Tag Archives: college
The Top Nine Hangover Solutions That All University Students Should Know

The Top Nine Hangover Solutions That All University Students Should Know

09. Mar, 2010 7 Comments

Initially going to wait until Friday to post this, but I realized that there are some university students who think the weekend begins on Wednesday (and lets face it, if you are a university student you can justify drinking any night of the week)! So here it is, ladies and gentlemen and avid drinkers alike! My hangover guide!!!!!

To begin with I need to explain the three different types of hangovers:

Level 1: throbbing headache either at the base of your skull or pounding just behind your eyes. Although this is really uncomfortable most people who have this hangover can function throughout the day (though it should be noted noises get louder and lights get brighter). I also like to call this the wine hangover (as this is how I get after drinking red wine).

Level 2: Nausea and intense head ache, vertigo, waves of selective amnesia about the previous night, inability to function at normal or half-par levels. This hangover results from drinking excessively only taking a couple of sips of water, NOT having carb laden foods and not taking anything like Tylonel or Advil before you hit the hay. **Note you will be exhausted because you have most likely passed out, this is NOT sleep and therefore you have a legitimate excuse to bitch, whine and complain all day about your poor, hung over body.

Level 3: Think migraine, your vision is blurred, your stomach is turning inside out, and the toilet seems to be your new best friend. Sadly when you are this hung over you are most likely going to realize that you do, in fact, really need to get onto cleaning your toilet and you can’t understand how you let it go so long…. STOP do not go there, that train of thought will guarantee to set you off up-chucking again. Your body will ache from head to toe (those muscles in your stomach get a really good work out though) and you will think you are dying… you are not, but it certainly feels close doesn’t it?

So now that you are all aware of the types of hangovers (and that they are no means set in stone) here are the top 9 ways to get rid of a hangover:

1. WATER! It’s not hard people, hangovers = your body dehydrated, so stop being stupid and drink some water BEFORE you go to bed. Not only can this minimize the morning effects but you just wont feel so gross.

2. Greasy foods: this is for the level two and three hangovers. If you get greasy foods into you it will help settle the nausea. But please, once again, do not be stupid! If you are having trouble sitting upright, splurge and get delivery on that pizza. Also take tiny little bites initially if you still are having trouble with your stomach.

3. Exercise!!!! My personal favourite. If your hangover is mild (level one or early stages level two) go for a jog, go for a bike (and if you are in Sackville take advantage of the WONDERFUL weather we appear to be having). Take a walk outside making sure to stay hydrated by drinking water, but at the same time getting your heart rate up. This will release endorphins making your headache go away and giving you a light fluffy feeling of satisfaction of working off all the booze from the night before.

4. Sex, yes sex. Sex does the same thing as exercise (plus the exercise part)! **NOTE** I am not endorsing going out and finding someone to sleep with you. I am just happening to say that if you are with somebody you are sleeping with or your one night stand stayed over, take advantage. Besides, trying something new sexually never hurt anybody… well depending on what exactly but moving on….

5. Indulge yourself, stay in bed with a good book or a movie… allow your body to rest and recover. As much as I dislike being told that time is the only way to make hangovers better, time will allow your body to recuperate even if your head is not feeling right.

6. DO NOT EAT CHOCOLATE. Hangovers are exactly like migraines, chocolate only makes head aches and migraines worse, your body doesn’t need that.

7. Now that your body is hydrated from all that water get your elctrolites back by drinking a sugary drink. My mum usually recommends Pepsi or something.

8. This is strictly for level 3 hangover; perscription migraine medication or “triptans”. (These can include zomig, imitrex, etc) although these drugs are used exclusively to treat migraines they do take hangovers away. **DISCLAIMER** this is obviously off-label use and I really do not endorse this particular method, but if you truly feel it is justified there is no way I can stop you.

9. The best thing known to university student-kind. GRAVOL. Takes away nausea and dizziness. You can sleep off your hangover.

I hope this helps even a little bit, stay tuned in for my next blog on the “Top Ten Ways to Please Your Man”… oh no… wait… that’s Cosmo…

Campus Life
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Where’s the Restart Button?

Where’s the Restart Button?

07. Mar, 2010 5 Comments

Throughout my life I’ve wondered many things (my brain never stops thinking), but one of the most prominent things that pops up is, “What if we had our own restart button.” Now I know you may think I sound nuts, but I’ve analyzed this frequently (to the fact that I wished that the button would be our belly button!), and have come to some interesting conclusions.

I am sure none of us students can disagree with the fact that, at some point in our lives, we wished we go back to the beginning of something and start over. This could be pertaining to the relationship that you recently found out would end; the paths you didn’t take in terms of education or work experience; or even those times when you wish you could go back to Friday, and maybe, just maybe, get some work done throughout the weekend this time.

Sometimes though, I know, the whole aspect of starting over scares us.

