Favorite Christmas Songs/Albums From A Person Who Isn’t Lovin Christmas Music

 

Okay, first off, I just want to say as a disclaimer that I don’t have a horrible dislike towards Christmas music. The real truth is that I’ve never been a huge fan of Christmas music. I’ve always liked it, but have never really loved listening to Christmas tunes constantly on every single station. I know, I know, you probably are all thinking, “What the heck is wrong with you Alex??” and yes, I ask myself that very same question each time Christmas rolls around. I can’t explain it, it’s not that I don’t enjoy Christmas time as I absolutely love walking around my local city, looking at striking Christmas decorations, trees, and watching my favorite Holiday films, but I’ve just never gotten into listening to Christmas music. Could it because I’m Jewish? Was I automatically programmed from birth to be annoyed at songs about jolly old Santa Clause that pop up on the radio? Probably not, after all, it is said that the best Christmas songs have been written by Jews (however, if the best Christmas songs have been written by Jews, why couldn’t they have written better Hanukkah songs? Do you know one famous song about Hanukkah? I certainly don’t. If any of you guys know of any amazing Hanukkah songs, please let me know in the comment section below, I’d **LOVE** to hear them). I guess I’m just not a big Christmas music fanatic. This bothers my family greatly. When I was in the car with my Dad, he kept on asking why I kept on changing the station whenever a Christmas song would pop up. Sorry Dad, I just prefer 80’s pop/rock songs to Christmas tunes. Will I someday come to appreciate Christmas music more? I don’t know, but certainly hope so! However, with that being said, I do have some Christmas songs/albums that I absolutely ADORE AND LOVE! To get into the spirit of the holidays, I am going to be sharing with y’all my favorite songs:

Album #1: Kelly Clarkson’s New-ish Christmas Album “Wrapped in Red”

I’ve always loved Kelly Clarkson’s voice, it is just so soulful and unique. In fact, I think I had a mild obsession with Kelly Clarkson in the 4th grade; especially her nose stud. For some odd reason, I thought I was a cooler kid for listening to someone who had her nose pierced. I was 9-10 years, okay, cut me some slack! Okay, getting off topic here, anyways, when I heard that she had a Christmas album coming out, I knew that I had to check it out. Turns out that I **LOVED** it!! I think that this is my second favorite record of hers behind “Breakaway”.  In my opinion, it is one of the best Christmas albums of all time. She puts amazing twists on favorite classics such as “Baby It’s Cold Outside”,  “White Christmas”, and “Silent Night” with some new, original (I think, they might also just be songs that were sung before that I’d never heard of) Christmas tunes. My favorite jingles off of this album are “Wrapped in Red”, “Underneath the Tree”, and “Silent Night”. If you haven’t listened to Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas Album, get your butt onto YouTube and listen to it right now, you won’t regret it.

Song #1: Lea Michelle and Cory Monteith’s Last Christmas

In general, I’ve always really liked this song, but Glee’s Lea Michelle and Cory Monteith took this song and brought it into a whole new dimension for me. I just can never stop listening to this song during Christmas time and I mean, come on, who can get sick of Lea Michelle’s voice?

Album #2, Plus One Of The Best Songs Of All Time!!: Sarah Mclachlan’s Christmas Album.

If you don’t know anything about at all, you should know that Sarah Mclachlan is pretty much my favorite female vocalist of all time. Seriously dude, I think I’ve listened to all of her songs. Most of them, I believe, I have played like a broken record, but still, I never get sick of them. My Mom first bought this Christmas Album in 2006, when it first came out. Since then, we as a family have listened to it countless times, even during the summer (true story, we listened to it on our way up to Quebec City in August)! Sarah Mclachlan covers a lot of famous Christmas tunes beautifully, like an Angel (for Sarah Mclachlan fans you will get this pun here), such as “Silent Night” and “Happy X-Mas (War is Over)”. However, my favorite cover of her’s by far is Joni Mitchell’s “River”. In fact, I think it’s one of my favorite song covers of all time. I love how this song is so sad but yet hopeful at the same time. It also have a very uplifting melody to accompany the chorus. If you are having a bad day, even if it isn’t Christmas time, listen to Sarah Mclachlan’s “River” cover and you’ll feel instantly better, I promise. Additionally, I absolutely love the songs “Wintersong” and “Song for a Winter’s Night With You” just to let you know.

Songs #3 and #4: Mariah Carey

The first Christmas song of Mariah Carey’s that I love is destined to become a classic or has already become one and that is “All I Want For Christmas to You”. It is just so catchy and just wants to make me get up and dance. I also love her rendition of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”. Her soulful voice is absolutely perfect for this tune and makes you want to listen to it over and over again. Which one of these two songs are your favorite of hers?

