Kindle Killers

I have noticed something the last few weeks of school. When you mention a Kindle to an English major, he or she glares at you like you were the one to shoot Bambi’s mother. Not even kidding. So I decided to dedicate this week’s blog to:

Why This English Major Decided to Get A Kindle

1. Free books— The day I got my Kindle, I downloaded 22 books for $1.95. Why is that? Twenty of them were free. Yes, isn’t that wonderful? Most of the classics are either free or relatively cheap, which will definitely help when you have that B.A. in English and living near poverty level.

2. Multiple books—I pretty much accepted early on in life that I was going to have back problems like my mom because of all the books I carry around. During school, I am usually reading at least three novels at once, more out of necessity than need. I’ll go to work with one novel then really wish I brought one of the other ones instead. With the Kindle, I can carry around a hundred books and not break my back.

3. Borders closing—Along with Uno’s and Blockbuster, Borders has joined among the ranks of things I love and died during the recession. The one near my house is closing, thus making the next closest one in a different state. And I refuse to go to the Barnes and Noble. Now, I can download books without getting shipping charges from Amazon.

4. I hate small print—Yes, I will admit. You all feel the same way. When you read a novel and there is small print, it becomes associated with difficulty, or at least it comes across as really condensed. I like my font the same size as Times New Roman size 12 font at least. It makes it easier to read and thus more enjoyable.

The Kindle is not a death to books, but just makes books more accessible. I promise, owning one won’t kill books, maybe just kill less trees.

Excuse Me, Can I Smell You?

There is something about the morning that smells good. Fresh coffee, sizzling bacon, flipped pancakes, the first burst of spring air, still fresh with dew and wonderfulness. Or, if like me, you chose the cereal route for breakfast because it is less expensive and quicker, there is always the morning commute.

I know, you are thinking, you live on a college campus, what commute would that be? Keep in mind, this is New Hampshire and everything is up hill. My school takes pity on seniors, who live the farthest away from campus, and provide a shuttle that takes them up two monsterous hills to the main campus.

Now that we are all caught up, time to discuss the morning commute. Everyone smells really good. Some have probably stepped out of the shower five minutes ago. Some are donning expensive perfumes/colognes like Dolce & Gabana or Calvin Klein. And all these wonderful scents mask the stale leather seats of the tin can shuttle.

My friend and I were once lucky enough to sit in front of this guy who smelled amazing. I wanted to ask what he was wearing so I could get it for my boyfriend at the time. Because, truthfully, if I smelled that everyday, it would be amazing. The guy was soon gone, which depressed me and my nose. I haven't seen him since; he is the illusive good-smelling guy-- like Big Foot with a gift card to Express.

So when you are stuck on the stifled morning commute, or just coming into work, take a sniff. Breathe it in. Smells good, right? And if you do find that delicious smelling perfume or cologne, ask the girl/guy what she/he is wearing. Don't let good-smelling Big Foot escape from you.

Winter of Our Discontent

I know most of my entries are about weather. But I live in New England, weather is a big part of our lifestyle, as is Dunkin Donuts. Snowing in April is something that is actually commonplace but I must admit, this is not ideal.

            In March, the month that comes in like a lion….and truthfully comes out like lion if you look outside your window….it went from snowing to 65° weather to light jacket weather to flip flops to what the fuck. However, I am not one to complain about snow days and here are some options if you feel bored already:

1. Shake and bake. I usually have the urge to bake things on snow days. Like a last dying wish urge to make brownies. Usually I avoid the baking and go straight towards my world famous bacon mac and cheese, because I know my neighbors will make sure that there is nothing left with it after I am done, which is good because no one wants leftover mac and cheese everywhere.

2. Have a movie day. My roommate loves Harry Potter and she has been slowly exposing me to her culture. We have watched the first four movies on the lazy weekends of last semester. Today, we watched the fifth and proceeded to make fun of both Cedric Diggory’s death and applying Bostonian accents to random characters (i.e.  professa).

3. Kindle party. I recently got a Kindle from Amazon and joined the Kindle club of Lakeview 25, which consists of me, Katie and Caitlin. Caitlin and Katie had their Kindles out and were reading free books and celebrating having both free books and not having school.

4. Play outside. It’s snowing and you have all this snow gear, what are you going to do? Yes, even in college, building a snow man is as fun as it was when you were five. We throw snowballs, build snow men and women and make snow angels. Not to mention this one time where one of my friends chased after another during a snow ball fight. It was a hunt to say the least.

Status Drama Queen

            We all have “those” friends on Facebook.

            You know the people—the ones who update their statuses every hour and their statuses are nothing but complaining. And it is always about minor things like how their lives are ending because they didn’t get a Hershey bar today or someone looked at them funny, probably because that someone was squinting in the sun. Those friends, the ones you like to occasionally hang out with but a lot of the time, you wish they would leave because they definitely overstayed their welcome with whining. Everyone had at least one of these friends. I, in my countless moments on Facebook, have recently discovered a better way to deal with them.

           

1. You could see that every one of “those” friends’ statuses as entertainment. Not everyone can get home in the afternoon for soap operas, and even if you did, why would you want at least 3 weeks of episodes dedicated to the drama of Christmas then, all of a sudden, it’s Valentine’s Day. I personally like my Christmas to be over by December 26^th, thank you very much. Look at those friends’ statuses as free entertainment that you can access anytime—the real life drama of not getting a Hershey bar. It’s almost like Days of Our Lives moving to Hulu.

2. You could be honest and tell you friend that his or her status is pure whining and that he or she should stop, but that will just cause more whiney, often cliché, status that say things like, “Good to know who I can call a friend.”

