Literary London is a six- week program for English students to go study in America’s estranged homeland. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Mainly at this stage its all questions. I tend to love this phase. The part of the story when no one quite knows what will happen.  Everything I know is followed by a question.

I know we are staying in apartments. Will I get along with the other girls who will be in mine? What if they only want to go to bars and clubs and never do anything else?

I know that I have to get on a plane for the first time ever. How should I best go about not having a panic attack? Medication to make me sleep the whole time or maybe a good book that I have already read so I can fall into a nice comfortable story? Anyway, I just need to keep from gripping the seat and screaming.

I know we will have a lot of free time to explore. Will I be fine to explore solo? I should maybe look into the crime rate…and invest in pepper spray. I tend to like to wander around. It’s my favorite thing to do in a new place.

I know I don’t want any travel guides. Is this really a good idea? Really, none? Maybe. I don’t want to be too caught up in trying to see what everyone else thinks I should see.

The truth of the matter is right now is a perfect time to study abroad. With the economy’s downturn in the past few years the number of students applying for study abroad programs is down. Also, due to the economy it is easier to get financial aide for school of any kind, and yes that includes studying abroad. I have wanted to do this for a really long time and am finally getting the chance…in a way, because of the terrible economy. So give it a try, talk to your financial aide advisor and pick a program.

By Leslee Horner

Blog: “Waiting for the Click”  http://lesleehorner.wordpress.com/

Follow Leslee on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lesleeHorner

My sophomore year of college started out just like my freshman year…living in a dorm room with my friend, Amy.  That second year, however, I played 3rd wheel to Amy’s boyfriend.  After a couple of weeks of it, I became intolerant and moved into a single room a few floors up.  It was the first time I had truly lived alone and to celebrate my new found privacy I started sleeping topless.  It soon became a “must” part of my sleeping ritual…well at least until the night of the shower curtain.

In my third year of college, Amy and I lived next door to each other in single rooms on our sorority’s floor in Sanford Hall.  Because our hall was made up completely of sisters, we rarely locked our doors.  The catch though, is if the doors were locked, they only locked from the outside.  If you exited your room and wanted it locked or unlocked you had to be sure to check the knob on the outside.

During Spring Break of that third year of college, I stayed in the dorms while most of my friends went home or to the beach.  As always, I found someone to party with.  Upon returning to the dorms one evening, I was impaired.  Just like every other night I stripped down to my night time uniform and went to sleep.  But seeing as I’d had a lot to drink I woke up to use the restroom.  Since my room was directly across from the bathroom (and the hall was inhabited by my closest friends) I had made a habit of hopping into the bathroom at night while simply shielding my chest with my arms.  It had never failed me, until this particular night.  I left my dorm room, heard the door slam behind me, and instantly froze.  OH SHIT!  I knew the door was locked.  The door was locked and as far as I knew EVERYONE was gone!  I was standing in the middle of the bathroom, wearing nothing but my panties and completely panicking.  Eventually I noticed the shower curtain and my only solution to being without clothes.  I took it down from the bar and wrapped it around my body.  Once I was fully covered I proceeded to go door to door (at about 3AM) knocking and praying that someone would answer.  Eventually and luckily, one of my sorority sisters (an older sister who rarely partied) came sleepily to her door.  I think by then I was crying and honestly don’t even remember her reaction.  What I do remember is that her solution to my lack of clothing was to give me a small, satin bathrobe.  I put on the robe, while wishing it was sweatpants and a t-shirt, and she escorted me across campus to the other dorm to get a spare key.  Signing out that key while wearing a silk robe that obviously had nothing under it was almost as embarrassing as going door to door wearing a shower curtain.  But I did get back into my room that night and put on clothes.

Moral of the story is never leave your dorm room without clothes on!

An Ode to the Branch Campus

Oh, branch campus. I am sorry for all those times before. The times when I would wander around the parent campus aimlessly and the brief and reckless incident of actually living up there just to feel like I was a part of it all. I am sorry for saying your name with a sneer and dismissive eye roll. The list could continue but why waste this time on the painful past?
Miami Hamilton, I love you. I love the way you are so accepting. Walking down these foreign halls and being lost in the crowd of Ugg boots, skinny jeans, and North Face I miss your individuality. You accept us all, regardless of ethnicity, weight, style, sanity, and well, GPA.

