Confidence

What holds me back from being the best me that I can be?

Ultimately, I have a lack of self-confidence. I compare myself to other people. I am not proud of that, of course. I know that I am smart, funny, and beautiful in all my own ways. But I can't help but to admire others' beauty while picking out my own imperfections. 

I've realized that comparisons are unfair. Everyone is unique. So, I have made the decision to be happy with who I am. 

I am weird - and that is awesome. 
I am honestly hilarious.
I am nice and considerate.
I am beautiful. 
And I am a badass. 

It's so important to love yourself. Pick out some of the things you love about yourself. Appreciate yourself. Be grateful for what you have. That doesn't make you self-righteous - it makes you a self-respecting, self-appreciating individual. And like I said, that is so important. 

My newly founded self-confidence is what's gonna get me through this semester. 

If I Had A Million Dollars...

Firstly, I would give a big chunk of the money to my parents. They deserve to be paid back for all those years. 
With the remaining money, I would travel the world and go to concerts. Money is better spent on experiences rather than material items, in my opinion. I would love to go all across Europe from England to France to Italy to Germany to Greece, and more! During my trip around the world, I would love to see all sorts of live music. I would also go to lots of music festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella, and the Glastonbury Festival in England.
Being able to experience these dreams of mine without worrying about the price tag would be indescribable. 

The Downfall of Brian Williams

Brian Williams, NBC news anchor, has been suspended for six months without pay. He admitted to lying and exaggerating about his position in the helicopter incident in Iraq. After a veteran called him out, Williams apologized for lying about being in the shot-down helicopter. 
The situation spiraled into more and more criticism - from veterans, other media commentators, and even NBC News' president, Deborah Turness. It was claimed that this is not the first story that Williams has embellished. 

My reaction to this situation? Fire him. Williams broke many codes of journalism. He can no longer be trusted. He has lost all credibility. As a Media Writing student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, two of the most important aspects of journalism are accuracy and honesty. 

In the media world, there is no room for mistakes like the one Williams made.

Memories in Neyland

1. My most memorable moment as a University of Tennessee student was when I attended the first
   football game of the season. It was exciting because it was my first UT Vols game as an actual student.
   It was a night game at the end of August. We were playing Utah State. I went with a few girls who I 
   had met on my floor in Humes. We were all rocking our UT orange and adorable overalls. I couldn't tell 
   you the final score of the game -- but I do know we won. But it wasn't the fact that we won that made 
   it so memorable. It was tailgating with my brand new friends. It was somehow getting to stand in the
   5th row of the student section in Neyland Stadium. It was dancing and yelling, "Third down for what!" 
   This moment was memorable because it made me feel like Rocky Top was my home. It made me feel 
   like I was a part of something bigger than myself. 

   
   

   
   

   

Who, what, when, where, why, and how?

   The "who" in this story includes the woman who was killed and the two police officers who shot their guns. The "what" in this story is two police officers shooting and killing a woman after she hit one of the officers with a stolen car. The "when" of this story is early Monday, January 26, 2015. The "where" of this story is an alley of an older, middle-class residential neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. The "why" in this story includes the debate of whether the officers' reactions were justifiable. The "how" of this story includes the description of the actual event, the reactions of the event, and what is being done about the event now. 

   The story I have chosen is newsworthy because it is a current event. It is interesting. There is an obvious conflict. And it is especially relevant and impactful because of the recent common issue of police unfairness across the United States.

Click here to view article

The Importance of Weather Warnings - Headline Story from January 25, 2015

    The news story about the predicted snow blizzard in Boston and New York is important. This story can be found on cnn.com. It is titled "New York City Mayor:'Don't Underestimate This Storm,'" and is written by Ashley Fantz. This story was the headlining story on every news website that I went to, including ABC, NBC, CNN, and New York Times. 
    I chose the article on CNN because it is brief, clear, and accurate. It also provides the story's highlights and relating tweets. The article states that the Weather Service issues storm warnings in the majority of the northeastern United States stretching into Canada. The storm could be deadly. In the New York City and Boston area, up to 3 feet of snow is predicted. Freezing rain and gusting winds could get up to hurricane levels. 
    Articles about weather are always important because they are consistently relevant. Weather warnings are used to protect lives and property. It helps people to be safe in their homes and in their traveling.

Click here to view article

My Most Embarrassing Moment...

I don't get embarrassed easily, but there is one (quite embarrassing) moment that I will never forget...
It was my first semester of college at UT Knoxville. My family and my boyfriend-of-the-time were driving up from home to pick me up -- we were headed to Gatlinburg for a family reunion. I woke up feeling good, and when they arrived I was ecstatic to see my family, and, of course, my long distance boyfriend who I hadn't seen in weeks. As we drove up the windy roads to get to our destination, I started to feel a little less ecstatic and a lot more queazy... I've always had an issue with car-sickness. And not to mention, I had been out quite late the night before making merry with the UT basketball team. I started to feel worse and worse, but I was trying to hold it together. It had been a long time since I had seen these people, I didn't want to start off our trip by upchucking in the car. Forty-five long minutes later, we stopped at Chick-fil-A. I quickly, but nonchalantly, tried to make it to the bathroom. However, my body had different intentions for me. As I was running inside with my hand over my mouth, I vomited everywhere. My whole family saw me, the boyfriend saw me, and every single person inside the restaurant saw me. With last night's drinks covering the ground and covering my hand, I immediately looked up at my boyfriend and said, "Um... I am gonna go to the bathroom now..."With tears in my eyes, I ran inside and, well, finished my business.
Everything turned out to be okay. My brother's fiancé ended up coming into the bathroom and letting me cry to her. She even gave me motion-sickness medicine and told me an embarrassing story about herself. And my boyfriend ended up just laughing at me and telling me he was, "glad it happened because it was hilarious".
Nevertheless, this moment has stuck to be my most embarrassing. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because several random people saw what I had to eat the previous night. Maybe it's because it was the first time seeing my long-distance boyfriend in forever. Maybe it was because my parents clearly knew I was throwing up liquor. Or maybe it's for all of those reasons combined. But I can honestly say there hasn't been a day since then that I don't think about that incident...