Posts created and curated by Carla Solorzano, recent English graduate from University of Texas at Arlington and former social media manager/editor for The Shorthorn. I really like coffee, Spotify, and cat videos.
My name is Carla Solorzano and most recently I was the social media manager/editor for The Shorthorn, UT-Arlington’s student-run newspaper. I worked as a news reporter for three semesters and one semester as a life and entertainment reporter. While I loved both of those positions and have grown to really love journalism, social media is truly where my heart is. Doing social media in a professional capacity for almost a year has been a learning experience but I’ve had so much fun and I truly love that side of media. I hope to find a similar job soon!
I graduated May 2017 with a bachelor’s in English.
Here you can find my resume.
Here you can read the articles I’ve written since 2012.
Man, is it that week already? SXSW kicks off tomorrow (3/11) and maybe you’re thinking about heading down 35 to see it in action. (You probably shouldn’t head out tomorrow. With the President making an appearance, it’ll be cray-city.) I’ve been to SXSW a couple of times and it is an experience, y’all. The great thing about it is that you can see awesome stuff for free that isn’t SXSW-official but still legitimately good. You’ve been wanting to experience it too, but are a little intimidated by a week-long event that encompasses an entire city? That makes sense, but if you really want to go and don’t know how to even start preparing, the Dallas Observer has a nice guide for first-timers, but I would also like to share what works for me.
Quick Tips for An Enjoyable Last-Minute SXSW Trip
-Pick a day with the best events
I remember back in the day when I frequented cons as often as I could, but I also remembered con fatigue. Animefest is a four-day event and I wanted to see it all. By that Monday I was wiped and I wondered why I wished this upon myself in the first place. SXSW is ENORMOUS and you will NOT got to everything you want. If you truly want to experience it without hating yourself later, I say go only one day, maybe two but no more than that. Festivals are about fun, so don’t torture yourself trying to marathon the week. If you’re into music, most of the good stuff starts on Wednesday and Thursday.
-Find a buddy who lives in or around Austin
If you’re reading this, you’re probably from Texas because most of you reading are people I’ve met personally, probably. And if you’re from Texas you’re bound to know SOMEONE who lives out that way. Fortunately, I have family that lives about an hour and twenty minutes away from Austin and now a member has moved out to Round Rock, which is even closer. Trust me, paying for parking is cheaper than a hotel. What my cousin and I do is leave early in the morning (usually on a Wednesday), around 9 or 10 a.m., get breakfast and then find a parking spot. By then, some shows have already started and we can get on with our day.
-Get ready to walk
There is virtually no way around this. Sure, you can try and find a pedicab or attempt to hail an Uber, but in all honestly, the best way to get around is to walk. So, wear comfortable shoes because that will be important. Also, try to plan what you want to see ahead of time and stick with one area. More than likely you’ll want to be near 6th Street.
-And get ready to spend money
Yes, there’s tons of free events going on during SXSW. I’ve never paid to get into a venue there, and yes, there’s free food at a lot of places (and free booze) but plan to be caught hankering for some pizza. Festival-goers cannot survive on backpack granola bars alone! You’re going to want some “real” food, especially in Austin where there are so many delicious noms. But you know what happens, right? You’re limited in the restaurants you can patronize because you’re walking and you’re probably hungry RIGHT NOW. And while food truck fare is delicious it’s usually in a puny serving size. And the food truck is just trying to make some money, so they know all this... and they jack up their prices. It’s inevitable! So, be prepared to spend some serious dough on stuff to put in your mouth.
-Leave early
I know, I know. I can’t hang and I don’t know how to party but I’m about being comfortable. If you thought Austin was weird in the daytime, it gets weirder at night. Having a drunk gentleman screaming lyrics behind me during a show is not how I want to spend an evening after walking in the sun all day. So, plan to take off around 7-9 p.m.
Allow me to be an internet mom and say: Be safe and have fun. If you’re there on Thursday, tweet me and maybe we can chill for like two minutes.
