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The most popular points of conversation on campus right now are: upcoming midterm exams, the snow tundra we once knew as Boston, and 50 Shades of Grey hitting the cinema over Valentine’s Day Weekend. Whether you’re a fan of the books or have never heard of Christian Grey in your life, here are my 3 reasons why you should see “50 Shades of Grey” right now. 

1) Company – You’re not going to want to see this when it comes out on OnDemand this summer, with your Mom casually sitting next to you. This is the type of movie friends should go with friends to. Trust me, you’ll want to know the people next to you when Christian takes off his shirt and eats toast out of Anastasia’s hand in one shot. You’ll probably also want to discuss the film after seeing it and again, not something you want to do with your mom. 

2) Spoilers – This is one of the most talked about movies. Ever. If you want to see it eventually, you may as well not wait. Everyone is seeing it – or knows someone who has seen it – and wants to share their opinion one way or another. Take things into your own hands and see the film before your roommates has a chance to say “well it wasn’t as good at the book” or worse, your neighbor say “you’re not going to like the abrupt ending.” Don’t anyone spoil it for you! 

3) Weather – Because what else is there to do besides watch movies in snowy weather like this? I know you’ve probably become quite comfortable in your bedroom (read cocoon) after the 5 snow days we’ve had but its time to break through that hibernation and get outside. Walk over to Regal Fenway Cinema’s, indulge in your favorite candy and blue raspberry slushy, and enjoy a movie that I promise you won’t forget.

I don’t know if anyone ever told you, but being in college is hard. The conventional things like making friends, moving out on your own, and managing classes is actually easier than expected, but something that no one ever really warned me about was money management. Even with the cushion of money I saved up from my steady job this past summer, and having a small monthly allowance form my parents, I still stress about money on a daily basis. 

When you are at school, money flies away without you ever noticing it. A couple dinners out in a week can end up being over $50, and a trip to CVS when you’re sick can be crazy expensive. Here’s a couple thing I’ve learned over the past semester and a half about money management on your own:

Plan Your Meals Wisely

I try to only eat out once a week, and while this is tough given the amazing food options in Boston, it can be done. As weird as on-campus dining can be, there are enough options that you can always find something you’ll love. This semester I changed from the 14-plus to the 250 plan and have gotten a boat-load of dining points, allowing me to eat in the GSU more often (I eat there a lot. Seriously, I never leave. Like you will always find me there, usually eating a sushi bowl in back court.)

Sell Those Gift Cards

The holidays were wonderful, weren’t they? But they left you with so many gift cards that you’ll never use! What I did at the beginning of the semester was make a bunch of returns, leaving me with about $200 in store credit. I went onto cardpool.com and only lost about 10% leaving me with a hefty check to support me this semester.

Use Your Student Discounts

There are sooooooooooooooooooooo many student discounts out there, especially here in Boston. As a Film & TV major and theatre lover, I see a lot of movie and plays, and using my student discount has saved me a ton. Being a student can also get you into tons of places for free, like the Isabella Gardner Museum or the MFA. It’s a much better way of spending your day than going out shopping.

Also online there are a ton of great deals, like you can register your school ID with Spotify and get half off on Spotify Premium for your of years of college!

So those are a few of my money saving tips, but I’m still learning! I’ll be back next time once I’ve mastered the Quickie job system!

On Friday I went apartment searching with my three closest friends. It was during this adventure that I came to the sudden, and scary, realization that I am finally an adult. Some people may not agree I’m a “‘real adult” because I’m still in college living off of my parents money, but coming to having my own kitchen and having to scrub a toilet is more than enough to convince me.

I had to sign a document acknowledging that the realtor was a legitimate realtor and not just a random guy showing us apartments and that is when the whole situation got very real. Before, all of the planning and talk of living together was just that: talk. It was fun searching online and dreaming of getting a cat, but when we signed that document, there was no going back.

The biggest thing I have to come to terms with is that fact that I will have to pay for internet. This is a very foreign concept to me. Honestly, three years ago I thought internet just existed, I didn’t know it came from the TV provider and that we paid for it. Now that its not free, is it worth it?  (That’s a dumb question.) Obviously it is, especially when considering not paying for cable and just streaming TV from a computer (an easy way to save some money). 

