moved to LEX!

I just moved to LEXINGTON this past Wednesday, September 8, 2010.  I love it so far!  I am searching for a Career Job but right now I am going to be working at Shenanigans Liquor Store a couple days a week to make a little money.  Searching for a job is not fun at all but I got to keep searching.

This weekend was so much fun because everyone from Western (basically) came  up  to LEX since it was the UK vs. WKU football game.  Tailgating was a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a while!  We lost pretty bad but we did score the first touchdown  to be up 7-0 haha didn’t last too long.  Can’t wait to go to WKU this weekend for the first home game!

web

Right now I am looking for jobs crazily.  I am getting up every morning and sitting at the kitchen table (cause I do not have my desk set up here) with my computer and searching for jobs.  I have been home for a little over a week and it has been alright but I am ready to get into a routine.

The good thing about all my down time is that I have had time to do things for myself and for my brand as a designer.  I have had the opportunity to make business cards to match my resume using my own personal logo.  I am going to make a leave behind so that when I do go on an interview I can leave something with the employer.  The thing I am most excited about that I did was buy my own domain name.  courtneylong.com was available and I purchased it.  I am still in the process of learning web but since that was available I got it!  I bought my web space this morning and I am ready to learn HTML and CSS (mainly).  I have a two websites up right now actually.  The one I created as a student at Western Kentucky University is still up.  It is old with old projects and we built it using dreamweaver.  My new website is made from a free website where you can pick a template and upload JPEGs of your work.  It is perfect for what I need right now.  I just need my work to be easily viewed.  As I learn more about web then I will create my own website matching my logo/brand as a designer.

check out both websites

http://people.wku.edu/courtney.long448/design.html

www.wix.com/longc224/portfolio

job finding a job

The job search has begun and it is definitely a job finding a job!  I am still in Bowling Green right now but my lease ends in a little over a week.  My internship is over tomorrow so all next week I will be able to hang out with friends and pack up my room!  It is bittersweet because I do not want to leave a place that I have called home for four years but then again life is just beginning.  I am about to start a new chapter of my life and I am really excited.

I created a website on this free site, www.wix.com.  It allows you to easy upload, in my case, projects in JPEG format to the web and create a website where my portfolio can easily be viewed!  I added a PDF downloadable link of my resume and a link to this blog!  Check it OUT!

http://www.wix.com/longc224/portfolio

home sweet home

Since I have been home everyone has been asking me about my trip and all I can say is that Spain is unbelievable and I feel like I never went now that I am home.  I feel like I never went because I did the exact same thing right before I went and when I got back.  Before I left to go to Spain I went home to TN ate at our favorite mexican restaurant, went to Murfreesboro, TN to watch soccer and then I flew out to Spain.  When I got back from Spain we ate at the same mexican restaurant I went to the same soccer complex in Murfreesboro but the only difference is that we stayed in Murfreesboro and watch the World Cup Final at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Of course I had to watch the game because my second home (Spain) was in the final verse the Netherlands.  My brother and I sat there in our Spain jerseys with my dad and some soccer buddies.  Spain should have won that game 5-0 because they had so many scoring opportunities but it ended up going into double overtime and with 4 minutes to go before they would have had a shoot out INIESTA SCORES!  Cal, my dad, and I jumped from our seats!  We are so happy that SPAIN won!  World Cup Champions and they had there red jerseys brought out with a star already stitched above there shield on there left chest.  At that moment I really wished we had never left SPAIN!  Next time I go back which better be soon, I want to go to an FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou because that stadium is unreal!

Now that I am home and back to my normal life!  I have to find a job.  I am starting to look around the area but I do not know where I want to end up so I am trying to be open and look everywhere.  Who knows where I will be after these three weeks!

Mallorca/Home to TN

Mallorca Mallorca Mallorca!

We went to Mallorca this past Sunday to Tuesday and stayed in a hotel that was on the beach!  The first thing we were told about Mallorca was that there would be crazy drunk Germans everywhere.  Right when we get there we looked out our balcony window and sure enough Germans on the beaches with flags, shirts, arm bands, ect.  They were acting as if it was Spring Break!  They were all chanting the same song even if they didn’t know each other.  Everything in Mallorca was in German.  It was like thet were taking over.  Even in the hotel the television was in German.  Steph and I went to the beach and fell asleep because we were so tired from the last work week.  Then we went back to the room and fell asleep again for like 2 hours.  We should have been well rested but we were still dragging.  We went and ate at this restaurant where one of the promoters looked like he just walked off of the TV show That 70′s Show!  He looked awesome to say the least!  I had fried calamari and salad.  We got a liter of Sangria de Cava and it came with these long crazy straws.  That night we just hung out on the balcony and got a good night sleep.

