Weekend Update

The majority of my day yesterday was spent at Macy's so today's update really includes the weekend and my first day of work.

As I mentioned before, my family visited my cousin Kelly and her husband Lou on Saturday in celebration of Kelly's pregnancy and Lou's American citizenship. On the drive up to Santa Barbara, we came across a minivan that had "Welcome Home Sgt. Nick" written on the rear window. As we got closer, the side of the van said that the sargeant was returning home after his second tour in Iraq. We honked and gave our thumbs up and the young sargeant waved back and smiled with gratitude. I've said this before and I will say it again: we may not all agree with the war, but our men and women fighting for our country deserve all the recognition they can get, even if it's just a honk and a wave.

When we got to my cousin's house and we decided to eat at "The Cajun Kitchen" in downtown, my youngest brother, who is in eighth grade, wanted to interview Lou about the citizenship process in order to get some extra credit for his social studies class. I never would have expected, but the process is quite daunting. But according to Lou, it's well worth the money and wait. Lou also said that on the day he became a citizen, more than 3,500 people became citizens. Nearly 25 of those people, he said, have served in our military, a fact that brought the whole room to a standing ovation.

In honor of his citizenship, my parents bought Lou an American flag to hang outside his home and to be honest, I've never seen somebody so proud of owning an American flag. We are very proud of Lou and it's because of people like him that make this country the melting pot it is.

Moving on to my first day at work. It was, well...interesting. Although I had a headache from all of the perfume being sprayed throughout the day, the day went well overall. I learned real quick that I need to learn Spanish as I couldn't close numerous sales due to language barriers. I also learned that you can't trust anyone. Let me explain: one of our vendors was helping a customer and while she had stepped away to retrieve a product for him, he walked away, with a full bottle of perfume in hand. Granted, it was the tester, but it was full and now the company has to eat the cost. I guess I just don't understand why people steal, which is why the whole situation was so frustrating.

I also got to experience what it's like to clean up perfume after its been dropped and shattered. Thank God it was Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue that broke and not Guerlain's Shalimar - Light Blue is much easier to cope with throughout the day!

~Brooke

A whirlwind of a week

I can't believe it has been more than a week since I last blogged! Where exactly has the week gone?

I guess you could say the craziness began last Friday with the all-day preparation for Sebastian Sidi's concert at Downey Theatre. For the past few months I have been working as Sidi's publicist and advertising director, so I was just as excited as he was to get the show done and over with! The day, although long and tiring, concluded with an amazing concert put on by Sidi and his band in front of more than 500 people. I didn't get to see much of the actual performance, but I heard rave reviews from those in the audience. Bravo to everyone who participated in the production.

As the weekend continued and the week began, I was busy writing stories for a couple of different publications. I literally spent most of Sunday and all day Monday locked in my room writing! But stories were completed and deadlines were met, and I can't wait to see them in print.

The beginning of the week also marked the beginning of my training at Macy's. After three loooooong days of training, I am now familiar with the ins-and-outs of my position and my department. Looking ahead, I work more than 25 hours next week - nine of those being on "Black Friday" (my shift begins at 4:45 AM). So, wish me luck!

Tonight, I'm off to an event called "Subterfuge," where a bunch of high school kids are going to throw balls of socks at each other in a dark gym that will have an obstacle-course-like layout. Random, I know, but the socks will be donated to an organization called "Sock the Homeless." This organization provides socks for homeless men, women and children, and this event will not only provide hundreds of pairs of socks, but will also teach the kids that it's fun and important to give back.

Moving on to tomorrow, I will be spending the day with my cousin Kelly, who is six months pregnant! Her husband, Lou, was born and raised in Holland and just recently became a U.S. citizen. So in celebration of Kelly's pregnancy and Lou's citizenship, my family will be heading out to Santa Barabara to visit. It's always a good time with that Dutch husband of hers!

Anyways, I think that's about it for now. I will check in later this weekend with a "Weekend Update."

~Brooke

How Do You Vote?

It's more than a week since President-elect Barack Obama was voted into office and as polls were dissected and campaigns were compared, one question remained: why was it that so many people turned out to vote this time around?

Many would hope it was because people were interested in our country's political process and looking to change the very things affecting them. But as I soon learned, it seems that many voters (the majority being minorities) voted simply to get an African-American in office.

