The Pros and Cons of Waitressing
By Kristina Drendel

At the end of my senior year of high school, it seemed like the only job my friends would talk about was waitressing. One of our friends’ relatives was a server at the local Olive Garden and upon hearing about their experience, we all decided that we wanted to try it. It seemed like a glamorous job-tips could add up to over $100 a night! That was a huge difference from the $8.25 an hour I had been making previously. So, the day I turned 18, I applied to be a waitress at the only sit-down restaurant in my town. I’ve been a waitress for over two years now and wanted to list the pros and cons I have found throughout my experience.

Pros:
No education requirement: Many jobs nowadays require a college degree, even though they aren’t really necessary. Waitressing is great because you do not need a college degree. This makes it the perfect job to start earning a livable wage right away. Technically you don’t even need a high school degree, although it is preferred.
Restaurants are always hiring: Unlike other industries, the food industry is consistently in need of more people. This is especially important with COVID-19 as many people were furloughed from their jobs and are in need of another way to make a living.
With tips, you can make a large amount in a short time: This is obviously dependent on how busy your restaurant is, but if it’s a busy night you can make $150 plus in just a few hours. Unfortunately, this isn’t constant as it depends on how much people decide to tip you.
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Cons:
Wage is tip based: As I mentioned previously, tips can allow you to make a large amount in a short time period. However, if your restaurant has a slow night, you might not make anything at all. Most places pay servers below minimum wage because with tips they will make above minimum wage. This isn’t always true though. I’ve had nights where after 6 hours of work I’ve only made about $20.
Little consistency: Every night is completely different. There’s essentially no way to predict if it will be a good night or a bad night. If you have to pay bills this can make waitressing a stressful job as you might not know if you will have the money to pay your bills on time.
Some people look down on servers: Because there is no minimum education requirement, some people will unfortunately make assumptions about your intelligence level. As a server, you work with people constantly which means there isn’t a way to avoid rude people. You just have to bite your tongue and hope they will leave soon enough.
Waitressing can be a great job but that doesn’t mean it is without its flaws. Be sure to take both the pros and cons into account if you are considering being a waitress or waiter. Personally, I have really enjoyed my time as a waitress and plan on continuing when I return from school.
 
Edited by Liz Eike

8/8/2020
My Reflections on Bullet Journaling After Two Years
Liz Eike

They’re all over Pinterest and Instagram these days – bullet journals. They’re usually cute little dot grid notebooks filled with doodles, stickers and study notes written in the most beautiful hand. They’re aesthetic symbols of productivity and having-it-together-ness, two things that I did not have at the end of my freshman year of college. I still don’t have it all together, in fact. At least, not for very long periods of time. I did give the bullet journal a shot, but it fizzled out after a few months.

Those cute Pinterest posts wouldn’t leave me alone, though, so I tried again in July of 2018. This time, I stuck with it.
Has it cured my procrastination or turned me into an organized, artistic beast? No. It has been fun, though, and it has helped, which is a win in my book. Here are some things I’ve learned over the past two years.
 

1. It can be whatever you want it to be

Technically, the only thing that makes my notebook a bullet journal is the fact that I use the bullet system to keep track of my events, tasks, and notes. You could absolutely use this method in a traditional planner, but most people like to use blank notebooks, myself included. This is because it gives me the freedom to customize it to meet my needs exactly.

Back when I used regular planners, I was often frustrated by the pages that never got used, like grocery lists and contact information – things I prefer to have on my phone. To me, those things just take up valuable space in my notebook. Sometimes the layout of a weekly schedule might not quite fit my needs, either.
In drawing your own spreads, the possibilities are endless. You could dedicate one page to each day or squeeze an entire month on one or two pages. I prefer to have a monthly overview page and two pages per week for more detailed notes, but it took me a while to figure that out which leads right into the next point:

1. Trial and error are sometimes needed

One spread popular among Redditors and Instagrammers is the habit tracker. They usually involve using fun colors to fill out grids or other shapes in order to keep yourself accountable for the new habits you’re trying to form.
I’ve tried using them multiple times. I love the idea of them, but they just don’t work for me. I forget to fill them out or they don’t provide enough incentive for me to do anything. I have several blank habit trackers tucked among monthly schedules long passed and that’s okay. Now I know I don’t need them, and I can use the space I save by ditching them to try something potentially more useful.

