Holly Grande: Short and Sweet

This is kind of a sentimental entry, so bear with me, folks. :) My friend JoAnna reminded me to write this when she friended me on facebook.

Since moving back home, I’ve had the great fortune to meet up with some of my old friends in high school. It’s happened by chance—I ran into Kelly at the grocery—or it’s happened incidentally at a party or get-together (Fun Fact: Thomas and Ryan host the best 4th of Julys). In either case, I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to pick up conversations where they left off. These kids, some of them married and some of them professionals, are clearly grown up, but our histories remain.

When I was in high school, I was a new kid, and I had a hard time making close friends: I saw these kids who had known each other since they were in kindergarten, and here I was a new girl from New York. I had an awful lot of acquaintances, but very, very few good friends. Looking back, I think it was more my fault than anything: I was shyer in high school than I am now, and I was afraid to infringe on these friendships.

When I went to college, that shyness was gone, and I met an amazing group of friends who have stuck with me through some really tough times despite us only knowing one another for three or four years. I guess it was easier to become close to them because we were on the same ground, thrust into this new place with new people and experiences. It was easy to make friends because everyone was looking for them. We were all a little homesick and all a little lonely, and college is the perfect place to reach out and meet people.

And now, I think, I’m in that position again. My former high school friends and I are post graduates. We’ve been separated by distance and time—in some cases, I haven’t seen these kids in four years. But even though our experiences are so different, we’re now in that place where we’re not quite adults (after all, a huge group of us live in our parents’ basements), but we’re definitely “grown up.” It’s a really nice place to be, I think, because we can reminisce on what Kyle did in the lunchroom in eleventh grade, but we can also talk about how scary it is to be a grown up, how hard it is to find a job or an apartment, and how weird it is to be finished with school.

I am so happy to have found these friends, and so grateful that we can reconnect. Being grown-up is lonely and scary sometimes, and having friends along for the ride makes it so much more fun. So, I’d like to thank my friends, old and new.

Have you reconnected with any old friends since graduating or moving? I’d love to hear your stories.

Posted by Holly at 3:04 PM 7 comments  

Labels: college, friends

The mother and I went to yoga this morning at our community's rec center. It was fun--I haven't done yoga in a year, and it was neat getting back into it. I am so out of shape, though, I fell over during tree pose. :D

We met a group of great ladies from the community--one women just moved here from New Jersey. After the class, we stayed and chatted about New Jersey, New York and moving to the South.

Dance has always been a huge part of my life: my schedule revolved around my classes, recitals and rehearsals. I started dancing when I was four, and I took everything from Ballet to Hip Hop to African/Carribean. I still have all my costumes from recitals, too, packed away in boxes in the closet. Even in college, I found myself shifting around courses based on the dance classes available at the gym.

I'd like to get back into dance or Jazzercise again. It's tough once your out of high school to find a class that "fits," but it's possible, and once you do, it is so worth it.

Posted by Holly at 10:01 AM 0 comments  

Labels: college, health

I haven't figured out how to turn my writing into text yet, but check this out.

Edit: That would be because they haven't released the OCR yet. Livescribe, I am disappointed in you. I am still in love with your pen, though.

Posted by Holly at 11:13 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, college, technology

Wow! Between graduation, goodbyes and driving more than 1,000 miles across the country, I have been extremely busy. Unfortunately, that means that I have had to put my blog, facebook and twitter on the back-burner, leaving you all in the dark and neglecting my blog feed. Can you believe I have over 1,000 entries to catch up on? What are you people writing about? :)

Graduation was bittersweet. I am so proud of myself and my friends for completing four years, but now I am starting over in Atlanta, applying for jobs and internships. My friends are scattered around the country, and while we have facebook and instant messaging to help ups keep in touch, it is strange not being able to make friends with the kids my weekends revolved around for the past for years.

My friend Cassy instant messaged me the other day, and I automatically started to type in a question about getting together this weekend. With my dog as my witness, I sheepishly hit the backspace key and asked her about her own job hunt instead.

I am looking forward to a new career. I began my job search weeks ago, and I have had several interviews, already. I think they went well, and I hope to hear back from my interviewers soon.

Meanwhile, I am also adjusting to living with my parents again. I have moved into the basement, and my dad likes to refer to me as his parasite daughter, stealing a term I used in a Japanese Economy paper last semester. Of course, I know he really enjoys having me here, and he has already taken advantage of my "cheap labor" by putting me to work this weekend for his construction business. My arms kill from painting walls and carrying lumber, and I'm going back next weekend!