Album #3: Josh Groban’s Noel

In general, I love Josh Groban’s voice, but in particular, I love his Christmas album. Every year, we always listen to Josh Groban’s Christmas album when putting up the Hanukkah tree (yes, I know, we are very bad Jews) and this is a tradition that I will always cherish. I love all of the songs on this album, but my favorite tune is “What Child Is This”. I just love the instruments that are utilized in this song and most of all its haunting, but yet soothing melody. I can listen to this song and it can put me to sleep, let me tell you.

So that’s a wrap, those are my favorite Christmas songs/albums! Are any of what I mentioned one of your favorite Christmas albums/songs? What are some of your favorite Christmas tunes?

Happy Holidays!

-Alexandra Spund

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Walk Down Memory Lane: Favorite Childhood Books

When I was a wee one, my Mom really, really wanted my sister and I to love reading. She has always been a huge reader and made it her mission as a parent to instill a love of literature in the two of us. While other kids were watching Spongebob Square Pants and Rugrats on T.V., my Mom had us plopped on the couch watching Reading Rainbow, Between the Lions, or some other educationally approved kids’ show that promoted literacy. Whenever I would tell my Mom about a friend saying that they “hated reading”, my Mom would be all like, “Well that’s to bad for blah, blah, blah [insert imaginary name here], because reading is amaze-balls (okay so maybe she didn’t say that, but something of the equivalency)!!” Besides watching book related television shows, my Mom introduced us to lots of great picture and beginning reader chapter books. She would often read these books to us out loud, which, we would then have passionate discussions about afterwards. I loved these read out louds! They were much better than the majority of my teachers and my Mom could do lots of funny voices :P. The trio of us loved read out louds so much that we did them up through the 8th grade (yes, we are a weird family, don’t judge). I am glad that my Mom put so much time and energy into evoking a love of reading in both my sister and I. Without the great books that I read when I was younger, I would not have the amount of background knowledge that I currently obtain, an extensive vocabulary, and probably would have had a more difficult time getting through some of the dry books I’ve been forced to read in high school (cough, cough…The Scarlet Letter, no offense to those who dig it or anything). However, most importantly, reading has helped me become the open-minded, compassionate, and sometimes skeptical/cynical person I am today. Books have exposed me to the many joys and horrors of life and I’m grateful for that because reading about various issues inspires me to make change in the world. I want to bring the joy that I’ve read about into other people’s lives; especially those who have so little of it. In this blog post, I’m going to share my some of my favorite books that I read as an elementary schooler. Whether you are a parent, educator, or someone who is just curious about and/or simply loves amazing children’s books, you’ve come to the right place (psssstt…I am seventeen years old and still ❤ children’s books)! This will more than likely be a series on my blog, as I don’t want to just give y’all a laundry list of books; I want to explain what I love about each and every one of these stories. Drum roll please………….or you can just scroll down if you wish ;).

                My Favorite Childhood Books

 Book #1: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannen

I remember my sister and I reading this beautifully illustrated book, with a wonderful message, multiple times. If you are not familiar with the book’s plot, it is about a young girl who is teased by her classmates for loving Lima beans. Therefore, she vows to never eat Lima beans again, but then, she comes down with a case of stripes. Her parents, however, force her to go to school regardless of being decorated with stripes, and is then subjected to even more teasing by her classmates. She eventually learns that the only cure for getting rid of her stripes are good ol’ Lima beans. Through this experience she learns not to care about what other people think. I believe that this is a vital theme for young children to learn that will carry with them through life. I know that the gorgeous pictures and carefully crafted sentences in this book has always served as a reminder to me!

Book #2: The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osbourne

I remember hearing one of these books for the first time as a read out loud in grade school and then becoming obsessed with them shortly there after. I didn’t read all of them, but every single book I did read I thoroughly enjoyed. The premise of these books are that two siblings, Jack and Annie, find a tree house in their backyard and discover that it can make them go back in time. As a result, they go on some pretty immaculate adventures and go to many different places, witnessing famous historical events such as the American Revolution, The Olympics, The First Thanksgiving, and the Titanic sinking. These books really got me excited about history as a kid and made me eager to learn more about the colossal turning points that shaped our nation and world. I’d highly recommend these books to any kid in grade school, especially if they are not big fans of history, because Jack and Annie will for sure make the subject more enjoyable for them.

