June 2021

I had my first day of class as a big bad Super Senior yesterday. I tried so desperately hard (maybe too hard) to make it an awesome day. Let’s just say the universe threw INSANE challenges at me. And I got a migraine on top of it. I was struggling. The one thing that really stood out to me yesterday was going to Peer Teach an Anatomy & Physiology class. It’s this opportunity that Temple has that if you do really well/have a good relationship with your professor, you can help the students conquer the material. A&P is a GIANT (read: there are 600 people in the class) lecture with students of all ages. Watching all of them furiously scribble down the difference between anatomy and physiology (good luck, guys), I realized that I have a lot to say about college.

* Make friends, but realize that your “group” is not the be all and end all. I was in love with all of my friends freshman year. It was a HUGE freaking group. I was so happy that I wasn’t alone. But it still felt a little like high school went drama went down, and Lord knows, it’s college, it’s going to go down. Just make sure to try and make friends everywhere you go . Chances are, you aren’t going to see a huge gaggle of juniors walking around together. You will all find your way, so don’t seclude yourself!

Yes, there’s a lanyard around my neck. No I didn’t wear it like that. Just say no to lanyard neck.

* If you’re in a high school relationship and you’re long/short/mid-distancing it, just break up with them. Ouch. That was harsh. But it’s going to save a lot of pain someday. I know there are high school sweethearts out there that will argue this until the cows come home. But that’s my opinion.
* Just say no to the dining plan. Unless you go to Virginia Tech and have the best food in the country, just say no. Get creative. Use that group kitchen. Your body will thank you. Every time I would come back to school from visiting home (read the sentiment above), I would get MAJOR stomach aches. Be kind to your stomach. Because your liver’s going to need someone strong.

Plus: can you bake cupcakes in aprons and sports bras in the dining hall? NO.

* I’m all for saying yes to things (except that freaking dining plan), but know that it’s okay to say no. I think 100% that you should never turn down a sporting event, a road trip, a trip into the city, etc. if you’re down with it. Go for the 90:10 rule here. That being said. Going out and getting completely messed up is just not my style. Sometimes I said yes hoping that I would have fun. I usually didn’t, unless there was dancing involved. Find your “partying style” and embrace it. I find house parties much better than crazy intense frat parties with people puking all over the place.

PJ Party at American. ‘Nough said.

* I know you’re busy, this is all very overwhelming, yadayadayada. Get a job as soon as you can. I’m not talking a “big boy” job here. I’m talking scooping wudder (for you non-Philadelphians, that’s “water”) ice at a Rita’s until 11 o’clock at night sort of job. Nothing teaches you how to prioritize like getting a chunk of your time taken away. And I know it’s fun to get spoon fed by your parents, but it’s AWESOME to support yourself. Even though right now I can see the horrified looks. Just get a job and pay for that junior to go get your alcohol by yourself.
* Accept the fact that you might hate your school. I chose Temple because they gave me a scholarship, I wanted to be in a city, and I didn’t have enough money to go anywhere else. I met amazing people there, but I’ve also met people that I want to shake and tell to grow up. Including some professors/administrators in my department. Definitely weigh the pros and cons here, but if you don’t like something…stand up for yourself. It took me a really long time to realize this, but my department is in for a world of hurt this year if I don’t like something.

Just because I hate it doesn’t mean I can’t embrace it.

* You had to know this was coming, but study abroad. Get away from the place you call your home. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Travel. Even if you don’t want to study abroad, take a semester off and just LEAVE. Do it. Maybe you’ll be happy you did it (probably), maybe you won’t (unlikely). But you’ll learn more about yourself  in doing so than sitting in a classroom for four (ahem…five) years straight.

Is the Trevi Fountain on your quad? No? Good, go to your study abroad office NOW.

* Sort of related to that last point of taking time off. You go to college and they tell you, “Don’t be afraid to change your major! Learn about yourself! Try new things!” THEY WANT YOUR MONEY. Unless you make an inter-college major switch, you will have to take more classes. People have done it before without too much trouble. But if you really don’t know what you want to do (hello, Amanda at a younger age), take some time off. Unless you’re fine with taking 6 years of classwork in 5 years and staying a year after your freshman class graduates, really think about it. They don’t tell you this, but changing your major looks bad when you’re going for certain big, important scholarships. I hate the way this system is, so I would recommend discovering something you really want to do, even if you have to take time off. However, if you’re in a major you hate, screw everybody and change it. And then come talk to me. We can share some ice cream.

And that’s all she wrote for today! Keep in mind that this is coming from a bitter super senior that is not all head-over-heels in love with her college. Some people’s tips will be totally different from mine. But I’m a really, really big fan of my tips.

Do you have any college tips for those freshmen/students in general? I could have gone on for days! Share your insight!

