The 5 W's Uninterrupted

Spreading the message to queer teens being bullied: IT GETS BETTER

2010-10-07T13:09:00.002-05:00

I was really moved by the recent "It Gets Better" video campaign started by Dan Savage to help spread the message to at-risk queer youth that bullying is not okay and that it does get better.

With so may issues like Don't Ask Don't Tell and gay marriage being illegal, we are sending a message to our youth that it isn't okay to be gay. It isn't okay to be gay and be with the person you love; it isn't okay to be gay and serve your country. These ideas are the foundation of "gay bashing" and queer bullying. These are ideas that WE, as Americans, have passed on to our youth - queer and otherwise.

I am so incredibly excited about this campaign and the message it is sending out. This is necessary. These kids NEED to see this; videos of successful queer people sharing their stories and sending out a personal, positive message to everyone watching.

We as queer people need to stand up now for our own rights and for the rights of the kids in America who are growing up in a society that still says this is not okay - that we are not okay.

Stand with me.

On October 16th, location TBA, we will be hosting an event called "It Gets Better - New Orleans." <- please click that link and join our fan page to stay updated.

Spread the word, come out to the event, share your story.

Want to join the street team? Email me @ ohheyitsmegan@gmail.com

Oh, Hey There!

2010-09-18T14:43:00.003-05:00

Life in the fast lane means I haven't blogged in quite a few months. I tried TUMBLR for a while because I thought it would fit better with my A.D.D. lifestyle but I wasn't a fan.

Really, I'm on the fence about whether this should be a place for professional content or personal musings and so for now it will probably be a mix of each.

What's happened since April:

I quit my job at the non-profit and started working for myself for 2 months

I realized that launching a freelance career is complicated and takes time and began searching for a badass supplementary gig

Launch Pad (coolest coworking spot in New Orleans) put out a call for a new Community Manager (40 hour presence/20 hour LP work) and I got it! So now I have a solid gig and am working on building my personal brand and list of independent clients

Leigh and I broke up. No no, it's okay. We are on excellent terms and are both enjoying our newfound personal space and freedom

I went to D.C. for the TEDxOilSpill Conference and the Poynter Institute conference and they both rocked

I went to NYC to visit my amazing friend and up and coming comedian Zach Broussard and met my internet BFF, Lynn Casper IRL for the first time. We came up with a vlog series called "At the Space Bar" where we discuss online communication among the gay community. The vlog was picked up by TheNewGay.net and mentioned on AfterEllen.com!

I moved into the tiniest, most adorable studio apartment and I absolutely love it! Mostly, I'm really excited to be back living in the Irish Channel; I love this neighborhood.

Anyway, those are the highlights:)

Disappointments, failure and why I keep going

2010-04-15T09:44:00.006-05:00

This morning I was talking to my favorite co-worker about life's big disappointments,(yes, we are always rainbows and sunshine in the morning), and the overall ratio of disappointment to triumph as it has occurred in our lives.

The biggest disappointment that I can remember is when I applied for the IRTS (International Radio & Television Society) internship in college. I had big dreams, but hated the city I was in, the restaurant job I worked and the jerk that I was dating. I needed to get out of there. And to a small town girl like me, landing ANYTHING in New York was "making it."

In my mind, that internship would lead to another internship with This American Life immediately following graduation and then that would lead to a successful and lucrative career in Broadcasting, ideally CNN but I would be open-minded about other major news sources. The Mary Tyler Moore theme song played over and over in my mind and I imagined myself standing in the middle of Times Square, tossing my hat in the air promptly upon arrival.

Needless to say, none of that happened. When I received a phone call mid-shift at my restaurant job from the jerk I was dating, saying that the email (they were checking it for me) came and I had not been chosen, I lost it. I regretted even applying and getting my hopes up and I feared this was a signed that I was doomed to small town mediocrity forever. I figured I may as well even quit the upscale restaurant I worked at and put an application in at the Waffle House, just to enhance the level of tragedy. Then, I walked into the walk-in freezer and screamed as loud as I could.

After that, despite my lack of self-confidence, I applied for two more national internships that I also did not get. Shortly afterward, I applied for a local internship at a television station and was hired as a full-time news reporter. Not that it was a super glamorous job, but it was a really great start and I learned a lot.

I took a lot of chances over the past few years. Right now, I'm living in an amazing city that I'm absolutely in love with, with a beautiful girl who I'm absolutely in love with. I'm not rich or famous and I don't have an awesome job (yet), but I'm still putting myself out there and hoping for the best.

After all, whatever it is that you really want, you'll never get it if you don't try, right?

Social Experiment Gone Mean

2010-03-08T16:00:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite online "kill time" things to do is read "missed connections" on craigslist and wonder if the people writing them are actually serious.

Instead of posting a "missed connection," I opted for another category that I thought was even more absurd: "strictly platonic." Because really, why would you use CRAIGSLIST to look for friends when you could just strike up conversation at a concert, book store or ANY type of social event?

