While my computer seems to be undergoing a series of unfortunate events (just as it gets back to working condition, my ethernet cable breaks…so I’m gonna have to replace that too), I’m back! Hooray!
Regular posting should be back on Sunday. See you then!
xoxo, Tara
Hey Everyone.
I’m sorry I have been absent lately – I’m dealing with a matter that is outside of my control, namely, the premature death of my hard-drive.
Thankfully, I was able to back up all of my data, so nothing should be lost, however, my computer access will be limited as my computer is no longer capable of actually…functioning. For that reason, posting may be sporadic (or delayed) until my computer problems are solved.
Thanks for bearing with me guys!
Tara
Sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming, but the voting period for the Black Weblog Awards is almost over! In fact, they’ll be over tomorrow! (for more information about the nomination and the process for voting, click this link.)
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with my work and are unsure whether you should vote for me. Fear not! For your consideration, here are some of my more popular posts:
-Mid-Summer Check-Up: 42 Fun Activities to Give Your Summer a Boost
-34 Ways to Combat a Gray Day! (or a sunny day, if you’re bored) (the sequel!)
-Four Ways to Get Fit (That You Might Not Have Heard Of)
-Have Your Meat and Eat it Too: A Introductory Guide to Flexitarian Eating
-Should Guilty Pleasures be Guilty?
and the post that started it all:
Thank you to everyone who has supported through the nomination and voting process. Without you, I wouldn’t have gotten this far. Thank you!
xoxo,
Tara
Hi everyone! I’m back! My life has been really hectic recently (flying back from Tanzania, taking a stop in London, getting a drastic haircut, getting sick – oh my!) but I plan on detailing most of those things in upcoming posts!
For now, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who nominated me for a Black Weblog Award. Thanks to all of you awesome folks, I reached the finalist stage! Yaay! As you can see, I have updated the button on the side to show this. If you’d like to vote for me, check out page 6 of the voting form to see my category, Best Teen Blog. You can follow this link or click the Black Weblog Awards button on the right.
Since you have to vote in all the categories for your ballot to be counted, here are some suggestions for the other categories, from blogs I enjoy:
◊Best Fashion and Beauty Blog – Afrobella
◊Best Humor Blog – Yeah…I Said It
◊Best LGBT Blog – Rod 2.0
◊Best Micro Blog – Black Love Poster
◊Best Music Blog – SoulBounce
◊Best Photography Blog – Le Coil
◊Best Travel Blog - Vai Via Blog
◊Best Video Blog - The Fury TV
I can’t wait to tell you guys about everything that’s been going on, and responding to the lovely emails and comments that I’ve received! Also, I want to hear from you all – has anything awesome happened in the month I’ve been gone? Let me know in the comments!
And again, thank you!!
xoxo, Tara
Hi guys!
I know I’ve been talking about this a lot, but now we’re at the end (!) of the nomination period for the Black Weblog Awards. Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you think this blog isn’t too shabby. If you think I’m doing a pretty good job, could you please head over to the Black Weblog Awards website and nominate me under Best Teen Blog? (If you think I am deserving of other categories, however, I won’t discourage you…)
To nominate, just head on over to their nomination page and click “next” (all the while adding the URLs of other great blogs, if you are so inclined) until you reach the Best Teen Blog subheading, where you can enter my URL, http://xoxotara.wordpress.com/. If you want to wait till later, just click that shiny yellow button on the right-hand side of the page. The nomination period ends July 25th. (which is really soon – and then you won’t have to hear about it again! At least until voting starts.)
To all that have nominated me already, thank you, thank you, thank you!! I really appreciate it.
Thank you a million times in advance!
xoxo,
Tara
…Then I am currently abroad in Tanzania. While the blog will continue to update on a modified schedule, I will be unable to respond to comments, emails and the like until I return. For more information, see this post. Thanks!
xoxo,Tara
…and what it means for my blog.
If you want to know the specifics of my trip – where I’m going and what I’ll be doing there – see this post for more detailed information!
When are you leaving and for how long?
I’m officially leaving July 5th, and I’ll be gone for about a month.
Are you going on a posting hiatus? If not, what’s the posting schedule going to be like?
I sure hope not. If things work out properly, there will still be new posts appearing on this blog, even while I’m gone. I’ve been working on pre-writing posts that will automatically be published in my absence. (That’s the plan, at least.) However, since it’s not really practical to write things like Weekend Links and Slowed Down Sunday weeks in advance, I will put those on hold until I come back. In other words, posting will be reduced to Mondays and Wednesdays, probably until the week of the 8th.
