THE WEEKLY GRIND: Did You Know?

This weekend, I discovered Chrissy Teigen's food blog.

You heard it right… Chrissy Teigen, the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model, John Legend's wife. Apparently, she loves food and is a pretty decent cook. Her blog is amazing, and I'm obsessed with it. 

After pouring through her archives catching up on what I missed, I got to thinking what else I didn't know about celebrities. Most everybody has hobbies and passions outside of their work, but when we're used to seeing famous people play the same roles or sing the same songs, these fun facts come as a shock.

For example, did you know Emma Watson, our beloved Hermoine, is a certified yoga teacher? Neil Patrick Harris, like his character Barney Stinson in "How I Met Your Mother," loves magic. And James Franco is… wait for it… a professor! (He has taught in the film and English departments of NYU, UCLA and CalArts.)

I love discovering such "quirks" about the celebrities I know and love, so I figured that you all-our readers-would love to learn some surprising things about our staff!

Who on our editorial board is a twin? Who plays in a band? Who is our resident crazy cat lady? Which one of us surfs? And how many of us aren't actually journalism majors? (Hint: a lot.)

Normally, I'd keep you all hanging until the next blog to find out the answers to these impossibly compelling questions. But since the semester is winding down (eek!), I'll let you off easy and spill the beans.

About half of the staff is studying some other subject besides journalism. We have quite an impressive range, from literature to digital filmmaking to even computer science.

And talk about secret talents… Brian Frank, our Creative Director, is the surfer of our group, and Sports Editor Mike plays guitar in a band. Viewpoints Editor Julia is the exercise expert of the bunch and loves all things fitness and health.

Brian Rocha, one half of our Arts & Entertainment operation, is the twin. (His brother goes to Ramapo, too!) His partner in crime, A&E Editor Rebecca, was a drama queen in high school (no really, she sang and danced in school plays), and our Web Editor Kristen is the queen of cats among us.

Our Photo team goes Greek… Steve is a member Alpha Psi Omega, the national theater honor society, and Nicole is a brother of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity. Vanna, our Chief Copy Editor, in all of her 4-foot-11 glory, is actually quite the daredevil-she's even been skydiving! Business Manager Gelline was born in the Philippines and lived there until she was four.

What about the various jobs our staff members hold? You might have heard by now that I am going to be a middle school English teacher upon graduation, but did you know that News Editor Candace works at a farmer's market over the summer? Graphic Designer Jordan moonlights as a freelance photographer, too. 

So for all of you who thought we were pretty boring, take that! The Ramapo News staff is pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

nalliegr@ramapo.edu