I tried to opt for something that was slightly true: using almost my real age and saying I just moved to the city; but I added a few embellishments.

Here's what I ended up with:

"So I just moved to New Orleans and am totally loving it, all except I haven't made any friends yet!
Would love to meet some cool girls to go shopping and have coffee with...
No boys please. Well super cute little gay boys would be okay. Love of shopping is a MUST!
Oh, and similar music taste would be cool too. I LOVE Taylor Swift."

Hilarious right? Why would you write back to that person? Well...these girls did. And it only took a matter of hours:

"Hi im a 20 year old blk female... i saw ur add on cl and i responding im also looking to make friends but i've live here my hole life... umm a few things about i have a 2year old son im and ex dancer and i live in new orleans east... sooo if interested and hang out give me a call or txt 504-XXX-XXXX (amanda) OH YEA I HAVE A MYSPACE WITH PICS ON IT... "

(Yes, she gave me her actual phone number)

Hey girl, my name is Brianna .. I sort of just moved down here too been here since Oct.. I would like to meet some gfs too .. Where did you move here from? Well let me know if you wanna talk more.

(That one actually send a photo of herself. I feel the need to add: "with clothes on.")

I moved here in July and am still working on making friends. I'm a 22/f. Where did you move from?

(And that's the one that made me feel bad.)

But then this most recent one made me feel a lot better:

"lol, if this post is sarcastic, it's fucking perfect. right down to the condescension towards gay guys, boring hobbies, and questionable musical taste. also love the writing style. too bad you're probably serious, we'd have been awesome friends.
good luck anyway, got plenty of girls around here like that. "

So what do you think - funny or not?

The types of phone calls we get at work...

2010-02-09T10:03:00.001-06:00

"Hi. I thought you could help me. I want to come down there and help rebuilding because I know Bush really didnt do anything to help you guys. Unfortunately all I have is my arms and my legs. I know there are organizations that will pay for me to get down there and give me spending money while i am there. can you help me?"

The Laboratory

2010-02-01T14:47:00.003-06:00

This weekend, my girlfriend, our friend Stacey and I got a first hand look at Lafayette, La's most amazing new venue for the creative community.

Picture New Orleans' Launch Pad mixed with Andy Warhol's Factory. The Laboratory is located downtown Lafayette and is a mix of office space for rent (catering towards young, multi-media professionals and web developers), a performance space (which was being used by djs and breakdancers while we were there) a conference room and full kitchen.

I'm really excited to see things like this and Grinder that allow the creative community in Lafayette to come together.

One Week Without a Cell Phone

2010-01-24T18:28:00.002-06:00

After reading "The GOOD (and ReadyMade) Guide to Slowing Down," I decided to actually follow through on some of these practices that seem very in line with my goals for 2010.

"Simplify, Simplify" - Henry David Thoreau

The first article I'm going to start with is called "Eliminate Something." It suggests easy things like not using plastic bags, but I already don't do that so I'm going for something a little more challenging: NO CELL PHONE FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK.

There was a point in my life where I felt that this would be the most stressful and anxiety-filled thing that could ever happen to me, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I think it could end up being a really freeing experience.

So, Starting tomorrow (Monday January 25th), I will be without cell phone. Cell phone use will resume on Monday February 1st.

This means finding creative ways to contact people and planning things in advance.

I'll let you know how it goes:)

reBlog from befitnola.com: Why Did I Quit Smoking?

2010-01-18T11:07:00.001-06:00

My Newest BeFitNola Blog:

You may or may not have already read my previous post: “Some Things are Worth Quitting: Like Smoking,” which talked about how I quit and some of the things that I found particularly helpful.befitnola.com, Why Did I Quit Smoking?

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-10T20:51:00.007-06:00

2010 is going to be on purpose.

Here's my New Year's Resolution Plan (some of it I will fill out as I go):

A. HEALTHY BODY
1. ~~QUIT SMOKING~~
2. Yoga 1 - 2x per week (Sunday 4p.m. and Wednesday 4:30 p.m. @ LIFE YOGA)
3. Run - 3x per week on MWF for 15 minutes before work; 1-2 hour RWHTR @ city park on Sundays
4. Fruit and/or veggie MUST accompany every meal

B. HEALTHY MIND/CONTINUING EDUCATION
1. Reading Yoga theory and how-to books (suggested by yoga instructor Nathalie Croix)
2. Learn a new language (just the basics for now) GERMAN - bc eventually I'm going to make a pilgrimage to the homeland
3. READ:
a. ~~One Hundred Years of Solitude - Marquez~~
b. ~~The Road - McCarthy~~
c. The Making of Americans - Stein
d. Freakonomics - Levitt & Dubner
e. When You are Engulfed in Flames - Sedaris
f. Naked - Sedaris
g. Magical Thinking - Burroughs
h. The Fountainhead Ayn Rand
i. the lathe of heaven - ursula leguin (suggested by Ryan Lane)
j. ~~The Tree of Yoga~~
k. Moving into Stillness
l. ~~Stone Butch Blues~~
4. Lean about SEO

