Waaah, I know. Who cares. I got my master’s in journalism like I wanted and I’m proud of myself, or something like that. But now I’m mostly just trying to find a job.

It’s funny running into fellow graduates or even just talking to my roommates about the dire job situation we’re all facing. Two of my roommates won’t graduate until May but already know it’s going to be a pain in the ass to find a job after that day comes. We make jokes about selling our bodies for money or moving to Bermuda and hoping for the best. In reality we’re either freelancing articles for free or sitting in at an office and doing work and hoping to get paid.

My friend Mich and I joked about trying to work at Coyote Ugly. Last week me and my friend Meg unwillingly entered a dance contest at a Burlesque show in downtown Manhattan. We lost to a guy who had a comb embedded in his coarse chest hair. If that’s any indication as to what my life would be as a dancer in a bar, maybe I shouldn’t bother with Coyote Ugly. Then again, I’m not completely taking it off my list of hopeful employers.

I can say this though, I’m happy to be in NYC this time around while applying for jobs. I still love it here. I still want to live here. But mostly, I want to work here.

Christopher Charles George is a clothing designer who specializes in women’s fashion. He started with his line titled Harp & Arrow and in the video explains his transition to a his self titled brand – Chuck George.

In the video he explains the challenges of starting a clothing line and the thrill of following his dreams. Check out his products here.

Produced and edited by Vanesa Vennard
Shot by Terry Chao and Vanesa Vennard
To say that Edwin “Ninjahood,” 29, likes shoes is an understatement. For the past decade, Edwin has collected well over 400 pairs of sneakers and has spent around $90,000.
LONGER DESCRIPTION
Edwin “Ninjahood”, 29, is a Dominican Republican New Yorker from Washington Heights. He lives in a cozy apartment with his mother and his 400+ pairs of basketball sneakers. He keeps most of them in his bedroom, as they line above his bed on top of shelves, stacked up to the ceiling. Some are on display in the kitchen.
The shoe collecting started when Edwin was in high school. He said he was the first of his friends to start buying shoes online rather than going to one of the many sneaker stores on his block. Originally a video game collector, Edwin said he would use his Sega Dreamcast to go online and search for shoes. He still goes on shoe forums like Niketalk.com, to check out the latest releases and re-releases. His collection is a nostalgia-induced museum for any fan of great basketball players like Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway, LeBron James and Charles Barkley, styles ranging from the 1990s to today.
Edwin said he always makes sure he has the money to spend on shoes, maybe not always the space. He has been a utility driver for about a year and a half.
He added that he maintains a balance to keep from becoming a hoarder, by having a healthy collecting habit. His decision to buy a pair of shoes limits his social life. Edwin said he will not go out when he knows he needs to save money for the next pair of sneakers he wants.
In the past, Edwin said he has given shoes to kids in the Dominican Republic who needed them. Though he still loves shoes, Edwin said he’s trying to slow down his purchasing. He wants to focus more on saving his money. Luckily for him, Nike has been re-releasing sneakers he already has, a perk that comes with collecting for so many years.
TRANSCRIPT
docs.google.com/document/d/1OT6DZU8kS_We3Kdl9lhV3TNT3egeZSTvnAyOETHAZ3g/edit
TAGS
New York City, Sneakers, Washington Heights, NBA, Collector, NIKE
BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY
I love shoes, too. And I thought I had a lot of shoes until I saw Edwin’s collection. When we first went to his apartment I was amazed at how much he identifies himself with each shoe. He spoke about each shoe like they were photographic timestamps to his life. He also has superb knowledge on basketball players and past games, all of which can be brought back to life by looking at his shoes.
I was also amazed by his mother. Though she asks for more space and seems a bit irritated by his shoe addiction, she really loves her son and puts up with it. Space is hard to come by in New York City, but they make it work. Her personality and perseverance really shone through in her interaction with Edwin, which was why I had to have her in the video.
FURTHER READING
standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/trainermania-how-sneakers-became-an-obsession-8216013.html
examiner.com/article/air-jordan-9-nike-air-force-1-highlight-latest-doernbecher-freestyle-collection
guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/oct/08/trainers-humble-shoes-fashioned-history?newsfeed=true

Imagine you’re driving, at a club/bar, hanging out with friends or pretending to study/work when all of a sudden…that song starts. That song that makes you smile and yell “HELL YEAH!” You either immediately start belting out the lyrics, or tell everyone to shut the hell up so your ears can soak up the sweetness.

