career and self-esteem update

I have recently had some career boosts that have served to raise my self-esteem, however temporary it may be. :)

First of all, I came into work today (the advertising company I write for - just in case you infrequent readers have forgotten) to find out from my boss that the concept and tagline that I had come up with to pitch to The Virginian-Pilot (out of all the concepts the free-lancers they brought in came up with for the project) is going to be one of the two concepts presented to the Pilot executives! Mine!! The company is actually going to present MY idea to a big-league newspaper for their new advertising campaign. Potentially, if the Pilot executives decide to go with my idea, all of you people in the Hampton Roads area could be witness to a new advertising campaign from the brain of your friend Kelly. I'm grinning from ear to ear here. The CEO of my company came up to me and told me what a great job I had done on the work for this pitch. Now talk about a self-esteem boost. I spent most of this afternoon fleshing out the concept and there is a chance that I might be able to go down with the company to help pitch, or observe the pitch of the two ideas. The other concept they are presenting is a strong one as well, but if my concept doesn't make it past the presentation, I'm still going to be extremely happy with how far it got. :) (Yay!!) (!!!) I'd love to stay and work for this company after graduation - we'll see what happens.

Yesterday, I also got a call from The Motley Fool, an organization that writes about finances and informs the common citizen about how to manage their finances in a humorous way. They have a popular radio show with NPR and an in-depth website and book series. I applied for an editor position with them (mostly copyediting) on Tuesday and the next day they called me back. While the lady I talked to thinks that I'm a little light on experience (although, in my opinion, most college students are) they are interested enough in me to have me take an editing test on Monday, which they are going to fax over here to good old career services. I have to take the test in a certain period of time and then fax it back. Who knows what will happen with this, but it was encouraging to finally hear back from someone even if I don't do well enough for them on the test.

Yay happiness. :)

a new friend Bradley

I made a new friend at church on Saturday, his name is Bradley and I'd say he's about 8 years old, maybe 9. He's the cutest little boy, with dark hair and big brown eyes. I got to the service early to help set up and Bradley came up to me and Pattie, my church sponsor, eager to help do anything. We took to each other really quickly. Now each Saturday church service has a metaphor, and this past Saturday's was supposed to be the "brick wall tumbling down" because Jesus was resurrected. They had had a brick wall made of tissue boxes set up during the Lenten season. None of us could find the bricks and since no service would be complete without a metaphor, Bradley asked me to go on an adventure with him around the church to find them.

As we walked out the sanctuary he confided in me that he was happy I was coming with him because he was scared of the dark. He told me quite matter of factly that although he hadn't seen a lot of scary movies he'd heard about them and they were scary, especially Freddie and Chuckie. I told thim that normally when people stick together in those movies they are fine so we'd be fine - you know, we were comrades, nothing would happen. So we explored all over the church, in the dark places . . . opened scary doors, climbed over things (well he did) and we still could not find our metaphor.

We got back to the sanctuary right as the service started and we got separated. He went to sit with his dad and I sat with Pattie. We both passed out crosses during Communion - Pattie helped him and I helped his older brother. Anyway, the service was great and right when it was over I bent over to grab something and he was there in front of me and he gave me this huge hug and was all mournful and said "are you going to be here next Saturday because I'm going to be here next Saturday" and I was so sad because I wasn't going to be there this upcoming Saturday - friends are coming down and I am going to my brother's concert in Springfield that night - but for a few moments there I wanted to say "screw it" to all of that (no offense to said friends and brother) just so that I wouldn't have to disappoint this little guy. I told him that I'd definitely be back the Saturday after this one and he was like "well I don't know if I'll be here because I might be with my mommy that weekend" and I promised him profusely that he would see me soon, as I would be coming for the next month. Although when I thought that ,I felt a pang because I'm graduating soon. Man - I'd stay in Fredericksburg just for FUMC and the people there. I'm going to miss it so much.

Anyway, he wanted me to stay after the service later so I did, and we did a little bit more exploring but finally I gave him a hug and he was like "You know did you come here before?" and I was like "Yep, I've been coming to this service all year, I've seen you but we've never gotten a chance to talk" and he was like "wow yeah and we talked to today and now we are friends." And I said, "Yes, we are."

the motorcycle diaries

I just thought I'd recommend a FABULOUS movie. A friend bought it for me and I highly, highly, recommend you watch it - "The Motorcycle Diaries." The version I saw was in Spanish with English subtitles, I don't know if you can hear it in English - perhaps I didn't explore the menu well enough. But even if you can, I think I'd still choose to watch it in Spanish, since it takes place in South America, you gain a little bit of authenticity. Anyway, check out the the movie's website : http://www.motorcyclediariesmovie.com/ if you want to see what it's about. You have to watch it. End of story.

