Coca-Cola.

Lets begin with something I must admit to you all, I am a health snob (or at least Womens Health Magazine believes so), which is something you already probably know if you know me at all.  Well, I was thinking about this yesterday when I had this revolutionary epiphany about my life goals and aspirations--yes I know an awful lot to handle for a Friday afternoon.

Coca-Cola, or any soda company, has had bottle evolutions across the span of their existence.  I remember getting my first antique bottle of coca-cola (of course it was empty) and thinking that it was so small.  When I traveled to Europe over spring break I identified another interesting aspect of the Coca-Cola brand.  European Cola (or at least in London), does not have High Fructose Corn Syrup in it.  And if you know anything about food and artificial ingredients, this is a big deal!  Cola in the U.S. always contains this syrup, which is supposedly good for you in small doses, but I mean if you have to have it in such small quantities its obviously not good.

Being the serious investigating wiz that i am, I took a trip to Wegmans to find "SUGAR" Cola, yes that is right, Coca-Cola made with real sugar.  The bottles are sold in skinny glass containers and are located in the "international" aisle amongst a multitude of Mexican Sodas (including Coconut Soda, NEVER try it).

So while it is available, the main product continually being marketed to us contains the "bad stuff" while the real thing is hidden away next to taco mixes and coconut soda, not to mention that it is on the bottom shelf.

Spoiler?

While I saw Water for Elephants over Easter Break with my Mom, I thought I would take a swing at giving you a little blurb on what is now easily one of my favorite films.  While I originally thought I would have time to read the book prior to watching this in theaters, I was sadly too busy with the rest of my life and will have to make it a summer-lake read.

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon take the lead as main characters of Marlena and Jacob.  While Jacob leaves his hometown due to an untimely accident, Marlena is the wife of the Benzini Brothers Circus owner.  The two meet in quite interesting circumstances and fall madly in love.  While the story takes place right after the Great Depression, I find myself in love with both societal times and the overall feel of the movie.  What was it like to go to the circus back then?  Did the audience really think it was so spectacular?  Ah I wish I was there.

If you have the chance, I highly suggest adding this to an evening or even an afternoon of yours in the near future.  It is perfect for the big screen and a box of popcorn.  While the theater prices seem to be rising steadily, I would say this one is worth your $10 plus a $5 bucket of buttery salty popcorn (and a Coke-a-Cola of course).

Tea and Crumpets.

How could I call myself an elegant young American woman and not find some slight obsession with the Royal Wedding 2011?  Though I have been warned multiple times by a certain man in my life that the Royal Wedding, is simply JUST A WEDDING and that people get married all the time, I will go against my better judgement and make one post.

While I could have focused on the entire ceremony or be absolutely absurd and repeat to you what news station "lip analysts" believed to be whispered by both Kate and Wills, I will turn both my attention, and yours, to her beautiful dress.

Okay, my most sincere apologies go to whoever took these photos, I'm tired and quite honestly don't feel like citing them at the time.  I admit I was not at the wedding and some reporter took these, enough said.

Onto my feelings about this classic and elegant yet quite gorgeous gown.  A spin-off of Grace Kelly some may say, but with a modern twist, I am in love.  I have always been an avid viewer of Say Yes to the Dress and have never seen a sleeved dress look so stunning on a woman.  Sleeves tend to add age while wearing a dress but the designer, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, somehow combined "timeless classic" with "chic modern."

Gorgeous.

So Close, Summer 2011.

As finals draw near and I realize the multitude of things I have yet to complete this semester, I have recently found myself day-dreaming away of this coming summer.  This summer is going to be amazing and I have quite a few things to look forward to.

(1) Brendan finally comes home, though I am so happy for him to be in Europe I would love to go on dates and just relax by the lake with him.

(2) my best friends in the world, Mandy Cara & Kristen, will also be home this summer and we have already made some amazing plans

(3) Abbotts, i love my job, scooping ice cream brings such joy to people's lives!

(4) relaxation.

(5) exploring new things like baking, cooking, local traveling etc.

(6) photography!

Summer 2010.

Double Dutch.

No, not the jump roping kind but the I am going abroad to the Netherlands (Dutchland for all of you have lived under a rock your whole lives) August 26th kind!  I don't believe I have done a post about going abroad yet but as the weather gets increasingly nicer I find myself needing more reasons to procrastinate.

So, as of August 26th I will be flying to Brussels and then taking a train to Maastricht, Netherlands and spending the semester there...until December 23rd to be exact.

