Hello my name is….

I honestly have no idea what I am doing on here or how to even start, so I’ll just start here, my name is Kaitlyn and I am originally from New York, my family and I moved to Florida in 2004 and to Tampa in 2006. I went to Robinson High School in South Tampa and graduated in 2015. I am currently in my last semester at Hillsborough Community College getting my associates degree in Mass Communications and plan on transferring to the University of South Florida in the summer semester to get my bachelors degree in Marketing with a concentration in advertising then will want to go back to get a second degree in retail merchandising and marketing. I usually spending most of my time either at work, at school, the gym, or out all night in the Tampa night life. I have found a pretty well balance in my life as I enter adulthood and also as a college student. Other then that, hello and welcome to my page. Feel free to comment or ask any question you might have!   

Benjamin Button Movie Summary

The short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button thirteen minutes shy of three hours. The movie felt nothing of the sort, filled with laugher, heartache, grieve, and love. Benjamin Button played by Brad Pitt was born during the end of the first World War in New Orleans, but under certain circumstances. He was born with the characteristics of an eighty-year-old man, but as time went on he got younger and younger, because of that his father left him at a doorstep of a caretaker women named Queenie, who take him in as her own.  Benjamin’s aging process was a metaphor on how the beginning and end of or life does not matter, but the importance on how we must live in each moment and cherish the little things in life. As Benjamin grows younger he meets the love of his life, Daisy played by Cate Blanchett. Appearance is what kept them apart, they were both the same age, but unfortunately, he did not look his age, so they could not be together. When Benjamin turned seventeen he left home to work on a tugboat and under captain Mike would take him under his wing, buy him his first drink, he experiences his first sexual encounter, traveled the world, and served in World War two in the United States Navy. When Benjamin came back to Queenies house is when him and Daisy were reunited, and the rest was history between them.

            Watching this movie really made me realize it is not about how my life is going, but how I choose to enjoy every moment in my life because I can easily take it for granted. In the movie there are a lot of deaths because of the home Benjamin lives in is a home for the elderly. Benjamin was not afraid of getting old and dying, but he was most afraid of getting younger and being a burden on Daisy. In the end though Daisy came back to the love of her life to be with him and take care of him until the very end.  I definitely will recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a movie to watch because the underlying message is to always live in the moment no matter how it started or how it ends. 

Florida Visit

While visiting the Florida Visit website something that caught my eye was Tree Top Adventure. This place is located in Crystal River, Florida and very inexpensive and only an hour and a half drive from our campus.  They offer two different types of experiences, they have a 2-hour day course that is offered for $36.50 and has discounted prices for groups 12 or more. For larger groups the price goes to $33, so you will save approximately $70 (minus tax) if you were to bring 20 people with you at their discounted price. Their other option is their Moonlight Zip which is also $36.50, but is only offered on full moon nights, for a group of 8 people the price is $309.52, which really is not a bad price for the experience you can have with a group of friends and forever memories. With today’s technology being used in our modern day, we can dedicate at least 3 or 4 hours of having wilderness fun, climbing trees, swinging from trees, and just having fun in the woods basically in our own backyard! 

Page One: Inside the New York Times Movie Summary

Even big news corporations have a hard time staying afloat and in business.  The main thought is that news will always be very prevalent in time; people will always want to read the news. With the way time is changing, we are officially changing into a digital age where new papers are being irrelevant. The documentary Page One: Inside the New York Times, which was filmed in 2011 is about the New York Times and the people who put it out. 

            The main star of this documentary is David Carr, their top leading journalist. Multiple times in the movie he does mention that he is a recovering cocaine addict and a single parent of two girls, who also lived on welfare. He smokes and says brusque things like “If you work for the media long enough, eventually you’ll type your way back to your own doorstep” (Rossi, 2010). In the movie he even said that he is not scared of anything because he has been through it all (Rossi, 2010).  He had full belief that the New York Times was not going to fail, but was going to strive. Carr really does love his job over at the New York Times, the movie really depicted that he was a strong journalist and was very dedicated to his job.

