Here’s my travel video from my trip to Austin! You have to watch it past the credits for the bloopers. It’s my favorite part. I also loved giving a country makeover to my friend Greg. What a fun city!
SD Version:
HD Version:
Tag Archives: cute
Austin Graffiti Park
It’s been a crazy few days in Austin, but I have to say I’ve really enjoyed it. One the highlights of the trip was the graffiti park. It’s free (which is great!) but you can also see some really great street art…
Seriously, where else would you see a giant snail-snake-deer Valentines day painting.
…and some really nice inspirational messages…
Love.
There was even some Doctor Who!!
It’s within walking distance of the downtown area, on Baylor Street near Lamar and 10th St. W. It’s definitely worth the visit.
Video: Doctor Who 11th Hour Panel
The Doctor Who 50th Celebration 11th Hour Panel. Day 1 with the Ice Warrior Group.
Part 1
Part 2
International Goodbyes
Saying “goodbye” can be awkward, because it’s hard to choose what the appropriate form of farewell is. In the US, you have three different options and that’s already too many.
Type 1 – If it’s family or good friends, you probably hug.
Type 2 – If it’s a more professional relationship or someone you just met, you might shake hands.
Type 3 – If it’s somewhere in between those, you might bring out the awkward wave (my personal favorite).
Travelers tend to meet a lot of people. They could be your roommates, people you met out in the common area of a hostel or at some social event. You could have been with them as little as one breakfast sitting, or maybe they’ve been your “explore the city buddy” for the past few days. You’ve exchanged emails or are now Facebook BFFs and are about to head your separate ways. As I said previously, I already have three possible goodbye options, but I’m really in trouble when traveling internationally. For instance, Dutch people kiss three times alternating cheeks. Hispanic people often do the same, but only twice. It has also become trendy, in some places, to say hello and goodbye with one cheek kiss. Other cultures value their personal space and don’t want touching to be involved at all.
I have an outstanding ability to be clumsy and awkward whenever possible, so that’s just too easy of a set up for something embarrassing to happen. When someone steps towards you to say bye, are they coming in for a hug or a predetermined set of cheek kisses? How many cheek kisses? On what side do you start the cheek kissing process? You know the awkward dance people do when they’re passing in a hallway and they keep trying to let the other one pass? Then it turns into some sort of really klutzy waltz. Now imagine that in even closer range, but with only your faces as you try to kiss the other persons cheek. It’s the stuff of nightmares.
Can someone with more authority than I possess please come up with some sort of internationally accepted, general goodbye?? I suppose it couldn’t hurt to just ask, “How do they typically say goodbye where you’re from?” but that’s just too sensible.
Am I the only one who’s felt this way before?? Tell me your stories!
Photographing the Terrible Twos
I recently did a maternity photo shoot for a friend and discovered (for the second time) how difficult it is to get a two year old to cooperate for pictures. Here are a few things that I learned that helped make the whole process run a little more smoothly.
1. Prioritize.
They are over posing for pictures pretty quickly. If there are any cute ideas that you were really wanting to try, get them out of the way immediately or they probably won’t happen.
2. Aperture.
See this picture ^^^ ? It looks like the little guy is happy and laughing, but he’s actually screaming… and this was only about 10 minutes into the shoot. Oh, boy. Use aperture and focus to hide that grumpy face.
3. Improvise!
Try taking pictures while they’re doing something they enjoy. You might end up with a little boy riding around on a 4-wheeler in 90% of the pictures, but at least he’ll be smiling.
4. Wardrobe!
One of the benefits to photographing a two year old, is that they are almost always adorable, even just walking across the yard. You can take plenty of cute candid shots that look great. If that two year old is wearing a shirt that says something like, “Big Brother.” Bam. That makes it part of a pregnancy shoot.
5. Patience.
Take breaks and alternate between poses with the whole family and ones that just have the parents or mom. This way, the youngin’ can run around a little bit.
So, that’s what I learned last weekend. It was an adventure. If you want to see the rest of the photos, check out my Facebook page!
World Travel Market Preparations: Business Cards
Only a little over a month remains until the London 2013 World Travel Market. I have my press pass, the hostel is booked, plane tickets are purchased and now I have my business cards! I used moo.com, and it was really such a great experience. I used the “Great Escapes” Template. I loved the color scheme and layout on the front, and on the back, you can choose 5 of your own photos that will alternate on the cards…
*There isn’t actually a blank space under “Two Thumbs Travels”, I just figured the internet isn’t the best place to display my personal cell phone.
You can use the photos on the back as a mini photography portoflio, like I did with the New York and Key West Photos, or have photos of yourself to make them remember you, like the skydiving and paddle-boarding shots…. or you can have a picture of your cat, just because you can…
Anyway, the cards are made really well. They’re not flimsy and cheap feeling, like cards I had previously purchased from a large office supply retail chain. I also love the matte finish and rounded corners, but there are many other options also. Plus, they come in a really cute little black box so you can carry them around and not get them damaged or lost.
The shipping was incredibly fast too. I ordered them on September 15th and the confirmation said they would arrive by September 25th. This is why I was fairly surprised when they came in the mail only 5 days after I placed the order and 5 days before they were due to arrive.
I wanted the cards to look professional, but stand out with a little humor (Cat Lady) and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I highly recommend moo.com for not only business cards, but all kinds of promotional materials. Go check out their website!
For live updates on all upcoming events (World Travel Market, Doctor Who 50th Celebration, Cats), don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Vine and Instagram @CorneliaJoy.
Side notes: I would like to point out that I know the scratches on my desk are terrible and I will be refurbishing and posting about it as soon as time allows. Also, I will only have 8 weeks of class left for my B.A.S. after the WTM, but it would be a huge waste of money hassle to make these and then have to order new ones 8 weeks later, so I decided to include it on there already. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone!
Dogs can be cute too…
Happy Wednesday! You’re half way through the week!
My 100th Post, Bucket Lists and Doctor Who
This my 100th post! Already! My goodness, how time flies. With this 100th post, I have a very exciting update, at least it’s exciting to me… I am going to the 50th Anniversary Celebration in London for Doctor Who! One of the nerdiest sentences I have ever written, but I am not ashamed! I don’t follow many TV shows, but I can’t get enough of Doctor Who. Maybe it’s because of the accents… Anyway, continuing on from my Bucket List Item #218 I have a few more quotes to add to my list. Here’s the Doctor Who edition…
(New York City, near Lady Liberty)
(New York City, Little Italy)
(Switzerland, near Wengen)
(Key West)
(Key West)
(Bradenton, Fl)
Whether you watch Doctor Who or not, those are some great quotes!
Kitten Crazy Level: Plastic Wrap
I’ve been a little silent recently because I’ve had a monumental amount of school work. Recently though, I was able to make a trip to Ikea (love that place!) to buy some mattresses. Their mattresses come in impossibly tight rolls covered in plastic. I ended up with four pieces of plastic and a large blue tarp, from the box spring, all in one big pile. For most people, that’s just a big pile of garbage. For Kitten, that is heaven. Crazy, Cross-eyed Heaven. So to apologize for my absence, I give you a few pictures of my immensely adorable Kitten…
Just. Tired.
Forget “Happy as a pig in mud.” Now it’s “Happy as a Kitten with plastic.”
Happy Friday Everyone!
Thank you to my Auntie Jette for showing me this video! It’s one of the funniest cat videos I have seen!… and trust me, I have seen A LOT…
Two Thumbs 