2010 Reflections

Well 2010 is coming to a close and of course I'm feeling "reflective." (I guess that's the right word?) Was 2010 a good year? Maybe. I mean I'm healthy, in school, and have wonderful family and friends, so it can't be that bad. Here are some highs & lows.

• I met some incredible people: Aziz Ansari, Bill Rancic, & Tom Skilling to name a few
• I also became closer to a lot more people
• I tried a bunch of new foods/restaurants
• I saw DePaul men's team win their first conference win in like 2 years
• I learned so much about technology/my field and just about the world in general
• I lost my godfather who was somewhat of a grandfather to me
• I saw Ludacris perform at DePaul
• I had my last summer at home where I had an internship in St. Louis
• I turned 20
• I experienced loosing a friend to soon which is something no one should have to experience
• I volunteered in the McDonald's Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade 
• I finally went to Florida for the first time

I am looking forward to what 2011 is going to bring. I'm sure it'll be a good year :-) Stay tuned!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

SEPTEMBER

 

This entry is all about the month of September, which is the best month of the year. WHY?

1)   The summer’s heat starts to wean

2)   Autumn beings (which, let’s be honest, is the best season)

3)   It has it’s own song (see above video)

4)   It’s the month I was born

 

Now, did you get a calendar for Christmas? If you did, go get it (or your current 2010 calendar). Turn to the month of September. Is it an ugly (or less attractive) picture? Bet ya it is. I bought a baby animals calendar because honestly, who can’t resist? I turn to September and what animal is it? A goat with it’s tongue sticking out and ugly mama goat. Goats are not cute no matter how old they are.

“Ok, that’s just one calendar,” you say. Well, I have more.

I once had a Chicago calendar. You saw all of Chicago. Buckingham Fountain, Skyscrapers, The skyline at night, etc. September? A SAILBOAT on Lake Michigan. BORING. I don’t give a crap about sailboats. That’s not Chicago. Speaking of the city, I have a DePaul University calendar in my room my parents received in the mail. September’s picture? A hallway in the Lewis building. A HALLWAY? Seriously? Not the library, or the quad, or the church?

Still don’t believe me? Take a St. Louis customized calendar like the one found here:

http://fresh1025.radio.com/2010/11/05/great-gift-idea-personalized-calendars/

 

Your name is all over St. Louis; the pageant, the skyline, the zoo. It’s super cool. I excitedly turn to September and what is it? A Pageant advertising chalkboard. LAME-especially since the Pageant itself was already used.

 

I know this is kind of a petty thing to be upset about, but when your birthday month is not a cool picture, it’s a bummer. I am going to go on a crusade to make sure 2012 calendars have awesome September pictures.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

OMG you guys, there is a song title with MY name. Due to all the free time I had on break, I googled “Rock Power Ballads” and a list of over 500 came up on Wikipedia. Under the letter “C” I noticed a song called “Carrie”! There was a link and I discovered that it is by Europe-the same band that sings one of the most epic songs ever: “The Final Countdown”!!!! How cool is that?? It was released in 1987 (the year my parents got married!) and reached #3 on the Bilboard Hot 100 chart. I CAN’T BELIEVE I’VE NEVER HEARD THIS SONG. So of course I looked it up on youtube. Might have to download this song when I get my iTunes gift card for Christmas ;-)

Week 4 of Break

Today marked the 4^th week I’ve been on break. It sure has gone by fast, as I knew it would. I’ve been keeping busy with my tour guide job and watching a wide array of movies & TV shows, specifically Entourage because I somehow find it addicting. I’ve also been downloading some new tunes so when it’s time to go cruising in the Burg with my bass turned up to the max, I’m ready. This break I’ve gotten into ballads/U2. I hate to admit it, but this one is a lot of fun to belt out when no one’s around (my apologies to the girls who live above me in my apartment, but that’s what you get for appreciating my snow shoveling)

This year was the first where I did not help my family pick out our Christmas tree, and the first that I did not help decorate it. This break will be the longest I’ve been home since summer. It always takes me a day to readjust to home. I forget how the life is just a little bit different. People move a little bit slower, both physically and in their cars. As much as I was looking forward to a reunion with my car Lyle, I’m a little skeptical. The holidays turn people into crazy drivers and in the StL area, ice is abundant. They’re saying we’re supposed to have a White Christmas too. That’d be nice, considering we’re not going anywhere for Christmas. I’m stocking up on sleep while home because once I go back I only have a few days before the loop classes start in the Lewis building. Not looking forward to dealing with those slow elevators Winter Quarter. As a CDM student I thought I would never have classes in that building. Well, this upcoming quarter, I have 3. Lucky me?

Today I was productive reapplied to be a Chicago Quarter mentor. I really enjoyed it this past quarter and am looking forward to doing it again. It was a really great opportunity to learn about the city. I met and worked with some awesome people. Today I also submitted my FEST 2011 Assistant Application. Even though it’s the end of December, I am looking forward to 2011’s FEST. Last year’s was so much fun & I bet this year will be just as awesome, if not better. The DAB office pretty much shut down for the Christmas holiday so I am at a standstill with my big comic planning. Once I return to classes, things can get rolling and my stress level will probably go up, but I’m looking forward to 2011!

Since I’m in a youtubing/music mode, I leave you all with one of my favorite Christmas songs (sung by Glee, no less)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

8 Days 'Til Christmas

Wow, Christmas is just around the corner! I finally tailored my Christmas Pandora station to play songs that are legit Christmas songs (I was getting some weird ones). I have all of my holiday shopping done which is a relief. Tomorrow I head home to catch up with family and friends. I feel it's going to be a pretty packed week leading up to the 25th visiting everyone and taking part in holiday festivities. Hopefully the weather will stay good for traveling. Home looks like it will be above freezing so that's always a plus. I packed a few things so I won't look like a hobo when I'm home. I've been using my suitcase a lot these past few weeks.

This week I gave a campus tour everyday, except today. The group never showed up so I headed over to the DAB office to tie up some loose ends before I went home. Today I submitted an offer for the big comic which was really exciting!! This event had kind of been at a stand still for quite a while so I am excited to get the ball rolling on this.

Last night for pep band, I played at the women's basketball game against Stanford. Depending on who you talk to, Stanford is ranked #2/3 in the country and before this game we were #22. It started out really tight with the lead always changing. At the 5 minute mark, I knew we had it. It was such a great game. I love games that are close because you never know who is going to pull it out. There was so much energy last night and now I'm a little hoarse =)

Merry Christmas!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Monumental Moment

Today I feel like I reached an important milestone in my life. I bought my first snow shovel. I've been telling everyone you would have thought I had a baby or something. I'm so proud of it. A shovel is an important thing to have though.

