Look at me, back at it again for the second week?! It's like a whole new me. I'm still working on getting the 1st podcast up for the 2018 year, but hold tight- I foresee it happening this week (maybe). But lets focus on the here and now, and the things I've had thoughts on this week.
MUSIC: I was scrolling through Facebook the other day when I came across an America's Got Talent audition. I've seen a few before, but I don't normally pay much attention to them. For some reason I let the video begin to play and by the end I was reaching for the tissues. It started out by a woman introducing herself, Mandy Harvey (link to the whole video), and that she was there to sing. Judge Simon Cowell, asked who the person standing next to him was...to which Mandy replied, "That's my sign language interpreter". You see, Many lost her hearing 10 years ago, but she is still able to sing. Instead of hearing the sound, she feels it through the soles of her shoeless feet. She feels the vibrations of the music through the floorboards, and with lots of time, and muscle memory- the girl can outright sing. Her original song "Try", was so moving and humbling, and absolutely breathtaking it earned a "Golden Buzzer" from the judges, ensuring her move to the next round. Her performance brought tears to the judges, the audience, and her father. It was a moment that really made me reflect on my own relationship with music. I truly believe music is magic. I've said this many times before, but music can takes us to a specific place in time, or it can help us escape. After a tough day my solution is to come home, kiss my dog, and put on Coldplay and blast it so loud it drowns out my negative and helps throttle me into my happy place. There's a time and place for sitting down and hammering out your frustrations, but not when you're already feeling down. During a workout, I need music to help me escape the feelings of exhaustion. If I can sing or dance to a song, it boosts my mood, energy, and helps me finish that last rep with a bang. Singing helps me get out of my head, and focus on the words rather than how tired my legs are. Music brings us together, and helps us all escape whatever reality we're trying to avoid. Find your band or find your song, and remember to sing it at the top of your lungs when you start to feel like you're about to boil over. It helps and it heals - and like Mandy, you don't always need to hear it - you just need to feel it.
ATYPICAL: If you have Netflix- watch this. There are only 8 episodes, so you really don't have any excuse to NOT binge this. I have a bad habit of just re-watching the same shows on loops, and not really wanting to dedicate myself to a new show. Usually I find myself getting way too attached to characters (am I dating Archie Andrews of Riverdale? Am I bffs with Jessica Day from New Girl?). I often times just pretend to embed myself in a cast and crew, just because they quickly become my happy place and escape from reality. However, I took the plunge this week to peak beyond my cozy comfort shows and started watching Atypical. A coming of age series about a boy named Sam who has autism, and how it affects not only his life, but the lives of everyone around him. It's a fascinating story to watch unfold, and the acting is incredible. It's a comedy-drama type of show where I found myself laughing, cringing, and honestly- sobbing. There are parts that I felt on a very emotional level, and there are parts that made my eyes well up and before I knew it, I was in a deep steady cry. It didn't take long for me to quickly embed myself into this family as well. The family of four is clearly about to reach a breaking point, with secrets starting to spill, and it's Sam and his sister Casey at the center of it all, trying to figure out a way for Sam to become an independent adult, and venture out into the world without the support of each other. It's very eye-opening, and heart wrenching to see how kids on the spectrum are treated, or rather, ignored. It's a powerful show about the relationships built, formed, and destroyed by autism. I can only hope a season 2 is in the works, because this show is something that breaks the taboo and talks about autism and the kids so largely ignored that fall on the spectrum.
IOWA WRESTLING: If you're from small town Iowa, it's very much in your DNA to know how to wrestle, and how to be a wrestling fan. However, there are the exceptions, like me, that grew up knowing absolutely nothing about the sport. The only thing I knew about it was that there was a lot of cauliflower ear, singlets, and camouflage, and that every so often our over-populated high school would wind up with a new kid from some tiny town in North Dakota who would, sure enough, end up winning a state title in wrestling. Funny how that always worked out. Anyway, I've only been to a handful of wrestling meets in my lifetime, honestly because wrestling fans are so intense and I'm pretty intimidated by them. On Sunday, though, I faced my fears and went to a wrestling meet. Intense fans and all. I needed to go and take photos for work, so I asked my dad to tag along. Holy cow- had I misjudged this sport. From the little that I knew about wrestling I did know how incredibly hard they work to build their bodies to peak performance and for the 6:00(ish) minutes that they battle on the mat, their endurance and athleticism are insane. Anyway, the fans were a lot less scary this time so that helped, but I found myself getting very into the meet. Screaming "TWOOO" every time I saw even the slightest inkling of a take down, and cheering like crazy when an Iowa wrestler escaped into a take down. Carver erupts, and the noise is beautifully deafening. If you're like me, and still trying to understand how this sport actually works- there's not a better environment for you to learn about it, then in Carver Hawkeye Arena while surrounded by the most knowledgeable wrestling fans in the nation. Oh- and we crushed the #3 team in the nation. That's always fun too.