C. FUN
1. Learn how to juggle
2. Learn how to juggle WHILE tap dancing
3. Make 5 new friends
4. Laugh more at things that usually annoy me
5. Spend less time being stressed out and more time having fun

D. PROFESSIONAL GOALS
1. Take the Trumpet Magazine to the next level by raising awareness, expanding distribution and forging partnerships.
2. Spend the first 15-20 minutes of each work day setting goals for that day and getting organized
3. Start preparing for future goals/plans/employment
4. Work as a freelance writer

E. MISCELLANEOUS
1. Grow a mini-urban garden
2. Grow my hair out
3. From @thatspeaker advice: Surround myself with:

POSITIVE PEOPLE
PEOPLE WHO ARE NICE TO OTHERS
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE
HEALTHY CHOICES
GREAT MUSIC
MENTORS

In 2010, I plan to LIVE BIG

Evangelical Brilliance

2009-12-21T19:13:00.004-06:00

Yes, that's right. The Evangelicals are brilliant. What other faith-based group has succeeded in getting so much positive free advertising?

Right now, the gay rights movement in America is stronger than ever. And with almost every religion claiming to be more forgiving and less judgmental than the next, it only makes sense for one of them to step up and welcome gays with open arms.

I would love to shake hands with the marketing team for the Evangelical faith. They really are on a fast road to taking over the religious sector of America.

However, I saw the documentary "Jesus Camp," (a must watch if you haven't already) and I think I'll just stick to my own reliable and nonjudgmental religion: yoga.

Austin is for hipsters and New Orleans is for me

2009-12-09T16:42:00.003-06:00

So we STILL haven't put the video together yet but thanks to everyone who donated to the super epic BFF road trip. I learned a few very important lessons on this trip:

1. I don't like Austin and I don't ever want to live there.

2. New Orleans is, in fact, HOME and I really really love it here.

3. People in Austin are FREAKISHLY tall. Like out of control.

4. I love my girlfriend too much to spend a whole week away from her just for the hell of it.

That said, I'm still so new to New Orleans and there's so much here that I haven't seen/done that it seems silly to take a "vacation." Also, I'm really on the cusp of making actual friends here. Really great ones. I'm pretty excited about that.

Super Epic BFF Road Trip Prep

2009-11-30T10:38:00.003-06:00

Super Epic BFF Road Trip Pre-Planning Pt. 1 from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

Click here if you want to make our trip even better...

Charity Hospital: Win!

2009-11-18T10:33:00.001-06:00

November 17th, 2009 – The Commission on Streamlining Government, by a 7-3 vote, moved to order the first independent evaluation of the proposed LSU/VA medical centers, weighing all possible alternatives with regard to location, size and financing.

The vote is a stunning victory for advocates of Charity Hospital, Lower Mid-City residents and business owners, in addition to healthcare access activists. An independent evaluation of the hospital proposals represents a critical demand of a growing coalition of more than 80 organizations, and over three quarters of registered New Orleans voters in a recent Renwick poll.

The motion, offered by Commission Chair, State Senator Jack Donahue (R - Mandeville), would also require an independent evaluation of the business model guiding LSU's ability to repay the loans it needs to pay for the construction of the proposed Lower Mid-City facility.

The Commission on Streamlining Government is comprised of legislative leaders and other state officials and charged by the Governor and Legislature with eliminating wasteful projects and inefficient state programs. For years, there has been growing concerns regarding the fiscal responsibility of the $1.2 billion proposed LSU medical center. The concerns include the lack of financing for the construction of the project and the effects of federal healthcare reform on the operating costs. These are in addition to the external costs of relocating the medical district outside of downtown New Orleans and expropriating and destroying a recovering neighborhood in Lower Mid-City.

An alternative proposal to gut and rebuild Charity Hospital as a modern 21st-Century state-of-the-art teaching hospital, developed by the architectural firm RMJM Hillier, saves hundreds of millions of dollars and years of construction compared to the LSU proposal to level and build on Lower Mid-City. The current proposals has become a quagmire, attracting four lawsuits, escalating costs, and the return of needed healthcare facilities nowhere in sight.

Someone invite me to something fancy

2009-11-08T14:33:00.004-06:00

So the other day I received an amazing package in the mail - full of awesome clothes from my cousin Andrea in New York. This dress was only one of the fabulous things inside.

Now I just need an excuse to wear this out of the house! Anyone have any ideas?

The Wardrobe Project

2009-10-28T21:26:00.002-05:00

Ever since I saw the movie Clueless, I thought it would be awesome to have all of my clothes/outfits in a nice scrollable viewing window on my computer. That way, when I had no idea what to wear, I could just look at past outfit combinations and pick one that felt right for the day.

