To Do List: Things You Shouldn't Forget About in College

To Do List: Things you shouldn’t forget about in college

Call your parents/ Guardians

-Just as much as you miss home they miss you. Don’t forget to check on them because their little babies (us) aren’t home anymore.When we’re stressed we tend to stress ourselves even more and forget about all of the people and resources who are here for us. Even just hearing my family’s voice, or their words of encouragement or that they believe in me or are proud of me motivates me to always be better and makes me so incredibly happy.

Don’t forget about your mentors

-We all have that high school counselor or mentor that helped us in some way at some point. Remember when they said “Keep in touch”? Do it! Call them whether it’s for advice, to catch up, or to vent about everything you’re stressed about. It definitely helps; especially if talking to your parents just stresses you out more and you need to talk (I’ve definitely been there too).

Take Care of you

-Being in a super hard class or having a schedule that is way too busy can take up so much time. First semester, there were so many nights I realized I hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. There were so many hours of sleep that I lost over studying. I feel like our ability to learn and the health of our bodies definitely go hand in hand. When I haven’t eaten or slept it’s harder to retain information. Even when I get sleepy at night and ignore it, it's almost as if all of the studying goes to waste given that my brain is burned out and needs to rest.

Do things you enjoy when you get the chance

-We are all humans and we still have things we want to do, opportunities we want to take and people that we want to meet or have fun with. School is extremely important and may take up a lot of time but take a little time on weekends for yourself to reflect, do things you enjoy, and release stress you’ve been holding in all week. Life is learning, but life is also more than that so don’t forget to fully live your life!

I love college and learning how to adult. Part of growing up is finding a balance between juggling your work/school and personal life, keeping those connections that matter to you close, and remembering to stop and breathe and take care of yourself by doing those little things that are extremely important for your body to function. These are all things we forget about, so hopefully this checklist will help you remember!

BOTW March 18

By Paige Waskow

The Book of the Week is:

Every Heart a Doorway 

by Seanan McGuire

What's it about?

Children in stories are often taken to fairy tale lands, far away from their homes to go on adventures. But what if they couldn't return home or stay in their magical worlds?

Author Seanan McGuire images an in-between world where these children go- a place for those who have experiences of the peculiar sort. From worlds of logic and science to those of chaos and candy, the home is open to all. The story follows Nancy, a girl who is transitioning from her fantasy world. As she begins to adjust, the strange becomes stranger as children begin to be found murdered throughout the home. Who is killing them and what is their goal?

Why did I choose it?

This book is so weird- truly a wild ride into fantasy. It takes you through multiple dimensions with dynamic and magical characters. I have never read a book like it before, the closest maybe being The Chronicles of Narnia. It is also a twist on a murder mystery type story, and I am a huge fan of a good mystery. I loved the book's uniqueness and strong characters. McGuire doesn't shy away from her own imagination or topics that are often misrepresented or ignored by popular media.

This book, besides having a fantastically mysterious and mystical plot, can also boast of LGBT+ representation of multiple characters. It was refreshing to see an author not stray away from representation of characters who are asexual, transgender, and bi while normalizing it in the plot (aka the book was not strictly about sexuality and gender identity).

Where can you get Every Heart a Doorway?

This book is available at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. You can get a library card for free at any time. The closet library location to Coe is the downtown branch on 5th Avenue.

Is there anything else you should know?

If you are interested in learning more, the author's website can be found here.

References:

McGuire, Seanan. Every Heart a Doorway. Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 2016.

Learning to Knit

Image Source

Over winter break I spent an entire week watching YouTube videos on repeat, trying to learn to knit. My goal was to create a square patch of knit rows, but no matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t follow any tutorials. The comment section was full of people saying they were easily able to make a row within nine minutes of practice. 1/100 comment would be from a knitter who believed these "teachers" were going about teaching the wrong way. I'll warn you now, they were right.

Recommendations v. Tutorials
The woman in the first video I watched made many recommendations that she didn’t do herself. For example, she said to use bamboo needles (which I bought) while she used fancy aluminum ones. She recommended a brightly colored yarn, but failed to mention the fact that the size of the needle you use depends on the yarn's label. The problem with her using metal needles in the tutorial, is that this allows the yarn to slip more easily. Wooden needles grip the yarn, which is why beginners should use it. She went too fast, and no matter how I many times I slowed the video and rewatched it, I was never able to knit. It was the #1 most viewed video but not the most helpful.