 Book #3: The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsberg

When I was young, I was so fascinated by summer sleep-away camps and desperately wanted to go for years. I would envision myself at sleep-away camp constantly, even going as far as dreaming up my own. Seriously guys, I would sometimes even open up a word document and make my own overnight camp brochures with snazzy backgrounds, slick fonts, pictures, everything. I would even make fake testimonials from kids with fake last names, such as Corington, Halifaxer, Roshien, Itrabide (for realzies, these were legit names that I made up. I went through my old journals today.) So, as you can imagine, the day my parents told me that I was allowed to go to sleep-away camp, I was uber stoked. However, when I actually attended an overnight camp located in Vermont, I wound up enjoying it a minuscule amount . I suffered from extreme homesickness, crying multiple times a day. I also really loathed the food and was mightily disappointed that the outdoor lunch buffet that was advertised on their website was really indoors and just leftovers from dinner. Damn liars.

Okay, I should probably stop ranting now and talk about how this experience is related to the book. Anyways, after my bad overnight camp experience, I found The Outcast of 19 Schuyler Place at Barnes and Noble and instantly knew that I would be able to relate to it from reading the back cover. The premise of this book is that a twelve-year-old named Margaret Rose attends sleep-away camp during the 70’s while her parents are trying to repair their marriage. However, the plot twist is that her cabin-mates are tormentors who play vicious pranks and therefore, she sends for her uncles to pick her up. After being rescued, Margaret Rose spends the rest of the summer with her uncles, trying to save two towers that are going to be taken down. I absolutely adored this book as a kid and read it multiple times (it is rare that I read a book more than once, even if I really love it). The love I had for this story is shown in its current physical condition, without a cover and pages falling out. I would recommend this book to anybody regardless of age, but especially for pre-teen ladies as I think that they will especially be able to relate to the main character, Margaret Rose, as someone that they could see themselves being friends with and take comfort in. Hopefully they will cherish this book, as I have, and take note of its wonderful messages of perseverance, unexpected friendship, and the fact that life just doesn’t work out all of the time. These themes have stayed with me throughout my teenage years.

Have any of you guys read these books before? What were your favorite books growing up?

Your Reading Buddy,

-Alexandra Spund

P.S. Here are the book links:

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Case-Stripes-Scholastic-Bookshelf/dp/0439598389

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Tree-House-Boxed-Books/dp/0375813659/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419050834&sr=1-2&keywords=the+magic+tree+house+set&pebp=1419050850610

http://www.amazon.com/The-Outcasts-19-Schuyler-Place/dp/0689866372

Deceptive Thanksgiving Dessert Advertising – Mary’s Gone Crackers Gone Wrong

Despite the snow, my Thanksgiving was not half bad. My clan was supposed to see extended family down in New York and it was very disenchanting when we learned we couldn’t go because of impossible road conditions. Obviously though, we made the best of the situation. I really can’t complain, heck, I got to see a 4-D version of the Polar Express. Anytime you can go beyond your normal dimensions, it’s a pretty cool experience :P. I mean, dude, I got to actually smell the hot co-co they were serving on Polar Express; if that’s not flipping amazing, I don’t know what is. Although I will say that getting punched in the back of our seats when the train came to a sudden halt wasn’t fun and unnecessary. My Mom was the lucky spared one who’s seat was defective.

While Thanksgiving 2014 was filled with joyful, 4-D memories, it also had its vexations. In particular, I am not very satisfied with the gluten-free company Mary’s Gone Crackers right now. What is Mary’s Gone Crackers, you might ask? They are the ones that make the seeded flax crackers that look wicked disgusting, but actually taste really delicious. Additionally, they also make desserts. Well, right before Turkey Day, my Mom found ginger snap cookies baked by Mary’s Gone Cracker’s that, supposedly, had a dairy-free cream in the middle. I was thrilled! I was so excited to finally have a cookie that had a filling as this is SO HARD to find being both gluten and dairy-free. I also have to limit the amount of soy I eat, which makes this conquest even more arduous. I just could not wait to crack the cookie open and find that ooey-gooey cream in the center as it looked like in the picture on the box. However, when it was time for dessert and the first bite was taken, I could only taste gingerbread. “Hmmm….this is quite peculiar, that cream has got to be in there somewhere“, I thought.  Therefore, I took the largest bite I could and still, …nothing. Could my cookie be the odd one of the bunch? Did they forget to put cream in my cookie? I then asked my Mom to take a bite of her’s to see if she had the same situation which she did. It then occurred to us that Mary the Cracker Lady was a LIAR! That cookie on the cover clearly had cream in it; or so we thought. After investigating the cover more closely, we both realized that what appeared to be cream in the middle were actually sprinklings of ginger. My Mom and I were astounded that both of us had missed this, as the two of us are usually overly observant people. *Sigh*, I guess that I still need to be on the hunt for gf/df cookies with a creamy filling. Or maybe I should try and make my own batter? Who knows?

