Preseason

This is my view while crossing over the river that separates our college campus from the athletic campus--a bridge I cross almost daily as part of my daily work up for practice 

For fall athletes, such as myself, summer always ends early, and we embark on a very special time of year...preseason. Kicking it off with fitness testing, two-a-day practice schedules, pre-game meals, scrimmages, practices, and ice tubs to recover, preseason before everyone arrives on campus is something that only a portion of college athletes get to experience. While not always fun, it's a time before all the trials of classes and dorm life can interfere with your performance. The number one objective? Do work. Whether it's learning plays, conditioning, or just flat out putting it all into your sport for these two weeks of the year, it's nice to be able to drop absolutely everything else in your life for your team--and that's an opportunity that doesn't come around too often!

Places: Beach Vacation

There's something to be said for finding one of those rare places left that has character. My family has been going to the same beach since the 1980's and it's one of the only places I know of untouched by Starbucks and shopping plazas, boardwalks and fast food chains. Well, to be fair, they do have one McDonalds, but that's been there as long as the island so I consider that particular set of golden arches part of the island's charm.

It's called Chincoteague Island, VA. In the small, mostly retired, town is a feeling of what my dad calls "unpretentiousness" which is really refreshing. It makes no attempts at flash or flair, much like it's laid-back citizens. In fact, it wallows in it's genuine antique feel. It's crafty and quaint without having to try, and just a conversation with anyone hanging around a dock will give you a little insight into the ups and downs a beach town like this will have over the years between recessions, dry spells, and hurricanes. Nevertheless, it keeps coming back in a refreshing blend of old favorites and new additions to the island. 

Our favorite things to return to, besides the beach, are the small mom and pop places to nosh on some great old-fashioned ice cream and gourmet sandwiches. Restaurants here tend towards diner style toward the beach and mix in some higher end seafood options farther inland. The beach itself is actually located inside the Assateague Wildlife refuge, known for it's wild pony population that sometimes gets spotted roaming the beaches on hot days. The refuge keeps the beachfront free of the boardwalk atmosphere and gives this place a natural feeling that colors the whole town as a place that--while it might be taken over by Mother Nature someday--will not bend to this century's corporate interests. 

Thinking about indulgence

I've recently been doing some thinking about the way I use sweets. I say "use" because I'm convinced that the way we think about indulgence as associated with being "naughty" or breaking "diet rules" is inherently part of a cultural discourse of about "fat" and "skinny" more than about our actual bodies. 

I'm definitely part of this "we." I count calories, pay attention to nutrition facts. I feel bad when I eat ice cream or go out for a big burger. But what I've notice and what frustrates me is, as a person who is fit and doesn't need to necessarily watch my weight right now, the bombardment of health consciousness that we find in the news, magazines, and television nevertheless makes me feel bad about indulging. And I think this is having a bit of a backfire effect.

When I flip through my Pinterest or look at a menu, I can't help but get that giddy feeling when I see something so decadent, so indulgent that part of me genuinely thinks I could never have it. The part of me that enjoys fitness magazines and diet tip blogs and gets jealous of models--that part is saying "I'm not the kind of person that could even enjoy a thing like that!" But i know that's probably not true. The more realistic thing to say is "You might feels so guilty about that that it's not going to be worth it..." But when confronted with a pint of Ben & Jerry's, or a tub or nutella, it's hard not to feel oh, so good about being oh sooo bad. I call it the "forbidden fruit" phenom. All this thought about NOT eating stuff has made us that much more fascinated with it. Food fantasy, food porn...there's a lot of metaphors to get after the "fat foodie" culture we've developed, but I've tried to break it down a little more whollistically. 

1) The Foodie personality: the unabashed food lover who probably blogs, photographs, and likes to refer to eating as an "experience". Food is glamorous, critiqued, and a source of daily excitement. Thing about foodies is that they are rarely fatties...and those that post the most fantastic cupcakes and luscious pies tend to be reasonably thin. These people seem to be practitioners of the so-called French philosophy--that if you take time to enjoy your food then it doesn't matter so much what you eat because you'll naturally eat less, of stop at your natural satisfaction point and stay at a healthy weight. Food obsession turned diet trick...sounds like the best of both worlds? 

