I Love You, I Just Can't Find The Words

So I started this blog for my Interactive Media One class. I stopped writing in it as soon as the course was over. In truth, I just never really had a thing for writing about my adventures at that moment in time. I actually acquired a love for writing after I studied abroad about a year ago. This semester, for my Interactive Media Two class, I had to make a blog. So I decided to revive this one, because I really do find joy in exploring my surroundings.
The reason I’m divulging this is because this week’s assignment is to write a blog post about “the CMIR and my life as a journalism student at UF.” CMIR stands for the Center for Media Innovation. Also known to us news students as the newsroom. Also known as Weimer. 

Also known as my second home in Gainesville. So now I'm supposed to delve into a long and descriptive narrative about the countless hours I've spent in CMIR, but I just can’t bring myself to go into detail. I picked up my cap and gown today. I’m graduating May 2^nd. It’s been an emotional day for me and I’m on the verge of tears. Going into detail about my life at UF these past four years would break me down too much right now. I’ve loved every minute of my journey here and the College of Journalism and Communications is to blame. I love the lessons I’ve learned, the way I’ve been forced to grow as a journalist and as a person, the people I’ve encountered in my story telling, and the lifelong friends that I have made in the newsroom. I think the fact that I’m too emotional to write this, makes a more powerful statement about how much I love my soon to be alma mater and my life here.

It really is great UF. So thank you. Thank you for the ridiculously long days and sleepless nights I spent in Weimer writing and editing stories. Thank you for access to the NBC feed which allowed my friends and I to watch live car chases. Thank you for the jam packed days of reporting that forced me to have my first meal of the day at 4pm. Thank you for letting my personality shine as an Entertainment anchor. Thank you for the privilege of anchoring the 5pm show and always letting me read the cute animal stories at the end of our newscast. Thank you for the laughs and advice brought on by my professors and peers. Thank you. I'll miss you and I'll always love you.

Until my next adventure ✌️

Book Review: The Tipping Point

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia.org

The world is a great, big place and it's easy to feel like a drop of water in the ocean. We feel like in the grand scheme of the ocean our little drop isn't really making a difference. What's cool about The Tipping Point is that it's an excellent reminder that we all matter and have the potential to make a difference in this world. You could be that one person that changes the face of technology, or fashion, or medicine.
I quickly took a liking to this book because it puts in perspective a lot of everyday questions I have about trends. Just the other day I was talking to my mom about fashion trends. She saved a lot of clothes from when she was in her 20's and every now and then she'll bring them out of the depths of her closet and give them to me. Over the weekend she gave me a high waisted skirt and a crop top set. We immediately started talking about how interesting it is that trends circle back around. Who's to say when something comes into fashion and when it goes out of fashion? We're always so amazed by this concept and we talk about it regularly.
In his book, Gladwell compares trends to epidemics by pointing out that they are contagious, little changes that have big affects, and both changes happen in a hurry. These three things are all rules for the "tipping point." I really liked the example he used about Hush Puppies. The shoe company was about to go out of business when a "handful of downtown hipsters" started wearing hush puppies. All of a sudden they became all the rage. Our generation has the capacity to start trends and I think Hush Puppies is a perfect example of how industries look at our age group to see what's hip and what's not.
Gladwell breaks down the rules of the tipping point in order to help us make sense of epidemics. The rules are: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. The Law of the Few is centered around the idea of word-of-mouth and the people that spread these messages. A lot of times when we share our everyday experiences with others, we forget how much of an impact what we are saying can have. My sister and I share everything, so naturally when she tells me she just bought this really cool bracelet, chances are I'm going to check it out and want to buy it also. Word-of-mouth is so powerful and it plays a huge role in the spreading of ideas and trends. The Stickiness Factor focuses on how memorable the message we're relaying is. Is it something that is so memorable it is going to spur change? Lastly, the Power of Context breaks down how "epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur."
If you want to learn more about everything I've discussed in this post, I highly recommend you read the book. It is extremely eye opening and a page turner!