            The films main theme is about the struggle that The New York Times went through to survive the age of the internet. Their biggest issue was that people were not reading a newspaper but were tuning into CNN or NBC to watch the news instead of reading the news. People were also getting their news from twitter. Twitter allowed the younger generation to read and receive news a lot faster than it would be to have to wait for the newspaper to print and be distributed throughout town. With twenty-seven minutes left of the film, they mentioned the release of the I-Pad. They thought that with the release of the I-Pad, they were going to be able to see it as a payday. The release marked the end of struggling for The New York Times. The I-Pad allowed them to be able to continue to release their stories and allowed people access to their stories without having to read the newspaper. Even their top journalist David Carr said reading the articles on the I-Pad reminded him of a newspaper (Rossi, 2010). 

            Even though The New York Times did struggle during the digital age. The documentary Page One: Inside the New York Times, filmed in 2011 was able to show us about the New York Times and the people who put it out. Throughout the movie we were able to see the irrelevance of new papers, but also the evolution of new articles via the internet with an I-Pad. 

Play Time for the Low

Ever want to spend the night as a kid again? GameTime may be the place for you. GameTime has over 120 arcade style games to play through their 24,000 sq.ft. They have everything from the iconic Air Hockey to life size digital Connect 4 to even Cup pong, more commonly known as beer pong. Their games range anywhere from a minimum of 3 credits to a maximum of 10 credits (which is really only 2 games). There are two pricing packages you can choose, the red or blue card. The red card gives you access to play all the games and win tickets which can cost $100 and give you 400 credits with a bonus of 300 credits, $50 for 200 credits with a bonus of 100 credits, $35 for 140 credits with a bonus of 60 credits, or $25 which can give you 100 credits with a bonus of 40 credits. The other option you can choose is the blue card which is timed play time valid for select games which cannot accrue e-tickets or can be locked out during game play. The blue card can cost you $30 for 3 hours, $23 for 2 hours, and $15 for an hour. 

            Not only can you play arcade style games all day and night at GameTime, they also hold events such as birthday parties, and other get-togethers. They have watch parties for certain UCF fights like the one held on March 16at 9 p.m., the best part is there was no cover to watch the entertainment, but it was a first come first serve basis. They also held an event for certain holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day where they had $5 Guinness Pints, Irish Spring Rolls, Specialty Irish cocktails, and desserts. When speaking with an HCC student who attended the St. Patrick’s Day festivities at GameTime, Sierra Garcia said, “I love this place! There is always a friendly welcoming face when you walk in. I especially had fun at their St. Patrick’s Day event, I can drink and play games all in a safe environment!” 

            If you are looking for something to do not only on the weekend, but during the week as well, then GameTime is your place to go. This place is a cheap and safe alternative to act as a child again and play arcade style games all day and night at 1 of their 5 locations in Florida. Grab some friends and go have fun!

Lettuce Lake Park

Lettuce Lake Park conveniently located just a mere 10 minutes from The University of South Florida just off of Fletcher Ave, had so much to offer. Lettuce Lake Park was opened in 1982 and is operated by Hillsborough County Parks. It is open to everyone for a $2 entrance fee per car up to 8 people and a $1 for every additional person. The park acts as a natural floodplain of the Hillsborough River which provides a natural storage reservoir for floodwater, also improving water quality while acting as a biological filter to remove excess nutrients. This 240 acre park is home to over 300 special types of organisms and plants that are so essential to their environment without even knowing it. 

Along with the 300 species you can find you can also find hikers, bicyclists, and picnickers in the park. Directly behind the visitors center you can find a boardwalk that offers 3,500 ft of exploration which brings you face to face with the thick woods and swamp area. While walking it, you’ll routinely see egrets, herons, turtles, squirrels, ibis, hawks, and alligators. Yes, I said Alligators! Lettuce Lake Park is home to many alligators, especially the American Alligator that can grow up to 11 feet long! 

