Oh Hey David Carr!

Last Friday, I managed to experience a day in the life of one of North America's most popular and successful newspapers!

Well sort of....

My fellow CreCommers and I made our way down the streets of the Exchange District to the Cinematheque (amazing might I add). We checked out a great documentary about the New York Times: Page One - Inside The New York Times.

Page One examines the collision of two worlds; newspapers and the easy access of the media news. The need for news is not dying, the way we access it however, is changing. We find information with the simple click of a mouse at any hour of any day from computers, smart phones, tablets and so on. This is incredibly damaging for the newspaper industry as we are less inclined to purchase print press. Many people feel 'why pay, when i can get it for free', which i must admit I am guilty of this at times. The larger issue is that we also live in a time where we need to be more environmentally conscious. Earth's resources are depleting at an increasingly alarming rate and we need to be more aware and proactive. Which is a whole other issue that I am sure I will touch on at some point during my blogging adventures. (I used to maintain a blog regarding environtal issues- kind of important to my heart).


This documentary will certainly open viewers eyes around the world to the bigger issues of news and the way it's changing and what this means for the newspaper industry. The New York Times could slowly come to an end as they have already made drastic staff cuts due to lower sales and revenue. Which raises the next concern: investigative journalism may come to and end as well.

I am a big time documentary lover, so I was very excited to watch this doc. I enjoyed it and I learned something valuable. It made me think thoughtfully about this issue facing journalism today. I also thought that it kind of dragged on near the end, I may have even dozed off for a few minutes. All in all though, I did really like it. It was really cool to see behind the scenes of Times newspaper and how everything is put together.

Wow David Carr!! My hat goes off to you- you are a fascinating man!! Kind of wanna go for coffee with him and have a chit chat! He without a doubt added to the entertainment factor in a massive way. His hoarse voice mixed with his foul mouth and brass attitude was actually refreshing! I liked his interaction with people, he didn't beat around the bush and he certainly doesn't follow the rules when it comes to manners and common courtesies. Also note worthy: He is an ex drug addict and single father of two girls- now working for New York Times. Impressive.

Check out the trailer... then check it out in the theatre with a bag of popcorn and some friends.

Introducing.... Angels Gate!

As mentioned in my first blog post, i have assumed the challenge of consuming wine weekly and alphabetically. By alphabetically, I mean that I will be choosing a bottle or glass of wine based on its label and it must run orderly. I will be starting with the letter A,  gradually making my way down to Z.

I've spent 11 years working in the service industry and thought it would be kind of fun to incorporate what I love doing each week into by my blog. I have spent the past 6 years bar tending, both in a restaurant/lounge and in a night club. The easy route would have been for me to choose cocktails and liquor as this is the area I feel the most confident in. However, as a first year CreComm student I am experiencing things that challenge me daily and I want to embrace every opportunity that comes my way. Don't get me wrong, I do understand wine and I love it.... but, of the two, I haven't explored wine quite as explicitly. This blog will encourage me to try new things and to keep an open mind and to push myself further in educating myself even further into the world of wine!





 The other aspect of this blog that excites me is that most wine enjoying involves a special function, or sometimes I just like to relax and share the evening chatting with a glass of wine with someone special. Whatever the case may be, I intend on sharing all the dirty details of whatever it is that my date with alpha wine entails!! There's lot's going on in our incredible city these days, so I'm sure there will be plenty to report on.

Which brings me to my very first wine post!! Please give a warm welcome to... the letter A!! I selected Angels Gate for my very first post. Angels Gate is a winery located in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada and it is a Gewurztraminer. Two things were appealing about this, I love Gewurztraminer wine and I also loved that it was Canadian for my first post. I found this bottle at our friendly Osbourne Village MLCC at an affordable price of $16.99. I tend to stick around the $12-$14 range for the most part but I was going out for my birthday with girlfriends so I figured I'd toss in a few more dollars in honour of me getting old and for beginning my blog journey!

My friend Liz and I opened Angels Gate before heading to Red Cactus a few weeks ago. We decided that this wine tastes floral and fruity. But, more floral than fruity. Which is important in terms of taste for wine as fruity can mean sweet or acidic depending on what kind of fruity flavours it is. This isn't as sweet at some Gewurztraminer wines that I've had. It is very light tasting and smooth. This would be a great choice for someone who is new to drinking wine and would be paired well with some chicken or white fish!

Feel free to send me your suggestions for B, or any other letter for that matter! Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

tamara

Tweet Tweet!!

