A look back at 2010

This year has definitely been huge for me...I don't normally post a lot about my personal life in here, but this will be one of those times where I do...it's kind of interesting to look back and see how I've changed and what happened.

The year started out kind of rough. My great uncle was about to have his 93rd birthday (maybe 94th) but was hospitalized with major heart problems right before his birthday...my dad, sister, and I traveled up there to be with the family during this. We were able to celebrate his birthday and we are actually just about to celebrate the next one here in a few weeks.

I also returned to Syracuse for the second semester of my senior year. In spite of the freaking out about the future part, i had a great time hanging out and getting closer with my friends at school. I also went to some good concerts and made other good friends from those. School was not too bad, but the second semester senior part definitely tried to get in the way with laziness..I did have to work hard for my classes, but it was thankfully not too overwhelming.

I had a huge breakdown freak out about not being sure that I had my job; that was a red alert to me that I need to have backup plans for everything so that I don't end up SOL. I finally got my job offer, which was awesome, and I signed the lease for my apartment. I graduated from Syracuse in May with a bachelors in both marketing and management. My friend J and I took a cruise to Mexico to celebrate our graduations and upcoming jobs. I moved out of my parents' homes, the city and into my own apartment in another city 4 hours away in June and started my job a week later. I celebrated my 22nd birthday with my friends back in Houston. I took trips to Sacramento, Greenville, and Vegas. We celebrated my youngest sister's Bat Mitzvah in Houston.

The year really was up and down...the down parts mostly relating to me hitting the real world running and experiencing what it is like to be on my own. It was all a learning experience and I don't regret any of it...I definitely was not completely prepared for this but so far, so good. I'm glad I took this job and moved out...That has been huge for me. As much as I get down on myself, I really am proud of myself for all the progress that I have made. I do wish that I would have been able to be a little more social here already, but that stuff takes time and obviously nothing happens when you don't make effort.

So this year, my only resolution is to put effort into the things that matter to me..that's the only way that I can see myself becoming who I truly want to be and more satisfied and fulfilled with my life.

Here's to 2011!

Weezer: Hurley [album review]

For a better part of the past 18 years, Weezer has been entertaining our ear buds with their unique sound and lyrics. Their albums contain a great mix of songs which evoke thoughtfulness, independence, inspiration, and spontaneity. Hurley is full of just that; it is a great addition to the other 7 albums that Weezer has released and does not fail to harbor the band’s true essence.

Read more...

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I found this from the lovelySemi Crazed... Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply in the back of the head"

"He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared to argue"

Still Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling-page 41

Music Monday

On Musiqtone, check out Motionless in White's video, Abigail in the Music Lounge, learn about So Long Davey, this month's band You Gotta Know, read my review of Hinder's newest album, All American Nightmare,

Never Shout Never and the Maine released a free EP, download it here

Download Forget Me In Vegas's free EP here

Download Mike Robins' new song, "Mercy" for free here

The top ten free downloads on Tweet for a Track are

1. In Darkness and in Light Sampler by The Maine
2. In Case Those Lips Get Cold by Romance on a Rocketship
3. This Road by Melissa Polinar
4. Room For 2 by Romance on a Rocketship
5. Good Times by Christofer Drew
6. In My Arms by Josiah Bell
7. Magic by Plug in Stereo
8. Christmas Child by Carbon Leaf
9. Up Up and Away (Kid Cudi Cover) by Plug in Stereo
10. Rockin Around the Christmas Tree by Johnny Cooper

Check out new Daytrotter Sessions from Holiday Shores, The Loom, Judson Claiborne, Brad, Young the Giant, Old 97's, Jason Collett, and Miles Kurosky.

$75 CSN Stores Giftcode Giveaway! -ends 1/27/11 *CLOSED*

Here we go again! Another CSN Stores Giftcode Giveaway; this time, Sean has provided me with one $75 Giftcode for one of my readers. As I get my apartment cleaned (yes, I've lived here for 6 months and am STILL getting organized), I am finding random things that I still need. Browsing CSN Stores and all of its other websites has helped me find those things that I am missing and I am sure that you will be able to find those things that you have been looking for to add that touch to your homes just as I have.

I will choose the winner through Random.org on after the closing of this giveaway on at 11:59 PM CST on JANUARY 27-meaning that all entries that are received after that time will not be considered towards the random drawing.