I returned from sunny Florida on Friday and was welcomed back with cold, wind, and snow on Sunday. Because I don't want to slip and fall on my steps to my apartment I ventured to Home Depot today and bought it. As i was walking I chuckled (I'm 20 years old, I don't chuckle) laughed because if we got this much snow back at home everyone would be freaking out and school would close. Here, no big deal. It's snow. Happens every year. When I was in Florida (Orlando to be exact), Christmas music was playing at various places and it just didn't seem right to be amidst palm trees in 60* weather and hear "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." I like seasons. Yes warmth is nice, but I don't hate the cold. I feel I would get bored with the weather if I lived in Florida or California. Change is good.

On a different note, I set up Google Analytics today for my sites. I feel all fancy now :-)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Kirksville Adventures!

This weekend I got out of the city and visited one of my closest friends, Liz, at Truman State in Kirksville, MO. Friday I rode the megabus to Columbia, Missouri. I had never been to CoMo before and I was pretty impressed with it. It's a nice area with a lot of restaurants and shops. We ate at Shakespeare Pizza, voted #1 college hang out in the country. The place was super busy which I took as a good sign, as I should have. We got the classic pepperoni pizza and it was delicious! I even got a commemorative cup.  =)

We then drove about an hour to the quaint town of Kirksville! It's your pretty traditional college area/campus. Lots of restaurants, a Wal Mart, old scholarly buildings, frat houses, and a quad. The next day we ate at El Agave, Liz's favorite Mexican restaurant. It was delicious. I can see why she goes there. After lunch we went to the bookstore because I had to get a shirt as I do with every college campus I visit. I could start a museum with all the college apparel I have haha

Today I flew home on the lovely Cape Air from Kirksville. We got there a little early because we weren't sure what to expect. So Liz and I entertained ourselves with the various travel magazines in the lobby. About a half hour before take off I went through security (which was in the lobby) and soon boarded a Cessna 402 with 2 other passengers. The flight went well. My "carry on" was stored in the plane so I didn't have much to do (the magazine on the plane was one I already read) except nap. We actually landed early which was wonderful because it meant I was closer to going to Pasta House and indulging in a long awaited feast of Toasted Ravioli. In case you were wondering, Pasta House did not disappoint, as neither did my trip to visit Liz. I hadn't seen Liz, or eaten toasted ravioli since August and it was so good to be reunited =)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

CASH CAB IN CHICAGO!

Chicago "Cash Cab" fans rejoice! We have our own now!! Words cannot express how excited I am!! I absolutely LOVE watching Cash Cab and am a huge fan of Ben Bailey's stand up. Granted, he won't be the host of the Chicago show, but  I am determined to find it.

Get more info here:

http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/museums-culture/90838/cash-cab-chicago

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Tour Guide Training

Today I completed my training as a tour guide! After shadowing a few tours I am ready to give tours on my own. I am really excited about this job because I absolutely LOVE DePaul and think it's the best place ever. From shadowing and reading the tour guide manual, I learned a few things which I'll share with you
*there is a 2 year wait to get married in St. Vincent DePaul church
*the library isn't all that old; it was built in 1992
* 35 Vincentions currently work at DePaul
*the student -faculty ratio is 16:1
*the stained glass window in the library won 1st prize in the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904
*CDM is the largest school of IT in the US
*the college of Commerce ranks among the 10 oldest business schools in the US (est. In 1912)
*the Lewis building in the loop was given by Frank J. Lewis & is the largest gift to date to the university
*30% of students (I'm assuming undergrad on this one) are out if state & 6% are from "rural Illinois" (I'm one of the 6%!)
*the LP Campus is 36 acres

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Exploring!

So since my UPASS expired today I was determined to get as much use out of it as possible. Hold on to your hats because this post is covering yesterday AND today!

Yesterday

My friend Sisi from U of I and I met up for brunch at this place called Earwax in Wicker Park. If you're not allergic to hipsters, I'd recommend the chocolate chip pancakes at this place. Best ones I've ever had! I saw it in a magazine, and then a friend recommended it to me at the beginning of the quarter. After Earwax we went downtown.  I had never been in the actual old Water Tower so we took a quick look around. The exhibit was fashion photography which was really interesting. After we went to Argo Tea. Although Argo is a Chicago staple with the original just a few blocks away from me, I had never been inside. For the record, I was never much of a tea drinker until a month ago when my throat was sore and I discovered Tazo passion tea. At Argo, I got a pom tea which was really good. Not overly pomegranitey either.

Today

Today I went down to Holy Name Cathedral for mass. Wow! What a cathedral! I had been wanting to go for about a year but never got around to it. They have so many times for mass so I went to the 12:30 service.

After mass I went to Nordstrom Rack and American Apparel to use my Groupons I bought last week. A new Nordstrom Rack opened at the site of the old American Girl place on Chicago. I had never been to American Apparel either. I found a cute dress at both locations so it was a successful shopping trip. When I got back my friend Emma came over and we tried 2 new recipes in the kitchen. First, we made some cranberry white chocolate cookies I found on the back of a Craisins bag. They turned out sooo good!!

Then we started on dinner. My friend Crepes of Wrath, hooked me up with a wonderful recipe of Apple and Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops. This recipe called for a lot of spices and was not the quickest to make. They turned out wonderful though! I would definitely make these again. They were very filling as well. If you want the recipe, check it out here: http://crepesofwrath.net/2010/05/05/apple-and-bacon-stuffed-pork-chops/

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Black Friday [Grocery] Shopping

Today I went shopping on Black Friday; Grocery Shopping that is. I had my first grocery shopping adventure in the cold as well. Grocery shopping is different in the city than at home. I have to carry my groceries back to my apartment as I don't have a car or boyfriend to help carry my stuff. I was smart enough to bring my gloves so my hands weren't freezing by the time I got home. Instead of going to Dominick's I initially went to Whole Foods (AKA Whole Paycheck) and accidentally bought $8 grapes. Oops. When I was in the bread section I became inspired to try & find a recipe for those extremely delicious cheddar biscuits that Red Lobster serves. So when I got home I Googled it and went with the first link

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Red-Lobster%27s%C2%AE-Cheddar-Biscuits

Of course I didn't have cheddar cheese or garlic powder so a trip to Dominick's was made. With only 4 steps and 5 ingredients they were really easy to make... and boy were they delicious!

See the full gallery on posterous

The bottoms got a little brown but they tasted pretty close to the real thing! I took this picture after I already ate two, in which I proceeded to eat another ;)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Tweet Cloud

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

A Chicago Style Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

This was my first Thanksgiving away from Freeburg. I stayed in Chicago this year and volunteered for the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago. 2 weeks ago I went to "Parade School" at the Museum of Science & Industry where I learned my duties as a "shuttle escort." Today I woke up @ 4 AM to be at Congress/Wabash by 5:15. Let me tell you, an empty foggy campus at 4:45 AM is creepy. After checking in and eating a snack size bag of Famous Amos cookies, I headed down to Daley Plaza (the site of Christkindlmarket for the Holiday Season which I am anxious to check out!). As a Shuttle Escort I was in charge of escorting Mary Robin Roth from Light Opera Works to the performance area for rehearsal and then her performance.I was done by 9 so I met up with my roommate from last year, Courtney, and watched the parade. I was expecting the weather to be a lot worse today (sleet, windy, freezing temperatures), so I layered up like an onion. I wore yoga pants and knee socks under my jeans. Up top I had a LS shirt, T Shirt, crew neck hoodie, zip hoodie, and regular winter coat. I definitely wasn't cold, that's for sure. I got back to LP around 11:30, changed, and went to my cousins' house which was really enjoyable.

