Aspirin+coffee+H20= Hangover Game Plan

Currently, while I write this, I am drinking Angry Orchard. Who knows how I'll be feeling when I wake up. So I figured, in case I need help tomorrow, I would write this blog to remind myself how to take care of a hangover.

(Before you judge too much- it is finals week.)

I have actually had a stroke of luck, in that I have never once had a real tough hangover. But I have definitely had friends who have, and though we may not admit it publicly, I'm sure many of us had a rough encounter with a roommate and alcohol. And sometimes it can be really really frustrating. But if you can remember the acronym CAW than you can help take care of any lingering alcoholic influences that occur.

Coffee
Aspirin
Water

Here's the thing about drinking: its not a bad thing inherently. Heck, even Jesus drank wine to celebrate. But it can get out of hand, and when it does, you need to be careful. Drinking too much is not only extremely unhealthy for you, but it is unfair to the people you live with. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to clean up after a person who is so wasted that they have made themselves sick. CAW can be a trick you use for yourself, but it can also be used to help alleviate the potential aftermath issues of the "the morning after".

If your roommate ever does come home super drunk, encourage them to eat food, drink lots of water, and make them time some aspirin. This simple three step process can take what could have been a disaster of a morning, to a very manageable one. Coffee stimulates the brain, wakes your body up, and the caffeine counters the drosiness of alcohol. Aspirin takes care of the headache, even before it happens. Water... well... its water. Duh. But it genuinely does reduce the negative affects of alcohol.

Next time you take that third beer, or go for the next cocktail, remember that your roommates have to live with you when you get home. Be considerate, don't make them deal with a hangover.

At Death's Door: the Germs Strike Again

Germs. Nasty little creeps that everyone hates. We've all had to live with someone who got sick. My roommates and I get sick more than seems reasonable sometimes. But people handle getting sick differently. Some people (who may or may not be me) tend to get a little whinny and mope on the couch all day. Other people pretend to be fine, pop some ibuprofen, and push themselves to get through the day. But when your roommate gets sick, regardless of how they cope, there are a couple of things you can do to help them. AND there are easy steps to help keep yourself from catching the bug as well. 

Playing "Mom" (or dad) 

1. Offer to Pick Them Up Goods From the Store

This could be anything from Apple Juice to Chicken Noodle Soup. Just the other day, my roommate was hit with a hell of a cold, so myself and another roommate bought NyQuil for her so she didn't have to go out and get it herself. And then a couple days ago, I had a sore throat, and our fourth roommate was kind enough to pick me up some ice cream on his way home. Don't balk at doing a favor for someone. Odds are you'll need a favor one day too. Roommates give a little and take a little. But you'll only get as much as you give. 

2. Firmly Encourage Them to Take Care of Themselves

Some people hate medicine. Some people hate admitting they're too sick to leave the apartment. Other people just hate getting behind on work and don't know when to put the laptop down and just sleep (guilty again). If you notice your roommate isn't properly taking care of themselves, call them out. I can't tell you the number of times one of my roommates has glared at me for not eating well that day, or for not taking enough time to recoop after being sick. It might annoy people a little if you rag on them, but later on, they'll most likely be grateful you encouraged them to stay home and sleep it off. At the very least, at least they know you care.  

3. Be Accommodating to Their Needs

Being sick is miserable. ESPECIALLY when you're far away from home. So if they ask you to turn the music down cause they have a headache, or turn the AC on because they're burning up with fever, just do it. And don't make them feel bad for asking. I get it- we didn't go to college to play parent for someone else. But that doesn't excuse us from caring about the people we live our lives with, nor should it keep us from doing our best to care for them when they need it most. 

Keeping the Germs at Bay 

1. Be Pro-Active  

If someone is sick, for the love of all that is good in this world, do not get up in their face, share food/drinks, or cuddle on the couch. You're asking for it if you do. I mean, you're basically inviting germs to enter your body if you do that. Part of staying healthy is just being smart. It takes a little extra caution and a little more thought, but it'll pay off if you don't catch the death cold during finals week. Or in my apartment's reoccurring dilemma: tech week.   

(All you theater people out there say "amen".) 

2. Clean 

Seriously. If a roommate throws up, wipe down the bathroom with disinfect. Otherwise those germs are gonna attack somebody, no doubt. Doorknobs, sinks, and handles, are the main things that everyone touches. Wipe down the surface areas. It takes two minutes, but killing those germs is worth the time you'll save if you get a 48 hour flu. 

3. V.E.S

Vitamins. Eat. Sleep. Not too complicated. When your roomies are sick, you instantly become more susceptible to illness. You live in the same vicinity. The best thing you can do from an individual standpoint is to make sure you have enough vitamin C in your body (I recommend the gummy ones in the kids aisle), confirm that you're eating a nutritious and balanced diet, including WATER, and sleep at least 8 hours a night. If you know a soldier is going into battle, you don't throw him on the front line without a shield and a sword. You equip him to fight. Do the same for your body when its fighting off germs.        

Five Simple Ways to Renovate Your Apartment on a Budget!

I'm a college student. I don't know what your experience is with college students, but if you can imagine an empty piggy bank, then you've got the general idea. It can be really hard to renovate an apartment on a tight budget. But your living space is important and you need to enjoy being home. I sat down with fellow blogger, and dear friend, Benjamin Capitano, who was recently featured in a New York Times article about renting out his living space to tourists visiting New York City. Ben has a knack for home decor/style that always leaves his living space looking better than when he moved in. Here are his five simple suggestions for improving the aura and feel of your living space!

