Hey guys, Im back! After taking a mini-break after finals, I am ready to blog! I apologize for not being able to post anything the past week or so, but I have been busy wrapping up the end of the semester and whatnot.
I would like to begin by congratulating those of you who have completed your fall semesters of this year. You should be very proud of yourselves, and hopefully all the hard work and late night studying paid off for most of you. In my case, being that I am a freshman, I am now 1/8 of the way done with college! That kind of sounds scary though haha. Hopefully, everyone did well on their exams and final papers, and can now relax for the next month or so to recharge those batteries that I am sure are drained.
But lets examine some things that we can do on break:
1. Reading- I know that you guys are probably going to think I am crazy for suggesting to read during your holiday break, but I don't mean any school reading, I mean leisure reading. If you like animals, pick up a book on environmental studies, or if your a history wiz read up on Mussolini's fall in Italy. Just by reading what you enjoy, you not only stimulte the mind, but develop a deeper vocabulary which is crucial. Trust me, reading can be fun!
2. Sleeping- Most of you guys are exhausted physically and mentally from a long semester, so I suggest sleeping as much as you can. Getting at least 8-10 hours of rest a night is definately healthy for anyone's body.
3. Family- Spend time with your family and friends that you haven't seen for a while. Rekindling lost friendships and relationships is a good way to keep the ones you love closest to you. Call an aunt or cousin and set up a lunch date. They will appreciate it.
4. Enjoy Yourself- You are on break!!!!!Have fun. Be safe.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Olive Oil = Healthy Living
Healthy Eating with Olive Oil!
Adding olive oil to your diet — and cutting down on other, less healthy fats — can be part of a healthier way of eating. In fact, doctors and nutritionists commonly recommend olive oil as a component of a smart, well-balanced diet.
he adage "you are what you eat" is especially accurate when it comes to what kinds of fat you eat. Too much of any fat (saturated fat from animals, polyunsaturated fat from nuts/seeds, or monounsaturated fat) is a problem, of course. But certain kinds of fat, particularly saturated and polyunsaturated, can contribute to health problems because they can raise cholesterol levels. Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, does not increase cholesterol levels. In fact, a diet that includes olive oil in place of other oils has been clinically proven to improve cholesterol levels.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Jersey Shore's "Situation"
Yes, I know this is a delayed commentary on MTV's new reality show entitled Jersey Shore, which follows the lives of 6 coined "guidos and guidettes" at Seaside Heights, for the end of summer, but I wanted to watch a few episodes before I can give an honest opinion. There has been an uproar in the Italian American Community, as groups such as UNICO and NIAF have signed petitions to potentially have the show removed from the air. Although there is a very small chance of this happening, I can understand why these organizations are upset.
A guido is a term that symbolizes a blowout hair style, artificially tan skin, abnormally large muscles, and a lifestyle that involves, alcohol, women, and clubs. Although they can "pump fist" with the best of them, this choice of living really is not something to be proud of. If they think they are acting Italian in any way, shape, or form, they are mistaken. Most of the characters on the show said that being guido meant representing family and the Italian culture, but I have seen neither of that. Does using expletive language and getting into fights really represent family? The answer to that is self explanatory.
With that being said, I have come to realize that you need to take this show with a grain of salt. It is all staged, and you have to understand that its just a big joke. Instead of getting upset over it, just laugh about it. SOme of the things they do is quite comical! My favorite character is by far Vinny, as he parallels the closest thing to a true Italian, but he is still far from it.
In conclusion, I would not try to get the show cancelled, because the first amendment in our US Constitution is the freedom of speech, press, and religion. MTV has decided to air this show, they are supporting this lifestyle, so be it! I'll continue to watch for the good laughs and "The Situation"
Thursday, December 10, 2009
MUSIC!
Hey gang:
This is a random, yet informing message! Go on your facebooks and friend request the new emerging rap group called "9.0.8" Ask to be the groups friend and they will accept so you can listen to their songs! Check them out! You will love them.
Enjoy,
Stef
This is a random, yet informing message! Go on your facebooks and friend request the new emerging rap group called "9.0.8" Ask to be the groups friend and they will accept so you can listen to their songs! Check them out! You will love them.
Enjoy,
Stef
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
I graduated college. NOW WHAT?!
After graduating college, most young adults go off to live on their own in small apartments or developments. They are unaware of the responsibilities of paying bills, balancing a budget, and maintaining overall finances. I stumbled across this great article on MSN Money which gives a brief overview of handling your money while you are in your 20s. Enjoy!
