Lake George, NY

Living in Upstate, New York there are so many beautiful places that are just a short drive away to see. For me, one of those places is Lake George. Being so close to here makes it one of my favorite places in the whole world. The mountains that line the lake, the crystal water and the steam boats that float along, not to mention the village thats lined with quaint shops and restaurants.

One of the restaurants, Christie’s On The Lake, I hold dear to my heart due to the fact that the building used to be my dad’s summer home and attached was my Grandfather’s restaurant. But the family history isn’t the only reason I love it there so much.

My friends and I love making there drive to go there. We go swimming in the lake, kayaking shop in the village and make some new memories every time we visit.

My most recent trip, we drove up to the top of Prospect Mountain, yes drove, it was too hot of a day to hike. From this view you can see most of the lake and where the steam boats, as well as other boats are docked. A view I highly recommend seeing if one decides to visit.

From there we went down to the village. Before we could do any shopping we stopped at Pizza Jerks and had the best pizza one can find in Lake George. When it was finally time to shop we went in all the usual shops making some spur of the moment purchases, while also stopping along the way to capture the lakes beauty.

After going in every place we could we hopped back into the car and drove down the lake to Bolton Landing, another town along Lake George. This town also holds a cute little village with shops and restaurants to go into.

We struck gold at an antique store finding some Polaroid cameras that were good as new for only $25 (film not included). And after we shopped around for a bit we made a stop at on of my favorite places on the lake: The Sagamore Resort. Even though I have never stayed at this resort I usually will just walk around when I visit Lake George simply because it has one of the best views around. And someday, maybe, it would be my dream wedding spot.

We couldn’t stay long however because a storm was rolling in, but that also meant it was a great photo opportunity so I couldn’t leave without snapping a few pictures.

So, before the storm got too bad we headed home but it was a day well spent, as always when we go. If you live in Upstate and haven’t gone, well, shame on you and fix that. If you aren’t from the area I still say the trip is worth it, because it will be one you never forget.

Creator’s Remorse

rəˈmôrs/

noun

deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

All writers are taught that anything and everything they publish but be read over with a fine tooth comb and should be fact checked over and over again. Having to retract a story and publicly say you are wrong can destroy your credibility. Once that is ruined it can take a very long time to recover. To avoid this happening, check your facts, do the extra work to make sure you’re using the correct information.

However, if you do find yourself having published a story that is now in the public world and has false information or something that is insulting to a group of people, you need to make a formal apology and admit to your mistakes. It can happen to anyone, we are only human, but let it be a lesson to learn from so it does not happen again. Rather than keep making the mistake focus on building up your credibility again. Don’t worry it is possible to recover if you take the right steps in making all things well.

 

The perks of writing

Throughout my entire education I have always been horrible at tests and good at writing. Whenever I was assigned a writing assignment I found it as a way to express my opinion and I knew I wouldn’t be criticized about it because that’s what my teacher wanted. Taking tests its all about memorization but with writing you’re allowed to show some creativity with word choice and the different styles you use.

I think one reason why I like writing so much is because growing up I also loved to read and those two go hand in hand. Writers have created whole different worlds for their readers and that’s one of the coolest jobs I think someone could have.

Writing can be a hobby for people, a profession, a creative outlet, or a way to cope with stress. When people have lots going on in their life they are usually suggested to write a letter, not necessarily send it to anyone, but just as a way to clear their heads.

Whenever you listen to a song think of that as a story the artist wrote. All the lyrics were cleverly placed together to make sense and can make the listeners feel different emotions. Movies are the same way, someone wrote the storyline and script and then it turns into a movie. So even if you think you don’t like writing or reading and like music and movies you wouldn’t be able to enjoy any of it without the writer.

Everyone at some point is a writer. Whether it’s the tweets you post on your Twitter or the caption on your Instagram picture, you are using words to express yourself and that, is writing.

Print is dead?

When I was a kid my favorite thing in the world would be to get the mail in hopes that something came for me, which wasn’t very often. But once a month, I knew I was guaranteed a brand new glossy magazine. What started as a simple Highlights subscription led to Teen Vogue and Seventeen when I got older and now, Vogue is my go to guilty pleasure. Once I got a new magazine I would skim though to see what stories I would be reading, but also making mental notes of what pictures I wanted to rip out and add to my growing collage on my wall. The second time around I would grab a pen and start marking up the pages of either quotes I liked or, new accessories I had to have. Then finally, the scissors would come out and the end result: a shredded magazine and a bigger collage. As someone who wasn’t into playing sports, or instruments I liked to be creative and this was a hobby to me. It also sparked my interest in fashion I have today and I’m certain if it weren’t for print magazines that interest would not be there.

In between the days where I didn’t have magazines to tear apart, I loved to read books, actual print books. Even today where everyone carries around their e-readers or iPads, I still choose a real book. For one, just like with magazines, I like to make notes and comments when I’m reading. Second, as someone who has worn glasses their whole life reading off a screen does not do my eyes any favors.

My favorite books to read is the Harry Potter series. No matter how old you are these books open up your imagination and make you believe anything is possible (for me anyway). Some people think that because there are the movies based off the books that they have an easy way out and can watch the movies and get the same idea. Those people are sadly, wrong. I have found that if there is a movie based off a book, the book is better. Not that the movies are necessarily bad, they just lack that extra detail the author put in the stories.

There is one problem with print I have, and if you’re a hoarder like me, you know exactly what I’m talking about. While I do enjoy watching my book shelf fill up with new titles I have yet to read I am going to run out of room eventually and I sure don’t have room for another bookshelf. I recently caved and recycled about 10 pounds worth of magazines. This however is a small problem I can look past as I’ll continue to buy print magazines and books over digital copies.