Now a list of things I am thankful for:

1. My family-they support me so much

2. Friends-both old and new, many of my best memories in life involve them. They make me laugh Adrienne, I am thankful God put you in my life.

3. DePaul-offering me so many opportunities to new experiences. The fact that I am able to have and college education

4. DAB-Introducing me to so many friends and allowing me to meet some people I'd never meet otherwise

5. My apartment-a place to live is even better when you have awesome people living with you =)

6. Chicago- changes in the seasons, great comedy, so many

7. Food- so good. So many new things (& restaurants) I've tried this year

8. Church-for giving me sanity time

9. Snuggies-for keeping me warm and cozy in my apt

10. My macbook pro, Annabel- writing papers, blogging, shopping, maya projects, e-mails, skyping, web development, and watching funny videos; we've been through a lot

11. Police, firefighters, military members, EMT's, etc- for doing their jobs

12. Google Calendar- Keeping me organized since 2009

13. Comedy- Always able to put me in a better mood, especially this video

 

Gobble Gobble!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Fall Quarter done!

I am officially now on break! It's a weird feeling of not having any more assignments for 6 weeks but I'm so excited! I went home this past weekend to see my family for an early Thanksgiving which was fun. I saw some of my friends too. Thursday I'm volunteering for the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade and have to report for duty at 5:15 AM! It should be a neat experience though.Then I am going to my cousins' house for dinner.

Looking back on the quarter, I sure have learned a lot. I learned how to use Maya and made an actual person! I attached my final video project for viewing purposes. I made Snooki in case you couldn't tell who it was. I also learned a lot about film, using Final Cut Pro, how to use an actual video camera.  From this, I made 2 short videos. In my ethics class I learned how to determine if something is ethical. Psychology absolutely blew my mind away. The class was a lot of work, but I had been wanting to take psych for a long time.

Download now or watch on posterous

EmgeCarrie_Caricature_FINAL.avi (52354 KB)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

And finals week begins!

Although it really doesn't feel like finals week when you are at home, waiting for the pizza to be done. Yesterday I turned in my final video project and then came home to see my family because my dad's side does Thanksgiving the weekend before. Today I dyed my hair (darker brown and it looks good!), visited Schmitt Music, and then finished my Ethics paper. Not a bad day =) Tonight I'm seeing Harry Potter!! Like many people, I am very excited for this. Sunday I fly back to to the Chi. Tuesday I have my Psych test, & turn in my 3D modeling project and then I'm done!! I'm looking forward to this break, especially my trip to FLORIDA!! I won't be totally bored during my time in Chicago. Besides being in pep band, I was just hired as a campus tour guide! I'm excited for this, even though December will be a cold time for giving tours.

Well the pizza's done! Until next time...

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

My first time... At Trader Joes

Today I experienced Trader Joe's (or TJ's) for the first time. At home the closest one was in like West County so I never went. Last year I didn't have to do much grocery shopping since I had a meal plan. This quarter I've been so busy and Dominick's is close and pretty convenient.

Since today was a nice day and I found myself with some free time I went with my roommate who could fill a book with her love for TJ's. I didn't need any produce since I'll be home next week so I bought some frozen entrees: Chicken Parm, pork potstickers, and some cod ( the fish, not the video game. It's sad that I felt the need to clarify that). I also bought some delish peanut butter filled pretzels. I had eaten these while visiting a friend of my mom and had forgotten all about them until now.

Overall it was a pretty good trip. Here are some pictures for documentation purposes

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

My first time... At Trader Joe's

Today I experienced Trader Joe's (or TJ's) for the first time. At home the closest one was in like West County so I never went. Last year I didn't have to do much grocery shopping since I had a meal plan. This quarter I've been so busy and Dominick's is close and pretty convenient.  Since today was a nice day and I found myself with some free time I went with my roommate who could fill a book with her love for TJ's. I didn't need any produce since I'll be home next week so I bought some frozen entrees: Chicken Parm, pork potstickers, and some cod ( the fish, not the video game. It's sad that I felt the need to clarify that). I also bought some delish peanut butter filled pretzels. I had eaten these while visiting a friend of my mom and had forgotten all about them until now.  Overall it was a pretty good trip. Here are some pictures for documentation purposes   
See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

City Symphony!

Although I finished my City Symphony almost a month ago, I learned editing in Final Cut Pro today. In the lab we were instructed to make a "remix" of our city symphony. This was my inspiration:

I know, super cheesy, kind of dumb, but from that, I made this:

Freeburg, I love you!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Revisiting my childhood

Today I revisited a place from my childhood.

"But you didn't grow up in Chicago."

True, but many summers my mom & I would hit up Michigan to visit my g-pa, and then swing by Chicago on the way home. Many times we would venture to Lutz cafe to meet up with her friends from college. When I was little I didn't like the food on the menu so I would often get McDonald's before hand and then get a dessert while my mom got dinner.

Wanting to get out of the house for a while and do some exploring I google-mapped Lutz and hopped on the brown line. After getting off @ Western and walking a few blocks, I found it! It was an odd feeling being back, especially without my mom, but it's still the same. The cakes were beautifully decorated, the display was bursting with treats, and I had a hard time deciding what to get. Lutz is known for its perfection. They don't cut corners and everything is sooo good and looks elegant.

All the tables were full, so I bought some pastries to go. I ate one as soon as I got on the el. Still delicious. 

http://www.lutzcafe.com/default.aspx

 

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Getting Excited for Harry Potter!

So I saw an article on Yahoo about Rubert Grint talking about life after Harry Potter and it made me excited for Part 1 of the 7th movie. November 19th! I'll be home when it comes out so I'm ready to hit up the Lincoln for some midnight madness.

However after seeing a pic from the movie, it made me want to go on a short rant about Hermoine's clothes [short because I have a maya assignment to finish]. I couldn't copy or save the picture so go here to see it:

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/crush/rupert-grint-talks-life-after-harry-potter/4...

