Ever since I was a little girl I have been a huge NASCAR fan just like my daddy. I have grown up with a special appreciation for cars and racing unlike most of my friends. This past Sunday, Brad Keselowski was crowned the Sprint Cup Champion at Homestead Miami Speedway.
Keselowski grabbed his first championship win this year as well as being the first driver to win a championship for car owner Roger Penske. Penske has been a car owner since 1972 and 40 years later, he has finally found a driver to win him a championship.
At the beginning of the last race of the season on Sunday, Keselowski lead five-time-champion and race veteran Jimmy Johnson by 20 points. They spent most of the 400 miles of the race neck-in-neck in the points, but at the end of the race, Johnson had a poor pit stop that would end up hurting his chances. On top of this fatal pit stop, Johnson burned up a gear in the car and was headed behind the wall.
Keselowski was reassured that he now had the championship firm in his grasp. He pulled in for a last minute pitstop to refuel and get fresh tires, simply because he could. In the mean time, the driver in third place in the points, Clint Bowyer, gained track position and was able to surpass Johnson in the points to take second.
As Keselowski pulled down pit lane to head to victory lane to celebrate with his crew, Johnson, who was already in his street clothes, was the first to run to Keselowski's window to shake his hand and congratulate him. The five-time champion respectably congratulated his competitor, the new Sprint Cup Champion.
Lia Veley
Monday, November 19, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
CO 102 Blog #9 - Once Upon A Time
I have developed a new obsession with a TV show in the past week and a half that is so strong, my friends are starting to worry about me. "Once Upon a Time" is a show that is in its baby years of production with ABC. I have created a bond with this show and the characters in it, so I suppose the writers and producers are doing their jobs.
"Once Upon a Time" follows a very interesting storyline. The world of all the fairytales we have grown up with and know so well has been thrust into our world by a curse set by the Evil Queen - Regina. All of these fairytale characters live in the town of Storybrooke, Maine and have forgot who they truly are are and where they came from. It is up to Emma - the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming - to save them all and get them back to their true lives.
I came across this show one day while I was on Netflix looking for something to watch. I had heard good things about this show from a bunch of my friends and from other sources, so I decided I would give it a watch and see what all the commotion was about. I am SO happy I did. I watch 22 episodes of this show within 10 days. I have developed an emotional attachment to these characters and this story that is very special and emotional.
The plot line of this show had developed beautifully and is extremely impressive to me. Beyond my emotional attachment to this show, I have taken a deep interest in the production aspect of it. The sets, costumes, makeup and special effects that this show uses is truly amazing to me. It has made me realize that I would love to work on a show like this because of how interesting producing it must be, and how much fun it looks.
I highly recommend everyone to take interest in "Once Upon a Time." The first season is available on Netflix and the first episodes of the second season are on ABC.com.
"Once Upon a Time" follows a very interesting storyline. The world of all the fairytales we have grown up with and know so well has been thrust into our world by a curse set by the Evil Queen - Regina. All of these fairytale characters live in the town of Storybrooke, Maine and have forgot who they truly are are and where they came from. It is up to Emma - the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming - to save them all and get them back to their true lives.
I came across this show one day while I was on Netflix looking for something to watch. I had heard good things about this show from a bunch of my friends and from other sources, so I decided I would give it a watch and see what all the commotion was about. I am SO happy I did. I watch 22 episodes of this show within 10 days. I have developed an emotional attachment to these characters and this story that is very special and emotional.
The plot line of this show had developed beautifully and is extremely impressive to me. Beyond my emotional attachment to this show, I have taken a deep interest in the production aspect of it. The sets, costumes, makeup and special effects that this show uses is truly amazing to me. It has made me realize that I would love to work on a show like this because of how interesting producing it must be, and how much fun it looks.
I highly recommend everyone to take interest in "Once Upon a Time." The first season is available on Netflix and the first episodes of the second season are on ABC.com.
Monday, November 5, 2012
CO 102 Blog #8 - Seperation Anxiety
Going off to college is supposed to be the best time of your life, where you become who you will be for the rest of your life, where you create a life path and where you make new friends. But what I have started to realize now that I am two months into my college career is that college is a test of the relationships you built before you went away.
Coming to college has really been a test of past relationships of mine. Before I came to school, I was very blessed to have a big group of close friends. In addition to all of my friends, I have a very tight knit, typical Italian family and I now value those relationships so much more.
Being separated from some of my best friends has made me realize how much I miss them. There are a few people that I haven't seen them or heard their voices in the entire two months that we have been at school and this makes me wonder, how will things be when we come home for Thanksgiving? Will things become awkward or will things seem as though no time has passed?
Last night, I came to the realization that one of my best friends in the whole world is slowly slipping though my fingers. I feel like I am loosing him and I got to thinking about why. When I was at home with him, we were stuck like glue, two pees in a pod. Then at the beginning of the summer he got a girlfriend and thats when things started heading downhill. He pushed my relationship to the side and started to wrap himself up in her world.
