6 Steps to Get Through Surprising Stress

What to do when life gets you

Originally published on November 6, 2017

Ah, November. It’s the second half of the semester, midterms are over, final projects are rolling out. And for some, there might be some surprises that will throw you off and send you into a stressful tizzy that will make you hibernate in your room with Netflix and coffee and not want to leave. So what do you do when an assignment suddenly appears, your laptop overheats, there’s a problem at home, or some other emergency surprises you?

1. Stay calm. I’ve found that going into an emotional state does not usually help with immediate problems. The calmer you are, the more levelled your head is, and you can decide what the best course of action will be.

2. Let it out. Once you have a game plan, and a solution, or a partial solution is in sight, it’s okay to get emotional for a little while. Bottling up emotions will only explode more violently later. This method of catharsis is often only temporary, and I wouldn’t let it get in the way of the final solution. By letting out emotions now, the less likely it will come up later when you are executing your plan.

3. Just do it. You hate making phone calls and need to make a phone call? Too bad. (This is speaking from personal experience). Just do it! Do your research as needed. Make that phone call. Get the facts. Take some action. You don’t want to feel like this forever.

4. Go to your support network. If you don’t have one, make one. Go to the people you trust the most, the ones who can make you feel better no matter what. Many people would be able to empathize or sympathize with your situation.

5. If it’s avoidable, don’t do it again. I’m speaking to all the students out there right now who have a history of procrastinating. Some suddenly surprising stressful situations are unavoidable. But if it’s something you can change by just being a little more on top of your game, I would recommend being on top of your game.

6. Learn. There’s a lesson in every tragedy or accident. Maybe there was something you should have double-checked. Maybe there was something different you could have done, even something you would not have thought of before the accident. If it’s something you can prevent, don’t let it happen again and find yourself in the same situation.

I hope nothing big or bad happens to any of you in this semester. But life happens. Last semester for me was an overheated laptop containing many of my long-term projects. This semester is something a little different, a complete accident on its way to being resolved. It still shook me up and I found my way going through all six of these steps. But two weeks later, I’m feeling a bit better. Stay smart in these last few weeks of the semester. It’s not over yet. 

How to Find Inspiration Without Really Trying

Yet another NaNoWriMo article...

Originally published on October 30, 2017

It’s that time of year again for people like me, or someone with an itch to write creatively for once, start to gear up for that caffeine-induced writing contest against yourself known as NaNowriMo (National Novel Writing Month). And though I wrote an article last year about why you should do NaNo, this year I figured I should tailor it more to my experience right now. And right now, I am struggling to create some semblance of an outline so I don’t have a repeat of last year’s utter mess (okay, it wasn’t a mess, but it wasn’t how I wanted it to turn it out).

This year I’m trying something a little different. I’m writing technically with the same characters and world and location and some events of two past NaNo stories, but the way I’m writing the story and hopefully the way events happen will be different. For example, I’m trying a third person narrative style instead of first person, and starting the story in a different place. As for specific parts of the story, I’m still a little stuck. And that’s where something fun called inspiration comes in.

Inspiration can be found in all kinds of unlikely places. I’ve gotten some of my favorite ideas during the strangest times, times when I should not be thinking about stories but something else. I think about what my characters would do in my everyday scenarios, like taking certain classes, attending a concert, going to a meeting, or messing around their room. I read my favorite books and watch my favorite shows to see what I like and what I don’t like. What are my favorite things about them, and what are my least favorite?

My favorite trick of finding ideas is to just get in the right mindset and sit somewhere by myself and just let the ideas flow. I talk to my characters, think through different strategies, and let my typing fingers do the rest of the work of recording my stream of consciousness in a never-ending list of bullet points. I also like reading different writing prompts to get ideas, trying to put the scenario or dialogue in with characters or a world I already know.

Everyone needs inspiration for different things. Artists for their projects, musicians for compositions, writers for stories, scientists for experiments, businessmen for objectives. And for any person who needs to be creative for a large part of their lives, becoming burnt out becomes a real possibility that can happen more and more often.

I hope my little take on inspiration helps some of you find it. I for one am looking forward to tackling NaNo this year. This yearly challenge and annual visit to my favorite world is something I always look forward to.

The Evolution of Glasses

From nerdy tool to fashion accessory

Originally published on October 23, 2017

Glasses are an interesting thing. They’re an aid to help with a disability. Think about it. For most people who wear glasses, they could not function in society without them. They couldn’t read, they couldn’t drive. If they lived 400 years ago, they wouldn’t have survived. Glasses became tools to help people with poor eyesight, well, survive. After some time, they became associated with nerds and other scholarly people due to the eyestrain caused by excessive reading and the subsequent large, thick glasses. Yet glasses have evolved into somewhat of a fashion accessory.

I’ve always been comfortable wearing glasses. I’ve had to since third grade, and mine were always simple, with skinny frames of brown or blue and lenses progressively getting thicker. I didn’t even wear contacts until sophomore year of high school, but that’s a different story.

I got to choose new frames this past summer after about five years of wearing the same ones. I didn’t realize how much frames had changed in those five years. It took me a while to narrow it down to what I wanted because many of the frames were similar to each other, yet completely different from mine. Bigger. Bright colors. Flashy designs. They really stood out on the face and it took me awhile to narrow it down to ones that were subtle and more my style, but still looking like the rest.

I’ve found it interesting to look at older books and read the stories where the people with glasses were picked on, called things like “four-eyes”, frames held up by tape from being punched in the nose. I really didn’t want to start wearing glasses because of these stereotypes, but it was never like that for me. By the time I had to start wearing glasses, it seemed like already there was more of a cultural shift. More people wear glasses, and it is a natural thing. It has even turned into more of a fashion statement, a stylish thing with TV commercials about how awesome it is to get a new pair of glasses (some people wear them without lenses!). That mentality has stuck to this day. In fact, there are some days when I just wear glasses because I want to. I make the choice to wear them, like I choose to put my hair in a ponytail or wear it down, or wear a sweater or sweatshirt. It’s just another part of my look.

So while society still has a long way to go in accepting some differences in people and making treating different disorders and disabilities commonplace and socially acceptable, I think we’re stepping in the right direction with glasses (though even now, if one looks up a standard “nerd” costume, those thick-frames black glasses with some tape in the middle still show up). It makes sense that the outlook on glasses has evolved over time. Perhaps others will follow suit. 

Service and Your Future

The one kind of experience you definitely want to have

Originally published on October 16, 2017

My past two summers have been spent in the sun at the wonderful local amusement park, Waldameer. No, not as a paying guest, but as a ride operator on the other side of the BAM machine. And while it was an easy job to get with good pay, there is also something else I’ve gotten from it: experience.

Any college student will perk up when they hear the word experience. You need experience to do anything in your field, or even when you’re not looking for jobs in your field. My original job search that ended with Waldameer began with numerous retail applications, most likely rejected as I have had no retail experience before. I keep doing Odyssey week after week because in someone’s eyes this is a good body of work and it has given me experience in churning out coherent sentences about unique topics every week for a year and a half. Whatever internship I end up with will give me more experience hopefully closer to what I want to do with my career (and if not, it’s still professional experience). So what kind of experience did I get out of Waldameer?

In short, people experience. Guest services might be the way to spin in. I interacted with thousands of people over countless hours, people from many different backgrounds, different ages, different personalities. I had to learn how to be comfortable with people, fast. I had to be able to keep my head cool with an angry guest and know proper solutions to problems. I had to be the friendly face of Waldameer, even on days when it was hot, when I was sore, or when there just seemed to be problem after problem.

Everyone should work in some sort of service industry at some point. This could be retail or food, or even being a ride operator at an amusement park. It is invaluable experience because I cannot think of a single job today that does not require dealing with other people. We are in a smaller and smaller world, meeting people from all sorts of backgrounds. And we need to know how to communicate with other people. We need to interact respectfully. We need to treat every person in every profession with dignity, whether it be our bosses at big corporations or our waiter at a small restaurant. I think that starts by getting some experience from the service side of things.