Another example for me is artsy spreads. I love looking at all the creative things people do in their journals with watercolors or special stickers. I drew on my spreads for the better part of a year, but it took too much time and energy. Now I just use plain lines for my weekly schedules. It isn’t as pretty as I’d like it to be, but it really helps me be more productive, and that’s a win for me.
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1. It grows and changes along with you

Maybe when I hit my 30s, I’ll suddenly discover a newborn thirst to color in tiny boxes, and I’ll finally form habits the same way all my favorite Instagram bullet journalers do. Or maybe I’ll find myself with enough time to paint oceans and galaxies on all my cover pages like I’ve seen on Pinterest. If something about me changes, the bullet journal can easily adapt to fit my new needs.
 
Like any creative project, inspiration or ideas for your bullet journal can come from anywhere. I saw a comment on Reddit about merging your diary with your bullet journal by flipping it upside down and working from the back, and I’m considering trying it soon. Just in case you happen to be anything like me, here are a few things I like to include that might give you ideas for your own bullet journal:

• Monthly reflection pages – It can be relaxing to look back at your schedule and reflect on what you did and how you feel about it.
• Class schedule spread – This is another one I got from Reddit In addition to notes on the time, location, and professor for each class, I also like to include information on where I got my textbooks so I know when and where to return them.
• Color coding tasks/events – This got me through my junior year of college. Every due date or homework task goes in the same place as my non-school tasks, but with ink colors corresponding to each class. It turned out to be really helpful for visualizing what I need to be working on and when.
• Different shaped bullets – If you go to the same place or meet the same person a lot, having a special bullet shape for them might save some space in your schedule. For example, I use a tiny heart to indicate an event with my boyfriend. Now instead of “date with boyfriend,” all I have to write is “♥ date.”

 
There are lots of other things to figure out, like what notebook brand or size you like best. Another example is what kind of pen you should use for just the right thickness to avoid bleeding or smudging. Overall, though, the best thing to keep in mind, especially when you’re just starting out, is to loosen up. No one has to look at those pages except for you. If you mess up, leave it. Tear it out. Cover it up. Go with what you like best. The rules are yours to make.
 
Edited by Princess Berry 

​Five Reasons You Should Visit Colorado Springs, Colorado
By Morgan Mitchell
 
Is there anything more beautiful than the mountains?
 
When I was growing up, we lived about forty-five minutes from the Gulf Shores beach. We had annual passes and would hang out there quite frequently; we’d splash around in the ocean, search for seashells along the shoreline, and bury ourselves in sand that we had molded to look like mermaids.
 
But there was always something about the mountains. As someone who grew up in the south surrounded by the complete opposite of those snow-capped peaks, I had always admired their beauty and dreamed of visiting them.
 
Recently, my brother moved across the United States to settle in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and I finally got the chance to see what I had been missing out on. The trip did not disappoint, and it’s even inspired me to share a list of five reasons why you should visit this city, too:
 

1. Pikes Peak: Affectionately known as “America’s Mountain,” the summit of Pikes Peak reaches an elevation of 14,115 feet. Colorado is a beautiful state to begin with, but to see the view from such a vantage point is truly stunning. If there was ever a spot to simply sit and be in the moment, it is there – where the wind races through the air to welcome everyone that makes it to the top and where the view of the trees and the rolling hills stretches out for miles and miles. It is serene. It’s also, paradoxically, an absolutely chaotic playground for the adventurous soul, because there are places where the mountain is rocks and boulders and nothing else. Amidst the gazing and the lazing, rest assured that there’s plenty of time to have some fun, too, as you navigate over, through, and around the piles of rocks.

 

1. Garden of the Gods: Aptly named, Garden of the Gods is a forest of sandstone rock formations that stretch three-hundred feet into the sky. I recommend visiting this tourist destination early in the morning when there are fewer people. But whenever you decide to go, I am sure you will be just as mesmerized by the dramatic geologic structures as I was.

 

1. Dog-friendly: I have never seen somewhere that collectively loves dogs as much as Colorado Springs, and it’s one of my favorite things about this city. People bring their pets hiking with them, you can always find someone walking their dog when you’re driving around, and there’s a ton of dog parks where your furry friend can roam on or off-leash. In fact, there’s one location where the reservoir at the end of the hiking trail is strictly off-limits to humans, but dogs are more than welcome to go splash around with each other and have the time of their lives. When I visited my brother, sister-in-law, and their goldendoodle, we went to a dog park every day and it was just as much fun as all of our other outings since we got to hike and see the beautiful scenery while also booping puppy noses left and right.

