Oh no! January is over!? I’m seeing Valentine candies and chocolates everywhere!? Twitterers and Twitterites, you can follow me and my amusing ramblings throughout the day here:? www.twitter.com/wooden_nickels. Thank you for reading.? Think a story is funny?? Tell us.? Want to suggest a question?? Leave a comment.? I’m also taking suggestions for cool locations around LA to tape The Wednesday Vlog.? Know the perfect place?? Leave a comment.

Response of the Day comes from Dani @ “This Class is Hard, Man!” To read the entire post and JamTown’s response, click on “Classes” under Categories on the right.

Oh gosh?I still have painful memories of one of my very last classes of my college career: Honors Seminar for the School of Journalism. The reading we had to do each week surpassed some classes? reading for an entire semester and it put a damper on my desire to not think my second semester of senior year. Our readings spanned from the densest philosophy ever to way-too-lengthy colonial musings on the free press. I tried to go out 2 to 3 times a weekend that semester and would literally be forced to stuff my reading into my purse to get everything done. I would read in the cab rides to clubs. I?d break it out for a bathroom break every now and then. If we were at a bar, I?d whip it out then, too, because the lighting was generally decent. I even pulled an all-nighter in my friend?s apartment ON A SATURDAY after getting back from Hollywood just to finish some Plato. Both amusing and horrifying, but in hindsight more of the former.

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In Wooden Nickels: CG gets caught red-handed by the “law of the land.”

• College Survivors: Did you ever get in trouble or almost get in trouble with the college police, city police, or college administrators?

JamTown’s Response:

I was walking to campus and crossing the driveway of a fairly small shopping area known as University Village.? There is a walking signal at this intersection, but there’s not alot of traffic usually, so most students would just walk across the driveway and keep it moving.? So right after I walk across the driveway, where no cars are coming, this USC cop (college police) on a bike rolls up alongside me and says in a syrupy voice with a smug smile, “Now you tell me why I shouldn’t give you a ticket right now.”? My initial reaction was, “Is this wack cop really stopping me over walking across this raggedy driveway?? Someone right down the street is probably getting mugged right now.”? My following reaction was, “Is this fool hitting on me?? Someone right down the street is probably getting mugged right now.”

I was startled and angry, but I had to pull it together and pull out my acting skills.? “Because I’m a good person and you’re a good person too,” I said … batting my eyelashes and smiling.? He said, “There was a walking signal there.? You know you’re not supposed to walk when it’s red.”? I said, “Yes, I know.? Sorry about that.? I normally don’t do that.”? More batting of the eyelashes.? In my mind, I’m thinking, “Someone’s laptop is getting stolen right now while you’re talking about nothing to me.”? He said, “Okay, I’ll let you off this time.? Okay?”? I said, “Okay.? Thank you so much!”? He pedals away.? I wanted to knock him off his bike.? I was really mad about having to be all girly and stuff, but I really didn’t have the money to pay a jaywalking ticket either.? And the LAPD hands out those tickets like free candy around the USC campus.

So what’s your story?

Subscribe!? Share!? Comment!? Have a great weekend!

JamTown

Hey Friends,

Is it Thursday already?? Gosh!? Yesterday was vlog day.? If you missed it, just click on “The Wednesday Vlog” under Categories on the right.

Response of the Day comes from SeeHanda @”Freshman Orientation.” To read the entire post, click on “Starting College” in Categories on the right.

My freshman orientation was interesting, to say the least. It was a three day shindig where we moved into the dorms the first day, followed by two days at a camping retreat out in the middle of nowhere in Texas. The very first day, after I had moved all of my things into my room, I went out to the lobby of the dorm and sat down next to a group of girls I had never met before?you know, trying to be friendly and what not. Anyway, out of nowhere, to my right side comes this cute, perky little Indian girl with braces and a pixie hair cut who plops down beside me with a huge smile saying ?Hello!!?. I thought she was mad weird. Needless to say, her name was Priya, and she is currently still one of my best friends in the entire world!

