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LifestyleAug 18, 2016
Five Steps To New York City Brunch
Why what you eat and who you eat with make a difference
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When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.
This tradition is meant to drive away bad spirits of the past, but honestly, it's more like a free concert...your friends should really be paying you for your services if you decide to do this on New Year's Eve.
It's been sitting there since what, 8:00? You snooze you lose, and besides, no one's paying attention to you anyway.
If you were in Spain, everyone would be doing just this. One grape for every month of the year. It's supposed to be lucky and stuff.
It's really not that odd-- families in Ecuador burn scarecrows every year on New Year's Eve. It's a symbol of diminishing the negativity of last year. Perhaps preform this one outside though, just to be safe of course.
We can thank the Irish for this bright idea, they use bread specifically though. Who knows why this is a tradition, but it certainly seems like it could be incredibly soothing, don't you think?
This isn't lucky or symbolic of anything, but it'll give you something to do at the stroke of midnight and you'll look god damn cool doing it.
rotary telephone
Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on UnsplashWell, she did give birth to you. Midnight on New Year's Eve seems as good a time as any to thank her.
According to South African tradition, it doesn't necessarily have to be a coffee table. It could be a futon, an ottoman, an armoire, really any piece of furniture that's old. It's for luck of course.
Channel your inner Beyonce, or Mariah, or whoever your Pop Star Diva Queen is and belt that tune. It'll be fantastic mood music.
May as well start the New Year off by working on your inevitable resolution to drop some pounds. Why waste a single moment, you're likely forget the resolution by February anyway.
Another foreign tradition, this one is practiced by Germans. The kick of it is, you've got to do it while holding a lit torch. Again, who knows why this is a tradition, but its certainly sounds like a fun little challenge to ring in the New Year.
And by shot, naturally I mean a snapshot. Perhaps a group photo, a selfie, or even an unfortunate snipe of your best friend. You'll feel loads better knowing you'll have something to always remember the first moments of 2025 by.
I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.
Leslie Odom, Jr. (a.k.a. Aaron Burr in " Hamilton") released a Christmas album this year, and his cover of "First Noel" warms my soul.
There's just something so merry about Burl Ives's version. Plus, it's a classic.
I'm sure some will say it's sacrilegious to like any other version but Judy Garland's, but the notes Kelly hits are on point.
I mean, y'all knew I had to include this song, right? One of my best friends and I send each other all the Vines of this song.
No Christmas playlist is complete without Michael, and this is one of the best on his album.
One of my few complaints about Taylor is that she only released one Christmas album, and that was almost ten years ago. But her cover of "Last Christmas" is definitely a hit, in my opinion.
I'm pretty sure everyone has their favorite cover of this holiday classic, but in my book, Josh Groban is king. Have some chestnuts, y'all.
Of course the Bing Crosby version from the "White Christmas" movie is my preferred version, but Spotify no longer has it, so Idina's cover is my second favorite.
He has the voice of an angel.
"The Polar Express" is one of my favorite Christmas movies, and this song absolutely puts me in a holiday mood.
I love all things French so obviously my playlist has a French carol.
So what songs do you have on your Christmas playlist?
New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.
Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!
With that being said it brings me to another thing I will actually (try) and do this semester.
OK maybe not every single day, but at least twice a week, put effort into your appearance. I know that that pair of sweats and that baggy t-shirt stay calling your name; however, they need to understand that there are clothes in your closet that have not seen the light of day in months due to your inability to actually put on a decent looking outfit. Let your sweats know that you need to wear other clothes or before you know it your jeans will have somehow shrunk a size (yes it happens). It doesn't take too much effort to put on a nice outfit and who knows that adorable top in the back of your closet may catch the eye of a potential "bae."
After being home for a month or more and your family stuffing you with actual good food, a few pounds may have introduced themselves to you. When going back to school this is a time for you to cut them out of your life, you probably have not gotten that attached to them so now would be a good time to hike across campus to the gym and start getting that perfect body (spring break is coming up).
See how I said "go to the library and study" and not "go to the library and sleep, watch Netflix, or do anything but study." Your grades are counting on you to lift them up when they are down and you can't do that when you try and cram for that big test the night before. This semester you are challenged to study not a few days before, but weeks before. This way you can actually learn and understand the material. It helps -- I promise.
Yes, your old friends are fun and you always have a good time with them, but it is never a bad thing to branch out and meet new people. Join a new club or talk to that random person who sits beside you in class, not only could you make a new friend you could have a new person to study with!
Now, go make some friends, get to class on time, look decent, and get your study on.
And so it begins.
Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.
One to three hours pass and that motivation from earlier has dissipated. Why are you barely doing this assignment? Retreating into your blanket seems like a good plan, for about 30 minutes longer than it should have. Texting your friends to complain about your strategy not working for you may show weakness and result in judgment. Abort the friendship if that is the case. That kind of negativity is not needed in your fragile state. They should be fighting it just like you! As time continues, you sit there with a somber attitude, knowing this is not helping the situation, but only making it worse for yourself.
You do not care if you are making it worse on yourself! You might walk around to see what other unfortunate souls have found themselves in that dark, probably cold, outdated campusdungeonbuilding. You check your email. You look at Twitter/Pinterest. You might do anything but what you are supposed to. This is without a doubt though a critical part of the process however. How else can one get the creative juices flowing than without some mental breaks.
Right before, or right after you buckle down and get started again, it is late and the desire for your bed and need for sleep hit you hard. You know you cannot let this feeling win, despite how tempting it might be. What would all these hours have been for if you simply pack up your backpack and walk to your dorm? A WASTE. You push through this feeling until you finally need some reinforcements.
The head reinforcement. You turn to it in this lonely time of need, as much of the other library patrons have already found their ways home at this point. Liking the actual substance that is caffeine is not important - you simply have to lean on the method you most enjoy. Maybe it’s coffee, warm and homey. Or maybe you are a Monster/Redbull type, cold and rugged. Either way, you refuel before setting into the final stages of the assignment. Others would call this the home-stretch or rounding the bases, but, in reality, it is more of a speedy but painful crawl towards the finish line in a desperate attempt to not be dead-last.
The time has come where you can begin the trek back to your room and desperately attempt to not wake your roommate. Besides that, you sit back and realize you did a thing, an adult thing, and you got it all accomplished. You beat the beast, they said you couldn’t do it and you showed them!
You can do anything!
December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.
You tell yourself everything is going to be ok.
And stress, and stress, until you can't stress anymore.
The tears just flood over you and you can't help but sob. College is great, isn't it??
She can't even console you at this point.
"I got this!" is your go-to mantra.
You will do anything if it means you can sleep for 20 minutes.
I mean really, really, hungry.
Welp, looks like you're pulling another all-nighter.
The weekend could NOT have come soon enough.
Club Lib... not as lit as the actual bar.
"I can't do this anymore" is what you're telling yourself at this point.
You start watching motivational videos online to try and cure your blues.
You're not sure how you did it. But, you did so you count this week as a win.
Send help because the cycle is repeating itself.
Songs About Being 17
Grey's Anatomy Quotes
Vine Quotes
4 Leaf Clover
Self Respect
1. Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society
2. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook
3. Kristen Haddox, Penn State University
4. Jennifer Kustanovich, SUNY Stony Brook
5. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign