Testing Testing 1, 2, 3.

Hi Again. I'm playing around with my blog, trying out new features and such. I want to be able to allow you to link to websites and other blogs that I might mention in a posting.

So lets give it a shot. If you have a minute, I'd love for you to test out my samples and give me feedback on how it works. Thanks!

One of my ultimate favorite design blogs is Apartment Therapy. Check it out!
(Now hopefully, if you click on the underlined and highlighted purple "apartment therapy" it should take you right to the Apartment Therapy home page. Let me know if this doesn't work for you).

I especially love the posting on Corey's Converted Barn!
(Now, if you click on the underlined and highlighted purple "Corey's Converted Barn" it should take you directly to that particular posting).

Alright, alright. Perhaps this is elementary and I should already know how to do this. GIVE ME A BREAK!!

Thanks for any and all feedback!!

10 Annoying Text Habits to Avoid

Text messaging is trouble. I've never been a huge fan and don't understand why texting has seemed to replace a personal phone call. With the ease of cellphone phonebooks, the need to memorize phone numbers has become a thing of the past. (Ask me to recite your number off the top of my head, and unless your my mother or father, I can't do it). But then, why has texting replaced phone calls? Is it quicker? Easier? Less hassle? Do you really consider calling a friend to ask them to hang out a hassle?? I recently lost a friend through texting because of a huge misunderstanding, something that still blows my mind to think about. With that said, I came across this list of 10 Annoying Text Habits to Avoid. All of which I've been victim to on a regular basis. If you fall into any of these catagories, maybe you can at least try and remember to avoid them with me.

#1. The Mass Text

It's Friday night, you're at home on the couch, and you get a text that goes something like this: "What are you getting into tonight?" You know for a fact that this very same text just went out to 20 other people at exactly the same time, and that the sender is just waiting to receive all his/her options before deciding what to do. So what if the only thing you have planned for the night is that lame (but sooo good) Lifetime movie at 11? You refuse to hang out with someone unless they make specific plans to hang out with you. You know how you can block those newsletters that you never signed up for by sending an email with "unsubscribe" in the body? We suggest doing the same thing in a reply-text.

#2. The Texting Cult

There is always at least one point in the night -- a lull in the conversation, a pause between thoughts -- when it gets really quiet, and you look around and realize that all your friends are busy texting. One person pulls out her iPhone while everyone else is looking at the dinner bill, and then someone else starts doing it, and before you know it, you're in the middle of the sacred circle of text. Resist the urge to choose some random person in your contacts to send a useless message to. Instead, pull out your phone and send a text to everyone at the table asking, "Should we order something else?" It will make everyone laugh but also point out the silliness of the situation.

#3. The Double Message

Of course you screen calls. Everyone does. Sometimes you're in the middle of something and sometimes you just don't feel like talking. But your phone is still working, and you see the missed call and the voice message alert. So why -- why?! -- do certain people feel the need to send a text letting you know that they just left a message? Don't they realize that if someone is smart enough to read a text, they're also capable of understanding what the little bobble head with the sound waves coming out of him symbolizes? Text back, "What's next, a carrier pigeon?"

#4: The Texting Tease

You're seeing a really cute/smart/funny/cool new guy, and your heart skips a tiny beat every time you get a text from him. In the middle of the week, you get one asking what you're up to this weekend. Assuming he wants to do something together, you let him know that it's looking pretty relaxed so far. Does he then proceed to make a plan with you? No. He responds, "Oh OK, cool." You stand there with a perplexed look on your face. Respond "Yeah, but call my secretary if you want to schedule something." This way, the ball is in his court, but ultimately you're the one who is in charge, thanks to your confident attitude.

#5. The Bulk Texter

An example of what a series of texts from this person might look like:
Hey!
What's up?
What are you doing tonight?
Some of us are going to Cool People Club tonight.
Around 10
It's gonna be me and Chris
Are you coming?
Let us know
Byeee!
lolz
An example of what that exchange should look like:
Text 1: Hey, Chris and I are going to Cool People Bar around 10 tonight. Let us know if you wanna come.
An example of what you could text back:
Please
never
text
me
this
way
again.(one minute pause)
For "realz."