Food Is Forever

So chances are if you read my blog, you've noticed food posts make quite the appearance. Like myself, my classmate and fellow blogger Jorge Perez likes to check out the food scene in Gainesville as well. He's got some great reviews so check him out! For the days you're trying to cut back on the pizza, burgers, and cookies, skim Jessica Barreto's blog for healthy ways to eat in. And lastly, if the dollar bills are keeping you down, Abbey Taub shares tips on eating while on a college budget.

Until my next adventure ✌️

35 Days And Counting Down

It's crazy to think that in 35 days I'm out of here. No more classes, no more newsroom, no more Bagels & Noodles. How did this happen?! Can't I just stay in college forever, or at least for a fifth year like my friend and fellow blogger Renee Beninante? Speaking of which, totally check out her blog if you're one of the many extending your stay in college.
Like many of my peers, the looming future has been weighing down on me and in this time of stress and excitement, it's nice to know I'm not alone. Sometimes, knowing there are others in my position is enough to keep me sane. I'm one of many struggling in the sea that's infested with senioritis. All we want to do is skip class, even though we know we'll be longing for the classrooms and exams once we're in the real world.  And our senior bucket lists- can't we just waste our days away anxiously completing and checking off all the things we haven't done yet?
In between trying to live what's left of our college lives to the fullest, we also have to ask ourselves "what's next?" While a terrifying question to answer, just remember so many are struggling to answer it too, like my other fellow bloggers Erikka Lieberman and Jane Schwed. Erikka's a self proclaimed pessimist who's just trying to get by and Jane shares her struggles of trying to go to law school. So again, if you're not sure what your future holds, just remember, you're not alone.

... and if you happen to have your whole life figured out, then wow, kudos to you. I guess you can just ignore all of us out here waving red flags and screaming SOS.

Until my next adventure (or in this case senior struggle) ✌️

Me, Myself, and I

So I normally post about cool places I'm checking out in Gainesville, but the following is more about who I am. So if you want to get to know me, read on! 

My name's Ryanne- rye like the bread, Anne like Anne Hathaway- and yes... that is how I introduce myself to people. And even then, some still get my name wrong. I grew up in hot, sweaty Ecuador until my family moved to hot, sweaty Florida when I was five. They didn't like the temperature in Ecuador I guess? Sarcasm probably doesn't translate well over text... anyways, I grew up in Clearwater with the luxury of one of the nation's top beaches a ten minute drive from my house. I love wasting away my summer days with the Florida sun, coconut waters by the pool, backyard barbecues with my family, and late DQ ice cream runs with my siblings. With the exception of summers, I spend all my time in Gainesville as a student at the University of Florida. I live in a house with three of my best friends, but I also consider the campus newsroom my second home in the 'ville. I'm a telecommunications major with a specialization in news, so I spend a lot of time working for WUFT TV 5. Check out my resume to see what I do around the newsroom. When I'm not busy with classes or newsroom responsibilities I love making the most of my college experience with my friends. We're often exploring new places in Gainesville like the Bluefield Estate Winery,  First Magnitude Brewery, and Maude's Classic Cafe. 

I have a deep seeded passion for acting, which I am pursuing after graduation, so we'll see where that takes me! I also have a love affair with traveling. I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain in the spring of my junior year, and am stoked to be going back for the summer as a Program Assistant for FSU International Programs.... that being said, Go Gators! I love exploring unfamiliar territories like the bustling markets of Marrakech, Morocco to the music filled streets of Nashville, Tennessee with people I love and those I've just met. In my downtime, when I'm not soaking up the sun and my surroundings, I'm snuggled up with my sketchpad or a good book (currently reading The Artists Way), while Alt-J tracks and a vanilla scented candle keep me company. 

