Have you seen the new video to welcome students to SUNY Oswego? I think it’s pretty awesome and the company the school worked with did a phenomenal job. I’m in there quite a few times…can you spot me?
About Samantha
Email: sshelton@oswego.edu
Posts by Samantha
The Way to a Man’s Heart
….is through his stomach.
It’s an age-old saying, but it still rings true today. I have yet to meet a guy who can’t be won over with a delicious home-cooked meal, or at least a meal that he enjoys. I’m not sure the home-cooked factor is even an important ingredient in this recipe.
So what’s a girl to do for Valentine’s Day, the holiday of hearts and mushy-gushy romance? Cook, of course!
Dustin is usually the cook in our relationship, which I am eternally grateful for. I have the capabilities of cooking, but I don’t enjoy doing it one bit, especially after a long 12-hour work day. It should also be known that Dustin and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day that much. He’s a guy, so he believes it’s a stupid holiday that was invented by girls, whereas I believe it was a silly holiday invented by Hallmark. As a result, we just make sure we’re hanging out on that day and do something relatively low-key.
Because Dustin is the main cook, I decided it would be a nice change of pace for him if I donned the chef’s hat. So for the entire weekend, I prepared us two delicious meals, then surprised him with a third on Monday.
Friday kicked off my venture to win over Dustin’s heart by cooking up some delicious chicken. Chicken can be bland or extremely tasty, plus it’s cheap. After all, I am still a college student! Also, it’s important to note that I’m training for a half-marathon, so I can’t eat anything too ridiculously unhealthy. So I headed to FITNESS magazine’s website and whipped up this recipe for terragon chicken. There were a few substitutions, but we stuck to the recipe pretty closely and ended up with a delicious thyme (not terragon) chicken with lots o’ veggies on the side.
On Saturday, Dustin pulled out the stops for a date night and took me out to Ruby Tuesday’s, where we had our first date over two years ago. I had the Parmesan Shrimp Pasta and it was so good, I was tempted to lick my bowl clean.
I took over the cooking duties again on Sunday, this time going Mexican with some chicken tacos! I also found this recipe on FITNESS’ website and my, oh, my, was it delicious! First, I seasoned cut up chicken with salt and pepper and let it cook in a tablespoon of canola oil.
Then I tossed in a bunch of tomatoes, white onion, a jalapeno pepper, a clove of garlic, scallions, lime juice and cilantro to season it up quite nicely.
After everything was mixed in together, I portioned the food on small corn tortillas and dug in! The ingredients gave the chicken a perfect amount of spice and the variety of flavors really gave my taste buds a treat. However, the corn tortillas I bought at Price Chopper were not up to par and kept ripping apart, so Dustin and I ended up feasting on this dish without the wraps. Next time we’re going to give it a go with Tostitos chips and make it a taco salad.
Dustin thought that my cooking duties were over by the time actual Valentine’s Day rolled around, but he was happily mistaken. He works late on Monday nights though, so instead of cooking, I made sure he had one of his favorite foods for dinner….pizza! I was able to order a heart-shaped pepperoni pizza from Cam’s to celebrate the day and Dustin was a happy camper.
Like I said, the way to a man’s heart is definitely through his stomach! I’ll tally this Valentine’s Day in the success column!
What fun things did you do for Valentine’s Day?
Busy Bee in NYC
Although I feel more like an actual New Yorker the longer I’m in NYC, I’ve still done a decent job of hitting up tourist locations. Since I can’t share a lot about what I’m doing at work, here’s a sneak peak into my life outside of magazines!
First and foremost, I’m still a fitness guru at heart and it’s always been on my bucket list to go running in Central Park. I’m always so envious whenever I see people in their jogging pants and sneaks, just trucking around the reservoir like they do any other day. I realized that my time here was quickly running out, so I laced up my sneaks and hit the pavement in the cold 35-degree weather, looking just like any other local.
And let me tell you, the views were worth it.
While I wasn’t in NYC for it, I was lucky enough to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra live. My mom and step-dad bought tickets for my three brothers, sister and I for Christmas, so we were all able to experience some awesome musicianship together. The pyrotechnics they used throughout the show covered the price of the ticket alone.
Once I was back in NYC, my boyfriend, Dustin, came to visit, as did my ASME friends and future roommates, Libby and Victoria to celebrate the new year. We made sure to hit up plenty of restaurants along the way, including my favorite Mexican restaurant, La Esquina. If you’re ever in the city, I highly recommend you try it. Insider tip: It’s a big place for celebrity spottings, so you have to reserve two to three weeks in advance.