5 Instagram Accounts You Should Follow To Break Up The Monotony
I don’t think it’s any secret that I love Instagram. Social media AND photos/video rolled into one? Perfect. I like Instagram because it’s fun and depending on who’s posting, I can find pretty, funny, inspiring or informative content. But with any social media network, it can be easy to fall into a rut and get bored, so I’m constantly looking for new accounts to follow. I like to fall into hashtag holes and browse through the Explore tab. I waste a lot of time doing this, but now this habit of mine will help you break up the endless selfies (Maria, you have the same winged eyeliner everyday, stop), frozen yogurt shots and over-compressed memes your friends post all the time.
@Cat_Cosplay
So, your friends post pictures of their animals and usually they’re pretty cute, but let’s take that to the next level. CATS. COSTUMES. This account features two, pleasant cats who may not enjoy, but at least tolerate being dressed up for the Internet to see. It’s the best animal-related thing I’ve stumbled upon lately.
@historiasdelciervo
Food and Instagram go together like… cheddar cheese in an omelette. Sometimes your friend gets real artistic with their fancy brunch, but bump IG food pics up to an eleven and you get this account. @HistoriasDelCiervo posts videos of him assembling and decorating the most gorgeous cakes. This account marries How It’s Made marathons with your typical “Look what I got at the Sprinkles ATM!” shot. It’s perfect. Go spend 20 minutes watching all of his stuff and drool, NOW.
@this_girl_is_a_squirrel
Of the animals you see on Instagram, they’re usually of the feline or canine variety, maybe an occasional bird. Do you ever see pet squirrels? No you don’t, and if you claim you do, you’re a liar. This account follows the life of a fairly pampered squirrel doing cute things. There’s a nice mix of videos and photos.
@nikita_gill
If you like poetry with a feminist bent and text-based images, this account is a must-follow. Her poems are sometimes sad and sometimes empowering. Nikita’s poems are often pretty short which is great when you want to feel cultured on-the-go while scrolling through your feed in line for an iced coffee.
@toyjoyaustin
Toy Joy in Austin has been keeping the capital city fun for almost 30 years. If you’re ever around them those parts, you really ought to pay them a visit. The shop is as toy-filled, vibrant and delightfully weird as the photos and videos they share on Instagram.
@Carla_Zano
This account isn’t actual special or popular, but it’s mine and if you like me at least a little bit, you would follow me. What kind of stuff do I post? Blog announcements, makeup-less selfies, my breakfast or coffee and sometimes I throw up some of my attempts at amateur photography that is sorta decent.
Carla Tries Something She Saw Online That One Time: Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough
It has taken me a long time to appreciate Snapchat. It also took me quite awhile to pay attention to the Discover stories. Every now and then I will browse through a couple of them, particularly the Food Network story. Unfortunately, I always end up watching on Saturdays which is when Spoon University takes over. I guess it’s supposed to be Food Network but for college-age people? I thought Buzzfeed had that angle covered. Spoon University is hosted by fry-voiced 20-somethings and the content they feature never really catches my eye. But this Greek yogurt pizza dough is a delightful exception. Two ingredients? Two ingredients to create the foundation of pizza? I don’t particularly like yogurt and doughs are something I shy away from because they’re usually complicated and fussy, like children, who I also go out of my way to avoid. But this one was promised to be easy, quick and delicious. I had to try it… for food science reasons.
Spoon University failed to include a recipe or proportions in their video, but I knew something like this was typical Pinterest fodder. A quick search turned up exactly what I was looking for.
(Here’s the link to the pin!)
So, I know what you’re thinking. FOR THE LOVE OF CRUSHED RED PEPPER, JUST TELL ME IF IT WORKED. Well, impatient, blog-reading friend of mine, you’ll be glad to know that yes, this recipe did work. Read on if you wanna know just how beautifully it went.
I have something to confess. I have never made my own pizza from scratch before. I was raised on Boboli. Again, working with a dough terrified me. If it’s not of the cookie variety, I will awkwardly moonwalk away from the whole recipe.
But after this? BRING ON THE DOUGHS? WHAT ARE DOUGHS? SOMETHING I’M NOT AFRAID OF.
