Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Procrastination

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post. It's a whole new semester. It's senior year and I'm freaking out. I don't want to graduate. I don't want to have to worry about finding a job and being a real adult. But one of these days I'll come to that reality. I had a fairly good summer, not the best, but it could have always been worse. 
 
Recently all I've been thinking about is London. How one year ago I was having the best experience of my life, thus far. I miss the people, atmosphere, day/night life, etc. I would love to live there some day... in my dreams. It's so expensive and to try and get a VISA or a working visa would be difficult. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. But enough with the negativity! 

Until next time... 






Thursday, April 28, 2011

Flowchart: Alternate Process: That Girl Goes Local, a club at Marist College, will be launching an on campus event for H<3rt1. This event is on Dating Violence Awareness on April 14th from 11A.M. to 2P.M. in the third floor of the student center.  H<3rt1 is a non-for-profit organization which deals with bringing awareness to the vital issue of dating violence. Danielle DeZao, president and founder of H<3rt1, experienced dating violence first hand and will be speaking on behalf of her past and why she has established this organization at Marist College.
Contact: Melissa Gallagher                                                          Danielle DeZao                                 Visit our website:
                Melissa.Gallagher1@marist.edu                                              Danielle.DeZao1@marist.edu                

That Girl Goes Local, a club at Marist College, will be launching an on campus event for H<3rt1. This event is on Dating Violence Awareness on April 14th from 11A.M. to 2P.M. in the third floor of the student center.  H<3rt1 is a non-for-profit organization which deals with bringing awareness to the vital issue of dating violence. Danielle DeZao, president and founder of H<3rt1, experienced dating violence first hand and will be speaking on behalf of her past and why she has established this organization at Marist.


 Learn self-defense, information and warning signs on dating violence, and find out what you can do to make an impact on your community in regard to dating violence awareness.

One in three teens is in an abusive relationship
Mentally Abusive
Emotionally Abusive
Physically Abusive

 



 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Heart1: Dating Violence Awareness Day at Marist College for COM370 PR



Marist College 3399 North Road                                              March 22, 2010
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601                                                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Melissa Gallagher                                                       
Melissa.Gallagher1@marist.edu                                               
                                               
THAT GIRL GOES LOCAL HOSTS H<3RT1 EVENT:
RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE AWARENESS
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.- That Girl Goes Local, a non-for-profit organization at Marist College, has announced an event to launch a new organization, H<3rt1, in an attempt to spread awareness about relationship violence. The event will take place on the Poughkeepsie Campus in the third floor of the student center on April 14 from 11AM to 2PM. This event is open to all of Marist and the surrounding communities.
The event will include a speech from the president of H<3rt1, Danielle DeZao, along with representatives from Family Services, The Grace Smith House, Peace Outside Campus, and T.E.A.R (Teens Experiencing Abusive Relationships). A panel discussion will take place on behalf of informing attendees of the dangers of relationship violence. Some of these speakers will include the Town of Poughkeepsie police force, the District Attorney of Dutchess County and the director of Battered Women's Services. The day's events will close with a self-defense clinic, run by Richard Mattson of "FLAG" (Fight Like a Girl). Bracelets promoting awareness are also being sold for $1 at various locations around campus, with proceeds donated to the Battered Women Services of Dutchess County.
“One in three young adults is in an emotional and/or physical abusive relationship,” DeZao stated on behalf of her motivation for bringing awareness to dating and domestic violence. 
For further information or questions please contact us at removethe1@gmail.com or visit our website removethe1.
(end)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Aren't you a victim?

Since the song "S&M" by Rihanna has become a top charting hit on iTunes I found myself wondering if there are people questioning the same issue as myself? Is it not strange that Rihanna, a victim of domestic violence with former boyfriend/singer Chris Brown? This song defeats the purpose of all the controversy that was placed in the media over what turmoil came out of this once infamous relationship which turned abusive in the spotlight of the media. I know this is a controversial question to be directing in regard to Rihanna becoming quite the hypocrite f I do not say so myself. Maybe she didn't write the lyrics, but she chose to sing them and make an extremely racy music video that is not even publicly accessible through the Internet. One must have a subscription to Youtube.com under an over 18 years of age account. 