For a little over a month, I've been taking pictures of myself before leaving for work in the morning to establish my very own "database of outfits."

Here are the results:

Announcing: Megan and Stelly's Super Epic BFF Road Trip

2009-10-13T22:04:00.015-05:00

Stelly and I are taking an epic b.f.f. road trip starting on December 1st to see Metric in Austin. The trip will be documented by video and updated throughout the trip (so that you can feel like you're there with us)!

YOU can make this trip more fun!

Click the button below and donate $1 or $3 or $5 to a great cause :)

Total Donations So Far: $374.09

My mom is spamming my inbox

2009-10-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

I quit smoking - the dark side

2009-10-07T12:41:00.004-05:00

Around day 15 I'm no longer craving a cigarette, but my anxiety levels are ridiculous. And I'm not using the word ridiculous lightly, either. What I'm about to tell you may cause you to think that I'm a crazy person.

For the past week I have been:
-unable to drive on the interstate because I'm certain that I would crash and die.
-feeling an overwhelming sense of doom every time I get into a vehicle in general.
-eating WAY more than usual. I think maybe football players eat this much but definitely not normal people.
-very uncomfortable in any type of social situation to the point of feeling like I'm having a heart attack.

These are not normal behaviors. And I'm not crazy.

I'm blaming this (currently) on my detox from nicotine.

However, I'm not saying "don't quit smoking."
You should absolutely quit smoking.
But you shouldn't do it cold turkey just because you think you have superman willpower like I do. You might not have exactly the same reaction as I am having but it's never good for your body to go into freak out mode. And that's about all the wisdom I have to share because clearly I'm learning this the hard way.

Day 5 Update #IQuitSmoking

2009-09-25T10:34:00.002-05:00

So it's day 5 of not smoking and I'm happy to report that I feel excellent!
I'm not craving a cigarette (although I did yesterday when I got frustrated and annoyed).

AND I washed my hair this morning and it still smelled delicious when I got to work because I didn't smoke a cigarette on my morning drive. This is great. Seriously.

Other things that have helped:

-Holding Chopsticks (as previously mentioned)
Why it works: It gives you something to do with your hands that you halfway need to concentrate on, especially if you're doing tricks with them. Also, they're fun to hold:)

-Carrots
Why it works: Carrots are a healthy snack that you can eat a lot of without feeling guilty. I'm trying to replace my new chocolate habbit with carrots.

-Granola (the loose kind)
Why it works: Again, healthy snack but also time consuming to eat a lot of so you're feeding not only your body but the oral fixation for a longer period of time.

-Yoga poses
Why it works: Healthy activity puts you into healthy living mode. Healthy living does not involve cigarettes.

-Growling and complaining out loud
Why it works: Go ahead, stomp your feet, scream out loud and growl at your significant other. Then cry and say "All I want, All I need is a freaking CIGARETTE!" Now, doesn't that sound ridiculous and childish? Because it is. Get it out and then get over it.

If you are trying to quit smoking and want moral support, email me at mhargroder@gmail.com or tweet me @heyitsmegan

#IQuitSmoking

2009-09-22T22:17:00.002-05:00

Yes I did.
2 days strong.
Mr. Holly told me to hold chop sticks because it helps. Here's a photo of me holding chopsticks:

That's my gf Leigh in the background. She still doesn't know that I took this photo.
I don't know if the chopsticks are helping me to not smoke, but EATING with them will help me to not get as fat, as there are several things that are very difficult and time consuming to eat with chop sticks. Like rice. and soup.

Message from Erin while I was away from my computer

2009-09-21T11:57:00.001-05:00

Erin: GREAT new french word of the day : "pantouflard/e"...

remember how you used to call people "ma petite pantoufle" (my little bedroom slipper)?...a "pantouflard/e" is a 'homebody'!

love it

Our New Baby!

2009-09-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

I'm an evacuteer

2009-09-07T15:41:00.003-05:00

It's no secret that New Orleans is not only the MURDER CAPITAL, but also a location of fairly regular hurricanes. In the case of a category 3 or higher, there is a mandatory evacuation of the city, and since many people do not have cars here, there is a city-wide assisted evacuation.

Robert Fogharty (who is a very awesome dude) started evacuteer.org to gather and train volunteers from around the city to help others evacuate - right up until the last 12 hours before the storm hits in some instances. As soon as I heard about this I was like "OMFG SIGN ME UP THIS IS AWESOMEZ!"

Not only do I get to help people, but as a wannabe filmmaker, I've got a pass to possibly stay in the city during a hurricane ( I haven't quite worked out how to do this safely yet) and get some very badass footage.

Even though I'm excited about the possibility of this awesome experience, my practical side is starting to ask questions. For example, If I'm working outside at a pick up point for 7 hours at a time, and all of the surrounding businesses are closed (which they will be), then where do I pee? 7 hours is also a long time to carry a backpack, but I will need to have water and snacks on me, and I will definitely need to reapply sunscreen at least once. I know that making this sort of commitment falls into the category of "rouging it," and although I'm not really that type of girl, I REALLY REALLY want to be!