The next day we laid out on the beach pretty much all day and got a little burnt.  I had to go by sunscreen in the middle of the day and I only took 8 euros and it was really expensive so all I could get with 8 euros was SPF 10.  That night we had out appreciation dinner for the work we have done.  We went and ate at this beautiful restaurant on the ocean where all the boats line up.  I got hake with cava sauce and it was delicious.  Since we were celebrating one of the girls birthdays we got multiple desserts and one was cheesecake.  The cheesecake was literally like cheese in the same form as cheesecake, real weird.  Then they gave us free shots of a kind of alcohol they make in Mallorca called Herbes.  It is green and taste’s just like jagermeister.  That night we went out and had a great time!  The next day we didn’t leave until around 4:00pm to get to the airport.  We got to walk around a little more and get last minute gifts and we got to sit at our pool for a little bit too.

We made it back to La Garriga and we had to pack everything up and head back to the States the next day.  It was hard to pack everything because we all bought quite a bit of stuff.  I did pretty well because when we were at the airport checking our bags mine was under 50 pounds.  Some of the others bags were over but they were much more lenient than America when it comes to paying for an over-weight bag.  The plane was on time which was awesome.  We actually made it to Philadelphia a little earlier than planned.  We had to go through customs in Philly and then catch our plane back to Nashville.  The guy stamping our passports said “Welcome Home.”  It felt good to be back but it did look very different flying in to America than seeing Europe from your airplane window.  We finally made it back to Nashville where my mom and dad met me at baggage claim.  I was so happy to see them!  We met Cal for dinner at Nachos and I gave them there presents!  Cal, Mom, and I watched a movie and then I realized I had been up for more than 24 hours and had to go to sleep.  I am happy to be back in America but I still wish I was waking up in Spain.

mes que un club

This past Saturday I went and took a tour of the FC Barcelona soccer stadium!  It was probably my favorite thing that I have done in Barcelona!  I wasn’t going to go because I was going by myself but I found the right metro stops and was on my way.  I am so glad I went by myself.

The start of the tour was part of the museum.  It had all the trophies, old jerseys, and timelines with touch video screens.  From there you walked to the locker room.  The locker room was so neat.  Above the lockers are tv’s of changing photos of all the players.  There were two therapy tables and the jacuzzi/ shower area was awesome!  Jacuzzi right in the middle with shower heads on each side of this room… completely out in the open.  Then you walked out as if you were on the team.  You walked down this staircase and up onto the field.  The field literally took your breath away.  I do not know how to even describe it but it was soo amazing and I have never seen anything like it.  I got someone to take my picture in front of the stadium with the words, “mes que un club” which means “more than a club.”  Every view of the stadium was great!  I got to walk up to ever floor possible to view the stadium and I think I took over one hundred photos.  I ended the tour with the other part of the museum.  I walked in and there were headphones hanging from the ceiling.  I put them on and I was able to hear the fans going nuts when the players enter the stadium.  They also had a line of giant flat screens in this pitch black room and they would play replays of certain plays that you couldn’t stop watching.  The volume and the screens were amazing.  I believe this stadium is the third largest in the world.  The experience was one I will never forget.  I just wish I could have watched a game there!  Add that to my bucket list because I plan on returning to Barcelona, Spain sometime in the future!

Is this really real?!

Venice was so amazing!  I do not even know how to write about this place.  I didn’t even really know what to expect when I went but what I got out of it was more than I could ever imagine.  Right when we arrived we got on the public transportation Ferry which was a boat that took you to your stop.  The seats were covered and at first I thought that would bother me but it wasn’t bad.  It is so cool that they use that system to get around the whole place.  It is a metro on water.  Riding on the ferries was a great way to see everything on the outside.  We stayed on Lido Island which is the second largest island and it was directly across from Venice.  We got settled in the hotel and then ate dinner.  At dinner I basically had a four course meal.  I didn’t realize the amount of food they eat.  I had macaroni with meat sauce as a starter, a huge piece of chicken, salad, and fruit as my desert.  It was awesome!  We then just wandered around Lido and found a ledge we could sit on over the water to watch the sunset go down over Venice.  That was probably my favorite part of the whole trip.  It was so pretty I felt like I couldn’t breathe.  I just kept saying “is this really real, is this really real”.