See that dot at the very bottom of the map?  Well that is where I will be.  Maastricht is known for its beautiful walled in city that is from Medieval times and still has Roman ruins lurking about.  To say that I'm excited is an understatement, though I will surely miss the comforts of home.

A river runs through the city, which I believe is a bit larger than Buffalo, NY.  I have already scoped out a few marketplaces and events that should be coming fall semester so now all I have to do is (a) have an amazing summer, and (b) fit everything into two LARGE suitcases so I can make it there.

Cupcakery Final.

Here is the final layout for the cupcake project.  I am so happy it is finally done and being printed as we speak!  This project was so interesting and taught me a lot about photoshop--the number of techniques that can be used is ridiculous.  Too bad the program costs a whopping $700...not getting that as a Christmas Present.  

Whats next?  Working on my images for Europe and honing in on some technical skills with my Canon Rebel!

Cupcakery pt.2

The cupcake photos are in the process of manipulation, and my stomach ache from eating them has finally gone away (thank god!), though I still don't think I will be able to indulge in another mini-cake for a while.

I had to toss one of the photos which sort of messes my composition a bit, maybe I will be able to fix it a bit more later but for now it looks awful!  I need 12 images so the next thing to do is figure out how they will all work together...

 

Pink Ribbons.

So I lied...one more quick post.  Since I decided that I physically and mentally could not handle a 1/2 marathon this semester I decide that I am going to do a series of 5k races and possibly a 10k.

The first race will be MAY 8th in Rochester to support my Ice Dancing coach Cheryl.  She cannot run in the race this year and I thought it would be something nice to do for both myself and in support of her.

Cheryl and I at a competition in November, 2008.

Procrastination.

 Allow me to introduce you to the culprit of my demise in Ancient Philosophy.  Mod Squad pink nail polish by Essie.  Thank god Wegmans started selling this stuff because it is (a) adorable and (b) addicting.  The first jab it has taken at my grade in Ancient is the fact that I should be researching my paper on Plato & Gender but instead I choose to write a blog post about this awesome color.

I'm not quite sure why it is called mod squad but hey, I'm not going to complain.  It'll be perfect with navy blues and yellows for spring, but most importantly my favorite nautical stripes!

That being said, I probably should lay off any sort of blogging until Friday when I am freed from the chains of insanity and am able to enjoy the weekend--hopefully it will be gorgeous out and we can all enjoy our favorite, quad days.

Till we meet again...

Dinner Dates.

I must have been out of my mind last night to not bring my camera to my dinner date with Emily and Alyssa.  Initially I had wanted something summery due to the 80 degree weather we were experiencing but to my dismay, they did not have a grill.  I now know that when I have a house senior year (or hopefully next year), i will require a grill to be on the premise. 

Our trip to Wegmans led us to the following dish, one of my favorites I might add.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic and Vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/2 box Wegmans SUPER pasta

2-3 garlic cloves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

grape tomatoes ( as many as you desire).

Mushrooms

Asparagus or another green veggie

OPTIONAL: chicken.

Directions:

1. Sautee on medium heat the mushrooms and asparagus (or other hard green veggie). NOTE- you want to do these veggies first because they take longer to cook.  Use EVOO to coat pan and add garlic to your desired taste.

2.when veggies are almost done, start boiling your water and add tomatoes to your veggie pan.

3. Add Whole Wheat spaghetti and cook until soft.

4. mix together the pasta and vegetable portions and remain on stove until tomato juices have dispersed throughout the pot.

BONUS: try Wegmans Garlic Tuscan bread by slicing and buttering.  Place in aluminum foil and place in oven (on 350) until pasta dish is fully cooked.

ENJOY :)

Cupcakery.

Is it really almost the end of sophomore year?  It seems to be since I have been assigned my final project for imaging class.  Where has the time gone?  4 more weeks at HWS and then a quick summer and I am off to Europe for the semester, I honestly cannot wait.

So for our final imaging project we were able to choose whatever we wanted as long as it involved photography.  I thought to myself, what do I love?  First off, food and lots of yummy food and then I didnt know where to go from there.  I decided to photograph CUPCAKES from a cupcakery in Pittsford, NY.  They have a great selection of these mini-cakes and have a great location in Schoen Place (next to my favorite restaurant Aladdins Natural Eatery).

THE FINAL IDEA: Cupcake Destruction.

