This is actually really cool. And also pretty annoying. But mainly cool. CLICK HERE if you want to hear the most talented kitty in all of the Seven Kingdoms sing the Game of Thrones theme song.
Category: Uncategorized
If you love Game of Thrones…
You’ll love this.
#ReasontoRise
The most amazing, eloquent, article I’ve read in response to the Akin comments. Amazing. #ReasontoRise
Movies inspire street style
From mod to retro, these are some great titles with some awesome stylings. For those of you (like me!) on a budget, renting these movies and dreaming is probably the cheap way to go…for now.
Retroactive Blogging: Spain Edition
I love how the word retroactive has made a comeback this political season. It makes it all the more appropriate to do things in your own time, and then say you did them when they actually should’ve been done. It is in that way I’m applying the term when it comes to my week spent in Spain, and the following 2 and a half weeks I spent in France this past June/July. So this blog is going back to its roots as an ablog – at least for a short, few posts.
I spent a week in Sevilla, Spain partly as a graduation present from my parents, partly as a traveling partner for Pange while we accompanied Alyssa over to her 5-week homestay in Spain. I don’t know how you have kids and don’t push them to go abroad, simply so you have the excuse to go yourself. It only seems fair. Pange knows this and has done a good job of giving herself an excuse to go lots of places (not that you need one!). Summer in Sevilla, as anyone will tell you, is insanely hot. But the heat didn’t keep us from seeing the sights. We voyaged out to Cordoba, Grenada, saw the Alhambra, gardens after gardens of Muslim influence, and finished each day off with a siesta, sangria, and paella. After all, when in Rome…
Pange even found the time to find her inner Pi Phi – sorry Lyss!
But one of the best parts about going was not feeling at all rushed to get to the next activity. A week in Sevilla was more than enough time to soak in the city and really get a feel for the rhythm of its day to day – also not feel bad when you need to take a break from the heat by just relaxing in a cafe with a glass of [insert wine-based beverage here]. That’s the best way to visit anywhere, and I frequently remember simply wanting to wander when I traveled abroad because that was the way we found some of the most memorable pieces of the cities we visited. And, of course, some of the more memorable moments come in the form of a well documented, ridiculous picture that you’re totally fine with in the moment and then realize, great, this is now on Facebook. And apparently on my blog. Eh, if I can’t laugh at it, everyone else will.
All in all: Sevilla was amazing. Alyssa had an amazing time there and I think it would be a great place to go abroad and learn a language. Much like Aix, it had people that were willing to be patient with you but unlike Aix, it gave a little more of a big city vibe – though not big in the same sense that you’d describe a Madrid or Barcelona, where Alyssa will probably study next, and where I will probably find my next excuse to visit. Thanks, Lyss!
I want answers, not blame
I’ll be honest: if anyone had asked me when I went to high school in Briarcliff if our high school would ever be the subject of an article in the Huffington Post, or any major Post for that matter, I wouldn’t have believed you. Because this town is – was? – is, a safe community that has always, for better or worse, sheltered those families who live in it and whose kids attend its schools. I got a great education here, met some amazing friends here, created many memorable relationships with teachers and coaches, and made some fantastic memories on these fields with wonderful teammates. Those are a lot of positive adjectives attributed to one place, one community, from someone who, ask most people, doesn’t frequently (or ever) proclaim “I absolutely love B-cliff.” Going to high school here was hard at times, but I always felt that, for the most part, Briarcliff High School treated me with respect and so I left with a mutual respect for it and those that ran it. I still have that respect.
What I don’t have is peace of mind. And this article confirms that not many people do regarding this issue. A few months ago, I took up my virtual pitchfork and joined the throngs of Facebook posts decrying BHS and Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District, saying that the administration and school board’s actions were contrary to protecting the very kids that schools exist to educate and protect. But upon reading more into this, I think it’s dangerous to just ‘Share’ and add harsh words.
I understand why people are mad – I’m mad! I practiced on those fields for years. I was part of a team that won BHS the right to its first Girls Soccer State Championship sign and my little sister was part of the team that won the next two. All of my best friends played on those fields, and I can count myself lucky that I was someone who knew Demetri if only for a short time. We’re all invested here. Jenny was on my team for years in high school, and she’s right, it’s a really small town and everyone does know the names. And that means that everyone is mad, scared, angry, confused. But just because we have someone to point a finger at, doesn’t mean the blame is just. At least not until we all hear the whole story. The important thing to take away from this article isn’t ‘well, who should I blame?’ The important thing to take away is who can we look to to give us the answers that we, as members of this community, deserve?
