The Answer is Yes Part 2

      I do think that saying yes as my only response in a 24-hour period was one of my most insane and unprepared ideas yet. To summarize my day I ate my way through Campus Corner, I bought a huge supply of instant coffee that I probably will never use and I played starting offensive line in an intermural flag football game. I also got nothing accomplished and nothing checked off my checklist. But I had a day that rivaled a field trip day in elementary school. Nothing was planned but I was still surrounded by my best friends and I could definitely tell a few stories here. My day began with this…

     11:45- Once I have walked aimlessly around the Kappa house, where I live, for about 20 minutes after class I usually decide to run errands. I go by myself to be effective. This day I went to Homeland Grocery Store where I discussed the perils of having terrible cigarette tasting coffee in the Kappa house every morning. The grocer asked me if I wanted to try buying instant coffee. I of course had to agree and next thing I knew I had boug an entore Instant Coffee set with every flavor because I couldn’t turn down his offer to buy it all on sale! I am going to start passing the packets out to anyone who will take them because what else am I suppose to do with 75 packets alone of Hazelnut Coffee?

    

      12:30 –I’m still in the midst of trying to tackle my do to list of errands when my friend Emily calls me. She asked if I had eaten lunch and when I told her I hadn’t she asked me to join her at campus Corner at Café Plaid. I was on a tight schedule but I agreed and ate with her. In the midst of lunch I actually got another call from a friend I hadn’t seen in forever who wanted to meet for lunch as well. Emily didn’t understand why I couldn’t just say no but I told her it was a long story and I was really obligated. So I ran over to Blackbird for my second lunch. I could barely move after eating so much and seriously debated turning my phone off to avoid another dreaded call.

     4:00 Around this house I ran into the girl in charge of intermurals at Kappa. She is always on everyone’s tail to get girls to participate in the various sports, but as usual we try and skip around it because half of us couldn’t catch a football if our lives depended on it. This time though I had no choice and agreed to play staring offensive line in the game that afternoon. However; the game turned out to be a lot of fun as a majority of people showed up and I didn’t have to do anything but run around and act like I wasn’t open to reduce the risk of the ball actually being thrown to me. Easy enough! Afterwards, our picture got taken to be posted in a new Greek newspaper. So, now I’m famous!

     

The Answer is Yes Part 1

     Recently inspired by the movie, Yes Man starring Jim Carrey, I have decided to undergo an interesting challenge. The movie follows an unhappy man named Carl who enrolls in a self-help program that follows one simple concept: say yes to everything you encounter. Carl watches his life improve in almost very aspect-he lands a job promotion and even find an attractive girlfriend.

Watching the movie, I pondered if that is always the case and when total agreement can totally fail. So for the next week I am going to choose two days to rationally accept every question or challenge that comes my way. Whether its trying the mysterious egg casserole at the Kappa house, or painting or getting lost while picking up a friend’s dry cleaning in Oklahoma City I am bound to have some exciting results.

Of course, I couldn’t have undergone this challenge without giving it a test run- so today I tried to answer yes to as many questions as possible from 10:00 to 12:00 p.m. this morning. Here were my major two discoveries.

10:07 – I woke up to my best friend asking me if she could borrow my phone.  I agreed and found out her phone had been stolen after a hazy night out, but we used my phone to track hers and she was able to find it. I breathed easy since my first agreement of the day had been helpful and not tricky…

11:34- Running super late to my flight home to Houston, I stopped to get gas and realized my gas cap had gotten partially stuck in the tank! It was so typical of my lemon of a car. The maintenance man asked if he could help me out and give my car a full service. I didn’t have time but I had to agree so I gave a huffed yes as I checked my watch pointedly. Well, turns out my tires were dangerously low and needed inspection. Within only 8 minuets they were plumped up and I was on the road, feeling extremely relieved and lucky to have said yes to that opportunity. Maybe this submission thing had some serious good karma…

     So at this point I love my new game, but I feel that surely the things that I agree to won’t always pan out! Stay posted to see the misshapen adventures that might occur from a day of complete compliance!

