Okay, yeah, yesterday's blog was definitely an April Fool's joke. Just so you all know :) Did not meet a guy at the poetry slam, did not go on a date, did not get engaged.
Anyway, so today was an AWESOME DAY. This weekend is General Conference for my church, which is a semiannual gathering of all the church members to listen to the leaders of the church speak. Now, since there are like fourteen MILLION members of the church, most people watch a broadcast of the actual conference. So today we watched the first two sessions and they were so good. I don't know if you're aware of this, but I am a crier. I pretty much cry at the drop of a hat. So it's no surprise that there were tears during the touching parts of the talks, but the one I remember the most was about a little girl in the ICU who woke up after a major surgery and told her family that her grandma and aunt (who had both died) were in the room with her, and so were several other family members who had passed on, including ones she and never met. And then, after all that, she told her family that all the kids in the ICU had angles looking over them. I was definitely crying then. For some reason, things about families are especially touching to me, and the story about the angels in the ICU watching over their family members was just wonderful.
After the second session of conference my friends and I went to the park. That was SO MUCH FUN. There was a big group of like eight kids there (they all ended up being siblings!) and my friends and I played with them! It was seriously fun. Just because you're in your twenties doesn't mean you can't enjoy a good afternoon at the park :)
Then we were HUNGRY. So we decided to make burgers! They took a while to make, but they were SO GOOD. Like, I can't even describe how delicious they were. Yeah. AMAZING.
But even better than the park and the burgers? WE ARE WATCHING TANGLED! I LOVE this movie. Beauty and the Beast will always be my favorite classic Disney movie, but Tangled is TOTALLY my favorite new one. Seriously. It's so funny and cute and just awesome.
Case in point: "So, you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand."
Anyway, yeah. This is kind of a summary-of-my-day blog today. I'll try to do something more exciting tomorrow.
Until then, best wishes!
-Allison
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
There Is Some BIG NEWS at the End of This Blog
Some of you may not follow me on Twitter, and I don't really have any better way to explain this than to show you the progression of tweets. Sooo...
(1:18 pm) Met a guy at the poetry slam last night. We're going on a date this evening. The tattoos are a little creepy, but the tongue piercing? HOT.
(1:59 pm) Jake (guy from last night) just texted me! Says he can't wait to see me so he's coming to hang out at my work.
(2:12 pm) Dude! He just told me he actually likes Justin Bieber! #TrueLove
(3:10 pm) Oh boy. He wrote a poem for me. <3
(3:25 pm) We did NOT just make out.
(4:10 pm) So, I know this sounds a little crazy, but... I think I might be in love. Don't judge.
(4:14 pm) Jake is awesome. We've spent all afternoon together. This is getting pretty serious...
(4:55 pm) Jake had to leave :( Our date is at 6:30, though, and he says he has an awesome surprise for me! <3
(6:09 pm) Twenty minutes until my epic date with my brand-new love Jake! <3 (I wonder what the SURPRISE will be???)
(6:55 pm) !!!!!!!!!!!!
(6:56 pm) He liked it...
(6:58 pm) SO http://dft.ba/-HePutARingOnIt
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Guess I'll get to have that Hogwarts wedding after all!
-Allison
P. S. This has nothing to do with the rest of this blog, but this is going to be the BEST. CRIME. SHOW. EVER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJnB7zjWbrQ
(1:18 pm) Met a guy at the poetry slam last night. We're going on a date this evening. The tattoos are a little creepy, but the tongue piercing? HOT.
(1:59 pm) Jake (guy from last night) just texted me! Says he can't wait to see me so he's coming to hang out at my work.
(2:12 pm) Dude! He just told me he actually likes Justin Bieber! #TrueLove
(3:10 pm) Oh boy. He wrote a poem for me. <3
(3:25 pm) We did NOT just make out.
(4:10 pm) So, I know this sounds a little crazy, but... I think I might be in love. Don't judge.
(4:14 pm) Jake is awesome. We've spent all afternoon together. This is getting pretty serious...
