So, what are vision boards?
Vision Boards put your thoughts on paper, and force you to sit down and really evaluate what you want for yourself in the future – be it tomorrow or 2 years from now. And they stop you from going down a path you don’t really want. Not to mention looking at those images every day is a constant reminder of your dreams and goals and makes you that much more motivated to work towards making them a reality.

You can make them big or small. Mini vision boards are great for smaller goals. I have a mini vision board in my kitchen, which reminds me of my goal to stay healthy whenever I’m reaching for the pizza takeout menus. And I have one over my desk, filled with images and words that remind me of my long term academic goals so I don’t stray when I should be studying.

And then there are the biggies – a vision board for your life, filled with what you want to achieve in many aspects of your future: school, career, love, dreams….anything.

How do you make a vision board?
The best part of Vision Boards is the fun you have putting it together. (Oh, and down the road when you fulfill all your life’s goals and dreams…) It’s like art class, only you don’t have that weird Miss Lippy teacher breathing down your neck. Just start saving up some magazines and wait for that perfect rainy Sunday afternoon to put your vision down on poster board. Here are some tips:

1. Start pulling out images, words and quotes from magazines as you’re looking through them and save them in a file for when you make your board. Could be your dream house, your favorite inspiring quote or a picture of someone you want to meet whose inspired you (hello, Jason Segel; you’ve inspired me to want to – um – date you).

2. Make a list of what you REALLY want. I mean sure, we’d all like 12 pairs of Chanel flats but is that really vision-board-worthy? Sit down and write out what you really want for yourself, your career, where you live, who you’re surrounded by, etc.

3. Buy some Coarkboard, a thick poster board, or a pretty frame to put it in. This will make it more apartment decor and less 7th grader collage. And it really would look awesome over your couch, bed, or desk.

4. Don’t be afraid to throw on dates that you want things to happen by! Sounds crazy but as the saying goes, “what you think about, you bring about”

5. I like the idea of a few “themed” vision board -  one for physical/mental health, one for career, one for love, one for random stuff you want (Chanel flats totally approps here!). Breaking the visions down will allow you to really focus in on one area that is particularly important to you.

6. Don’t let others who laugh at you for doing this bring you down. Because they will. But they are just judgemental or dumb or people who suck at life. People who will look at you in awe when your life is falling into place and they are still lost souls looking for some direction.

7 a.m.: Wake up. Still drunk from the bar last night? Mayyyybe.

9 a.m.: Arrive at the football stadium; crack your first beer.

9 a.m.-Noon: Tailgate your face off. Tailgating activities may or may not include: Beer pong, funneling, shotgunning, and general raging.

Noon: Kickoff. You’re highly buzzed, but still careful not to spill your overpriced stadium beer as you shake your foam finger at the other team.

7 p.m.: You pass out. Hey, it was a long day, man.

Now that’s what I call a waste of a Saturday night. I know that rallying for almost 12 hours straight can take its toll. Especially when you’re running on a few hours of sleep after a killer Friday night. But if you pace yourself, and plan your evening effectively, there’s no reason that you can’t take in both the football game and a killer kegger (or two).

1. Don’t Chug, Chill.

Get too drunk too quickly, and you’re likely to pass out before halftime, let alone make it till midnight. Tailgating festivities often require heavy drinking, so if you find yourself partaking in a shotgun contest, follow the beer with a water. Spreading out your alcohol intake will allow you to last longer. Afterall, following a tailgate with a party is like a party marathon. And don’t they tell marathon runners to pace themselves so they can make it to the finish line? Oh, the things college kids could learn from athletes.

2. Counteract with Caffeine.

Pound a Redbull on the way to the game, or start your bar night with a vodka and Redbull. Still chilly in your student section hoodie? Bring a thermos of coffee to the tailgate…then spike it with Bailey’s. Yum! Even if you’re really tired, however, monitor your caffeine intake. One or two cups of coffee or one energy drink should get you through the day.

3. Keep the Adrenaline Pumping.

If the excitement level declines, you’re energy is bound to follow suit. Your adrenaline is rushing as you cheer on your football team, and then you lose momentum in the downtime between the game and the party. Arrange a rowdy post-game dinner of wings and pizza with your fellow tailgaters, so you can recount all the great plays. It’ll keep you pumped, and you won’t even realize how much time has passed between your first beer and your last shot. Then, when you get to the party, keep yourself going by chatting up a hottie or signing up to be on the first beer pong team.

4. Steam Up Your Second Wind.

You’ve been up for hours, hanging out in the cold (and possibly rainy) weather. Beer is seeping out your pours. Take a long, hot, steamy shower. The hot water will wake you up and make you feel clean and ready to go again. Besides, staying fresh and clean might also help stave off the germs that’ll take their toll in flu form come Monday. AND you can always chug a beer in between shampooing and conditioning.

5. Powernap…Before it’s Too Late.

Positive you’re not going to make it? Throw in the towel early, and salvage the rest of your night. Taking a nap at 5 or 6 leaves plenty of time to sober up, recharge, and get ready to rage. If you keep drinking and try to make it to the post-party kickoff, you might crash at 9 or 10, only to sleep through the night and kick yourself in the a.m.

Seeing as our military isn’t in middle school (though they are in a similar predicament: fighting for absolutely no reason), I’d expect a little more tact from them. But apparently the U.S. military has come down with the mean girls-syndrome that I suffered circa the strawberry incident.

No, they didn’t mash strawberries in the backpacks of Iraqi extremists. But they did do some very Regina George-esque plotting to create a gay bomb to use against enemy soldiers. A gay bomb. Seriously.

A watchdog organization that tracks military spending exposed the U.S. military’s plan to build a bomb that could turn opposing soldiers gay—consequently shifting their focus from fighting to sex, CBS reported.

The watchdog group found that “the Ohio Air Force lab proposed that a bomb be developed that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistibly attractive to one another.”

The plan was ultimately rejected, but the watchdog group obtained documents which suggest that military leaders seriously considered the bomb.

So, I find this gay bomb thing offensive on a few levels.

1. Back to my middle school theory, how f-ing immature is our military!? Instead of solid strategic planning, these fine fellas were planning on sticking their tongues out at our opponents with a classy “Haha! Now you like boys! Take that!”

2. Only the pompous, homophobic generals that lead our soldiers would be ignorant enough to think that aphrodisiacs could manipulate sexual orientation. Countless studies have shown sexual orientation to be unalterable. If aphrodisiacs have control over homosexuality, wouldn’t a lot of closeted gays be sniffing incenses and magically liking girls?

3. Even if this bomb could turn soldiers gay, it takes a real idiot to assume that being gay is indicative of poor performance in the military. It’s an age-old, uninformed assumption that all gay men are irresistibly attracted to one another. It is demeaning to homosexuals to describe them as this sub-species: animal-like in their inability to control sexual urges.

4. Oh, and get this—the military was going to spend $7.5 million to develop the gay bomb. Awwwwwwesome.

So while I’m glad that this plan was never enacted, I’m appalled at the childish strategy that was cultivated by the military leaders with whom we trust our soldiers’ lives and our country’s security.