Nicole DiGiose

Your Life’s Questions

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Which is worse, failing or never trying?
If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
If you could offer a child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
What are you most grateful for?
Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
Do you remember that time five years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
What is your happiest childhood memory?
At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
If not now, when?
If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you had the best conversation ever?
Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
In five years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
Decisions are being made right now. Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Scorpio Season

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

It’s Scorpio season! I’ll let you other stars peek into the mind of a Scorpio just this once.

Scorpios can be difficult to really know, and it takes time to understand. Upon first meeting one, most see them as serious, though polite, or a bit quirky and uptight (mainly at work or in a professional atmosphere). Once a Scorpio feels connected with you, they’re laid back and always looking to have fun.

Scorpios finish what they start, no matter how much time it takes.

This sign doesn’t forget anything, ever. They’ll remember all they’ve collected about you, even if your lives crossed for a short period of time. Read More

Animal People on the Road

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

I found an old notebook today while cleaning out a cluttered drawer and came across some jabbering I wrote two years ago, comparing people in traffic to animals.

A swarm of angry hornets, buzzing down the highway.

Following the same direction, not wanting to be last, like a zeal of zebras.

Hands slamming on horns– snarling — starving wolves, each wanting to eat first.

Sly foxes, all wanting to outsmart the ones ahead.

Seeming to say, “I’m special and you’re not.”

Windows open, their music is better than yours.

Cars rattling like threatened snakes. “Don’t mess with me.”

Like horseshoe crabs, safe inside their shells.

HV Asylum Haunted Walk

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

An article I wrote for LIB Magazine.

If you can work up the courage to be spooked out of your mind this Halloween, check out the HV Asylum Haunted Walk in Coram. Located at the center of the island on the fields of High Velocity Paintball, the HV Asylum is Long Island’s newest and largest haunted attraction.

The haunted walk takes 20 minutes to get through, covering 13 acres of fright. You’ll shriek as werewolves lunge at your feet from the darkness and you’ll quicken your pace as hooded horrors follow you through the trail. Keep focused on your tour guide as you’re led into a gated building and try to ignore the pale, bloodied bride screaming in your face.

This year is the third year High Velocity is opening the gates to their terrifying trails. The haunted walk is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. It’s $25 for those who are daring, and hvasylum.com offers them a $5 coupon. Read More

My Super Powers

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

Some cool super powers I wish I could have.

Teleportation – Being able to be anywhere in the world (even beyond the world!) in the blink of an eye would be absolutely astounding. I could see so much without the hassle of planning and getting on a plane or a boat or a crazy super rocket ship and at no cost. Just think it and explore it. If I’m running a little late for something, whoosh, not anymore!

Invisibility – I don’t mean to sound like a creep, but sometimes I want to watch people when they think they’re alone. Not during any of those private moments, of course, but in the way that this super power defeats what I want out of saying I want the ability to read minds. Watching someone when they’re at their most honest points, alone, seeing their actions says a lot about them. So don’t invade their minds (that’s too private!), just hang out in their room with them (totally not in a creep way) and find your answers through their actions. Invisibility would also come in handy while investigating something, or when you have one of those moments when you just want to vanish.

Flight – Who wouldn’t want to be able to take off into the blue? Flying at your own pace would be so peaceful and freeing. The closest I’ve been to flying was when I went skydiving, and the rush was incredible. Once the second parachute was pulled and we slowed down, the view was breathtaking and having the time to let the experience sink in was phenomenal. So if I want to just casually fly to work or to a friend’s house, I can float over, see what’s going on below, and enjoy the ride.

Time Travel – Nothing like learning about something than actually being there or doing it yourself. Chuck those bogus books out the window and get in your time travel machine. The big bang theory, dinosaurs (turn on your invisibility when you come across the velociraptors), Benjamin Franklin. I’m not sure how I feel about sneaking into the future though. That would be unfair, but definitely helpful, when it comes to certain things. That would just turn the world into a mess, I believe. It’s giving me a headache just thinking about it. So let’s only time travel to the past. Educational purposes only. Now that I think about it, you should be invisible at all times so that you don’t interfere and mess up the future (this reminds me of A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury and you should read it).

Healing with a touch – A sick person or a wounded animal, right in front of me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. If I could heal with a touch, I’d be able to restore them to their healthy self and we’d all be happy. Then comes the thought of extreme over population, but in a world of super powers where there’d be invisible people and others time traveling and teleporting off the planet, it would be fine.