(4:55 pm) Jake had to leave :( Our date is at 6:30, though, and he says he has an awesome surprise for me! <3
(6:09 pm) Twenty minutes until my epic date with my brand-new love Jake! <3 (I wonder what the SURPRISE will be???)
(6:55 pm) !!!!!!!!!!!!
(6:56 pm) He liked it...
(6:58 pm) SO http://dft.ba/-HePutARingOnIt
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Guess I'll get to have that Hogwarts wedding after all!
-Allison
P. S. This has nothing to do with the rest of this blog, but this is going to be the BEST. CRIME. SHOW. EVER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJnB7zjWbrQ
Thursday, March 31, 2011
*dusts off blog* *coughs*
Er, hi! It's been a while. Sorry about that. See, here's the thing: *insert excuse about hard semester and lots of reading and homework*. So, yeah, that's why I haven't been on the blog much.
BUT THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE!
You see, April is a special month. Way back in 2009 I spent a semester in Mexico, and that semester just happened to be the semester that I got involved in YouTube and Twitter and all that fun stuff. That was the semester that I was introduced to Maureen Johnson* and her quirky ways. And it just so happened to be the semester that her novel Suite Scarlett was being released in paperback.
Here's the thing about Maureen: she LOVES the internet. Specifically Twitter, but she also writes FANTASTIC blogs. And in order to get everyone excited for the May 1 release of her paperback, she decided to BLOG EVERY DAY IN APRIL. Originally it was just something she was going to DO, but somehow it became a THING. Other bloggers decided to blog every day as well, and before we knew it there was a Maureen Johnson ning** and TONS of fans gearing up for what we called BEDA (Blog Every Day in April). I made some awesome friends through BEDA and had fun coming up with interesting ways to blog every day without becoming too boring or repetitive. It was AWESOME.
AND NOW IT IS ALMOST APRIL.
Despite my busy semester and all the homework and reading I have to do, I am going to BLOG EVERY DAY. In April, I mean. Not forever. That's a lot of blogging. I'll probably talk about school. I'll probably talk about books. And I'll probably talk about my ultimate Hogwarts Wedding plans***. Even if it's a blog made entirely of pictures or a blog written in haiku, you can rest assured that there will be one EVERY DAY.
CARE TO JOIN ME?
It's easy. Seriously. The only rule is that you blog once a day, and even that rule isn't really a rule because FAILURE IS ALLOWED. So there's no pressure. Just fun, fun, fun****. Seriously. Do it. You know you want to.
SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!
Allison :)
*The author, not the character from RENT.
**Like a mini social networking site for people with a particular interest (in this case, Maureen Johnson)
***Not that I'm actually getting married or anything. I just like to plan weddings. Seriously.
****BEDA, BEDA, gotta get down on BEDA / Everybody's lookin' forward to the blogging, blogging
BUT THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE!
You see, April is a special month. Way back in 2009 I spent a semester in Mexico, and that semester just happened to be the semester that I got involved in YouTube and Twitter and all that fun stuff. That was the semester that I was introduced to Maureen Johnson* and her quirky ways. And it just so happened to be the semester that her novel Suite Scarlett was being released in paperback.
Here's the thing about Maureen: she LOVES the internet. Specifically Twitter, but she also writes FANTASTIC blogs. And in order to get everyone excited for the May 1 release of her paperback, she decided to BLOG EVERY DAY IN APRIL. Originally it was just something she was going to DO, but somehow it became a THING. Other bloggers decided to blog every day as well, and before we knew it there was a Maureen Johnson ning** and TONS of fans gearing up for what we called BEDA (Blog Every Day in April). I made some awesome friends through BEDA and had fun coming up with interesting ways to blog every day without becoming too boring or repetitive. It was AWESOME.
AND NOW IT IS ALMOST APRIL.
Despite my busy semester and all the homework and reading I have to do, I am going to BLOG EVERY DAY. In April, I mean. Not forever. That's a lot of blogging. I'll probably talk about school. I'll probably talk about books. And I'll probably talk about my ultimate Hogwarts Wedding plans***. Even if it's a blog made entirely of pictures or a blog written in haiku, you can rest assured that there will be one EVERY DAY.