I enjoy it, though. It's very cool to be a part of building something bigger, and to watch it come together in front of you. I think there is a metaphor for life or public relations somewhere in there, too.

This entry has gotten long! I am off to finish up a cover letter before beginning a Spanish lesson. Oh! I am learning Spanish this summer. It's one of my summer goals. :)

Posted by Holly at 9:16 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, college, family

It is a huge relief to be finished with the semester. This year has been tough, and although I am excited for the future, I am ready for senior week.

I turned in my last paper on Monday. Twenty pages on the state of female political and economic participation in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. I enjoyed the paper, and I really think it was a culmination of the work I've done in my policy class. Once I slipped it into that mailbox, though, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. There may have been some angels singing as well.

My last final yesterday wasn't too bad. I have been doing well in my Communication Research class, and I understand the concepts. The exam was multiple choice and short answer: not too tough.

The remainder of the week, I will be packing and applying for positions in Atlanta. My life will be packed up on boxes, and it is a little sad. My roommates are juniors, so they will be leaving before me as their exams finish. I've told them just how much their kindness meant to me--these girls were all friends while I just happened to be placed in the empty room in the campus apartment, and yet they completely opened up their hearts to me. I will be sad to leave them.

I am a little nervous about going into the "real world," but I am excited, too. A new chapter is beginning, and I have my red pen ready to make it amazing.

Posted by Holly at 4:05 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, college

I checked my email this afternoon to find a very surprising note: the folks at Jamba Juice corporate had forwarded my complaint to the local store, and the manager had emailed me to personally apologize. I feel a little sheepish about it, but I can't say that I am not pleased he added, "Please stop by with your recipe and we will be happy to make you a White Gummi. I am interested in making it. It sounds very good."

Yummy.

I hope the girl who I emailed corporate about doesn't hate me forever, though. I will certainly be avoiding the morning shift. :/

In other news, my friends have been posting mini-reviews and snippets of the books they are reading, including a few on my summer book list. I am very, very excited to read Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and it has just been moved up to the number one spot (Sorry, A Great and Terrible Beauty!).

I am still working on my Mexican labor paper. Hope to have a completed rough draft tonight--we'll see.

Posted by Holly at 5:27 PM 5 comments  

Labels: college, summer book list

Earlier this week, I found out that Jamba Juice has a secret menu of smoothies and drinks they can't officially list either for legal reasons or because no respectable health-conscious business would put it on the menu. Names like "White Gummi," "Sour Patch Kid" and "Strawberry Shortcake" are just a few of the rumoured drinks, and a quick google searched confirmed that people are ordering these drinks and that they are good.

I have been avoiding Jamba since the price jump this semester, but hearing about the secret menu was enough to peak my curiosity and send me their way. Thursday afternoon I meandered over to the Jamba in our student union, excited to order this mysterious yet tantalizing "White Gummi." The clear gummi bears were always my favorite bear-shaped candy, and I was ecstatic to learn that this drink existed. I waited in line and asked the manager on duty, who was running the register, if they would make me an original size White Gummi. The manager smiled and asked me what was in it--it wasn't a menu item, but they could make substitutions. Unfortunately, I didn't know, so I changed my order to my regular: an original Matcha Green Tea.

I got home that night and searched for the recipes for these secret menu smoothies. A quick review of google revealed that the recipes were pretty simple, and many of the drinks were alterations of common favorites. Some Jamba locations even had the recipes in their registers!

The White Gummi turned out to be an alteration of the Orange Dream Machine. I printed out the recipe this morning and went on my way to class. Afterward, I beelined for Jamba Juice, hoping to beat the lunch rush. When I got there, there was a short line and the store was not at all busy. I asked the girl at the register for a White Gummi, and when she said she didn't know what that was, I showed her the recipe.

"Oh, we don't do that here."

"But it's an Orange Dream Machine with peach juice instead of orange, the sherbets instead of frozen yogurt, and fresh mango instead of soy protein."

"We don't do that here."

"But you can make substitutions..."

"No, we don't do that here."

"Oh," I said, a little embarrassed and more than a little disappointed. I left the store without ordering and went home.

I sent off an email to corporate asking about substitutions. They have been fantastic, responding very quickly (within a couple hours!) to tell me that, yes, substitutions are absolutely possible, and while they did not confirm nor deny the existence of the secret menu, they did say that team members should be happy to assist me in any substitutions.

