I’ve never considered myself a homebody.

Send me on vacation– I might never come back.

I maintain a wonderful relationship with my parents.

Give my mother and I a bowl of grapes and a cocktail,

Well, forget about the hour. Weird? Not really, it’s just our thing.

No, but about this feeling–

That gut-rot feeling in the endless pit of your stomach.

The lump as big as Plymouth Rock that’s lodged in your throat holding back tears.

Those tears that decided to come back during every movie–

The Break-up, Love & Other  Drugs, LIAR LIAR, the list goes on.

(you’d think I was going through a break-up)

When any old Garth Brook’s song starts sounding father-daughter-dance worthy.

When you start asking your guy friends for bear hugs, because Dad is missing in action.

And you start arguing with your girlfriends for the hell of it, because Mom is too.

You start feeling like everyone is yelling at you if someone raises their voice a pinch.

When you keep looking outside for your shoes, because mom always threw them out there at home.

When you decide to change dish soap scents to the one ‘mom buys’ because it smells better.

You start thinking a wake-up call at 6 a.m. from little kids, doesn’t seem that bad?

You start craving greasy food from Cooper’s, the local watering hole.

You start thinking “this Bud Light Lime would taste so much better on my deck at home.”

You even miss the comfort of your carpet, and the perfect horizontal lines that the vacuum makes.

I’m even missing the scent of Dad’s after shave.

 And that black, tar looking liquid he calls coffee is sounding much better than the$5 ice-caramel latte I just bought.

When you miss home-cooked meals and opening the pantry to every snack KELLOGS has to offer.

It’s official—spaghetti-O’s, Mac& Cheese, Ramen noodles and canned minute dinners are completely outdated and out of my cupboard.

Most of all,

I miss the arguing, the aroma, the bear hugs, the real meaning of “raising your voice” and last but not least, EDDY & BETTY.

This Friday, I am going home.

I will be greeted by little ones with full diapers, freshly fluffed carpet, and a cocktail at 5 o’clock by those wonderful people that I miss so much.

Within 5 weeks, I have learned so many valuable skills that I will utilize in my future profession out of college. I am hoping to land myself a career in public relations. Working with InDesign, and other programs that focus on elements of design and creativity, has enhanced my desire to work with a creative team for a PR company, and encouraged me to keep practicing. Multi-media writing has exposed both my strengths and weaknesses, but overall created a more well-rounded person. I feel I have a knack for editing and inserting audio that creates an emotional connection, which is the reason I thoroughly enjoyed making those videos. I have developed this infatuation with capturing a good photo. It has opened me up to some interests that I didn’t emphasize on before.

Working with on-line programs was one thing I wasn’t confident with. Before this class I had Facebook, that’s it. Now, I manage my own blog, Twitter account, G-mail and two other e-mail accounts, and am currently working on a Flickr account and mastering iPhoto.  I am starting a second blog, for personal day-to-day input. The on-line world is exciting, and the opportunities seem to be endless.

It’s not only the programs that I’ve learned, but the concepts behind them. I have learned how to approach Twitter and how valuable a Twitter account can be. I have learned that the only way to absorb these programs is to makes mistakes and experiment, especially when using soundslides, audacity, and iMovie. This class forced me to step outside of my safe zone, which I feel was very beneficial. If there was a follow-up course to MC330, I would definitely be interested.

I am anxious to take my knowledge outside of the classroom. Companies are looking for that fresh face graduating from college with the skills that we’ve learned in this class. I want to be that face.

MANKATO, MINN– Hidden somewhere in Old Mankato is a great cup of jo dressed in color.

The Coffee Hag, located off Riverfront Drive, opened in 1992, has served as a local hangout for a great cup of coffee and social hour.

Since then, it’s transformed into an acoustic coffee bistro, full of personality. A mix between music and bistro is exactly what Jen, the owner of the Coffee Hag wanted to achieve.

Lyrics, antique photographs and record labels line the tattered brick walls, while copper-colored paint chips away from the tin ceilings.

No, it’s not old—it’s charming.

Ingredients are stocked on a metal shelf, cream and sugar sit on a metal tray on top of an old wooden dresser, dishes are washed in an old dish tub of a sink, and lattes are served in regular 16 oz. glasses. There is nothing ordinary about this downtown treasure–everything is old-fashioned.

Nick, an employee of 4 years, mentioned he was the inspiration behind the design of the Coffee Hag. It was Nick who hung Lady Gaga posters along side of Cyndi Lauper, and other artists from older decades. The Hag is a blend of people, music, different styles and free spirits, that keep it’s customers guessing.

Dress it up or dress it down, the Coffee Hag has great coffee, espresso, lattes and other specialty drinks with an assortment of spices available for you.

The Hag is more than just coffee. It’s a place to kick back and relax, read a book or catch up on studies; where people stop to catch their morning boost. It’s also a place where freelance musicians and vocalists beat to their own drum.

On Friday and Saturday nights, the coffee hag hosts live music. Small town artists featuring mainly acoustic, alternative or jazz music, come to play at the Hag.

So, pull up a chair and order the house favorite, Mayan Sun Espresso with a jumbo homemade peach cobbler muffin.

Come check out the Coffee Hag in Old downtown, Mankato.

As for the limited amount of Macs available to students, I feel MNSU should consider putting some Macs in the library. The library is open until 2 a.m., which would be great for students who can’t get to the ACC lab before it closes at 10 p.m.  

A guest speaker came in to talk to the class about his profession. Jim Santori, a published/editor at The Free Press in Mankato was our speaker. He was such an inspiring speaker. Santori was excited about this scary world of technology. He definitely motivated me to keep going with technology and this profession.

It is too nice to be inside. I am off to enjoy some sunshine before work tonight.