Drake Gets a D+
Posted on 20. Aug, 2010 by Karri Wells.
The image below can be found on Drake University’s website. I’m embarrassed :(
In what world is this a good way to market an academic institution?
Update: Listen to Drake University’s Tom Delahunt talk about the marketing campaign on Iowa Public Radio
Also, read the email that was sent to Drake faculty and students to explain the Drake Advantage campaign
Should a good marketing campaign need an explanation? Does Delahunt’s explanation sell you on the concept?
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Could You Go On A Shopping Diet?
Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells.
In the spirit of anti-consumption a group of men and women have taken the Six Items or Less challenge. Here is how it works – you select six items, (or less) from your wardrobe and commit to wearing only those items for a month. This does not include underwear, bras, accessories or shoes.
Many of us, me included, have closets and dressers full of clothing that doesn’t get worn that often. Heck, I have a closet full of clothes plus a couple overflowing dressers, AND a storage unit back home full of even more stuff. The funny part is that it’s not like I’m some well dressed fashionista, these aren’t skirts and dresses that I’m hanging onto. I have more hooded sweatshirts than a frat boy, and enough t-shirts to wear a different one everyday for a couple months, maybe more.
I know I’m not the only one that does this! Why do we hold on to these items? And why did we buy them in the first place? Do we really NEED all this stuff?
Want to cut your clothing clutter? Here are a couple things you can do:
Commit to quality over quantity. In the past I have made many impulse purchases simply because an item was on sale. I’ve also opted to shop at places like Forever 21 and H&M where the prices are low, and the quality is not always great. In hindsight, I should have spent my money more wisely. For every five items I’ve purchased at these stores or on sale, I could have invested in a higher quality piece that would’ve not only looked better, but lasted longer.
Invest in wardrobe multi-taskers. Find items that are versatile. Think about how the same piece can be dressed up or dressed down. You can do wonders with accessories and shoes.
Clothing swaps. Trade with friends when you get bored with an item. This keeps your wardrobe fresh, saves money, and you aren’t contributing to consumption culture.
I’m not sure that I am ready for the Six Items or Less challenge quite yet, but the lessons I’ve learned from the men and women who partipated in this experiment have been eye-opening. I’m going to try and think twice before I buy, and do more with less.
What about you? Do you think you could do this challenge? What six items would you choose?
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Banana Puddin’ Dessert
Posted on 26. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells.
I’ve been craving pudding recently, so last night I decided to make Banana Puddin’ Dessert for dinner. Brian told me that I couldn’t eat pudding for dinner, but I did it anyway, because I’m an adult and the best part of being an adult is doing whatever you want. I was able to whip this up in less than 10 minutes. The recipe makes four servings, or in my case, two ‘dinner’ sized servings.
Ingredients
- 1 Package Instant Banana Pudding
- 2 cups skim milk
- 16 Vanilla wafers, crushed
- Whip Cream or Cool Whip
- 2 Bananas, sliced
Combine the pudding mix and milk in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Set aside. Split the crushed vanilla wafers across four bowls. Spoon the pudding over the wafers. Top with sliced bananas and whip cream. EAT!
Despite the fact that this is frequently served in elementary schools and nursing homes I think it is pretty tasty. What are your favorite pudding recipes?
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M.I.A. WTF?
Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells.
For months I had been anticipating my first trip to Governors Island for Hard NYC. I’d always wanted to see M.I.A. live and this was finally my chance. I was looking forward to dancing my face off.
By the time we got into the venue we’d been through security not once, but twice and had missed seeing Rye Rye. Needless to say all of us were thoroughly annoyed and ready for an adult beverage. We caught the last half of Skream and Benga which was excellent except for the MC. It seemed unnecessary that he kept running around the stage asking the crowd ‘where his monkeys were at’.
Next up was Brooklyn based Sleigh Bells. I’ve had ‘Treats’ on heavy rotation the past few weeks and was eager to see what they’d sound like live. The guitar was more pronounced and her voice a little more aggressive but it all worked well and the crowd really seemed to be into it.
Die Antwoord took the stage next. I knew little about these guys except that they were from South Africa. They were incredibly entertaining. The group is comprised of DJ Hi-Tex, Ninja who rocked some sweet Pink Floyd boxers, and Yo-Landi, a pint size chick with a wicked mullet. I felt like I was watching something that had been created by Ali G. They definitely were the highlight of the night.
At this point it was late, I was hot, I had caveman feet and all of the tall men at the show decided that the best place for them to stand was directly in front of my friend Katie and I who are both vertically challenged.
I’m pretty sure at this point an M.I.A. chant was covertly broadcast over the sound system in hopes to get the crowd jacked up, but nobody joined in. A bunch of people wearing outfits trimmed in what appeared to be glow necklaces meandered on stage and finally M.I.A. started her set. I was excited, this was the moment we’d been waiting for.
