Summer Vacation!

Finally, after a long and stressful year, it's SUMMERTIME!!!!
A few times throughout the year, I didn't think I was going to make it to the end of the second semester. Two days left of this semester and I have four finals left, including a speech due Tuesday that I have yet to pick a topic for. I am the queen of cramming. All year long I waited until the last possible moment to do all my work, and I always end up fine. I'm not sure why I do this to myself, but I can't help but procrastinate. Even if my homework is sitting right next to me, I'll do something like lay in bed staring at my phone for hours instead. Next year I finally get to go to school for only graphic design classes, since I've basically finished up my pre recs! Now I just need to figure out where I want to apply for my bachelors.

What are you doing this summer? How was this past year for you? Stressful or easy?

Some of My Work

Struggling on coming up with a blog topic, so today I am sharing some of the art I've done.

This is probably my favorite piece I've done mostly because it freaks everyone out. In my graphic design class I had to use photoshop on my own photos, so I kind of went my own way with it. It's me as a caterpillar eventually blossoming into a beautiful butterfly! Featuring my dog Gina with flowers in her eyes.

This is one of my most recent pieces. I used some images from the Internet since it was allowed. We had to do three images branding a state. This is my bus shelter ad. The common theme I had in my three images was the fonts I used for the city and state. Blacklisted and Long Distance Call.

This is an image that I later fixed by deleting the drop shadow. I was bored and asked my boyfriend to give me a topic to make a design with. He chose Illuminati.

This is a CD cover that I entered a contest with. The image is one of my own taken at Graffiti Pier in Philadelphia. The bands music was very calming and slow, so I thought the coloring and theme of this fit well.

How to Drive Stick Shift

Driving stick gives you power and options. Once you learn, you'll be prepared to drive in any car in any emergency situation, have better traction going up hills and around curves, and save thousand of dollars (stick shift's guzzle less gas and cost less).

Getting Started


The Five Gears

In an automatic car, when you into "D" (drive) the gears shift automatically. With a manual transmission, you have to shift the gears yourself. You can find them labeled 1 through 5 on the gearbox of your car, located between the driver's and passenger's seats. Each gear has a different function.

First Gear (up to 15mph)

This gear gets the car moving, but when you want to go faster, you have to shift to second... otherwise the engine will screech.

Second Gear (15 mph to 30 mph)

This gear helps you round sharp curves and climb hills with rough terrain, but if you want to go more than 30 mph, shift to third.

Third Gear (30 mph to 45 mph)

You can travel at a good pace with this gear and still stay in control when you round curves and go up gradual hills.

Fourth Gear (45 mph to 60 mph)

You don't tale a big curve in fourth, and you wouldn't go full speed in it either. You use it for quick transitions. Sometimes you won't even use fourth at all. Say you're going fast in fifth gear and see a sharp curve. You'll instantly slow down and drop into third to take the curve with more control.

Fifth Gear (60 mph and above)

Perfect for going straight ahead on the highway. Downshift to third gear before taking turns.



The Clutch

The clutch is located on the left of your brake. Remember "CBA" Clutch, Brake, Accelerator. Think of it as your key to switching gears. You can't switch gears unless your left foot is down on the clutch. Note: the clutch an gas work oppositely from one another. When your left foot is completely down on the clutch, your right foot is completely off the accelerator.''

Neutral: Your Best Friend at Stoplights and in Traffic

Neutral isn't a gear, but the absence of a gear. It is what you use when you don't want the car to move, but you still want to keep the engine running. Ever notice how people wiggle the shifter back and forth when they're waiting for a light to change? It's to make sure they're in neutral, because you can't jiggle when you're in gear.

Getting behind the Wheel

Now that you know stick-shift vocab, it's time to put it to use. Find a laid-back instructor because there's nothing worse than learning stick from someone with a stick up their butt. Learn to shift gears without the car running, practicing pushing the clutch in each time. Then, from the passenger seat, try it with someone else driving and the car using the clutch. Once you're comfortable, it's time to go.

Step 1

Put your right foot on the brake, and put your left foot all the way down on the clutch. Turn the key in the ignition, and shift into neutral to let the car warm up.

Step 2

Shift into first gear to start going forward, or reverse if you need to back out of a parking spot. Quickly move your right foot off the brake and onto the accelerator while slowly lifting your left foot off the clutch at the same time. Picture your legs as a see-saw; when one goes down on the gas, the other comes up off the clutch. You'll feel the car begin to move forward.

Step 3

When you want to go beyond 15 mph, shift into second by putting down the clutch and then shifting the gear. You'll feel the stick click into a groove. As you continue driving, you'll frequently need to switch gears depending on your speed. If you hear the engine straining and making a high-revving sound, shift up- you're in too low of a gear. If it's making a cough sound, you're in too high a gear, so downshift. After you've driven a few times, you'll naturally know when to shift.