If you slow down and take your time walking the boardwalk, you can spot a lot more birds then anyone else. Leave your phone in the car, you will not need it. Take mental pictures and enjoy the silence and noise of the animals in your own backyard.

Walking along the boardwalk you can find a level observation tower that is at least 40 feet high. Meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Jones, they said, “We try to make it out here at least once a week. We paid for the $50 yearly pass. We find this place to be so tranquil. My husband and I can sit up here for hours with our binoculars and just watch.” 

The park also offers canoe trips along the Hillsborough river for $25. You can choose from a single or double kayak or canoes for 4 hours. Taking these canoe rides give you a closer look spotting birds, turtles, and alligators. When you pay for your park admission let them know that you want to take the canoe out for spin as well and they will give you a key to unlock the canoe or kayaks. Make sure not to fall in, remember the alligators mentioned earlier.  

You can never go wrong with visiting Lettuce Lake Park, there is a lot to do. Between the grilling areas, playgrounds, boardwalk, nature trails, paved trails, and even bicycle trails. The park is fun for all ages, but make sure if you bring your furry friend, they are some areas they are restricted from going to. Bring cash, your friends, and leave your phones in the car to enjoy the escape from reality in our own backyard. 

60 Days of Sacrifice

Lent can mean many things, whether you are seeking rejuvenation, renewal or solemnity. Lent starts with Ash Wednesday which this year lands on March 6 and ends 40 days later not counting Sundays, usually on Easter. Ash Wednesday, for Roman Catholics, is supposed to prepare members of the church to appreciate the death of Christ through self-examination, repentance, fasting, prayer, and self-denial. 

The Ashes used for Ash Wednesday are from burned palms that are blessed from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. They are then placed on a worshipper’s forehead in the shape of a cross by the priest as he is saying “Remember man, that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.”  

The 40 days are supposed to represent the 40 days Jesus spent in the wild enduring the temptation of Satan.  During Lent Christians and Catholics are to focus on their relationship with God and usually choose to give up (sacrifice) something or volunteer and give themselves for others. Throughout these 40 days Christians and Catholics restrain from eating meat and poultry on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent, but what they can eat is fish. 

The reason meat is avoided, is it is considered to be a delicacy. So they are asked to give it up at certain times as a sacrifice and suppose to unite “sufferings”. The sacrifices made are supposed to show the love of God through obedience to the Church of Christ. 

The reason why fish is okay to eat is that it was deemed as an everyday meal, unlike meat. April 19, the Friday before Easter, is known as Good Friday and is during Holy Week and it signifies the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death of the Calvary.

During Good Friday, Christians and Catholics should not only eat meat but also only have one full meal or two smaller meals. After Good Friday is Eater, which is April 21. 

Easter is celebrated as Jesus Christ’s victory over death. It is the day he resurrected from the dead. The modern-day celebration of Easter is to recognize Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and his glorious promises of eternal life.

When talking to Meghan Moriarty about Lent, she said it is the best time of year for her because she is able to challenge herself for 4o days and with the help of God, she is able to get through her sacrifices with such ease. Last year she was able to give up social media. 

When asking her how it was she said “At first it was weird not feeling connected to the outside world basically, but with time I
 actually felt more connected with my family and friends because instead of seeing what they’re doing online. I was able to actually talk to them and ask them in person. It was a great cleanse.” This year she said she will giving up meat in totality. 

With major consideration for what I will be giving up this lent, I have finally decided that I will be challenging myself and actually making my own food and also giving up any and all types of carbohydrates. Lately I have been eating out a lot and eating loads of carbs because of the convenience. So to better myself and my health I will be challenging myself to give such things up. So what will you sacrifice for Lent?