As a last little tip I picked up in my professional development class, you can spin any little job you’ve had before your “career” as some sort of experience. (For example: any job involving child wrangling, like countless hours in Kiddieland, could be spun as management experience. Hey, I’ll take what I can get!) 

Thank Goodness for Fall Break

Some encouragement to get through a well-deserved break

Originally published on October 9, 2017

I think college students everywhere are going to join me in saying “Thank goodness for fall break!” We’ve all been going for over a month straight, no breaks, new semester, just going and going and going. I’m feeling burned out. I’ve been procrastinating more, pushing things off, not caring as much. Yet I keep pushing forward because of the promise of fall break (just two days after this publishes!).

And yet, how much of a break will fall break be? On the other side of it are nearly 2 months of projects and performances and papers all rocketing toward final exams. We should be already be thinking about the next semester and then that snowballs into summer plans and future plans and yeah, maybe fall break is a good idea so I can forget about that stuff in a good old fashioned binge watch. If your professors are of the same mindset, they will try to squeeze in as much work as possible before so there’s less you have to do during.

I think the point of this article is to offer some words of encouragement and advice, to both readers and myself. The first little bit is a pat on the back. You’ve done it! It’s been nearly eight weeks of constant class-going and you’re still there on the other side. If your grades aren’t quite up to snuff, you have the time to fix them. And soon it will be Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas, little rewards for this continued hard work.

Fall break is a time to recharge, but it could also be a time to catch up. If you’ve fallen to procrastinating ways, this is your time to get back on track. Start researching for final papers and projects, pick a topic, review materials, read something. But be sure to reward yourself. Go home. See family and friends. Do something for yourself that you can’t during the regular week.

And here’s a message of hope to everyone out there who has been getting a little sick of this constant hot weather: after fall break, we’re halfway through October. The weather should be changed to more of a fall-like pattern. Of course that could mean the time to get to winter is a bit shorter as well, but at least for a little while it might actually act like fall. Cheers to sweater and boot lovers; we’re almost there!

So whatever you are planning on doing this fall break, I wish you the best of luck. It’s the midpoint of the semester, and there are so many wonderful things to look forward to afterwards. Spend your fall break however you want to spend it, and get your game face on for all that is waiting for you when you get back. 

My Bernadette Peters Concert Experience

A day of hype and a night of pure talent

Originally published on October 2, 2017

This past week I had the privilege of seeing Bernadette Peters in concert at Mercyhurst University. I’m so glad I had this opportunity. For a while there, it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to, but as luck would have it, the stars aligned and at 7:21 on a Thursday night I was sitting in the balcony for the first time ever, snapping a pic of the stage and posting it on Twitter. I was alight with excitement, and in my mind I was trying to think of what she was going to sing.

The concert was amazing. There’s just something about pure talent that makes the time fly. Theater and music and entertainment are often said to be used as an escape, and this was no exception. I wasn’t worried about the paper due the next day. I wasn’t thinking about the weekend, the stressful rehearsal I had just run from to get there in time, or the pile of things I had to do tomorrow. I was in the moment, marveling at the talent of the singer and the trio. She sang two songs I was definitely expecting (“You Are Not Alone” and “Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods, the piece of theater in which I first discovered her) and many from past shows, but also songs that meant special things to her. She had an encore, where she sang a lullaby she wrote to put in the back of her book about animals. Well, that one made me tear up.

So it was this “brush with celebrity” that made me think about how we view celebrities. I’ve touched on this before, if not on here, then in conversation, when I saw Starkid’s Firebringer last summer. That was a completely different experience. In there, I was closer to the stage. The setting was smaller and more intimate. The actors and actresses were closer to my age, and I had been watching them for many years. And afterwards, my friend and I waited in the lobby for them to come out. They changed into street clothes, carrying backpacks, ready to take pictures and sign autographs for fans. They were…normal. Just like me.

Yet it was a different sort of experience leading up to watching Bernadette Peters. We were talking about it all day, whether when I was trying to work on that paper due tomorrow or waiting for a class to start. People were talking; they had seen her, they had heard her. And what do you mean you’ve never heard of Bernadette Peters? She is a celebrity, elevated, idolized. That’s the mindset I had when I was sitting, waiting for it to start. There was the small part of my mind that was saying, “Five days ago, you were on that stage. You’ve been on that stage many times before. And now…someone you’ve only seen on video is there. And every other time you’re on that stage you can know Bernadette Peters has stood on that stage too.”

I’m not saying we should stop elevating celebrities, or giving them the respect they deserve. I just feel like sometimes we go way over the top with how we act or think or view them.

(Hey, I’m guilty of it too. Reread my inner monologue above.)

Where's YouTube's Line?

Are the YouTube Community Guidelines even worth it?

Originally published on September 25, 2017

As a person following YouTube site drama, I’d always felt like “it would never happen to me”. I’m not a big YouTuber by any means. I watched the Adpocalypse and heard about videos being demonetized and taken down left, right, and center, hitting the big people on the platform and threatening their livelihood.

So last Sunday I uploaded a video I had just spent six hours the night before finishing, a Game of Thrones edit I was incredibly proud of. Within a half hour, I went to check on if it had gotten any views and found it had disappeared. It had violated YouTube’s Community Guidelines (never said which one specifically, but I guessed it was the “violence” one) and had been removed from the site. I had one strike against my channel in the Community Guidelines section but it would drop in 3 months. From following other channels’ troubles, I knew I could appeal. So I did. Last Thursday it was back up.

From my research, I know it is often an algorithm that initially takes down videos. There’s no way a human could go through the thousands of minutes of video content uploaded to YouTube every minute. But no algorithm is perfect, and way too many videos have been dinged for things taken out of context. A robot doesn’t know the difference between comedy and reality, fantasy and journalism.

I understand why advertisers started getting snippy. No one at Wal-Mart wants a Wal-Mart ad playing next to a journalist being beheaded by the Taliban. In my experience, I know that does not mean Wal-Mart supports the Taliban, but that is what the advertisers think. So YouTube lost many sponsors and was pressured to crack down on content, creating their Community Guidelines.

Is YouTube getting too sensitive?

They are a company, and companies need to have policies that partners have to follow in order to be a part of it. If a partner violates the policies, they will no longer be a part of the company. And before I hear the argument of “free speech”, even though YouTube is based in the United States, it is a worldwide company with contributors from around the world. There is a line.

THAT BEING SAID there is a big difference between fantasy violence knowingly consumed by the viewer and very real journalism taking place in our very real world that needs to be spread to raise awareness of things that are sometimes just words and numbers.

Some of the Guidelines make sense. Threats, hateful content, and spam should be stopped in their paths. But the others make less sense. Language, violence, and dangerous content are things found in movies and TV shows and people have the choice to watch them. At the very least, I would recommend YouTube starts doing the thing Facebook has done and put before a video “this video has graphic content; would you like to proceed?”. Age-gating should work to an extent as well, if necessary.

I will be watching even more carefully in the future to see what YouTube is coming up with next. Will there be a solution, or will there be a new platform ready to take its place? 

Amazon and Erie

Is PA's mistake-on-the-lake a viable candidate for Amazon's second HQ?

Originally published on September 18, 2017

It’s no surprise to anyone that Erie is a dying city. I’ve been hearing it for years, along with things like “get out of here while you still can”. But when I heard that Amazon was looking for a location for a second headquarters, and they were looking for communities to send them applications for their cities, immediately the place I’ve lived all my life popped in my head. I’m not alone. I have read several letters by citizens who want Amazon to build here. Also, on September 14, it was announced Erie was going to apply.

I know nothing about running a business. I know nothing about politics or keeping a community stable or economies. But from what I know about Erie, I still think it would be a good place for Amazon to potentially settle in.

