Gilmore Girls On The Road With Verizon FiOS

I watched past seasons of Gilmore Girls On The Road With the Verizon FiOS App.

The Verizon FiOS app enabled me to catch up on all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls prior to the release of the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls which was made available on Black Friday.

The Netflix revival of the Gilmore Girls consists of four 90-minute episodes.  I have been streaming whenever I have a few minutes and wherever I can.

My Verizon Wireless service in conjunction with my Verizon FiOS App makes all this streaming possible.

Disclosure: **I am a member of both #LifeOnFiOS and #VZWBuzz Ambassador Teams–  selected teams of influencers for Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless who love the FiOS and Wireless service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

Travel Made Easy With My Smartphone

How many people would love to explore a new city but feel directionally challenged like me?

I found this wonderful smartphone app CityMaps2Go that can be a constant companion for directions, dining, shopping, transportation and sightseeing! There is a free version available and paid versions as well.

You can confidently plan your travel by downloading maps for cities or countries prior to your trip.  You can use the maps even when you do not have wifi.  I love that this app tracks my position on the map so I know exactly where I am.  Make sure you download the maps while you have a WiFi connection.

Having a reliable wireless connection is a priority for me especially while traveling.  I am a Verizon Wireless User and take full advantage of their International Trip Planner Tool.  This Planner Tool helps me find the best compatible International Plan and also helps me know which networks I can access on my trip: 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G data.

You can view some Verizon Wireless International Travel FAQs HERE

If you are not already a Verizon Wireless User and want more information about their plans or how to switch over to Verizon Wireless, please visit this link.

Having a currency converter on your smartphone when traveling to multiple countries makes travel much easier.  I find the Currency App to be the most up to the minute for currency conversions.  Before you start out from your hotel with wifi availability calculate your currency so you can make the conversion without using data.

I like having things in one place so I do not waste precious time searching all over the internet.  I love using the Trivago App that gives me all my hotel options with the lowest available prices.

While I am traveling in the USA I take full advantage of my Verizon FiOS TV Service by using the FiOS Mobile App.  The past two weeks I have been on and off traveling and did not want to miss either of the conventions.  I was able to set up my DVR on the road to record what I could not watch live with my app.

When I was finally home I took my iPad out on my patio and hopped on Verizon FiOS App to enjoy watching the convention poolside.

Image shot with Samsung Galaxy Note5 #VZWBuzz

Disclosure: **I am a member of both #LifeOnFiOS and #VZWBuzz Ambassador Teams–  selected teams of influencers for Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless who love the FiOS and Wireless service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

 

Spring Awakening Performed At The 70th Annual Tony Awards

Spring Awakening Performed at the 70th Annual Tony Awards!

Congratulations to the Spring Awakening cast for a mind-blowing performance at the 70th Annual Tony Awards!

The cast of the revival of Spring Awakening performed at the 70th Annual Tony Awards after 1,769 backers pledged $211,634 on Kickstarter to help bring the cast to the Tony stage.

Spring Awakening was nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.  The money raised on Kickstarter was needed to cover travel expenses for the actors, time spent in rehearsal, and all of the pieces of the set and design that are currently in storage in preparation for the 2017 national tour.

My family was particularly excited for the Tony Awards not because it was the 70th Tony Awards, but because Alex Boniello, the voice of Moritz would be Live and OnStage for all eyes to view!

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Squashing my haters, and then smashing them with a microphone stand, just in case. pic.twitter.com/8OpWdHADBV

— Alex Boniello (@AlexBoniello) June 13, 2016

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Alex, in an interview this past fall  shared that “he had been on 727 auditions in 6 years.”  

“How did you get your start and what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?

I got my start during college. I attended Wagner College on Staten Island. They have a great theatre department and I was working towards that degree. The entire time I was in school, I was working with my agent and manager on auditions. I would literally run from classes to the Staten Island Ferry, go in for auditions and then get back on the ferry just in time for my next class. It was completely insane.

