Learn some more about me!

I thought I'd give all of you a better idea of who I am and my experiences within the journalism field...
I love what I do, and if I could travel while I reported, I would be the happiest and luckiest girl in the world....
Take a look at my resume and let me know what you think!
Find out more about Lysette!: Lysette Portales Resume

And if you want to look at some of my on camera work...
Check out my stuff: Lysette's Website!

Let me know what you think!

You might want to bring another pair of underwear...

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND. I am OBSESSED with this place and I have never been there. But, my best friend (you'll see her in the pics) went on a weekend trip there in July when she was studying abroad in Spain. So until next July when I will be in Switzerland, I am vicariously living through her adventures and pictures.
Interlaken is one of the most adventurous and thrill seeking cities. There is so much you can do there to get your adrenaline going...which is exactly what I LOVE to do.

First example: Bungee Jumping.

Yes, this is my best friend Kasey. She went bungee jumping. How amazing is this view?!

Second Example: Canyoning.

 Basically canyoning is diving and sliding down a ton of canyons. SO COOL!

Anyways, now that you've seen these pictures, I know you WANT and HAVE to go to Switzerland. And the best part....these are only TWO of the adventures Interlaken offers. 

More Interlaken Adventures: Interlaken Adventure!

Get your trip started with the help of my blog: Plan your trip

Just to get you a bit more excited...Here's a YouTube video of Canyoning! 

Check out Canyoning: Canyoning Video

And remember...you might need to bring an extra pair of underwear after participating in these blood rushing, thrill seeking activities!

Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere...

Imagine yourself lying on a towel in the soft, warm sand, listening to the waves brush up against the shore with a cold drink in your hand...

You can wake up from that dream now! But, if you really want to live that dream, you need to take a trip to Key West.  There is so much to do in this historic town.
If you want to be a bit more adventerous out on the water, they have activites such as these: snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, kayaking, and fishing!
If you don't want to get too wet, you can walk along the beautiful streets, do some shopping, see some museums, and have a bite to eat.
Trust me, Key West is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  One word to describe it: PARADISE.
So while you're planning your next vacation, dig deeper in the sand and look into Key West.  I helped you out by showing you some links that will help you plan that next peaceful vacation. Enjoy!

Find Adventures in Key West: Key West Adventures
Learn about Duck Tours: About Duck Tours
Key West Duck Tour: Key West Duck Tour

One more thing! Don't forget to take the most popular picture while in Key West! A pic of you standing at the southernmost point!

Just Get Away!

Sometimes you just need to get away, but saying it is a lot easier than doing it. To make it a tad bit easier for you, I'll introduce you to some great websites, or websites with websites, to help you start planning that weekend trip, or dream vacation!

First off, need a passport?!: How to get a passport
Get Started: Best Travel Websites
You need to eat: Find restaurants near you
Learn to take photos for you trip!: Travel Photos

Hope these links help! Also, if you want to learn more about a specific place...like things to do there, or food to eat there, etc, send me a request and I'll blog about it!

Explore New Orleans

This was the perfect time to post about New Orleans...a city close to Death Valley where those LSU Tigers play. Since we beat them yesterday (14-6) I must say, GEAUX HOME LSU!...But home for you is a wonderful place full of excitement!
Last year when I was in NOLA, I took lots of pictures and video so I can make a short little video to show you what you can experience when you go there.  The food is AMAZING, the streets are full of street performers, and the night life is so much fun (Pat O'Briens is my FAVORITE bar...the dueling pianos are phenomenal.)
Watch my short little NOLA video, and you will be on the next flight there!

DON'T MAKE ME THINK!!!

Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug was a very informative and helpful book.  He dealt with real examples on practically everything you need to know to set up a website and maintain it.  No matter if you are an amateur with the web, have some practice, or are an expert, this book will help you! I thought it was funny as I kept catching myself saying “wow, that does make a really big difference” every time he would point out something that could be altered a little bit…or a lot.  The majority of the stuff he points out is kind of obvious, but it is not stuff that we usually think about….at least I didn’t until I read it! He easily teaches you how to make your website user friendly, and how to keep the viewer’s attention. Every example he used, he explained why it was necessary, unnecessary, helpful or unhelpful etc. (The examples were the most helpful part of the book) This really made me start to think of what I should and shouldn’t change on my site.  I feel that most people have a sense of how to use the web, but this book focused on the changes you can make to make your site better, or even what to look for on other sites when you are looking for something specific. One of the sections I found very interesting was the “Usability Testing on 10 Cents a Day” chapter.  I’ve never really thought about that kind of stuff.  Testing your users will definitely make your website that much better.  After all, we want to make the viewer happy, don’t we? But, my favorite part of this book was when he wrote about omitting needless words.  One of the quotes in the book was this: “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left (Krug’s third law of usability).” This was my favorite chapter because every time I go to a website I expect to find exactly what I’m looking for.  More often than not, I find myself becoming very frustrated with websites that aren’t very user friendly and have way too many words and content on the page.  If I actually take the time to read it, I say to myself “hmmm, they could have really explained that in a much more simple way.”  As I am posting to my blog, I keep this in mind.  Be creative, say what you need to say, but don’t over do it! Overall, the book truly opened my eyes to what a website needs and what it can also do without.  After I get more proficient in using the web, and designing a website, some of the other content will help me much more.  I wasn’t too excited about reading this book at first, but it just so happened that I finished it in two days because I was actually very intrigued! I am confident that my blog will be much more user friendly and accessible as the semester goes on, and if I ever create a website, this book will definitely be opened again!