Nerding Out

Most other social media outlets have experienced success partly because of their ability to be linked to Facebook. Twitter, Tumblr, Yelp, even that Instagram thing I think. Well, at least that's what I assume, because I see 'em on my Newsfeed. Well, why would FB help, in a way, other types of social media? I'm no expert, but I think it's because those other outlets are only part of FB's social media game. FB provides a full social network. Not just statuses. Not just pictures.

There is no doubt that Fb is king of social networking. At least for now. But I hate those stupid games - like, seriously. Wthell is Farmville about? Really?

It started out as this cool exclusive thing, all about connecting people. But then they started adding bumper stickers, and silly games, and other invitations that I choose to ignore. It's not really why I joined FB.

Some people don't like Facebook. Sometimes I think it's too much. Like, I don't care and don't always need to know exactly where and what you're eating. (I also hate that it's called the "Newsfeed". (1) The word "news" is beginning to lose it's meaning because of it. It's a joke. And it makes us look like idiots because (2) it is hardly news.) But the pros outweigh the cons.

It's a great tool, and doesn't replace a friendly phone call, or a lunch date, but it helps to stay in touch and keep up with old friends. (Of course, it also helps really immature and nosy people stir up a lot of unnecessary drama, but you win some, you lose some. And it'd happen either way. So don't blame FB.) It's just another way to tell my friends that I love 'em and I miss 'em. And really, what's wrong with showin' a little Fb love?

On another side note, and to their credit, they did manage to create virtual flirting, with the "poke". Hilarious. But totally okay. It was created by college kids, afterall. And what's life if it ain't a little fun, yanno? Can't take it too seriously.
(If you haven't seen Social Network you should. I don't care if you hate fb. Like it or not, it's changed life as we know it. And is a huge part of our whole generations "thing".)

A couple other inadequacies? The new picture viewing thing is a little annoying. And the quality isn't great, but you just learn to not print from Fb, and understand that it's just for sharing purposes. Fb chat isn't reliable and it's messages are a bit messy. But also not too big a deal, bc I just use gchat and gmail. Both much more accessible on my phone.

But that's the point I'm getting to. Overall, Fb does the trick. Sure there are a couple of things that are little.. ehhhh, but only annoying at worst. It gets the job done. And does exactly what it was built to do.

But now, with Google+.. Well, we already know Google owns everything. Most people have Gmail accounts. I love Gchat. It's what I use when I wanna get away from the Fb chats. Google is already linked to my phone and is Android friendly. It's less cluttered, but then again, once upon a time so was Fb. It owns Picasa, so pictures are supposed to be of higher quality. It's a bit more user friendly when it comes to organizing your friend groups. They decided to go with "Stream" rather than "Newsfeed." And it doesn't have just video chat. Group chat. (Ciao Skype and Oovoo.) Google even owns this blog.

So basically, it is a Fb upgrade.

For Facebook's sake, I hope it can keep up. I'm sure they regret (the rumored?) smear campaign but ya gotta give credit where credit's due.

They were just a bunch of college kids who didn't know they were creating social media/networking as we know it - defining our generation as one that is constantly connected.

Makes you feel for them, a little, yanno. They created the monster that is Facebook, but how do you compete with Google?

I'm all for underdogs. And I really like the idea that these guys could've been people I went to school with. But I also really like convenience.

I find this way toooo interesting. I'm such a geek.

Love Conquers All

Whether you're straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, WHATEVER.. NY becoming the 6th state to pass equal marriage rights all comes down to one thing: love.

And in any and all forms, it is undeniably beautiful.

Now, that's something worth celebrating.

Devil is in the Details

Design school can drive you mad if you let it. Sometimes I wish I could just give my brain a rest, for just a sec, and not pick everything apart.

You realize that every decision, every detail is intentional. Because everything is supporting a concept. It might be a restaurant, a book, a wedding - everything from the menu, the lighting; the font, the binding; the venue, the flowers - it all returns to a single focus. A concept's success lies in its clarity, whose "big picture" is carried by the execution of these details.

My senses are constantly on overload. It's exhausting.

History in the Making

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. -Elmer Davis

Evil deserves no celebration, even in death. Instead, honoring and remembering those who have given their lives and sacrificed so much for this day.

Nothing Less than Butterflies

I was having one of those great catch up calls with one of my oldest and dearest friends, and the subject of relationships came up. He told me that I was too picky, and that what I want doesn't exist.

I tried to explain that it's not about this perfect person. But I just can't help that I want to be crazy in love. I've watched way too many Disney movies as a child, and listen to way too much country to want anything less. I told him this:

Being content is different from being happy.
Being happy is different from being in love.
And being in love is different from being inspired.