It's not a horrible outfit, but Warner Bros, can we make her a little bit more fashionable? At least her hair is tame. But let's not forget the Yule Ball

I know she's supposed to be modest because she's supposed to be like 15 in the movie, but what's with all those ruffles??? Sure she had pretty earrings (that you can't see. Look 'em up though. You can buy them, but I think they were a little pricey), but I wore better looking dresses in high school. My 8th grade graduation dress was modest & pretty (wow that feels like a long time ago!). They don't have to have a bunch of sparkles & sequins, but ruffles are never good in my opinion. I don't want to be judgemental, but this is the 2000's. Let's be real

OK I'm done. Maya assignment is finished and I'm off to bed!

Note: I love Emma Watson. I am not bashing her. I'm sure it wasn't her idea on what to wear in the movies. I love the movies as well as the books!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Happy Birthday iPod!

http://www.businessinsider.com/ipod-turns-9-2010-10

I remember first hearing about this device & deciding to save my money for one. Took me 4 years to get the money, and update our family computer's operating system, but life has changed forever because of the iPod

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Just another day in the city

Check out this website I found at images.pictureu.com

This was taken on Thursday, but I had to wait a while to view it online. They were promoting stride gum & were like "want your pic taken with ostrich man?" & I said "why not?"

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Documenting Life

I'm over halfway done with fall quarter! Today I enrolled for winter quarter classes which was a little crazy. I am wait listed on one so I have a night class lined up as a back up. Either way, looks like a decent quarter for winter. My  Feeburg city symphony turned out pretty decent. My prof enjoyed it so I'll take that as a good sign. My parents helped me out a lot so shout to them! In 2 weeks we'll go to the lab where we will import it to a computer. When that happens I'll post it for viewing!

My 365 picture project is going along pretty well. I haven't missed a day (::knock-knock in wood::) so I have successfully documented one full month of my life; only 11 to go! That seems like a super long time (wow). I still can't get over the fact that I'm 20. I am now in full swing of my 20s. Pretty weird. It's weird to think that I'm the same age as famous people lile Taylor Swift. Mark Zuckerberg created facebook his sophomore year of college. I may not be as famous as them but I am pretty happy with what I've done with my life. I have wonderful friends and family and I am happy. What more could I want?

Here are some of my fave pics from the last month:

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

The Joys of Film

Today I saw The Social Network. I saw the trailer in the summer and was really excited about it. Since facebook is a big part of everyone's lives now, I feel everyone should see the story behind. Granted, it is hollywoodedand a bit dramatized, but I thought overall it was a decent movie. I really realized how smart Mark Zuckerberg is. Not only did he go to Harvard, but before Harvard he went to Exeter prep. In the first scene of the movie, we find out he got a 1600 on his SAT (I'm assuming that's true?).  The pace was perfect, and I couldn't stop looking at Andrew Garfield. I'm so excited he's the new Spiderman. I really want to see another film of his that just came out, Never Let Me Go.

Film is one of those topics I can talk about forever. By my senior year, it was something I really came to enjoy. I love Entertainment Weekly (although I am behind in reading my issues. Super busy!) For a class, I had to write a movie review and really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about film in that assignment. I learned camera angles, lighting, and other terminology. I realized making a movie isn't exactly the easiest thing. A lot of thought goes into making a film: costume, camera angles, the decor, the lighting, the shots, how it's edited, and much more.

This quarter I'm taking a film class (DC 205: Foundations of Cinema) and really enjoy it. Although I film is something that really interests me, I have no desire to make a career out of it. It's kind of like a just for fun class. There is work involved, but the readings are understandable and interesting. I'm really excited for my upcoming assignment. We have to do a city symphony. I've never made an actual movie before so this is exciting. I've never even operated a video camera before so this will be a new experience. Since I am going home next weekend, I'm looking forward to shooting Freeburg in the autumn season. Freeburg is beautiful in the fall. I love driving down the main drag with all the trees orange, yellow, and red. It adds to the small town feeling of the 'Burg :-)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Useful article!

10 Toiletry Products With Surprising Uses : College Candy

http://collegecandy.com/2010/10/05/jm-10-toiletry-products-with-surprising-uses/

I knew some of these, but a lot I didn't! I love learning cheap tips like these. If you have any to share, let me know! College Candy is a pretty cool site, mainly if you're a girl, but just thought I'd share!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

It just never lets up

I'm officially 3 weeks into class but it feels like way more. I'm so busy compared to last year. Just when I finish one assignment, 2 more pop up. I have my first exam (in psychology) next Tuesday. Papers are starting to be assigned, and my google calendar is getting very colorful (aka full). I'm not complaining though. I am so happy to have this wonderful opportunity to go to an amazing university. I knew going in this wasn't going to be easy. Not every day is a walk in the park. As a sophomore living off campus I have more responsibilities too. I've gotten better at managing my time (I think) and multitasking (this is being typed on my iPod on the train to my film class FYI).

I guess this makes up for all the free time I had this summer. I didn't have much to do and just craved to be busy; well, I guess my wish is granted :-)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Grace Hopper

Today I did a lot of 'youtubing' and found this interesting video of Grace Hopper from '86 on the David Letterman show.

If you don't know who she is, she's like the queen of software. Kind of a big deal. Also someone I really admire. She paved the way in the field of computing, but also to be a women in a male-dominated field is a big break through.

Today I went to the Cubs/Cards game @ Wrigley which was sooo much fun! The Cards won & it was a beautiful day! I am so lucky to be living in this great city in my great apartment. Btw, our couch came Wednesday so now our apartment is complete! It looks very homey. I love it more every day. I love life right now. Even though I have a lot of reading to do this weekend, I am so lucky to be going to a great University & receiving an education.

Peace & Love, Carrie

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

It's my Birthday!

Today I turned 20, which is a decent milestone. I'm officially not a teenager anymore. I am 2 decades old. It was a really great day. I am blessed to have great friends & family that were able to help me celebrate my birthday. It was great that Glee returned tonight as well!

I realized that I don't use my camera much so in an effort to utilize it more, I am attempting to take a picture every day. Here is today's picture. They are oreo fudge bars! I made them for my birthday! I got the delish recipe from this great site: http://crepesofwrath.net/2009/01/06/oreo-fudge-bars/ My friends & roommates loved them! I'm so happy they turned otu so well. I was a little nervous because I hadn't made anything this complicated since my senior year (really good cheesecake bars I found from a Kraft magazine thing. I should make those again sometime).

Tomorrow I'm seeing Blue Man Group with my mom & aunt who are visiting! I'm really excited! But first I have to finish my psychology assignment!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Hello Sophomore Year!

