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Showing posts with label AC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AC. Show all posts

Cupcake Adventures of two AC Bloggers

4/20/2011 11:41:00 AM • , , , , , • 3 comments



The culinary world is a buzz with its newest favorite craze. Cupcakes.What is not to like about these darlings? They are personal sized cakes thatcan be decorated to be anything the baker can think of. From basketballs to TVdinners, flower baskets to faces. If you have the time and the talent, you can makeyour cupcakes be anything.Personally, I love cupcakes. Anything that is a miniature version of somethingis awesome in my book.A couple of weeks ago, Brittney and I were talking about doing a joint blogpost. Something that was both creative and fun, something that we could make andshow off. After much debate we decided to make cupcakes. From there we made aquick trip to the magical Internet to get some ideas about what we would be making.There, we realized we just aren’t as creative or artistic as some of these people. I couldn't make this if I tried



There are cupcake artists who can create the coolest things on top of acupcake. We are just not that talented nor did we have years to dedicate to the art ofcupcake decoration.We decided to make two flavors of cupcakes- Red Velvet and White WeddingCake. Let me just say that wedding cake is the best flavor of cake. I could eat it allday every day. The plan originally was for us to make 24 of each flavor cupcake, fora total of 48. There was a flaw in the plan. We wrongly assumed that the recipe wasright and the yield amount was correct. The recipe lied. We had nearly 70 cupcakes,mostly red velvet; it took seven hours from start to finish to create our mini cakemasterpieces. I think we have a legitimate future in the world of cupcake-making, or at least cupcake-eating.




This was an impressive mess. I don't think there has ever been a bigger cupcake mess


Seven hours of cupcake baking, decorating and taste-testing…It was pretty intense and my kitchen was nothing short of a disaster afterward. I can’t complain though, I had a blast. Andrea and I might not be professional cupcake-bakers, but I have to admit I was pretty impressed by the final products overall.



Sure, there were a few ugly ones, but they were delicious none the less and we even wound up with some darn good-looking cupcakes. We had cupcakes that looked like lady bugs, Pokeballs and landscapes and seascapes…there was even one with a badger face on it in honor of the AC mascot. There were cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing, buttercreamicing, sprinkles and/or fondant. We got pretty crafty!



A few things we learned during our cupcake adventure:


  • Fondant is frustrating to work with and tastes like Play-Doh…onlysweet instead of salty (yes, I ate Play-Doh as a kid and I know you didtoo).


  • No matter how much time is spent Googling cupcake decorating ideas and how much stuff you buy at Wal-Mart to create what you’ve found…it’s not going to turn out how you initially envisioned.We used some of the ideas, but about 60 of the 70 or so cupcakes made illustrate our own creativity coming into play. It’s more fun
    improvising, anyway.




  • The recipe only provides guidelines. Andrea knows this… Good thing she made the cupcakes and I just observed. She could just look at the batter and know it needed more this or that… She did well!

  • Chips and queso = the perfect snack to balance out all of the sweettaste-testing.Making the mess is fun and easy…cleaning up, not so much.


  • There is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon/evening with a good friend, just laughing and having a good time. We all need to take a break and have some fun.

End of the semester - insanity ensues!

5/01/2009 12:26:00 AM • , , • 0 comments

So let me get this straight, on top of finals, getting the exclusive online edition on The Ranger uploaded (now with videos FYI), writing stories, getting ready to graduate and transfer; now I have to worry about the swine flu?!?

What alternate world did I fall into? All of sudden I wake up in a world where there is a "virus" taking lives left and right. Schools are shutting down and foregoing TAKS tests. City wide press conferences are being called. News stations are adding a ticker to the bottom of TV shows with live updates. I feel like I woke up in a remake of "Dawn of the Dead" staring me! This is the craziest thing. I have been taking extra steps to help boost my immune system - extra dose of vitamin C. Everyone should go to Natural Grocers and get some EmergenC - I don't know if this will make any difference one way or the other, but it gives me peace of mind and makes me feel like I am better preparing myself for the virus that will wipe the human race off the face of the earth. Now I'm just waiting for the first reports of people getting up and feeding off the flesh of humans and it will be official my Dawn of the Dead zombie movie like remake will be coming true. But in all seriousness this thing is insane and not to be taken lightly - use common sense people if you have flu like symptoms go to the doctor. DO NOT wait! and please stay way from people no one wants what you have.

