Chillin' Out Max and Relaxin' All Cool

School really hit the fan this week. Really. You know what I'm talking about, right? There are those weeks when someway, somehow, at least four out of your five classes have exams in them, papers are due, and group projects are wrapping up. First of all, this is just rude. Who coordinates that? I'm not a last-minute crammer, so you would think that I wouldn't get too stressed out about the pile of projects, tests, and papers... but this week really got me.

Well, I have reached my limit. 

Sleepless nights, studying, taking care of a dog, and being sick (again), do not mix very well. 

Sometimes, when I get too stressed, I like to take a drive. Driving around the streets of Athens can be oddly soothing. We have had some beautiful weather, especially this past week, so cruising with some tunes seemed like just the cure. 

The music really is the key to success when going for a good drive. But which source do you use? If you're anything like me, you haven't listened to the radio in years. Commercials genuinely get under my skin. If I hear one more "Shane Co" ad, I will rip my sound system out of my car. 

But which is the way to go? So many music platforms are either too expensive to use, or require you to listen to the boring commercials. Personally I enjoy SoundCloud and iTunes, but let's be real here. Spotify has been dominating this part of the music industry. 

You might be thinking, "Spotify is way too expensive for me." Well, it can be kind of expensive. Have no fear, cheap thrills are here!! 

Being a student, I love to find the student hacks to life. Most stores nowadays have some kind of a student discount with a student ID present. No kidding! Stores like Madewell and Topshop almost always offer at least a ten percept discount for students, and even local places in Athens (aka my nail salon- Express Nails) have discounts quite frequently. 

Well, the music industry is catching on. Spotify Premium has a special for Students (upon registration  with a student email) offers a discounted $4.99 account option. Normally, a Premium account is $9.99/month, but not for me (or any of you students)! 

With current music-industry related updates, constant new and improved playlists, and follower aspect, Spotify has been all the rage. Their Instagram account features artists, updates on the application, and current knowledge on music-related events, such as the Grammys. They even featured a specific Instagram post with a Snapchat account, linked to all of the inside red carpet features. 

While some companies struggle with the upkeep of a wide variety of social media accounts, Spotify seems to be doing pretty well. Providing insight, updates, and trends through their media accounts creates a desire to keep up with them as a company.  Along with their media accounts, the features that they've embedded within their application are amazing. They have even developed amazing playlists to cater to your current mood. As you can imagine, that worked out quite well for me. 

Some Green Day and Fall Out Boy might have been played. I highly recommend it when the coffee doesn't work and the dog won't stop crying.  Spotify also somehow read my mind while I was shuffling my way through various playlists, and somehow this came up: 

Talk about a real-life sign. 

Hopefully you can all now go off and be merry and free and listen to great music without breaking your wallet. I wish you all good luck, and I wish myself good sleep. 

XOXO, 

Cheap Thrills

The Ruff Days Are Over

I have grown up in Atlanta all my life, but let me tell you something. The weather never ceases to surprise me. I’ve seen one to two-inch snow keep me out of school for over a week. I’ve seen rain for months on end. I’ve seen 75 degree weather at Christmas time. Hell, I’ve probably laid out a time or two on Christmas Eve (don’t hate, you would too if you we’re bored in 76 degree weather).

Despite my experience with the cold weather, I’ve never been particularly fond of the cold. Don’t get me wrong; I love wintertime, just not getting frost bitten walking a mile to class. My thoughts: If it’s going to be 19 degrees outside, it might as well snow. Snow is happy. Snow makes school/work be cancelled. What’s not to love?

Meanwhile, the weather in Athens has bounced back and forth, up and down, and all around for weeks. One day, it’s 65 and sunny, the next, its 30. Yikes. 

The bipolar weather can tend to get in the way of things for me. Example A: My body does not know what the heck is going on. I’m not kidding! I have been sick on and off for about 3 weeks. When the temperature drops, sickness just travels through the school. I have the immune system of a kumquat, so naturally I’m the first to get sick. Example B: I get seasonal depression (it’s a thing, I promise). You know what I’m talking about here. The temperature drops, it’s cold and dreary outside, you don’t leave the house, for days.

