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4E’s Thanksgiving Countdown

It doesn’t seem valid to get excited year after year about a holiday that commemorates our subjugation of native peoples and destructive colonial ways, but let me tell you: I am excited for Thanksgiving break.

You may ask me, “What could be so exciting about five days in central New Jersey?” Well, first of all, New Jersey is the most underrated state. Second of all, a brief reprieve from midterms is exactly what I need to restore my sanity.

Please join me on a ~journey~ to cozy, fall-time feels. Whether you’re travelling home for Thanksgiving or not, these activities should allow you to start healing that part of your soul that a semester-long midterm season has sucked out of you.

First, play this song for maximum reading experience.

Day 1: Nov. 5

Divine your Thanksgiving horoscope. What’s in the stars for you this year? If you’re going home, will you finally hook up with your high school crush? Will you get taken to the hospital with an irreversible food coma? Only one way to find out…

Day 2: Nov. 6

Go vote. If you haven’t voted yet, please motivate yourself with the thought of Great-Grandma Pat’s wrath when you tell her you abused the right she fought so hard for back when they only showered like once a week or whatever. This way, when your family members start arguing at the dinner table, you’ll be able to validate the opinions you’ve honed in all of those SFS classes by proving that you’re an active participant in our democracy.

Day 3: Nov. 7

Plan out your plate. Everyone knows that going into the holiday meal without an attack plan is a fool’s errand. Use the below image to prevent future discomfort and maximize future deliciousness.

Image result for thanksgiving plate outline

Day 4: Nov. 8

Get the 411 on those crazy relatives you’re afraid to see. Call your mom. You should probably do this anyway, but for your own safety, ask her to give you an update about Aunt Linda’s “situation” so you’re not blindsided on the big day.

Day 5: Nov. 9

Start filling up your shopping carts. Two weeks before Black Friday, go against your better judgment and let those natural consumer instincts run wild. I’ve never actually shopped on Black Friday before, but I like to imagine that filling up online shopping carts is just as good.

Day 6: Nov. 10

Check out those fall colors. Get out of your musty apartment for once and take a walk somewhere in the city — it’s actually very beautiful here and we tend to take that for granted too often.

Day 7: Nov. 11

It’s cuffing season. Have you found your big/little spoon yet? It’s getting pretty chilly outside; you should probably get on that.

Day 8: Nov. 12

Convince your dad that a turducken is a bad idea. Tell him the hard truth: 55 is too old to spice things up, especially with the multi-meat equivalent of the Human Centipede. Like him, sometimes oldies are goodies — no more of this millennial nonsense.

Day 9: Nov. 13

Start packing. I’m serious. If you do it this far in advance, you’ll avoid that last-minute packing nightmare in which you somehow only bring home booty shorts, a turtleneck and over-the-knee boots.

Day 10: Nov. 14

Do something ~cute~ with your friends. Make a pie. Drink some chai. Discuss the best moisturizing strategies for preventing dry winter skin (non-spon but pls check out this account @dewydudes). Put aside homework for a sec and appreciate the value of good, wholesome fun.

Day 11: Nov. 15

Come up with a fake major to get your grandparents off your back. They don’t understand that you’re not wasting their money; you’re just finding yourself. So, pose as a Future Government Official/Investment Person to get out of hot water with the old folks.

Day 12: Nov. 16

Learn how to play football (?). I’m very thankful that my family does not maintain this tradition, but if yours does, it’s probably time to tighten up that spiral. Who knows, maybe you’ll get concussed and won’t have to take any more exams!

Bradley Cooper in “A Star is Born,” 2018 (colorized).

Day 13: Nov. 17

Thank your roommate(s). Whether you’re best friends or mere living partners, be grateful to this person for putting up with you. This way, your inability to wash dishes and sexiling habits won’t weigh heavy on your conscience over the break.

Day 14: Nov. 18

Friendsgiving! Get together with all of your friends for one last hurrah before going your separate ways. A group dinner feat. Leo’s turkey and mashed potatoes never looked so cute.

Day 15: Nov. 19

Watch the twurkey dance. This is a good distraction that will get you hype for the holiday.