So we all piled onto a bus, and drove to some unidentified campsite somewhere outside of Houston, all the while singing various Jesus oriented tunes! Did I mention that it was a Baptist university? Yes, Houston Baptist Univ. to be precise. So, we arrived at the campsite, where over the next two days, we would be subjected to inspirational speeches such as ?Carpe Diem? and being ?Spiritually well rounded? and what not, and forced to engage in such activities as, passing around a spirit stick, learning the school song, and square dancing. It wasn?t all bad, mind you. We did have a lot of free time to ride paddle boats, slide down a giant water slide (yes, the camp had a waterslide!), and, overall, have a grand old time making new friends.

Essentially, the entire orientation was pretty much to get us to drink the kool aid, and think that everything is cool, and that your future professors (who were there, btw) aren?t currently judging you because you have dyed red hair, rainbow nail polish, and immediately choose to hang out with the 1 Goth, the smokers, the 2 obviously gay guys, and other various ?heathens? of the freshman class. Haha!?memories?

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In Wooden Nickels: CG has the opportunity to study abroad.

• College Survivors: Did you study abroad?? What was it like?? Did you want to study abroad?
• College Dreamers: Do you plan on studying abroad in college?

JamTown’s Response:

I really wanted to study abroad.? I love to travel, learn about other cultures, and see historical sites.? However, I did not study abroad in college.? I chose not to.?? I was pretty sure that if I did, I would have to graduate in more than four years.? The cinema school requirements are pretty strict, and I didn’t want to have to deal with whatever might have come from missing a prerequisite for another class or having to reschedule, etc, etc.? I guess I could have tried to do it over the summer, but I wanted to be in LA getting job experience as an intern.? I had friends who studied abroad though, and I was slightly jealous of their adventures.? But I figured that I would be able to travel the world as a result of my future career.? And I am truly excited about that.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

It’s Vlog Day and I’m taking you to the snow-capped mountains of Twin Peaks near Lake Arrowhead, California.? Today we’re talking about the hot topic of summer flings.? Take a look:

So what’s your story?

*Shoutout to my new YouTube subscribers!!: Juiceegirl08, enduringchampALO, rmichaelthomas, shyjai, and wannabestar001.? Click Here for Wooden Nickels – The Movie Vlog on YouTube.

JamTown

Response of the Day comes from Laura @ “All-Nighters”: Click on “Classes” under Categories to read the entire post.

HA! Well Jam, I?m one of those people? I could NEVER write a paper before 2am. I would try, really I would, but I just couldn?t make it happen. Once I was at my laptop for 3 hours – with nothing? and then the clock turned 2:00am and I was off like a race horse.

I remember my neighbor and I had the same horribly boring GE-required class about heroes in literature. I could hardly stay awake in class and spent most of it writing love notes to my then-boyfriend (now-husband). When it came time to write the papers, she would review the literature carefully, and then write several drafts the week before it was due and have the professor review them before writing a final draft to submit. She?d usually get low B?s (which was pretty good for this professor, he was a hard-@ss). I?d write mine the night before (technically, the morning of) when they were due, and very rarely actually read the book in question? and I?d get A?s. It totally wasn?t fair.

I think the teacher really appreaciated ?new takes? on the subject matter, so when I?d come out of left field with an idea that wasn?t discussed in class or wasn?t really obvious from the book (having not paid attention in class, nor read the material, this was easy to do), I guess he took that to be really original and forward-thinking. HA! I?m not complaining.

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In Wooden Nickels: CG has a friend who proclaims to be a ladies’ man, but actually doesn’t get any play at all.

• College Survivors: Did you know of a person like this in college?? Did they actually live up to their tales?? Better yet, were you this person in college?
• College Dreamers: Can you imagine any of your friends being this character in college?

JamTown’s Response:

Ha!? Boy did I know plenty of these characters.? Alot of them were frat brothers.? For many of these cats, once they joined a fraternity, it was supposed to immediately make them the finest men on campus.? Laughable and Ludicrous, I say.? Now some of these guys actually were ladies’ men, and rightfully so…I mean, they had the look and the swagger, so girls would flock to them all the time.? But if I knew a guy who was just a nerdy, awkward, goofy dude on campus and then he joined a fraternity and acted like he was God’s gift to women?? Please…he can take that tired act back to the Land of the Scrubs where he came from.

