My Spring Break

So I just had my Spring Break, and I can honestly say that even though there was pretty much no time for relaxation, I had a wonderful time. I am the type of person to get overwhelmed by trips and commitments, but learning to be organized and manage my time well, I found that anyone can cope with a busy spring break, like me. Even though Leslie and I did completley different things and went to radically different places, we both possessed the skill of time management.

A week before Spring break, I knew that I was going to be going to Aspen, Colorado with my friend, Allison, who graciously invited me to go skiing with her family. I was nervous because I knew I was going to have very little time to spend with my family. I would be dropped off at my house in Houston on Friday the 12th and then would fly to Colorado with Allison the following Monday, only three days later. To keep myself from getting overwhelmed, I did some homework and even studied for a test I would have. It is good to do homework before going on trips because having the thoughts of homework in the back of one's mind can make one go crazy! Luckily I got my work done so that I could focus on having fun.

Skiing was a lot of fun with Allison, but it did not last forever. We were scheduled to fly home on Thursday at 4:30 PM. This made me nervous because I knew that the following day my friend Katherine, and I were going to drive to New Orleans to visit my friend Veronica at Tulane University. The drive is 6 hours long, so I knew I had to be well rested. Responsibly, I went to be early on Thursday, woke up at 7 on Friday, picked up Katherine at 8, and we headed our way over to New Orleans. By driving carefully and being well rested, we maintaind a positive mindset to visit one of our dearest friends.

When we got to New Orleans, Katherine and I were exhausted. We took a little nap before going on adventures with Veronica and her Tulane friends. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called Cannon's and then hung out with her friends at local clubs. It was a lot of fun to dance and get to know the people the Veronica was surrounded by.



(Veronica, Me, Katherine)

The next day we went on a picnic by the sea. We ate delicious pizza and took lots of silly pictures. After the picnic, we took a streetcar to the French Quarter and ate beignets at Cafe du Monde. I had a lovely time, but I was exhausted. We promptly took the streetcar back home.

The next morning Katherine and I woke up at 8 to leave New Orleans. We arrived in Houston at around 2:45 and I was picked up by a friend to drive back to Trinity at around 3:30. Although I had very little time to spend with my family, I found that I could keep myself from being overwhelmed by recognizing that organization is key.

Dorm Cleanliness

How many times can you remember your mother nagging you to clean your room? If you were one of the billions of children that were regularly nagged in regards to room cleanliness, then you probably greatly appreciated college for the freedom it provides for you, including freedom to clean the room whenever you want. Almost all of my friends have a serious problem with keeping their rooms clean, which I find quite grotesque. What many college students need to remember is that clean rooms are rooms that more people will want to hang out, positive environments and healthier.

The idea of having to keep a room clean can seem like a daunting task, even though it is actually quite easy. The Cleaning Service that Trinity University provides for their students only consists of vacuuming and bathroom cleaning. What students seem to forget is that your actual room should be clean too! It can be easy and fun if you take my advice:

1) Get our your computer and play your favorite music. The music will get you pumped and entertained while cleaning your room!

2) All you need are these materials:
One container of disinfectant wipes
One multipurpose cleaner
A roll of paper towels
A vacuum cleaner (your RM/RA should have one in his/her closet)

3) You can use disinfectant wipes to wipe down all areas in the bathroom such as the counter, the mirrors, the toilet seat and door knobs. The bathroom daily becomes steamy due to showers, creating a warm and wet environment for germs to incubate. Regularly cleaning these surfaces will kill germs that are probably incubating in your bathroom right now!

4) Use a multipurpose cleaner/spray to disinfect and dust objects in the room. It is important to do this because when dust accumulates in rooms, the inhabitant is much more likely to get allergies, which are incredibly uncomfortable. Places that accumulate dust are usually flat surfaces facing the ceiling, such as your desk or Television set. Dust these with the multipurpose cleaner and a paper towel.

5) Last but not least, the vacuum cleaner is important in keeping your carpet clean. People often track dirt and other nasty particles into a room without thinking about it, which accumulate over time. Make sure to vacuum all areas of the room, including the closet, to insure that your carpet is clean!

After completing all of these steps, you will be pleased to be living in a much cleaner study and sleep environment. More friends will probably come to your room and notice the cleanliness. Perhaps over time you will see changes in your sick spells, in that they will occur much less often than usual. After all, a clean room is a happy room!



http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3549663490/

Nobody Likes a Grump

As many people know, having to live with a suitemate can be challenging in that one has to become more accustomed to living habits, more specifically: sleeping habits. Leslie and I are very different people when it comes to sleeping. She likes to go to bed early and wake up early, while I like to go to bed late and wake up late. She's a morning person, and I can honestly say that I despise the morning. In fact, I despise waking up in the morning so much that I take out my grumpiness on Leslie. Becaues of my grumpiness, her feelings are often hurt, which is why it is important to have a meeting with one's suitemates/roommates on the subject of Morning Routines.