The first reason is its location. Erie is within two hours of three major cities: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. It is also very close to Canada (you can see it across the lake on a clear day). Erie has a small airport but is again close to many major airports in these other cities. We have a lot of traffic from our small stretch of Interstate-90. And because we are a medium-sized city, the traffic is not all that bad. It may not seem like it on a Saturday morning on Peach Street, but I’ve been in larger cities occasionally and yes, it could be much worse.

The second reason is the universities. Erie is quickly becoming a college town. We have four universities: Edinboro, Gannon, Mercyhurst, and Penn State’s Behrend College. As a student at Mercyhurst who is already looking for a potential job, having a major company move into my college town new and open for graduates to fill it would be so convenient. The programs in intelligence, communications, business, and the arts from these universities are top-notch and graduates would thrive in a place like Amazon. (Plus think of all the Amazon Prime traffic they would get from the thousands of students!)

The third reason is the people. The people in Erie are very loyal and proud of their city. There are so many small businesses all around the city. We have several venues for performing arts, three sports teams, a zoo, an amusement park, competitive high schools, and the peninsula. We may be a blip on a map, the tiny jut sticking out of Pennsylvania, but we are a live, breathing community starting to be desperate for something big to happen.

Hey, it’s a bit of a shot in the dark, since we are going up against major, thriving cities. And the fact that in my recent job searches Amazon jobs keep popping up has a tiny bit to do with this too. I will be watching closely, no matter what the outcome. Perhaps this will do some good for us. If not Amazon, then someone else.

Embracing What You Love

Weathering the storm by being a human.

Originally published on September 12, 2017

Originally I was going to write about something else this week, but that can wait. What’s been on my mind this week it the same thing on every American’s mind: weather and its disastrous consequences. Specifically, the record-breaking hurricanes decimating the continental southeast and countless other islands. And the more I see about the people evacuating, the people losing everything, the insanity of it all, the more I think about how lucky I am to live where I do. True, I curse lake effect snow as much as the next Erieite, but the lake isn’t going to rise up and swallow us. (At least, probably not yet.)

I saw a post on Facebook that talked about what to do in times like this, besides the obvious humanitarian things: embrace what you love. Focus on the little things, hugs, music, friends. So that’s what I’ve been doing recently. I get hit with these little moments while scrolling through social media that make me think about the fragility of it all for some people. By the time this article publishes, Irma will have made its way through Florida and the United States will be greatly changed. I am putting myself in their shoes as they are currently preparing for the oncoming storm, and think about what I would want to do as my world changes before my eyes.

When tragedy strikes, normal rules fall away and we see the best of humanity. We find out exactly what it means to be a human. To be human is to help other humans. To be human is to create something beautiful. To be human is to have free will. So I sing instead of doing homework because I can. I binge-watch an entire season of a show because I can. I sleep in because I can. Because I have a bed. I have a roof over my head. I have free time to do my homework, and my worries are no more extensive than what homework I have left to do. I can think about my future later. Right now I am a human. I can enjoy a two-hour family dinner as we talk about all sorts of nothing. I can pray for my family in Florida and not complain about the rain. I can put down my work and talk to my friends for a while.

If you are in the path of the hurricane or any other disaster, stay safe. If you are safely up in the north like me, this week, do something you love. Take some time to do something for yourself, because tomorrow you might not have it. In these uncertain times, it can all be wiped away, whether by flood or nuke. Be a human by doing something human. And then do what you can to help those affected by these natural disasters rocking our world.  

I'm Twenty and Just Got my Driver's License

A story in getting over roadblocks

Originally published on September 4, 2017

I’ve written articles before about how I’m different. I’m left-handed. I play the oboe. (Those are my main ice breakers). But one thing I’ve been keeping close to my chest except among people I’m close to is until about two weeks ago, I didn’t have my driver’s license. I got it on my half birthday, to be exact, meaning I’m six months from 21. And the thing is, I had my permit for over a year. Which means I went through all of high school and a good chunk of college without ever getting behind the wheel (except in some very controlled parking lot circumstances, which were enough for me to say “no thanks”).

I could spend this article explaining my whole situation, because there was more going on than just not wanting to drive, but that would be way too long. Instead, I’m going to focus down on the heart of what I think this situation is: doing something when you’re ready.

My biggest advice to anyone who might not have their license or is facing some other large undertaking is don’t do it until you’re ready. It may seem like simple, cliché advice, but it’s true. Driving, to me, was not about having freedom and independence, being able to go somewhere on my own and leave when I want without having to wait for a ride. It was about having the responsibility of a very large, heavy, expensive machine that is capable of bringing great damage to myself and others if handled incorrectly. Once I got through that mentality, it was easy to not think about what I was doing and just drive. The test was not some long journey full of trick situations, just a ten minute drive around the block in the rain (mental bonus points for handling wipers correctly!). And while I still have a long way to go (snow driving is a big obstacle), I am so much more comfortable than I was a year ago. I was ready, I did it, and now I’m here.

There was always the self-conscious part of me that wondered if I was the oldest person to ever learn how to drive. My driving instructor assured me I was not. Teenagers years younger than me were driving, but there were plenty of ways to make sure they were ready, despite being younger. It’s not just about passing the test. Number of passengers and curfews are just a couple ways younger drivers are limited for their own safety. Because you can certainly pass the written, and if you put in the hours and have the right examiner you can pass the test. First try, even. But mentally, you have to be in the right place, and honestly, not every teenager is there.

This article isn’t supposed to be some grand metaphor about life. I literally had to get around a mental roadblock in order to put myself in the right mindset to “get it done”. So if you’re standing on a similar precipice and not sure how to proceed, find your roadblock. Take all the time you need to get through it, and then do. You’ll feel better than if you just dove off without thinking. 

The End of Weekly TV Shows?

What instant gratification is doing to the world of TV

Originally published on August 28, 2017

It’s hard to believe the current Game of Thrones season is over (or will be, when this article is published). It’s been a stressful season for many reasons, not because of cliffhangers and character deaths, but because of the leaky nature of this season as a whole. Episode 4 was leaked a couple days before it aired. Soon after, the scripts for Episodes 5 and 7 followed. And in a blunder that had nothing to do with hackers, Episode 6 was aired once, the Wednesday before it was supposed to air. It was a nightmare for people like me who had to avoid YouTube comment sections and recommended videos and even be wary on other social media sites because for a few days there were two types of people: those who had seen the leaked episode, and those who had not.

It stands to show the fortitude of the fans of this show because the leaks have not affected the number of viewers. Each week the show crushes its own records. And somehow the finale stayed under wraps until it was originally supposed to air. Yet I have heard the idea of releasing the final season all in one go, since it is only 6 episodes (albeit about the same minutes-wise as a regular season). I’m torn on how I feel. If someone said the final season was available somewhere and I could watch all of it in one go, I might just pounce on it. On the other hand, what I discovered this year between the off-season and during the actual season is the amount of fun the online community has just waiting for the next episode. People take the time to watch it two or three times, looking for small details, making informed predictions about what would come next, and discussing it at large. A week can be both a very long and very short amount of time.

What this is all boiling down to is are we in such an on-demand world, a world of instant gratification, that a week really is torture to wait between episodes of a beloved show? Is this now the beginning of the end of television as a weekly format? We have already seen in recent years the ongoing switch to on-demand and mobile app being the preferred methods of consuming TV. That’s how I watched most of my TV this past year. But that is rather different than Netflix’s method of releasing all of their episodes of original content at the same time.

If releasing all episodes in one go became the norm, I think the world of fandoms would suffer a little bit. Even water cooler chatting would be different. It would be the end of “so how about Game of Thrones last night?”. Not everyone would have watched all the episodes at the same time, so then we come back to the discussion of spoilers and having to avoid the Internet for a time. Even though it is clear we live in a world of instant gratification, that does not mean we have to continue it. It is good to slow down and let things take their time. Good things come to those who wait, or something like that. 

Working at Mercyhurst All Summer

A worthwhile experience I'd love to repeat

Originally published on August 21, 2017

I spent my weekdays this summer working for Academic Support at Mercyhurst. What I thought it was going to be at first was just an extension of my school year work study job, but then it turned into an experience more beneficial and worthwhile than I could have asked for.