2) The Cheat Sheet-er: the offshoot of the Foodie that recognizes food is not always glitz and glam. Kitchens are messy, frozen foods beckon, take-out runs rampant...the food jungle is a dangerous place indeed! These people find ways to tackle cravings by substituting dairy froyo with a mashed frozen banana and cocoa powder mixture (ehem...look at that "zucchini ravioli"). They substitute baked zucchini and sweet potatoes for potato chips and french fries. They turn gourmet into everyday and take ravishing instagram photos of their creations to make us think we can do it too! Which, perhaps we can, or at least take a page from their books (blogs, more likely). The problem with cheat sheeting, though, is that you still can't forget that what you're doing is making alterations, adjustments, and substitutions to satisfy a craving for something you've decided you shouldn't have (and which would, honestly, be easier to make or buy). This is an integral part of the culture of abstaining from fattiness (different from fat abstinence because, as magazines can tell you, some fat is actually healthy). It's part of the narrative of not being a fat personality that makes this type of lifestyle seem so attractive. 

3) The Diet Blogger: the ones who have reformed or are trying to reform their fattiness...sounds harsh, but it's true. Social dieting is a powerful type of motivating tool to help people stay connected with their goals when it comes to health. But, these often include individuals who speak from their own experience only and relatively few actual credentials. Nevertheless, you have to applaude people's efforts to put themselves out there and make a life change. So where did we end up? From all of this I've decided to design my own diet philosophy that combines a bit of everything... See Phoodosophy

Phoodosophy

Main idea: identify what you really want and find a way to incorporate it into healthy meal plans.

Sounds...like it's been done? I don't really care. Like the ambitious diet bloggers, I'm going to go right ahead and share.

I start by breaking the week down into weekdays and weekends--because the change in schedule, workouts, and social situations often varies drastically and it would be unwise to ignore that when making a diet plan.

Weekdays

As an athlete, these tend to be my practice days--which means four fairly intense practices and one less intense day. Because of this, I need to do a good job incorporating mixtures of carbs, lean protein, and fruits & veggies...sound familiar? That's what I'm good at--knowing what I need. What I'm bad at? Knowing how much to eat and not forbidding myself indulgences that ultimately catch up with me.

Plan: eat an average of 1800 calories a day--more on hard training days and less on others. Plan ahead of time so that calories are spread between three core meals: breakfast (350-400 cals), lunch (450-550 cals), dinner (500-550 cals). That leaves approximately 300 flexible calories for throughout the day.

Indulge: for every week, identify one indulgent food and one indulgent activity to be used whenever I want during that time frame! That way, if I'm feeling like all I want is to scratch that "being bad" itch, I can start to identify if it's something that comes from a food craving or from just a desire for that bit of excitement.

Weekends:
These tend to be my competition days, when nutritional consciousness is most important! The night before competition, I like to eat a larger dinner (600-650 cals) with plenty of protein and avoid snacking until it's time for a pre-game breakfast (350-400 cals). An hr before game time, I'll have a pre-game snack (100-150 cals). Post-game, refueling is important, so complex carbs and protein are go-tos (500-600 cals). Then, a late dinner (500 cals) will keep me going until the next day.

Problem areas: the post-game meal is generally a family & friend fueled affair filled with snack platters, sandwiches, past, and dessert--which kicks in the "little bit of everything" habit that turns into "a lot of everything." To avoid this, I'm going to limit myself to two shifts at the dessert table and increase my fluid intake during tailgates. Plate number one is dedicated solely to nutrition--hit all the bases with the healthiest options available. With this plate, I'll also try to drink a full 16 oz of water. A second (smaller) plate gets dedicated to treats or second helpings. The caveat to this plate--if there's only huge helpings of something, only take half or ask someone to share it!

Sunday Sundaes:
One of my biggest problems arrives on Sun, when our dining halls serve up an elaborate sundae bar. In the past, I've been known to succumb to seconds...and thirds. I'm hoping that the promise of a mid-week indulgence will help alleviate this. The goal I'm setting is to have no more than one sundae on non-tailgate days and (try) to avoid the dining hall on tailgate days, instead making plans for a late dinner by packing a meal or stealing something from the sandwich platter earlier in the day.

Alcohol:
Weekends come with parties, which come with drinking, which come with drunk junk (eating foods you'd never eat sober). I'm going into my senior year of college, so I'm not going to set unrealistic goals for my alcohol intake. But, when it comes to drunk junk, here's my strategy to learn cold--
1. At a late night breakfast place order an egg white omelet or scramble. Low cal, high protein--might actually help get rid of that hangover.
2. At a CVS find a nonfat yogurt and fresh fruit salad or some sugar-free jellos. If it's savory that's on call, go for pretzel thins or popcorn. Low cals and nutrient packed options!
3. At a chinese place, order a side of steamed veggies or a soup dish that comes with lots of veggies and cellophane or rice noodles.
4. At a burrito place, get their vegetarian option in a bowl (no tortillas!) With no rice and extra veggies...or, if it's social eating, order nachos with someone drunker than you and let them eat most of it.

And that's it! stay tuned for a verdict of whether or not this actually gets anywhere!

Tolerance

It's an interesting phenomenon when your parents suddenly realize that youve exceeded their tolerance level. Whether it's family vacation, a wedding, or even just an unevenly shared six pack...there's always a time of recognition that your child has either matched or exceeded your a) drunken-ness or b) tolerance (in which case, this realization comes when you drop out of the game and your offspring is still going strong). For me, this was tonight. After fixing a (classy) batch of Sutter Home sangria with a lovely grocery-quality Moscato (hand picked my mama) and produce-stand peaches and strawberries, we had ourselves a nice post-dinner pitcher to do work on. My mom, a self-proclaimed "teetotaler," and my dad, who suffers from sever Asian glow, each had a glass...leaving me to do the rest. Currently, I am nursing the final solo cup of my well-marinated sangria to the sweet chorus of mosquitos and the lady watering the hotel's flower beds while my parents are sleeping inside. I guess we'll call it a coming of age.

"The City"

With a roommate from NYC and a bunch of friends working there this summer, I figured post-21 me should make a trip and really see what The City (as locals tend to call it) has to offer. Highlights of the trip include a birthday party at The Gin Mill--a pub atmosphere-ed place uptown that rented out a private room and open bar--a visit to the MOMA for some fine art gazing, brunch at Whym and Route 66--low key places where the company really makes the meal, and a famous frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3!

I think one of the smartest decision was trading off the experience of walking up, down, and all over Times Square for trying smaller venues for meals and more cultural entertainment experiences. The MOMA was definitely a high point, and I'm not the kind of person gets offended when a strange, "i just don't get it..." painting makes its way into a museum--so it was perfect! I was also surprised how many exhibits they had featuring activist art--from engineering to the global housing/energy crisis to socio-political issues spanning the globe. Here are some snapshots of my favorite pieces. 

Banana-froyo

I tried making frozen bananas into frozen yogurt! Equal parts banana, nonfat yogurt, and 2 tbs of Hershey's cocoa powder--and...It hit the spot! Perfectly filled my ice cream craving. Next time I'll try adding a little peanut butter or some pieces of pretzel I think to spice up the sweet n' salty combo.

Public Gardens

On an afternoon run, I decided to go for something new and headed for the Boston Public Garden which.was.gorgeous. I hardly got a run in because I was taking so many pictures!

Bibimbap Revised

So my previous version of bi bim bap was a little too monotone for my liking...so I whipped up a revised version tonight. Using corn, carrots, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and carrots stir fried in some teryaki sauce over brown rice with a fried egg this take was DEFINITELY a winner!

Bi Bim Bap

In an effort to get some ethnic flavors out of my limited pantry, I worked up a variation of the traditional Korean dish, Bi Bim Bap--which usually looks something like this: 

It's served in a hot clay pot, and usually includes rice, ground beef, pickled seaweed or cucumber, sprouts, a fried egg, and then kimchi-style add ons (that is, pickled veggies ranging from mild to super spicy!). It's really delicious and really healthy to boot! I was having a craving, so I did what I could. Threw together some brown rice, cooked lean grount turkey, summer squash, and a fried egg with some teryaki sauce. It was to Korean what Tex-Mex is to Mexican food, but it was tasty, delicious, and satisfying, so I'm going to go ahead and call it a job well done.

Lazy Friday

I officially played hookie on Thursday and Friday after the Fourth of July...oops! Here's to turning lazy days into rowdy nights, and the life of an upaid internship (aka--makin' my own hours!)

Blue Man

Blue Man Group has a permanent show in Boston, so I finally got around to checking it out. After asking a thousand people to describe it to me, here are the choice things that were in my mind going in: 

"It's like really clever mime"

"It's like a music and light show...with blue men"

"I think they're aliens"

"It's funny...?"

My takeaway--It's a show about aliens trying to make you laugh, make you cringe, and make you dance around in your seat a little! There were a bunch of short scenes that made fun of modern techno-culture, obesity, and the general oddities of human civilization. Mixed in, there was some fun paint-covered drum interludes and even some science, but the grand finale was having giant bouncey balls fall from the ceiling and being draped in streamers from head to toe along with the rest of the audience. I really recommend it as a staple of the Boston interactive-theater scene!

Stadiums

Looking for a good workout? Forget the stairclimber. The serious Bostonian will tackle a "stadium," running up and down all 38 sections of the Harvard University football stadium. People have been doing it for centuries, so I'm officially putting it on my bucket list of things I must do before I tell people I'm in the best shape of my life. 

Apple Chicken & Rice with Sweet Potatoes

My mom used to make us a classic chicken and rice dish, but her's used a creamy mushroom sauce as a base. While delicious, I'm not always prepared for something so heavy. But, in search of "hearth and home" flavors, I went for a sweet and savory take on the classic.


I'm a huge fan of sweet potatoes. They're loaded with fiber and carotene, both power-packing vitamins that put them a head above their plain potato counterparts. Combined with the apples here, their sweet flavor really stands out in complement to the chicken! I paired it with a simple salad for a complete meal.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice (dry)
1/2 cup sweet potato, cut in small cubes
1 medium apple (red varieties are best)
1/2 cup diced cooked chicken breast (lean)
1 cube chicken bullion
cinnamon and salt to taste


Cut up your sweet potato and toss it in boiling water until it's soft, but not mushy--it has a little more cooking to do in a bit, so it's ok to be slightly firm. Toss your sweet potato, chicken, and diced apple into a skillet, sprinkle with cinnamon and a little (little!) bit of butter and a pinch of salt. Let that sit stovetop on medium and stir it around every once in a while. While that's happening, cook up your rice, adding the chicken bullion to the water to give it some extra flavor. When the rice is almost done cooking, so there's still some water in the pot, add your skillet mixture. Cover, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
aaand voila! delishiousness!

The Fourth

There's nothing better than fireworks in America's home town. I went to the rooftop of a frat house at MIT to watch the big ka-boom this year after going along the river last year. I think the opportune thunderstorm that began right with the light show really only added to the drama of it, not to mention gave a nice background to the chorus of "God Bless America" that erupted from ours and nearby rooftop choirs. I love Boston.

Day Drinking

"That’s the joy of it: they know they’re getting one over, if just for today. Day drinking is subversive, and springtime — helpmate to idleness and leisure — has a way of making us want to play hooky." - Rosie Schapp, The New York Times

Day drinking comes in all shapes and sizes. The champagne brunch, the morning mimosa, the afternoon delight, the 5 o'clock somewhere, the TGIF pub crawl with co-workers, the poolside daiquiri...but these are all adult breeds of the activity. 


