Lifestyle

Breastival Returns to Entertain, Educate

Lifestyle October 24, 2011 at 7:28 pm Comments are Disabled

Every October, the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education hosts Breastival, an event which aims to educate students about breast cancer awareness with food, activities and prizes from various vendors and booths. This year, Breastival will be held on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Johnson Center North Plaza. It will be free and open to the public. In previous years, there have been popular games such as “Pin the Nipple on the Boob,” “Guess How Many Gumballs This Bra Can Hold,” “Breast of Show” and “Breast Fact Jeopardy.” As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, students learn about early detection and the warning signs of the deadly disease. They also learn how to promote awareness and healthy lifestyle habits for the future. Did You Know? •About one in eight American women will develop invasive breast cancer sometime during their lives. •Currently, there are about 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. •A woman’s risk of breast cancer doubles if she has a first-degree relative who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Nevertheless, about 75 percent of diagnosed breast cancer cases are not hereditary. •Besides lung cancer, breast cancer death rates are higher than any other cancer […]
Cheap Eats with Kristin Janeiro

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:39 pm Comments are Disabled

It’s getting to be that time of year again. The air is turning crisp, the leaves are changing colors and cozy sweaters are finding their way out of the backs of dresser drawers. Fall is my favorite time of the year, not just because I get to break out my boots or because the weather is perfect for running outside, but also because the season calls for a menu of delicious comfort food. Nothing beats walking out of the slight autumnal chill and sitting down to a hot, nostalgia-inducing meal. So grab a few friends and enjoy my recipe for hearty chicken pot pie. Just be sure to save some room for a traditional fall dessert — caramel apples! Chicken Pot Pie 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes 1/2 cup sliced celery 1/3 cup chopped onion 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup frozen peas 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 garlic cloves 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 unbaked pie crusts, 9 inch, round Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine carrots, peas, celery and cubed chicken in a saucepan and […]
Overcoming Procrastination

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:37 pm Comments are Disabled

The average college student starts the morning by hitting the snooze button and occasionally skipping class. They end it watching late night TV or chatting on Facebook instead of doing homework. Dilettantes in the ways of laziness during high school, most students are experts in the field by the time they reach college. Last-minute rushes to the Johnson Center Library to print out a paper or trying to scout out an available computer on campus are just some of the consequences of putting off work until the last second. However, there are many helpful tips to fend off temptation and avoid getting sucked into the downward spiral that is procrastination. 1. Start your homework by doing the least-daunting task. The piece of work that you’re looking forward to the most will be the one that will get your mind focused the fastest. 2. Write out four to five tasks that you want to complete for each day of the week, and reward yourself if you meet a day’s worth of tasks. 3. Designate a relaxation day. You’ll start to work harder throughout the week in anticipation of your “chill day.” 4. Regularly switch between subjects when studying so you don’t […]
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Lives on Through the Internet

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:37 pm Comments are Disabled

For many die-hard Harry Potter fans, July 15, 2011, was a bittersweet day. As they gathered in long lines and waited to be seated in a movie theater, the reminiscing began. Just about 14 years ago, “the boy who lived” started to win his way into the hearts of millions through the words of author J.K Rowling and the mega-hit movies. As fans sat in the theater at midnight, a nostalgic feeling took over. Were Harry Potter and his story essentially over? Was Harry’s time really gone? Not if J.K. Rowling had anything to do with it. The billionaire author wanted to keep the dream alive and have Harry live on for his fans, even though the series and movies have reached their endpoint. With the help of Sony, Rowling launched Pottermore, an interactive website based on the Harry Potter series, which helped satisfy the craving of the many fans who wanted more after the series and movies were finished. Pottermore is only open to selective beta users at the moment, but will go public at the end of October. The website will offer digital audio books and e-books for purchase through the online Pottermore Shop, along with new information […]
Drake Concert Canceled

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:35 pm Comments are Disabled

The fall concert is an integral part of the George Mason University experience. In years past, Mason has hosted such great acts as Kid Cudi, Taking Back Sunday, the All American Rejects and OneRepublic. As of last week, the concert for the fall 2011 semester was to be no exception. The one and only Drake was slated to take the Patriot Center stage on Nov. 15, much to the excitement of the Mason community. Already a stop on his tour, the Office of Student Involvement worked with Live Nation to purchase discount student tickets for the fall concert instead of booking a similar, separate act. Student Involvement had 900 discount tickets available to sell to the student body on Oct. 7. Lines began early in the morning that Friday and after the doors opened at 10 a.m., it only took two and a half hours for all 900 tickets to be sold. It wasn’t a week later that a member of Student Involvement posted on the wall of the Facebook event that Drake had cancelled the show. While some are concerned about the $35 they spent on the seats, what’s most disconcerting is what’s going to happen to the long-established […]
The Thing is back

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:34 pm Comments are Disabled

