Hablo Espanol!

Fluently speaking a foreign language is a talent that I would love to acquire.  I would love to be able to carry on a conversation with someone who speaks French and Spanish.  Spanish especially would help in the field of marketing and advertising because the Latino market is huge and will continue to get bigger in the years to come.  If a person can speak fluent Spanish, they will be able to communicate with any Latino brand successfully and have a hand up in the mainly dominating English speaking market here in the United States once the Latino market grows.

I took a couple high school Spanish classes so I do remember some phrases from the language.  Hopefully by having some background in it that might help me when I decide to pursue trying to really become fluent in the language.  I have researched how I can start to learn Spanish on my own instead of enrolling in a class.  Rosetta Stone is an option that I found, but be prepared to spend some money.  It has great reviews though so who knows it might be worth it.  The complete Rosetta Stone Spanish set retails for $599.00 on their website.  That seems like a fair price to me considering how much one would spend on numerous Spanish classes.  This is what the set includes:

• Interactive Software

• Audio Companion™

  For your CD or MP3 player so you can review Spanish (Latin America) while on the go.

• Headset with Microphone

  For use with our state-of-the-art speech-recognition software.

• Live Online Lessons

• Mobile Companion™

• Spanish (Latin America) learning application for your iPhone^® or iPod Touch^®.

If you would like more information on Rosetta Stone check out their site: http://www.rosettastone.com/learn-spanish

If you just want to skip Rosetta Stone and check out some local classes at the St. Louis Community College go here: http://www.stlcc.edu/

-Tara

Is Traveling On Your List?

If traveling is on your list you may be interested in flying. Flying can be a costly endeavor, but it doesn't have to be if properly planned. Here are some tips for making your vacation and dream trip easier to enjoy.

• Remain Updated- Check online, read the newspaper, and contact the airlines to stay informed about cheap tickets. Some companies will announce their lowest price fares for a limited time, take advantage of these.

• Book Early- Typically, the earlier you book, the cheaper the price will be. Take this into consideration and try to buy tickets at least 21 days before the flying date.

• Be Flexible- If you are not in a hurry to reach your destination, then be flexible with journey days. Most airlines often have cheaper days in the middle of the week.

• Check Timings- Flights leaving early in the morning or late at night usually have cheaper rates as well. Also, flights with a few stops in between are cheaper than non-stop flight.

• Inquire About Discounts- Before purchasing your ticket; ask the airlines reservation assistants about offers or discounts. Sometimes they will have connecting fare or travel package discounts.

With these tips in mind you can find discounted airlines tickets with enough planning and research done ahead of time. If it is a last minute trip decision, there is much less opportunity for discounts and you will just need to buy what you can find.

-Jennifer

Movies and Bucket Lists

Anytime I watch a movie (like one starring Steve McQueen or Humphrey Bogart), I'm inspired to make one myself.  Not like a home movie or Youtube video, but a real professional film.  And, I think if I made one it would be a fictional piece along the lines of Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) or Little Caesar (starring Edward G. Robinson).

One of the main things that are great about movies is that it's kind of a multi-faceted, broad art form.  In other words, it has a mass appeal and is exhibited through both sight and sound, as opposed to music for example which is through just sound.  Just deciding what kind movie to make and how to go about it can be quite a task, not to mention making a movie that's actually worth watching.

So if I enjoy movies so much, why not make my own?  Yup, making a movie definitely belongs on my bucket list.

What's funny though is that while making a real movie is on my bucket list, there was an actual film released in 2007 about non-other than a bucket list.  Ironic?

The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, is about how "two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die." I haven't seen this movie yet.  But you know what?  This is going on my bucket list too.

     - John

My New York New Years

I have spent all of my New Year's Eve's in the lovely city of St. Louis.  Someday though, I want to spend it in New York.  Just once in my life, I want to celebrate the New Years standing in the street in Times Square New York watching the sparkling ball drop with thousands of others.  I am sure this wouldn't be an inexpensive trip, with it being on New Year's and all-flight, and hotel rooms raise prices during this time, so it might possibly take me a little while to save up for it, but I am willing to do that.

After I watch the ball drop in times square then it's time to party! I'll head on over to the Bowery Ballroom.  The Bowery is one of the best venues for live music.  Refurbished into a music venue in 1997, the Bowery Ballroom is a chance to see singers and bands everyone else will see two years from now and some that haven't forgotten their humble beginnings (Green Day just played the Bowery to launch 21st Century Breakdown.)  Patti Smith, The Roots and Passion Pit are among the 7 musicians playing New Year's Eve.  Unfortunately there's no VIP admission like many other ballrooms in NYC.  You have to buy tickets to each of the shows.

Inside of the Bowery Ballroom

Bowery from the outside

After being exhausted from partying all night long.  I will head back to my hotel at the Westin New York at Times Square.  Oh yeah, spare no expense here.  I liked the idea of staying at the Westin because of the location.  Since I am new to New York, and since the city has somewhat of a shady rep, I want to stay as close to all of the action as possible.

The Westin New York at Times Square is right in the heart of all the New Year's Eve fun!

One bedroom suite at the Westin

To find out more about the Westin New York at Times Square visit: http://www.westinny.com/

To find out more about the Bowery Ballroom check out http://www.boweryballroom.com/

-Tara