Holly the Great

I try to pick my causes carefully. As a student, I don't have much to give. As a professional, I must be mindful in what I say. But the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center's Walk for Change is an event that I fully and whole heartily support.

I will be walking this year, and I would love your support as well. I will be there with dozens of amazing men and women, and I am very much looking forward to it. You can find out more by visiting the BARCC website or visiting my fundraising page through the link below.

Much better.

I am not a fan of SUP's recent decisions. However, they are a privately owned business, and they are acting in what they believe to be the company's best interest. I can respect that.

I will be moving my posts to blogger, owned by the much more consumer-communications friendly Google.

I found a wonderful little tool here called Blog2blog by Paul Cooley. It can transfer blog entries from a number of sites very quickly and cleanly.

One of my favorite web cartoonists, K. Sandra Fuhr, has been posting recipes this week. Today she posted a Sweet and Sour recipe that looked delicious. I made it tonight using Hot Italian sausage and brown rice, and it came out amazing. The sausage tastes like summertime.

You can find the recipe here.

I've always liked the term, "Jack of all trades." I know now it generally refers to someone who dabbles in a bit of everything, and the second half of the phrase is, "Master of nothing."

Growing up without knowing that second part, I considered my dad a bit of a Jack of all trades. In my 10-year-old mind, this jack guy was something like a superhero, and it was only appropriate that I considered my dad a superhero. You see, while my Mom was the one who raised my sister and I, my dad was this amazing good-at-everything figure. At the time he worked long hours as a computers and technology consultant, one of the best in his field, but when he came home, my dad could be any number of persons. He was Doctor Dad when Ash and I skinned our knees as kids, but he was (and is) also a carpenter and a craftsman and a foosball champion. My dad knows things--ask him anything and he will know the answer or he will know who to ask.

With all that in mind, I don't think being like this Jack is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I would like to consider myself a Jane of all trades. In public relations, it's important to not only to know communications theory, but also the basics of any field I may come across, from graphic design to sports to catering. I don't think Jacks and Janes dabble--I think they learn and exercise their knowledge.

A Jack of all trades may not be able to perform spinal surgery, but he'll know who to call, and he'll get that surgeon on a plan ASAP.

As a side note, my dad totally rocks, and as far as I am concerned, he is Indiana Jones.

For as long as I could make shapes with ink and graphite, I've written. Sheets of ancient computer paper are stacked in my Mom's "memory tubs" that inscribe a little girl's literary history. From the cuneiform checks only I could read (often beginning with, "Once upon a time there was a little girl...") to neatly scripted tales from elementary and middle school. Those stories, and the essays and fiction I keep on my flash drive now, were written for an audience.

But there is an alternative history, too. In the guest room that used to be my bedroom at my parent's house, there is a thick, sticker-decorated diary hidden somewhere between layers of ballet slippers and beanie babies. The first entry was written in 1993, and it is about my mean little sister. Yes, only a quarter of the diary is filled, and it is joined with at least three or four other would-be diaries, so Louis Menand is correct in that assertion. But I think his attempted analysis of diary writing falls short. You see, seven-year-old girls do not write for Freud or Jung, and they have not yet been exposed to Anne Frank or Go Ask Alice. Seven-year-old girls write because they are handed a notebook and told, in so many words, this is what little girls do: They write their lives in diaries. Still unable to draw a distinction between reality and fantasy, there is no filter, no mental preclusion of thoughts. I think it is a very rare case in which someone sits down and writes a diary because they want it to be widely read. We write them, especially at a young age, because that is what diaries are for: to be written in. With such infallible logic, why wouldn't you keep one?

Menand continues on to argue that diaries are incomplete illustrations of a person, even more so when they are physically incomplete. But if you read what I wrote in that first diary, I think you would get a pretty good picture of who I was. I may cringe as you scan over the bits about my discovery of puberty, but it presents an accurate picture of my personality between the ages of seven and ten. Of course diaries are not a complete picture of a person, no written word can be, but they are complete enough. People write diaries because that's what diaries are for, and people read diaries because they can associate with the author, filling in the blanks with their own lives. We are, after all, all human, and it is really not so far a stretch to put yourself in the place of the author. Menand seems to agree with this last statement, but I don't think he places as much value on it as he should.