I was experiencing a particularly harsh case of both of these examples this week. It was freezing outside, I was sick, tired, and glued to my bed. I was down to the last can of soup in the pantry, the fridge was empty, and I had not seen broad daylight for at least 36 hours. I felt like the wicked witch of the west, except with sun. Show me sun, I will melt.

Here’s the catch to this situation. I have a dog. Actually, it’s a puppy. His name is Simba, and he is a thirteen-week old cavapoo (cavalier king Charles spaniel - poodle mix). I bought him on somewhat of a whim (**Disclosure: I do not recommend this for any future dog owners; do your research**). For anyone that doesn’t know this already, puppies are a lot of work. They wake up at 5 AM crying, only to give you the realest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen, begging to get out of that crate. Wham. Stabs you right in the heart.

Want to know what’s really hard? Taking care of a puppy when you are sick, fatigued, have piles of work for your classes, and it’s absolutely miserable outside. But, one look into those eyes, and I realized I had to do something. Simba had been cooped up for hours, maybe even days, and I realized I needed to go wear him out. I’m not talking about your every day walk (we do that regularly), I’m talking big time here. I needed an activity that would knock him out from the moment we got home, to the next morning when I would wake up.

There it is, my next cheap thrill. What’s better than quality time with a puppy? Especially when you already have one. The weather actually opened up on Superbowl Sunday, and I saw the golden ticket.

Naturally, Google was the next move. I looked up “how to wear out a puppy”, “large fields in Athens, GA”, and “Do puppy sedatives exist?” (Kidding! Kind of…). Google to the rescue! The answer: The UGA Intramural Fields.

I went to Instagram and searched "UGA Intramural Fields", I found the location and was sold. With pictures like those, what dog-loving person wouldn't want to go. I also checked out the UGA recreational sports website and twitter account, and found a ton of random fun activities that are hosted through UGA  (*hint hint* coming soon). 

So, my roommate Caroline and I decided to take him out to the fields. Had I been able to breathe through my nose, I might have even tried to walk the trails with him. But alas, the Superbowl was an hour and a half away and I was practically a zombie. We brought a volleyball, for us, and Simba’s favorite squishy ball for him to chase after. Let me tell you, I think he was in utter doggy bliss.

First off, he had never been in a field so big (one of their many fields accessible). Moreover, he loves people. I mean everyone. He must have stopped every, runner, biker, and athlete within a visible radius, just to say hello. Walking with him downtown has become quite the struggle, as you can imagine. While we thought we were wearing him out, we wound up chasing after him for over an hour. I couldn’t move by the end of it, and there he was, tail wagging and ready for more play time.

Luckily, Super Bowl game time came around, and Simba was one happy, tired pup. I gave him a bone and a blanket and he did not budge until 8AM the next morning.  I had gotten a full night's sleep, and so had my dog. Mission accomplished. 

When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip (our chips)

I would define chips and salsa as a main food group.  I might also include guacamole and cheese dip (or queso, for you Texans) in that group. Really, I'm not kidding. Chips with salsa (or other wonderful salty toppings) is the holy grail of all snacks. In my household, there is always an endless supply of tortilla chips. If there aren't at least two family-sized bags of Tostitos Scoops, something is seriously wrong. My roommates and I religiously eat them. Whether it's nachos on movie night, or one of us needs some comfort food, chips and salsa is the perfect way to say "Hola, te amo. ¿Querias estar contenta?"(look it up).

Regardless of my endless love for salsa, I have recently found that there is more to that word than the mere spicy tomato and pepper sauce. 