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/MoneyInYour20s/Your5MinuteGuideToMoneyInYour20s.aspx
copy and paste the above URL into your browser.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/MoneyInYour20s/Your5MinuteGuideToMoneyInYour20s.aspx
copy and paste the above URL into your browser.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk
In my class today, my professor posed a question to all of us. Do you agree with Obama's decision to increase the amount of troops in Afghanistan? Once most of the class answered YES, my professor posed a follow-up question. Would you be willing to be drafted to fight in Afghanistan? Our mouths were silent. We had no answer.
The point my professor was trying to make is that many people take a certain stance on something, but never act upon it. People oppose racism, but what do they do to stop it? I am blogging today to call on those people who do feel passionately about an issue to make a difference. Act not only through their words, but their actions. I will admit I am adament about issues such as immigration and racism, but I really do not do much to create change.
Its about not only talking the talk, but walking the walk as well. I hope this challenge allows you to think outside the box, and really focus on what needs to be done to better society.
The point my professor was trying to make is that many people take a certain stance on something, but never act upon it. People oppose racism, but what do they do to stop it? I am blogging today to call on those people who do feel passionately about an issue to make a difference. Act not only through their words, but their actions. I will admit I am adament about issues such as immigration and racism, but I really do not do much to create change.
Its about not only talking the talk, but walking the walk as well. I hope this challenge allows you to think outside the box, and really focus on what needs to be done to better society.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Don't Drink & Lecture
A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass, he asked the monsignor how he had done. The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip."
So, next Sunday, he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door:
1) Sip the vodka, don't gulp.
2) There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3) There are 12 disciples, not 10.
4) Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
5) Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not "bet his ass."
6) We do not refer to Jesus Christ as "the late J.C."
7) The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as "Daddy, Junior and the Spook."
8) David slew Goliath, he did not "kick the sh*t out of him."
9) When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey; don't say he was "stoned off his ass."
10) We do not refer to the cross as the 'Big T.'
11) When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me."
12) The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry."
13) The recommended grace before a meal is not "Rub-A-Dub-Dub; thanks for the grub - Yay, God."
14) Next Sunday, there will be a taffy-pulling contest at St. Peter's, not a peter-pulling contest at St. Taffy's
So, next Sunday, he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door:
1) Sip the vodka, don't gulp.
2) There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3) There are 12 disciples, not 10.
4) Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
5) Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not "bet his ass."
6) We do not refer to Jesus Christ as "the late J.C."
7) The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as "Daddy, Junior and the Spook."
8) David slew Goliath, he did not "kick the sh*t out of him."
9) When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey; don't say he was "stoned off his ass."
10) We do not refer to the cross as the 'Big T.'
11) When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me."
12) The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry."
13) The recommended grace before a meal is not "Rub-A-Dub-Dub; thanks for the grub - Yay, God."
14) Next Sunday, there will be a taffy-pulling contest at St. Peter's, not a peter-pulling contest at St. Taffy's
Friday, December 4, 2009
How to Gain Self-Confidence
I thought I would help the shy crowd out a little bit with my own personal tips to gaining self confidence and becoming more open.
These are the tips:
1. One thing that always gets on my nerves is when my classmates start to make a point in class by saying "I'm not sure if this is right" or "this is probably wrong but"....Phrases like these basically invalidate your answer because if you are not even sure about what you are saying, why should anyone else believe it? It makes the teacher think that you are not sure of your own intelligence, and that is not a good sign. Even if you aren't sure if the answer is right, say it with pride and boldness. (Especially you business majors, the art of bullshitting is a very important characteristic to have. If you can't blab about anything and be confident about it, you are out of luck!)
2. Walk with confidence. Too many times I see kids walking with their head down staring at their feet. No one notices you this way. People think that you have a social problem. Pick your head up, be alert, and walk with an upright posture. I guarentee someone will notice!
3. Be friendly and social. Becoming more confident with yourself means you are at peace with who you are as a person. Saying goodmorning to janitors, random people in your building, and strangers is a good way of building self confidence. This shows you can be social with others.
4. Be Aggressive. If you want something, get it. Do not let people get in your way of your desires and ambitions. Dream big, shoot for the stars. Don't ever let someone tell you that you can not do something.
These are the tips:
1. One thing that always gets on my nerves is when my classmates start to make a point in class by saying "I'm not sure if this is right" or "this is probably wrong but"....Phrases like these basically invalidate your answer because if you are not even sure about what you are saying, why should anyone else believe it? It makes the teacher think that you are not sure of your own intelligence, and that is not a good sign. Even if you aren't sure if the answer is right, say it with pride and boldness. (Especially you business majors, the art of bullshitting is a very important characteristic to have. If you can't blab about anything and be confident about it, you are out of luck!)
2. Walk with confidence. Too many times I see kids walking with their head down staring at their feet. No one notices you this way. People think that you have a social problem. Pick your head up, be alert, and walk with an upright posture. I guarentee someone will notice!
3. Be friendly and social. Becoming more confident with yourself means you are at peace with who you are as a person. Saying goodmorning to janitors, random people in your building, and strangers is a good way of building self confidence. This shows you can be social with others.
4. Be Aggressive. If you want something, get it. Do not let people get in your way of your desires and ambitions. Dream big, shoot for the stars. Don't ever let someone tell you that you can not do something.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
25 Simple Steps to a More Perfect World
1. No more bathroom attendants. They're just creepy. And hell, no more charging money for stuff that used to be free. Now give us our little bag of peanuts, airlines.
2. Carpentry, plumbing, and electrical courses would be mandatory for all boys in middle school.
3. Scarlett Johansson would replace Jackson on the $20 bill.
4. Basketball players wouldn't be able to call a timeout as they're heading out of bounds. They'd need to be in total control. Come to think of it, timeouts would be banned entirely. Life doesn't have them.
5. All base runners would score on a ground-rule double.
6. All of the following would be tax deductible: TV sports packages; alcoholic beverages; mechanical timepieces; shoe shines; and all costs related to the pursuit of sex, up to and including Porsches.
7. Icing the kicker or free-throw shooter would be outlawed. Just play the damn game.
8. Caddies would be prohibited on the PGA Tour. No other athlete has a butler/shrink on the field with him. Conning out distances is a fundamental skill of the game; so is picking the correct club. We'd deep-six the 150-yard marker, too.
9. If you bathe your coach in Gatorade, you also forfeit the game.
10. Men would be permitted to admit uncertainty, and women would find this hot.
11. Movie reviewers would be forbidden to call a flick the funniest movie of the year until the following year.
12. Women would start with the climax of their stories, and then go back to fill in the details (if we ask).
13. If you setout to climb Mt. Hood wearing shorts and sandals, and then have to be rescued by 12 men, two helicopters, and a team of huskies, your marginal tax rate would be raised to 81 percent until you've repaid the cost of being an idiot.
14. All cable providers would carry a Salma Hayek channel.
15. Those little ketchup and mustard packets would be twice as big.
16. A 25-handicapper would not be allowed to pace off approach-shot yardage. (Just put the ball in the air, bucko.)
17. All gutters would self-clean.
18. Parents would strive to give their children self-reliance instead of self-esteem.
19. Singing "Happy Birthday" at the office (with or without cake) would result in immediate termination.
20. Every fifth year would be free of federal income taxes.
21. Volunteering to slather sunscreen on women in the park would finally be seen for what it is: community service in cancer prevention.
22. Dads would stop complaining that refs never call traveling.
23. Alternatively, refs would start to call traveling.
24. A 20-yard field goal would be worth 3 points, but a 50-yarder just 1. Try throwing the ball, coach!
25. Parent-teacher nights would come with nachos and tequila shooters.
Found this on a website, thought we could have a few laughs today....
2. Carpentry, plumbing, and electrical courses would be mandatory for all boys in middle school.
3. Scarlett Johansson would replace Jackson on the $20 bill.
4. Basketball players wouldn't be able to call a timeout as they're heading out of bounds. They'd need to be in total control. Come to think of it, timeouts would be banned entirely. Life doesn't have them.
5. All base runners would score on a ground-rule double.
6. All of the following would be tax deductible: TV sports packages; alcoholic beverages; mechanical timepieces; shoe shines; and all costs related to the pursuit of sex, up to and including Porsches.
7. Icing the kicker or free-throw shooter would be outlawed. Just play the damn game.
8. Caddies would be prohibited on the PGA Tour. No other athlete has a butler/shrink on the field with him. Conning out distances is a fundamental skill of the game; so is picking the correct club. We'd deep-six the 150-yard marker, too.
9. If you bathe your coach in Gatorade, you also forfeit the game.
10. Men would be permitted to admit uncertainty, and women would find this hot.
11. Movie reviewers would be forbidden to call a flick the funniest movie of the year until the following year.
12. Women would start with the climax of their stories, and then go back to fill in the details (if we ask).
13. If you setout to climb Mt. Hood wearing shorts and sandals, and then have to be rescued by 12 men, two helicopters, and a team of huskies, your marginal tax rate would be raised to 81 percent until you've repaid the cost of being an idiot.
