A Normal Tuesday

10:30 am. I wake up to an intensely irritating mini-song projecting from my cell phone. 12:55 pm. I walk out of class and immediately grab for the same obnoxiously pink phone that woke me up only two hours earlier. It is now glued to my hand with the hopes of finding someone in my phone book to talk to me for a pointless three minutes while walking back to my dorm. 2:00 pm. I begin working on my computer and completely lose track of how much time I am actually devoting to checking my email, facebook, and doing school work.
As everyone can see, unfortunately, the two most important forms of media in my life are my cell phone and my computer. Now, there are two reasons why these are the media forms that hold a very special place in my heart. One: as hard as I may try not to be, I’m still just a teenage girl, and two: the world we live in today thrusts these forms of media upon us until we have no other option but to conform.
There are countless instances when I use media in my everday life. I end up using media at times that I really don’t have to, and only do, out of boredom or to avoid awkward situations. If I am eating at a restaurant with one of my friends and they get up to go to the bathroom, chances are that I am going to take my phone out and begin to push meaningless buttons on my phone to avoid any uncomfortable situations that I may have created in my own mind. While I'm bored in my room, instead of taking out a book and reading, I may grab my phone and text or search the web for funny videos simply due to my lack of something more meaningful to accomplish.
There are times however, when my environment forces me to use these forms of media more than others. In this class for instance, we have to have some form of “news media”. We are given the choice of using a newspaper or computer, but lets be serious; how many of us are going to either go and pay for a newspaper, or get our lazy butts out of bed and find one? Generally speaking, for UMBC we have to have the Internet to get school assignments or billing information. These reasons have helped make my personal preference of media has evolved from more of a television and music root, to a root that is centralized around the computer or cell phone.
In many ways I would say that I am a leader; I do not subject myself to what everyone else does. When it comes to the topic of media forms however, I am, unfortunately, the follower. I am the girl that says “wait we have to go back, I NEED my cell phone”. Sad isn’t it?

Who am I? Why am I here?

My name is Alexandra Pullen, but everyone calls me Alex. I would have to say that dancing is one of the most influential aspecets of my life. I have been dancing since I was three, and I believe that it has helped me express myself and evolve into the person I am today. I am a very fun person to be around because of my sense of humor; on the contrary, I also have strong feelings when it comes to controversial topics. I am the kind of person who craves to know everything, and loves an intelligent conversation along with a humorous one.
Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania has been called "home" for my entire life of eighteen years; therefore, a big part of why I am here at UMBC. I am an interdisiplinary major which consists of bringing dance, film, and phycology together. By doing so, I am hoping to create something that in the future, employers cannot turn away; a sort of "tripple threat".
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to work behind the scenes of a major motion picture. However, I could not exactly figure out how to make this actually happen. I then suddenly got the urge to create a movie about the Holocaust, in memory of my great grandfather who was a surviver. Although it would not be a "bubbly and happy" movie, I realized that i wanted to accomplish a greater good with my work. Eventually as my mind matured, I realized that I had to start from scatch and work my way up to get to where i wanted to be.
I want to learn the basics first. I must learn the correct way to become a movie icon. Although I understand that this is not strictly a film-related course, it offers many of the beginning steps that I am required to take. This class, in my eyes, is a stepping stone in making my dream become a reality.