Coffee

I thought from my years of working at Starbucks I would share a few common mistakes people make with coffee.

• "I want the strongest coffee you have!" Ok, do you want the strongest in flavor or in caffeine? People don't realize that the darker roasts are stronger in flavor yet have less caffeine because the bean has to roast longer to get that stronger flavor which also releases more of the caffeine. So, if you want a stronger caffeine coffee get the lighter breakfast blends but if you want stronger flavor get the dark roast!
• Cappuccino vs Latte. In a nutshell, a cappuccino has more foamed milk while the latte has far less. So it does bother me when creamers are called "Vanilla Cappuccino" flavored or something because it literally cannot be like that!
• The sizes. The story behind the short, tall, grande, venti and trenta goes like this. The short was the small and the tall was the large in the 1970s when Starbucks began. As time went on people wanted a larger size so the grande, meaning large, was born. Then... the same story goes, people wanted a even larger size so the venti, meaning 20 for 20 ounces, came. The trenta, meaning 30 for 30 ounces, was created for the biggest coffee of them all.

UCO B.A. Pubic Relations Spring 2012

After taking a few years off of school, I am finally graduating with my B.A. in Public Relations from UCO! I will be going for my masters in only a month or so but I wanted to celebrate the fact that I got my B.A. To express my excitement I had my best friend use her fancy camera and take my photo for my announcements. We work well together because I can boss her around and she knows my good angle! Has anyone else taken photos for college graduation?

Grandpa and squirrels

As Grandpa and I sat in the dining room and looked at the backyard that had three squirrels running by the pond, he said, "we are gonna have to go squirrel hunting!" "Uh, you eat squirrel," I asked. "Yep, I used to hunt them," said Grandpa. "But Grandpa, squirrels are so cute!" "Yep, I used to fry them like chicken." ...silence... "Squirrel gravy is is good too."

Almost done with school...

Wow. I am almost done with school. I thought this could best be expressed by a photo of how I feel in my  "Blogging for Journalists" class at UCO. Enjoy, I look like a cartoon character.

Why I love YouTube videos...

Every once and a while an excellent YouTube video comes along. Sweet Brown is full of great quotes AND she is from Oklahoma! That is what made it even better for me, this was OUR local news. Awesome.

Thunder up!

I went to the Thunder game tonight with my stepmom Susan, my biological dad Harry and brother Tyler. It's fun to go with someone who actually loves the game, which Harry and Tyler do. Susan and I were there more for the experience... and to watch the two boys go crazy!

Gifts on my birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. While I did not do anything on my actual birthday, I do feel the love. Last weekend my family took me out to a Japanese Steakhouse which was amazingly delicious and entertaining. My internship surprised me by cooking me lunch, getting me a cake, flowers and a cat card! I don't know what was the best part, the cake or the cat card?! I have a thing for corny cat photos and/or cards.

A blog worthy of reading...

Joyous Joys is the blog I have chosen to follow, read and love for my "Blogging for Journalists" class.

In a nutshell, this blog is written by a joyous woman who lives in New York City and writes of her favorite things of the day in the most professional way.

How I came across this blog was a result of networking! I reached out to my public relations mentor, Sam Sims, here in Okla. and asked him if he knew of any PR professionals in N.Y. who I could take to coffee, aka networking, when I visit in May. He gave me a few names, and I connected with a person who gave me Kate Forster's name.  We have spoken on the phone a few times and she has both helped and inspired me with the PR world.  Shortly after taking the next big step in our PR connection and befriending her on Facebook, I noticed she had a blog.

Her blog looks, sounds, and if blogs could smell, smells of joy.  Her layout is clean, professional and fun to read. She uses all the blog tricks: photos, tags and conversational topics. She does not make any money off of this nor does she want to. Once you get paid you have a pressure to write more with more restricting topics, so she prefers to have this as her fun, personal yet professional blog.

The only thing I saw as a weakness is how enthusiastic she is on her posts yet does not get many responses. I would suggest she follow blogs similar to hers and make the effort to comment on theirs so that in return, they will comment on hers. "If you scratch my back..." type philosophy.

I have learned you can be professional while still being yourself when writing on a blog. In the communications field it is all about being genuine and "Joyous Joys" does just that. I realized both her blog and mine are being used to not only express who we are and what we think for the sake of being human, but for the sake of a potential job! Our blog is a additional resume piece and a bold statement of who we are. So, if you are going to use your blog for professional use, make it one you love... make it your own "Joyous Joys!"

The weather...

It is times like these that I wish I was better at science. A few questions... because we had a mild winter does that mean we will have a hotter summer or will the summer take a lesson from winter and continue the laid back attitude to create a mild summer?

One thing I do know is that a mild winter means less bugs were killed... which means a possible surplus this summer. Everyone has been warned!

I'll take a winter over bugs ANY day.