 

1. Hiking: For someone that is not usually an outdoorsy or active person, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed hiking through the various trails in Colorado Springs. Perhaps it’s because there’s always mountains and waterfalls to admire in the background, so the exercise doesn’t seem like work. Regardless of the reason, hiking quickly became one of my favorite parts of my visit to Colorado Springs.

 

1. Rock climbing: If you’re looking for an adventurous excursion, rock climbing may be just what you need. I’ve only ever rock climbed indoors where there are holds that are artificially made and therefore evenly spaced out. Natural rock climbing was quite a change but so, so worth the extra effort. It’s certainly a full-body workout, but it’s incredibly rewarding to accomplish this challenging feat that seemed impossible at the beginning.

 
Edited by Jenna Fults
 
 

​Princess Berry
August 11, 2020
 
Title: Popular Books That I Have Never Read
 
When it comes to trends or popular topics, I am either right on time or really, really late. This fact often applies to books. Sometimes there are best sellers that I want to read, but I need to save my money for other things. Or, I end up completely turning away from them because people constantly talking about them spoils the books for me. So this list is devoted to some popular books that I may never read and to some that I plan on reading, hopefully soon.
 
 
Fifty Shades of Grey
There is nothing wrong with a book revolving around a relationship or around sex....if it is well written. I picked up this book in a library when I was in middle school because I was curious to see what all my classmates were freaking out about. I read a couple of pages and quickly decided that the writing style was not for me. In addition to bad writing, friends of mine that have read it told me that the relationship between Mr. Grey and Anastasia is toxic. Though part of me wants to give this book a chance, I don’t have the desire to pick it up again.
 
The Hunger Games
I didn’t hear about this book until I found out about the movie. I haven’t watched the movie, but I definitely want to finish the book series before I do. The dystopian concept of the book really interests me, so I’m confident that I’ll enjoy it.
 
Twilight
Due to the bad acting and the whole “Team Edward” trend, I wish this would have just stayed a book. The fandom gushing over the guys made me think that the book was shallow. I have mixed feelings about this one because I’ve heard from some that the book is good or at least it’s better than the movie. Then, I’ve heard that the book is bad. I don’t know if I would buy it, but if I see it in a bookstore, I think I would pick it up, just to see if it belongs on my bookshelf.
 
The Hate U Give
The only reason I have not read this book yet is because I need to be saving my money and actually finishing the books I already have. Due to everything happening in the world, this book is still relevant today. I think taking a serious topic like police brutality and showing how it could impact a teenager of color is very important. One of these days, I will get my hands on this book.
 
The Fault in Our Stars
I have read John Green’s book, Paper Towns, and I enjoyed it. So why not read one of his most popular books? I have a feeling that it’s going to make me cry, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
 
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
 I’m surprised I didn’t read this book in high school since I relate to the main character, Charlie, a lot. A friend of mine has a copy of this book, so once I’m prepared to leave the house again, I definitely want to borrow it from her.
 
The Lovely Bones
When I watched the movie in high school, I was shocked that this was a book since the plot is so dark. This was before I read Thirteen Reasons Why, so I wasn’t used to reading about a teenager dying or being murdered. Like with The Fault in Our Stars, I know I will cry as I read this book. If the book is as good as I anticipate, I don’t mind shedding a few tears because that is a sign of a moving story.
 
Edited by Morgan Mitchell

​Free (or discounted) Items on Your Birthday
By: Haley Mendenhall
 
My birthday is one of the only days during the year when I eat, drink, and buy whatever I want. Having this kind of attitude can hurt your wallet or bank account in a way not even a birthday wish can fix. I just had my birthday, but I was spared a lighter wallet when I found my inbox full of birthday treats and discounts. Enjoy this list of ten businesses with birthday discounts that will make your one special day of the year just a little more special.
 
1. Starbucks – Free drink or food item. Everyone needs their morning caffeine to get the day going, especially me which is why this was the first reward I used and by far my favorite. To claim this reward, you first need to sign up for the rewards program and download the free app. You can use the reward in person at the store, when you order on the app, or in the drive thru line. This voucher is good for any food item or any size drink, but it is only good for the one day of your birthday. I ordered my favorite drink which is an iced caramel macchiato, and the best part is I could get the biggest size and it was still free!
 
2. Dunkin’ Donuts – Free beverage of your choice. Why only get one coffee reward when you could get two? Just make sure the Dunkin’ employees don’t see your Starbucks cup and vice versa. To claim this reward, simply sign up for the loyalty program “DD Perks,” and you will get a free beverage of your choice on your special day.
 