There are definitely songs that make me smile as soon as I hear them. Not just because they’re great songs or because they immediately bring fond memories to mind, but because they have amazing beats, instrumentals or vocals in the intro, whether hard or soft, that force me to stop whatever else I’m doing for a moment so I can indulge in the music.

Here’s a list with YouTube hyperlinks so you can hear the songs. I tried limiting the list to songs that have epic intros. None of the songs are in any particular order, but they’re all awesome. Some songs are classics. Some, not so much. And I’m well aware many of the bands and artists on here have several songs worthy of the list.

If you think I’m missing some gems, let me know! I hope you have fun looking through these jammy jams. This took me several days to compile but it was fun, since I almost forgot how awesome some of these songs are.

Oh, and a lot of these songs are explicit. Enjoy.

The 1960s

- Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix (1967) …Any of his songs could go in here. Seriously. <3

- Light My Fire – The Doors (1966)

- Spirit in The Sky – Norman Greenbaum (1969)

- California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas (1965) 

-For What Its Worth - Buffalo Springfield (1967) 

- These Arms of Mine – Otis Redding (1964) … Otis <3

- Happy Together – The Turtles (1967)

- Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – The Temptations (1966) … “I knooowww you wanna leave me, but I refuse to let you goooo…” <3… God I love them.

- I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) – The Four Tops (1965)

- Come Together – The Beatles (1969) …How can you pick just one of their songs? I know. I picked this one because the intro sounds and feels like an electric current shooting through your body. Well, I think it does haha!

- At Last – Etta James (1960) …Her voice gives me the chills!

- Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash (1963) 

- Paint It, Black – The Rolling Stones (1966)

 The 1970s

- Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe – Barry White (1974) …hell yes. Practice What You Preach, too.

- Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (1975) …BEST.

- Have You Ever Seen The Rain? – CCR (1971)

- Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips (1973)

- September – Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)

- Stuck in The Middle With You – Stealers Wheel (1972) 

- Always and Forever – Heatwave (1977)

- Layla – Eric Clapton (1971)

- Lean on Me – Bill Withers (1972)

- Tears of a Clown – Smokey Robinson (1970) 

- Baby I Love Your Way – Peter Frampton (1975) …I love the Big Mountain version, too!

- Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? – Rod Stewart (1978) …It’s just so fun haha.

- Cracklin’ Rosie – Neil Diamond (1970) …He has so many gems!!!

- Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

- American Pie – Don McLean (1972)

- Let’s Get it On – Marvin Gaye (1973)  … baby making music.

- Kashmir – Led Zepplin (1975) …seriously one of the most epic song intros ever. Then again pretty much all their songs are epic.

- Let’s Stay Together – Al Green (1971)

- I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick (1977) 

- Rich Girl – Hall & Oates (1977) …such a great band!

- Brandy, You’re a Fine Girl – Looking Glass (1972)

- Danny’s Song – Kenny Loggins (1971)

- Hotel California – The Eagles (1977)

The 1980s

- Could You Be Loved – Bob Marley & The Wailers (1980)

- Gypsy – Fleetwood Mac (1982) …and pretty much all Fleetwood Mac’s songs.

- I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston (1984) …I LOVE WHITNEY HOUSTON! SO many classics.

- Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie (1981)  …Gold.

-  Billie Jean – Michael Jackson (1982) … And all his songs. King of Pop baby!

- When Doves Cry – Prince (1984) … all of his songs have great intros. Purple Fucking Rain. Best soundtrack ever.