Art

I have been drawing and painting since I was very young. I would say I enjoy the Impressionist art the most. I used to do watercolor but now I mostly do charcoal or pastels (easier to clean up) and dabble with acrylic paints. I don't do it as often as I would like. Does anyone else paint or draw? Any suggestions?

Watercolor I did in 5th grade.



Charcoal drawing I did in 2009.

Charcoal drawing I gave to my sister in 2009.

Pencil sketch I did in 2011.

Pastel drawing I did of my porcelain doll in 2010.

Acrylic painting I did from The Catcher in the Rye story in 2004.

Pastel drawing I did in 2011.

My outer space spray paint art in 2011.

About this time last year, I was in Wales...

This time last year, I was in Wales with UCO. It was such a great opportunity to go abroad and do PR work. I was able to create a brochure for the non-profit organization, Discovery.

What I miss about Wales: fish and chips; the smell of the Atlantic Ocean; the crisp, cool weather; the accents; the rolling green hills; the awesome tiny sports cars; the dragon flag.

What I do not miss about Wales: black pudding.

What do you read for fun?

When it comes to reading for fun, what do you read? I tend to read more than one book at a time. I'm currently reading Cats Cradle (I am loving this book so far), and Grapes of Wrath (It's been a goal of mine to read this one for a while, I love the use of language and I feel like I'm in the Dust Bowl). I was reading Atlas Shrugged but halfway through I got distracted. I enjoyed The Fountainhead a bit more. When I have more downtime I cannot wait to be able to return to my first love, reading.

Food with Grandpa

Ever wonder what it is like to live with a 84-year-old man? I think I can best express what it is like through food.

Recently my Grandpa made me lunch. It included a fried bratwurst, a bag of roasted peanuts and a cup of coffee.

When we dined out, he took me to the Golden Corral at 4 p.m. for dinner, "To beat the rush!" It is such an experience to be done with dinner by 4:40 p.m., I suggest you try it at least once.

Grandpa makes a good chicken 'n dumplings, however one time he decided to be creative with it. He used chicken wings, so picking at the bones in my soup was a fun surprise!

Overall, I love living with my Grandpa... even if our food tastes differ. 

Milo, the cat

My sister has a persian cat named Milo. J'adore cats but alas, I am allergic. So, my sister lives in Houston and texts me photos of Milo, which I enjoy. I may not be able to pet him or ever own a cat but I can enjoy excellent cat photos. I thought I would share a few. Do you have any pets or share pet photos?

He's a model.

The wasps and Dr. Clark

A 2nd wasp came into our class. Dr. Clark won, 2-0.

UCO professors care.

J'aime à apprendre

Dave Rhea came and spoke to my blogging class yesterday. Mr. Rhea works for The Journal Record as the social media blogger. I love The Journal Record Blog Hub because you can read various Oklahoma professionals blog about their opinions (this provides excellent reading for a hopeful business professional like me).

He said to be a good blogger you must:

• Love to learn- The passion to learn must be evident and expressed in a clear manner on your blog and in life.
• Wear many hats- The ability to do multiple things well is a trait needed in today's social media jobs.
• Be yourself- Express your thoughts and opinions on your blog but keep in mind the job you want. For example, it would not be a good idea to be vocal on your political or religious views if you hope to go into a corporate job but it would be acceptable if you were going into an artistic field. 

Learn it. Love it.

UCO's "An Hour for an Hour"

Did you know that UCO held its College of Liberal Arts scholarship luncheon, An Hour for an Hour, on Feb. 23, 2012? It's true, and I was able to participate in raising over $18,000 in scholarships for UCO students.

This scholarship luncheon had alumni, faculty and friends to Central for a one-hour event to raise funds for Liberal Arts student scholarships. Guests were asked to underwrite a credit hour of undergraduate tuition which is currently $139.20 to create scholarships for the fall 2012.

 "This event allows Liberal Arts students to share their stories of the impact scholarship have made in their lives," said Pamela Washington, Ph.D. dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Three students were chosen to give their story to over 185 guests and in addition one student was placed at each of the 21 tables... I was a student chosen to sit at a table with 6 guests. I gave my short story, or as I like to call it, my "elevator speech." If you have not  practiced your short, "all about me", pitch, I suggest you do!

Networking... raising scholarship funds... free lunch... "An Hour for an Hour" was an awesome experience and I hope to be able to donate once I'm an alumni.

"What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?" --Winston Churchill.

Magnet fun

In the Art Plaza district of OKC I came across a cute store that has a lot of fun items that are created locally. I even bought something. A Star Wars magnet! Judge if you wish, but my refrigerator will look great and perhaps even have the force... of awesomeness.

A statement of LOVE

I first liked you when I was in High School, you're always there to lift me up, you make me more aware of life, and I'm sorry I tried to break it off a few times... ♥Coffee♥ aka love of my life.

 Here's to my second big cup today!

National Katerina Day!

Today is my little sister, Katerina's, birthday! She is 19-years-old and I am so proud of her. Not to mention how much I miss her.

To have a best friend who is also your sister, does it get any better?