We also made sure to hit up Tom’s Restaurant, famous for it’s recurring presence in Seinfeld.
I walk by this retro-looking diner every day on my walk home from work as well, so I tested out an Italian meatball sub and french fries at the Metro Diner, too. It was my first time having fries in over six months, but these were delicious!
Dustin and I also ventured around Times Square and took advantage of the M&M factory because he had never been. After we were hopped up on sugar, we played in Toys R Us. I tried to ride the ferris wheel, but you had to pay, plus the line was really long and full of little kids. I settled for a huge lollipop from the Willy Wonka side of the store instead.
And to prove I do super-cool things for my job, I took Dustin to a Harlem Globetrotters game! We were able to go to the VIP party and eat dinner with the players before the game. The Globetrotters worked with us on an article to help make a girl’s dream come true — she always wanted to play with the wacky team, so we made her dreams a reality! Check out a spring issue of FITNESS to read all about it.
What fun things have you done over winter break? Are you ready to head back to school?
Changing Your Life
I was perusing some of my favorite blogs the other day and while I was on She’s a Fit Chick, I read this post about an article that questions where you are in life and where you want to be. Like Jennifer, I decided to answer the questions. This gets a bit long, but hopefully you enjoy it anyway.
1. Where do you want to be in life right now and in the future?
I’m in a really good place in my life, so there isn’t much that I would change. I’m in my senior year at an amazing college, where I’ve met so many fantastic people and learned more than I imagined. I’ve been involved in various organizations that I’m passionate about, started a club that will hopefully continue to grow and help other students who are interested in the magazine industry, and had a fantastic job at the fitness centers where I’ve discovered passions I never knew I had. Not to mention I’ve been lucky enough to live in New York City twice in a year and work at a magazine I absolutely love and 100 percent support.
But that’s only the work and education side. I’m also in a very loving relationship with my boyfriend of practically two years (13 days away) and I’ve never felt more sure of myself than I do when I’m with him. He listens to my worries, basks in my successes and encourages me to keep pushing even though I doubt myself at times and want to give up. He makes me laugh, I never (ok, maybe sometimes) get sick of him and he’s not too shabby on the eyes, either. What else could you ask for in a boyfriend?
I also have fantastic friends that I’ve kept in touch with throughout life and I can’t wait to see these friendships grow. My roommates in Oswego, Kayleigh and Meghan, are phenomenal; I love my good friends from back home and I can’t wait to be reunited with my ASME friends from NYC! I’m so blessed to know this many amazing people.
So yeah, I’m pretty content right now.
But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop moving forward. My college career is ending in four months, which means a new part of my life is beginning. The adult part. The no-relying-on-anyone-else part. The make-it-or-break-it part. I’m moving to NYC with two of my ASME friends, Libby and Victoria, and I couldn’t be more excited. Or scared. I’m nervous about getting a job in the magazine industry. You never know if the timing will play out and in magazine world you can’t start looking for a job until two months before graduation (So if I’m a stress ball the last few months of college, you’ll know why). However, I’ll be positive and hope for the best! This time next year, I want to be living in NYC and working at a magazine I love. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it without living on Spaghetti O’s, too!
2. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t?
I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise. Since I was little, I’ve dreamed of traveling on a huge ship to some exotic and warm location with my friends. I don’t care if it’s with my family, a girls’ getaway, a mix of guys and gals, or a vacation with Dustin — as long as I’m with people who are ready to relax and have fun in the sun! This year, I’m determined to go on a cruise, possibly to the Bahamas, to celebrate my graduation!
3. What’s something you would regret never having done in life?
Applying for the ASME summer internship, hands down. I remember looking at the application, talking with my professor about it and wondering whether or not I should apply because all of the students who were accepted last year were from big-name schools. I mean, I went to a SUNY school — did I really have a shot of getting in? Turns out I did. I had no idea how ASME determined who got in, but I later found out it’s based completely on what you’ve done to get ahead. Nobody cared that I went to a state school. If I had let my fears get the best of me, I never would have gone to NYC and worked at FITNESS, met great people from all over the country and had the best summer of my life.
4. What are you doing to make yourself available to new opportunities?
Networking like a mad woman. I try to meet someone new every day and learn about who they are and what they do in life. I’ve learned not to be shy around new people and just say hi. I’ve been meeting with a lot of different magazine editors as well, just to learn about how they got to where they are. The mag industry is very much about paying it forward, so making that initial contact, and then preserving it, opens a whole new world of opportunity every time.
