Getting Older

I will occasionally find myself driving in Columbia minding my own business and I will suddenly realize I've been driving for 5 years. When did that happen? I can still remember the day I got my permit and how excited I was to be able to drive. I also remember all the drive times I had to go through as a requirement for Driver's Ed. I always got so nervous trying to remember to change my mirrors, adjust my seat, etc. etc. Now I have my own car and I don't have to do those things. I also remember trying to get things perfect to get an 'A' on the drive time. Now everything that comes with driving comes as second nature.

My next big milestone is turning 21 (in approximately 165 days). But I don't even feel like I'm 20 years old. While I have the maturity of a 20 year old (hopefully at least), I still feel like I'm 17. It's not as bad as it was my freshman year when I felt like I was simply away at Summer Camp with friends, but I still feel like a little girl. Maybe it's because I look like a 17 year old still. I know I'll like looking younger when I'm 50, but I don't really appreciate it now. When did I become 20? (Honestly, May 1, 2009).

Where has the time gone? It feels like yesterday I was still in Allen, TX attending Allen High leading KGLE 3 Teen News. Now I'm in Columbia, MO (and if you had asked me years ago if I'd ever go to school in Columbia, MO, I probably would have laughed at you) attending the University of Missouri trying to find my footing in the Missouri School of Journalism. It's a little overwhelming how fast I've grown up. Time really has flown.

The milestone after my 21st birthday? Graduation. College Graduation. I haven't decided if I'm excited or scared. It seems like it's so close when I say I have 3 more semesters but the date (May 2011) seems much farther. At least while it's still 2009. I'll have to reevaluate that come 2010.

One good thing about being 20 is being old enough to have your own Christmas tree! I can decorate it however my heart desires rather than have the same thing over and over every year at my parents'. (I'm not a fan of their tree).

Yes I realize it's not even Thanksgiving, my roommate and I will technically only be in our apartment for 3 more weeks before Christmas due to breaks. Plus we both really love Christmas :)

First Ever Blog

In response to a recommendation by the #1 School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, I have started a blog. When first told to start such a thing, my thoughts drifted back to the days of Xanga. I morally objected to a repeat of such “journaling”. At 20 years old, I was not going to tell the world the miniscule occurrences of my daily life. No one needs to know or should care that I helped my mom clean. Although now that I don’t live with my mother, the same goes for not needing to know about my roommate’s cleaning habits.

After talking to a former high school classmate and now college peer, I became more aware that the world of blogging is not equivalent with Xanga.

[Pause] I don’t know how I would survive college without said peer’s advising. It’s nice to know someone a year ahead of myself who I’ve known since high school. He knows the background I come from as far as previous training and is able to give me examples and helpful things to relate to because of this. He has saved me from many mental breakdowns and I feel that I’ll be in contact with him much more now that I’m moving up the ladder in the Broadcast world of the Missouri School of Journalism. [Play]

I will admit that I have been procrastinating the official creation of a blog until I had a topic that I felt I could write several paragraphs on. The first idea came to me after discussing a project my roommate is working on. (I feel she will be a major character in my blog writing). Her project is to create a mock Lexus ad for her Strategic Communications Design class. The main point was to market the ad to minorities.

Before I progress, I feel it is important to say that I am half Mexican. My last name clearly states that I have at least some Hispanic blood in me. My father is almost full blooded Mexican (with a little Native American splashed in) and my mother is Polish and Canadian French.

My first question: Why do minorities need cars to be marketed towards them? The people who buy a Lexus are upper middle class citizens. Being a minority has nothing to do with whether or not they buy a Lexus.

My second question: Why would the ad convince a minority to buy a Lexus? If I could afford a Lexus with my college salary, I don’t think I would be persuaded to purchase one because it had a sombrero on top of it.

Maybe this irks me more because I am of Mexican decent. I’m proud of my heritage (on both sides) but I’m growing more and more tired of companies marketing towards minorities specifically or people thinking of minorities differently.