Autumn Fest at Texas Tech

Luckily for us, Autumn Fest is back for this year! Next weekend, October 11th on Texas Tech's campus from 11 AM until 3 PM, you can enjoy local music acts, delicious food and local vendors selling their work. This year is going to be even better so don't miss out! For more information head to Everything Lubbock. Luckily for us, Memorial Circle is just across the street from us at ULofts!

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

After a successful event last year, Texas Tech University’s Office of the President is bringing back Autumn Fest this year, open to the public and appropriate for all ages.

The festival is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 11 on campus at Memorial Circle and will include live, local music, food, entertainment, art and local vendors selling their works.

“After a success last year, we are excited to host an event for the South Plains community that is perfect for a family outing and for all ages to enjoy,” Texas Tech President M. Duane Nellis said. “Whenever we were in the beginning stages of Autumn Fest, our goal was to strengthen the ties between the Texas Tech and local community and also familiarize our students with the local businesses and arts scene. This has been a great opportunity for both community members and students, and I am looking forward to how well this year’s event will be.”

Some products featured will be art of all different styles – glass, paintings, print, pottery, metal yard art, carvings and photography – handmade crafts, clothing, accessories, jewelry, home décor, household products such as salves, creams, soap, sprays, lotions and bath blends, local food of all sorts, including organic items, and much more.

Food also will be served at Autumn Fest including:
Sandwiches
Snow cones
Street tacos, burritos, tortas
Loaded potatoes
Nachos
Frito pie
French fries
Kettle corn
Homemade lemonade

Activities will be available for kids such as nature-based crafts, science demonstrations, face painting, chess demonstration, inflatable activities and more.

Open parking will be available to the community, except for the R-08 lot (reserved for vendors) located west of Memorial Circle by the Science, Chemistry and Mathematical Sciences buildings.

For more information about Autumn Fest, visit its website or contact autumnfest@ttu.edu.

(Press release from Texas Tech University)

Happy First Day of Fall

We wanted to wish a happy first day of fall to all of our wonderful residents! Enjoy your day!

15 Cleaning Hacks for the Lazy College Student

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Living at school and going to classes is time consuming, especially if you have a job on top of all of that. It can be hard to muster the motivation to clean your apartment. So when you're feeling lazy and you need to get some cleaning done, try these life hacks from Buzzfeed to make it easy on yourself. Head to Buzzfeed to check out more tips.


1. Spray a no-wipe cleaner on your shower walls every time you bathe.
You don’t even have to touch those grimy tiles!!! This blogger swears by this stuff.

2. Or, keep a handled sponge filled with half Dawn dishwashing liquid and half white vinegar and do a little scrubbing while you’re waiting for the conditioner to set in your hair.

3. Use body wash or liquid shower gel, not soap. You’ll get much less soap scum buildup in your tub.

4. Pee sitting down.
While you may consider this emasculating, your toilet will be MUCH cleaner.

5. Make a conscious effort to put something away every time you get up to go to a different part of your home.
On your way to the kitchen to reheat some leftover pizza? Grab that pair of scissors that actually belongs in the junk drawer that you never bothered to put back.

6. Buy anti-microbial doormats.
Or better yet, enforce a no-shoes policy. Tell your guests you have an Asian grandmother.

7. If you have carpet, keep Stomp ‘N Go pads for emergency stain removal.
They supposedly get out wine spills, coffee, pet messes, food, blood, and more. No scrubbing required.

8. Multitask during idle time.
While you’re cooking, do some dishes. Wipe down the sink every time you wash your hands. While you’re waiting for the hot water before a shower, tidy up the bathroom.

9. Avoid dusting by walking around your house in “Swiffer Socks.”
AKA those weird chenille socks that you always seem to get like three pairs of every Christmas. You just dusted a narrow pathway in your apartment just by schlepping to the kitchen to make nachos.

10. Use Press ‘N Seal wrap to line the surfaces in your fridge.
Cleaning the fridge is one of those things you just never get around to doing. Just replace the liners and your fridge will feel good as new again.

11. Cleaning your microwave is (almost) as simple as turning it on.
Pour 2 cups of water and 1/2 a cup of white vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl. Pop it in for about 3 minutes on full power. Let it sit for a few minutes. Remove the bowl carefully and wipe clean.

12. While you’re cooking, keep a plastic grocery bag on the counter.
You can quickly throw away any peels or packaging, saving you a few trips to the trash can.

13. Line your George Foreman grill with foil before cooking anything in it.
Those things are the hugest pains to clean.

14. Eat food out of a tortilla to avoid having to wash your bowls.
Works fairly well as long as you’re not an aggressive fork-stabber.

15. Eat Chinese take-out without dirtying up a dish.
Remove the metal handle and unfold the box into a plate you can eat out of.

9 Apps Every College Student Should Have on Their Phones

Image courtesy of Pexels

Those of us going through college in this day and age have a very serious advantage over those who have gone in the past. We have so many tools and resources at our fingertips. One of the greatest tools of this generation are our phones: always right at our sides and connected to a vast world of information. Being in college is difficult but it can get a little easier with some of these apps to keep track of things so you don't have to! For the full list of useful apps head to The Kardia Blog.