Day 16: Nov. 20

What? Sorry. I’m already gone. If possible, remove yourself mentally and/or physically from the Georgetown environment. This could be done in the form of a really long nap, ripping up a blue book — you name it.

Hoya Saxa! I’m grateful for you <3

Sources: festival-collection.com, giphy.com, youtube.com, people.com

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Monday Music Update! (Week of 2/19/18)

I will keep everyone in my prayers as this week drowns us in midterms. How important is your college GPA anyway?

Enjoy this one. Definitely my favorite playlist so far.

  1. Miss Right – Anderson.Paak
  2. Get ‘Em Up – Anderson.Paak
  3. Bound 1 – Seemy
  4. she only likes me when i’m drunk – frumhere
  5. Shoulda Made U a Mother – Rob Curly

Good luck this week, homies. See you on the other side.

Photos/Gifs/Music: giphy.com, soundcloud.com, spotify.com, pexels.com

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Soundtrack to Your Finals

c1f22669If you’re reading this, then a BIG congratulations is in order!  You’ve made it through the first half of finals, and are still somewhat alive thanks to the amount of caffeine flooding your bloodstream this very moment.  There’s only a few days left to power through exams and papers before it’s all over and you’re lounging around, enjoying the summer.

While you’re surely relieved that this finals season torture is coming to a close, finding the motivation to keep pushing forward can seem difficult.  The weather is great, the sun is shining and for some reason your econ textbook just couldn’t seem duller.  To make matters worse, your notes from class are actually illegible and you have no idea what your professor was lecturing on for about half of the semester.  The stress is building, and you’re starting to doubt your ability to cram four months worth of material into 24 hours of studying.  More than anything 4E knows that finals are an emotional roller coaster, the likes of which could be put to music to accurately capture all of the ups and downs.

Here is 4E’s “Soundtrack to Your Finals”:

1. One Man Can Change the World (Big Sean Ft. Kanye West & John Legend): Yes, it’s true you can change the world!  You’re feeling really motivated to start studying for your bio exam, and hey, maybe pushing yourself a little harder will lead you to find a cure for cancer.  Well, probably not… but a good grade in the course is worth it too.

2. Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day): Studying is not going well. You know nothing. Forget trying to cure cancer, you’re just trying to pass at this point.

3. I Hate College (Sam Adams): You’ve never hated anything any more. Forget keg stands and parties, college is just a never ending amount of work which no one ever seems to write songs about.

4. The Middle (Jimmy Eat World): You have some salvageable notes from class, and you attended most some lectures.  If you really focus you know that you can learn the material, it just takes some time but everything will be just fine.

5. I Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers): Finals won’t intimidate you.  You’re finally making progress and the information is starting to click.  Only 6 more chapters to get through!

6. The Climb (Miley Cyrus): This has been the longest day ever, but look how far you’ve come!  When you sat down to study hours ago you didn’t even know what DNA is, and now you definitely know way too much.  Regardless, you should be proud that you’ve managed to make some sort of progress.

7. Closing Time (Semisonic): You’ve been in Lau for over 12 hours and your exam is at 9 AM.  It’s time to go home and attempt to get at least a few hours of sleep before you have to face the inevitable.

8. Power (Kanye West): It’s the morning of the final and you’re ready.  The proctor hands out your exam but you’re not intimidated.  The clock’s ticking, but you’ve got the power of knowledge on your side.  ***Note: We recommend listening to this song on the 10 hour loop.

9. Shake It Off (Taylor Swift): It’s over.  You’re done.  Shake off any worries you have and reward yourself with a nap, snack, Netflix binge, etc.

10. Corona and Lime (Shwayze): Some time after decompressing it’ll hit you that it’s finally summer.  Celebrate!  Go crazy!  School’s out and you deserve a drink!

Best of luck on the remainder of your finals, Hoyas!  Just remember that you’ve only got a few more days of living in a Lau cubicle with limited human interaction before you’re free for the summer.

