Cincinnati Children's Choir

I am apart of the Cincinnati Children's Choir over at Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music. My specific choir is the Young Men's Choir. There are about 10 guys in all in my choir. We have Tenor 1's, Tenor 2's, Baritone's, and Bass's (me). It's pretty cool going through rehearsals, having each group of guys learn their part then having a 4-part harmony song all come together at the concerts.

We had a crazy schedule of concerts in November and December. The last Saturday of November, we had a Christmas concert fundraiser at the Barnes and Noble in Mason. We sang a few songs and then bought some books and drinks at the cafe and a percentage of the money went back to CCC. Then in December, we had three concerts in two weeks, it was pretty hectic. The first weekend of December, we had a concert in CCM's Feast of Carols, a four day long Christmas celebration. It was so awesome! We got to set up in the pit while the first choir sang above us, then when it was our turn, the pit raised up to the stage as we were standing there. We sang our three songs, and then the pit descended back down. It was the coolest thing ever! Then the second weekend of December, we had two concerts on the same day. It was a Saturday, and we had one concert from 11 to 1, and then the same exact concert again from 2 to 4. That was one crazy, tiring day. We were done singing in the first concert by 11:30 and nothing to do until the finale like an hour later. So Girl Choir and Young Men's Choir started playing some fun bonding games, ending in a crazy game of Ninja! It was a fun day.

I love being apart of Young Men's Choir! It's a really fun experience and my director, Mr. McKee is simply amazing! He's singled me out as the team leader this year and I haven't failed to step up each and every concert. If you are a guy and you can sing, please come and join Young Men's Choir in January! You won't regret it! And, if we get 20 guys, we are going to audition to sing the National Anthem at the Cincinnati Reds game! Please help me. Thanks! :)

Sweets by LaDawn

Josh Levin

Travel Writing

12/19/13

Sweets by LaDawn

            Sweets by LaDawn is a fabulous, local bakery in Deer Park, OH. It is run by Mrs. LaDawn, or Cincinnati’s Cake Boss, herself. The store and bakery are in a tiny little hole in the wall place, but she still packs a punch! She’s also just a block away from Leaves of Learning school, so it’s very easy for students to grab a little something sweet after school. After all, we just had a long school day, we deserve a cupcake or two, or some of that amazing “Not A Cheesecake Cake”. It is so good! It’s not a cheesecake, hence the name, but somehow, it tastes just like a cheesecake! It is the best seller there. She has almost 20 different varieties of cupcakes, a special brownie called the “Now and Later Brownie” because it is a giant 2 layer brownie with a teeny tiny brownie on top. They also have cookies and cakes. Her favorite thing to bake is sheet cakes. She does tons of custom cakes for special occasions and her favorite thing is when the buyer orders a sheet cake, gives her a theme, and then gives her freedom of creativity to do whatever she wants with the cake.

            Mrs. LaDawn grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, but didn’t start to get the idea for baking until she was living in Cincinnati. She started baking at a young age with her grandma. Her grandma would have her bake Jiffy cornbread for dinners. From there she just started trying more and more new things. She moved over to Cincinnati a little bit after Hurricane Katrina and started working at Fifth Third bank. After a few years, she thought that she would start baking again and she opened up Sweets by LaDawn! Now it resides in Deer Park for all to come and have a delicious treat, because, come on, we all deserve some sweet treats every once in a while! So why not stop on by Sweets by LaDawn and have something that looks great and tastes amazing! Not only will you enjoy the treat and the happy energy that flows throughout the whole building from Mrs. LaDawn, but you will be helping out a local business! So stop on by and say hi! Tell them the guy with the moose hat sent you!  

Off Track Planet App

A new app developed by Freddie P-Sky. It's a newer take of Lonely Planet. It is a travel app where people can go on and search a place to visit and receive a bunch of handy information for your trip. You will see pictures that people have posted, reviews of certain hotels and places to visit, and great places to eat. This app will skyrocket into stardom and be one of the best selling apps out there for sure! People love to travel, but people also love to know as much as they can about the place they are visiting before they leave. This app has that and so much more! So look out below for this amazing app and hop on board the travel train!

Where Am I?

            The sweet aroma of fresh produce engulfs your senses as you enter. To the right and left are bathrooms that look like you are entering the forest. Once you pass through the entrance, you hear the rush of a waterfall and you see a lush rainforest. At first, you may think to yourself, “there’s no way this can all be real and all fit in this one building.” Then you start to walk through this rainforest and you take a closer look at everything, you see the life; the roots, the leaves, the soil, and you start to feel amazed. You keep walking and you finally see the thing you’ve been hearing ever since you walked through the door; the waterfall. Make a wish and toss a coin in like the many others before you have done. Then continue on through the rainforest.

            After you finish this loop, make a right as you come out and you will enter another, smaller room with lush plant life, particularly, cacti. Careful, don’t try and hug them like Zac and I, they hurt. Other cool things in this room are the cocoa bean and coffee bean trees. I LOVE chocolate. It took all my self-control not to pluck a cocoa bean right off the tree. They also have my favorite tree ever there; the Joshua tree. It is my tree and I love it, it isn’t the prettiest tree, like a maple or oak, but it’s my tree.

            As you come back into the main entry way, go straight and there is another room. This room changes all year round. Right now, it is being used for the Winter Train Show. There are tons of train models and replicas of Cincinnati landmarks all throughout the room. You get to watch the trains go while enjoying the memories of looking at the things that remind you most of Cincinnati.

            Stepping through the train room, you find even more plant life, the plant life in this building in this giant green house is never ending. What’s different about this room, is that it leads outside for a small little exhibit of bonsai trees. Bonsai trees are an art form that originated in China. It involves these tiny little trees and trimming them certain ways to give them certain designs and feng shui (fung shway).

            Outside of this giant greenhouse is a little barn, and during this time of the year, they recreate the Nativity and the birth of Jesus Christ. They have everything, the manger, Mary, lambs, and of course, little Baby Jesus. Also for the winter season, they have a little Christmas sale inside with different ornaments and jewelry.

            This place is a giant greenhouse filled with tons and tons of plants, a waterfall, an exhibit room, a barn, a gift shop, and a little café. Your job as the reader is to guess where it is I’m writing about. Leave your guesses in the comment section below. Good luck.