The Blog — BlogDailyHerald and BTV’s jointly produced webseries — is back from its summer hiatus with two new episodes. Come join us for the premiere screening of the second half of the season on Thursday, September 20 at 9 p.m. in Kassar House’s Foxboro Auditorium to see what Caleb, Tara, Parker, and Mallory have been up to.

The premiere will go until about 9:40, at which point we will immediately move to Captain Seaweed’s (162 Ives Street) for an afterparty, and, with any luck, win 2+ lobsters in Seaweed’s’ weekly lobster raffle. Come celebrate with us, win some seafood, and bask in the cheeriness of BTV’s premiere comedy webseries. Shiver me timbers.

Stay tuned in the coming week for a trailer and production stills from episodes three and four. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, take a glance at the first and second episodes in the series. Also, be sure to check out our new Facebook page.

UPDATE: Check out the Facebook event for the screening!

As a freshman, you come to college and you relearn the wonders of alcohol and grinding.  People you have never met become objects of desire because, well, how bad can he/she be?  After all, Brown admissions have already done some pre-screening. The wonders of the dance floor make-out  (DFMO) abound as you realize the freedom of partying on a weeknight and dressing up as a Sexy Anything for Halloween.  How long can this frivolousness sustain itself before we ask for more?

I’m first to expound upon the wonders and beauties of the former Fish Company.  I have systematically expedited my Wednesday night meetings for three years in the hope of letting loose down by the water.  However, as the years have progressed, I have taken to the dance floor more sparingly and begun to post up with friends, using the time to catch up with people I neglect in favor of the daily grind.  The freshmen continue to flood in, acting like live projections of my hazy memories.  It’s not about the amount of energy or even about the BAC, but about disillusionment that comes with time (Spoiler Alert: you are not going to find your significant other at the Whiskey Republic).  As we get older, what is it we seek from “going out?”

This question goes hand in hand with one we delicately put to the back of our minds on a shockingly frequent basis: How well do you know your acquaintances at Brown?  Aside from a conservative wave on the street or a nod of recognition, do you know the aspirations or even concentrations of the people with whom you rub elbows on a weekly basis?  Ways to bridge the real person-drunk person divide after the jump: [Read more →]

A tradeoff of Halloweek is that for many of you, one week of partying means one week of drinking (or is that just a benefit?).  In order to keep the exercise exciting, BlogDH has some drink ideas to keep Halloweek as fresh as your Jack-O-Lanterns.

HOLIDAY-INSPIRED

Peppermint Patty – A collaborative experience, wherein a friend with fine motor skills simultaneously pours peppermint schnapps and chocolate syrup into your mouth. Calories schmalories. Tastes incredible.

Candy Apple – What better way to tempt fate than with a spiked twist on a fall favorite? This one mixes green apple schnapps, sweet & sour mix, vodka (apple-flavored if you wish) and grenadine. If you want to simulate an apple-bobbing contest, you can take the shot with your hands behind your back.   [Read more →]

There comes a time in every person’s life where he must shed his civility, his horn-rimmed glasses, and his cut-off jean vest and succumb to basal human savagery, also known as animal behavior.   Fellow students, we are beary proud to announce that that time is Saturday.

The Governor’s Cup, under the lights, promises the posturing and school spirit that Brown wishes it had year round.  The football stadium will be alight with the passionate faces of inebriated students, the entropic clamor of the Brown band and…uh, lights.  In order to create the hubbub that we seek, enter Brown State University.  Brown State is an ideal we all aim to achieve, as practiced with a variety of accoutrements – the dizzy bat, the most Natural of Lights, and the beat-boppin’ sounds of a pump-up playlist.  Brown State is – in simplest terms – an epic tailgate.