In the time leading up to the release of “The Thing,” my biggest fear was that the movie would abandon all of the tense isolation and fear that the John Carpenter version was remembered for, and instead just deliver a glossy CGI monster-fest. Reading all the advance reviews, you’d think that my fears would have been confirmed. Truth is they were, but they also weren’t at the same time. Anyone who’s seen the Capenter’s take has an idea of what they’re getting themselves into with this prequel/remake. Scientists uncover an alien specimen capable of shape-shifting into any organism it wants to. When your setting for a film is Antarctica and you have no idea who is human and who isn’t, obviously suspense and tension build. And that’s why the movie wasn’t a loss for me. Despite the abundance of CGI in the movie, especially during the last act, I was still on edge just wondering what was going to happen next. That being said, all I wanted to do after I finished watching the prequel was go home and re-watch the Carpenter version. The truth is that there’s nothing in this updated film that really compares to the it, and […]
New and Rising Local Rappers

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:32 pm Comments are Disabled

There aren’t many people left on campus who remember Wale’s 2008 performance in a cramped corner of Dewberry Hall on a cold February night, and only a few who remember the way the bells in Wale’s then-lone hit “Nike Boots” echoed around a room struggling to fill a fifth of its capacity. Fast forward three years and Wale can be found at the center of two of the area’s largest venues — the Verizon Center and Merriweather Post Pavilion — within a span of only four months alongside some of today’s most recognizable rap figures. And while he’s still yet to follow through on his promise of bringing a Grammy to the District, even Wale doesn’t deny the fact that he likely isn’t the best artist living in the metropolitan area. Here are few local rappers that would probably make a night in Dewberry Hall a lot more memorable. 1. Fat Trel From: E St., NE D.C. For fans of: Waka Flocka; Freeway; Wooh da Kid This 21-year-old gangsta rapper out of D.C. was previously attached to Wale’s Board of Administration label prior to being unceremoniously dropped a day before his latest mixtape released. It’s been a while since the […]
Mason Improv Association Finds Their Niche in D.C. Metropolitan Area

Lifestyle October 19, 2011 at 3:30 pm Comments are Disabled

A wise man once said, “No one hands you a script when you wake up in the morning and says, ‘Here are your lines for the day.’” Truer words were never spoken. No one ever hands the Mason Improv Association a script. However, every time they hit the stage, they still manage to show people a good time. Founded in the fall semester of 2010, the seven-member group has gained significant momentum and presence in the George Mason University and D.C. performing arts arenas, having performed in several local college competitions. “I love it,” said founder and senior English major Paul Laudiero. “I think everyone should do it.” Laudiero has actively participated in the D.C. improvisational comedy scene for the past two years since he transferred to Mason. He identified a deficiency of comedy on campus and immediately did something about it. Since then the M.I.A. has packed shows in the Theaterspace and Black Box venues of the Performing Arts Building, and most recently in the Johnson Center Bistro. The M.I.A. performs in the long-form improv style, as opposed to short-form style that was demonstrated most of the time in “Whose Line is it Anyway?”. The long-form format is more […]
Odds Are You’ll Enjoy 50/50

Lifestyle October 3, 2011 at 11:12 pm Comments are Disabled

Anyone who read my review of “Abduction” last week knows that I absolutely loved the movie “Drive.” I thought it was well-written, did an amazing amount with very little and it just seemed to buck the norm that had become the Hollywood standard of the action film. In much the same way “50/50” takes the “dramady” genre and kind of turns it on its head. I’ll let you guys know right up front though that I’m torn between “Drive” and “50/50” for my favorite film of the year thus far. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, who turns in a rather reeled-in performance considering what he is typically known for, the movie shows what happens when JGL’s character learns he has cancer and has a 50/50 shot of surviving. The thing about this movie is that it’s genuinely funny but never reaches for laughs. Even more impressive though is just how genuine the entire thing feels. You truly feel like these two people have been close friends for a long time and that Seth Rogen’s character is very invested in his friend’s well-being. Some of my favorite bits of the film, however, revolve around the relationship between JGL and his […]
What Makes Love Turn Sour

Lifestyle October 3, 2011 at 11:11 pm Comments are Disabled

When I first came to George Mason University as a freshman, I was as single as you could get. I went to parties with my girls, had nights in and then the inevitable first date popped up. I never really dated back home. It was more like this guy takes me to a dinner and movie, holds my hand and then, if we both liked each other enough, we became boyfriend-girlfriend. College is different, though. Single gals can go out with three different guys in two weeks and keep going out with them. That is, until they find the deal breaker. The deal breaker is the thing that you absolutely cannot stand about the other person which leads to the “It’s not you, it’s me” breakup line (or lie, depending on how you take it). For some people, such as myself, it’s kissing. If you’re a bad kisser then you can just forget about it. I don’t care if you’re sweet and charming, or humorous and handsome; if you kiss me in a way that leaves spit or bruises on my face, or if you have a tongue that just intrudes upon my mouth’s personal space by darting in and […]