CARE TO JOIN ME?
It's easy. Seriously. The only rule is that you blog once a day, and even that rule isn't really a rule because FAILURE IS ALLOWED. So there's no pressure. Just fun, fun, fun****. Seriously. Do it. You know you want to.
SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!
Allison :)
*The author, not the character from RENT.
**Like a mini social networking site for people with a particular interest (in this case, Maureen Johnson)
***Not that I'm actually getting married or anything. I just like to plan weddings. Seriously.
****BEDA, BEDA, gotta get down on BEDA / Everybody's lookin' forward to the blogging, blogging
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Let's Make Some Goals
I just read Alan Lastufka's 2011 To-Do List, and I thought it was a cool idea. I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions, but having a list of goals for 2011 seems a lot more acceptable to me. So, here goes:
-Graduate college
-Re-write NaNo novel from 2008
-Upload 100 videos
-Read 50 books (maybe try a nonfiction or two? maybe...)
-Exercise regularly
-Watch Dr. Who (all the recent seasons)
-Start a weekly (eventually bi- or even tri- weekly?) vlog with my roomie, J-Funk <3
-Fall in nerdfighterlike*
I think that's a pretty good list. Some of these are more important than others, but they're all things I want to do and they're all feasible in 2011. Some of them will probably overlap, too. I'll probably count my roomie-vlogs toward my 100 videos. And I'm taking four literature classes next semester, so some of those 50 books will go towards me graduating college. And, you know, maybe if I upload lots of videos I'll get to know some awesome nerdfighter guy and fall in nerdfighterlike! You never know! :D
Anyway, I know I haven't blogged much lately... that whole blog-every-week thing kinda fell through, lol. But I did really well with uploading videos! And I'm going to continue doing that. Blogging will be kind of secondary to making videos, but I'll blog somewhat regularly, because some things are just more easily communicated through the written word.
And since I'm kind of tired and the written word isn't really coming to me in an eloquent form right now, I'm going to cut this blog short. I'll revisit my list around this same time next year and see how I did!
*hey, it worked for Alan! :)
-Graduate college
-Re-write NaNo novel from 2008
-Upload 100 videos
-Read 50 books (maybe try a nonfiction or two? maybe...)
-Exercise regularly
-Watch Dr. Who (all the recent seasons)
-Start a weekly (eventually bi- or even tri- weekly?) vlog with my roomie, J-Funk <3
-Fall in nerdfighterlike*
I think that's a pretty good list. Some of these are more important than others, but they're all things I want to do and they're all feasible in 2011. Some of them will probably overlap, too. I'll probably count my roomie-vlogs toward my 100 videos. And I'm taking four literature classes next semester, so some of those 50 books will go towards me graduating college. And, you know, maybe if I upload lots of videos I'll get to know some awesome nerdfighter guy and fall in nerdfighterlike! You never know! :D
Anyway, I know I haven't blogged much lately... that whole blog-every-week thing kinda fell through, lol. But I did really well with uploading videos! And I'm going to continue doing that. Blogging will be kind of secondary to making videos, but I'll blog somewhat regularly, because some things are just more easily communicated through the written word.
And since I'm kind of tired and the written word isn't really coming to me in an eloquent form right now, I'm going to cut this blog short. I'll revisit my list around this same time next year and see how I did!
*hey, it worked for Alan! :)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
How to Vlog: Quick and Easy Instructions
I got a question on facebook about how to vlog from Sandy Raymond. Here's what I came up with:
First you'll need a YouTube account.
Then you need some kind of video camera (I just use the built-in camera on my Mac, but I'm saving up to buy a good one).
Next, record yourself talking to the camera about whatever you want to talk about then use an editing program (if you want) to put together the best parts of what you said (I tend to have several minutes worth of footage that is just me staring at the camera).
Note: If you use Windows, you can download Windows Movie Maker for free, or if you have a Mac it should already have iMovie in your applications.
Once you've edited you need to export the video (this changes it from a project that can be edited to a ready-to-upload video).
