The legendary “Punxsutawney Phil” went above and beyond his call of duty this Groundhog Day. The ”King of the Groundhogs” was summoned from his wooden house this morning before to foretell spring’s arrival. The little guy didn’t see his shadow, which means spring is right around the corner!

What this does this mean for us? Well, if you believe Pennsylvanian German folklore and your elementary school teachers, you can count on spending a lot of time outside on the Main Green, shedding that extra layer when you go out at night, and—cross your fingers, knock on wood—enjoying a beautiful Spring Weekend.

In the meantime, when you’re braving the cold and bundling up to walk from Wriston to Pembroke for your 9 a.m. class, tough it out: remember that this “Weather Prophet” didn’t see his shadow, Binder is coming soon, and another “Weather Prophet” went commando at the White House.

Reading period has officially started, so naturally students are avoiding studying at all costs. Take a break from SciLi living and check out these cool events going on this weekend:

Tonight, the Bear Necessities and Higher Keys will join together for the A Beary Keys Holiday Concert. The concert is at 8 p.m. in Salomon. The combination of a capella and holiday music is priceless. But actually, admission is free.

If you can’t make it tonight, or don’t get your fix of music, tomorrow night there’ll be a midnight organ concert in Sayles featuring 14 a capella groups. The concert begins at midnight, but make sure to get there early so you don’t have to fight the person in a Snuggie for a spot.

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Whether you’re looking for some last minute gifts for family or friends, or just want the opportunity to explore Providence’s shopping hubs, Brown is sponsoring a “Brown Shops Local!” event tomorrow, December 6^th that will help you accomplish both tasks. The event is being help to allow students to “cross items off [their] shopping list while supporting the local economy.”

From 4-8 p.m. tomorrow, trolleys will pick up and drop off students from George Street at Rhode Island Hall, and take them to their choice of one of four destinations: 1) Westminster Street; 2) South Main Street; 3) Wayland Square; and 4) Hope Street. (More details after the jump.) [Read more →]

Tis the season to be jolly: Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas music can be heard ringing through the halls, and it’s kind of snowing. And of course, geniuses are making gingerbread houses.

Today, November 30, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Barus and Holley, there will be a showdown of epic proportions. Behold, the Society for Women Engineers’ sixth annual Extreme Gingerbread House Competition. Along the lines of Top Chef, 22 teams (comprising of students and professors) will compete in the lifetime opportunity to be dubbed extreme gingerbread house making champions. What a title.

Each team will have one hour to build a gingerbread house. The house must fit fully on the tray. It must be larger than 216 cubic inches. It must be hollow. It should look nice, which is a given. And it should be designed to withstand earthquakes. Extreme.

Teams are allowed to bring any tools they want, but are advised to know how to use them before competing. Chemicals cannot be used this year, so I doubt there’ll be a flaming gingerbread house, but there’s bound to be some crazy contraptions. Once the hour is done, competitors will bring their houses to the panel of judges so they can be judged on their aesthetics. The second phase of judging is where the extreme part comes in. Each house will be put through an earthquake simulator, which will increase its intensity as time progresses. The last house standing is the winner.

So when you’re done with classes, have already eaten dinner, and it’s too early to go out, stop by Barus and Holley to check out the competition. There will be spilled icing, shattered graham crackers, and broken dreams. In the end, there can only be one victor. Who doesn’t love shit like this?

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Ahhh Thanksgiving! Eating turkey, giving thanks for friends and family, and passing out on the couch like a football-watching beached whale. That’s fine, but personally I want more days centered around Americans being badass and climbing up flagpoles.

Ok ok, allow me to explain. When Lincoln created Thanksgiving in 1863, (there’s nothing Lincoln can’t do), Evacuation Day became obsolete as a holiday and faded by the turn of the 20th century. Before its untimely demise, Evacuation Day celebrated the end of the Revolutionary War: George “Gallant Stroll” Washington took back Manhattan and evacuated the last British troops from the island on November 25th, 1783. This is my appeal to bring back Evacuation Day because it’s crazy as fuck:

• The last shot of the war was apparently fired on this day when a smelly redcoat shot a cannon into a jeering crowd on Staten Island.
• By the time George Washington reached the Battery, (now Battery Park), British soldiers had nailed a British flag to a flagpole at the Battery and then greased the pole, proving their douchiness. The scrappy Americans nailed some wooden cleats to the pole and John Van Arsdale was able to switch out the Union Jack for the stars and stripes before the British fleet had sailed away. [Read more →]

So apparently, despite the death threats and a pronounced lack of talent, Patrice Wilson–better known as the producer/musical genius behind Rebecca Black’s “Friday”–is still in the game, with his new production “It’s Thanksgiving” now rocketing around the interweb. In it, Nicole Westbrook–Rebecca aspirations in hand–whines her way through 3:43 of particularly uninspired Thanksgiving-themed lyrics, punctuated by a typically humiliating mandatory guest appearance by Wilson. Now, let’s be clear here–at this point, these people are aiming for an “any publicity is good publicity” policy and are intentionally gunning for the negative feedback they’re getting, something we shouldn’t stoop to provide. But damn, they’re so good at being bad! Here’s a couch companion to the near-four minutes of terribleness.