Prank Call

2009-09-02T21:07:00.002-05:00

Leigh's Dad prank called her from her own number:

My run in with NOPD

2009-08-25T21:14:00.003-05:00

At 9:30 p.m. on Sunday I left home for gas and cigarettes. (I really shouldn't be smoking, either but that is totally beside the point). At a red light I notice the cops stopped beside me--staring.

When the light turns green they get behind me and pull me over, so I'm thinking "oh I probably have a brake light out or something." This tatted up lady cop proceeds to tell me that I "ran a few stop signs." Which I absolutely did not. There weren't even a "few" stop signs between my house and where they pulled me over. Then she said I looked suspicious and asked if I had any weapons in the car and then ran my id.

Meanwhile man cop starts banging on my passenger side door, at which point I start to cry because I'm scared (they are notorious for being serious douche bags). So I unlock the door and say "Officer, would you like me to exit the vehicle?" He says no and sits down INSIDE MY CAR and starts asking me questions. 10 minutes later they let me go - not that they had anything they could possibly charge me with anyway.

I'm just wondering how the hell did I look suspicious? Suspiciously adorable maybe...

(note: this post was not written explicitly for this blog. It was copy/pasted from an e-mail I sent to my pen-pal Julie because I was too lazy to retell the story).

Updates from the Murder Capital

2009-08-25T21:07:00.003-05:00

Today I named a new neighborhood in New Orleans.
It's the corner of Simon Boliver and Martin Luther King Boulevard and it's called "HoverRound Central."
For some reason, everyone in the city who owns a HoverRound hangs out in this area - and most are not old like in the commercial. I'm not sure if it is a club or what but all of the HoverRound owners seem to know each other.

UPDATE: Did it:)

2009-08-01T17:26:00.002-05:00

Thinking of bedazzling my face a little

2009-07-28T07:49:00.004-05:00

This is the first job that I do not deal directly with the public. I'm relatively behind the scenes at a New Orleans non-profit and therefore think it's time to do something that other jobs have banned me from in the past: pierce my face! I know, I'm a little old for that now, but better old than never and at least I'm not doing something irreversible.

Anyway, yesterday I asked my boss if it was okay and if there was any "least offensive" piercing she preferred. She told me I could do whatever I want but to think about how I will be perceived by others who may be involved in my future career. I thought about that for a while and sort of decided against it. Then I changed my mind. Then I changed it back. This answer was SO much more effective than saying "no" like previous employers. She's good.

Last night I bedazzled my face with sticky jewels to see what (if anything) would even look good. Here are the results:

French Quarter Pt. 1: The drive there

2009-07-26T20:13:00.004-05:00

Leigh is grouchy and not in the mood for my nonsense (or overwhelmingly regular tendency to be right).
Watch as she becomes increasingly annoyed, and enjoy a rather shaky view of a drive through downtown New Orleans.

Driving to the French Quarter from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

Roaches and Mold - Oh My!

2009-07-23T21:02:00.003-05:00

Two disgusting things you are not supposed to complain about in New Orleans: Roaches and Mold.
They're both everywhere and there's evidently nothing anyone can do about it.

Leigh's fear of roaches is out of control ridiculous. I mean, yes it sucks when you're walking down the street at night and they're scurrying along, over your toes sometimes (I've found that wearing heels makes my feet much less accessible than flat shoes) but it's all part of living here. Sure they can survive a nuclear holocaust, but it's only a roach.

My fear, however, is of mold. This fear was just confirmed in a very big way. I've been noticing a damp, stale smell when I walk by our A/C unit. Leigh has no sense of smell so it doesn't bother her. Tonight I was in handy man mode and decided to take the face off of the unit and look inside. MOLD EVERYWHERE. Oh yes. I did my best to clean it out but ended up inhaling quite a bit.

Not to sound like a hypochondriac (I totally am) but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to die now. Just thought I'd let you know.

I've been wearing this every day

2009-07-14T19:26:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. It's backwards. But doesn't it rock:)

The Personal Ad

2009-07-03T20:37:00.006-05:00

We interrupt your cyber perusing to bring this special update. We enter the scene mid conversation - Lindsey and myself are talking about finding the "ideal" partner...

Lindsey: If only I could find a nice Americanized Indian boy, but one who could still cook yummy authentic Indian food.

Me: Why don't you just take out a personal ad?

Lindsey: ::pauses:: Because that is a quick road to sexual assault, Meg.

Me: good point.

Lindsey: and I don't want to date anyone who would take out a personal ad, and I don't want to date anyone who would date anyone who would have a personal ad.

Scene II:
the evolution of the personal ad.
Once upon a time, personal ads were limited to small blocks of text in the classified section of your daily newspaper. (Or was it just the Sunday paper?)

