Padd Solutions

At the end of October, the Journalism Department is planning to go to a convention in Austin. This is a huge deal! There are going to be thousands of colleges and Universities from all over the United States. I’ve only gone to one other Journalism convention because we took a van to Dallas and every other time; they fly to wherever they’re going. Out of fear I’ve always opted out of the plane ride and I’ve gotten teased for it every time. They know if we’re taking a plan, I’m staying in Amarillo.

So yesterday, I read an e-mail saying we MIGHT take a plan to Austin or we MIGHT drive! At the bottom of the e-mail it said something like “Maddisun, if we go by plane, we’re talking you into it.” Road trips don’t bother me; I just sleep the whole way there anyways. But, I’ve never ever stepped foot on a plan and that’s what I’m having trouble with. I’m just scared I’m going to get thousands of feel up in the air and want off the plane and I can’t just get off because I’m scared.

When I was in the 5th grade, my friend Mandy and I thought we wanted to ride the Pirate ship at Wonderland. So, we got on and at first everything was fine. About 45 seconds into the ride both of us were down in the seat screaming and my mom actually had to get the boy controlling the ride to stop it and let us off.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine, but there’s this little part of me that says I’ll freak out as soon as we take off and I’ll want to get off. I couldn’t get to sleep last night because all I could think about was the ride to Austin. My friend Miguel might also be going on this trip and he said the flight won’t take long, so I’m hoping it won’t. He’s making me feel more comfortable with going on the trip…I have to say whether or not I’m going for sure by Thursday, so I have a couple more days to come up with a definite answer…wish me luck convincing myself!!

Hi, my name is Kaitlyn Banks and my major is Physician's Assistant for Pediatrics.
I have been going to AC for a year now and love it!

For my first blog I thought I would let you know a little bit about me with 30 random things!

1. I was born in Mobile, Alabama.
2. I have 2 yorkshire terrier pups.
3. I want to travel the world.
4. I have a younger brother who is about to graduate high school.
5. The beach is my favorite place to be.
6. My favorite superhero is Batman.
7. I have played the clarinet for 9 years.
8. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite movie.
9. I am currently in ceramics and it proved to be much harder than I anticipated.
10. I have always wanted to sky dive.
11. My favorite actress is Keira Knightly and my favorite actor is Brad Pitt.
12. I went to England this past summer and fell absolutely in love with the country.
13. I love art and film. My favorite painters are Michelangelo, Renoir, Da Vinci, Titian, Jacques Louis David, Seurat, and Van Gough.
14. The Office and Gilmore Girls are my favorite shows.
15. I would like to meet Clint Eastwood. He is fabulous.
16. I drive a Chevy Aveo, it's pretty awesome!
17. I love reading, I try to read at least 2 books a month.
18. I adore Italian food, I can eat it all day.
19. Yoga, swimming, sailing and skiing are my favorite forms of exercise. I like watching tennis but I cannot play it so well!
20. I want to be an extra in a movie, I think it would be neat.
21. I love coffee.
22. Losing my cell phone is common.
23. Zelda games are my favorite video games of all time.
24. Summer is my favorite season.
25. I have always wanted to go to Vermont in the fall to see all the leaves.
26. My favorite comedian is Demetri Martin.
27. Some of my favorite bands/singers right now include Coconut Records, Fleet Foxes, Alexi Murdoch, Cut Copy and Phoenix.
28. My favorite clothing stores are Jcrew, Gap, and Threadless.
29. I am currently the publicity chair for the Student Government Association.
30. I love shoes of any kind.

That's me in a nutshell! Hope everyone has a great week! I will keep everyone posted on what is going on around campus!

Chao, Kaitlyn

About three weeks ago, my Public Relations and Publicity professor gave the class an assignment to get a Twitter account, follow five people and post five PR related tweets by the following Wednesday. We were also supposed to write a paragraph about our Twitter experiences and turn it in.

I wasn’t all too excited about the assignment mainly because I didn’t really find Twitter to be as amazing as people carry on about. My desk buddy Zack on the other hand was ecstatic. He immediately gave me his user name and told me to follow him. I wasn’t familiar with Twitter at all. I first heard about it last Spring when I had to make a wrap about Social Networking for the AC Report.

