Citation--- part two... wow... two posts in one day (Read this second please)

Okay... so as a quick follow-up to the blog I posted earlier, I've decided to include pictures of the citations. I thought it was necessary to trace all of the important things in my sitation in red permanent marker, so you can see the important stuff. Like how the fine was $25.00... but the total due was $107.50... and how my fine was for running a "solid red light". Ay yiy yiy.

The day was pretty terrible. Not going to lie, but tonight sort of made up for it. My new shoes came in the mail, I got a really good workout in, and I was reminded (by people I wouldn't even expect to tell me) that they missed me.

Tonight was anchor tryouts at the tv station @ Clarion University. As I've mentioned in earlier blogs, I spent the past semester doing the weather for the tv station. Anyways, people have been really nice, and have been telling me that they're going to miss me at the station, and all of that gushy stuff. However, I'd like to throw in a facebook comment that I got from the girl that did the Sport's report the night that I did the weather, cause it really just made my day, after one long day of being upset...

"Hey Allison! What am I ever going to do without you on the other side of the desk from me? I hope you are doing what you really like and good luck! It will never be the same..."

Clarion is full of great people that I will NEVER forget. I'm really starting to like it here. I'm feeling less and less homesick by the day, and am sort of making some friends in Shadyside. But, I'll tell ya what... These Clarion kids sure are doing a good job of making sure that they leave an imprint in my heart for the rest of my life!!! (I'll be in Clarion on Sunday and Monday CU friends)

That's all for now...
Next post might be tomorrow. But I swear it'll be really short. I just want to take some pictures to show you the snow. Cause I've been hearing about how much snow Clarion has, and I know that people have been complaining. So I just feel like taking some pictures, showing the two (totally manageable) inches that we have here :)

I swear the light was barely pink, Officer... (Read this first)

It's not even 9:30am on Tuesday, and I'm already not a fan of this week. Tuesdays are the start of my week, so this is not a good sign. Pittsburgh's expecting about another inch of snow by the day's end. It's been snowing every day in Pittsburgh lately. Rumor is there's a lot more snow in Clarion than in Pittsburgh, but this week and a half of winter we've had is more than enough for me.

This morning, I woke up at my normal time to get ready-- 6:30. I turned on the coffee, took a shower, got ready, took Ryeleigh (my dog) for a walk, tried on 849302 different outfits (I wasn't a fan of anything I put on), and was harassed by my unusually hyper dog to go outside and play. I started off the morning being way ahead of schedule, and ended up running late.

So, it's now 8:13 (I like to leave between 8:00-8:07), and I live about 15 minutes from Jack Horner. The roads are wet, and quite possibly slippery. People are driving like idiots. Lucky me, I get a stupid driver tailing right behind me. Stoplight after stoplight, the car pulls up right behind me, making me nervous that it will rear end me.

About 10 minutes into my drive, I'm about to approach a light that has just turned yellow. "Here's my opportunity," I think to myself. I decided not to stop. As I look at the light, I don't THINK it had turned red until I was past it, but no more than 10 seconds later, I see the red and blue lights, signaling me to pull over. I'm going to be late for work.

Long story short, running a red light is a $25 fine, which turns into a $107.50 fine after all of the random taxes are thrown in. It also ruins a perfectly good day of makeup (after the tears), and sets the mood for the week a place where it can only go up. Let's hope it only goes up.

At least I can take this as a lesson learned. I'm used to Clarion drivers, driving a certain way. I'm trying to get used to Pittsburgh drivers driving a completely different way (i.e. "the Pittsburgh left", erratic driving, etc). I haven't quite decided what the lesson WAS that I learned, but next time I'll be more cautious about stopping at the "red" light.

On a lighter and sort of unrelated note, the internship is going really well. A girl that I work with at Walnut Grill just had an interview to work at JHC, and I think it'd be great if she DID get the job here. Not only would that open up more waitressing shifts for me (since I now need to make money to pay for my traffic ticket), but there will also be a new and friendly face at JHC to keep me company.

Also, in the PR world, there is an annual award show called the Renaissance Awards. This prestigious event honors public relations agencies throughout the region for their outstanding achievements. There are a number of different awards in a number of different categories. This year, Jack Horner Communications did very well, winning a number of different awards in a number of different categories for all sorts of different submissions. It was a very big deal for JHC, as it proves how reputable of an agency they are in the region. It's very neat to be interning with a firm like this.

That's all for now. A media report needs to be compiled for one of our clients on the press coeverage that we got them last week :).

