The last hurrah...

I think it's safe to assume this will be my last post in this blog.

I really liked this assignment. I've been a blogger since I was 12, and writing a blog with a theme and a purpose has really changed my thoughts about blogs on the web in general. So many people have so many things to say. To have the freedom of posting your own thoughts for the world to see...that isn't a newspaper or magazine, is kind of an astonishing thought. It always baffles me when I found out how many people actually read my blogs too. For example, I know that Hannah follows this blog, but I never thought she actually bothered to keep up with it. But at the Provoc dinner, she asked me a question about something I recently wrote on my blog and said with a smile, "Yeah, I always read your blog!"
You feel good when someone reads something you wrote--and enjoyed it.

Today is the last day of Magazine Writing. I think it's a relief to everyone in the class that it's over, but I wish people would honestly grow up. As I've said in the past, the workload was unevenly distributed among the group members. I know that I'm doing most of the writing for this assignment, and although another member of my group wrote a section of this article, I had to re-write it last night out of surprise...just because it was not up to par on what I had done in the previous sections. Things like that. I know that people work in groups all the time in the "real world." In fact, that's most of what everyone does--is work together. But there are always going to be the people who take on most of the work, and there will always people who will make excuses as to why they cannot do their share....or at the very least, do it, but do it poorly. Since the workload was uneven, we definitely don't deserve the same grade.
I'm not going to complain anymore about that. I'll have enough to say on the peer evaluations. I did it. I'm going to edit it one more time before class. I'm going to hand it in. And it's done. It's just done.

One thing I discovered while in this class is the importance of re-writing things, and I think my writing in general has improved. I look at articles that I wrote for the Provoc at the beginning of the year, and compare them to the one I just wrote last week, and they've improved so much. It's always so hard to believe how much you learn in one year.

I think most people signed up for this class thinking they were going to learn the art of the magazine. I did too. I thought we were going to write and pitch several different articles for several different types of publications. But at the same time, the course is called Magazine Writing, and I suppose, well, that's what we did. We wrote a feature article.

We're going to post our articles on a website that will link to the Telegram and Gazette website. If I find out what the link is, I'll post it here for those who are interested in reading what I've been so utterly frustrated about this entire semester.




In general, this week is very bittersweet. I hate all the work I have to get done. I'm so frustrated. I'm tired. I don't have enough time to do everything. But I'm enjoying it nonetheless. Next year, I may relocate to Boston, live at home, or something else...and my friends will all be scattered as well. We say we'll be in touch and hang out all the time, but I know that at least for the first few months, my job, whatever that may be, is going to engulf my life. My social contacts will be pushed to the back burner. My concentration will be devoted to doing a good job, and keeping my job. I'm sad. I dreamt about graduation last night, and I dreamt I was crying. I'm happy. I'm ready to get out of my dorm room. I hate living with five girls. And I'm reflective.

I learned so much since the beginning of this semester...but wow, remembering freshman year? That's a roller coaster ride.

I do have to get going. I have to edit and do a lot of other work. But thank you all for reading my blog. Professor Santos, I know you've been keeping up with this, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Hannah, I hope you had fun reading this too. And I always have to mention Katherine, my sister, who never fails to read any of my blog entires--no matter what site they're on. And to any other anonymous person who happened to stumble upon this blog, I hope my toils are moderatly interesting to read.

I'll most likely open another blog up on this account.

I'll keep you posted.

:)