Throughout school, I had worked on a few TV shows and films, but the first really great job for me was the national tour of Green Day’s American Idiot right after I graduated. That job started my relationship with Michael Mayer (ironically the director of the first production of Spring Awakening). After that, Michael hired me for three more jobs, all of which lead directly to this.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to definitely make sure you have an active Twitter account. Without that, Andy Mientus will never give you a job via direct message (haha)! No, but actually, I think the most important lesson is to be proud of the work you do and never give up. I know that’s cheesy, but it really is true. I save all of the e-mails of every audition I’ve ever gone on. I have been on 727 auditions in the last 6 years. The fact that my Broadway debut is coming entirely from word of mouth just goes to show that even if you don’t get the jobs when you’re auditioning for them, you’re doing SOMETHING positive and important for your future just by showing up and getting one percent better each time.” Read More of the Interview Here

Needless to say,  when my husband and I along with the Boniellos attended Spring Awakening we were in awe of all the talent on the Brooks Atkinson Theatre Stage.

My family and our whole community are so proud of Alex for all of his hard work and accomplishments in his acting career.

We have the entire 70th Tony Awards, recorded on our DVR.  Our Verizon FiOS Quantum TV Service has plenty of recording storage room to spare since we have 200 hours of HD programming or up to 1,000 hours of standard-definition programming available and supports up to 10 TVs!

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Final Broadway curtain call! 👏👏👏💐🌸🌺🌼 #notgone #SpringAwakening #DeafTalent pic.twitter.com/Gii7JpMLwT

— Spring Awakening (@SpringBway) January 25, 2016

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Disclosure **I am a member of #LifeOnFiOS – a selected team of influencers for Verizon who love the FiOS service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

 

Under The Tuscan Sun With My iPad Pro

I am making great use out of my Verizon FiOS On Demand features this year.

Recently I made a life changing purchase that has really changed how much I am getting out of my FiOS Quantum TV features.

When signing on to my Verizon Wireless account I noticed that I was eligible for an upgrade to one of my wireless devices.

I brought up all the wireless upgrade options for smartphones and tablets.

An iPad Pro was one of the upgrade options.

Three ways to purchase were offered to me that day.  I went with the $0.00 down and $44.99/mo for 24 months; 0% APR.   It was quite the deal since after I ran the numbers my monthly bill decreased by $30.00.

If you are a Verizon Wireless customer and are eligible for an upgrade I suggest you look into this plan.  It is very cost effective for me and I have the wonderful benefit of having an iPad Pro 12.9 to use very day.  If you are not a Verizon Wireless Customer yet I highly encourage you to look into all the packages that are available.

I have been dying for an iPad Pro Tablet ever since I watched the Apple reveal of all their new products hitting the market back in 2015.  What has especially caught my eye was the Apple Pencil.

I knew instantly that having an Apple Pencil would help my workflow and broaden my image editing creativity.

What I did not realize was how much I could use an iPad Pro on the go especially on a trip, in my hotel room or even in transit on a train or a car.

I can stream my favorite channels and record content on select devices, anytime and almost anywhere using the FiOS Mobile app. These are the features I use with my FiOS Mobile app on a regular basis:

• Watch nearly all my recorded shows on the go
• Access thousands of On Demand titles
• Manage my DVR from virtually anywhere
• Use my mobile device as my Fios TV remote
• Set parental controls

Recently on a trip to Pennsylvania that was a 3-hour car ride, I decided to try watching one of my movies I had previously scheduled to record “Under The Tuscan Sun.”

Under The Tuscan Sun is in my top five all time Movies!

I have a real soft spot for that movie since a few years back I had the opportunity to work with Frances Mayes introducing her new wine line in Cortona, Italy, and Denver, Colorado.

I am sitting right next to Frances Mayes in her own backyard at her mountain house in Cortona in this Tondo Tondo Wine page.

I watched a little bit of the movie on the road using my FiOS Mobile app and was also able to watch at my hotel that night.

It blows my mind that I can access my home TV from most anywhere and stay caught up and watch some of my favorite shows and movies.

Having an iPad Pro makes gives me the ability to work anywhere and be entertained as well.

I am looking forward to having my iPad Pro from Verizon with me especially this summer sitting by the pool not wanting to move from my relaxing chaise lounge!

