Some of my favorite Oklahoma diners

Sorry for not posting as of late...I've taken a bit to re-think how I want to approach this blog. I've also been in the middle of a big research project. Thanks for understanding.

Today, I'd like to let you know about a few of my favorite places to go in Oklahoma. Some you may have been to; others you not even know existed. Let's get started.

1) Meer's Restaurant | Meers, OK | Map | Website




This place is awesome. They have some of the best burgers around, and it's cheap for college kids. The only problem is that it's way down around Lawton, OK. The best thing to do is take a day trip and explore the Wichita National Wildlife Refuge. It's a great place to spend the day, and then go to Meer's for dinner.



2) Pops | Edmond, OK| Map | Website




Pops is located right on historic Route 66 just a few miles east of UCO. The food is okay...the selection of soda pop is what sets this place apart. If you ever decide to go here, make sure you get a "Kickapoo Joy Juice".



3) Pete's Place | Krebs, OK | Map | Website




Pete's is located in SE Oklahoma, just outside of McAlester. Another great day trip is to go down to Robber's Cave State Park and explore the caves, and then make Pete's a dinner stop. Some of the best Italian food (especially the Italian sausage...mmmmm). This is one of those must-try places, even if you don't like Italian food all that much.

Well, there you are. These are, of course, in no particular order. I have a few other places that I'll be sharing later on, but I felt like it was a great time to let you in on these favorites of mine. The weather is beginning to turn nice, and day/weekend trips are always a great way to relax your mind and get away from the stress of college, even for a small amount of time.

Jackson Graduate College at UCO

If you're considering grad school, please, please take a look at the Jackson College of Graduate Studies. At the moment, I'm working for them to help improve the website and their presence in the online environment.

After spending several weeks working with the people, I can tell you they will help you 100% of the way through your graduate studies. Questions, concerns, and issues that you need help resolving are their specialty.

UCO undergraduate studies are great, but I've been told (and see it with my own eyes) that the staff at the graduate college is superb!

Oklahoma

For those of you that are international students, you might think: "Why would I want to move from my country to the USA, only to end up in Oklahoma?" Most people that live in the United States and have never visited or been to Oklahoma would probably ask the same question. The answer is pretty simple: Oklahoma is a great state to live in and to explore.

First off, the cost of living is dramatically lower than other areas of the U.S. However, this does not mean that the area is in bad shape. Nothing could be further from the truth. With a new NBA team and a city government forging ahead on efforts to renovate the downtown area, there is a vibrant and diverse selection of things to do around OKC.

Other areas of Oklahoma offer great lakes, state parks, mountains, and caves. We have such a broad selection of geographical features that makes living in Oklahoma exciting and fun.

For more info about state parks and things to do, check out www.travelok.com.

Come back soon to find out some of my favorite places in the state.

Settling in

Just as the warm weather is starting to get here (although it looks like we may get some cooler weather again soon), I have really started to settle in to the rhythm of this semester. Not that things have calmed down or are slowing down, but I just feel a bit more comfortable now. I was letting a lot of things pile up on my plate without addressing them...which is not good.

What do you need to address in your life/career/school studies that will help you settle in?

Suggestions?

I always love suggestions from readers. What do you suggest that I blog about? Is there a particular issue about UCO or college in general that you care to know about? Do you want more tips, techniques, and musings? Or would you rather just have more informative posts?

Let me know in the comments or by sending an email. You can reach me at csmith133[at]uco.edu

International Students

Here at UCO, we have a very diverse student body. International Students are welcomed with open arms and we love to celebrate and learn about the cultures of these students.

If you are an international student seeking to gain more knowledge about going to school at UCO, I will be blogging soon on a few issues I think you will be interested in. For now, be sure to check out the International Student Office website, and also the list of master degree's available while attending UCO.

It

I never could put my finger on it until the other day. It was always something I struggled with using. I never knew exactly how to master it. I couldn't figure out what to do with it. It was everywhere. In everything that I saw, it was there. It was an integral part of my work, as well as others'.