What I am most looking forward to is Sunday dinners. They will certainly be a challenge considering there are two vegans and one gluten-free eater in the house (none of whom are myself). This will be challenging because my recipe rolodex currently consists of mostly chicken dishes. Nonetheless, I’m excited to expand my food horizons and cook new (meatless/dairy-less/gluten-less) foods. I’ll be a master by the time spring semester rolls around—hopefully. 

All of this has got me thinking: am I ready to live on my own? Yeah, technically I’m living on my own right now, but someone cleans the bathroom every day and the dining hall staff makes the food and cleans the dishes. At just 19, I will be completely responsible, working two jobs and attending college. My life is really starting to come together, and I’m excited for it.

This past weekend I had the strong urge to treat myself. So Saturday morning I woke up early and headed over to my favorite place to satisfy that urge: Newbury Street. Around eight I hopped on the B line T to begin my peaceful morning in one of my favorite places in Boston. Newbury Street has everything I could possibly dream of in one easily accessible and scenic location.  Newbury is lined with beautiful brownstone buildings that host various shops, restaurants and salons. My motto for the morning was “treat yo self” from the television show Parks and Recreation. I hate to admit it but I took the motto very seriously. Nails, treat yo self; Starbucks, treat yo self; Clothes, treat yo self. Treating yourself on Newbury is extremely easy to do.

I planned my early morning not only to treat myself, but also to separate myself from campus after the snow days due to Juno. I felt the need to be alone which is what I got when I arrived on Newbury. At eight o’clock in the morning on a Saturday with a wind chill of below zero, most people decided to stay in their warm beds. The street was practically empty aside from the few brave souls such as myself. Although my eyes watered and my face became instantly numb as I walked against the wind, I was filled with a strange peace.

Walking alone in the empty, snow covered street was not only peaceful but also made realized how much I have grown during my time at BU. Over the past year I have had defining moments when I realized I was no longer a child: being accepted to BU, scheduling my own doctor’s appointment for the first time away from home, receiving my first paycheck and now walking alone on Newbury Street. These significant moments in my life represent a change within me that Boston University and the city of Boston have been able to bring out in me.

When I got back to my dorm I had new nails, new clothes and a new outlook on myself and my life. My day wasn’t about treating myself how I imagined. I treated myself to the satisfaction of knowing I am a capable adult living in one of the greatest cities. Living in Boston during this chapter of my life has changed me for the better. I am coming into my own here, and I can’t imagine doing so anywhere else. (And I also got some cool new clothes… so that’s a plus!)

My morning in a nutshell:

Valentine’s Day is again upon the horizon. Before you know it, the restaurants of Boston will be filled with sighing lovers, and the dining halls of BU will be filled awkward Freshman dates. Ah, to be young, in love, and still on a meal plan.

If you’re of the romantic persuasion, you may feel inclined to make your love publicly known. Wonderful! The world could always use a little more love. If you want to shout off of rooftops, go on and shout. Of course, there are some ways of saying “I Love You,” on Valentine’s Day that, well, shouldn’t be said, and so I bring to you the Five Things to Avoid Doing on Social Media for Valentine’s Day.

1) Sending a relationship status request: No one should be asked to be Facebook-official on Valentine’s Day. It’s a day for celebrating your love, not defining it.

2) Instagramming your date: This is a special day for you and your partner, so save it for yourselves.

3) Assuming that a Valentine’s Day status equals a card: A hand-written card shows some real thought. Flowers and chocolate are also nice. Emojis are not.

4) Posting about moving on from your last relationship: Chances are that if you’re posting about this, then it isn’t true. And now we all know.

5) Posting about anything that goes on behind closed doors: We don’t want to know. Really. Not even the NSA wants to know. But they do now. Forever.

If you were on Snapchat, Facebook or not living under a rock, then you were aware that the 49th Superbowl took place last Sunday. The Superbowl is one of the most watched events in the United States each year. However, if you aren’t a fan of the teams playing or sports, then you were probably sleeping, binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix or being a good student and catching up on homework. So, if you weren’t watching the game, aren’t a fan of football, and only tuned in after to watch The Blacklist, then here are some important things you might have missed.