Disclosure: **I am a member of both #LifeOnFiOS and #VZWBuzz Ambassador Teams–  selected teams of influencers for Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless who love the FiOS and Wireless service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

Recording NY Mets Baseball History With Verizon FiOS

I love attending a Live baseball game versus watching on TV.

Both have their own pros and cons.

Dining at Citi Field’s  Acela Club is definitely in the “pro” column for me.  I can watch the game and enjoy the amazing buffet spread along with a very cold beer of my choosing.

It happened to be lightly raining while we were very cozily sipping, noshing and viewing the NY Mets playing the San Francisco Giants in the comfort of our Acela Club chairs.

Around the third inning, we moved down to our stadium seats just in time to watch the Mets set a new franchise record for the most runs scored in an inning.

The con in this scenario is that you cannot repeatedly rewind the history that was just made like you can when you are at home watching the game on your Verizon FiOS network.

I did manage to catch a small clip of the fans going crazy during the third inning scoring.

I assumed my husband had already set the game to record.  I glanced over to confirm and caught a glimpse of him checking his FiOS Mobile App.

To his disappointment, he had not set up the recording that would’ve had the historical inning to watch at his leisure.  He proceeded to record the rest of the game, then to his surprise and relief Verizon FiOS grabbed the prior hour of what was playing on channel 577 SNY because the TV was already on that specific channel and in the buffer!! The recording started from around the second inning and that was a gift to him!!

If you are a Verizon FiOS Customer already you can download the FiOS Mobile App at Google Play and the App Store to start streaming your recorded content from anywhere with an internet connection right away.

A glimpse of Verizon FiOS Mobile App Capabilities:

• Stream every subscribed channel and all recorded content while at home
• Watch nearly all recorded shows while away from home
• Access thousands of On-Demand titles
• Manage DVR recordings from virtually anywhere
• Use mobile device as a Fios TV remote
• Set parental controls

Check Here for Verizon FiOS Service availability in your viewing area.

Disclosure: **I am a member of both #LifeOnFiOS and #VZWBuzz Ambassador Teams–  selected teams of influencers for Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless who love the FiOS and Wireless service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

Watch Verizon FiOS TV Anywhere – Even Without A TV

Live TV Your Way

Take your shows on the road!  Grab your device and stream some of your favorite FiOS TV channels from just about anywhere!  Watch Verizon FiOS TV Anywhere – Even Without A TV!!

I will not have to miss a minute of Shark Week beginning on July 5th.  I can watch all the Shark Week shows even from the Beach on the Discovery Channel with my Verizon FiOS Subscription!

That is correct even without a TV!

This summer I plan on catching up on some shows and movies while I am on the beach, during a long car ride, in my backyard and even hanging at the park absorbing the sun!

I have downloaded The FiOS® Mobile App that lets you access your home entertainment and technology virtually anywhere in and around your home or even when you’re away from your home on your compatible smartphone or tablet. Watch movies with FiOS On Demand, manage your uploaded photos, even change your DVR schedule–all from your phone or tablet!

Watch it Live. TV Optional.

Verizon FiOS Mobile.

Stream FiOS TV channels on your iPad®, iPhone®, Android™, or Kindle Fire® – at home or out and about. Popular channels for live TV viewing include NFL Network, NFL RedZone, beINSport (in English and Spanish), BBC America, TNT, Nickelodeon, Tennis Channel*, HBO, TBS, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Bravo, SyFy, HGTV*, Food Network*, EPIX*, the Cooking Channel and many others. This list is always growing so check back here often to see what news channels are available for in-home and/or out-of-home viewing.

I have also bookmarked so many shows and movies available on Showtime, HBOGo and Cinemax( free with your Verizon Subscription to these premium channels)  simply by downloading their apps on iTunes and Google Play and then signing in with my Verizon FiOS Username and Password.

On HBOGo I can watch some oldies but goodies such as Six Seasons of Sex and the City, Three Seasons of Newsroom, Six Seasons of the Sopranos, Five Seasons of Game Of Thrones and Four Seasons of Veep!

On Showtime Anytime, I can watch Four Seasons of Homeland, Five Seasons of Shameless and Two Seasons of Ray Donovan!

