Happy Friday!? We made it!? Take this weekend to relax and to catch up on The Wednesday Vlog.? Spread the word.? See you on the flip side!

In Wooden Nickels: CG tries to the ignore the reeling effects of the rumor mill at his college.

• College Survivors: Did college gossip ever make your life a living hell?

JamTown’s Response:

We all know that you can’t escape gossip.? It’s everywhere.? At work, in school, in the church, on the internet…? There is even a highly successful television show called Gossip Girl.??? I can’t remember a time in college where a rumor completely turned my life upside down.? I can’t even think of one that made me want to hide out from the crowd and become a hermit for an extended period of time.? But there was this general rumor that circulated through the student body all four years about me and a friend having a secret relationship, but it’s FALSE, I tell you.? It’s always been false!

Anyway, I did know some rumors that were horrible….completely horrible. ? And I’ve gossiped too.? But I was fortunately able to escape its brutal claws.? Thank goodness for that.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Response of the Day comes from Nikk-Rox @ “College Vlog #6: Passport Stamps.” You can watch my response under “The Wednesday Vlog” category on the right.

Study abroad!?.let?s see.. three? yeah. Three years ago me and my Architecture studio got a chance to study in Brazil for a couple weeks..it was a pretty inspirational trip architecturally?.it was also very humbling to see the stark contrast of rich and poor living right next to each other, everywhere you look? kids in the street flocking to us b/c we definitely looked American, lol?but interestingly enough, many of the Brazilians had never encountered the concept of African + American?Race is seen in a different light there?

k long story short.. we enjoyed 2 weeks, 5 cities, beautiful scenery,..then get to the airport ready to leave? and i realize my passport has been lost/stolen..(im still sticking with stolen)?and the whole class flies back to USA w/ out ME?.haha? so my professor and I stay behind, share a hotel room, and make a nice little visit to the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro..once again, it’s “all fun and games” until your old professor decides to come out of the shower room in his tighty whities?(im thinkin? Lord what have i done to deserve this?) lol ? but i made it back!

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In Wooden Nickels: Some male students come on really strong when trying to hit on a female student.

• College Survivors: Did you experience aggressive guys/girls hitting on you in college?? Or were you the aggressor?

JamTown’s Response:

I did experience this several times.? Besides the general catcalling and public degrading, one experience in particular was a guy that was a friend of a friend who I had recently met.? We chatted it up for a while and I thought he was a cool person…but I had no romantic interest in him…not even an inkling.? He happened to also live in my apartment building and would drop by unannounced to see what I was up to.? When he wasn’t doing that, he would call me to see how my day went.? Now I didn’t think too much of this because we were friends, right?? WRONG.

Our mutual friend told me that this particular guy had been giving him glowing reports about me…about the type of woman I was…a type that a man would want to marry…and more things that I won’t discuss here.? I was shocked beyond belief and it totally freaked me out.? I guess you would call his approach passive-aggressive, but I soon after bowed out of that friendship.? I did not want to continue playing a part in that fantasy.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Going into our sixth week of vlogging!? Enjoy!

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Hi Friends!

Tomorrow is vlog day!? These days seem to be flying by faster and faster from week to week.? What is that about?

If you’re a new reader on the site, welcome!? Please leave a comment.? Say hi and give your school a shout out.? You don’t even have to leave a story.? I want to know where my readers on the site are coming from.

Response of the Day comes from Stephanie @ “Running Late.” You can watch my response and the response of my college survivor guest under “The Wednesday Vlog” category.

I had one 10 am Strength of Materials class that I was habitually late too. Instead of punishing me, my professor greeted me every morning with ?Better late than never? in a middle eastern accent.

But one day I was late when we received our tests back and he had already handed them back to everyone. When I walked in he shuffled through the papers looking for my test. It took him a minute that to realize that mine was the one he was using to go over the answers with the class.

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In Wooden Nickels: CG thought he had a clear idea of his career when he entered college.? But that soon changed.

• College Survivors: Did you know your exact career path when you entered college?? Did it change over the years?
• College Dreamers: Do you know exactly what you want to do post-college? Or will you use your college years to figure that out?

