Friday, December 28, 2012

An Open Letter to Close 2012

Dear 2012:

You have been a bitch to me. At first, you were nice. I pulled my grades up sky high, I became happy in a part-time job, and I became a member of a great group at school where I went from provisional member to becoming an officer. Then, the honeymoon came to an abrupt end, and you showed me your true colors. You didn't want me to celebrate a big milestone in my life, and I was denied the chance to kick a class in its nuts. I did get some insight on it all, and gained a great friend who witnessed all that I went through in your year. She held my hand, helped dry my tears, and was there for me when I needed an empathetic ear at my darkest moment. Through it all, I really found out who were my real friends, and who only came around when their so-called busy schedules allowed them to see me for only fifteen minutes.

2013 promises to become a great year for me, something you wouldn't show me. No, I'm not getting engaged, married, having a baby or getting involved in juvenile behavior. 2013 will allow me to take the year by the cojones and I will celebrate big: releasing an eBook under a pseudonym, graduation, small party, new school, new job that will lead into the career I want, and a weekend trip I am taking solo. 2013 will allow me to overcome a lot, and I won't get denied that chance anymore.

I'm going to forget the bad shit that has happened in 2012 and only remember the good. I'll take what I learned and apply it to 2013.  No more will I sit on the sidelines of life. I will become a participant and live it up to the fullest!

Sincerely,
Sharon Pearson

Monday, December 24, 2012

A Transition From 2012 to 2013

2013 arrives next Tuesday, along with the number of New Year's resolutions people work hard to achieve.  I haven't made a resolution in years, because I knew I would break them once the words left my mouth.  Instead, I decided to make goals for myself throughout 2012 that I want to actually carry out.

  1. Not wanting to keep up with the Joneses.  I decided in 2012 that I will not worry about what a person had, nor will I get jealous when someone gets something I desire.  2013 is the year I get to achieve the things I need and want in my life.
  2. Letting past situations go definitely.  I spent too much of 2012 wondering about stuff that had happened in the past, and not focusing my attention towards the future.  I won't allow myself to think about what could've been and what if such-and-such happened.  It's the past, and I want my future filled with opportunities and a thriving life.
  3. Knowing who my friends really are, and who weren't. Although I wanted my thirtieth birthday to be a special event for me, I had a friend that didn't come through for me, for reasons that seem suspicious to me.  This same friend turned around and invited me to her birthday party.   I turned her down, and I let it go. My male friend invited me to go Christmas shopping. I told him that I refused to come his way for shopping, especially when he refuses to come my way.  He then changed it and said he wanted to go downtown, something he didn't tell me beforehand. I still said no, and I let ti go. 2013 will be the year I stay distant from them, and only hang out with those who actually want to come around me.
  4. Becoming more of a money honey, not a broke joke.  I just have to be more vigilant in saving money for the things I need, and to have a rainy day fund.
There are more I'm probably forgetting. I'm trading in  my laptop for a few books to read on this Christmas Eve through New Year's.  I'll be back for my year in review on what I have accomplished, and what I can improve on in my life.  Happy Holidays!

Love,
Sharon

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Let the Contdown to Christmas Begin!


The official shopping season for Christmas began on Black Friday.  I don't see the point in opening stores on Thanksgiving night when people are in a food coma. Personally, I won't brave the crowds on that day or on Black Friday. I can watch the fights unfold on television or on YouTube.  I rather order off of Amazon, Overstock, and Barnes and Noble for presents, not yank someone's hair out of their scalp for a smart phone or a flat-screen TV.

I can go to a dollar store for the cheap stuff to give to my friends and family. I can wait for the after-Christmas sales to buy what I want to get



 

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Sick!

I don't really have too much to say, as I lay here with  laryngitis.   I hope it goes away by Monday before I attend my classes.  Thanks to the ever-changing weather, I can't get the cold in my chest cleared up.  For now, I'll just climb back into bed and watch one of my favorite movies, Saturday Night Fever.



When I was in the Chicago Public School system and was sick, I would watch soap operas with my grandma until cartoons came on.  As I grew older, I discovered daytime talk shows and laughed at the phoniness of those shows.  I turned off the television and decided to read books, since Maury and Jerry Springer were killing my brain cells.

I need to get back in the bed and try not to talk too much or do a lot.  There's always homework that needs to be done.