Unusual Methods
The second video I watched was a woman teaching her mother, and it was 50 minutes long. This one seemed more promising because she went step by step, plus her mother was a beginner too. Unfortunately her way to begin the stitch drastically differed from the first video. The first woman had me loop the yarn behind my thumb and middle finger, then under the thumb to make a loop. This woman wanted me to use my wrists and all of my fingers to start the loop, then use my other hand to close it around my needle. I did what she wanted, but it was a waste of time. She didn’t make much sense either. The third video I watched was a man, and his video was the shortest. He took the yarn and looped it in seconds, then I did. It was so easy, I couldn’t believe how overcomplicated the first teachers made the process. I’m a fast learner, so from his 6 minute video I was able to make the first loop, the base for my stitches, and one row of the stitch. The problem was then figuring out how to keep the loops going.

The Wrong Stitch for Beginners
After all this (day 1) I gave up for the night and went to bed. I practiced for hours and hours, but always got stuck on that second row. Finally, I resigned my YouTube fascination and found LoveKnitting. Their method was completely different. I was able to make one row, then two, then an entire square patch. I watched the tutorials and learned the knit stitch, the purl stitch, the stockinette stitch, and now I’m learning the seed stitch. The stitch the previous videos taught was the garter stitch, and LoveKnitting has that listed after the seed stitch. Once you learn how to knit and purl the rest is easy (at least easier than if you started with them).

The beginning was extremely irritating, but once I was able to create my flow, I sat for hours watching TV doing something productive simultaneously. I want to learn to crochet soon and make doilies and pot holders, but for now I’m going to focus on choosing a project to start and complete. How do I choose when there are hundreds of crafts to make in all the variations stitching?

Giphy Source

Thank you for reading, for more information check out these links, and feel free to leave a comment down below!

Helpful Hints
To learn more about how taking on a craft can help your brain read Dr. Sarah McKay's article with MindBodyGreen. Check out Loveknitting for knitting tutorials and Simple Knitting: a perfect guide for beginners. 

National Hobby Month

Image Source

Since joining a women’s fraternity I’ve had to purchase paint supplies, objects to paint, yarn, et cetera and I’ve decided to use all of these supplies that I’ve paid for because I’ve grown to enjoy completing projects and making others smile. Besides my desire to use my purchases wisely, there are many health benefits for starting and working through these tasks (for more info read Dr. Sarah McKay’s article from MindBodyGreen). I’ve always loved playing musical instruments, but lessons don’t fit in my budget. I spent around $480 for lessons, $400 for my violin, and $50 for supplies and proper storage: In total I paid around $830 to make my dream of being a violinist come true, only to discover that the pressure of playing for others created unnecessary stress. I don't regret the experiences I gained last year, because now I'm wary of using my money in places it doesn't belong.  All of my crafts supplies can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, Michaels’, or Amazon. Unless I choose to spend my money on expensive supplies, I won’t spend more than $50.

I encourage who finds themselves unbelievably bored when they have free time, to pick up a craft and do something productive while they watch Netflix. I painted a squirrel while watching Mary and the Witch’s Flower, and colored in my old Hello Kitty coloring book while waiting for laundry. There will be times where you’re not juggling several things at once, and starting a craft is a great way to use that time.

As an added bonus to reading slightly embarrassing stories of my failed attempts at hobbies, I will continue to post what I've learned from these hobbies I've picked up. Feel free to comment down below your funny stories or any questions you have that I can find the answer to. Also, January is National Hobby Month, so happy holidays!

Giphy Source

Helpful Hints

McKay, Dr. Sarah. Why Crafting is Great for Your Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains. N/A. Web. 17 Jan 2019. <https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14252/why-crafting-is-great-for-your-brain-a-neuroscientist-explains.html>.

Get Outdoors 1: An Introduction

By Paige Waskow

We all value the outdoors.

     Perhaps you read that sentence and completely disagree. You hate bugs, the hot weather, the rain or something in between. But it is true that there is something we all like about it. You may be an outdoor adventurer, rock climbing tall mountains or camping in complete isolation from society. You may be repulsed by the idea of being outside, but you enjoy fake indoor plants and flower tapestries. Perhaps you are somewhere in between, a potted plant is alright and you will take a walk outside once and awhile. Maybe you don’t even think about it on a daily basis.

     But the thing is, as humans, there is something we deem as aesthetic, beautiful, or free about nature and the wilderness. We take pictures of it and post it on social media, we turn it into football fields and golf courses, we make headbands out of flowers and deem their wearers as having a free spirit. But why is that? Why are we so obsessed with nature, and what does or can it really provide for us? 

     In this blog series, we will discuss the importance of nature for our mentality and well being. We will look at how it shapes what we value and want in our world, and how it could even change your work habits. From there, you can learn about the types of nature around you and how you can engage with it. Whether you want to camp, canoe, go on a hike, plant tomatoes, or buy local produce, this series will cover it.