Diary by Jasmine

Dear Diary Readers,  One of my favorite chain restaurants to dine at is Olive Garden. Their Italian food is very satisfying and the atmosphere is welcoming. I still support local eateries, but every now and then I will stop in to have a nice dinner.  For appetizers, I like eating their Fried Calamari. They crisp it up well and serve it with seasoned marinara sauce. Additionally, I will eat their unlimited soups and breadsticks. My go-to soup is Chicken and Gnocchi. The chicken itself is cooked well. The creamy taste is wonderful, and I like their scattered gnocchi dumplings.  When it comes to entrees, I love their Cheese Ravioli. The mixture of cheeses in their filling is melty and cheesy. I recently tried out the Fettucine Alfredo with chicken and I liked it. The only comment I'd make about it was that the grilled chicken was a little salty, but I loved the pasta on its own. For dessert, my personal favorite is the Tiramisu. It has a great coffee and mocha taste, on top of which i

  Dear Diary Readers, I have full support for people attending community college. I'm currently in it myself and I've enjoyed it. It has many benefits, which I will share based on my own experiences.  I've been attending Naugatuck Valley Community College since 2019. I graduated in 2022 with an associate's in Hospitality Management: Foodservice. I'm back in school to get a 2nd degree in Marketing. Originally, I wanted to do a 4-year university, but I came to realize that it isn't for everybody. Some people learn best when they're in a smaller school and the cost can be a game changer. Even when you receive financial aid, it is still up to the student to pay the rest of the tuition. Ultimately, it will lead to signing up for loans which you will have to pay back later on. Student debt can be a struggle to overcome. Community college is a good alternative because it will be affordable. You're less likely to use student loans because financial aid help will

  Dear Diary Readers, In Brookfield, CT, there is one of the best Mexican restaurants in the area. It's called Hacienda Don Manuel and they are as authentic as possible. I've been going there regularly with my family for over a year and we have enjoyed it. We always have a fun time there whether it's only having drinks or eating a full dinner.  One of the things that are well-known here is the drinks, especially the margaritas. The sizes come in regular, medium, giant, or jumbo. I go between a medium and a giant. There are several fruity flavors to choose from, I love the passion fruit or peach margaritas. I recommend getting one with the flavor of your choosing, asking for it frozen, and having salt on the rim. It will be a nice balance of sweet and salty.  The next best thing is their food. Some Mexican dishes to be found are Burritos, Tacos, and Enchiladas. Meat lovers will be pleased with them, however, you could still find vegetarian versions of some dishes. My favorit

  Dear Diary Readers,  I want to open up about some of my experiences with a loved one who had dementia. This can be one of the hardest journeys to go through. My grandmother struggled with this for several years. She gradually got worse as the later stages came in. There were moments when she was her old self who could tell jokes and spend hours talking to family. However, some days she was forgetful and couldn't carry on conversations the way she did beforehand.  I helped my mother, two of my aunts, and an older cousin when her dementia got severe. At first, it was difficult to go through this on our own, while being able to juggle work and school. We realized that this was going to be a challenge without getting professional help. Eventually, we decided to seek help from a home care program where a couple CNAs could come to our house on scheduled days. This truly helped us so much and we are forever grateful for the support. There are amazing CNAs who work hard to care for diffe