The Company You Keep

You are the company you keep. This statement can become increasingly true when your surroundings become a constant cluster of friends in this microcosm we call college. Friends feel like family, roommates become your other half, and sorority sisters seem like real sisters. These are bonds that can be made in just the four short years we are given at this semi-real-life experience we are having. The people you choose to surround yourselves with are the people who will shape your memories. They are the ones you will reunite with in 10 years and say, "Hey remember when we __________?" They are the stories you will tell your kids about. They keep the secrets from your worst nights and tell the tales about your best. They are your inside jokes, your therapists. The ones who will go through the Taco Bell drive through with you at 2am just because "you had a rough day." As I laid in bed earlier tonight, crammed against three of my best friends, all staring at the overly-dramatic and oh-so-addicting latest episode of Gossip Girl, I realized all of these things. Each day we spend together, the closer we get and the more we learn from and love one another. They have become my best friends, my family away from my family. Find yours and cherish them. Your college company will become more than just something you "keep."

Soak Up the Sun

There is something about a sunny day that can change your entire mood the second you walk into it's warm, welcoming heat and let it's lively light soak into your skin. As a California native I grew very accustomed to my perfect 70 degree days that would wake me up every morning and last until sunset, when the colors of the day melt over the ocean in a blur of beauty that I'd drown in as I stared. It's kind of romantic how the whole world just stops for that split moment when the sun comes down from it's perch and meets the palm of the earth, slipping away to visit the rest of the world for a while. There has never been a sunset that looks exactly like any other. It's like each one put's its own fingerprint on the city it enchants. Maybe it's the feeling of Friday that has me in this bubbly, creative mood. But I think it's this little glimpse of summer that has my spirits so lifted. You can always count on the tricks of Texas weather to bring you a sunny surprise just when you need it most.

Unplug Yourself

As I walked to lunch today after my last class, taking in the surprisingly warm winter air and enjoying the sweet sun, warming my cheeks,  I suddenly noticed a girl unsteadily walking straight at me. Hands down in front of her, she clutched on to her purple, bedazzled iPhone, texting away in her own little world. I barely swayed out of her way in time to avoid a head-on collusion that she probably wouldn't have even noticed anyways. Rolling my eyes, I continued walking and spotted my friend across the street who seemed to be looking right at me. I cheerfully waved at her, expecting her to do the same. But she just stood there, blankly staring back in my direction, looking dazed and distant. Her lips were moving and her head was bobbing up and down. Then I noticed two little white buds in her ears, "Of course," I thought, "listening to her iPod." I met up with another friend and began to tell her about my weekend plans, the car trouble I was having, and the cute guy in my statistics class when she suddenly interrupts me, "Huh?" she looked up as if she hadn't heard a single word I just said. "Sorry, I was texting. What did you say?" With these three technological tizzy's all happening within about five minutes of each other, I was forced to stop and asked myself, how often am I the one who is constantly plugged in? I'll admit, I'm rarely further than 10 feet away from my phone and I almost constantly have at least a few people I'm texting throughout the day. When I'm not on my iPhone, I'm on my Mac Skyping, Facebooking, emailing, even blogging. Today I got an outsider's view on how all of these digital addictions can effect other people. I realized how much I must miss out on when I distract myself with a consuming computer or hand-held device. I instantly wanted to unplug my life and reintroduce myself to face-to-face, personal, real interactions with the world around me. Challenge yourself to use technology as little as you can for just one day and see how you feel after wards. Notice the weather, the people around you, the life that exists outside of a screen. 

This is a blog post that I will use tonight as a place to vent out my frustrations with this day that has seem to become a series of irritating and bothersome events. Sorry for the bring-down.  

1. Today was my first quiz in Media Writing. As I studied up until the hour of my class, I realized that I would not be on time if I walked. So I drove. When I returned to my car after class I was presented with a $100 parking ticket. 

2. I ordered a salad at Smashburger, attempting to take the healthier route. When I got home and opened my salad, I stared back into a bowl containing about 12 pieces of lettuce. Not enough to satisfy a rabbit. 

3. As I read for my Lit. class, trying to ignore my growling stomach, a piercing screech filled the air and I realized that the fire alarm was going off. Great. 

4. Since I was outside already, I decided to go to Starbucks with a friend. Afterwards, as we pulled back into the parking lot, my car's steering wheel locks, engine dies, and maintenance light turns on. Is there anything worse than dealing with car trouble as a college student?

I somehow managed to turn the car back on and cautiously park it in the lot. Tomorrow will be a day of paying my ticket, calling Triple A, and figuring out what I can do this weekend to change my bad luck that will not stop following me around. UGH!  

