Life as an Adventure




Originally I created this specific blog as just a travel blog but then I realized,Why create a blog for every topic I find interesting? why not just use one? That's when I created a blog with several sides, a variety of different types of blogs just like me. so this is life as an adventure, because there are more than one side to an adventure

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By katrina stigers 27 Sep, 2016

            As I sat in my first animation related college class at Cowley College and listened to the teacher go over the syllabus, I couldn’t believe I was actually here. Learning more about hobbies I have and how to turn them into a career. Achieving literacy in art and animation has been a long, hard work filled journey, but it’s totally worth it.

            Growing up I was surrounded by extremely talented people. My Mom for instance, never went to any kind of art school, but I remember being amazed at the things she would draw. Then there were my brothers, both were fantastic at violin. Being around them all the time inspired me to find whatever I could be my best at. I wanted to be as talented as they were. Through middle school I tried an art class and a music class. I enjoyed the art class but didn’t think about it much after it was over. I did fairly well in the music class as well. I actually auditioned and was accepted into the south Kansas symphony when I was 13 but I just didn’t enjoy it like my brothers did and I stopped playing as consistently. Finally in my senior year of high school I needed one more creative credit so I took art again. That’s when I fell in love with art.

            After high school, I knew I wanted to go to college eventually but I didn’t want to pay for it until I knew exactly what I wanted to go for. I remembered a bucket list I had made a while back and decided to take a break from school and chase those crazy dreams. I packed up anything that would fit in my car, quit my job, and started driving. When I left I knew I liked New Orleans, and I also knew I wanted to see beaches. Somehow I ended up in Daytona Beach, Florida with high ambitions to live as an artist.

            When I first arrived I was terrified. I wasn’t sure how I could actually make it. I wasn’t sure where to start so, since my parents are pastors, I went to a church to meet locals. After the sermon, I met the pastor and we instantly clicked. She began introducing me to the congregation, and I met some of the most amazing people there. Through them I met my roommate and through my roommate I found my eventual employer. The people from my church also pointed me in the direction of a place called “The Hub” and that’s where things started taking off.

            The Hub is basically an art gallery with a twist. It rents out a small studio for artists to work on, and sell their art to people that come to admire. The people in the The Hub taught me how to sell art on the streets in Orlando and Miami, and also told me when all the art shows were and how to get tables at them. Through The Hub I also met a character designer of Disney’s. He was sitting alone at a table, sketching. I walked over nervously, curiosity driving me to find out what he did for a living. When I asked, he told me who he was. There are steps of character designs. He created the mock up sketches of characters, then passed them on. He asked who I was and asked if I wanted to help him develop a few characters. Of course, I agreed. He taught me the process of how to draw them. He also showed me how to put together a portfolio that animation companies would be more likely to hire, and how to network correctly. I didn’t have a direction with my art until then. While working with him, I learned what I enjoyed most. That’s when I chose a career path.

            After spending so much time learning from that character designer I decided I did need school for what I wanted to do, and was finally ready. I began looking at schools, first in Florida, because I loved it there, but I couldn’t find a school that offered what I needed for less than $40,000 a year. I wasn’t prepared to pay that much. Then, I remembered Cowley and its graphic design program. After a long debate with myself about leaving the sunshine state I finally decided to apply to Cowley, and that brings me to where I am now. Literate in art and working on becoming literate in computer graphics.

            After community college, I plan to go for my bachelors, double majoring in animation and social media marketing. There are a few schools I’m looking into. I am attending a summer course at the London’s School of Liberal Arts. But after Cowley, I’m looking at Cal Arts in Los Angeles, New York’s School of Visual Arts in the city, and of course the London school I mentioned. I haven’t decided yet though. I also haven’t decided if I want to get a master’s somewhere or not. I’ll decide down the road. My ultimate goal is to either work for Pixar DreamWorks, or to work for the CIA. I’m not kidding. That’s the overall journey of how I became literate in art. As I said before, Achieving literacy in art and animation has been a long, hard work filled journey, but it’s been totally worth it.