And I will always opt to wait for the latter.

Insane in the Membrane

We're in the middle of finals, and I was chatting with one of my fellow classmates and had one of those AHA! moments. As we sat in the studio, delirious from lack of sleep, I had a very important realization.

There are three significant experiences that have completely warped my perspective of.. Well, let me break it down:

(1) Cheerleading - Body Image



You constantly compare yourself to the girls around you, with their chiseled legs, ripped abs, and dimples on their back, and become worried that you'll be too big for guys to throw you in the air, because nobody wants "the Tank" to be quoted after their first name. Even if you didn't care at first, you hear other girls freak out over an oreo and run 3 miles because of it, counting calories, and hear them ask, "Are you really gonna eat that?" All of a sudden, you're just as obsessed, and you look in the mirror and see every flaw in your body.

You're fine compared to real world people, but by cheerleading standards, meehhh. Could use a little work.

That's what goes through our head. Isn't that f'ed up? Tearing apart our self image when we should be celebrating it, because 20 years from now, we're gonna look back our photos and say, "Damn. I looked good," and wonder why we never appreciated ourselves back then.

(2) New York - Prices



You can expect lunch to cost at least $10, and dinner to be around $30, if you're lucky. Handing over the rent check is probably the most depressing day of the month; that's a mortgage in most places, and/or acres of land. (And that's also a lot of shopping and travelling) I get home, and I'm ready to say, "It's on me," just because I am so excited. It's ridiculous.

(2) Parsons - Sleep



We take naps at 11:30PM. I have conversations with one of my best friends, Lexy, who does the morning news and has to be at work at 5AM, and I'll be about ready to head to bed. They finally decided to keep the school open 24 hours for finals (about freakin' time) and several of my friends stayed until 6 in the morning, stayed home to shower, and came back. Athan walked in and asked (rhetorically, perhaps... PERHAPS), "Can I go home? I'm going to go home, sleep for an hour, take a shower, and come back. Can I do that?"

I often find myself asking that question. "Is it okay if I go home?" or "Can I sleep just for a little bit?" I remember when I first realized how messed up I was during my first semester. The conversation went something like this:

Friend: "Are you okay?"
Me: "I'm so tired. I don't know why."
Friend: "How long did you sleep?"
Me: "I slept 5 hours!" (I said that proudly, yanno.)

Seriously? Five hours is a good nights rest, and getting three to four hours of shut eye is still considered fortunate.



MAN. I am MESSED up.

All work an no play makes Jenna a dull girl.

For the last few months, I've found myself past the point of homesick, and was getting used to the idea of just being over New York. Don't get me wrong - I think it's this great city that's unlike any other place, but I guess the best way to explain how I've been feeling is by comparing it to Gainesville. Gainesville is this quintessential college town, perfect for the time I went there, but when undergrad ends, you know that it's time to move on. I was beginning to think NY was becoming that for me, especially with school ending soon. It's very much a transition place. I never expected to live here long term. But I didn't think I'd be over it so quickly.

I just started to really miss my family, my friends. The sunshine. The beach.

Most people know how much I loathe the cold, and this past winter was especially brutal and especially long. I started to tally all the cons for NY: the dirty subway, the garbage on the sidewalk, the scary homeless people, and the general filth and pungent smells.

I kept trying to remember all the reasons why I fell in love with this city, but the cons of NY plus the pros of Florida were just beginning to be too much.

I try to maintain a balance between school and non-school life. I was really hoping that it'd be better this semester, especially since I've been considering moving afterwards, but it's tough. The program is so short and so intense that at some points, even when you spend every waking moment, eating, breathing, smelling work, you know that it's just not enough time.

We'll average about 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, stay at school until 2AM. And who has time to eat? We get so busy we forget. So we either don't eat, or eat terribly - like dinner from a vending machine: pop tarts, peanut M&Ms, and strawberry fruit snacks to cover all major food groups.

It's that "I'll sleep when I'm dead" mentality. Admirable, but exhausting.

So that's life usually, but this weekend was.. enlightening.

Two of my friends came up, and I just love visitors, especially from home. They keep me sane. Anyways, we've been talking about this trip for quite some time, and I pretty much knew going into this weekend that staying in and doing homework wasn't going to be an option. And it seemed to be exactly what I needed.

I was trying so hard to think of all the reasons why I loved NY when I should have been experiencing it instead. The millions of things that there are to do. The restaurants. These secret little places, and the places everyone knows about. The art. The architecture. The people.

THE PEOPLE. Can't lie. People are just generally way cooler and more interesting here.

Okay, NY. I still heart you.