Posts by Miriam Furst

Then + Now

As seniors, we hear a lot about the “bucket list:” The SciLi challenge, 5 a.m. Louis, WaterFire, etc. Throughout this year, my friends and I kept putting various parts of the list off until later. But then, all of a sudden, it was May and I started to feel anxious about not having enough time to complete the list in my limited days left on the Hill.

At first, the realization caused an uneasy feeling—something reminiscent of the FOMO (fear of missing out) you feel during your first semester freshman year when you’re sick or busy and you miss a frat party that all your friends are talking about the next morning in the Ratty. I never went to Sex Power God. I never snuck onto the roof of any Brown buildings. I never took Mande. Does that mean I haven’t made the most of my college years? As an eager freshman, I told myself I would do all these random “must do before you graduate” things one day.

This quarter-life crisis caused me to wonder what it really means to make the most of your college experience. Obviously, this answer is going to be different for each person. But, I do know that it actually doesn’t have anything to do with an arbitrary list of activities. [Read more →]

As a senior, I’ve seen a lot of bars and restaurants come and go throughout my four years on the Hill. Liquid Lounge was replaced by the English Cellar Ale House. Toledo, the infamous pizza-in-a-cone restaurant, was replaced by Sahara Hookah. Chipotle replaced Roba Dolce  some random restaurant that had no customers. And Marley’s was replaced by Hercules Mulligan’s (until that too closed).

On Monday, Gourmet Heaven opened, replacing Via Via in terms of its location, and replacing surpassing Tedeschi in terms of its purpose. Within 48 hours of opening its doors, the specialty food store has gained widespread approval, and I’ll even go as far as to say endless amounts of love, from Brunonians.

If you haven’t been yet, remove yourself from the rock (Rock?) you’ve clearly been living under and go check it out for yourself. And, if you’ve already graduated, I’m sorry to say this so bluntly, but you missed out. Even the opening of Froyo World doesn’t even compare to this newest addition. Though there are hundreds of reasons to be a fan of Gourmet Heaven, here are the top 5: [Read more →]

Brown will host its annual Relay for Life event tomorrow, which starts at 6 p.m. and will end Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Established by The American Cancer Society, Relay is an overnight fundraising walk that is held in various communities and on college campuses across the country.

Hundreds of dedicated Brunonians will walk around the OMAC for these 12 hours to raise money for this great cause. According to the event’s Facebook page, they have impressively collected over $30,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society.

It’s not too late to register or fundraise; visit Relayforlife.org/Brown or sign up in person on Friday. And to support the cause today, stop by Ben and Jerry’s between 7 and 9 p.m. — 25% of the proceeds go towards Relay for Life!

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Bryan Davis ’94, who founded a virtual lost-and-found system called Bungee in 2008, is now offering Brown students a year of the company’s service for free. Bungee mails users tags that they can place on any type of item, from wallets and phones to keys and USB flash drives. If someone finds an item with a Bungee tag, he/she can text Bungee and the owner will then receive a text and email about the lost possession. From there, the two people can arrange a safe return.

Davis and his business partner, A.J. Bontempo, have tested Bungee over 100 times, showing that it actually does work, according to an article in The Herald. To try it for free, use the promo code “bruno” on bungeetags.com. It’s definitely worth signing up before Spring Weekend, as the odds of losing something during Binder are probably higher than during your average Sunday afternoon.

You might think this is a holiday weekend because of St. Patty’s tomorrow, but today marks an equally important celebration too. Boo, the famous Pomeranian who has over six and a half million likes on his Facebook page, turns seven today. 

There are multiple ways in which one can honor Boo on his seventh birthday. If you feel like purchasing something, the Urban Outfitters store on Thayer Street has lots of options, such as Boo cell phone cases and plush toys. If the stuffed animal Boo doesn’t cut it for you, you could consider adopting a pomeranian of your very own, though having pets in dorms is not the most practical.

A more meaningful way to celebrate Boo’s birthday is to donate seven dollars to the Pet Therapy Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. On both his Facebook page and the hospital’s website, Boo has asked for donations to this program, which brings trained therapy dogs and cats to the hospital to ease children’s anxiety and discomfort.