The biggest thing I have taken away from this experience is a renewed respect for everyone I worked under and with. The amount of work people do behind the scenes to keep the university running smoothly is amazing. Things you don’t even think about are done. We as students might be able to take the summer off, but a university is working year-round. For Academic Support, May was spent cleaning up things from last semester, like issuing suspensions and probation, June was spent getting everything ready for orientations, including creating schedules for all incoming freshmen, July was spent cleaning out the entire hallway for the first time in probably a decade, and August was spent taking care of all students withdrawing from the university and other last-minute things. There was so much more, though. All of this happened on top of students needing to change schedules, students with other academic questions, professors with questions, and things I wasn’t privy to because I just took the message of “give them a call”.

As the summer went on, I learned the names and roles of more people and they now know me. I was able to answer more and more questions without having to go to counselors. I was even given more responsibility in order to help them out more with tedious computer work. And on a personal level, I definitely felt like I grew more confident with my phone skills and interpersonal skills. As for this upcoming semester, working for six hours a week instead of 30-plus is going to be a weird experience. However, compared to my first semester of being thrown behind the desk and expected to answer the phone when I knew jack about anything going on, I am so much more comfortable with how to be the “front desk person”. And as a junior, I can be someone the other work studies can look to for answers.

Working at your university gives you some insight behind the scenes. Some parents and students can be completely clueless and sometimes working for the university can be stressful, more stressful than I could have imagined. However, I really enjoyed learning about what they do and how they do it and sort of getting an idea of what university life is like over the summer.

I am not saying I’m changing my entire career path (you can’t change something you don’t have!) but I am not discounting higher education as a place for me to find a job in the future. The seed is definitely planted in the back of my mind. I really hope I will be able to do this again next summer. 

Back to School Now Versus Then

College is a whole other world

Originally published on August 14, 2017

As I prepare for my penultimate “first day of school”, I’ve been thinking about the differences between college back to school and back to school for any year before. Let me preface this by saying I love school, I love learning, and there comes a point in every summer when I am itching to get back. The thing of it is, there’s a different feeling between wanting to get back to middle or high school and wanting to get back to college.

Especially by this point in college, I know the campus. I know the professors. I know the routine. I have friends and know how to make them. I know what to expect from Day 1 of a class. (Syllabus. Reading. Paper. Final. Repeat.) I know my responsibilities. I know the nuts and bolts of my little side jobs. I know my department requirements. I can see the year ahead of me with clarity and I cannot wait. There’s still room to grow and always room to learn. But the wandering is over. I am an upperclassman and I feel like one.

In years past, the first day of school did bring a little bit of dread, a fear of the unknown. In grade school my homeroom would switch and I would spend half my day with a different teacher than the year before. In high school I could already feel the workload sneaking up on me. And of course there was just the atmosphere in comparison to the freedom I had over the summer: an awkward preteen atmosphere where we still have assigned seats for lunch and only recess if we behave, or even in high school where we have to take the “Pirate pass” to leave the classroom. It’s the opposite in college. Complete freedom, essentially. Go to class when you want. Leave campus when you want. Eat what you want wherever with whomever.

I think this year, more than ever, I am excited because I am starting to really find what I like. I am looking forward to my classes because they are classes I want to take. No more Honors/IB level courses keeping me constantly working on some project or other, cramming for tests every week, eating up vocab sheets, barely skimming required reading, feeling burned out by the time the musicals come around (though in retrospect that was the best education I could have asked for). I still have a couple cores left, but that’s fine. The majority of my time is spent in the world of music and communication, where I can call watching TV doing homework.

I always like the fresh start and coming back to my friends. Since I worked on campus this summer (article to come) I feel like I haven’t left, but that’s a good feeling. I love Mercyhurst and am excited to keep learning and growing over the next two years. Only a week and a half to go!

Why Every Whedon Fan Should Watch 'Much Ado About Nothing'

A rom-com romp with your favorite actors

Originally published on August 7, 2017

A few weeks ago I finally watched Joss Whedon’s interpretation of “Much Ado About Nothing”. Earlier in the week I had seen a Shakespeare play live and I guess I was in a Shakespeare mood, so I ordered it from the library. And I…loved it. It was a 2-hour romp, with many familiar actors spouting Shakespeare in a modern setting. I can’t believe it took me this long to get around to watching it, and by the time I was finished I had come to the conclusion that every Joss Whedon fan should watch “Much Ado About Nothing”.

The first reason that comes to mind, and the reason I was drawn to watch it in the first place, is the actors. There are actors from every single Whedon creation (that means Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible, Cabin in the Woods, and The Avengers) and it was very easy to watch them because I was familiar with them and the characters they portrayed. And I know people can get criticism whenever they fail to separate the actors from their characters, but picturing the actors as their characters made it more fun. Fred and Wesley get a happy ending (after their nearly Shakespearean drama over 3 seasons), Andrew still tries and fails to be cool, and Topher finally gets the girl. All the main actors were top-notch in their portrayals and who doesn’t like watching good actors do good work?

Another reason is just the pure enjoyment of the stories, both the play and the story behind the creation of the movie. The play is very funny in and of itself. I’ve heard it described at the first rom-com, and I completely agree. It had many of those things we now call tropes, like the best friends talking good things about the one person as the other one awkwardly hides. It’s not Shakespeare without a misunderstanding and a couple emotional speeches thrown in as well. I would recommend the subtitles, though, and maybe keep the Wikipedia page with character descriptions handy.

The story behind it is very sweet as well. Joss had wanted to do a movie of “Much Ado” ever since Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof played Beatrice and Benedick during one of his famous Sunday Shakespeare reads (the ones that evolved into the jam sessions that inspired “Once More, With Feeling”, but that’s another story), and when he had the chance to do it after The Avengers, he called up many friends and they filmed it in his house over 12 days. It looks like a bunch of friends hanging out, and it really is. Feeling the fun and respect throughout the movie made it all the more enjoyable.

Yes, I have only seen it once and maybe I have a little bit of bias on the subject, but to be honest I don’t care. I don’t have any criticisms because I didn’t see any. I enjoyed my experience watching “Much Ado” as a Whedon fan, and I think others will as well. 

August 2017 Bucket List

What to do as summer winds down

Originally published on July 31, 2017

Less than a month before classes start back up again! You could be like me and chomping at the bit to get back into a familiar routine, or maybe you’re bemoaning the dwindling number of days of freedom left. Whoever you are, you probably have a few things you’ll want to do before summer is over. Here’s a list of suggestions: 

1. Go to the beach.
2. Go to a fair.
3. Watch a movie in theaters.
4. Finish a new book.
5. Binge a new TV show. (You have enough time to finish it!)
6. Meet up with high school friends.
7. Discover something new in your hometown.
8. Discover something new in your college town.
9. Take a spontaneous road trip.
10. Visit your grandparents.
11. Have a campfire.
12. Take a hike.

 And finally…

    13. Get your beautiful self completely ready for classes to begin!

I hope you all enjoy these last few weeks of summer break. Whether you’re excited for school to start or not, it will be here before you know it.

The Midsummer Slump?

What to write when nothing happens

Originally published on July 24, 2017

I couldn’t come up with an article idea for this week.

In fact, it took me until Saturday to finally realize what my problem is: nothing has really happened to me this week, or even over the past 2 weeks. They passed by so quickly. I’ve accomplished things; I finished my second big project for my summer class and I successfully made a YouTube video in the category of “in-depth review”. But both of those things are a part of something bigger and I’ll write about them when they are complete. I hung out with some friends and my grandparents (two separate occasions, one with Shakespeare, one with a campfire) but while I enjoyed the experiences immensely, there’s nothing I could write 500 words about. And since it’s July, there’s still a month left of my jobs and no school, so commenting on those would be jumping the gun a little and leaving a gap in my future analysis. Nothing article-worthy has happened, which is making me feel a little strange.