As I write this blog I frequently delete words here and there. But I don’t start over. I merely push CTRL and Z on my keyboard (or Edit -> Undo), and simply undo and get back on track. Could life function that way? Could I magically now hit my bellybutton (much like those two buttons on my keyboard) and get back on the path I am supposed to be on?

The unfortunate thing is that I realize we can’t go back to the beginning of our lives and relive our obsessions with Barbie and Tonka trucks… but wouldn’t that make life so much simpler? I’ve found out the hard way that skinned knees are a lot easier to heal than broken hearts. I still don’t know what I was thinking when I was 13, claiming that I could not wait to get older and have more responsibility.

I just feel that life doesn’t prepare you for the many paths out there. I feel that you only find out about the shortcut after you climbed 62,532 stairs, swam 24353 kilometers, and hiked 3,200 mountains. I did not know that there were other paths to education (guidance counselor gave me two options… Arts or Science) nor did I realize that there was other ways of getting to my final destination (what that is… I still don’t know).

So with that in mind, I shall continue to think about my “restart” button and my “undo” button… and finally realize why Staples’ Easy button may just be the way to go…

Campus Life, Culture Cafe
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How To Save $5000 in College / My Hatred of Reading & Love for Writing.

How To Save $5000 in College / My Hatred of Reading & Love for Writing.

20. Jan, 2010 2 Comments

It’s a marvel that I’ve even gotten myself into writing. 

I truly enjoy creating stories in the written format, especially in blogs.  Writing whatever I want, without having to adhere to providing “research”, or “structure” in addition to other guidelines imposed by a professor is a phenomenal feeling.  After all these years, I can finally use all the slang, jargon, fragments, run-on sentences, and general Format Guide rule-breaking I want.  Peer proof-readers can go fly a kite; I edit my own stuff now.  No more shall my writing have its content value be equal to its formatting correctness, and have my grade be brought down because I couldn’t follow simple directions outlined in a readily available and accessible guide a professor had their T.A. mark my paper, and look for formatting errors above substance.  No more shall my writing see red pen ink rival the amount of black printer ink on my papers (If one of my old prof’s gets cheeky and prints a copy of this, marks it up with red pen, and sends it to me, remember, I likely know where you live, if you’re still teaching at the same school).

I only ever had one teacher ever think I was anything above average at writing.  My 9th grade English teacher, Mrs. Thompson, at Mount Boucherie Secondary School, gave me the only English award and English “A” that I ever received in my entire secondary and post-secondary career.  So in the unlikely event that she’s reading this, thanks for believing in me, Mrs. Thompson.  I have always, really, appreciated that.

So, all that to say, me in writing is amazing, mostly because I hate hate HATE writing’s necessary and evil equivalent: reading.  Oh, how I loathe thee, reading.   

A writer requires other people to read what he’s written, so it’s an interesting paradox that my labour beckons the very enemy I’ve fought to resist; only now it comes from a mass audience (more than 2 people could be called a mass, right?).  It’s not that I’m no good at reading; my cognitive system is capable of decoding symbols for the intention of deriving and/or constructing meaning just fine.  Silent or aloud reading; no problem.  I just don’t find it fun.  I have no idea how a people can pick up fictitious stories, involve themselves on an emotional level over a lengthy amount of time, and then repeat the process upon completion.  Isn’t that exactly what you do when you watch a TV show or movie, only in a fraction of the time?  Oooo, I had to create the images in my mind instead of seeing them with my eyes on a screen…big deal.  I can watch TV faster than you can read books, any day.  In the age of convenience and info-on-demand, getting the exact same information quickly (TV) rather than slowly (books), is a no-brainer.   If I want to stimulate my imagination, I’ll draw a picture.  Isn’t your imagination’s engagement from books only limited to the author’s vague and open-ended descriptions anyways?  I really feel there’s better ways to get that part of your brain going, if that’s that side of  the argument is for.   If I’m going to read anything, it’s going to be something not made-up (non-fiction).  A good autobiography by someone I like usually works (see: Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Wayne Gretzky, etc), or else something tangible like astronomy, history, or current events will arouse my interest. 

School never helped either.  When you don’t enjoy reading to begin with, being forced to read with the threat of assignment failure if you don’t, is probably the worst thing a non-reader could encounter.  Reading became work, and work isn’t fun.   Once you’ve had to develop the ability to “skim”, you know you’re too far gone.  If you have to skim a book for information, that automatically means the 95% of the book you did not draw information from belongs straight in the trash, does it not?   Obnoxiously large textbooks, research, citing sources, and extended visits to the libra…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The other problem with forced, educational reading is the absurd prices they make you pay to obtain the books that you are required to derive information from.  My first encounter with this screw-job was at Okanagan University College in Kelowna, BC, while enrolled in the Fine Arts program. 

I had to take a course called “Visual Forum”, that required me to purchase a 2-inch thick, $200 textbook (that’s $100 per inch, for you math students).  “Well, they said I need it, right?” said the naive freshman that I was, after freshly receiving my parents’ hard-saved college tuition money that was supporting my first year. 