As much as I can blame him and his girlfriend for the gap between us, I also have to take some of the blame. Going away to college can be really hard on relationships and me not being home to being with him like I used to, I can't give him all of the blame of our failing relationship.
College really does show you who your true friends are. You learn who really cares about you and you learn how to handle long distance relationships, romantic or not. College teaches you that if you really care about someone and want to keep them in your life, you have to put in effort.
Coming to college has really been a test of past relationships of mine. Before I came to school, I was very blessed to have a big group of close friends. In addition to all of my friends, I have a very tight knit, typical Italian family and I now value those relationships so much more.
Being separated from some of my best friends has made me realize how much I miss them. There are a few people that I haven't seen them or heard their voices in the entire two months that we have been at school and this makes me wonder, how will things be when we come home for Thanksgiving? Will things become awkward or will things seem as though no time has passed?
Last night, I came to the realization that one of my best friends in the whole world is slowly slipping though my fingers. I feel like I am loosing him and I got to thinking about why. When I was at home with him, we were stuck like glue, two pees in a pod. Then at the beginning of the summer he got a girlfriend and thats when things started heading downhill. He pushed my relationship to the side and started to wrap himself up in her world.
As much as I can blame him and his girlfriend for the gap between us, I also have to take some of the blame. Going away to college can be really hard on relationships and me not being home to being with him like I used to, I can't give him all of the blame of our failing relationship.
College really does show you who your true friends are. You learn who really cares about you and you learn how to handle long distance relationships, romantic or not. College teaches you that if you really care about someone and want to keep them in your life, you have to put in effort.
Monday, October 29, 2012
CO 102 Blog #7 - Two Sides of the Story
So earlier in the week, I had a paper due in another class and the topic of the paper really got me thinking. We had to discuss a relationship in our life that had ended. As I got into my own paper, I started to think about what the same paper would look like from the other persons perspective.
I will give you a quick overview of my story. I started talking to a boy over the summer who would be going to school with me in the fall. Our relationship progressed quickly into something a little bit more then friends. But here's the catch: he had a girlfriend. I tried to not let it bother me because it seemed to not bother him. But sadly when we got to school, he got scared and realized what he was doing was wrong. He told my friends that he didn't want anything with me. I was very unhappy and we got into a huge fight and stop speaking completely. I hated him.
At this point in time we have come to terms and say hi to each other and have an occasional conversation.
As I was writing my paper explaining this story, I started thinking about what he would say if he had to write this paper. Would he say bad things about me? Would he make himself look like the good guy? Probably. I would love to see him try and defend his choices and actions. How would he flip it so that I looked like the whore and he looked like the innocent?
Each and every story has two sides. We have to realize that if you are telling a story about something, you need to be as honest as possible, especially with yourself because you wouldn't want other people telling the story to be twisting it around.
Lia Veley
I will give you a quick overview of my story. I started talking to a boy over the summer who would be going to school with me in the fall. Our relationship progressed quickly into something a little bit more then friends. But here's the catch: he had a girlfriend. I tried to not let it bother me because it seemed to not bother him. But sadly when we got to school, he got scared and realized what he was doing was wrong. He told my friends that he didn't want anything with me. I was very unhappy and we got into a huge fight and stop speaking completely. I hated him.
At this point in time we have come to terms and say hi to each other and have an occasional conversation.
As I was writing my paper explaining this story, I started thinking about what he would say if he had to write this paper. Would he say bad things about me? Would he make himself look like the good guy? Probably. I would love to see him try and defend his choices and actions. How would he flip it so that I looked like the whore and he looked like the innocent?
Each and every story has two sides. We have to realize that if you are telling a story about something, you need to be as honest as possible, especially with yourself because you wouldn't want other people telling the story to be twisting it around.
Lia Veley
Monday, October 22, 2012
CO 102 Blog #6 - Taylor Swift's RED
The day that teenage girls all across the US have been waiting for since 2010 is finally here. Taylor Swift dropped her new album "Red" at midnight on Oct. 22, 2012.
Swift's new album has been much anticipated since she announced it in August 2012. Over the past few moths she has released four singles off the album that have all done extremely well on the music charts. "We are Never Getting Back Together" sold 623,000 copies in its first week.
The new album features 16 new tracks from Swift with a different vibe from her past albums. "Red" has a pop feel that her previous music has never really had. It is something different for her and shows that she is expanding as an artist.
The songs on "Red" tell a story. They all have a common theme of trying to stay away from relationships that were bad for Swift. She seems to reveal that these boys weren't healthy for her, but they taught her valuable lessons.
"My experiences in love have taught me difficult lessons, especially my experiences with crazy love. The red relationships," Swift says. "The ones that went from zero to one hundred miles per hour then hit a wall and exploded."
"Red" quickly jumped to the top of the iTunes charts and is anticipated to remain there for a while.
The fans are thrilled to have new material from Swift, especially since this is her first project since 2010. Fans all around the world are hopeful that a tour will follow the release of the new album.
Lia Veley
Swift's new album has been much anticipated since she announced it in August 2012. Over the past few moths she has released four singles off the album that have all done extremely well on the music charts. "We are Never Getting Back Together" sold 623,000 copies in its first week.
