“So…” I clicked the old flashlight onto a brighter option and pulled my hat farther down onto my face. “How was Thanksgiving at your aunt’s?”
Even though I had secretly wished he had forgotten, Daniel B. had arrived at my house a few minutes after 7 on Thanksgiving night, a giant blue coat around his skinny frame and a round plate covered in tinfoil in his hands. I had prepared my parents and my two sets of aunts and uncles for his possible arrival, but as soon as I saw his twitching face behind our glass door, I knew all the preparation in the world couldn’t save this night from becoming extremely awkward.
After an hour of good-natured attempts at questions around our large wooden table, I had suggested Daniel B. and I take my old dog Spud out for a walk. My dad’s bushy white eyebrows went up at that suggestion, and I did my best to shoot him a “don’t get any stupid ideas” look.
Usually, you invite a guy to take a walk at night because you want to make things romantic. This invitation had nothing to do with romance, and everything to do with alleviating some of the unwieldy tension in the air.
Once we were outside, our boots crunching against a tiny layer of snow that had fallen on the quiet street, my body started to relax and I could breathe normally again. I mean, I loved my parents, but my mom and dad were both older, around 65, and often didn’t comprehend me as well as I wanted them to. I don’t think they understood that I had I invited Daniel B. over out of politeness. I think they actually thought I liked him. Read More »
Some of them are sweet; sitting around a table surrounded by people you love, giving thanks for all the things you’ve been given. Some of them are funny; deep frying an entire turkey or playing board games with a bunch of drunk family members. And some of them, well, some of them we’d really like to never go through again; dodging the inevitable “why are you still single / what are you studying / what are you going to do with a liberal arts degree?” question or watching your uncle’s face turn red as he realizes your politics in no way represent his.
My family has a lot of traditions (many of which include alcohol and loud Italian yelling matches), but one of my favorite things to do every year as a kid was sit down in front of the TV with my aunt and uncle and watch Mystery Science Theater 3000. Read More »
With Thanksgiving literally only 24 hours away, I have been forced to prepare my list of things I am thankful for this year, which will be shared holiday dinner table.
Not that it is hard to come up with a list; I have so many things in my life that I am so fortunate to have. Things that I should really appreciate more year round, come to think of it. Things that I should not come to expect, but should rather feel lucky to have.
This is a problem many of us have – wanting more and appreciating nothing – so I thought I would take this opportunity to get all of you in the spirit of giving thanks by sharing with you just a few of the things I am more than grateful for this year:
1. My DVR: I know this shouldn’t come before family, but my DVR really is there for me when no one else is around. Like really early on a Saturday morning when I can’t sleep due to some interesting sounds coming from upstairs. Or after a long day of work when I want nothing more than the wisdom of one Ms. Oprah Winfrey.
2. My Family: I have put them through a lot these past few years; from my post-college depression to my spur-of-the-moment move to NY and then my spur-of-the-moment move back home. They are supportive, funny, loving and all around the best people I know. But they are still not willing to sit with me at 6:45 on a Saturday morning. Hence their number 2 spot. Read More »
I waved at a group of kids standing around a small red Toyota, feeling a pang of anxiety as the car continued to stay small, no matter how close I came to it. This was going to be a tight fit.
“Hey! She makes it at the last second, as always!” Jonathan opened up the trunk and started to push things around in the back. “Thought you were gonna walk home.”
Grabbing my overstuffed bag, Crystal’s boyfriend heaved it into the last remaining empty space in the trunk, pushing it against other bags and backpacks to make room for the door to close. As he jammed the bags together with his elbow, I cringed, thinking about all the clothes, make-up, and hair products that might be exploding all over the insides of my suitcase.
“Thanks again for giving me a ride,” I said, stuffing some loose brown hair into my winter hat. “I would have been stuck here.”
“No prob, bob.” Slamming the trunk, Jon smiled and walked around to the driver’s seat, motioning to the two other people already in the back, “it’s probably gonna be a tight squeeze, but it’s only like 2 hours. We can make it.” Read More »
Stacey shifted in the brown leather chair, straightening her blazer. She had dressed for the occasion, opting to go for “mature and classical” instead of her usual “fake and preppy”.
I was sporting my standard jeans and long sleeved shirt look, being under the impression that the Dean of Student Life didn’t really care about our clothes.
“Here.” I reached into my giant purse and pulled out a half-crushed packet of gum. “You sure you want to be talking to Dean Carlon with stuff in your mouth, though?”
“Do you have any gum that hasn’t been through the washing machine?” Crinkling her noise, Stacey stared at my hand like I was passing her a dead rat. “And I was gonna spit it out before going in there anyway. I just have this horrible taste in the back of my throat.” Begrudgingly taking a piece of gum from the pack, Stacey slipped it behind her shiny pink lips and bleached white teeth. “I always get a gross taste in my throat when I’m nervous.”
“Should we be nervous?” I took a piece of gum myself and started to chew quickly, realizing that my jaw had answered my question for me; we should be very nervous. Read More »
“How long did you stay?” Rebecca threw a pair of socks into her suitcase and looked up from her underwear drawer. “Did you listen to their entire conversation?”