Would you guys have been deceived by the cover?

Yours in a Current Agitated Spirit,

-Alexandra Spund

P.S. The cookies were absolutely delectable just to let you know. They tasted like actual, glutenous ginger snaps!! I was just mightily disappointed that there was no mouth-watering cream :(.

 

So I’m Actually Doing This Workout Thing

I’ve always had trouble motivating myself to exercise. I don’t know, I guess I’ve just always been more of an artistic/intellectual type of person rather than someone who didn’t mind sliding into the mud in order to score that goal. When I was a kid, I was so nonathletic it was almost laughable. I’d be that poor kid scored low on the “pacer test” because they’d be huffing and puffing for air, struggled with swinging a ball off of their bat, and didn’t know what to do with a soccer ball once I had it. By the third grade, it became pretty evident to me that my legs belonged to a snail in a past life. Fortunately, I did not remain a hopeless athlete for ever as a little thing called gymnastics saved my physical sanity. However, after I stopped doing gymnastics at age thirteen, I unfortunately stopped exercising all together. I learned how to become a pretty decent ice skater when I was a freshman in high school so that I could eventually learn how to play ice hockey (my Dad really wanted me to play the sport because he loved it so much). While I was pretty good at ice skating, there were a few problems.

A.) You had to bend at the knees to keep balance for ice hockey which absolutley KILLED my back.

B.) The puck didn’t really like me.

C.) This is probably the number one reason I was bad at ice hockey – I didn’t want to voluntarily crash into someone (a.k.a. I was not the aggressive type – good thing I’m not living in the caveman era)

So therefore, I quit. Ice hockey was just not going to happen. Ever.  While I really enjoyed ice skating, I’d always find excuses not to go to the rink (it’s too cold out, I’d rather do something else today, blah, blah, blah) which in turn kept me from exercising.

I was always telling myself that I would get around to doing it, tomorrow would be the start of a new exercise era, etc. But dude, I just did not want to move my body; I was happy being a couch potato.

Recently though, I’ve decided that I am done with excuses. No more Alex, no more! I’m throwing them inside of an invisible trash can right now **gleefully watches them plummet**.

You might be wondering, what inspired me to start working out more and kick this bad habit to the curb? This lovely lady from YouTube named Cassey Ho.

Lots of you have probably have heard of her before, but if you haven’t, she is best known for her YouTube channel Blogilates. Basically, she teaches various Pilate exercises, each of them targeting different areas of the body (some of them total body though). Recently, I decided to follow her beginner’s workout calender to shed some pounds, tone my body, hopefully develop some muscle (I don’t know how effective Pilates is at doing this though), and de-stress.

I have currently completed four days of the calender and haven’t noticed any huge changes yet, but the one thing I did notice is that my lower spine felt less curved (its called lordosis – it’s like scoliosis, except only your lower spine is curved and no brace can fix it 😦 ). And it makes me look bloated and hurts my back sometimes) and after the second workout, I was actually able to press my lower back into the ground. I do know that one of the benefits of Pilates and exercise in general is that you can align your spine better because it can strengthen the muscles. I really hope that Pilates can continue to do this for me :). In addition to this, Pilates has a whole host of other benefits such as improving your flexibility, posture, balance, and can treat back pain. I always try to think of these benefits whenever my thighs or abs are burning, ha-ha :P.

So far I’m really enjoying the workouts and I especially love Cassey’s fun personality. Her energy is just so contagious! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so enthusiastic about exercising in my life.  She has inspired me to make exercise apart of the healthy lifestyle that I currently live. In fact, I’m pretty amazed that I’ve been able to maintain the weight and shape I have thus far, because when I think about it, we were born to move, our ancestors were moving around constantly, and the fact that I have been barely moving at all is pretty scary.

I’m going to continue to blog about my experiences with blogilates and other exercises I might do in the future. I wonder what I’ll be writing six months from now about this??? :O

Have any of you guys done Blogilates before and if not, what exercises do you currently do to stay in shape?

-Alexandra Spund

Sh*t Never To Say To Someone With Food Allergies

You want to know what amazes me? When people think that they are experts on things that they’ve never experienced first hand. Seriously dude, it’s like saying stay away from Indian food or don’t read Divergent because it’s just a rip off of the Hunger Games if you’ve never read/tried it before. Ludicrous! And do you want to know what really gets on my nerves? When people try to give me medical advice about my diet and what I should be eating, even though they are not a certified doctor or nutritionist. I have gotten this from people that are and are not related to (sans my immediate family of course) and it bugs me so much! Honestly, unless I seem unhealthy or unhappy, should you really be trying to toy with something that doesn’t even effect you? Do your research first before passing judgments. Since I’m in a ranting mood today, I’ve decided to compile a list of sh*it never to say to someone with food allergies:

Drum roll please…………………………..

