Nothing beats Thinking about Cybersecurity for 80% off in December with our The Great Courses coupon

This is a great lecture series!

Christmas has come and was awesome and you should be thinking about your safety!

Save 80% on Thinking About Cybersecurity using our The Great Courses coupon.

Cybersecurity expert, Paul Rosenzweig, from The Great Courses, also got socks and gift cards for his Christmas presents but knows how to use them!

Do you know what to do with them? If so, get that stuff sorted out safely with The Great Courses! 

Protect yourself, protect your data, protect your money.  And do it easily!


To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

You'll love Thinking about Cybersecurity for 80% off this December with our The Great Courses coupon

This is a great lecture series!

It's getting so close to the wire with holiday presents!

Save 80% on Thinking About Cybersecurity using our The Great Courses coupon.

Cybersecurity expert, Paul Rosenzweig, from The Great Courses, can help this very day while you get yourself out there online — you can do it safely!

We all know someone who makes all their passwords the same, or maybe never logs out of anything on their computer ever.

You surely know someone who has had their identity stolen online, right? These are all the things this The Great Courses class would help you with every time. And who can't use that?

Protect yourself, protect your data, protect your money.  And do it easily!


To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Get Thinking about Cybersecurity for 80% off this November with our The Great Courses coupon

This is a great lecture series!

Get smart and save 80% on Thinking About Cybersecurity using our The Great Courses coupon.

Did you do any shopping today online? It's Cyber Monday afterall. If you did, did you do it safely?

I've already done some shopping and I plan to do more today. I love Cyber Monday for small businesses especially. But I'm shopping safer than ever thanks to Cybersecurity expert, Paul Rosenzweig, from The Great Courses. 

When you consider it, how often have you found yourself Thinking About Cybersecurity? I'm going to guess less than you think about shopping or goofing off online.  And yet, every time you shop or surf, you're opening yourself up to the dangers of life online.

Get this course, and learn how to make yourself safer with some very simple, easy recommendations. Plus, it helps so much to understand the world we're living and working in a little better.

Think about it — you take great pains to make sure you're careful in the big wide world. You protect your person, your home, and your wallet. Why wouldn't you do the same thing online?

Learn about privacy, and what rights you have when it comes to your publicly available data. Get smart about how you get online.


To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Get Thinking about Cybersecurity for 80% off this November with our The Great Courses coupon

This is a great lecture series!

It's easy to save 80% on Thinking About Cybersecurity thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

It's a scary world out there, and it's near impossible to protect yourself completely, especially online. It's hard to know what to look for, and what to do if you find something's gone wrong.

We're here to help! You can snag this great lecture series by Cybersecurity expert, Paul Rosenzweig, from The Great Courses. 

Thinking About Cybersecurity give me a ton of comfort and peace of mind, and does help guide my through the dangers that are unique to the internet and lurk at every turn!

In all honesty, it's been a really comforting thing to know that there are things I can do to help make myself safer. And learn how to recognize, manage, and reduce threats online.

This is one of the many great lectures available from The Great Courses, but it's the one to watch to learn about your safety in the digital world available to you through the internet. It's such a big wide world out there in cyberspace, and keeping yourself safe is just as important as it is in the real world.

Learn about viruses, and what to do to protect yourself. Also about privacy, and what rights you have when it comes to your publicly available data. Get smart about how you get online.

If you're going to surf, and we know you're going to surf — why not be smart about it?

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

80% off Thinking about Cybersecurity this November with our The Great Courses coupon

This is a great lecture series!

80% off Thinking About Cybersecurity thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

Ever wonder if you're being as careful as you should be online? Worried about your safety or the safety of your family and friends? Worried about someone taking advantage of your elderly relatives when they venture online?

Cybersecurity expert, Paul Rosenzweig, provides a really interesting guide to understanding cyberspace, the unique dangers that are emerging, and the ways we’re learning how to recognize, manage, and reduce them.

This is one of the many great lectures available from The Great Courses.
This series is taught by Paul Rosenzweig, Ph.D. from the George Washington University School of Law and it's for anyone who uses the internet. Including you.