I did know one guy who got a lot of play from older women…older church women, in fact.? He would share stories with me that would have me rolling.? He was dealing with some women who were quite aggressive.? They knew exactly what they wanted, if you know what I mean.? I’m not trying to give church women a bad rep, but um….some of them leave Jesus at church on Sundays and lose their minds during the week.

So what’s your story?

Tomorrow is vlog day!

JamTown

It’s Monday again.? Back to work.? (Although, my work day is not restricted to the regular 9-5/5-day work week and hasn’t been that way for some time).? We’ve been sharing college stories for almost a month.? I can’t believe it.? And while alot of you are reading…a whole lot of you actually (exciting!!!), I know more of you have stories to share.? I know…I know.? You just want to read.? OR you may say that you don’t have a story for that question.? But come on…that’s a bunch of malarky!!? Drop me a line.? Let me know you’ve been reading.? Give a shout out to your school.? Suggest a question and yours may be selected for our question of the day!

And just know that “college” is not only limited to undergraduate education…post graduate education-business school, law school, med school, doctoral school…all included.? So go ahead…share your stories.? You can even share on old posts.? Feel free to peruse the stories under “Categories” on the right.? And maybe YOU could be selected for Response of the Day.? In other news, we have more than 100 views on our first Wednesday Vlog over at Youtube in less than a week!? Make sure you tune in this Wednesday.? I’ll be taking you to the snowy mountains of California.

Response of the Day comes from Tyra @ “Dressed to the Nines”.? This is the third time she’s been picked for Response of the Day. But what can I say?? She’s funny.

Fashion Sense? I don’t think I had one in college. My high school was a private, all-girls institution that required everyone to be in uniform. Yes, even the nuns had a uniform . I wasn’t accustomed to having to pick out an outfit everyday. It was way too overwhelming so I stuck to scrub pants/ratty jeans and t-shirts. I was always comfortable (a plus) and was often mistaken for a pre-med student (a double plus). This was fine for me, but often put me at odds with the “Club Calculus” “Club Chemistry” girls JamTown described. They made fun of my lack of effort and I made fun of their twisted ankles from wearing heels all day. My mother was horrified to know I was going out in public like that, but it’s hard to make me feel guilty over the phone.

Also, I found that starting people off with low expectations means that I can “WOW” them when I do decide to dress-up and apply makeup. It’s a lot better than the alternative “Oh?” that comes when you’re late for class and don’t have time for your normal 45 minute morning primp. That said, I’ve moved on from the scrubs. Corporate America won’t allow it and I do enjoy looking nice every now and then.

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In Wooden Nickels: CG goes to college with the goal to remake himself.

• College Survivors: What were your initial hopes and goals as you entered college?
• College Dreamers: What are your goals for college?

JamTown’s Response:
When I entered college, I don’t think I had it all mapped out.? I was ready to meet new people, learn more about the film and television industry, and explore a new city.? I did not have a goal of shedding all parts of my former self or losing my mind and going buckwild as some of my friends did.? I did not see it as an opportunity to do everything that my parents had banned during my childhood.? I didn’t have a minimum GPA to achieve each semester.? In my mind, I stressed over grades in high school to get into a good college and to get scholarships to pay for it.? And it worked.? But I didn’t intend on putting that kind of pressure on myself for the next four years.? I didn’t see it as a chance to find a husband and get my MRS degree, as they call it.? It was really just a new chapter in my life and I was interested to see where this new adventure would take me.? I had always heard that your college years are some the best years of your life and I think I just wanted to enjoy myself.? And I can honestly say I did plenty of that.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

TGIF!? Response of the Day comes from Kasey @ “Cafeteria Woes.” Click on the “Campus Life” category to check out the entire post.

I don?t like to tell people the name of the first college I attended. It is somewhat historical, but oh so small and dilapidated. The college had a grungy hole-in-the-wall type of cafeteria that served an over-abundance of starches. I love starches, so this made me pretty happy? fat, but happy. They served a pretty amazing breakfast on Saturday mornings. There was a waffle bar that consisted of a bowl of waffle mix and a waffle iron. Yes ? you made your own waffles at this joint! But if you watched it just right, they were amazing!