So what’s left but my realization that once again my summer has blown by without anything of note happening. It’s fine, I guess. I don’t need every weekend to include some grand party (in fact, I haven’t had a free Saturday since the day after school ended. And even that was a road trip). There are little gems here and there, like I mentioned above. And it’s partially my fault, of course. I could make more time to do things but more often than not I just take the easy option.

I think we all get into ruts like this, when everything seems so similar time passes by so quickly. They say “time flies when you’re having fun”, but I think it’s more like “time flies when you’re busy”. If you don’t have big things to look forward to, nothing to really mark the passage of time, it goes by quickly. At least, that’s been my experience over the past couple weeks. July is almost over. It passed by in a blink. I remember the first few weeks of May and June, just crawling sometimes. But now that I’m used to this routine of working 6-7 days a week, it flies on by.

So here’s to the future. When the time inevitably comes for me to be done with school and I’m put into a job, I hope time does not slip by as it often seems to in summer. The jobs I have now are not like the jobs I want to have in the future. What I have now is temporary. Temporary jobs and a temporary season. School will start again soon and perhaps after a while I will be writing an article about how busy I am and nothing is happening except schoolwork and I wish it was summer again.

Well…maybe not. All I know is if this keeps up, before I know it summer will be over and my current routine will be replaced. And let’s all hope I can come up with an idea for next week. That will mean I’m getting out of my slump. 

20 Steps to Prepare for 'Game of Thrones' Season 7

When you're counting down for Winter to finally get here

Originally published on July 17, 2017

With the penultimate season of Game of Thrones almost here, I did a little reflection on how my yearlong wait went. Here's how I got from 6x10 to 7x01 in 20 easy steps!

1. Watch 6.10.
2. Be left speechless by final scene.
3. Cry because there’s over a year before new episodes.
4. Watch every relevant video on YouTube.
5. Read A World of Ice and Fire.
6. Eat up every little casting detail and put on tinfoil hats (She’s totally Alys Karstark, right?)
7. Get a countdown going until summer. (It’s only October.)
8. Let the hype die down a little and let other fandoms take over.
9. Still have a little radar out for new details.
10. Read the leaked plot and scoff.
11. Almost forget about the show for a few months. (Ned who?)
12. Look at the first pictures and share everywhere because Drogon is the size of a 747 and everyone you know should watch this show.
13. Let the hype slowly build up. (It’s spring. You’re almost there.)
14. Immediately set a countdown as soon as the premiere date is announced.
15. Get back into watching YouTube videos and feel smug since you basically know the plot of Season 7 using logic alone.
16. Freak out with the first trailer.
17. Watch the second trailer nonstop because it is the greatest trailer for anything ever.
18. Roll your eyes at the vagueness and predictability at the first 3 titles and descriptions.
19. Count down number of sleeps until the premiere.
20. Congrats, you made it!

To the College Students Stuck in Summer Classes

It's almost halfway over.

Originally published on July 10, 2017

If I had to guess, hearing the words “summer class” fill you with somewhat negative emotions. Hey. I get it. No one wants to be stuck inside when it’s this nice out, right? I’m currently in only one class, once a week, at night. I couldn’t imagine doing a class, or even multiple classes, during the day, several times a week.

There are three reasons why you would be in a summer class, and I think they are all good reasons.

The first is you need to retake a class you have previously failed. Second chances are great. This time around, you will already know some of the material. Maybe it was the professor who was the problem, and the summer instructor will be better suited to your learning needs. At any rate, only having to focus on one class should give you the passing grade you need to get your college goals back on track.

The second is my situation, you want to take a core or major class to get ahead. I even did this is high school so I could get classes I wanted during the year. If you have the money for it, I highly recommend this. 3 credits could go a long way. Maybe you find you will need a little wiggle room in a semester down the road. Maybe you’re getting that dreaded history or math class over with. Or maybe you want to free up space for another elective. Whatever your reason, it will be worth it.

The third is what many of the people in my class (about graphic design) are doing: wanting to learn something new. College is of course the prime time to add in something new. The possibilities are as varied as your college’s summer curriculum provides. While there may not be underwater basket weaving, you could find a little gem somewhere that give you some untapped inspiration or something to look forward to every day or week.

(It’s about halfway over, if that’s any consolation.)

For me, the hardest part about the summer class is getting into the mindset of a class. Taking notes feels natural when the setting around you feels like “school time”, but a little odd while wearing summer clothes. Having to plan out time after a full day of work to go in and do my homework is very strange, as is actually doing research for things.

But I say, enjoy this! As much as doing homework feels weird, it’s nice to only have to worry about one thing, academically. I make my lists and plan my homework schedule and get everything done like usual. It’s kind of nice.

I hope you’ve learned something this summer. You’ll be missing this once the fall semester rolls around. 

Twenty Years of Harry Potter

The impact of one franchise

Originally published on July 3, 2017

On June 26, 1997, the first Harry Potter book was published. This past week marked the 20-year anniversary and all corners of the Internet were celebrating in different ways. The prevalence of one particular fantasy series showing up on YouTube and Facebook equally got me thinking about how interesting the series is, and has become, in terms of our culture.

Here’s the strangest thing about all of this: I haven’t thought about Harry Potter in a long time. I haven’t even seen Fantastic Beasts yet. I haven’t read the books in a couple years and every time I see the theory video on YouTube, I’ve already heard of that theory. I’ve been more focused on other series; Harry Potter was the big thing of my middle school years. The final book came out when I was in fifth grade. I saw nearly every movie in theaters. The copies of the books in the school library literally had my name over and over again. Harry Potter is what got me into Starkid, and Puppet Pals were some of my first YouTube videos. The idea of a magical boarding school was what inspired my first original stories. I’ve heard it said Harry Potter is the “gateway fandom”, and in my case that is definitely true.

Harry Potter is one of the most prevalent franchises in pop culture, up there with others like Star Wars. Words have found their way into the dictionary, House designations are used like personality tests, and there are even classes at universities about the series. My high school still runs a Harry Potter themed summer camp. I still wear my Harry Potter t-shirts. Even when I read fanfiction for different fandoms, there is inevitably a Hogwarts AU. Most people sort of understand the basics of Harry Potter, even if they haven’t read/watched any. They know who Voldemort is. They recognize actors. They’ve heard of “Muggles”. I can’t wait for it to turn 30 or 40 years old and be studied in-depth, even more than it is now.

What I like most about Harry Potter, as a series overall, is that is it so easy to slip in and out of the world. In many ways, the rules of the world are as familiar to us as the regular rules of the world. And that is what makes it different from other franchises. Star Wars is clearly in a galaxy far, far away, but the Wizarding World is here, now. The franchise is not dead. It is true that the books and movies of the original story are finished, but the sequel play is still running. There are the spin-off movies which introduce Americans to their own version of the Wizarding World. And the fandom will take a long time to die. There are still more theories, still more fanfiction, still more fan creations (and that will continue until we get more canon Marauders-era material!). The Harry Potter generation may be growing up, but that does not mean we have left our childhood-shaping heroes behind. 

The Next Generation is Going to Mars

When "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" has a solution.

Originally published on June 26, 2017

Some days I get hit with a “I don’t want to live on this planet anymore” moment. There’s a questionable climate, wars, poverty, never ending bipartisan politics, and your average dumb people. But pretty soon, if you really wanted to (and had the cash), you could hop over to a different planet. Mars, to be exact, and within the next few decades, according to Elon Musk.

The biggest obstacle in all of this is the cost. Right now the cost of sending only one person to Mars would be upwards of $10 billion. This is of course too much for any country to afford and not at all reasonable. No one would pay for that, on top of sending all the supplies any person would need while on Mars. But if the cost could get down to between $100,000 and $200,000, people would be more willing to go (this is the median price of a house in the U. S., after all). This could happen if there was a system of refueling in orbit of Mars for the ships who are going back to Earth.

