hey everyone, i haven’t been posting a lot on here the past few days…sorry…i’ll start posting again sometime this week, i’ve just been dealing with some personal stuff recently and haven’t had a lot of time for this blog.

Dorm Decorating Ideas: Holiday Decor

Make your dorm room extra festive by getting decorations for each holiday. String lights on your door for Christmas, or even get a mini tree!

priscillablair replied to your post: Local Bands/Shows/etc.

School in Austin is also great for people who like shows. Live music capital of the world! We have ACL, SXSW, and tons of local venues for shows.

This is so true! If you are in Austin, consider yourself very, very lucky. :) It’s also home of Fantastic Fest, my favorite film festival!

Local Bands/Shows/etc.

I wanted to go to school in Seattle because I am in love with the culture in the city, especially the music scene. But to be honest, I didn’t go to a single concert last year, except for the Black Keys (which was, of course, pretty rad). I really wish I had taken advantage of the plethora of concerts and local bands here. Even though most shows close by are 21+, there are still plenty of options for those of us who have yet to get a decent fake id. Anyways, this year I’m definitely going to get more involved and interested in local bands, and I’ve already found a few I really like. 

For those of you in Seattle, next Saturday there’s the Seattle Weekly sponsored Reverb festival in Ballard…kinda a pain to get to, but not too terrible. Plus, for people underage, it’s only $5. (And it’s $10 for 21+). There are a lot of great local bands that will be there, including The Golden Blondes, The Cops, Neighbors, Curtains For You, Dude York, and Groggy Bikini.

If you go to school in an area with a thriving local music scene, you should take advantage of it!

Quick Tip: Learn How To Keep Track of Your Finances

I can not stress how important it is to budget yourself and keep track of how much money is in your account! An easy way to do this is get a planner that has a input/output page each month for your finances…that way you can keep track of exactly what goes in and out of your account. Check your statements online regularly. The worst thing you can do is put your finances out of sight and out of mind.

Don’t Be a Passive Agressive Roommate/Friend!

I don’t care how much you hate confrontation or don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, being passive aggressive when you have an issue is the absolute worst, especially in college. If you’re living with someone for an entire year, there will probably be times when you get frustrated with them, or have a problem with something they did. Even if they aren’t your roommate and they’re just a friend you see a lot, issues may still come up. This is college, not middle school, and talking about a problem you have with someone with everyone except said person will get you nothing but drama. I don’t know about you, but by the time I got to college, I was sick of drama, and I appreciate it when people are upfront about how they are feeling. The best thing you can do when a problem arises is to bring it up with that person as soon as possible, in an appropriate manner. Don’t yell, don’t attack, don’t go on an emotional rampage, just be calm and be willing to listen to them talk as well. If you wait until things get really bad, everything will just become more of a mess. Here are the WORST things you can do when a conflict arises:

1. Blog/tweet/make a status update about it. I don’t care how cryptic you think you’re being, if it’s on the internet, anyone can see it, and there’s a possibility your roommate/friend will see it too…and once they do, you’ll probably regret ever writing anything.

2. Talk about it to your friends. If it’s a problem between you and one other person, keep it that way. No one appreciates getting more people involved.

3. Not say anything. You’re just going to keep on feeling the same way, only chances are your friend/roommate can tell there’s something up, so things will get pretty awkward, pretty fast.

If you’re on the other side and dealing with a passive aggressive roommate/friend, be the bigger person. You don’t have to start a fight or aggressively confront them, just ask if something is wrong. You may have to prod them a bit, but let them know you’re willing to talk.

Recipe: Veggie Stir Fry

This tastes great and is a quick and healthy meal option. (Not to mention cheap!) I use frozen vegetables, although you could certainly use fresh ones.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup dry rice
1/4 red pepper in strips
1/2 green pepper in strips
1 cup broccoli cuts
1 cup cauliflower cuts
Teriyaki or soy sauce

Boil water for the rice. Follow instructions on the rice bag to cook. In the deepest frying pan you have, pour olive oil and add all of the veggies. Turn onto medium heat and cover and let steam for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drizzle your sauce in the pan, covering all the vegetables. Stir with a spoon to make sure the sauce covers evenly, then let sit for 5 minutes on low heat. Serve over rice.

*For added protein, you could add chicken or tofu.