Here’s something that won’t surprise you: I’m lazy, so upon realizing that I didn’t have any self-rising flour, I immediately decided against driving to the grocery store to pick some up. Luckily enough, the pin included directions to make your own self-rising flour. Some baking powder and a negligible amount of salt took my uninspired, initiative-less flour and gave me something to be proud of.
In went the yogurt and on went the hand mixer with what I believe are its version of dough hooks. It didn’t much look like dough after it was combined but I think that’s my mixer’s fault. After sticking my hand in and working it briefly, it looked just like any other dough. I ended up adding ½ tablespoon of water to help combine the abandoned bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl.
Now, if you can get this dough to look like an actual shape with your fingers and not some disturbed rhombus you are probably someone I follow on Instagram just to wallow in jealousy. But hey, I’m not perfect, so any pizza I make will probably never be either.
After massaging it into a psuedo-rectangle onto an oiled baking sheet, on went the sauce, cheese, toppings. Into the oven for 14 minutes or so. I like my pizza crispy.
So, how did it taste? Well, it wasn’t quite crispy. Perhaps if I had a rolling pin I could have spread the dough thinner. But it was still so yummy. The yogurt flavor is rather faint, so if you’re not a fan like me, you’ll still love this. The texture of the dough reminded me a lot of Little Ceasar’s, soft but not overly chewy. If you’re still not convinced, I’ve made this twice in the last couple of weeks. Just make this, okay? It’s great. And easy. And pretty cheap. Ugh, now I’m going to daydream about pizza for the rest of the day, but I suppose that’s not really new.
The first month of my blogging weekly resolution has come to a close and I have big plans for February. Needless to say, I’m still excited about this small project I’ve taken on.
Now, in case you’ve missed a post, here’s a big ol’ list of them. All three of them, ha.
Galentine’s Day Gifts Under $10 For Your 5 Besties
I hated Valentine’s Day until I was 17. Scratch that, I actually liked all the pinks and reds and candy until I was about 11 and finally aware of how my more conventionally attractive classmates always got the most clever, glittery and ginormous cards. Cue middle-school, slash, early-high school blues when the gifts got bigger and arguably, more romantic than a perforated piece of cardboard. These days, I think Valentine’s Day is sweet and although my boyfriend doesn’t really care to celebrate, I still have fond memories of getting gifts for all of my favorite ladies. This year, I’ve been invited to a Galentine’s Day celebration, which I understand is observed on the 13th of February. Sorry to break your hearts, internet, but I have yet to watch more than one episode of Parks and Rec. I’ve seen countless .gifs and have recited the phrase “treat yo self” hundreds of times but I know it’s not the same. I will watch the entire series… eventually.
While I’ve never celebrated a Galentine’s Day formally I think I have a good idea of what all your friends want, besides free pizza and to be included in Taylor Swift’s social circle. Here are some inexpensive gift ideas to commemorate all of the warm-fuzzies you and your squad share.
For your friend who is obsessed with Neko Atsume…
Tubbs Plush, $6
Your friend fawns over their virtual porch full of cats, now give them something they can hug. Bonus: No cat hair to get stuck to clothing.
For your friend who is a Tinderella…
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max, $0.99
This “book” is a series of unfortunate events in the life of a complete jerk who revels in his carelessness. Your friend has probably been on a date with someone like this. Help remind them that most men are jerky, and it’s probably not their fault.
For your friend who thinks BB-8 is bae…
BB-8 hair bow, $6.50
Robots are so much easier to maintain than interpersonal relationships. For an outfit that needs an extra dose of cute/Zooey Deschanel vibes, a bow always does the trick and who wouldn’t want a droid-inspired one?
For your friend who loves you only slightly more than chocolate…
Nutella: The 30 Best Recipes, $0.99
I mean, you could probably gift them a jar of Nutella and they would personify the heart eyes emoji, but teach a millennial to bake with it and they’ll eat for years! Humans can subsist on mostly hazelnuts and chocolate, right?