And don?t get me started on the biscuits; they were great, but sometimes they would be out of jelly, so I would have to improvise. Now, brace yourself, cuz this is gonna sound really fat, but? I would cut a biscuit open horizontally? douse it with butter? and sprinkle sugar on top. I called them ?Suga Butta Biscuits?! They were a huge success! = – )

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In Wooden Nickels: CG and the rest of the students rely on the “Roach Coach,” a restaurant on wheels, if they’re hungry late at night.

• College Survivors: Where did you go/what did you do when you were hungry late at night?
• College Dreamers: Have you ever been hungry extremely late at night?? Do you think you’ll be eating in the wee hours in college?

JamTown’s Response:

There were quite a few options for late night eating at USC.? There was Trojan Grounds which closed at midnight.? A huge group of us would always trek over there to “flex out” every night.? According to our “Flex”(ible) meal plan, our allotted meal dollars would expire daily so we’d go to this small convenient store and stock up on snacks, drinks, etc.? Someone would always yell, “Don’t flex out without me!”? Fun times.? Also, there were plenty of late night eats surrounding the campus in walking/biking distance: a 24-hr Subway, a 24-hr Dennys, a 24-hr Spudnuts, 7-11, Chanos (a savior of partying people…if you know what I mean), Starbucks, Ralphs grocery store, etc.? Then, if you lived in an apartment, you could just roll out of bed and fix something to eat in a jiffy.? I did that alot too.? All that late night eating though does add to the Freshman 15…hmmm….just a thought.

So what’s your story?

*Don’t forget to check out our new Wednesday Vlog.? Spread the word!? Share your stories!? Have a great weekend!

JamTown

Hey Friends!

Response of the Day is from Nikk-Rox @ “Vlog Day! – More Roommate Stories”

ohhh boy?Roommates..let?s see?Freshman year @ Hampton? being an Architecture major in college, and in an HBCU band, i didnt spend much time in my room..but luckily for my roommate, he rarely spent time in there alone!..because he was pretty popular?w/ the women? i think he was Mr. Freshman now that i think back.. so yeah, not to mention we had a dorm director that was ?cool? and ?hip?.. who let him sneak girls in all the time.. the funny thing is, once my roommate settled down and found a girlfriend, she was in there all the time..so our 10 foot square tiny box of a dorm room had 3 people livin? in there many times..haha? Of course it?s all fun ?n games until you come home tired from the Architecture labs at 3am and walk in on your 2 roommates..well..you know??.yeah?i think i went blind momentarily, after turning around as fast as possible?..and i also slept on the couch in the dorm hall that night..haha

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In Wooden Nickels: CG has to focus more than ever when taking a public speaking class.

• College Survivors: What was your most challenging class?
• College Dreamers What is your hardest class now that you think may carry on into college?

JamTown’s Response:

My most challenging class…hmmm…I’ll have to say it was the first class that I made movies or short films in my sophomore year.? CTPR 290.? I can’t remember the title of the class, but all film majors take it from all three divisions: Film & Video Production (my division), Screenwriting, and Critical Studies.? The class had a fairly simple concept.? Make 5 shorts around 5 minutes or so about whatever you want.? No sync-dialogue.? We had to individually direct, write, and edit them.? And we would screen them in class and get comments all around.? I was overwhelmed by the fact that these were my first films I was making in film school.? So much so that fear gripped me with every one of the five projects I had to do.? Instead of embracing the freedom they gave us to do whatever we wanted, I sweated and slaved over just getting an idea for hours and days.? I would be mentally exhausted and frightened by the outcome of my films and how they would be received.? The films turned out alright…some better than I expected.? In hindsight, I think I needed to go through that anxiety on a smaller scale so I could be prepared for where I am today.? But I do wonder from time to time what kind of first short films I would have made if I hadn’t been so uptight.

So what’s your story?

*Don’t forget to check out our new Wednesday Vlog.

JamTown

Happy Hump Day!

As promised, I have the very first vlog for Wooden Nickels – The Movie. To my current subscribers, it’s a throwback to our very first post (found under the “Dorm Living” category), but I know you have more than just one roommate story.? To my new friends from YouTube, scroll down and share your story in the comments section for this post.? Check our very first vlog below:

So what’s your story?

Every Wednesday, the blog will be in video form over at our new YouTube Channel.? Click Here for Wooden Nickels – The Movie Vlog on YouTube. Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, a new (non-video) question will be posted on this website.? So to stay in the mix with Wooden Nickels and more entertaining college stories, subscribe to the blog and subscribe to our vlog on YouTube.? Feel free to scroll down and read the other posts about college life.? Share your stories, Give your school a shout out, and Spread the word!