Now before I continue, let me make it clear that I have absolutely no issue with having an African-American president and although Obama wasn't my personal choice, he is still the leader of our country and for that I support and respect him. After all, he made American history and has provided so many people with hope and aspiration.

Moving on, I was appalled at the idea of someone voting for a new leader simply because of his skin color. I feel that regardless of your ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and even political party, you should vote for who you feel is right for the job.

As I thought about this more, I realized that there are many things that influence the American people in the way they vote. People are constantly bombarded by their churches, schools, families and friends as to how to vote. We all know politics is a touchy subject and there are families and churches that become divided on the very issue. So I can see where people are torn as to how to vote.

But let's stop and think about this for a minute...if we voted according to our own beliefs, morals, standards and expectations, how much more different would our country be? Would the same people have made it into office? Would the same propositions have passed?

We live in a country founded on freedom and I think it's time that we vote freely according to our values without fearing the reprocussions of those around us who disagree.

~Brooke

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day for my family doesn't just mean a day off from work and school - it means honoring the veterans who have defended our country and the men and women who continue to carry out that legacy.

My dad, pictured above, was a medic in the Army and we take great pride in that. My great-grandfather, who was in the Army during WWII, and a very dear friend to the family (who I call grandpa), who was in the Marine Corps during Vietnam, have also served our country in great capacity.

With everything that is going on overseas in Iraq, I know it can be difficult to celebrate those who have fought for our country. But putting politics aside, these men and women have left there lives behind at one point or another to establish a country more free and powerful than any other.

Regardless of your feelings on war, our country wouldn't be what it is today without our veterans. I know that I'm very thankful for what my dad has done. And for that very reason, our colors wave proudly from our home.

I love you dad!

~Brooke

The View

I seriously love my job.

While on location yesterday for a story to be featured in next month's issue of San Pedro Magazine, I couldn't help but stop and take a few pictures of the view.

It's true what they say - "One picture is worth a thousand words."

~Brooke

Spritzer Girl!

After months of searching for a part-time job, I am proud to announce that I have been hired by Macy's! I will be working in the Women's Fragrance department, so if you need to buy perfume for yourself or that special woman in your life, you know who to turn to!

Macy's is one of my favorite stores to shop and I'm really excited to be a part of their team. What's even better is that I will still have plenty of time to continue in my freelance work!

In other news, the November issue of the San Pedro Magazine is out on newsstands. I have two features in this month's magazine: The first is about 22-year-old Cristina Trutanich, a graduate from Loyola University in Chicago, who campaigned on behalf of Senator Hillary Clinton. Trutanich expressed disappointment in regards to Clinton's loss, but supports Senator Barack Obama, who was voted and named the United States' 44th President yesterday.

After Clinton's campaign closed shop, Trutanich went to New Mexico to campaign on behalf of Martin Heinrich, a Democratic candidate for the 2008 congressional elections for the 1st Congressional District of New Mexico. Heinrich claimed victory as well yesterday and has replaced Republican Heather Wilson for the New Mexico GOP House seat.

The second feature story is about local country music artist Sandra Lisa, who has spent the majority of the year working on her first self-titled country album due to release at the end of the month. Lisa said music has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember and describes her sound as "country music with a Latin twist."

Although she takes great pride in being a wife and mother of eight children, Lisa said getting to record a country music album in Nashville, Tenn. was the opportunity and experience of a lifetime.

I wish both women great success in the future as I have confidence we will someday see Trutanich's name on a ballot and Lisa's music topping the charts.

~Brooke

Both a privilege and a right!

I will never forget the 2004 Presidential Election when I was witness to thousands of CSULB students protesting the re-election of President George W. Bush. I remember asking many of my fellow colleagues if they had voted and a surprising majority said "NO." In response, I respectfully told them they had no right to complain when they made no effort to vote for a change.

We all know how crucial voting is, especially this time around. If you haven't already voted, please do so with pride and conviction as we often forget that our freedom to vote is both a privilege and a right. Regardless of who and what you vote for, your vote makes a difference and who knows, you just might be a part of a change we are all hoping for.

Oh, and if you're looking for a few incentives, Starbucks will be handing out FREE cups of coffee, Ben & Jerry's will be serving up FREE scoops of ice cream (5-8 p.m. only), and Krispy Kreme will be passing out FREE donuts when you show them your "I Voted" sticker.

Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

~Brooke