Burger, King of the Grill

Burgers rule supreme in the summer time, and it’s no wonder why. Turkey, veggie, lamb, sliders, the possibilities go on and on. Whatever kind of mood you’re in, there’s a burger to suit your taste buds. Check out these ten burger ideas—though there’s plenty more where that came from.

Baked Beans with a Twist

What’s a cookout without baked beans? Turn your usual side dish into the main event—or at least a fancier companion—by adding sausage, vegetables like collard greens and other spices to make your meal that much better. Beans work in a variety of recipes, so you can incorporate this easy-to-make ingredient throughout your summer.

Two Meals in One

We’ve all had macaroni and potato salad. But have you ever had BLT pasta salad? It’s more than a sandwich, and much more than those simple macaroni salads with some chopped celery and carrots. If you’re looking for a light meal with a short prep time so you can enjoy the summer weather, give this recipe a try.

Easy Mexican Cuisine

If you can cook a grilled cheese, you can cook a cheese quesadilla! All you need is some tortillas, plenty of cheese of your choosing, maybe some salsa for the side, and a frying pan. Cook your quesadilla just like a grilled cheese, but be a little more cautious of burning your tortilla. Toss a salad or heat up some Spanish rice on the side, and you’ve got yourself a meal better than Taco Bell.

All-In-One BBQ

Kebabs are glorious. Little prep time—especially if you buy them pre-made—and not many additional ingredients needed. Choose your veggies, often peppers and onions, your meat, and a seasoning or BBQ sauce of choice and you’re ready to fire up that grill.

It’s not Delivery, It’s Fresh From the Oven

When you’re feeling lazy, you may be tempted to order some pizza. Save yourself the wait and money, and make fresh calzones at home with refrigerated pizza dough. Combine whatever ingredients you want on the dough, do a quick roll, and presto, dinner’s ready in 20.

Don’t waste half your summer slaving over the stove. Find the food staples, give them a twist, and you have a nice summer meal on your hands. Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated or make you break a sweat—that’s what the summer sun is for. Happy cooking!

-ToonyToon

I’m reading Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics

Furnished or Unfurnished?

Are you moving out for the summer only to go back to a cramped dorm over the school year?  Consider getting a furnished apartment.  Just stocking a kitchen can add up very quickly even if you buy the cheapest things you can find.  To make matters worse you will have to throw or give away most of the items when you move back into the dorms.  Storing whisks, pans, potholders, colanders, knives, plates, silverware, measuring cups/spoons, food storage containers…. You get the idea, it adds up!

Your Landlord and You

Above all, get everything in writing!  Landlords can be very tricky, so assume the worst and hope for the best!  I once rented an apartment from what seemed like a very nice old woman but when move-out time came around, she became very stingy about giving our security deposit back, even insisting that we pay to have a rug cleaned that was stained from the day we moved in!  What was obviously a cheap $5 pan she got at a garage sale became a $50 top-of-the line frying pan on our itemized security deposit list.  In other words, take pictures of the apartment beforehand, and both you and the landlord should sign off and date the photos.  Your landlord might give you a hard time, but don’t fall for the act.  Seriously, be tough and stand your ground!  It can mean the difference between getting your deposit back and not—hopefully it never comes to that, but watch an episode or two of People’s Court and you will have an idea of some of the ridiculous things both landlords and tenants try to do to save money.  Landlords are trying to protect themselves from you with the lease.  Do your part to protect yourself.

A landlord can make or break your rental experience over the summer.  Imagine that your toilet keeps backing up but your landlord doesn’t get back to you for a couple of days after each phone call—when they finally do respond it’s with some drain-o and a toilet snake! (and not maintenance man).  Or you get a water leak and your things get damaged.  A conscientious landlord will respond quickly—a bad one won’t care at all about your damaged stuff.  It’s not their responsibility to pay for it after all!

Other Ways to Save Money

Hulu plus accounts and Netflix have saved my roommates and I a lot of money in cable costs recently.  I’ve found that if I get the lowest cable plan I don’t get the channels I want anyway.   So you wind up paying $70 for T.V. a month.  That’s over a week’s worth of groceries or 2.5 tanks of gas!

