Newport/Narragansett/Wakefield: Finals and Holiday Shopping (cont.)

Officially halfway done with finals! I had the Macroeconomics exam Thursday, French exam today, and completed my Magazine Feature Writing article. Next week, I have Narratives of Desire (19th century French Literature of Paris) Monday night, Cross-Cultural Psychology Tuesday afternoon, and a final essay for Horror Films due before Wednesday.

I'm not going to lie, it's been hard trying not to mentally shut down from this crazy semester...

After completing my French exam today, I went out to buy stuff to make my friends' holiday gifts. I tried really hard to buy exclusively local this season, but my broke-girl budget forced me to do otherwise. For the most part, though, I did a decent job trying to stick to "green" gift giving--I gave my friends jars of Fair Trade "drinking chocolate" and Ghiradelli dark chocolate peppermint bark squares. I bought the Fair Trade sipping chocolate, by Dagoba Organic Chocolate,  from A Market in Newport. Then, I re-purposed thoroughly sanitized small pasta jars to scoop some powder into each jar.

Source: shop.dagobachocolate.com via Mia on Pinterest

Source: ghirardelli.com via Mia on Pinterest

One of the challenges I faced making the gift was not so much making it, but finding stuff that was both budget-friendly and sustainable. I love ornate packaging and thoughtful gift-wrapping, yet it is not ethically conscious--it requires a lot of paper and plastic.

Source: Uploaded by user via Mia on Pinterest

I used Hallmark tissue paper, ribbons, and (gasp) a plastic bag to put everything together... I wanted to use small, brown paper gift bags, but they were no where to be found.

Source: Uploaded by user via Judy on Pinterest

 

In honor of today's tragedy in Newton, Conn., please pray for the victims and families of the Sandy Hook Elementary. No one should have to experience what they must be going through, especially with Christmas less than two weeks away. God bless those children <3 p="p">

To view a photograph slideshow compiled by The New York Times, please click here.

Newport/Narragansett: Election Day Recap

As you may already know, President Barack Obama was re-elected for his second-term in office... 

This was the first year I voted, via absentee ballot, and I am proud to have voted for President Obama and look forward to what lies ahead for the United States. I am hopeful that the President's goals will gain momentum and be realized, given the next four years to show America that he can make a difference.

Here's an excerpt from a blog post I wrote for the Pell Center Blog earlier today regarding the election:

Overall, Congress maintained the same setup it has had for the past two years–Democratic majority in the Senate, Republican majority in the House of Representatives. It is my greatest hope that the parties will finally work together and accomplish something, but there are already roadblocks in the way of building a united, cooperative Congress. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s statementdoes not reflect optimism from the right. Afterall, McConnell it was McConnell who adopted the mentality to make Obama a “one term president” during the 2008 election. 

It’s this mentality of inflexibility, negativity, and self-righteousness that has kept the nation from progress. 

I hope the nasty badgering from both sides comes to a halt or, at the very least, stops in Washington D.C. . I hope that the White House is listening to the pressure put on by the American people, including President Obama and Congress, to collaborate. I hope Congress will be obliged to move beyond partisanship and create an America that benefits the whole nation. 

Now that the winners have taken their tiaras, it’s time to move past the beauty pageant, kick off those sparkling, towering high heels, and get to work.

Not only is this the election year for Obama, but I believe this is the year for America. God Bless.

In case you missed the president's acceptance speech, here it is:

Newport/Narragansett: TGIF; PGC 2012 Final Exam

After getting back from university today, I spent a few hours unwinding, reading the paper and President Obama's article in Rolling Stone magazine and enjoying a few hot cups of tea.

Earlier today was busy, as usual, but productive--I entered two submissions to the university's Capture It! Study Abroad Photo/Essay/Film contest, picked up my two paychecks from work, collected the clothing drive bins for the Martin Luther King Center, submitted a final paper proposal.

I also completed the PGC 2012 Final Exam!

Part of the final exam for the Project Green Challenge was to make a video on YouTube or vimeo. I reread this requirement and hoped that I had read it wrong. Every time I do a video project by myself, it never goes well. I'm already at a disadvantage because I have a PC, but I am not the most tech-savvy or the most articulate watching myself on video.

This is probably the seventh or eighth take I did before calling it quits:



Regardless of whether or not I am chosen as a PGC 2012 finalist and attend GreenU, I will continue to support sustainable initiatives and promote fairness in the consumer arena. I enjoyed being a part of this growing movement among peers and I hope more young people become involved in this cause.

Four more days. Four more years. Guess who I'm voting for?

Today's Outfit: Cardigan, Old Navy; T Shirt, H&M Conscious Label; Jeans, American Eagle; Booties, Report Footwear

On another note, Newport Restaurant Week starts today and runs through November 11th (I am very lucky that my boyfriend wants to spoil me with a birthday dinner in one week from today)! Check out the listings of participating restaurants and their delicious three course prix fixe menus--all lunches are $16 and dinners are $30. To learn more about Newport Restaurant Week, please click here!