Mindless reality shows...

article by:stacia_doss.

Last weekend, I attended a St. Louis Rams game...they won, too. My method of transportation to the game, though, is what started my thoughts running wild with imaginings of possibility.

A lady sitting behind me on the train I rode to and back from the Edward Jones dome on was having a conversation with the woman seated beside her about puzzles. (Sudoku, to be exact.)

She said that puzzles keep her mind fresh, and went on to say that all television does is "rot the mind". Her abstinence from TV,"mindless reality shows", etc. and total focus on doing puzzles, in her view, was what made her feel intelligent.

As everything else was said between the two women rambling on about puzzles faded out of my head, I sat and thought..is television rotting our minds?

I have become victim to having a schedule at least two days out of the week that "my shows" air on television. Tuesday nights consist of Glee and Teen Mom, while Thursday nights include Grey's Anatomy and Jersey Shore.

But can we really say that all television, including reality shows, does is rot the mind? I certainly don't think so.

We could, though, take the time and read a book or two, and live a little more instead of planning schedules around what is coming on television that we cannot bear to miss.

According to research, the happiest people spend 30% less time parked in front of the tube.

But, in defense of reality shows, some of those featured on television can show you issues, you otherwise would have never learned about.

MTV's True Life highlights issues that Americans have daily from obesity to body dysmorphia..even soldiers returning from Iraq. You can't hear those types of things and see the emotions reading a book.

When the lady's voice finally faded back into my mind after all of these thoughts, she said "I don't know very much about what's going on in the world, though, when I hear people discuss it at work."

I ask you, would you rather be clueless about issues going on in the world or puzzle-less? Find the median.

What a Weekend..for Tennessee football.

written by:stacia_doss.
This weekend, I journeyed to Nashville, Tennessee for a college football game. It was unfortunately a loss for Tennessee State University to Austin Peay State University. The APSU Governors closed it out with a close 26-23 victory against TN State's Tigers.

The opposite was happening in West Tennessee football. To my surprise, my alma mater, The University of Memphis' Tigers gained their first victory at home against the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders. With a 24-17 win, the Tigers experienced their first "W" with their new coach, Larry Porter.

When I went to bed that Saturday night, I woke up with higher hopes for another Tennessee team that would also play at home on LP Field Sunday at noon, the Tennessee Titans.

The battle against the 2008 Champion Pittsburgh Steelers turned out to be an upset for another Tennessee football team. The strong Steelers defense was no match for the shaky Titans offense Sunday afternoon.

Tennessee returned to the locker room with a 19-11 loss and more yards than Pittsburgh, but a painful seven turnovers, over just one for the Steelers. Check out the boxscore.

Better luck next weekend, I hope?!

College Tigers of The U of M will head to El Paso, TX to battle UTEP and TSU will face FAMU in the Atlanta Classic in Georgia next week.

The Tennessee Titans will prepare to play the New York Giants at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

"Let's have a toast for the douche bags."

Written by:stacia_doss
MTV premiered its annual Video Music Award show Sunday night, hosted by comedienne Chelsea Handler in Los Angeles, California. While there were a few good performances, the overall show was pretty dull.

The night ended with eight VMA awards for Lady Gaga in a meat dress, Chelsea Handler in a hot tub with the Jersey Shore cast, a memorable performance by Usher, and two "interesting" performances by both Kanye West and Taylor Swift.

To provide a little background, West interrupted Swift last year during her award acceptance for video of the year, but this year, the two of them interrupted our televisions with odd performances that seemingly addressed last year's incident.

First, it was Swift. Her performance opened with a video showing West interjecting during her acceptance speech. Then, she proceeded to debut a song which rang "forgiveness" to West for his actions.

The song definitely wasn't the fairytale, Romeo and Juliet-type songs the 20-year-old's audience is used to hearing.

To close the show, Kanye West performed his song in a bright red suit with gold chains. No rapping from him, just singing.Runaway (Live):

The lyrics possibly alluded that he was going to change his ways. He spoke of someone being fed up with his actions and sang about "making a toast" to various groups including "douche bags", among other negative name-callings. Cool, huh?

And that was about all that made the show worth watching.

Tired of not hearing back from Employers?

article by:stacia_doss.
So am I! As I continue to apply for numerous jobs, I often hear not even a peep back from any of the employers for the positions of which I've applied. Hearing nothing at all back is even more of a bummer in an already depressing job search.

I recently found out from a helpful former employer that the follow-up is often beneficial when it comes to hearing back from them. I actually found that advice to be true recently. Although, I wasn't chosen for the position, my follow-up letter yielded a response from the employer. This was actually only my second time sending a follow-up letter. (Both times have resulted with a response.)

I found out why I was not chosen and was given thanks for my application, with some encouraging words as I continue my employment hunt. That's a whole lot more than I had before. Thumbs up for follow-ups!

Here is a helpful way to write a follow-up e-mail that I recently found online (courtesy of David Green).

-Put your full name and the title of the position you've applied for in the subject line.
-Write a professional note that reiterates your qualifications and interest in the job.
-Attach your resume again. (Don't make the recruiter have to dig though old e-mails to look for it.)
-Include your full name in the file name of your resume.
-Don't forget to proofread carefully before you hit "Send"!

I hope it helps you out as much as it helped me!