College: To Do List

Nowadays, many high school graduates often find themselves wondering what college life will be like and how they will be able to manage everything that is expected of them.

            Students have to figure out a way to balance things like classes, sports, clubs, work, and on top of all of this, still maintain a social life. Now, this might sound pretty challenging to do, and some students might feel that it’s not possible to do everything. The truth is, if a student really wants to do everything, they’re going to find a way to. Or, if a student just wants to take classes and have a huge social life, if they really want to, they’re going to find a way to make that happen. The particular experience really depends on the student.

            Personally, I found a way to live a college experience with all of these things: classes, sports, clubs, work, and a social life. It’s a busy life, but I came to college with the mind set that I was going to get as much as I could out of the college experience. That’s exactly what I’ve done, I’ve done well in classes, run for the cross-country team, had leadership roles in multiple clubs, had a job, and found a way to still hang out with my friends.

            In order to manage all of my activities and responsibilities, I’ve found that making to do lists, having calendars, and staying organized, allows me to get everything accomplished. I would have to suggest doing this for any new college student. No matter what type of experience a college student is looking for, they can most like benefit from staying organized. It just makes life a lot easier and allows students to get exactly what they want out of their college experience.

Greatest Movie of the Year, The Descendants

The Descendants, starring George Clooney, tells the story of a father who tries to help his two daughters cope with their dying mother. The movie has a very gloomy theme, yet throughout the entire story, there are constant moments of humor.

The actors do a fantastic job playing the role of each of their characters. Whether it's George Clooney, playing Matt King, the incredibly busy business man, now acting as a single parent or Amara Miller, Scotty, Matt King's eight year old daughter, each portrays their characters terrifically.

In addition to the acting, what makes this movie so great is the script. The dialogue was so perfectly written, that not once is there a line that seems awkward or out of place. Each conversation seems natural, allowing the audience to get lost in the film, almost as if it were real life. The fact that the script was so artistically written is the main reason why The Descendants is as good as it is.

The only downside to this movie is that the father, Matt King is too nice at points. At one point in the film, he meets the man who has been having an affair with his wife. Instead of arguing with the man or punching him in the face, an expected response, King is very relaxed about the situation. He even acts like nothing is wrong when the man’s wife is around. So, King’s reaction in this instance is probably the only downside to the movie, just because it is slightly unrealistic.

Keyboard Interrupts Professor's Lecture

"B as in bad boy," a malfunctioning keyboard causes disruption in Marketing class 

Thursday afternoon, in Tom Leach’s Marketing class, the computer keyboard malfunctioned, causing a significant disturbance to the class.

The class began just like every Marketing class had for the past couple of weeks, with students giving presentations on a certain brand or company. The students were able to finish their presentations without any difficulty whatsoever, using the computer. However, when Leach attempted to use the computer, he immediately encountered trouble. Each time he tried to log into his email to download the class slides, the letter “b” would be inserted into the log in box. This was problematic because Leach could not download the file without logging in and knew that without the slides, it’s likely that his class would not have gone as smoothly.

Once Leach realized that he wasn’t getting anywhere with trying to solve the problem himself, he decided he should call IT department. Leach called several times before he was finally able to reach someone from the department. To make things worse, the person on the other end of the phone was having trouble understanding Leach’s problem. From what students say, it seems to be that IT could not understand the letter that was being inserted. So, in order to get the message across, Leach had to say “’B’ as in bad boy” in order for IT to understand. At this point, Leach had the entire class laughing, the student’s must not have been prepared for this combination of words to be used. Once the call ended, Leach began lecturing the class without any slides, just his notes.

Shortly afterwards, a work study student stopped by and switched the faulty keyboard with a new one. With this new keyboard, Leach was able to go on with his lecture as planned, unfortunately with this time loss, it’s likely he did not get as far into it as he had hoped.

It's Only Natural

Vegetarian & Vegan Cuisine

It's Only Natural, ION, is a quirky, friendly, vegan cafe in downtown Middletown, Connecticut. No matter if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or even if you eat everything, ION is a fantastic place to eat.

This quirky restaurant has a great atmosphere, from the staff to the decor, ION is definitely a restaurant to check out. First of all, the furniture at this restaurant is definitely unconventional. Each table and chair set are different from the rest in the restaurant , some are normal chairs while other tables and chairs look like tree stumps. In addition to this, ION also displays a large amount of local artwork, from various styled paintings to jewelry to bizarre wire men. Some of the pieces they display are actually for sale, in addition to soaps, lotions, and stickers. ION also offers seating both inside and outside, outside seating does depend on the weather though. Not only this, but at any time of the day or week, the restaurant always has a solid crowd and typically is only crowded on weekend nights. 