Having the perfect amount of money when I need it – $26,000 for a Toyota FJ Cruiser, $60,000 for a Master’s degree, $60 to fill up my gas tank, $28.73 for dinner and drinks, how about some giant cannolis? Do you like cannolis? I’m not much of a fan, honestly, but here, take ’em. Have ’em all, they’re on me, don’t worry ’bout it. No matter how much something costs in this money-run world, I wish I could have the exact amount I need at that very moment.

What do you think? Which super powers would you like to have and why?

Rob Roy

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

An article I wrote for Chilled Magazine.

According to bartending legend, the Rob Roy was created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The cocktail was named in honor of the premiere of Rob Roy, an operetta written by composer Reginald De Koven. The show was based off the folk hero and outlaw, Robert Roy MacGregor, or simply put, Rob Roy. Both the operetta and the drink were equally successful, but the cocktail has long outperformed De Koven’s famous show.

The recipe for the Rob Roy, which uses Scotch whisky as its primary spirit, mixed with sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters, an addition to the drink, first appeared in The Savoy Book, published by The Savoy Hotel of London in 1930. It mentions the drink’s popularity in Scotland, especially in honor of the fictional Rob Roy, also known as the Scottish version of Robin Hood.

The Rob Roy is similar to the king of cocktails, the Manhattan, but is made exclusively with Scotch whisky instead of rye or bourbon. It’s common to think the Rob Roy stole the Manhattan’s recipe (Rob Roy was a bandit, you know), and is nothing more than a Manhattan made with scotch. Sometimes it’s even referred to as a Scotch Manhattan. Basically, that’s what it is, but that one switch of rye or bourbon for scotch in the mix makes for a whole different taste, as most whiskey drinkers will be sure to point out. For most, the Rob Roy tends to be drier, with a smoky texture, and not as smooth or sweet as the Manhattan, but the Scotch really emphasizes the flavors and aromas of the vermouths. Because it’s got such a strong flavor, the Rob Roy makes for a great afternoon cocktail, on its own, or as an after dinner beverage. Read More

Carbon Monoxide Evacuation

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

An article I put together from a make believe press conference when I attended SUNY Purchase.

Fifty people evacuated their apartment building early yesterday morning, many of them barefoot and in their pajamas. Some of them were carried out, dangling over the shoulders of firefighters. Residents soon learned that carbon monoxide was detected throughout their building.

Tanya Jones, 27, was one of the 50 who lived in the apartment building on East 12th Street in the East Village. She lived on the fourth floor and was woken up around 5:15 am to the sounds of screaming and men’s voices. She went into the hallway to investigate, where she passed out in her neighbor’s doorway.

“I woke up at about 4:00 in the morning with a splitting headache,” Jones says. “I thought it was just the stress of my job and I went back to sleep. Then the next thing I knew, I heard crying and screams in the hallway, and I thought ‘Just another day in New York City,’” she says. “Then I heard screams and men’s voices. That’s when I realized something was wrong. I looked at my alarm clock and I realized that I slept through my alarm.” She takes a breath. “I thought to myself, ‘I need to investigate.’ I got out of bed, my knees buckled beneath me and I hit the ground.” Read More

Teacher Acts Like A Chicken

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

An article I put together from a make believe press conference when I attended SUNY Purchase. Based on true events.

According to a class of eighth grade students, their teacher, Eva Brady, was behaving oddly during class time and acting like a chicken.

On March 24^th, Brady, 47, was driven home from Pentucket Regional Middle School by a colleague after her history class told administrators that there was something “wrong” with their teacher.

It was 10:00 a.m. on March 24^th when additional information was given from Chief Holmes and Officer Forni regarding the incident at the school. Holmes said that she had information from the Groveland Police and one of their employees that Brady asked a student in her class how he thought it would feel to have a bullet in his head. The student confirmed the question with Assistant Principal Ken Kelley.

According to Forni, students told him that Brady was in the back of the classroom flapping her arms, making chicken noises and trying to fly. These allegations were not confirmed during the school’s investigation.

“Ms. Brady has worked in the district for the last five years without incident and has denied the incident,” said Principal Debra J. Lay. “After an investigation by our school board, we are inclined to dismiss the accusation and welcome Ms. Brady back to the classroom.”

When parent Tracy Dalton picked up her son and his friends from the school, they reported the “bullet” incident and Brady’s other odd behaviors. Dalton reported information to parents of involved students and also to the school on March 24^th.

On March 25^th, the school was still investigating the incident and talking to students.

According to Kelley, the student involved in the “bullet” incident said that Brady had asked him to teach the class. He said that though “she was acting strangely,” he was not afraid of her or her comments to him.