The next morning we woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel.  We went into Venice early and starting walking around.  First stop St. Marks Square.  St. Marks Basilica was insane.  The art on the outside that literally shimmered.  I can only imagine what it looked like on the inside.  We didn’t go in because the line was crazy long.  We kept walking and before we knew it we were on the other side of the map.  We were trying to keep up with where we were walking but sometimes it was hard since there is so many little bridges and things.  Stephanie and I stopped and had one tapa each.  Mine had gorgonzola and walnuts on it and Steph’s had pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.  They were both delicious.  Then we stopped for a cookie at this place we could smell the shortbread from a mile away.  The cookie was covered with shortbread and chocolate in the middle! yummm!  We walked around more and we kept seeing a lot of Cathedrals and we went in all the ones that were free.  They were beautiful inside and I remember they all had the distinct church smell.  Dinner we stopped at this place that swayed us with a free glass of strawberry wine while we were looking at the menu.  We sat down of course.  Then we bought a bottle of the wine and they gave it to us for five euros less.  It was very tasty.  The we both got Gnocchi (which I have never had before) with gorgonzola sauce.  It was awesome too.  I want to get some when I get back to America and see if it is the same!!  They then gave us free tiramisu!  Our dinner was complete.  We kept walking.

That night we sat at St. Marks Square and heard all of the music out there.  My grandfather and my dad kept telling me there was live music and a lot of people.  I didn’t realize how it was set up.  There are tents in front of the restaurants with tables and chairs out in the middle.  The music was awesome at each tent and definitely a great experience.  St. Marks Square is very beautiful at night too!

The next morning we didn’t have as much time since our flight was at 5:30pm.  We went to Murano island to watch glass being blown.  That was interesting because I never looked up or understood how they did it.  They literally blow through a tube with the hot glass on the end and it expands.  It is insane how hot of an area they are working in because Stephanie and I were sweating profusely the five minutes we were watching them.  I ended up buying some earrings and a necklace!  We wandered back to Venice for the short time we had left and found the lithograph print shop that we found the next day.  This print shop is so great because it is so tiny and we just came across it while we were walking.  They do everything in house and they had a lot of great stuff.

This trip was so amazing and I was not ready to leave.  I have to go back in the future and stay for at least a few more days.  It has definitely been my favorite side trip that we have taken but we do have one more!  We leave for Mallorca Island on Sunday and we stay until Tuesday.  Then we fly home to America Wednesday.  We have a very busy five days ahead of us and I can’t wait.  This trip has been wonderful and is so hard to describe in words.  This part of the world is pretty AWESOME!

Oh YEA!  I forgot I had to pay to use the restroom! hahaha It was hilarious.  It was under one of the bridges which I could barely fit under!  Price – 1,50 EUROS!  EXPENSIVE!!

Am I really in SPAIN?!

Last weekend we took a trip to Bilbao, Spain!  We arrived in the airport and took a bus and the metro to get to our hotel.  That first day we went to the Guggenheim and we probably wouldn’t have gone in if we didn’t have free tickets because everyone says the outside architecture of the Guggenheim is the best part about it.  I am glad we got those tickets because one of my favorite artists, Robert Rauschenberg had many of his sculptures displayed.  It was really cool to see some of his pieces he made before I was even born.  After the Guggenheim we walked around the town of Bilbao.  We ended up finding a little outdoor free concert and they were playing in English, kind of weird.  One of the best parts about this trip was I found home!  In Bilbao there is a bar called Nashville!  In this bar they had wooden signs hanging that had the names of Charley Daniels, Dolly Parton, and Bob Dylan carved into them.  There was a banjo on the wall too!  I would try to explain to the people in there that Nashville (the name of the bar) is where I am from.  Most people did not understand at all.  We then ventured to three more bars with some local we met.  The last bar was in like a building that was like a mall of bars!  On our way back to our hotel that night we got to witness a Metro Dance!  We have been riding the metro in Barcelona a lot and we see videos of people dancing in the metro and we actually got to experience it.  There were like thirty plus people in this choreographed dance.  It was a great experience.

