| Occupational Hazards |
[Sep. 21st, 2006|04:11 pm] |
I received an email from a friend the other day praising a speech given by Illinois Senator Barack Obama. She exclaimed, "Oh I should move to Chicago and just have him give me inspirational speeches all day long."
I responded quite simply, "You mean you want to go to Chicago and follow his speechwriter around all day. Barack might be many things ... but a writer of his own speeches he is not!"
You pick a profession like speechwriting, and you obviously become accustomed to not getting personal recognition for your work from the general public. Call it an occupational hazard. After all, everyone credits JFK for saying: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." In reality, Ted Sorenson penned those great words.
A few weeks back, I received the affirmation we all search for daily with regard to our career. I chose correctly. In a world of possibility, I picked the right path to walk down.
Standing in an auditorium surrounded by 500+ people, I watched an individual deliver my speech for the first time ever. People laughed. People cried. People stood up in applause.
Now, a speech can only be effective as its speaker. So that night, I knew I only played a part in inspiring the masses. However, I did play a part. When the lights dimmed and the audience sauntered out of the room, the awe-inspiring reality of that hit me--I inspired people.
While a freshman in high school, an girl who I actually hated recruited me for the speech team. I always maintained a flair for the theatrical and figured, why not. It would look good on college transcripts at the very least.
But something happened--something only those in the activity can truly understand--I caught the bug. I soon recruited all of my high school friends. In college, I worsened my condition. I became a speech junkie.
It remains one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.
While in DC in an internship program 3 months before my date with the real world (a.k.a. Graduation), I heard Jessica Gavora, then-speechwriter for Attorney General John Ashcroft, speak about the profession of speechwriting. It suddenly hit me. I know how to write speeches. I do that for fun ...
On that day, I decided to pursue speechwriting as an occupation and never looked back.
Now, people hear my speeches week in and week out and hopefully, leave inspired as a result. So, I don't need the personal recognition; I don't need the acclaim. I only need the satisfaction that comes when you hear a speaker nail the climax and deliver a pitch perfect sell sentence.
Some days I find myself thinking about my life and I can't help but feel amazed. I get to do what I love--what I've always loved--and get paid for it. So thank you all. Thank you really annoying girl who shall remain nameless for purposes of this blog for convincing me to join the speech team. Thank you Jessica Gavora for showing me how to take what I love and make a living out of it. And thank you speechies, many of whom read this blog, for always growing that love. |
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| Music the great communicator |
[Jun. 9th, 2006|12:48 pm] |
(Yes I realize I totally scammed that from the Red Hot Chili Peppers)
According to this test, my music personality is Alternative Rock:
"You keep your music and your workouts extreme. A fan of the outdoors, you love exploring almost as much as the adrenaline rush that comes with it. No wonder you love alternative rock and metal." |
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| Fun Texas Style |
[Jun. 6th, 2006|05:04 pm] |
Sara came to visit over Memorial Day weekend, allowing me to once again flex my hostessing skills. I visited the "grassy knoll" for the 3rd time and it was every bit as boring as the first two. While the location itself is rather blase, the Conspiracy Musuem provides much entertainment. Sure ... one could go to the government-sponsored museum in the famed Texas Book Depository. But you'd only hear the "official" story. No no ... to find out the truth, you must venture off the beaten path and go to the Conspiracy Museum.
The proprietor makes Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory look like a G-man. He has a story and an accompanying conspiracy for everything. He spent 5 minutes discussing how the John Wilkes Booth shot in a barn shortly after Lincoln's death wasn't actually THE John Wilkes Booth. He and his posse petitioned the courts to have the body exhumed to prove their theory. In an odd coincidence Sara had seen this story on Unsolved Mysteries and recognized him immediately. Since we all know I can't watch Unsolved Mysteries w/o having someone check under my bed for escaped serial killers, I had sadly missed that episode and was on the outside of their conspiracy circle.
After Sara and Conspiracy guy finished discussing Lincoln's death, we strolled through the museum. Now, when you go to a museum, you expect to find real artifacts and professional displays. Well Conspiracy guy lacks the funds to provide such frivolity to its patrons. Instead, the Conspiracy museum contains a lot of handmade poster boards akin to the ones you might have created for your 4th grade science project. Naturally, none of them match the one I created for my homemade water purification system ...
Afterwards, I took Sara to Dallas' finest dining establishment: Babe's Chicken Dinner House. (No it isn't a strip club). We dined on the best fried chicken and watched high schoolers embarass themselves by dancing to the hokey pokey in front of a room full of strangers.
The next day we spent poolside with a brief jaunt to the Knox-Henderson area for a free wine tasting. We dined on what we later found out to be tongue and both appreciated our ignorance of this fact prior to partaking of the dish.
