Take those words and repeat them.  Repeat, repeat, repeat. Let those words become your mantra.

This past semester, I learned the hard way. I had the wonderful and gracious experience of having to shell out seventy dollars for a history essay. Did I not understand the essay question? Not quite. Did I not want to write the essay myself? Not at all.

What actually happened was much more catastrophic. My computer crashed. And not just crashed, there was no blue screen of death or anything quite so simple. It was just a pure black screen, chilly and unresponsive to my lamentations.

Luckily, just a software flash to allow the update to finish would fix the issue.

But my poor wallet...

It was finals week. Besides my notes & my study guides, the 1,000 word History essay I slaved away for three days and nights to perfect was on my unresponsive computer. And  I refused to write that thing over again...

My only option -  find the cash to have my hard drive backed up. A day and half after the catastrophe I had my essay back in my hands in the form of CD and it was turned in a day after that. By a stroke of grace, my computer was returned to me before finals really got started and I was able to study for my exams.

All of this and a hysterical phone call to my mother at midnight could have been avoided if I just backed up my computer.

If you just have a small capacity USB drive, make sure to at least back up those things that you couldn’t do without tomorrow if something should happen today. I know external hard drives are wallet killers, there are many other ways to keep your information safe from computer calamities.

I advise you to make yourself a DropBox account. It’s free for up to 2 GBs of data, any more than that and there’s a monthly charge. If you download the application onto your computer, the main file in the DropBox folder will update every time you make any changes on it.

Then, there’s just emailing work to yourself. Super easy. Flag, put it in a folder, whatever. You have in case the file on your computer becomes corrupted or your computer crashes and you pull it up on any other computer.

So, take my words as fair warning. Do what you can to protect your work, to make sure nothing happens to that 1,000 word, five page long essay that’s worth 20% of your grade. Back your stuff up instead of paying $70 for it.

Image Source: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxAG11HYiQOMe8lvQ9JQoswW2hXQkVSP92gQ4Nw3wZJBlSKwsT

Last semester, I had an English professor who made us analyze and interpret a fake text conversation he created between a boy and a girl who had just gone out on a date. We looked at the times the texts were sent, the use of punctuation and emoticons, and the general enthusiasm of the messages to determine that, despite the girl’s high hopes, the boy is probably never going to ask her out again.

The point of the lesson was to teach us to look for details while reading in order to understand the overall meaning of the content. It was a creative and effective lesson, but aside from its intended purpose, it got me thinking, 'Why must it take a group of people, analyzing a hypothetical text message conversation as if their grade depends on it,  to decipher a text?'

More importantly, why can’t people straight-up cut to the chase?

Don’t get me wrong, I love to text, and I have definitely partaken in a fair share of group texts sessions, with the common questions that arise, needing outsider interpretaton:

"What should I say back to him?"

"Should I answer right away or make him wait?"

 "Does this exclamation mark make me sound too interested?"

It's  frustrating; today's dating world insists you 'talk' before you 'date.'  SO MUCH PRESSURE goes into the exact phrasing, length, and hesitant use of the smiley face (Advice to follow, NO WINKY FACE).  It’s a pretty superficial way to get to know someone; people aren’t really candid through text. They don’t have to respond immediately with whatever pops into their head. And don’t even get me started on context. You mean something one way, they take it another. Sarcasm just comes off as a bad attitude, and everything is so 'lol' and 'haha' that you don’t know what is genuinely considered funny anymore.

At the risk of sounding nostalgic, I wish we could go back to an era of dating that didn’t involve technology. Life would be so much less confusing and time consuming.

I’m busy. I don’t have time to text you nonstop in order to prove my affections for you. If you want to talk to me, do it in person, to my face, without a team of experts helping you string together each sentence and then decode mine. I know I'm not the only one who thinks this way from time to time.

Image Source: http://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/NewArrivals.jsp?intcmp=home_p1_promo_w&navLoc=promo#page1

In the Daily Gamecock last week, an announcement was made that USC is currently raising funds for a replica of our proud mascot, Cocky, that will be shining in gold. The statue would be located on Gibbes Greene near the Pickens Street Bridge, a common passing area for students and visitors.

Though it is a great way to add both tradition and spirit to our prestigious campus, let's be real for a moment: This statue doesn't do much for the ongoing problems that we still have financially and academically. USC hopes to debut this statue Fall 2013, but dorms have yet to be renovated, parking is a little over the word "ridiculous", and tuition is constantly rising; something that many students are greatly concerned with.