To enter is simple-just complete the mandatory entry. If you would like more chances to win, consider completing as many of the extra entries as you would like. Please do not lie about those entries that you have and have not completed; I am doing this all on the honor system if verification is not asked for. Please leave your email address in the comments if it is not visible in your profile.

Due to frustrations with international fees, I do have to make this giveaway US only.

Mandatory entry:

Visit CSN stores and let me know what you were thinking of putting the gift certificate towards if you win this giveaway.

Extra Entries: [if an entry says +2 or etc, please leave that number of comments so that you get the correct amount of entries]

• Follow CSN stores on twitter
• Like CSN stores on facebook
• Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter name in the comment)
• Tweet “Enter to win a $75 GC from @CSNStores-Go Get Smashed http://awe.sm/5Esga ends 1/27/11” once a day OR click the green retweet button on the left sidebar +1 per tweet per day (please leave tweet URL)

• Get Smashed! (Google Friend Connect -publicly- with me)

• Check out my other blog, Becoming The You; publicly google friend connect it

• Follow Becoming the You on twitter (leave your twitter name)

• Add the S.MA.S.H.E.D. button to your sidebar and leave me a link to find it +2

• Add Becoming the You button to your sidebar and leave me a link to find it +2

• Leave a genuine comment on any of my past entries (leave me the title of the entry) +2

• Been to a good concert lately, or have a music or book suggestion for me? Leave that in a comment +2
• Blog about this giveaway (must be at least 100 words) in your blog and leave me the URL +5

This giveaway ends on JANUARY 27, 2011

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me or leave it in a comment; good luck!!

**Disclosure** In exchange for a review, I was given this $40 giftcode to host this giveaway. This review is my honest opinion of CSN Stores and its offerings.

Viva Las Vegas

A year and a half after I was supposed to go to Vegas, I finally made it there. Originally, I had plans to go for my 21st birthday but ended up going to a Jonas Brothers concert instead...hello backwards priorities..but what's done is done. Last weekend, I went to Vegas with my friends, P and F to celebrate F's 21st birthday. I flew to Vegas a few days earlier to spend some time with my friend T and celebrate her friend R's 21st. I had a really good time in Vegas and I wanted to share some things I liked and didn't like, and some of my thoughts about places we went and shows that we saw.

I'll be posting separate entries about most of what we did, so here's that overview. For R's birthday dinner, we ate at Famous Daves. On the strip, we saw Criss Angel's Believe at the Luxor, Thunder from Down Under at Excalibur, Sigfried and Roy's Secret Garden at the Mirage, the Bodies Exhibit at the Luxor, the CSI Experience at MGM Grand, and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. P, F, and I also took a limo ride down the strip that took us to the Bellagio, the Venetian, the Fabulous Vegas sign, and to Paris.

Besides the weather, we had a great time in Vegas...of course the first time I'd go to Vegas, it would rain the WHOLE time I was there. I'm so glad that I have awesome friends and that we can have fun doing almost anything.

We stayed in the Signature Towers at the MGM Grand. The suite that we got was awesome. It was actually connected to a junior suite. The full size suite had a full kitchen and living room area. The half bath had a shower and the bathroom connected to the bedroom was pretty much palatial; definitely enough room for the three of us and all of our random hair and beautification accessories to primp comfortably.

Actually in the MGM, we enjoyed meals at Rainforest Cafe and Wolfgang Puck. We also treated F's mom to a Godiva Hot Stone Massage in their spa, which she told us was so relaxing and enjoyable. The hotel was very comfortable and very accommodating. Besides a couple of incidents (it seemed like housekeeping packed us up at one point, they had put all of the things in the bathroom into our cases and bags and also had put some of our things in really weird and random places) and putting some hand wash only souvenir glasses in the dishwasher (they ended up melted in places and the fuses for the lights exploded and rusted), things really were great. They had no issues bringing us different pillows (F is allergic to feather pillows), the room service meals were prompt, hot and correct, and they replaced our glasses that were ruined.

Besides the weather, I had a great time in Vegas. The shows were fun to see and I loved walking around the strip and seeing everything else. I played penny slots and lost $1.47; what a joke haha. I do have to say that I really don't understand why families go to Vegas with their young children. It really is not a kid friendly place at all and it is really not fun getting kicked by legs dangling out of strollers. Most of the shows are not kid friendly either; it just doesn't seem like it would be a fun vacation for the children or the parents. I don't hate children or families at all, I just feel that Vegas really is not the best place for a family vacation.