Dr. Fran Wills has always been an educator and community member that I admire, and I believe her when she says that there was no malicious intent on the part of anyone at Briarcliff when it comes to these fields. These people are educators who at their core want to teach children and do right by children. The levels were tested, maybe not as frequently as they should have been, and the results of these tests were definitely not publicized as they should have been. And I do think that the fact that people have to dig for this information is a problem. The fact that members of the school board, like Lisa Tane, didn’t think to ask means they didn’t know enough and weren’t presented with enough information to prompt them to ask.
But I sit here conflicted now. “Whether the suspected carcinogens in the soil of the Briarcliff fields contributed to the startling number of cancer diagnoses among young people in the area in recent years can’t be known definitively.” That’s an important part of this article that the emotions we’re all feeling will probably make us overlook. And this is the against the grain point of view, but we can’t just blame. We need answers, we need information – and that we can demand. I’m demanding it. I want to know what they knew, who knew it, when, and what was or wasn’t done about it. Some of that is in this article. But to say like I once did a few months ago that this school isn’t existing to protect its students? It’s not fair. I apologize for that. But I don’t apologize for wanting information that I know this entire town wants. We don’t want to look at the BMUFSD and think that they lied and omitted information to save their own asses at the risk of our friends. We just want the truth. We may not have been getting it in real time, but the first step is to start giving it to us now.
Nearly every glamorous, wealthy, successful career woman you might envy now started out as some kind of shlep.
Helen Gurley Brown.
“A Tulane education now means a New Orleans education.”
I’ve always tried to explain to people just how integrated and involved Tulane is in the vibrant, unique community of New Orleans and this article now does it for me! It’s true that one of the best parts of my Tulane education was my NOLA education. By partnering with NGOs and Community Centers in class and working with Habitat for Humanity and literacy groups through Pi Beta Phi, Tulane educated me in more ways than just Political Science and Communications. It’s sappy and cliche but I learned about life outside the Tulane Bubble, and it was the University that promoted and pushed students to have that kind of invaluable experience. This article cuts to the core that a good college isn’t just where polls rank it – it’s about the feel. And this recent alum feels particularly nostalgic and proud to read about her school in such a positive light – especially when it’s written by a fellow alumni! ROLL WAVE!
Comparison is the thief of joy.” -T.Roosevelt
I swork out: a review of the SworkIt app
Through a series of events, aka Pinteresting at work, I came across a new app called SworkIt. Intrigued and always down for a tech-savvy way to track work outs and manipulate myself into going to the gym, I downloaded the free app. After 45-minutes of cardio (#skinny), I tapped the icon for the first time. Upon opening it, you have the option to set how long you want your work out to be and what kind of exercises you want to do to target a certain body area. For any yogis out there, the app also gives you the option to do certain yoga sequences, like the fan fave sun salutation. I opted for 10 minutes of core and 5 minutes of upper body because, truth be told, I am weak.
I clicked ‘Start’ and promptly began sworking out. A random assortment of movements were thrown at me. Pictures showed me how to do everything from standard push-ups and sit-ups to inch worms and and quadraplex. The pictures were really helpful for any moves I didn’t already know, but the 30 second timer didn’t really give me enough time to move between sequences, let alone look at the screen long enough to figure out what move I was supposed to be doing. After a two minutes, the app lets you rest for thirty seconds. Which is welcome because your mind is almost as tired as your body trying to keep up with this app’s speedy movement randomization.
Overall rating: B-. This app could be an awesome way to find new work out moves and time yourself while doing them (lip-synching to a remixed Kelly Clarkson anthem and counting push-ups is hard, after all). But the app speeds you through your exercises too quickly and you feel overly rushed between movements that you’re unsure whether your flailing around like an overturned ladybug or actually doing the movements. Also, the app’s timer overrides all music functions, so it’s hard to listen to your pump up jamz without switching back to your iPod app to turn your music on/off after every thirty second interval. I accepted defeat and instead lunged and crunched to the tune of my increasingly ragged breath. Again, I am weak. If the app makers work out these kinks, I am definitely willing to try again. Until then, I’m going to go wait and Icy Hot my entire body.
alivitali.com 