Happy hunting!

-WonderBread

I’m reading Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements

Note that I call it a break, not a distraction.  Once you begin to neglect schoolwork for something fun, that is a distraction, something to avoid.  To be fair, no one can work the entire weekend.  Taking breaks are important to not overwork yourself, which can lead to crashing, getting sick, and becoming less productive.  Be sure to time your breaks to ensure that you get all of your work done before deadlines come around!

Here are some of the things you can keep track of while taking that much needed break:

The first round of NBA playoffs has started.  Keep track of the bracket while writing those papers.  Watching an exciting game can get you blood pumping and spark some energy to finish your work.  Thus far, in the West, the Spurs are up two-nothing to the Utah Jazz, Thunder is shutting down the Mavericks three-zero, the Lakers are up on the Nuggets two-one, and Grizzlies and Clippers are tied at one game a piece.  In the East, the Celtics are up two-one on the Hawks, Pacers are up three-one on Magic, Heat is sweeping the Knicks three-zero and the 76ers are up one on the Bulls two-one.

The NHL is in their second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs: 3-0 Kings, 1-3 Coyotes, 2-1 Devils and the Capitals and Rangers are tied 2-2 so far this season.  Once your eyes become blurred by the multiple hours of staring at books and writing, check out a video update by Hockey Analyst Barry Melrose.

If sports are not your thing, “The Avengers” have just come out in theaters, bringing in $80.5 million on opening day, the second most successful opening day.  Too busy to know what the movie’s about?  Check out the trailer here.  When your brain is in zombie mode after hours of homework, you might be overwhelmed with seeing building blowing up in this action packed movie.  Some comedies in theaters are “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “LOL,” “Think Like a Man,” and “The Five-Year Engagement.” Just like the holiday season, the start of summer means some good movies.  A couple hours of relaxing in one of these or another movie could be the perfect break you are looking for.

Although the Hunger Games hype is dying down, it is never too late to discover the series.  The quality of many recent book and movie series’ has been debated, but I can vouch for this one.  Why not unwind with a very well written suspenseful story?

Enjoy those breaks; just be sure to eventually get back to work!

-TravelBug

I’m reading How Children Develop

Location

You open the classified and see an apartment for an amazing price.  The only problem?  The area of town is not the greatest, and it’s a high crime area.  I’ve had friends make this mistake and they had break-ins and items stolen.  Plus, they had to sacrifice peace of mind.  As a young adult, our schedules are conducive to late nights out–right when crime levels reach their peak.  If you absolutely cannot swing an apartment in a safe area, check out this website to find out where your neighborhood ranks in the area: http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/

With gas prices as high as they are, another factor to consider is how far away all your basic stops are: your job, grocery stores, your best buds.  A good rule of thumb is to get those three things within a 25-mile radius if possible.  The last thing you need on an intern’s salary is to be driving all the way across town daily!

Utilities

Utilities will cost much more than you think. You’ll have to ask exactly what it includes. Be sure to ask about: heat, water, cable, electricity, internet, sewage, trash, gas, security, maintenance, telephone, and then ask if there is anything else (so you don’t get trapped in hidden fees).

As a rule of thumb, “all utilities included” means water, gas, and/or electric (but double check with your landlords). Usually, it doesn’t mean cable, telephone, and internet are included, but sometimes the apartment complex will add them. Just be sure to ask.

If you can make it happen, sharing Internet is something I have done in apartments I’ve rented in the past.  One person has a router, gives the other tenants the password and then we all use that wireless and share the bill.  This can be risky for whoever has the router, but if everyone can give a good amount up-front, the benefits far outweigh the risk.

-WonderBread

I’m reading Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies

Since all college students seem to be on a budget of some sort, I will narrow the list of best apps to have in college (to use productively) by only sharing the free apps.

gFlash+ Flashcards and Tests: This has been named the best free flashcard app! Instead of carrying around big stacks of flashcards, they can all be on your phone.  Yes, those thick clumps of flashcards do make you look smart, but so do a pair of non-prescription glasses.  Plus, this app will gain you hipster points as it is an eco-friendly alternative to using all those index cards and ink.  This app will not only let you create and edit your flashcards, but you can download information from a Google Docs Spreadsheet, add images and sound clips, track your improvement and more.