When you subscribe to FiOS TV and FiOS Internet, you can stream live TV directly from your Xbox One® and 360® consoles.

Or use your Samsung® and LG® Smart TVs and Samsung Blu-ray™ Players to stream channels to your TV with the FiOS TV app.

Plus stream Disney, Fox, WatchESPN and HBO GO® apps on Apple TV and/or Roku®.

Watch Verizon FiOS TV Anywhere – Even Without A TV

Disclosure **I am a member of #LifeOnFiOS – a selected team of influencers for Verizon who love the FiOS service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

We Viewed the Mayweather-Pacquiao Bout With Verizon Pay Per View

We Viewed the Mayweather-Pacquiao Bout With Verizon PPV

We put in our Mayweather-Pacquiao Bout PPV order with Verizon in the afternoon since we were having a family viewing party at our home that evening.

Millions tuned in to watch Floyd Mayweather Jr. take on Manny Pacquiao in what was billed as the fight of the century.

According to Social Media posts many PPV (Pay Per view) customers hoping to watch the long awaited  Mayweather-Pacquiao Bout  had difficulties ordering the fight due to heavy subscriber demand that  became difficult to fulfill.

We Viewed the Mayweather-Pacquiao Bout With Verizon PPV without a hitch in the delivery of service.

HBO and Showtime tried to slow down the pace of the fights by interviewing A-list stars in the audience and showing footage of the boxer’s training while subscribers were trying to order the PPV bout.

Many Carriers acknowledged the PPV purchase issues and were dialoguing with their customers via Twitter to help remedy what they could.

“HBO, one of the networks carrying the fight, told The New York Times shortly after reports of PPV issues began surfacing on social media  that it has received more orders for this than any other event in its history.”

My recommendation, when a long-anticipated event will be broadcasted via Pay Per View is to place your order for the event hours in advance.

If you are a Verizon Customer like me; Verizon has a Support Page to help troubleshoot if you encounter any difficulties placing your On Demand and Pay Per View Order.

Disclosure **I am a member of #LifeOnFiOS – a selected team of influencers for Verizon who love the FiOS service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

Wayward Pines on Fox – Watch FOX NOW – No Spoilers Here!

Wayward Pines is an upcoming American television series based on the novel Pines by Blake Crouch. Developed by Chad Hodge, it will be broadcast by Fox and is slated to premiere on May 14, 2015.

We were invited to an Exclusive Screening of Wayward Pines at the Crosby St. Hotel NYC.  Followed by cocktails and conversation with M. Night Shyamalan, Matt Dillon, Carla Gugino, Hope Davis and Charlie Tahan.

“A Secret Service agent ( Matt Dillon ) goes to Wayward Pines, Idaho, in search of two federal agents who have gone missing in the bucolic town. He soon learns that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.”

WATCH WAYWARD PINES PREMIERE EPISODE FOR A LIMITED TIME from executive producer and director M. Night Shyamalan before it premieres Thursday, May 14 at 9/8c on FOX.  (Using the FOX NOW APP)

 Get The FOX NOW APP!

Images by Katie Shea Design shot with a Verizon iPhone6 and edited with the Snapseed App and PicMonkey photography editing tools.

Disclosure: **I am a member of both #LifeOnFiOS and #VZWBuzz Ambassador Teams–  selected teams of influencers for Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless who love the FiOS and Wireless service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

Game of Thrones Season 5 Sneak Preview at HBO with Verizon FiOS

 An Invitation to the Game of Thrones Season 5 sneak peak preview at HBO New York City was not to be missed!

I was not anywhere near up to date on what was happening regarding the Game of Thrones Series so what could I do?

Introducing HBO GO

HBO GO® is The streaming service from HBO that lets you enjoy your favorite HBO shows, movies, comedy specials, sports, documentaries – plus behind-the-scenes extras and more. It’s every episode of every season of the best of HBO, free with your HBO subscription—now available on Android smartphones and tablets!

It’s HBO Anywhere!

Free with your HBO subscription through participating television providers.