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Sharon Pearson: Photographer?

One of the hobbies I work on a lot is photography.  I've mostly taken photos around the city while I'm out on foot, or on the trains going from place to place. I also taken pictures while I was on the road constantly; but for privacy reasons, I cannot post their pictures online.  I took a few shots while I was out on a few cloudy days and here they are.
I think I was on the Brown Line heading to a friend's house. Photo taken by Sharon Pearson




I was on the #12 Roosevelt Rd. bus heading west. Photo taken by Sharon Pearson

On the Red Line looking east. Photo taken by Sharon Pearson


On the Red Line, looking east in Rogers Park. Photo taken by Sharon Pearson

On the campus of Northwestern University. I was tempted to lay on the ground and make angels. Photo taken by Sharon Pearson.

The pond over at Northwestern University. Photo taken by Sharon Pearson.
I plan on making a gallery filled with my amateur photography relatively soon. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

The Weekend

I had a great weekend. Friday, I got inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, and Saturday I attend the 91st annual ACP/CMA National College Media Convention.  I learned about putting together a portfolio and resume for potential employers and about working in the newsroom.  After the convention, I went with a friend to the Water Tower and had a retail therapy session before heading to the Hard Rock Cafe, located on Dearborn and Ontario Streets.  Usually, my weekends are reserved for my homework in all of my classes; these were two events I committed to partake in and I wanted to honor those commitments.  I'm almost complete with one assignment for French class, and I have to work on a ten-page report for my political science class as well as a presentation on COPD and emphysema for my human biology class as well. 

The semester is almost over, and I have to complete my assignments and get good grades.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Cold and Flu Season is Here

I do not like being sick. I guess that's the price to pay when you live in a city where the weather changes every five minutes.

For a couple of weeks now, I've been coughing up a lung, and maybe some other organs I don't know exist.  I did go to the doctor and I am a mess.  I have a lot of chest congestion and I'm on a lot of antibiotics.  I still have a long way for the coughing to end completely.  While I wait, I'm going to keep working on my assignments, learn all I can in school and strive for good grades. I can't allow anything to stop me from achieving my goals. 

I wrote an all-new poem yesterday during a break I gave myself while studying for an upcoming quiz.  It's called "Panic."

Panic

Copyright 2012 All rights reserved.

Oh my god
I can't breathe
Walls are caving in
Am I in a box?
It's too dark
I can't see
What's that noise?
Nose, gone
Hands and feet, stiff
Eyes glued shut
Mouth sewn shut
Head, stiff
Body, cold
Heart's not beating
I can't move
Oh, eternal slumber
Come to me

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Midterms and Bedbugs



The Midterm season has passed with a lot of insanity, blow-ups, and freak-outs I experienced in only two days.   I got two Cs, a B and an A in my classes. I’m proud of the fact that I didn’t get a D on my midterms; I want to work the Cs I got up to a B, a B into an A, and keep my A where it is and work to maintain it.  Last semester, I almost received straight A’s and I was proud of that accomplishment.  I know of people who have dropped the classes I’m in. I’ve always wondered why they would do that, I can speculate on that later. The only thing I’m worried about is me and keeping my grades from dropping.

On a more serious note, I saw something move on my bedroom wall as though it belonged there. Grabbing my camera, I got a closer look and saw that it was a bedbug. Immediately, my mind raced to the time in Washington, DC where I experienced bedbugs for the very first time.  I have a fear of all bugs, even those that are seemingly innocent. When I see one of those creatures, I want to run for the hills. I showed the picture to my landlord, and she called an exterminator to come out and kill them.  As an added precaution, I put everything I owned in plastic bags, washed my clothes at the Laundromat, got mattress and pillow protectors, I tossed out my bedding, got new bedding and the room is spotless.  The exterminator came over and put a bedbug bomb in my bedroom. 
Bugs should be eradicated from this planet! Photo by Sharon Pearson

Since the exterminator came, I haven’t seen any bedbugs come out of the walls as of yet.  My landlord has the receipt from the visit. 

I wasn’t feeling well last week when I posted a video.  I’m working on a new video and it’s going to be on something I am involved in at school.  