A semester later, I swear to you, I passed the class without doing anymore than removing the plastic covering from that book.  I went to return the squandered capital to the bookstore, who denied me and sent me to the used bookstore, who then told me they would consign the book at around a ¼ of my original purchase price.  Upon haggling with the same story I just told you, I found there was no way I was getting that $200 back.  I put that book up for consignment, and to this day, have not seen the money for it.  Reading was dead to me.  I told myself, “Never again.”

The continuance of my post-secondary education was dependant on student loans.  Though some people like to believe their loans being deposited in their bank account is somehow the equivalent of winning the lottery, I was well aware that I would have to repay every dime eventually (National Student Loans likes to remind me of this every month now).  So my college years carved some financial responsibility out of me.  As you’re now aware of my personal vendetta against costly required/unnecessary reading material, textbooks were first on my chopping block.  I vowed never to let the man put the screws to me again, and in 4 years of college, I never spent another dime on a textbook.  Seriously.

 Many people amass a bookshelf’s worth of textbooks after their college days.  Such a display usually at least creates the illusion that you had or currently have some level of intelligence.  My bookshelf is nearly bare; beyond the elementary school book-fair books that my parents bought for me that are still as unread as they were 20 years ago.  Make your own jokes, but read the rest of this post, and then tell me who’s smarter out of 2 people with the same degree;  the one with or without a pile of books collecting dust on a shelf that he’ll never read or use ever again? So if you share some of the same sentiments that I do, you may want to pay attention to the next few things.  Here’s how I did it:

1)      Some people aren’t that great in social interactions, which is fine.  But if you have the necessary social skills that are required to make friends with other humanoids, then you’ll likely be able to do so with some fellow students who have already taken the classes you are enrolled in, and be able to borrow their old textbooks, as they’ve probably found them to be quite useless outside of the class.  Just don’t be-friend people only on this basis, most people find this to be “shallow”.

2)      This is by far the payload of advice on this topic, so if you pay attention to only one thing in this whole post, let this be it.  To thwart your enemy, sometimes you have to march right through the gates of hell, and enter the dwelling place of the beast itself.  That’s right, you’re going to have to go to the library.  As soon as you get your Course Outline, find your required texts, and take that list to your school’s book repository.  You’re likely going to find every single one of those books on file.  As long as you have a library card, and don’t have outstanding fines, simply sign out every book you need for the term.  If something’s not available, reserve it, and hold out until it comes back in (now that I’ve made this information public, you may want to hurry, as others may have caught on before you).  Once you get the books, keep renewing them all semester.  You’re home-free.  It’s a proven, effective, corner-cutting method.  You’re welcome.  “Genius” comments are welcome at the bottom of this post. 

So there you have it, a tale of woe that comes full circle and presents you with invaluable information.  Learn from my mistakes.  Use this information to stick the screws right back to the people holding the drill.  Take away some lessons from your college experience that have nothing to do with the classroom, besides where you can buy the cheapest ramen noodles.

read more of Dave at Serenity Now… The SDC Blogs http://davecunning.wordpress.com

Campus Life, Student Living
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Celebrity Grads

Celebrity Grads

10. Jan, 2010 2 Comments

I have so much more respect for celebrities that are going to University or College. It just proves that they actually care about their education and not just on their star-studded career. In my opinion, it definitely makes them seem more down to earth because they want to go back and get their education the right way. Most celebrities usually have a tutor with them on set or if they are a musician on the road with them. To me, this shows yeah they just want to graduate high school and then continue living the American dream.

An article I was reading about Harry Potter star Emma Watson going to Brown University inspired me to write this post.

“I really want anonymity. I want to do [the college experience] properly, like everyone else. As long as I don’t walk in and see, like, Harry Potter posters everywhere, I’ll be fine.”

Note to self: If Emma Watson ever becomes my college roommate, tear down all Harry Potter movie posters.

However, I greatly admire her for this. I think it’s really great that she’s concerned about her education and not just about being rich and famous.

Other famous stars have attended and graduated from University or College including:

Natalie Portman – Harvard University, Psychology

Julia Stiles – Columbia University, English

Alex Trebek- University of Ottawa, Philosophy

Tim Allen- Western Michigan University, degree in Television Production

Denzel Washington – Fordham University, Journalism

Conan O’Brien -Harvard grad in history and American literature.

Eva Longoria Parker- Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kinesiology 

Will Ferrell- University of Southern California, Sport Broadcasting  

Maggie Gyllenhaal- Columbia University, Eastern Religions and literature

Gene Simmons- Richmond College, B.A. in education and four languages- English, German, Hungarian and Hebrew. 

Andy Samberg – New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, B.F.A

So not only are celebrities rich and famous, some actually have degrees behind their belts. This makes them seem more normal. So next time you’re watching a movie or television and see one of these celebrities on the screen think about how they too had to cram for exams.

Celebrity, Pop Culture
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