5. What do you like/dislike about your life?
- I love my friends, family and boyfriend.
- I like that I’m graduating in four months.
- I like that I’m living with two fantastic people in NYC in a few months.
- I like that I’m studying to become a nationally certified personal trainer.
- I dislike that I’m going to be six hours away from my family and best friend.
- I dislike that my college friends and I are going separate ways (except for Tom!)
- I dislike that one of my closest friends and I no longer talk because of what he thinks are irreconcilable differences.
6. What are you doing in your life right now to make it better?
I’m working in my desired career field at a magazine I love, growing a networking organization at Oswego State to help future journalism students, launching an online magazine, meeting amazing people through blogging, and training to run my first half-marathon and complete my first triathlon!
7. Are you comfortable with yourself?
More and more every day. There are things I don’t like about myself, but movements like Operation Beautiful are teaching me that I’m an amazing person despite my flaws.
8. What’s holding you back from what you want in life?
A fear of failing. Which I guess segues into confidence. I’ve been successful at a lot of things because I push myself to the limit and because I’m afraid of what it will be like if I fail at something. I need to learn to forget fear and just go for it. I know life is lived to the fullest when fear isn’t a part of the equation.
What suggestions do you have for fighting fear? I encourage you to answer these questions about yourself and if you blog about it, send it my way!
Back at My Dream Job
I’m nestled into a seat on Megabus, staring out the window as the bus leaves New York City and heads to Albany. I’m on my way home for Christmas and I absolutely can’t wait to see my family, yet I’m always a little sad when I watch the skyline disappear behind me.
I’ve been back in N.Y.C. for a little over a week now and I’ve fallen in love all over again. I’m living in a different area now — this summer I was in the Village, right by Union Square, and now I’m subletting a room from a Columbia student on the Upper West Side — but I’ve found just as many quirks as I did before. There are cute diners, boutiques and a Starbucks on every corner. Since we’re mentioning Starbucks, let me just say I’ve realized how lucky I am that I don’t like coffee — I save so much money!
Anyway, the living arrangements aren’t that bad. Yeah, it’s a little pricey, but everything is pricey in the city. You just have to learn to suck it up and take it as part of the package. I don’t have Internet at my house, which is why the blogs have been few and far between. When I get home from work, I usually head to the gym and then it’s time to go to sleep so I can wake up early for work again. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave me with much time to walk over to Starbucks to snag some free Wi-Fi. I’m sure I’ll do it though!
Just like before, I love everything about working at FITNESS. I received such a warm welcoming, and our editor-in-chief even said it was like I had never left. It makes me happy that I left everyone with such a positive impression, and it drives me to work as hard as I possibly can to maintain that reputation.
I can’t give too many details of what I’ve been doing right now because I can’t let the competition in on our secrets! But I will say that I’ve been doing a lot of researching and writing, so keep your eyes peeled for my byline! Last week was really awesome too because I went to a photo shoot with a celeb personal trainer! Which one? You’ll have to wait and see! I love that I get to meet such awesome people and incorporate so much fitness into my job. You know you’ve found your dream job when it combines two of your passions. Not to mention every day goes by so fast. Even if I happen to be making a lot of photocopies, the day zooms past and I never find it dragging.
Also, make sure you run out and grab the January issue that’s on newsstands now! My picture is in there — can you spot me?
What kind of things do you want in your dream job?
Back to the Concrete Jungle
For those of you who don’t know, this past summer I participated in an internship program through the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), which is a highly competitive 10-week program that selects 24 college juniors from across the country to work at well-known magazine companies in New York City and Washington, D.C. Only 10 percent of those who applied were accepted in 2010.
Did I mention it was paid, too?
That may not seem like a big deal to some, but for those struggling in the journalism field, we know how precious it actually is. Unpaid magazine internships are hard enough to land — paid mag internships? Well, you rarely hear of that these days, especially in such a struggling economy.
So, in the beginning of June I packed my bags and moved into a quaint NYU dorm nestled right in the heart of Greenwich Village. I had the time of my life, met amazing people and got to do the work I love every single day at FITNESS magazine. Life couldn’t get any better.
Then I came back to Oswego for my senior year. This semester has been a struggle, to say the least. I’ve been taking extremely demanding classes (but learning a lot!), working as a public relations student manager and a personal trainer at the fitness centers, blogging here and for my fitness blog, The Pulse, and I launched the Ed2010 chapter at Oswego State.