3. When Plan A stops being amusing and/or Plan B fails miserably, there is always my personal favorite, Option C. There is this fabulous setting on Facebook where you can “Hide All” one person’s statuses. (Click the “x” next to the person’s status and it gives the option, in case you were wondering). Option C still allows you to be friends with that friend, but puts a wall up so they cannot overstay his or her welcome. You can occasionally pop over to whiner-land and check their Facebook and see how things are going bur you don’t have to be constantly hear the complaining. It is definitely a wonderful tool. I only wish it could be used in real life sometimes….

SPRING BREAK!

The phrase spring break brings to mind different things for different people. There are many ways to spend this beautiful week and here are a few days to do it:

Going Someplace Warm--er-- Although the weather is warming up and the snow is melting, some people go south for the spring--break. I watched last week as people packed up their cars in flip flops and winter jackets (after all, there was still snow on the ground) for warmer weather; to foreign places like Cancun, the Bahamas, Florida. This is the stereotypical view of how college students spend their spring breaks, but do remember not all college students can afford the lavish luxury of Florida.

Becoming Sleeping Beau or Beauty-- This is the natural reaction to a vacation. Sleeping 12+ hours a day, catching up on all that beauty sleep that was deprived during those late nights and all nighters. However, as soon as you get back to school and get back into a routine, things become more tiring and more hectic.

Doing Homework--Worst idea to spend your spring break. Yes, you can get ahead for the next few weeks of school. But, breaks are for resting and relaxing. Why ruin that to get ahead? You will just end up feeling stressed the next week ahead, because you didn't get rest.

Catching Up-- Probably the best way to spend a break. Sleeping, eating, shopping, catching up with people you haven't seen for a long time.

Applying for Jobs-- Graduation is only 2 months away...

None of Your Busy-Ness

            Through scientific research, consisting of me creeping on people, I have come to the conclusion—everyone is busy. Anywhere in the world right now, people are busy. That is right, it is spreading. It’s probably oozing through your walls and seeping into your air supply as you are reading this. But please, don’t stop breathing. I don’t want you to pass out before I reach my point.

            Now, a plethora of people are busier than others but are busy nonetheless. However, I find that people will have verbal contests to determine who is busier. Person A will say, “I have to work then go to six classes in one day with five midterms.” Person B will reply, “Well, I have to work three jobs today and go to eight classes with nine midterms even though I am only taking five courses.” It gets ridiculous. And if you are thinking right now I don’t that, then you’re a dirty liar. I will admit, I do this A LOT without even noticing it. Even if I know the person on the end probably has as much work as I do. It wasn’t until my friends pointed it out in a not so subtle conversation in a McDonald’s parking lot that I even noticed I was doing it.

            In truth, we all have things on in our lives that other people don’t understand. You can’t determine what is going on in other people’s lives nor can you determine if your things are more bountiful and/or more difficult. (Unless you are comparing your life to my parents’ dog, Carlie, who sleeps all day, because you probably are busier than her. If you creep on my Facebook, or at least see my dad’s comments on my wall, then you understand Romeo is also busy tearing down wallpaper and/or opening the zipper on his dog bed and eating the foam inside). In my experience, if you tell someone he or she is not as busy as you or not busy at all, he or she will not react well.

            If you really do want a blood thirsty zombie in front of you who wants to tear out your throat and have it as a light snack, then tell someone he or she is not busy. Or you could be smart and understand someone else’s busy-ness is none of your business.

Isn't He a Dog?

              Ever have one of these conversations?

            “My baby will be turning a year old in March, he has beautiful black hair and is such a good boy.” “Isn’t he a dog?”

            I will be the first to admit that I am obsessed with my dog. Like, not even in a joking matter, he is my baby. All my pictures on my phone of are him or stained glass pieces I made of him. His name is Romeo Jude Paul, he will be a year old on March 24^th, he hates noises like sighing, loves his bffl Carlie who is not too fond of him and he is starting obedience lessons soon. However, as an avid dog lover, I feel there is a fine line between loving your dog and loving your dog too much. Here is a little list I pieced together:

1. Clothing—I am not taking about sweaters that people sometimes have to whip out when the temperature is in the negatives and they don’t want their dog to freeze to death. I’m talking about full on frilly outfits that they always have on clearance at Petco because not everyone is crazy enough to buy them. Chances are your dog doesn’t want to wear clothes and will try to take them off by rubbing against things. Sometimes he or she succeeds. This should be a sign. Don’t dress your dog!
2. Letting the Dog Drive—There have been many instances that I have seen someone drive by and there, sitting in the driver’s seat, in the driver’s hand is a dog. This is not necessary. Your dog will be just as if not more comfortable in the back or passenger’s seat. For those of you saying your dog likes to sit in the driver’s seat, so did Romeo when I first got him but my mom and I trained him to sit in the back when we are driving.
3. Professional Photographs of Your Dog— This is something parents do with children, not dogs and that is the way it should be. Your photographs of your dog are enough. Trust me. They were taken with love, which is truthfully, more than a photographer can capture. Please do not take your dog to Sear’s every year for his or her annual photograph.
4. Throwing Your Dog a Birthday Party—I will be the first to admit, I make a big deal of my dog’s birthday. By big deal I have my mom say happy birthday to Carlie or Romeo, because I am not home, and may post it on Facebook. I bet there are people out there who have big blowouts for their dogs complete with cake, invitations and party hats. Though I have never witnessed one, I bet they are out there. Your dog does not know what is going on. He or she is not a child and won’t remember ten years from now that you forgot his or her birthday.

I do crazy things for my dogs because I love both Romeo and Carlie. However, there are people who have a little too much love for their dogs. It is okay to tone down the love. I promise, you won’t turn into Michael Vick if you do.