3. Krispy Kreme – Free doughnut. Once you have your first coffee and maybe even your second, what better to drink it with than a doughnut? You can’t go wrong with the classic glaze, a strawberry glaze with sprinkles, an old fashioned, or, my personal favorite, the cream filled with chocolate glaze. Once you join the Krispy Kreme rewards program and add your birthday to your profile, you will receive an email with a code to redeem for one free doughnut. If you are lucky, the staff may even give you two! I can never decide between the old fashioned or the cream filled with chocolate glaze and since it was my birthday the super nice employees gave me both!
 
4. Cold Stone Creamery – Buy-one-get-one-free ice cream. After my cold coffee, hot coffee, and hot doughnut it was time for another cold treat, so I headed to my favorite ice cream shop with my sister to use my birthday coupon. This was my sister’s treat, so it was free for me. My recommendation to everyone is to guilt someone into buying the first ice cream, so you get yours for free! My sister and I are both “My Cold Stone Club” members, so I will be treating her in a few short months on her birthday.
5. Panera Bread – Free sweet treat. Sign up for the rewards program called “MyPanera” and go by the restaurant to pick up your free pastry on your birthday. After the hectic atmosphere of the previous fast food restaurants, walking into Panera Bread was like breathing in a breath of calm air. The atmosphere was zen and peaceful as I looked at the croissants, cinnamon rolls, pecan braids, and bear claws before finally settling on a Cherry Cheese Brittany.
 
6. Rack Room Shoes - $10 off your purchase. While this birthday reward does not get you a free item, Rack Room already has a buy-one-get-one deal going on almost year-round. When you add an extra $10 discount, it is an amazing deal. I got two new pairs of vans for $65, and I saved over $30. Not only does this voucher save you a ton of money, but it is also good up to one month after your birthday. Be sure to sign up to be a rewards member to receive this exciting reward.
 
7. Vince Camuto – 20% off an online purchase. This is one discount that I will have the luxury of saving to use along with better sales in the fall. This is not my favorite deal, but it lasts for 90 days, which is a long time for a birthday reward. I did have to sign up to be a rewards member ad, so my mailbox will forever be flooded with advertisements and newsletters. But what really is the harm in one more company having your information? I plan to use my discount in a couple of months to buy a pair of boots for the fall.
 
8. PINK – 25% off a PINK purchase. Similar to the previous option, this is not a free reward, but you will receive a valuable discount. Treat yourself a little and buy a new body mist, lotion, or piece of apparel. Sign up and become a member on the PINK website to have the birthday discount emailed to you every year. This offer stays open and available up to one month after your birthday. If you know one of the great sales is going on during your birthday month, then save your discount and use it with a sale to get even more for your hard-earned money. I am fortunate that my birthday falls right before the Pink Friday Sale, so I use my reward for the Bun Bun Cream and Coco Cream to save even more.
 
9. Sephora – Free gift. At Sephora, even the members of the “Insider club,” which is free to join, will get a special birthday present. You get a choice between a MILK MAKEUP gift that includes a mascara and a lip + cheek set, or a Sol De Janeiro gift which contains two 25 mL bottles of Coco Cabana Cream. I chose the Sol De Janeiro gift and ordered it online since I did not have time to go to the store.
 
10. Redbox – Free movie rental. What is a better way to end your birthday than with a free Redbox movie code? Sign up online or on the app and receive an email with your code that is good for 60 days after your birthday. I couldn’t wait 60 days and decided to use it on my birthday to watch a movie with my friends and sister. I’m glad I had my free code, though, because the movie wasn’t as good as I’d hoped, and I’m glad I didn’t actually spend money on it.
 
Edited by Becca Masch

​Places I Wish to Visit
By Elizabeth Dubos
 
I love traveling and all the things it encompasses. One of my favorite parts about traveling is doing the research because I love finding great deals on adventures. You can find excellent deals on Groupon, RetailMeNot, Expedia, and Travelocity. It’s satisfying to travel without breaking the bank. I love traveling via planes, cars, and even trains! As much as I love traveling, COVID-19 put a damper on my 2020 travel plans. I am immunocompromised, so I am continuing to self-quarantine and wear a mask when I need to leave the house to purchase the household essentials. Lately, I’ve been getting stir-crazy because I miss journeying to new places. Even though I can’t physically travel right now, that doesn’t mean I can’t research places I’d love to visit. After researching Expedia, TripAdvisor, and doing some BuzzFeed travel quizzes, here is a list of places I’d love to visit.
 