I'll be posting more about this trip soon, including some pictures, so if you're interested, check back for it.

Spicy Steak Salad

So here's another steak recipe that I've made...I don't eat red meat often (okay, I say that WAY too much), but this was great...I try to eat a lot of vegetables when I eat red meat because it makes me feel better about eating it (healthwise)...this salad tasted really good, and the dressings were not difficult to eat either. I made the roasted garlic dressing and it was SO so good.

Spicy Steak Salad

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound flank steak
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon extra light olive oil
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, choopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into thinly sliced strips
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 large cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons of dressing

PREPARATION

1. For steak

   (Cut off 1/3 of steak, cut into 1-inch-by-1-inch cubes and place in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze for Wednesday's dinner.) Rub both sides of remaining steak with garlic and soy sauce; sprinkle with paprika. Coat a large skillet (or grill rack) with oil. Heat to high, then reduce heat to medium. Cook steak, flipping once, until center is still light pink and moist, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Set aside steak 10 minutes while you prepare salad.

2. For salad

   Toss lettuce, carrots, celery, beans, cucumber and vinaigrette in a bowl; transfer to a plate. Thinly slice half of steak on the diagonal. (Let remaining half cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until Tuesday's dinner.) Top salad with sliced steak and serve.

The skinny

463 calories per serving, 20.6 g fat (5.8 g saturated), 31.6 g carbs, 10.1 g fiber, 37.7 g protein\

Roasted Garlic–Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes 1/2 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 head garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 400°. Slice 1 inch off top of garlic, exposing cloves; wrap in foil and roast until soft and fragrant, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Squeeze cloves into a mini-chopper or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and 2 tbsp warm water; blend until smooth. Refrigerate up to 7 days.

The skinny

43 calories per tbsp, 3.4 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 3.2 g carbs, 0.1 g fiber, 0.2 g protein

Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Makes 1/2 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small carrots, peeled and chooped
• 1/2 medium shallot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil with 2 tbsp water in a food processor. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil until smooth. Refrigerate; stir once before serving.

1. 
   

The skinny

43 calories per tbsp, 2.9 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 3.1 g carbs, 0.4 g fiber, 0.3 g protein

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I found this from the lovely Semi Crazed... Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was "Who are you?"

"Nobody said a think while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little."

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- J.K. Rowling, page 48

This is a reread for me, several times over, but it is definitely time to crack it open again.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I found this from the lovely Semi Crazed... Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Surviving a place like this when you were supposed to be her was on thing, but surviving here when you weren't would be a challenge worthy of all her cunning, all her skill, all of the intelligence that Mrs. Fried promised her, long ago, that she had, no matter what the tests said."

"He spread his arms wide and gave her the cold smirk of a boy who's gotten every toy he's every wanted and broken them just for spite"

P. 186 of In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

The Riley Memorial

I cannot even imagine how hard it would be to lose a child. Though I am blessed to have all four grandparents alive as well as my parents, I fear for the day I may lose one of them. For a mother to lose her child, it is the most tragic and heartbreaking thing in the world. My friend, Stephanie (BabesRockinMami) has a friend who has just experienced this horrifying loss. In memory of this sweet and precious child, Stephanie has organized the Riley Memorial. Please open your hearts and support the Riley Memorial; check out all that has been donated to be auctioned off here. If you would like to contribute, feel free to contact Stephanie about donations or to enter a product to be auctioned off.

In addition, you can add these to your page to spread the word (credit: Nanny)

<a href=”<a href="http://babesrockinmami.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(183, 98, 156); text-decoration: none; ">http://babesrockinmami.com/</a>” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”><img border=”0″ src=”<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__gLyfxdj8EU/TQS6BG2I-AI/AAAAAAAAAoo/1HptFVkxLdY/s1600/RileysMemorial_sm.png" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(183, 98, 156); text-decoration: none; ">http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__gLyfxdj8EU/TQS6BG2I-AI/AAAAAAAAAoo/1HptFVkxLdY/s1600/RileysMemorial_sm.png</a>” /></a>

To Sandra: My thoughts and prayers go out to your family during this tough and painful time. I am sending all the love and comfort in the world. This is such a devastating loss and I wish you all the strength and supportive thoughts in your time of mourning.