6. The Bored Texter

You've just finished a sufficiently long and entertaining texting exchange with someone, and now you're ready to put your phone down for a little while. But your phone dings, and it's another text from said person. It looks like this: "Soooo..." Or, "What upppp." Or, "la la la..." Clearly, they have nothing else to say and just want something to do. Send a text saying, "Running, watching movies, reading books, baking." Your buddy will get the point that some people actually have a life.

7. The Show-and-Teller

Love is wonderful. We're huge advocates of love and being in love and enjoying that love. People gushing on and on about their amazing love life? Not so much. Not only do you have to listen to them tell every insignificant story about how cute it was that their boyfriends ate pancakes for dinner and woke up with a funny hairdo, but you also have to read all of their SUPER-cute texts. "Guys, look what he wrote to me! Omg look at what he said now! Haha aww, look at this one!!" The cure? A dose of their own medicine. "Hey, look what my mom said about her gallbladder! Omg you won't believe how I'm planning to organize my sock drawer! Aww, my dog is wagging his tail. Oh, he's doing it again!!"

8. The Goobers-and-Popcorn Texter

The previews are over, you've been waiting to see this movie for weeks, and here you finally are, snacks in hand. But the guy in front of you insists on ruining your experience by texting for the entire 96 minutes. Here's a little secret he doesn't know: EVERYONE sees his phone lighting up. And hears it vibrating violently every two minutes. When the lights come up at the end of the flick, call up a friend and loudly discuss how rude the guy texting throughout the entire movie was. Then get ready to start running.

9. The Lingering K

This one is especially aggravating if you're not on an unlimited texting plan. You get a message asking how your day went or if you'll be free at a certain time, so you send back a detailed and informative reply. Your phone dings again. You open the message and it says..."k." Do people not even have the decency to include the o? The offender doesn't even need to reply to the message. But if they feel the need to, could they not at least drum up something a little more personal/creative/not totally unnecessary? Respond by letting them know how much, to the cent, they owe you for superfluous texts the next time you're together. Then hold your palm out expectantly.

10. The Needs-to-Grow-Up Texter

Guys should never, ever get comfortable with using text slang and abbreviations. Whether he's a friend, date, or boyfriend, no girl wants to associate the men in their lives with tween-speak. The next time he sends you a "TTY L8ER" or "C U 2morrow," tell him that he should really consider an iPhone, BlackBerry, Sidekick, or "anything that gives you more room to text." He'll realize how outdated his text-talk is.

TTY L8ER,

LA GRL

Starbucks Goes Into Stealth Mode

NPR Weekend Edition Saturday, July 25, 2009 ·

This week, Starbucks opened a remodeled café, and a key ingredient was missing. Not Caffe Verona Blend or Iced Grande Lattes, but the name -- a name that may now be better known in the U.S. than any car company. Host Scott Simon talks with ad critic Barbara Lippert of AdWeek magazine about why the company is trying this new strategy.

Starbucks Shuns Name At New CafeAll Things Considered, July 24, 2009 ·

Before the recession, it came as no surprise to see new Starbucks locations cropping up all over the place with the familiar corporate name and logo plastered on everything from signs to coffee cups.

But the coffee giant opened a new kind of store Friday in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood that has almost no trace of its link to Starbucks. Aside from the small print on the door that reads "inspired by Starbucks," there's little hint that 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea is owned by the worldwide chain.

For more than three decades Starbucks has been building a brand, spreading its name around the globe. Now the company is setting aside that corporate image as it tries to create a store with the vibe of an independent neighborhood cafe.

"We'll be handcrafting beverages, using French presses and traditional espresso machines," says D. Major Cohen, the cafe's project manager.

Customers can grab and go, or sit in this spare and sophisticated space that looks and feels more like a wine bar than a coffee shop. And the menu is also different, including wine and beer along with cheese platters and other fare.

