Netflix or Sleep: The Daily Struggle

Never in my life have I been the type to stay up late on school nights. The thought of not getting enough sleep and having to wake up early the next day has always stressed me out. I'm not sure what has gotten into me the past couple of weeks. Do I think I'm cool for staying up until four in the morning a few times a week? Do I have undiagnosed insomnia? So many questions, so little time. I can't be the only student experiencing this.

What's so fun about going to sleep late anyway? We tend to think our bodies are invincible, but we sure do find out otherwise when we hear our alarms ringing, signaling the new day ahead of us. Sure, going to sleep late every once in a while is not a problem. If it starts becoming a habit, though, I'm sure it will lead to some trouble (sleep depreivation... not fun). 

I know what a lot of you are thinking: "I have to stay up late. It's the only time I can watch Netflix." And let's face it: Netflix does keep a lot of us sane. For some, that statement may be true. Maybe you work and you don't have other time during the day between work and school. But I know that's not the case for the majority of us. This is how the story goes: we get home from class, do something other than homework (in my case it's a nap or the gym...or both), do our homework while iMessaging our friends and constantly refreshing Twitter and Instagram, eat dinner, and then it's Netflix time. And for those of you in the Netflix craze, you know it's impossible to only watch one episode. Then here we are, 4 a.m., wondering where the night went. 

I'm not sure what the solution to this is. Do we give up Netflix? Do we suck it up the next morning when the bags under our eyes are too big for sunglasses to cover? That may be a personal choice. Maybe some of us will be able to find a happy medium. That would be ideal. I guess for now we can try to minimize the number of days we binge watch Netflix and try to get more sleep. 

See you soon,

NG

P.S. Have any of you self-diagnosed yourselves with mild Narcolepsy? I feel like I'm constantly sleeping or in need of sleep... my roommates would agree. Then again, it may be sleep deprivation due to late night Netflix... 

Are You Updated?

Wait, didn't iOS7 come out yesterday? It seems as if it did. But yet again, Apple has managed to give us even more than we could ever imagine: iOS8. After talking to some friends, it seems as if I was one of the few who actually had enough storage to download the new software. After falling asleep for thirty minutes while waiting for it to download, I was finally able to test it out and see what it was all about. 

Although it wasn't much of a change as going from iOS6 to iOS7 was, it still has some pretty cool features. First of all, you can remove yourself from group-chats, which is a huge plus for most teenagers and young adults these days. Most of us have that one group-chat that we cannot stand to be in. There is also a new selfie timer, which we all know is going to come in very handy when trying to get the perfect Instagram picture of our weekend outings. 

As if talking to your favorite people wasn't easy enough before, you can now simply double click on your Home button and your favorites and recents will pop up along the top of your screen. You can also quickly reply to text messages or other notifications by swiping down and replying from whatever screen you're on. The new Health app is also very useful for anybody into fitness or simply living a healthy lifestyle. 

All in all, Apple has managed to give us more than we could have ever thought possible. As soon as we think nothing else can be invented, we get a little red bubble telling us our phone has yet another update. If you haven't downloaded iOS8 yet, I recommend it. Clear some storage (you don't need all those selfies on your camera roll) and make sure your phone is backed up before you do so! 

Feel free to respond with feedback on how you feel about the update! 

NG

DIY Iced Coffee

When I see people drinking hot coffee in this weather, I can't help but wonder what in the world is wrong with them. As if you aren't going to sweat enough walking from class to class, why on earth would you torture your insides with an extremely hot beverage?! I sometimes feel like introducing these people to a good old friend of mine: iced coffee. You get the same, great taste as hot coffee, and it's something refreshing to drink while you're trying to cool down from the unbearable heat.

Sometimes, my impatience gets the best of me when I'm trying to get my coffee. As much as I try not to be, I always get frustrated when things take too long. One thing that drives me crazy is having to wait in line for an 8 ounce cup of coffee. Yes, I will admit: I am a die hard, basic Starbucks lover. It just makes me happy to walk around while holding a plastic cup with the famous green mermaid on it. Thats why I started drinking coffee in the first place (don't lie, I know most of you have the same story). But the fact that my school has about 60,000 students (I'm sure more than half are coffee lovers) and only ONE Starbucks on campus adds a little bit of unneeded stress to my life.

Thats when I thought: I have a coffee machine, why don't I make my own iced coffee? I had never tried making iced coffee on my Keurig machine, but I figured it was more than possible. If you have a Keurig (it seems like every college student has one), or any coffee machine for that matter, give it a try! I'm sure it won't disappoint. Follow these easy steps for your perfect iced coffee:

1. Pick your favorite K-Cup flavor. I usually use Starbucks Vanilla or Gevalia Caramel Machiado.
2. If you used powdered coffee creamer, pour some into the mug you're making the coffee in. Once you have your K-Cup inserted, select the 6 oz setting on the coffee machine.
3. Wait until the coffee is done pouring into your mug. You may have to stir some of the coffee cream powder that has not mixed.
4. Grab a tall, plastic cup and fill it to the top with ice. It is important that it's plastic because the change in temperatures will cause glass to break.
5. Pour the coffee from your mug into the plastic cup. If you use liquid creamer, you can add some to your coffee now that it's in the plastic cup.
6. Voila! You now have your perfect, homemade iced coffee, without having to wait in line!

If you're using a regular coffee machine, brew your coffee as you normally would, creamer and all, and then transfer it to a tall, plastic cup filled with ice. Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Happy drinking!

NG