I’ve had Myspace and Facebook accounts for three years now, but I hadn’t had the urge to get a Twitter, even though my friend Joey harassed me all summer to get one. I’ve heard from several people that Twitter is basically status updates like on Myspace and Facebook. But my status updates usually consist of random song lyrics I have stuck in my head. So, I didn’t know how to incorporate PR in there for the assignment.

So, I basically promoted the AC Blog in my first tweet. That same day I kept thinking about what my next tweet was going to be and when I was going to be able to post it. I couldn’t wait to get to a computer so I could tweet. Then I found out that I could send tweets from my phone by texting them to my profile. So, of course I was Über excited about that, because this meant I could tweet at Wal*Mart if I wanted to!

I started to feel that song Andy Milonakis sings “Let me Twitter Dat” was about me. However, I don’t get document EVERYTHING that I do throughout the day like he does…“I just woke up…Ayy, let me Twitter dat. Just took a hot shower…Ayy, let me Twitter dat. I’m feeling real crazy, I might get a haircut…Ayy let me Twitter dat.” The song is pretty hilarious!

One day, I was trying to get a hold of Joey so I could interview him for a package I was working on for The Ranger and I couldn’t get in touch with him, it was like we were playing phone tag! So, I posted a Tweet that said something to the effect of “Joey!!! Answer your phone, I need to talk to you now!!!” Within five minutes, he called me. So, I guess that proves Twitter isn’t just my new best friend.

Why is it that reading a textbook is the quickest way to fall asleep? I can feel 100% wide awake, open a textbook and BAM! drowsy as a drunk.

Quite frustrating when you're trying to get homework done. If nothing else, textbooks are good sleep aids at least.

So it's halfway through the first week of classes and so far so good. Although busy, I've managed to stay on top of things between yesterday and today. I know what you're thinking... "Yeah, uhm, it's only been two days..." but you don't understand. Every day is a victory when I get this busy. If I'm not behind on doing something it's a very huge accomplishment!

Today's practice was pretty rough for my girls. They really really struggled. Hopefully tomorrow will go better. We're having a terrible time with serving and serve receive. It's either on or it's off... there seems to be no in between. Alas, things aren't always what they seem. We will learn how to be consistant servers and passers if it kills us... and it just might.

In other news... Sen. Ted Kennedy died of brain cancer. The Kennedy family left a ridiculous political legacy. Check this out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27440144/?gt1=43001 Also, this is a pretty good article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32572683
Read up. He pushed for some really awesome things for the people in our country. Specifically women, disabled, and elderly. There is a pretty good video summing it up that is on the same page as the article. It's only a couple minutes long, go watch it.

Chris and I went to the second to last Dillas home game tonight with his grandparents.
It was really fun except for my stupid allergies. They have been out of control since I came home from Corpus. I can hardly stand it! The only thing I've tried that really works is Benadryl and that knocks me OUT. I mean out cold. I could sleep for about 14 hours straight after taking just one Benadryl... yes, it's that ridiculous.
Anyway, back to the baseball game. We left in the bottom of the 8th when the Dillas were up 12-4. It was a close game until the 7th inning when the Dillas decided they really knew how to play baseball. hahah Even though I'm a die-hard volleyball fan (woohoo for indoor sports!) I enjoy the occassional baseball game. And football game. Actually, I really want to go watch WT play football Friday. WT football games are always a blast. :)

Anywho... well now that I've been on the computer for a little while I'm good and awake so I think I'll get back to reading my textbook. Goodnight!

Argh. Back to the grind of classes again! I really enjoyed what little break I had from classes this year. Now it's over until Christmas. Sheesh.

I do really enjoy taking classes... I DON'T really enjoy trying to find a parking spot at AC! I went up there today to finish up buying my books (which they still don't have one in stock) and there was quite literally NOWHERE to park. It was insane! I think that is the most packed I have seen it... ever. I wonder what enrollment is at for the fall semester? I bet it's high. Last year was higher than the year before and I bet this year is even higher still. I'll have to assign a story on that. :)

So I'm really excited about starting up with The Ranger again! Anyone out there reading this needs to be sure to read The Ranger... even if you just do so online (I know the statistics people).

OH GUESS WHAT?! I can't believe I forgot to blog about this...
I GOT AN APARTMENT! Yaaaaaaaaaay! I am so pumped! I move in on September 11th. The most awesome part of it all is that I have almost all my furniture, I just have to pick it up to move it in. Yes, I'm extremely excited!