As for the service, the staff is very kind and attentive, and always polite. If you have any questions about your meal or the restaurant itself, ION’s staff is very knowledgeable. Many customers have said they cannot ask a question that ION’s staff does not know the answer too. For those who are not vegan or vegetarian, this is a great trait for staff. It is often the case that those who are not used to this type of food have no idea what to order. So, with a staff that is capable of answering all types of questions, this can be very helpful. Not only this, but ION’s staff always seems to be genuinely concerned with how their customers are doing. When a waiter or waitress stops by a table, their question “Is everything okay with your meal?” is one hundred percent authentic, not the usual false politeness that you will receive from other restaurants.

Now, let’s not forget the food, of course! Their vegan options are absolutely delicious, ranging from potato enchiladas, to pierogis, to burgers, or even taco salad, all made with organic and natural ingredients. Even though ION is a vegan restaurant, they do offer an non-vegan cheese for those who wish to make a substitute. As for desserts, this is what ION does best. They offer the most delicious Teasecake, cheesecake with a tease (without cheese), as well as other tasty treats such as velvet cake, tarts, or coconut cake.

It’s Only Natural is a great restaurant and even though the food may be vegan, everyone enjoys their food and atmosphere. It’s definitely a humble little restaurant that is worth stopping by when in Connecticut. 

The Day the Internet Disappeared

Yesterday, March 5, is the day that marks the end of many peoples’ lives as they know it, the day the Internet disappeared.

       Computer analysts have been working non-stop since we first lost connection yesterday afternoon and unfortunately cannot find a cause for this loss. They’ve tried rebooting systems and downloading updated software, but things are not looking good for resolving the problem. It has been rumored that this is the worst crash analysts have ever seen and it is likely that the Internet will be gone for forever.

       Even though it has only been a day without this technology, it is clear that people are not handling this rumor very well. This is especially evident in public libraries, where numerous students can be seen trying to find credible information from books. Information that they were once able to access at the tips of their fingers, using the Internet, is now nearly impossible to find. At this rate, the students feel as though they will never be able to finish their work and are incredibly anxious at this thought.

       This is only one day after the Internet disappeared, the upcoming days will show what other changes need to be made in order to adapt to a life without Internet.

Effective Weight Loss Method from UNE

Weight loss can be very easy with help from professors at the University of New England

Professor Smith of UNE has tested and found that the easiest and best way to lose weight is by having a tapeworm inserted into the digestive tract.          

Professor Smith has done research and imported the tapeworms directly from Africa.  The study has proven to be healthy if the parasite is taken out after the patient is at a healthy weight.

Tapeworms are inserted into the digestive tract and they then absorb the nutrients from the food one eats.  This way the excess nutrients one takes in will not be converted to fat. Tapeworms are being treated and will now not kill the body in any way if used exactly how it is prescribed. 

Eventually, with the continuation of the method of weight loss, obesity will be a thing of the past.  Specialists will be able to treat patients as soon as the next shipment of tapeworms arrive.  Stop worrying about being over weight and ask your doctor if this is the best solution for you. 

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Flogging Molly, Speed of Darkness

Irish, punk-rock band slows things down and takes a more serious tone for their newest release

The Irish infused, punk-rock band, Flogging Molly, released their newest album, Speed of Darkness, this past May. 

Flogging Molly first got their start back in the late 1990’s, nearby Los Angeles, California. Flogging Molly actually got their name from a local bar, Molly Malones. The band consists of seven members who create punk-rock music, with and Irish twist. Lead vocalist and guitarist has been quoted saying, “We’re not a traditional band.” In addition to using typical rock instruments, such as guitars, drums or base, the band also uses numerous non-traditional instruments to create their music. Some of these non-traditional instruments include spoons, an accordion, a mandolin, a banjo, a fiddle, and even a tin whistle. The band acknowledges the fact that if they didn’t use these instruments, they would probably sound like a rock band, lacking that Irish twist. Since the band first started, they have released a total of five albums, with Speed of Darkness being their most recent.

Unlike their previous albums, Speed of Darkness has a more mature sound that their previous albums lacked, both lyrically and instrumental. Dave King has said that the band started working on this album just the same as their previous albums, yet this one was different because it became the album they “needed to write.” With this new found maturity, the band is able to incorporate tales in their music that are incredibly relevant to today. The songs in this album are ones that can be listened to when going through a rough time, the songs give hope to it’s listeners.

    So far, the album has received many good reviews from its listeners. Some have said that “If you’re already familiar with Flogging Molly, Speed of Darkness isn’t going to disappoint” and that the album’s “Lyrical depth and sonic diversity are incredibly rewarding.” The next local stop for Flogging Molly will be at State Theatre, in Portland Maine, on the twelfth of May.