College getting expensive?  Interested in topics other than your major/minor but have no time to fit them into your schedule?  iTunes U provides full access to free courses created by top notch professors at real universities.  Even Ivy League quality courses are available.  This app gives you access to audio, video, books, documents, presentations… all of the course materials.  Just don’t get too lost in the app and miss the classes you’ve paid for!

Evernote is a mobile app that works across the iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre and is web sync friendly.  Taking notes has never been easier, but instead of just textual information, add voice, photos, locations and tags.  Using an electronic version of note taking gives you the ability to share information with peers, professors, and friends.

College students have been stereotyped to know nothing about current events and more than enough about pop culture.  Instead of getting into the statistics of how uninformed we are, let’s just start a new trend and make a news source our homepages.  Whether it be CNN, BBC, or Huffington Post, download a free news source app to stay in the know.

So you and your friends are looking to get off campus but you’re not sure where to go.  Download Urbanspoon to see all of the restaurants in the area.  You can narrow your search down by price, distance, and/or type of cuisine.  They are paired with Google Maps to be sure that you do not get lost getting there.  They also provide information about the restaurant such as how many others liked it, the phone number to call for a reservation, etc.

Quick! You have class in ten minutes!  Get up! Get Dressed! Wait, what’s the weather like?  What should I wear?  The Swackett app helps you decide what clothes are weather appropriate for today.  This app reminds me of a mother telling a schoolchild to grab an umbrella or put on a warm coat before rushing out the door.

-TravelBug

I’m reading Essentials of Meteorology: An invitation to the Atmosphere

Fast forward to May. Finals are over, classes are done and you are now faced with the daunting challenge of not only cleaning your room, but packing it. Somehow the “clean” space you once set up has morphed into a sinking hole of stuff. You have shoes here, there, behind that, under there. Your books are stacked, your papers thrown; nothing is where it once was. How did that happen? Where did the time go, or more importantly, where did all this stuff come from?

Regardless of where it came from, you have to get it together—literally, and move out before the semester is over. This year it took me three days to pack my room. One day to wrap my head around the amount of physical stuff I had to pack, and two to actually move and organize it.

I don’t want the same thing to happen to you, so let’s lay some ground rules. How are you going to go through your stuff and be sane enough to make the journey home? Don’t worry, no stress. There is an easy way to visualize and prepare for the task that lies ahead. Take notes, grab some water, and maybe change into some workout clothes! (I’m not ashamed to admit that I broke a sweat just starting to think about compacting my room into rubber maids—whew, what a workout!)

First, you need to mentally prepare. Put on some music and wrap your mind around what you’re about to do. This is a big job. It won’t take five minutes, and it doesn’t need to take all day. Start small and work in areas! If you want to tackle the closet first, great! If not, try the drawers! Whatever puts you most at ease is fine.

Second, make piles. The great thing about college is that no one forces you to keep anything. Find something you know you’ll never need, or use again? That’s okay! But before you toss it, think about where it could go. Is it reusable? Could someone else benefit from the unused treasure that just emerged from under your bed? I would recommend making three piles as you organize: One for trash, one for goodwill or donations, and one for stuff to keep. This way, once you make it through everything you have a visual sense of what you’re taking with you, what you are getting rid of and what you need to find a new home for.

If you can, check with your campus for collection sites, or dorm drives. At some campuses student groups will hold collections for unwanted, gently used items that can be donated to local shelters, homes, and thrift centers. It saves you a trip, and goes to a good cause—win, win!

So you’ve made piles, you’ve organized your stuff into the must-haves and no-goes, so what comes next? Now you have to pack efficiently so if can all fit in the car. What has worked best for me over the last few years is rubber maids. You can buy them from Target or Wal-Mart for relatively cheap—or you can keep an eye on sales, you never know when they’ll pop up!

