Press and the City

Moved the Blog!!

2009-12-21T16:33:00.001-05:00

HEY ALL!

I've moved this blog over to Life, Unedited! Check it out and let me know what you think!

2009-12-21T14:29:00.001-05:00

Check out my post on globalshift.org about green cleaning products- you'd be surprised how dirty cleaning products really are! http://ping.fm/HCu3S

2009-12-21T14:19:00.001-05:00

need some ideas for entertaining in small spaces this holiday? check out these from TOH http://tinyurl.com/yl8ujdm

2009-12-21T14:06:00.001-05:00

Ultimate Upgrades for the Guest Bath...for under $50...http://ping.fm/nZiLZ

2009-12-21T13:32:00.001-05:00

Want to host a party but can't fit everyone in your apartment? Check out these small space tips from This Old House http://ping.fm/cYXVf

2009-12-21T13:05:00.001-05:00

Want a cheap, and inventive, gift? Check out $1 homes for the holidays, that's right $1 http://ping.fm/lAPKV

Black Friday- My 2nd Favorite Holiday

2009-11-24T09:36:00.001-05:00

Christmas Time. The Rockefeller Center tree, Radio City's Rocketts, Starbucks in while Ice Skating in the Park, and of course SALES SALES SALES. I have to say the best part of Christmas is the sales--particularly in an economy such as this!!

According to CNN Money there will be 57 million people "definitely" going shopping on Black Friday---and I plan to be in the middle of it all!! Am I crazy? I don't think so, but perhaps it will be even crazier than I can imagine.

Barefoot Student

2009-11-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

Hello All!

Happy Monday!!

Just a quick post to let you know about this new college student job site- Barefootstudent.com- you can change your location, post a resume and find an internship, part-time, full-time, gig, and one time job opportunities. It's great! Try it today!!

xoxo Giornalista ;)

Gingerbread Contest!!

2009-11-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Home Improvement and Remodeling: This Old House

It's that time of year again-- Gingerbread House making time!! So So SO excited for christmas this year and I think you should be too!! Check out these awesome gingerbread houses created by everyday people like you, get inspired, make one and submit it to This Old House's contest- you could win a $200 Home Depot gift card...think of all the new years improvements you could make to your home with that!

Andddd if you don't win first place you could win a DREMEL!! They make gingerbread houses especially fantastic!

Save Time, Money—and Your Sanity | Smart Storage for Once-a-Year Entertaining | Photos | Storage | Living Spaces | This Old House

2009-11-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

Classes: Are they worth it?

2009-11-10T08:28:00.002-05:00

As I sit here in my 8 am Sociology class listening to a male chauvinistic pig I ponder whether or not it's really all worth it.

Okay, perhaps he's not really a chauvinist, perhaps he is actually a nice man, but in his class lectures he often seems to be quite chauvinistic. He talks down to women, (myself included) doesn't respect our opinions and mainly just likes to hear himself talk.

This brings me to wonder whether or not these classes are actually worth it-- if I am going to be forced to listen to someone talk simply for the sake of hearing himself speak-- is it learning? Am I gaining anything? The answer in my mind-- NO NO NO!

I feel that certain classes have helped me; certain professors have educated me-- and as a Senior I can now see what has helped and what has not. Many things in my very high priced college career have not.

I'm tired, hungry, drinking burnt coffee and basically just want to have this man stop talking...Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Home Improvement and Remodeling: This Old House

2009-10-21T13:41:00.000-04:00

Home Improvement and Remodeling: This Old House

Submit a pumpkin to This Old House's pumpkin carving contest!! Today is the LAST DAY to submit!! And, don't forget to vote for your favorites!!

Would You Live in Any of These? | World's Wildest Houses III | Photos | Home & Real Estate | This Old House

2009-10-21T10:26:00.000-04:00

Would You Live in Any of These? | World's Wildest Houses III | Photos | Home & Real Estate | This Old House

Check out this awesome gallery from TOH!!

Haunted House Tours from This Old House!!

2009-10-07T10:56:00.000-04:00

You are Cordially Invited… | Historical Halloween House Tours | Photos | Remodels | This Old House

Looking for a Haunted Tour this October? Check out one of these awesome Haunted Houses from This Old House!

