Spring Fever

Happy Spring! As the weather warms up, wardrobes start to change. Sundresses, sandals and swimsuits become more than just distant memories from summers past, but start to make their way out of the closet and back onto your body once more as the temperature rises from Arctic to balmy.

But how do you deal with the awkward end of winter, beginning of spring time when the weather isn't quite warm enough for spring clothes but your winter clothes feel too blah? Here are some tips for working a springy look into your still-warm-for-winter wardrobe.

Focus on color
Color is a great way to work some spring into your outfits. Look for  warm sweaters, jeans and tops in the pastels and brights that you'd normally wear in your spring outfits. Even simple accessories like a bright statement necklace can transform a would-be-winter outfit into something that looks ready for the long warm days of spring. Look for shades of orange, neons and icy pastels — the hot new shades for the spring — to make your clothing pop.

Pastels are all the rage for this spring season.
Photo credit: www.thekissters.com

Scarves!
Scarves are fantastic for keeping you warm while still looking stylishly ready for spring. Since they come in a multitude of colors, patterns and sizes, you're sure to find a few that fit your style! Plus, they tend to be super cheap (and still good looking), especially at places like Target.

Scarves will keep you warm while still being stylish!
Photo Credit: www.initialoutfitters.com

Layers, layers, layers
The biggest problem with dressing for spring when it still feels like winter out is dressing for the varying temperatures. Layer tee shirts, sweaters and scarves on top, and top it all off with skinny jeans tucked into boots and you'll be ready for the day, even if it's 30 degrees in the morning and 70 in the afternoon. Cover it all off with a versatile military jacket like this one from J. Crew and you'll be the most fashionable girl at school.

Layers (like the sweater pictured above) will help you transition your clothes into spring!
Photo Credit: www.thesweetestoccassion.com

Use these tips and you'll be on your way to looking great yet weather appropriate in no time!

Reviews

I love to eat. I mean, who doesn't? My dad worked as a professional chef in restaurants and hotels when I was growing up, so from a very young age I knew a lot about the ups and downs of the restaurant world. Going out to dinner with him was like going out to dinner with our own personal food critic. He'd examine everything from the atmosphere to the service to the food itself, making comments to my brothers and I along the way.

Now, I have taken the expertise that I've picked up from him over the years and applied it to my own dining experiences.

Lately, I've been eating out a lot — thanks to those mid-semester blues that make every student crave a home-cooked meal instead of the same old cafeteria food — and so I've been trying out a whole bunch of different places around High Point. I'm always on the lookout for somewhere new to try with my friends, so I read a lot of restaurant reviews, both at school and at home, and then go out and make my own opinions.

Before I decide on a new place though, I am always sure to read at least a few reviews to make sure that I will have an enjoyable experience. Normally, I just type in "restaurants in High Point, N.C." (or whatever town I'm in) and then see what Google brings up. However, I've started to learn which sites are the best for restaurant reviews so I can go directly there, rather than trusting my friend Google to do all of the work for me.

My favorite site is Yelp. In the site, you can search by food type, location, or both. If one of the search suggestions sounds good to you, you can then click on the name to find information, menus, photos and you guessed it: reviews.

What I like about these reviews is that they're submitted by average people. Not a fancy New York Times writer that has been eating caviar since before he could say "fish eggs."

Every review has the option to say where the author is from, what they'd give it out of five stars, and how many other reviews they've given on the site. There is then an area where the reviewer can write out their experiences, both good and bad.

Though sometimes they're not the most well-written, the reviews are genuine. They are written mostly by locals the frequent the locations that they review, so the reader is able to say things with confidence because they have been to the restaurants enough to know the consistencies. They are also great for figuring out what to order once you get to the restaurant, because most reviewers are not hesitant to suggest their favorite menu items for others to try.

Though it is not full of typical reviews that one would find in a newspaper or other "credible" place, I think that Yelp has the most genuine reviews that you'll find. The writers aren't writing flowery, descriptive pieces that make you feel as if you were enjoying the meal with them. Instead, they are merely providing their own opinions and letting you decide whether or not you want to have the dining experience yourself. They aren't afraid to be harsh and completely truthful with their reviews, and because everything is published — unlike in a newspaper, which has limited space — you are able to see both the good and the bad.

Because of its ease of use and honest reviews, I will definitely continue to use Yelp for a long time to come when I'm looking for new places to eat.

30 Things to do on a College Snow Day

What's better than getting a snow day in elementary school? Getting one in college!

This week, North Carolina was hit with the crazy winter storm that's been sweeping the nation, and classes were canceled after 2:00 pm Wednesday, all day Thursday and all day Friday. 

High Point University students either bundled up and braved the icy snow mix or stayed cuddled up inside, but there's one thing that everyone could agree on: the unexpected four-day weekend was a happy surprise. 