The coffee beans will be of the Starbucks variety, but they will be roasted in smaller batches, which often provide better quality than those roasted in larger quantities.

The new concept is a "re-imagination" of Starbucks, Cohen says."Customers will be surprised. They are going to be shocked," he says. "We hope they come in and discover new things about Starbucks; and that they have a different perception of Starbucks, better I hope. But they will have a sense that we are presenting ourselves differently here."

Cohen brushes aside the suggestion that the new cafe exposes some of the weaknesses of the old. But even company CEO Howard Schultz has bemoaned that Starbucks had lost its soul. It's hard to retain it when you have more than 15,000 stores.

Many ideas for the new cafe came from within Starbucks. But for other ideas, Starbucks employees went on observation missions, visiting lots of local, independent cafes.

Sebastian Simsch, co-owner of Seattle Coffee Works, says Starbucks scouts visited on three separate occasions. While he was flattered, he wonders what exactly they were looking for."We are a coffee house. Coffee houses have been around for centuries," he says. "What are we doing that they can't figure out on their own?"

The addition of alcoholic beverages and entertainment in the new cafe allows Starbucks to maximize its real estate, says brand consultant Scott Bedbury, the founder of Brandstream. By providing food and entertainment at night, the cafe will draw in customers when it would otherwise be empty, he says.

Bedbury, who worked at Starbucks for many years, likes the 15th Ave. concept for another reason. Starbucks, he says, expanded too far and too fast. Now, if it wants to grow it will have to move in a different direction."Every brand has a stretch point. I call it the Spandex rule: You can only push so far, so wide and so fast," he says. "If companies want to grow, they have to create a second brand or even a third."

What do consumers think of the new cafe so far?

Neighborhood resident Penny Lane says she likes the sophisticated, urban style. But Eric Fleish, who was visiting from Boston says, "It's insidious for Starbucks to masquerade -- to trick the people who are specifically boycotting Starbucks into going into their place anyway."

For now, at least, Starbucks only plans to expand the new concept with two additional cafes in Seattle.

Happy Sweetest Day!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Sweetest Day occurs on the third Saturday of October. Herbert Birch Kingston started the tradition in Cleveland in 1922. He wanted to bring a little happiness into the lives of underpriviliged including orphans and homeless and began distributing sweets and small presents.

Today people tend to celebrate Sweetest Day by expressing appreciation for their loved ones and friends.

Damn....

"Damn! It is a great nuisance. I can't find anyone else to talk to. And I'm so full of interesting information. I feel like the latest edition of something or other."

Brillantly performed by Rupert Everett as Arthur in "An Ideal Husband"

3rd Quarter of Classes.

My friend Jennifer Tart and Me.

Woo Wee. Another break has come and gone and school has started up again. Besides a three day trip to Utah to see my Mom and Aunt, my break was pretty miserable. Nothing at all like a break should be. Even the trip to Utah ended in tears, but more on that later.

So here we go. After a second quarter that sucked all life, spirit, love, joy, ambitions, excitement and all over will to live, I'm back for round three. I regained my strength and managed to pull it together just enough to continue on this road of my life called: Design School. Because I love my life too much, I've toned down my school work load and only enrolled for three classes. Here they are:

Tuesday, 8:30am - 11:15am
*Computer Graphics I - An introduction to the creation of presentation documents, drawings, and layouts, using Adobe Illustrator software. The course emphasizes the creative integration of the computer to extend the capabilities of traditional presentations. Students develop a project with practical applications, combining text, "colorized" AutoCAD drawings, digital, and traditional media.

Tuesday, 12:00pm - 2:45pm
*Presentation Techniques - Fundamental concepts of representative drawing, sketching, and mechanical perspective are reviewed. Employing colored markers, pencil, samples, and swatches, students create presentation drawings and sample boards for portfolio use.