Finally, log on to YouTube and select the "upload" option. Upload the video you just exported, give it a spiffy title, a description, and some tags... and voila! You've just vlogged!
I would suggest watching some other people's vlogs to get an idea of how a well-edited vlog looks. Here are some of the more famous vloggers that I love to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/use
http://www.youtube.com/use
http://www.youtube.com/use
http://www.youtube.com/use
And, of course, you can check out MY vlogs!
http://www.youtube.com/user/joebob1379
Hope this is useful! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and I'll be happy to answer them.
Until next time, best wishes!
First you'll need a YouTube account.
Then you need some kind of video camera (I just use the built-in camera on my Mac, but I'm saving up to buy a good one).
Next, record yourself talking to the camera about whatever you want to talk about then use an editing program (if you want) to put together the best parts of what you said (I tend to have several minutes worth of footage that is just me staring at the camera).
Note: If you use Windows, you can download Windows Movie Maker for free, or if you have a Mac it should already have iMovie in your applications.
Once you've edited you need to export the video (this changes it from a project that can be edited to a ready-to-upload video).
Finally, log on to YouTube and select the "upload" option. Upload the video you just exported, give it a spiffy title, a description, and some tags... and voila! You've just vlogged!
I would suggest watching some other people's vlogs to get an idea of how a well-edited vlog looks. Here are some of the more famous vloggers that I love to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/use
http://www.youtube.com/use
http://www.youtube.com/use
http://www.youtube.com/use
And, of course, you can check out MY vlogs!
http://www.youtube.com/user/joebob1379
Hope this is useful! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and I'll be happy to answer them.
Until next time, best wishes!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
It's Official. I'm a Published Author.
YIPPEEEEEEEEE!
I'm excited. Can you tell I'm excited? Because I am. Excited. Seriously.
WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!
So the anthology with MY STORY IN IT was released yesterday! It's available at Amazon for those of you with Kindles and at Smashwords for those of you with other eReaders or with no eReader (like me). And just for good measure, here's the link to the page on the publisher's site: http://www.notreebooks.com/anthology---vampires-zombies-and-ghosts-oh-my
If any of you are interested in reviewing the book on your blog, let me know ASAP and I'll pass you along to the Eve Paludan, the editor of the anthology. She is looking for as many reviewers as possible! Or if you don't want to write a big long review on your blog but you read the book and like it, would you do me a favor and leave a review on Amazon? It can be really quick, and it would mean a lot to me and I'm sure to the other authors featured in the book.
W0000000000000000000000000000000T!!!
Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick update and let you all know! And, um, if you're interested in the book... would you maybe buy it? Please? *is hopeful* Leave me a comment and tell me what you thought of it if you DO read it. That would absolutely make my WEEK.
Hope you all have a lovely day!
-Allison
P.S. Apparently nobody cares about my dream wedding. I promise to avoid that kind of talk in the future at this blog. I'll keep it to my BEDA blogs when I have nothing better to write about. :)
P.P.S. I posted a vlog the other day about baking, the Grand Canyon, and my story getting published. You should check it out. There is a shot of a DELICIOUS strawberry shortcake (if I do say so myself). Maybe if you're lucky you'll be able to activate the smell-o-vision :D
I'm excited. Can you tell I'm excited? Because I am. Excited. Seriously.
WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!
So the anthology with MY STORY IN IT was released yesterday! It's available at Amazon for those of you with Kindles and at Smashwords for those of you with other eReaders or with no eReader (like me). And just for good measure, here's the link to the page on the publisher's site: http://www.notreebooks.com/anthology---vampires-zombies-and-ghosts-oh-my
If any of you are interested in reviewing the book on your blog, let me know ASAP and I'll pass you along to the Eve Paludan, the editor of the anthology. She is looking for as many reviewers as possible! Or if you don't want to write a big long review on your blog but you read the book and like it, would you do me a favor and leave a review on Amazon? It can be really quick, and it would mean a lot to me and I'm sure to the other authors featured in the book.
W0000000000000000000000000000000T!!!
Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick update and let you all know! And, um, if you're interested in the book... would you maybe buy it? Please? *is hopeful* Leave me a comment and tell me what you thought of it if you DO read it. That would absolutely make my WEEK.