- You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon (1986) …<3

- Shining Star – The Manhattans (1980) 

- I’m on Fire – Bruce Springsteen (1985) …THE BOSS! Sexy song. Love it. And Glory Days is awesome, and so are all of his songs.

- Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey (1981)

- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper (1983)

- Like a Prayer – Madonna (1989) …ALL HER SONGS.

- Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics (1983)

- Bust a Move – Young MC (1989)

- Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant (1982)

- I Feel For You – Chaka Khan (1984) …Written by Prince so you know it’s good.

- Jungle Love – Morris Day and the Time (1984) …OH WE OH WE OH!

-Careless Whisper – George Michael (1984) …Hell Yeah. And of course “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham!

- Uptown Girl – Billy Joel (1983) …and all his songs <3.

- Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne (1980)  …the guitar in thisssss.

- Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard (1988) …The year I was born. Hell yeah.

- Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses (1988)  …Axl Rose and Slash <3<3<3

- Don’t You Want Me – The Human League (1981)

- Take on Me – A-Ha (1984)

- (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight – Cutting Crew (1986) …the song that immediately plays in my mind when I see a really attractive man.

- Your Love – The Outfield (1986)

- Back in Black – AC/DC (1980) …THAT INTROOOOOO!

- Tainted Love – Soft Cell (1981)

The 1990s

- Hypnotize – Biggie (1996) … baby-bay-bayyyy! Biggie for life. Hard to pick one song, but I tried!

- California Love – 2 Pac (1995) … Classic. I know he has a lot of classics but this one gets me every time.

- Suavamente – Elvis Crespo (1998) … perfect dancing song.

- Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews Band (1996)

- The Boy is Mine – Monica and Brandy (1998) …As soon as this song comes on, you and your friend are battling. Bitch, he’s mine.

- You Don’t Know How it Feels – Tom Petty (1994) 

- Shoop – Salt-N-Pepa (1993) …Push It, too. Of course. But this one is my favorite!

- Doo-Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill (1998) 

- I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith (1998) …I know. They have so many better rock classics. But don’t even pretend you don’t blast this song and sing every word when you’re alone!

- Fantasy – Mariah Carey (1995)

- Are You That Somebody – Aaliyah (1998)

- Don’t Speak – No Doubt (1996)

- Gangta’s paradise – Coolio featuring L.V. (1995) …yessssssssssssssssssss.

- Regulate – Warren G featuring Nate Dogg (1994)  …yesssssssssssssssssss.

- Basket Case – Green Day (1994)

- It Wasn’t Me – Shaggy (2000) …because we all love Shaggy.

- Love Fool – The Cardigans (1996)  

- Weak – SWV (1993)

- Tha Crossroads – Bone Thugs N Harmony (1996)

- If I Ever Fall in Love – Shai (a cappella) (1992)

-Too Close – Next (1998) …”I wonder if she can tell I’m hard right now…hmmm.” hahaha

- Friends in Low Places – Garth Brooks (1990) …This was the best version I could find on YouTube, but it doesn’t matter. You’re just going to sing along anyway!

- Return of The Mack – Mark Morrison (1996)

- Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana (1991) …all songs really.

- Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992)

- Here Comes the Hotstepper – Ini Kamoze (1994) …My theme song.

- Can I Get A… – Jay-Z (1998) …HELL YEAH. He has so many gems, but this is still one of my faves.

- Motown Philly – Boys II Men (1991)

- Sweat (A La La La La Long) – Inner Circle (1992)

- Loser – Beck (1993)

- Caress Me Down – Sublime (1996)

- Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve (1998)

- Gettin’ Jiggy Wit it – Will Smith (1998)

- Nobody – Keith Sweat (1996)

- No Diggity – Blackstreet (1996)

- Luv 2 Luv Ya – Timbaland & Magoo (1998)  …HELL YEAH!!!

- Feel So Good – Mase (1997)

- No Rain – Blind Melon (1992) 

- New Age Girl – Deadeye Dick (1994)

- Don’t Turn Around – Ace of Base (1992) 

- Barbie Girl – Aqua (1997) …”Hiyaahh Barbie!” hahahah

- To Be With You – Mr. Big (1991) …”Hold onnnn little girrlllll!” hahaha loves.