Music Monday

no real post because blogger deleted the whole thing aand i'm being a cranky bitch
enjoy the shuffle :D

New Giveaway Coming Soon!

Keep your eyes open! I'll be hosting another giveaway for a CSN Stores Giftcode very soon. If you haven't heard of CSN Stores, you defnitely will want to check out their website. The new year is coming up, which means spring cleaning is close to follow. Maybe you will want to get rid of some old furniture and update the look of your living room. How about a new TV stand to refresh the room? Browse through CSN Stores' website and see what lights you up and keep checking back, I'll be posting the giveaway soon!

Jimmy Eat World: Invented [Album Review}

Since 1994 with the release of their first album, Clarity, Jimmy Eat World has been releasing songs and albums that have their fans waiting for more. Their music is slightly alternative to main stream and has deep and interesting lyrics with music that fits the complexity or simplicity of the lyrics. You can see the evolution of the band through their albums as each one contains song more thoughtful than the next.

Read More...

Horton Hears a Who

There is so much pressure today on a person, from every single direction, to fit in and just agree; free thinking? Be careful, you might be labeled a weirdo and have no friends. Where does this leave us? In a world full of monotonous humdrum, no creativity, no imagination, and no innovation; stuck in the biggest rut possible.

Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who really takes this point to heart. Both the book and the movie emphasize the importance of individuality, free thinking, questioning norms, and exploration. Horton is an elephant living in the jungle community; the children love him because he is fun, imaginative, and interesting. The parents; however, have an opposing opinion of him. They feel like Horton's influence on the children is not good for them because they are having too much fun and not learning enough practical things. Under the leadership of the kangaroo, the parents come together and try to keep their children from playing with Horton because he claims that there is a world of "Who's" on a speck on a flower. The parents think this is preposterous and set out to destroy Horton and make his life miserable.

Throughout the movie, while Horton is trying to keep the Who's of Whoville safe, he must keep his "speck on a flower" secret so that the parents do not think he is any more crazy than they already think. They already consider him less of an adult and of less value as a member of society because of his personality which he realizes, and his protection of this flower has made this situation even worse.

This movie touches on the idea of the tangible versus the intangible. Whether it is okay to believe in something that you can feel but can't see, or whether you should only believe in what you were told and not question or explore anything new. When I see this strictness in real life, it really bothers me; in fact, it makes my heart hurt. Many parents try to mold their children in to their vision of what they should be even if the child is not that person. They tell them what to do and what not to do and try their hardest to keep outside thoughts and beliefs from influencing their child.

There is no experience in a life like this, and what kind of reason for belief is "my parents told me so"; yes, there are things that are illegal, wrong, or dangerous, but while growing up, children need to be able to imagine, question, and learn. This is how innovation develops; not from being told what to do, what to say and what to believe. A sheltered long term development does not help anything except for to create close mindedness and intolerance.

I love this movie, I love its take on society today and the message that it sends. I have loved Dr. Seuss books since I was younger, and I love the lessons that translate from them now to me as an adult.

Music Monday

On Musiqtone, check out new songs from Diane Birch on SoundCloud, watch a new video from Chiodos in the Premiere Box, and read Alan's opinion about the harsh reviews and treatment of Lee Dewyze's new album in the Soapbox,

Bellevue's Finest is offering a free download of their new EP if you sign up for their email list here

Rooney announced their Not In My House tour, which starts in February. Check out the dates here

Stream Snoop Dogg's new track, Wet, here

The top 10 tracks for free download on Tweet for a Track:

1. Move to Zion-Jimmy Needham
2. Don't Stop Now Live-The Maine
3. All I Want for Christmas-Oh! The Story
4. No Excuses-Attack! Attack!
5. Magic-Plug In Stereo
6. Good Times-Christofer Drew
7. Up Up and Away (cover)-Plug In Stereo
8. I Like Girls-The HIT
9. Christmas Child-Carbon Leaf
10. Addicted to the Revolution-Derek Jordan

On Daytrotter, check out sessions from Robert Randolph and the Family Band, S. Carey, Paleo, Meridene, Brendan Benson, Via Audio, Olof Arnalds, Chief, No Joy, and Braids.

Fearless Records has announced the dates of the Rock Yourself to Sleep Tour; check out the dates here

Check out a song from Aaron Gillespie's upcoming solo album here