For your friend who could kick ass on Chopped & feeds you regularly...
Bin 8, $8.38
This thing is SUPER rad and I don’t know how it doesn’t have it’s own infomercial at this point. I’m a big Alton Brown fan and take most of what he says as culinary gospel. He hates unitaskers (the Rollie, quesadilla makers, etc.) so he’d probably approve of this cute AF collection of gadgets that grate, measure, separate, and more all while taking up as much space as a wine bottle.
Have you considered writing piece's on Latino/Hispanic life? Like interviews or small talks on the different subjects (I.E. Dancing Holidays etc.) If you ever do I would love to hear from both men and women. Although hearing female voices is awesome, I also feel hearing from the hidden depths of men is equally important to understanding one another. As a Hispanic I know that women are often silenced literally, but men are through actions and pressure's. Just a thought. Best of luck.
Interesting question, anon! I often feel like a bit of a poser when discussing or writing about Latino life or issues because I grew up differently than my Latino peers. For example, my mother was the breadwinner and my father stayed at home to care for me, she is Tejana and my father was born in Mexico, my mother was 39 when she had me whereas most of my friends’ parents were in their 20′s when they started having children, I’m an only child, etc. I realize that I’m still Mexican, even if my life does not follow the typical Latino upbringing but I still feel like I’m “too gringa” to comment.
So, if I were to write, it would be more of reporting and collecting the stories of others through interviews like you suggested. I haven’t had the opportunity or any novel ideas I’ve wanted to write about but I would love to in the future. It’s curious that you mention including the voices of men because of the topics that come up when discussing life as a Latino, machismo always comes up and that is something I have thought a lot about. I’ve written a couple of papers on machismo; about how and in what ways it affects everyone negatively, and how it differs from misogyny in the United States. Maybe there is something there for a future piece. Thanks for giving me something to think about!
Here’s me at SXSW in 2013. According to MyFitnessPal, I weighed in a week later at 256 lbs. I think for now, that’s my goal. Looking back at photos of myself, it’s probably the most at peace I’ve been with my body in almost six years. Let’s get there first and then I’ll think about tackling another 75 lbs.
Reflecting on 2015 #goals... and making new ones for 2016
Last year, I started a new tradition for myself. I wanted to make a cute image listing my resolutions for the year and post it. This was mostly because I love making Diptic collages for social media and because I felt that if I post my goals online, I will feel more obligated to follow through since I had put it out there in the universe. It’ll be embarrassing if I made promises and didn’t keep them, right?
If we’re keeping score, well... then yes, I did pretty badly meeting most of these resolutions in 2015. One out six is not usually something to celebrate, but I did manage to get my grades up and I’m actually rather proud of that. I worked harder the past two semesters than I have... probably since middle school. School was never something I had to work too hard to excel in and I became complacent. That complacency led me to not care about college. After 14 years of public school, I was jaded, but I care about getting my diploma more now than ever. It is pretty sad that I somehow put off making agua and watching a roller derby match so long that I never did either. Oops.
So, here were are in sexy 2016 and I have another Instagram’d resolution list.
In 2016, I’m recommitting to weight loss and health goals. I really have no idea to ensure that I will finally follow through with them so I’m going to take it slow, as evidenced by my lowering of my “pounds lost” for 2016. I probably won’t mention that journey too often on this blog, but if you’re so inclined, you can follow http://cmshealth.tumblr.com/ for updates. I’m contemplating a URL change for that blog, and if I follow through, you’ll be sure to know it.
This year, I’m hoping to continue the trend of excelling scholastically and doing more creative things. I’m planning to blog at least weekly. I found out that I really miss it and I need a place where I can create content that is more “me.” I did a lot of great stuff last semester on the Life desk of The Shorthorn but I had so many ideas that I couldn’t try out. I like making somewhat snarky reviews and DIYs, so hopefully there will be more of that here in 2016. I’ve been blogging since I was about 11 but those posts consisted of me ranting about a boy band hiatus or complaining about some social indiscretion committed against me by a classmate who would NOT be allowed to borrow my Sony Walkman again.