Food

Look, we all love food. You don’t have to be a football fanatic to enjoy the traditional Superbowl foods. A Superbowl Sunday without food is like a fish without water. What other time of the year can you eat pizza, wings, nachos, potato skins and desserts on the same day and not feel guilty?

Halftime Show

Do you not like football but like fireworks, elaborate dancing and lights? Then, the halftime show is just for you! This year’s Superbowl performer was Katy Perry with a special appearance by rockstar and Katniss Everdeen’s stylist Lenny Kravitz. Also, Missy Elliot made a spectacular return back to American mainstream with a melody of her greatest hits. However, the performers that stole the show were Katy Perry’s dancing sharks. The Left Shark especially stole the hearts of the American public with his groovy dance moves.

Commercials

This years commercials featured special celebrity appearances, animals, and dads. Some highlights of the Superbowl commercials included Mindy Kailing being invisible, Steve Buscemi as Jan Brady and Walter White’s return. However, there were some emotional commercials courtesy of Nationwide, Nissan and Dove. These commercials will be on television for the months to come as well as Youtube, so don’t worry if you haven't seen them yet!

Welcome to my world, where I am now a second semester senior. When did that happen? No, really…. when?!

It’s time to leave the safety of the college bubble and enter into the “real world.” Although I’m definitely ready to be done with school, searching for a job actually slightly terrifies me. It’s a delicate balance between fear and excitement but it feels incredible knowing all that’s ahead.

If you’re a senior reading this, I’m sure you feel the same way. If you’re an underclassmen, it’s totally plausible you feel this way about finding an internship too! No worries though, we’re in this together.

Thoughts that have crossed my mind (to make you feel less alone):

 -       New York, LA, Boston, Austin? I’ll honestly go anywhere but it’s definitely something you want to seriously consider. If you don’t love LA, then don’t move there! Or want to stay close to home, then do that! You now get to decide where you really want to live, and that power is awesome. Go where you’re heart takes you (cheesy and true).

-       Do I want to do PR? Or go more towards marketing? Or maybe branding could be interesting? I’m not ruling anything out and neither should you. Your time here at BU has certainly prepared you for many incredible opportunities. It’s all about tweaking your resume and cover letter to shape your experiences and apply them to job postings

-       What industry should I work in? Entertainment? Or food? The advice I keep getting from everyone: Do what makes you happy, and do it now. It can be really scary to take a leap of faith but I don’t want to look back years from now and wish I had taken another path. I plan on waiting to find a great job in the field I love, rather than just take anything to have a crappy job.

-       Sometimes, things happen unconventionally. How many times have you been to an alumni panel at BU and they’ve told you a crazy story about how they got a job they love? Leave room for the unimaginable and remember, you don’t always have to play by the rules (but shhh, you didn’t hear that from me!)

And if along the way, you happen to find any communication jobs in New York, LA, or just about anywhere in the South that talk a lot about loving food and wanting to make it your life, pass that along to me 😉

My first few days as a freshman at Boston University were, naturally, full of awkward attempts to socialize with floormates. Only one thing sufficed in breaking down any and all social anxieties among the people that would eventually become some of my best friends, and that thing was food. When 30 seconds talking about the first few days of classes in the common room gradually turned into 5 minutes of painful silence intermingled with simultaneous attempts to start a spoken thought by 4 people, someone would inevitably ask if the rest of the crew was hungry and we would all joyously romp to the Warren Towers Dining Hall. All was swell, as long as there were burgers, pizza and endless ice cream for dessert.

Or so I thought. It turns out that I was the only one who ate McDonald’s® Big Macs© and small-town house-of-pizza pizza for dinner every single night of my life prior to college. So, within a week, all my friends with their cultured palates and knowledge of how to pronounce the word “pho” started to desire more. They began doing weekly sushi, going to the North End, and getting regular brunch. Eventually, I was the only one left, eating three limp burgers and two pasta plates per meal in the loneliest corner in Warren Towers dining hall. You know, the one with three tables for two (one) near the big windows to the far left of the back section, sequestered from view by the booths that demarcate the social area? The one where only dining hall employees on their breaks and I sit? Yeah.