Good Friday

I don't know if any of you have ever been to a Good Friday Tenebrae service, but I went to one tonight at Fredericksburg United Methodist church. I've been to plenty of them before, but I just wanted to write for a second about how powerful they can be, especially tonight's. I think Tenebrae is solely a Protestant thing, but I could be wrong (so correct me if I am!). Anyway, FUMC did a Tenebrae service tonight, and for those of you who don't know Good Friday, for Christians, it marks and remembers the day that Jesus died on the cross. The service started out with all of the lights on in the sanctuary, numerous candles lit, and the traditional lenten purple garments draped over the lecturns and altars. Scripture about Jesus' final hours, alternating between hymns about his death constituted most of the service. But each time a scripture was finished being read, a few candles were taken out of the sanctuary, and the purple garments were removed. A black cloth was draped over the cross and by the time we got to Jesus' death in the Scripture, the lights had progressively been dimmed to black and the candles were all taken out. When the final Scripture had been read, we were sitting in pitch black, prayerful and silent. All of a the sudden the organ crashed out a very loud, dischordant, and mournful chord, reminiscent of the moment Jesus' soul left his body and an earthquake and thunder rocked the Mount of Olives. Then the church bell rang 33 times, one ring for each year Jesus lived. I could hear other churches ringing their bells as well. The whole time the lights stayed off, and after the bells finished ringing, we left the sanctuary in silence. The service was powerful, but the act of Jesus dying for me, for us all, is the most powerful of them all.

woo hoo

I now have a date to grad ball - my way cool brother :) Yay! We are going to have so much fun, I can't wait!

Also along the procuring of myself a date for grad ball line - I had some colleagues down in the Richmond area set me up with a 25 year old architect as a potential "date" for this dance. Well he called me Monday night and I was very, very unimpressed. All he could talk about the whole time was alcohol. Did not get a good vibe. Needless to say, nothing is going to come of it. Ugh. Even though I only talked to this guy on the phone I am traumatized. I will never let myself be set up again. I will set myself up from now on. Blech.

scalding water = fun

I have a love/hate relationship with the showers here at Marshall. One thing I love is the water pressure - it's like a freakin turbo jet stream. I'm one of those people who prefers showers like waterfalls and not showers where the total water pressure is that of someone sprinkling water on you from a watering can. Those types of showers drive me to distraction. However, there is one little eccentricity of ye old Marshall Hall showers that I definitely do not enjoy - the intermittent SCALDING HOT water that comes through the faucet. It appears to be that any time someone flushes a toilet in the entire building, that one measly little toilet determines the temperature of water that comes out of the shower - and it's extremely hot water. The shower stall is very small so you don't have really anywhere to move in order to escape it, if you even get a warning. Sometimes the water will pause for a millisecond and you just know you're about to get burned so you can try and move at least some of your body out of the jet stream, but recently it hasn't even been doing that. And generally, I get my shower right after I wake up so my lightening-quick reflexes are not so lightening quick. Ooo but the most fun is when your face is under the water when the hot water comes. It's great.

Can you tell I had an encounter with multiple moments of scalding hot water this morning?

This afternoon should be fun. One of my favorite people from the Signature (the restaurant I usually hostess at when I'm home from school), Jim, is going to be up in Fredericksburg today and tomorrow so tonight we're going out to dinner and possibly catching a movie. It's become a tradition whenever he's in the area. Such a great guy that Jim. Very sweet and a great friend. If we go see a movie I have no idea what to see - nothing really good is out. I heard The Ring 2 got a horrible review. I'd be interested in seeing Robots, although I don't know if that is something Jim would be interested in. Oh well. :) We shall see. Despite my socializing adventure this evening, I still have to be productive. Lots of writing of the creative type to do.

Ooo guess what - "Finding Neverland" comes out on dvd this Tuesday. Man that was quick. Once I get some money I am so buying that. It was soooooooo good and got overlooked at the Oscars. I think it only won best score.