Tuesday, 3:00pm- 5:45pm
*Textile Science for Interior Design - This course examines the textile processes--fiber through finishing. Emphasis is placed on fiber, yarn, basic weaves, finishing, and dyeing. Students gain knowledge and experience in selecting appropriate fabrics for specific end uses in interiors. Students test fabrics to determine suitable performance levels related to those end uses.

Yep, Yep, Yep. Tuesday is an intense day for me, but I think I'm going to love all my classes. I'm so excited to learn Adobe Illustrator! Presentation techniques is going to be fun fun fun!! I'll really be able to turn my drawings into wonderful works of art. Most importantly, I'll be able to create extremely professional concept boards that will oooohhh and aaahhhhhh my clients. Lastly, Textile science, I can't say that will be the most exciting class, but I am looking forward to the science part of it. I'll be learning way more about fabrics then I've ever cared to know, but it's a completely different type of learning then my other two classes so I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Gotta go study!
Ciao!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

I turned another year older today.

I'm now 27.

I had no desire for this day to come. I neither wanted to be 27 and I didn't want to spend it alone.

And I didn't........

Bright and early on "my day" my friend Brooke called me up to wish me a Happy Birthday!!

"Yea! You Remembered," I said.

"Of Course," Brooke responded.

"Let's get coffee," I said.

And so my birthday morning started off just perfect, and because of that, I decided I was fine turning 27. I feel that each year that passes by I grow as a person and I'm happy with who I am.

My present from Brooke. I held onto it for several hours before actually opening it, knowing it would be my only present for the day.

THANKS BROOKE!!!

After coffee with Brooke, I treated myself to a day at DISNEYLAND!

It's Halloween season.

Me outside the Princess Castle.

And me outside 'It's a Small, Small World.'

I love this picture. I have no idea how my face got in such a contorted position. I was simply talking to the guys behind me who were taking my picture, and this is what they captured. I guess I better work on my smile.

Heading home after a long day at Disneyland. I rode a lot of rides, and watched a few shows and had an absolute blast!!

My Birthday Dinner - A black & bleu burger.

It's true. I was so hungry by the time I finally made it to dinner, that I ordered myself a burger. I ended up at an Irish Pub right around the corner from my apartment. Having never been there before, I had no idea what was on their menu. So I gave it a shot. I found nothing in the way of vegetarian, besides a grilled cheese sandwich, which I was not about to have as my Birthday Dinner. So I did it, I ordered the burger. For those of you who don't know. I was a vegetarian for the past 7 years. So for me to just dive into this burger was quite monumental. And I ate the entire thing....and it was truly an amazing experience. For the 7 years I gave up meat, I neither won a humanitarian award or accomplished world peace. In fact, I only made it difficult for people to feed me. So I feel fine with my most recent decision and look forward to many more meals of black & bleu burgers.

Finally, no birthday is ever complete without a birthday serenade, sung by my friend Thomas Gilbert. Thomas is an extremely talented musician, so check out him and his band at: http://www.myspace.com/radiusband

They are only breaths away from making it big!!

Thanks for sharing my Birthday with me!

Much Love,

LA Girl.

Gourmet Dinner out of a Box.

Nothing like a quiet dinner at home on a Friday night.

Dinner: Part I

Dinner: Part II

I hope this makes you smile.

Much Love.

Kara

Sammy the Great.

Metamorphosis
A caterpillar asked God, "What happens when I die?"God replied, "Have you seen the butterfly?"The Caterpillar, "Yes, do I have to die to become one?"God said, "No, not really. A part of you dies, but another, stronger part of you continues to live - it just changes forms."
Author Unknown

We LOVE YOU and MISS YOU Sammy!

Behind the scenes of Hollywood.

A long time ago, before Kara's life was consumed with school, she was able to enjoy living in California. One day, she decided to gather together a group of friends to take a hike behind the scenes of Hollywood......... literally.

Devon and Kara, pre-hike.

Destination, Hollywood sign.

The Entourage.
(L-R) Eric, Joe, Brooke, Sam, Devon.

Oh boy, it's a hot one!

"Hang on Guys! My asthma is kicking in!"