🙂

SH*T YOU SHOULD JUST KEEP TO YA SELF!

1.) Don’t people go on the gluten-free diet to lose weight? You’re in such good shape!

While many people go on a gluten-free diet to lose weight, I did not eliminate gluten from my diet in order to lose weight. Throughout my teen years, I’ve never been slim, but I’ve most certainly never been overweight. I went gluten-free/dairy-free because my doctor discovered that I had an allergy after having medical problems that were chronic and would not go away. The long and the short of things is that it helped me and I’ve never been healthier than I’ve been now! Besides, if someone decides that they want to shed some pounds and think that going gluten-free might help, should you really be harassing them for eating a certain way that effects no one but themselves? As long as their diet is not turning into some type of eating disorder, is that really your business? Nope! 

2.) Those types of foods are expensive! Why would you spend so much money on that?

Yes, I am well aware that eating foods free of allergens is terrifyingly more expensive than the food you’d get at your grocery store and this is a problem that bothers me, but I can’t control it. Unfortunately, it’s the highly processed , pesticide infested crap-ola that is the cheapest because they are the least expensive to produce. But it’s costing us our health and environment, which affects our future and planet greatly! I could go on and on about this topic, but I will save this for another day. Anyways, I’m aware that my foods are more expensive, and yes, I hate that, but don’t imply that my family is being irresponsible for taking care of our health. We are not wealthy, like a lot of people who think that citizens who eat healthy are. Since we are middle class, we have to make certain cutbacks in order to afford to eat this way, but it’s totally worth it! Why? Because I’m feeling good y’all :). Oh and by the way, going natural and eating healthy doesn’t have to be ALL expensive. We do a lot of our shopping at Trader Joe’s, who’s prices are comparable with larger chain food markets. 

4.) What can you eat?

I eat dirt and grass. So pure and healthy! Just kidding, just kidding. But when people ask me this question in an insulting manner, that’s what it feel likes they’re implying at times. I eat lots of amazing foods! Ever tried quinoa? It is seriously the best thing ever, you can pretty much put anything in it (berries, nuts, etc.) and BAM, you have yourself a meal! It’s loaded with protein too! :P. In addition to using several different grain substitutes, I like to advantage of foods that are naturally gluten-free such as vegetables, fruit, and meat. There is more to food than just gluten and dairy peoplez!

5.) Your diet is such an inconvenience!

Well that makes me feel good! If my diet is such an inconvenience for you than don’t hang or eat out with me! Thanks! Also, if my diet is SUCH an inconvenience to you for one night, than I’d sure as hell love to put you in my shoes and see how inconvenienced you feel now!

6.) Gluten/Dairy-Free, your food must taste disgusting!

Yeah, I just love consuming gross food! The highlight of my day is when I get to eat my crumbly, cardboard tasting sandwich for lunch. Bland really is better! Nah dude, do you really think I’d put up with deplorable food 24/7? No way! Like I said before, gluten and dairy are not the only foods that taste palatable on this planet. Gosh!

7.) That looks disgusting!

Well you’re very rude Miss/Mr! Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners? But besides the obvious, do you want to know what I think is disgusting? The chemically drenched, genetically engineered meals you’re consuming that barely legally qualifies as food. 

8.) Weren’t you supposed to outgrow your food allergies?

Apparently, but I was not one of the lucky ones that suddenly discovered they could eat Mike’s Pastries again. Boo :(. I still have a reaction to when I eat gluten and/or dairy (especially dairy, the reaction is EXTREMELY STRONG), so yes I’m still an allergic person.

9.) Are you sure that you’re allergic to gluten and dairy?

Yes……why would I say that I have allergies when I don’t? And why do you care so much about me “double checking” when no one is shoving gluten-free/dairy-free foods down your throat? I’d like to know!

While not everyone is like this and don’t always mean to be rude, it can get soooo annoying and I’d appreciate if people would ask me about my diet in a more of an inquisitive manner rather than a judgmental one. Thanks y’all!

For all of you allergic folks out there, what is the most annoying sh*t you’ve gotten from someone about the foods you eat?

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Foliage Is Eye Candy

Can you believe we’re already half way through October? I can’t! Heck, I feel like summer just started; where does the time go? Anywho, last week I saw some gorgeous colors starting to appear on the leaves, so being the natural photographer that I am, I snapped some pictures and then edited them. I personally feel that these are my best shots yet, as I really feel that I captured the essence of fall, while still paying close attention to the different shapes and textures.

