I'll have that hamburger...along with the 87 grams of fat

I saw this story and was appalled. It ups the "freshmen 15" to "freshmen 50".

The First Pooch..Obamas finally choose!

Well we can all sleep again tonight...the presidential family has finally decided on the dog they will get: Portuguese Water Dog. Once Obama had been elected it seemed as if there were times where the American citizens were more interested in the quest for the family dog than they were in the new President himself. Aol.com reported that the target date for the arrival of the dog is early April. The nation will have to wait a few more weeks in order to catch the first glimpse of the new pup.

Photo courtesy of www.puppydogweb.com

Q&A With Study Abroad Student

Jacqueline Olney is a senior Hospitality student at University of New Hampshire, who traveled to Australia last spring.

Why did you want to go abroad?

Jackie: I have always loved to travel and have been fortunate enough to a lot of places. In the past, I have visited Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, St. Martins, St. Thomas, among a number of the contiguous states. I wanted to spend time learning about diverse cultures on different continents. Studying abroad in Australia provided me with the opportunity to experience an entirely new part of the world.

What made you choose Australia?
Jackie: When looking at my choices for study abroad destinations, one thing sat at the top of my list: where can I be fully immersed in an environment where the hospitality industry is highly distinguished? Australia, known for its tourism, naturally became my first choice. I have always loved to travel and I was eager to study in an environment where I felt most comfortable, while still providing a refreshing experience in a new country.

How much money did you spend in total?

Jackie: $27,550.00
Program Costs: Tuition - $12000; Room and Board - $5000.
Airfare/Transportation: Airfare - $2100 (roundtrip Boston/Australia). Plan on additional airfare for traveling around Australia and outside countries (i.e. Fiji and New Zealand) - $2000.
Spending Money: $8000 (including extra traveling expenses, food, etc).
Additional Expenses: Internet - $100; Visa - $350; Passport - $100.

What kinds of activities did you do there?

Jackie:I traveled everywhere I had the opportunity to! Traveling consumed most of my weekends, including places like Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Fraser Island, Fiji, and New Zealand. Some other exciting activities that I was able to do was go scuba diving twice (once in Great Barrier Reef and once in Fiji) and also go skydiving (in Byron Bay)! These activities were amazing and were definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity (in the location at the time) and is something I will always remember. Furthermore, going to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world was just breathtaking. Australia is a very active “outdoors” place because of the ideal weather and availability of different terrains (beaches, desert, etc). Sightseeing in itself is a great way to spend time, seeing the most eastern point of Australia, Sydney Harbor Bridge, Sydney Opera House, taking hikes, surfing, concerts, shopping, aquariums, zoos, wildlife, and Mardi Gras festival are just some of the activities I partook in while spending my time in Australia.
How is Australia different than the U.S.?

Jackie:Education wise, the academic format in Australia is different than here in the U.S. There are lectures with tutorial sessions for class sessions. This is similar to UNH classes that have a large lecture for the main class and then a lab for the smaller breakout sessions. There are usually exams given a couple of times per semester (midterm and final). Also, there are a lot of group projects throughout the semester that require a lot of outside classroom work. The people and culture in Australia and the U.S. are very much alike, but also different in many ways. The Aussies are very laid back and “go with the flow.” The service is a lot slower than we are used to here and there is no tipping for waiters. Also, although they speak English, they sometimes use different words than we do.
Would you go back to Australia? Why/why not?

Jackie:Yes, I would love to go back to Australia! I definitely learned a lot about myself while I was there and discovered my different living likes and dislikes. I think that Australia is an amazing country that has a lot to offer. Because of my limited time there, I have many places in Australia that I would LOVE to go back to again, Sydney being #1. There are so many great places to travel to and with enough funds and time, you can really make a lot out of your experience there.
Do you have the desire to travel to any other countries? Which ones?

Jackie: Any opportunity I am given, I will take on with full force to travel and gain a broader knowledge and appreciation for other cultures. I would love to travel to every country if I am fortunate enough, but I would really like to go to England, Italy, France, Greece, and Egypt.
What would you say to other students who are looking to travel abroad?

