My kind of town, Chicago is!

Sweet home Chicago! Not only is Chicago one of the most touristic places in the United States, but its natural beauty and charm attracts residents to engage in all that the city has to offer. Here is a list from USA Today 10 Best that states the Top 10 things to do in Chicago.

1. Visit Cloud Gate: “The Bean” in Millennium Park.

“The Bean” is a stainless steel sculpture in the shape of a bean that reflects the city of Chicago’s skyline. It is a major attraction in Chicago that most tourist put on their list to see.

2. Navy Pier.

This is a constant area for entertainment. From boat and carnival rides, museums, I-Max theaters, restaurants, and shops for souvenirs, Navy Pier is the place to be!

3. Wrigley Field: Home of the Chicago Cubs.

If you are looking for something to do on a Friday night during the summer, look into going to a Cub’s game. Wrigley field is most famous for its ivy backdrop that was planted by Bill Veeck in 1937. Don’t forget to get a bag of peanuts, too!

4. Lincoln Park: Chicago’s green oasis.

This is Chicago’s largest public park that is on the north side of Chicago and faces Lake Michigan. It is named after the famous Abraham Lincoln. The park facilities include a zoo, baseball fields, basketball courts, soccer fields, tennis and volleyball courts, a golf course, and much more!

5. Deep Dish Pizza.

Pizza is one of Chicago’s favorite food to eat. From my personal opinion, Lou Malnati’s is the #1 pizzeria in Chicago. Giordano’s comes in a close second place. If you are ever unsure of what kind of pizza you want to eat for dinner, ask people on the streets of Chicago, because the opinions by all will vary.

6. Division Street.

If you are of age, Division Street is one of Chicago’s main club strips, with hip bars and clubs lining much of the street from Lake Michigan west to Clark Street. Bootlegger’s and The Original Mothers are two hot spots that are common of Division Street that offer live music, dancing and drinks.

7. InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile

This is a historic hotel that Chicago has to offer to people looking for overnight stays. They are two multi- story buildings: the north tower (the new tower) and the south tower (the historic tower). It offers top of the line service and is available for wedding receptions!

8. Lollapalooza

This is a three day event that gathers all ages together to listen to their favorite bands and singers. It is one of Chicago’s main events that takes place every summer in Grant Park. It attracts people from all over the United States because it is a rare time to find all of these famous performers together in one venue.

9. Skydeck

The Willis Tower, commonly known as the Sears Tower, offers a Skydeck that is 1,353 feet above the ground. In more specific terms, it is on the 103^rd floor of The Willis Tower. People are allowed to stand on the Skydeck and view the city from a panoramic view. Pictures are also allowed to be taken. Tourists love this!

10. Michigan Ave.

This is a street in Chicago that offers many shopping centers and many of Chicago’s main attractions: The Water Tower, Art Institute of Chicago, and Millennium Park. During Christmas Time, Michigan Ave. is always glowing in lights and color. It is definitely a street that with meet your expectations!

I plead guilty to using social media

Let’s face it… social media has taken over almost all of our generation. As guilty as I am, I am one of those people. Social media has its ups and downs. It is a major distraction from many things, but also a very handy tool for quick answers to your questions. Next time you are in a public area, such as a shopping center or waiting room, take a minute to look at all of the people around you. Most of them are probably using their phones, and are likely to be using a social media website.

I currently have social media accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. These accounts have many purposes to them. I use Facebook to catch up with my extended family and old friends, and see new things that they post, such as pictures and statues. My personal favorite account is Twitter. This is a social media site where you can tweet a thought or feeling. It is also used by businesses to promote and advertise products. This is where the famous hashtag is used! I use this site the most because it is the most common for my age group and it offers me the most recent news and updates on things going on in the world. It is just like an electronic newspaper! Instagram is an account where you can edit and post pictures. This account is mostly used by females, but more and more males have been posting and editing pictures lately. Another one of my favorite accounts is Pinterest. This media site is made to search for anything… and I mean anything. From recipes, to clothing styles, to home remedies, Pinterest offers it all. It is a site for people to post their thoughts and ideas for others to view and “pin” to their own page. It may be a confusing concept at first, but it is definitely addicting once you get the hang of it.