Learn about:

The Incredible Scope of the Internet
Viruses, Botnets and Logic Bombs
Privacy for the Cyber Age


If you want to improve your safety online I say check out this educational opportunity today.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Just loving National Geographic Masters of Photography as my October course. It's 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon!

Engaging the World is the lecture I'm watching this week in the  National Geographic Masters of Photography , which you can get for 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

Taught by Ed Kashi, this lesson is all about how to capture more difficult issues, such as political unrest, or fractious families. You best serve the subject when you can capture daily life, and this lesson will help you get there.

Trust me when I say this is such a wonderful, valuable course. I have been able to get better with my new Lumix camera, but I've also become a better storyteller too, which I didn't expect.

I also loved the lesson "Use all the Tools" which has the best, funniest title too. Panning, engaging eye contact, and scouting your environment all make a difference to the split-second moment you capture on camera, and you need to engage all of them.

I love The Great Courses so much, and this one might be my favorite.

For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Make better pictures using National Geographic Masters of Photography this October. It's 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon!

This month I'm working my way through National Geographic Masters of Photography and you can too. Just use our The Great Courses coupon.

Okay, guys, this is such an interesting course. So many lectures I need to learn more about, especially:

• Exploring Landscapes
• Set the scene and Get Close
• The Joys of Nature 

I just got a cool new Lumix camera that is more camera than I know how to use, and this course is helping me make better photos while totally loving the learning!

If you only take snapshots, this course is still for you. Learn more about photos and that will help you take better pictures. It's so awesome, and so easy.  You should get on this for yourself.


For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

The best way to learn the Art of Storytelling? This September it's 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon!

Emotional arc and and empathy is the important part of The Art of Storytelling you can get for 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

When you think about it, the things that make you on the edge of your seat when someone is telling a story — it's those things — the empathy and emotions that make stories work for you.

Once you have things to tell, it's important to make sure the info you're telling is put together in a wonderful, compelling way so that everyone needs to hear it.

Then there's also the inviting the audience in, and invite them to enjoy themselves. Yes, that makes a difference.

And once you have 'em, keep 'em by keeping your audience's attention. The Great Courses will show you how.

For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

There are a million ways the Art of Storytelling serves you, I promise. This September it's 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon!

Look, honestly? You're going to spin your story anyway. We all do.  Why not get 80% off The Art of Storytelling with our The Great Courses coupon.

You have a story you cherish, right? It means the world to you at every single party since you were partying with your high school classmates. So why not polish that story to meet new people?

It's not about who was there, or who you know. It's about the outcome, silly. It is always about the happily ever after.

What about me?

The Art of Storytelling

My happily ever after doesn't seem to be written as yet. For now, I'm doing the best I can, working towards things that make me happy.

If you are too, our great courses coupons gets yourself hooked up and learning to share your Top Ten! We're waiting!

For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Want to learn the Art of Storytelling? This September it's 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon!

Want to up your storytelling game? You can get 80% off The Art of Storytelling with our The Great Courses coupon.

Everyone's a storyteller, this we know. It's how we share information and lives and everything else. We all story tell all the time, so why not learn how to make your stories the most memorable?

It's not simply a matter of retelling what you know: there's so much more to making a compelling story! Pacing, foreshadowing, timing … all these things matter!

Want to know something?

The Art of Storytelling

I have a friend who says that your whole life is just a series of revisions to the ten best stories you tell about yourself. Once you stop revising the Top Ten list, it's all down hill from there!

So use our great coupons to get yourself hooked up and learning to share your Top Ten! We're waiting!

For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

It's September, and The Science of Mindfulness is 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon!

The Great Courses coupon

Did you see that the mindfulness movement was featured on 60 Minutes this week? You can get 80% off The Science of Mindfulness with our The Great courses coupon.

It was really amazing to see Anderson Cooper talking about this wonderfully helpful coping tactic for our busy stressful lives!

