Jersey Shore Recap: 2/2/12

To kick off this episode, the roommates got back to the shore, Vinny included.  At the house, Pauly fills in Vinny, including the strange niceness coming from Mike.  Deena suggests to everyone that they go out to Karma that night to celebrate the eight of them being together again.  Before going out, Jenni things there is something going on with her and Rodger.  She gives him a quick phone call and he does not answer.

On the party deck, Mike says he wants to get a tattoo that says, “Loyalty & Betrayal.”  Ronnie jokes about how Mike knows everything about Betrayal and nothing about Loyalty.

As soon as the group arrives at Karma, Mike goes off and does his own thing while Pauly and Vinny play wingmen for each other.  Later at Karma, Snooki pees her pants.  She goes to the bathroom to, “freshen up,” which actually means spraying immense amounts of perfume on her, to mask the smell.  This is, apparently, called a “shore shower.”  When they get home, Deena says goodnight to all the boys.  She then says, “I love you,” to Pauly and Vinny and asks that they return the favor.  The guys laugh and don’t reciprocate.

In the morning, Snooki wakes up before everyone else, still in her red dress and black heels from the night before, and takes off the dirty underwear and throws it away.  When Deena wakes up, she realizes her fused extensions and her clip-in extensions have gotten tangled overnight.  She goes to the bathroom to try to solve her problem.  She ends up wetting the extensions and blow drying them to help untangle them.  Using the blow dryer, Deena accidentally electrocutes herself.  She was fine.  She told Sammi she just felt the current running through her arm.  The two girls discuss their theories on electricity.

During the day, everyone wants to go to Jenks, an outdoor restaurant and bar.  Before going, Jenni tries to call Rodger again, but he ignores the call.  While getting ready, Snooki decides to wear two pair of underwear, “just in case.”  When the groups gets to Jenks, Mike runs into two random friends, which makes the guys wonder if they are actually friends or just people Mike met at a club before.  At the bar, Snooki says she needs to go to the bathroom again and it really hurts, so she says she has a UTI again.  In order to stop the pain, her solution is to take shots of tequila.  After spending a few hours at Jenks, the group decides to go to batting cages, but Mike says he is having a good time and chooses to stay.

After the batting cages, the group meets up with Mike again and Snooki, Deena, and he ride in the cab together.  In the cab, Mike throws out there how nice he has been lately but he still feels like he is the odd man out.  The girls say that may be because he rarely hangs out with them, he prefers to do his own thing.

When they get back, the bathrooms in the house are all taken, so Snooki urinates on the back porch.  She covers it with shorts.  Up on the party deck, Snooki, Deena, and Mike are together, where Mike tells them he does not have a hidden agenda for his sudden niceness.  Snooki tells him that the roommates don’t really trust him.  This upsets Mike, leading him to want to confront the rest of the roommates.  Asking the guys to be honest with him, Mike asks if he has done anything to make them angry.  They say no.  Pauly speculates that Mike was just intoxicated.

That night, the group decides to hang out at their house.  They are hanging out on the party deck when Team Meatball decides to play a prank.  They go inside, while everyone slowly migrates back to the house.  Snooki dresses in the bunny costume and one at a time, she ransacks her roommates.  With Pauly, pins him down and makes suggestive gestures.

Back outside, they play a game called, “Warm Beer,” which is actually not a game, but a joke to be played on Snooki.  In the “game,” they tell Snooki that it is a memory game and involves drawing pictures on the face of the person to your left.  What is really happening is that Ronnie is putting soot on Snooki’s face.  She has no idea until she goes inside to go to the bathroom.  She wants revenge.

Mike goes to bed because he has a headache.  Snooki puts on the bunny mask, climbs on Mike (in his bed), and wake him up, scaring him.

At work in the morning, Deena makes a pair of underwear that say, “I Jersey Turnpike,” so that when she Jersey turnpikes, they show.

At the house, Jenni and Snooki are getting their hair done when Snooki’s dad shows up.  She forgot he was coming today, but sends him to the store for cranberry juice.