All of these social media sites are available in the app store for all Apple products and even better, they are free! You can also use their websites on a desktop computer if you do not have a phone that offers these apps. Many of these apps are not missing any functions. Usually, these social media sites are automatically updated with the latest features and trends, so they are always up-to-date.

Social media may not be favored by all, but it is definitely the way of the world nowadays.   Almost anything can be done just by using your cell phone, from depositing a check into your bank account to filling your next prescription. The 21^st century has offered many technological inventions that have taken over our generation. Social media may have been one of the best, but who knows what is in store for the future!

Girls=Boys

For my PRE, I chose an advertisement from this year’s super bowl commercials. This video is a part of the always campaign and shows how females are stereotyped by men. The producers of this commercial gathered together girls and boys of all ages, and asked them a series of questions, “What does it mean to do something ‘like a girl’ ”. First they asked the boys to run, fight, and throw like a girl. All of the boys flailed their arms when they ran, used no defense while fighting, and used no muscle to throw. Up next were the girls. They were asked the same series of questions. Each and every girl did the same thing that the boys did. It is a known fact that every girls self-confidence drops while they are going through puberty, but that is something that doesn’t need to happen. The producers asked one boy if he was insulting his sister when he was asked to do things like a girl. He was a little hesitant with his answer because he really had to think about the actions he had made. Next the producers asked the girls to run, fight and throw how they usually would. All of the girls had firm muscles and gave it their all to show everyone that they are just as strong, mighty and confident as boys are. This commercial shows viewers that stereotyping is not necessary in today’s world. Girls are just as equal as boys are in so many ways and that is the way that it should be.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MKYhY–mLXg“>

#happeningsof2014

While scrolling through the list “60 of the best Public Relations blogs in the world”, I found a post that sparked my interest. While living in today’s society, almost everyone could agree that technology and translation is not what it was like 10-20 years ago. Back in the 1800’s, people did not have phones to use. If you wanted to get ahold of someone or send them a message, a letter had to be written and delivered to the destination of your choice. It wasn’t until 1876 when the first phone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell. Fast forward about 10 years, and the first cell phone call was made in 1973. Ok, enough with all of this boring history.

When I was a child, I would play outside until the street lights came on. The second those came on, that meant it was time to go inside and wash up for bed. Whenever I wanted to play with one of my friends, I would walk over to their house and ring their door bell and ask if they could come over to play. Our society no longer has that. If parents nowadays teach their children some old school tips, then you might still find a couple of kids ringing doorbells and playing outside. All things today are based around technology, specifically twitter.

Twitter is a social media site that has taken over the lives of almost everyone. Whenever you want to express a feeling or a thought that comes into your mind, you tweet it. No one turns to their journal anymore to write about how their day was, they now turn to social media. A specific feature that twitter offers is a hashtag. In the blog that I read, it named the six most attention grabbing hashtags of 2014.

Hashtags are a way of the world nowadays. It wouldn’t be strange if you caught people talking with hashtags outside of social media posts. Not only is twitter the only place to find a hashtag, but now television shows are starting to encourage viewers to join their conversations. (ex: #PLLchristmas). Other places like facebook, tumblr, and myspace also offer the hashtag feature.

2014’s most attention grabbing hashtags were #ALSIceBucketChallenge, #SochiProblems, #BringBackOurGirls, #RIPRobinWilliams, #MH370, and #Ferguson. Here is a brief synopsis on what each of these hashtags are about.

1. #ALSIceBucketChallenge: This is a challenge that went viral and it challenged people to dump a bucket of ice water of their heads and donate money to ALS. Not only was it just your friends on Facebook and Twitter participating, but also many famous actors, singers and politicians.
2. #SochiProblems: This hashtag was a result of the Winter Olympics that were help in Sochi, Russia. There was controversy over the poor accommodations and dangerous courses.  People followed this hashtag to keep up to date with all of the Sochi issues.
3. #BringBackOurGirls: 200 school-aged Nigerian girls were kidnapped, and this hashtag was used to spread the word and have others help to find and rescue them. Another hashtag that was used was #BringBackOurDaughters.
4. #RIPRobinWilliams: Robin Williams passed away towards the end of summer, and once this hashtag went viral, all social media sites began to flood with pictures and quotes honoring the life of Robin Williams.
5. #MH370: Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 went missing in the air while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The plane is still missing to date.
6. #Ferguson: In August, an African American teen named Michael Brown was shot by a white police officer named Darren Wilson. Since these two were a different race, a racial feud was ignited. People who wanted to follow along with the story would use this hashtag to read along.