Because Leslie and I have radically different sleeping schedules and morning personalities, I felt it was important to sit down and talk to her about how we should interact in the mornings. This is a useful thing to do for anybody with a roommate and/or suitemate. Here are our morning rules:

1) If we are both in the bathroom early in the morning, we do not talk to each other. I have made this rule because 99.9% of the time when someone talks to me in the morning have an ugly attitude and hurt feelings. If she does not wish to have hurt feelings, she should not talk to me in the morning, plain and simple. If you are a grumpy morning person like me living with a chirping morning bird, this rule will probably do you some good.

2) Do not play music in the morning unless you have head phones. One morning I woke up and walked to the bathroom to start my morning routine when suddenly I heard some loud music coming from Leslie's room. When I first wake up, I do not like to hear loud noises, light or smiling faces. I have established this rule because the sound of music early in the morning triggors ultimate grumpiness, and I knew Leslie would be better off knowing that it is one of my biggest morning pet peeves.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/museemccordmuseum/3294656395/


3) Never ever come in my room to make sure I'm awake for class. I am not in grade school anymore, I do not need my mother coming in to rudely wake me up for school. If I miss class due to oversleeping, it is certainly always going to be my fault. Waking up and going to class on my own is a part of learning independence.

These three rules are critical to having a somewhat pleasant morning with me, and these rules also apply to the other "non-morning" people. When Leslie follows these morning rules, nobody's feelings get hurt, because nobody likes a grump!

Jazz Dance with Leslie

Every Tuesday and Thursday I've been taking Jazz dance classes with Leslie. She insisted that I take this class with her in order for us to be closer as well as get regular exercise. I was hesitant to take this course because I haven't taken any dance lessons since I was three, and I am not the most flexible person in the world, so of course, I was a little aprehensive! Also, I know Leslie has taken many years of dance, so I thought she would probably succeed in making me look more terrible at jazz dance than I already was. Luckily, Leslie is like a personal motivational speaker for me. She is full of great advice--including advice on becoming a better dancer.

STRETCHING

Before dancing it is always necessary to stretch. This is mandatory in order to prevent muscles from tearing, cramps, and increasing flexibility. The more flexible one is, the easier it is to perform certain moves and positions. Leslie tells me that instead of watching the television while laying on my bed and nearly falling asleep, to take the opportunity to sit on the carpet and stretch. A lot of people neglect stretching because it hurts a little bit and it can be boring. However, if I stretch while watching TV, my mind is distracted from the pain and I am able to do it better!


STRENGTH

Ever noticed how thin and muscular dancers are? This is because not only do they eat healthy food, but they make sure to strenghten their muscles. Here is a list of some exercises that really help in improving dance skills: Crunches, lunges, push upsand backwards push ups. The most important of these are the crunches and lunges. This is because jazz dancing primarly uses the leg muscles as well as the core, or abdominal muscles. Strengthening these muscles will ensure an easier time balancing, which many find to be quite challenging. For example, as a warm-up each class, we must stand on our tippy toes and do twirls and kicks. I have realized that the more I work out my leg and core muscles, the easier it is for me to do these moves.

An Introduction: Our Sisterhood

Last semester I started off living with two lovely girls, my roommate, Alli, and my suitemate, Leslie. Although Alli and I got along very well, we thought that living with a Resident Mentor (RM) put a damper on the "freedom" of our college living experience. After all, the RM's job is to make sure we stay quiet after eleven PM, not be seen walking around intoxicated, and to report us if we disobey any rules. This being said, it was nice to live with someone who could yell at the baseball boys at two in the morning for blasting their music outside or to report the creepy drunk kid wandering through the pathways. Having Leslie live with us was like having a mother who made sure her kids were kept in line and on their best behavior. Not only was it nice knowing she had such authority in the hall, but that she was an excellent Trinity Concierge. Leslie is a great resource for any questions us as confused freshmen may have. If I ever had a question about registering for classes or navigating the school, she was always there to help! Here is a picture of Leslie, Alli and I:

Despite the fact that Leslie is my RM, she is also somewhat of a big sister to me. After Alli moved back to her hometown and withdrew from Trinity, I've been spending a lot of time with someone who treats me like their little sister. She guides me through my school life and makes sure I am up for my classes. One of the things she has influenced me to do is to make sure I get enough sleep. Leslie's days are a lot busier than mine, so going to bed is a lot easier for her than it is for me. A trick I have learned to help me sleep is to never try to wind down by watching television or going on the computer. The lights of the devices cause the synapses in one's brain to keep you awake, and hence it is very difficult to wind down. Reading a book after washing up and laying in bed is a great way to signal to one's brain that it is time to wind down and to go to bed. Living with Leslie certainly has certainly influenced me to make good choices in order to live a healthier lifestyle.