Ybor Finds

Ybor, with its historical offerings, offers another thing to its community every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m from October to April and 9 a.m to 1 p.m from May to September. The Ybor market located at 1901 19^thSt. and it is the largest continually operating outdoor market in Tampa Bay since 2000. It is free to attend and also free parking. Their mission statement is “The Ybor City Saturday Market will improve the accessibility of nutritious and affordable, regionally grown produce and ornamental plants, arts and craft, pre-prepared foods, and locally produced products unique to Hillsborough County. The Ybor City Saturday Market will simulate entrepreneurial activity among local residents and create a venue for local artists, craftsmen, and specialty product producers.” 

            Their Saturday market really lives up to their mission statement. With dozens of venders set up, the market had everything from handmade jewelry, fresh food and coffee, handmade household products, woodworking, art work, fine cigars, herbs and plants, pet treats, clothing, and fresh local produce. 

            The handmade jewelry by a local artist named Ashley Amanda here in Tampa Bay who started her own company Bella Body Beads, back in 2006 while making jewelry on the beach. All her jewelry is handmade and crafted in her home. Her jewelry ranges from bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and even waist beads. When speaking with Ashley, I asked her what her favorite thing to make was and she responded, “Waist beads because they mean different things to different people.” She makes her waist beads for adornment and not for weight loss. Her newest waist bead she made is called Royal Connection that has purple, teal, gold, and clear quartz colors. The purple is supposed to promote calmness, balance, and peace. The teal promotes sophistication, emotional control, communication, and self-sufficiency. The gold promotes wealth, love, compassion, courage, passion, and wisdom. Lastly the clear quartz is a powerful stone for manifestation that helps quickly manifest intensions pertaining to wealth, prosperity, and abundance. You can find her online store at her website bellabodybeads.com or find her on Facebook and Instagram to check her out. 

            Out of all the vendors there was one fresh produce stand called Tungett Produce and Citrus, they sell only at the Ybor City Saturday Market. At their stand they had produce that ranged from tomatoes, peppers, bananas, onions, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, star fruit, broccoli, cauliflower, and of course a plethora of oranges.  Their prices are very affordable as well, compared to our local supermarkets like Publix or Wal-Mart. Tungett’s tangerines cost $3.50 a bag as opposed to Publix where they cost $7.79 a bag, so roughly you will save around $4.29.  If you were to buy a head of broccoli and cauliflower, case of strawberries, bag of carrots and tomatoes you are more likely to spend $14.50 at Tungetts then at Public where you will spend roughly around $20.85. If you shop locally you will save about $6.35, may not seem like a lot at first, but yearly if you shop every other week you will save around $152.40 a year if the prices do not change. 

            If you are looking for something to do on a Saturday, then make your way over to Ybor City Saturday Market, but make sure to get there early to get a good parking spot because the parking is around the market on the side streets. Most of the vendors do take credit cards, but to make it easy bring cash. It is a great friendly environments where everyone is invited, including your furry animals! 

Armature Works

The second Wednesday of each month, Armature Works, located in the heart of an up and the coming city, Tampa Heights holds a market. When attending the monthly market place, you instantaneously get a sense of community. At the market, there are more than a hundred people with their families or with their pets. There was a strong sense of community at the market.  

There are between 20 to 25 booths with people selling organic products homemade good such as arts and jewelry. Most of, if not all of the booths were small local businesses selling their products to the community. There was an artwork booth set up by an artist Vanessa Circe. Circe displayed beautiful hand-crafted necklaces, bracelets, handbags and painting. Circe’s paintings is so vibrant with color, it is something that would really be a statement piece hung up in somebody’s home. To find her you can simply look her name up on Facebook or @VCirce to find her page. The market was filled with live entertainment by a man who was playing a guitar, and a trombone while singing in the common courtyard spacing. Unfortunately, he did not have any signs up about who he was. When asking around the audience of people who had stopped to listen to him no one knew who he was or where he came from. There was a cute little flower truck named Tampa Bay Posies Flower Truck owned by Stephanie Newton. Stephanie is based out St. Petersburg Florida. She brings a variety of 20 plus blooms and greenery to the market where the customers can build custom bouquets or just buy single flowers for someone else or even themselves. 