The end goal of all of this is to create a city on Mars with a population of one million people. He is designing the rocket and spaceship that will get people there, 100 people at a time. As technology improves, the trip would only take about 30 days in the near future. He is confident that the trip would be fun, but the colony on Mars would be even more fun. His spaceship would have all sorts of entertainment and zero-gravity games. I’m picturing it like a cruise ship in space (with a permanent destination. A permanent vacation!). Mars would be a city, a small civilization, a fraction of Earth’s population a planet away with a slice of Earth’s culture.

Elon Musk’s grand plan has people on Mars by 2023. That’s only 6 years away. NASA’s plan is to start with the Moon and then move on to Mars. Musk’s argument for skipping the Moon and going straight to Mars is the length of day is only slightly longer than on Earth, the sunlight and atmosphere can be used to support plant life, and the gravity would of course be less than Earth’s, so lifting and running would be much easier and even fun. I think that whatever gets humans off this planet and onto another celestial body will be good. I won’t pretend to be a scientist. I don’t know if these plans are possible, or if there will be resistance by governments when it comes to permission or funding. I just can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

The future is a lot closer than we think. Even though I won’t be leaving this world, I am highly looking forward to watching other people go where no man has gone before. 

Of Fire Drills and Independence

Are fire drills in college necessary?

Originally published on June 19, 2017

This week at one of my jobs the fire alarm went off. We evacuated the building for a half hour while it was taken care of. We were all pretty casual about it, grabbing our phones and calmly walking outside. There was an actual small fire which caused little damage, but it got me thinking: I haven’t had a fire drill since my first week in the dorms freshman year. In grade school and high school we had them at least twice a year, and we were all organized about it with designated meeting spots and a head count, and nearly every time we knew it was coming. So, approximately 15 years after my first fire drill, for once it was not a drill.

While we were waiting to go back inside, I got to thinking about sitting in a classroom during the school year and wondering what would happen if the fire alarm went off. Now, I don’t know what the rules are, if most colleges have fire drills, or not. I’m just guessing all the alarms would work and we’re all capable enough adults to figure out what was going on and make our way out of a building safely. Would we think to do a head count? Who’s in charge of that? How far away from the building should we get? It makes sense for younger students, when the administration is charged with their responsibility. But in college, how dependent are we on the administration like that?

Obviously there’s a fine line between being an independent adult and a dependent child, and the most time it’s apparent is in college. There’s a million articles about this: doing laundry and buying food, but having your parents as a lifeline if you need them. Colleges have many rules for the students who go there, many of which are for their own safety, yet the whole selling point of college is your independence and freedom to make your own decisions about your education. But if you turn the situation a little more serious, to matters like fire drills, it makes you think: do you want to be a child or an adult?

I think the best answer for questions like this is a little of both. College is a transitionary time. It’s okay to be wanted to be treated like a child, and it’s okay to be an adult. I think in serious times, I would want someone to be watching out for me and my safety, and making sure all my friends are there. I would want the administration doing a little head count and checking our names off. I would want that kind of security, even if it’s just once while I’m still there.

So maybe we don’t need fire drills for college buildings. Maybe we do. Let’s hope we don’t have to find out. 

Thanks for the Memories

My grade school closed, and life went on.

Originally published on June 12, 2017

Last Thursday was the last day my grade school was open. I met up with some of my closest friends and we hung out for four hours, glad to be spending time together since we don’t see each other very often. We waited an hour for food, we unsuccessfully walked half of the old cross country trail, and we successfully snuck into the middle school and walked those halls one last time, pointing out the classrooms and the teachers, reminiscing and cringing. I enjoyed the company and the evening, but as I quickly realized, it was mostly just the company I enjoyed.

My grade school closed, and life goes on.

It’s strange. I thought I would be sad, or even nostalgic, laughing to the point of tears. I cried all the way through my eighth grade graduation, not a big one for change. But looking at our graduating class photo, all of us dressed up for May Crowning, it hit me that I haven’t seen half those people since we graduated six years ago. I don’t even know where all of them are, if they’re still in this town, if they’re in school, what their jobs and dreams are. And I didn’t care as much as I thought I would. We walked around a bit, stalking out teachers, and when we finally managed to get a couple in conversation and went down the line and said our majors and colleges, there was still something in the back of my mind that made me think, “Do they even remember us?”

Life definitely went on.

My grade school closed, but it was for the better. It’s all strategy, people say. There’s a grand plan for the Diocese and the school building will still be put to good use. Some people might be up in arms about it. Maybe I would be too, if my family was affected. But we aren’t. The church is still open. My brothers are in high school and college. Change is good, and change at the right time for the right reasons is almost always good.

My future definitely began there. I made some of my best friends, discovered how much I love music (and nearly lost my passion), wrote my first stories and received encouragement, and miserably failed at three sports. I realized how the right worship song can make you excited even years later, first heard the word “harambe”, and found a group of awkwardly creative individuals who are still creating things today. I figured out our mascot was an angry pirate, and was delightfully excited when my high school and college mascots were the same. I may not have come into my own by the time I graduated, but I spent about half my life in that building. I would be surprised if I wasn’t affected by it in some way.   

So thanks, Mount Carmel. It’s been real. 

Letter to a New High School Graduate

Get ready for four years of a different kind of fun.

Originally published on June 5, 2017

Congratulations! You did it! You got your high school diploma and now you have a couple months of summer to prepare for your upcoming adventure: freshman year of college.

College is going to be a whole new world. Your parents won’t make your lunch. You won’t ride a bus to a school so small and familiar with classes from 8:30-3:00 every single day. You won’t see the same friends you’ve known since kindergarten each day. You may not be within a few minutes from home and all that is familiar. That might be a little scary, and will definitely take some adjusting to. For now, enjoy being at home with the familiar, and before you know it, you’ll be getting ready to leave.

College is about being independent. You can wear pajamas to class. You can have ice cream for dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. You can write in green crayon in a glitter composition notebook. You are in charge of you. That might mean assuming a little more responsibility than you might be used to. Use this summer to your advantage and learn about things like laundry and budgeting if you really haven’t before. It will make the transition into dorm life so much easier.

Here is another big different between high school and college: the decisions you make in college you make for yourself: what classes you take, what extracurriculars you want to get involved in, what you want your career to be. Gone are the days of taking every single subject because you have to, or forcing yourself into one more club because “it’ll look good on your college applications”. You’re in college now! Relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t get overwhelmed and worried about pleasing some faceless place. I’m just assuming you wanted to go to college, so have some fun with it.

The most important thing to remember is to be excited. This is a fresh start. You can start going by a different nickname. You can change your clothing style. If you’re going to a place where no one has ever heard of you and your embarrassing grade school stories, you can be a completely different person. You can also be the same person you’ve always been, if you like them. Just know you’re going to change. You’ll meet people you never would have been exposed to in high school, and will have professors who are so passionate about their subject.

College is a different world, and it requires a different mindset. You will need to keep in mind you newly found independence and blank slate with everything you do. Be open-minded. Think about the future.

Enjoy your summer, graduate. It will only get better from here. 

The Stress Sickness Phenomenon

When relaxing is bad for you...maybe

Originally published on May 29, 2017

I spent a lot of this semester trying to do better with procrastination and reducing everyday stresses in all aspects of my school life. Despite getting projects done in advance and feeling prepared for exams and performances, this is the second semester in a row where days after the semester is over and I am able to completely relax and have no obligations to anything…I get sick. I’m sure I’m not the only person this has happened to, and it is just so fascinating to me, how I am able to stay healthy throughout the semester, maybe a touch of a cold here or there, but as soon as the semester is over and I have put all thoughts of school from my mind I become sick.

And this is actually a real thing that people have been studying more in recent years. I have always been warned that getting too stressed will make me sick, but I was always more concerned about getting sick while stressed, adding more stress. This has happened to me a few times in the past, when I was younger. When stressful times in the semester come, I found myself saying, “I won’t be surprised if I wake up sick tomorrow.” That is why I was so surprised it manifested in such a different way now that I am older.