When we try to understand people, it is not because we are so completely different. We look for what is so completely the same. Advertising works because you can read an ad and watch a commercial and put yourself in that story. Yes, it is exploitation, but it works. My professors have presented loads of psychobabble on exactly this topic, spheres of influence and what not. We long for connection with someone, anyone, who can understand who we are. On a far less deceptive end of the spectrum, Anne Frank is not popular with twelve-year-old girls because she lived through a terrible time in history, she is popular because every twelve-year-old girl has had a crush and has fought with her sibling. She teaches her lessons because at twelve-years-old, you can know this little girl, and you can cry with her and blush. Anne Frank's life is a greater story, but in reading her diary, you can feel for her. You can know her because, really, is she so different than you?

The internet, in all its instantaneous glory, has intensified the diary phenomenon. Not only can you write journals, you can write them anonymously, immediately. No one need know the face behind your avatar, and journals can become famous (or infamous) overnight. You can read journals written by people from all walks of life, and you can associate with them. Here, our longing for connection not only prompts us to read these journals, but also to write them. Menand implies writing for an audience is a self-centered and foolish thing, but I agree with Hannah (caramelsapphire). Beyond flourished prose and even fictionalized accounts, humans continue to connect. Along the edges of our personal spheres of influence, we find similarities and grasp for them.

Life is complicated, the world is complicated, but human connection is not.

Fellow student Hannah (caramelsapphire) wrote an interesting commentary on a New York Times article about journals. She says:

"...the online journal is a strange thing. There is the "blog," which is written completely for an audience and expects comments, questions, fans. But I think most people here, or at least most of you on my friends list, just write because you feel compelled to. It's because we're writers. Likely, some of you feel the same way I do about the therapeutic, figuring-out-your-psyche benefits of it. So why do we publish? Often when I read my friends' page, an entry will catch my eye and I'll have something to say about it. "

You can read more here. She makes some very good points, several of which I would like to comment on as soon as I finish my research for class.

According to the Associated Press, the Writers' Strike may finally be over. the selfish Heroes fan in me is totally excited, but the communications undergrad is looking at this as an interesting case study in the industry.


Writers Strike Nearing Postscript?
By LYNN ELBER

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The now 3-month-old Hollywood writers strike could enter its final chapter Saturday when guild members gather in Los Angeles and New York to consider a proposed contract.

If writers respond favorably, the walkout that has devastated the entertainment industry could end as soon as Monday. Writers were wavering between hope and skepticism as they prepared to learn details of the deal for the first time. (Read More.)

It will certainly be very interesting to see how this plays out in the coming months. That selfish TV-fan part of me is crossing her fingers that her favorite shows won't be cut, but I am more concerned about how this will change film and television production. While there wasn't a revolution, I think the strike marks a turning point in the industry and the development and affect of the internet as new media. Thoughts?

Lindsay and I went on a chick date tonight. First, we checked out this burger place on campus that everyone has been raving about. Uburger has been open for a few months now, taking over the venue that used to be a Korean Barbecue restaurant. Lindsay had gone with her boyfriend, and she promised me that the burgers were amazing. Oh, man, was she right. I had a Cowboy Burger: sirloin beef, swiss cheese, mushrooms, bacon and barbecue sauce. I hadn't had a good burger in months, and this was the perfect reintroduction. The burger was juicy and delicious, and their French fries were crispy and hot and the perfect complement. If you ever find yourself near a Uburger, get the #1 combo. Yum.

We went to the movies afterward and saw Atonement. I have a girl crush on Kiera Knightly, and I have heard great things from the critics about the film.

Unfortunately, what the critics don't say is how depressing this film is. Lindsay and I came out of the theater nearly in tears. It is a very, very sad film.

