Sunshine: I want to go to there

During Spring Break, I go the opportunity to visit one of my best friends in Quito, Ecuador where she had been studying abroad for a year. I saw a completely new part of the world-where I could stay at a hostel for $6 a night, where children sold pirated DVDs on the bus, and places where I strongly risked getting stabbed if I walked there. It was a brand new experience, and even though I was only there for a week it changed my world view. I had never seen such poverty or experienced fear to that extent.

While parts were scary, I also go to do something that I had always wanted to do: go zip lining. And not just regular zip lining- this was in the middle of a rainforest, and it was upside down:

Since then, I have seen a little more of the world but feel that there is so much more to see! I found this photo online, and was inspired to have moments like that in life:

In my life I want to visit:
1. Greece. No particular island, but the entire country. It looks like the most beautiful place ever.
2. Israel. So much history, beauty, and the Dead Sea.
3. Australia. Great Barrier Reef + Kangaroos.
4. Spain and Morocco. The culture, passion, and sangria intrigues me.
5. Egypt. I was obsessed as a child, and feel the need to see the pyramids.
6. Russia. The cold, the vodka, the accents.
7. China. This country is a mystery to me.
8. South Africa. Beautiful landscape, history
9. Argentina, Brazil, Peru. I want to experience more South America. Plus you can eat things like guinea pig:

10. Canada. Eh? I've never been...why not?

Sunshine: My advice to Lindsey Lohan

Oh, Lindsey. 

Oh, Lindsey. 

Oh, Lindsey. 

 

I don't even know where to begin....

Dear Lindsey,

Remember The Parent Trap? Those were good times. At the age of 8, I was so impressed that an actress could play two characters in the same movie. I even watched "behind the scenes" shows on the Disney channel so that I could figure out how it was done. I'll admit: at that age, you were my role model. You seemed to have everything figured out. You had red hair, you were dating Aaron Carter, you were a big movie star. 

Now look at these photos! I do not want to be embarrassed any more that I loved to watch you in movies and practically wanted to be you. I mean, I even watched Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

Here are a few tips from me to you to get you back on track:

-Stay home for a while. Just spend some time watching movies, playing board games, and having PG evenings in.

-Stay away from the drugs. For shame! The Lindsey I knew long ago would never touch such things!

-After taking some time to rest, perform in a small, independent film. Who knows? It could be your breakout role!

-When in doubt, think of all the people who respected you. We supported your career and wanted you to succeed. Think of Robert Downing, Jr.-you can make a comeback!

I hope that all of this works out for you!

Much love from your fan,

Ginger

PS: Watch this when you need motivation

Lollipops: Monkey Bread

I was a rebellious Girl Scout. When it was time to be quiet, I would play the clown. When others were too prude to watch Liar, Liar I sat through the entire movie. I was always wild, always energetic, and always a huge pain for the troop leaders. Needless to say, I did not fit in. I do not have a great memory from Girl Scouts, but there is one thing that I always loved: eating Monkey Bread.

I recently found this recipe for Monkey Bread, and it reminded me of a simpler time. Using pre-made dinner rolls, butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon, a delicious (and not one bit nutritious) meal is created. The icing, made from powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla is a superb finish to the Monkey Bread.

This is the way it always turned out for me, so make a choice:

Rainbows: Happiness

I recently found a website that listed "100 Things to be Happy About." They were all simple things, like taking a bubble bath or chewing gum.

I am now challenging myself to list off 25 things I am happy about. Here we go:
1. Getting photos developed
2. Having clean clothes
3. How I Met Your Mother
4. The word "Awesome"
5. Classes getting canceled (occasionally)
6. Checking things off my to do list
7. Motown music
8. Getting my twelve hugs a day in
9. Being 21
10. Living with my best friend
11. Coffee in the morning
12. Playing with watercolor
13. Smoking cigars
14. Diners
15. Apple pie
16. Hilltop Leaders
17. Thinking about graduating
18. Visiting my family
19. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
20. The Onion
21. Getting random rides to school
22. Letters in the mail
23. Skype
24.Mushrooms, and people who love mushrooms
25. Chivalry


I could probably go on and on, but I want to know what makes you happy! Please blog about this subject or comment be a few things that I missed. :)

Lollipops: Fancy Hot Pockets

Oh, yes. Hot Pockets can be classy.

While I have always enjoyed the occasional Hot Pocket as a college student essential, I have recently discovered "Lean Pockets: Culinary Creations." These creations are so much more than the usual ham and cheese or pepperoni pizza.

Now I can choose from a variety of ingredients, including:
-chicken
-artichoke
-spinach
-mushrooms
-turkey
-broccoli

I have never considered nutrition as a priority in my life, but with these Culinary Creations I could eat some lean meats and vegetables.

Rainbows: Fall is in the air

One of the greatest feelings in the world is the change of a season. For me, the novelty of summer wore off long ago, making me anxious to see what autumn may bring.

