Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Google+ You = "Your Social Rebirth"

Have you ever logged onto Facebook and thought, "Who are you people and what have you done with my friends?" Me too! For some strange reason I have accumulated over 400 people that would consider themselves my "Friends", and all I ever see when I log on is them doing stuff without me. Because in truth -- we aren't really friends, we're "Facebook Friends".

Well, if you're tired of feeling this way, I think I may have found the solution....Google+! Google+ represents something of a Social Restart button. Instead of going through and slyly "de"-friending people (that honestly probably never was a friend in the first place), now you can just move onto to the fresh start and greener pastures that is Google+.

Not to mention Google+ has a simple and easy way to move people that aren't as close into a separate category called "Acquaintances". Because isn't that what 90% of Facebook friends are anyway......just Acquaintances.

So.....if your looking for a new Social Rebirth to go along with that degree your striving for,

Here's a invite link to get you started: https://plus.google.com/i/_IspoBj7YP4:nuJGxYj7G6k

P.S. - I know this kinda sounds like a commercial, but no one paid me or told me to say this. Facebook has just been making me mad lately.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Buff up Your Back-to-School Body

The Real College Guide: Health & Fitness

From the Editors of The Real College Guide


photo credit: ©iStockphoto.com/huaxiadragon

If you’ve spent your summer break lying by the pool -- instead of swimming laps in it -- chances are you’ve lost some of your all-star collegiate athlete muscle. Want to buff up your back-to-school bod? Meghan Hamacher, exercise instructor at the student recreation center at University of North Carolina Wilmington, stresses that you need both cardiovascular and strength training to really maximize body toning and fat burn.

“If you increase your muscle, you will increase your metabolism and maximize your fat-burning potential,” says Hamacher. So while cardio exercises are great for shedding fat, a muscular person burns more calories during rest than does a flabby person. “Ideally, you should work out at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, to lose weight and tone quickly.” For cardio, Hamacher says good choices are biking, swimming, running, skating or even walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes. Below are her instructions for strength-training exercises, along with a recommended fitness routine.

Exercises to Get Buff Now
If you’re a beginner or pretty much have been idle all summer, start by doing half the recommended repetitions the first week before gradually easing your way up to the suggested amount of reps. For maximum toning, the courageous can try working up to doing each day’s circuit twice.

V-ups: Lie on your back on the floor, arms at your sides, then lift your legs and chest at the same time to form a V shape with your body, extending arms in front of you for balance. Hold for a count of one before lowering yourself back to the floor. To make it harder, only lower your legs and chest about halfway (so your feet and shoulders never touch the floor). This will really challenge your legs and abs! Try four sets of 15 reps.

Monday, September 19, 2011

DKNY Queen Bed Set Giveaway -- $199 Value


So, you've finally got settled in your new dorm/apartment. Everything feels like it's where it needs to be, except for those hideous hand-me-down bed sheets your mother gave you (probably from when she was in college).You want to buy some new sheets, but you just don't have the money. Well, today is your lucky day.....

I have a brand new Queen-Size DKNY Scribble Bed Set (pictured above) to give away to one lucky reader. Here's what DKNY has to say about this set...
Artsy with a feminine twist, DKNY Scribble Daisy is perfect for the DKNY girl with a creative mind. Covered in fun doodled flowers with a pop of hot pink, this collection bursts with a sense of imagination that is sure to inspire.
So -- you want it? Well it couldn't be simpler to enter for your chance to win (not to mention free). I'm using this great new service called rafflecopter (located at the bottom of this post), which makes the winner completely random and takes care of the entry processes.

There are fours ways you can enter (one of which you can do once a day).

Each option gives you a different amount of entries into the contest, so pay attention......

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

9 Tips to Survive Dorm Life

The Dorm Room

Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California's online Masters in teaching program, which provides the opportunity to earn a Master’s degree and learn how to become a teacher. Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, reading and Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

Going off to college presents many new challenges students may have never faced before, but one of the most daunting is living on your own, away from home and, for most freshmen, in a college dorm. Coming from a tight-knit east coast family I was both excited and anxious when I received my roommate information via mail – she was from Beverly Hills, CA and yes, her zip code was 90210! These tips will help make living in a dorm a positive experience.

1. Explore your dorm early
When you get to campus, take some time in the first few days to familiarize yourself with your dorm. Find out where the laundry machines are, where the lounges and study spaces are and what they offer, and of course, where the closest bathroom to your room is. Knowing what’s available near you will be important when you feel like you need to...

2. Get out!
Living in a small dorm room can make anyone feel claustrophobic pretty quickly. It pays to get out of your room and go study or hang out elsewhere. It’s more than just a change of scene, you will meet more people this way.

3. Organize your room early
It can be tempting to put off setting up your room at the beginning of the year when it seems like so much is going on, but it only gets busier. Take the time to set up your room, making it organized and clean so at least you know it can be. Consider bunking or lofting your beds to make create more space, and find ways to pack away winter clothes and other things you don’t need under your bed or in a closet.

4. Give your room some personality
Just because your one room double is only slightly larger than some closets doesn’t mean it has to be depressing. Get creative with decorations. Put up posters and pictures of friends, hang your track medals from high school or put up Christmas lights. The sooner you make your room your own with fun decorations, the more you will enjoy living there.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Are You Creative? -- Adobe Imagination Challenge


If you know me, then you know how much I love using Adobe Products. All of the logos, banners and even the paper background on this website were all created from scratch within Photoshop. Along with that, I also have this guilty pleasure of using Premiere Pro and After Effects to make little "pump-up" videos for my ECU Pirates (as seen below) -- don't judge me.

So naturally, when I heard that Adobe was putting on a contest that involved their products, college students and money -- I was instantly interested. From August 22nd through October 30th, Adobe is having a contest where students (like yourself) can create something using their suite of software's in order to win one of four $10000 cash prizes. You heard me right -- 10000 big ones!!

Now, unlike my poorly put together football video below, the content you create must be completely original (and actually interesting). It doesn't have to be a video -- it can be any digital creation of your choosing, as long as it was made using one (if not several) of Adobe's Suite of software's.

I know - I know...