This is very cool. I love it when awesome things happen around the world. It makes me want to be a part of it 
Zach Sobiech- Clouds
RIP Zach Sobiech. Your story has touched many lives and you are an inspiration to so many! Thank you for leaving us with this beautiful song, and teaching me how to live my life.
“I want to be remembered as the kid who went down fighting, and didn’t really lose”
Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech at University of The Arts
What a wonderful speech. So inspirational.
Amadeus, Amadeus….Caffe Amadeus!
A cute little design in my latte!
There’s not a lot to do in the town where my college is located. The only things near by are a run-down movie theater, a bowling alley, and quite a few bars.
However, within this desolate town there is one little gem that stands out among the otherwise colorless surroundings. Caffe Amadeus, an adorable little coffee shop with a European feel, is my favorite place I’ve discovered during my four years at this college.
The shop is furnished with tons of comfortable and classical looking chairs and couches, and the is decorated with all kind of neat artwork. There are plenty of tables and outlets, which makes it my prime study location on campus. It’s far less crowded and much more relaxing then the campus library.
The owner’s bake different desserts everyday from 100 year old family recipes. I think at this point I may have tried at least half of them, and they are always delicious. I’m always surprised when I go, and there is a new and interesting dessert I’ve never seen before. It seems like they have a never ending book of recipes!
The owner’s daughter also competes in latte art competitions! How cool is that? She’s traveled to several different cities in the U.S to compete, and has placed at quiet a few of the competitions. Sometimes she will even put a design into your latte, if you order one!
As far as coffee shops go, this one is top notch, and I will be missing it when I graduate. I’ve always had a mild obsession with coffee shops, and I’m always trying to discover and try new ones! Of the many I’ve been too, Caffe Amadeus is my absolute favorite!
For more information click here to go to the Caffe Amadeus Website!
The Sketchbook Project
Want a little display of your artistic talents to tour around the U.S.?
Then you should consider participating in the 2013 Sketchbook Project!
I found this neat little project my junior year of college. You sign up on the website, choose a theme for your sketchbook and pay $25 to participate. Then you are sent a little sketchbook in the mail. You have the year to fill it out (or less time depending when you sign up!) and then you send it back to them. You can get as creative as you want with the sketchbook, and turn it into whatever you would like. Maybe you want to turn it into a memoir, or a travel log, or fill it with photos, or just a regular sketchbook, the choice is yours! Once they receive your sketchbook, it will be categorized with all the other sketchbooks completed that year. Then all the sketchbooks are sent on a tour to different cities around the U.S., where people are able to come and check out your sketchbook! Once the tour is over, your sketchbook is kept at the Brooklyn Art Library in NY, so people can continue to check it out and view it. It’s a very cool project and I urge you to check it out if you are looking for a fun artistic challenge!
Click here to go to the Art-House Co-op website and sign up for the project!
I signed up for the project my junior year. However, I signed up last minute, thinking I would just be able to pound it out in a few days. School work got in the way, of course, and I didn’t end up finishing that year.
I participated again in 2012, and finished the book this time though! I still rushed on it, and basically turned it into a complete mess of water color, but I’m just happy I finished. Now my sketchbook is touring around the country! It’s been to New York and Chicago so far, and this weekend it’s heading to Portland, OR!
Here is the link with the tour dates and locations! If you happen to attend the tour, you should take a look at my sketchbook!
I didn’t scan any of my sketchbook project to the computer, so I don’t really have anything good to show you. I did take a blurry photo on my phone of one of the little drawings in my book though:
Now go sign up! It’s lots of fun
Summertime means no more textbooks, and more fun reading!
Summer is almost here, which for me means: No more reading textbooks, and more time for reading that I actually enjoy!
And with that said, I believe now would be a good time to start compiling my summer reading list!
Here’s where I will be starting:
Game of Thrones- George R.R. Martin
That’s right! I just downloaded Game of Thrones on my nook! I debated the decision to purchase this book for quite sometime. Since I’ve already watched the first season of the HBO adaptation and know all the twists, turns…and character deaths, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the book as much. However, only 200 pages in, and I’m already hooked. George R.R. Martin’s writing is so wonderfully descriptive. I expected a difficult read, that I would have to trudge through, and instead found a highly enjoyable epic fantasy, that flows smoothly from page to page. I’m in love with this novel so far, and I’m sure I will end up reading the rest of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series this summer (I mean, the books in the series that have been released already).
