No More Snow!

i came home from work on friday and fell asleep on the couch watching Rob & Big. after about 2 hours of snoozing, i wake up and im in a different world. the nice brown, dead grass that covers the front lawn was replaced with shimmering, white powder! i was thanking God, b/c that meant that i didnt have to work the next day, and hopefully the day after that! it didnt even cross my mind that this stuff could stick around until tues, or wed. well, the snow was nice the first few days, it gave me time to catch up on some class work and ideas for projects, but by monday morning the cabin fever had set in, and the cigarettes had run out. i couldnt stand being cooped up in the house, and i was starting to worry about missing school. i was marking down the internship hours i had to make up like a convict etches down the rest of his jail time. i was already up to 9 hours and i really didnt want any more, but when "Randolph Community College closed Tuesday" rolled across the bottom of channel 10, i was ready to scream! missing tuesday bumped me up to 14 hours of make up time, and i can only work 20 hours PER WEEK! oh yeah, did i mention that i cant be short ANY time or i dont get credit for the internship. and i need the internship credit to graduate by the end of the summer! oh, the anxiety! im going to worry myself to a heart attack by the time im 25!

so, i say to you snow, please go away. if you choose to come back and visit, please end your trip by the start of the next work week. i would really appreciate if i had no more delays as i try to finish up this degree and get out into the career world!

Shootin the Breeze

so im sitting here in the marketing office at RCC, where im doing my internship, just waiting on the verdict of one of my designs. its times like these that i sit and flashback to my first year here, and i honestly have no idea how ive come so far. when i started in the advertising and graphic design program i had no idea what i was doing. i sat down in front of a strange computer (i was a pc user, and mac dominates the graphics industry) in a room full of strange people, in a strange town, and i was terrified. but, those feelings quickly subsided thanks to new friends and good teachers, and its funny to think back to the beginning. then, i was struggling through procedures that i could do now in my sleep. however, as much as ive learned in my classes, this internship is quite an eye-opener. back in my first year, we took about 2 months to get 1 project finished, whereas here im pushin out 4-5 projects per week! the pace is much quicker, but it doesnt bother me, or overwhelm me. i dont know why, it probably should considering that i have a history of anxiety and panic disorder, but it doesnt. i quess somewhere between that first poster project, and getting my entire portfolio finished i hour before the big review, ive gotten use to it. the fact that it is the most fun job ive ever done probably has something to do with it too...maybe. all the experiences ive had here have gotten me to where i am today, looking out the window of the marketing office waiting on the verdict. i could either have 5 min. of work to do on it, or 5 HOURS of work to do on it, and only the boss ladies know which. oh no...here they come.

I'm a Newbie. Please be Gentle.

okay, so i've never done this "blog" thing before, but i'm up for the challenge.

um, i guess i'll start with a little intro...

my name is loryn michelle smith. i am 24, and have been going to RCC since 2004. i have a dog named lucy, a brother named casey, and a boyfriend named james, all of which think squeeky toys are fascinating. i am a band nerd, i can play the clarinet, drums, any percussion instrument you can think of, piano, and bass guitar. i also taught drumline at ledford high school for 5 years. i am a little git of a gamer. i love halo, vegas 2, and CANT STOP playing cod4 modern warfare 2. i also like to draw. my mom says i've been drawing since i could hold a pencil, and it's that passion that helped me find graphic design at RCC.

i didnt come to RCC for graphic design. all through middle and high school i wanted to be an interior designer, and RCC has one of the best programs in the state for that field. so i decided that at hour drive to school and back home wasnt too long to get a great education. oh yeah, i live in winston salem, thats why it takes an hour to get to school. anyway, during my first year of general design classes, my teachers saw that i had some drawing skill and started to talk to me about graphic design. i had never heard about an advertising & graphic design degree, and honestly had no idea what kind of work it was. so i figured i would try it out for a semester and see what it was all about. i feel in love with it. and now, here i am, 5 years later, and i'm finally entering the home stretch of my college career. it has been a rough trip, and i came close to giving up more than once, but great friends and teachers at RCC continue to push me everyday so that i can earn my degree and become the first person in my family to graduate college.