14. All cable providers would carry a Salma Hayek channel.
15. Those little ketchup and mustard packets would be twice as big.
16. A 25-handicapper would not be allowed to pace off approach-shot yardage. (Just put the ball in the air, bucko.)
17. All gutters would self-clean.
18. Parents would strive to give their children self-reliance instead of self-esteem.
19. Singing "Happy Birthday" at the office (with or without cake) would result in immediate termination.
20. Every fifth year would be free of federal income taxes.
21. Volunteering to slather sunscreen on women in the park would finally be seen for what it is: community service in cancer prevention.
22. Dads would stop complaining that refs never call traveling.
23. Alternatively, refs would start to call traveling.
24. A 20-yard field goal would be worth 3 points, but a 50-yarder just 1. Try throwing the ball, coach!
25. Parent-teacher nights would come with nachos and tequila shooters.
Found this on a website, thought we could have a few laughs today....
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Facebook!
Now now, your probably thinking I am going to bash Facebook because it is so distracting and whatnot, but truthfully, it does serve value. Besides keeping contact with friends and family who you do not see very often, Facebook is a great networking tool!
What I am here to blog about today is the dangers of facebook, and how it can get you in trouble if you do not take the proper precautionary steps to ensuring you are safe. First and foremost, the pictures. Yes, it is great to upload photos of what you and your friends did last weekend, but there is no need to make a profile picture of you funneling beers or hitting the game winning pong shot. You NEVER know who is watching. Teachers, administrators, police officers, detectives, employers, and parents may all be secretly following you, and you would never know. If you are seen drinking or smoking or any other activity that may raise questions about your character, it really ruins your personal reputation. Education majors listen up, because schools are known to complete a thorough investigation and background check when you apply for a teaching position, so make sure you filter your facebook.
Next, the status updates. What is the purpose of putting statuses like "can't wait to get fucked upppp tonightttttt" and "hungover" or "late night L ride". Reading these statuses makes me SICK, as there is NO need to be sharing that kind of information with everybody. If you are under 21, it is illegal, and it just puts a target on your chest for other people to see. Let's say there is someone who really just can't stand you, and so he goes on your facebook and prints pictures of you drinking and smoking and he mails them to your home for your parents to see. What is going to happen next? Your screwed! So lay off the vulgar language and obscene status updates please....
Also, be weary of who you accept as a friend. If you do not know them, forget them. Untag yourself from pictures you do not feel comfortable with being linked to your page, and also make sure your profile is locked to private, so only a certain number of people can have access to it.
Also this is a special shout out to my LADIES, please PLEASE PLEASE, there is absolutely no need for you to share your life on facebook. Do not use it to bash other people in your status updates, or give your daily rundown of what you are doing every minute of your life. It kind of gets annoying. Just an observation!
In world news today, PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCED HE WILL BE SENDING AROUND 30,000 MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS, AND HE PLANS ON ENDING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN WITHIN THE NEXT 3 YEARS.
What I am here to blog about today is the dangers of facebook, and how it can get you in trouble if you do not take the proper precautionary steps to ensuring you are safe. First and foremost, the pictures. Yes, it is great to upload photos of what you and your friends did last weekend, but there is no need to make a profile picture of you funneling beers or hitting the game winning pong shot. You NEVER know who is watching. Teachers, administrators, police officers, detectives, employers, and parents may all be secretly following you, and you would never know. If you are seen drinking or smoking or any other activity that may raise questions about your character, it really ruins your personal reputation. Education majors listen up, because schools are known to complete a thorough investigation and background check when you apply for a teaching position, so make sure you filter your facebook.
Next, the status updates. What is the purpose of putting statuses like "can't wait to get fucked upppp tonightttttt" and "hungover" or "late night L ride". Reading these statuses makes me SICK, as there is NO need to be sharing that kind of information with everybody. If you are under 21, it is illegal, and it just puts a target on your chest for other people to see. Let's say there is someone who really just can't stand you, and so he goes on your facebook and prints pictures of you drinking and smoking and he mails them to your home for your parents to see. What is going to happen next? Your screwed! So lay off the vulgar language and obscene status updates please....
Also, be weary of who you accept as a friend. If you do not know them, forget them. Untag yourself from pictures you do not feel comfortable with being linked to your page, and also make sure your profile is locked to private, so only a certain number of people can have access to it.
Also this is a special shout out to my LADIES, please PLEASE PLEASE, there is absolutely no need for you to share your life on facebook. Do not use it to bash other people in your status updates, or give your daily rundown of what you are doing every minute of your life. It kind of gets annoying. Just an observation!
In world news today, PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCED HE WILL BE SENDING AROUND 30,000 MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS, AND HE PLANS ON ENDING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN WITHIN THE NEXT 3 YEARS.
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