Hope you all have a lovely day!
-Allison
P.S. Apparently nobody cares about my dream wedding. I promise to avoid that kind of talk in the future at this blog. I'll keep it to my BEDA blogs when I have nothing better to write about. :)
P.P.S. I posted a vlog the other day about baking, the Grand Canyon, and my story getting published. You should check it out. There is a shot of a DELICIOUS strawberry shortcake (if I do say so myself). Maybe if you're lucky you'll be able to activate the smell-o-vision :D
Monday, October 25, 2010
All I want is to have two last names on facebook... *sigh*
Disclaimer: I don't usually devote a whole blog post to weddings. Well, okay, only once in a while. Please don't unsubscribe from me? :)
It's happening again, folks. I don't know where it came from, but it was inevitable going to rear its ugly head once again.
WEDDING FEVER.
I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately, and I've come to realize some things: 1) I am nowhere NEAR as crazy-obsessed as I was back in freshman year, 2) I'm actually quite happy being single, and 3) I wanna get maaaried! *whines*
See, here's the thing. I really like my life right now. I'm almost done with school, I have some rough plans for the next several years, and I'm actually getting published. And I even like being single. The only person I really have to worry about is ME. On the other hand, though, how great would it be to have somebody else to worry about? Somebody to make dinner for, somebody to wear collaborating Halloween costumes with, somebody to hold hands with as we walk down the sidewalk in this freaking cold weather...
...somebody to LOVE.
Aside from just wanting to find somebody I really click with, though, I've been thinking a lot about WEDDINGS lately, which brings me back to THE RETURN OF WEDDING FEVER: Thisa Time, It'sa Personal. I love thinking about weddings. I love planning colors, imagining venues, and picking out AWESOME* bride's maid dresses. Let me just map out my dream wedding for you (though, of course, I realize most of this won't ACTUALLY happen at my wedding because I am not rich and I don't know what my husband will want because I don't know who he IS yet).
We'll get married on a Saturday morning, we'll take pictures with our wedding party at the temple right after the ceremony, then we'll have a VERY INFORMAL luncheon for the wedding party and the family in which I will wear bride-themed pajamas and we will all eat turkey sandwiches on croissants and fruit and salad and potato salad and possibly some Breyer's mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. Or maybe milk shakes. We'll see.
Next up we will take a nap. I am sure I will be exhausted. Maybe if I'm really into vlogging at that point (or if I marry a vlogger) we will take some footage. Or maybe we'll just nap. Like I said, I'm pretty sure I'll be tired. I won't have slept much the night before, I'll have gotten up early to get ready for the wedding, and I'll have gone through some MAJOR emotions** that day, which will all lend nicely to an afternoon nap.
That night will be the FESTIVITIES. This is where I want to REALLY HAVE FUN. So, we're talking my DREAM WEDDING. Which means I can anybody I want. Soooo... I want Mike Lombardo and All Caps to play at my reception. The party will be HOPPIN'. We will all rock out, everybody will DANCE, and it will just be tons of fun. We will also have a delicious, but simple, assortment of foods. Mostly it will be snack food and finger food. There will be the obligatory veggie tray, but I also want to have something with SUBSTANCE (because we'll be hungry from all the AWESOME DANCING) like mini-sandwiches or those turkey-cream-cheese rolls, or maybe even WINGS!***
I want the reception to be particularly fun. A lot of times the reception will have decent music and an okay spread of food, but none of guests will really be PARTYING. They'll just sit at their little tables and chat idly with the other people at the table. My reception will have DANCING. There will be a cool emcee who will get people on the floor, even if it takes the Macarena to do it. Seriously. And since this is my dream wedding, there will be a DJ and All Caps/Mike Lombardo. So we can have the classics like the Cha Cha Slide along with awesome songs like Don't Unplug Me and That Will Be the Day. Oh, and I just decided. Maureen Johnson is going to be the emcee. And she will probably live-tweet the whole night.