“I had to! I didn’t want Public Safety to know I was sitting there!” Standing by Stacey’s mirror, I poked around her jewelry, moving pairs of pearl earrings and fake diamond bracelets in an attempt to find a ring of mine that had disappeared a few weeks ago. Stacey was big on barrowing without asking.
“Did they talk for a long time?” Closing one drawer and opening another, Rebecca continued to pack her bag. She was leaving early for the Thanksgiving holiday, a fact I had not received well. Three whole days living in a room with Stacey by myself spelled absolute misery.
“The cop said they had heard about a party at the Soccer House the night before, but of course Sasha denied it.” A flash of jade stood out from the mess of cubic zirconium, and I carefully began to untangle my ring from one of Stacey’s cheap necklaces. “He got all mad at the cop. Said they were being unfair…staking the house out and stuff. He said it wasn’t politically correct.” Read More »
My dorm closes this Wednesday for Thanksgiving break, leaving me with a major travel dilemma. I don’t have a car on campus so that leaves driving home off the list. The standards, flight and train, are so dang expensive – and I spent my entire semester budget on beer.
It looks like I have no other option than finding an alternative form of travel to get home to Boston from New Jersey. It’s time to get crackin’… Read More »
After trying a few months of looking at the positives in life, I decided to put a halt to my weekly rant “Is That Really Necessary”. There is already so much negativity out there that I figured I didn’t need to bring anymore attention to it all. But I couldn’t help but get irked over this… and I am sure many of you are feeling the same.
Is it just me or should it be December 25th right now? Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas. I don’t even celebrate the holiday but I find myself more excited over Christmas specials, Christmas decorations, Christmas drinks at Starbucks, and sitting on Santa’s lap (creepy?) than my Christmas celebrating counterparts.
But people, (and by people, I mainly mean people of the radio and retail worlds) Christmas music already?! What is that about? How many weeks of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” can one person endure? Stores have been carrying Christmas goods and decorating their window shops with candy canes and reindeers. Shopping bags and coffee cups have made the ‘holiday switch’. The cute little gingerbread men are being slaughtered- families torn apart in larger numbers because they are already on bakery shelves! I know its ‘tis the season to be jolly’… except one major factor: TIS NOT THE SEASON YET! Read More »
Sliding onto the bench next to Naima and across from Crystal, I put my steaming mug of hot chocolate down before it burned my skin.
“I just did something really stupid.”
“What?” Taking her pen out of her mouth, Naima looked over at me, squinting in the dim coffee house light. “What could you have possibly done in the last twenty-four hours that’s so horrible?”
“Oooh, enough.” Licking my fingers, I did a quick survey of the small campus coffee shop to make sure certain people weren’t around. “I think I just ruined my Thanksgiving break.”
“Tell us already, woman!” Closing her books, Crystal crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at my forehead. “You take forever getting to the point.”
“Well, you know how Daniel B. has been tutoring me in Chemistry?” I took a sip from my chipped mug. “A few nights ago Sasha wasn’t there and it was just us…”
“Jesus, was it awkward?”
Crystal knew Daniel B. well. They both wrote for the college newspaper and Daniel B’s long-winded speeches were the only thing Crystal talked about after their weekly meetings. “That kid is the weirdest person on the planet. You know, at our last reporter meeting, he spent fifteen minutes detailing the intricate details of chess? I wanted to stab myself.” Read More »
There’s nothing like the holiday season to take your diet from unwavering success to ultimate disaster. Who can say no to Aunt Sally’s homemade cranberry sauce or that mouthwatering turkey Grandpa cuts every year with his fancy electric knife/chainsaw?
Problem is, a typical meal on Turkey Day holds about 3,000 calories – and that’s just dinner alone! Luckily, there are plenty of ways to stay on track and eat just 2,000 calories throughout the entire day. Wahoo!
Rest assured; you don’t have to give up meat on Thanksgiving. A hearty four ounces of skinless, white meat turkey contains a mere 150 calories. But if you’re craving dark meat and that crispy, salty skin, indulging will only rack up another 100 calories.
Homemade sweet potatoes smothered in butter, cream and sugar – that’s your idea of a side dish. Um, hello! That adds up to roughly 300 calories per serving! Have your taters plain, ensuring that you’ll enjoy a little sweetness while absorbing some wonderful nutrients: calcium, iron and Vitamins A and C.
If it’s those pesky carbs you’re avoiding, try mashed cauliflower in place of potatoes. Add soy milk and garlic to those very cooked little white trees and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the exchange. Even with butter, the veggie has just six carbs!
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without some sweet, sweet pumkin. To avoid all that sugar, add some pumpkin spice into hot chocolate or apple cider. It’ll be just as tasty as the rest of the pie you’re eyeing but far better for your favorite pair of jeans.
And if Thanksgiving is your day to splurge, go ahead! You won’t be happy if you deprive yourself. But remembering a few tips will help you eat healthily, causing far less damage to your diet.
Days as a Freshman: 95
With Thanksgiving literally only 24 hours away, I have been forced to prepare my list of things I am thankful for this year, which will be shared holiday dinner table.
Days as a Freshman: 92
Days as a Freshman: 79
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