Well, my little break from the world of news is over. I know, shame on me for even having one. But honestly, I've barely had time to breathe let alone keep track of anything in the news. I will officially begin catching up tomorrow.

Want to hear something funny? One class I'm taking this semester is Fitness Walking I Online. Bahahaha! I mean, the words fitness and walking to me are funny to begin with (I know walking is excellent exercise it's just too boring for me and doesn't say "I'm getting in shape") but when you throw in the 'online' that just cracks me up! I'm not too sure how it's going to work out (no pun intended haha) but I'm guessing I will have to just log my walking hours everytime I go to the gym. Guess I'll find out!

Okay so I have a million and one things to do... here's to another great semester! Good luck everyone!

Well, got back from Grandma's yesterday evening--btw, I made a 5 hr drive on 3 hrs of sleep. Not recommended, boys and girls!--and saw that my Summer term grades were ready. Made A's in Radio Production I AND Media Internship! [Media Internship is blogging for this site. :)] That makes all A's for me since I started at AC last Fall. I'm really psyched about that, because I want as good a GPA as I can get for when I transfer to a four year university after next Spring! It makes me feel good, because the first time I went to college, I didn't do so well, not because college was hard, but because I was lazy and didn't apply myself. Now I have a definite goal in mind, and I'm motivated. This is something I want really bad!

No rest for the wicked tho--Fall starts Monday. Ready or not, school is here!

What a slacker I have been on this blog last week up to now. To my loyal readers... I sincerely apologize.

LoL

That's right, I just laughed out loud at my own humor. Anyways, things have been crazy as of late! My life has thrust me back into a serious torrent of time crunching, and in a few short days it will get severely worse.

Classes start Monday. Monday. MONDAY.

Dear summer: Why did thou art evade me so?

Sad times bro, sad times.

Well, my volleyball teams are really improving! Our missed serves were absolutely out of control these past couple weeks, and we're slowly but surely reigning them in! We are officially missing less serves, serving more consistantly, and successfully serving to the zones I call on the court. Let me just say... hallelujah! hahah My Freshman team won the Silver bracket at the River Road Freshman Tournament this past weekend. It was a fun Saturday!

This past Sunday I decided to take the day off and go to the lake with Chris and friends. It was a blast! We tubed and wakeboarded. And by we I mean, well, I definitely can't get out of the flipping water on a wakeboard. It's quite annoying really. My competitive nature won't let me let go. I have to do it. I have to prove to myself that I can do it. Yet time and time again I fail. And then I get mad. Oh yeah, that Italian temper kicks in and I get frustrated with a capital F. Sometimes that capital F gets a few choice letters behind it.

Like...

Why the Freak*ng crap can't I do this?!?!

Yeah, you just thought.

So definitely didn't get up on the wakeboard. Even my mom can wakeboard. And she's over 40 (still looks young and is a hott mama, but still!). Argh. It's supremely annoying. I did, however, tube like a pro. I'm proud of myself. And I have the sore muscles, aches, and bruises to prove it. Lordy am I sore! It even hurts to put my seatbelt on in the car! hahah

But yes, definitely a fun day on the lake, soaking up rays of sun with friends.

Now here I am, at 2 a.m. I just finished planning a couple volleyball practices. Tomorrow I will be in the gym for almost 7 hours. Phew. It's tough, and I'm beyond tired, but I love it. I love my job. I love what I do. I love doing what I like and I like doing what I love. It's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me!

Well, off to Grandma's house for a few days. I try to visit her a couple of times a year, and I always enjoy it! She lives in Ft. Stockton, which is about an hour south of Odessa, so I have a 5 hr drive ahead of me. This is my dad's family, so I'll also see aunts/uncles/cousins that I don't get to see too often.

Sorry if this vacation sounds boring! I was actually thinking of spending the week in Austin, where I have other friends and relatives, but I have some chores to do this week before Fall semester starts; also, my budget is a little tight. So, relaxing at Grandma's house for a few days is just what the doctor ordered!

Gotta go. See y'all in a few!

Just want to chime in briefly on the ongoing healthcare debate.