Anyway, the point is that Facebook and Myspace pages ARE a type of personal advertisement - and almost everyone has at least one. We add photos, cite our favorite movies and music and what we like to do. We allow others to "browse" us. This isn't always done to entice possible romantic relationships, but it is done to establish our presence, putting our best face forward in a way that we hope others will find attractive in some way or another.

Anonymity is still preserved in some forms such as the "Truth Box" on Myspace and the "Honesty Box" on Facebook, allowing us to say things we would never say to that person's face, or even to gauge a reaction for something we really wish we could say but think it is inappropriate or maybe we are just too scared.

Sure, the standard "personal ad" is a bit creepy. Some would even argue the same for matchmaking websites such as eHarmony and Match.com. But take a look at your personal networking sites. How much information is listed? Could some super creepy cyber stalker physically find you if they wanted to, based on your profile and links?

Exactly.

You just got BROWSE'D.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and goodnight!

Green Eggs and Ham Demystified

2009-07-02T09:35:00.002-05:00

2 large eggs + cheese + 1 slice ham (thin) + fresh spinach
all put into "The Magic Bullet" and blended
= Green Eggs and Ham

Celebrating July 1st

2009-07-01T20:05:00.003-05:00

Evidently New Orleans parades are not merely limited to special occasions such as Mardi Gras (unless today is some sort of holiday that I'm unaware of). This video footage was captured around 4:30p.m. on July 1st in my neighborhood.

Mardi Gras? from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

New Orleans so far: Revisited

2009-06-06T08:48:00.005-05:00

Note: this post has been revised/replaced by my column that DID NOT end up running in AntiGravity. Therefore I'm putting it on my own blog.

*clears throat*

I just moved to New Orleans thinking I would be like Mary Tyler Moore. You know, "making it" and all. The thing is, it hasn't happened that way. Not yet, anyway, and there are quite a few things here that I just don't get...

There are trees planted in front of stop signs. I’m busy trying to navigate - I can’t watch the street corners constantly wondering if a stop sign is going to pop up right after the giant tree or shrubbery. I also think it’s excellent how many people bike everywhere for two main reasons: It’s great for the environment and that makes less people I have to compete with for parking spots. However, I just can’t IMAGINE biking around here without literally DYING. This is New Orleans -it’s fucking hot outside! Note: If you are reading this and you ride a bike everywhere, I'm perfectly aware that your response is probably "yeah, well you're just a giant pussy." You don't have to tweet it to me.

Additionally, I’m never really that sure how many lanes there are on a given road. Sometimes the road is three lanes except when cars are parked in the third and sometimes there are two lanes but you can’t really tell because there are no lines on the road and some people just drive smack dab in the middle anyway.

The major lesson I’ve learned about driving here, however, is that green doesn’t necessarily mean go and red doesn’t necessarily mean stop. There evidently aren’t enough officers of the law to regulate driving, but boy will you get a parking ticket in a heartbeat. The “Pay to Park” meters threw me off at first - we don’t have such fancy technology back home in Lafayette (we do have sensors on our traffic lights, though - something New Orleans should look into).

WTF is with the street cars? Do they follow the traffic signals or not? Is everyone supposed to act like the President has suddenly decided to drive down the center of St. Charles and just give automatic right of way? I NEED to understand this trolley etiquette. They didn't teach that in Lafayette driver's education.

And as far as live music goes, I know that there are a lot of awesome shows in New Orleans, and yes, I did sign up with noladiy.com - which is all fine and dandy if you actually have heard of any of these bands. I need something more obvious - like a human pandora TELLING me which shows I should go to. I have been to one show at the Howlin' Wolf since I've been here, but it was actually to see my friends' band: We Landed on the Moon. A native NOLA band opened, though, called blackbelt something or another. I only sort of kinda enjoyed it. The percussion was PHENOMENAL. Best I've seen live - no question. The sound guy was probably on crack and went way overboard with that echo effect shit, and the singer...Let me explain what I think happened prior to the show. The singer didn't show up and the rest of the band still wanted to play. After all, they probably already unloaded all of their heavy equipment, had a few drinks and were officially in crunk mode. So they found some random drunk guy standing (more like wobbling) against the bar and asked if he could sing for them.
"Naahhh dude I can't sing," mumbled the drunk. He then hiccuped.
"Perfect. Get on stage and grab a guitar," they replied.
Or at least that's what it sounded like happened.

I've always considered myself a social butterfly and something of a local D-list celebrity back home, and couldn't wait to make tons of new friends in New Orleans. I've come to realize, though, that you need to have friends to make friends. Think about it. Sure, you can strike up a conversation with some stranger in a coffee shop or bar or whatever, but asking a stranger to hang out with you is just creepy no matter which way you slice it. I know this first hand because it resulted in total awkwardness with one particular girl. I have even spent many afternoons sitting alone at Rue de Course (which I have identified as the place that the cool "indie" kids on magazine hang out) armed with a "smart" book and an iced tea, thinking that surely someone will make the first move. SOMEONE will think I look interesting or perhaps lost and want to talk to me. Nope.