The next day in Bilbao we walked around and saw the old part of town and we got to see a church that was from the 1500s!  The last day we actually shopped and I got a shirt and shorts from Zara.  When we left that night our plane was delayed so we didn’t get back into Barcelona till really late but the trip was great and it was worth it.

So far this week has been wonderful.  We have actually started designing at work and it is going really well.  The only bad part is we do not have much time left to work so we are going to have to work really hard to get things done.

Last night Stephanie and I stayed in a hotel in Barcelona and it was hilarious.  There were two twin beds in our room.  We went to a bar called Cheers and met an older Australian man named Peter!  He was really nice and we had a great time singing with the band.  Every song they played we knew.  We drank Stella Artois and I think it is my new favorite beer.  The night was awesome and we woke up this morning and went straight to the beach.

Tomorrow we are going to Venice, Italy and I cannot wait.  We will be there from Sunday to Tuesday then we work for three days and our last weekend we are going to Mallorca from next Sunday to Tuesday and fly home Wednesday July 7^th.  Can’t believe our trip is almost over!

We take a train to and from work everyday, which comes to about three hours of travel a day. It gets very tiring and I think everyone will say they have fallen asleep on the train at least once, but the good thing is that we are finally getting the hang of the time difference from the States.

This past weekend we all did different things. Stephanie and I went down La Rambla on Saturday, which was really fun. We saw many street performers dressed head to toe. Some of them would interact with you when you gave them a tip. The scary ones would scare you and the nicer looking ones would just make funny noises. We walked all the way down and it ended near the beach so we met up with Rachel and Hanna and went to the beach for a few hours. The beach was packed with people lying side by side. The whole time there would be people walking up and down the beach selling things such as beer, coconut, massages, henna tattoos, bathing suit cover-ups and certain foods. The USA World Cup Soccer team played that evening and we decided to eat and watch the game at a restaurant near the beach. It was an awesome restaurant and we got to watch most of the game before we had to leave to catch the train. The four of us shared some Sangria de Cava, which is AWESOME! I think Cava is my new favorite drink because it just constantly bubbles. The next day we went up the mountain and saw the beautiful view of Barcelona, which was incredible, which may be my favorite sight so far.

This week we got the chance to watch the Spain game in a restaurant close to where we work. It was a great experience because we got to see some of the fans in there cheering on their team, even though Spain did not win (they should have). It is interesting because people would just come in off of the street to check the score!

Needless to say, intern life here in Barcelona is filled with unbelievable views, food and dedicated fútbol fans. I would have to say the hardest part about intern life is not being able to speak the language. You feel like you are being rude if you cannot answer someone because you have no idea what he or she is saying. My goal is to learn Spanish and hopefully some Catalan and come back. The trip is going very well and I cannot believe we only have a little more than two weeks left.

first few days in Spain

We arrived in Barcelona on my birthday, Tuesday, June 8, 2010 around 8:30 a.m.  Our flight was fairly long with one layover in Philadelphia.  The layover in Philadelphia was suppose to be around two hours long, but since our flight was delayed from Nashville we got to Philly and found ourselves running through the airport to make it on time.  They were calling our names over the speakers telling us that we had five minutes to get to the gate.  We made it, though, and got situated for a long flight.  We had dinner on the plane and they served a choice between chicken and pasta. My friend Stephanie and I decided to each get one and then combine the two so we had chicken pasta.  It was pretty good!

The town we are living in outside of Barcelona is La Garriga.  La Garriga is a beautiful town and it is much bigger than I had expected.  I am having fun exploring the town with everyone and hanging out on the terrace of our building!

We got the opportunity to go see one advertising agency outside of Barcelona in Badalona, BG Media.  The interesting part about this agency is they have three concentrations: BG Media (Advertising agency), Organiza (Event organization), and the upcoming one is Finesenses (Premium Trips).  Check out their websites!

bgmedia.net

organiza.biz

finesenses.com

This weekend we are going to explore Barcelona and I cannot wait.  We plan on going to La Ramblas which is more of a tourist spot has a lot of shops, food and fun!  I hope we get to go to the beach for a little bit too!