THE POST: I graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications in 2015. My whole life I've had a deep love of writing and reading. What drew me to journalism was the simple fact that we are tasked with the job of telling the stories that matter to people. We are entrusted by the subject to relay the truth, and have compassion, and to understand that the words we use matter. That words are permanent, and to publish them is forever - so facts, and honesty are of the upmost importance. Today, I took my mom to go see The Post - the story of Kay Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, The Washington Post, and their battle (along with the New York Times) with the government and the first amendment. In a quick synopsis, the New York Times published what was the beginning of the Pentagon Papers - top secret documents declaring that the Vietnam war was a losing battle, and that the American people had been lied to for years regarding the "progress" of the war. Clearly the US government wasn't pleased that their secrets and years of cover-up had just been released to the hands of the American people- and thus led to the New York Times Co. V. United States Supreme Court landmark ruling that ruled in favor of the press, and the necessity of freedom of speech. By the end of the movie, I was incredibly emotional. Maybe it was the fact that a badass woman made the call to print these papers, risking her company, and her freedom; or maybe it had something to do with Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black's decision of absolute superiority of the 1st amendment when he said, "In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill it's essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors." It was that line that gave me so much pride in my journalism degree. Although it's often hard, as projected by the movie, to separate yourself from the subjects or the content - it is the job of the press to relay to the people. I'm incredible thankful for the men and women in the press who risk their jobs, and sometimes their life, to get the truth out.
These are some thoughts I had on some things this week. My own little opinion section if you will. More thoughts on things to come.
XX
MUSIC: I was scrolling through Facebook the other day when I came across an America's Got Talent audition. I've seen a few before, but I don't normally pay much attention to them. For some reason I let the video begin to play and by the end I was reaching for the tissues. It started out by a woman introducing herself, Mandy Harvey (link to the whole video), and that she was there to sing. Judge Simon Cowell, asked who the person standing next to him was...to which Mandy replied, "That's my sign language interpreter". You see, Many lost her hearing 10 years ago, but she is still able to sing. Instead of hearing the sound, she feels it through the soles of her shoeless feet. She feels the vibrations of the music through the floorboards, and with lots of time, and muscle memory- the girl can outright sing. Her original song "Try", was so moving and humbling, and absolutely breathtaking it earned a "Golden Buzzer" from the judges, ensuring her move to the next round. Her performance brought tears to the judges, the audience, and her father. It was a moment that really made me reflect on my own relationship with music. I truly believe music is magic. I've said this many times before, but music can takes us to a specific place in time, or it can help us escape. After a tough day my solution is to come home, kiss my dog, and put on Coldplay and blast it so loud it drowns out my negative and helps throttle me into my happy place. There's a time and place for sitting down and hammering out your frustrations, but not when you're already feeling down. During a workout, I need music to help me escape the feelings of exhaustion. If I can sing or dance to a song, it boosts my mood, energy, and helps me finish that last rep with a bang. Singing helps me get out of my head, and focus on the words rather than how tired my legs are. Music brings us together, and helps us all escape whatever reality we're trying to avoid. Find your band or find your song, and remember to sing it at the top of your lungs when you start to feel like you're about to boil over. It helps and it heals - and like Mandy, you don't always need to hear it - you just need to feel it.