Mike is on the boardwalk and runs into Rodger.  When he gets home, Jenni is talking to Snooki’s dad about her problems with Rodger, and Mike informs her that he just ran into Rodger and that he was going to the beach with some buddies.

While Snooki and her dad are spending time together, Mike says he thinks Snooki is the real trouble maker of the house, not him.  He also admits he is going to call the Unit to finish the unfinished business.

What do you think is going to happen with the Snooki-Mike-Jionni-Unit frenzy?

Jersey Shore- 1/26/12

The beginning of the most recent episode of Jersey Shore was with Danny, the gang’s landlord and boss, coming to the house giving them some bad news: He had a deal that there would be eight people living in the house and working for him and because Mike did the dip, no one works very hard, and Vinny is gone, he is going to find two new people to live there.  Not one person was ok with it.  Shortly after, Mike comes back and gets filled in by JWOWW.

Mike admits that he isolates himself on purpose every year on his birthday just to see who will go out of their way to make sure he ok and to say happy birthday.

Next, Pauly, Deena, and Snooki are at work, and actually working hard, hoping to avoid new roommates.  After work, they all get fake tattoos.

At home, Deena calls Vinny to invite him to the surprise party being planned for Pauly and Mike and to tell him about Danny’s visit.  Vinny says he is “working on” coming back to the house and won’t be up for the party, but he is appreciative of the invite.  Later in the day, the girls go to Karma (where the party is being held) and discusses the strippers with an employee.  The male employee creeps all the girls out because of the way he talks to them and the things he asks about for the party (at one point, one of the girls comments that they aren’t trying to direct a porn film, just want something for their party).  The girls decorate Karma for the party, that night.

Later that day, JWOWW shows up for work on time, while Ron and Mike are late.  The boys know they are running late and they feel like jerks for it, especially because of the talk they had with Danny.  Danny is really angry that they are late, and decided to post “Help Wanted” signs throughout the store.  The signs receive a lot of attention.  There are a lot of women who approach Danny about the signs.  Shortly after, JWOWW sees the signs and rips them down.  Danny notices his signs are down and makes JWOWW make him a new one.  JWOWW is livid about the possibly of having someone new come in.  Ronnie chimes in, saying that if they get a new roommate, he or she will not be welcome and will never feel comfortable in the house because the roommates have been through so much together.

At the same time, the meatballs decide to go get more supplies and decorations for the surprise party.  They end up with balloons and bunny suits.

Rodger arrives for the party and soon they are right out the door for the surprise party.  When they get to Karma, Pauly and Mike are surprised as heck.  Neither of them had any idea and assumed they were going out for “a regular Thursday night.”  Snooki and Deena handcuff the birthday boys into wheelchairs and watch the strippers put on a show.  After the show, everyone is dancing and having a good time.  Mike is spending time with one of the strippers and Pauly met a brunette girl who was just at the party.  Both women spend the night at the house.

At home, Ronnie and Deena call Vinny and he ignores the call.  The two decide to just sit outside instead.  When they are on the porch, Ronnie gets emotional about Vinny.  It looks like his eyes are filling with tears.  Deena, sounding defeated, says she doesn’t think Vinny is going to return.

The next day, the group decides to do a “couples night.”  Deena calls Joey, her friend from last episode, and he agrees and will meet her at the house around 7:30.  Deena goes to find Snooki.  They try on their bunny costumes and then decide it would be funny to play a practical joke on JWOWW.  Deena tells her that she needs help getting something from underneath her bed and Snooki hides in the bathroom, dressed as a rabbit.  When JWOWW is in the bedroom, Snooki jumps out and they all have a good laugh, and JWOWW has a scream.

At some point that day, Jionni comes to visit, bring his girlfriend a dozen long-stemmed red roses.  The two decide to occupy the smoosh room and then fall asleep.  Everyone else goes out for couples night.  In the car, the girls raise concerns that when Jionni is there, Snooki never wants to go out.  Within five minutes of being at the club, there is a fight.  A girl fight.  Sam is involved.  Sam got kicked out of the club, along with the other women who were fighting.  Sam told her friends that someone came up behind her and pulled her new weave.  Deena wore fairy wings out.  They all went home.