It is also very, very beautiful. I am only familiar with the basics of film production, but the cinematography of this film was astounding. Although Atonement is a little slow-moving, the shots are gorgeous. Every decision about the lighting, colors and costumes, camera angle and timing was perfect. The soundtrack matches wonderfully, and the writing eloquent. I loved the little girl who plays young Briony, but each of the Brionys (Brionies?) were impeccable, especially if you note that 18-year-old Briony was cast after 13- and 90-year old Briony, and she had to watch and learn to act like these two women already cast. Kiera Knightly was gorgeous, but I am horribly biased, as was the young actress who played Lola--she was very good. The film is long, very, very long, but very, very good. (That was an awful lot of commas, wasn't it?)

If you haven't already, go see Atonement. It will make you cry. But it will also give you a real respect for post- and pre-production.

1. Do you consider yourself to be a good housekeeper? Why or why not?
Yes, I do. I enjoy cleaning, and while I will never be as neat as my mom, I do keep a tidy house.

2. Are there any household chores that you enjoy doing? If so, what and why?
I like vacuuming and putting away dishes. I like to put on the radio as I work. Wiping down counters and window surfaces is also really satisfying, and I don't mind sweeping and mopping.

3. Which household chore frustrates/angers you the most?
No one chore frustrates me, but I don't like putting away dishes on the highest shelves. I am short, so anything on a top shelf requires me to get out the step stool.

4. When doing household chores, what do you do to make them seem less of a "chore"?
Put on music.

5. Which chore do you find yourself doing most often, and why?
Wiping down counters--but I guess that's not really a chore, since it needs to be done anytime after the counter is used.

These are so cool, they must be shared.

The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen was first announced months ago, but I am still tickled by the idea. Shipping in March, this is the pen I have been expecting since smart pens were first available to consumers from LeapFrog. The website notes, "The Livescribe platform turns plain paper into a computer screen and bridges the gap between the paper and digital worlds. The platform enables a broad range of new applications in personal productivity, learning, communication, and self expression."

Microsoft Surface is a behemoth of touch technology. It integrates cell phones, personal devices and more. I can imagine seeing these in hotel lobbies, business centers and tourist information buildings. Microsoft suggests home use, as well. Surface is so streamline and pretty, I wouldn't be surprised to see future models for the home, although I think the current design is most appropriate for business. In fact, would love to see a demo for a small-scale business meeting--perhaps an employee using Surface to enhance a proposal.

This final cool gadget I first spotted on You Say Too. The company Bruketa & Zinić used thermo-reactive ink for the annual report for food company Podravka. The report, a small booklet, must be baked in tin foil for the ink to appear. Appropriately, the title of the report is "Well Done." The idea is so playful, I love it.

Of course, none of this is nearly as cool as the imagined computer paper featured in NBC's Journeyman.

I was actually impressed by the White House Anti-Drug PSA, but my favorite commercial this year was the GMC commercial. It was so different, but told a story. Not to mention, the animation was gorgeous. It stood out.

E*Trade was hilarious with the baby commercial, and I loved the careerbuilder.com firefly spot. Coca Cola was clever--I loved the battle between three animation icons. Toyota's spots were okay, but not stand-out. Bridgestone, Hyundai and Cars.com were better.

Taco Bell annoyed me, but the commercials I couldn't stand were from Sales Genie. I don't think they were appropriate for Superbowl, and I don't think they were as clever as the creators thought they were.

Budweiser was fantastic, as always. I loved the wine and cheese party, but the dalmatian coach was too adorable.

Victoria's secret was also a stand-out, not because the commercial was particularly eye-catching, but because of the placement: The end of the game. They got their target audience spot on, and there will be many lacy underthings given as Valentines gifts this year. Well done, Victoria's Secret.

If you missed any spots, Fox has them up on their Myspace page.

I can't promise a commentary on the Superbowl Ads, but yes, I will be watching them. I am especially looking forward to Doritos--they've done a wonderful job building buzz.