Irregardless of what anyone tells you, there are no negative quitting smoking side effects. There are, however, countless positive quitting smoking side effects. This article will discuss the health benefits of the many positive quitting smoking side effects. It will look at them in the order that they occur after you quit smoking. However, before it looks at those effects, this article will briefly discuss one of the effects that many people think they may suffer from when they quit smoking.

Many people claim that they cannot quit smoking because they will start to overeat. They claim that trading the problems of smoking for the problems associated with obesity is not a good idea. However, this is a fairly erroneous claim. The average weight gain for someone who has just quit smoking is only about ten pounds. The health effects of gaining ten pounds is fairly minimal. Saying that you will not quit smoking because you do not want to get fat is as absurd as saying that you will not go to college because you do not want to gain the infamous Freshman fifteen.

The first of the positive quitting smoking side effects happens within the first twenty minutes. Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure and your heart rate will return to their normal levels. Within eight hours, you will experience another of the quitting smoking side effects. The oxygen levels in your blood will have returned to normal. You will feel less fatigued. After a mere day, your risk of a sudden heart attack decreases a lot. After merely two days, your sense of smell and taste which have been subdued by smoking will return to normal. Within only three days, your body will be clear of nicotine.

You will need to wait until day ten to experience more of the great quitting smoking side effects. Ten days to fourteen days after you quit, your body will be used to being smoke free. It will no longer want the many toxins and hundreds of gases that are found in each puff. Three weeks to three months after you smoke your last cigarette, you will notice other quitting smoking side effects. You will notice that it is easier to breathe as your lung capacity has regained thirty percent of what was lost while you were a smoker.

Your general circulation will have improved and you will not feel as cold as often as you did when you were still a smoker. As you spend more and more days as a non-smoker, you will notice more and more positive quitting smoking side effects. Your lungs will suffer from fewer infections. Your risk of heart disease will decrease. After fifteen years, your chances of having a stroke, a heart attack, or even getting lung cancer will return to nearly that of someone who has never smoked.

If you have read this article carefully, you will understand that there are many positive quitting smoking side effects. With all the reasons to quit, there is really no reason to continue smoking. All you need to do now is find the cessation program that is right for you.

The Nintendo Wii, like its predecessors, is the all-time best selling console out there. In spite of the gains that the XBOX and Sony PlayStation are making the Nintendo Wii is far ahead when you look at sales of the console and games. What has made the Wii a best seller is the type of games, ease of play and the overall popularity of the Nintendo brand.

Over the course of a year, hundreds of games and accessories are released for the Nintendo Wii – some catch on, while others can be found within months for as much as 90% off of the MSRP – but some games continue to command respect and high prices despite their age.

We’ve put together the Top 25 Games for the Nintendo Wii – these games continue to show up in Top 10/20/50/100 lists because they are good and gamers are still willing to pay the original prices for these games. You will find few of these games in the used bins at reduced prices.

Where we felt, we’ve added our own commentary for the games mentioned.

1. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption – Metroid has been a staple in the Nintendo games catalog for years.
2. Super Mario Galaxy – Super Mario is a household name, any game that features this lovable character will always capture the hearts (and pocketbooks) of gamers everywhere.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – The Zelda series of games is another staple in Nintendo’s games catalog. This is one of the original role playing games, and has garnered a loyal following.
4. Okami
5. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure
6. Super Paper Mario – It’s Mario and it’s Super, what more can you say?
7. de Blog
8. Wii Fit – This wouldn’t be a top 25 list if we didn’t include the Wii Fit, there is still a lot of debate whether the Wii Fit will help you lose weight, and stay fit, but until there is a clear winner people are buying the Wii Fit, accessories and software for it.
9. Super Smash Bros. Brawl – A game that pits player against player AKA Mortal Kombat or any single or two player fighting or wrestling game, but the twist here? You play using some beloved characters from the Nintendo universe.
10. Resident Evil 4
11. Wario Land: Shake It!
12. SSX Blur
13. Scarface: The World Is Yours
14. Trauma Center: New Blood
15. Boom Blox: Bash Party
16. Medal of Honor Heroes 2
17. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – This game has been called revolutionary, and unique. If that doesn’t make you buy it, then nothing will – especially if you are a sports game fan.
18. No More Heroes
19. Mario Kart Wii – I could speak for hours about this game, and probably write as much. It’s been in the top sellers list of many major retailers for years for the simple reason, it’s multi-player and it’s fun. You will not get tired of it. My son and I have played this game over 3,000 times (the Wii tracks how much you’ve played the game).
20. Excite Truck
21. Mad World
22. Tiger Woods PGA World Tour 10 – Forget about what he’s done and try the game. You will love it.
23. Excitebots: Trick Racing – If you like racing, and you like Excite Truck you will like this.
24. The Conduit – Got this game, and it’s tough to put it down though I wouldn’t let younger kids play it as some of the scenes are really meant for older kids or adults playing.
25. Punch-Out!