Without further adieu, here are the images!

I love how this photograph showcases the metamorphosis of summer turning into fall, as you see both green and red/orange plant leaves.

Nope, I did not edit the bokeh in. Surprisingly, the camera captured it by itself!

I love the “climbing upwards” perspective of this photograph and also how it showcases the metamorphosis of the seasons (green to yellow)

Burnt Orange Leaves 

I love the variety of colors in this photograph. Between the different shades of orange, yellow, and green, what’s not to love?

Speaking of a variety of shades, check out this photograph. Now, HOLY CANNOLI, this just might be my most favorite fall photograph of all time!

Let’s keep climbing that tree peoplez!

For some reason to me, this leaf looks like it has been drenched in spices. What do you guys think?

Hopefully, we won’t get a ton of rain this fall and get a spectacular foliage season! I hope to take some more awesome foliage pics soon and show them to y’all! Do any of you guys have any fun fall activities/follliage drives planned? Let me know in the comment section!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

This Week in Sociology Class

One of my favorite classes that I’m taking this semester and probably of all time, would be my online introduction to sociology course. Currently, I am taking a couple of dual enrollments this semester and sociology is one of them. For those of you who don’t know what a dual enrollment is, it ‘s basically a college level course that I can take while I’m still in high school. The best part about taking dual enrollments is that I will be able to earn both high school and college credit for it. What does this mean for me? Well, in addition to taking challenging courses that intrigue me, I won’t have to take all my general education requirements at college and I’m saving money since e-start courses (a.k.a. the name of my state’s online dual enrollment college program) are much less expensive.  I’ll be frank here, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to feel about sociology at first, but I totally love it and I’m even now considering it as a minor during college!

For the next few months, I’m going to be doing a series on my blog having to do with sociology. During this series, I will be discussing the most fascinating highlights of what I l’m learning in this class each week. So with that being said, let’s start talking about what is standing out  to me right now!

-That bacon, eggs, and bread are considered breakfast foods because we socially construct them to be one of our morning-glory meals. In fact, what is considered “breakfast” is disparate in each country. For instance, in Korea, it is not unheard of to have vegetable soup for breakfast: YES! I am not alone in the world! For years I thought I was weird because I ate foods like lentil soup and frozen ethnic dishes from Trader Joe’s  for breakfast (and still do), but now I’m not!  It’s social construction that makes it odd :/! 

-That people have socially constructed fortune cookies to be considered Chinese Food, even though it’s origin is Japanese: This doesn’t really surprise me. However,  since quite a few cuisines have been Americanized,  I thought that fortune cookies were originally concocted in the United States . But apparently, I was wrong. Who knew? 

-Did you know that the rule “blue is for boys”, “pink is for girls” used to be transposed before the 1950’s?! Why is this? Because, “… The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy; while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”: Outrageous, right?!The irony of this situation makes me laugh out loud! Scientifically speaking, colors are not known to have any sort of gender nor gender preference. Also, might I add that my four year old cousin who is a boy told me that his favorite color was pink, SO THERE! 

Ugh, social construction can be so dumb at times, even though I know that in order to have a sense of community, it is vital for society.

Now I have three questions for y’all to answer in the comment box. I wanna know:

-Have you ever taken a sociology class before? What did you think of it?

-Have you ever taken dual enrollment courses before? How were they? Did you take them online or through a local community college/university?

-Have you ever been affected/fed up/amused by these social construction rules? If so, which ones?

Obviously, you don’t need to answer them all, but I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Favorite Fall Television Shows

I absolutley adore summer, but I don’t love the dearth of TV selections that are available! Luckily, I got Netflix Streaming this past summer, so I’ve been able to watch some cool new programs, but other than that, there is almost nothing on. Fall is probably tied for my favorite season next to summer and one of the reasons I love it so much is quite peculiar. You guessed right; it’s when many of my favorite television shows come back on!

This week, many of my current favorite television shows returned on air, which made me want to share my thoughts on them with you guys.  Without further adieu, let me tell y’all about some of my most loved television shows!

What It’s About: A former lawyer, now stay at home Mom (Alicia), is cheated on by her philandering State’s Attorney husband, who is now involved in a very public sex scandal. When her husband loses his job, Alicia has to go back to work in order to give her family a steady income and returns to the field of criminal law as a junior associate and must work her way back up the ladder. We also watch Alicia try to rebuild her seemingly decimated marriage with her husband.