- Quit Playing Games With My Heart – Backstreet Boys (1998)… OK, so they have a lot of super popular songs, I just picked this one because it’s one of their earlier ones. And it’s one of their cheesiest videos hahaha.

- I Want You Back – N*SYNC (1998) …Same situation going on here as with the BSBs, so I picked an earlier one. But let’s be honest, every BSB and N*SYNC song deserves to be in here. I don’t care who you are. You STILL know all the words to all their songs.

- Gin and Juice – Snoop Dogg (1993) 

- This is How We Do it – Montel Jordan (1995)

- Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

- Candy Rain – Soul 4 Real (1995)

- Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe (1990)

- When The Lights Go Out – Five (1998)

- Back That Azz Up – Juvenile featuring Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne (1999)  … Poetry.

- Pony – Ginuwine (1996) 

- Bling Bling – BG featuring Juvenile and Lil Wayne (1999)

- Inside Out – Eve 6 (1998)

- Superman – Goldfinger (1996) …If this song doesn’t make you think of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, you’re a weirdo.

- Boom Boom Boom Boom – Vengaboys (1999) 

The 2000s

- Hit Me Baby (One More Time) – Britney Spears (2003)… obviously all of her songs from this date on deserve to be in here. But this is the hit WE ALL know every word to and this is the hit that propelled her to fame. Love you Britney. <3

- Whenever, Wherever – Shakira (2001) …LOVE HER!!! She’s amazing, her voice is amazing, her music is amazing and her hips don’t lie.

- Ignition (Remix) – R. Kelly (2003)

- Bubble Toes – Jack Johnson (2007)  …My favorite.

- What’s Your Fantasy – Ludacris (2000) 

- Say My Name – Destiny’s Child (2000) …And all Beyonce songs after.

- Lapdance – N.E.R.D. (2001) … Va. Beach baby!

- La Camisa Negra – Juanes (2005)

- Go Girl – Pitbull (2007) 

- These Words – Natasha Bedingfield (2004) … I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOUUUUUU!

- Case of The Ex – Mya (2000) 

- Island in The Sun – Weezer (2001) 

- Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear (2009)

- The Seed 2.0 – The Roots (2002)

- I Woke Up In A Car – Something Corporate (2002)

- No Te Veo – Casa de Leones (2007)

- Give it Up – Pepper (2005) 

- Calabria – Enur featuring Natasja (2007)

- 2 AM – Slightly Stoopid (2007) 

- Da Rockwilder – Methodman and Redman (2000) 

- Peaches and Cream – 112 (2001) 

- Lollipop – Lil Wayne (2008) …that beat!

- Lollipop – Framing Hanley, covering Lil Wayne (2008) … Best. Cover. Ever.

- Milkshake – Kelis (2003)  …you love it. still. after all these years.

- They – Jem (2004) 

- Drop it Low – Ester Dean (2009)

- Get Ur Freak On – Missy Elliot (2001) 

- Get Right – J.Lo (2005)  … LOVE her. LOVE this intro!

- Stutter – Joe featuring Mystikal (2000)

- Poker Face – Lady Gaga (2008)

- Don’t Want to Be a Player No More – Big Pun featuring Joe (2002)

- Dammit – Blink 182 (2000) …love this intro! and yes they have many many gems.

- My Dick – Mickey Avalon (2006) …I know…you’re welcome.

- Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus (2000)

- Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too – Say Anything (2006)

- Beggin’ – Madcon (2008) …It’s a Four Tops cover, and I love it!

- Walk it Out – Unk (2006)

- Tik Tok – Ke$ha (2009) …I know, she has so many gems but this one is iconic. Hahahah.

- Bonafied Lovin’ – Chromeo (2007)

- Dale Don Dale – Don Omar (2003)

- Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (2006)

- Save The Last Dance For Me – Michael Buble (2005)

- Right Thurr – Chingy (2003) 

- What You Know – T.I. (2006)

- Flashing Lights – Kanye West (2007) …Love him.