The new album features 16 new tracks from Swift with a different vibe from her past albums. "Red" has a pop feel that her previous music has never really had. It is something different for her and shows that she is expanding as an artist.
The songs on "Red" tell a story. They all have a common theme of trying to stay away from relationships that were bad for Swift. She seems to reveal that these boys weren't healthy for her, but they taught her valuable lessons.
"My experiences in love have taught me difficult lessons, especially my experiences with crazy love. The red relationships," Swift says. "The ones that went from zero to one hundred miles per hour then hit a wall and exploded."
"Red" quickly jumped to the top of the iTunes charts and is anticipated to remain there for a while.
The fans are thrilled to have new material from Swift, especially since this is her first project since 2010. Fans all around the world are hopeful that a tour will follow the release of the new album.
Lia Veley
Monday, October 15, 2012
CO 102 Blog #5 - With The Punches
This week I discovered a band that I now love very much. They are called With the Punches, a band originating from Newburgh, NY. These five guys have taken their love of music and a dream and turned it into a reality.
In 2009, With The Punches released their first EP called "Keep it Going." This EP is the first bit of With the Punches I came across. My best friends have a band called Reckless Serenade (the band I wrote my first blog on) and they are lucky enough to have booked a show with With The Punches. The guitars from Reckless Serenade, Mark, happens to be my best friend and introduced me to With the Punches.
With The Punches' next big move was the release of their second EP in March of 2011 called "It's Not the End of the World." After this, the band went back into creative mode to start work on their first full length album. They spent the next few months in the creative process then headed to the studio to record the album "Seams & Stitches"which was just released on July 3, 2012.
The band is now headed on a tour of the country with their friends I Call Fives. They will be performing in different cities around the country from October 19 to November 23 in the US then they will head to the United Kingdom for two shows in December.
If you'd like to check With The Punches out visit Facebook.com/withthepunches or withthepunches.com
You can also look them up on iTunes to find their music.
Lia Veley
In 2009, With The Punches released their first EP called "Keep it Going." This EP is the first bit of With the Punches I came across. My best friends have a band called Reckless Serenade (the band I wrote my first blog on) and they are lucky enough to have booked a show with With The Punches. The guitars from Reckless Serenade, Mark, happens to be my best friend and introduced me to With the Punches.
With The Punches' next big move was the release of their second EP in March of 2011 called "It's Not the End of the World." After this, the band went back into creative mode to start work on their first full length album. They spent the next few months in the creative process then headed to the studio to record the album "Seams & Stitches"which was just released on July 3, 2012.
The band is now headed on a tour of the country with their friends I Call Fives. They will be performing in different cities around the country from October 19 to November 23 in the US then they will head to the United Kingdom for two shows in December.
If you'd like to check With The Punches out visit Facebook.com/withthepunches or withthepunches.com
You can also look them up on iTunes to find their music.
Lia Veley
Monday, October 8, 2012
CO 102 Blog #4 - People That Walk Slow
Today I thought I would take a step away from my normal music themed blog posts to talk about something that bothers me more then anything else. People who walk slow in public places; especially New York City.
I grew up about an hour away from NYC so I visit the city a lot. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who walk slow in the city. If you have been to the big apple, you know exactly what I am talking about. Right now you're either thinking "I hate those people too!" or you're thinking "...I think I might be one of them..."
When you are in Times Square, there is a lot to look at and I completely understand that. BUT, that does not give you permission to simply stop in the middle of a sidewalk in one of the most crowded places in the world. I have a train to make and you are stopping in my path and creating a difficult situation. You can enjoy the sights of New York at a reasonable walking pace. I promise because I do it at least four times a month.
New York isn't the only place that this walking slow problem occurs. I hate getting stuck behind people at the mall who walk slow; I am on a mission when I'm shopping. Campus is another place people cannot seem to keep up a proper walking speed.
I'm almost positive that this is an annoyance we all have at some point in our lives. Just keep this in mind next time you decided to blatantly stop in the middle of the sidewalk in Times Square, because I'm positive you are making someone angry.
Lia Veley
I grew up about an hour away from NYC so I visit the city a lot. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who walk slow in the city. If you have been to the big apple, you know exactly what I am talking about. Right now you're either thinking "I hate those people too!" or you're thinking "...I think I might be one of them..."
When you are in Times Square, there is a lot to look at and I completely understand that. BUT, that does not give you permission to simply stop in the middle of a sidewalk in one of the most crowded places in the world. I have a train to make and you are stopping in my path and creating a difficult situation. You can enjoy the sights of New York at a reasonable walking pace. I promise because I do it at least four times a month.
New York isn't the only place that this walking slow problem occurs. I hate getting stuck behind people at the mall who walk slow; I am on a mission when I'm shopping. Campus is another place people cannot seem to keep up a proper walking speed.
I'm almost positive that this is an annoyance we all have at some point in our lives. Just keep this in mind next time you decided to blatantly stop in the middle of the sidewalk in Times Square, because I'm positive you are making someone angry.
Lia Veley
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