The semester has been passing by so quickly: I can't believe it's February already! My classes have been going well, and I am enjoying them despite the heavy workload. Two of my professors I have taken courses with previously in the International Relations department. They are both very, very good and I am happy to study under them again. My third course is Communications Research, a fairly basic but absolutely necessary class for my Public Relations degree. My professor is hilarious, but she is also very knowledgeable in the field. My fellow students and I have already begun work on our semester project: a research campaign for a preassigned client. My group, made up of three other public relations students and myself, will be designing a plan for Honda, specifically for their line of hybrid cars.

Before I say anything further, let me confess how much of a car person I am not. The car I drive is a 98 Saturn. I love it, it's fantastic, but that is all I can tell you about it. Sure, I can change the oil and refill the antifreeze or any of the other topics covered in my dad's "This is what you do when the car dies on the road" speech (which proved to be very useful when my Saturn did die on the road in afternoon traffic), but when it comes to horsepower and technical specs, it is Ash who you want to talk to, not me. With that out of the way, let's continue.

It is amazing just how much information is out there. Our first step is to use background research to form a hypothesis to further research, but in the process of sifting through press releases and articles from car magazines, it is becoming very clear to me just how much research goes into any publicity or advertising campaign. These people know what they are doing. At the same time, I am becoming more aware of campaigns where something went amiss in this crucial step.

So, kudos to you, article clippers and survey implementors, and thank you. Campaigns would simply not be possible without the hard work provided by researchers in the communications field. And kudos to you, Honda, for continuing to provide innovation in automobiles.

I am very much looking forward to this semester. :)

01. What types of portable audio devices do you use?

I had an iPod mini for the longest time. I loved it, but the battery failed around Christmas of last year. My parents took pity on my and bought a pink iPod Nano. It's fantastic, and I still own it. My grandparents decided to splurge on me this year, though, and as a Christmas-Graduation present, they bought me the iPod Touch I had been coveting. I had actually been saving up to buy one myself, so it was a complete surprise, and that money went into the "I really ought to pay off my loads" fund. Oh! Freshman year of college, I had a CD player I carried around. This was just when iPods came out. I loved that CD player. It was huge compared to mp3 players. Technology is amazing, isn't it?

02. What format of music do you listen to most often?

The default Apple format. I am not particularly music-format-savvy. As long as I can listen to my Hanson on the T, I am good.

03. How do you get your electronic music files? (pay service [i.e Napster, iTunes, eMusic, etc.], file sharing, artist/label web sites, etc.)

I buy CDs, buy from the iTunes store, or walk over to my roommates room and ask her if I can download that Backstreet Boys song I heard her listening to onto my flash drive. I have no interest in opening up my computer to filesharing, and I absolutely agree with the record companies on their goal to protect copyright. However! I do not approve of their methods, namely making martyrs of college students.

04. What type of headphones do you use?

Ear buds.

05. What is currently on your portable music player that you are using?

Hanson. Dido, Riley Kiley, Michelle Branch. A lot of Lilith Rock, really. And Hanson. ;)

This is one of those 'What's in the fridge? Leftovers!" concoctions that turned out extremely well. It's hard to go wrong with chicken broth, and I pulled this together with my little brother's help. The results were delicious--even my 10-year-old brother thought so.

What you'll need:

Two cans (or three cups) chicken broth. Bullion is fine, too.
1/4-1/3 cup of fried or Buffalo chicken, diced into cubes. I used leftover boneless Habanero wings from Chili's Bar & Grill.
5-6 mushrooms, sliced. (In retrospect, carrot curls and diced onions would have been great additions, too. Any "soup veggies," really. )
1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Egg
salt, pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Heat your broth in a quart-sized pot over medium heat.

2. Add your chicken, mushrooms and parsley.*

*If you are adding carrots and onions, you'll want to add those first and let them soften before adding the chicken or mushrooms, or pre-cook them in a pan over low heat with a little olive oil. The onions are done when they are clear; carrot curls (which are made using a potato peeler to make thin carrot-y slivers) cook pretty quickly.

