Month: May 2013 (page 2 of 2)

It’s that time of year

The end of the school year is approaching. For some, it’s in little more than a week. For others, it’s not till May 25, graduation day. For me, it’s May 21 (a day that also happens to be my birthday).

As always, I have mixed feeling about this. On the one hand, it will be nice to not have to worry about doing school work or going to classes. Plus, it’ll be nice to get home-cooked meals every night and to have the luxury of being at home with my family.

Of course, it isn’t all good. I will miss seeing my friends, whom I won’t get to spend time with for another three months. I will miss Main Street, with its many eateries and stores. And above all, I’ll miss the freedom of college, of being able to do what I want and be on my own. That independence is thrilling, albeit occasionally tiring and frightening.

I’m a junior, soon to be a senior, and ever since my freshman year came to an end, I’ve been both apprehensive and excited about summer. College is great but so is being home. More importantly, it’s a pretty big transition going from living on your time schedule and spending every day with your friends to being home, with your parents and siblings telling you what to do.

How should you handle this? (This is particularly applicable if you’re a freshman.) Well, just take time to adjust. Know it won’t be overnight, just as coming to college probably wasn’t super easy. In some respects, being home for summer is just like being in high school again.

There’s not much I can tell you, really. Being home isn’t necessarily easy. But it’s not like you’ve never spent time there before. And of course, there are a lot of positives. Sometimes you just need time to rest and not worry about classes, to be around family, to enjoy your own bed.

And remember: summer always goes fast. In a few months you’ll be back at Delaware.

Man, I’m glad I’m not graduating yet.

~Matt Bittle

VLUU L200  / Samsung L200

How-to find the perfect Mother’s Day Gift

If you’re anything like me, you still haven’t gotten your mom a gift for her (secretly) favorite holiday. Every year, I struggle with what to get my mom for Mother’s Day. When I was little, it was cute to make a homemade card in the shape of a heart with a few stick figures on it. Today…not so much. What is there left to get mom for Mother’s Day after years of makeshift cards, flowers and body products? Here are few tips for little things that will be greatly appreciated by your mom this year.

mothers-day-gifts

  1.  Cook her favorite meal. Surprise your mom with her favorite dinner and she will appreciate the fact that not only does she not have to make dinner for the night, but that you thought of something pretty far in advance. This of course, is only possible the night of if you live close enough that you can go home for Mother’s Day, but you can surprise her at any time with a home cooked meal. I know my mom asked for me to make her a cake for her birthday this year, so my grandmom and I are working together to make something delectable. What they say is true, food is the way to the heart.
  2. Choose an activity to do together. What I’m planning on doing for my mom this year (hopefully she’s not reading this) is to choose a class that we can take together, something at Joanne Fabrics or Michael’s. This allows for optimal bonding time with my mom, gives us a reason to go out for a day and also something special that we can share. My mom loves to bake, so a cake decorating class would be perfect for her, and something we could do together in the future. Another personal favorite is a spa day. Mom always deserves a day off and a nice deep tissue massage.
  3. Chic homemade presents. If you’re tight on cash and can’t afford lobster (my mom’s personal favorite) or some classes, it is TOTALLY okay to go with a homemade presents. They show thought and time spent. However, you might have a bit more artistic skill (or you might not) than you did when you were six. Here are some ideas from Martha Stewart (http://www.marthastewart.com/275133/handmade-gifts-for-mothers-day/@center/307033/spring-holidays#899369)  that are simple yet chic for that perfect inexpensive, homemade Mother’s Day gift. They include a homemade notebook to a movie night with Mom.

What are some of your creative ideas for Mother’s Day?

~Chelsey Rodowicz

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As You Like It

Of the faint slivers of free time I do somehow manage to find (see last week’s post), one of the organisations on campus with which I most like to spend them is E-52, one of UD’s two active student theatre groups. Since my first semester on campus, I have acted in a show per semester with this fantastic group of thespians, so I can tell you from experience that the slogan is true: we do put the ‘heat’ in ‘theatre.’ E-52’s passion for theatre and dedication to delivering incredible performances makes working with the troupe both exhilarating and rewarding.