- You Don’t Know Me – SOJA (2007)

- Some Cut – Trillville (2004) …..*squeak squeak* *squeak squeak*

- My Band – D12 (2004) …”I dunno dude” hahah love Eminem’s voice in this.

- Faded – Soul Decision (2000)

- Chariot – Gavin DeGraw (2003)

- Get Busy – Sean Paul (2003) … SEAN DE PAUL!

-Tipsy – J-Kwon (2004) …”Teen drinking is really bad. Yo I got a fake ID though.”

- Beating Heart Baby – Head Automatica (2006) … aaaahhhhhhh!

- It’s Going Down – Yung Joc (2006) 

- A-Punk – Vampire Weekend (2008)

- North American Scum – LCD Soundsystem (2007)

- Satisfaction – Benny Benassi (2003)

2010-Now 

- We Are Young – Fun (2011) … I feel we have been patiently waiting for a song like this to come around <3.

- Rack City – Tyga (2011) …So it might not be poetry but the intro is SICK.

- Tighten Up – The Black Keys (2010) …Love it! And the video is awesome.

- No Hands – Waka Flocka Flame (2010) 

- Animal – Neon Trees (2010)

- Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2011)

- Down on Me – Jeremih featuring 50 Cent (2010)

- Midnight City – M83 (2011) 

- Tongue Tied – Grouplove (2011)

- Love You Like a Love Song – Selena Gomez (2011)

- Super Bass – Nicki Minaj (2011)

- Say Aah – Trey Songz (2010)

- We Run The Night – Havana Brown featuring Pitbull (2011)

- Danza Kuduro – Don Omar (2011) 

- Want You Back – Cher Lloyd (2012) …UHHH!

- Titanium – David Guetta and Sia (2012) 

- Call Me Maybe – Carley Rae Jepsen (2011) …Yeah I know. I hate it too. So much that I LOVE IT.

- Cashin’ Out – Cash Out (2012) …Yeah I know. But every time it starts I get excited!

- Young, Wild & Free – Wiz Khalifa (2011)

- Ghosts N Stuff – Deadmau5

- I Can’t Stop – Flux Pavilion (2012)

- We Found Love – Rihanna (2011) 

- Rolling in The Deep – Adele (2010)

- In The Dark – Dev (2011) 

- Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO (2011) …Never gets old hahaha.

- Take Over Control – Afrojack and Eva Simons (2010)  

- Mr. Saxobeat – Alexandra Stan (2011) 

*** Note: I did not create any of these music videos. I pulled them all from YouTube, and all video credits go to those who made the videos.

My ma took this pic of me in my room on Aug.1, 2011, when we were first checking out my new place.

When we spent time walking around Times Square during the rest of the week my parents stayed with me, I had a consistent feeling of delight and despair. See, I’ve dreamed of moving to NYC since I first visited in high school for a journalism class field trip. I fell in love with the high buildings, the bright lights of Times Square, and the rush felt when people and taxis and trains fly by all day and night. It was a dream to live in this city, but it was always easy for me to dream of NYC from the comfort of the bedroom I’ve slept in since middle school.

NYC isn’t some quaint, pansy city. She doesn’t give a shit about you or me or our insecurities. She doesn’t help guide anyone, she’s doing her own thing. She doesn’t have time for anyone else.

Once my parents left for the airport, leaving me in my new apartment all decorated to feel like home, it was weird, it still felt like a dream. I thought  my parents would eventually swing over and take me back to Virginia Beach, to reality.

But the reality in VB was I was feeling like a big loser. The fire I had for journalism and that dream to pursue it in NYC dimmed every day that I slept in until 1 p.m. or later and woke up just to be sure I could watch Jerry Springer – that year I floated aimlessly ater graduating college.

But August 1, 2012, marked my one-year anniversary with my dear friend, NYC. Yes, I have been living in this city for one year! She can still be  a little scary, and a bitch at times, but I’d say we’re on really good terms. I love it here, and this year has flown by and taught me a lot. It’s been great and exactly what I needed. NYC, my summer internship and grad school ignited that fire I had for journalism.