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By katrina stigers 03 Feb, 2016
mardi gras means something different to everyone. a state holiday, a day to party, a modern piece of history, a week of parades, a family event. I guess you could say that how you imagine mardi gras is most likely a reflection of your background in some way or another. What do you see it as?
By katrina stigers 09 Jan, 2016
  What do you believe? Today I’m not here to change how you see the world or what you believe in, I’m simply here to explain a few facts I have come by, your opinion is up to you.
So first, what is cloning? Cloning is replicate (a fragment of DNA placed in an organism) so that there is enough to analyze or use in protein production. Which basically means to clone something is to copy their DNA to do it.

  At the moment only animals have successfully been cloned, one example of this is Dolly the sheep. In 1997 scientists successfully cloned a sheep with stem cell research methods. That opened up a whole new door of possibilities. At this point, given the research and resources, sources say human cloning could be a possibility in the next year or so.

  At this point you may be asking “but even if it is possible with our technology advances, is it ethnically right?” That is a VERY good question. Cloning is not merely copying a person from their DNA and making another one of them, it is so much more! Imagine you are a solider and lost a limb in war, or you are infertile, or even blind, cloning is or that can study your DNA, find out what happened, or if you’re the guy with no arm, it can grow you another arm. How cool would it be if you went blind in your 20’s and scientists made you knew eyes and you could see again? Isn’t that worth it?

  Another factor of this speech is the legal aspect, in 97 when dolly was a success, people basically got scared of the potential future, by 98 human cloning was almost banned, but it wasn’t in America and we are so thankful, it is however illegal in a few states. Do you think human cloning should be illegal? What if cloning was banned when it would cure cancer in the future? That’s a possibility. It also has the potential for age renewal, imagine being 60 and getting your 25 year old body again. Or back to the blind man, is it right to deny him the right to see gain?

  While on the subject I have to cover the dangers, there are dangers, but every success came with failure,

  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I’m not trying to sway yours, but I hope I did at least show you cloning from an angle, perhaps you never thought about or considered before. What’s your take on cloning? Do you think its right? Can you see the beauty and potential in this work of genetics?

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By katrina stigers 27 Sep, 2016

            As I sat in my first animation related college class at Cowley College and listened to the teacher go over the syllabus, I couldn’t believe I was actually here. Learning more about hobbies I have and how to turn them into a career. Achieving literacy in art and animation has been a long, hard work filled journey, but it’s totally worth it.

            Growing up I was surrounded by extremely talented people. My Mom for instance, never went to any kind of art school, but I remember being amazed at the things she would draw. Then there were my brothers, both were fantastic at violin. Being around them all the time inspired me to find whatever I could be my best at. I wanted to be as talented as they were. Through middle school I tried an art class and a music class. I enjoyed the art class but didn’t think about it much after it was over. I did fairly well in the music class as well. I actually auditioned and was accepted into the south Kansas symphony when I was 13 but I just didn’t enjoy it like my brothers did and I stopped playing as consistently. Finally in my senior year of high school I needed one more creative credit so I took art again. That’s when I fell in love with art.

            After high school, I knew I wanted to go to college eventually but I didn’t want to pay for it until I knew exactly what I wanted to go for. I remembered a bucket list I had made a while back and decided to take a break from school and chase those crazy dreams. I packed up anything that would fit in my car, quit my job, and started driving. When I left I knew I liked New Orleans, and I also knew I wanted to see beaches. Somehow I ended up in Daytona Beach, Florida with high ambitions to live as an artist.

            When I first arrived I was terrified. I wasn’t sure how I could actually make it. I wasn’t sure where to start so, since my parents are pastors, I went to a church to meet locals. After the sermon, I met the pastor and we instantly clicked. She began introducing me to the congregation, and I met some of the most amazing people there. Through them I met my roommate and through my roommate I found my eventual employer. The people from my church also pointed me in the direction of a place called “The Hub” and that’s where things started taking off.

            The Hub is basically an art gallery with a twist. It rents out a small studio for artists to work on, and sell their art to people that come to admire. The people in the The Hub taught me how to sell art on the streets in Orlando and Miami, and also told me when all the art shows were and how to get tables at them. Through The Hub I also met a character designer of Disney’s. He was sitting alone at a table, sketching. I walked over nervously, curiosity driving me to find out what he did for a living. When I asked, he told me who he was. There are steps of character designs. He created the mock up sketches of characters, then passed them on. He asked who I was and asked if I wanted to help him develop a few characters. Of course, I agreed. He taught me the process of how to draw them. He also showed me how to put together a portfolio that animation companies would be more likely to hire, and how to network correctly. I didn’t have a direction with my art until then. While working with him, I learned what I enjoyed most. That’s when I chose a career path.

