Hello... Hello again

In the lyrics of the song "Hello" by The Cars: "Hello... hello again."

I am doing another introductory blog here for yet another semester of Journalism. As I'm listening to Paramore's debut album All We Know is Falling (An Alternative Press magazine reporter said the band will release a new record, Brand New Eyes, later this month.), I'm trying to make up my mind which topic this beat blog should be strictly about. Should I strictly cover music or local issues pertaining to campus or both? (Local issues such as the economy affecting the Towson Town Center Mall and affecting happy hour for 21-year-old students.)

Other than that, I am excited for this class since I get to do one of the things I love to do most, especially with my new professor (who's my advisor as well). Well, since this is a new class with brand new people, I'll just introduce myself again.

I'm Rachel Beth Ahrens (I just go by Rachel and my middle name's Elizabeth but I shortened it). I have a wild passion for the two loves of my life: music (particularly rock and old school jazz) and writing. I read and write constantly; I did a whole lot of it over the summer. Like my father, I'm a rabid chocoholic. I cracked at Baskin Robbins a couple of days ago by devouring a delicious scoop of low fat chocolate ice cream that tasted like frozen chocolate mousse.

And I will be the very first woman in my entire family to finish college with a bachelor's degree, so I better make the next two years count.

The reason I took MCOM 258 (or Journalism and New Media II) is not only for my journalism major's requirements, I want to improve my writing even more. My writing has improved so much after taking 257 last semester. I have many, many ideas for what I want to do after college. I have a very good idea for a new music/entertainment/political magazine that I'm actually practicing with right now. The magazine would be similar to that of Spin, Rolling Stone or Alternative Press.

Other than that, I have an idea for my own radio show, since I love music so much. It would have a never ending playlist of rock tunes with breaks for music and other news (local news and political). The other career paths I might want to look into are anchoring for the news on television, writing for Spin or Alternative Press or maybe become an author since I love writing fictional stories as well. But I think I could become a college professor when I'm tired of doing all of that or if I decide to get married and have a family.

However, I really don't know where I'll go at this point. All I know right now is that I want to write more than anything. Someone in the journalism field of work said "You've got to really want it." So I'm taking all the writing classes I can to help me along the way.

One of the things I will take with me for the next two years of college and beyond is something my dad heard not long ago. He ran into a reporter from the San Fransisco Chronicle somehow and he asked him for some advice for his future journalist daughter. The reporter said: "Be aggressive, because no one's going to come to you when you need a job. Put yourself out there and don't ever stop writing. Write about anything and write all the time."