Trick-or-Treat?

Ah Fall. It's that time of year again. It's once again time for Halloween! In this weeks blog post I will be giving some tips and advice on how to have a great Halloween in 2015. 

Step 1. Find an event and/or party to attend. Some think, "Oh Halloween is for little kids", but what they don't know is that college students love a good party, and this is a holiday that offers some really good ones. You will want to know where you are going ahead of time so that you can prepare your "proper" outfit. For example, our school does a haunted sorority hill for families. Therefore, the people in attendance would not want to wear the same kind of attire they would wear to a party at the frat house or bar. Also, around Alabama in particular, there are many haunted houses, hayrides, and trick-or-treat spots to enjoy. 

Step 2. Pick out the perfect costume. This year there are some great costumes up for grabs. In my opinion, the best ones are the ones made by hand. This way the costumes are more original and are less likely to be copied by someone else. Group costumes are popular with greeks and clubs on campus because all the friends in the group can dress up together and be something really clever. For example, this year so far I have seen a group become the girls of "Mean Girls", and the Dalmatians for "101 Dalmatians". 

Step 3. Decide whether you are going to trick-or-treat. Many people in college live either on campus or in a campus related apartment complex. However, if you live in a house around town, you may get some unexpected visitors on Halloween night. Remember the "rule", if you have candy to pass out leave your porch light on, if not, please be courteous and turn it off. If you are going to pass out candy, please remember a few things. Kids will be kids, if they take a few extra pieces don't get too mad. Be very polite when you come to the door, please do not be rude. Lastly, remember some kids are allergic to certain things such as peanuts, chocolate, etc. so try and have some back-up items for those children. *Pretzels and little bags of chips are a good idea.*

Halloween can be a great time of year, but following these simple tips and tricks can make it even better! So remember, Costume, Candy, Consideration! 

Managing Stress

So my topic this week is one that I myself probably really need to focus on. This week I will be blogging about stress in college and ways to make it less.

*Class Load: One thing in college that is usually the main thing students stress about is the amount of hours they take trying to graduate on time. Usually freshman take about fifteen credit hours at Troy. I usually tend to not take more than fifteen just becasue I know how stressed I get during the semester and I do not want to overwhelm myself. If you feel like you can't handle the 18 credit hours that some students take, don't stress. Keep calm and take only what you can take and do well in. 

*Home sickness: Some students tend to get homesick, mainly as freshmen, and this keeps their stress levels high as well. Missing mom and dad can make you lose focus on class and cause your grades to drop, adding even more stress. To resolve this issue take at least one weekend every month, if possible, to visit with family. Even if only for a few hours, seeing them for dinner or just doing something fun can make the rest of your month a happier one. If your family lives far away or you can't get home much, try skyping or calling them on a regular basis. This helps keep the home sick blues at a minimum.

*Partying: I have talked about partying in recent post(s), but I can tell you that the fear of 'not' being a party animal can cause a lot of stress also. In college, one thing that you are looking forward to is being away from mom and dad and getting into the best parties. However, do not be afraid to say no to going out. If you have to study, stay home and study, there will be other parties. If you want to, do your homework ahead of time, that way when you get asked to go to a Friday night party, you can go and have fun without stressing about having to do your homework.

*Jobs: The last stress factor you might face as a college student is money and having a job. Many students today can not afford to go to school and not have a job. If you can, more power to you, if you have to have one, don't fret. There are ways to manage having a job, paying bills, and still staying sane. If your job has long hour shifts, let them know you can only work a few days a week, becasue you ultimately need time to study and go to class. If you have shorter shifts, go ahead and work like 4 or 5 days, but still make time to study. Let your boss know you are in school and that it is your priority. If you can, jobs around and on campus are the best college jobs to have in my personal opinion. This is becasue they will definitely work with and around you and your schedule, so that you can still keep up with your classes. 

Following these easy tips can ultimately help with your college stresses. There are many other ways to keep stress down as well though. Click on the link below to find some simple and easy tips! 

Happy De-Stressing!!! :)

Who's Dirty Now??

The Materials

The Location

      So this week my tip is going to be on giving your pet a bath. I am going to tell you the process, however, through pictures mainly, instead of lots of words. Maybe seeing the images will help you achieve the dog cleanliness you desire. :) 

Get Them Good and Clean

      It is important to keep your first mate clean and flea free on a regular basis. This keeps them and their skin smooth, shiny, and healthy; not to mention they smell good after baths. The materials you will need is some good flea shampoo, and I like to use a scrubby brush. *Dawn dish detergent kills fleas like nothing else!* 

My little dog, Max, is a Maltese. He

is very spoiled and as you can tell in some of these photos getting a bath is not really his thing. 

