Fatal Finals

        Like every good college blogger, I've decided to put off my last few finals for a little while in order to bring you another wonderful post. As appropriate to the season, today's topic is sickness.  But this isn't just any old sickness where you wrap up, take a few days off and watch Netflix for 12 hours straight while you give your body time to recuperate. No my fellow students, this is finals sickness.  That dreaded, un-diagnosable funk that sets in right around the week before the big tests and doesn't seems to fade all the way until you've made it back home.
     I'm sure it's the stress, the change in temperature, the weather, the procrastinating, heck even the barometric pressure, but something about finals season seems to drain the body.  First it may start as just a common cold, maybe not that severe.  Then you realize that semester-long, 14-page paper you were supposed to be tackling all these months is just some pathetic list of sources you though about one day reading. Now that little pre-finals cold is a full blown flu that tries to take over all your remaining energy.
     The worst part is you can't just choose to sit this round out to drink hot tea and nap for six hours, you've got things to do, presentations to give, teachers to beg.  So you've got to tough it out, suffer through it, and drug up on DayQuil til your nose goes numb.
    So good luck on your finals everyone, hope you all get well soon...

The Pandemic of Professors' Handwriting

       All right, I'm usually not a fan of reading online rants; but I've got to get this one out because I don't think I'm the only one with this frustration.  I spend hours of my time writing a perfectly crafted essay (or other piece of written work), not only do I type it up to all these crazy specifications on what font and what size and what information and how I should site my sources and what format and so on.  I make it look nice, I proofread it (or more often force my friends to) in the hopes that I might impress my professors enough to get a good grade or at least one that doesn't make me feel pathetic.  And what do I get in return?  Seizing chicken scratch that bleeds illegible comments that even if I stare at and ask everyone around me can't be deciphered.
      If I put all the effort into writing and perfecting this paper I really would rather not write, just because I'm told to and the professor can't even take a few extra minutes of their busy schedule (which is infinitely more important than ours) to make their handwriting legible.  Students would never be allowed to turn in a hand written paper in fear that the professor won't be able to read the thing and yet, when we get comments back that might improve our writing for the next paper, we can't even read what we did wrong (or right if you're lucky).  It's not even limited to male professors, female ones have just as hard a time writing clearly, as if they just skipped over second grade when they went over handwriting etiquette.  It's an epidemic.  And the cherry on top is if we want to discover our essay-writing faults in order to resolve them for the next round, we have to take even more time to go visit them during their office hours so that they may hopefully be able to read their own hand writing and tell us how to improve.  And often times even the professors can't read what they wrote.
        All I'm saying is make this a two-way street.  I have lots of essays to write, just like they have lots of them to read so please put a few extra minutes into writing legibly so that everyone's life is a little easier.  And don't go around complaining that you have so many papers to grade, professors of the world, and you don't have time to write perfectly for each one.  If you're going to bitch about them then don't assign them and then everyone will be slightly happier.

Cool Stuff That Floats

         A great way to beat college boredom is camping.  It's free (if you go to the right places), you can bring as many friends as you want and it's available in almost any place you go to school.  I'm a big camping fan: you don't have to worry about proper hygiene, you don't  have to drive once you get to the campsite, and who doesn't love campfires and s'mores?  With all these potential camping trips in my head, and nothing else to do (other than study) I began to browse the internet for cool tubes.  I prefer to camp right on the river (or any body of water) and with pool season about to start I've decided to compile a list of some the coolest floating things you can purchase online.  Feel free to add any you've found that I might not have.

1: Floating Beer Pong Table

It's seven feet of inflatable fun, it comes with removable trays to stick the cups in and it's ready for any drunken,  water-logged fun.

2: Remote-Controlled Floating Drink Tray

Too lazy to get up for that drink?  In the perfect position for a good tan and don't want to ruin it?  Is your drink on the other side of the pool?  No sweat, just press a few buttons and the grown up version of a remote control car will bring over your drink for you.