By now, you're probably wondering: What the heck is it?

The answer: light.

You see, as a designer, photographer, and videographer --- light is the "glue" that holds everything together. Light effects colors in a print job. If you view a piece under an incandescent bulb, and then view that same piece under a fluorescent bulb, it will look different. Why? Light.

In photography, lighting is essential. Not only does it matter how you light the subject, which direction the light is coming from, or even if the light is "hard" or "soft"; without light, there would be no photography. You cannot take a picture (unless you're taking a picture of, well, nothing) without a light source.

The same is true for videography. Lighting effects the look and feel of your movie. If you use the right lighting, you can pull off all kinds of effects. You can make it look like 10 o'clock at night when in reality you're filming at noon. This is only a small example of what light can do for you.

So what is it in your trade, business, or profession? What is essential? Study it, master it, and take control of it.

Career Fair

At the Nigh University Center, there is a career and internship fair going on. If you are interested in finding a job or internship this would be a perfect time to check out everything that Oklahoma employers have to offer.

The fair started just a few minutes ago and runs until 4 o'clock today. You can't miss it if you go up to the 3rd floor of the University Center.

Learning by doing

College is full of opportunities for us to learn. Sometimes, we (and by we, I mean, me) feel like we are not getting anything out of these classes that we’re paying so much for. For whatever reason, it seems that professors are not actually teaching, and we’re supposed to just read the curriculum and take exams when they are scheduled.

The design department is a bit different in that regard, just because we don’t really have readings, and we don’t have exams. We have projects that are worth a certain amount of points and maybe a “semester project” that is our final. But still, the concept applies. We can feel like we’re not being “taught” anything.

Truth of the matter, as I come closer to graduation, I realize that I am being taught. Just not how I was in elementary school. I’m being taught how to learn, how to thrive, how to make decisions, and how to gain information without explicitly being told the information I’m seeking.

I’m not entirely sure that this was what my professors had in mind, or if they knew from the beginning this would be the best way to approach the situation. By no means am I stating that my professors did not teach --- they did, in fact. But not how I was accustomed to.

The bottom line is that while you can expect to learn valuable information about your field of study in college, the best way to learn is by really getting your feet wet and doing whatever it is you want to learn about.

Useful Web Applications

When my parents were in school, there was no such thing as the internet. (At least as we know it today.) Things were a little less complex, and they only had to worry about checking their answering machine (if that), and maybe keeping track of the mail for correspondence.

Today, we have so many ways of communicating and tracking our data. Being a graphic designer, not only am I keeping up with tons of email and voice messages, but I need a place to keep my files and have them available to me wherever I may be. 

A few of my favorite web applications for keeping up with everything includes:

Gmail

My email client of choice is www.gmail.com. A great search function, tons of storage, and the ability to filter and tag my mail makes it easy to find exactly what I need. I can also access it from anywhere I have internet access --- my phone, laptop, or even a coffee shop computer. If I need to download messages I can always set it up to be accessed from Apple's Mail.app client. 

Dropbox

At www.getdropbox.com, you have instant access to 2GB of data storage that syncs across multiple computers and also gives you web access, once again. It's super easy to set up and get started. I love this service because I can upload papers, edit them at home, and they are synced back to the web where I can grab them in the library and print away. Instead of worrying about where I put my flash drive, as long as I sync my files to Dropbox I have them everywhere I go. 

Remember The Milk

I'm a big fan of organization and making sure that I know what I need to do next. I still have many kinks and issues to work out as far as my own organizational plan goes, but Remember the Milk is a great "task management" application. I can add tasks, sort them by days, reschedule them, and even get a text message on my phone when a certain task is due. This helps me ensure that I'll never overlook something important. 

These applications are only a few that I use daily. Of course, you must use them efficiently to really be of help to you, but once you get the hang of them they are great.