Jackie:First and foremost, I would recommend to other students who are considering going abroad to DO their research. Going abroad is a huge undertaking and responsibility. You will be LIVING in another country for four or so months and there is not much around you to make you feel “at home” or in your comfort zone. Be passionate about where you want to go and study somewhere that you will benefit from. It is important to embrace this amazing opportunity and take on every experience you encounter with an open mind and attitude.

Photo compliments of Jackie Olney

When you are feeling down...

You can't believe you just tripped on your sweatpants causing them to fall down, at the same time you are falling down the stairs of Tator Hall in between classes. You get up with tears in your eyes because you are so embarrassed, say "F**k my life" and run away as fast as you can.

Well, go on to Fmylife.com and write about it. This is a website where people can go and tell the world their embarrassing moments. Whether you are having a bad day and want to tell everyone, or simply just want to read other people's stories to make yours seem less worse, you can. I find myself stumbling across this quite often to laugh at quick blurbs posted. Who knows, maybe even some of you can relate to them.

That must have hurt

The photo of a beaten Rihanna was finally released this week. Ouch. I still have to wonder though, what could they have possibly been fighting about to make him go crazy on her?

Where is my magic 8 ball when I need it...

One of my roommates just got accepted to NYU graduate school today. Two of my other roommates are in longer programs at Quinnipiac and will continue their education here for the next two years. I'm surrounded by people who will still be considered students once we graduate. It's weird to think that they have plans for the future, yet all I know is that after May 17th, I'm moving back in with my parents...in Rhode Island. Yippee.
A lot of my friends have their future (at least for the next 2 years) planned out, but I have to graduate in three months and have no idea what I am going to do. I know everyone goes through this at some point in their life, but it's one of those things that always makes you feel like you're the only one going through it. Don't get me wrong, I know what I eventually want to do, or I think I do anyway, but where do I begin? And what if I just spent all of this money going to school, get my first job, and absolutely hate it? I just wish I had a Magic 8 ball to tell me what my future will be. Or at least to tell me where to start!

Time Flies in College

Being a college senior is extremely bittersweet. While looking ahead to the future and not knowing what is in store for our lives is exciting, it is also nerve racking to know that we are leaving behind an environment that we have grown so accustomed to in the past four years.

Before coming to college, people always told me, "enjoy it while it lasts because it will go by faster than you know it." For some reason, I seemed to think that they were exaggerating. However, now that college is coming to an end, I realize they are exactly right. It feels like I became a senior before I could even fathom being a freshman.

One of the more important things that happens in college is maturity. It's a concept that happens without even knowing it. College forces us to grow up and become independent. For most of us, it is the first time that our parents have no control over what we do while they are not watching.

Heather Grant, senior occupational therapy major at Quinnipiac, notices the small things that have made her more independent throughout her college days. "I can now run errands by myself. In high school I would never have done that. I now also cook for myself every night and do my own laundry," she said.

Grant said that college has definitely made her aware of time management. She said that while her course load has increased, she makes herself do the work as soon as she gets it instead of procrastinating like she used to do.

With the upcoming graduation, seniors are starting to feel pressure to make the transition into the "real world" as smooth as possible. We are forced to take everything we learned in four years of college and apply it to "real life" situations.

"I was hoping I would learn some independence and mature and get ready to live on my own. In high school I didn't have any responsibilities and now as a senior your getting ready to move out into the world," Grant said.

According to her, Quinnipiac gets its students ready for living on their own by making all seniors live off campus. With these living arrangements, we have to cook, clean, and do our own laundry, which are probably the three hardest things for college students to get used to as freshmen.

Kristin Danese, a senior nursing major said she had to have her mom show her how to do laundry on move-in day in her first year of college.

"My mom took me down to the first floor of Commons and showed me how to use the washing machine and the dryer. I never knew how easy it was to use. The machines here only have like two buttons and mine at home have like ten," she said.

For Danese, her biggest change in college was switching majors half way through sophomore year. Three years ago she believed that as a senior she would be awaiting physical therapy graduate school. Instead she is graduating in May with a nursing degree.

"I never thought I was the type to change my mind," she said.

Well, college changes people; whether its a physical difference or just as simple as growing up. We walk into freshmen year as children and we leave as adults. In four years, that is a huge transformation.

Stoned 7-year-old?