Then at the end of the reception my new husband and I will leave for our awesome honeymoon touring Europe and my friends and family will have to clean everything up! Suckahs! :D
Anyway... I'm sure I've blogged about this before, but it's been on my mind lately, so there you have it. I promise I'll try not to talk about weddings or marriage or my lack of a boyfriend in next week's post.
Until then, best wishes!
-Allison
*Non-ugly
**Major Emotions *salutes*
***Probably not wings. I'll be wearing a white dress.
It's happening again, folks. I don't know where it came from, but it was inevitable going to rear its ugly head once again.
WEDDING FEVER.
I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately, and I've come to realize some things: 1) I am nowhere NEAR as crazy-obsessed as I was back in freshman year, 2) I'm actually quite happy being single, and 3) I wanna get maaaried! *whines*
See, here's the thing. I really like my life right now. I'm almost done with school, I have some rough plans for the next several years, and I'm actually getting published. And I even like being single. The only person I really have to worry about is ME. On the other hand, though, how great would it be to have somebody else to worry about? Somebody to make dinner for, somebody to wear collaborating Halloween costumes with, somebody to hold hands with as we walk down the sidewalk in this freaking cold weather...
...somebody to LOVE.
Aside from just wanting to find somebody I really click with, though, I've been thinking a lot about WEDDINGS lately, which brings me back to THE RETURN OF WEDDING FEVER: Thisa Time, It'sa Personal. I love thinking about weddings. I love planning colors, imagining venues, and picking out AWESOME* bride's maid dresses. Let me just map out my dream wedding for you (though, of course, I realize most of this won't ACTUALLY happen at my wedding because I am not rich and I don't know what my husband will want because I don't know who he IS yet).
We'll get married on a Saturday morning, we'll take pictures with our wedding party at the temple right after the ceremony, then we'll have a VERY INFORMAL luncheon for the wedding party and the family in which I will wear bride-themed pajamas and we will all eat turkey sandwiches on croissants and fruit and salad and potato salad and possibly some Breyer's mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. Or maybe milk shakes. We'll see.
Next up we will take a nap. I am sure I will be exhausted. Maybe if I'm really into vlogging at that point (or if I marry a vlogger) we will take some footage. Or maybe we'll just nap. Like I said, I'm pretty sure I'll be tired. I won't have slept much the night before, I'll have gotten up early to get ready for the wedding, and I'll have gone through some MAJOR emotions** that day, which will all lend nicely to an afternoon nap.
That night will be the FESTIVITIES. This is where I want to REALLY HAVE FUN. So, we're talking my DREAM WEDDING. Which means I can anybody I want. Soooo... I want Mike Lombardo and All Caps to play at my reception. The party will be HOPPIN'. We will all rock out, everybody will DANCE, and it will just be tons of fun. We will also have a delicious, but simple, assortment of foods. Mostly it will be snack food and finger food. There will be the obligatory veggie tray, but I also want to have something with SUBSTANCE (because we'll be hungry from all the AWESOME DANCING) like mini-sandwiches or those turkey-cream-cheese rolls, or maybe even WINGS!***
I want the reception to be particularly fun. A lot of times the reception will have decent music and an okay spread of food, but none of guests will really be PARTYING. They'll just sit at their little tables and chat idly with the other people at the table. My reception will have DANCING. There will be a cool emcee who will get people on the floor, even if it takes the Macarena to do it. Seriously. And since this is my dream wedding, there will be a DJ and All Caps/Mike Lombardo. So we can have the classics like the Cha Cha Slide along with awesome songs like Don't Unplug Me and That Will Be the Day. Oh, and I just decided. Maureen Johnson is going to be the emcee. And she will probably live-tweet the whole night.
Then at the end of the reception my new husband and I will leave for our awesome honeymoon touring Europe and my friends and family will have to clean everything up! Suckahs! :D
Anyway... I'm sure I've blogged about this before, but it's been on my mind lately, so there you have it. I promise I'll try not to talk about weddings or marriage or my lack of a boyfriend in next week's post.
Until then, best wishes!
-Allison
*Non-ugly
**Major Emotions *salutes*
***Probably not wings. I'll be wearing a white dress.
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