SAVE THE ANIMALS!!

2009-09-23T09:00:00.002-04:00

I believe that the most helpless creatures are animals, children and the elderly. Watching GMA this morning I was able to learn about a new organization called Rescue Ink that saves any and all abused and neglected animals. I donated via their Web site-- and think everyone should too!! It's a great cause- they don't simply take the animal away, they visit the abuser and "educate" him, as they said on GMA, so that the abuse stops.

PLEASE donate to this noble cause. AND try fostering/rescuing a pet of your own-- I've rescued my baby- Dee Dee- and couldn't be happier!!

Didn't we almost have it all?

2009-09-16T09:11:00.002-04:00

My parents have been divorced my whole life-- well not my WHOLE life, but it sure seems like it. And as I approach the age of "pairing up" (colloquially known as Wedding Season)I can't help but wonder if I will ultimately be divorced and therefore questioning the whole pairing up process in general.

Is it worth it to fall so deeply in love with someone; to give so much of yourself and then to ultimately lose it all...in an instant? I've been in love, it is the best drug, the best makeup and the best weight maintenance system-- your whole body hums with the knowledge that you are someone's cherished "significant other" (even if you aren't cherished completely--which is a WHOLE other blog post) and you simply can't help but shine. And yet when you lose this, and sometimes you have to lose it because of outside factors, but most of the time you lose it because it (the relationship) wasn't right for YOU; when you lose this, you are lost amid a sea of hand-holders, paired people...people you don't seem to fit in with anymore.

I have been unpaired for quite some time, and I love the single life, but boy let me tell you...I miss the privilege of being part of something; taking care of someone...and I want someone to take care of me! It's nice to have someone cook for you (not that my ex ever did this, but in theory it sounds nice).

So basically I think what I'm trying to say is where is my knight in shining armor; where is the man that will make all the doubt, worry and fear of pain go away? Where is the man that will make me realize love does work, and isn't just a part of sappy love ballads by the diva Houston (and I mean diva is a good way)? Where is my Big? Where's my lobster? Am I destined to be single forever? I certainly hope not, because that's a waste of a good cook ;)

Perhaps it's like Carrie says in the movie- vow to love me, each and every day. That is all I want. A partner, a lover, a man to make me better, and man that makes me blissfully happy- and he has to be out there...right?

Vampire Diaries Review!!

2009-09-11T10:34:00.000-04:00

University Chic

My first self-published post to UniversityChic.com!!

Read it! I love the new series-- even if it is slightly too similar for my taste ;)

Life...in general

2009-09-10T14:07:00.002-04:00

As I grow up I realize more and more things are getting harder to obtain.

I graduate in 9 months...9 months-- the amount of time to create a new life, the amount of time to save for a pair of Manolos, the amount of time...in which I graduate to be a bit redundant =) but again it is a long period of time and yet it is quite a short period of time.

I'm nervous, afraid and yet so unbelievably excited.

I need my own apartment-- and I need a job-- any ideas are always greatly appreciated =)

Does Size Really Matter?

2009-09-01T08:12:00.002-04:00

I work in a women's clothing store. We have a wide range of sizes- from 0-14- and I generally fit in the "average range" of that. Which is good, bad and ugly at times. But, little by little I'm learning that in terms of relationships and sexual attractions (basically in the view of MEN) doesn't make a difference.

As one of my good friends recently said "it's not like they ask to see your pant size before you take the pants off--they are simply happy you are taking them off."

This is so true!! And so evident in my job at the store. The other day a man came in and said I need an outfit for my wife. And i said okay, what's her size? His response? "Umm like you?" I, as many women I am sure, tend to fit into at least two sizes and depending on which one it is I leave the store elated or in a dismal mood after which I often skip dinner and add on a workout. But this man, who I'm assuming sleeps with his wife at least once in a while, had absolutely no idea which size she was, and which size put her in the dismal and/or pure euphoria!?! So from this I have decided several things--

--Men don't care (or know) about sizes

--Women obsess about sizes more than life itself

And my conclusion?