Deena and Joey were trying to “spend time together,” but couldn’t because of an alarm clock that kept going off, even after Deena unplugged it from the wall.  Paula is over, and Mike had her stay the night.  He admits in a confessional that is really into her and hasn’t found anything wrong with her yet.

Pauly is just kind of walking around , not doing much, and says he is getting in a funk without Vinny around.  The roommates decide the only thing to do is to drive to Staten Island to kidnap Vinny.  First, they stop at the shore store to make shirts that all have “Vinny” sayings on them.  Mike’s says, “Vinning,” and Pauly’s said, “Free Vinny.”  Danny is really excited for them to get Vinny and bring him back.  When they get to Staten Island, they go crazy pounding on the doors and windows.  They barge in “like a S.W.A.T. team.”  Vinny is upstairs and they all hug him and show him love and affection.  He shows them a new tattoo he got across the top of his chest.  It reads, “Let Go, Let God,” in fancy cursive writing.  They ask him to come back, and he agrees.  In a confessional, he says he isn’t 100% better, but he thinks he can do the rest of his recovery at the shore.  He throws some belongings in a garbage bag and is on his way, but not without saying goodbye to his very upset mother.  The roommates are all together and going back to the shore.

Next week we can expect more bunny costumes and some unfinished business from Mike.

What do you think his unfinished business will be?

Jersey Shore: 1/19/12

Thursday’s episode picked up right where last week’s left off: Vinny was in a cab heading back to Staten Island, leaving Pauly D to head to the club to inform the roommates of what just happened.  When he got there, he told the girls, leaving Deena in tears and JWOWW to console her in the bathroom.  Early into the night (early as far as the roommates are concerned), Mike and Pauly bring girls back to the house.  The rest of the roommates follow.

We then switch over to Vinny, the only time he is in the episode, and see him getting comforted by his mother.  This lasts about 30 seconds.

Back at the shore, Deena and JWOWW are sitting outside, where JWOWW is still comforting a crying Deena.

The next morning, Deena seems to be doing fine because she and Snooki decided to go day drinking at Aztec.  When they are there, the meatballs run into Deena’s sister, Joanie and a few of her guy friends.  They all take shots and Snooki takes more than the rest of the group, leaving in Snooki having to be held up by the men as they walk across the boardwalk.  There are cops around, but they don’t say anything about Snooki’s condition.  At some point, Snooki and Deena (who seem to have sobered up enough to be able to walk unsupported) return to Aztec where they have a mini dance off with some random guys.  Everyone is having a good time, but then the girls fall and decide “there’s no coming back from that now” so they return to the house.  At the house, Deena has a problem.  Her weave/hair gets tangled into a huge knot, because of all the dancing.  Pauly rips the weave from her head.  As usual, JWOWW is to the rescue.

After that, they all go to Aztec again.  This time, Jionni joins them.  In honor of Vinny, Ronnie wears skinny jeans.  When they are there, the group runs into the Unit, which sends Snooki into panic.  At the bar, Pauly meets a woman with a lot of tattoos and they go home early, much earlier than the group.  Also in honor of Vinny, Pauly and the tattooed woman occupy his bed (seriously).   Back at Aztec, Mike wants to confront Snooki, but when he is on his way to her, a brawl breaks out in front of him, causing the Unit to be kicked out of the bar.  Bummer.

The next morning, Mike is working when he meets a Bosnian woman who eagerly gives him her phone number and tells him she wants a grilled cheese the next morning.

That afternoon, the group calls Vinny.  He says he is taking it day by day but doesn’t plan to return soon.  Everyone is really sad without him, but they are giving him their support and hoping for the best.  JWOWW says they are being selfish if they are not doing that.