JamTown’s Response:

When I entered college, I was sure about what I wanted to study, but I wasn’t sure about what my career path would be post-college.? I figured the four years matriculating through USC’s film school would inform me of what I was good at, what I was excited about, and how to prepare for that future career.

I did gain a new interest while in college, a subject I eventually chose as a minor.? Advertising had always interested me.? I was intrigued by a brand’s capability to gain a loyal following, to get a target audience excited about it, and to have longevity.? I also assumed that if I had a solid understanding of how brands were able to do this, I could possibly know how to write and market my movies better…without sacrificing my voice and perspective as a filmmaker.

So what’s? your story?

JamTown

I may have a case of the Mondays…

For all those who are subscribing, please make sure you delete everything in the box before entering your email address.? And the free subscription is a 2-step process. You will receive an email from confirmations@enfuego.com asking you to confirm your email address.? You will not begin receiving updates until you do this. The email may go to your junk mail, so check there too.? If you know you signed up and haven’t started receiving your emails, drop me a line at jamtown@woodennickelsmovie.com.? Remember, I post a college story every weekday.? I don’t want you to miss out!

Response of the Day comes from another high schooler – Supersta @ “Party All the Time.” Find the post and my response under the? “Campus Life” category:

I am currently finishing my senior year and everyone is overwhelming me with advice about the college experience. The main topic of discussion that rolls off the tongue of my peers is the college parties. I throw a couple of those mp3, laptop kind of gigs on the regular. And my family has functions at the house ALL THE TIME! However, when it comes to my upcoming college experience, I plan to enjoy myself.

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In Wooden Nickels: Keeping a dorm room clean is a challenge.

• College Survivors: Were you a stickler for cleanliness in college?? Did you have to deal with messy roommates?
• College Dreamers: Will you be able to keep your living space clean in college?

JamTown’s Response:

I kept my apartments clean for the most part in college.? It never got extremely messy.? There were the normal books stacked on the kitchen table, which one roommate would eventually move to my desk.? Or clothes piled up when I would get busy.? Or dealing with kitchen duty.? But the different people I lived with all four? years were generally clean people.? I never had to deal with horrendous cleaning habits…thank goodness!

However, I did hear about (and witness) alot of girls from wealthy families whose rooms were just ridiculously filthy.? Now the excuse for alot of these girls was that when they were growing up, they were used to having a maid clean their rooms.? So they couldn’t possibly know how to clean their rooms on their own.? I was completely floored.? What do you say to that?? You can’t say much.? I’ll tell you that.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

TGIF!? Wow peeps.? Within one day, the vlog channel has increased by over 100 views!? Those of you who are on social networks can spread the word by posting the YouTube link for The Wednesday Vlog on your profile pages.? You’ll notice a “Share This” link at the end of every post that will make it easy for you to do this.

In lieu of a Response of the Day, take the time today to tell 5 friends about this site!? Tell them to subscribe and share their stories!!

In Wooden Nickels: CG goes to a dance party.

• College Survivors: Were you a regular partygoer in college?? What were the parties like?
• College Dreamers: Are you looking forward to the college parties?? Do you think that they will become a distraction?

JamTown’s Response:

I was a partygoer in college, but not a party animal.? There is a clear difference.? I had friends who would religiously drive to a club in a nearby city every Thursday.? I thought they were completely out of their minds.? They thought they were just living the college life.? This ritual somehow didn’t affect their grades.? They were consistently on the Dean’s List and got several job offers from top corporations their senior year.? I didn’t trust myself enough to adopt that strategy.? So the extent of my participation was watching the madness of them getting ready every week.

Over the years, I went to several house parties, usually put on by friends.? Imagine this: Music blaring from a stereo, but usually rigged from someone’s laptop or mp3 player.? And alot of people dancing in what felt like a hot box.? Not too complicated.? I enjoyed these parties the most because I was able to have a great time with a crew of people that I knew and loved.? And my friends in college knew how to party.? We would party long and hard, taking no prisoners.

