Give Me a Bic

Just some things that pique my interest.

[littledreamscape]

Is it possible to be poor and vegan?

Like I really want to give veganism a try.

[darthfeyder]

Vegan in college

Vegan campus cooking

30 Delicious Vegan Meals You Can Make In Under 30 Minutes

The collegiate vegan

The poor vegan

6 tips to eat vegan on a budget

Eating Vegan on the Cheap

Easy vegan dinners

Vegan beans n rice recipes

20 cheap vegetarian meals

20 (Delicious!) Vegan Meals That Don’t Suck

Fuck Yeah Poor Vegans

Vegan on a Budget

Cheap Vegan

Low Cost Vegan Meal Plans

$25 Week Vegan Meal Challenge

Vegetarian food on a budget (easy to make vegan)

Plant based on a budget

Eating Vegan on $21.00 A Week: The Food Stamp Budget

High Quality, Healthy Vegan Diet for $3.33 A Day

My $1.50 a Day Challenge

Simple Cheap Minimalist Vegan Meal Plan - From a Vegan Working Student

Frugal Living in the UK

Cheap replacements for fancy pants ingredients

The Cashew Chronicle

[itsbats]

Ted Cruz is the Hash Slinging Slasher

[givemeabic]

Get a $100 iTunes Gift Card

Get your gift - (1) per person

Get your gift - (1) per person

[givemeabic]

Audible!

I’m so over simply applying for jobs. And I know my peers are pretty much fed up as well. Two heads are better than one, right? Thus, a multi-headed beast was born. Just kidding. I decided to trade strategies /ask my peers for advice! I asked a few of my peers/alumni who have seen a bit more success than I in creating a footprint in the journalism sands how they reached that point.

They have given me a wealth of information. Some I had heard before, but others were more of a swift kick in the pants that helped me reflect and get my s--- together and try harder.

In doing this, I realized I’m not as far behind as I think. Not to say that everyone’s behind or that that would make me feel better about my situation (would that make me a bad person…?). Just helps shape my perspective on a frustratingly stressful situation.

[givemeabic]

Slumped…

As much as I love journalism, there are days I simply don’t feel like writing. Having to work full-time on top of pounding the pavement for stories is simply not appealing. But if I want a chance at being a journalist, I have to keep my clips current, right? Where do I get the energy?! I love interviewing, writing, even photography. How do I turn that love on when I’m so tired?

[givemeabic]

Don’t Be A Debbie Downer

Pessimism is an easy thing to take up. It trumps chances of disappointment, it allows people to not set their expectations too high. It keeps us safe from the dangers of risk-taking, which can sometimes be a good thing. Just ask Debbie Downer, here.

Unlike Debbie, when I first dreamed of becoming a journalist, I didn’t latch on to any thoughts of not achieving it. Fast forward to two years post-grad and I’m finding more people who have lost that child-like naiveté, awakened by the harsh realities of the field.

To curb those moments where I feel like the obstacles are insurmountable, I do these things (after rocking back and forth in a fetal position):

     Remind myself why I want to become a journalist. Simple enough but sometimes the reminder helps with morale. I even interview myself. “So, what about journalism excites you?” “What do you plan to do through being a journalist?”

     Hone my skills. I find trainings and workshops to attend to also place myself around like-minded people. I blog and actively search for freelancing opportunities.

     Networking. Everyone, including those who have managed to carve an existence into the field, has fallen into the pessimistic trap at some point. The sharing of stories can help put things into perspective and create relationships that can open doors. I have joined the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and there are others such as Association of Women Journalists.

     Reading and staying up on news and current events. You can’t conquer your opponent if you don’t know anything about them.

Are you in the same predicament? What ways are you striving for that seemingly unreachable dream?

[givemeabic]

#strongkynerdreunion learned a lot about love this past weekend

[givemeabic]

Click here to support Relocating to Chicago! by Cotrell A. Loftin

[givemeabic]

Hi family! If I have not yet told you my exciting news, I accepted a job offer from City Year and will be relocating to Chicago. Beginning in August, I will be serving for ten months mentoring and working with students in a yet to be assigned school. As exciting as this news is, it doesn’t come w..