I just turned in my last story for The Ranger for this semester - Oh geez! I just turned in my last news story at AC! I just realized that - its kind of sad. No its really sad. Wow....  - There is a video on The Ranger website where you can get to know The Ranger Staff a little better. Its a good laugh - check it out. While you're there take the poll and tell us what you think of the idea of incorporating videos. Speaking of which - I've hear rumors (which I hope are true) that AC may have a more converged student publication/media department very soon. If anyone out there is thinking about getting in Mass Comm this would be a good time if all of this is true.

The magazine is coming along nicely I'm gonna post more about this tomorrow and maybe even sneak peak of the cover - stay tuned!

Well I need to go do a report for my Life Science Lab

Hold on to your sanity everyone we've only got two weeks we can get through this in one piece.

Creative Minds and Random Thoughts

4/21/2009 12:10:00 AM • , , • 0 comments

Got some good news today: I'm designing the cover for the AC Current. I pitched my mockup for the cover today and I think it was a total success. I actually think I am going to involved in some other design elements for the magazine as well. I'm really excited about getting that done - I think all of you guys are gonna be really surprised by this years magazine. Its gonna be awesome.

I'm planning on applying for a position at WT Newspaper. The ideal position for me would be working on the advertising stuff, but if that doesn't work out then doing the website stuff would be fun. So I guess we'll see, that's much further on down the road.

I think I'm doing things backwards this semester - as the semester starts to come to close it seems like students start to do less and less in hopes of just getting the semester over with, but here I am taking on more and more.

Well I thinks that's all I got for now - its almost 1am time for some sleep.

Things Coming Up

4/19/2009 08:23:00 PM • , , , , , , • 4 comments

I can see the light at the end of the AC tunnel. It's less than a month until graduation and then I'll be starting work on bachelors degree at WT. I'm pretty excited about graduating, its been a long time coming, but I'm also not really wanting to leave either - AC's Mass Comm department has been really great to me and I'm sure if you go talk to any other student in Mass Comm they will say the same thing. Too bad we can't get our bachelors degree from AC.

Oh Well on to WT - I got my schedule made the other day and as I looked at the classes I can take I started to realize wow I'm really taking some advance courses - I'm getting a little nervous now... oh well I'm ready, excited.

The classes I am taking at WT are:
   Public Relations and Publicity
   Advertising and PR Research
   Advertising Copy Writing
   Economics

Anyways guys I gotta go study - I think I have test tomorrow, I need to find out about that.

Twitter & Blog Coverage

4/08/2009 09:03:00 PM • , , , , • 0 comments

Hey guys - 

For the next three days we going to try a little experiment in some live blogging.  You may or may not know, but I am going to Dallas (we leave at 4am tomorrow morning - yikes!) for the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association or TIPA.  There will be a lot going on for the next few days and I am going to do my best to bring it all to you in three blog entries covering each day of the convention. 

If you want to know what we are doing as it happens check this twitter page for immediate updates

Advertising vs. Journalism

4/01/2009 11:52:00 PM • , , , , , , , • 0 comments

Hello hello hello

How is everyone out there?  This has been a day! And not a good one either.

Let's start off by talking about The Ranger - I wrote a really good story (at least I thought it was good) about a student here at Amarillo College who is living out of his car until the day he graduates.  I was really proud of it and as I adding all of the stories to The Ranger website this moring I realized, "hey my story got cut, man that's awesome...(not really)" I think it may have gotten cut because we didn't have any photos and I am under the impression I was expected to provide photos too? hmm....

There is more drama on The Ranger front - I really feel like no matter how hard I work on that website there is always someone comes along and says "hey good try, but you screwed this up!" maybe not exactly like that, but you get the idea. I just get the feeling I'm not doing a good enough job.