In order to facilitate effective cheering and bolster interest in a bunch of men running in tights, insert liquid school spirits.  [Read more →]

The founders of Four Loko (left to right): Jeff Wright, Jaisen Freeman and Chris Hunter // The Fix

Just when you thought BlogDailyHerald was finally done providing royal wedding-status coverage of the most infamous drink of our generation, we dig up what may be the most comprehensive look at Four Loko ever published. Spanning four not-so-loko but thoroughly informative pages, Jay Cheshes’s article–relying heavily on interviews with the drink’s creators–follows the alcopop from its humble days as a fratboy fantasy in the early 2000s to a heavily-debated national spectacle by late 2010. We’ll leave it to you to read the whole article for the details, yet we did have a few stray observations:

• Played college football? Didn’t make it to the NFL? Turn to your second passion: high-gravity, yet somewhat drinkable, alcoholic beverages. Seriously, try convincing yourself that the guy on the right doesn’t look like an ex-linebacker (Freeman, pictured middle, was actually a “hockey star” at Ohio State).
• The product always reminded us a little bit of Sparks and, as the article reveals, the creators began by initially selling a 16-oz, 6% ABV ripoff of the original alcopop.
• In a profound observation, reporter Jay Cheshes concludes his article by stating that the caffeine-free Four Loko “will still lay you out” and predicting future government intervention since the fundamental problem still exists. If only all media writers were as astute and insightful as Cheshes, then maybe one of them could reveal that even without Rob Schneider, new Adam Sandler movies will still get panned by the critics because they actually aren’t funny.

Still feeling the side effects of a full week of constant inebriation? BlogDailyHerald is here to the rescue with our guide on how to hide–and hopefully cure–your post-Spring Weekend hangover!

5. Grab a pair of sunglasses and hide those puffy eyes with style. If you don’t already own a pair, grab one from the stall set up outside of the Brown Bookstore for around $10 and maybe matching hats and watches too. The only downside to this plan is that you risk looking like a total douchebag.

4. Meditate and contemplate on the past week to help you find clarity and peace of mind. Maybe crash UNIV 0540 Introduction to Contemplative Studies, which has a lab scheduled on MWF at 9:00 A.M., or check out the Contemplative Studies website for resources to learn how to do this.

At one with nature. She doesn't seem hungover, does she?

[Read more →]

Aaaand we’re back. Night Two at the Housing Lottery and you know what that means: a whole lotta people are going to get screwed. Last week we saw numbers 1-460 take their picks, some to cheers, some to jeers. Tonight we finish ‘em out. If you’re tuning in from home, watch it all play out here. So cross your fingers, grab a drink and hang tight, because starting at 6 p.m., things are going to get really exciting.

Spring Weekend may be the dominant event on your horizon, but lest you forget an equally notorious spring ritual, brace yourselves, because tonight is the kick-off of the 2011 Housing Lottery. Lottery is a competitive sport, a game of luck, a bloodbath, and if nothing else, incredibly entertaining to watch. Whether you’ve got stakes in the competition or you’re just an innocent bystander, there’s a way to make lottery even more … enjoyable.

Behold, the official BlogDailyHerald Housing Lottery Drinking Game.

Festivities start off tonight at 6 PM, though only those with the first 100 numbers will be allowed into Sayles. If you’re a lucky upperclassmen, fill your backpack and do it live. For everyone else, the magic happens here.

Basic rules are below, though feel free to submit your own creative additions. After all, lottery is nothing if not interactive.

And don’t forget to check back later, starting with the first picks, for BlogDH’s own live coverage.

[Read more →]

Looking to add a little bit of pizzazz to Obama’s State of the Union address tonight?  Thanks to our friends at NYU Local, we’ve got just the trick: a SOTU drinking game.  It’s pretty simple: take a drink every time that the President says “partisan,” “healthcare,” “economy,” “unemployment,” “coming together,” or “blood libel.”

According to recent statistics about the comparative health of the 50 states, Rhode Island pulled in at number 10 — not bad for the state constantly heralded for unemployment and child poverty. However, “binge drinking is a problem” and the state’s “forte is smoking.” And what percent of those studied were college students?