I am slowly becoming a social media whiz. I was simply faking it before. We set up our blogs last week, and this week we also set up our Linked In and Twitter accounts. I must admit, that I am extremely excited to get my blog rolling. I don't want to think of it as me slacking, but I do plan on maintaining my blog-baby more often because I do believe that the blogging world is really cool, informative and fun! It's also my mission to learn a few tricks to make my blog cooler than it already is!! ;)

I've had a Twitter account for two years, but I had no idea what to do with it. I started following a few people and slowly started tweeting a wee bit a few weeks before school started. However, I still had essentially no idea how to navigate through Twitter and use it to its fullest. Thank you Melanie for the very informative Twitter 101 class this week!! I would hear of 'hash tags' and had no idea what this meant in the tweeting world. I am not completely confident with Twitter just yet, but it's certainly coming along!

I think Twitter is an incredible tool for staying informed on many levels. It's so helpful to obtain valuable updates and information as it happens regarding news headlines, both locally and around the globe. I also think it is pretty dang cool that I can follow any celeb I want and get to see a a little glimpse of what they're up to. I thought it was cheesy at first to admit this; but I do think it's quite rad.

It's also really cool to follow me.... so feel free peeeez: http://twitter.com/#%21/tamara_adams

I'll keep you posted on my social media journey from time to time, especially when i find someone awesome that I think you guys should 'Follow', etc etc...


Until next time....
Much love everybody!

Birfday and Bloggin

Waves are crashing, water rippling against the sand... I'm almost certain I can smell freshly cut grass, and feel the cool breeze through the window of the cottage. The waves start crashing louder and louder, when they are interrupted by the blaring horn of a steamboat. My eyes slowly peel open, I look at the cold white walls, the closed window and realize: it's my alarm. The numbers on the clock read 5:45am and I am about to start my first week of Creative Communications at Red River.

My name is Tamara Adams, I'm 26 years young. I'm a Labour Day baby, so if you take a look at your calendar you will notice that my birthday just passed on September 5. This was a big day for me, someone told me that I had now entered my late 20's. I never thought about it like that. I like to think of it as my mid twenties; that's debatable though. I had a wonderful birthday at the lake with my boyfriend and his family. They threw me a little birthday party which overlooked Lake Winnipeg, which happens to be an amazing backdrop at sunset.

Dinner was exactly what i was craving and reminded me of my youth: cheeseburgers. My Oreo ice-cream cake was accompanied with my boyfriend Nicolas carrying out a roman candle. I wasn't sure where to even look: do I start with the amazing cake, the candle that is shooting something out that resembles fireworks, or the family choir singing so graciously for me? It was amazing. My vote is that roman candles should be mandatory for all outdoor birthday parties.

After dinner, we went inside the cabin to open cards and a few birthday presents where i received the funniest book called 'Simon's Cat', a beautiful scarf, avocado hand cream, and last but not least a gorgeous Michael Kors watch. The night was topped off by local, talented singer and songwriter Leanne Pearson selling tickets to a show that she is putting on at Park Theatre Oct.8. She spoiled us with a private show that included two cover songs, and an original that she wrote. She's incredible.

leannepearson.ca

I had my family birthday the next day which was much of the same, but with homemade pizza and a beautiful cake that my mother made for me. Brenda makes the best pizza in the city, and she certainly is a talented cake decorator. All in all I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. My nieces were there, my sisters, my parents and my boyfriend. Family and friends is what makes my heart skip a beat... what an incredible way to enter the next section of my 20's. Not to mention, a wonderful way to end a beautiful fun-filled summer.

One of my major assignments as a Cre Comm student is to maintain a blog. My blog will consist of strategically selecting a glass or bottle of wine in order of the alphabet. I'll provide a description of the wine I choose, why i chose it, the cost and where I found it. Naturally, most wine consumption occurs prior, during, and after special events. Or possibly a quiet evening at home to unwind, or maybe after a stressful day or week. The general rule of this blog is the abc's of wine connected with my life in the city and all things in between. My commitment is to introduce wine each week; when my brain is free from the stresses of school, my blogs will contain more about my week, life, and adventures. Winnipeg is a city with lot's of life and culture; which I intend on exploring thoroughly over time. My intention is to bring stories to my readers regarding the special events I attend, the wine i drink, and the moments with the special people that I share it with. If it's just been a tough week- I hope you don't mind me sharing the interesting parts of my day.

much love.
Tamara