Then there were the parties on “The Row.”? This was the extremely popular two block location of the Greek mansions for the on-campus fraternities and sororities.? There was partying going on almost every day of the week, but they really started getting down on Thursdays…Some weeks, they started on Tuesday or Wednesday.? The sororities never had parties, but the fraternities threw parties like it was their life’s mission to do so.? Those parties always had hundreds of students who were super duper amped.? It was like these parties gave the students the stress relief they needed from the pressures that college can provide.? Sometimes they would have themed parties, which made things even more interesting.

I remember two of those in particular my senior year.? One frat house had an annual party that involved the auctioning off of firemen or something like that.? Maybe that’s not what they were doing, but all I remember is that there was a fire truck at the house and there were firemen onstage and girls screaming.? I remember wondering how in the world they were able to pull that party off, but being outrageous was normal for “The Row.”? The other party that sticks out in my mind was jungle-themed.? The frat even went to the extent to have a constant misting effect that would periodically go off throughout the party.? Most of us thought the effect was pretty cool.? But one of my friends who was very sensitive about her newly pressed hair was NOT a happy camper.? I think we eventually had to leave the party because she kept on complaining.

Every now and then, I went to parties at off-campus venues.? I did this less frequently because I did not enjoy having to shell out money to dance.? Plus there was always alot more drama and theatrics from having to stand in line and to find parking and getting all the way to the door only to realize that the price had doubled and you had to make that life decision about whether or not the party was worth your hard-earned college dollars.? It was really too much trouble and most of the time, completely overrated.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Hi Friends,

The vlog channel has over 600 views in 5 weeks!!? Wooooo!!!!!? Response of the Day comes from Lola @ “What Did You Say?” You can check out the original post under “The Wednesday Vlog” category.

First, I wholeheartedly agree. Halle would not have been in the field. Please watch Queen. I remember when JamTown had the hoochie mama incident. Can Michelle Obama be a new standard for strong women please? Or we could go back to Phylicia Rashad, Jelissa, etc. Hoochie mama makes me think of a hotbed of disease.

Once, my boss referred to the only black secretary as Mrs. Step-in-Fetchit. Look that up if you don?t know what that refers to. He was an ignorant?

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In Wooden Nickels: CG takes a road trip.

• College Survivors: Did you go on any road trips in college? Who did you go with? Fun times or overrated?
• College Dreamers: Do you want to go on road trips when you get to college?

JamTown’s Response:

I think the only road trips I went on in college were the ones I took with my family from Texas to California.? The first trip was to move my oldest sister and me out to Los Angeles for school.? I was beginning undergrad at USC and she was starting law school.? The second time was after the first year out in LA.? We spent the summer in Texas and drove back to California with the family again when the summer ended.

And man…let me tell you.? Driving from Texas to California is no joke.? I did not know how huge Texas is.? Most of the time spent on the road trip was in Texas.? And it was SO HOT!? The kind of heat that just sits around your face and laughs at you.? I mean, it gets hot in my hometown, but we were literally roasting in our two cars filled to the brim with suitcases and knickknacks for our new homes.? And we were looking at desert, desert, and more desert.? Once we got out of Texas, it felt like we were in Los Angeles in three hours.

One of the road trips was also around the time that I was learning how to drive.? My parents and my oldest sister were rotating their shifts as drivers.? For most of the trip, my dad had deemed me as “The Watcher.”? This was a very important job because I needed to be awake and alert while others were sleeping.? In my mind, that was the wackest job in the world.? I wanted to drive on the open road!!!

Finally, he gave me the chance to flex my skills behind the wheel.? Well, my shift didn’t last very long.? I was driving and the radio was playing and I started singing along and I was high on life and somehow…I started drifting out of the lane (a few times).? I kept running over those loud things on the road that are supposed to wake you up if you’re falling asleep while driving.? My dad quickly told me pull over so he could take the wheel, despite my protests.? I sadly returned to my former position of “The Watcher.”

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Hi Friends!