(I had this model because my crush had the same exact model, in the same exact color. I think I was a chubby sociopath as a preteen.)
With that in mind, I hope to create content that is actually helpful and entertaining and I won’t resort to giving you a play-by-play of my lack of a social life.
I’ve been wanting to read more and actually use my library card, so I plan to read one book a month. I feel like that’s less likely to overwhelm me as I usually leave the library with an armful, get home, decide that I can’t decided which one to read first and then four weeks later, they’re all overdue.
And the easiest goals of 2016: Use my fancy tumbler and make macarons. Both things I wanted to do last year. I received the tumbler as a gift from my boyfriend’s mother and LOOOOOVED it. It’s only recommended for cold drinks, so I resolved to use it in the summer when I usually purchase iced coffee instead of boiling peppermint mochas. Well, summer came and gone, and so did fall. It was the end of December and it was still in it’s pretty red box. Truly, this tumbler is the prettiest one I own and I was making excuses not to sully it but FOR THE LOVE OF BLONDE ROAST, it couldn’t just stay in my cabinet forever. So, I’m putting any cold drinks in it. It’s on my table right now filled with cold water and just a couple days ago I made iced mint tea lemonade to go inside and it was awesome.
As for the macarons... Maybe I’ll just put those off until 2017.
When considering whether to share their personal information in exchange for benefits – from retail loyalty cards to discounted auto insurance – Americans tend to have an “it depends” state of mind. Our new report looks at six privacy scenarios and asks respondents whether they think the risk is worth the reward.
Carla Tries Something She Saw Online That One Time: 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Apple Spice Cake
Here’s something you all know: I love to eat. Here’s something you all may not have known: I like to bake, and I like to try easy recipes I see online. Not all that novel, but again, I have resolved to making more of the things I pin, save and bookmark. And if I’m going to try something, I’m going to document it somehow, because I’m a millennial or something else old people yell from porches.
You know those cute, engaging recipe videos that auto-play in your Facebook feed? Maybe you save it, tag someone in it or just scroll on. Well, I finally tried one out. I saw this video on Facebook and, I’ll have to admit it looked both amazing and completely unbelievable.
How?!
How can a slow cooker create such a delicious looking confection? I’ve tried a slow cooker cake before and it was a disaster. I think I remember trashing it completely. But it’s been awhile and I’ve been wanting to make an apple-based dessert for some time so I tried it.
The only difference in the way I made it is, instead of just placing two sticks of butter in the middle, I sliced the sticks into several pats and I covered the whole surface of the cake. While it was baking(?) I checked on it and the spice cake mix looked rather dry and... uncooked. After about 2 1/2 hours I turned it off. We had Christmas Eve dinner and after I served up some of the cake with vanilla ice cream, just like the video. It looked gloopy... a bad sign, for me anyway. I was hoping the butter would create a nice crispy, crust and it kind of did, but it was very thin. I hate gloopy foods, ask all the uneaten bowls of cereal dregs, oatmeal and plates of enchiladas of my lifetime.
I took a bite... and HOLY WOW, it was SO GOOD. This is my new favorite recipe. If you love apple cobbler/pie/brown betty, you should try this NOW. Total cost for this cake was about $6 and effort was super minimal. I would barely call it preparing. I give this four rock-hand-sign-emojis out of five.
A Fat Girl Visits Her Local F21 RED... Here's ONE Secret She Learned
How did you like that clickbait-y headline? Yeah, I’m also under the assumption that I’m the cleverest nerd around. All clicking and baiting aside, I did learn something about F21 RED that I couldn’t rely on local news outlets to tell me: Is it worth the trip for a girl of my size? Short answer is no, not really. But let me tell you more about my experience.
I have a love/hate relationship with Forever 21. I love that it’s one of the few retailers that provides plus sizes at an affordable price, granted I do find myself scrunching my nose when seeing straight-sized camisoles priced at $1.80 and plus sized ones at a (whopping?) $4.90. I also love that they are (slowly) expanding the line. Instead of just a rack or two of select items, most Forever 21 locations that offer plus sizes have a good-sized section. Also, I was happy to see that their jeans have been bumped up to include a size 22. With all this said, I am cognizant of how ethically troubling it is that clothes being sold so cheaply must be made even cheaper. But let us continue.