Well, since I’m now a second-semester senior (NO!) and don’t want to endure this sort of social exile when I enter real life (NOOOOOOO!) I’ve decided to finally do my best to become a foodie.

I present to you all: A bad first-time Boston foodie’s guide for dummies

OMG best brunch literally ever: Deep Ellum

Ok, so this one I’ve done a bit of research and crowdsourcing, and it seems to be pretty unanimous that this place rocks. It’s a bit of a jaunt into Allston, where Cambridge Street and Brighton Ave intersect, but it’s worth the Uber©®™ fee. The cheese plate is so good that I can’t describe it in words, so...just get it. I can’t tell if my favorite option is the Fall River French Toast or the Breakfast Burrito, or the time I smashed both of those together and then layered on two side orders of their incredible bacon. Their poutine is also the best 2 a.m. poutine on the planet. I assume it’s good at other times of the day as well.

Best compromise with your friends who actually think about what they eat and adhere to reasonable, rational diets, and oh man I need to stop eating so much meat: Yard House

Located in the social hub of Fenway, Yard House is a great social environment for Boston youths representing all dietary backgrounds. A majority of the snacks and about half the appetizers at this place are vegetarian. They have a gardein (pronounced gar-DEEN, my server made sure to let me know quickly [and I promptly refused to learn on account of his rudeness]) option for their sizeable burger selection, and several vegetarian appetizers and pizzas that have manage to draw me away from the best steak ever, the 12 oz. rib eye, at about 50 percent of my visits here. On Saturdays, Yard House fills up with hundreds of young professionals taking advantage of its massive beer collection and schmoozing under the sultry fluorescent lights.

Best deal on earth: Lolita

Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar offers all-you-can-eat tacos every Monday for $9. That’s right. Infinite tacos. I don’t think this typeface is properly conveying the significance of this opportunity: INFINITE. I’m sure there are cool buffets and things in the area and other all-you-can-eat deals, but this is the first place I’ve ever felt inspired to actually approach the concept of infinity because the food was that good. AND, they didn’t stop me. I ate tacos until my mind descended (transcended?) into a dissociative state in which all matter, all circumstance, all being was taco. And the place has a creepy dungeon theme with ominous red lights, which is fun too.

Second semester brings us back to BU, friends, classes, and the COLD. Freezing temperatures and lots of snow are a great excuse for Netflix marathons or “cozying” up with the last few chapters that you’ve been neglecting in your textbook - even though it’s the start of the semester. A new semester also means new adventures!

I started the semester by going to the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) - We took the T, hopping on outside Warren and then transferring to the E line at Arlington. The E line stops right outside the MFA; we only had to endure the snow for a few seconds before we were inside the warm MFA.

Listen up Terriers! The MFA IS FREE FOR BU STUDENTS - Just bring your BU ID!

As a self-declared “Art History Aficionado (snob),” the MFA is heaven. From the newly renovated Greek and Roman collection to the intriguing, yet eccentric Modern and Contemporary wing, the MFA has everything.

Making an Impression

The MFA has a wonderful collection of Impressionist art, featuring pieces by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Vincent Van Gogh, and many more!

Walk Like an Egyptian 

In addition to the newly renovated Greek and Roman collection, the MFA’s Art of the Ancient World also houses Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East. The collections range from statues of prominent figures, innovative architecture, and stunning jewelry and coins.

This is Art? 

While some may question a strategically placed pile of [insert random item here] as art, I am a HUGE fan of contemporary art. The modern wing at the MFA is home to a variety of styles of modern art. From giant sculptures made out of Solo cups to a Warhol-inspired print of Barbara Streisand, the Modern Wing pushes the boundaries on art.

 

In the meantime, use Buzzfeed (http://www.buzzfeed.com/kmallikarjuna/art-history-snapchats-that-will-give-you-life#.hfv6OAGKva) for inspiration for some killer Art History snapchats.