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Film Debut

I fooled around with my webcam and made this little video.  I would like to make more.
All film content is made by me.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

It's That Time

Last week, three invitations to open houses came to my home.  The first one was from Northwestern University, the second one came from Loyola University, and the third one came from DePaul University.  As a student who's about to graduate from a community college, I'm interested mostly in their programs for journalism.  I called each school, and accepted their invitations to come and see the schools before I filled out the applications and paid the fees. 

It's the time of year I need to plan out my personal essays and look deeper into schools I intend on transferring to once I graduate from Truman College.  I'm in my second-to-last semester of obtaining an Associate of the Arts degree and I want to be very sure of which school I want to attend next Fall. 

The first of the three schools I'm visiting at the end of the week is Northwestern. I have to get directions to the building on that campus I'm supposed to go to for the open house session.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

What's Fun?



I don’t go out and have fun anymore. I work.

The few times I have “fun” is when I watch YouTube  videos by some of my favorite music groups and/or singers that I grew up listening to on the radio, and old skits from Saturday Night Live.  On the occasion that I get a free moment from studying, I would make use of my Facebook and see what some people I know are talking about.  Sometimes, there’s drama, and there’s spoilers of television shows I’ve yet to watch.  I like those in particular, because I don’t really watch television anymore, except for the news.

I used to go to Six Flags Great America all of the time, because I had a season pass and a couple of my friends are roller coaster enthusiasts.   I go along with them and take pictures. I haven’t gone to the theme park in several years, and I miss it.  The last time I went was nearly ten years ago when roller coaster Shock Wave left the theme park.  I got a picture taken with a zombie that same year at Fright Fest and someone from an S&M site asked if I was a submissive. That’s a different story for another day.

My skeletal friend at Fright Fest, 2003. Photo by Sharon Pearson.

The dismantling of Shock Wave, 2003. Photo by Sharon Pearson. 


 I would like to go out and have fun again. I can wait until the semester's over.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Random Thoughts: Fall Edition

As summer leaves and autumn comes in, the noticeable changes are immediate.  Cooler days have arrived a lot earlier than usual, and I spied a lot of people wearing pea-coats, Ugg boots, and other fall-weather clothing.  There are a few people who refuses to  believe that summer is over and are out wearing flip-flops and tank tops. I'm going to get my warm clothes out of moth balls, wash out the scent, and wear them proudly.  Then again, as a native Chicagoan who grew up in this lovely city, the weather can turn in a second if one's not prepared. Have a lovely fall, everyone!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

What a Teacher Instilled in Me

Growing up in Chicago, I went through the education provided by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system.  It has its flaws, and good points as well.  One of the things that sticks out some many years later was grammar lessons in the fifth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Falbe, drilled lessons into us on a daily basis.  At one point of my elementary school career, I recited prepositional phrases, adverbs, and adjectives in my sleep.  I hated doing those exercises, even though I wanted to be a writer when I grew up and became an adult.  I didn't know it then; the idea was to write well for any career in life, where written communication is very important.

Several years later, I decided to major in journalism, taking with me what a CPS taught me those years earlier.  She was a tough lady; she had a reason to be hard on all of us students, even me who hated doing homework and only did enough to avoid flunking the fifth grade.  My grammar still needs some work.  I have a great instructor at Truman College who only wants the best from me, just like Mrs. Falbe did.

CPS teachers work very hard, and aren't appreciated by the students, or the Board of Education.  Layoffs are occurring, unsafe conditions in the schools are up, and all the teachers are asking for is a safe learning environment, pay raises, and respect.  I didn't like my CPS teachers then, but as I reflect on my years in the system, I can honestly say that I wish I had paid more attention and daydreamed less.

I have to find those notebooks from the fifth grade and give myself a refresher course.
Teachers picketing outside of Kellman Community Academy on Sep. 10, 2012.
  Picture taken by Sharon Pearson



Saturday, September 8, 2012

Space Cadet

For as long as I can remember, I've stared into the night sky for about an hour whenever I was awarded free time.  My sisters would tease me because I would watch shows on space exploration and all things Earth-related.  At one point, my big sister would  say to me, "Sharon, are you looking for you brain in the stars again?" I would tell her, "No. My brain's in my head. I'm looking for your brain."  As usual, she would throw a stuffed animal at me. When she left, I continued to stare into space and daydream away until I went to sleep.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) guarding the entrance to the planetarium.
Picture taken by Sharon Pearson.
The opportunity came to me in day camp when my class took a field trip to one of my favorite places in Chicago: the Adler Planetarium.  My favorite thing to do there was to watch the sky show in the historic Sky Theater, where my fellow campers and I were treated to a show about the night sky. I received a star chart and a book on what's in space from the trip. 