After the first song I noticed nobody was dancing, and we were all looking around at each other wondering what was happening. Was this REALLY what we’d been waiting to see all day? We moved to the back of the crowd hoping that the sound would get better, blaming our close proximity to the speakers as the reason for why things didn’t sound as great as we’d expected. Moving locations didn’t help, it was still pretty awful. After the third song, we, along with hundreds of others , started making our way back to the ferries.
M.I.A. has gotten a lot of negative press lately for various reasons, and I was hoping that this show would prove me wrong. Maybe she had a bad night, maybe somebody behind the sound board was to blame, or maybe she really just isn’t really that great.
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Make Your Own California Gurls Parody
Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells.
It seems like everyone is making a parody of Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls‘. Want to make your own to tell everyone how cool YOUR state is? Fill in the blanks MadLib style and you’ve got your lyrics.
Verse 1
I know a place
Where the noun is really adjective
adjective, adjective and adjective
There must be somethin’ in the water
Sippin’ drink
Layin’ underneath the noun (Undone)
The boys
Break their necks
Try’na creep a little sneak peek (At us)
You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
To the your state nickname
Once you party with us
You’ll be falling in love
Oooooh oh oooooh
Chorus
your state girls
We’re unforgettable
noun
noun on top
adjective skin
So adjective
We’ll verb your noun
Oooooh oh oooooh
your state girls
We’re undeniable
adjective, adjective, adjective
We got it on lock
region represent
Now put your noun up
Oooooh oh oooooh
Verse 2
verb on the noun
We don’t mind noun in our noun
We verb
In my noun
Pro-noun on the stereo (Oh oh)
You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
To the your state nickname
Once you party with us
You’ll be falling in love
Oooooh oh oooooh
Chorus
your state girls
We’re unforgettable
noun
noun on top
adjective skin
So hot
We’ll verb your noun
Oooooh oh oooooh
state gurls
We’re adjective
adjective, adjective, adjective
We got it on lock
region represent
Now put your noun up
Oooooh oh oooooh
Rap – Verse 3
adjective, adjective
adjective and ready
Turn it up ’cause it’s gettin’ heavy
Wild, wild region
These are the girls I love the most
I mean the ones
I mean like she’s the one
verb her
verb her
verb her noun
The girl’s a noun
She drives a noun
and lives on the noun
I’m okay
I won’t play
I love the noun
Just like I love city
city
And city
noun is everything
All the boys
verb out
All that noun
verb out
noun, noun, noun
No noun
Just the king
And the queen-ie
pro-noun my lady
(Yeah)
You’re lookin’here baby
(Uh huh)
I’m all up on you
Cause you represent me, your state
(Ohhh yeahh)
Chorus
your state gurls
We’re unforgettable
noun
noun on top
adjective skin
So hot
We’ll verb your noun
Oooooh oh oooooh
your state gurls
We’re undeniable
adjective, adjective, adjective
We got it on lock
region represent
(region, region)
Now put your noun up
Oooooh oh oooooh
(your state, state)
your state girls man
I wish they all could be
your state girls
(your state)
I really wish
You all could be
your state girls
(your state, girls)
Now view these masterpieces. I take no responsibility for getting the song stuck in your head.
All The New York Girls
Staten Island Girls
Nebraska Gurls
Texas Gurls
Minnesota Gurls
Wisconsin Gurls
Iowa Gurls
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Sign From A College Dude’s Bathroom
Posted on 23. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells.
On my last trip home my best friend and I got the grand tour of her little bro’s new digs. Check out the sign we found in his bathroom.
The sign reads :
Attention Ladies:
Please put the lid back up after use. We have to do it for 30 years of marriage so you can do it for 1 night.
Thank you
The best part is the camo duct tape that was used to adhere it to the wall. G, you are the man.
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Dating In The City
Posted on 22. Jul, 2010 by Karri Wells.
From what I hear New York is a great place for singles. I wouldn’t know. I always seem to go against the grain when it comes to these things. When I lived back in Iowa I was dating, while most of my friends were married or engaged. Then, I moved to New York – now I’m the one in a relationship, while most of my friends are dating and single. Funny how that happens.
I enjoy hearing about the dating escapades of singles in the city. My friends have some pretty great stories – some are funny, others outrageous and several very sweet. Some of the dates turn into relationships while others remain memorable anecdotes. It’s no wonder that Sex & The City was so popular.
A friend recently told me about this guy Brian, who just moved from Wisconsin to New York. Brian is taking this online dating thing to a whole new level, he is crowd sourcing dates. His goal is to go on 30 dates in 30 days with 30 different women. (This has all the makings for a blockbuster romantic comedy). He is getting set up on these dates via his website, Dating Brian. If you or someone you know might be interested drop him a line. After each date, both Brian and his gal each give a recap of what they did and how they thought the date went. So far Brian has been on two dates – and I’m already hooked. I can’t wait to see what happens on the next 28. He seems like a really nice guy, and I’m hoping that this experiment goes well for him. Follow Brian’s 30 day quest
What has been your most interesting dating experience? What is the craziest thing you ever did to get a date?