It’s not raining!!! (right now)…maybe the vlog did stop the rain!? We are in week number 5 of our college vlog and we’re going strong! Shout out to our newest subscriber at our YouTube channel, ohsnapxx13!? The vlog requests for interviews are starting to stack up.? I’m ahead of the game by 3-4 weeks!? If you live in LA, drop me a line telling me why you should be interviewed.? We always have a good time.? Thank you to the people who I’ve already interviewed: Lee, Denise, Hiram, and Melaina.? You can check out their college stories under “The Wednesday Vlog” category on the right.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Hi Friends,

Today’s post is pretty short.? I blame it on the rain.? Tomorrow is vlog day though.? Since I know The Wednesday Vlog is the highlight of your week, maybe that alone will make the rain stop.? We’ll see.

Response of the Day comes from Lashanaye J. @ “The Workout Plan.” She is one of our top commenters AND she’s in high school!? Shout out to all the college dreamers!? Woot!!

Well I?m in high school right now and I?m a person who likes to stay in shape. I find myself running for 2 hours straight, so I don?t think that just because I will be in college I will stop..JamTown I think it?s funny that you mention there would be girls in the gym trying to catch a date..I find that every single day that I go to the gym, there are girls in super tight shirts with jeans and a fresh press/weave..I think that?s the funniest thing..So I guess the conclusion to my story is that I will continue to workout while in college.=)

Peace, Love, and Blessings.

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In Wooden Nickels: CG highly anticipates his first date with a special girl.

• College Survivors: Describe a first date in college that was truly memorable (whether the memories are good or less than favorable).
• College Dreamers: Do you think you’ll do alot of dating in college?

JamTown’s Response:

I didn’t really date in college.? I hung out with guys alot though.? Maybe I was on a date and I didn’t know it.? That’s possible.? But no official dates that I can remember.? It’s not that I didn’t want to go on dates.? Valentine’s Day was not fun for me those four years.? But I just wasn’t a player in that dating game.

So what’s your story?

JamTown

Hi Friends,

It’s Monday and raining AGAIN? in LA.? Good thing I don’t have to leave my house today.

Response of the Day comes from a watcher over at our YouTube College Vlog – OverXposedKC91 @ “Vlog Day – More Roommate Stories”. You can find the video under “The Wednesday Vlog” category on the right.

In Wooden Nickels: CG sets aside time to visit the weight room and to stay in shape.

• College Survivors: Was fitness important to you in college?? Did you have a daily workout regimen?? How did you stay in shape?
• College Dreamers: Will you workout regularly when you enter college?

JamTown’s Response:

I did not have a workout regimen in college.? Not really, anyway.? I had close friends who did though, and would sometimes drag me along with them.? One of them was an avid runner and would eventually run in the L.A. Marathon multiple times and other marathons in Hawaii and New York.? She was also an Oklahoma high school state champion, so she had some skills too.? Anyway, she would go to the track almost every night to run a mile or two.? Some of her friends would go with her and I somehow found myself there too.? Now, I used to run track in high school, as well.? But I was a sprinter.? I didn’t go near that long distance craziness.? Needless to say, I only ran a mile or more when I was ordered to do so by a coach, not because I was trying to stay in shape.

I also was dragged to the weight room by another friend of mine.? I would feel silly in there.? I mean, the last time I was in a weight room, I was doing hardcore weight training for track, ages 12-14.? So to be in there, amongst these macho (and wannabe macho) dudes and girls who were trying to catch a date, was not fun for me.? I thought my intentions would be mistaken for one of the aforementioned girls in their “exercise outfits.”? I also spent some time on the elliptical machine.? I liked it better than running because I didn’t have to deal with the constant impact of my feet hitting the ground and I could stay in one place.? I would have liked it much more if had an mp3 player.? I think I started bringing books to read instead.

All in all, I just wasn’t used to training without some big athletic event waiting for me at the end.? I guess after an intense three years of competitive sports, I wasn’t interested in working out just because it was a good thing to do.? I will say though that after begrudgingly working out, I always felt great afterwards.?? This is all very interesting because I once had my sights set on running in the Olympics.? Yes, I was that fast. But I later decided that I no longer wanted to dedicate my life to that endeavor.? Besides doing those sporadic workouts, my bike was my main mode of transportation.? So I got plenty of exercise from that.? I was also a dancer, so rehearsing and performing made up for all the workouts I refused to do with my friends.

So what’s your story?

JamTown