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.

So maybe this blog can be a release. God knows I need it. My day Sunday Monday ended with a three-hour drive home, only to discover my air conditioner is broken. Then, when I wake up, my computer is broken. And to top off that 24 hours, my apartment flooded.

And I know this may just seem like a string of unfortunate events, but it really, really got me down. The flooding of my apartment was just so taxing - mentally and physically. It's like this horrible incident occurred... and I'm trying to deal with it alone. I have friends coming over asking if I'm okay, and that's fine.

But I'm still dealing with it alone. Many care on a superficial level, but few insist on coming over to make sure you're okay emotionally, even when you have a stone exterior. I've always had a problem letting people in, but I never realized how much I push people away too. I only know how to deal with problems one way -- me fixing them with no help from anybody else. Expecting nothing has worked in the past because then I won't be disappointed. But, sometimes, you have to let people in... otherwise there will be nobody left.

It's 4:24 p.m., and I still have one hour until I officially start my internship for today. I'm interning on the print news copy desk, and it's much more fast-paced and intense than I imagined. I'm still trying to keep up, but I feel like I'm missing too much stuff. I had one good catch yesterday and couple not so good misses, but today is a new day and hopefully it will go smoother.

But, why am I sitting here an hour before my shift? Well, I have to check out of my hotel by noon. And unless I want to spend another $100, I leave directly after work 10:30ish. But I begin my shift at 5:30, so I have a gap from noon to 5:30 to fill with stuff to do. I've been coming in early to get stuff done, but what I would love to do is just work early so I am not driving home at 1 a.m. Unfortunately, the copy desk doesn't work that way.

This is my fifth trip, which means I have three more to go. As grateful as I am for this experience, it defniitely takes a toll on me.

Also, I will only have four more summer papers to do. That's exciting, as well. I'm ready for summer to be over, even though I know my school year won't be any easier. The traveling is just what's getting me right now.

Oh, PS, got a tattoo for Justin. I'm pretty sure I like it. It was just spontaneous, so it makes me a little uneasy. It's for him, regardless, so it's important