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As I’m sure you have all recognized as early as your first month at Brown, the word “midterm” doesn’t necessarily mean that the test takes place in the middle of the term, as the definition below suggests. Instead, midterms occur all-year round and happen about once a month. Why professors even call them “midterms” completely boggles the mind.

Regardless, they’re exams, and horrible exams in general. We’re able to get through them, for the most part; but when a midterm is scheduled the week before reading week, or better yet, during reading week, that is just cruel. CRUEL. It is not a “midterm” and it is not fair. And here is why:

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If this compromises her location, I swear…

I’ve recently entered a relationship, or a love affair, rather, that has gotten pretty serious. When I wake up, I think of seeing her (sometimes with disdain). I have the urge to just go see her and get in the zone for a couple hours. As I approach the place I know she will always reside, my heart races with excitement, also frightened at the possibility of her having no interest in me, but not by choice. I am tormented when I walk by and see another paramour spending the quality time with her that I know I would enjoy more. I feel cheated. I am talking, of course, of my newfound love for my favorite study space. Oh yes, it’s finals season.

I’ve never been one for relationships with the library. It used to pain me to trek to the SciLi in the winter to work on that problem set or reading assignment. I’d rather hang out on my bed and do my work than hunker down in the stacks. All that changed, however, when I found, well, let’s call her Settia (I found a fake poinsettia there today so it seems fitting) to protect her identity and my ability to access the space. Her light-colored, upbeat wood, the enticing silence surrounding her, her refined, curvy accompanying chair. Oh man, she’s perfect. When I’m with her, it’s just me, her, and my War and Politics books. Romantic, huh? [Read more →]

Chronic indecisiveness affects about 99% of the Brown student population, and this is best exemplified by the ordeal that is trying to find just the right study spot to work away during griev… uh, reading period. To help make the struggle bus ride a tad less bumpy, we have created a guide to help match your current mood with the most apt study spot. Hopefully, you’ll be able to maximize your productivity, and spend one hour on Buzzfeed instead of four.

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Finals are here and—wait for it—they suck. In other groundbreaking news, an independent study conducted by students finds that drinking is more fun than studying. But, while drinking to avoid the stress of finals can be fun, drinking red wine alone in your room on a Monday night while staring at your chem textbook and progressively wondering how flammable it is, is both depressing and concerning. Instead, what this imaginary student-trope character needs (besides a chem tutor, evidently) is a fun holiday-related excuse to drink socially without having to actually brave the winter elements. And so BlogDailyHerald presents the top 5 holiday movie drinking games of the season as created and judged by yours truly.

(NOTE: must be 21 years of age or older to enjoy):

5. The Holiday

Drink every time:

• Cameron Diaz is seen editing movie trailers because, as it turns out, this is a made up career (which came as a huge disappointment to 11-year old me who had recently turned in a “what do I want to be when I grow up” paper modeled largely on this character).
• You question the casting of Jack Black as Miles.
• Kate Winslet’s character says the name Jasper.
• A 3-way call goes horribly awry and makes you wonder why you aren’t important enough to ever have 3 way calls.
• You remember that Jude Law had an affair with his children’s nanny.
• A character makes a dumb life decision (NOTE: this is up for interpretation, but use sparingly as this occurs often). [Read more →]

Reading Period is a stressful time, no doubt. And for many of us, the weather can be an auspicious (at least for a few days, until it really hits us how gravely we need to hit the books) soporific. One thing I love about Brown, though, is that—assuming you are awake and willing to walk around campus—there are so many things that accent Reading Period with positivity. Candy Land, free pizza in the Rock and SciLi, Gingerbread S’mores in the Blue Room, and—dare I say—the Naked Donut Run are some good examples. While these four events involve food as we know it, there are other kinds of nourishment—there is indeed musical sustenance, food for the soul, “good vibes.”

Tonight, the Midnight Organ Concert‘s has us covered in this department. In Sayles Hall, you can enjoy the dulcet sounds of fourteen of Brown’s finest a cappella groups—The Higher Keys, Alef Beats, ARRR!!!, Bear Necessities, Brown’s Tones, Chattertocks, Derbies, Disney A Cappella, Harmonic Motion, Jabberwocks, Madrigals, Shades of Brown, Ursa Minors, and Wubappella—as well as those of student organist Joseph Cadabes. Doors will open for admission at 11:30. As the Facebook page advises, “Grab a blanket, a pillow and a friend or LOVER” and get ready for that ethereal musical experience you’ve been waiting for all semester.

