Part 3: How to Make a Podcast

Part 3

So... how do I put it on my blog?



How to Embed MP3 Audio Files In Web Pages
I use Yahoo! Media Player on my blog. Look at item 3 on this page to learn more.

* For the hearing impaired, the text-only versions of these podcasts are available here.

Part 2: How to Make a Podcast

Part 2

But... how do I record something?



* For the hearing impaired, the text-only versions of these podcasts are available here.

My First Podcast! Part 1: How to Make a Podcast

I know, I know. It's confusing. A podcast on making podcasts? Just bear with me. This is for a class I'm taking on multimedia on the internet, and since podcasting has always been a curiosity of mine, I thought it would be a good thing to research and try out. To read my report (which also explains what exactly podcasting is) you can visit my website. So here goes, part 1 of my three part podcast that teaches you how to make your own podcast on your blog.*

Part 1

So... what do I need?



Free audio editing software
Audacity (recommended)
Aldo's WAVEdit
WavePad


* For the hearing impaired, the text-only versions of these podcasts are available here.

Coolest Dog in the World

Just a little post to let you all know, (millions of avid fans) that I'm still thinking about you.

...and they all lived happily ever after...

Well, I'm back! Today was my first day back to college, and holy moly. I hope I can maintain this blog while balancing four college courses, my high school workload, a website for a client, etsy orders, office work for a friend, a relationship, housework, family responsibilities, friends...........

Uuugghh...

But it's ok. Because today we're going to go back in time. Hopefully when you were a little sprout, you were blessed with at least a couple of really good fairy tale books. And when I mean really good, I mean outrageous, outlandish, and a little gruesome too. They weren't called the Brothers Grimm for nothing.

Artists like Kay Nielsen, Arthur Rackham, and Edward Gorey are my favorite fairy tale illustrators. When you look at their dark and delicate pictures, you can't help but remember the chills you got while your parents read you the true version of Hansel and Gretel, or the feeling of clutching your stuffed animal while absorbing Hans Christian Anderson's telling of The Little Mermaid.











So whether you're dealing with stolen tarts, manipulative toads, or the occasional beheading of a loved one, just remember that there's always a happy ending. Well, most of the time, anyway.

How To Be Stylish Whilst Camping

I'm going camping this weekend. It might not seem like it if you know me, but I love camping! I love having no makeup, wild kinky hair, grungy stinky campfire clothes, and bare feet. It's the perfect time to be anti-Andrea. But, as with everything else I do, there is a measure of fashion and dignity required. Even when being rugged and slightly animalistic. Here's a useful checklist for maintaining style in the wilderness...

*Hats. Polka dot, shearling, knit, neon, whatever. Wear them.
*Cherry chapstick. Protects your lips and serves as an emergency food source.
*Big, baggy, bright, fleece sweats. Preferably with a moose motif.
*Red sunglasses and aviator sunglasses. Sporty sunglasses are a big N-O, unless you actually play sports.
*A head scarf for when the weather is warmer but your hair is still atrocious.
*Baby wipes for washing your face. (Because honestly, who's going to shower while camping?)
*Purple acid wash skinny jeans. Yes I bought them, they're bear proof!

And since I'm going to be gone over the weekend and Monday, here's some links to help make the withdrawals a little easier.

Hollywood walk of fame star generator.
36 different ways to lace your shoes.
Make your own techno beat that beats up the fellow in the music video.
Free Rice. Test your vocabulary while feeding starving children in third world countries.

Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cocoa

Call it hot chocolate, hot cocoa, cocoa, drinking chocolate, or hot brown cow moo juice (ok, I totally made that one up, can you tell?), it's all the same right?

WRONG!

According to these articles, there is a difference. Hot chocolate, or drinking chocolate, is made with chocolate. Hot cocoa, sometimes just called cocoa, is made with cocoa powder. Personally, I think hot chocolate is better (and sounds a lot less snooty than hot cocoa). It's traditionally made with hot milk, so its creamier and richer. Hot cocoas are healthier though, since they're mostly made with fat-free milk powder and can be made with water.

This is hot cocoa...

and this is hot chocolate. See the difference? Me neither.

I've tried lots of different hot cocoa and hot chocolate mixes, my favorite so far is Trader Joe's drinking chocolate mix. Super decadent and smooth, it's the closest I can get to the short-lived but much loved Chantico.


Starbucks now has "specialty" hot chocolates (or is it cocoas?) in salted caramel and hazelnut. The hazelnut is bomb-diggety. Thick and nutty, just the way I like it ;). The salted caramel is pretty good, I like the salt but find it too tame for my tastes. My mom worships Border's hot chocolate, but I think it's too milky. I guess hot chocolate (cocoa, drinking chocolate) is different for different people. Sweet, milky, mild, thick, cinnamon, nutmeg, white, dark, and milk chocolate, it's all good right?

But don't get me started on the marshmallow vs. whipped cream issue....