My Review: This is a television show that I’ve recently gotten into. My Mom and I watched an episode last year and enjoyed it, but it was during the 4th season, and we usually like to start watching shows from the beginning just so that we can fill in those gaps. However, after The Good Wife was named an Emmy nominee, you could watch every episode from seasons 1-4  on On Demand, so therefore, my Mom and I started watching it again. Although I thought the The Good Wife was very good (ha-ha! this is a joke my Mom and I have together about the show), it took me awhile to get into it.  My parents favored the show more than I did and my Mom in particular watched every episode.  What you should know about The Good Wife is that watching this program is not a mindless, lackadaisical activity like many other TV shows. You have to pay close attention in order to understand the different court cases. and situations that precipitate from them. During the summer, I just did not have the patience to sit through every episode and analyze, but when the 5th season came on, I became hooked. The Good Wife is one of those precious TV jewels  that gets better each season and does not decrease in quality. What I love the most about the show is that it’s not just about criminal law and court cases, but also intertwines the personal stories of the character’s during every episode. The Good Wife has not only made me appreciate lawyers and what they do more, but also understand  just how corrupt our justice system can be sometimes, even though it is quite superior to other countries. I can tell you one thing though, this show has definitely confirmed my little desire to become a criminal lawyer when I grow up!

Standout Character(s):

Kalinda Sharma

I just love the private investigator Kalinda and her mysterious, cool vibe! Even her name sounds super epic! If I ever wanted to re-name myself, it would probably be the name Kalinda. However, I would probably put my own twist to it and call myself “Lexinda” just so that it wouldn’t be too obvious that I  renamed myself after a character. I also adore her style! I hope that I can dress similar to her at my future work place (if they allow it, ha-ha). I mean, between the high heeled boots and leather jackets, what’s not to love? Even though she is an odd,  legally questionable, and at times, cold-hearted character, I love her ability to piece things together and her fierce loyalty to other characters on the show.

When It’s On: Sunday nights on CBS!

What It’s About: I think a lot of you guys had probably watched or at least have heard of the show, but I’ll give you the reader’s digest anyways. This show is about a friend group of nerdy scientists and their socially clueless interactions with average people.

My Review:
I’ve been watching this show for almost 3 years and it is HILARIOUS! The concept of the show is very distinctive and the social ineptness of these guys combined with them trying to interact with their beautiful roommate who has average intelligence, makes for the best comedy! I think that The Big Bang Theory takes the cake for several things; excellent characterization, one liners, and it’s amazing usage of observational humor from the perspective of scientists with low social IQ’s. In my personal opinion, the show was at its best the first five seasons, but has dolefully gotten less funny since then. However, I still think that it’s an adorable show and I’m glad that they have been renewed for an additional three seasons. I just hope that they keep up their momentum and not become one of those bird-brained sitcoms on television.

Standout Character(s):

Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler (now don’t you just love her name?!?!)

I think Sheldon and Amy are one of my favorite television couples because their romantic relationship dynamic is like no other. They are as slow as snails (much to Amy’s chagrin) when it comes building this type of relationship,  but I personally think that they compliment one another! I especially give kudos to Amy, because I (and probably 99% of other women) would not be able date a man so pompous, let alone for 3+ years!  If you start watching the show from the beginning, you will see that Sheldon is not very receptive to any kind of physical, and often times, emotional affection, so it’s quite hilarious to see him in a “relationship”.

Penny

While Penny isn’t necessarily my favorite standalone character on the show, can we just give props to Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting  for getting like the best pixie cut ever?!?! It makes me almost want to get one myself!

When It’s On: Monday nights at 8pm on CBS

What It’s About: A slice of life comedy about a New York, Jewish family seen through the eyes of twelve year old aspiring film maker Adam Goldberg.

My Review: When I first thought the previews for this show last year, I thought that it was going to be one of those dim-witted, slapstick humor shows. However, my Mom is from Long Island, New York and we are Jewish, so therefore, my family decided to give it a whirl. Turns out it is EXTREMELY FUNNY! I also absolutley love that this show takes place during the 80’s, which is what I believe to be the coolest era ever (shame on you parents for having me in the late 90’s!). The TV show producers totally have the culture of the 80’s dead on, from the gnarly fashion to the hit songs! This show is also based on the  main producer’s life and family home videos from when he was a kid, so I thought that was pretty neat too!  In many ways, this show reminds me of a less controversial version of Roseanne (which is one of my favorite shows EVER by the way)  Like Roseanne, it  doesn’t have a continuous, specific plot,  but is more just about the ubiquitous scenarios families go through and how they deal with them (and in this case, often in a hilarious, atypical manner). If you want to watch something lighthearted for a half hour, go watch The Goldbergs!