3. Bring the soup to a boil and lower the heat to simmer for a few minutes.

4. Scramble your egg in a small bowl. Add it slowly, without stirring, to the simmering soup. This will make egg-drop-like strands of delicious. Shut off the heat immediately. Serve with crackers. You can add salt and pepper to taste, but if you use spicy Habanero chicken, you won't need to! Our soup was very hot, but not too much so.

Servings: 2

I love commercials. I love advertising in general, and I really admire the brains behind the spots for Jeep, AT&T and a number of others. When TBS ran it's annual "Best Commercials of the Year" countdown last night, my eyes were glued to the TV.

But I was disappointed this year. Sure, the program gave Jeep and career-builder.com a nod--but the vast majority of "funny" commercials were about sex and bodily functions. I chuckled, but I was not really impressed. Although they played my favorite from this year (an ad for Jeep Liberty), ads from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon were completely disregarded. Even the Ad Council (love those guys) produced a series of smart ads, which were also completely overlooked.

I think what really appeals to me as a consumer are not the one-shot, shock value commercials, but the series that tie into an extended campaign. We learn about integrated marketing, repetition and reflecting the company's ideals in class, and a squirrel passing gas to save his forest just doesn't do it for me. On the other hand, Verizon has found a great theme and ran with it for the past five years. The original "Can you hear me now?" commercials evolved into "the network," and now Verizon doesn't even need to say the company name for viewers to recognize their brand. Their commercials tell stories about how great, even life-saving, the Verizon network is.

Jeep, on the other hand, took a completely new direction than other car commercials (yeah, a semi recent trend, but Jeep really pulled it off). No anonymous stunt drivers down mountain-side roads--we get an average Joe rocking out in his Jeep on a mountain-side road. But Joe and his Jeep get even better: Joe's car is so environmentally friendly and fun to drive that woodland creatures, natural enemies even, join Joe in his crooning. Joe and his Jeep are one with nature AND one with the road.

Speaking of "Joe," I love how commercials have started to use "quirkier" actors. T-Mobile's "Secret Lovers" is one example of two average looking guys who could be my neighbors. (Even better, the guys make a second appearance in "I'm like your Uncle." Consistency and storytelling FTW.) Dove's powerful "Real Beauty" campaign began this trend by using women of many body types, but I love how non-beauty-related spots have also caught on. Good commercials like these attach the brand or company to a story or idea and keep it in your head. Man, If all commercials were as good as these, I don't think I would mind sitting through them during my House, M.D. and Journeyman.

Included below are a few of the commercials mentioned above.




The "sequel" to this spot can be viewed here.

I have been very busy this month working on final projects and studying for exams. I can't believe the semester is almost over! Last Friday I turned in my final paper for Chinese Foreign Policy, and later this week I have my exams for East Asian Economics and Corporate Communications. Then I will be on a plane to visit the parents.

Thanksgiving went well--I did almost no cooking this year. It was wonderful. As much as I love cooking, I don't love the stress of waking up early to prepare everything. The sister and I cooked lasagna and made the biscuits, but that was it. The lasagna was amazing, too. Usually we cook the noodles and make a mess laying them out, but this year I discovered instant lasagna noodles. They cook in the oven with the cheese and gravy, no need for boiling. My dad, ever the Italian food connoisseur, loved them.

We had our own holiday dinner at the apartment, too. The roommates and I cooked together and exchanged gifts. It was lovely. :)

Currently I am filling out a study sheet for East Asian Econ—so I better get back to that. I hope my fellows students are all doing well on your finals! And I hope everyone else is having a lovely holiday season.

1. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it? If you haven't stayed in a hostel, would you?

I haven't--however I have "couch surfed." Several of my friends live in great cities like NY and Savannah, and they have been kind enough to let me sleep on their couches when I was in town. I've also slept in dormitories at colleges for conventions, and given the opportunity, I would stay at a hostel.