The more news stories I write the more I realize that news reporting/journalism is not for me - I'll stick to advertising & PR thank you very much - I want a job where I can make REAL money!

So now that all of this is over where do I go from here? I can't dwell on a bad day any longer - so I'm gonna make some changes! The Ranger didn't like my story - oh well - its their loss I'll be posting up here very soon, but in a new format. I what bore you with typical journalism/newspaper style writing. oh no this will be all me I'm gonna rewrite it.  Be looking out for a new blog entry entitled "Drew Griffin's Guide to Living Off the Grid" 

I talked with this real cool guy a couple of days ago, a musician, Jernakin. I'll have more info on that up here very soon too.

Well that's all for now.

good night!

oh by the way I am starting a "company" designing promotional materials, logo, flyers, business cards, etc I don't have much up on my site yet but please check it out!

STRESSIN' ME OOOUUUUTTT!!!!

3/24/2009 02:59:00 PM • , , • 0 comments

Wow! It’s been like two weeks since I’ve blogged anything and it feels likes only been a few hours! I have been busy in a MAJOR way here lately.

 

Here’s what has been going on…

 

I have been trying to write two articles at the same time.  One is for The Ranger about a student who has been living out of his car not because he has to, but because he is choosing to.  This guy has great story, be looking out for that in a about a week or so.

 

The other article I am working on is for the AC Current – the magazine – about Jen Williams.  That’s right my blog entry has gained a little interest enough for me to write and official story about it! I am pretty excited about this story also.  Let me tell you this girl works hard – she is always on the phone talking to people trying to get good musicians to Amarillo!  In fact there is show tonight at THE REFUGE with The Wedding  – great band be sure to check then out.  That’s tonight at 6 at the refuge!!!

 

What else is going on…

 

OH!

 

The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour this THURSDAY!! YAY! I am really excited about this and I am definitely attending.  My parents started their own business when I was in High School and it has really paid off for them so I am a believer in the taking chances and starting your own business. You’d be surprised what you can accomplish with enough hard work and ambition.  As I understand it the itinerary says there will be a time for networking so get those business cards ready this will be a good opportunity to make connections and advance your career.  If you’re ready for success then you should think very hard about showing up for this event.

 

THURSDAY FROM 3:00 – 7:00

AC POLK STREET CAMPUS

 

PREPARE TO HAVE YOU MIND BLOWN AWAY!!!! 



now its time to start applying for transfer schools

I'm Just Saying....

3/03/2009 11:13:00 PM • , , , , • 1 comments

NOTE:  This blog entry is based upon a rumor I heard today.  It may or may not be true - so I don't want to see any comments like get the facts first, you don't know what you're doing, this is not real reporting none of this true - duh like I said its based on a rumor and this a blog. Watch me blog now.

So I heard a rumor today that some of the labs on campus (specifically 4th floor parcells hall) will be getting upgrades very soon. Good news right? Wrong, apparently some of the labs will be upgraded from Macs to PC, meaning Windows. Very bad idea.

I don't know what lab or how many, but its what I heard from quite a few different sources.

So here's what's going to happen.  A student is going to enroll in Mass Communications Ad/PR (great major if I do say so myself ha ha).  This student will go to AC for about 2 years and get their associates degree and the whole time they are here they will be trained to use PC's/Windows platform.

Let's say this student decides to transfer to, say, WT.  The day this student gets their acceptance letter to WT they will instantly fell behind all of the other students. Why? because this student doesn't know how to use a Mac; whereas all the other students at the exact same level who have been at WT,  while our student has been at AC, have learned how to use them (macs) well.  The professors I'm sure will expect the students use and to already know basics of Mac if not much more than that.  I know that WT students in Mass Comm use Macs a lot!

IF THIS RUMOR IS CORRECT THEN....

(And I hope for the sake of future AC students it is not)

AC students in Mass Comm/Graphic Design/etc. will not be fully prepared to transfer to a University.  Well what if they go straight in to the workforce after AC, then what? well more and more businesses are using Mac  because they are more secure, user friendly, great for creative departments - knowing how to use a Mac is practically required before anyone will take you seriously in Advertising or any mass comm field. Thus, AC will not be preparing students for the workforce either.