1. Grand Canyon National Park. From the stories I’ve heard and the pictures I’ve seen, the Grand Canyon offers extraordinary views that I’d love to see in person. There are numerous activities I’d love to do like seeing the sunrise or sunset, riding a mule, or going on a whitewater rafting trip.
 
2. Disneyland Park. I’ve been to Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom). I think it would be fun to venture to California’s Disneyland to see how it compares to the parks I’ve already visited. Do they have different rides, foods, characters, or wait lines?
 
3. Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville checks off all the boxes for fun! Asheville is filled with art, culture, history, and nature. I would love to visit Asheville during autumn to go ziplining in the Blue Ridge Mountains and see all of the wondrous colors during the fall foliage.
 
4. The Georgia Aquarium. I am passionate about animals and wildlife conservation. I would love to see the whale sharks, harbor seals, or beluga whales in person. It is a dream of mine to feed and pet a harbor seal. One of my favorite TV shows to watch is Animal Planet’s The Aquarium because it features the Georgia Aquarium!
 
5. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Seeing an active volcano is at the top of my bucket list. Volcanoes are iconic and breathtaking landscapes. There’s so much to explore with 150 miles of hiking trails through volcanic craters.
 
Edited by Morgan Mitchell

​My Favorite Dessert Recipes
 
By Morgan Mitchell
 
If you’re anything like me, you’d be willing to eat something sweet every meal of the day if you could. I have such a sweet tooth that I often find it difficult to choose between a dessert with chocolate or a dessert with fruit since I’m equally as likely to be pleased with a brownie as with apple pie. But over the years, I have discovered my three favorite desserts from my family’s recipe book. I share them with you in the hope that you will find them as tasty as I do, and maybe you’ll even develop a new favorite dessert as well!
 
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie: This delightful dish is best served cold, but be warned that it gets sweeter (and therefore more delicious) as you refrigerate it.
 
For this dessert, you will need eight ounces of cream cheese, one eight-ounce tub of thawed Cool Whip, one cup of peanut butter, eight ounces of powdered sugar, three-fourths cup of miniature chocolate chips, and one Oreo pie shell.
 
To begin, mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar together. Add the Cool Whip and blend well. Once blended, fold in the miniature chocolate chips and pour the mixture into your Oreo pie shell. When all the filling is in the pie crust, it should be mounded high in the middle. As mentioned previously, note that you will want to keep it refrigerated, and make sure to let it set in the refrigerator for at least three hours before you cut yourself a slice.
 
Pound Cake: A simple classic, pound cake goes with any meal of the day. You can have it with fruit for breakfast or as dessert with lunch or dinner.
 
Gather the ingredients you will need, which include six eggs, two cups of plain flour, two cups of sugar, one cup of vegetable oil, a dash of salt, one teaspoon of baking powder, one and a half tablespoons of vanilla, one and a half teaspoons of almond extract, and a ten-inch tube pan.
 
Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl at one time. Beat on high speed for four minutes, and then pour the batter into a greased and floured ten-inch tube pan. Usually, you want to preheat the oven when you’re baking, but make sure that you place the pound cake into a cold oven. Once the pan is in the oven, turn the temperature of the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for one hour and ten minutes. Let the cake cool for about ten minutes before turning it out of the pan.
 
Peanut Butter Fudge: This recipe is courtesy of my grandmother, and the fudge is so good that it featured at all of our Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers while I was growing up.
 
The ingredients you will need are three cups of sugar, three-fourths cup of butter or margarine, one five-and-a-half-ounce can (two-thirds cup) of evaporated milk, one cup of peanut butter, one nine-ounce jar of marshmallow crème, one teaspoon of vanilla, and a 13x9x2-inch pan.
 
In a heavy two-and-a-half-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, butter (or margarine), and evaporated milk. Bring to a full rolling boil, making sure to stir constantly. Continue boiling over medium heat for five minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Next, remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter, stirring until it has melted. Add the marshmallow crème and vanilla, and then beat until it’s well blended. Then spread the mixture into a buttered 13x9x2-inch pan. Cool at room temperature, then refrigerate. When it’s firm in four hours, cut the fudge into squares, and try not to steal one of these delectable treats while you’re at it. This recipe makes three pounds of candy.
 
Happy baking!
 
Edited by Liz Eike