Well, summer is officially over. Classes resume today, but I feel ready. Part of me can’t believe it. I’ve been waiting so long to be back at school and be busy, and it’s finally here. I’m really looking forward to this year academically. I’ve decided I’m going to minor in Film and Media Studies. I’m excited because the classes look really interesting. I still want to minor in IT as well, so I need to figure out if that’s possible. Oh the joys of college =)

Last week was a lot of fun with my Discover class though! The freshmen in my class are great and I really lucked out by having an awesome teaching team too. Monday we went to the Chicago Theater; Tuesday we went to WBEZ public radio station at Navy Pier; Wednesday was Chicago Tribune (we sat in on a page 1 editorial meeting), and the architecture tour; Thursday was WGN which was awesome, we even appeared in the background of the news! Friday we went on a film tour of Chicago and then traveled to WTTW, the PBS station for Chicago. It was a long week, but I learned some interesting facts and got to see more of Chicago. Some highlights were riding the brown line all the way to the Kimball; learning that the Bloomingdales Home building was once a theater(therefore giving me an excuse to go into Bloomingdales Home); getting more acclimated with the buses; finally going to Portillos; getting some use out of my camera; & going to Whole Foods for the first time.

Last week I also moved into my apartment! After a week, I’m pretty much settled which is nice. It’s a great apartment. I’m lucky to be on the first floor so I don’t have to mess with stairs or elevators. I’m also blessed to have 2 wonderful roommates who great friends, not slobs, and not rowdy. Our internet isn’t active until tonight so I almost feel out of the loop not being able to surf for hours on cnn, chicago tribune, ew, and other informative sites. I felt so behind with the release of iTunes 10. I had to go to the student  center on campus to update my software, although I’m wishing I hadn’t bothered. It seems duller. Not as colorful. I haven’t really played with Ping yet (as my internet usage is limited. This is being typed in the student center as well) but have heard that it’s not that great.

Hopefully the next time I post I’ll have my internet set up!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

New Experiences in Chicago

I'm back in Chicago & it's great! I've already had some new experiences! So far I have been happy with the Emmy's. I LOVED the opener!!

Thursday I had a Discover Mentor meeting. I'm really excited for Immersion Week. My class is Chicago in Film so we are going to a lot of great sites in Chicago. Tomorrow's destination is the Chicago Theater. I've never been there so I am looking forward to it.

Friday the Office of Student Life (DAB is a branch of the Office of Student Life) sponsored an outing to get to know everyone. We went to Whirlyball on Fullerton which was so much fun! I have never played Whirlyball but really enjoyed it. In case you've never heard of it, or played, you should! It's like basketball, but you're in bumper cars and you have a ball that's a little bigger than a wiffle ball. You can't touch the ball, so you have these scoop things to pick it up and pass. It's a little hard (took me a whole game to get used to everything), but fun!

Saturday I went to the beach and it was so relaxing. Perfect weather, perfect water, perfect beach! Not super crowded, the water felt great, and it was nice to just relax. There's nothing cooler than being in the water & seeing the Chicago skyline. I also had another first: I made hamburgers!! Yea, burgers are easy but I made them myself & they were tasty!! I'm excited to try new recipes though! Once I'm settled I'll try some, probably on the weekends =) I'll try & take some pictures of my masterpieces & share the recipes with you in the future.

Today, as part of my duties as a Discover Mentor, I helped with freshman move in to the dorms. I had the morning shift which is the busier shift, but I like being busy. Luckily there were a lot of trees around to provide shade because it got a little hot today! Between the unloading, and the amount of walking I've been doing in these past few days, I'm pretty tired. By the end of the week, I'm sure my legs will be back to city mode as my endurance will be higher. I couldn't be happier to be back though. I'm looking forward to a great Immersion Week and a great school year!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

This is pretty cool!

Got a few minutes free? Watch this!
http://laughingsquid.com/tempus-ii-super-slow-motion-video-of-stuff-being-des...

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Exciting News!

This time tomorrow I'll be back in Chicago! ((That's not my exciting news though.)) I received an e-mail from Jacque saying the Belleville News Democrat interviewed her to be a featured artist for Salute to the Arts. They selected her because they really liked her website that I just published for her!! Here's a link: http://jacquedavis.com

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Site is Live!

This weekend was very exciting for me (besides it being the Freeburg Homecoming of course). I published Jacque's site!!! We were having some domain issues last week, but Saturday we were up and running. It turned out great and she was really happy with it. I'm pretty proud of it, so you should take a look! http://jacquedavis.com/ I worked especially hard on the image gallery so I recommend viewing it. Plus, the quilts are beautiful. This summer turned out to be pretty productive. I got my Blogspot & twitter a little more organized, set up my posterous, updated my website, watched almost the whole series of How I Met Your Mother, cleaned out my closet, designed a website and published it, had a great internship in St. Louis, planned awesome DAB events for fall quarter, made my syllabus for my Discover Class, finally went to Skyview, made a trip down to Quatro's pizza, sold some of my old books, and deleted a bunch of crap off of my mom's computer. I'm ready for school to start, and to be back in the city :-)

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Puggle!

Today's my last day @ AKA and Phil brought in the puggle he's watching for a few days! She's so cute! Her name is Daphne. I had never seen a puggle but now I'm in love with them! I never had a dog growing up but am considering on getting one when I'm done with college. Maybe I'll get a puggle?

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Watch this

This video isn't lol funny or have dancing cats, but it is interesting
http://www.youtube.com/user/girleffect

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Oh Boy Illinois

And we've now hit the 1 week mark until I'm back in Chicago. Yay!!

I've been becoming more aquainted with St. Louis this summer though. Since being at AKA I've really learned how to get to the city, and what the major roads are. In fact, today I actually had my first driving experience to my internship today which was kind of exciting. I've driven home from ISU once, and drive home from West County once, and lately have driven down to Carbondale, but never into downtown. Most people reading this probably don't think it is that big of a deal, but it is to me. Everything went smoothly this morning & I hope it goes smoothly this afternoon =)

As you probably have heard, the jury only nailed "Hot Rod" on 1 count. I'm not one to really comment on politics, but I wish they could have convicted him on more counts. I am eagerly awaiting the retrial. I listened to Good Morning America this morning and one of the jurors mentioned the jury was only 1 person away from convicting. ONE PERSON. I wonder what that person is like and how they feel to be the 1 person who basically saved Blago from being convicted any more. If this was a movie, he probably would have been paid off haha. Trial and convictions aside, I have to say I feel sorry for the Blagojevich children*. Their parents aren't exploiting them, but they have to see their parents in the papers and could lose their father for a while.

*Exhibit A: 

On a different note, he ticks me off a little. OK he's from Chicago which is a great city in Illinois, but there is more to Illinois than just Chicago and its suburbs. There's a whole rest of the state south of 80 and it seems like Chicago politicians don't give a crap about the Southern part. Um, we help pay your salary too. Our schools aren't receiving enough funding either. In fact, the state of Illinois owes Freeburg grade school over $200,000 dollars. Maybe if we had a governor that could manage $$ correctly and quit worrying about his hair or his expensive suits, Illinois could get back on track. Chicago has a long history of corruption, which is sad but made me think of something. Maybe our next governor shouldn't be from Chicago?