            After spending so much time learning from that character designer I decided I did need school for what I wanted to do, and was finally ready. I began looking at schools, first in Florida, because I loved it there, but I couldn’t find a school that offered what I needed for less than $40,000 a year. I wasn’t prepared to pay that much. Then, I remembered Cowley and its graphic design program. After a long debate with myself about leaving the sunshine state I finally decided to apply to Cowley, and that brings me to where I am now. Literate in art and working on becoming literate in computer graphics.

            After community college, I plan to go for my bachelors, double majoring in animation and social media marketing. There are a few schools I’m looking into. I am attending a summer course at the London’s School of Liberal Arts. But after Cowley, I’m looking at Cal Arts in Los Angeles, New York’s School of Visual Arts in the city, and of course the London school I mentioned. I haven’t decided yet though. I also haven’t decided if I want to get a master’s somewhere or not. I’ll decide down the road. My ultimate goal is to either work for Pixar DreamWorks, or to work for the CIA. I’m not kidding. That’s the overall journey of how I became literate in art. As I said before, Achieving literacy in art and animation has been a long, hard work filled journey, but it’s been totally worth it.

�' �:<9�Gb
By katrina stigers 03 Feb, 2016
mardi gras means something different to everyone. a state holiday, a day to party, a modern piece of history, a week of parades, a family event. I guess you could say that how you imagine mardi gras is most likely a reflection of your background in some way or another. What do you see it as?
By katrina stigers 09 Jan, 2016
  What do you believe? Today I’m not here to change how you see the world or what you believe in, I’m simply here to explain a few facts I have come by, your opinion is up to you.
So first, what is cloning? Cloning is replicate (a fragment of DNA placed in an organism) so that there is enough to analyze or use in protein production. Which basically means to clone something is to copy their DNA to do it.

  At the moment only animals have successfully been cloned, one example of this is Dolly the sheep. In 1997 scientists successfully cloned a sheep with stem cell research methods. That opened up a whole new door of possibilities. At this point, given the research and resources, sources say human cloning could be a possibility in the next year or so.

  At this point you may be asking “but even if it is possible with our technology advances, is it ethnically right?” That is a VERY good question. Cloning is not merely copying a person from their DNA and making another one of them, it is so much more! Imagine you are a solider and lost a limb in war, or you are infertile, or even blind, cloning is or that can study your DNA, find out what happened, or if you’re the guy with no arm, it can grow you another arm. How cool would it be if you went blind in your 20’s and scientists made you knew eyes and you could see again? Isn’t that worth it?

  Another factor of this speech is the legal aspect, in 97 when dolly was a success, people basically got scared of the potential future, by 98 human cloning was almost banned, but it wasn’t in America and we are so thankful, it is however illegal in a few states. Do you think human cloning should be illegal? What if cloning was banned when it would cure cancer in the future? That’s a possibility. It also has the potential for age renewal, imagine being 60 and getting your 25 year old body again. Or back to the blind man, is it right to deny him the right to see gain?

  While on the subject I have to cover the dangers, there are dangers, but every success came with failure,

  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I’m not trying to sway yours, but I hope I did at least show you cloning from an angle, perhaps you never thought about or considered before. What’s your take on cloning? Do you think its right? Can you see the beauty and potential in this work of genetics?

By katrina stigers 09 Jan, 2016
1. Who were the Amazon Warrior Women?
The amazons were a group of warrior woman who hated men.

2.   Where are references to the Amazons found?
The references found were the works of the Greek historian Herodotus, written around the 5th century B.C., the steppes of southern Russia comes from excavations of burial sites of the Sauromatian culture dating from the 6th to the 4th century B.C.

3.   What evidence is there that the Amazons may have existed in real life?
There is evidence of them existing from Russia, they had graves and such there with warrior woman, and their belongings that showed they were most likely nomadic and were skilled in battle and weaponry.

4.   What was found at the burial site in southern Europe?
Grave goods were found at the burial site.

5. Who was Calamity Jane? What is known about the real Calamity Jane?
Calamity Jane was an orphan who grew up in a hard neighborhood, she knew how to make a few easy bucks but wouldn’t be satisfied as a prostitute, she cross dressed and picked up a gun. She had a drinking problem and cursed more than men but she was a sharp shooter, she became famous for her skills and was thought of as a hero by some.

6. What are the trademarks of Calamity Jane? What were some of the tall tales, rumors, or legends that were told about Calamity Jane?
One of the tall tales told about calamity Jane was that she had a romance with James bickkock.

7. How did the dime novels influence the legend of Calamity Jane?
The dime novel introduced her character, and helped show her for who she really was.

8. Even in her day, there were many tall tales surrounding Calamity Jane. What made her a good subject for the tall tales? Why did she become a celebrity of sorts?
She became a celebrity of sorts because she was in a way, almost the first Trans gender thing, she was a sharp shooter, and demanded the same rights and respect that men got.

9. Compare and contrast Calamity Jane with the women warriors discussed in the unit. How is Calamity Jane like these mythical women? How is she different?
Calamity is similar to the warrior woman because she had skills and could defend herself and others just like the others, and she was thought of as a hero by some. Although they were different because calamity because they generally were.t alcoholics or things like that.

By katrina stigers 01 Jan, 2016
 Romania is a European country about in the middle. you'll be glad that crime is extremely low here so you don't have to worry if you take a solo vacation on your own, the cost of hotels is extremely reasonable as well. there aren't as many chain ones but the local ones are fairly priced ins.
 trivia fact about Romania is Dracula castle or bram castle is thought to be the inspiration for Dracula! you can tour the castle as well, check it out, maybe it;ll inspire you to buy a book as well!
 Romania is near Germany and other countries so Dracula castle isn't the only castle. it's one of a billion (I'm adding slight exaggeration of course) so rest assured, if you can't make it to see this master piece, there's shore to be a castle in visiting range near you.
 Aside from the castles there tons and tons of forest to explore, lakes to hike around, and small villages with locals to meet.
 Romania is one of the finest European countries to visit.
By katrina stigers 01 Jan, 2016
  Do you recall phrases like, “It’s raining cats and dogs outside”? Well obviously when you heard these type of phrases it wasn’t really raining animals, it was a play on words.
  Similarly, songs like “It’s raining men” obviously, it wasn’t really raining men, that to be an exaggeration of sorts, but have you ever wondered if it could rain animals? That’s right, don’t push that thought away too quickly, it might sound crazy but there have been reports through times where it has indeed rained animals.
  Not only did it rain animals, but it rained animals that couldn’t fly, or even walk, one of the most common type of animals to be rained are fish or other aquatic life.
  One hypothesis to explain this phenomenon is a water spout. Essentially a water spout (kind of like a tornado over the water) picks up fish, or frogs and carries them several miles before dropping them to the ground, this theory, however, has not been witnessed by scientists.
  In the case of bird’s rains, the most likely cause is heavy winds and harsh storms may overcome a flock amidst migration, causing their plummeting to the ground.
  It’s still somewhat a mystery to scientists, but at least they no longer just excuse it as not happening.
  As well as it happening in real life, there are seven games, books, amines, litature, television, movies, and mythological stories, there’s even one anime in which the main character was a hero with the power of controlling the weather and the ability to make it rain fish, spiders, and frogs.
  Makes you wonder what other odd scientific unexplained phenomenon’s there are.

By katrina stigers 01 Jan, 2016
  Take it as obvious but we live in a world where chances are companies find your content or your company through search engines or other online forums,
  That shows how important it is to have a strong presentation of it. This means, create a great reputation, easily shareable content, well set up communication, easily found content.
  The following five ways will help you build the reputation and credibility online.

1. - Keep it up to date

  Your website is the FIRST place people go when researching their brand,
  Make sure the basics of your website are set up without any defaults. Once you’ve made sure the basics of your website are spotless you can add extra features as you like.
  Bios are wonderful, people really like companies who show off their team. Also along the lines of bios, writing bios of your employees, humanizes your brand. A strong bio has their name, profession, experience, their expertise. Don’t forget the individual talents, career highlights, awards, outstanding achievements, and hobbies that add to your personality image. Make sure to add a picture as well.
  Keep your website up to date, and with an extensive bio page. It’ll help legitimize your page.
2. - create a company blog
  A company blog can do more than just increase your visibility in search engines; it can also drive traffic to your site and is a good way to build relationships with your customers. But perhaps most importantly, a company blog can position your team as an industry leader. For instance if your head of marketing is continuously providing insights into the latest industry trends, that provides your company with both authority and exposure.
  Along with blogging, don’t forget to make social media marketing and keep that active as well!

