May 22, 2012

  • Graduation Day

    I'm graduating from college with my Associates Degree. I've never gone through a commencement ceremony before, so I'm really excited and thrilled about this moment in my life. I'm transferring to Kean University in the Autumn to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Radio Communications. Plus my husband and I are looking for a new apartment. Wish me luck!

June 10, 2011

  • Xanga, My Long Lost Friend!

    Well... I think it's time to dust off the Xanga account and do some writing on here for a while.  I have pretty much abandoned my Facebook for the time being and this is something I haven't used in ages, so here we go.  Summertime is finally around the corner and the hot weather is already upon us.  Scorching is more the word I should use to describe the temperatures occurring over the last couple days.  I was watching the Weather Channel and the reports said over 100 degrees.  That's too hot for me to even venture toward the beach, because I couldn't even imagine the way the sand would burn your feet.  Summer also brings me back to school again.  I am taking two mathematics classes to round out my degree before I go for my teaching degree at Georgian Court University this Autumn.  It's not bad really, because it's only Wednesday evenings for five weeks.  It's the books that are going to cost me some bucks and I am paying out of pocket for the courses.  I'm not really going to any concerts this Summer, because I have gone to so many already this year.  I've decided to do as many outdoor activities as possible.  Those activities seem to cost the least amount of money depending on the destination.  I want to spend a great deal of time at the beach this year, hike through the trails at the park, and maybe go canoeing once this year.  I would, also, like to do as much reading and writing as humanly possible.  I have my other blog but, for the most part, I haven't felt the need to add to that one lately.  We'll see if that changes as time goes on.  I removed myself from Facebook, because I needed a change.  I still twitter, because it's not so much about video games and overt socializing.  I find that Twitter is more akin to links to articles and more pop culture, rather than a social network.  Because of that, I don't seem to feel as engrossed in it and it's less distracting on my phone and my computer.  People may think that I deleted them from their friends list but, oh well.  I want to get past some rough hurdles before I go back to it.

    I've done some pretty cool things over the last two semesters.  I was a college disc jockey!  I will miss this so much, because I won't be doing it anymore.  It was one of most fun experiences of my entire life.   I was a DJ on WOCC Viking Radio at Ocean County College.  It was the coolest thing ever.  I played all of my favorite music and even got a chance to do some fundraisers.  There were some really great people that I was lucky to meet and work with during that time.  I'll never forget it.  My name was Devilish Denise on the radio, which probably sounds like the corniest radio moniker ever, but I love it!   I finished most of my courses and I am nearly ready to graduate with my AA in English.  I can't wait to start my teaching degree.  I am going into special education and ESL for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade students.  Very exciting for me and hopefully everything will fall in its proper place.   I hope that everyone enjoys their Summer and the rest of their year!  Big hugs to you all laughing

May 25, 2010

  • New Writing Blog

    For those who may be interested in following up on my latest work, can look at my Summer Writing Bloghttp://summerwritingdenise.blogspot.com/

    This blog is my writing challenge.  I am writing one essay a day for the whole entire Summer.  I decided to make a whole blog dedicated to this, because I've always thought that Xanga was more for friends.  As my friends, I wanted to let you all in on this too.  I hope that you all visit.

April 3, 2010

  • My point... Albeit a long point!

    I have an obligation to say whatever I want, whenever I want, anytime I want, and I don't give a damn what anyone says!  The beauty of the internet is that you have a right to self-publication and free-speech.  Of course there are limits like any medium in the world, but for the most part you have the right to make your opinions known.  Unfortunately this type of medium has a habit of getting you in a whole heap of trouble, because it takes away your inhibitions so easily.  You tend to forget that you have to answer to your employer, acquaintances, friends, parents, or other relatives. (if applicable)  I find that kind of restriction very binding.  You also seem to forget that you have no real privacy on the internet.  Do we really have freedom of speech?  We have pain in the ass people, busy bodies if you will, that think it is their mission in life to make other people miserable.  Yes that's right, miserable!  They think that they can say all that they want about you in a public forum, and then walk away without any rebuttal whatsoever.  Then, when someone says one thing that pretty much encapsulates (depending on their opinion) who they are as a person, they go ballistic!  You'd think that one line was an entire smear campaign exclusively designed to ruin their character entirely.  Now while I think that's hysterical, I still think that utterly wrong!  Those who know what I am writing about will know what I mean.  In order to make this person seem like the victim, which I assure you was not the case, he/she made this woeful exit speech off this message board that we happened to both frequent.  Now I assure you, this wasn't the end of the ridiculousness.  Being that the topic remained on the board, another supposedly new poster commented to the topic and remarked on how he/she felt this person had been "wronged" according to the words written in the topic.  Now here's the deal, was it wrong for the person who wrote that topic to have made mean and angry statements toward many other people?  Was it wrong for him to have done that?  Was that freedom of speech okay?  If it was, then it was okay for me to call him/her a knob and an asshole.  My point has been made.  Now that I have sufficiently rambled for a full paragraph and probably wasted your time, I will go back to nursing myself back to health and enjoying what's left of my Spring Break!  Thank you and have a lovely holiday weekend!