That night, the group goes to Aztec to celebrate Pauly’s birthday, which is the next day.  There, Mike runs into the Bosnian woman and is dancing and spending time with her.  Then, he sees Paula.  Forced to decide between the women, Mike passes the Bosnian woman to Pauly and keeps Paula to himself.  On the other side of the club, Deena runs into an old friend, Joey.  Joey goes home with Deena, Paula goes home with Mike, and the Bosnian woman goes home with Pauly.  The other couples are having some alone time (this is around 4:00 a.m.) when the Bosnian woman asks Pauly if they can just talk in his room.  Pauly says he doesn’t have time to talk to a girl at 4:00 in the morning so he calls her a cab.  The woman then returns to the house (a few minutes later) and says she wants to hang out with Mike, who is busy with Paula.  Eventually, Mike goes outside with the Bosnian woman (Paula is taking a shower) and she asks him why he is with Paula.  Mike says they connect really well and always get along.  Mike also says he loves to have a girlfriend and thinks he could get wifed up.  Eventually, the Bosnian woman leaves.

The next day is Pauly’s actual birthday.  His whole family surprises him at the house.  His gift was his hometown barber who gave him a haircut.  Pauly has not been this happy since Vinny left.  They make plans to go out for dinner and Pauly invites the rest of the guys.  Pauly is 31.  Mike, who is also celebrating his birthday, misses his family and wishes they had come to see him too.

Meanwhile, Snooki and Deena want to plan a surprise party for Pauly.

At dinner, Mike is sulking because he thinks Pauly’s family should be making an equally big deal about his birthday, which they are not.  Mike excuses himself from the table and falls asleep on a couch near the table.  Ron takes icing from the cake and puts it on Mike’s face, which wakes him up.  Mike didn’t receive the joke the way Ron hoped he would.

The girls are home and baking a cake for Pauly, but not one for Mike.  When the boys get home and see that there is only one cake, Mike gets upset again.  In a confessional, he admits that he is jealous and starting to realize he is usually the bad guy of the house and rarely the good guy.  The roommates are starting to get suspicious of Mike’s behavior.  Mike leaves the house and doesn’t say where he is going.

The episode ends with Mike’s departure.

So what do you think?  Was Mike in the right for being upset about the lack of celebration for his birthday?  The girls said he is such a jerk that they didn’t want to celebrate his birthday.  Should they have done something for Mike?

 

What to Expect During Sorority Recruitment

If you are interested in joining a sorority at your school, you are going to first have to go through recruitment.  During the recruitment season, there are a few things to expect:

 

1)      Getting overwhelmed is ok and normal.  The events you attend are going to be overwhelming (in a good way).  Choosing which organization would be the match for you can be a tough decision.  Attending multiple events in one night or in a few days can seem like a lot to handle, but it hopefully will help you narrow down your choices.  I would encourage attending as many events as possible (from multiple organizations as well) because it will help you learn the most about each sorority, which can help you when you need to decide who you wish to join the most.  There are a lot of factors that go into this lifelong decision.

2)      You are going to meet a lot of new people.  You are going to meet a lot of new people in each organization.  Remembering names can be tricky, so really observe the women you talk to.  Don’t feel embarrassed if you have to ask her to refresh your memory.  Remember, they were once on your end too, so they can definitely relate to how you are feeling.  It’s ok if you become friends with an individual and do not wish to join her organization.  You can still be her friends, and rightfully should.  You are also going to get a lot of friend requests on Facebook.

3)      Hearing unfamiliar words, such as “Panhellenic,” “philanthropy,” “Bid Day,” and “PNM.”  The Panhellenic Council is the governing body of 26 recognized social sororities.  There is also “Pan-Hellenic,” which is equivalent to Panhellenic.  They each govern different social sororities.  A philanthropy is a service event that raises money for a specific cause.  For example, Alpha Sigma Tau’s national philanthropy is Pine Mountain Settlement School.  The various chapters of Alpha Sigma Tau hold different kinds of fundraisers and donate the proceeds to Pine Mountain.  Each sorority does multiple kinds of philanthropic work for a number of different philanthropies.  Bid Day is the day in which sororities can start handing out bids (bids are invitations to join a sorority).  You can receive a bid from multiple organizations, though you can only officially join one sorority.   “PNM” is a potential new member, which is what you are considered while going through recruitment.  A new member is someone who is a member of a sorority but has yet to be initiated.  Therefore, a potential new member is a person who is going through the recruitment process.

 

Though it is an overwhelming process, sorority recruitment is meant to be fun and enjoyable.

 

Jersey Shore Recap: 1/12/12

Last night during MTV’s Jersey Shore, the show continued to be nothing short of dramatic, and at times, emotional.