I found myself stumped this week when trying to find a cheap thrill. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of ideas (I have quite the extensive list, just you wait!), but none we're speaking to me in the moment. So, while leaving the library one day, I grabbed a Flagpole newspaper. I brought it home, grabbed a highlighter and some chips and salsa, and browsed through it at my desk. Boom. There it was. Salsa dance lessons. Sold! 

That's right. This week, I went salsa dancing in Athens. I imagined I would look something like this: 

Well, let me tell you, I did. 

Kidding! Kind of... 

So, where does one go salsa dancing in Athens on a Wednesday night for only ten dollars? Read the Athens Flagpole newspaper, and you might find out that SALSAthens hosts salsa dance lessons every Wednesday night at Little Kings Shuffle Club. The offer sounded too good to pass up, so I decided to go for it. 

I have never danced salsa, but I danced and cheered when I was younger so I figured I couldn't be all that bad. Of course, there was no way I was going at this alone, so I dragged my friend Kathryn to it with me (you are a saint, woman). We walked into Little Kings Shuffle Club, timid and not knowing what to expect. In we walk, only to find a group of very talented, intimidating dancers, salsa-ing their lives away. I mean, these dancers were amazing. I nearly had a heart attack. I thought that we had arrived early, but had we confused the time? Was I supposed to have pre-watched salsa tutorial YouTube videos? Was I supposed to know how to dip, flip, bend, turn, and shake like these people? Am I a life failure? 

Lo and behold, I was mistaken. The intermediate/advanced class happened to be finishing up their class right before ours would commence. Hazaah! I was no longer a life failure. Kathryn and I proceeded to the check-in desk where we paid ten dollars for the class, and found out that a drink was also included in the package. We were easily the youngest people in the club so far, and needed something to ease the tension. We meandered over to the bar to get a glass of wine, and I noticed that one of the advanced dancers looked oddly familiar, but disregarded it and continued on with Kathryn. 

Some time later, an instructor starts playing music and everyone jumps in. Mildly confused and flustered, Kathryn and I set down our glasses and jumped in, having absolutely no idea what on earth we were doing. The instructor started yelling out random words and phrases and people would yell, clap, and turn while dancing. Meanwhile, Kathryn and I are bumping into every human in sight. We both looked at each other in a bit of a panic, wondering when the actual "instructing" process was supposed to happen, praying it would be soon. Luckily, the song finished and everyone gathered to listen to the instructor. 

Thankfully, she split us up based on past salsa experience. Even more thankfully, Kathryn and I weren't the only beginners. The beginners group would be instructed by Daniel, one of the dancers from the advanced class. As we split up into our groups and met our instructors, it hit me. Daniel was not just an above-average salsa dancer. He was also my predictive modeling and optimization professor from last semester. We even took a picture. 

I must say that I did draw some similarities between his math teaching styles and his salsa teaching styles, but as you can imagine the material was a tad different. Daniel (or Dr. Yanosky, as I used to call him) taught us all about the different styles and types of salsa dancing. During our class, we learned about Cuban (or casino) salsa dancing, which is different from the ever-popular l.a. style salsa dancing. I learned how to do the guapea step, enchufla, vuelta, and dile que no. I would try to explain all of these cool moves to you but there are two things stopping me: a) it's super top secret, you'll have to show up and find out on Wednesday nights, and b) it's entirely too complicated and over my head for me to explain all of that via this blog. I would need some form of a 3D online diagram. 

 While you might be cringing at the thought of dancing and learning salsa with my professor,  I can assure you it really wasn't half bad.  I can honestly say that I had I a ball (or a fiesta),  and that I might even be back Little Kings Shuffle Club next Wednesday at 7:30. Everyone that I met was unbelievably kind, even if they were twenty and thirty years older than me. I learned everyones names, and was approached countless times being encouraged to join other Latin American dance groups and clubs all around Athens. I even tried joining the Latin Athens Facebook group. Apparently they are a great time. 