Photos/gifs: reactiongifs.com, giphy.com, tumblr.com, 

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The Night Before the Map Exam

mapfinal

‘Twas the night before the Map final, when all through the Hilltop,
Nervous SFS freshmen were studying, though they wished they could stop.
Their Sporcle quizzes were aced, all filled out carefully,
From Armenia with Yerevan, to Rome in Italy.

College, NHS and MSB kids were nestled, all snug in their beds,
No visions of wind patterns danced in their heads.
And you with your Atlas and I with my notes,
Were readying our brains for whatever exam JRA wrote.

When down on Healy Lawn there arose such a clatter,
I rushed from Lau to see what was the matter.
Out to the lawn I flew like a flash,
And breathlessly asked if this was about Map class.

When what to my exhausted eyes did appear,
Well, I don’t go to lecture, but I think that’s the professor standing here.
In a downpour like the summer monsoons, his capitals they came,
And he shouted with glee as he called them by name:

“Now Belize has Belmopan, now Hungary has Budapest,
On Angola with Luanda, on Romania with Bucharest!
From Russia’s long history to Greece’s financial descent,
You must know it all – er, at least 70 percent!”

So away to the files of lecture captures I flew,
To learn geographical features and geopolitics, too.
As I drew on my maps, my mind was spinning around –
We have to know rivers and seas, too? Are there no bounds?

Ukrainian elections ran through my head,
And I realized that tonight I wouldn’t be going to bed.
Reardon-Anderson, meanwhile, went straight to his work.
“What time is it in Manama when it’s 7:00 in New York?”

“In the United States South, how do voting trends go?”
“In which direction do the Trade Winds blow?”
“What are the similarities in the conflicts in Nigeria and Sudan?”
“Why does the US need to maintain relations with Kazakhstan?”

And he displayed iClicker questions up on a screen,
Then showed us the right answers, lit up in green.
Then he left Healy lawn, and went toward Red Square,
I stood all alone, feeling so unprepared.

But I heard him exclaim, as he walked to the ICC,
“The subtropical highs are north and south of the equator at 30 degrees!”

Photos: theodora.com

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Ideal Alternatives to Studying

ExamsIt’s been over a week since the last day of classes, and finals studying is in full force. The prospect of two weeks on campus with no classes seemed like it might be fun. There would be so much time for activities – if only that pesky thing called “studying” were not in the way of you and holiday-spirited revelry with friends. After that sentiment fled, Lau became a time-warping alternate universe of notecards, Word documents and cabin fever. However, we know that Hoyas have other things on their minds than studying.

We asked what you’d rather do than study for exams … and here’s what Hoyas have to say:

  1. Sleeping
  2. Running a marathon, because it would be less painful
  3. Playing with my pet bird
  4. Watching Elf
  5. Drinking
  6. Traveling back in time to actually pay attention in class the first time around
  7. Stealing the Healy clock hands while everyone is too busy on Lau 2 to notice
  8. Watching TV
  9. Apparently reading Thought Catalog, since I’ve been doing that for the last hour
  10. Studying something I’m more interested in
  11. Lying next to a crackling fire with hot cocoa while watching all 8 Harry Potter movies
  12. Cuddling and listening to Christmas music
  13. Figuring out how much wood a woodchuck actually would chuck
  14. Squash
  15. I’m not really sure it’s appropriate
  16. Dancing
  17. Watching a movie
  18. Christina Hendricks
  19. Watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on my bed with my dog and a hot piece o’ ‘za
  20. Playing soccer
  21. Watching the entire series of New Girl online. Oh wait, that IS what I’m doing.
  22. Tanning on the beach in San Diego
  23. Flying a blimp!
  24. WATCHING MRS. DOUBTFIRE, DUH!
  25. Eating a banana Nutella crepe
  26. Literally anything
  27. Be on a tennis court, racquet in one hand, beer in the other
  28. Kissin’ my dog on the lips
  29. SITTING ANYWHERE THAT DOESN’T HAVE FLUORESCENT LIGHTING
  30. Going to the premiere of the new Hobbit movie solely for Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug
  31. Eating a wheel of cheese, but the wheel has lots of different sections and each one is a different kind of cheese
  32. Snapchatting the entire song “Royals” line by line while dressed as Lorde
  33. Walking through Costco eating free samples while drinking a slushie
  34. (This response was deemed too explicit to print on 4E)
  35. Babysitting Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon’s kids
  36. At home, on my couch, watching the latest episode of Homeland with a warm slice of pizza from my fave pizza restaurant
  37. Making a gingerbread house
  38. Flossing my teeth
  39. Hiking in the Adirondacks and eating PB&Js and trail mix with my two favorite people in the world
  40. Taking my chances with a poisonous frog
  41. Laying in bed covered in puppies
  42. Wrestling a great white shark
  43. Catching the rats in Darnall with a loincloth and a small hunting spear
  44. Scouring the city for knives to donate to Leo’s
  45. Petting little Jack … for hours