And even though he could start to see some better sense of self, better healing, and more relaxation … it was also fun to see him frustrated to be without his cell phone at first!

I want a more peaceful, well balanced life too!

There are also meditations at the end of the course for you to use and practice for yourself so that you can bring more serenity into your modern life.

Don't wait, check it out today, and be sure to use our great coupons!

For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

The Science of Mindfulness can be your September course for 80% off using our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

A brand new month and a new chance to learn about your own mind!  The Science of Mindfulness is available for 80% off in September using our The Great Courses coupon.

This modern life is busy and stressful and full of a million things pulling you in every direction. It's easy to lose track of what you're doing when you're doing so much.

That's why this course is so awesome. It uses science and human history and traditions to help teach us to live healthier and happier! Oh, and don't forget calmer!

It really can't be beat for cool geeking out too. We learn about how we learn, form habits and navigate through life. And gives us tools to use to rebuild less useful things, and keep the good tools too!

What's the harm in learning how to be better to yourself? Nothing! So get over their and check it out!

Learn more here: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Get The Science of Mindfulness for 80% off this August with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

You can now get 80% off The Science of Mindfulness with our The Great courses coupon.

I think we all can agree that being more mindful of our stress levels, our anxieties, and our daily moods could really help our overall health.

More attention as of late has been paid to the way the mind can help achieve a better sense of self, better healing, and more relaxation.

This series will go into all that you need to know to achieve more well-being.

Here are some examples of the 24 lectures available to you:

• Who Am I - The Perils of Self
• Mindfulness of Psychotherapy
• Groundbreaking Mindfulness Programs
• The Promise of Enlightenment

At the end of the course, you will even receive 4 bonus meditations so that you can put all that you learned into practice.

Truly, this educational opportunity has thought of everything.

Therefore, if you have ever wanted to improve yourself, work toward a healthier lifestyle, check it out today.

For more info: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

This August get The Science of Mindfulness for 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

We have a new course! This one is called The Science of Mindfulness and it can now be yours for 80% this August with our The Great Courses coupon.

Dr. Ronald Siegal, a professor at Harvard, teaches this course. He shares with us how modern science, combined with ancient wisdom and traditions of mindfulness can help us deal better with stresses. The goal is to lead healthier and more calm lives.

The series goes into how our human brain and autonomic nervous systems are hardwired to follow the same pathways. That's why pain is such a hard thing to get rid of. Habits that form are hard to break.

This series teaches us how to rewire those pathways. Why those pathways get set in the first place.

Here are some of the topics:

Why Mindfulness Matters
Interrupting Addiction and Troublesome Habits
Transforming Chronic Pain
Placebos, Illness, and the Power of Belief

We can all stand to learn a better way of doing things. This series will help you do just that.

Check it out today.

Find out more here: http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

This August get Fundamentals of Photography for 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

The Fundamentals of Photography is now 80% off this August with our The Great Courses coupon.

Everyone wants to take better photos, however, sometimes it is hard to figure out what is wrong with the photo you took. Is it the lighting? Is it the background? Perhaps the lens? I mean, all you hear about these days are GoPro's and fancy cameras.

So what do you actually need to take a better photo?

This series taught by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore will teach you just that.

Not only will it go into all the topics above, but it will also discuss composition, how to stage a better photo, and, specifically talk about certain scenarios like vacations and family events.

To learn more, please go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Fundamentals of Photography now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

You can now get Fundamentals of Photography for 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

Learn how to take better photos with this lecture series taught by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.

Some of the things that you will learn are:

Found or Ambient Light
Composition
Lanscapes
People and Relationships
Family Vacations

These are practical lessons that you can apply to your everyday needs. It's not over your head or on topics that you aren't even interested in. Everyone is interested in taking better vacation and family photos.

Check it out today.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Get 80% off Fundamentals of Photography with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

We all want to take better photos. We want the memories of our vacations, our children, our nephews to show all that they projected in real life.

That's why capturing the essence of a photo is so important.

You can now learn how to do all of that with this course, Fundamentals of Photography, now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

This course will teach you about lighting, about camera lenses, it will even teach you about how to frame a shot.