3. – online reviews

  People trust reviews about as much as they do personal recommendation. Showing your companies’ reviews on your website is a great way to create positive experiences right off the bat. Obviously you don’t want to show all bad ones, focus on the good ones. The more positive reviews you can get, the better it’ll balance out the negative ones you might get in the future. After all, they say it takes 10 positive to equal 1 negative.
The best way to get more positive reviews for your business is to treat your customers with respect on and offline -- it will be reflected in the online feedback. In addition, make sure it’s easy for people to write a review on your website, and advertise the fact that you would like to hear from your customers. Consider putting a call to action in your email signature, on your website or even on a sign in your store’s window.

4. – social media

Not only do social Medias like Facebook and YouTube rank highly in searches and search engines, they’re also a great pay to push your content out there. Make a YouTube channel with videos about your project, make a Facebook and twitter account for it to update on the simpler things, make an Instagram to post cool pics representing it, and so on. This can bring in a lot more traffic to your site as well. If you’re doing something newsworthy, make sure your customers know about it! Sharing recent press, upcoming events or notable company announcements over social media is a great way to illustrate that your company is active and relevant.
Bottom line: The more social media sites your company is on, the more of its search results you control.

5. Don’t ignore your personal brand

If you develop your personal brand the same way you develop your company’s brand, you’ll have even more visibility and influence over your business’s search results. In many cases, especially when your business is still starting up, your name will be Googled more than your company’s name. It’s important, then, for potential investors, clients and employees to find a positive representation of you online. Your online reputation can be the thing that makes or breaks your business.

By katrina stigers 30 Dec, 2015
 Giethoorn is known as the Venice of the Netherlands
 The village was founded by a group of fugitives from the Mediterranean region around AD 1230. It became well known in 1958 when it was featured in the film Fanfare, made by Dutch filmmaker Bert Haanstra.
 The bridges are entirely made from wood and canal tours are popular with tourists.
 The farm houses date clear back to the 18th hundreds
 Located in the province of Overijssel, there are 4 miles of canals
By katrina stigers 28 Dec, 2015
 Dublin natives or "Dubliners" speak "Dublinease" which is a mixture of Dublin slang and curse words. for instance, "I'm on the lash" translates to "I'm out drinking"
 Dublin or “Dubh Linn” is an Old Irish Gaelic phrase that translates to “Black Pool”.
 Dublin was founded by Vikings, who settled in what they called the “Norse Kingdom of Dublin” in the 9th century.
 Dublin has the youngest population in all of Europe. Approximately 50-percent of the population is less than 25-years of age.
 The City of Dublin contains 666 licensed pubs—and the legal drinking age is 18!
 Dublin’s oldest known pub is the Brazen Head, established in 1198 AD as a coach house.
 Ireland’s National Treasure is “The Book of Kells”, a sacred manuscript, which consists of the Four Gospels of the New Testament. The beautiful, gold book was made by Celtic Monks around 800 AD, and today lies in the Trinity College Library.
By katrina stigers 26 Dec, 2015
 Bray (Irish: Bré, meaning "hill", formerly Brí Chualann) is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,872 making it the ninth largest urban area in Ireland at the 2011 census. ( https://www.google.com/search?q=population+of+bray+ireland&biw=1352&bih=609&source=lnms&... -wikepedia)
 Bray is 19 km south of Dublin Ireland, while Dublin is extremely historic, Bray is a much more urban place. both are successful but each have different feels, if you're in the area I suggest you visit both, there's SO much culture to learn about these two places.
 The population might not be extremely high but they do get a lot of tourists, and it is in ireland so don't expect the climate to e hot.

 bray has all kinds of things Dublin doesn't though, some might say quorkes. for instance According to local legislation, anyone who didn’t have their 21st birthday in the function room of the martello is not really from Bray – and is thus subject to ejection from the town by means of a catapult operated by King of Bray Mick Glynn.
 They have an aquarium with a sea food restaurant upstairs? Some might call that strange but don't judge it until you try it!
 A mountain with a cross on top.
 A Chinese takeaway called Soon Fatt.. Yes really.
 The fanciest McDonalds in the world, and so many, MANY more, not to mention scenery that will blow your socks off.
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