Moving Out!

Well everyone, let me just say that I am the kind of person who once in awhile needs a change of scenery. This change has come this time to the blog. That's right...All That Glitters has a new home and a new name! You can follow it on Bloglovin here.

Obviously I am going to keep this blog here just because I can't transfer ALL of my content to the new site and I like to reference myself here and there :) I hope that you will all follow Sunday Brunch!!

<3 Ashley

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Guilty!

Image: here 

By now I am sure that you have seen the 5-minute video "Look Up" that has made a few bloggers (at least in my blogroll!) take a step back and think about social media, how they use it, and HOW OFTEN they use it. It certainly did that for me! If you haven't seen the video, please take 5-minutes now and do yourself that favorite and check it out here.

It is truly amazing how often a person can be caught looking down at a screen, not paying attention to what's going on around them. It's also amazing how much we miss when doing this! As a blogger, I know that I am so very guilty of constantly checking my email on my phone to see if I have any new comments, or how when silence hits when I am with someone my go-to move is to whip out my phone and see what is happening on Facebook or Twitter. How did I let this happen to myself??? I don't know about you, but I do think that it is a problem that personal, face-to-face conversation is not what it used to be!

This video did make an impact on how I view technology and social media. I have made a few promises to myself, not to completely cut it out because that is nearly impossible but to limit my use of it. For one, I have deleted Twitter and Facebook apps from my phone. That is the worst right there--having those apps with you on the go ensures that you are pretty much connected 24/7. This also limits how often I look down at my screen in order to combat a silence in a conversation...now I actually have to talk! Now the blog. I obviously love blogging! But it does take up some time. Here's my compromise. Once...only one part of the day will I dedicate to the blog and blog-related activities. Everything will be done in the morning with my morning cup. The rest of the day is blog-free.

If everyone takes steps to limit their tech and social media use and takes sometime to look up we can learn that we don't need to rely on it so much to entertain us and get us through the day. There is so much else around us that we have not paid much attention to that can do that job instead!

<3 Ashley

Have you seen the video? What are your thoughts? Does it change how you view social media and technology?

Also...anyone else see the irony in the post following a post devoted to my Pinterest addiction?? It's a process people! One step at a time.

Gimme That Feedback

 

I promise to pay attention to all...this was just too funny!  

"New year, new me." <--- This is what I've been hearing constantly around this floor. Everyone has vowed to change for the better. The new year has not only caused me to think about making personal changes, but also changes to the blog--what better time to do it, right? So what I want to know is what have you liked about this blog, what would you like to see more of? Any design tips? Fill up the comments with your feedback! It's always appreciated!

<3 Ashley

Freshman Survival Tips

Summer officially started on Friday and is now in full swing (hello, 91 degrees!) I then realized that I have about 2 months before I move back to Pitt. With that in mind, I also remember agreeing to requests to write a post with my own tips for surviving the first year of college. I know from reading a few of the blogposts in my feed that some of you are indeed about to embark on some awesome collegiate adventures. 

I decided to go for a different setting completely: from rural to busy urban. Considering just this little bit of information we jump into my first tip....

1. Get to know the area fairly well. The reality is unless you're attending school near home and have no need to live on campus, you're living in a new and strange place for approximately 8 mos. a year on your own. My friends and I often took walks around the campus after classes to see where any interesting cafés, restaurants and shops might be. We've made lots of amazing discoveries that way. On the weekends we would take a bus to some of the cool areas around Oakland--Downtown, SouthSide and Shadyside have seen us many, many times. Sometimes when it's nice we walk to Shadyside because it is close enough.

2. Keep your eye on the bulletin boards around campus. Head over to the student union and see if there are any fun activities going on for you to participate in. Local and campus bands will put up signs for any upcoming shows. Volunteer opportunities and late night fun for party scene non-members are also posted.

3. No need to feel the pressure. Whether you believe it or not, we are all semi-mature adults now. You will run into some activities that you have not had to confront yet, but you don't need to fear any horrible judgement from friends if you don't participate in them. I can honestly say that I have not once felt pressured to do anything and I assure you...they are still friends with me. :)

4. Go to class! Unless you are carrying a deadly disease and absolutely need to be quarantined I suggest showing up in class. You can get away with 2-3 absences in smaller classes...use those wisely and at your own discretion. It is definitely easier to not show up to big lectures but you also losing a bulk of the information that, if your luck is anything like mine, will most definitely be on the test. There were some people that I saw on the first day of lecture and didn't see again until the final exam. How they even took the test confidently is beyond my comprehension! Be responsible!