If you're stranded from the storm and need some inspiration for things to do with your free time, check out this list of college snow day activities:

1. Grab anything that'll help you slide--trash bags, trash can lids, inflatable pool rafts and the like-- find the biggest hill you can find and go sledding!
2. If you're lucky enough to have a dorm room with an oven, bake cookies. 
3. If you don't have an oven, just eat the cookie dough raw (no one will tell mom!)
4. Actually catch up on all that reading you have to do for your literature class that you've been putting off all semester.
5. Host a movie marathon with your friends.
6. If there's enough snow on the ground, build a snowman!
7. Learn all the words to the "Frozen" soundtrack. Go outside, sing as loud as you can and see how many people join in.
8. Break out the nail polish, face masks and hair conditioner and treat yourself to a spa day.
9. Clean your room, your bathroom, your closet... Everything. Who says it needs to be spring to do some spring cleaning?
10. Do some of these at-home exercises to work off the copious amounts of food you'll inevitably eat while trapped inside. 
11. Mix food coloring and water in spray bottles and paint the snow!
12. Try to beat your high score in Flappy Bird.
13. Get frustrated and throw your phone across the room.
14. Organize your agenda.
15. Call your mom.
16. Make a new Spotify playlist.
17. Blast the playlist until your roommates beg you to stop.
18. Take a nap.
19. Cook dinner for your significant other. Homemade dinner? Check. Candles? Check. Snow falling softly outside? Check. Romance? Check. 
20. Spend all day in your favorite pajamas.
21. Use the snow to chill your favorite beverage.
22. Host a party and drink said chilled beverage.
23. Take up a new hobby. Painting? Knitting? Whatever seems to be calling your name!
24. Just watch the snow and think.
25. Wonder why you've never before realized just how beautiful snow is. 
26. Crank up the heat and pretend you're on a beach in Hawaii.
27. Realize it's still freezing outside.
28. Figure out how many days there are until summer break.
29. Make snow ice cream.
30. Build a blanket fort. Who says college students can't act like little kids every once in a while?

Happy snow day! 

Keep it in Perspective

Classes and clubs and a social life, oh my! College life can be a little overwhelming when you first get on campus as a freshman, but I'm feeling the pressure even as a junior.

One of the blessings that college has is that you are free to do any and every thing that you want. So you want to go to bed at 5 a.m.? Totally fine. Want to eat raw cookie dough for breakfast? Honestly, you haven't lived until you have. Going to the gym instead of doing homework? Mom isn't here to tell you no!

However, it is important to remember to balance everything. Going to bed super late is great until spend the whole next day walking around like a zombie, or worse, sleep through all of your classes. That cookie dough tastes great only the first time around, and your homework won't do itself, no matter how many pushups you do instead!

When I first came to school, I was stoked to become involved. I went to the activities fair and put my name on the email list for about two-thirds of the clubs I saw. You know that saying "Good grades, a social life, and enough sleep, in college you can only pick two"? Well, I didn't think that that applied to me.

Now though, I'm starting to see that while it's not 100 percent true, it does have some meaning to it. I am so glad that I am a part of everything that I am. I've been given some great opportunities, taken classes with amazing professors, and met some awesome people, but at some point, it is okay to say no.

It's taken me two and a half years to realize this, but nobody is perfect. No one can do everything. And that's fine.

College is a time to get a degree and learn skills that will help you in careers for the rest of your life, but it is also a time to learn about yourself. How to live, how to interact in adult relationships with other people, how to effectively manage your time... It's a lot, and it takes time to learn these skills.

Start by thinking about what is truly important to you. Life is short, and it's not worth your time to do things that will not better you as a person, or that you don't enjoy. As important as it is to be involved, your sanity and well-being are more important.

So take a deep breath, step back, and remember: it's okay to take a break every once in a while.

My Secret Mentor: Aimee Bender

Aimee Bender is not your average fiction writer. Often described as "surreal" or "bizarre," Bender's stories manage to captivate and disturb readers all at once. She is able to take the impossible to imagine and not only present the ideas in easy to understand and picture ways, but connect to the readers on a very personal level. Her use of metaphors and imagery make her writing flow in a calm yet effective manner.

Her short stories and novels all focus on plots that deal with the fantastical: a girl that can taste emotions, a boy with an iron for a head who is born into a family of pumpkin heads, and a boy with keys for fingers, to name a few.

I first read her novel "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" a few years ago, and I was instantly hooked not only on the weird and addicting plot, but also on Bender's beautifully written prose. She is able to describe emotions and human nature in clear and deeply detailed ways.

"I'd stopped waving to passengers in cars by then- I'd grown suspicious of people and all the complications of interior lives- so I sat and watched and rode and thought, and as soon as the bus doors opened, we all rolled out the door and split apart like billiard balls,” (Bender, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake).

Her down-to-earth yet fantastical prose is a versatile and intriguing model that every writer can learn from.

If you'd like to learn more about Aimee, you can visit her website here.

My Favorite Sites

The Huffington Post
This online news source contains a good mix of hard news, politics, and feature stories. Founded by Arianna Huffington in 2005, The HuffPost began as a blogging outlet but has since become a credible news source, with writer David Wood winning the site a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and international editions being published in Canada, Great Britain, France and Spain.

Thought Catalog
Thought Catalog is a digital magazine that was created in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2010. Anyone can submit pieces to be published, but they must be entertaining, journalistic and literary. According to the site, "the more worldviews and rhetorical styles on the site, the better. We want to tell all sides of the story."

The Daily Muse
A relatively new site, The Daily Muse was launched in September 2011. The site focuses mainly on career advice, and features job listings for those that are in search of a new job. It also features lifestyle articles on topics such as fashion and cooking,  and advice for management and workers in general.

CNN
The Cable News Network site is full of both hard news and feature stories focusing on the U.S. and international news. I am partial to the opinion pieces on this site, and I find them snappy and informative.

Pink & Black
As a staff writer for this site, I'm a little biased, but I thought that Pink & Black was a great site before I even applied to be a writer for them. Aimed at teenage to young-adult women, this site features advice, feature columns, and some news stories.