Several years later, my love for the night sky returned when some of my coworkers and I began tracking the planet Mars, because it was going into retrograde motion. We studies the works of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Kepler to gain an understanding of their reports on exploring the sky, even driving out into the middle of nowhere in Michigan to get a clear view of the night sky.  We've done it on several occasions, even tracking other planets that were visible to the naked eye at night: Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter. Mercury's a bit tough, since it's really close to the Sun. 

Jim Lovell, a Chicago native and one of the astronauts on Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
Picture taken by Sharon Pearson.
In recent months, I revisited the Adler Planetarium. This time, I didn't get to see any of the shows on my free pass I checked out from the public library.  I lived in the Moon exhibit and the exhibit where all of the planets were located.  I saw a replica of the Saturn V rocket, that brought back memories of me living in Houston and visiting the Johnson Space Center.  While looking at the Mars, I wished that colonization was a reality on the Red Planet.  I took a lot of pictures and wrote out a bunch of notes that helped me pass Astronomy last semester. 

The next time I decide to visit the Adler Planetarium, I'm going to get lost in the sky shows, and daydream again.  NASA has some videos and photos that are interesting. I'll watch some of those until I can return to my favorite place on another day.

The author holding a replica of the Saturn V rocket. The real thing is in Houston.
Picture taken by Sharon Pearson.



 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

The Perfectly Imperfect Writer, Part One


I am a flawed writer.

As a wannabe writer, I need to really step up to the plate in my classwork/homework.  To me, that means listening with my journalist ears to what my instructor has to say about the work I turn in, utilizing the resources at school to guide me in my writing, and mentor the beginning writers in class as well. 

This semester, I cannot afford to make any mistakes on my schoolwork. I want to pass this class with an A or a B, and not just “get by” with a C. I don’t want to settle for a C, anymore. 

The exact same thing goes for my news reporting at the paper.  I cannot be relaxed and lollygag on a story my editor-in-chief assigns me.  I’ll admit it; my researching and interviewing skills are not the greatest. I would l to love to sharpen them to the point where I’m asking the types of questions Barbara Walters gets to ask the people she’s interviewing.  I want to prove to potential editors that I can write and I do know subject-verb-object agreement. 

I’m not perfect; I’m also not a saint. Personally, I don’t know of any writer, past or present that has made mistakes in their careers. I’m a wannabe writer that will make my dream of becoming a journalist a reality.  Hopefully, I don’t go the way of Jayson Blair, Eric Glass, and Fareed Zakaria. I can learn from their mistakes and make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to me.

I am a flawed writer that needs some assistance with honing in my basic reporting skills and enhancing what I learn in class.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Royals and the Press

Yesterday, as I watched Good Morning America on the local ABC affiliate, a report came out about Prince Harry's wild partying in Las Vegas.  According to the morning show reporters, London's Daily Mirror leaked photos of the prince as he was dancing around naked in his hotel room.   Despite the request of the Royal Family to not release the pictures, the tabloid did it anyway, claiming freedom of the press. When did it become alright to show embarrassing and incriminating photos of the "Spare to the Heir" after being told to respect his privacy?

I learned in my News Reporting and Writing class about muckraking, and what the Daily Mirror has done would constitute as muckraking.  I bet the girl that sold those photos got a huge sum of money, and, according to the tabloid, plans on telling all for $1 million or 630,000 pounds.   Most of the newspapers and magazines there had adhered to the wishes of the Queen and Prince Charles to leave Harry alone.

What the young man has done in his room was his business, not the world's business. Just because his Great-Aunt Margaret, Uncle Andy, ex-Aunt Sarah and even his mother Diana has been dragged through the mud by the tabloids, it doesn't mean it's officially open season on his antics.  Sadly, Diana died at the hands of the paparazzo, using her as a case study on what happen when the paparazzo goes too far.  Can Harry turn it all around and keep his nose clean, like his brother and sister-in-law, or does he fall prey to the paps?