Make Sure to Wrap 'Em Up Tight 

Show 'em Some Love in the Process

      The whole process of giving your pet a bath requires one main

ingredient, patience. Most animals, unless you get lucky, hate getting wet unless they like to swim, so be patient and gentle with your pet during this process. Make sure you scrub them really well and get in all those hard to reach areas as well. *I promise, your pet may not like you right after the bath, but they will lick and thank you later. 

      Now that we are all clean and all wrapped up you can now send your best friend back outside to get dirty once again! :) Have fun with bath time! 

**One last tip, I mentioned that Dawn works really good on fleas, it does! It will kill them all right there in the tub. However, it is known to dry their skin out, so make sure that after you use the dawn you also use a regular doggie/pet shampoo. This will make sure you have no fleas and your dogs skin is still smooth and healthy!**

Phones, they are taking over!!!

So this week, I am taking a more serious approach with this topic. Cell phones, I have noticed, are taking over our lives, not only with everyone I see on a daily basis, but also with my own life. We are constantly checking, tweeting, and posting. We are in a "I must have the information now" age. Before smart phones were so big we didn't receive some news until we watched it at six o'clock on the local news. Now, we can get the news from a notification on our phones the minute it happens. 

In a study done by Sarwar and Soomroo in 2013, they stated, "The prominent areas, where impacts of Smartphones are obvious include business,  education, health, and social life" (Sarwar and Soomro, 2013). They went on in their study to show that all of these areas have good and bad impacts when it comes to smartphones. 

Of course, this statement is true with just about anything.  However, my biggest personal problem with smartphones becoming so important to society, is the health-related impacts. According to Sarwar and Soomer, their targeted users checked their phones 34 times per day on average (Sarwar and Soomroo, 2013). Some health problems that come with this number can be a really big impact on social and mental health. We need to teach children to interact with others personally, not just through a screen, or text message. We need to feel secure enough with ourselves that we can put the phones down and just have normal face-to-face conversations. Unfortunately this can lead to all kinds of social anxiety disorders and even some major mental disorders. 

Ask yourself, when was the last time I had a conversation with someone and technology was not, in any way, involved. This is probably a hard question to answer, huh? For today's generation, this is pretty much all they know. My two year old niece, along with many other small children I know, can already use a smartphone to play games, watch videos, and take photos. This says a whole lot about our technology age. 

Todd Starkweather, a program director with South University said it is even affecting his college students. He said, "I see it frequently in my classes" (Jerpi, 2013). He goes on to talk with the author about how even though it is definitely affected his students' grades negatively, smartphones are a big part of him staying in contact with individuals in his life, even students. As we all know, we all want to get that morning e-mail saying, "Class Cancelled Today". 

As a whole, yes, smartphones can be very useful in keeping up with news, family, or even our teachers, but I want to give you all a challenge. Try to go one day where you only check your phones once every hour. This may seem like a lot still, but for some this will be so difficult. 

Make time to make "real" conversations! 

Feeling Hungry??

We all know college students like to eat, right? Well, in my post this week I am going to give the students at Troy University a few good places around town to go and chow down. 

1. Sweet Rack Rib Shack

*Downtown, on the gorgeous Troy square, there is a little, "hole-in-the-wall" place to eat that the locals just simply call Sweet Rack's. This is a bbq place that is so wonderful. They have a full menu of wings, ribs, pork platters, etc. The smell as soon as you walk in the door will melt your tastebuds. They also have live music on certain days of the week to accompany your meal. Sweet Rack's is reasonably priced, and even if you're not a college student it is a good family place to grab a bite. Also, on Thursday nights, students and residents of Troy can catch head football coach, Neil Brown, participate in his weekly "Trojan Talk" live. 

2. The Dirty Pearl Oyster Pub & Grill

*Located straight off of Highway 231 near the Kangaroo, The Dirty Pearl is a great place for live music, karaoke, and of course, oysters! They have a great outdoor space lit up with party lights and a quaint little indoor area as well. The Pearl is a great atmosphere for grabbing drinks and eating some famous "shrimp and grits". So if your in the mood for music and oysters, the pearl is a definite must try. 

3. Mama Goldberg's Deli

* If you don't want bbq or oysters and you're just looking for a great sandwich, check out Mama G's. Also located on the square in downtown, Mama G's is the best place in Troy for grabbing a delicious deli sliced sandwich. From the "Big Mama" to the "Camel Rider" the names alone will make you want to try one out. 

4. Sips on the Square

*Last, but certainly one of the best is "Sips". If you are in the mood for a quiet, small, and secluded atmosphere to have a nice meal, Sips on the Square should be your number one choice. They have the best wine selection in the area, with their weekly "wine tastings", and they have some of the best pizza in town. They are also located in good distance to the college. Sips is located on the square along with Sweet Rack's and Mama G's. This is the perfect place for a first date, or just going for a nice glass of wine with the girls. 

So whether it's bbq, seafood, or just a really good sandwich, Troy has some really great choices. There is always a place to grab your friends or family and just have a great meal.