So, enjoy the dual holiday weekend filled with lots of green and “the world’s cutest dog.” Rumor has it Gala tonight is actually one huge birthday party for this canine celebrity.

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Today, at 4 p.m. in Salomon DeCiccio Auditorium, the Undergraduate Council of Students will present President Paxson’s first  State of Brown Address. She will discuss current issues on campus and strategic planning for Brown’s future.

The address is open only to undergraduate students and President Paxson will answer questions from the audience following her speech. In addition, UCS will draw the names of 20 students who will have breakfast with President Paxson this Friday.

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Spoiler alert: This is a lot what it’s like.

Becoming an adult means, eventually, living on your own. And no, we don’t mean simply living without parents in a dorm on campus. With Brown Facilities and campus eateries at your disposal, dorm-style living doesn’t exactly constitute an independent lifestyle. So, for those of us with off-campus permission, we bring you How to be a Real Person: bits and pieces of wisdom we’ve picked up on our meandering journey to competent adulthood.

At first, living off-campus seems great. You avoid dealing with the housing lottery’s many changes and delight in the seemingly endless housing choices provided by the Providence real estate market. But then you start calling a few landlords and you realize that if you thought the housing lottery was like The Hunger Games, trying to secure a legit house with your friends can be like trying to buy an extra Spring Weekend ticket.

Most people agree that you have to start looking for an off-campus house about a year in advance. But rumor has it that Brunonians are looking even earlier now. By “rumor,” I mean sophomores are constantly looking at my house to a sign a lease for two years from now.

When a Providence landlord shows you a house, you usually look through a few rooms, explore the common space, and peek into the bathrooms — and then the landlord tells you that three other groups are thinking about the house so you’d better think fast and sign the lease. This fast turnover leaves little time to weigh the pros and cons of each house you explore. What ends up happening is that two years later, you move into your house with your friends and you realize that, as fun as it is to play house [Ed.: really fun], there were a few things you didn’t think about in your scramble to lock down the house. To make that transition as simple and tidy as possible, consider these tips before you move in…

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UPDATE: If you are not registered in Rhode Island and are looking to register today, you cannot do so in Salomon. You must go down to the Dunkin’ Donuts Civic Center and vote for presidential and vice presidential candidates there. A previous version of this post said that you can register in Salomon if you had yet not registered in the state.

For most Brown undergraduates, today marks the first time we can vote in a presidential election. In case you missed voter registration for your home state, Rhode Island allows eligible voters to cast their ballots on election day for presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Any Brown student who has registered in the state of Rhode Island with his/her on-campus address (69 Brown Street, Box ####) before the deadline can vote in Salomon today. Bring either a government-issued or school ID.

If you are not registered and are hoping to register today to vote for presidential and vice presidential candidates, you must go down to the Dunkin’ Donuts Civic Center.

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Hurricane Sandy (Cohen) will not prevent our Halloween festivities from taking place; it may just mix them a little wet. Every cloud (including huge, scary ones) has a silver lining. Use the rain to your advantage to come up with some aquatic Halloween costumes. Consider the following five ideas as you trek through the Frankenstorm:

1) A rubber duck is a completely waterproof costume. Stay dry by wearing yellow or orange rain boots and a yellow poncho. If you’re feeling really creative, you can make bubbles by attaching clear balloons to your costume so that you’re a floating rubber duck.

2) If you don’t want to feel awkward holding an umbrella, dress up as a childhood favorite: Mary Poppins. You can even stay warm with a big red coat. [Read more →]

Hurricane Sandy is raining on something worse than a parade: Halloweek.

After attempts to downplay the University’s email alert and incessant nagging from our parents that we buy a flashlight, we may have to come to terms with Frankenstorm.

“What we don’t want is for people to think that because the storm is hitting New Jersey, we are safe [in Rhode Island]. That’s just not true,” said Bill Simmons, a spokesperson for The National Weather Service, in an article in The Providence Journal.

Starting Sunday evening, Rhode Island will be hit with a 10- to 12-hour period of strong winds, and rainfall is predicted at around one or two inches, according to Simmons. Flooding is also likely because the storm will knock the leaves off of trees, causing drainage problems. I bet you’re no longer thinking that fall in New England and colorful leaves are that awesome.

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