Storage bins are light weight, easy to pack, and fit A LOT of stuff in them. I broke it down into categories—one for clothes (most likely fall and winter since you won’t be using those anytime soon), one for desk and “school stuff” (stapler, hole punch, random paperclips, folders, and paper), and then one for bed stuff and towels. By compartmentalizing your room into categories you don’t get overwhelmed by volume. The simple categories are easy to comprehend and will make for easy unpacking and storage as well!

Don’t get stressed at the thought of packing your room. If you go slow, and take breaks—including some time to dance around to music, time will fly and before you know it your room will be empty and you’ll be ready and rolling out the door! But don’t forget—now that you’ve packed up your room, keep track of your system and take note of where you put everything. August will be here in the blink of an eye and it will be move in day once again!

-Ring Queen

I’m reading Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes

I’m not sure why it has become a social taboo to go places alone, especially in college.  While studying abroad, I remember asking the friends I have made in all different parts of the country whether they don’t mind going places alone (during the day/in safe areas).  For most of the people whom I met, the answer was yes.  They were perfectly content going to the outdoor markets, cafés, and even restaurants stag.

Since many of these people were brave enough to pack their bags and study abroad by themselves, I figured maybe this answer was specific to that demographic, so I talked with more people who weren’t necessarily travelers.  The answers I received were vastly different: some don’t like going anywhere alone.  Some regularly go to the dining hall by themselves.  Others will go to an off-campus event alone but not an on-campus event.  I started to wonder why this was.  My conclusion: fear.

No matter how many times you hear it, deep down, people do care what others think of them, and it is natural to feel this way.  I think this is what people fear most.  We are worried that others will think we have no friends or are some kind of “loner,” but the truth is, spending some time every-so-often independently can be a great thing.

It may be scary to go to a place by yourself at first, especially depending on where that place is.  When you are on your own, you tend to run into others who are in groups, not on their own themselves.  This may leave you feeling vulnerable as you are outnumbered.  Staying confident is one way to avoid this.  Realizing that you will be doing exactly what you want to do, without worrying what the other person is thinking, feeling, hoping is a wonderful feeling.

Doing some things on your own can also give you some confidence.  Taking a break from constantly being swarmed with people can give you some perspective.  Feeling self-dependence, self-reliant may make you feel brave.  Also, exploring a new place, whether a coffee shop or club or what-have-you by yourself will give you a sense of your true opinion on whatever your facing as you have no one influencing you in the moment.

There is a line between isolating oneself and having the confidence to go to the dining hall stag when you can’t find anyone to go with.  College is a time to socialize, meet new people, and embrace other’s personalities and perspectives.  It’s just that doing something every now and again by yourself is perfectly fine too.

-TravelBug

I’m reading Sociology In Our Times

This one might seem obvious, but so many people seem to forget: communication is key! It’s easy for someone you don’t see on the daily to fall to the wayside, so you both need to put in the effort to keep in touch. Texts, emails, Skype and phone calls are all necessary to keep the spark alive and still know what’s going on in each other’s lives. But don’t get overly clingy either. An “I miss you” is fine, but if you send 10 texts in a row without a response and then start freaking out with “Don’t you miss me too :’(“ your relationship might go from surviving to ending. Limit your phone calls to the end of the day to avoid disrupting work, and if you must text a ton, at least space them out over every couple of hours. Keep in touch like you would with a best friend at another school…but maybe kick the cute factor up a notch.

Another good way to keep your girlfriend or boyfriend off your mind is hanging out with friends. Sitting alone in your room looking through pictures of the two of you on Facebook isn’t going to help the missing factor, and it’s a pretty depressing way to spend your free time. Being lonely isn’t going to solve your distance problem or make you feel any better about being separated from your campus cutie. Instead, go out and have some bonfires, catch a movie or grab a bite to eat with a group of friends. Being with other people will melt away your loneliness—just maybe not in the same way. And remember, just because you’re out having a blast doesn’t mean you can’t take the time to answer a phone call or a shoot a text to your significant other. They’ll appreciate the thought and be happy to hear you’re having fun (unless they’re the super jealous type, but that’s a whole other post).