Be happy the way you are!! Because apparently men really do notice our personalities, smiles and eyes...and oh yea our boobs...but other than that-- they don't really seem to differentiate, or at least not on such a minute level. Which is GOOOD news for women ;)

So enjoy that cheeseburger once in a while, take a day off from the gym, and enjoy being you!! Because there is someone out there for you...it's finding them that's often the hard part!

Facebook Domination...

2009-08-31T08:07:00.002-04:00

Facebook. It is a noun- to describe the Web site-a verb-to describe the action of "adding someone as your friend"-- and a way of life for thousands of College students, professionals and individuals around America and ultimately the world. Is it taking over?

According to Virginia Heffernan in Sunday's NYT Magazine it is. According to me, a 21 year old journalist-- it is not.

Why do I say this you may ask? I say this because as someone who lives, breaths and makes money via online journalism, I can tell you that Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, and every other Web site devoted to social networking is essential to my career. For example, after I complete this post, I will "shrink" the URL, via a widget Digg has recently installed (thereby sharing it with that community) and then I will simultaneously post it to my Facebook and Twitter via either my iPhone applications and/or my desktop widget--Tweetdeck via Adobe Air. This, in the past month has increased my views from approximately 1-2 per day to 9-10 per day. Now these numbers are quite small, but I am writing on a small scale-- if I were a corporation, magazine, newspaper etc (or working for one as I previously did last year and this summer) it would be dramatic.

Facebook allows the generation of "gotta have it yesterday" to communicate with one another, attend events, share news, pictures and ideas and ultimately create a place where they feel save enough to be "them." However, this broad statement allows for a great variety of contradictions on the subject. Some facebook profiles are misleading; some users do indeed use it to stalk ex-boyfriends, girlfriends and "frenemies"; and still others do sometimes go to the extreme and create Facebook pages as a means to a ghastly end. These are, in my opinion, the exceptions to the rule. Facebook, as I said earlier, has become a verb, an action that we use in everyday life. These Web-isms, as I like to call them, allow us to create, share and develop a greater knowledge of the world around us through the confines of the World Wide Web.

From January 2008-May 2008 I lived in Rome, Italy. I learned to speak Italian and I learned to truly be Italian as opposed to simply being "New York Italian." Europeans have a great respect for culture, diversity and their way of life. Americans have a respect for these things as well, however, we constantly aim to improve, to change. It is the very core of our nature-- we are a nation of change; we are the FIRST nation of change and as such our people (our culture if you will) is devoted to being better, stronger, faster and just...more of everything. This is something that often encourages us to "go overboard." Facebook is used in Europe, but it is not as widely used. Cell phones are used in Europe, but again Europeans take a break every once in a while and learn to "smell the roses."

I believe that if, indeed you feel that Facebook is taking over your life, take a hint from our brothers and sisters "across the pond" and simply take a break. Spend time outside, with friends in real time...and to be quite frank, it's perfectly acceptable to use facebook to set up such an event =)

In the land of the Bobcats...

2009-08-31T07:52:00.001-04:00

As I drove up the “one road in, one road out” entrance to QU on this first day of my last year of college, my mind was filled with memories. I remembered the first time I saw this exquisite campus; I remembered the first time I fell in love here; I remembered the hundreds of tears shed, hours spent in the library and of course the classes I’ve taken. But most of all I realized something essential today—this is and will forever be my second home. Quinnipiac University, the land of the bobcats, is where I learned to be me—an independent, 20-something who refuses to let ANYTHING stop her, and for that I will forever be in her debt.

I also noted, and not for the first time, the date below the green sign at the corner of Mount Carmel Ave and New Road. It reads “Quinnipiac University founded 1929.” 1929—a year that brings to mind many things. Firstly, I remembered that 1929 was the year of black Tuesday and the “greatest” stock market crash in history. I also remembered that 1929 was the end of an era of frivolity and prosperity. And finally I remembered that 1929 marked the 10 **check fact** year anniversary of a woman’s right to vote. Despite the fact that women did not walk these hallowed halls and well groomed lawns until at least thirty years later **check fact** I still feel that it is significant that this University opened in that year. Quinnipiac, formerly known as the TKTKTK, saw potential in a time when many could only think of despair and misfortune, and that gives me hope.

So many things are different here, and yet everything always remains the same. As I sit in the newly upgraded cafeteria, I think about how different it is from four years ago, and yet the same friendly (and sometimes unfriendly) cashiers ring us out; Java John, although no longer serving Java, is still serving up corny jokes and catchy phrases with every meal; Freshman still have that “deer in the headlights look” on their first day and ultimately students will continue to walk these halls long after I am married and ultimately send my children, and hopefully grandchildren, off to college. Everything changes and yet everything is the same. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

So in this year of change, I write to embrace and share my feelings and to gain more experience because as someone once said—in not as many words—life as a journey is constantly a learning experience. So learn, embrace and change—it isn’t as scary as it seems.

An End of an Era...

2009-08-30T19:34:00.001-04:00

Think back to December 1999—where were you? If you’re a Senior in College like me, you were 11. Can you remember what mattered most? Try to re-connect with your younger self for the purpose of this article as I have been thinking a lot about that person—the person I was—and realized that this year is an end of everything that was, and yet it is the beginning of everything to come. Sound confusing? Read on…

Micheal Jackson died this year, so did Farrah Fawcett, Ted Kennedy and Walter Cronkite. And honestly, that’s only a small number of names of people—famous, infamous, and unknown—who will not see the ball drop as the first decade of Y2K ends this December. They all impacted our world in a different way. Michael Jackson made us love each other and realize that “it doesn’t matter if you are black or white.” Farrah Fawcett influenced years of hair styles and created one of the first images of “strong women.” Ted Kennedy, brother to John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, passed away; thereby ending a political dynasty. These massive generational shifts happen every so often; as one generation’s norm is taken over by the next’s.

Ten years ago I had a cell phone, but only for emergencies. Now I have an iPhone and without it I am lost. Ten years ago I used AOL and needed to find a dial up connection in order to get online. Now I simply turn my computer and have access to the World. Ten years ago the U.S. Dollar was worth more then it’s weight in gold, today we are lucky if is even worth the paper it is printed on. These changes all contribute to who you are, to who I am and to who, ultimately, we will all become.

What will the next ten years bring? Who will the next King of Pop be? Who will be the inspirational leaders; the movers and shakers of the new Millennium.

Here’s a hint- it could be your best friend, the guy who falls asleep in Math class, or maybe even you. It’s really all in your hands—so be ambitious, be courageous and most of all be proud of who you are and proud of what made you who you are; tragedy, happiness, relationships- they are all merely “rest stops” on the road of life so enjoy every minute of it and take a break every once and a while, believe they are worth it.

NYC Passes a "No Texting" while driving law...

2009-08-29T08:58:00.002-04:00

Last week, New York City passed a law against text messaging while you are operating a vehicle. Okay that's great. I get it, honestly I do, however, as a 20-something (the most well known culprits of this disastrous habit) I feel that it should be COMMON SENSE not to drive while looking down at a (at it's biggest) 9 in screen and typing messages to other people!!

Utah, according to the New York Times, also passed the law. The Times also cited that the US Senate is trying to pass national legislation on the subject.

What do you think? I think it's rather ridiculous that we need to waste time passing these laws-- they are excellent laws to be passing as it is a dangerous situation, however, it should be self explanatory!!

I get it, I really do. I generally make most of my phone calls in my car, but I have a head set and I'm talking-- not texting, tweeting or writing an email!!

Come on America, stop the communication for the 10 minutes it takes to get from point a- point b, or at least do it at the lights...

Back to School...

2009-08-25T22:29:00.001-04:00

Finally getting back into the groove of things and I've realized some things about myself.

1. I love my apartment and going out with my friends.

2. I hate HATE HATE laundry!

3. I don't really like doing dishes either

4. The gym is the only thing that keeps me sane

5. I'm addicted to shoes- and definitely have a lot of amazing ones that I forgot about...

6. I am totally stressing this year and need to do something to "zen" myself out

7. I wish there were more hours in the day....

And I plan to elaborate these topics in the days, weeks, wee hours of the morning to come =)

University Chic

2009-08-14T07:44:00.002-04:00

My first post went up yesterday and I'm super excited!! It's all about the best tech tools for purchasing your textbooks this year. Check it out here.