So what’s on the agenda for winter break? You’d think it would be a lot of relaxation, sleeping in and watching mindless television, right? Wrong. Instead, I’m not giving myself a vacation. Right after my finals are finished Monday, I’m packing my bags once more and heading back to the concrete jungle!
Fortunately, the editors at FITNESS were impressed with my work ethic and the quality of work I presented to them on a daily basis (at least, this is what they told me). I’ve kept in touch with quite a few of them while continuing my studies here in Oswego, and as it got closer to winter break, I asked the Executive Editor, Pam O’Brien, if they would be interested in taking me back on the staff while I’m out of school. She, along with the editors she spoke with about it, said yes right away! It felt really good to be accepted back so quickly because it made me feel as though I really left my mark. So in less than a week, I get to reclaim my old desk and resume working at a magazine I absolutely love.
But that’s not all.
As if it couldn’t get any better, right? Starting in January, I will begin a second job while in NYC. I’ll work for FITNESS three days a week and the remainder of the week I will work for The Association of Magazine Media, formerly known as the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), to assist with their National Magazine Awards. Not to mention I’ll be working alongside one of my good friends, Nina Fortuna, every day I’m there. Once again, it’s a paid position, so both jobs will definitely help me work toward the permanent move to the city in six months.
So keep your eyes peeled for blog posts about all of my activities while I’m back in the city, readers! I’ll be talking about the goings-on at the mag and MPA, and my experiences of living on the Upper West Side. I rented a room from a student who is traveling over break, and will have two other roommates, so I’m sure there will be adventures to share!
Have you ever done a winter internship? What are your plans for this break?
Home is Where the Heart Is
I just got back from Thanksgiving break, and as cliche as it sounds, I must say that I wish break hadn’t flown by so fast. I’ve loved being at school and taking more steps to get me closer to the career I want, but sometimes I just really miss my family. I haven’t been home for more than three weeks all year, so I was grateful that I was able to spend time with a lot of family members over break.
However, I didn’t head straight home for break. Instead, I traveled through Boston, all the way up to Manchester, N.H. My mother’s entire side of the family, all of whom I’m really close with, live around Manchester and I always make a point to visit at least once a year. Thanksgiving break was my time to visit this year. I stayed at my Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave’s house throughout the week, but was lucky enough to see every family member.
Tuesday was just a day of traveling, so I didn’t do much more than hang out around the house. My friend, Kait, was awesome enough to offer me a ride from Oswego to Worcester, which is right outside of Boston. Then her parents became even more amazing and offered to drive me the whole way to Manchester so that I wouldn’t have to take a bus.
Wednesday became the special day between my Aunt Sue and I. Nicknamed her “special girl,” we hit the mall for some shopping, grabbed lunch and margaritas at Shorty’s, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, and went to the movies to see Love and Other Drugs. In case you were wondering, it’s a must-see movie.
I also had breakfast with my Grammy and caught up with my old friend, Nick, after the movie at Applebee’s. I’ve known him since we were little kids, but we often only see each other once a year and talk the rest of the time via Facebook or text messaging, so it was nice to catch up in person again.
Thursday was Thanksgiving! My uncles, aunts, baby cousin Devyn, Grammy and I went to Hart’s Turkey Farm, a restaurant famous for their turkey dinners. It was delicious! I followed my Surviving Thanksgiving Dinner guidelines too and ate rather healthy. Unfortunately, my family then surprised me with a birthday cake (apparently my birthday is a week-long celebration), which totally de-railed any healthy eating habits I had going. Not to mention I wasn’t expecting it at all, so my face turned about 10 shades of red.
I spent Friday with my cousin Joclyn, who shares a special bond with me because she’s exactly 10 years younger than me (Well, her birthday is the day before mine, but it’s close enough). I bought her a “Fight Like A Girl” T-shirt that Colleges Against Cancer was selling this year to benefit the American Cancer Society, and we both had black boots, so she loved the fact that we could dress up as twins for a day.
I headed over to my Aunt Carol’s on Saturday, where I got to have a second round of Thanksgiving dinner with her, her boyfriend Jim, my mom, step-dad, and my little brother, Scott. Once again, I followed my Survive Thanksgiving Dinner tips and ate a delicious yet healthy meal!
We also had family game night, and the girls kicked butt in Catchphrase for three rounds. I also won a round of Apples to Apples, but my Aunt Carol and Jim were able to claim a round, too. Scott put up a valiant effort each time, but was unable to clinch a title like he usually does.