It all comes down to how the body naturally reacts to stress. Some chemicals the body releases can trigger different illnesses after a few days, things that may have already been in your system. There are also the chemicals that suppress pain during stress disappearing after stress. Basically, during stress, your body is thrown into a completely different chemical state than when relaxed. The longer you are stressed, the more shocking the “letdown” after stress is going to be. All the bugs brought in by your stressfully weakened immune system now have a chance to be made known, and boy do they come out!

So here’s the takeaway I got from spending the better part of my only week off this summer curled up with a fever: I could do better. I could do better with reducing my stress and being even more prepared (there were some exams I had to drag my feet to get myself to study for…and maybe they weren’t as good as they could have been). Relaxation is not bad; in fact, for someone coming off of such a high energy semester, it is a good thing. I think I might have overdone this semester, the months of March and April in particular, and never really had more than a day or two to relax before another homework assignment popped up. Perhaps that is the life of a college student. Now that I have experienced this twice, I will be looking out for it next semester. Three’s a pattern, and I am determined to break this pattern.

4 Tips for Finals Week

Getting through those four days like a pro.

Originally published on May 23, 2017

(This should have published weeks before; there was a glitch that prevented it from being published until it was)

For those of you who have yet to finish your finals, here are a couple tips to help you get through to the end of the semester (and more importantly, to summer!).

1. Know when your finals are

This may seem like a given, but I can’t tell you how many people kept asking when exactly the final for the class is. It should be listed on the syllabus. Look them up, and make a schedule for your entire week. You might find out there are days where you have no finals. Taking those into account, you can create a study schedule. Figure out which finals will have the most material or will be the most difficult and set aside the most time for them.

2. Make a study guide

If the professor has not made a study guide for you, make one for yourself. Better yet, even if they are giving you a study guide, make your own as well because chances are not every single detail will be on the given study guide. With your own guide, you can focus on the topics you are less confident in and by having to go through all your notes again, you can remind yourself about certain topics you may have forgotten about. Study your old tests and quizzes as well. Many professors will re-use questions, especially if they are about main ideas. Study what you did not do well on for other exams.

3. Get plenty of sleep

You might think you have the ability to pull an all-nighter, but trust me, you don’t. Even if you could stay up late enough to get through all your notes and have it perfectly memorized and understood, by the time your final comes around you will be so tired you won’t be able to remember anything you “learned” the night before. Study early enough in the night, go to bed at a reasonable hour, and then go over the things you are least confident on one last time first thing in the morning. That way they are fresh in your head and your head, in turn, is alert and ready to take a final.

4. Don’t forget to relax

There are many stresses which occur in relation to finals week. For some of us, we just dislike taking exams, and to have a whole week dedicated to them is near torture. For others, perhaps a looming less-than-stellar grade is motivating us to try and pull through at the last minute. Having four or more big tests in four days is a stressful thing, overall. Therefore, take time to relax. Unless you have back-to-back finals, after you finish one, take a nice long break before you start worrying about the next. Take a walk, get some food, or get some sleep if you did stay up too late. Just know where the line is, and where the fun needs to stop in order to get your mind back into studying gear.

Good luck with finals, everyone! Study hard!

10 Things I Learned in Sophomore Year

Halfway done with my college experience; I'm definitely a "wise fool"!

Originally published on May 22, 2017

Here is a list of 10 things I learned in the past year. Some are very specific things I learned, and some are advice I wish I could have given myself, in retrospect, and will keep in mind for next year.

1. Too many nights with too little sleep will start to catch up with you. 

Despite what you might think, whatever you are watching can wait until the next day, or the weekend. Keeping yourself awake in class in never fun and makes the days drag even longer. Don’t let your first thought of the day be “I’m definitely going to bed early tonight”, because it’s just not going to happen.

2. The more you get done in advance, the more you get to sit around and do nothing.

A stress-free pre-finals week is always a bonus. You can relax and watch the Netflix you put off, or just silently pat yourself on the back. Just make sure the work is quality work and not rushed. Also don’t shut off your brain during finals week, despite not doing anything the week before. Finals are important. Very important. Usually.

3. If you have a problem with a class, talk to the professor.

They will listen to you, and what you have to say to them might be things other students want to say as well. If you work together, you can turn your most stressful class into a class you almost look forward to each day, knowing your grade will be pretty safe.

4. It’s okay to do extracurricular things, and it’s also okay to say no. 

If you are running 16 hour days for a month straight, find a way to take a break. People will understand. The thing you love shouldn’t be causing you pain and stress, especially if it’s on top of the usual stress of college.

5. If it’s clear the textbook will just be regurgitated in the lecture, save time. Don’t read it. 

However, for the final, definitely read the textbook to fill in the blanks of your notes.

6. Sometimes things just fall into place. 

For example, Honors requirements relaxing, or a degree program becoming very flexible and achievable.

7. Carry everything on a flashdrive. 

Not only because your laptop might decide to not participate, but also in case the network for the entire university is down and your presentation is stuck in your email. This is for the sake of your professors’ sanity as well.

8. If you’ve discovered a new passion, or a path to a new passion, go for it!

Keep up with whatever you are doing, and find a way to stay with it. Perhaps there will be a job on the horizon.

9. Take opportunities as they arise. 

You don’t always have to follow the rules, and sometimes the things you are presented with are better for you in the long run.

10. Time goes by way too fast. 

If there’s something you want to do, find a way to make it happen in the next two years. Enjoy the experience and the atmosphere and the people.

Happy summer, Lakers!

The Best Four Years of Your Life?

The ubiquitous college label and why I don't like it.

Originally published on May 1, 2017

One of my newer pet peeves is when a person, usually someone a generation or two above me, will say something like, “Enjoy college! They’re the best years of your life!” I remember colleges saying things like that to me when I was looking around, trying to decide where to go. “Come [here] for the best 4 years of your life!” Now that I am halfway done with college, I am trying to figure out why people keep saying that. I’ve enjoyed my time here, but it’s not mind-blowing amazing. It’s fun and I love it, but why is there a pressure to make the most out of my college years?

It’s one of those tropes you see a lot in popular media, where the popular people in high school “peak” in high school and are less than successful when our shy, nerdy protagonist catches up with them years later. That’s just it, then. Perhaps the people who keep pushing this narrative are the ones who have fallen victim to a monotonous post-college lifestyle, and they are trying to make sure “us kids” do better than they did.

I can see where they are coming from. College, for the most part, will be the last time you are in a learning environment on an academic schedule and enough freedom to do what you want some days, provided you don’t have schoolwork to do. For me anyway, it’s the last few years of my parents’ financial support, though perhaps not the last years of living at home.

Life is easier in college. I’ll give you that. It’s nice when you have a job lined up for the summer and enough free time to squeeze in a few hours of work here or there and try to keep your grades up and learn about things you love and want to study. Your full-time job is to be a student, and most people expect that to be where your priorities are. You’ve been a student for fifteen years, so you’re good at it.

Even still, many college students are working when they are off. Some have families to support, and not all can afford to go on a fancy spring break. College is not as carefree as, say, high school, for some people.

I guess the reason my gut reaction is negativity when faced with the statement “the best years of your life” is I’m only twenty. I have so much life ahead of me, and the label makes it seem like it’s all downhill from here. I am optimistic about my future (though I may not always express that most days). I hope I will find a job I love with people I enjoy collaborating with. I want to continue to grow and learn, but instead get paid for it.

This article doesn’t mean I don’t love college. I really do, and I’m so glad I am where I am with the programs I am in. I just don’t think colleges and adults should be pushing the agenda of making the most of your college years when there’s so much after college to look forward to. 

The Appeal of "Pride and Prejudice"

"It is a truth, universally acknowledged..."

Originally published on April 26, 2017

There are days when all I want to do is curl up and turn on 2005 Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightly. This is the most popular of Jane Austen’s novels, and probably the most adapted. Earlier this year I discovered The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube and greatly enjoyed them.