Late Night Eating in Norman, OK

     Whether you have been out and about on the town or you have been up late night studying, everyone gets those munchies and wants a place to eat! There are a variety of places to eat in Norman, but I have to tell you about my favorite places to late night grub.

Crossroads: If you’re not a freshman you wanna hit one up for some points to go eat at the best place on campus. Renowned for their curly fries, there are a variety options that are sure to please anyone. My favorite thing to get at Crossroads is the grilled Greek chicken Panini. Its healthy and chock full of flavor. They have most everything from hamburgers to sushi to grilled cheeses. It’s cheap and fast and you’re bound to have hilarious conversation with the drunken kids stumbling in.

Fuzzys: Debatably some of the best fish tacos around, Fuzzys has the most ideal location around campus corner and the fastest service around. Always a hot spot, it’s never too late to go to Fuzzys and eat some chips and queso. I’m from Texas, which the Tex-Mex capital and I’m pretty picky about my queso, but Fuzzy’s has the best in Norman. The other best option is the chicken salad, which goes well with their avocado ranch dressing. Yum!

Jimmy Johns: Always down to deliver, this is easily the best place for a good ol’ sub late at night. They have several options but I love the Italian sub the most because it has a delicious dressing and a wonderful combination of cheeses. This is the spot for the late night studiers because it delivers to most anywhere.

     Basically, if you hit up the downtown strip, Campus Corner, late night you are bound to find great conversation and delicious food. These are only a few of the great options but others to look out for Pickleman’s, Seven, and Crooked Crust!

 

Fall in Love with Fall

               

     Autumn is the most perfect season of them all and as the cooler winds have ushered in a revolution in temperature, they have ushered in a change in me. Lately I have been doing some self-reflecting and I think that as usual I can reinvent my outlook on life. Most of us live demanding lives as students and it’s hard to focus on positive things first. I've decided to make a few resolutions for this fall and I encourage you to join me! 

1.  Talk a walk. I absolutely adore watching the leaves change into mixtures of golden orange and apple red since I come from Texas where the leaves stay a continuous green all seasons! The best way to enjoy the leaves turning and feel the cool air around is to take a walk down the neighborhood streets. You can find your own path and make a habit of walking! I'm aspiring to take more early dusk strolls around this town to observe the signs of autumn around me.

2.  Go Home for the Holidays. All my favorite holidays are in the months of fall and that includes Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course my birthday! I want to make an emphasis to remember holidays and their importance this year, because it’s not going to be forever that my grandmother makes her traditional honey seared turkey on Thanksgiving and it sure won’t be forever that I get to watch my nine year old sister trick or treat in her Miley Cyrus costume.

3.  Drink and be Merry! One of my other most favorite things to do is drink fall time drinks like the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and my mom’s homemade Russian Chai Tea. It’s a small factor but long talks outside wouldn’t be the same without a warm mug that gives off a delicious spicy smell. With this enjoyment of fall I am promising to myself that I will take breaks to sit and delight in the small things that make up this wonderful time of year.

     Make this season it a time of year that you want to get out of bed and enjoy the day! Go try the newest fall themed beverage at Starbucks and walk around your surroundings. Savor a home cooked meal with your family and stay too long afterwards catching up. There is enjoyment, relaxation and wholesome changes to be found even amongst a busy season. 

The Soundtrack to Your Life

     Music has undoubtedly entertained people for years. Not much can top a person putting thoughts and feelings into a flow of notes and rhythm. As humans we experience a daily dose of mood swings but fortunately there is a great variety of music to sync our emotion with. Often we treasure songs by their words and by the pictures they paint in our minds. Given that I absolutely love listening to almost all types of music so I thought I might share a compilation of some of my favorites for every type of personality or for any given moment of the day.