Until my next adventure ✌️

The Final Countdown

As a senior at the University of Florida, I'm constantly reminded that the real world will be looming over my head in less than two months. Since the start of my senior spring semester, I have been trying to "get my life together" and "figure out my future." I'm constantly updating my resume and website, so that I can readily share them with prospective employers. It's exhausting and stressful to say the least. But constantly exploring Gainesville keeps me sane! I love sharing all my adventures with you guys, and I hope you enjoy reading about them just as much. I'll have more blog posts up soon, so keep a lookout!

Until my next adventure ✌️

Nothing To Wine About

It all started with a Groupon. Bluefield Estate Winery was offering a wine tasting and two bottles of wine for a group of four people at the beautiful cost of 7 dollars a person. This had me and my friend's names written all over it! Four of us hopped in the car this past sunny Saturday and drove 30 minutes to the winery. It's a quaint little place with grape vine fields, of course,  and some horses on the outskirts of the field. We parked in front of the small building and stepped inside to find wine tasting sections already set up. We presented our groupon and had at it. We were given a card that showcased11 different wines and their descriptions. We were allowed to taste 8 of the 11 so we strategically picked and tasted. The winery is most known for their three blueberry wines, which I highly enjoyed. They also had 2 muscadine wines and 6 other fruity wines. After tasting and ranking the wines, my friends and I easily agreed on two named Sweet Blueberry and Peachy Perfection. But with so many yummy tasting wines, we have already talked of going back and picking up a few more bottles!

Big on cool beverage spots, then check out my previous post on one of my favorite coffee shops in town!

Until my next adventure ✌️

A Maude Love Affair With Coffee

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

We all learned at an early age that coffee is necessary to everyday life. Most people now view coffee as a way to fuel their lives rather than an enjoyable experience. I personally drink coffee maybe once or twice a week and I often view it as a treat. If I'm on the go and want to reward myself for a hard days work, I usually find myself at the Starbucks on campus. But when it's been a long week, which it often has, and I want to unwind, I grab whatever book I'm currently reading along with my sketchpad and I head to Maude's Classic Cafe. When I go with friends, we'll often pick a game to play from Maude's eclectic assortment of board games. Located in downtown Gainesville, it's an easy getaway from campus and the perfect way to enjoy a Sunday. The laid back, hipster vibe of Maude's makes it easy to forget all your worries. They have food, but I normally just stick to the drink menu. I usually order a bengal spice tea, cappuccino, or cafe au lait and snag myself a table outside under the warm sun. On chilly days, I resort to sitting inside, which is still nice but there's just something about sitting outside at Maude's. I think it reminds me a bit of coffee shops in Europe because at Maude's, people come and stay for hours. It's just wonderful to witness strangers enjoying the company of their friends or even just their own company. No one is in a rush, and that's a rare and beautiful thing.

If you love beverages as much as I do, then check out my post on a Gainesville local winery.

Until my next adventure ✌️

Silver Springs State Park

Silver Springs is a beautiful state park located in Ocala, about 50 minutes outside of the University of Florida. I was able to tell the story of this Silver Springs transformation into a state park for WUFT First At 5. I'm excited to share this video with you guys not only because I was able to report on it, but also because it's yet another thing to do outside of the 'ville. This state park showcases just how beautiful nature is and offers so many attractions including hiking, biking, and camping. It's the perfect getaway for just a day, or if you have more time to spare, a week or two. Check out my video to learn more!

Until my next adventure ✌️

Book Review: Don’t Make Me Think Revisited

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

I came across this book through one of my classes as an assigned text. Like many others, I’m sure, I never enjoy books that I’m being forced to read. But as I’ve delved further into core classes for my major, I have actually enjoyed some of texts that have been forced my way. I think it’s because a lot of them are written very conversationally, that it makes you forget you’re reading them because you have to. Don’t Make Me Think Revisited by Steve Krug is easily on of these books. In a nutshell, this book is key to understanding what makes a good website, well, good! For a blogger like myself, there were a few key things Krug talks about in his book that caught my eye.