Of course, there are some other books I would like to get to this summer as well:
- The Sun Also Rises- Ernest Hemmingway– I actually started this awhile ago, but got caught up in school work and never had the chance to finish it. Finishing this one is high on my list!
- Neuromancer- William Gibson
- The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger– It’s a classic. I’ve never read it. I think I need to.
- Snow Crash-Neal Stephenson
- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And other concerns)- Mindy Kaling– I’ve wanted to read this one for awhile now. I’m a huge fan of Mindy Kaling, and she is hilarious, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen R. Covey– Alright, so self-help books aren’t usually my cup of tea, but I’ve heard good things about this book, and my Social Media professor highly recommends it. Since I’m graduating college this year, I figure there could be a lot for me to learn from this book.
There is my list! I’m sure it will change as soon as I walk into a Barns and Nobel and a new book catches my eye, but for now this is my list.
What books are you looking forward to reading this summer?
Zip-lines, Monkey bars and tightropes…Oh My!
The Adirondack Extreme: Adventure Course is possibly one of the most fun and most challenging things I’ve ever done. The Adirondack Extreme is an aerial tree top ropes course, complete with zip-lines, Tarzan swings, rock walls, tightropes, monkey bars and many more surprises. Click here to go to The Adirondack Extreme website to get more information!
My Adirondack adventure started while visiting my cousins in Schenectady, NY. My uncle brought up the idea of going to this course, and I was immediately down for the challenge. The courses start out easy, and as you complete one course you are able to move forward to the next. There are five courses total, black being the hardest. The first couple courses weren’t much of a challenge for me. Sure, I broke a sweat, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. However, once I reached the last two courses things changed drastically. My arms were exhausted and shaking like crazy, and now that the courses were 60 feet off the ground, I was a little out of my comfort zone. Still I continued on, determined to finish every course. Things were going well until I came to the monkey bars. These were not your children’s playground monkey bars. These were 60 ft off the ground, and with the condition my arms were already in, they worried me. The idea of being so far off the ground and having nothing below my feet was terrifying. I think I stared at them for 10 minutes, before forcing myself to make the leap. I was relieved to get past that section, but I knew things would just get harder.
When I made it to the last section of the course, I froze in place and just stared at what I now had to face. A mixture of hanging triangle monkey bars, small wobbly wooden logs and little swinging rings that you had to fit your feet into were what stood in front of me. I really don’t know quite how to explain all these contraptions, but, let’s put it this way, that ending platform seemed extremely out of reach. My brother went first, and although he made it across rather smoothly, he had to carefully plan each move to get across. My cousin went next, and struggled. At one point he had his one foot in a metal-loop thing, his hand reached up for a monkey bar, and his butt sitting on this rubbery big loop thing behind him. Like I said earlier, it’s confusing to explain, but basically he was just in a very awkward position. As he sat in this position, completely exhausted he mumbled, just loud enough to hear…”No f*cking way.” He eventually got it figured out though and made it across. By the time it came to my turn, I was nearly paralyzed by fear, and the park had started to close up. The workers were belaying people down from where ever they were on the course. When the (young and very attractive) worker got to me, he said, “Alright, we’re getting ready to close, it’s time to go down.” A slight feeling of relief came over me, as I realized I wouldn’t have to face the death trap that lay ahead. However, then my competitive side took over, and I felt disappointed that I wouldn’t get to finish the hardest course. The worker, that was getting ready to take me down form the course, must have notice my disappointment.
“Alright, you have three minutes to get across,” he said.
Fear came over me again, but this time I shook it off, and with out any hesitation grabbed the first swinging ring and continued on to finished the course. I must have had a rush of adrenaline, because I think I really did complete the section in three minutes. Maybe even less. I amazed myself, by how swiftly I was able to get across. Completing all of the courses felt so empowering.
The courses were not just about strength, they were also about crushing those doubts in your mind that hold you back. To complete all of the courses, you need to let go of all your fears, and trust yourself.
Excited to start the courses!
Me and my brother relaxing while we’re still on the easy course!
Tight rope 40 feet up!
The zip-lines were scattered throughout the courses. I loved them, they gave me a chance to relax. Kudos to whoever got this picture, I was moving pretty fast!
How attractive. Getting ready to start the more difficult courses.
Getting more challenging!
woo! On the ground again!
Done! And completely exhausted!