 

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Cross off one more item

Last night I finally achieved one of my remaining summer goals (setting up a Posterous was one!). For years I have wanted to go to Skyview (the drive in movie theater in Belleville) but never really gotten around to it. This summer was different though. I told myself this summer I was GOING to Skyview and nothing was going to stop me.
   
The thing about the drive in is that you basically get 2 movies for the price of 1 so you want to go when they are showing 2 movies you want to see to get your money's worth. So when I looked at the movie listings for this weekend, I saw one "combo" was The Other Guys followed by Salt. I hadn't seen either of these movies but wanted to so I figured this was my chance.

I seized the opportunity last night and really enjoyed it. I got to bring my own snacks & beverages, and basically paid $4.50 per movie. The Other Guys was your usual "buddy-cop" movie, but cute and funny. It had a typical Will Ferrell moment, but I also like Mark Wahlberg. It was nice to see him in a comedy.

As for Salt, I like spy movies and this is didn't really disappoint. A few predictable moments, but overall pretty good. I was surprised it turned out to be on the short side.

Tomorrow I start my last week at AKA. It's been great there, but I'm so ready to go back to Chicago. 10 days!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Potpourri Post

Hmm what should I talk about? So many topics are being discussed in the news, I cannot pick just one, so this post will be in outline format. I.               Excitement a.     Amy Poehler & Will Arnett just had another baby boy! b.     The Oil Spill seems to be improving in terms of plugging the well. c.      I head back to Chicago in 19 days! II.             Celeb Gossip a.     Is Lindsay Lohan out of jail now? Honestly, I don’t care. Just leave her alone so she can get some help and sober up and get her life back together. b.     I feel kinda bad for Bristol Palin with the whole Levi being a jerk  thing. I think she just needs to fly under the radar for a while and raise her son. c.      Emma Watson got a haircut. I’m not sure if I like it. I had short hair when I was little and hated it. I’m never going back, but some people can pull it off. d.     Apparently Michelle Obama is getting some criticism for vacationing in Spain. Seriously just leave them alone. I honestly don’t care where they go on vacation. I’ve been to Spain and it’s pretty awesome. I enjoyed my time there. III.           Work a.     Monday I started doing answering the phones and doing secretarial work at AKA. I learned how to use an office phone which was exciting. Overall everything is good. I did some image resizing and created some surveys on Survey Monkey about a client’s product.                                                i.     This week I have been very informed in terms of current events. During my downtime I take a look at CNN, Chicago Tribune, BND, EW, People, and various blogs. I suppose that’s why I just can’t pick one topic. b.     Yesterday I did some DAB related work. All is well in the world of comedy events. I filled out & returned marketing request forms. Wooo? In all seriousness, I’m excited for this school year. c.      I’ve also been busy preparing my syllabus for my Discover Class that I will be a mentor for in the fall. It’s coming together quite nicely and I am almost finished with it. Now all that I have to do is work on lesson plans. d.     Wednesday I had planned to go live with Jacque’s website that I was working on. However Site Builder did not exactly import my work, so it looks like I will have to redo my work in site builder. Maybe this weekend we will go live? I’ll post a link when it’s up. Keep your fingers crossed! IV.            What?! a.     I discovered this site in my blog crusade: http://thedailywh.at/ b.     People are creating facebook profiles for their pets? http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/08/05/pets.facebook.networks/index.html?hpt=Sbin c.      Booty Pop? I feel I could write a whole post about this. Maybe I’ll come back to it this weekend. d.     James Bond “dead”? NO. This is absolutely unacceptable. I would donate $ if there was a “Save James Bond” fund. I want to marry a man like James Bond (looks good in a tux, suave, drives a nice car, etc.). I sort of grew up with James Bond movies. I’ve seen all of them at least twice. I could talk forever about James Bond.  Maybe I’ll make that another post after I read the full article in this week’s Entertainment Weekly. e.     Facebook changed the way it does its albums and I can’t say I like it, although I am never really happy when facebook changes something. V.              Vote! a.     Vote for DePaul University at Victoria’s Secret so that they can make cute-but-expensive lounge wear with DePaul’s logo & name on it: http://tinyurl.com/35sv4lw b.     Vote for Holdfast in the Toast of the Coast play-in contest. Holdfast is a band from DePaul and the actually won DePaul’s battle of the bands http://www.northcoastfestival.com/contests/profile.php?aid=148 c.      They don’t spam you, I promise!! Well, that’s everything! Have a great weekend!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Busy as a bee

    This past week has been pretty busy for me, in terms of web work.  I like being busy though so I don't mind. Plus I'm doing something I love =)
    I've started helping my friend's mom with her website. Her name is Jacque Davis and she creates beautiful quilts. All of her quilts are so colorful so the new website I am working on for her will be colorful as well. It's really coming along and I'm very excited about it. We are designing it in Yahoo Site Builder which isn't my favorite software to work with, but it is very visual. That's the thing though, it's so visual it does not let you edit the code. I've decided I'm more of a code person so Site Builder bothered me a little but I was able to copy the files over to my mac & edit in Coda and Dreamweaver.
    The first thing I worked on was the image gallery. We wanted have more than a basic one so I downloaded visual light box and created a pretty awesome gallery with it. Now we have moved on to the other pages and I am inputting content and such.
    I've been working a little bit more at AKA. I've been helping out on the Kaskaskia Engineering Group website mainly when I go in. In the early weeks I mainly input content which wasn't too bad and I learned some things. Yesterday I spent all day creating PDF's (a little monotonous but easy) that will be downloadable on the site. Today I resized images for the site and created thumbnails for them. There were a lot but it needed to be done. Starting next week I'll be doing a little more office work (mainly answering the phone) but it'll give me something to do during the last few weeks of my summer.

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Have a Laugh

I know a couple of my latests posts have been rants and not really praising. Well this post is all about comedy which is something I love. I love to laugh and I laugh often. There's nothing like a great comedy show or hilarious new youtube video to put me in a better mood. When I was on my "vacation" my friend Sisi showed me this video by the sketch group Harvard Sailing Team (HST): After checking out their website, I should probably mention that HST is not affiliated with Harvard nor its Sailing Team. I wonder why they chose that name but it's kinda catchy. Regardless, I cannot give this video and this group enough praise. I love its spin off, Girls will be Boys and I love the sequel to these to videos as well (Boys Will Be Girls: Night Out). I think those are the best 3 sketches this group has done, although their others are still good. After watching a few of their other videos on youtube, my favorite video not in the guys-will-be-girls series is "Awesome Hook Up". http://www.youtube.com/user/HSTSketchComedy#p/search/2/XrHN8lL1Rcw I had to watch it twice because the first time I had a "what just happened?" moment. What makes it even funnier though is the fact that this video is based on a true story. Someone had to go through that experience for it to be made a video on youtube. Glad it wasn't me haha Hope you got a few good laughs after reading this. Please vote for Tommy Johnagin on Last Comic Standing!! http://www.nbc.com/last-comic-standing/vote/register.shtml