I love your classes. How reassuring it is to have the same people with the same major in the same classes semester after semester. Really, what could build a better since of community? The tight knit “all for one and all for (insert major of choice)” attitude is as close to a secret club as socially acceptable. (Real life secret clubs could either be incredibly awesome, or incredibly creepy.) The Professors who know everyone’s name and don’t need those fancy new photo rosters.

I love the way you are so coy with your coffee sales. I never know when I will be able to enjoy a hot beverage and when the coffee shop will be unceremoniously closed at two in the afternoon. Not at all like this easy, quick to please, gauche corporation coffee shop.

I love your food. The food of middle class cafeterias all over America; French fries, hamburgers, pudding from a can, oh the joy! They have sushi here. Can you believe it? Oh and don’t even get me started on the amount and variety of salad.

To say that I miss our time together is an understatement. If I could come back to you, I would. The main campus has the pre-nup on my education now. I will visit, from time to time. I want you to remember the good times we had. The time I spent in your library or in the commons. Remember that time there was a random horse on campus? Or that time someone cut the power to get out of taking exams? Remember all of the snow days we had together? All the classes I skipped, all the classes I went to. All of the crazy and the good and the weird. This is how I will remember you, Miami Hamilton.

Here’s the video for the song “National Anthem 2.0″ by our friends Rock Star Super Star Project. The song was written with the military, police, and firefighters in mind.

An emotional, heartfelt, and hair-raising modern tribute to The Star-Spangled Banner, thats carried by a voice of unmatched depth and maturity and supported by an awe-inspiring musical arrangement. The ultimate tribute to our National Anthem.

You can read more about twin brothers Rock Star and Super Star here:

www.rockstarsuperstarproject.com/

As most people have heard, Conan O’Brien, the very funny host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” has had a tough week. NBC has decided to end Jay Leno’s failed primetime experiment and return him to late night, bumping Conan back from 11:35 to 12:05. Conan is not happy about the situation but has up until this Tuesday been very low key. Finally he has stated he will not accept the bump back and would leave NBC if they went through with the plan and has finally giving NBC the tongue-lashing they deserve.

The entire time this story has developed (in addition to my anger that Conan is getting -for lack of a better term- shafted) I can’t help but think that NBC is acting like a foolish person in a relationship. Leno is acting like NBC’s first boyfriend, their first love and a guy who can do no wrong no matter what crap he pulls. So when Leno decided he wanted to leave NBC, they accepted and looked fro someone new, Conan, to replace him and the situation appeared simple enough. When Leno decided though that wasn’t what he wanted NBC immediately (being in love with Leno of course) had to find a place for him in their lineup regardless of the cost detriment.

According to reports Leno’s show has not been a success, actually hurting ratings for the following news programs as well as leaving a huge five hour hole in NBC’s primetime programming. Now NBC is poised to ditch Conan to return to Leno who can’t seem to decide what he wants.

Frankly, Conan deserves better. He’s a wonderful talent and if you will indulge me in the relationship metaphor, is a much better catch then Leno. It appears that NBC is not thinking rationally and is instead devoted to their first love, unable to see that Conan may be a better fit for the network (in addition to having been promised “The Tonight Show” for years). He’s only seven months into his show and has only scratched the surface of his show’s potential. With great skits like the Year 3000 and Noches de Passion con Senor O’Brien, there is more then just potential, there is a loyal following and everything NBC needs for success at their fingertips. Conan uprooted not only his family and life but that of his staff as well and how does NBC repay his dedication? By bringing back the man he was supposed to succeed and give him his old timeslot back.

NBC, I hope you do not throw away the wonderful catch that Conan O’Brien is to have another fling with Leno. But as any good catch I’m sure another network would welcome Conan into their fold and I, along with many other loyal fans, will follow him wherever he goes.

From the outside, we transfer students may look happy and content and adapting well to our new surroundings. Unfortunately, things are never as they seem.

Ten times out of ten, life sucks for the transfer student, but we don’t know anyone well enough to be consoled. Some things are implied when we tell you we’re transfer students. Next time, pick our hints up.