Step 4

Learn to slow down smoothly. When you're coming to a complete stop (such as when you're pulling into a parking spot), apply pressure to the clutch while you brake and shift into neutral. If you don't press down on the clutch when you're stopping, your car will stall and give you and your passengers a jolt.

Step 5

Use the emergency brake when parking. Manual transmissions don't have "P" or "Park", so unless you pull up the emergency brake and keep your car in gear, you may find you're car isn't where you parked it.

Troubleshooting...

When You Stall the Car

When you lift up too fast on the clutch before giving the car any gas, the auto will just stop. Put your right foot on the brake and your left foot all the way down on the clutch to start the car again.

When You're Rolling Backward Down a Hill

Shift into first, accelerate slowly as you release the clutch pedal, then release the emergency brake to keep you from rolling back.

How to Play Poker

How the Game Works

The most basic version of poker is called "Five-Card Draw." Each player puts an "ante" (a token bet) into the middle of the table before the cards are dealt. The dealer then deals out five cards to each person and puts the rest of the stack in the middle of the table. (The dealer always deals himself last.)

    Now here comes the best part: betting. Everyone looks at his or her cards and the person to the left of the dealer places a bet. So let's say the bet was $5.00, you can "call" the bet, meaning add $5.00 to the pile so you can stay in the game. Or, if you have a good hand you can "call" the bet and "raise" it by putting in more money (let's say $2.00). Now everyone at the table has to throw in $7.00 to stay in the game. If your hand is really lousy and you think its best to get out, you "fold".

    Your aim is to get the hand with the highest value. Depending on how good a hand you're dealt, you may want to get rid of up to three cards you don't want and take up to three new ones from the deck. After every player gets a chance to get new cards, the betting starts again. Here is the breakdown of winning hands, from lowest to highest value:

• High card: If none of the players has a good hand, the player holding the highest-value card wins (aces always the highest)
• One pair: Two cards of the same numerical value
• Two pair: Two sets of pairs, plus a random card
• Three of a kind: Three cards of the same numerical value
• Straight:  Five cards in a row not of the same suit
• Flush: Five cards of the same suit
• Full house: Three of one kind of numbers, plus a pair
• Four of a kind: Four cards of the same numerical rank, plus a random card
• Straight flush: Five cards in a row of the same suit
• Royal flush: Ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, all of the same suit

Bluffing

Bluffing is a tricky but highly successful strategy in poker. Basically, you're giving the impression that you have a better hand than you do. The point is to freak everyone out into thinking that their hand is worse than yours, causing them to "fold".

"Tell" Signs

"Tell" signs are those facial indicators that hint to everyone what your hand really is- your aim is not to let any "tell" signs slip out. Keep your face as neutral as possible. Sort of like how you would act if you bumped into your ex and wanted to seem indifferent to the fact that they've moved on.

Terms that Make you Seem Like a Pro

• Bet means to begin the betting process.
• Call means to match your opponent's bet.
• Checks are poker chips
• Fold means putting your cards face down on the table because you have a bad hand or the betting pool is getting to high and you want out of the game
• The muck is the discard pile in the middle of the table, where everyone throws their cast-offs. When you fold your hand, you can say you muck your cards.
• The nuts is the highest possible hand; as in, "Nobody can beat me, I've got the nuts."
• Raise means to add more money to the pot.

Tipping Etiquette

Tipping at...

Restaurants

15 to 20 percent of the bill. If you've had expensive wine, keep it at 15 percent, but mention the bad service to the manger so you don't look like a cheapskate and the waiters performance won't go unnoticed.

The Hair Salon

Hair washer / blow-dryer: $5
Stylist / Colorist: 20 percent of the bill
Manicurist or Pedicurist: 15 percent of the bill

Bars

15 to 20 percent of the bar bill (but never less than a dollar)

Valet Parker

$2.00

Coat-Check Person

$1.00 or $2.00

Mailman

You actually aren't supposed to tip a federal employee, as it's not allowed. A small gift is acceptable.

Paper Boy

If you actually ever see him, $10.00

Hotel Bellman

$1.00 per bag, but never less than $5.00 if they've come all the way up to your room, shown you around, and told you where things are.

Hotel Maid

$2.00 per night stayed

Taxi Driver

Always round the bill up by a dollar and the change. In other words, if the cab is $5.50, leave $7.00. Once you get above about $15.00, tip 15 percent.

How to Prevent and Cure a Hangover

Having fun always comes with a price-tag. When it comes to alcohol, the price-tag is a hangover. We've all been there. Pounding headache with light sensitivity and nausea accompanied by puking. Anytime I've had a hangover, I couldn't eat a thing all day without puking. While many think a hangover is a price-tag when it comes to alcohol, it doesn't have to be. 