February 2, 2010

  • It's been way too long!

    I haven't been on here in a while and I thought that I should maybe catch up with some long overdue blogging.  I'm finally back to school after taking a semester off for health reasons.  For those who don't know, I have grand mal epilepsy and I had to go for tests to see why my medication wasn't working for me.  I hated being away from school and I felt like life was passing me by for a long time.  Luckily I was able to find a comfortable amount of medication to control my seizures enough that I can attend classes again.  I'm continuing my English major and have taken a Short Novel course and a History of Grammar and English course.  I've also taken two electives in the form of Art History 1 and Child Psychology.  I'm really excited to see how the classes progress. 

    I had a really great holiday season.  I was able to head in to NYC with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law to see the Rockafeller Center Christmas Tree, and I went with my MIL and SIL to Shecky's Girls Night Out.  (I'll have to post some of the pictures in this blog later on.)  I was also able to go holiday shopping in Bryant Park, which was amazing.  I was also able to spend New Years in NYC as well.  I had a great time!  I can't believe how fast the festivities went this year.  Before I know it, it will Spring again.  I'm really excited about Super Bowl Sunday.  I'm hoping to go out to see the game this year.  I'm kind of disappointed that it wasn't the Jets or the Patriots going to the Super Bowl, but I'll be rooting for the Colts this time around.  It seemed to be a real surprise when it came down to the matchup. 

    I have to write on here more often, and cut down the Facebook addiction.  I used to be addicted to Twitter, but thankfully that has calmed down substantially.  I miss journalling about things in my life, and it's fun to reflect on it from time to time.  After all the health scares, my New Year's Resolution was to go on a diet this year.  So far so good!  I'm determined to get healthy and take care of myself.  Low carbs, and low calories with lots of water.  That's my new mantra!  Of course, this comes with alot more exercise, which I definitely need.  Wish me luck!  I really hope that this year is going to be filled with good luck and pleasant surprises, because I definitely could use that trend.  I hope that you're all doing well, and that 2010 has gone off well for you all so far. 

    Take care and have a great rest of your week.

    Sincerely,

    Denise

     

July 10, 2009

June 20, 2009

June 11, 2009

  • Easy Middle Eastern Couscous Salad


    photo by Donald Leitch donaldleitchdesigns.com


    This salad is great for a wonderful Summer meal or as a fresh side dish for a barbeque.

    Ingredients:

    Salad:

    One box of Near East or any brand parmesan couscous
    3 peppers (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow) diced
    2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
    1/2 of a large red onion minced
    1 cup of pistachios
    1/2 cup of feta cheese crumbled

    Dressing:

    2 lemons squeezed
    1 1/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil
    1 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp of garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
    Salt to taste

    Method:

    Follow the instructions on the box to prepare the parmesan couscous.  Then let the couscous cool to room temperature.  Chop your tomatoes roughly and dice your onion.  Coarsely chop your three peppers, and add to the salad bowl with the tomatoes and onion.  Add your pistachios and toss together.  Start your dressing by squeezing the juice of two lemons into a small bowl.  (Be sure to remove the seeds)  Then add your olive oil to the bowl along with your cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Whisk your dressing until it's thoroughly combined and set aside.  Begin to toss your couscous, vegetables, and nuts together.  Add your dressing and feta cheese, then toss the salad again.  Put the salad into the refrigerator to cool for two hours.  Serve with pita and hummus.  If you want a greek twist to this dish, you can add kalamata or sliced olives to the salad.

    This recipe serves 6 to 8 people easily.

March 25, 2009

February 22, 2009

  • New Jersey is my home...

    It's screeching toward the end of February and it's one month closer to the end of Winter.  I hate this season for many reasons, but mostly because I hate cold weather with a passion.  I could live in Summer temps all year round and never see one snowflake.  My pipe-dream is to live on a beach where the temps don't fall below eighty degrees.  The only thing that stops me from really pursuing that is my love for the Jersey Shore.  I'm proud to live near the best strip of coastline on the eastern seaboard, and I would miss it terribly if I left.  What's the point of moving somewhere else if you'll be miserable?  Right?  You can say what you want about New Jersey.  Most people make fun of the turnpike, the traffic, and the power plants.  I think that people are focusing on the one unpleasant part of our state.  People forget about the beautiful farmland, the gorgeous oceanfront, the awesome forests and parkland, and the rich history that our state has to offer.  I've grown up here, and I'm not embarrassed to call this state home.  I'm sure that many people feel that way about their hometown/state.  If the temperatures didn't fall below freezing every winter, it would be absolutely perfect.  I can handle it for three months I guess.  *sigh*

    Here are some cool pics that make me think of Summertime

    Island Beach

    Cape May

    Allaire State Park

    See.. New Jersey's not just a screaming piece of asphalt with cars and factories.