The End is Here

The end of my first year in Creative Communications is coming to a close, and so is my blog for a few months. I’ve learned so much since August when I started this crazy journey and the people I’ve met have been so incredible and welcoming. Here are a few things I have learned about life and myself in the past year.

1) I can do more than I thought I could

2) The difference between than and then, thank you Kenton

3) I am becoming more and more independent

4) To be open to new experiences and things that scare me, such as writing a journalism article in an 

     hour in a half, or being the director of a game show episode

5) Having friends in my program pretty much kept me sane this year, leaning on them when I have a 

    stress breakdown and them leaning on me

6) Nothing is impossible and if I really want to do something, I can

7) I have talents in areas that I never thought I would

8) Candy is a great friend to have during long homework sessions

9) Always double back up my work, in two different places

10) The Kings Head is not open until 11 a.m.

11) Internet is capitalized, and I will always double check my spelling on everything

12) It is okay to fail at something and it’s not the end of the world; it teaches you to do it right next time

13) The friendships I have made will reach far beyond the walls of Red River College

14) An active voice, is the right voice

There are many more things I have learned but the most important one is that I have been surrounded by like-minded people who are all on a similar road with me. We have laughed, cried, been angry, yelled, drank a few drinks, and had a blast, but most of all we have taken the first step towards jobs that we will all love and enjoy doing every day.

Thank you my CreComm family.

oh and here is a infomercial we made first term, enjoy :)

First times out with my new babe

Embarking on the journey of learning how to use my new camera, the Canon Rebel t4i with an 18-135mm lens, has been interesting. The camera is great so far and I even shot some video with it as well and the quality is amazing. Here are some of my first pictures, hope you like them! (remember, i'm still learning!)

Decided to take a hike in Falcon lake, and this is what happened!

Can a machine replace you?

This week I went grocery shopping, grabbed a few essential items, bread, pasta, and some cheese, but what surprised me on this usual trip to the grocery store was the “check yourself out” machines that replaced the express lines at the Superstore on St. James street near polo. You may be wondering why I was surprised to find these machines. Well you see it was not my regular store and I missed the interaction of the cashier at the checkout. It made me wonder how many peoples’ jobs machines could replace? How soon will we live in a world where machines run everything, and all we have to do is get paid to make the machines and maintain them. Goodbye to personal interaction, you’ll soon be greeted by an automated maid named BOT24.

The check out process was simple enough; I had previously been a cashier at a grocery store so I understood the premise behind the machine, but what about the people who go to the grocery store to have the service of being checked out by someone? Personal interaction is becoming less important with cell phones, and the Internet, so why are grocery stores making the customer do more work and taking away cashiers?

While I was shopping, I noticed that many shelves were not stocked, they were not faced (all product pulled forward to make it look nice), and they were out of my kind of milk! Did the staff cutbacks take place to the stock boys as well? Did they try and use a machine to stock the shelves and a messy look was the result? Cutting corners left a bad impression in my mind, and I do not want the day to come when all of the cashiers are replaced with machines. Can you imagine bagging your $200.00 grocery cart yourself? I thought that was a service provided by the grocery store and meant to create a positive atmosphere in regards to customer service.

So I ask you, do you think you could be replaced by a machine? Would your place of employment benefit from firing you and putting a bunch of metal and wiring in your place?

The end of a great project

Over the last two and a half months, one of our major assignments has been the magazine project. Now before starting this project, the first years had heard horror stories about crazy InDesign problems, print shop problems, and groups getting into huge fights. This was all before we had even gotten our groups, and I can say I was a bit concerned about which group I was going to get. I was fortunate in that I did not know any of my group members before we got put together, and we all worked well together for the most part to create a country music and lifestyle magazine, Pickup.

The only real fight we ever had was over the font choices, and I am very happy that was the worst of it. We worked well together, each of us using our strengths to create something that we can be proud of. The entire project culminated in a magazine trade fair at our downtown campus, and it was a day of celebrations of being done one of the hardest projects I had ever accomplished. I would just like to thank all of my friends and family who were patient in dealing with me for the last two months, and if you would like a PDF of the magazine please e-mail me at breannehearsum@gmail.com!

I Want to Suck Your Blood

The popular culture fascination with vampires started with the classics, such as Dracula. People of all ages have now taken to shows such as True Blood, and my personal favourite, The Vampire Diaries or movies like Twilight. But what is the real reason why people like vampires? That is hard to answer, but here are my thoughts.

     The danger and strength associated with them

Vampires in Hollywood have been made out to be supernaturally strong beings with some form of a power, such as increased strength or the ability to run at extreme speeds. Is that what attracts millions of fans? Does Edward Cullen’s ability to shine in the sunlight really get people excited? Or does being able to rip someone’s head off without even blinking really bring in the big crowds? Personally I don’t find either of those qualities attracting to make me watch the shows, but I still do enjoy a good vampire movie.

      The mystery surrounding each vampire

Often storylines revolve around vampires mingling with the human race, falling in love with a sweet girl and then the subtle signs start to make her question what is going on. Does the audience go along for the journey as well? Is the mere question of who is the strange and mysterious man enough to bring audiences in? I think the mystery has a big part of it because it adds excitement. The audience is looking to be entertained and adding a mysterious man who has strange talents is definitely entertainment.

      Their startling good looks

Now, I am not sure if this has been a consistent trend throughout the history of vampire in motion pictures or TVs, but right now, most vampires that I see are very good looking, with strong bodies and not an ounce of fat on them. This definitely brings me in to watch The Vampire Diaries every week. Twilight, not so much, but Jacob sure was born in the right pack. Obviously Hollywood uses physical attributes to add to each show or production it does, but what really brings me in, is the glimpse into another world that is very different then my own.

    A new world

One thing that I have noticed that fascinates myself, and others, is getting a glimpse into another culture or world that is unlike our own. I enjoy seeing how different the vampire world is and the kind of lifestyle they can live with the freedom they have. It is entertaining to see those things, and the added drama doesn’t hurt. Looking into Damon Salvatore’s world is one of the highlights of my long stressful week!

Overall, vampires have created a place in the minds of many around the world and I am excited to see what the next phase is for the ferocious beings. 

The Icelanders Led Our Way

So this week our classes were cancelled on Tuesday for a travel assignment that we have to do. We are required to travel to a small town outside of Winnipeg, write a tourism story, and design a tourism advertisement for the town. Marney Blunt and myself travelled to the very well known summer town of Gimli, Manitoba.

The day started off smoothly, we had our directions and we were off from Marney’s home in Stonewall, MB. The drive was uneventful as we looked upon the scenery that Manitoba has to offer, which is mostly flatlands with a few trees sparkled in.

We arrived in Gimli and immediately headed through the town’s ten stop signs to get to First Street and the New Icelandic Heritage Museum. The woman, Ila Condie, who was works at the museum greeted us and ushered us in to watch a ten-minute video telling the story of how the Icelanders landed on the shores of Gimli. Afterwards she let us roam the museum to get a feel for our stories. We ended our walk through at the temporary exhibit, which is currently displaying art from local artists.

Ila was very nice and answered all of our questions but not before she told us to check out what we thought was a local drug store, Tergesens. We later found ourselves amongst clothing, shoes, and fashionable sweaters that we couldn’t help resist. We had to shop, just a little bit.

We walked down the boardwalk to see if we could take some pictures, and instead we got windburn and watering eyes. The views of the bay are still beautiful even in the wintertime.

After that we headed off for lunch, at Kris’ Fish and Chips where we ate delicious homemade fries, fish, and chicken strips. As our last stop for the day, we relaxed and enjoyed the food.

Overall it was a successful trip to a place that I don’t even think I have ever been to before. The town is well developed and I would definitely visit in the summertime to see what the beaches are like and the other local restaurants.