Luckily, there's twitter. It allows me to get to know people (via e-stalking) and then decide if I want to be their friend and then make a judgment on the best way to "hone in" without them realizing how elaborately planned that "hey you like Mates of State? Me too!" would be. Facebook is a thing of the past. I can't properly stalk people if they have to accept my friend request first.

I'm going to blow this Popsicle stand once and for all

2009-05-09T11:12:00.004-05:00

1. I have officially been out of college for an entire year. That said, I'm completely embarrassed to report that I have NOT finished reading "The Making of Americans" by Gertrude Stein. I know.

2. After I have officially (totally unofficially) received the title of "Gay Princess of Lafayette," I am a little sad to say that I will be leaving.

3. Actually, I'm not really at all sad to be leaving this one horse town. I'm going where the long arm of the law doesn't reach, (New Orleans).There are plenty of people that I will miss, but with digital communication these days, they will be at my fingertips anyway.

4. Soon, I will be posting video of me tap dancing on Bourbon Street just to scrape up enough money to buy a sandwich and a bloody mary.

Letterhead

2009-04-05T20:40:00.002-05:00

I have a new office mate at work and her name is Laura and we've been getting to know each other through conversations like this one:

Laura: Hey, where is the letterhead?

Me: Oh, it's stored on the wiki as well as the admin drive but I can just e-mail you the template now...

Laura: No, like PHYSICAL letterhead.

Me: Like on paper?

Laura: Yes.

Me: What?

Laura: You know, like NOT electronic....

Me: Why would you ever need that?

Laura: to send letters...

Me: That's what e-mail is for.

Laura: Yeah, but don't you ever physically mail anything - like thank you notes?

Me: No.

Craigslist = scamorama

2009-03-22T17:46:00.004-05:00

In addition to being a great tool for prostitution, craigslist is also home of the infamous paypal scammers - trying to sell you something or buy something from you by way of putting money into paypal(which is usually not actually paypal, but a private account with a paypal interface) or some other sketchy account.

And they don't even realize when they are busted. This is an e-mail dialogue that happened shortly after I listed my MacBook on craigslist:

"Ric Mills:" Hi Do you still have it for sale

Me: Yes, do you have any questions?

"Ric Mills:" am very glad to hear from you, am puchasing the item for my needs, i will pay you via paypal and i will add you $140 USD FOR THE SHIPPING, so get back to me with your paypal account for the transaction but if you dont have paypal account you can also set up your paypal account through www.paypal.com. Hope to hear that from you ASAP

Me: Where are you located???

A few minutes later, I received two emails from "paypal" saying that money was being held to be transferred to my account once the item had shipped. Kudos to them for making the address even look like Service@paypal.com...

"Rick Mills:" HI MATE THE PAYMENT IS NOW MADE SO GET THE ITEM SHIP TO THIS ADDRESS GET BACK TO ME ASAP

Mr Abayomi Adekunle
9, amororo st sokori, ,
Ogun state
Sagamu
Nigeria
121101

Me: Sorry.
I'm only selling locally.
and I don't have a paypal account so how on earth did you "put" money in it?

"Rick Mills:" hi mate the payment is made so you need to send the item

Me: No, payment has not been made.
I did not agree to sell you this item, I only told you it was still available.
I will not sell to you.
Go away.

"Rick Mills:" but paypal sned you an email so you need to mail paypal @ asha@account.com

Me: I'm reporting you.
Hope that's not your real address, because if so, you're in trouble.

"Rick Mills:" you wont me to call fbi

Me: "Wont?" You mean "want?"
Yes I do.
Tell them about how you are currently being investigated by PayPal.
They're not pleased about your fake e-mails - I just got off the phone with them.
P.S. you don't know shit about the FBI.

Man Plus Building @ Spanish Moon pt. 1

2009-02-15T11:44:00.000-06:00

Man Plus Building @ Spanish Moon from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

4,000 Tenth Graders

2009-01-31T09:41:00.004-06:00

Volunteering with local non-profits is something I would encourage just about everyone to do. I say "just about everyone," because I know there are some people that would do more harm than good in a situation such as talking to 4,000 10th graders in small groups all day about their future careers and the importance of budgeting.

The truth is, 10th graders don't care about budgeting or their future careers because they are still under the impression that this is easy. I decided to do my best anyway, to positively impact the youth of Louisiana through (for lack of better words), a conversation I deemed "boulevard of broken dreams." It went kind of like this.

Girl 1: I want a pet tiger when I grow up.
Me: Well you can't have one.
Girl 1: What? But I'm going to be a surgeon, and I'm not getting married or having kids. I'll be ballin.
Me: No, you WANT to be a surgeon, you THINK now that you won't get married or have kids, and pet tigers are illegal.