Move over Michael Phelps, this little boy gets higher than you do. I'm sure by now, most of you have seen the infamous youtube video of young David coming home from the dentist office after getting an extra tooth pulled. According to the small blurb about the video, his dad wanted to videotape him before and after because he was so nervous. Little did he know, the video was going to become such a hit. However, it seemed to have sparked some controversy as well. Some say it was wrong for the father to post such a thing, showing how high his son is. They seem to believe he is exploiting him and think it is wrong of him to be encouraging the fact that his son is high.

In his defense, the father claimed that he just wanted to ease his son's tension of doctors. He also said he wanted to tape him because it was just so funny. Later that night David and his mom were shown the video and they too, believed it to be hilarious.

So why the controversy? I don't see anything wrong with the video. This was simply just a father putting up a funny video of his son. And his son was not high because he actually smoked pot or did any other kinds of drugs, it was just from the anesthesia. He was not promoting anything in a negative light by posting the video. I think that there are a lot more clips on youtube that people can be more concerned about than this one.

Chris Brown: he wears wifebeaters..now he is one?

While he and Rihanna are not married, the two were caught in a domestic dispute on Sunday. The two were scheduled to perform at music's biggest night of the year however they left the crowds wondering what had happened. It was later released that Chris Brown had attacked his girlfriend Rihanna and was arrested and booked on felony criminal threats, but posted the $50,000 bail. PEOPLE reported that R&B's hottest couple have had their "ups and downs" recently. But how does that justify him hitting her? It was also reported by msnbc.com that Brown punched and bit his girlfriend. Wrigleys is also preparing to stop running his gum commerical for the time being.
It seems to the outside world that this couple was always happy. Both artists are known for their catchy R&B songs, their good looks, and great dance skills. It's hard to believe that one of them could just crack and actually physically hurt the other. What makes me wonder even further is what could hollywood couples possibly fight about?
Maybe she was telling him what he should wear for the Grammys that night and he didn't like the outfit. Or they got in a fight because she was nominated for more awards than he. Or perhaps they were arguing over who made more money?
When you live the "good life" as a celebrity, what kinds of things do you argue about with your significant other? And what would ever lead Chris Brown to punch and bite his girlfriend?

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20257828,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29106475/

Where does TLC find these people?

I started channel surfing during one of the commercial breaks for the Grammys. I came across TLC and saw something I knew I was going to have to watch. It was The Pregnant Man. It was one of those shows where I really didn't care to watch, but for some reason my eyes were glued to the screen. I remember this story when it broke a few months back, but the documentary was aired tonight. My mind was racing with all sorts of questions and thoughts, but in a weird way I still couldn't stop watching. It was weird and I still don't exactly understand his life choices, but he and his wife seem determined to make their life work. I just wonder how messed up the child will be when she finds out her "father" gave birth to her...

So that show ended and Mermaid Girl began. Once again, I started watching because it was such an odd disorder. A girl had been born with her bottom half completely fused together. I had never seen anything like it. She is eight years old and completely dependent on her parents for her ever day needs. I found this show to just be sad to watch and ended up switching back to the Grammys.

I have seen similar documentaries like this on TLC, one in particular being Half Man, Half Tree, which still blows my mind how a man has "bark" for hands. It makes me wonder how TLC finds these people and how they go about asking them to film their life and disability. I also would be curious to see the ratings and how many people, like me, actually tune in to these crazy stories.

How long until spring break?

I realize that it is still only the beginning of February, but with the 50 degree weather we had on Monday how could I not want spring to come? Then yesterday happened. The nonstop snow. It must have snowed for at least 11 hours and only accumulating maybe two inches. I mean if we are going to have to deal with snow, I want at least enough of it to cancel classes!

These small snow storms are starting to get to me. Last week, my friends and I finally booked our spring break trip to South Beach. Now I am going to be daydreaming for the next month about how gorgeous the weather will be, all while looking outside the window and seeing nothing but 5 inches of snow on the ground.

The other unfortunate part about going on spring break in early March is that when we come home, there is STILL usually snow on the ground. I have come home in the past years during an actual snow storm, when I had just spend a week's worth of time in the 85 degree weather. The last thing I want to go through when I come home is more snow. Hopefully this year will be different and maybe if I'm lucky, when I get back on the 14th, it will be at least in the upper 50's. Something tells me, that is a lot to ask for.

For the time being, I will just keep staring at pictures of Miami and think about fun in the sun.