The best birthday present I got on Monday was Fall. I woke up filled with excitement for the special day, opened my window, and felt something I hadn't felt for a long time- the desire to wear pants. Not shorts, or the least amount of clothes possible because it is so hot, but pants.

I do not know how long the cool breeze may last, but it was timed out perfectly. I like to claim that it was the celebration of my birth that brought this weather to Texas.

Sunshine: Dexter is back!

Based off of my "sun sprite"-like personality, I do not think outsiders would predict that I am a fan of Dexter. And honestly, sometimes I cannot truly explain why it fascinates me. With all of the harsh language, blood spatter, and serial killings, it does not exactly go along with "Sunshine, Lollipops, or Rainbows."

Regardless, season five premiered on Sunday night and even though I watched it Monday morning on my favorite streaming video site Alluc, it was fantastic.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Last season left off with the murder of Trinity, the serial killer terrifyingly portrayed by John Lithgow. During the finale, I predicted that Trinity would die while also being afraid of what shock ending would occur. To my horror, right after feeling triumphant at Trinity's death I was saddened at Rita's murder.

Going into season five, my inner optimist hoped that her death was a dream. I was wrong.

The episode began with Dexter's reaction to finding Rita dead in the bathtub. He grabs their son, and meets the police outside. Stricken my grief and guilt the first thing he tells the police is, "It was me." I believe that this mistake will be the driving force of the season.

Since Dexter is not the most emotional guy, he cannot show anyone what he is feeling on the inside. This makes everyone-even Dexter's own sister-begin to question Dexter's involvement in Rita's death.


The entire episode, I felt the urge to slap Dexter into place. I wanted him to explain the hurt he is feeling, even if the had to fake emotion. It hurt to watch everyone around him being confused and compassionate about his case, while he looked cold and remorseful.

Overall, I think that this episode has set an interesting tone for the rest of the season. Rita was the one person who kept Dexter in control, and without her I believe his stress and guilt will take over. The added mystery involving Dexter's past relationship with Trinity may surface, revealing more about what Dexter does outside of the laboratory....

The one thing I am not positive about.

Science in Perspective.
To the few people interested in learning about Laws of Thermodynamics, Joules, Inertia, and centripetal force, this would be an ideal course.

For me however, this is the darkest point in my week.

First off, this class has everything working against it:
-It is a science class.
-It is in Moody Hall (no windows, and possible the ugliest building on campus).
-It is on the top floor.
-It is from 5:25-6:40, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On the first day I came in with an open mind, knowing that this was the last science class I would ever take in my life. I thought, "I have not done science in four year- maybe they changed it." I was mistaken. I do not think there is any way for me to enjoy a class on a subject matter I can never foresee myself needing ever in life.

I have tried to rationalize and put a place where I might need to know how to calculate Energy or Acceleration. I have yet to find an answer to this. As a Media Communication major with an aspiration to be a Cruise Director, how is this necessary?

There are a few things that get me through the class. One is the funny magnets or juggling balls that my professor brings out. Another is practicing writing notes with my left hand (I still do not know what we learned that day.) Another time, I doodled an image of King Henry VIII the entire time. And honestly, it is not this professor's fault that I despise science- that hatred began back in the fourth grade.

As I sit here, beginning to study I realized that even though this blog is "homework," I would much rather write this than even begin to think about doing scientific calculations.

Sunshine: What I do for a living

In my first week of college I got hired to work at the front desk of the Student Life office. This completely changed my college experience. I got more involved than I ever did in high school, got my first job, and fell in love with the leadership development organization on campus.

This past weekend, I have been at a retreat for the Hilltop Leaders. (And in case you did not know, Hilltop Leaders is a year long leadership development program offered to freshman and sophomores at St. Edward's University. Hilltop Leaders introduces and educates students on different aspects of leadership. Participants learn about who they are as leaders and explore the many ways that leadership manifests itself in different settings. Student participate in interactive weekly sessions, create and implement a group service project, and take part in a five-day study tour to Washington, D.C. The experience applies theory to practice). These are my Hilltop Leaders:

 I was a Hilltop Leader my sophomore year, and am currently serving on the Student Leadership Team as the Assistant Director of Hilltop Leaders. Since the semester began, I have been marketing the program, reading applications, interviewing, planning a retreat, and planning the trip to DC.

At the retreat this weekend, I am pleased to see that I chose 15 fantastic students that are so excited to learn. I get to play a different role with them- not just being my typical goofy self, but being more serious and inspirational.

Last year's retreat. Me modeling down the high ropes element:

 The reason that I have stuck with the program is because I love to be a positive influence for younger students, and I want to change a prevalent negative view of Student Life. I wanted to share all of this information with my readers because it is an important part of my life. It is something I love, in addition to being something that I am very busy with.