Says the stout little dog laying on his belly.

The Griffith Observatory.

"Guys! Wait for Me!"

The slow one of the group, or as she claims,

"I was just enjoying the journey!"

"I made it! I made it!"
Little did we know, Gracie wouldn't walk for four days after this hike.

Poor baby.

A non-traditional view of the Hollywood sign.

Resting our legs......and eyes.

My, "I'm too cool for school" roommate, Joe.

The Gangs All Here!

The little old Russian guy who gave us a 10 minute break down on how to live a happy life.

I love this shot looking down on LA. So pur-dee.

And when I got bored of resting my feet, I decided to stir-up a little bit of trouble.

But like I said, that was before........

This is now.

It's official.

It's official, I've taken my Starbucks gig too far. Last week I became a Starbucks "Coffee Master." I've upgraded my old green apron, to a fresh black one. Now what does this mean, you ask. We'll the number one question I get is, "Do you get paid more." And that answer is NO. I should, but I don't. Besides the honor of wearing a crisp black apron, my duties haven't changed. I just know more about the coffees we sell then the other partners in the store. I hold the knowledge. Fun fact #1: a tall cup of Starbucks Pike's Place Roast has more caffeine then a shot of espresso. It is a widely misconstrewed idea that espresso has more caffeine then a cup of coffee. It's simply not true. I'm the coffee master and I'm telling you IT'S NOT TRUE! Come on, ask me another question.....

COFFEE MASTER NERDS!

(Matt and Me, the only two Coffee Masters at our store)

Adios! It's 4:12 in the morning. I've got homework to finish. BLAH!!

Kara Rocks the Catwalk!

There is a first time for everything and my time to strut down a blazin' LA catwalk has arrived. How I got myself into this pickle, I have no idea. Is it going to be amazing though??......Hell YEA! I know, I know, I know, you're asking yourself now, "what is Kara talking about!" Well, in order to keep you in suspense, I'm not revealing any details. What I can say though, is my amazing friend Brooke, has made me a rockin' CD to honor my debut, and because I believe she does such a wonderful job at creating playlist, I have decided to share it with you. However, I was given strict rules that this CD is only meant to be played at maximum volume while strutting around the apartment in panties and heels! NOW WHO DOES THAT!!!???!!!



I promise to post videos and photos of the event as soon as it happens!!

What My Typical Day Looks Like.

Need I say more?

Peace!

Quarter II.

Well, if that wasn't the shortest break known to man........

Today was the first day back in class, my second quarter at FIDM. Second of who knows how many. I could be done in 4, but that is nearly impossible with my work schedule. So I was originally shooting for 5 quarters, now, if I can pull it off, I'm hoping to stretch my time at FIDM out to 6 quarters. We'll see what happens.

First Day of Second Quarter: Me and my super "Rad" friend Brooke.

This quarter I'm taking another 4 class. Here's my schedule:

Monday 8:30am - Perspective techniques - An introduction to quick sketch and perspective techniques. This course focuses on the fundamentals of developing volume, depth, and three-dimension in a two-dimensional drawing.........shit.

Monday 12:00pm - Lighting Design - Students survey and comprehend the technical and aesthetic principles of lighting design for commercial and residential applications. Emphasis is placed on understanding the basic properties of light as used in rendering, photography, and computer-generated visualizations.......hummmm.......

Wednesday 8:30am - Computer Aided Design & Drafting II - A continuation of Computer-Aided Design & Drafting I. Students refine existing skills and develop more advanced applications in the use of computer-aided design and drafting......YES!

Wednesday 12:00pm - Commercial Design Concepts - A study of commercial space planning, methods of planning, design analysis, and problem solving, and an introduction to regulatory issues, construction methods and techniques, materials, and furnishings. Students develop design and production skills, utilizing both manual, drafting and AutoCAD...........I feel the all-nighters quickly coming upon me..............shit.

Well........shit. If last quarter is any indication of what this quarter will be like, I've got some work cut out for me.

Wish me luck on round two!

Ciao!!