In college, well, that's a different story. Day drinking occurs at greatest force on public holidays and events where collegiates have figured out that the adult world is not going to penalize them--and will actually join in--on some mid-day boozing with them. That might sound judgmental, but I assure you it's merely observation because I LOVE day drinking. There's less hassle about picking out an outfit, zero obligation to wear heels, and usually there's some kind of beach time or grill time involved--all pluses. College day drinking is an event that people gear up for, making full day plans and buckling in. So here I've gathered a few choice varieties of this much-loved activity. 


#1. The Tailgate: the boy scouts of alcoholism. The portability and adaptability factor is key to any tailgate. It's the "i can set up anywhere and my party will still survive" attitude that makes the tailgate so great and such an enduring feature of the college lifestyle. 


#2. The National Holiday: proud to be. The holiday isn't so much the cause so much as enabling factor for this kind of event. Whether it's engendering sudden national pride, ethnic enthusiasm, or even a religious affiliation, it's the freedom from the usual obligations that let's people let go far before the sun goes down. 


#3. The All-Campus event: for bread and circuses. Whenever there is a college sponsored entertainment event--like a spring fling concert, school dance, just anything that might have the potential "lameness" of being a sanctioned form of fun, many collegiates will preemptively turn to a day drink (or keg stand) in both a rebellious and revelrous sign of class participation. 

Improv Asylum

This past weekend, my boyfriend took me to a random basement under a CVS for an "improv comedy show." Things that came into my mind--Who's Line is it Anyway, cheesy jokes, but also potentially awesome jokes, and a cute effort by the boy to do something different. "Activities" aren't really his thing, but he made a whole night of this by taking me to Antico Forno in the North End before and gelato afterwards--both were amazing. The Improv itself? I was amazed. I don't consider myself a particularly funny person, so these guys were super impressive with what they could make up on the fly! And the other members of the audience were the other half of the fun--a bachelorette party, a group from the coast guard, and just some generally rowdy groups that might have been family reunions. They have shows all the time, and I highly recommend it for anything from a first date to a new activity for you and the best buds!

Circuit Training

The best kind of workout combines your strength and your cardio into one helluva burn. We used this one to train in our off season and it worked wonders. Be sure to hydrate well before! The whole thing is based on time, so try to push yourself and get as many reps as you can in the allotted interval. Do all three rounds to get the whole package--then add a finisher!


Round 1: Upper body
0:30--push ups
0:30--squat to press holding a 25 lb dumbbell or plate
repeat 3 times w/o rest
1:30--rest


Round 2: Lower body
0:30--squat jumps
0:30--squat hold
repeat 3 times w/o rest
1:30--rest


Round 3: Core
0:30--straight leg sit-ups
0:30--front plank
repeat 3 times w/o rest
1:30--rest

Athletes do...yoga?

Since beginning our summer workout, I've been doing a lot of big olympic lifts...bench press, hang clean, push ups, chin ups...you name it--we do it. Anyway, in past experience this has caused me to put on a lot of muscle, and fast. The dramatic decrease in overall flexibility is, i'm sure, a contributor to a lot of the injuries our team builds up. So, i've decided to start doing yoga and i've found out it's actually not a bad idea for athletes to supplement their usual training with yoga. The deep stretching of yoga speeds up recovery in between those lifts by oxygenating muscles. The increase in flexibility also helps reduce tension on joints when you go back and try to use them in training. So far, i've found that it really works--i'm getting longer, leaner muscles out of my strength training, and I also find that my general body awareness has increased--I know better how to push myself and how to stay in touch with how I'm feeling. I've only been at it for a little over two weeks, but I'm going to try and stick it out at least for the rest of the summer!