Also maybe (if the rumor is true) AC should get a new slogan like "where the students come right after the budget" to think AC would sacrifice such a huge staple in Mass Comm and/or Graphic Design just save a few extra bucks makes me glad I got here while its still easy to find a Mac on the 4th floor of parcell's hall - they might become relics around there before too long.

I'll close with this... an "apple" may be an "apple" anywhere you go, but will AC's "apple" taste as sweet as the Universities "apple"????

(Once again let me say everything above is based on a rumor I have heard from multiple sources as of 11:45pm on 3/3/09 the rumor has no been confirmed or denied.)


students SHOULD be in the loop

2/16/2009 01:09:00 PM • , , • 2 comments

Alright, just incase you haven’t heard – Richard Howard, science instructor and fencing extraordinaire, has become ill and will not be finishing the semester and reportedly won’t be coming back at all.

Howard teaches most life science classes at AC.  Life science is the science class that a large majority of non-science majors take, which means a lot of people have taken a class with Howard.

As a result, all of Howard’s classes have been reassigned to student teachers.  Which brings to my issue…

Why when it comes to issues such as this are the students not consulted?  We pay for these classes, we agree to begin a class with a certain instructor then unfortunate circumstances occur and then we handed a new instructor without any prior consultation.

I’m sure the student-teachers/instructors that AC has chosen are more than qualified, but we paid for these classes and I don’t think it’s asking too much to be kept in the loop in situations such as these.

Why when it comes to our own affairs such paying for classes, getting books, studying for test does the school view us as adults, but then when it comes to situation like this are we treated as children and pushed off to the side as the decision is made?

I know things like these can’t be helped and life isn’t perfect.  All we can do is roll with the punches.

I know I speak for all of AC when I wish Dr. Howard a speedy recovery. 

UPDATE: I want to make one thing very clear just in case it is not.  The replacements for Howard, I can't speak for all classes (because I am only in one), but I think  they (whoever made this decision) made a great decision - the replacement instructor for my life science class seems very personable. cant wait to see how the rest of the semester goes.

Bummer!!!!

2/11/2009 09:06:00 PM • , , , • 0 comments

Well it looks like Lacey is done with American Idol.

At the end of Idol tonight it showed the top 36 and I didn't see Lacey. This however hasn't been confirmed yet.

Once I hear something official I will update.

Either way we wish her the best!!!

UPDATE: Its official she is finished with American Idol - Now it will be interesting to see what she does from here.

Hopefully I will have a one on one interview very soon with Lacey!!!

I wish I had an energizer battery right now

2/10/2009 08:04:00 PM • , , , • 0 comments

Its been a while since I've posted something!  I've missed all my friends in the bloggerverse!

Geez! things have been crazy here lately. Between thinking about life after AC, working, studying for exams, interviewing people for the paper, looking for scholarships, and thinking about my next blog entry I haven't had a whole lot of time for anything.  But then again this is the time when school really gets going and everyone is busy.

... speaking of which - does it ever feel like you're carrying the weight to the world on your shoulders?  I get that feeling every so often - especially on days like today.  Today I left my apartment at 8:00 this morning and didn't get back until right around 7:00 tonight.  I had to get back in time to see Lacey on American Idol - she is still on just incase you were wondering, she is do so good!  

I think a lot of people don't realize just how hard college students work and just how well we have to be at multitasking and being flexible with our schedules.  For example - this morning I left early so I could go get something for breakfast before I started my day and right as I locked my door I got a call.  The call was for an interview I had called about the day before so I dropped everything and went and did the interview.  Its little things like that I, and all other college students deal with, that I think shows how dedicated we are to doing what we do.

I'm just worn out - oh well that's life and that's why we have coffee. Ha!

I think of run out of things to say for now - I know its not exciting or news worthy but something I needed to get out there.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Local Talent: Jen Williams Singer, Songwriter, Producer

2/03/2009 07:42:00 PM • , , , , • 1 comments

To many being a music lover is having a favorite band or favorite genre of music. To Jen Williams loving music means loving everything about the music industry; from playing music to writing, to even producing and promoting local shows.