    Hangovers are caused by a combination of dehydration, a depletion of vitamins (A,B, and C) and a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. Even though they are hard to escape, some drinks do you worse than others. How brutal the hangover will be depends on the impurities on congeners (amyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol).

    Clear liquors such as vodka and gin are generally lower in congeners than whiskey, rum, and bourbon. Liquor that has been around for awhile (like wine) will have produced more hangover causing acetaldehyde.

How to Prevent a Hangover

• Have a meal before you drink. Load up on a low-sodium combo of carbs, protein, and fat, which will be digested slowly. Try a whole-grain pita stuffed with grilled chicken, veggies, and cheese.
• Take a Berocca vitamin supplement before your start drinking. You can purchase a bottle at the pharmacy. This gives you additional vitamin B that can help you combat a hangover.
• Skip carbonated alcoholic beverages like beer, champagne, and wine coolers. The alcohol in these are absorbed faster than in non-carbonated drinks.
• Alternate fruit juice or water in between your drinks.
• Beware of sugary alcohol. The sweet flavor will mask the alcohol, causing you to consume more alcohol than you think.
• Drink a lot of water before bed to prevent dehydration. 

Hangover Remedies

These don't promise a full recovery, but sure to make you feel better.

• Mix a drop of lemon juice, heavy cream, and powdered sugar with equal parts orange flower water, egg whites, gin, and soda.
• Energy powder found at moth health food stores also help. It's usually used to ward off a cold, but works wonders on a hangover.
• Eat a lot of greasy foods such as pizza, fries, or other fast-food. The grease helps take away your hangover.
• THC.
• Drinking a glass of alcohol.

Bathroom Maintenance

What is it about frat boys that they've never heard of bleach? Ever walk into a frat boys bathroom and want to puke? Keeping the bathroom clean is a must! Also.... keeping it stocked with toilet paper, boys. This post is mostly to help you gross men to keep up with your bathroom. After all, if you can't keep the place clean where you're supposed to clean yourself, how can we trust that you are clean?!

Mold, Mildew, and Soap Scum

The simplest way to make your bathroom appear clean is to get rid of these three things first. To prevent this from happening:

Buy These Products

• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Windex
• A mildew-removing spray cleaner
• Comet (for bathtub stains)
• A toilet brush
• A tub brush
• All-purpose spray with antibacterial ingredients
• Clorox pre-moistened wipes.

Daily Wipe-Down

Spritz an antibacterial cleanser on top of the walls and corners of your bathtub, shower curtain, sink tops, toilet, and faucets with a paper towel. (Sponges hold too much bacteria) Do this for two minutes a day and you're golden. Come on guys, TWO minutes a day.

So You Forgot to Do the Wipe-Down...

If soap scum seriously builds up, coat the surface with undiluted detergent and allow it to dry for several hours. Wet the same surface with a solution of liquid detergent and water. While the surface is still wt, sprinkle it with scouring powder: then scrub it with a stiff brush.

Bleach it

For nail polish, blood, coffee, tea, food, fruit juice, or lipstick stains in your bathroom, apply household bleach using plastic gloves. Never mix bleach with other cleaning products- especially ones with ammonia in them; it creates poisonous fumes.

Grime Between Your Tiles?

Color the grout. Go to the local hardware store and ask for grout colorant. It spreads on with a toothbrush or Q-tip, dries quickly, and does for your bathroom what whitestrips do for your teeth!

Keeping the Rest of Your Bathroom Clean

• Spray the mirrors with air freshener (to clean and leave a nice scent). Wipe with paper towels, or newspaper for fewer streaks.
• Use a toilet bowl cleaner or drop-in tablet and give your toilet a good scrubbing once a week. Store it in a big plastic cup to avoid toilet water drips all over the floor.
• Remove your shower curtain every month and give it a good scrub with a bristle brush and Comet. If it's still grimy your best bet is to trash it and get a new one. Skip fabric curtains since they lead to mildew. 
• Make sure there is a plunger in the bathroom. Go for a stylish chrome one that sits in it's own case.
• If you have a hair ball the size of Chewbacca in the tub drain, stick your hand inside a damp coffee filter to pull it out. Or like a savage, just pull it out with your hand.

Please, don't forget to keep stocked on toilet paper! Especially if you have company over a lot. I think it is just embarrassing to have people over while your bathroom looks like crap!

What To Keep in Your Medicine Cabinet

• Ace bandage and tape
• Antacid
• Antibiotic ointment
• Band-Aids
• Clear nail polish
• Dental floss
• Eye drops
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Ibuprofen
• Mini-scissors
• New toothbrush
• Cold meds
• Cough syrup
• Pepto-Bismol
• Vaseline 
• Rubbing alcohol
• Sunscreen
• Tweezers