Hashtags are a great tool to use and have come such a long way from just hash tagging one word.  Not only can they be used to emphasize that one word that you just really want to scream out, but also for any other word you like! Happy Hash Tagging!

#Thanks #For #Reading #My #Blog!

Comments

Los Primos- Cooking Cousins- Mexican Grill – by huntersgonzotopia

https://huntersgonzotopia.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/los-primos-cooking-cousins-mexican-grill/

Comment 5 posted 4/14/15

“This place sounds great!  Family businesses tend to always have the best food because most of them use recipes that have been passed down in the family.  I will have the give Los Primos a try before the year ends!”

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Only One Direction of Sadness – by getfrankwithfrancis

https://getfrankwithfrancis.wordpress.com/2015/03/26/only-one-direction-of-sadness/

Comment 4 posted 3/31/15

“This is a great post! I bet that a lot of fans are crushed by this news, but if they are truly “diehard” fans, then they won’t give up their love for One Direction. Let’s see how long this group of talent can stay together before they turn out like the others!”

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NAIA Cheer and Dance Nationals – by Kiersten Shurlock

https://scurlockkierstenm.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/naia-cheer-and-dance-nationals/

Comment 3 posted 3/25/2015

“I love this story line! It looks like you guys are so excited to be there and have so much spirit to represent St. Ambrose. Good luck at Nationals this Spring! =)”

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I’M LOVIN IT – by Maggie Chausse

https://maggiec1129.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/im-lovin-it/

Comment 2 posted 2/24/2015

“I’m lovin’ this blog! Since not many people eat at McDonald’s anymore because of the unhealthy food options, McDonald’s definitely needed to bring their costumers back in. This was such a clever way to do that. It’s too bad that this can’t be everyday!”

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Trying to keep up with your NYE resolutions? Food and Fitness are two perfect ways to do that! – by sarahbristol

https://sarahbristol.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/trying-to-keep-up-with-your-nye-resolutions-food-and-fitness-are-two-perfect-ways-to-do-that/

Comment 1 posted  2/2/2015

“This is such an awesome blog!  I can relate to this topic in so many ways.  Almost every girl has the new year resolution of losing weight so they can have their body all ready for summer, but sometimes, or probably always, that resolution falls through.  I also totally agree on the alcohol portion of this article too.  It’s no secret that college students experiment with alcohol.  I feel that this blog is very informative for not only college students, but for anyone looking to make a healthy change in their life!”

Let’s face it, our parents will always embarrass us…

For my first weekly post, I was given the assignment to surf the blogsphere.  I have never blogged before, but I am always up to try new things! While thinking of topics to search for my first blog post, I came across the mom in the muddle blog that grabbed my attention.  The specific blog that I read was about your everyday mom whose kids never gave her a break and always bossed her around. They thought that their mom was embarrassing them by every little thing that she did.

Ever since I could remember, I was embarrassed by every little thing that my parents did until I was about 13 years old.  I enjoyed this blog very much because there was so much that I could relate to, even the tiny details.  This is a blog that could relate to any mother who is dealing with this, or to any child who is going through this stage of life.  I like how this blog was written in a way that the readers could feel like they are a part of the story.  The description is very vivid and real.

There were no parts of this blog that I didn’t enjoy reading.  This mother covered every aspect of a child’s adolescence.  Every single thing that this mother would do would mortify her children, and there is nothing she can do about it because it is just a phase that every child goes through in their life.

There are many elements of this blog that I would include into one of my own.  I love how this blog was created to tell the truth, and show other mom’s that they are not the only ones suffering out there.  The title of this blog is very catchy, and also has several other blog posts that coordinate with this one.  I believe that the style and elements of this blog should be considered by other bloggers to use for future blog posts!