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Bye Bye Bowling Alley

This week a place from my childhood was torn down. After being closed for quite some time (I don’t know how many years) the Bowling Alley was torn down. Wednesday on my way to internship in St. Louis the construction I saw the building was on its way to the ground. When I came home there was only a corner left. Yesterday when I went into town it was all gone & I managed to take a few pictures with my phone while @ the stoplight. I was a little bummed out but it had been vacant for quite some time. One thing I remember about the Bowling Alley was its food. I wasn’t a frequent bowler (or the best) but the food was sooo delish, especially the pizza. The crust was super thin and super the cheese was in abundance & gooey. I heard some people went there just to eat. Now I’m hungry haha The bowling alley was a small little place, but it was in town and you didn’t have to drive to Belleville (like I do now for my once a summer trip). It smelled a little smoky and like fried food but that’s how a lot of places in Freeburg smelled. I remember a couple of my friends had their birthday parties there.  The Bowling Alley closed when the owners decided to retire. I think they moved to Florida and nobody really continued it, or made it something else. I don’t know what’s going to happen to that lot now but the Burg will look a little different now.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Parah Salin

This weekend is supposed to be my vacation (aka break from the internet & stuff), but while on my vacation I read in Entertainment Weekly that

“Christian publisher Zondervan has announced that they will be publishing an unauthorized biography of Sarah Palin for young readers.”

Titled Speaking Up the target audience is 9-12 year olds.
So here come my thoughts....
Do 9-12 year olds even know who Sarah Palin is? Maybe the 12 year olds, but when I was 9, I didn’t know many political figures except the prez & VP and a few miscellaneous people (some @ the state level).
What makes anyone think 9-12 year olds are even going to read this? A lot of stuff about her life is getting cut out, according the EW article I read the whole preggo Bristol thing is being removed, as well has Sarah’s moose-hunting hobby. So what all is there to talk about?
Exactly. WHAT IS THERE TO TALK ABOUT? I don’t totally hate her because I mean she actually got elected governor of Alaska, but she ended her term early for no reason and didn’t get elected VP (not entirely her fault I guess). I have a feeling though, if I read her book, I wouldn’t feel inspired due to her lack of accomplishments. I guess having 5 kids is an accomplishment, but I don’t aspire to have 5 kids.

Source: http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/07/12/a-sarah-palin-book-for-children-what-will...

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Who Knew the ESPY's would make me cry

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Last night I watched the ESPY’s on ESPN. I hadn’t watched for a few years (because we don’t have cable. I went to my neighbor’s house) but really wanted to this year when I heard Seth Myers was hosting. Overall, I think he did a good job hosting. When he delivered the Kardashian bedroom joke I knew it was going to be a good night.

            Before the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, I wasn’t expecting anything too emotional. Then ESPN started the video tribute of the story of football coach Ed Thomas. He was the football coach for a small town in Iowa and loved by everyone. Then in June of 2009 a former player who was schizophrenic shot him in the weight room. I was utterly shocked and started crying. What moved me the most was that the family was able to forgive and asked the community to do the same.  And people forgave. That’s really admirable and I wish more people could be like the Thomas family. Who knows why unfortunate events happen but the family of Ed Thomas definitely deserved that award.

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Really?!

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So originally, this post was going to be about my excitement for Brandon Flowers’ solo disc coming out September 14 (a week before my birthday!). The front cover art has been released as well as the music video for his first single, Crossfire.

But instead of commenting on the appearance of Charlize Theron in the video, I will be commenting on Forever 21.

 

My friend Jennifer sent me a link today and I seriously thought she was joking when she told me about it.

http://www.forever21.com/category.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=maternity_main&Page=all&promotype=2&cookie_test=1

Forever 21 is now selling maternity clothes. The line is called Love 21 Maternity, or more commonly known as, Bristol Palin’s clothes.

I feel like this would be a good section for Seth & Amy’s “Really?!”

Really Forever 21? You’re selling maternity clothes? Are you trying to expand your market? Because I’ve never seen any average moms wearing your clothes, let alone in your store. The only moms in your store are the ones buying clothes for their teen daughters. The only people who wear your clothes are high school and college kids because your clothes are so cheap. Therefore the only people who are going to buy your clothes are teen moms. I mean I guess the teen moms in the states are getting excited because they can wear clothes from 1 of their favorite stores. In all honesty, I don’t think the clothes are overly cute or anything special. What cracks me up the most is one of the models is wearing high heels with the leggings

No preggo mom is going to be wearing heels. My mom told me her ankles were swollen as hell when she was preggers. The page gets better though at the bottom where the “maternity essentials” section is. Under the header is a ‘belly panel’ and 4 large purses. A new purse is essential? They’re not even diaper bags. When you’re pregnant what all do you need to carry around with ya? You don’t need pacifiers, you don’t need diapers, and you don’t need bottles because YOU DON’T HAVE A BABY YET.

Well that’s all I have to say about that. I encourage you all to vote for my favorite (& fellow Southern Illinoian) on Last Comic Standing: Tommy Johnagin at http://www.nbc.com/last-comic-standing/vote/register.shtml

 

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

They’re leggings! They’re jeans! No, they’re JEGGINGS!

Now I’m not exactly a fashionista. I dress pretty simple and try to look put together. I don’t branch out fashion wise except for color. I like color(s) but I’ll make sure everything goes together. I never really got into leggings. I was never really a huge fan of tights growing up and leggings are too much like tights to me. I don’t like them worn as a pants alternative either. I just don’t care for them. They look ok/cute on some people (as long as you don’t wear them as an alternative for pants).

Jeans? Oh, I love jeans. I wear jeans a lot. I like to get mine at Express because they seem to fit me the best & are made well/good quality. Jean shopping is a pain though. Traveling around the mall trying on hundreds of jeans is quite a bore. And trying to find a pair that doesn’t look trashy, or don’t have any holes or tears in them is a quest in its own. Sorry, not into the whole distressed look. So glad that trend went away. I just didn’t see the point of looking like I was living in a van down by the river.

But jeggings?! Really?? Just the name jeggings sounds stupid. Because they are. Jeggings are stupid. It even comes up as a misspelled word on my spell check. Word does not even want to accept the fact that they do exist. Who came up with this idea?? You pick one, jeans or pants. And if you choose leggings, you best check to make sure you don’t have panty lines. It’s like chicken on pizza. I love chicken, and I love pizza, but I don’t put the two together... ever. It took me a very long time (like 10 years) to accept pineapple on pizza. I don’t order it, but my mother does. Sometime around high school it was my only option one night so I bit the bullet and ate it. This entry is not about pizza though, it’s about jeggings (which when I type always seem to come out as jeggins). There are some ugly jeggings out there too. Like the acid washed look. When I googled them, a pair from urban outfitters came up and they were absolutely hideous. I’ll spare you an image (like anyone is reading this. If you’re reading please comment!).