Boy 1: I'm going to be a model.
Me: You probably won't. Do you have a backup plan?
Boy 1: Look at this face - I don't need a backup plan!
Me: You better marry a rich woman then. Or man.

Girl 2: (while budgeting for workout cost) I don't need to PAY to jog around my neighborhood.
Me: Where do your running shoes come from then? Even if you have some now, they don't last forever. Shoes, socks, workout clothes - these are all things that will get worn and have to be replaced.
Girl 2: Well Santa will bring all that. This is my scenario.
Me: In THIS scenario, you are an adult. There is no Santa. I'm very sorry.

Overall, I think it was a good experience for everyone. Some of the kids really paid attention and got something out of this. Others at least got a wake-up call.

Helvetica

2008-12-07T18:28:00.002-06:00

So here I am, all proud of the hard work that I have put into making my very own personal website (www.meganhargroder.com). I ask a few people for feedback, A. because I hope I didn't make any gramatical errors or get redundant anywhere, and B. because I want people to tell me how fantastic I am. I NEED people to tell me how fantastic I am every now and then, don't you?

My mistake was asking for feedback from my dad, who NEVER tells me I'm fantastic, and always lets me know that even though whatever I'm doing is "good" or "okay," it could be so much better if only I would follow his plan for me. He thinks that my website looks "too punk" and "not professional."

I'm guessing it's the black background with white text. Oh, and I hear Helvetica is considered quite deviant these days. Maybe it's the photo of myself on the front...which is what I look like...which is not categorized as punk.

I'm sure one day I'll actually do something fantastic...stay tuned.

Really?

2008-11-30T22:32:00.001-06:00

Do I want 14 pancakes or 155?

It's Alive!

2008-11-23T13:39:00.002-06:00

After several months without my darling macbook, I am proud to report that it has finally been resurrected!

The trouble began after several crashes due to my lack of firmware updates; the final resulting in death. I changed out the hard drive - but oh no, it just couldn't be that simple. The internal hard drive reader is also evidently fried beyond repair.

So how can I be running a macbook with a fried hard drive reader, you may ask?

The answer is simple: dialysis.

I removed my new working hard drive, inserted it into an external casing and then attached it to my macbook via USB.

Thank you, biology textbook!

2008-10-07T16:24:00.001-05:00

Mardi Gras Documentary Project (The out-takes) from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

2008-10-02T16:46:00.001-05:00

more music charts

2008-09-25T12:15:00.002-05:00

Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

Gustav from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

Again and again and again

2008-07-26T14:36:00.004-05:00

So I start a new job working at the LITE Center on Monday. I'm a little sad to leave my current job(s), but am positive that this is going to be a good fit for me. Or, in the words of Kyle Jackson:

Kyle: so you just jump ship all the time right?
me: I prefer to call it "moving forward"

Update...

2008-06-27T15:41:00.002-05:00

Currently, I'm working on organizing and promoting ROCK THE VOTE LAFAYETTE!
Here is the promo I edited:

Rock The Vote@Nitetown from ACFM on Vimeo.

Graduating!

2008-05-21T09:53:00.003-05:00

In three days I will be graduating.
That was quick...

Over the past four years, I have learned a lot of valuable skills - but the funny thing is, most of them were not learned in a classroom (except patience...I definitely learned a lot about patience through all of those annoying group projects).

I am EXTREMELY thankful that I had opportunities such as writing for The Vermilion and reporting for Fox 15 so that I could get some "real world" experience under my belt...

Hopefully I'll enjoy this "real world" thing.

The first thing I'm going to do, though, is read "The Making of Americans." Everything else is tentative at this point.

ACFM...up and running!

2008-04-01T10:47:00.004-05:00

The Acadiana Center for Film and Media, a new non-profit organization here in Lafayette, La. has recently opened its doors to the public.

I began working here in January of this year as Marketing Coordinator/Content Producer and the process of getting something like this off the ground has been amazing! Basically, anyone who wants to produce digital content can come in, use our equipment and resources and get feedback from peers.

As busy as it has been, I feel like I'm learning something new every day...which is extremely rewarding.

Below is our "mini-doc" explaining what we're hoping the ACFM will bloom into.

Teen Tech Week @ LPL

2008-02-28T10:20:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday, March 5 I'll be conducting a two-hour workshop on how to create a video public service announcement for the YA dept. at the Lafayette Public Library.

This is my first time working with high school students and I'm simultaneously excited and terrified!

Revival of the blog...

2008-02-24T16:05:00.003-06:00

I just got back from the Southeast Journalism Convention in Oxford, Miss., and it was by far the most informative event I've ever attended. This is mainly because of Paul Conley - the keynote speaker.
He basically told us that we weren't ready for the industry, and then gave very specific suggestions of how to change that. One of those things was to start a blog, so I decided to clean mine out and use it in a moderately more professional way.

Here we go!