In a world where so many people would rather sing covers, Jen is one the few who actually write music. She doesn't just sit around waiting for an opportunity to get her music out there, she creates those opportunities. Occasionally she will broadcast impromptu performances over the internet via stickam. She says she uses these performances almost as practices to help her get ready for upcoming shows.

When asked about getting nervous, Jen replied "I'm always nervous before a show, but once I get on stage its okay," her response came so calmly and naturally you get the idea that she truly loves it, even the nervousness.

As if writing and performing songs weren't enough, Jen takes things one step further by producing and promoting local shows. She communicates with bands and band booking agents in order to keep new music constantly flowing through Amarillo. "I probably spend more time putting shows together than I do actually playing shows," she said with a cringe that leads you to believe she wishes she had enough to devote to both.

Throughout the month of March Jen will be producing 5 shows. When asked about producing shows, Jen replies "It's a lot of hard work, but I think it will be worth in the end."

Jen graduated from Amarillo College with a degree in Music.

Jen is playing a show tomorrow, February 4 @ The Nat Ballroom. $8.00 at the door. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

 Follow Jen on Twitter

Friend Jen on MySpace

Local Talent: Lacey Brown the Next American Idol

1/31/2009 10:55:00 PM • , , , , , • 5 comments

Have you been watching American Idol? Well if you have you may or may not have heard that a local from Amarillo got a ticket to Hollywood!

That local is, former AC student, Lacey Brown she auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. The episode aired on January 21, 2009. Her audition was not shown on the air, but the first half of the episode is littered with clips her. If you watch carefully it shows her holding a "golden ticket" after the end of day one.

As per A.I. contracts she is not allowed to speak with the press until the show is over, but what we do know is, based on the episode that has already aired, that she is going to Hollywood!

According to tvgrapevine.com there were 10,000 people who auditioned and only 19 "golden tickets" were given out. Round 2 in Hollywood begins February 3 according to TV Guide.com.

Lacey's Official Music Myspace Page

UPDATE #1 - 02/03/09: Lacey made it through day 1 eliminations in Hollywood.
UPDATE #2 - 02/04/09: Lacey made it through day 2 eliminations in Hollywood.
UPDATE #3 - 02/10/09: Lacey made it through day 3 eliminations in Hollywood.
UPDATE #4 - 02/11/09: Lacey is out.

Note: All information for this blog entry came from news sources, websites, and what I have seen on aired episode of American Idol. Neither Lacey Brown nor her family or friends were interviewed or asked to comment in any way shape or form as per AI contracts.

Hello World! Its Me Zack

1/28/2009 05:02:00 PM • , , , , , • 0 comments

Welcome to my little corner of the web. Let me start off by telling you just a little about me.

My name is Zack and I’m an advertising and public relations major here at Amarillo College. This is my last semester at AC and I’m super-excited about graduating this may. Graduation is going to be a bittersweet moment because on one hand I will be one more step closer to achieving my goals. On the other hand, AC is the place where I discovered what my career goals are and the direction I want my career and my education to go. In addition to blogging here I am also writing for The Ranger, Amarillo College’s newspaper – but I’m sure you already knew that.

I am originally from Hereford, Texas (The Beef Capitol of the world just in case you were wondering) and I currently live here in Amarillo. I work for an eye doctor where I just recently got an unofficial promotion to what I am calling Media Relations Specialist. Basically I meet with any one from the media who is interested in working with the doctor’s office. I have also created advertising and marketing materials for Hillside Christian Church’s college ministry Infuse. I like to spend my free time with my friends, watching movies and TV, combing the internet for anything interesting and fun.

I am 100% career driven. To me the most important thing right now is getting my career in full swing. My goal for the future is work for a well known advertising agency in a big city. I want to work on creating ads that are seen all over the nation on TV, in magazines, on the Internet, etc. My ultimate goal is to win a CLIO award. I know it’s a big goal, but if you want to make it big, you’ve got to dream big.

That’s me in a nutshell!

Click Here to Follow Zack on Twitter