Just accessing her home website http://www.rihannanow.com/ you can hear the song "S&M" playing in the background. If you look up the lyrics they go:

Feels so good being bad 
There's no way I'm turning back 
Now the pain is my pleasure cause nothing could measure
Love is great, love is fine 
Out the box, outta line 
The affliction of the feeling leaves me wanting more 
Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it 
Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it 
Sticks and stones may break my bones 
But chains and whips excite me 

Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it 
Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it 
Sticks and stones may break my bones 
But chains and whips excite me 

Na na na na 
Come on, come on, come on 
I like it-like it 
Come on, come on, come on 
I like it-like it 
Come on, come on, come on 
I like it-like it (Na na na) 
Come on, come on, come on 
I like it-like it 
Oh, I love the feeling you bring to me, oh, you turn me on 
It's exactly what I've been yearning for, give it to me strong 
And meet me in my boudoir, make my body say ah ah ah 
I like it-like it 
 From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/sm-lyrics-rihanna.html ]

What is the example Rihanna is setting to her fans? That women can escape past abusive relationships and then sing about wanting to be tortured? Did you forget about your past and former relationship? I did feel for Rihanna and wish she had done more to speak out against domestic violence, but unfortunately you did not. 

Domestic violence is a serious issue and I'm not stating that this song is the end of the world. I just would have hopes Rihanna would have made a more ethical choice in song selection and/or writing. It is a very difficult subject to touch upon since it is not talked about enough in our society. One in three teens in an abusive relationship. Whether the abusive relationship is mental, physical, or emotional. These statistics are frightening and I have had close friends who have been in an abusive relationship. 

What is your take on this song? Yes, it's catchy, but was it the right move for Rihanna?  

Monday, March 28, 2011

Jasper Doodle...

The new love of my life. My puppy Jasper. He's a bischon frise, about six months old now and starting to enter the teenage years of puppyhood. He's become sassy and disobedient at times and I find it hilarious. I never had the full puppy experience since my first dog, Bogie. Bogie was first a rescue to someone we knew who could no longer take care of him. So technically we were his third owners. When we officially owned him he was about eight years old. He lived very lavishly as a family member in our house until his passing this past September at age 16. That is a significant amount of time for a dog to live. No dog will ever outshine Bogie. He was possibly the best dog anyone could ask for until he got sick. His heart was enlarged and the medicine for his heart made his kidneys shut down so he was always having accidents. He had a terrible cough as well due to the fact his lungs were being pressured down by his enlarged heart. It was really upsetting to see him get this old and sick, and people asked us why we kept from putting him down. I could never put a dog down unless he was in absolute pain, but how do you know if a dog is in that much pain? They obviously cannot speak to you and tell you what their precise ailment is. I think we made the right choice in letting him go on his own, but then again I was not there when he crossed over.

Onto happier times. My hilarious new puppy Jasper, who we never thought we would have. My sisters and I really believed that my parents were not going to get another dog, we didn't even consider a puppy. But inch by inch we convinced them even though in a few years my youngest sister will be off to college. But now that I look at it, Jasper is their newborn child. My parents are ridiculous. One day they both took him to the vet like he was an infant going to his first checkup. As I saw them return, pulling into the driveway with this little white ball of fluff in my dad's masculine arms in the passenger seat of the car. I was laughing hysterically by myself watching from the window.

At one point in time he was smaller than a single Ugg boot. It was adorable.

Strutting through the living room. 

Whenever he drank out of this bowl he was mad that there was a paw print design on the bottom so he would always splash it, thinking it would come out of the water. 

Eating leaves, nothing unusual to Jasper. 