When I say I’m a transfer student, I’m really saying…

-I don’t care if you’re interested or not, you’re going to listen to me compare this school to my old one. It’s gunna happen.

-I have zero friends and I know no one.

-I was forced to room with a random for the second consecutive year and am not particularly psyched about it.

-I don’t know where anything is but have too much shame to ask.

-I’m eternally pissed that none of my credits transferred. Don’t bring it up.

-I’m no better than a freshman, but I will go out of my way to prevent them from learning that.

-Please hang out with me.

Next week TLC will premier their new show: “Extreme Home Makeover College Edition.” TLC Spokesman Bill Mellencamp was quoted saying that “the show’s intent is to break the pernicious stereotype that TLC is only for depressed homemakers trying to live vicariously through television programming.” In further questioning, Mellencamp went on to say that, “The S.P. house was a challenging and somewhat disheartening case. The house was in such utter disrepair.” Residents of the house were quick to assert, however, that the disarray of the building was not due to neglect; but rather a pioneering effort to “go green.”

In their selfless quest to save the environment; S.P. has neglected to make any modifications to the house. The eco-friendly brothers even chose not to install mandatory fire sprinklers so as not to “waste water.” In addition to being home to “the sickest parties,” the building is also home to a host of native species. In an effort to live symbiotically with nature; S.P. graciously permits numerous species of mold, mildew, and marijuana to grow freely throughout the residence. The brothers added that such plant life “adds a more natural feel” to a building which might otherwise be mistaken for a tenement house.

While the Sigma Pi frathouse is a gem in its own right; viewers who prize dramatic before and after shows may be disappointed. Due to budgeting constraints, TLC was only able to make “urgent revisions” to the house such as pest extermination, safety upgrades, and foundational repairs.

I am quite glad to be back home, and as my break comes to a close, there are a few things I must reflect on. I think it’s really interesting to see what like is like when you come back from college. You begin to notice how people have changed: who has grown, who hasn’t, what new experiences people have gone through, etc. I think it’s important to understand that everyone’s experience is a little different. NO one will ever understand exactly what you went through while you were away and/or how it molded who you. Don’t be discouraged because people may not immediately accept the ‘new and improved” you. If everyone’s experiences were the same, the world wouldn’t be the unique place it is. Just remember to always stay true to yourself, and be the you you want to be.

Peace and love forever,
Danie Echols

Families are great and all but sometimes they can be a little too much, especially in highly concentrated doses. Here are some tips to make the holiday experience just a little more manageable.

1. Eggnog: Sure, you may tell crazy aunt Martha she smells like wet dog but at least you will feel good about it. If you drink just any drink the family may throw around words like alcoholic but if you generously partake in the eggnog then you’re just festive.
2. New hobbies: Tell them that this past semester you really got into meditation and must be left alone for hours to align your chi.
3. Noise cancellation headphones: Enough said.
4. Strep: let them know via email/letter/Morse code that you have come down with strep/laryngitis/ any throat condition and have no voice.
5. Story time: The more terrible college stories they here from you the better you will look. Take the time out to share the stories about your alcoholic roommate or your slutty roommate or even your alcoholic slutty roommate. You will look exponentially better in comparison.

Happy Holidays….

DETROIT–General Motors has entered the record books yet again. It is the first automobile maker to send a truck into earth’s orbit.

Early Christmas Eve, GM launched a 2010 Chevy Avalanche—with a boat in tow—from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. According to our source close to the project, it was a move to convey a message of the car’s dependability and to test the Avalanche’s towing capacity under extreme weather conditions. Tom Wickham, a Communications Manager for six GM manufacturing plants, tweeted  “the truck only needed one full tank of gas to make the trek from the earth into orbit. Now that’s some good gas mileage!”

As soon as the news broke, the president of Toyota Motors, the company behind the Prius, was quoted as saying “Oh crap!” while eating dinner with his family for Toyota’s annual Christmas Party last week. “The fact that we sent one of our trucks into orbit should show our buyers that our brand can hold its own under the toughest conditions,” says Susan Docherty, VP of Sales and Marketing for GM. “If this doesn’t prove to people that we have the toughest cars on earth, then nothing will.”

A team of scientists will be monitoring the truck for the next three weeks, but the final test will come January 6^th, when the truck is expected to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere without burning up into a million pieces.