Kudos to Jamba Juice corporate for excellent customer communication. Negative Kudos to the terse cashier who denied me my delicious White Gummi Bear delight.

I do plan on trying again sometime next week, but I will make sure to go in the afternoon when a friend of a friend is working the cash register. :)

Have any of you had any secret menu experiences? I hear that In-N-Out Burger also has a secret menu. I think it is a great idea, especially if your company takes advantage of social media to spread knowledge of the secret. I think people like feeling like they are "in the know" and somewhat elite because of it.

Posted by Holly at 1:28 PM 2 comments  

Labels: college, communication

I'd really like to pick up a copy of Girls Gone Skank, and not just because it was written by my professor.

From Amazon.com: Instead of advancing women's social and professional empowerment, popular culture trends appear to be backsliding into the blatant sexual exploitation of women and girls at younger and younger ages. This study investigates the effects of mass marketed sexual images and cultural trends on the behaviors and attitudes of young girls and describes many ways in which young girls are increasingly taught to go to outrageous lengths in seeking male attention. Topics include the powerful effects of cultural phenomena such as revealing fashions, plastic surgery, and beauty pageants in influencing teen and preteen girls to willingly participate in and promote their own sexualization.

I scanned through the book this morning after class, and it is all very interesting, if not a little saddening. Women's issues often come up in my PR classes due to the high percentage of women in the field (which is reflected in the ~30:2 female to male student ratio) and yet the surprisingly low percentage of female CEOs and senior managers. Though we have not discussed these trends at length in this specific class, Professor Oppliger often pulls from her previous research to illustrate concepts. I look forward to reading the book.

In other class news, we are continuing our crash course in statistics. I haven't done this much math since my senior year of high school! It's fun, though.

Posted by Holly at 12:16 PM 4 comments  

Labels: books, college, women

I promise I will have a real Dormet entry for you soon. In the meantime, my fellow BU blogger Corinne has posted a fantastic recipe for Raspberry Angel Food Cake Cupcakes here. Go forth and bake, and if you are in the Boston area, share the resulting deliciousness with me!

The Walk for Change was absolutely amazing. I met up with my girls and we wore our Lotus Elephant T-Shirts. It was a little cold and misty, but we kept warm by moving. I was very impressed (and heart-warmed) by the amount of people who showed up. There were a lot of families, and a lot of dogs, too. I wanted to take all the puppies home with me. :) We looped around the Charles River a few times before enjoying a concert, raffle prizes and a moon bounce. The girls and I were nearly brought to tears by the T-Shirts from a local Take Back the Night event. It was a very good experience, and I hope to participate in the Atlanta events next year.

Posted by Holly at 1:38 PM 1 comments  

Labels: college, dormet, Walk for Change

The internship at Porter Novelli didn't come through, and I am a little disappointed (if by a little, I mean a lot). I have been taking my time with applications because I am unable to interview except by phone until late May.

I was a little shocked that I didn't at least make it to the next round--my resume and experience is great, and I thought I really connected with the staff. I liked the overall feeling of the firm--but it is one of the top firms in the nation, and there were a lot of young women like me at that internship open house.

There will be a next time.

I would like your advice, fellow students and professionals. I am a little unsure how to proceed with correspondence. Before the open house, I had been emailing two of the professionals, and I stopped (save for thank you notes) in the two weeks after because I didn't want to appear desperate. I would love any advice on how to reopen that correspondence.

Posted by Holly at 9:56 PM 4 comments  

Labels: advice?, college

Okay, I have finally set up my Twitter account after some prompting from Lindsay. The weird (and kind of neat) thing is...I am now "Twitter"ing with my Public Relations Professor, Steve Quigley.

If you have a Twitter account, I would be happy to add you to my watch list as I figure out this new-fangled contraption. ;)

I make myself sound so old. I am such a dork.

Anyway, I must get back to work on my research paper. I told myself I would pound out a few pages before the Ceili tonight, but I also have laundry to fold!

Posted by Holly at 2:27 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college, communication, social networking

Social networks are a fantastic Internet tool, and I am looking forward to see how they evolve in the coming years. As is true with many aspects of the Internet, I do not think we have uncovered all of their potential uses, and it is exciting to see the successes (and fumbles) of various groups and companies. In fact, I will be writing a paper on just that this weekend for a competition within the BU Mass Communication department.

In the meantime, my friend and future colleague Lindsey sent me an invitation to a new social network for Public Relations students, professors and professionals. PROpenMic was created by her professor at Auburn University, and it seeks to connect various members of the field and create a dialogue among them. I am not sure how much room I have left in my favorites list for any more social networks, but I made room for this site.

In general college news, I have less than a month left in my classes. It's absolutely terrifying and so exciting at the same time. I am gearing up for the Step About Boston Ceili tomorrow, and the the Walk for Change on Sunday. I can't wait!


Visit PROpenMic

Posted by Holly at 11:50 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college, communication, social networking

Fan-fiction is another example of something that blossomed due to the internet and online communities. I have plenty to say on the topic, but that is for another day. Today, I have a surprising recommendation.

I don't read much fan-fiction these days, except by strong recommendation. I found "The Ivory Horn" by way of Sherwood Smith (whose recent post on Stephanie Meyer's Twilight is another great read).

"The Ivory horn" is a short piece written by a young woman known as Kaydee Falls, and it as absolutely gorgeous. It fits well into the world Pullman created, and there is a seamless connection into the world of C. S. Lewis. The characters may not always speak as Pullman wrote them, but the hearts of them are there. I am absolutely impressed, and I am curious if the young author has created any original fiction of her own.

Read "The Ivory Horn" here.

I've made quite a few posts today, haven't I? Today is my off-day from classwork, so I have been surfing the web in between writing my scholarship essays.

Posted by Holly at 5:14 PM 2 comments  

Labels: college, review

I am taking Communication Research as a requirement for my Mass Comm. degree. The class is okay, a lot of reading and short papers. This past week, however, I have really enjoyed the work we are doing.

The topic is surveys. I've created surveys before, whether for class or journalistic research, but I didn't understand how much thought goes into the "real" surveys out there. It's intense how much work goes into how a question is worded or what type of questions and how answers will be coded. We've looked at examples of good questions and bad questions, and how to present the surveys so potential respondents will most likely turn them in.

My favorite part has been learning about the Likert scale, which is the kind of questions you see on those political compass questionnaires (Do you Strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, etc).

I think an ongoing theme in this course has been learning about and respecting just how much work goes into the research stage of any given campaign. I may not intend to go into communication research directly, but the field is fascinating.

Posted by Holly at 12:21 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college, communication

The semester has been passing by so quickly: I can't believe it's February already! My classes have been going well, and I am enjoying them despite the heavy workload. Two of my professors I have taken courses with previously in the International Relations department. They are both very, very good and I am happy to study under them again. My third course is Communications Research, a fairly basic but absolutely necessary class for my Public Relations degree. My professor is hilarious, but she is also very knowledgeable in the field. My fellow students and I have already begun work on our semester project: a research campaign for a preassigned client. My group, made up of three other public relations students and myself, will be designing a plan for Honda, specifically for their line of hybrid cars.

Before I say anything further, let me confess how much of a car person I am not. The car I drive is a 98 Saturn. I love it, it's fantastic, but that is all I can tell you about it. Sure, I can change the oil and refill the antifreeze or any of the other topics covered in my dad's "This is what you do when the car dies on the road" speech (which proved to be very useful when my Saturn did die on the road in afternoon traffic), but when it comes to horsepower and technical specs, it is Ash who you want to talk to, not me. With that out of the way, let's continue.

It is amazing just how much information is out there. Our first step is to use background research to form a hypothesis to further research, but in the process of sifting through press releases and articles from car magazines, it is becoming very clear to me just how much research goes into any publicity or advertising campaign. These people know what they are doing. At the same time, I am becoming more aware of campaigns where something went amiss in this crucial step.

So, kudos to you, article clippers and survey implementors, and thank you. Campaigns would simply not be possible without the hard work provided by researchers in the communications field. And kudos to you, Honda, for continuing to provide innovation in automobiles.

I am very much looking forward to this semester. :)

Posted by Holly at 4:45 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college

I have been very busy this month working on final projects and studying for exams. I can't believe the semester is almost over! Last Friday I turned in my final paper for Chinese Foreign Policy, and later this week I have my exams for East Asian Economics and Corporate Communications. Then I will be on a plane to visit the parents.

Thanksgiving went well--I did almost no cooking this year. It was wonderful. As much as I love cooking, I don't love the stress of waking up early to prepare everything. The sister and I cooked lasagna and made the biscuits, but that was it. The lasagna was amazing, too. Usually we cook the noodles and make a mess laying them out, but this year I discovered instant lasagna noodles. They cook in the oven with the cheese and gravy, no need for boiling. My dad, ever the Italian food connoisseur, loved them.

We had our own holiday dinner at the apartment, too. The roommates and I cooked together and exchanged gifts. It was lovely. :)

Currently I am filling out a study sheet for East Asian Econ—so I better get back to that. I hope my fellows students are all doing well on your finals! And I hope everyone else is having a lovely holiday season.

Posted by Holly at 9:08 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college

Speaking of new technology, a friend of mine was recently fired from her internship.

It's really an amazing story. Kate* is very intelligent and field-savvy, and she got a position with a very important news source. As part of her learning experience, and to use in her final project for school, she created a blog in which she wrote about her experiences. Kate is very witty, and it showed in her entries. Unfortunately, the newsroom director was not amused and had Kate fired. She will not earn credit, she will not pass go, and she will not receive her $200 stipend. Kate, understandably, was very upset by this development, especially when she learned that the HR department had been calling her internship advisor and promised that she will never work for this very important news source again.

When I found out, I was stunned. Kate was not writing about the sexcapades of politicians. However, she must have written something that the news director thought portrayed the very important news source in a negative light. I would tend to agree with this news source, especially if Kate had breeched her internship contract, but I do not think they handled it well at all.

As I mentioned earlier, the internet is so new that we don't know what to do with it. This is also the age of Ugly Betty, Back to You and Devil Wears Prada. We love to hear about the behind the scenes scandals of big-name companies. It the grand scheme, Kate's blog was harmless, and probably would have served to humanize this news source.

Should Kate have remained anonymous? Absolutely. And it is unfortunate that the news director found out about the blog. But should the very important news source have fired Kate? No! With her writing ability and witty tone, they could have capitalized on her, granting her some guidelines about what should and should not go into the blog and a general time frame for when information can get out.

It's unfortunate that Kate lost her job over a blog, but it is more unfortunate that these big corporations aren't better taking advantage of them.

* not her real name

Posted by Holly at 6:44 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college

Halloween as an absolute blast. The girls and I dressed up and went to see Sweeney Todd in the theatre district. I hadn't seen the revival, and this production was absolutely amazing. I love how the actors are the orchestra--they play instruments onstage, switching off between them and singing. Absolutely amazing. The tour is no longer in Boston, but if it comes to your city, you absolutely need to go see it.

I'm looking forward to the Tim Burton film coming up this Christmas. I love all the musicals coming out--but I am a total Disney musical geek, ask my former roommates. I have a bunch on DVD, including The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. (Speaking of which, The Little Mermaid is now a Broadway play. Yay!)

Lindsay, Ash and I went to see Across the Universe a few weeks ago, which was also amazing. I think it is still in theatres, so if you like the Beatles and you like Moulin Rouge, you will like this. Weird combination, I know, but it is a very...you'll love it or hate it sort of film. If you don't like musicals or you can't stand the thought of Beatles music being sang by anyone other than the Beatles, you probably won't enjoy it.

Back to studying I go. I have a study session tomorrow, and I want to be prepared!

Posted by Holly at 10:16 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college, halloween

I love October! Autumn is my favorite season, especially with the beautiful changing leaves here in Boston. Halloween is great, too. My friends and I love to freak ourselves out--and this year is no exception. I have plans for a monster movie marathon, and a few of my girlfriends are interested in doing a ghost tour.
I went on a ghost tour last year with my sister and my friend Diana--it was a complete blast. We scared each other, shouting whenever we thought we saw a ghost and took photos of "orbs" to show off later.
This year Cassy and I are going to go see a couple costume contests, too. College kids get very creative with their costumes, so it is always fun to see what people have come up with. Last year, we went to a superhero themed party and my friend Pete had an amazing Doc Oc costume from Spider-man. His extra arms were opposable and could hold things like a cup or a hat. Another friend was Magneto from X-Men, helmet and all. I made a Batgirl costume that was too cute--and then took great photos with a friend who had an amazing Catwoman outfit.
I think I will work on my costume for this year this weekend--I found a pattern for a can-can girl dress and a group of us might all go out as can-can girls. We'll see. :) First, I have to finish off an assignment for Latin American Political Economy, so all that tulle and lace will have to wait!

Posted by Holly at 8:30 PM 0 comments  

Labels: college, halloween