3:  Cabana Island

This massive float holds up to six people and comes with a bonus cooler so you won't ever have to leave the water.  Perfect for laying out all day without worrying about the burn.

4: Life-Like Crocodile

Ever wanted to chill in the water on a crocodile? Well now you can, it may not be super comfortable, but it sure will freak out your friends, and isn't that worth it?

5: MP3 Lounger

That's right, an MP3 playing water float, big enough to comfortably seat four adults.  With a water-proof speaker system and cup-holders, plug your player in and let the float do the rest.  It's also available for six people.

6: Water See Saw

I'm a fan of anything made for children adjusted for adult use; a teeter-totter that goes on the water is one of the more clever ways I've seen that happen. Just climb on a rock away. I'm sure if you swing hard enough, you could easily do somersaults, unlike its land-based counter part, just make sure you're in deep water.

7: Glowing Beach Ball

Being the least expensive item on this list, I'm already a big fan of it.  I can remember long nights of pool volleyball, but this makes it even better.  It glows, it rolls, you can smack it or throw it at your friends and it's nighttime friendly.

8: Two Person Tube

Not only is this perfect for floating down a river for two friends (I mean look how happy those people look) but it also has a cooler built right in.  Now you don't have to worry about tying an inflatable one to your tube (or worse, a Styrofoam one you shove in the tube next to you), the drinks are right within reach.

9: Trampoline

A trampoline on land is fun enough, so it's hard to imagine how great they are when placed in a body of water.  This one is eleven feet in diameter and has a ladder to help you get up.

10: Iceberg Climbing Wall 

No floating toys list could be complete without something completely outrageous and over-priced.  This floating iceberg is 20 feet tall, and if you're skilled enough to make it all the way to the top, the reverse side features a smooth slide to rocket you right back down to where you started.

Mosaic

So, I had a random few days of free time recently and I decided to make a mosaic.  No idea where the idea came from, but I ran with it.  I must say the finished product really surprised me, and I realized art isn't as hard as I thought.  I also really enjoyed smashing all the tiles with a hammer (what a great stress reliever).  Below is the finished product, and then I'll show you how I went about creating him.

First, I went to Home Depot (that place makes me broke) and bought my supplies.  You'll need a board to glue the tiles to, I bought a pre-cut one measuring 2x2 and it's 3/8 of an inch thick.  You can buy whatever size you want for your project, but I wouldn't recommend getting too much thinner of a board because it might snap under the weight of the tiles and grout.  Then I bought random tiles that I liked, one large gray one for the elephant (about 1'x1'), some for the sand and grass, then two small white ones and two small black (though I only used the black for the eye, and it's very tiny).  The Home Depot I was at didn't have blue tiles, so I pick up one square of mosaic glass tiles (and they're already placed on a mat that I had to tear them off of).

I also got a tile nipper (literally) at A.C. Moore for $15, but that's optional. I used it for the tiny tiles of the trunk and to shape his eye.  I spent roughly $20 at Home Depot (but I already had the grout and tile adhesive).  The first thing I did was find a picture of an elephant, not sure why I chose an elephant to make either, but he was fairly easy to draw.  This is the picture I found:

And I used the above elephant to serve as a model for my own elephant, which was much less detailed.  But don't worry if you can't draw (I certainly can't), you really only need a rough outline, and if all else fails you can always bribe your friend to draw it.  So here is what my elephant looked like in his outline (you can barely see him because it's in pencil, sorry).

I was very proud of that little sketch (I mean, I can barely draw a stick figure).  Then I used my little hammer to smash the tiles to bits.  I did lay newspaper down to catch most of the mess but beware: tile pieces will fall everywhere and you will spend time cleaning it up.  Also, I used safety goggles, which were more like big sunglasses, but they did the trick.  Tile pieces will fly in your eyeballs, they don't care, so if you like your vision wear goggles.  Then I laid down the sand, then the grass, the sky and the white strip above the sky (clouds?)  I left the elephant for very last.  You'll want to stick very close to the lines you've drawn, it makes all the difference when you fill in the main shape.  All the breaks outside of the elephant were natural results of my hammer, I didn't use the tile nipper at all, but I still got very close to the elephant outline, so it is possible.  (Even the tusks broke themselves perfectly, it was amazing).