With the New HBO GO App You Can:

• Keep up with your favorites. Watch everything you love about HBO, including HBO original programming, hit movies, sports, comedy and every episode of the best HBO shows, including True Blood®, Game of Thrones®, Boardwalk Empire®, Girls, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm®, Entourage®, The Sopranos®, Sex and the City®, The Wire® and more. Plus, get bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras!

When it comes to streaming HD video, you’ll need a broadband speed, or bitrate, that’s capable of handling a progressive scan rate of 720p. Since your HD-capable screen is refreshing the screen 60 times per second, this means ensuring that all those video frames are received and ready to play before they’re needed. Your computer or other device will cache all the incoming data and queue the video frames so they’re ready for smooth playback.  Read more here

There were a lot of episodes to watch in order to catch up to Game of Thrones Season 5 so I needed my broadband speed to be extremely fast when using HBO Go!

Why Your Broadband Speed Matters:

Powering Multiple Devices

The more Internet devices you use at one time, the greater the drain on your connection. FiOS Quantum Internet has the extra speed you need to stay  fast.

Faster Downloads and Streaming

FiOS Quantum Internet connection means faster downloads of movies and TV. Cable “boosts” only work on a small portion of large files – less than 1% of a 5G HD movie download.

Virtually Lag-free Gaming

With radically faster speeds, gaming on FiOS is virtually lag-free. No more hiccups or breaks in the action.

Uploads in a Flash

People often think of Internet as download-only. But if you like to post pictures or videos, you’ll love the lightning-fast upload speed of FiOS.

100% Fiber Optics

Fiber optics offer a smoother, more reliable connection. With FiOS, enjoy ultra-fast Internet on 100% fiber optics, delivered straight to your home.

FiOS Internet Speed Comparison Tool

Use this interactive comparison tool to discover for yourself why FiOS Quantum Internet rocks the competition. No wonder PC magazine hails FiOS as “the king of Internet Service Providers.”*

My household has 75/75 Mbps which is best for 5-7 devices at the same time.

This speed works well for uploading and sharing videos on YouTube and serious multi-user gaming.

I can also stream up to 7 HD videos simultaneously with my Verizon FiOS Internet Plan choice.

Use Verizon FiOS and HBO Go to get Caught up and prepared to view the Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere April 12th, 2015!

 

**I am a member of #LifeOnFiOS – a selected team of influencers for Verizon who love the FiOS service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.

Watching First #MCEOtalk Using My FiOS Quantum Gateway Router

Last night was the first ever #MCEOTalk hosted by Vincenzo Landino, social media strategist and a community ambassador to name a few.

The first topic for discussion was “What it takes to be a Millennial Leader.”

#MCEOtalk is a live omnichannel panel discussion held weekly on Wednesday’s at 9pm ET. Hosted by Vincenzo Landino and the Millennial CEO team.

Topics are centered around solving business problems with a millennial mindset.

The format includes a Twitter chat, Google Hangout, podcast, blog posts, and live streaming video from hosts and guests on Periscope and Meerkat.

#MCEOtalk encourages ongoing dialogue throughout the week via the hashtag and community members are encouraged to communicate directly with hosts and guests on the channel of their preference. The learning never stops!

What impressed me the most about was the integration of all the multiple platforms used by the #MCEOtalk hosts as well as the smooth collaboration of topics during the conversation.

Some of my Favorite Talking points:

 

I am able to upload and stream on multiple Social Media Platforms (Meerkat, Periscope, google+ and twitter) like last night’s #MCEOtalk at breakneck speeds because of my Verizon FiOS Quantum Gateway router.

Boost your bandwidth.

The FiOS Quantum Gateway uses dual-band technology for faster sharing and the best connection to the FiOS® network.  Dual-band technology gives you two separate frequencies, allowing your family to perform both high and low bandwidth activities such as checking email and streaming movies simultaneously.  More bandwidth means less congestion making for a more seamless Internet experience even when using multiple devices.

I look forward to next weeks #MCEOtalk!!

Disclosure: **I am a member of the #LifeOnFiOS Ambassador Team – A  select team of influencers for Verizon FiOS who love the FiOS service. Compensation was provided and opinions are, as always my own.