My last post was in September. If I can post at least once in October, I will have kept up my goal of posting once per month. So, here it is. I've been blogging for my internship, so I have been neglecting this account. For shame.

What's been going on - I'm halfway done with this semester. That means I'm 1/4 of the way finished with The Daily Athenaeum. That somehow gets me through these rough, long nights. The long nights in October have definitely taken a toll on me mentally and physically.

I went to Vegas, and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, but I had a fantastic time. I gambled for the first time, had amazing food, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, saw the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, and went in every major area: New York, Paris, Italy, etc.

I have photos that I posted on my Facebook, and I'm far too lazy to put them here. Maybe some time.

Last weekend, Chris and I went to a nice media football event. We had lunch at the president's house, took a shuttle to the game, watched it from the Touchdown Terrace, and had a shuttle back home. He wasn't impressed; I had a good time.





This upcoming weekend is Gwen's wedding, and the weekend after is the trip to Louisville. I think that can vouch for my lack of blogging. At least I hope. Always making excuses.

On top of all of this, I've been in the process of applying for graduate schools and all the junk that goes along with that. I'm tired, and at least this is a little something.

My senior year has started, and I'm already busy. Chris told me I abandoned my blog, so I decided to show some love to it.

For starters, I am typing this from my brand new MacBook. It's fantastic, and I'm hoping to get CS5 and the Office Suite installed shortly.

This weekend is the Wine & Jazz festival. Chris is coming up to accompany me. I've heard really great things about it, and I am writing a story on the actual event. It should be a good time. I'm excited to taste some West Virginian wines and hear some local music.

I'll try to keep up with the blog, but I have to update my blog for my internship. Check that out to see what I have to say every week about the WVU Business Incubator.

I recently launched my site: www.candacerosenelson.com. It's fantastic, go learn about me. But, I am a little disappointed to see I am not the #1 Candace Nelson when searched! So, I've been researching the imposters. Here are the top four.

1. Candace Nelson
aka "Cupcake lady"
This is the most famous Candace Nelson by far. She's famous for making cupcakes. Great. But, it's funny because she is on Food Network a lot, and my friends Dave and Tony watch it. Whenever they see she's on, they text me to let me know I'm on television. Anyway, thanks Candace for ruining my spotlight.




2. Candace Nelson
Well, this Candace is much less entertaining. She is, however, a window-decorating specialist. That sounds fancy. She does shutters, wood blinds, duettes, pleated shades and verticals. Yeah. Next time I need to decorate my windows, I know who I'll call.




3. Candace Nelson
Maybe all Candace Nelsons are just really creative. We have a newspaperer (me), a baker, a window dresser, and now, a photographer. I might like this Candace more had she not been ahead of me in search results ... without a basic website! Clients are told they have to log in, otherwise, it just says new website coming soon. I've been checking, it hasn't been soon.


4. Candace Nelson
The creativity just keeps flowing, folks. This woman not only has the same middle initial as me, "R," but she also does photography, design, photo restoration, marketing consultancy, print management, writing and editing. Uh, wait a second. Is this me? No, but it's pretty close. Too bad her website doesn't have anything on it except three photos. Like the one to the right.


Disclaimer: I did not include Candaces who spelled their name differently. It is not spelled "Candice" or "Candance." Please try again.

Summer is drawing to a close. My internship with WV Living ends this week (though that may start back up during the semester). USA TODAY ends next Monday, and next Tuesday is the final newspaper. My two business classes have been completed, and I only have about two more weeks left for my internship credit class.

This brings me to five fun upcoming things.

1. Wednesday
Wednesdays are usually always fun because I have the day off, and it's a nice break from the week. The day after tomorrow will be exceptionally fun because Mr. Chris Slater will be here to visit. We have a good time when he visits.

2. A whole week off
This could sound pretty lame to most people, but I will literally have an entire week off - no internships, no newspaper, no classes. After next week, I will be free and will see my friends, cook yummy dinners and have a mental break before school starts back up.

3. West Virginia Press Association Awards
The Daily Athenaeum won a few awards (about 8 to be exact), and we get to go pick them up at the WVPA awards. It's a nice little retreat in Daniels, WV (never been there - I suck with southern WV). We spend three nights there in a hotel where we can mingle with other WV journalists and attend seminars. The last night is where we receive the awards. I also got a scholarship from WVPA, but I'm not sure if they announce that there or not. Anyway, we get a small stipend for food, etc. Also: open bar.

4. Las Vegas
The DA won the best newspaper in our region and then the third-best all-around daily college newspaper in America by the Society of Professional Journalists So, we get to fly to Vegas to pick up our awards. Now, I've never been to Vegas, nor have I ever gambled. I think this could be a match made in heaven.

5. Gwen's wedding
One of my best friends, Gwen Schoolcraft, is getting married. We met as I was just beginning at The DA, and she was my editor. We became close friends. She has since graduated and is off doing far better things, but she recently got engaged. I've never been in a wedding before, and this is for one of my best friends, so I couldn't be happier. I'm a little nervous about the bridesmaid dress she's going to put me in, but it's her day, so I'd wear a tutu for her.

P.S. They just sang happy birthday to someone at USA TODAY. "Sometimes if you're here early, you get cake." I got cake.

I talk a lot about my internship with USA TODAY because it really is an amazing opportunity, but I don't want to neglect my other internship with West Virginia Living Magazine.

WV Living is a great magazine that celebrations a modern West Virginia. It features cities with popular attractions, famous artisans and recipes specific to West Virginia. It's not a typical "WV" magazine; it's very classy and appealing to all ages.

I'm technically a marketing/advertising intern, but I've also been able to do other odds and ends. The magazine just opened up their first store in Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort. It features products made from all over West Virginia in one convenient store. Why Snowshoe? Well, it's a huge tourist attraction for West Virginia, and the owner wanted guests to take a piece of West Virginia home. They didn't want a tacky souvenir shop, so they suggested Snowshoe as the first store.

So, I've been writing author bios for the website, product descriptions and just recently, I wrote a story that should appear in the next magazine (Fall edition; magazine is quarterly) about the opening of the new store and my experience with it.

Yes, I drove all the way to Snowshoe (about three hours) to stay there for about two hours to take a look at the store and all the products and drive back home. That was a long day, especially considering I had to drive to DC the day after. But at least I can say I did it, and I hopefully won't have to again.

They are opening another store in Morgantown in the Seneca Center. The magazine's office is located in the Seneca Center, and the store will be only a few office spaces away. I've actually been working in that office by myself. There's a large room in the back where I can plug in my computer and work on what I need.

Sometimes I get bored and distracted, but I like having the freedom. I can come and go as I please, and I don't like anybody breathing down my neck. I only have about two weeks left for my internships (although I don't know if WV Living knows this yet or not...) but I have to have an internship for my capstone for my English degree. So I was thinking about staying on with WV Living, if they'd keep me, of course. But that's something I'll need to talk with the editors about and, of course, my teacher once that class starts.