If I was to list a single skill I wish I already had mastered, it’d be productivity. Being a full-time student has taught me so much about prioritizing and not procrastinating. But of course, it’s not always easy. I’m always looking for more ways to productive. And living in the smartphone generation, apps are one of those ways.

Social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest definitely get the most use on my phone, but those don’t allow me to be very productive. That got me thinking about the apps that come in handy the most when I am in school. Which ones help me stay on top of everything? So the following apps and resources are ones that I personally use and recommend to any busy person looking to maximize the time they have and stay organized.

RefME (Free / Website)

I’ve been using RefME for all my papers this semester, and I don’t know why I didn’t use it before! It’s such an amazing resource! Nobody likes figuring out how to cite a source. RefME does all the hard stuff and lets you collect sources fast and keep them organized in groups. You can either search for the reference title, author, url, etc., or simply fill in the boxes with the appropriate information, select what citation style you need, and voilá! A perfect bibliography/works cited is born! Some other great features are that it allows you to export your bibliography directly into a Word document and shows you the correct inline citation to use. With their app, you can even scan book/journal barcodes to get citations. How easy it that?

Sunrise (Free / iPhone, Android, Mac)

While the default calendar app is fine for appointments and schedules, I find the Sunrise app even better. Upon opening the app, you can see your schedule for the next few days with little icons beside each event letting you know if it’s a class, meeting, work, etc. I love how simple and straightforward it is!

MyWater (Free / iPhone)

I’m super bad at drinking enough water :( I use this app to keep track of how many water bottles I drink in a day. You can set your daily goal, what size bottle you’re using, and have reminders go off at different times during the day. It’s easy to use too, just swipe up when you drink a glass of water!

Sleep Cycle ($0.99 / iPhone, Android)

I hate that feeling of waking up all groggy and tired for an early morning class. Sleep Cycle analyzes your sleep and wakes you up when you’re in the lightest sleep phase. Graphs provide you with information about your sleep quality, what times you went to sleep in the past 3 months, the average time you spend in bed, and your sleep quality on certain days of the week. Definitely worth the $0.99!

Shopkick (Free / iPhone, Android)

Free gift cards? Yes, please! Use shopkick to get points for walking into stores like Target, American Eagle, and Best Buy. Then, redeem your points for gift cards. Shopkick also has coupons and deals for tons of stores that you already go to on a regular basis.

Pocket (Free / iPhone, Android, Mac)

Don’t lose track of the all the interesting things you find by letting tabs pile up in your browser. Pocket allows you to easily save articles, videos, and more for later. Everything goes to one place, so you can view it anytime, on any device, even without internet. Perfect for when you want to read an article or watch a video but don’t have time at the moment.

Mint (Free / iPhone, Android)

This is the perfect app for creating a budget and keeping track of where you spend your money. Set up financial goals such as saving up for spring break, paying off your school loans, or buying a car and get advice on how you should budget and distribute your paychecks in your checking and savings accounts.

She Reads Truth (Free / iPhone, Website)

She Reads Truth is an online community of women who read the Bible and encourage one another. Devotional reading plans can be read on their website for free, emailed to you, or read through the iPhone app (for a small fee depending on how recent the plan is). The app also includes beautiful lock screens with scripture on them!

Duolingo (Free / iPhone, Android, Website)

I have to take a language class for my Bachelor of Arts degree, so I’m getting ahead of the game by learning spanish for free on Duolingo. This app can help you learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, or Italian using easy exercises to help you spell and pronounce the new words! You can set how long you want to learn each day (5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) making it easy to do in between other tasks.

Labor Day Relaxation

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

This coming Monday we'll be celebrating Labor Day! This is the day we recognize all of us hard-workers out there and we commemorate the day by not doing any hard work whatsoever. How do you plan on relaxing? Beach day? Family picnic? Exhilarating hike through the wilderness? Whatever it may be we hope it's relaxing. If you're unfamiliar with the practice you can head to Lifehacker to check out these and more tips on how to unwind.

How are you spending your Labor Day? Let us know!

We're celebrating Labor Day here in the states (or "Labour Day" in Canada), which means the government's celebrating your hard work by giving you the day off. While long weekends are great, if you don't take a moment to unwind they don't do you much good. Make your day off count and check out some of our favorite ways to relax and recharge.

Recognize and Repair Burnout

You want to avoid burnout, but sometimes you don't recognize the signs or the severity of the problem. Here are a few articles that explain how and why you get stressed out plus what you can do about it.

Exercise Your Mind and Body

Not all exercise has to be work. Meditation and yoga are two great ways to keep your mind and body active without the process feeling like work. We've got guides to help you get started with both.

Learn How to Improve Your Sleep

Sleep is about as relaxed as you get, and if you want to recharge you're going to need to sneak a few hours here and there. These posts can help you find time for naps and improve your overall quality of sleep.

Make Changes to Improve Your Work Life

It may be your day off, but taking a little time to make tomorrow better may be worth it. Here are a few ways you can find balance in your work and improve your office life in several ways.

Just Have Some Fun

Of course, one of the easiest ways to relax is make sure you have some fun. Here are some projects to help bring a little more into your day.