Comment Response

Hey there fantastic website! Does running a blog similar to this take a massive amount of work? I have virtually no knowledge of programming however I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyhow, should you have any ideas or tips for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off subject but I just needed to ask. Thank you!

Hey there fantastic reader! Running a blog like this one takes virtually NO work. It's very simple. The format blogspot.com provides pretty much does everything for you. When you create your own login and site, there will be a "Design" button at the top. If you click on that, it takes you through all sorts of options to personalize what your blog looks like. You can customize your template, change your default font for when you make a post, change the font of your title, figure out the color scheme of your blog...a lot of it is self-explanatory.

I have no knowledge of programming either! So no worries. :) The site is set up so that anyone can make a blog for themselves.

Hmmm...ideas or tips for new bloggers...

1. Figure out all your settings, layout, and template first. If you don't love the way your blog looks you'll constantly be distracted by that when you go to post, instead of thinking about how/what you want to write.
2. Don't worry about needing to write every day or every other day. The blog is there for YOU, when you're in the mood to share thoughts, remember a funny story, express your feelings, etc. If you worry about consistently writing the blog will become a stressful thing instead of something fun. There's been times I haven't posted for WEEKS. Other times I'm in the mood to write four blog posts in one day! It's all up to you.
3. It doesn't matter how many followers you have/don't have. It's your blog, made for the purpose of you and your thoughts. If other people want to read what you write, great! If not, well that's fine too. Write for yourself, not anyone else.
4. Do NOT share your identity! I try never to mention last names on my blog or places like my hometown. I just wrote a post about New York City, but that's fine cause millions of people go to New York...and I write about my time at Millersville, but there are thousands of people at Millersville, so if a creepy stalker wanted to find me they wouldn't be able to. Always better to be on the safer side of things.
5. Have fun with it! :)

I think that's all I have! Best of luck and enjoy!

Birdland Part II

Friday at around 1:00PM, me and my dad and David all headed down to NYC for a fantastic day in the city. We made really good time, getting there a little before 3:00PM, and ran straight to Ollie's (an authentic Chinese restaurant). After a delicious lunch that only cost around $25 for the three of us (which is INSANE, especially in New York City!) we hurried ourselves over to Birdland.

After standing in line for a few minutes, we got to the front where a man was checking people in. I gave him my name, and POOF! We were in! It's a pretty awesome feeling when your name gets you and two other people into a jazz club. ;D

The club was fairly small, but that was nice cause it gave it a really comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. Our seats were front and center, pretty much directly in front of the band. There was a row of tables between us and the band but you could see everything fine, and there was NO problem hearing any of the players!

As we waited, some of the musicians came out and were warming up and chatting...just really chill, which I think is one of my favorite parts of watching pros; they're just always so easy-going. AND THEY'RE ALL SO PHENOMENAL. Which I guess is a given if you're playing in one of the most well-known jazz clubs of all time, but still...WOO! So good!

They played a variety of charts, some Latin, some swing, some blues...all good stuff! And it was SO much fun watching them! At the beginning of the first chart, the lead trumpet player was having a conversation with the piano player at one point. And the drummer would make faces at some of the players at times, and there was whoops and hollers coming from the saxes when there was a really groovin' section of a song...it was great.

I think the drummer was my favorite to watch because while other people were soloing, he would watch them and match his playing to whatever they were doing and he could predict where their solos were going and set up really great hits perfectly.

And the soloists THEMSELVES! Oh my word...the trumpets? All of them soloed at some time. All of them were fantastic. Doing ridiculous trills and shakes and high notes and low notes and runs and MIND BLOWN. The trombones? HILARIOUS. They all had such personality through the horn when they played. The saxes? Jaw-dropped to the basement floor all the time. Brilliant licks...and their dexterity was just out of this world! When the bari sax guy soloed he was like moving and dancing all over the place too, it was a hoot to watch. I remember one time when he had a solo I just kept looking at David and saying, "He's ridiculous! This is insane!" It's just so good you can only sit there and think, "How in the world is this possible? What the HECK am I listening to? No one's this good!" 

