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 :)