Today, May 3, E-52 will be opening our final show of the year, which is William Shakespeare’s charming comedy As You Like It, directed by Brad Michalakis. The show follows the “pretty youth” Rosalind (or Ganymede, depending on who you ask) as she and her cousin beat a hasty retreat from angry Duke Frederick’s kingdom, to seek out Rosalind’s father, the banished Duke Senior, in the Forest of Arden. Also banished and traveling in their wake is love-struck Orlando, who is desperately seeking his Rosalind along his journey.

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I have the immense honour of playing “the melancholy Jaques” (that’s jay-kweez), who leaves the court with Duke Senior when he is banished. Jaques thinks herself the smartest of the forest-dwellers, and she takes pleasure in mocking just about anyone she comes across. Playing the sarcastic know-it-all has been a blast, and I’ve particularly loved working on the dynamics between Jaques and the other characters with whom she interacts. Personally, I think if Jaques were around today, she’d be the quietly smug hipster-vegetarian sitting in the back of the class and muttering under her breath.

Jaques is also the character who gives the incredibly famous “All the world’s a stage” speech, which, I have to admit, has been a challenge to learn and deliver effectively. Most people don’t realise how sad the speech is; without giving too much of how I plan to perform it away, I will say that it has to do with “going through the motions” of life, rather than the openness and hope that first line seems to indicate when read out of context. This speech alone has been an adventure in and of itself, and I’m so honoured to be able to perform it in this production.

A particularly fun twist to the performance is that it’s going to be taking place outside on South Green. Since the Globe didn’t actually have a roof, this is one step closer to what “real” Shakespeare would have been like. We hope you’ll bring blankets and lawn chairs, and come soak up some sun and Shakespeare.

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As You Like It will be performed on South Green on May 3 and May 10 at 6p.m., and May 4 and May 11 at 3p.m.

~Claire Davanzo

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Happy Hunger Games! (Or Finals Season)

It’s the time of the year again! With just about two more weeks of classes, finals are quickly approaching. Unfortunately.  But, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that after all the stress and anxiety summer will be here, (Insert High School Musical 2 reference here)!

However, there is still much to be done before we can all go our separate ways and leave Newark behind for three months.  If you are like me, you still have plenty of work still left to do.  For some reason though, I am finding it so hard to concentrate on studying these past few days (senioritis a little early?).  Maybe it’s because my friends at other schools are posting on social media how they are done already.  Or maybe it’s because the weather is getting somewhat decent.  No matter the reason, with finals coming fast, I have been in dire need of some new places to study.

So, as I was walking around campus the past few days, I made sure to keep an eye out for a new, maybe abstract place I can call my new study spot, especially now that it’s nice enough to sit outside.  And, being as I am a super considerate person, I will divulge a few of my favorites:

1.     Old College Benches- I don’t know why, but Old College is one of my favorite places to go because it seems so calm all of the time.  Even though it is right on Main Street, once I pass through the brick entrance, I feel a sense of quietness that really helps me to focus and study.  Plus, the beautiful scenery makes for an excellent photo-op to Instagram!

Old College

photo from MarieClaire.com

2.     Umbrella Areas- Outside Trabant, Perkins and the Library, there are tables with umbrellas that provide the perfect outside study space.  Not only do you have an entire table where you can spread out all of your materials, but the umbrella also provides the perfect amount of shade so you can use your laptop and not have to worry about the annoying glare from the sun on your screen.

3.     Third Floor of the Library- Before this semester, I was afraid of going above the second level of the library in fear I would somehow be too loud.  However, my roommate Allie swears by it. So, I joined her one day and fell in love. I get so much work done when I go there. It’s the perfect place to go when you just want quiet and no one to bother you.  Plus, the library is pretty much a freezer, which is always very much appreciated now that the temperatures are higher outside and consequently in residence halls like Russell.

While I will not give away my number one favorite spot to study, I hope you enjoy these gems!  What are some of your favorite study spots on campus? Take advantage of them these last few weeks, and hopefully they help you get that extra push and end the semester on a high note!

Good luck on finals, Blue Hens! And may the odds be ever in our favor!

~Hannah Tattersall

hannahtattblog

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