In other fashion news, I stopped by J.Crew a few days ago and took advantage of their sale! I got a $48 shirt for $17 (that’s with the tax too!!). I was very excited. Then I got the bag.
J.Crew is changing their bags!!!!! I don’t approve of this change. I like their brown and green bags. They stand out. They are simple and classy, like their clothes. These bags are so blah. The “J.Crew” in silver font blends in with the gray bag. Even the handles are a boring gray. Customers should be proud of their J.Crew purchases! Not ashamed and wanting their bag to blend in. I voiced a little concern to the cashier and he didn’t really seem to care. I guess there’s really nothing he or I can do about it, but it makes me a little sad. I am now going to search my house for an old J.Crew bag and keep it forever with my Kitson LA, Benefit, Tiffany’s, and Coach shopping bag collection. Yea, I collect/save shopping bags, get over it. There could be worse things

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

My Kool Aid Brings all the Boys to the Yard

Today I revisited my childhood by making Kool Aid. Somehow the mixes just always keep appearing in my mom’s cupboard by the tea and coffee. When I was little, I would eenie-meanie-miney-moe the flavors in order to decide which sugary kind to make. Today, out of impulse, I grabbed the first packet I saw: Strawberry Lemonade.

Kool Aid is definitely one of those summery drinks, but so is lemonade. So what says summer more than Kool Aid Lemonade?! Yea, didn’t think so. When was the last time you had Kool Aid? For me, it was last summer =)  If you know me, you know that I am somewhat of a traditionalist. I am a creature of habit. Well, making Kool Aid is no exception. I always use the clear plastic pitcher (although there really isn’t any other option) and I always stir it with this wooden spoon my mom has.

Why use a wooden spoon? Because it’s  WOODEN SPOON. How many people do you know with a wooden spoon? It’s quirky and awesome at the same time. And I’ve always used the wooden spoon. I stir the kool aid after adding 4 cups of water and again after I’ve added another 4 cups. Then I have to taste it to see if it needs more sugar (usually it does, but today it tasted just right). I don’t used the wooden spoon to taste, but my red crazy straw!! You can’t use a regular joe straw that you get at McDonald’s or Dairy Queen. You have to use a crazy, swirly straw. Besides being red, mine has a Dalmatian on it (like from 101 Dalmatians).

I’ve had it forever and have used it with Kool Aid since the wooden spoon. Kool Aid, the wooden spoon, and the straw have gone together since... I’ve dunked my oreos in milk I guess. So, now you know how I make my Kool Aid. Now go make some for yourself!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

The Smoothie Experience

So yesterday I tried a smoothie from McDonald’s. I was out running errands with my mom and was hungry/thirsty and a McD’s was across the street. I decided to go with the wild berry kind since I’m not big on strawberry-banana flavored things. For a smoothie, it was decently priced. With tax it came out to around $3.07 I think. When I tasted it though, it definitely tasted like it came from McD’s. It didn’t taste like fried food, but I’ve had better smoothies. I suppose I’ve been spoiled by the Bean smoothies made with fresh fruit & juices.

All in all, I’d prolly get the berry smoothie again. I don’t have any major complaints about it, but it could taste less…. Processed. It was probably made with a mix, but it’s quicker that way. I wish more places served smoothies, especially coffee joints & cafes. Since I do not like coffee (or tea) I often do not have many options at such places. In November I got a smoothie from starbucks (the passion fruit tea lemonade stuff “wasn’t in season.” Booo), but it tasted too creamy. Honestly, I think starbucks is a little overrated, but maybe that’s because I don’t like coffee haha

Oh, btw, McD's has free Wi-Fi now? Not bad...

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

POSTEROUS!

Well I did it. I got a posterous! I had not heard of it until April. CDM hosted a networking even and someone (I can't rememer who)

I intended to spend my night by watching TV, but I decided to sit and do something else. So I spent my night on this bugger & making it my own. I hate going with pre-made layouts because I like to customize them. After all, I am going into web design. Of course posterous would only let me customize colors, and not backgrounds. So pasted the code in Coda (which is the best program for editing code besides Dreamweaver in my opinion) and got to work. Then I had to link it to my blogger, twitter, and linked in, add some pages, and links, and tweak other account info.

Even though I've had my Posterous account for only a few hours, I really like it. It really consolidates everything which I like. I didn't really like my blogger account, but I already had it. I needed a blogger for Winter Quarter class assignment and just kept it. Customizing it was tricky as well so I just went with a premade layout. Since I have the posterous I'll probably just leave it be.

All for now!

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Beautiful Day at the Muny

Tuesday night I attended a performance of Beauty and the Beast at the Muny. I am was so excited. I hadn't been to the Muny in years (usually because it's been so damn hot). I love Beauty and the Beast as well. I loved the movie as a child and saw the live production at the Fox Theater when I was like 4. When I was like 13 or 14, I went to a friend's high school production of it. They did a great job for being a fairly small school.

I'm trying to remember the last show I saw at the Muny. I went with my mom usually once a year when I was young. I would wear a cute dress that she made for me and we would eat at the Pasta House beforehand. I don't remember how old I was, but I believe Peter Pan or The Wizard of Oz was the last performance I saw. I have one of those souvenir Muny cups from the Peter Pan performance. It's got glitter and Peter Pan-y stuff at the bottom (a plastic crocodile and one of those swords you find in drinks are the only things I remember).

So the performance itself was excellent. We had decent seats and were in the middle. Unfortunately, some dude's head was smack-dab in the middle so i had to kind of lean to the right or left to see. The only downside to the Muny is that the seats are not staggered like they are in other theaters. The seats are directly in front of each other. Since B&B (that's short for Beauty and the Beast) is a Disney classic, there were lots of little kids. I don't hate little kids, but I don't like them when they are not quiet during a performance. I had the luck of getting a couple behind me. One was obsessed with the character Chip. "Where's Chip? I don't see Chip!" and "Is Chip a boy?" Wow kiddo, chill the fuck out. It's not called Chip & the Beast. At least the weather was beautiful. Could not have asked for better conditions. It wasn't a boiling cauldron of hot outside & the humidity was low. Score! This week has been wonderful so far! (::Knock-on-wood::)

What I like most about B&B is that it's not your typical damsel in distress like the other stories are. Belle is an admirable 'princess.' She's smart, she's brave, she sticks up for herself, and she's caring. She takes the place of her father prisoner in the castle and is not afraid to tell the Beast that he's being a jerk. She doesn't put up with Gaston's crap either and sticks up for her father as well. At the end Belle basically saves the Beast from being permanently stuck in that form by saying she loves him. She has the ability to look past what he looks like and see his true personality. Of course in the end he turns into a stunning prince and they live happily ever after. At the end you have a warm fuzzy feeling inside =)