One of the cool things it also teaches you is what makes a photograph more interesting -- things like backgrounds and perspective.

Don't let your photos look flat, learn how to take better ones today.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Get Fundamentals of Photography for 80% off thanks to our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

Get Fundamentals of Photography for 80% off thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

Learning more about photography really can be utilized by just about everyone.

We all want our family vacation photos to be better. We all want the lighting to be better- no more dark photos. We also all want our backgrounds to be more interesting, more engaging -- something people will want to see.

Here are some of the topics that you will learn about in this series:

Making Great Pictures
Aperture and Depth of Field
Composition III Framing and Layering
Let's Go To Work--People and Relationships
Let's Go To Work--From Mundane to Extraordinary

As you can see, these are definitely topics that will lead to better photos no matter who you are. This course is geared to the real person, not someone who is already well-versed in photography.

Take a chance on this course and you won't be disappointed. What you will have is better pictures.

To learn more, please go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

80% off How Ideas Spread today with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

80% off How Ideas Spread thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

Now is your time to learn how some messages go viral. Why some novels hit the NYT Best Seller list. Why dome blogs have thousands upon thousands of subscribers and yours only has your mom and dad.

This is what The Great Courses does. They find topics that people are interested in and they find the best professors to teach them.

This series is taught by Jonah Berger, Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in Human Judgement and Decision Making from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has also been named one of the top five most productive researchers in marketing.

Therefore, this is the guy you want to be teaching you about:

Social Epidemics - Why Things Catch On
Word of Mouth - Powerful and Persuasive
Tracking Results - Big Data, Little Data

If you want to improve your viewers I say check out this educational opportunity today.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

How Ideas Spread now 80% off thanks to this The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

How Ideas Spread now 80% off thanks to this The Great Courses coupon.

Ever wonder why one book gets on the best seller list and another does not? Wonder why one photo on Instagram has thousands of followers, but your puppy picture does not?

This series will go into why that is the case. The more you understand, the more you can make your own project go viral.

Some of the things that you will learn are as follows:

Social Epidemics - Why Things Catch On
The Basics of Consumer Psychology
The Impact of Triggers on Consumer Choice

As you can see, this course really goes into the nuts and bolts of why concept catch on.

Check it out today.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

How Ideas Spread now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

How Ideas Spread now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

That's right! What an amazing price!

Ever wonder why someone winds up on a best seller list? Why one cat video reaches thousands of viewers while another one doesn't? I mean, they are both about a cat pushing something off of a table, so why one over the other?

That's what this new lecture series is about.

It goes into the psychology of ideas. Also, it delves into the social aspect of it.

This series is good for anyone trying to get their concept promoted over another, but it is also good to just be aware of how messages can go viral. For example, parents are a good choice for this series so that they can be better prepared to teach to their kids about their phones, tablets, and computers. Kids may not fully understand that once something is on the internet, it can take a life of its own.

Try out this series today, you will be happy that you did.

For more information, please visit http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

How Ideas Spread now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

How Ideas Spread now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

This series is taught by Jonah Berger, Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in Human Judgement and Decision Making from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

What this really means is that he knows what he is talking about.

He is particularly versed in this topic as he wrote a book called Contagious: WhyThings Catch On, which appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.

So if you have ever wanted to know why your blog is not popular, but someone else's is, this is the lecture series to learn from.

There are 12 lectures in the course, some are listed as follows:

• Social Epidemics - Why Things Catch On
• Word of Mouth - Powerful and Persuasive
• The Social Currency of Shared Ideas

If you have ever wanted to learn more about this sort of ting, an we all do -- we all want our Instagram photos looked at more than another person, this is the lecture for you.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Learn how to get your message across for less with our The Great Courses coupon for the series How Ideas Spread

Get 80% off How Ideas Spread thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

This course is taught by Professor Jonah Berger Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. 73% of users would recommend the course to a friend.

And why not?