Lollipops: Nutella Loving

Three years ago, I came across something that has since changed my life. I went to a restaurant that I had never been to before and noticed some different sauce packets on the table. I got excited when I saw a product called "Nutella," thinking it was delicious peanut butter. Automatically, I spread the Nutella on a piece of break and dove in. I soon realized that this spread was not in fact the peanut butter I craved, but it was so much better. It was chocolate, it was creamy, it was hazelnut. It was Nutella.

Now I try to have a jar of Nutella in my home at all times. It tastes great on animal crackers, graham crackers, and even as plain spoonfuls.

Here are a few recipes I have tried in the past:

Nutella-Strawberry Sandwich

Cut pound cake into one inch thick slices. Spread one side of each slice with Nutella.

Thinly slice fresh strawberries to half of the slices.

Place one slice of cake onto the other, forming a sandwich.

Use a George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine to make this sandwich a Panini.

There you have a delicious meal for any time of day!

 As the French say: “Pain a chocolat”

Use store bought croissant dough, and lay each piece flat.
Brush one side with melted butter.
Place one teaspoon of Nutella near the bottom (wide side) of the triangle.
Roll into croissant shape.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the croissants are golden brown.

Next recipe to try: Nutella Brownies!

Rainbows: Let's get inked!

Tribal symbols, stars, crosses, angels, butterflies, and tigers. What do these have in common?
They are on the Top 10 most popular tattoos list.

I recently found a "whose celebrity tattoo is this?" quiz, and was more successful than I thought. I can recognize Angelina Jolie's longitude/latitude or Nicole Ritchie's angel wings from a mile away. However, there were many celebrities whose tattoos I had never seen or heard of before (Heidi Klum and Scarlett Johansson for example):

This made me wonder: am I just out of the know or are these celebrities being airbrushed and made up so that their tattoos are hardly seen? I know that as a beginning actress, tattoos can be a deal breaker when it come to getting cast. I have seen friends miss opportunities in theatre and film because their main accessory is a colorful sleeve of Japanese fish or a back covered in blooming inked flowers.

When actresses become celebrities, their large tattoos become another part of their eccentric personalities rather than a career ending flaw. Tattoos say a lot about a person and sometimes those that are inked would not be who you would expect...

On that note, as a celebration of the new season I have decorated my personal tattoo as a pumpkin. I got the smiley face when I was 18- though I regretted it at first, I love that there is a symbol on my wrist that is always smiling back at me.

Rainbows: Just stumblin' though

As a college student, I know how to effectively waste my time. While I do always have a lot on my plate, I know how to reward myself for a job well done. One day in my freshman year, my coworker Bianca was talking about her favorite websites. She said to me that she has always loved StumbleUpon. I was shocked to hear about something new, so "What is StumbleUpon?" I asked.

I found out that with StumbleUpon, people create accounts and check off their interests (ranging from quilting, to politics, to video games). At their leisure, people can click to Stumble! on their web browser and find out how far the internet reaches.

Since that day, my life has been changed forever. Hours have swept by as I stare at my screen looking at travel photos, funny videos, random blogs, and strange words in the dictionary. Some of my greatest finds have been photos, and here are a few highlights:

Start your Stumbling today! Stumble!

Sunshine: Television returns to my life!

This week is sprinkled with old shows coming back for another year to entertain me.

Mondays: How I Met Your Mother. I was late in the game to love this catch-phrase and inside joke filled program, but I am fully caught up for a new season! According to interviews, this season will go back to its mother-searching roots, getting closer to what the show is actually about. Plus, I hear that there will be more from Robin Sparkles. The first episode of season six is already online: http://bit.ly/dAJRkR

Tuesdays: Glee. I’ll admit, I have a love-hate relationship with this show. Being a high school theatre/musical nerd, I love to see similar students on television. I also enjoy hearing Broadway music and performers make it into mainstream television. But the core ingredient of the show, its plot, is not entertaining. With all of the fake pregnancies, breakups, and secret mother plot lines I became disinterested with anything that wasn’t singing.  Here’s hoping that season two will deliver unique, entertaining, and fun performances! Season 2 Promo (skip to 30 seconds) http://bit.ly/cHgEdD

Wednesdays: Modern Family. This show is pure laughs. When I want something light, a bit awkward, and life-like, I head to Modern Family.  Here’s a sneak peak to the new season: http://bit.ly/a8nu1i

Thursdays: The Office and 30 Rock. These two shows go together perfectly. It is another set of shows that I can enjoy lightly. More Jim and Pam. More Michael. More Liz. More Jack.

Sundays: Dexter- I. loved. Season. Four.  In my opinion, it was the best of Dexter. I have no idea what is going to happen in Season 5, and cannot wait until Sunday. I do not want to reveal any spoilers to those who haven’t seen Dexter yet, but anyone who has must be anticipating the new season. And for those who have not seen Dexter, get on it! It is a fantastic show. Watch this, but know that it will spoil the ending of season four: http://bit.ly/8XnXsY