The episode started with more celebrations of being back in Seaside Heights for most, but Vinny continued having feelings of homesick and anxiety.  Ronnie and Pauly D did their best to make Vinny feel better, like taking him to the boardwalk for some arcade games, or a boys’ day at the salon for pedicures (seriously).  Their attempts were definitely recognized and appreciated by Vinny, but his feelings weren’t cured.

Meanwhile, at Aztec, Snooki and Deena acted like Snooki and Deena (you know, wholesome and sober), while Mike “The Situation,” ran into a familiar face.  Paula…she fell down the outdoor stairs at the house in season one.  Paula and Situation spent the night together.  Coming home from the club, it started to pour.  Not a light rain, a downpour.  When they all got home and clothes were soaking wet, poor Jionni didn’t have an alternative outfit, so Situation slyly offered him something to wear.  I’m sure he had the best of intentions.  As a further attempt to seem like a nice, genuine friend, Situation cooked an egg muffin sandwich and bacon and brought it to Jionni, who was upstairs with Snooki.

In case you have missed the recent episodes, rumor has it Snooki cheated on Jionni with Mike while the show wasn’t filming.

The next morning, JWOWW and Sammi went to work (at the Shore Store), while Vinny skipped out on his shift…at least for the first few hours.  He was hoping that being at work would help him feel better, but Danny noticed Vinny wasn’t being himself and they went for a walk.

On this walk, we get to see a side of Vinny that not only have we not seen before, but makes him seem more relatable to those of us who don’t party until 5 a.m. most nights.  Vinny admits to having been diagnosed with clinical anxiety when he was 16 and that he is suffering from another episode.  He told Danny that being away from home for such a long time and the late night partying and nonstop drinking has proved to be too much for him right now.

Because there were no tanning beds in Italy, Pauly decided to tan over and over again.  First, his face was sunburnt and peeling.  Then, he exfoliated and burnt the skin that was sunburnt.  Pauly was in clear pain.  This was so bad that Snooki suggested he lay off the tanning for a while.  Yep.  Snooki.

Everyone was prepping for their first night at Karma since arriving at Seaside Heights.  Almost immediately after arriving there, Deena ran into her old friend, Damian, and asked if she could kiss him.  He said yes.  Snooki had a little too much to drink, fell off of a table or bar that she was sitting on, and Jionni got mad at her again.  He knows he is dating Snooki, right?  Vinny, who did go out, walked around alone most of the night.  At home, he and JWOWW were the only ones sleeping alone.

Pauly and his girl took the smoosh room so Vinny could get some sleep.  Pauly left to call her a cab after they were finished, and the girl was caught on camera stealing his diamond gold chain and putting it in her shorts.  When her cab was there, she couldn’t find her shoes anywhere, so Pauly said they were in the cab.  The girl left.  Pauly was upset about its disappearance and tore the house apart looking for the chain.  Snooki insisted the girl took it on purpose and wanted to use it to her advantage so she had an excuse to see Pauly the next day.  For once, Snooki said something intelligent.  The next morning, the girl showed up at the house with the chain around her neck.  She gave it back, pretending she didn’t realize she took it.  She asked for her shoes, but she and Pauly still couldn’t find them.

That night, Pauly and Vinny stayed at home while everyone else went to Karma.  At the house, Vinny called his sister for a ride, but then decided to just take a cab back to Staten Island.  The sadness in Pauly’s face was truly heartbreaking.  He wanted Vinny to stay more than anything, but he was helping him pack his belongings.  What a good friend…

The final scene of the episode showed Vinny getting in a cab, with all of his belongings, and Pauly not knowing what to do next.

Do you think Vinny will return this season?  Did Snooki cheat on her boyfriend with The Situation?

 

On The Fifth Day Of Christmas CL’s Giving You… 5 DIY Decor Tips!

DIY is appropriate for any time of the year, especially if you’re looking to save some cash around the holidays. Need a few decor tips? No problem! For all of you last minute decorators, CL’s created a list of affordable and savvy DIY projects to jazz up your humble abode this Christmas.