While Little Kings doesn't maintain a large profile on social media accounts, they are not obsolete. Instead, they maintain the townie/classic city/hipster appeal, and don't necessarily care to appeal to the student crowds. As of August 2015, Little Kings Shuffle Club officially began prohibiting anyone under the age of 25 to enter on Friday and Saturday nights, in order to maintain a more established, tidier profile. They are frequently written about in the flagpole Athens newspaper, and also post regularly to their Facebook page, hosting many different events throughout the course of the year. 

So, my friends, I will leave you with these final words. Are you sitting on your couch? Are you eating chips and salsa? Is it Wednesday? If you answered yes to any of the above then I highly recommend that you get off that couch, and get salsa-ing! You can even bring the chips and salsa with you. Grab a friend, and spend that ten dollars on a great time and some good dancing (instead of the Wendy's you know you don't need anyways). Here is a picture of Kathryn and I being adventurous and trying new things. I hope it inspires you. 

This could be you! 

A Helping Hand and A Thicker Wallet

What better way to spend your days then lending a helping hand to those in need? My cheap thrill number two for this week was volunteering with Books for Keeps, a local nonprofit organization in Athens. Books for Keeps was founded locally in 2009 by Melaney Smith, decided to take a leap of faith and tackle an issue that had been nagging at her heart. When Melaney saw one child’s simple desire for an education, there was no turning back. 

The idea of Books For Keeps came to Melaney six years ago when her niece, MK, first joined a local mentor program. MK noticed that the children she was mentoring could not afford the materials required to make the most of their education. It all started when MK overheard a little girl say, “I wish I had a book at my house.”

With no books at home, and no access to a public library, many children lose the opportunity to learn and build on their reading skills during summer. What’s more, Melaney realized many of those children would actually lose reading skills entirely. Seeing this, Melaney took action that lead to a vast change in the lives of children across the community.

Some would have chosen to observe the situation and say, “someone should do something about this.” Well, Melaney decided to be that person. She took the situation into her own hands and said, “I am somebody. I can do something.” As Melaney began to build on this thought in her personal blog posts, she sought advice and ideas. These ideas led to the creation of an organization that has provided 185,000 books to children since 2009. Never in her wildest dreams did Melaney think that her idea would turn into such an amazing reality.

Now, you're probably thinking, "why is she talking so much about BFK? What's the point here?" Here's what I'm getting at. I have volunteered with Books For Keeps for a little over a year and a half now. It began with my involvement within my sorority, it grew as I became the philanthropy chair, and it expanded vastly when I decided to intern for them and volunteer regularly. Volunteering is one of the most rewarding, cheapest thrills that this girl can ask for. 

BFK offers weekly volunteer hours in their warehouse, and man do they need the help! The strong, amazing women who run this organization spend their time and hard work in the warehouse, moving and organizing hundreds of palettes and boxes of books. So, this past week, I went and helped out in the warehouse, and also brought some lightly used books for them to sell in their yearly book sales. 

Through my position as an intern with Books for Keeps, I handle many different aspects of this nonprofit. Currently, a graduate intern and I are working on compiling information for the first-ever annual report done by Books for Keeps. I also help manage social media accounts, blog posts, community involvement, and perform some market research for them. So, naturally, I'm kinda tuned into all the different ways BFK chooses to reach out to the local community. 

As a local nonprofit organization, Facebook tends to be the largest Books for Keeps media hub. It is the media site with the most following and attraction. Considering that the target segment demographic lies somewhere between parents, local contributors, and students, Facebook seems to be the easiest way to provide sufficient outreach. Instagram is generally used mores for informational blurbs and feel-good attitude posts, where thank you notes (from children that received books) are posted along with other photos from book distributions and local community activity. 

As Books for Keeps continues to grow, so do Melaney’s hopes for the future, and for the impact that can be made. Books for Keeps is laying the ground-work to reach more children. Feel free to browse around the website and social media accounts (click the hyperlinks!) and check out all the great ways you can get a cheap thrill while lending a helping hand to those in need. 

Make a donation. Lend a hand. Make a difference in a child’s life.