What about comments? Aren’t they moderated?
I moderate comments here to some extent, (once I approve one of your comments, you’re set) but I’m experimenting with ways that will allow people to comment more freely so there won’t be a backlog of comments that need approval. Hopefully spam won’t be a huge problem, but I’m willing to delete spammy comments by hand once I come back. Replies will have to come after I return, though.
Can I still contact you by email/twitter/etc?
Feel free to send me emails or otherwise contact me, but keep in mind that I almost certainly will be unable to respond until I’m back and settled.
If there are any other questions or comments, post it in the comment section.
xoxo, Tara
Tanzania! Karagwe District (part of the Kagera region) is in the upper left-hand corner.
So, remember that cryptic announcement from yesterday? Here I’ll go into greater detail about what exactly I meant.
Long story short – on July 5th, I’ll be staying in Tanzania for a one month study abroad. I’ll be back the week of August 5th.
Why?
A committee has generously selected me to be a cohort for a fantastic fellowship program that gives sophomore women in college the opportunity to study abroad during the summer in the area of study of their choice. My choice, as you can see, was Tanzania. I’ll be talking more about this wonderful fellowship sometime down the line, so keep an eye out – especially if you’re a rising sophomore (or you just like to plan) and you attend university in the Pittsburgh area (and some parts of Philadelphia…but mostly Pittsburgh).
What?
In submitting my application for the fellowship program, I indicated that I would like to study economic opportunity. While in Tanzania, I’ll be conducting ethnographic research under the broad topic of women in rural Tanzania and the obstacles they face in reaching economic independence and greater personal utility. While in Karagwe, I intend to narrow the focus of my research abstract and eventually build a fully formed research paper through ethnographic interviews. Wish me luck!
I’m also trying to pack as lightly as possible (a HUGE difficulty for me, as I am a chronic overpacker) and I’m trying a lot of new things - plus, I’m flying internationally solo for the first time! – so I’ll be discussing what did and did not work when I come back. Hopefully most, if not all, will fall into the “did work” group.
Where?
Tanzania! The United Republic of Tanzania is a nation in East Africa, bordered by Uganda (where I’ll actually be flying to, and taking a bus to Tanzania), Kenya, Rwanda, and Mozambique, among others. You can find the city Dar es Salaam here, as well as the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. I’ll be living in a rural village of the Karagwe district of Tanzania, which is in the Kagera Region. In the area where I’ll be staying specifically, I will have limited access to electricity, land lines and internet. It’ll be a really tough adjustment for me – I’m especially glued to my laptop and am quite possibly addicted to the internet – but I think it will also be a very important learning experience that I’m really looking forward to. My boyfriend, however, wonders how I’ll possibly survive. I’ll be visiting during the cold period, which I’m thankful for, truthfully. However, I’m sure their winters don’t compare to good old Pittsburgh’s!
I'll be spending time at the local hospital as well
When?
I will be leaving July 5th and I will be gone for a full month.
What Will Happen to the Blog?
As I mentioned, I will have very little, if any internet access during my trip. Part of what I’ve worked hard on is making sure that there will be as little disruption to the normal posting schedule as possible, but there will be a decrease in posting frequency while I’m gone. Emails and comment replies will also have to wait, most likely. I’ll discuss this in more detail on Wednesday, but I’m going to try continue posting original content, as well as some great contributions from guests even as I’m on my trip. I’m trying to win a Black Weblog Award, so I can’t let my blog fall by the wayside! Stay tuned for more information.
Are any of you guys planning a major trip? Or have gone on one recently? Talk about it in the comments.
xoxo, Tara
I know you guys must be tired of this by now, but if you haven’t already, please consider nominating me for a Black Weblog Award. You can find more information at this post.
Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you think this blog isn’t too shabby. If you think I’m doing a pretty good job, could you please head over to the Black Weblog Awards website and nominate me under Best Teen Blog? (If you think I am deserving of other categories, however, I won’t discourage you…)
To nominate, just head on over to their nomination page and click “next” (all the while adding the URLs of other great blogs, if you are so inclined) until you reach the Best Teen Blog subheading, where you can enter my URL, http://xoxotara.wordpress.com/. If you want to wait till later, just click that shiny yellow button on the right-hand side of the page. You have until July 25th, but do it soon before you forget! ;-]
Thank you!
xoxo,
Tara
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xoxo,
Tara