Oh and shout out to Manley. Was glad to see he posted a comment. :) What's up Manley?

flower pen and moral ambiguity

So I may be a horrible person, just so you know. I was walking back on campus walk from art class today when I saw in the distant future, one of the blind students on campus drop something. She was walking in the opposite direction of me and by the time I got to the spot where she had dropped whatever she had dropped (which turned out to be one of those pens with a flower attached to the end) she had already disappeared into Trinkle. Now, for a few seconds I contemplated not picking the pen up and keeping on walking, but then I was like "Kelly, that's horrible. She's blind, or practically blind, what will she do without her pen?" So, I pick it up and run back into Trinkle. I check the study rooms, the first floor classrooms, and the basement. I didn't check the second floor. Which I probably should have done. But, I couldn't find her, so I didn't know what else to do but to leave. But now I have her really nice flower pen and I'd feel bad using it, even though I didn't steal it or anything - I tried to find her (albeit I neglected the second floor). Hmmm. What should I do? Ignore the pen? Give it to someone else? Use it in conscious-less bliss? Realize that I'm being really stupid and silly over nothing? Yes, it's probably the latter, I know, but I'm a strange creature.

Die Zauberflote

So today, I allowed myself to rationalize the purchase of "Die Zauberflote" or "The Magic Flute" (for all you non-German speakers). It's an opera by Mozart. I have long coveted the music from this opera, as I particularily associate it with fond childhood memories and amazing musical genius. You should read the synopsis of it online, it's a crazy spectacle fairy-type tale that ends happily ever after. I have to admit, the Queen of the Night is my favorite character and her insanely intense solo I have memorized in the English form, since the copy I listened to over and over again as a child was in English and not the original German. I have the solo on my computer and it's really weird because when I listen to it, I hear it in the English even though I'm listening in the German. Anyway, the point of this story my fellow readers is that although I really don't have money to throw away left and right, I have once again succumbed. But it's an investment, no?

I'd also like to take this time to share with you all that my art professor is the newest member of the "wow kelly thomson is a detailed perfectionist" club - a club which boasts the membership of numerous professors, family, and friends of mine. Right now we are working on creating a 9 foot by 13 foot mural re-creation of a famous painting. He's gridded off the painting into numerous squares and then assigned each of us certain squares to re-create. Of course, when I'm drawing my squares I spend forever drawing every minute detail even though most likely a lot of the detail will be lost once I start to paint it. My professor just laughs when he walks by me hunched over my artwork, pencil in hand and makes offhanded comments about how I sure really like to draw detailed. He then smiles as I say "yeah yeah, I know . . ." and willfully acknowledge my anal-retentive qualities. It helps of course, that the other three people in my row are as perfectionist as I am- a fact that my art professor has also graciously acknowledged. Well, I suppose we all belong together :)

me and my dance class from last semester, about to shake our booties toxic style. i miss dance! 

random insomnia

So, I woke up this morning around 3:30/4 am by the sound of my suitemate coughing her head off in the bathroom. So I get up, realize that I have to use the restroom anyway, and go and check on her. By the time I get back I am wide awake. Really wide awake. And starving. Which is not good because I have to get up at 7 to get ready to help with registration for Showcase. I lie in bed for like 30 min. Can't sleep. So, I do something that I haven't done in years. I turn on the light next to my bed, grab an apple to eat, and read Kitchen Confidential for about an hour. By that time, I'm just tired enough to phase back into a little bit of sleep for about an hour/hour and half. "So what?" you ask. Well, I just found it weird because I normally sleep very well through the night. Even on the rare occurences when I have to get up in the middle of the night. Now I'm tired. I hope traffickers for Showcase don't have to be friendly. The rest of my day involves brunch, schoolwork/painting/cleaning/etc., hair cut, church, then back to work. Come on Kel you can do it. Oh, I need to return some library books, too.

Ruth Ozeki

Ruth Ozeki, author of "My Year of Meats" and "All Over Creation" talked at Mary Washington. I looove "My Year of Meats," it's one of my favorite books ever and Ruth Ozeki was fabulous, friendly, and personable. She signed my book (yay!) and when I told her that I was an aspiring writer, she said to me with a smile "call me when you get published" and she gave me some advice on writing. *sigh* such an inspiration.

Woody, Sky, Greta, and goats

Hello hello. I'm back from Richmond and immediately overwhelmed with piles of work as usual. I'd give you the whole extensive account from my Richmond trip but for the sake of time and not writing a ten million paragraph entry, I'm just going to tell you about my favorite day of spring break, which coincidentally occured in Richmond and just happened to be yesterday.

Yesterday I went to the Horse & Kitty Plantation (my friend Angie's farm) for a dinner party with a bunch of very cool adults with witty monikers and some mutual friends (my uncle and grandmother included). The decided theme of our meal was "pot roast" and we each had to bring a particular dish. My grandmother and I were in charge of the salad (which we whipped up with our magical culinary skills the night before). Anyway, there were various amazing and asundry things that were supposed to go down at this party - 1. Socializing (of course) 2. Wine drinking 3. Meeting about progress of novel Angie and I are writing, 4. For me to ride some of her horses. Well, the first three came true. The weather was absolutely horrible- snowing and wet and muddy. My grandmother and I followed my uncle out to the farm (it is way on the back roads of Powhatan) and brought my grandmother's dog Little Bit with us, who is quite a handful.