I forced him into a sweater that was once Bogie's. I know I'm terrible. It was only for a few minutes I swear! 
You do not understand how badly I wanted a puppy growing up. I probably begged at least three times a day, constantly bringing up the subject and annoying the hell out of my parents. But now that I have a puppy I can see why it's so much better now to have him then it would be when we were all so young and dealing with other things. When we got Bogie he was already trained, slept most of the time, very calm and mellow, and was playful when we wanted him to be. He was perfect. When my parents and sister went to pick up Jasper at the breeder in Long Island, they said he was the runt of the litter and the quietest. They decided to pick him due to his personality (at that point in time ha) and from how cute he was. He was only three pounds when they first got him! Now Jasper is about 7 pounds and showing off his personality more and more each day. It's sad that I cannot see it since I am away at school, but I know he must be a lot of work.

For some reason we started calling him Jasper Doodle.. the Doodle just came along after a while and it sounds good for some reason. The funniest part about my parents getting this puppy is that my dad did the math to see how old he will be when the dog is around the age that Bogie died, and my dad will be in his mid seventies. He joked, "the dog just might outlive me!"

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Blacklight parties.. the new FAD

Lauren and I were waiting all week for Saturday, Darby's Blacklight party. Although we didn't figure out what white trashy shirt we were going to use until a few hours before, we figured it out! That's all that mattered. I used an old I <3 London shirt and Lauren took an old MAAC tournament t-shirt and put it inside out. We both cut the shits to make them an off-the-shoulder style. I rushed over to Spencer's Gifts to get blacklight neon paint to decorate our shirts. I have the pictures to prove how awesome they came out. Although there were some haters staring at us when we first got there, we ended up looking the best decoration/design-wise. 



We made highlighter mustaches on our fingers! We were so creative! 


Some random dude with "winning" on his head. Priceless. 

I miss London. PERIOD.

I'm missing London more and more each day. It's so depressing! Someone pass me a Prozac, just kidding. But seriously, I am super sad and jealous of anyone studying there right now. If only flights were cheaper I'd be on one now! What I miss most is the friends I made and my favorite drink, Bulmer's Cider.
At a pub right near Millennium Bridge. Got the Bulmer's Cider, I'm set :) 
Me and Vish on our night out for drinks and a movie. Yes, that movie still sucked Vish! Note to everyone reading this, do not see Unstoppable. It was terrible! 

Me and Ro at Karaoke Night at a College Bar

The night I met Daniel "da-da" Ives... my British mate! I miss this boy a lot and his quirky british sayings. 

Lionel made my life in London like a movie. He was our celebrity and he always took us out to such lavish clubs in London like the Embassy. 

 They don't sell it in the United States, and yes I've tried Half Time and they only have Magners. I do not think Magners is the same, I could fight all day long about the difference in taste! I've even contacted Bulmer's corporation via email to see if they could point me into a direction to find it. So far I've heard they sell it in California. If they sell it in California it must pass through the east coast somewhere, right? 

Wish I took a cool picture like this. 

I miss just walking through Hyde Park on my own watching everyone strolling with their kids or pets. Others rushing to work or taxis flying by. I can't forget those annoying birds either.I am terrified of birds by the way.

When I was in London my mom asked me if I would ever want to go back and live there full time after I graduate. I'm contemplating it now. I know it would be tough, but I know how much I love the city of London and the places nearby (Edinburgh, Wales, etc.). The only problem I would find myself having is being so far from family. I'm too much of a family person and I saw that the most when I first went away to school. When I was in London it really didn't phase me how far away from home I was. Yes, I had been to London twice before my journey studying abroad there, but once my parents came to visit me mid-October, I realized how much I missed the unconditional love. It definitely got to me and I do not know how I would handle possibly not seeing my family for at least six months or more at a time, maybe even once or twice a year. I don't want to think about it! Moving on....


Here's an A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) moment for everyone... Can I just say how much I love Josh from Holly's World. It's currently on my television right now as background noise but his reunion with his birth mother is almost bringing me to tears. Speaking of tears, last night I returned from Darby's to find "Riding in Cars with Boys" on TBS and I had never seen it before. As I was watching it one part really got to me as the father was leaving for good and the son was running after him even going into the street. Talk about heartbreaking.