  

College-Coma

You know those days in college that just seem to never end, and by sunset you feel like you just went through the entire week itself, only to check the calendar and realize that just one day has passed? Just one Tuesday has gone by and I feel like it's time for the weekend already. Tuesdays. My dreadful day of the week with three one-hour-and-twenty-minute classes, starting at 11am and lasting until 5:20pm. Add a dose of everlasting homework and a prior night's sleep of about five short hours and I become a walking zombie, spacing out with blurry eyes and blank expressions. So what do you do when this college-coma washes over you? Put on your favorite iTunes studying playlist, write out your homework plan of attack, with the hardest tasks listed first, and just force yourself to start working. Give yourself a break about halfway through your work (a shower, a phone call, 10 minutes of Facebook stalking) and have a set time that you can aim at to finish. Taking my own advice, here I sit, cracking open a fresh Naked juice, thinking of giving myself all three break options, and slowly falling asleep to my soothing playlist. Forcing myself to cope with this coma, I'll wrap up this blog post and continue working my way down my long list of to-dos that these Tuesdays never fail to test me with.

Relationship Buffet

There is something in college that I like to refer to as the Relationship Buffet. This is a title I have prescribed to the multiple options of dating that seem to be held as acceptable during the ages of about 18 to 25. It starts with "The Hook-Up," next comes the "We're Talking," then there's "LikeBasicallyDatingButNotExclusiveYet," and the infamous, "Facebook Official." Of course there are always the classics such as the "Long-Distance Relationship" and the "She's still in High School" or "He Graduated Last Year." So many options and only eight semesters to try them all out. But which one works the best? The question isn't which type of dating in college is right. It's which type is right for you. I have witnessed every item along the Buffet be sampled by my friends, or by myself in some cases. Some end in heartburn, others in harmony that are still lasting to this day. But no matter what the outcome, the Relationship Buffet is always a learning experience. Take note of your changing tastes and don't be afraid to get your heart broken.  That's the only way you will ever learn to appreciate what might end up being your main course.

List Your Life

A good friend of mine asked me to complete a "homework assignment" within the next three weeks. He said to write down everything I've ever wanted to do for fun with him, my friends, my family or even with just myself. As I have been keeping a list of all these adventures in my head, (spending a whole day in a cozy pillow-fort or finding a place in California with more stars then city lights are only two of the many examples I've come up with so far), I've thought a lot about something that we as college students can often forget to do: prioritize. The stuff that matters most to us can quickly become things like GPA's, internships, and job connections, things that are very important at this age. But we should all try to remember that what makes this life worth living are the people and memories that shape us into who we are. Life is such a short and fast-paced gift that we can forget to just stop and enjoy every day that we are so blessed to have. I'm not advising anyone to just throw their books in the air, hit up every party there is tonight, and make some "memories," (which they probably wouldn't remember much of), but I'm simply saying that it's important to keep a healthy perspective on what it means to truly live. Do things that make you happy, make your own list of "to-dos," surround yourself with people you love and start checking it off.

Winterburn

How do you cope with windburn and 28 degree mornings when you have grown up under the ever-present, perfect San Diego weather that your family won't stop reminding you of? One word: layers. And the consequences of that long-sleeve shirt, fluffy Northface, and over-sized trench coat that you tie together with a scarf and head wrap? A miserable heatwave that overwhelms you the second you walk indoors. Today, after tirelessly trekking the 13 minute walk from the Greek to Beasley Hall, I entered my classroom with burning ears and sweating palms. I tore off my jackets, only to get goosebumps about 3 minutes later. There is no happy medium with it comes to winter weather in Texas. If it's going to stay this cold, I pray that it at least snows so school is canceled. It's the only good thing that this weather can bring about besides cups of cocoa and cute winter coats.

Write What You Know...

They say that the easiest way to be a good writer is simply to write what you know. So as I sit down to create my first official blog I ask myself, what things do I know enough about to write on everyday for the rest of this semester? To know what you know, you must know yourself, so who am I? A college girl from California, dealing with the trials and triumphs that these young-adult years bring about. From secrets and sorority-life to love and lessons that we'll never forget, these four years can take a toll on the average 20-year-old. Which is why we all need a little time to cope. So, here you have it: The College Cope. I intend for this blog to be an outlet where myself and others can vent, praise, ask advice, give advice, or simply just ramble on whenever necessary. Words are powerful things, they can break a person. But they can also build us up in immeasurable ways. I hope this site becomes an entertaining escape where we can laugh at ourselves, question the world, and help one another cope with this crazy thing called life.