Once we got there, Angie let us go into the gated horse yard to meet her Arabian stallion Woody and her other horse, whose name I can't remember. I got to pet horses (fun) but because of the horrible weather I didn't get to ride any of them, which I was looking forward to because I have never ridden a horse before. After that we walked down the dirt road to her neighbor's house and got to see her two horses Greta and Sky as well as her two goats and numerous chickens. I had to hold Little Bit on the walk because she was shivering and acting very pathetic in the cold. But hey, I was frozen solid so I empathized. I had never been in such close proximity with goats before, and I got to feed them some peppermint goat treats while I got my shoes all nice and muddy. I learned to keep a very careful eye out for barnyard poo as well. Although it was so muddy I probably wouldn't have known if I had stepped in anything. All I needed though was a nice Stetson hat like Angie had to be a true rough and tough horsewoman.

The horses were a bit skiddish, well Sky was at least and poor Little Bit was scared of getting trampled by hooves. After trekking back from that farm we went into Angie's main farmhouse (which belongs to her sister and brother-in-law) and they built a really nice hot fire and I had a glass of wine. Then all the other dinner party guests started to show up. I only stuck to one glass of wine although most everyone else definitely had more than one. I'm not a huge fan of wine in general, although I do really like California Bogle white wine and some Spamante (sp?) that Kevin bought once. Anyway, we all made intellectual and entertaining conversation while sipping our wine before the fireplace in the beautifully decorated farm house. Then we ate dinner, which was really good. My uncle was in charge of dessert and brought this absolutely amazing Boston creme pie and french apple pie. I decided to op for the Boston creme pie, which was to die for.

After dinner we talked, drank ,and retired to Angie's apartment over the garage where the socializing continued. Keep in mind I am the youngest of all of these fabulous people by pretty much 20 years, but oddly enough, there wasn't any awkwardness at all. After talking a bit more, Angie, my uncle, and I got to business on the novel writing project. Around 11 my uncle and I left. It was so much fun. I made some new friends and contacts and actually got to go to the countryside and be with the horses, ten million cats, and see the stars at night - I miss being able to see the stars in the city!

Well, that was my farm/dinner party extravaganza - my absolute favorite day over spring break. I can't wait to get back there. I pray desperately that I find a job in the Richmond area so I can go over there more frequently! Sorry this entry is so poorly written. I'm in a hurry. :)

luke & lorelai

I thought you might like to start off this evening with a little good news. A little fabulous news that is - on tonight's episode of Gilmore Girls, finally . . . after much twists of fate and obstacles upon a beaten path, Luke and Lorelai are back together again. I know, I know, I was a bit antsy for a while there, too. I mean, they had just finally gotten together after years and years of being in love with each other and some sort of conflict was bound to come up . . . but still, if the writers don't marry those two together I will have a fit of the royal kind. And believe me, THEY (being the writers/producers of Gilmore Girls) will take notice, my friends. I want to be just like the character of Lorelai when I'm her age - witty, quirky, eccentric, fast-talking, attractive, in shape, loved by all - with a Luke.

Well, today's outlook on life has been a bit brighter than it has been in the past. I'm really trying to adopt a "really Kelly, you are so incredibly blessed and have it so incredibly well off compared to millions of people in the word" type of an attitude. I went to the optomotrist today and good news - my vision is stable. Hasn't gotten any worse, which is very good. I also got new glasses today. Valentino frames and the thinnest type of lense they can make with my monsterously bad prescription - so - about as sexy as I will ever get my glasses to be. Am considering laser surgery in the future - but that is way in the future when I have a job and money. I've told my uncle that if I don't have a job when I graduate that I'd tatoo the name of the new design company he's starting on my forehead for a good price.

Hmmm. I could ramble on but methinks I should stop here. Hah. Yes, I just typed "methinks." Still want to be my friend?

A few prayers requests for those so inclined: 1. Please pray that CRT calls me for an interview. 2. Please pray for my brother's monsterous Roman Civilization exam this Thursday. He's worried about it but has been studying like a fiend!

Oh and one more thing - I will try to post tomorrow, but I can't promise. Then after tomorrow I'm going to be in Richmond for the rest of the week and devoid of the ability to post since my grandmother doesn't own a computer and I can only check my e-mail while I'm at the internship. So try to survive until then. Or e-mail me. Ciao. :)