Home Sweet Home

I finally went home this past weekend. I was home for less than 24 hours, but the little “Clarion fix” was all that I needed. After getting off of work on Sunday, I drove home to Clarion until Monday late afternoon.

Sunday was pretty uneventful, but fabulous. I got to spend TONS of quality time with my parents, sister and dog, and ate a real home-cooked meal. After dinner, I headed to my old apartment (typical meeting site for me and my girl friends) and caught up with the girls. Mind you, it’s been a week since I’ve seen them, but in one week of our lives, there’s always something to talk about.

On Monday, I stopped down at the television station to see who was down there (no one, unfortunately). But I DID get a look at the new set! It’s GORGEOUS. People, take advantage of this classy new set (and the excellent learning experience) and get involved with the station!!!

I also filled out my graduation application so that I’ll actually be able to graduate in May. Scary. It’s the beginning of the end… but just the beginning.

It was really great getting to go back to Clarion for a little bit. College is such a great place, regardless of where you attend. You could attend a really large school in Southern California or a small school like Clarion, and I’ll guarantee the following… You’ll make some of the best friends, make some of the best memories, and learn a lot of life lessons—both in and out of the classroom. It might be tough at first. There may be times that you hate it. But there will be those times no matter where you go. You might get homesick, think that you’ll never make any friends, but even the most anti-social person is bound to meet some friends at college.

For me, it’s getting easier and easier living away from home. I’m not going to lie, it was REALLY tough this past week. I missed my dog, my family, and wanted SOOOO badly to be partaking in the memory making that my friends are doing right now. I’d sit at home and stalk their away messages and read “out with the girls…” or “catching up with the girls…” or “at the rec with so-and-so” and I wanted MORE THAN ANYTHING to be doing that too. However, I also know that they’re all just a phone call away, and aren’t going anywhere. They also were very good friends and made sure to remind me how much they missed me (ALL the time… several times a day). So, I’m surviving. It’ll continue to get easier. I’ll eventually make some real friends down here. I’ll still get visits, and I’ll go home to visit too. Things will be fine.

At least now I FINALLY have ONE friend from Clarion living down here with me—my landlord let me bring my dog down here! Now my friends and family won’t have to listen to me complain about how badly I miss him!

That’s all for now, I’ve (once again) typed a novel. Sorry about that, but hope you enjoyed!!!

A little bit (well... a lot) of background on this girl...

So, I think I’ve decided that I’m going to give you the rundown on what my deal is for this spotlight student blogger. I’m probably unlike any other of the bloggers, since I’m not living in Clarion this semester. However, I am still a student there, and I’m completing one of the most important parts of a Communication majors requirements—the internship. This semester, I’ll be living in Shadyside (a nice little neighborhood in Pittsburgh , for those of you that don’t know) and interning at Jack Horner Communications as one of their two public relations interns.

This semester is a pretty big deal for my life. I’m 22 years old and this is the first time that I’ve lived outside of Clarion. That’s right, I’m a (gasp) townie. My parents both teach at Clarion University in the psychology department, so I chose to stay in Clarion for the obvious perk of free tuition. I like to think that I’ve lead a pretty normal college life, regardless of the fact that I never left my hometown. I’ve made tons of great friends, met some of my future bridesmaids (now, I just need to find the groom), I didn’t live at home, and I’ve managed to be pretty involved on campus. I’ve written for the campus newspaper, The Clarion Call, I’ve helped out in the PR department of the student run television station (WCUB), and this past semester I reported the weather every Tuesday night for WCUB’s newscast. I also spent this past semester being pretty involved in the student organization for people interested in public relations, PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America). In PRSSA, I was the VP of Activities, and really attribute a lot of my connections with being involved with that.

This semester is also a pretty big deal because, as far as I know (and I’m 99% sure of this), I’m the first intern from Clarion University to complete an internship with Jack Horner Communications (www.jackhorner.com). Jack Horner Communications is one of the top PR firms in the region, and has a very reputable name among PR firms. They’ve done work for such clients as Heinz (remember the labels with different sayings on the ketchup bottles?), Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, PPG, American Textile Company and more. They’ve also done PR for events such as the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Golf Invitational. Needless to say, it’s a pretty great opportunity for me.

Over the course of the semester, I’m hoping to write about my experience with the internship, this big change in my life, tell you tales of Clarion, and pass on the wisdom that I’ve gained at Clarion University over my five years as a student. I’m excited to see what this semester has to bring, and hope that you stay tuned to see what I get myself into. For now, however, I’ve got to get back to the internship. My lunch break is nearly over, and I’m sure there is something fun and exciting to be done here!