Discombobulated just like me

(Touring the Channel 7 Studio wondering what I should do with my life at a career seminar)

Lately I have been feeling so........discombobulated.
Everything on the surface seems on track: my graduation and my trip to Kenya.  (Aside from a couple of things I need to do!)  And yet I feel unsettled.  I do confess that I have had a bad string of males in my life lately.  That can definitely have an effect on my feelings.  But I will not be defined by this.  The problem seems more complex than that.  A future in journalism seems so competitive and I am not the cut throat type.
God has been at the forefront of my thoughts as of late.  I am genuinely joyful that He has ransomed my soul.  I just feel like I can't give him anything back in return.  And I definitely can't.  Being stuck in this thought brings me down.  Maybe I'm too proud to realize that I having nothing to offer Jesus but my will.  That is how it is supposed to be.  If I have learned anything from my church-going as of late, I have learned that God knows sorrow and He is holding my yoke up with me.  He is such a sweetheart.
I think what really gets me is lately I have been surrounded by the best of friends and circumstances.  Chris brought us together tonight for an Angel's game where we got SNUGGIES.  Will is back from the navy.  Sarah got a massage with me.  I caught up with Tarrell on facebook.  Nicole and I have been making time for each other.
I think I just need a breather.  To stop worrying about my future at every turn of the road.  The pressure is building and I need a hole for air.  Kind of like the bell jar, but less crazy.

Technology

I forgot my cell phone today.  I couldn't check my facebook in class or call anyone while I was walking around campus.  I had to be where I was at.  It made me think about how much I look at a screen all day instead of living in the real world.  I pondered how I crave something to do all of the time.  Finding moments in which I can reflect is so hard when I am constantly saturated with something to do.

I think I should forget my cell phone more often.  I had time to breathe as I walked the sidewalk and stared up at the cool blue sky lined with clouds.  I wondered why technology is so addicting.  Why does owning something like the internet on my phone make the real world seem too ordinary (when it is actually much more gratifying than my bookmarked pages).

Maybe working "no technology" days into my schedule would be useful.  I am only blogging today because as I was walking without the means to text I thought about this blog and how I hadn't updated in a long time.  I can't remember the last time I had a real thought process in my brain going that wasn't interrupted by some technological advancement.

I'm not saying technology is bad.  I am saying I think my life would be more pleasant if I used it less often.

New Apartment and Semester

The basics:  I just moved into a new apartment with my friend (aka brother I never had) Chris and I started school this week.

Living with Chris so far has been FUN.  We have most of the same friends and having people over is a treat.  He even planned a dinner with the female "D's" to thank them for letting him stay at their humble abode while he was for lack of a better term homeless.  Teaching Dannica how to play "Guess Who?" with  Debbie and Dalynn was so much fun.  Chris and I are respectful of each other's wishes for the most part.  It's a good thing we got going, so I guess I'm just saying I am very happy with my current living situation.

My feature writing class started on Tuesday, but I really wished it started the week before so my story for the University Art Museum exhibit wouldn't have been completely trashed.  It is no one's fault but my own, the diversions editor tried so hard to get me to write something printable.  I completely forgot all the rules of journalism and simply wrote something from the press release.  I forgot to get any quotes from any sources that may be interesting.  Anyway, sometimes it takes failure to remember how to succeed and my next feature pieces I hope will be better crafted.

Anyways, I will leave you with "the shower cap incident" which is basically what happens when Dalynn sleeps over at our apartment and we all feel a little silly.  : )

Comfort vs. Adventure

If you stick with what is comfortable your whole life, then you will have comfort but not much of a life. - Kelly Stringham original

I just found out today that I am going to Africa for a month this summer as an internship.  More specifically Kenya to help at an organization called Empowering Lives International in an orphanage.  This group has grown and been blessing lives in East Africa for years now.  I am blessed just to help out.  When I heard the voicemail in which the internship coordinator, Katie, told me I was going to be working with them this summer I danced around my apartment and then I told everyone in my status on facebook, and then I danced some more.  I am really excited for this.  I think it is going to be life changing.  I want to cry I am already looking forward to being a servant of Christ to the orphans.  The best part is that I know the people at ELI want my journey there to be God-centered and will do everything in their power to keep me focused.