Finally, I smashed the gray tiles (that took forever) and placed the pieces on the board (that took even longer).  Once all the tiles were in place, I began the massive task of gluing them all down (that took the longest).  I used AcrylPro, which you can get at Home Depot (I think it's like $8).  And I spread it on the tiles individually with a plastic butter knife.  It took an excruciatingly long time, but I had good company.

Once all the tiles were glued, I let the whole thing dry for 24 hours.  I would suggest letting it dry even longer so the tiles don't fall off when you're spreading the grout.  Here he is, drying and waiting patiently to be grouted.

Then I used a grout spreader, which I don't have a picture of, but you can Google it (it's just a rectangle of metal with a handle).  I got a big blob of grout on my spreader and simply dragged in along the entire mosaic, letting the grout fill in all the crevices between the tiles).  Don't worry, it will cover the whole mosaic and look blurry and milky, but once the grout dries, you can wipe the tiles clean with a wet sponge or cloth.  And after it's all dry he was ready to be placed in my room. I couldn't hang him on the wall because he's super heavy and you can't put holes in the walls here anyway.  So I just rested him against the wall, and he settled in just fine.

So good luck and have fun and of course, I'd love to see pictures of your own creations!

A New Kind of Fish Bowl

In my free time I'm known to peruse the internet DIY blogs.  If you don't know already, I often pick up totally random DIY projects to keep myself from utter boredom, and ever since I've started, I've gotten semi-addicted.  But at least I get a nifty thing out of it.   Anyhow, a random search brought me to a very perfect Life of a Bored College Student project.  In most dorms (if not all), no pets but fish are allowed.  Never fear, I've found the perfect container for your new found scaly little friend (even though it'll never replaced the beloved you left at home).  Thrifty Decor Chick has an original and inexpensive way to house Nemo, Fishy, Borat, whomever and she gives great instructions too.  So here you go.

                                                                      Cool, right?

The Inevitable Job Hunt

      Ok, so I caved.  In an effort to fight my boredom, especially the mundane early weeks of classes when everything is back in full swing and yet nothing seems to be going on, and the course work hasn't crescendo-ed either, I decided to get a job.  (Ugh, I know).  But no worries, I'm not looking for anything serious; I certainly don't want a career (I'll worry about that after college, which I like to block from my mind entirely).  My first day on the hunt was demoralizing to say the least.  Apparently, all applications are online!  Don't get me wrong, I'm a strong proponent of the internet, as a means of convenience and learning and all that jazz, but how am I supposed to make a good impression when I'm a face-less, personality-less application in a sea of others?!  I would much rather go and fill out one in person, that way they can see what a great personality I have (or act for them).  After being told by so many places to go online, I got slightly disheartened and went home to wallow in my bed with defeat.

       The cherry on top was my friend announcing that she had successfully snatched a job at a fancy dining establishment.  Thanks, really needed that comfort (or I guess I should say 'motivation').  With a new outlook, and a very long Sunday before me, I went out in search again.  This time I had done my homework (I've gotten quite good at that, since I've spent my whole life in school) and made a list of all the places in my area that did not accept online applications.  I also breezed Craigslist (one of my favorite fight-boredom sites) and looked for local job postings.  There wasn't much to be found there, but it did help (and pass the time).

       And lucky me!  First place I went hired me on the spot, without even interviewing me.  See how well in-person impressions can make??  The only problem is that I will only be working roughly 6 hours a week (that's two micro shifts per week) and I won't be bringing in the bank by any means.  On a positive note, it'll pass the time (not much of it, but oh well) and I'll make a tiny enough income to spend it on other things to fight boredom (because isn't that the name of the game?)

       So my brief job search is now at a close and I'll be off on the next chapter of fighting boredom.  Be prepared for something crafty!

Feel free to share your job hunting experience, or maybe your view on online applications?