Fuzzy Snowflakes —  This is a fresh spin on classic paper snowflakes. Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need:

• Felt fabric
• Scissors

What You’ll Need:

• Gingerbread Man cutouts
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Assorted art supplies (glitter glue, ribbon, craft puff balls…)

Gift-wrap Your Home – Everything’s a present waiting to be opened with this tip.

What You’ll Need:

• Ribbon (different lengths and thickness)
• Scissors

How self-explanatory is this DIY? All you have to do is take your ribbon and have fun wrapping it around different items in your house! From lamp shades to door knobs, legs on a chair to the handles on your fridge, wrap and snip your ribbon around whatever you’d like. Add some charm to your ribbon decorations by tying a bow.

“Kissball” Ornament — Push your mistletoe to the side for this clever ornament drawn up by Goodhousekeeping.com.

What You’ll Need:

• Styrofoam balls (suggested: 4-inches)
• Fabric
• Rubber bands
• Ribbon
• Scissors

Can’t get enough of my DIY tips? Wait until you check out Debra’s article–she shows you how to create a themed party filled with hot chocolate drinks and candy cane party favors. Happy holidays, CL readers!

12 Days of Christmas Sisterhoods

It’s the greatest time of the year! When everyone is merry, Christmas music is playing everywhere, and Santa is coming to town! Sure, finals are coming up but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a break from the books to have a fun Christmas sisterhood!

Instead of spending 12 days of Christmas singing about partridge trees and five golden rings, try 12 days of sisterhoods!

1. Organize a Secret Santa for your whole chapter! Put all your sisters’ names in a hat and have each one select a name in chapter. Set up a maximum amount that can be sent and set a date to exchange – and try to keep it a secret!

2. Christmas movie night! There are a ton of Christmas movies – make it a marathon!

3. Bake Christmas cookies!

4. Decorate your chapter house together! This could include everything from hanging lights to decorating the tree to making snowflakes and hanging them everywhere.

5. Visit the Santa Clause mall and take a group picture!

6. Go Christmas tree shopping for your chapter house!

7. Set up a Toys-for-Tots on your campus! if one is already set up, have each girl spend a set amount of money and donate it. It will make Christmas special for many children, and make you feel good about yourself too!

8. Decorate/create ornaments!

9. Make a gingerbread house! Messy and loads of sugar – what could be better?

10. Make Christmas cards for soldiers! They would really appreciate the effort and to know they are always being thought of especially during the holiday season.

11. Make your own snow globes! You can give them as gifts to your family, advisor, or big sis! All you need is a clean glass jar, water, and glitter. Check out Martha Stewart’s “How to Create a Snow Globe”

12. Ice skating! Not all of us are professional figure skaters, but its fun to fall with your sisters! Or even organize a big snowball fight. It’s nice to get outside and play in the snow every once and a while!

 

Make sure you don’t stress too much over finals coming up and remember to enjoy every minute with your sisters! I hope you enjoy these ideas. Do you have any fun sisterhoods your chapter has done for Christmas?

 

Sharon Tendler is a junior at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is majoring in business marketing and minoring in graphic design. Sharon is a proud sister of Sigma Sigma Sigma. She enjoys hanging out with friends and family, scrapbooking, texting, and watching movies!

Five Ways to Unwind (and Sweat!)

This time of the year is crawling with stressful activities. Studying for finals, pinching pennies for holiday shopping, and applying for summer internships will get the best of anyone. An intelligent co-ed can only keep her head in a book, work long hours, and stare at a computer for so long! When stress starts to consume you, remember these tips when you’re craving fun and healthy ways to de-stress.