[instagram]

Stories from Chicago’s South Side with @jonlowenstein

To see more scenes from daily life on Chicago’s South Side and learn the stories behind the images, follow @jonlowenstein on Instagram.

Photographer Jon Lowenstein (@jonlowenstein) came to Chicago’s South Side on an assignment fifteen years ago and made a home in the poverty-ravaged neighborhood. He began photographing his community with SX-70 and 4x5 film cameras, leaving a trail of Polaroid portraits with his new neighbors who nicknamed him “Photoman”. He transformed vacant apartments within his housing complex into community exhibition spaces called, “The Island”, and taught photography classes at a local elementary school.

“When I started the project on the South Side, analog was the only way to go. Nowadays so many people in the ‘hood use Instagram that it is a real way to communicate on a local level, as well as national and international,” Jon says.

He credits his college classmate, David Guttenfelder (@dguttenfelder), for exposing him to Instagram, where he now pairs images from his neighborhood with the stories behind them. “I believe that the iPhone is the new Polaroid: I love that I can share my thoughts and observations in real time as I do the work. I find this part most satisfying when I can actually talk with people who I don’t know about issues that I cover.”

[givemeabic]

Click here to support Relocating to Chicago! by Cotrell A. Loftin

[givemeabic]

Hi family! If I have not yet told you my exciting news, I accepted a job offer from City Year and will be relocating to Chicago. Beginning in August, I will be serving for ten months mentoring and working with students in a yet to be assigned school. As exciting as this news is, it doesn’t come w..

[givemeabic]

Click here to support Relocating to Chicago! by Cotrell A. Loftin

Hi family! If I have not yet told you my exciting news, I accepted a job offer from City Year and will be relocating to Chicago. Beginning in August, I will be serving for ten months mentoring and working with students in a yet to be assigned school. As exciting as this news is, it doesn't come w..

[forcefields]

it’s so weird that we call our loved ones things that we eat sugar… pumpkin… honey… baby…

[givemeabic]

Are we eating babies now? O_o

[mapsontheweb]

The contour of some American states form a Chef carrying a tray of fried chicken

[cornergas1212-deactivated201701]

This is so important

[thehalfbloodprinceofbelair]

nOBODY has mentioned the fact that the chicken is Kentucky

kentucky fried chicken

[tha-spaso-koupes]

the conspiracy slowly unravels

[lovelyandbrown]

I know you said you were promoting businesses but this is my first step to becoming a business owner. I am trying to raise $2000 in order to finish paying for my tuition and fees for this upcoming fall semester. If anyone could please click the link and donate. If you cannot donate please share and boost this please! Either way your efforts are greatly appreciated! 

[givemeabic]

Feeling fro-tastic! #cornball #peepmyhalo #froselfie #hrpuffnstuff #myfrosnameispuffdaddy #yesmyhairismale

[givemeabic]

Models who are slated to walk in the couture showcase during Great Lakes Fashion Week strike a pose in Beachwood Mall in Beachwood, OH.

[givemeabic]

Freezing Haute: CEO of Great Lakes Fashion Week Organizes Freeze Mob

It's been a long time since I last blogged. Trell (me) be slippin.

But I have goodies to share!

Great Lakes Fashion Week happens April 4 & 5 at the Convention Center in Downtown Cleveland. To signal boost, *CEO Shalonda Reed organized a four minute freeze mob in Beachwood Mall this past Saturday.

Some onlookers were puzzled while others took pictures of the models who looked so fabulously out of place. Afterward, the models passed out fliers for the Fashion Week showcase to happen April 5. Although they could not pass out too many because security shut it down and shooed them away (boooo).

Check out my accompanying photoset to check out the non action.

Sidenote: Proud to say a cousin of mine is walking in the show, and I will MOST DEFINITELY be checking her out! Won't you join me?

*Post previously identified Reed as a designer. She is CEO of Great Lakes Fashion Week.