Your parents always said honesty is the best policy…so stick to it! If you’re not honest with each other, the relationship is doomed. Does this mean you have to tell each other everything? No, but you should be telling each other the things that matter. Lying about what you’re up to or ignoring phone calls by saying you’re busy with work when you’re not may not seem like a big deal now, but in the long run the little things can add up. If you feel the need to lie, ask yourself why you feel the need to, if you’d want to be lied to or how the lie will help your relationship (it won’t). To make the point short and sweet: just be honest if you want your relationship to succeed.

Besides keep in touch and being respectful, show your loved on you care by surprising them with a care package! Maybe send some foods the two of you liked to share, or a movie you watched on one of your first dates. Regardless of what you send, it will show that they’re on your mind and you took the time to do something special for them. Even better, if you can find the time off from your internship and your boyfriend/girlfriend isn’t too swamped, plan a surprise visit! Not only will the reunion help carry you through the rest of summer and give you a chance to meet some of their friends and family, but it will show your dedication to the relationship. Just remember not to be too spontaneous and try to plan—even if you want your visit to be a surprise, check with some of his family first to make sure the timing’s ok and you won’t be intruding on any events.

Distance can make the heart grow fonder, so don’t discourage. What’s a few short months in the face of love? A few texts with XO’s can go a long way, and Skype or Google+ Hangouts will serve you well for face time when visits are an option. But even if your romance can’t take the heat, try to remember it’s probably for the best and there are plenty of other fish in the big sea.

Good luck, and I hope your summer lovin’ is a blast!

-ToonyToon

I’m reading American Government and Politics Today

It is possible to write an amazing paper in a short period of time.  The key?  Be a genius of course.  Okay, but seriously the everyday person can write a paper that will blow your professor away if you go about it right.

Okay, get ready because I am about to blow your mind here: do you remember back in high school English how your teacher gave you all those little assignments leading up to the big paper?  If you never had a teacher who did this, I am truly apologetic because although those teachers pushed you and you hated them for it, what they were forcing you to do does do a world of good if you carry the concepts they taught into college.

The best way to write an A paper in a short time frame is… prepare, prepare, prepare.  The more work you put into preparing for your paper, the easier it will be to write, plain and simple.

At this point, you’re probably thinking to yourself that the time it takes you to prepare for the paper is just as long or even longer than writing the actual paper.  Oh contraire my friend.  If you take an hour to make an outline detailing the structure of your paper, writing your thesis, figuring out what the paragraphs will be about, maybe plug in the facts you are going to use and throw in your topic sentences, the paper is essentially written.  If you have a detailed outline in front of you, it will take you a fraction of the time to write your paper because you will know what you need to do and don’t have to make up the structure as you go along.  By doing it without an outline, you usually end up stuck on what to write about next then start to procrastinate, right?  Or, you realize how much your paper stinks and how it isn’t by any means enjoyable to write?  Chances are, if it isn’t enjoyable to write it will not be enjoyable to read resulting in a bad grade.  I’m not about to say that writing an outline is a super fun thing to do (unless you’re an English or communications nerd and love to write), but it will make the process of getting to that final result much smoother.

Need some other tips on avoiding procrastination?  Check out this post Kill The Procrastination Beast.

-TravelBug

I’m reading Gardner’s Art Through the Ages

First thing’s first: stock up on supplies.  Hit the drug store and pick up some antibacterial spray for surfaces and the air (if you get the product that combines surfaces and air, you only need to buy one bottle instead of two).  Grab some Emergen-C or AirBourne to strengthen your immune system.  Soup would be a nice gift to your roommate since the quicker they get over the sickness, the quicker those germs are out of your dorm room.

Once you get back to your dorm, start disinfecting.  Hit areas that both of you touch: doorknobs, light switches, a shared bathroom, etc.  Be sure to open a window or two or you will end up coughing yourself from the fumes.  Even if its very cold or very warm outside, keep the window cracked so you can get some ventilation.  Be sure to adjust your air conditioner/heater accordingly.

After you have set up your room, this might sound harsh, but try to spend as little time in your room as possible.  This works for two reasons:  first, if your roommate has a migraine or headache you making noise or having lights on will not help.  Also, letting them sleep it off is one of the best things they can do.  Second, not being around gets you away from those germs.

Hope your roommate gets better and best of luck warding off their sickness.

-TravelBug