I am so thankful for this opportunity.  I think I just might dance some more! :)

Arrowhead Getaway

A weekend in the mountains in the fresh air sounds so wonderful.  And so far it has been.  Being with these great people who encourage following God and loving people is definitely great.  I am surrounded by music.  We worship and players are collaborating right in front of me.  Walking through the natural beauty of these roads with women who are so exciting and lovely.  This new year makes me feel so rejuvenated.  I haven't been caught up in the wasteful things I sometimes spend too much energy on.

I feel as if this is going nowhere so I am going to end this.  I shall leave you with a quote from Emerson:  "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

reflection

I was reflecting back on my year and so much has happened. I thought the time had gone too quickly but it seems that a lot of things were accomplished.


This year I...
started it with Super Mario
attended the taping of The Price is Right
went wine tasting in San Luis Obispo
danced at Lavo in Las Vegas
visited friends (like family) in Oregon
ran out of a haunted maze in LA
lost my faith in men
dated someone who plays guitar (and almost wrote a song about me)
spent Thanksgiving in Utah with my family and was there for my Grandma's 80th birthday
kissed someone (I didn't think I would)
modeled for a photo shoot twice
got my make-up done by a professional
saw 500 Days of Summer and Sherlock Holmes
moved out of my parent's house into an apartment
drank eggnog with rum (the real kind)
loved someone who wouldn't love me back


Next year I will...
be more honest about my feelings
love in a kinder manner
spend more time with my family
graduate from college
intern in Africa (hopefully)
get a new apartment that isn't infested with ants and has working hot water
take more pictures
tithe regularly
dedicate more time to reflection with God
make more meals at home
write stories more often (and get them published)
find my personal style

Journalism Jobs

I am graduating in May.
After that I am hopefully going to Africa to intern for a month.
After that I have nowhere to go.

Looking for journalism jobs is depressing.
I saw one person on craigslist who was offering 10 dollars per week to blog.
That was all.
How am I going to live on $10 a week for the rest of my life?

I am freaking out a little bit.

God please remind me that you lie me down in green pastures.
That you are my source of comfort.

summertime

Wow, it is so hard without deadlines and pressure to get stuff done.
My summer has consisted of beach days, bike rides, late nights, and non-existant mornings (because I sleep right through them).

My nephew is now three years old, and my niece of 7 months is smiling.
I have so much to be happy about in this life.



I go to the food bank once a week and the food ministry at my church is really awesome to be a part of. But I'm failing in prayer. I should be closer to God than ever because I am working for him, but I feel like I've strayed. I read books and think about the Lord, but I forget the most basic elements of our relationship. I forget to communicate to the God who loves me.
Lord, let's spend some time together, just us.

long time no post

The relief I feel after a semester is over and I know I have three months of relative freedom is AMAZING.

It is the feeling of having nothing to do, budgeting my time is not needed.

It is the feeling that I can go to the beach any day of the week, every day if I really want to.

It means I get to visit with the friends I hardly get to see.

It means weekend trips to San Fransisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or even Mexico (after I get a passport).



So I've had a hectic couple of months. A couple of boys I went on dates with have come and gone. If it doesn't work out, I've come to realize then it probably wasn't right in the first place. There are so many other potentials out there. And among them there is one that things will work out with. We will know how to compromise with each other and agree on important issues. But for now, I have an amazing group of friends who are supportive and kind. Even if they offend me by saying I'm like the girl from "He's just not that into you." Maybe in some ways I am too eager.

But if you never try then you never know.

I've also come to realize that there are so many times in my life that I plan things and think they are going to be awesome and they're not.
On the contrary, sometimes I think a day is going to be boring and it turns out to be amazing.
Kind of like today. Who knew a trip to World Market, PetSmart, and Del Taco could make a great day. :)
Thanks friends.

Journalism Day

Today was journalism day at my school (Cal State Long Beach). It was beneficial to hear from real journalists and their experiences working within the global media. Their forecasts for the future of journalism were of particular interest to me because I will soon need to find a career in journalism after I graduate next year.

They told us students to get our names out there and make ourselves known on the world wide web. I hope my blog helps with that.

One of the "panelists" in the discussion that we had left us with words of encouragement (which I found to be a refreshing contrast from most forecasts for the future of journalism) that there is a whole wide world out there for the taking from fresh new reporters.

Published, wine tasting, and the new testament

There has been a lot going on lately. I was published for the first time in my school paper: The Daily Forty-Niner for a fashion story I did. It will turn into a weekly thing, as long as I keep it up. Writing a story was not as easy as I had hoped. I have a lot of room for improvement, and I'm glad I have the Forty-Niner for the sake of improving my craft.
This was one of the photos that ran with the story about fashion on a budget, these clothes were all found at Forever 21, H&M, or the Buffalo Exchange.



A couple of weeks ago I went on a wine tasting trip in San Luis Obispo for Thalia's birthday. Her boyfriend Will is in the navy and one of my good friends. Raul who is a good friend of Will's and mine (Will first) also took the trip with us.







and just in case celia is reading this. she will someday be reading my fashion articles from nylon (or elle) magazine:



And for Vision, which is the weekly college age greoup at my church, we took the challenge to read the whole new testament in 5 weeks. It has been challenging and I have gotten behind a couple of times, but it has also been quite awesome. Jesus was an amazing more than human and it is great to hear his words and the words of those who knew him so well.
The Bible shows how great God really is. It is also hard to read because it is so convicting to see the sin in my life.

changed the blog name

So, I....um...decided to change the name of the blog. I just realized that if I'm going to be writing on this thing often, then I need to be talking about more than just the journalism industry. There is so much more to life.

Now I will just be talking about what is going on in the world around me, or thoughts and feelings that strike me as important enough to make known.

And now leaving you with an awesome quote, "It's always finished and it's never finished" - Mike Starn.

This has nothing to do with journalism...

Happiness is in the car with these kids listening to the Jonas brothers.

bloggers...the next generation?

It seems that blogging may be the new way that the world gets its information and even how people find out about what is going on in their friend's lives, rather than conversations.

I must say that I am as much afraid of this new medium as I am a part of it.

A number of people I know are getting blogs now, but why do we read them? Do they present important information, or are they just a convenient way to catch up on friends?

Some professors of mine have even presented the notion that blogging could replace media outlets that are dying like newspapers. But where would we be without paid journalists who go to Washington D.C. and other countries to tell us what is going on in the world? Do we trust those who are not trying to be unbias to deliver the news?

I realize that many people complain about the "bias of media" on a daily basis. The problem with these complaints is that there is no solution. Everything has some level of bias, but what I don't think people realize is that journalists are typically very concerned with their level of integrity and don't want to be bias.

Are we going to trust the future to untrained journalists that don't feel any requirement to be unbias? How will we know what is really going on in the world?

So how do we save the media in the US? As much as people hate it, isn't it necessary so we can keep a watchful eye on our democratic government so we can make educated guesses on who will be the best leaders?

I Forgot to Introduce Myself

So my name is Kelly Stringham and I am a Journalism major at Cal State Long Beach. I am very interested in reporting in order to provide information to people in a world where Americans know so little about the outside world. It makes me very happy that Americans in general have already started paying more attention to the outside world as of late!

I am also a Christian woman. I do not try to impose my views on other people, but I do believe that God is the truth and that many avenues of human thought lead to him because, well, he is our creator and he has a lot of influence on us.

I live in Garden Grove with my roommates and I go to a great church called Living Springs. I consider the people there my community and many even my family. I am part of a young adult group on Thursday nights called VISION.

My life's goal is to follow God where ever he may take me. At the moment I am pursueing a journalistic career. I really want to go to other countries and tell people what is going on in them. I want to see for myself how hard it is for people who are struggling firsthand. I want to report that to the world.

Trying To Get a Job in a Dying Industry...

Let me share my dilemma with all of you: I want to become a journalist, but there are no jobs. Actually the people who are currently journalists are all losing their jobs right now. So why don't I get out of this major? Why do I continue to torment myself and stick with a dying industry?

Because, there is still hope for those of us who want to spread information to the world.

People still need information about their world, they just want it in a different format. Newspapers are dying, but they're not dead. They still contain great information about the world for those who want to purchase them (they are super cheap considering their content and the work put into them).

Journalism has hope though. Broadcasts such as The Daily Show and other media are doing really well right now. I won't argue whether or not The Daily Show is a comedy show or a news show because whether Jon Stewart likes it or not he delivers news to people who use him for this purpose.

I think Jon Stewart might be uncomfortable with this notion, but I think he is the future.

His type of television delivers the news in an interesting way that makes people want to listen. Many people aren't watching the news anymore because news isn't being delivered in an interesting fashion.

So this is what I propose. I want journalists to become more interesting. I want us to produce newspapers and television shows that engage the viewers into what we are saying. I want people to care about the world and I want us as journalists to make them care.