Experimental Kitchen

I'm pretty good about eating lots of fruits and vegetables, but I'm trying to cook on my own and pump out some really balanced meals that mix in carbs and lean protein to keep me full (because snacks=$$). My first experiment was relatively basic, some penne pasta with mushroom tomato sauce, corn, and chicken breast. Tasty, but like i said, basic. So I decided to get a little more creative with my next try and go for something loaded with veggies and had that home-cooked lasagna taste I've always loved...eggplant casserole is born!


*Eggplant Casserole*
Ingredients: 
1 whole eggplant, unpeeled (because that's where the vitamins are!)
2 cups ricotta cheese (I used fat-free)
salt to taste
1 cup mushroom spaghetti sauce
1 cup instant brown rice


1. Cut the eggplant into slices that are about 1cm thick and roast them up in a skillet. Make sure to leave it uncovered so it can lose some of the water that will end up giving you a runny casserole. 
2. Cook the instant rice until its almost cooked, but still a little crunchy. Drain the excess water and stir in half the spaghetti sauce. Put all this mixture as the bottom layer in your 9x9 pan
3. Lay your roasted eggplant on top of the rice. 
4. Mix in some salt to your ricotta, then layer all that goodness down on top of the eggplant, and top with the remaining spaghetti sauce. 
5. Cook for 20 minutes in the oven at 300 degrees! voila!
Makes 3 servings, 314 calories each


What's great about this dish? EGGPLANT=BRAINFOOD
Eggplants contain a lot of the phytonutrient nasunin that is like antioxidants that help hunt down free radicals that damage cells in your noggin. Finals period must have? i think so

What's with the sweat?

A big part of my life revolves around being fit. As a Division 1 Field Hockey athlete, being in shape is a lifestyle choice for me. I have mandatory lifts. I do sprints. I wake up at 6 am. It sometimes sucks, but I've never regretted doing a workout. It also means getting creative sometimes when a balanced life seems to get a little boring...

Go Greek!

It figures that as soon as I leave dorm life I start going greek...greek food that is! This weekend a local Greek orthodox church in Central Square, MA was holding their Hellenic Food Festival. One of my best friends happens to be greek, and proud of it!, so we went together (twice in one weekend) to stock up on gyro, spanikopita, tyropita, baklava, loukoumades, and more gyro!! Absolutely incredible. The good thing about all this greek comfort food is that it was authentic and made right there by the people at the church. I will definitely be putting this one down in my calendar so I come back next year.

The Buffet Goes on...

So even though I've started living on a budget, cooking lots of my own meals, and going to the grocery store, a part of me really misses by 24 hr dining hall access, so--i'm scouring Boston for good places to eat, all the time, any type of food. Let the buffet commence. 

Self Indulgence

 

A staple event in dining hall life is "Sunday Sundaes," the ice cream sundae bar. I try to keep my dessert eating contained to special events, and as far as dining hall food goes, this qualifies. The result? I tend to get caught having seconds...and thirds of ice cream + toppings + hot chocolate sauce. guilt ensues. Having dealt with undereating and restrictive eating in my past, over-indulgence comes with a bit of history for me. Moderation is a little tough for me to handle at times, and that goes in both directions--eating too much or eating too little. My gut tells me that food shouldn't be quite so complicated, and that's what I'm trying to go with from here. 

I found this website: http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2008/08/26/7-helpful-tips-to-stop-binge-eating/ pretty helpful with tips to avoid overeating but not punishing yourself for thinking of sweets as a reward or something fun every once in a while. 

Building Pyramids

while looking for an explanation for why keeping an eye on healthy eating is so difficult in a dining hall, i came across this really interesting page from MayoClinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00190

It has interactive food guides with food pyramids from all over the world. For example, the Asian pyramid looks a little different from the Mediterranean one—but both offer a lot in terms of providing guidelines for a healthy diet. Maybe changing up your style of healthy eating every once in a while can be a way to break through a diet plateau? cut the boredom and get creative, and keep on eating healthy

Twenty-One with #1 Pimms

This last Saturday i finally did it...I turned twenty-one!! To celebrate, one of my good friends from London bought me a bottle of Pimm's, which i've heard is fantastic. I (probably for the better) have about 2/3 of a bottle left and am going to get experimenting. But, before that, i think i should go classic with the "Pimm's Cup"! Brits love it, and so i guess it must be worth a shot! (did you catch that pun...?). But, since i'm still in college and haven't perfected the art of moderation...