Everyone wants to learn how to get their messages across. Whether that be a YouTube video, Instagram, or even a personal blog, people want to know how to reach more readers and viewers. Why does one photo go viral while another does not?


Some of the topics that are discussed are:

• Word of Mouth
• Messages that go Viral
• Social Networks
• Tracking Results

Get your ideas out there! Learn from the best! Take these discussion points and apply them to improving your own project. Everyone should definitely have the chance to see your football vlog, or perhaps how cute your puppy is. Maybe what really needs to be out there is how scared you were of the cockroach in your apartment. Better yet, maybe in 2016, we can see you celebrate your football team winning the Super Bowl!


If you have ever wanted to reach more people, this course is for you.

To learn more just go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Use our The Great Courses coupon to get How Ideas Spread for 80% off

Another amazing series from The Great Courses! This one, How Ideas Spread, is now 80% off thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

To learn more about our new lecture, please watch the video below.

To learn more, go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

Take better photos of your trip to Saint Petersburg - The Art of Travel Photography is 80% off

The Great Courses coupon

The Art of Travel Photography is 80% off now with our The Great Courses coupon.

One of the places that I have always wanted to travel to is Saint Petersburg, Russia.

It has such beautiful scenery, a rich history, and great food.

It is the most Westernized city in Russia and the city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703. It is important to Russian economics as it has a port on the Baltic Sea.

One of the reason that Saint Petersburg is so idyllic for travel is that due to the move of the capital to Moscow, much of the 18th and 19th-century architecture has remained unchanged. Most of the modern buildings were built in Moscow. This has left Saint Petersburg as a relic of the past with beautiful, ornate buildings. Located on the river Neva, the water only adds to the beauty of the city.

Some of the sites I would like to see are Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Catherine Palace, and the Kunstkamera.

Most of these places are in the old Baroque style - very ornate and breath-taking.

That's why if I ever get a chance to go, I will want to take the most amazing photos possible. I want to capture the beauty of the city centre. I want to have my photos represent what I see, smell and touch.

This lecture series will do just that. It will fine tune your photography skills. No more too dark photos. No more will the site only 1/2 be in the picture. You will learn from the best, from a National Geographic photographer.

Why look forward to going to Saint Petersburg only to come back with subpar photos?

At 80% off, take the course, and increase your enjoyment of your trip for years to come.

To learn more go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

80% off The Art of Travel Photography thanks to our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

80% off The Art of Travel Photography thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

Planning a trip can take a lot. You spend so much time carefully detailing the whole excursion. You spend hours first trying to find the location. You research travel books, friends recommendations, and news reports. You spent countless hours researching airfare - when the cheapest flights are, what seats you will be sitting in, and whether you will have enough leg room. As for the hotel, there are more hours invested in that. What is the best location? Is the hotel near a subway system? Is it near all the sites? Is the area safe?

So why when you spend so much time on all of this, do you not spend any time making sure the photos you capture of this once-in-a-lifetime trip are quality?

Now, you can take a step in the right direction with this lecture series.

Learn how to take those excellent photos. Learn the right camera to use, the right lighting, even learn how to make the photo more interesting.

You will learn from the best. Joel Sartore is a National Geographic photographer. I really don't think it gets much better than that when it comes to taking photos of travel.

At such a superb promotion price, this is one part of your trip you should definitely invest in.

More information about TGC can be found at http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

The Great Courses coupon will save you 80% off of The Art of Travel Photography

The Great Courses coupon will save you 80% off of The Art of Travel Photography.

One of the places that I have always wanted to go is Romania. I would love to take the most expert photos of my trip there. Photos that I could cherish for a lifetime thanks to this lecture series.

My ancestry is from Romanian decent. I would love to see where some of my familial roots are from.

Orsova, Romania

Some of the highlights for me would be the authentic food. I am so into food.  Some of the top items (I ate these every Thanksgiving) from Romania are cabbage rolls, grilled sausages, and, simply enough, baked potatoes. Things that I would like to try while I was visiting would be: potato goulash, radauti (translates to chicken soup), and pomana porcului.