     Music for the Happy-Go Lucky: When you’ve got nothing to lose but time, your crusin’ in the car, and the sun shining outside gives a positive outlook for your day, you gotta harmonize with the likes of Natasha Bedingfield, Beyonce, The Beatles and The Shins. For the ultimate feel good feeling see Bob Dylan and his collection of happy beats.

     Music for the Family Reunion: Everyone getting together usually means good fellowship, home-cooked food and maybe some funky traditions. Putting some Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Rascal Flatts in the background will get everyone singing along and maybe even a make shift karaoke party started.

     Music for the Rainy Days: I don’t know about everyone else but when I wake up to the sounds of rain plinking on the roof, I put on my most comfiest attire and pleasantly enjoy the day doing a good deal of nothing. The voices of Bon Iver, Coldplay and The Weepies prove the perfect soundtrack to relax and ponder life while looking through raindrops on a glass window.

     Music to Get Things Accomplished to: As many days as we would like to wallow around and do nothing, some days we have a growing checklist and impending deadlines. The right music definitely helps me cancel out distraction and zero on exactly what I need do. I plug into Mumford & Sons, Explosions in the Sky, and compositions by Rachel Portman to get in my zone.

     Music to GET PUMPED too: Whether your getting ready for a great night out, driving to a concert, or putting a song on at a party think Nicki Minaj, Passion Pit, Wallpaper, and Flo Rida. The White Panda website (http://www.thewhitepanda.com/) is a music mash up website that puts out mixes of current top hits and is a fantastic resource as well.

     Music to Listen to Just Because: Of course, some artists and their music are near perfect for any occasion. My most reliable include John Mayer, the Dave Matthews Band, Chris Brown, Ingrid Michaelson, Beyonce, Regina Spektor and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s the kind of songs you really don’t mind playing on repeat.

     There isn’t anything like the feeling you get when your favorite song comes on and everyone around you knows that you know every word. Everyone has their own taste in music and how it matches to their current perspective but I think we can all agree that we owe a lot to songs and the song artists. Music gives us a chance to escape and daydream. Songs also bring together the old and the new as we continue to enjoy our parent’s favorite tunes. American pianist Billy Joel said it best, “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by.”

    

Wacky Wedding Traditions

     

     Weddings bring out the depths of tradition, whether old or brand new. Half the fun of wedding planning is looking at other people's wonderful, creative or ridiculous ideas. Celebrating marriage can be done in a multitude of ways from underwater off the coast of the British Virgin Islands to getting hitched at the same chapel your great-great-great grandmother did. People take great pride in doing things like they have always done them and weddings are no exception. However, broaching the subject of wedding traditions brought up some unusual ones and I pondered the line between custom and craziness.

1. The Wheelbarrow Exit -A friend of mine shared with me that her grandparents made an untraditional walk out on their wedding, when her grandfather simply hoisted her grandmother into a wheelbarrow and steered her towards their getaway car. The tradition lives on and there will certainly be a wheelbarrow handy when my friend gets hitched.

2. The Change Up- At a recent wedding I went to, a couple left their reception to confetti of…pennies and nickels. Apparently, the thought was that the change would bring good fortune to the newlywed couple. The most hilarious part of the matter was the five year old ring bearer running around stuffing his little pockets with as much “free money” as he could find.

3. The Best Dog Gone Idea- I heard of a couple who shared that they were so attached to their two year old Chihuahua that they had the pup bring their wedding ring down the aisle with a basket as big as its head attached to its collar. The pup was well trained enough to make it down the aisle but when it reached his owner the poor pup peed on his foot, probably out of sheer nerves!

When it comes to my family and me, we have a multitude of traditions but my favorite new tradition will be when my dad gets to officiate my wedding. He got his wedding license years ago to do my cousin’s wedding and ever since then I knew I wanted him to pronounce me under my new married name. Whether weird or sentimental, wedding traditions sure make each event something old, something new something borrowed and maybe even something blue!