Madison basketball game on TV. Then, because I was a good friend, I didn't study and went to the ballroom dancing showcase with her to watch Alejandro Roman-Roche dance. The showcase was amazing and I really want to get out there and take lessons. So, I came home after that and thankfully got a little studying done. Today, I had a Diversity Committee brunch which tasted excellent, rehearsal for the Vagina Monologues, studying for Spanish, executive board meeting for Prime where we focused on putting together the magazine, and now hopefully more studying for that Spanish final and some theatre work as well.

Oh, and I found out a shocker today: The "Our Deepest Fear" speech, the one that everyone says was written by Nelson Mandela and in one of his inaugural addresses is NOT by Nelson Mandela and was never in any of this speeches. It is actually a poem by Marianne Williamson from her book "A Return to Love." Mind boggling. Clearly I have to read this book.

Computer crashes without external hardrives SUCK

What I'm Listening To: Good Morning-Chamillionaire

I already wrote this post, and shall have to write it again because the internet logged on and off unexpetedly. My computer crashed yesterday and I had to take it to our Division of Information Technology. They said that it could take seven days. SEVEN DAYS. It's the week before finals and I have no computer. Sad. The good news is that they might be able to save it. The bad news is that the updated versions of both of my stories are on the hardrive. We'll see what happens. I saw two old friends on the way out, so that was nice.

One thing that I did over the weekend was see Whitewater's Miss Black and Gold Pageant. It was really well put on, but the girls definitely needed more practice in walking and posing. Brittany Landry, who used to go to King with me, won. I'm happy for her, and I just hope that our girls will be as prepared because I don't think that I can do this all by myself. There was a lot of God in this production of Miss Black and Gold, which really struck me. One girl gave her testimony in the talent portion because she had made it into a rap song. I thought that was a great idea. Dre took me up there and back. I've missed talking to her and hopefully I can try to stay in better contact with her.

I've gotten myself involved in yet another thing, the Pink and Black Benefit for the Campus Women's Center here. It should be really fun, but I'd better try to find some music and make sure that I'm devoting enough time. I also got involved in the production of the Vagina Monologues. The director just gave out the parts today and I got one. On one hand, I'm excited because it's my first production while I've been in college and on the other hand it's a little nerve-wrecking. But I'm definitely more excited than anything.

For VIP, our food drive ended today and we had free hot chocolate for everyone who participated, so that was fun and interesting. The battle between red and white will be announced soon. My team red was strong the whole way through, but white really wanted it in the end! I'm glad that it was a successful drive, mad props to the marketing team. I gave money because there wasn't really a store near me that sold canned food, and truthfully, money was easier.

Basically, my family better like the Christmas presents I bought because I went broke buying them! Can't wait till I get paid at the end of this week and hopefully all of this work won't have killed me by then.

O yes, and today was the first snow, so I had to pull out my boots with the fur. Apparently it's going to get worse, so we will most likely have a White Christmas, not that I'm dreaming of one though...