Some of the sites I would like to see are: Bran Castle, Corvin Castle, Merry Cemetery, the Sphinx, and Moldovita Monastery.

I also think just walking around Bucharest would be fantastic. Some of the things I would like to do there are stroll the streets, get some coffee, and try and find the "old Paris". I guess Bucharest was known for awhile back in the day as the Paris of the east. However, an earthquake and communist rule after WWII destroyed the aspects that would associate it with Paris.

Also, outside of Bucharest, the Romanian lands are mostly agricultural. I can only imagine driving through the countryside and the beauty that I would be able to take in.

I think this would be a fabulous trip only more enhanced by taking amazing pictures of it, thanks to The Great Courses.

More information can be found at http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

My review of San Diego thanks to The Art of Travel Photography

You can now get the Art of Travel Photography for 80% off thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

If you want to learn more, go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

San Diego is a great place to take a vacation. There is so much to do! It has everything that I look for in a vacation. A city to visit, good food, sites, and easy transportation.

The city is great. The downtown area has a couple of distinct districts: the Marina, Gaslamp, and Little Italy. Each has something great to offer. In particular, the Gaslamp has all of the restaurants. You can find any type of food. Searsucker and Osteria are some of my favorites.

Don't forget about the beaches in San Diego. There are so many to pick from. I really like going to Coronado because it is so close and there are some great restaurants to go to on the boardwalk.

Other than that, you could just rent a bicycle and ride around, or go see a Padres game . I like baseball here. The ballpark is right downtown so basically from any hotel you can just walk there.

I say check San Diego out for your next vacation. Take some awesome pictures thanks to this special promotion for a lecture series on how to take travel photos. Make your trip, and your pictures, amazaing!

The Art of Travel Photography is 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Art of Travel Photography is 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

I have always, always, always wanted to go to Bavaria. It just seems like it would be such a great place to visit. All the scenery, the rolling hills, the food ...

But most of all, I really want to go for one reason.

Neuschwanstein Castle.

I was at work one day and we were looking up places for my friend to go on her honeymoon. I'm not entirely sure how we even fell upon this place, but there it was. I couldn't believe it. A castle in the clouds.

The castle is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace. It is in the village of Hohenschwangau in southwest Bavaria. It was completed just 6 weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886. The rumor has it that the king wanted it to escape from public life. Ironically, 1.4 million people visit the castle yearly. Apparently, the king wanted to rebuild the Hohenschwangau castle. The other rumor is Cinderella's Castle is based on Neuschwanstein.

I'm no Disney fan, but I am a fan of this castle.

I'm not sure how or when I will get there, but I will. Once I do, I am going to want to take pictures that will last me a lifetime.

That's what is so great about this travel series by The Great Courses. It teaches you something that we can all use -- how to make our travel memories last a lifetime.

I want to get the full scope of the castle in my camera view finder. I want to know how to capture the light against the mountain. I want to see the clouds float in the sky.

Try the course out today and ensure your photos are fantastic.

To learn more about the series go to http://www.greatcourses.livejournal.com.

My review of Carmel California - get 80% off The Art of Travel Photography with our The Great Courses coupon

Get 80% off The Art of Travel Photography with our The Great Courses coupon.

Traveling is so much fun, I love to go see all types of places, from beaches, to world historic sites, and even cities in our own country. You don't have to travel far to see something spectacular.

Places like Carmel California.

I love Carmel. It is one of my favorite places on Earth. The whole town surrounds itself with a cool vibe. It has a fantastic beach, with fantastic restaurants, and amazing hotels.

Dog-friendly restaurants, Carmel

The best part? It is a huge dog-loving town.

Some places say they love dogs, but really, they don't. It's often proven by the vast restrictions the town and its establishments place on dogs.

Carmel though is a dog-lovers paradise.

This is how my day looks in Carmel.

I wake up in my gorgeous bed and breakfast. The one I like in particular is Cypress Inn. Honestly, there is no other hotel to stay at in Carmel. Well, there are lots, but I highly recommend this one.