0:15: OK, first of all, Thanksgiving hasn’t fallen on the 28th since 2002. Maybe it’s a 2013 calendar? As in, please let me forget about 2012 and this terrible video I made as soon as possible? Also, she’s for some reason already crossing out Thanksgiving Day. I feel like that should be something you do when the day ends. It’s like, wake up, ALRIGHT FUCK THANKSGIVING LET’S CROSS THAT SHIT OUT. Mixed messaging for sure.

[Read more →]

Looking for more ways to procrastinate? BlogDH is here with a roundup of the best things to do in Providence during December that don’t involve orgo, the SciLi or copious amounts of caffeine.

Head down to Federal Hill Dec. 11 for a festive afternoon of carols and cocoa, plus a visit from Santa himself.

Embark on Hope Street’s Annual Winter Stroll Dec. 15. Take in the results of the Merchant’s Window Dressing Contest while taking advantage of the special sales and promotions. Enjoy the live entertainment and look out for Santa!

He’s back! That’s right, Tony Lapore has returned to grace the intersection of Dorrance and Westminister with his studly dance moves. Walk down around mid-day for a free show.  [Read more →]

‘Tis the season! Even if you’ve been swept up by the Finals Countdown and have been in a perpetual SciLi state of mind, you can’t ignore the holiday cheer that has swept over Providence. The question is: have you been celebrating the most wonderful time of year? Let’s be real: prep for finals period means your dorm room is neglected, your bed remains unmade and you haven’t seen the top of your desk since midterms. But it’s the holidays, yo! Give your dorm room some Holiday TLC. BlogDailyHerald is here to make sure your room is filled with holiday cheer.

Get crafty

• Paper snowflakes: Remember that POLS paper you swore you’d never look at again? Now’s your chance to recycle it to a more jolly life. Follow online tutorials like this one (you can skip ahead to 0:45), and turn your realist argument into sweet wall decorations!
• Coffee and tea wreaths: We know your coffee and tea consumption have gone up exponentially in the past week. So take your vice and turn it into a festive wreath! Whether it’s your collection of Starbucks sleeves or the Tazo bags you’ve been stocking up on, you can turn your caffeinated drink of choice into a crafty door dec.
• Jingle bells: Do you fucking love the holidays? Do you hate your roommate? If you answered either of these questions with an enthusiastic “Yes!”, you might want to vent your emotions by purchasing vast quantities of sleigh bells. Hang them on your door handle, sow them onto your pillows, make yourself a bracelet… Be aggressively merry. But while these are the epitome of Christmas cheer, they get very annoying very fast. However, they send a very clear message: I fucking love Christmas and I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT. [Read more →]

The holidays got to Providence way too early. But now that we’ve reached the Thanksgiving turning point, we can officially pull out the festive pajama pants without being met with confused stares. I personally like to celebrate the holidays with some drank— and by drank, you know I mean coffee. If you’re like me, most of your college budget goes to coffee, which unfortunately has resulted in my becoming somewhat of a coffee snob. So I’m here to help you quench that festive drink craving by compiling a list of where to go and what to order at some of the East Side’s finest warm beverage establishments.

Tealuxe’s Tea-Infused Hot Chocolate: Before you judge me for not choosing their famous Chaider, allow me to explain. Yes, their Chaider is the bomb. Yes, you can find it elsewhere, from Blue State to your very own kitchen. Hot Cocoa with tea, however, is an interesting specialty. If you’re still not convinced, try it with Caramel Crême Brûlée and then get back to me (or Royal Coconut or Peppermint). Available with skim, whole, or soy milk. Price: $4.44 for a regular  [Read more →]

This year, it seems that the Holiday Season has sprung upon us sooner than ever. The snowflake decals in the windows of ABP went up on November 1. Those red holiday Starbucks cups were brought out on October 25th, just days before we all dressed up like kittens and Muammar Gaddafi and reveled in all that Halloween had to offer. There is nothing BlogDH hates more than being untimely. Forget Steve Jobs—we all know who should have been invited to the Too Soon Party.

Apparently, we’re not the only ones who feel that the holiday joy has been rammed down our throats. According to an article in Direct Marketing News, economic uncertainty has prompted retailers to start holiday marketing campaigns much earlier to “draw in recession-weary customers.”  Toys “R” Us sent out its holiday catalog in September. To put things in perspective, we were still shopping for classes when kids were telling mommy they wanted pimped-out ATV cruisers on their Hannukah lists. L’Chaim.  [Read more →]