It was SUCH a fun night out in the city! Oh and on top of all the great music we had yummy desserts as well. :)

Me and Daddy outside Birdland!

Me and David! :)

Birdland Part 1

BIRDLAND WAS AMAZING.

I promise to write a detail-filled post gushing about how freaking awesome they were, but right now I have to go shower and get ready to go into Philly for dinner and a show!

Loving my life. :)

My life is just a little bit amazing

Last Sunday, I went to Philly and saw Les Mis at the Academy of Music.
This Friday, I'm going to NYC with my dad and David to go to Birdland (THE jazz club in NYC!).
This Saturday, I'm going to Philly to eat a wonderful dinner and see the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Three city trips in ONE week! I'm lovin' it. :)

Boyfriend + Guy Best Friend + Mom=Crazy Times

Last night, I had a game/movie night with David, Sean (best friend from way back in 7th grade), and my mom. A slightly eclectic group no doubt: boyfriend, guy best friend, and mom, but we had a great time. :)

Me, David, and Sean all helped put dinner together (burritos! YUM!) and then most of the dinner conversation was spent with my mom telling stories of her 1st grade students but then turned into me telling stories of bad things I did when I was that age. For example:

When I was in first grade, there was this one morning where NOTHING went right for me. I don't remember what happened, but I was really upset when I got to school and then found out I had a substitute teacher and that was like the last straw...I just couldn't handle anything else. So I broke down crying in the middle of class but then I was totally embarrassed for crying in front of everyone so when the substitute asked what I was wrong, I decided to say that my Dziedzi (grandpa on my dad's side) had died. HE HADN'T THOUGH. Well...that got me out of doing class activities but then the principal called my dad (who worked at as a pastor at the Christian school I went to) and asked why he was in for work when his father had passed away. After much confusion, he explained that his dad was NOT dead...and I got in BIG BIG BIG trouble! I was an interesting child, to say the least... :P

After dinner, we all played Ticket to Ride (Europe Version) and Sean won...I think I like the American Version of the game better...I usually win that one. :P Then we played Pick-Two (like Bananagrams) and each of us won once, which was cool.

THEN. It was movie time...my mom picked the movie: "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil." YEAH. It's classified as a horror comedy. And it was RIDICULOUSLY hysterical! But I also screamed at several times and covered my head with a blanket. Oh my word...it was insane! Here's the trailer for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQOZHEYhVtU

The whole premise is that these two hillbillies are in the woods to fix up a cabin they just bought as a vacation home at the same time a bunch of college students are out in the woods too. The college kids of course assume they're murderers and try to save their friend Ally (whose in the cabin because she fell and hit her head and they saved her and took care of her) but while trying to kill the hillbillies, they all accidentally kill themselves. Getting impaled on sticks...jumping into a woodcutter...shooting themselves in the head cause they don't know how a gun works...IT IS SO FUNNY. But gory and suspenseful as well. :P

After it was over, mom went up to bed and the three of us sat downstairs and talked for awhile. It was a lot of fun for me. :) My boyfriend and one of my best guy friend's chilling and hanging out together. And they both approve of the other! So that's the best part, haha. :)

David-isms of the day

David has this ridiculously amazing sense of humor. And he's really smart too so he comes up with some pretty witty stuff. Take today for example...

Sitting in the theater watching Les Mis, I turned to David and said, "I think Marius is Asian!" and he replied, "I think he's French." HA. Took me like five seconds to get... :P

And then later we were walking back to the car and kept seeing all these signs for "Female Gaze" (some art thing, I think) and he quips, "In other words, lesbians." THAT one took me like fifteen seconds to understand...

There was something else too but I can't remember now...ah well. You get the idea of his goofiness. ;D