Living here also made me more appreciate home, and what home means. There’s this feeling I get when I’m riding the China Town bus back to VB. Once the bus gets on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and I see the water, I feel this burst of energy – I am home.

But when that bus is driving into New York City, as soon as I see the Manhattan skyline my stomach flips. I feel a similar burst of energy  - I am home.

My first ever apartment, my first ever home away from home, will soon be packed up in plastic bags and boxes and moved down the hall. Me and three amazing friends I met in my building will be shacking up together.

On Aug. 1, Minty, one of my soon to be roomies, told me to come see her old apartment, her studio. Her studio was my second home, where I went to escape when one of my roomies was cooking fish, where I went to ask for assistance with Final Cut Pro at least once a week, and most importantly and most commonly, where I went to talk and vent with my best friend.

Her studio was stripped. Her mattress bare, her table and desk cleared, her drawers emptied. A few dishes were in her sink and a trash can without a bag sat in the corner. We kept saying “It’s so weird!” It was, though. We were looking at the room she spent her first year living in NYC in, and it was bare but filled with memories. That’s when I realized clearing out my room this weekend won’t just be a pain in my ass because of all the shoes, but it will also be a pain in my heart.

One year down. I battled  the awkwardness of meeting new friends and trying to find a sense of belonging in a city unlike any other. I battled the difficulty of getting through days and weeks and months without seeing my parents, my brother, my dogs.

Everything was new and scary and awesome. Thankfully with school and my internship I’ve been able to really explore this city in one year, covering stories in pretty much all the boroughs. Thankfully with an iPhone and apps like HopStop I was able to navigate, too! And with friends from school living all over the city, and with a lot of them being from all over the city, they always knew of a fun bar or club or apartment to drink in.

NYC made me feel back on track. I feel a little more in control of my life. And thankfully, I feel even closer to my family and friends back in VB despite the distance. I love them all and miss them all so much, and I will always love and miss VB while I’m in NYC no matter what.

There’s this “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” feeling. But a year isn’t a long time, and I still have to keep pushing myself to make it here, to be able to stay here.

I love NYC. And I feel that even though a year has passed and it’s never going to be easy, it still and will always feel like the honeymoon phase. And, it feels like home.

When our parents told us as kids that we had to share, we did it. But usually because we knew we’d get in trouble if we didn’t (well, if you were a brat kid like I was…). Now, nobody has to tell us twice to share.

On a recent day at my summer internship, when I pulled my ear buds out of my bag (so I could get into some Pandora action) they were all tangled up. It looked like a boy scout went to town tying my shit up in intricate knots.

My first reaction was a sigh. #Firstworldproblems. My second reaction, well, made me cringe a bit. I took a picture of my tangled ear buds with my iPhone and uploaded it to Twitter, after pondering for several minutes whether I should have made it look fancier on Instagram first, and then pondering if it was Facebook-worthy. I settled for Twitter.

A fellow intern laughed when she saw the picture on Twitter of my intertwined ear buds, saying she can relate. That’s when I told her I was thinking about whether or not it belonged on Instagram or Facebook. We laughed again about how now everything anyone does merits some type of photographic evidence.

What the hell is wrong with us?  We share everything. Between Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, we constantly share how we feel, where we’re at, who we’re with and of course, multiple face and body shots to show what we look like. We are the sharing generation.

An article in The Telegraph has a study showing an increase in people under 25 getting their news from social networking sites rather than search engines in the UK. Well, yeah! Because our friends don’t just share their thoughts and random pictures of their faces or food, they share articles, too. And I found this article on Twitter.

I also read in another online article that the 20-year anniversary of the first photo ever uploaded on the web will be on July 18. And I found this article on Twitter, too.

Then I wonder if we’re the insecure generation. As the kids who grew into a life on the internet, are we uploading pictures of our faces and  posting our feelings just to get “likes” or retweets? Does that translate to us as acceptance or support? Are we just trying to reach out because we’re really just deprived of human interaction despite all these online-ways to connect?