 5. Embrace any "you time" that comes your way. I used to be really weird about doing things on my own, but that changed this past year. Chances are your schedule is very different from your friends' schedules and you will have to combat a lot of lonely evenings and weekends alone while they are studying for that horrid Bio test everyone is complaining about (I'm not in any science related major so this happened to me a lot!) or are in evening classes and you've finished with any work or studying you have. I would take evening runs, dine out (yes, alone!) and even took an awesome Saturday trip to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History all by myself to take in some wonderful art and let my inner 7 year old boy enjoy the dinosaurs. I used it as time to take care of what I really wanted to do and focus on my own thoughts.

**Updated

6. The workload. This differs from major to major. I am a Communication major also working on a history minor and a writing certificate. Those classes take up most of my schedule, but since I am in a liberal arts school I have to do general education requirements as well. I always start studying for tests at least 3 days before the exam (there is such a thing as studying too hard; my high school Spanish teacher told us that) I usually write outlines or make flash cards. I find for me that writing things down and reading them outloud help me memorize information. In terms of papers most of mine have been 5 pages and we were given 1-2 week notice on those assignments. All I can say is prioritize and commit! Write an outline if it helps and organize your thoughts. They quicker you attack things and get them done, the better; you can avoid the stress and getting bogged down!

I hope that at least one of these tips inspires you as you begin this new journey. It really isn't as scary as some people might have you believe, but it does put you at a new level of responsibility i.e. getting yourself up, well fed, and on your way to class.

Any other tips? Anything I forgot to address? Any Pitt students who want something more specific? :)

<3 Ashley

A Little More Positivity

Photo: here

Good morning everybody! 

Once again we find ourselves waking up to Wednesday and seeing another weekend on the horizon. The purpose of today's post is my attitude as of late. I think I've been really negative and maybe a little lazy and grouchy these past few weeks. I've been thinking a lot about work lately since some changes occurred that stressed me out a little bit. The thing is...it shouldn't be stressing me out. I'm the kind of person that let's something worry them and then continues to worry about it. I have a constant lump in my throat. 

But I have decided that this summer is only going to get more and more miserable if I keep up this frame of mind. So here's what I am going to do: since writing comes easier than talking to me I am going to start journaling again. Anytime I feel overwhelmed or worried about something I am going to write it down, close the book and leave it at that. I am going to wake up every morning and remember that it's a new day and yesterday's issues are not my problem today. I'm also going to make the most of the summer and find motivation to do more and make more plans (albeit evening plans but still...)

How do you keep a positive attitude?

<3 Ashley

Little Changes

Hey all!

Just wanted to do a little side announcement today. If you haven't noticed, the blog has and will be changing little by little as the days pass. In just a few months All That Glitters will be coming up on it's first birthday. I am working--slowly but surely--to make improvements here and there where I see fit. I am very much open to suggestions that you think would work for my blog and make it just a little bit more successful.

Currently changes that I have made include small things like font changes, color scheme and more noticeable widgets like the "You May Also Like..." underneath each post and comments using Disqus (so that those who do not have Google/Blogger accounts may also comment if they would like. I am working to make this more accessible for people.

Any feedback?!

<3 Ashley

Style Culture

Good morning! (At least it's morning now...I'm sure that when I finally hit the publish button it will be well into the evening.) I figured I would start writing this one at the crack of dawn since I have a total of four classes today, three of which occur one after the other. I am interested to see how I get from the 23rd floor of one building to the 4th floor of another in 10 minutes.

Anyway, my class schedule is not the topic of today's entry but rather style evolution. It's something that I have been thinking about pretty often the past few days and thought the topic fit well with the New Year; you know...new year, new you, new style. As I have been putting my closet on a diet and looking for newer items to add to it I have marveled at how my taste has evolved in just 365 days. Colors and shapes that intrigued me last years baffle me now.

One thing that I learned in my communication class this semester (two days in and I am learning things already!) is that culture has to change and adapt in order to thrive and keep going. Now, our closets may not be a widely practiced culture, but the same thought can be applied. In order to maintain excitement and a fresh appeal we must change; it's inevitable. We may not notice right away, but with closer examination we can look at ourselves in the past few years and see how our own personal styles have evolved I look back and see the slightly hippie stage I went through, the '70s glam inspired pieces that do work their way into outfits now, the sky-high heels that did not make it through homecoming, and the comfier pieces that I tend toward a lot more now.

The moral of the story is: think about how you and your closet have evolved. Which styles have survived and which ones have gone extinct?

<3 Ashley

How has your style changed over the long term or even the short term?