But why is it so popular? Why do so many people my age enjoy it? It boils down to two things: story and characters. Yes, all stories can be boiled down to these two basic elements but I think it is especially true when it comes to Pride and Prejudice.

First, the story. The story at its core is a romance, with many different turning parts and side stories that create a tangible world. The exact details of the world might not be as relatable today, but they can be translated into our world through the many adaptations out there. There are three main romantic stories, the quiet courtship of Jane and Bingley, the scandal of Lydia and Wickham, and the rivalry-turned-romance of Lizzy and Darcy. There are also the family’s financial problems, the awkwardness that is Mr. Collins, and the worries about the future and their place in society. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: relatability is what makes a good story popular. The situations were true then, and can be true now. There are bits of our lives we have seen and experienced, some very similar to these. I recommend watching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries for a realistic take on the Pride and Prejudice story in the modern age. It translates a marriage proposal into a job offer and other things like that. The story is also enjoyable in the context of the time period. There are some funny moments and dramatic moments. There’s just something about this story that flows and sucks you in.

Second, the characters. We all know (or are) Jane, sweet, perfect, so nice to everyone and often the least deserving of bad things. There are Lizzies and Darcys in our lives too, people so sure of themselves who can’t unsee a bad impression, smart people who fail at the simplest human interactions. There are parents that either control us or support us, uncomfortable dates, very best friends making poor decisions, the excitement of a formal, a sibling who always tags along, someone who is often a stick in the mud, relatives who will pull us out of ruts, the exoticism of new people in the neighborhood, a master manipulator, or a nice guy full of empty promises. Everywhere you look there is something in your own lives that you can see inside the Pride and Prejudice story.

Pride and Prejudice is one of those stories that we have all had access to and that has been a source of entertainment for many of us for nearly two hundred years. It will continue to be a staple in Western entertainment, to be studied, to be enjoyed, to be adapted, and to be remembered. 

Thoughts About Being a Tutor

It's good for you, and for your peers as well.

Originally published on April 17, 2017

Tutoring is a core part of the academics of a university, though not everyone takes advantage of it or even knows that they can become a tutor. It wasn’t something I thought about until a professor recommended me for a class and I went with it. I’ve been a tutor for 3 semesters now, for several different classes, and I’ve collected a few thoughts about the whole thing.

For one thing, I treat tutoring like a small, second job. Of course it is always nice to make a little extra money, especially when it is a subject I enjoy relearning about and going over and explaining. The only thing that it costs you is some time, which if you treat it like a job it will be easy to figure out a few blocks of time. The best part of this “job” is the familiar subject material. You easily get excited about it and you want others to be excited about it.

Tutoring is a way to help out your university, not exactly to “give back and serve”, but more of in the sense of contributing to the overall success of the university. You are helping your peers succeed, people you will meet up with for a few weeks and then never see again, or people in your major whom you will get to know better over the years and will continue on in their degrees partially thanks to your contribution. Maybe all the students want out of their tutoring is a little motivation to learn the material in these core classes we’re all forced to take. And that’s fine. Everything is really all up to the students, how much effort they put into all of this.

I’ve found that tutoring is good for me too, to go over old subjects that I enjoyed and reteach myself the small details about the subjects. There’s a reason I chose to tutor these certain core classes, and not just major classes. For anyone looking to be a tutor, those are the classes you want to go for. There are many students who will need your help. By this point, you’ve been in college for several semesters and are bound to have picked up a few study tricks. Passing these tricks on will help those freshmen looking for help do well and continue to do well in their future semesters.

Now, I don’t want to be a teacher after I graduate. There wasn’t ever much of a desire for it, and tutoring didn’t really change that. However, I will continue to be a tutor. There’s a sense of accomplishment when a student you have been with for a few weeks gets a B on an exam when they failed the first one. Again, it’s not all completely up to you. But knowing you helped is enough. And getting to get others excited about subjects you enjoy while getting paid for it is definitely a perk. As far as ways to spend my evenings, I could think of a few worse ones. 

Weather Really Does Affect Your Mood

Dreary Erie or Cheery Erie?

Originally published on April 10, 2017

It's springtime in Erie, which means the weather has many moods it goes through every single day. It could be sunny and 60 in the morning and 40 and nearly snowing at night. Wearing layers has become second nature for someone like me, who has classes in hot buildings and cold buildings, and despite hour-long classes I do not usually miss out on whatever small chance of rain occurs that day. One thing I've noticed is lately many of these days have been gray, overcast, maybe a slight drizzle, and not very warm. ("Dreary Erie", indeed.) Last week was like this, and this week seems to be going that way as well. And you know what I noticed? This dreary weather can affect your mood.

Professors noticed a change in our mood, commenting on how quiet we were. We noticed it amongst ourselves too. We just felt tired and not in the mood to do anything (we were halfway between breaks as well so it was a bit of a rut learning-wise). March is such an icky month anyway in the context of school, and add constant gray skies and no chance for shorts or outdoor classes: it's no wonder no one was in the mood for anything. There was one day that was warmer and sunny and immediately I noticed a change in the atmosphere around campus. I definitely felt a pep in my step. Even just a little bit of exposure to sunlight, the warm smell in the morning that immediately makes you think of spring, is enough to make you feel better.

The fact that weather is tied to mood is a real thing. There is a disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which usually occurs during the darker months of the year. Because there is less sunlight, your body creates more melatonin, which makes you tired. So having constant cloudy days will definitely affect people, even those who do not usually feel depressed or tired during the winter months. It's not just a week or two of gray that is bringing down our spirits. It is the beginning of spring, technically, and I believe in true Erie style it was hailed with some snow. Even though the days are getting longer, they are still not as long as they will be soon. People who regularly experience Seasonal Affective Disorder will continue to feel its effects, and even people who don't will benefit. Warmth, being in sunlight and getting vitamin D, and getting fresh air are all important things that will come naturally once the weather is nicer and improve our moods a great deal.

It's safe to say spring has sprung. We're not out of the snowy woods yet, but there's no chance it will stick for a long time. The nickname of Dreary Erie is well deserved. Before we know it, it will be too hot every day and we will be wishing it was snowy again. 

How to Get Through a Long Day

It's a matter of planning and perspective.

Originally published on April 3, 2017

I'm writing this article after two “15 hour” days in a row (a Monday and a Tuesday no less!). There have been longer days as well – some by choice, others not so much. Such is the life of a music major college student. But after a few semesters of doing this here are a few tips to get you through these long days.

1. Plan ahead

I make a to-do list for every day as it is, but it is especially important for days like this. If there are things you need to do every day but a different activity will take away from the time you usually spend doing them, make sure you write it down so you can do it later that night or the next day. Too many times I have almost forgotten to do homework because I assumed I had finished it already.

2. Budget your time

Knowing when everything happens is also extremely important, especially if it is an activity you don't do often at a place you are not usually. If you are used to relaxing or doing homework when you are supposed to be somewhere else, set alarms for yourself. Add in packing and travel time so you aren't late. You can even plan in getting some homework done in your free time, or plan for what you will do the next day.

3. Snacks!

Pack plenty of snacks throughout the day. If you're like me, you might not have too much time between activities to eat a full meal, or you might just forget if you are squeezing other things into your usual meal time. Having plenty of snacks will give you a little boost to get through that last activity. Make sure you drink plenty of water too to stay alert!

4. Positive thinking

Your thoughts as soon as you wake up are the most important of the day. They can determine if you will be in a positive or negative mood (in my experience, “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” is a real thing). Therefore, thinking positively will get you through the day. A negative attitude will only make a long day drag. By taking a few seconds and thinking about everything you will accomplish that day, you will be in a better mood for the whole day. If you can't find anything to be happy about in the day, just focus on tomorrow; it will be here before you know it!

5. Short-term

It's only one day. You can get through one long day. Be a rock star, push through it all, and look forward to a comfy bed once the day is through; you will have earned it!

I know going into the future I will continue to have days like this for as long as I play music. Using these habits I am picking up now will definitely be useful in the future to keep my head on straight and to get through some long days.