2. What is your favorite airport that you've been to? Why?

I like Atlanta because it is super easy to navigate, but it is very big. I like Macarthur because it is small and minutes away from my childhood home.

3. What is the best museum you have visited on vacation?

The Museum of Natural History in DC. And I have two reasons why: Dinosaur. Bones. I love museums in general (I did work at one for a year and a half!).

4. Have you ever made friends while traveling whom you keep in touch with on a regular basis?

I've made friends while on vacation. Unfortunately, I don't keep in touch with them as much as I'd like to. I think most people can make friends really easily, and I enjoy having a "travel buddy."

5. Have you ever had a conversation with a seatmate on a plane?

Absolutely! I've made loads of friends on planes. I think you should make the best of travelling because it is often so stressful. You can tell if someone wants to chat or would rather be left alone, and one plane conversation earned me directions to a lovely secluded beach in Northern Massachusetts.

1. What is one food (or meal) you used to hate but now love?

Almonds. I hated them for 20 years (I may have been convinced that eating one would poison me, and reading Germs, Guns and Steel did not help). Last year I tried one while I was baking cookies, and I discovered I really liked them.

2. If you had to give up one of your favorite foods (or meals) for good, what would it be, and why?

Oh no! I have so many favorite foods, and I wouldn't want to give any of them up. I suppose I could give up ice cream since it is so unhealthy, but would that mean I have to give up Glace and Sherbet, too? I could give up burgers, but only if I was still allowed to have chopmeat for meatballs and meatloaf.

3. Which food seems like it should be healthy and isn't, and do you eat it? Why?

Chocolate. Yum. Actually, I've just discovered this all-natural brand of chocolate that has less sugar and other icky things, but still tastes like real chocolate.

4. If you were an item of food, personified, what would you be and why?

I think I would be a turkey club. Delicious and comforting, but you can dress me up and serve me at a classy restaurant, too.

5. You've seen tomatoes and pies used for this purpose... now think of a more inventive item of food one could throw at someone. What is it and why would throwing it at someone be hilarious?

Meatballs! But as they were being thrown, that song "On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese..." would have to play in the background. Meatballs are great because they are like delicious, gravy-covered snowballs.

You know, I passed a girl on the street the other day, and she was singing that song. It was strange, and for the rest of the day I had it stuck in my head!

You need:

8 oz. can Sauerkraut
1 lb. corned beef, sliced thin (alternatively, you can use smoked turkey.)
¼ lb. Swiss cheese, sliced thin
4 slices rye or marbled bread
Butter
Thousand Island dressing

This will make at least two dinner sized servings, but you could probably get three or four out of it. Just get more bread.

1. Get out your hardware. You will need at least one frying pan—two if you have them. Heat the first pan to medium.

2. Take your slices of bread and lightly slather them with butter on one side. Place all four pieces, butter side down, in the pan. You want one side of the bread to brown and get all crispy and delicious.

3. While your bread is turning toasty, get the corned beef out. Heat up your second pan. If you don't have a second pan, go to step 5 before step 4.

4. If your pan is not nonstick, either spray it with butter spray or melt a small amount of butter in the pan. Separate the slices and throw them all on the second pan. You can lower the heat, you just want to warm it for now. Once it is sizzling nicely, use your spatula to push the meat into four piles and place once or two slices of Swiss cheese on each meat mound.

5. Back to your bread! Check it for done-ness. The facedown side should be light brown, and you can smell the rye seed. Yum. Remove the pan from the heat and put the bread slices on plates, crispy side down.

6. Keep an eye on your meat! At this point, the cheese is probably all melty, and you can take each mound and put them on a bread slice.

7. Quickly rise out your pan and dry it before returning it to the heat on low. Get your can of sauerkraut and open it up. Dump as much as you want onto the warm pan. I would use all of it, but I love sauerkraut. It will sizzle deliciously. Use a wooden spoon to mix the sauerkraut so it doesn't burn—you just want it to warm.

8. Spoon the sauerkraut over the cheesy meat mounds. Pour the Thousand Island dressing over the top and serve.