 

Zumba

Combine high-octane dancing with an upbeat Latin sountrack, and you’ve got a Zumba session! This fitness class, created back in the mid 90′s, has become wildly popular within these last few years, especially on college campuses. If your campus doesn’t offer a Zumba class, the first thing you should do is try to get Zumba on your campus! If that fails, there’s always YouTube, which has tons of recorded Zumba classes that you can dance along with. Or, you can buy the new Zumba video game, called “Zumba Fitness 2″ and “Party Yourself Into Shape” if you own a Wii™. Sweat Level: 10

Sauna

Grab a towel and lay back as the steam clears your pores of any toxins and buildup. Sitting in a hot sauna has multiple benefits, including improving your blood circulation and relaxing your mind, according to pureinsideout.com. For this sweaty activity, head to your local gym, in which a sauna is most likely to be. Sweat Level: 9

Yoga

Yoga hushes the noise of the outside world, allowing you to connect deeply with your mind and spirit. The strength that you will obtain after committing to doing yoga is unlike any other physical activity. “Yoga tones muscles all over your body in balance with each other. Weight training exercises typically isolate and flex one muscle or muscle group at a time,” said Kelly Turner from life.gaim.com. Classy actress Michelle Williams, attributes yoga for making her into the woman she is, stating “Yoga gave me relief like nothing else; it made me a better person and a better mother…,” according to mindbodygreen.com. Sweat Level: It rises with the intensity of the class

Hiking

If you live near a trail, challenge yourself and your family or friends to go hiking if it’s something you’ve never done before. Hiking will teach you a lot about willpower–when you’re halfway up the mountain and reaching the top seems absolutely unreachable, think about the breathtaking view awaiting you at the summit. Let this grueling activity forge a bond with you and those that you’re hiking with. Remember, you’re all in this together! Sweat Level: 10 (if you’re inexperienced on a tough trail)

Dancing

Cap off a stressful week with a night of going out and dancing with your girl friends! Start out by getting ready together–this process allows you to fill each other in on anything new that may have occurred during the week. Chat while curling your hair or while using your eyeliner to finish off that angle on your cat eye. Make a powerful entrance into a party with a killer outfit and your friends by your side, throw your hands above your head, and get to dancing! Sweat Level: 7

Tiana Blue is an intern for College Lifestyles™ and is a print journalism major at Penn State. This sophomore is an avid blogger that loves to write, draw, roam the streets of Manhattan, and channel her inner chef by watching Food Network re-runs.

5 Stress Relievers for the Over-Programmed Sorority Girl

There is no doubt about it: college girls are busy, especially us sorority girls. Between our weekly chapter meetings, exchanges with other frats and sororities and the daily hassles of work and class keep our schedules packed full. We all have to let off steam at some point, so when it’s your time to relax, try some of our stress relievers to make your free time worth while.

1.)   Watch a movie: Whether you check out a new movie at the local theater or snag a new release from the Redbox around the corner, watching a movie can be a serious mood changer. Taking a break from your normal, hectic life in order to take part in someone else’s exciting love life will make you happy and feel better about that pile of work you have to do. Grab a few sisters and a bag of popcorn to make it a group movie night. There is nothing in the world that cannot be remedied by your sisters, cute movie stars and some well deserved junk food.

2.)   Exercise: I know what you’re thinking. The last thing you will feel like doing after a long day of College Algebra or Chemistry is a run on the treadmill, but trust me, you will feel better after. Running a mile outside in this beautiful fall weather will not only lift your spirits, but will also help your body feel better and make you feel more confident about that Halloween costume you have your eye on.

3.)   Naptime: Everyone loves to nap. Seriously, there is nothing that brightens my day more than when I have an hour or two to lie in my bed and take a slumber. If you don’t have time during your week to have a consistent naptime, be sure to take a few minutes out of your day to rest your eyes and breathe for a bit. Perhaps even listen to some calming tunes on your iPod. You will feel so much better after a little R&R and will be more prepared to take on the daily challenges.

4.)   Read a good book: Recreational reading can be a lot of fun. As college students, we are so often forced to read textbooks that drone on and on about meaningless definitions and facts. But, by picking up a book, whether it is re-reading a past favorite or picking up a new title, reading will allow your mind to relax and drift away for a while. Double points if the book is funny. Anything by Chelsea Handler will do the trick.

5.)   A night on the town: Sometimes the best remedy to a long week is a fun night out with friends. Dinner, a classy cocktail and good conversation will improve your mood in no time. Try going to a new dance club or hang out at a new casual spot off of campus. Sometimes getting away from the official university buildings can allow you to take a deep breath and realize you are ready for some much needed fun.