1. Lighting

This is, according to Capitano, the most important when it comes to renovating. Lighting affects everything our eyes glance over. It sets a mood and a tone in the room. So his suggestion is to use lights that don't blind you. So fluorescents? Forget it. "It makes any food in your kitchen look unattractive", says Capitano. They're horrid. Get rid of those suckers now. Instead, "purchase under cabinet lighting. Color temperature is a big part of the ambience. Always go with warm lighting." Capitano also pointed out the importance of "directing your light". He says, "Draw the eyes to the nicest parts of the room by spotlighting what's important." 

2. Smell

We all know that there's nothing worse than walking into your home and being hit with a disgusting and unrecognized able odor. And obviously the best fix for this is cleanliness: take out the trash, do the dishes, etc. But you can always take your apartment from smelling "fine", to smelling "heavenly". What's the best way? Some typical options for fragrance renovating might be candles, Febreeze, incense, or the little sticks in the jar that your mom loves. But Capitano has his own recommendation: Bed, Bath, & Body Works "Wallflowers". He shed some light on how this product is both cost effective and exciting! "They last for about a month, running 24 hours a day. That's a lot longer than a typical candle can burn. They're only five dollars, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond has really well designed smells that change seasonly, which keeps your apartment fresh from January to Christmas." 

3. Painting Old Furniture 

Some people think in order to have furniture that looks like a set, you need to buy a $699 set from a retail store. But you don't! If you are buying furniture on Craigslist, or you already own cheaper pieces that don't match, choose a color, go to Home Depot, and grab a gallon of semi-gloss paint. It'll cost you $23 and by the end of the day, your cabinets, table, desk, and dresser can all be mahogany, chocolate brown, black, or Ben's personal favorite- pearl white. "You take a day to paint everything the same color and then suddenly you have matching furniture! Everything looks nicer, like its meant to belong in the same room. I highly recommend doing this to renovate your apartment setting if you don't want to blow a couple hundred bucks."  

4. Rasterbate

"Rasterbate," says Capitano. What the heck is that? I had to ask the same question. Raster bating is when you create a giant wall sized mural out of 8xll photos. (See image below for reference.) It's an incredible way to open up a room and create an environment that feels coherent with your personality. How can you do this? Capitano shares, "The website 'The Rasterbater' allows you to upload a picture, and it will send you a PDF file with your image broken up into pieces. I recommend paying to print each page at a place like Staples because buying ink yourself is expensive. Then you take the individual pictures home and put them on a wall. It's eye catching. I promise the mural will be the first thing people look at when they walk into the room. I choose an old shot of a Manhattan map, because I lived in an old building in the city. Anything you can use as a poster, you could use to raster bate. Whatever you want your space to represent!"

5. Throw Away and Feng Shui 

This is perhaps the most simple piece of advice. Capitano says: "Basically the basic principle is that it is very easy to acquire too much clutter. Its important to constantly purge ourselves of all the clutter that weighs us down. Doing so opens up the room, and allows you to arrange the elements in your space to create a better energy that flows." People collect trinkets, photos, clothes, letters, playbills, holiday decor, and suddenly your home is full of old junk that you don't really need. When your apartment is free of useless "stuff" you naturally design a space of peace, simplicity, and order that is mentally and emotionally encouraging. 

Summary: 
The energy and atmosphere you create in your apartment can have a drastic impact on your attitude and your level of comfort. You and your roommates need to establish a way of creating that space for one another, but it has to be done together. Thanks to Benjamin Capitano for joining me this week to offer some advice on apartment living! If you'd like to see more of Capitano's work, check out Ben's blog here!

Do you have tips on how to improve an apartment on a budget? Comment below and give us your feedback!

Bathroom Etiquette

Five people. One bathroom. Yes ladies and gentlemen... One shower. One toilet. One sink.

Talk about a tough scenario. I wish I could tell you that sharing a bathroom always works out, but there have been too many times when I've gotten home late from work, had to pee SO BADLY, and someone else was in the shower. And I know each of my roommates would say the same. For anyone else in a similar situation... I am truly sorry.

But, its a fact we have to deal with. So instead of just complaining, we tried to come up with a system that would cut back on issues. We have the "ask first" policy in our apartment. If we're about to jump in the shower, we simply check in with the roomies to see if anyone needs to use the bathroom before we take it over. This is considerate for others and it also makes it so you don't have to feel rushed during your nightly routine. We've also found its helpful to split up who showers when. Two of us tend to shower in the morning, two at night, and one SUPER late at night. This rotation keeps the hot water allowance spread out, and leaves the bathroom available more.

Then there's the issue of having three girls who all (yes we admit it) need a mirror in the morning. But there's a super easy solution to this. Throw down $20, go to Target, and grab a door mirror! Now, I can just do my hair and makeup in the bedroom instead of needing the bathroom space for twenty minutes. Easy, convenient, efficient. Problem solved.

Now lets get down to the dirt. Literally. There are so many little things that can make a bathroom disgusting. Its really not cool to put everyone in that situation. Girls I beg you, do NOT leave your long, nasty hair strands in the shower drain. Guys, for the love of God, remember to flush. Seriously. And we've all been guilty of leaving a huge glob of dried toothpaste in the sink basin. How do you deal with this? It's actually really easy... don't do it. A person who can't clean up after themselves isn't responsible enough to be paying rent. I know, I know- you grew up with a mom who took care of all that for you. Too bad. Your roommates aren't your parents. So buy some Lysol, take out the trash bag, and learn how to properly wipe down all surfaces. Your roommates will appreciate it and you might find that a clean bathroom makes you feel better too!