Heart of Brittan[y] Ritzi

Sometimes I get slapped with lessons in life. I partially blame it on the German blood in me, but there’s something that until things click in my head, nothing anyone else is going to say is going to sink into conviction in my heart unless I feel it on my own. I have to learn my own lessons and tonight I got slapped with one. 

Often in life, we will fight for those we love. We will defend them to no end. It’s virtuous and human to want to keep those you love from hurt or pain, because when they hurt we hurt. Empathy. It’s one of my strengths and weaknesses I have come to find out lately… but that’s a whole different story, back to what I was saying. 

In our culture its seen as virtuous to protect the ones you love, yet sometimes we get a little too caught up trying to protect the ones we love that we eventually hurt them instead. Ironic. 

Life is full of hurts, but its also full of healings. Without hurts, the beauty of restoration wouldn’t exist. When we try to protect others because we don’t want them to experience hurt  or pain its foolish. There will always be pain, if we try to take that all away and protect them from it, we take away their life. 

People are people and their choices in life will define who it is they become. The hurts we may encounter, the pains we may face are none other than a small piece of the puzzle that makes us exactly the person we’re meant to be. 

Without mistakes we will have never gotten anything right, we would never feel the freedom of Grace. Without mistakes we would never learn. Yes, some mistakes are bound to hurt and cause us pain, but maybe we shouldn’t be so afraid of it.

Because, just maybe, those things that we want so badly to protect the ones we love from are the very things that they need to experience so they can see the beauty found in the opposite. 

Well, lets see, I totally failed because I was sitting outside starbucks on campus waiting for time to pass before heading to class when I looked at the clock and when I read 6:15 it hit me… THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING! I rushed over as fast as I could get there, and I literally walked in as Some lady dressed in full blown princess leah costume was up at the mic talking to the council about a Starwars themed party. 

My initial thoughts: this is totally a fake meeting set up for just us… there is no way this is for real. Then the explanation of Princess Leah being a old librarian promoting new summer reading programs made perfect sense… kind of. 

The rest of the meeting was totally dry. I felt like it could have been held by robots reading off a script. I guess not all city council meetings can be exciting, but it was cool to see how everything works. I think it would be interesting to go to a meeting when something controversial arises in a city. I like to think of city council meetings as they are depicted on a favorite old show of mine, Gilmore Girls in which the mayor of the small town would lead a Town meeting and it was filled with nonsense and hilarity, but I suppose real life government could never be that fun. :) 

This week I feel so overwhelmed with school work, and not so much when it comes to my basic classes, but when it comes to my work load for The Poly Post it boggles my mind that the department really only recognizes this as two units. Working for the Post has been more work, time, and effort than I’ve put into any of my other four unit classes. I can’t even attempt to count the amount of hours I’ve spent hunting down people to interview, interviewing, researching stories, and writing the stories themselves. 

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoy the experience, I am grateful for the opportunity to put my journalism emphasis to work and get real hands on learn by doing experience, but boy is it tiring. I just wish that the department would get its act together and recognize the amount of work that goes into each student on the Poly Post staffs weekly schedule. I could see if we were only required one story a week that it could possibly be two units, but two stories a week is a whole lot more time and effort than that put into an average 4 unit lecture class. 

So this week’s post has to be on our experience of writing our last field assignment. I must say, last quarter in Reporting 1 the assignment of a field assignment was much more of a challenge than this quarter. It all comes down to practice I suppose. This quarter I am a writer for the Poly Post and so we are assigned two stores to cover each week. On top of that I have my two field assignments for Reporting two. 

Even in just the transition from the first week of the quarter, attempting to write my first article for the Poly Post, to now, the stress level is way less. my first article was a Saturday night event with a Sunday morning deadline and I was literally up until sunrise writing that article. Now I’ve pretty much got writing on deadline down, or at least I’d like to think. Once all my interviews and research are done, it takes  me a fraction of time of what it used to. 

As far as this field assignment, I covered a local farmers market in my hometown of Corona. I interviewed farmers, venders, and local customers. It was actually a lot of fun. I have driven by the farmers market many times but I had yet to stop, and this gave me a reason to do so. I got to learn about local farmers and small businesses that thrive off our local economy and farmers markets and I learned a lot. I loved the great produce and prices I found there too and I am sure i’ll be back. 

I am currently sitting under a wifi tent at StageCoach country music festival writing this blog. Literally, boots on, jean shorts, a tank top that is covered in the American Flag frayed all along the bottom. 

We got here yesterday and the party has not stopped. Nonstop people blasting music, partying, playing games and getting to know everyone around us. It has been so much fun and the festival hasn’t even officially started yet. Last night we danced the night away at the 105.1 party. 

The first concerts will be starting today and I couldnt be more excited. Some of the line up today consists of Eli Young Band, Brett Eldredge, Alabama, and Jason Aldean! 

Well off to go join the party again! 

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”

I may have mentioned this previously, but that is the 2012 motto my group of girlfriends came up with this year. I absolutely love this phrase. It trumps the common sensical thought that will often hold me back from adventures in life. I’m nearly 24, finishing up my last year in college and I like to think of myself as adventurous, but sometimes I can’t seem to find enough reason to venture out. 

This last week I was hanging out with a group of friends and the topic of Stagecoach, California’s country music festival, came up. We continued to discuss how awesome it would be to go, and how we should all save up and go next year together. Then a thought hit me… I’ve said the phrase “lets go next year” for the last three years in a row.

Ridiculous. 

Then I thought of the open invitation my friend gave me to stay with them on their camp ground they have for this year’s stagecoach and I decided to look up tickets.

“if you do what you’ve always done…” bounced around in my mind and before I knew it I convinced myself to pull money from my savings and purchase tickets I found for $200. 

I made final camping arrangements with my friend and today picked up my wristband and I am so excited! I am kind of shocked at my own spontaneity, but I couldn’t be more excited about my decision.

Now… I have a busy weekend ahead of me in which I need to prep for next weekends festival!  I can’t wait to get my country lovin’ on. :) 

Today is one of those rainy days I absolutely love. I work mostly alone on Fridays. I am in the office all day music blasting and today the sound of rain and roar of thunder kept me entertained. 

I am that Californian that longs for rainy days. It is something about rain that just clears everything else away. It makes for perfect atmosphere to snuggle up and drink a hot cup of coffee or go out be adventurous and play in the rain. 

My favorite way to spend rainy days is going to Disneyland. Ever since I was a young girl I always loved going outside and playing in the rain getting drenched. Growing up my brothers and I used to go outside and jump on the trampoline in the rain or try and build dams in the gutters to stop the rain from going down the drain. haha oh childhood. :) 

Anyways, when I go to disneyland in the rain it gives me an “adult” reason to be outside getting drenched in the rain. And not to mention it is always empty which is awesome. Unfortunately work and homework are keeping me from the happiest place on earth today… but until next time.