JamTown

Happy Tuesday!? In lieu of a Response of the Day, I am watching the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States – Barack Obama.? Here’s today’s question.

In Wooden Nickels: CG has the internship of a lifetime.

• College Survivors: What was your best internship?? Or what was your worst?
• College Dreamers: What kind of internship(s) do you want in college?

JamTown’s Response:
My best internship was at ABC Studios where I interned for the television show, “Threat Matrix.”? I worked in the the Writer’s Office, which housed the show’s team of writers and the producers.? One of the coolest aspects of the job was that it was located on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.? I got my official ID badge that I had to show at the gate entrance and I was able to walk freely around the lot and eat lunch at the commissary (cafeteria).? (I also remember randomly running into Raven Symone…haha).? It was a great internship because the Writer’s Office was small and I was able to observe alot of the goings-on of a new network television show.? The writers, producers, and their assistants were so warm and helpful to me.? I didn’t get that “Hollywoodish” vibe at all.

I became an intern the summer before the show started airing on ABC.? The show was about homeland security and I assisted the producers in research for the episodes.? I also did coverage for the books in the show’s small library and answered phones for the office.? I learned about the world of television writers….That it is not just one writer who is responsible for our favorite TV shows, but a team of 8-10 talented writers who work tirelessly to create the words that you hear.? One of the major things I learned is that television is a writer’s medium, while film is a director’s medium.? In essence, I’m talking about the hierarchy of power.? In television, writers and producers get all the glory and in film, directors get all the glory.? In addition, I learned that television producers also write episodes, while most film producers are not writers.? These are among the many things I learned that summer and it opened my eyes to all the opportunities that the television industry can bring.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Happy Martin Luther King Day! What a great day and time to remember such an amazing man.? Whether you had to work today or not, I hope you take some time to reflect on a visionary who changed our country and our world.? In lieu of a Response of the Day, I have below an excerpt from the last section of his most popular speech.? Please click on the link to read the speech in its entirety.? It is truly an inspiring work of art.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Read whole speech here

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In Wooden Nickels: CG’s major wasn’t all that he thought it would be.

• College Survivors Did you like your major?? Did it live up to your expectations?
• College Dreamers: What do you want to major in?

JamTown’s Response:

I majored in Cinema-Television with an emphasis in Film and Video Production at the University of Southern California.? The school provides so many opportunities to get an in-depth overview of all aspects of film and video production from sound, production design, and film scoring to editing, directing, and film history.? I think my major lived up to my expectations for the most part.? We had so many opportunities to meet and hear a range of working professionals from Oscar-winning directors, sound designers, actors, and more.? We had access to amazing facilities, professors, and an extensive alumni network.? The classes were small (except for critical studies/film history classes) and I definitely wasn’t lost in the shuffle.? I learned so much not only about creativity, but time management, effectively leading a crew, and operating under tremendous pressure.? I made friends with so many people who are successfully working in the industry now in commercials, music videos, television, and film.

But one thing that is not a strong aspect of the program is that all production students don’t graduate with a film that is in color and has sync dialogue.? This basically means that all graduates don’t leave USC with a colored film where the actors are talking.? I think that’s kind of ridiculous seeing that we’re in film school and most films have talking actors.? Students do get the opportunity to make these kinds of short films but it’s competition-based and only four students each semester get this privilege.? That is something that seems extremely backwards and questionable to me.? I don’t think they should do away with the competition, but I do think that having a 16mm colored sync dialogue film should be part of the required curriculum for every student.? Otherwise, as a graduate, you have nothing to show that mimics the real world products of the film industry.? And I know for a fact that the film students at Chapman University have ample opportunity to make the kinds of films I’m talking about.? I greatly enjoyed the film school (if you wanna go, APPLY APPLY!!!), but that was one of the major things I thought was missing….and still is, if they haven’t changed the program.

So what’s your story?

For all who want to subscribe, enter your email address in the box in the left column before clicking the button “subscribe to email”.? I will make the process more clear by tomorrow.? Thank you for reading and sharing!

JamTown