I wrangle up the dogs and walk to the beach through an idyllic part of town. Dogs can be off leash at the beach and I immediately unlock them and watch them barrel down the sand hill toward the water. We usually spend a good two to three hours there, walking the length of the beach, splashing in the water, and laying down in the sand enjoying the beautiful scenery and warm sun.

Hog's Breath Inn, dining at its best

Now it's time for lunch. I know what you are thinking, what about the dogs? Do you have to leave them in the car (a big no-no) or take them back to the hotel?

Nope.

Most all restaurants in Carmel have outdoor seating that will also accommodate dogs. My favorite is the Hog's Breath Inn, owned by Clint Eastwood. Not only does the guy make great movies, but he has one of my favorite places to dine in all the world -- mostly because of how advantageous it is to have dogs there.

There is plenty of outdoor seating in a lovely setting. If you feel a bit of a chill, you can sit by the fire. Great drink selections, great bar food, and a great atmosphere. I like the fact the tables are spaced far enough apart that dogs can have a little bit of space. No shoving your dog under a table, wedged between your feet for protection.

Your dog will love the restaurant as much as you do.

Cottage of Sweets, Carmel

Once done with lunch, it's time to wander the streets. The downtown/main street area is very cute. There are some chain stores, but mostly, it is independent shops. Nothing worse than going on vacation and the shopping is the same Gap/Anthropologie that is everywhere else. Cute art stores, trinket shops, and my favorite -- a great candy store on the way to the beach from Cypress Inn.

The candy store looks like a little cottage. It is as cute as a button. They carry all kinds of sweets here. The fudge is on par with Mackinaw Island, Michigan fudge. In fact, Cottage of Sweets has been making their own fudge since 1981. That's pretty fantastic. No wonder it is on par with Mackinaw Island! One of their other specialities is licorice. They get it from all over the world, including Australia, Finland, Germany, Holland, England and Italy. All I'm saying is you definitely need to stop here as you wander around with your pups.

After you eat all that candy, you will need a nap. Time to go back to the inn with your pups. Take a nice long shower, crawl into bed, and enjoy and amazing nap. When you wake, all you have to do is trounce down the stairs with your dogs and get cozy in Cypress Inn's restaurant or lounge area and enjoy a cocktail -- with your dogs! I know I keep saying this, but the town really is dog friendly.

As you can see, you are really going to want to take your time on this vacation. There are so many great chances for photos. Make sure you take the best ones possible thanks to The Great Courses. Learn from a National Geographic photographer on how to capture the best light, the right frame, and what camera to use. Never take a bad photo again. Make sure your travel photos are as good as your vacation was!

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The Art of Travel Photography is now 80% off thanks to our The Great Courses coupon

The Art of Travel Photography is now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon.

You know what I could go for right now, a nice margarita. I nice drink by the pool, looking out over the ocean. I don't have a lot of time for vacation right now, so some place close. Some place that I can do in about three days.

That rules out one of my more favorite types of vacations -- the site seeing type. You know, all the landmarks and such.

But a beach. I could do a beach.

Cabos San Lucas is close.  I say do that.

I like Cabos, it's nice. It's warm, the food is excellent, and laying poolside seems like such a great idea right now after such a long and hard winter.

All I want to do is eat, sleep, and bask in the sun -- and take pictures of the beautiful ocean.

That's why taking a lecture on how to take amazing travel photos will come in very handy. When you go on vacation you want to really capture what you see. The ambience of it all. I don't know about you, but whenever I try and take a photo of the sparkling water ... there's just something lacking.

No longer. With this course I will learn about light, how to frame a shot, and how to get perspective.

Try it out for yourself. Don't let your next vacation, whatever it may be, lose something when it comes to the photos that you take.

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Get 80% off The Art of Travel Photography with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

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I love traveling. It is just so enjoyable. There are so many places that I want to see, one of which is Thailand.

If I had to pick the food that is the most comforting to me, it would be Thai food. A trip to Thailand for me would be one where I ate my way though the country. I really, really want to try authentic Thai food.