I have always found myself drawn to colorful desserts, especially cupcakes and for the final project I thought that exploring food would be a different and creative approach that may sometimes be forgotten.  By experimenting with different lighting techniques in the studio to create a composition that not only is aesthetically pleasing but also technically sound, I will show the destruction of my favorite dessert while revealing tiny details of the cake and frosting itself.  Cakes, but specifically cupcakes are small enough in nature to be photographed close up and show the shiny texture of the frosting combined with the spongy cake.  The 12 images will be comprised of 6 different cupcakes while they fit together by each decomposing in increments until there is nothing but crumbs on the brightly colored plate.  Each photograph will be the same size and incorporate high contrast and vivid colors.  These photographs will be displayed in a circular format to depict the passage of time.

Here are the photos without photoshop manipulation (to come in a week or so)...

That is all. 

Grey Hairs.

If you follow this blog or have ever read some posts I have often said that at some point I would rant and complain.  Well I am going to try not to complain because honestly it takes too much effort and I also don't have the time.  Tired yes? Mentally and physically.  Glad to know that I am not alone though and all the other girls in this wretched Ancient Philosophy class are struggling just as well.  Misery loves company, yes. But we have also bonded and formed a great friendship (that currently revolves around hating this class and desiring fun trips that go anywhere besides the silent library).  

To say the least, I am getting a few "grey hairs" this semester and have found myself at a loss for motivation and have honestly wanted to throw in the towel more than once, but did I, NO!

So some advice, as for many of us in College are in the same boat as I, and yes it is clearly a really tiny boat with many people who are all starting to drown (oh I am so morbid tonight!)

Words of wisdom:

A. You are who you want to be.  Embrace it.

B. When you make it through difficult times, you know that you can make it through anything.

C. You always have time for a nap, trip to the gym, or drive to clear your head

D. going out should be a priority only when your head doesn't feel like exploding.

More important ones:

A. your education, moreso graduate or law school, is an intellectual marathon.  Keep healthy  just as you would a regular marathon.  Your body will tell you to stop, your mind will tell you no more, but you must push forward.

B. Don't think negatively.

C. Sometimes your VERY BEST is not good enough, learn to accept it and realize you did all you could to succeed.

Collin Mcloughlin.

I finally have posted a song before Brendan. EPIC? I think yes.  Collin Mcloughlin is a great artist that graduated from Colgate University and has been making his way into the music industry for a while now.  He has a rather eclectic taste in music if I was to describe it, ranging from more relaxed summer car jams to remixes galore.

Here is the latest from Collin Mcloughlin:

Go to this link for the song: Yin Yang

Film Project.

I finished this project a while ago, and by a while ago I mean probably over a month but I thought it would still be fun to share.  I took these images with a film camera and actually developed the film by myself in the HWS darkroom.  The images depict various areas around Geneva, flowers, and some pictorialist outdoor scenes.  Though I struggled through the film project, trust me I spent 209384092834 hours trying to develop about 10 rolls of film, I found it to be somewhat peaceful and an interesting spin on photography.

The following are my favorites that I submitted for my Imaging project:

 The above image is of one of my favorite restaurant cafe's in Geneva, NY.  Opus has a friendly European atmosphere and is located on one of the main roads.  It recently opened this past summer and is owned by two women, Heather & Chelsea, they always remember what is going on in life and are able to brighten your day with one of their amazing Panini's!

 I found the flowers above in the Houghten House at school.  The lighting was dim because it was very late at night which allowed for this amazing shadow.

 Being the old woman I am, I love going to Antique shops.  This windmill was just thrown outside a little antique shop on 5&20.  I thought it was destructive and old but still had some simplistic beauty to it.

 I love taking drives.  Long ones, short ones, the sunroof open or not.  This winter was dreadfully cold and just not very enjoyable to say the least so I took many many drives.  I love the little farms in and around Geneva, NY and decided to take a simple image of the road and the snowy atmosphere.

Update.

I clearly have NOT posted in a while and have not been posting the most exciting posts after my amazing London series.  Why?  I find myself torn between wanting to do work and twitter and facebook (ugh, it is the worst addiction I am trying to break).  However,  I will try to post my photography projects and and final photography project which may be a series of Vintage Diner photos!

In any case,  Summer will be a lot easier for me to post because I will be cooking up a storm and have more time for fun.  My professor called college and law school an "intellectual marathon"  so I guess undergrad is like the 1/2 marathon to see if you can actually do the big one!

See you soon :)