Friday, August 17, 2012

Death of the Girl That Said Yes All of the Time

I unplugged myself from all things Internet for a few days to work on myself.  I wanted to reevaluate all of my relationships I have with people, and I began to notice a  pattern within myself that I didn't like. I said 'yes' to a lot of things I should've said 'no' to on several occasions, like birthday parties, get-together events, and more stuff that left a sour taste in my mouth. I invited people to things and got excuse after excuse after excuse as to why they didn't want to go: it's sounds boring/it's raining/I just want to be lazy/it's too far... the list goes on and on. It took an exercise during a meeting I was at on Wednesday to realize that I haven't said 'no' enough. 

I got an invitation to a birthday party from a friend of mine yesterday via Facebook. I wanted to put my new outlook into practice and hit the "Not Going" button.  I didn't feel bad about doing so. When she asks, I'm just going to give her an honest answer. I've given her the benefit of the doubt all of the time, and I'm tired of it.  I didn't want to say 'yes' to going out to see her when she's said implicitly and explicitly that she has no intentions on traveling within the city on public transit to hang out with me. I'm going to busy myself with schoolwork, honor society work, newspaper, car/apartment hunting, and filling out applications to several universities. She can catch me when I'm done with school, if she feels like not being lazy.

The word 'no' is going to be my new favorite word. I don't want to be a doormat anymore, or be the one that says 'yes' to everything and getting 'nos' from everyone.  My time is valuable and none of it can be wasted on petty stuff. I will say 'yes' from time to time, depending on what it is and how far in advance are certain events. For the most part, the girl that always said yes ceased to exist as of yesterday. School starts on Monday and work begins on Tuesday. Time to prepare for classes!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Birthday Bust


My thirtieth birthday came and went, along with a cancellation for Girls’ Night. I won’t go into the details of what happened, but I wish the woman a lot of luck in finding gainful employment. Several people did send me Facebook messages saying happy birthday to me, that made me smile.

Last year, I wrote a little piece on my twenty-ninth birthday that went through in some detail about the perils of being a summertime baby and not being able to celebrate with my classmates.  I also got a huge surprise from a then-boyfriend who asked me for the one thing I didn’t want to do on my birthday.  He’s no longer in my life, that’s another blog entry for another day.

I wanted to celebrate big at one point; I knew I wasn’t going to be employed at the time of celebration, so I just gave up on the idea. Maybe I should give up altogether in wanting a celebration for any more of my birthdays to come. I definitely didn’t want to celebrate by myself, either.  Oh, the joys of being broke and underemployed at a time when it really counts.  

Next year, I will have my food, birthday cake, and alcohol, even if it's by myself. It'll be my party with the one person that cares about me the most. There will be pictures to document the joyous occasion.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Summer and My Pursuit of Happiness

Summer is in full swing in Chicago, and I am approaching the very important age where I'm supposed to be really living: 30.  As to not dwell on that fact too much, I've been thinking more about completing my goals and what I want out of life.  I want to travel to exotic places I've never been to, I want to have a Grils' Weekend, and I also want to get married and have children. The last thing I want to do is be in my late 40s trying to squeeze out a kid and starting a career.

I'm not going to dwell on that, either. I'm having more fun learning about the exciting world of journalism and all of its idiosyncrasies. I have to read up on ethics and what not to do. Learning how to incorporate Facebook, Twitter, and other social media mediums will take a lot of work; I feel it in my soul.  I really want to become a journalist for a major ethnic magazine, focusing on alternative lifestyles of women. In order for me to get a foot in the door to my dream career, I'm going to find out where every publication is, look on their websites, and find out information on paid internships that can potentially turn into salaried employment. I even put together a hard-copy portfolio of my news clippings from the school's newspaper I am a staff writer on. I didn't start on the digital portfolio, yet.

Next month, I begin the ending of my career at the community college I attend. I have a full course load for Fall, a job in the daycare center, working with the honor society, and work to do on the newspaper at school. I am also making a huge change in life while doing all of that, as well.  Spring, I have two classes left and a very big decision: which four-year institution I shall attend to really pursue my major with gusto.  I have a family reunion to attend next summer (if things go according to plan), and a lot of places to see and things to do.

I've spent way too much time online doing almost nothing. Logging off for now. Good-bye!

Love,
Sharon