What I like most about Thai food is the way that the spices, the curry, and the coconut milk make for a sweet and spicy combination. I love the way the culture uses vegetables. I love the unique flavors that the combinations cause.

This all being said, let's not rule out how extraordinary the beaches are there. With so much coast to offer, it is hard to even pick what beaches you would want to visit and which ones you would have to skip. Kata Noi, Phra Nang, and Sunrise beach are just a few can't misses. So much to do at the beach with stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling, and just swimming - it's a once in a lifetime experience.

That's why taking pictures of every dish I eat, every fish I see, every beach I walk on is so important to me. Since it's a one time deal, I need to make sure I get my pictures right the first time around. That's where this course comes in. It will teach whomever purchases it the information and skills to obtain the perfect photograph. The lecture is taught by a world famous National Geographic photographer, so you know the information on how to succeed is there.

Never take a bad picture again with this course. Thailand ... here I come!


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The Art of Travel Photography is now 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

The Great Courses coupon

The Art of Travel Photography is now 80% off thanks to our The Great Courses coupon.

I love going on vacation. It is so amazing. Personally, I prefer to go see the sites. I love the architecture, the old mosques, cathedrals, and statues. I love Spanish steps, and water fountains. I love it all. I prefer this kind of travel over going to beach locations, but those also have their place.

One thing is for certain, I want to have the best keepsake memories that I can.

Part of the way I can ensure this happens is by taking good photographs of what I see. Not blurry ones, or ones where the lighting is so bad you can't even tell what you are looking at. No, I want crisp, clear photos. Photos that represent the height of the monuments that I am seeing. The details in the sculpture. The way the light reflects off of the Arc de Triomphe at night.

This lecture series will do just that. It will teach you, in six expert lessons, how to make the most of your travel photos. The course is taught by Joel Sartore, a National Geographic photographer. He has been to some of the Earth's most beautiful locations, locations not just in the U.S., but all across the world. In 2011 his photograph was voted the best photo of the year. Now that is the person I want teaching me how to take my photos for my future trip to Germany to see the Neuschwanstein castle. I have always, always wanted to see it.

I think this course is well worth it.

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80% off with our The Great Courses coupon - The Art of Travel Photography

Our new lecture series! The Art of Travel Photography. Check it out!

Interested? Of course you are! This lecture is also 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon. Just think of all the vacations you want to go on. You want to keep those pictures forever. You want to capture the magic of the moment, the sparkle in the water, the enormity of the structures and sites that you have seen.

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The Great Courses coupon

You can now get 80% off Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques with our The Great Courses coupon.

Just think about how great it would be to actually write that novel that you have been mulling over in your head. You know what you want to say, but, there is just one problem. It's perfect in your head. Once you try to put the words down on the page it loses a little something.

You don't know how to fix translating what is in your head, and what you are, talent wise, able to put down on the paper.

That's what is so wonderful about this new series. It will teach you how to do just that.

Some of the classes that are in this series is as follows: Starting the Writing Process, Characters: Round and Flat, Major and Minor, and Evoking Setting and Place in Fiction.

Just these three lectures out of the 24 gives you the idea of what this series has to offer. A much better, well-rounded novel that is what you always dreamed it could be.

Make your novel come alive today with these techniques and tips from The Great Courses.

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Writing Great Fiction is 80% off with our The Great Courses coupon

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You ever want to write a story but didn't know how? You have a great idea, but you don't know how to execute?

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There are 24 lectures to help you improve your writing. One of the lectures is called Fictional Characters, Imagined and Observed. This part alone will go into how to make your characters better. Also, with better characters, it's a better story.  The story will move faster, readers won't get bogged down waiting for something to happen. Overall, the book will be better.

The series is taught by James Hynes, a novelist and writing instructor. Each course goes into a topic that will definitely help the completeness of your novel, but without overwhelming you.

The Great Courses has been a wonderful way for people to learn for over 20 years. They offer over 500 different courses, so no matter what you're into, they have a class for you. They also provide the lectures on multiple formats, including: download, DVD, and CD.

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