According to Jennifer and Brunilda Rivera, Seminole Heights residents what they really enjoyed most about the market is “the sense of community!” They love to come our monthly because it is always different, they get to meet different vendors or simply just meet up with vendors from the month before. When speaking with them, they said that they just got a new puppy and was definitely going to bring him to the next monthly market. 

Even though it was a little chilly outside on this visit, it seemed to not be a bother to everyone there.  Armature Works set up outdoor heaters for people to stop by if they wanted to warm their hands and bodies up. 

With live music in the air and good vibes all around, the Armature Works outdoor market is the place to be on the second Wednesday of each month. The next date to visit their outdoor market will be March 12^th.  So, go grab some friends and head out to see what Armature’s monthly market all is about. You can even find some cute gifts for friends or something special for yourself.

Not Just an Alcoholic

 Most people think that Alcoholic Anonymous is just for crazy drunks that sit around and swap drunk stories, but in reality, it is not. AA is a place for recovering alcoholics and sometimes drug users to sit around and support each other in the time of recovery. It was designed to help recovering alcoholics through life without the crutch or use of alcohol abuse, no one is forced to attend, but it solely by the choice to stop drinking and stay sober.  I think the one thing right about what people say in AA is “hi my name is….and I am an alcoholic” but I think that is the only thing society got right about it, but there is more to the introduction. AA is based on the 12 step recovery program based on Christian beliefs. The 12 steps is set of principles on how to live life, tackle problems that their addiction may have caused, but also to make amends, and live their new life through sobriety and all it entails. The first step starts with “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable” and the last step states “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” 

            AA meetings do not always focus on the 12 steps though, there are also the 12 traditions that are involved as well. Unlike the 12 steps, the 12 traditions focus on more of the individual then the addiction, they are based off of the ‘Big Book’. The first tradition states “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity.” When speaking with a frequent member of that particular AA member that night who wanted to stay anonymous, he said that the tradition that stuck most with him throughout his recovery has by far been the third tradition “The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.” He said “it has stuck the most because it is the simplest tradition. It has to deal with the simplicity of the program. If you want to stop drinking, it is simple…..just stop by will and the rest will come with the program that will guide you through sobriety for as long as you work the program.” 

            Each AA meeting is different whether it be an hour apart or days apart. The one thing that does stay the same though is the readings of the 12 steps and the 12 traditions in the beginning of each meeting to really enforce the program. After the reading though the topics and conversations of the meetings change, they decide to talk about why they are grateful, how to get through a relationship with sobriety on their side, how to deal with making amends, or even how to work a simple 9 to 5 day job. The meeting I attended that night, the group decided to talk about why they were grateful that day. A women raised her hand introduced herself as a recovering addict and said “I am eternally grateful for the cop who pulled me over 20 years ago for driving under the influence, if I would have never been pulled over that night I could have been dead in a ditch somewhere because I ran off the road or somebody could have been burying their loved one while I sat in jail.” After the meeting I had the pleasure of meeting up with her to ask why she was so grateful after all this time and she said “well it is simple, that cop was able to notice something I was not able to notice and with that I was able to attend rehab, get my life together, and now have been sober for 20 years, but trust me it took me some time to realize how grateful I was of him. At first I had so much hatred towards the man and did not understand why he was so humble with me and talked to me about rehab and how he saw potential in my life, but now I see what he saw that night and I can only thank God.” 

            AA meetings are a place for recovering alcoholics to gather and share their path of sobriety with. Every single person I met with that night was so humble and so glad they are living such a sober lifestyle. If you or anyone you know is struggling with a substance or alcohol abuse, there is always AA meetings in your area at just about any time of the day. Visit www.aa.orgto find the nearest meeting by you.