Or, maybe we’re just attention whores? Gasp!

This is all coming from someone with a blog, right? Well I’ll like and retweet your face and food pics all day long, friends and followers. I admit to cringing when I Instagram a meaningless photo of ice cream, but I love the sharing. We have the platforms, we might as well go H.A.M. with them.

I love the Pinterest posts with recipes I’ll never try and craft projects I’ll never do. But it’s fun to look at, especially the pictures of baby animals and clothes. I love the Instagrm photos of the beach, the one’s without the vag-shot of the girl who took it while lying on her back. I love the Facebook statuses by  friends who got that dream job, or married his or her best friend, or is fighting with his or her man, or is still hungover at 4:00 p.m. And memes, gifs…they make my day.

It’s fun but maybe a little self-absorbed sharing. Over-sharing? Maybe. But dammit, why the hell not?

They go by Super Prime, a name that encompasses their work ethic and their goals, which is to revive that Blink 182-esque style that has been buried behind mainstream indie and hip hop.

“Pop-punk and pop-rock are making a huge comeback,” Austin, 21, said.

“We’ll do what we have to do,” Marcus, 22, said. “I mean I might have to spit a verse over a blast beat or something.”

Super Prime formed at the Berklee College of Music and has been playing most of their shows in the Boston area. Not even a year old and the band released their first EP in February 2011, and then another in October.

“Back when we recorded the EPs, we recorded them ourselves,” Austin said. “Adam and I would have 12 to 13 hour days. Hours. Days upon days.”

The band made a video in NYC for their single “Vow,” which they believe will be released in the Spring of 2012. The latest EP was titled “Sun’s Out Gun’s Out,” inspired by a saying a friend of theirs, who was a radio deejay at their school, would say.

“The EP in general has a vibe of getting off your ass and handling your business,” Adam, 27, said. With that mentality, Super Prime started recording their first full-length album in September 2011, which they think will be released around March 2012.

That mentality has also helped the band book more performances, like the one they did Jan. 15 at The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC.

And that night, as Marcus pounded the drums, Adam and Austin jumped in unison. It was easy for the crowd to follow suit. Super Prime played “Vow” and a few other original songs that the crowd sang along to. Then, a small mosh pit formed as soon as the guitar riffs elegantly blasted the start of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” into their ears.

“I think our willingness to work hard and work long hours to get it done has gotten us a lot further than most bands,” Austin said. “A lot of bands that we play with back in Boston, they do good, they book shows, but they’re not putting in the same amount of care.”

Super Prime has played in the New England area as well as Wisconsin. But the band is hoping to go on a national tour in March.

“There’s tons of bands we’d like to tour with but we’ll take what we can get, that’s where we’re at now. We just want to come up,” Austin said.

Though the tour dates are to be determined, the band is determined to stay on the music path, for good. Each member has been playing some musical instrument since about age 10 or younger, and going to a college for music sealed their fate. Music is their life.

“We hope to be at the top and be going all the way, whatever all the way means. We’re just going to take it as far as we can,” Austin said.

As far as they can, or until, as Marcus put it, someone will go into a restaurant and recognize him as a member of Super Prime.

“This is what we like to do and we can’t really imagine ourselves doing anything else for the rest of our lives,” Austin said.

Adam added, “This is it man, this is it.”

I’m so anxious right now. I just keep looking forward. I’m excited about school starting back up soon and I don’t want it to start. I’m so anxious and excited. I can’t wait.

I always get like this. I love pushing forward. Last month I couldn’t wait for Dec. 16, the last day of the first semester. The last day between me and a bus ride back to Virginia Beach, where I could get much needed hugs from my family.  But that day didn’t come easy.

I had two things to do that day, a final exam for my legal class at 10 a.m. and a final broadcast-almost-live-studio-filming project at 2 p.m. And, that morning, I woke up at noon.