I'm very troubled by what's coming out of the White House and the left in this debate. Those of you who've read my blogs this summer have figured out that I lean conservative, and I do on most things. I like to think of myself as moderately conservative--not far right, like the idiots who think President Obama isn't a natural-born citizen. In fact, there are some issues where I would lean somewhat to the left (such as the environment, civil rights, welfare, etc.) if it were not for the incredible arrogance on the part of liberals. You can see that front and center in the debate about healthcare.

You may have noticed media coverage of town hall meetings across the country usually portray those who strongly disagree with the President's plan less than favorably. Prominent Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid dismiss and demonize opponents as Nazis, fascists, and quite frankly, as stupid. It's this arrogance that turns me off on liberal issues. To me, their attitude to the people of this country is: Just do what we tell you. We know what's best for you.

Thank God we live in a democracy, because the increasing opposition to healthcare reform is lowering the President's popularity in all major media polls; and, in fact, has caused him to shift tactics, from pushing government takeover of healthcare, a la Europe and Canada, to health insurance reform, with a public option for those who can't afford it. As I stated in a previous blog, most people (85% in fact, say most polls) are happy with their insurance. It's not access, but cost, that concerns people. The public is increasingly aware that President Obama's plan would lead to some sort of rationing; and, the Congressional Budget Office has repeatedly stated that, far from reducing cost, government involvement would add about $1 Trillion to the national debt!

If liberals truly wanted to reduce health care costs, they would do three things: first, allow insurance companies to sell in every state, not just the state they're based in. We can buy auto, home, and life insurance from anyone, anywhere, but we can't buy health insurance from another state. Lifting this restriction would increase competition and lower costs; second, enact tort reform. Limit medical malpractice to the actual damages sustained, not punitive damages. Every study and poll of the health industry documents quite clearly that doctors order unnecessary procedures and tests for the sole reason of preventing lawsuits; however, many doctors are sued, anyway, and most settle out of court, and these costs get passed on to the consumer; third, allow insurance co-ops, where insurance companies or small businesses can share their costs, especially for those who can't afford it on their own. Insurance regulations would need to be tightened, to protect the consumer, but it works in the Auto and Home insurance industries (ex: Texas Windstorm Insurance Association).

Unfortunately, most liberals aren't considering these options. Many Democratic leaders, such as Barney Frank, are on record as favoring a complete government takeover with a single-payer system, such as in Canada. If anyone objects, they are demonized, patronized, and dismissed. Well, most people haven't attended Harvard, but we can tell when we're being condenscended to, and I think this is a large part of the reason the public doesn't trust government to make health care decisions for them.

In closing, a short observation. My condolences to the Shriver and Kennedy families over the recent death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Also, her brother, Senator Ted Kennedy, is battling cancer. Mrs. Shriver is a hero to me for her work witht the Special Olympics. I don't necessarily feel the same towards Senator Kennedy, but I do respect his decades of public service. But consider this: they live in Massachusetts, which has a single-payer government run insurance plan (signed into law by former Republican governor and former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney), but has bankrupted the state and has led to a cut in services. Did Senator Kennedy and Mrs. Shriver use the Massachusetts health system? No! Did they go to Canada, Britain, France, or anywhere else liberals hold up as the ideal health care system? No! They paid for their health care with private insurance paid for either by the public, in Kennedy's case, or out of pocket, like Mrs. Shriver.

Actions speak louder than words.

Took my Radio Production I exam on Tuesday, and I aced it! Found out I got an A for the class. YEAH! So far, since I started AC in Fall '08, I'm batting 1.000 -- straight A's! I want to keep that up this Fall, so next week I'm going out of town for some badly needed R&R! I'll probably head to Austin for a few days, then visit Grandma--hopefully, she'll have her world famous banana nut cake ready, which, believe me, is enough to KILL for, much less die for!

A short week and a half break until the Fall semester. I've got a lot on my plate, as usual. 7 hours of classes (News Reporting and Writing, Meteorology, and Weight Training and Conditioning) plus 2 jobs, KAMR-TV and Cumulus Radio (Rock 108, 95.7 The Kar, 1440 AM ESPN Radio, etc). Also, I found out today that there's a good chance I can get on the air to call some high-school games this fall. This is a double YEAH YEAH!

Btw, as I'm writing this, I'm watching Paul McCartney perform on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater for the Late Show with David Letterman. Too cool! 45 years ago, four lads from Liverpool came to America...and the rest, as they say, is history!