On March 26^th, Officer Michael Dwyer contacted the father of the student, who said he was satisfied with the handling of the issue and did not want anything to go forward as far as charges.

I hate “Kk”

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

My friends say it, your friends say it. You’ve probably said it too.

“Kk.”

Being a complete grammar geek, this peculiar acronym annoys me to no end. After I read a text from my boyfriend saying “Kk” last night, I had enough. It was time for a serious, serious talk. But that’s a different story.

I began researching as much as I could about this “Kk” that gets around everywhere, creeping into phones, emails and online communities across the globe, hypnotizing its readers to spread it so it can conquer the precious, well thought out English language, with its growing number of similar lazy buddies who want nothing more than to get around.

But where did “Kk” come from? I can’t pinpoint an exact mastermind or location, but I’ve done some digging.

The double K means the message has been acknowledged. I know that and I’m sure you do too. But why not just write “Ok” in the first place? You’d still be using two letters. Originally, it didn’t just mean “Ok.” “Kk” came from, “k, kewl,” translating to “Ok, cool.” I’ve never heard anyone say “Kk” in person, except when reading a text message out loud. Even then, it sounds beyond stupid. It is stupid. It’s an acronym for two words that are misspelled and conjoined. It makes my head sick. It makes me lose hope for the human being.

Conversations like the following wouldn’t be said like this in person.

“hi how ru i just ate a corn dog”

“lool kk im good cant complain hbu”

Read that aloud. What a catastrophe.

Through research, I discovered that “Kk” was born in the 1990s. Not surprising, with the Internet really growing up back then. It’s part of online/texting conversation culture and was first used in online communities, not texting, as many would now assume.

The younger generations especially use “Kk” without knowing what it means. They think it means “Ok” and they use it that way, when it really stands for “k kewl” (Okay, cool). So, if you think about it, a conversation like the one below would be messed up.

“i cant make it tonight i gotta go to my grandpas wake”

“kk im sry”

These things happen. This also reminds me how many things are so impersonal now. I love technology, but sometimes I feel that the younger people in this world aren’t going to know how to properly communicate, especially face to face. The ways of the future interest me.

So, those are some of my thoughts and facts on the subject.

Okay, cool.

Liebster Blog Award!

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Nicole DiGiose

I received the Liebster Blog Award from Jane Fritz. She always has something meaningful to read on her blog, which focuses on her lifetime experiences and thoughts. I’m honored that she chose me and I’m more than happy to know that there are people who enjoy my work.

The Liebster Award is for bloggers with fewer than 200 followers and is meant to encourage them to keep writing.

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. Thank and link back to the giver.

2. Answer the giver’s questions.

3. Nominate five other blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

4. Ask five questions for one’s nominees to answer.

5. Post it on your blog.

Jane’s questions:

(1) What is it that you like about blogging?

I’m able to showcase my work and express my thoughts. It’s meaningful to me because these words are mine and they come from deep within. I can write, share it with others who have similar interests and receive feedback. It’s something I’ll always appreciate.

(2) What is your favorite time of year and why?

When summer fades into fall. The air is crisp and refreshing, it’s warm but not hot and there’s a subtle breeze. It’s the perfect weather to admire the scenery or to go out and have fun.

(3) If the Internet didn’t exist, and hence the possibility of blogging, would you still write? If not, what would you do instead to get the same satisfaction?

Of course. I still write with a pen in my diary at least once a week. I can’t escape putting my imagination and experiences on paper to preserve, and I don’t want to.

(4) What’s your biggest weakness/indulgence?

I see others my age who are successful and on their own and I’m nowhere near that. I find myself comparing myself to them. My weakness is being too hopeful about my future in writing. It’s what I want to do and I have to push myself sometimes to get that dream out of my head and to slave away in another field. Then the other half of me says to never give up.

(5) If you won the lottery next week, would you make any major changes in your life? What?

Definitely. I’d be out and on my own, away from where I currently reside. I’d be somewhere warm, in a city where I have a better shot at my career. My college loans would be paid off and so would my brothers’ and my boyfriend’s. We’re all being held back because of them. I’d get my parents to where they want to be and I’d certainly go traveling all over the place.

I nominate these blogs for the Liebster Award:

My five questions:

What inspired you to start blogging?

Out of all your posts, which is your favorite?

What stimulates your imagination?

Is where you are in life where you saw yourself five years ago?

Out of the twelve months each year, which month best represents your eyes? Why?