Of course I freaked out. I practically ejected out of bed when I realized I completely slept through my alarm/exam. I had an adrenaline rush fed by shame and fear the rest of the day. Thankfully my friend Minty talked to me on the phone before I got to school and convinced me things would work out. And thankfully I had an understanding professor that let me take the exam after my broadcast assignment, so things did work out.

It was a funny chain of events. I was so anxious and excited for Dec. 16 to come and go as soon as it could and I never heard my alarm, which just dragged out the whole day. The next day I was anxious and excited to go home for Christmas. I couldn’t wait to relax, to watch football with my dad, to go shopping with my ma and to hangout with my brother. And of course to cuddle with Chica and Chancho, my babies.

When I was on the bus heading back to NYC on Dec. 29, I was anxious and exited for New Years. I didn’t have a set plan yet, so it added to the excitement. My friend Courtney came with and we ended up going to a club/lounge with some friends of mine that live in my building. Before the ball dropped, as we stood in the club holding up glasses of champagne, I felt nervous. There’s something about counting down out loud that makes me feel…anxious and excited. I couldn’t wait for New Years, especially since it’s 2012 (dun dunn dunnnnnn!).

New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays, besides Christmas and Halloween. It’s so reflective. I just like to think about what happened in the year, like how I ended up in grad school, and how I was celebrating New Years in NYC and was with a couple of great friends whom I had just met in 2011. I love the spontaneity life has, and I know it’s not always good. But sometimes when it’s good, it’s really fucking amazing.

I took to that champagne like I was chugging water after running a marathon. I mean, I feel like I did run a marathon. A triathlon. I survived my first semester of journalism hell, with all its hurdles…re-writes, daybooks, Final Cut Pro. I managed to get a better sense of direction, be better at judging character, and do laundry. I don’t feel like a total beach bum anymore. I don’t feel like a New Yorker either…sometimes I do though and I get excited about it (I know I’m a turd for writing that) . I’m anxious and excited about what 2012 holds. I can’t wait.

Jaylene Clark was the mastermind behind the spoken word performance “Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale.” The play stemmed from a random Facebook status she wrote before she was on her way to a poetry reading, and wrote: “It’s time to stop dipping a toe in here/ Wading in a little bit there/I need to jump back into this Sea World of poetry like I’m Shamu/ Heavy/ Too much gentrification going on in Harlem to get light/ Time to spit killer lines, with killer rhymes, of killer tales/ Cuz Harlem is looking more and more like the belly of a killer whale.”

The play takes a look at gentrification as actresses Janelle Heatley, Hollis Heath and Jaylene play the roles of three different young women discussing the changes in Harlem. The most prominent change being how Jaylene’s character’s parents are struggling to keep their brownstone apartment because of the increase in costs with real estate.

As the play goes on, the three actresses play different roles expressing their feelings on how Harlem was, how it is now, and how they hope it will be. Mostly, how they hope Harlem will also be indulged in its culture and originality.

Jaylene takes a stroll through 125th Street, close to the National Black Theatre, speaking about how Harlem doesn’t need any fancy makeovers to be “trendy” because it is an area that is already rich in culture and history.

Audio slideshow here: http://digitalstoragespace.com/12/LIN/Vennard_OWS_intents/soundslider.swf?size=1&format=xml

Tents are completely occupying Zuccotti Park, and one could think that is to the benefit of all the protesters of Occupy Wall Street. But Josh Ehrenberg, 20, thinks otherwise.

Ehrenberg is from Rochester and has been a part of OWS for a month. He works in the comfort section of the park, which provides protesters with blankets, clothing and toiletries. As of now, he said they have a good amount of donations, but always need more warm clothes, deodorant and chapstick. What he feels the protesters don’t need is more  tents. Ehrenberg said that the tents don’t really keep anyone warm, and that they pretty much only protect protesters from rain.

The biggest problem with the tents to Ehrenberg is that the tents take up so much space, making it hard for more protesters to try and occupy the park. Also, he worries that as the tents become people’s property, it is creating a sense of individual ownership and could cause segregation among protesters. But, he still believes the protesters will be sticking it out as long as possible.