Pimm's PITCHER:
2 oranges, in half-moons

• 2 lemons, cut into half-moons
• 1 Persian cucumber or one 3-in.-long piece English cucumber, washed and sliced 
• 2 cups Pimm's No. 1 
• 4 cups Sprite or other lemon-lime soda 
• 6 to 8 large sprigs mint, crushed gently, plus a few loose leaves

Cirque du Soleil-TOTEM

This past weekend I went out to the Marine Industrial Waterfront to find the Cirque du Soleil tent with my boyfriend. I'd never been before, but loved the idea of a more "grown up" circus than what I picture when I think of Barnum and Bailey...I was NOT disappointed. Totem (tot-EM) was full of heights, contortionists, and all-out visuals that really took you someplace else. The highlight for me was the unicycling bowl throwers who unicycled...balanced bowls on their heads...then threw the bowls on to each other's heads while unicycling with one foot. top that--i dare you!

Summer Kick-off in Boston

Today marks the first day of me living on my own.
well, not entirely, but the closest I've come to it. For the summer, i'm living in an apartment in Cambridge, MA embarking on what I usually think of as "real-life" living. Compared to having a thousand roommates, cooked meals, housing, class...(insert other cliche aspect of undergraduate dorm life here), my schedule is quickly filling up with commutes, jobs, summer workouts, and planning to do all the things open to me in this fantastic New England city, on a budget to boot...

IN CONCLUSION, since i hate ramblers...
the blog is changing from my "fake" life to "real" life endeavors. Going out, eating out, letting it all hang out...you name it

Photo: Boston common, May 22, 2012

If You Love me, you'll be quiet

Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy: Inside Dartmouth's Hazing Abuses Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/confessions-of-an-ivy-league-frat-boy-inside-dartmouths-hazing-abuses-20120328#ixzz1qWToSOpL

A friend passed along this truly horrific article about the hazing rituals of Dartmouth (and I'm sure other college) fraternities. As a member of an athletics team, a person with a younger brother going to college, and a friend to guys who have had to go through secretive initiations, I wonder (and fear) where this kind of behavior comes from. I'm totally understanding of there being some sort of initiation process, but the secretive-ness of it is alarming, and the complete inability of members to self-police other members who get out of hand seems the scariest bit of it--that this is both self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating a cycle of abuse that is supposed to make people close. Also that this "closeness" is completely predicated on being in a state of mind that is nearly catatonic due to intoxication and drug abuse is doubly terrifying.

Holi Cow!

Today i stumbled upon my college’s belated celebration of Holi—the Festival of Colors celebrated typically on March 1. In Hindu religions, this day is one of fun, festival, and uninhibited-ness. We could use a bit more holidays like this one in my book

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/holi_2010.html

 

Welcome to the Blogosphere!

After an in-depth chat with my online life, I came to the realization that there’s a lot that I’m getting from the internet (reference my facebook stalking habits, pinterest, gmail, gcal, google group addiction…) and not a whole lot of thinking that I actually have to do to get it. I mean, that’s what’s so great about the internet right? it’s easy. probably—but I think it’s about time I start doing something else with my time. So, I don’t know if anyone will ever actually see this, but here it is—from now on, I’m searching the web the way that I’m searching the world. I’m an undergrad, I have no idea what I’ll be doing three months from now, and I haven’t a clue whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. This is where I’m going to make plans, figure things out, imagine what my life’s going to end up like. Just going to put it out there and see what comes up. Anyone’s welcome to join the ride