So there you have it. That’s everything you’d rather be doing than studying for finals… Now get back to studying for finals.

Photo: Pauleannareid.com

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Friday Fixat10ns: Summer Countdown

[8tracks width=”300″ height=”250″ playops=”” url=”https://8tracks.com/mixes/1574494″]

Somehow, it’s almost the end of the spring semester, and we only have a month until the next round of final exams. Winter coats are being put away for good, and the sun is finally coming out to play. However, we aren’t free just yet. We hope that our 4E playlist will provide you with the motivation that you need to make it through the final stretch.

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson I’ve heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” a million times, but, for some reason, when Kelly sings it, everything just clicks.

Firework – Katy Perry Yes, Katy, sometimes I do feel like a plastic bag. Don’t we all? No? Okay, maybe that’s just me. All I know is that this is the best pick-me-up song ever.

Pursuit of Happiness – Kid Cudi For some reason, taking my Developmental Cell Biology final exam or writing my USPS final paper isn’t my idea of happiness, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction If you’re anything like me, then you’ve caught the One Direction bug. They know exactly what to say to a girl.

Numb – Linkin Park It’s never a good idea to bottle up stress so the next time that you’re angry at the world, just turn up this song and channel your inner rocker.

Fighter – Christina Aguilera You have to be a fighter in order to make it through the last month of school. Are you up for the battle?

Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield Always remember that whatever happens in the next month does not define your life. Your life is unwritten, and you have the ability to do or be anything. Sorry, that just got really deep.

Never Say Never – Justin Bieber He may be on a slippery slope ever since his split with Selena, but this boy sure knows how to sing a catchy tune, regardless of how trite his lyrics may be.

One Step at a Time – Jordin Sparks I loved this girl ever since American Idol, and I love her now even more. And she’s completely correct  – we all just need to take each day as it comes. Before we know it, we’ll be packing up and heading home for the summer.

It’s My Life – Bon Jovi This song will be my anthem as I walk out of my last final exam. End of story.

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Making It Through Finals Alive

Finals 1Let’s face it, most of us are currently riding the struggle bus. Finals can be rough, and whether you have 3 exams on the same day or 170 pages of papers to write, we believe that you can make it through somehow. But to make the process a little easier, here are some tips to help you survive the next week and a half before glorious summer.

Self Control Whether it’s your own self control or the app (personally I recommend the app, it’s much more reliable), find a way to focus on your work. Get off Facebook, quit scrolling through old whatshouldwecallme posts, stop making memes of your friends.

Give It a Rest Make sure you’re not sacrificing too much sleep. I’m not going to tell you to get your 8 hours a night or avoid cramming because that’s not realistic, but think twice about pulling an all-nighter and going straight into an exam. You know how loopy you get around 4 a.m.? That’s probably not the best state to be taking a test that’s worth 25% of your grade in. Try to sneak in a few hours to refresh your mind. Sleepyti.me is a helpful tool that will calculate the best times to plan to wake up so you’re not groggy when you get up.

Find Your Groove Even the quietest of quiet spaces is going to have some background noise. Whether you need to tune out the loud conversations of Lau 2 or just drown out that guy who brought a selection of crunchy snacks into the quiet room, have some music on tap that will help you focus. Classical music is great (personally I’m a fan of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack), but if that’s not your thing go for something that won’t make you want to dance or sing along. See our Finals Fixat10ns from last semester for a start.

Continue reading “Making It Through Finals Alive”