I haven’t lived in Dallas proper for a few years, and I’ll admit, I miss the shopping. My mom was in town for Thanksgiving so we decided to make the drive and check out the F21 RED that had just opened in October at the Shops at Park Lane. I had passed by the shops many times without ever visiting. While I may return another time to visit the other shops, I don’t think I’ll be visiting F21 RED again. It wasn’t the staff, and I wasn’t treated rudely. Quite the opposite, staff was constantly milling around the store making sure racks weren’t messy and the woman at the register struck up a conversation with me about how Black Friday wasn’t so bad this year.
F21 RED, from what I have read, is supposed to stock mainly basics (at insanely cheap prices) with a few regular-priced seasonal items. Maybe that’s true of the straight sizes (that I didn’t look at too much), but the plus size section was like any other at a Forever 21, except about 2/3 smaller. I had been hoping to find some basic short sleeve and long sleeve tees, and basic cardigans with pockets but that’s not what I found. There were about six different colors of camisoles and four different colors of leggings, and that was about all. The rest of the section was filled with seasonal items you could find at any Forever 21. I will say that the denim section was impressive. There were many washes and styles and sizes to choose from, but good luck finding ones at a specific price point. $12.90 jeans were stacked amid others at $22.90 and I often picked out the more expensive ones by mistake.
Ultimately, I was disappointed that there weren’t more basics because that is what I have been wanting at an affordable price. I ended up buying the cardigan shown above (which I kind of love and can be found online here) and I purchased the dress seen below, which got me lots of compliments, including one from a stranger. Both of these items can be found at any Forever 21 with plus sizes, methinks.
This weekend I made a couple of things with help from Buzzfeed.
I’ve been trying to do more of the things I’ve pinned on Pinterest because what good is it if I don’t make an effort to take on the recipes or projects?
I made mayonnaise from scratch and it was way easier than you would have ever thought. Now, I’m not a big fan of mayonnaise and I use it sparingly. I planned to make tuna salad for lunch and decided it would be a good opportunity to try this DIY mayo. I was concerned that the emulsification would break if I didn’t do it properly, especially since I was using a blender (Mom got it for me for free!) and not a food processor. I rarely do things right the first time but it didn’t break and came out smooth! There was a thin layer of oil on top but I mixed it in and it was just fine. I estimate that I used about $1.35 worth of ingredients that yielded two cups (or 16 ounces) worth of mayo.
I’ve wanted to make beer can chicken for awhile, but lacked a grill. Then Buzzfeed posted a how-to for baking one in the oven! I’ve also wanted to bake a whole chicken, so I went for it. I managed to get a whole raw chicken for about $3.50 which I was stoked about because I read that in most grocery stores, pre-cooked whole chickens are usually cheaper than buying a raw one and cooking it at home. I will say, the beer element and orientation of the cooking made it very messy. It didn’t taste too beer-y and the skin cripsed up nice enough without slathering it with oil before seasoning it.
I would definitely try both of these recipes again! I’m going to pick a different beer for the chicken next time.
I’ve been thinking about how to best use this blog. I initially used it to promote content I worked on but also to reblog news from other outlets, just as I would on Twitter or Facebook.
I think I want to switch that up. Tumblr isn’t necessarily as fast-paced as Twitter or Facebook is. I see posts that are a couple years old go through phases of popularity. I’m thinking of using this blog as I normally would have in my early college years, as a catch-all for my interests and tidbits about my life. I’ll share recipes I like, things I’m currently obsessed with, Instagram posts, stories I’m working on, etc.
I can be somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to social media, so much that I tend to procrastinate until I can execute an idea flawlessly. I think the approach here has to be “dive in, if it works great and if not, try something else,” otherwise I’ll never get to blogging.
Carla Solorzano @carla-solorzano - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