I spent all of Sunday traveling on a bus, which wasn’t fun because my phone decided to call it quits about two minutes after I boarded. Fortunately, I had my boyfriend’s phone number memorized and was able to get to a pay phone so he could pick me up safe and sound. And when I got back to Oswego, the view was definitely worth it.
How was your Thanksgiving break? Did you experience any memorable moments?
Broomball Triggers Competition at Oswego State
“Broomball? Um, what is that?”
That was my initial response three years ago when my new friend, Hannah, asked my roommate, neighbors and I to play in a broomball league throughout a portion of the semester. I had no idea what this game was, nor had I ever heard of it. But did that stop me from playing? Not a chance.
Broomball, she explained in a less efficient manner, is a game similar to ice hockey. There are two teams consisting of six players, including the goaltender. The object of the game is to score more goals than the other team. Sounds simple, right? Well, take off those ice skates and put on sneakers, and instead of a hockey stick, replace it with a “broom.” Oh, and you get a miniature ball (about the size of the balls you use when you play basketball in your room, with the hoop attached to the back of the door) instead of a puck.
Needless to say, I fell in love with the game. We played various teams at around 11 p.m. every week, providing a relief from homework. My friends and I were so psyched about it, we even planned to sign up every year for the rest of our college career. It was freshman year then.
We were intense players freshman year.
It’s senior year now and I played broomball again for the first time last night since freshman year. College got in the way — suddenly my classes were harder, I had to work more hours and homework became more prevalent than gallivanting across the ice. Last night, however, kicked off a fierce competition between the employees at Campus Recreation and Cooper/Glimmerglass Fitness Centers. Although every member of my team (the fitness centers) hadn’t played in the same amount of time as myself or longer, and Campus Rec plays nearly every day, we couldn’t say no when they challenged us. So I put the homework aside for an hour and shuffled onto the ice once more.
After two 20-minute periods of a lot of falling and checking into the boards, Campus Rec added their first tally to the win column with a 5-0 victory. However, they believe that this was a one-time deal. What they don’t realize is that we don’t give up that easily. I have a feeling that I’ll be on the ice much more often this semester, whether I like it or not. My co-workers and boss might get upset if I don’t.
Broomball originated in Canada, but is now played across the world, particularly in the U.S., Australia and Japan. It’s a recreational sport, but play can often get intense. By the end of the game, I was sweating through my face mask and my shirt had subtle sweat stains. Not bad when I was playing in a freezing hockey rink and I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants. It definitely made up for my lack of a workout yesterday; I burned about 476 calories in an hour. So if you ever hear broomball being promoted in your area, don’t be afraid to give it a shot!
Have you ever heard of or played broomball before? What do you think about the sport?
Operation Beautiful Hits Oswego State
Have you ever heard of Operation Beautiful before? Or Fat Talk Free Week? If not, then start paying attention because it’s something you’ll definitely notice around campus from now on.
Operation Beautiful is an international public awareness movement that was founded by Caitlin Boyle. “The mission is to post anonymous notes in public places for other women to find,” she says. Where’s the most common place to find one? The bathroom. Why? Because that’s where girls scrutinize themselves the most. That’s where the mirror is and that’s where women degrade their bodies and beat themselves up over menial “flaws.”
But no more.
This week is Fat Talk Free Week, a nation-wide public awareness movement that encourages girls to stop degrading themselves. Instead, look in the mirror and say something that you love about yourself; something that makes you unique; something that makes you beautiful.
I work at the campus fitness centers as a student manager, so I like to think I’m in a position of power. Now, I understand my notes are supposed to be anonymous, but right now I feel like spreading the word and drumming up strength behind this movement is more important. After all, I’ve already had a few girls join the movement with me and post anonymous notes in the dorm bathrooms!
So, I took advantage of my power position and had the fitness centers participate in Fat Talk Free Week. Now, when you go into either of the girl’s bathrooms, you’ll see some of the things that make the girls at my school amazing.
If you’d like to see more pictures or learn more about what exactly “fat talk” is and how you can stop it, then head on over to The Pulse. You’ll get everything you want there. And if it’s not there, feel free to make a comment and let me know!
Just remember, you are beautiful just the way you are.
Chilean Miner Runs While Trapped
Edison Pena
It was all over the news yesterday – the Chilean miners who had been trapped for 69 days were all rescued! All 33 of them were pulled out safe and sound, which really makes my heart soar. An interesting fact I found out was that one of the miners, Edison Pena, 34, ran three miles underground every day to keep his sanity. Cool, huh? Read my full thoughts about it on The Pulse, and let me know what you think!
What would you do if you were trapped underground?