ATYPICAL: If you have Netflix- watch this. There are only 8 episodes, so you really don't have any excuse to NOT binge this. I have a bad habit of just re-watching the same shows on loops, and not really wanting to dedicate myself to a new show. Usually I find myself getting way too attached to characters (am I dating Archie Andrews of Riverdale? Am I bffs with Jessica Day from New Girl?). I often times just pretend to embed myself in a cast and crew, just because they quickly become my happy place and escape from reality. However, I took the plunge this week to peak beyond my cozy comfort shows and started watching Atypical. A coming of age series about a boy named Sam who has autism, and how it affects not only his life, but the lives of everyone around him. It's a fascinating story to watch unfold, and the acting is incredible. It's a comedy-drama type of show where I found myself laughing, cringing, and honestly- sobbing. There are parts that I felt on a very emotional level, and there are parts that made my eyes well up and before I knew it, I was in a deep steady cry. It didn't take long for me to quickly embed myself into this family as well. The family of four is clearly about to reach a breaking point, with secrets starting to spill, and it's Sam and his sister Casey at the center of it all, trying to figure out a way for Sam to become an independent adult, and venture out into the world without the support of each other. It's very eye-opening, and heart wrenching to see how kids on the spectrum are treated, or rather, ignored. It's a powerful show about the relationships built, formed, and destroyed by autism. I can only hope a season 2 is in the works, because this show is something that breaks the taboo and talks about autism and the kids so largely ignored that fall on the spectrum.
IOWA WRESTLING: If you're from small town Iowa, it's very much in your DNA to know how to wrestle, and how to be a wrestling fan. However, there are the exceptions, like me, that grew up knowing absolutely nothing about the sport. The only thing I knew about it was that there was a lot of cauliflower ear, singlets, and camouflage, and that every so often our over-populated high school would wind up with a new kid from some tiny town in North Dakota who would, sure enough, end up winning a state title in wrestling. Funny how that always worked out. Anyway, I've only been to a handful of wrestling meets in my lifetime, honestly because wrestling fans are so intense and I'm pretty intimidated by them. On Sunday, though, I faced my fears and went to a wrestling meet. Intense fans and all. I needed to go and take photos for work, so I asked my dad to tag along. Holy cow- had I misjudged this sport. From the little that I knew about wrestling I did know how incredibly hard they work to build their bodies to peak performance and for the 6:00(ish) minutes that they battle on the mat, their endurance and athleticism are insane. Anyway, the fans were a lot less scary this time so that helped, but I found myself getting very into the meet. Screaming "TWOOO" every time I saw even the slightest inkling of a take down, and cheering like crazy when an Iowa wrestler escaped into a take down. Carver erupts, and the noise is beautifully deafening. If you're like me, and still trying to understand how this sport actually works- there's not a better environment for you to learn about it, then in Carver Hawkeye Arena while surrounded by the most knowledgeable wrestling fans in the nation. Oh- and we crushed the #3 team in the nation. That's always fun too.
THE POST: I graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications in 2015. My whole life I've had a deep love of writing and reading. What drew me to journalism was the simple fact that we are tasked with the job of telling the stories that matter to people. We are entrusted by the subject to relay the truth, and have compassion, and to understand that the words we use matter. That words are permanent, and to publish them is forever - so facts, and honesty are of the upmost importance. Today, I took my mom to go see The Post - the story of Kay Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, The Washington Post, and their battle (along with the New York Times) with the government and the first amendment. In a quick synopsis, the New York Times published what was the beginning of the Pentagon Papers - top secret documents declaring that the Vietnam war was a losing battle, and that the American people had been lied to for years regarding the "progress" of the war. Clearly the US government wasn't pleased that their secrets and years of cover-up had just been released to the hands of the American people- and thus led to the New York Times Co. V. United States Supreme Court landmark ruling that ruled in favor of the press, and the necessity of freedom of speech. By the end of the movie, I was incredibly emotional. Maybe it was the fact that a badass woman made the call to print these papers, risking her company, and her freedom; or maybe it had something to do with Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black's decision of absolute superiority of the 1st amendment when he said, "In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill it's essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors." It was that line that gave me so much pride in my journalism degree. Although it's often hard, as projected by the movie, to separate yourself from the subjects or the content - it is the job of the press to relay to the people. I'm incredible thankful for the men and women in the press who risk their jobs, and sometimes their life, to get the truth out.
These are some thoughts I had on some things this week. My own little opinion section if you will. More thoughts on things to come.
XX
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