Image via. 

The onset of finals means the return of a semesterly tradition: Pizza Nite at the SciLi and Rock.

For those of you who are freshmen, or just haven’t experienced it before, Pizza Nite is a semesterly event sponsored by Campus Life and the University Library featuring tons of free pizza as well as apples, cookies, and other snacks.

At its core, Pizza Nite isn’t really that special. It’s just a free pizza event, like the many others on campus. But it distinguishes itself in two ways:

1) The sheer volume of pizza. Several semesters ago, the total stood at 90 pizzas for the SciLi and 80 for the Rock — a little bit more than your typical free pizza shenanigans (and minus having to pretend to care about the student group or lecture that’s serving it).

2) The spectacle. Mainly due to #1, Pizza Nite usually attracts a pretty large crowd. And often the Madrigals singing carols.

It’s happening tonight in the Rock lobby and tomorrow night in the SciLi basement, both at 9 p.m. We’ll see you there!

This time of year is hard for everybody. Some are drowning in work, others are stressed about jobs; some are worried about getting through their holiday gift lists in time, others are worried about surviving the winter weather. We get it: everybody has something. And we all have different ways of coping with it. But one thing is unforgivable; one thing, we will not let you get away with: hogging up the precious sitting area that is a Blue Room booth.

The Blue Room is the epicenter of campus. It’s ideal for meeting up with people, for carbo-loading before a long night at the Rock, and for running into people you have been avoiding haven’t seen all semester. But somewhere between the social butterflies and the enticing aroma of muffins, people forget basic etiquette. I could go on about messy tables, huge crowds around a four-seat table, and the 4 p.m. dinner rush—but I’m fighting a different battle.  [Read more →]

Whether you were kickin’ in the front seat or sittin’ in the backseat, I’m sure you remember exactly where you were when Rebecca Black’s “Friday” became the song of the decade week back in 2011. But in her iconic song, Rebecca leaves us with a cliffhanger: “Today i-is Friday… Tomorrow is Saturday.” If you’ve spent every day for the past two and a half years wondering what her Saturday was like, as I have, the suspense is finally over: Rebecca released her new music video, “Saturday,” on Saturday, December 7^th. It has racked up 12 million views in three days, and it’s every bit as fun, fun, fun, fun as I could have imagined. [Read more →]

It is that dreaded time of the year again. No, I’m not talking about the winter, though that’s pretty awful too. I meant it’s finals period. The time of exams, papers and projects worth a gargantuan portion of your grade. While you might be sleep deprived or stressed (or most probably both), I have some good news for you — a new secret study space. This study space might at first look like a futuristic hermit cell. “That seems extremely uncomfortable,” you might think. You’re right, it is a bit cramped in there. However, the distinct advantage of this austere design is that you will never fall asleep while studying. Further, a small personal lamp has been provided to ensure that there’s enough light. There are also several power outlets, something which can’t be said of other spots on campus. Finally this study spot is a bit far from campus, though still within walking distance, an optimum combination that ensures you can get there, but the crowds probably won’t.

As for this academic nook’s location, let me give you a hint: the (ahem) design is rather radical isn’t it?

Table manners aren’t just for stuffy family functions. There is a proper etiquette to Brown dining, and the dining en masse nature of campus eateries doesn’t exempt you from basic table manners. Here are the three cardinal rules of on-campus dining:

DO NOT (excuse the caps) LEAVE THE TABLE MESSY WHEN YOU LEAVE.

The most common instance of this egregious behavior is at Jo’s. It’s understandable why people would leave the tables messy at Jo’s right around closing time on weekends. You’re blackout, and when the lights start flickering at 1:55 a.m., they trigger a zombie-like response within you: “mustt leavee jooos eattt brainnnss.” In fact, you don’t even know whether someone is switching the light on and off or if you’re just about to lose consciousness. This confusion may lead to you abandon your table and thus throw your table manners out the window. As the wise sage R. Kelly once said, “[you're] like ‘so what [you're] drunk.’”

However, there’s really no excuse to leave a Jo’s table messy at any other time. [Read more →]