Using It
It’s easy to see why “Don’t Make Me Think” is the title of Krug’s book, it is arguably the most important aspect of a website. Technology and I aren’t the best of friends. Yes, I use camera equipment and editing software for my major, but ultimately I’m not crazy about technology. So one thing that frustrates me most is when I’m on a website that should be relatively easy to navigate and it’s not! For example, just earlier today I was checking out a website that my friend writes for and I remembered an article she wrote a couple months ago that I wanted to revisit. I spent at least 5 minutes trying to figure out where the archives were located because I couldn’t find a button to click or a box to search for things anywhere. I was thinking, something I’m not supposed to be doing! We are multitasking human beings with little patience when it comes to the Internet. If I can’t find what I’m looking for within two clicks of being on a website, I’m calling it quits. Because chances are, there’s another website out there, with exactly what I’m looking for, that is way easier to use than the formerly mentioned one. Just remember, make the site simple and user friendly. Make it easy to search for things, and always have a site ID that people can click on to get back to the homepage. The site ID will also help them know that they’re still on your site.
What to take away from all this- “When you’re creating a site, your job is to get rid of the question marks” (Krug 13).

Getting It
You may have not noticed, but my blog looks different. The blog title and tagline are still going strong, but my background design and color are wildly different. After reading Chapter 7 of Krug’s book I realized that my readers probably understand what my blog is all about, but they might not fully be getting it. My blog deals with traveling to and exploring local places in Gainesville. The background design of my blog is now a map, which I think better embodies the purpose of my blog. It is so important for site visitors to quickly grasp the concept and vibe of your blog. “The first few seconds you spend on a new Web site or Web page are critical” (Krug 89). Essentially, your homepage can make it or break it for many people. Your site should have a clear title, a catchy but informative tagline, and a quick blurb describing what your page is all about. This ties into making your site easy to use. When it comes to your site, if people “get it” they should have no problem using it.
What to take away from all this- “If it’s not clear what I’m looking at in the first few seconds, interpreting everything else on the page is harder, and the chances are greater that I’ll misinterpret something and get frustrated. (Krug 89).

Mobilizing 
Also a new addition to Krug’s book, and highly important in this day and age, is to have a great mobile version of your site. A lot of times, we end up using the Internet on our phones rather than computers, so this is highly important!
What to take away from all this- "Create a mobile site that is a subset of the full site" (Krug 147).

Overall, great websites are user-friendly. They don’t leave you guessing about what type of site you’re on, they make it easy to navigate throughout the site, and they are easily accessible on your phone. Krug delves into more tips and necessities for creating/having a great website, so if you want more be sure to check out his book here!

Until my next adventure ✌️

Show Me The Monet

I'm going to let a lot of you in on a well kept secret. It's so well kept that I hadn't heard about it until this semester... and just to remind you, I'm a senior graduating in the Spring. So you know the Harn Museum that so many of us have never been to unless we were forced to go for a class? Well it's actually pretty cool! That's not the secret though, the secret is that if you're a UF student you can become a member for free! If you don't appreciate art, like I do, there's one event that will still grab your attention. Once a semester the Harn puts on an event for members only where you can drink bottomless wine and feast on endless, delicious appetizers FOR FREE! Art, wine, and food all for free? What more could a person want! A few friends and I went to the Harn to enjoy this student privilege and admire the museums temporary Monet exhibit. Seeing that my friends and I were practically the only people under the age of 40, I would say not many students know about this. I'm always looking for exciting things to do with my friends other than hitting up midtown like we normally do. Don't get me wrong I still love Mid, but if the Harn did this weekly, Midtown would sure get a run for it's Monet.

Until my next adventure ✌️

When The Clock Strikes Midnight

So you want to explore some of Gainesville's classics, but you're feeling a bit lazy. What do you do? Order an obnoxious amount of Midnight Cookies of course! Feeling a little sick and not up for a night of drinking, I decided to stay in, but I also didn't want to let one of my precious senior spring college nights go to waste. So I quickly called up one of my best friends, who was also staying in, to come over for a movie night. Once together it suddenly dawned on us that we needed to order midnight cookies since I had never had them before. We pulled up their website and I actually got overwhelmed by the mouth watering cookie descriptions. After a lot of thought we finally picked 6 cookies to order: The Midnight, Cookies n' Cream, Peanut Butter and Banana, Red Velvet, and 2 Bananas Foster. My favorites were definitely Cookies n' Cream and Bananas Foster. These cookies are crazy yummy. They're filling so order them on a somewhat empty stomach, and while they aren't cheap per say, they definitely lived up to the hype!