Standout Character(s):

Beverly Goldberg

Beverly Goldberg has got to be thee funniest Mom right now on TV!  If you were trying to find the word for “loving your kids” too much in the dictionary, it would be smack on the name Beverley Goldberg! She will stop at nothing to help/protect her kids, even going as far as dressing up as ghost at a Halloween Party to help her son Barry get a date with the hottest girl at school, or trying to get an approval letter from Ronald Reagan to get her son Adam out of the Presidential Fitness Test. I also love her very 80’s big hair too!

When It’s On: 8:00 or 8:30pm on ABC during Wednesday nights.

Parenthood:

What It’s About: Taking place in Berkeley, California, Parenthood focuses on the lives and families of four siblings. The general TV show story line is based off of the 1989 film Parenthood.

My Review: Sadly, this is going to be Parenthood’s last season, which is why I’m really looking forward  to watching it this year! I stumbled upon Parenthood last year on On Demand  (around Halloween) and binge-watched 4 seasons until I was all caught up. This show was previously categorized as a “dramedy” and it was for awhile up until the 4th season. Now don’t get me wrong, the 4th season was outstanding (actually one of my favorites), but during the 5th season they kind of lost their way. I’m pretty sure the writers wrote every episode last year with the intention of making us cry. I love the emotional aspects of Parenthood, but for goodness sake writers, can’t you make us laugh a little bit more?!?!

Even though this show is not perfect,  I love how close knit the Bravermans are (and their last name! Parenthood, has made me want to marry someone with the last name Braverman lol) and how the writers and character portrayal accurately show the ups and downs of parenting.  Parenthood also handles a lot of really tough, controversial issues beautifully such as Aspergers, breast cancer, addiction, broken homes, and adoption. While I might disagree with the writers recent intentions to make this a “bawl your eyes out” type of show, they are brilliant and insert such witty dialogue. The acting is absolutley phenomenal and you can tell that the cast really works together beautifully as an ensemble. I am sad to see Parenthood go this year, but hopefully the writers will get back in the swing of things and return to its dramedy roots.

Standout Character(s):

Amber

Amber is such an incredible character! I would totally be friends with in real life if she weren’t stuck inside a television screen ;). I especially love how three dimensional she is! Amber has a rebellious streak, but is also compassionate and very understanding as a human being. I also personally feel that she is an incredibly insightful character, but also hilarious with her sharp tongue!  Her punky style with a hint of adorableness is so cute too!

When It’s On: Thursday Nights at 10pm on NBC

Do any of you guys watch these TV shows or want to? What TV shows are/were you most looking forward to returning to the big screen?

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Apple Picking Adventures

Everyone has their favorite fall traditions and for me, it’s apple picking. This past weekend, my family and I ventured up to an apple orchard, located in Maine, that we’ve been going to for about five years. Not only do we love their scenic location and ludicrously delectable apples, but also that they are a low spray orchard. You may or may not be aware of this, but apples are apart of the “dirty dozen group”, which means that pesticide usage is much higher for fruits and veggies that are members of this circle. My family is very health-conscious, so we prefer picking our apples at low-spray orchards. This apple orchard that we go to is further away from our house, but 100% worth it (especially for the best honey crisps I’ve ever had in my life) and the drive is super beautiful.

I have been taking pictures at this orchard for years, but I think that these are some of my best yet. I feel like I’ve really captured the vibrancy of the apples and unique trees shapes. Here are a few of my favorites!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Doesn’t this look like a gate made out of apples?

Thee most perfect triplet of apples I’ve ever seen!

😛 😛 😛 Talk about YUM!

Ten Year Photo Bucket List

So, instead of doing your traditional bucket list, I decided to put a little twist on it and create one about all of the photo related stuff I want to accomplish in life! Okay, I don’t think I can project that far, but maybe the next ten years? That sounds reasonable! Without further adieu, here is my ten year photo bucket list!

-Start my own photo business

-Win a major photography competition

-Have my work featured in a gallery

-Create a Photoshop tutorial

-Have an advanced knowledge of Photoshop

-Start a “Humans Of… Project”

-Take photos at a wedding

-Become decent at self-timed portraits

-Take photos abroad

-Regularly scrap-book my photos

-Take photos of a sitting President  (Check! I took photos of President Obama during his reelection period when he came to speak at a local high school in the state I live!)

-Take photos of a 2016 Presidential Candidate

-Get invited to take photographs at a major event

-Purchase a photo related fashion item

-Write a coffee table photo book

-Incorporate photography into my future career

-Take photos of a moose

-Dip my feet into astrophotography

Let’s see how many of these I can accomplish in the next ten years!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund