without a reason to believe in something you can do most anything

i am ill. my springtime illness, as i recall, usually has come and gone by march but i suppose it's come to make the last few weeks of the semester absolutely dreadful. whatever. i'll get over it.

i felt inspired to write because we had guest lecturers in both of my classes today. the first was former illinois governor jim edgar. i'd like to think i wasn't enthralled with his excellent public speaking skills or his charasmatic demeanor (one that i associate with many politicians), but one can never be sure of the mesmerizing characteristic of (what i consider) decent public speakers. he spoke of his experiences with media in his political campaign, mostly centering on the need to counterattack his opponents instead of explaining himself in reference to their ads against him. overall, i think that his best advice was to know your audience when you're speaking to them. he shook each of our hands and asked where we were from and what our major was. he also addressed the importance of getting to know the community in which you're running for a position because you're policies are second to the amount the public can relate to you or "know" what kind of person you are. after listening to him speak, i think it'd be quite interesting to be part of the media personnel required for a political campaign. perhaps i should do some research in that area??

my next speaker was for my comm 317 class, which is history of mass communication. professor mcchesney spoke--i was delighted to hear of this a few weeks ago! despite hearing much the same information from his lecture last semester [about radio development and its commercialization], i still always find his lecturing extremely enjoyable. i definitely left the lecture feeling renewed in my passion for media critique and change. the same problems that arose with the commercialization of the radio are now coming under scrutiny within the realm of the internet. the main criticisms of the commercialization of radio were that the commercialization was constructed under secrecy, without government intervention, and with commercial interests as the only interest. without public debate, input, or enlightenment the system became corrupt and the FCC now only referees between the big businesses that control it. the public has NO real say.

i desperately want to attend the media conference in minneapolis this june...but i doubt i'll be able to. i think i'll just write some letters of advocacy when i get some time.

i thought i would also mention this because it makes my tuesday every single week. i have class at 11:00 in the krannert art museum and there is a man that stands there every week [i'm assuming every day], he obviously works in the museum area and is always dressed very nicely. he always says good morning to me. i mean, i'm usually the only one around, but it has become this little ritual between us. and i laugh about it now when i say good morning to him because it just has to happen. it's funny and it's cute and he seems like a very nice man. i feel like it's something i'll always look back on from my college days and smile about. he's a good man...and if you see him in the museum you should say hi as well. :)

oh! also...i thought it was interesting to find out that the college of communications here at the university of illinois, urbana-champaign has been changed to the college of media...hmmm.....

well...i'm tired from a sick and sleepless night...perhaps a nap is not out of the quesion....

sweeter dreams.

k