We also spent a day at the mall and I ate at my first Rainforest Cafe per Sara's suggestion. (Notably, Sara hates children and so this suggestion caught me off guard to say the least). A chipper fellow dressed in a lot of cargo referred us to the elephant to wait in a pre-line -- that is to say a line to be told a time to come back and wait in another line. An hour later our "safari" took off.
After lunch, we blazed a trail through the massive Grapevine Mills Outlet mall. She bought clothing and I bought copious amounts of grill accessories. (Yes, I've apparently grown a penis). After determining that we simply could walk no further, we went back to my apartment to make a feast for the ages. We drank wine and for some inexplicable reason, IMed several random people with lyrics from the Kid Rock song Bawitdaba. If you received said IM, please forgive me. I blame the wine.
We spent our last day at the Fort Worth Stockyards and finally procured the "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy" shirt she coveted. Sadly, my "Ride this Cowgirl" shirt stayed at the store. (Totally a joke, FYI)
After a day sweating in the sun and contemplating riding a mechanical bull, I drove her to the airport to head back to the needle strewn streets of Baltimore.
After reading this tale, many of you will rush to Travelocity to book your own vacations to come visit me. Fear not, I'm in the Lone Star state for at least the next 3 years, and my couch/bed/air mattress is always open to visitors. |
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| What is a home? |
[May. 19th, 2006|03:16 pm] |
Home ... it's a word that comes to mean a number of things. In Dallas, my home is my apartment. And from time to time, I refer to Dallas itself as my home. However, there are moments in your life when you come to realize that a city isn't your home.
For me, Indiana is still my "home." I know where everything is, and it contains the largest number of people who will take care of you and people to help you when you need it the most. In that respect, Dallas is just my city of residence.
There is a purpose to all this I swear ... but I don't want to get into it right now. I just need to figure out some things. |
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| So |
[May. 15th, 2006|11:28 pm] |
Is bad when you bawl your eyes out watching a dog die on a TV show but only get slightly misty-eyed when a human character on the show dies?
Grey's Anatomy rocks my world!!!!! |
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| Economics 101 |
[Apr. 21st, 2006|02:05 pm] |
From USA Today: "If everyone decided to drive 3% less the next 30 days, [oil] prices would crash," says Tom Kloza, senior analyst at the Oil Price Information Service.
I'm personally going to do my part to make that happen. Starting next Tuesday, I am going to walk to work any day that it isn't raining. The supply and demand gods will be my bitch for once. |
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| Quick Update |
[Apr. 19th, 2006|06:50 pm] |
I'm alive. What else needs to be said?
My life by the numbers:
Three days of class. One oral argument. Two finals. One citation exam. One year of law school completed. Three more to go.
May 11th can't come any sooner in my mind. I'm already plotting various summer trips (hello Cancun!), planning to lay out poolside and reading something that doesn't contain the words duty, negligence, tort, etc.
For now, this mini-update will have to suffice. I lost all ability to write flowery prose when I cranked out a 20 page motion for summary judgment last week. There was entertaining drama (of course) related to said paper; however, my oral argument beckons.
In short, I'll reemerge from my law school cave in 3 weeks. Until then, don't plan on receiving any sort of communication from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. |
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| My Guilty Pleasure: Bad TV |
[Mar. 13th, 2006|11:36 am] |
Okay, I admit it. When it comes to television, I might possibly have questionable taste. Let's take a glimpse at the Season Pass Manager on my Tivo:
1) Alias
2) Prison Break
3) Desperate Housewives
4) Grey's Anatomy
5) Lost
6) Gilmore Girls
So far ... no obvious red flags. My tv watching habits seem to match up with those of every other red-blooded American. Oh but WAIT!
7) Beverly Hills 90210
8) Dallas
DANGER WILL ROBINSON!
9) Melrose Place
10) Boy Meets World
Now, how did I come to the realization that I maintain an unhealthy addiction to questionable television shows? Yesterday evening, I found myself parked in front of my TV channel surfing when I happened upon a commercial for "Cutting Edge 2: Go for the Gold" on ABC Family.
I immediately thought, "Oh my GOD ... this just made my weekend! I must TIVO it. I hope its as good as the Au Pair and Au Pair II movies"
A few moments later, a wave of realization fell over me. I like bad tv. I crave bad tv. I support bad tv.
I blame tivo. Sure, I always maintained the predisposition ... after all ... I am a member of the MTV generation. But, tivo just made it accessible. Do we blame the dealer or the addict?
Yes, I did Tivo CE2. Yes, I watched it. Yes, I loved every made-for-tv moment of it. (And yes, they did incorporate "Toe pick" into the dialogue). What does it all mean? Well, for now, I suppose it simply means that the litany of B actors that rely on ABC family movies and/or syndication of their has-been shows can rest assured that they'll always have a paycheck as long as I and the millions of other questionable tv watchers like me continue to tune in. |
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