Until my next adventure ✌️

I'm Feeling Lucky's

It's all about the little things, and who said that grocery shopping can't be the highlight of your day. Well Luckys, Gainesville's new market, turns the tedious task of grocery shopping into an experience. With a warehouse look and a rustic 1920's vibe, Lucky's offered a different atmosphere to shop in than most grocery stores. For me, my love lied in the amount of organic products they offered and how holistic their selection was. Similar to Nature's Food Patch, they not only had your expected groceries, but an in-store butcher, and loads of vitamins and medicine too. I do my best to shop organic and Lucky's had such a wide variety of items that I felt like I could spice up my traditional meals, while not breaking my bank. A huge plus! Oh, and did I mention that you can drink wine and beer as you shop!? I told you this place was fun. Anyways, I'm actually about to head to Lucky's in a couple hours to stock up some more so...

Until my next adventure ✌️

How Do You Faire?

For the past 28 years the Alachua County Fairgroundss have been transformed into a medieval marketplace. This year is no different, marking the 29th Annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire. Only about a 20 minute drive from the University of Florida, the faire was a perfect way to spend a gorgeous Sunday with friends. Tickets were $17 dollars, but my friend happened to win four tickets, so I got to go for free! As soon as I stepped through the entrance, my surroundings were distinctly different. Along with the workers, faire goers were dressed head to toe in elaborate medieval get ups. In my jeans, sweater, and scarf, I definitely felt like I had been teleported to medieval times and I'm sure I stood out like a slice of pizza in Chipotle. Among the endless array of things to do, some of the sites I saw were jousting, maypole dancing, and living chess. For some extra cash you can ride elephants and camels, have your fortune told, or practice your archery skills. Along with a crazy amount of activities to see and try, there are also vendors selling medieval clothing and accessories, incense, tapestries, and other fun trinkets. But I must say that out of all the booths, the food tents caught my attention the most. There were so many food options, I actually got overwhelmed! Every type of fried food was present from fried jalepenos to fried oreos. Of course there was turkey legs, hot dogs, and chicken on a stick. If the American options don't suit your fancy hop over to the Greek, Asian, or Indian stands, just to name a few. The faire will be set up all next weekend too, so be sure to check it out! If medieval times aren't your style, then I at least urge you to go for the epic assortment of faire food. 

Until my next adventure ✌️

Magnitude 10 Beer

I have been in Gainesville for almost four years now and until tonight, I had never been to First Magnitude Brewery. Boy, was I missing out! It's roughly a 15 minute drive away from campus, so for us UF students used to walking to midtown or downtown, it's pretty off the grid. But that's why this place is so cool, it's a nice little get away form the usual bars that some of us practically call home. But if you're not willing to stray from your Fat Daddy or Tall Paul ways, you can check out the brewery first and hit up mid or downtown after, since the brewery is only open until 9pm. You can try out their beers by the glass or by a flight. My friend and I shared a flight, which sampled their tap beers like 72 Pale, Siren Blonde, Drift English Mild, and more! While enjoying our beers we played a nerve wrecking game of life-size Jenga. For the calmer kind, they offer life-size Checkers and Scrabble, as well as regular size board games like Trivial Pursuit. They also have live music and a food truck on site, which enhanced the chill atmosphere. The food truck varies depending on the day, but today it was Off The Griddle and it was off the chain! I highly recommend the Chicken Wrap. First Magnitude is a must check out spot in Gainesville for beer lovers and those looking to have a casual night out with great friends, great food, and great music.

Until my next adventure ✌️