What are your favorite stress relievers? Do you have a go-to activity to make you relax?

Carolina Loyola-Garcia Talks to CL about Getting Fit with Flamenco Dance

With classes, piles of homework, Greek life and extracurriculars to keep up with, staying in shape as a well-rounded college student can become a challenge. But thanks to flamenco dance, keeping your figure fit has never been more exciting (and a stress relief for classy co-eds!). CL sat down with flamenco dance instructor, Carolina Loyola-Garcia, before a performance at Penn State Altoona to gain insight about Centro Flamenco de Pittsburgh, why students love to flamenco, and how she stays healthy.

Loyola-Garcia has been a flamenco dancer for 15 years, stating “it’s a good way to connect with my roots; it’s a good way to stay physically active.” However, her love of art doesn’t stop there–she’s also an Associate Professor of Media Arts at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. When she’s not teaching in the classroom, she’s teaching lessons for dance organization Centro Flamenco de Pittsburgh at Zafira Dance Studios, also located in Pittsburgh.

“Centro Flamenco de Pittsburgh is an organization whose mission is to promote flamenco arts in Western Pennsylvania by offering classes, workshops, performances, and educational events,” Loyola-Garcia said.

After taking flamenco classes in New York, San Francisco, Spain, and other major cities and places abroad, Loyola-Garcia wanted to bring flamenco dance to Pittsburgh where the flamenco dance scene was virtually nonexistent. Now, aspiring flamenco dancers come from around the globe to attend workshops and classes in the studio.

“It’s spiritually rewarding; you’re exercising and adding an art form into it,” Loyola-Garcia said.

Since Zafira Studios is located in Pittsburgh, Pa., there’s no shortage of diversity in a typical flamenco class.With the Jewish, Arabic, Spanish and gypsy influences incorporated into this form of dance, Loyola-Garcia believes that “the cultural heritage has brought people together. It resonates with people all over the world.”

Each class is broken up into two parts: technique, arm work and learning hand expressions is covered in the first section, and choreography is covered in the second section. However making sure that you are fully stretched before any dance class is key, Loyola-Garcia said. To make stretching easier, she suggested devoting a half hour a week two to three times a week to get your muscles used to it. She also stated that progress will happen through time, so don’t rush it.

“Consistency and persistence is important,” she said.

Loyola-Garcia said many faculty members and students come to her classes in need of a release from tension, stating “it’s almost like meditation; it’s a good outlet for emoting.” She believes it also helps dancers become more comfortable in their own skin–she’s noticed that dancers’ self-esteem and positive energy rises as classes continue.

“It doesn’t have to be torture to get fit. Do something you like!” she said.

To keep in shape outside of teaching flamenco dance, Loyola-Garcia is an avid runner, practices yoga, and sometimes goes biking. She runs for endurance, does yoga to strengthen her core and flexibility, and goes biking with her family on Pittsburgh trails for fun!

For co-eds on a budget, Loyola-Garcia, who enjoys shopping at Trader Joe’s, suggested shopping at food co-ops and farmers markets if possible and to also stock up on trail mix and yummy fruits like bananas and apples as snack items. “Just have something healthy in your backpack, and drink lots of water!” Loyola-Garcia said.

Loyola-Garcia lives near a Whole Foods, making healthy food and drink options easily accessible. She stays hydrated with plenty of water and sports drinks, enjoys drinking almond milk (because it contains 0% saturated fat, is an amazing source of calcium and vitamin E and she loves the taste!) and eats plenty of vegetables, fruits, grains, whole wheat products, carbs and protein. (Fun fact: one of her favorite meals to eat is rice with veggies.)

Up until several weeks ago, Loyola-Garcia was a vegetarian, but after noticing her lack of energy, she started eating red meat again to give herself a boost. Loyola-Garcia is proof that being busy doesn’t mean you can’t live healthily!

Are you ladies ready to flamenco? I bet you are! Stay happy and healthy, CL readers!

Tiana Blue is an intern for College Lifestyles™ and is a print journalism major at Penn State. This sophomore is an avid blogger that loves to write, draw, roam the streets of Manhattan, and channel her inner chef by watching Food Network re-runs.

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