The article in the Daily Gamecock also mentions how the statue would make an attractive tourist spot for visitors, but what it fails to do is bring up the fact that some of those same visitors are prospective students. Those potential future students need a place to stay that is suitable and pleasant for them. With the high levels of admitted students, housing could pose an even bigger problem in the future for all of us. Something like this takes a lot of time management and planning. Even if the idea of a statue for Cocky has been in the woodworks for a while, obviously the current problems of USC are not.

I'm not saying that a Bronze Cocky wouldn't be rad, but we know USC is  a wealthy-enough university that has everything known to mankind. Before we go buying diamonds and Big Macs, can we at least pay attention to the more important expenses first? Ones that could benefit the current student body and future generations to come?

Image Source:http://www.sc.edu/news/newsarticle.php?nid=5228#.UKpWu6WHfFI

Carolina vs. Clemson. It’s a rivalry almost as old as the ages themselves. Well, no, not really. Just as long as both of the colleges and the game of football have existed. But it sure feels like these two universities were made to butt heads with each other.

The big Thanksgiving football game is just the beginning of it. The Carolina vs. Clemson Blood Drive occurred this past week, as well as the Donate Life Duel and the Tiger Burn held before the football game, along with #28 on the Bucket List: “Visit the Clemson campus wearing a USC shirt.”

There’s no end to the rivalry. It’s almost ingrained in our very lifeblood. We occasionally get crass and crude. We get angry, even bitter. We fight to the very end of that football game tooth and nail. And it’s wonderful. Winning something just isn’t as fun when you don’t have someone who can really compete with you for it.

But this Thanksgiving break I have to go home and deal with this rivalry like I never have before.

I come from a family…of Clemson fans. Yep, a whole bunch of people who wear those garish colors of their own volition. And up until this current year, I was one of them.

I was a staunch supporter of the orange and purple, standing my ground and supporting my team like no other. That’s just how I was brought up. Wearing little cheerleader outfits with the Tiger paw on the front on game days, bright orange ribbons in my hair. I never thought any different.

My sister attended, and received her degree from Clemson. She’s a proud alumni who screams at the TV during football games, especially during this particular showdown, and she also has a bathroom plastered in Tiger paraphernalia..

It was naturally assumed that I would go to Clemson University. And even if it wasn’t Clemson, I don’t think my family ever thought that I would end up at USC of all places. All it took was one campus tour to realize this was the college for me.

I’m not saying that Clemson isn’t a wonderful school, I went to my fair share of summer camps at both institutions, but something never felt right in regards to going to college there - it just wasn’t what I needed.

There were mixed emotions among the family. My mother told me that I had to do what was best for me, my father was begrudging about having to give money to a school that wasn’t Clemson, and my sister…I think she stopped speaking to me for a few days.

USC felt right, felt like home, a feeling no other school initially gave me. 

My sister and I are back on speaking terms. She yells at me every time I pick up something even remotely garnet colored for my nephew to wear. I glare at her whenever she says something ironic about eating chicken fingers. I refuse to enter the aforementioned Clemson bathroom and she sneers at every time I wear a “Beat…” t-shirt in her vicinity.

But now…now…I have to face the very worst of the repercussions due to my decision to attend USC: gameday with my sister. Good thing we have a long couch, considering we will be sitting on opposite ends of it, wearing every bit of collegiate wear that we own, eyes glued to the TV, our respective IPods poised to play our school’s fight songs, and armed with Tiger and Cocky stuffed animals to throw at each other with each point gained.

We may have a rivalry, but just like how it brings about great things through donations and drives at both of the schools. Sometimes competition can bring the absolute best of you instead of always the worst.

One thing I do know for sure though…this upcoming gameday?

It’s going to be fun.

Image Source: http://www.independentmail.com/photos/galleries/2010/apr/24/area-players-nfl-draft/29257/

Candy has a whole aisle of its own; multicolored bags of carbohydrates lined up like a Candyland Christmas display.

 The ultimate goal? To be loaded with sugar.

That’s one of the best things about celebrating All Hallow’s Eve. What other time of the year can you get two pillow cases full of sugary treats and not be yelled at by heath-possessed parents? 

But what if you can’t eat any of that candy?...

You can't just have one piece, it only makes you want more. Halloween is the bane of many people’s existence for that one reason, myself included.

Many of us are on diets, but when you find yourself in the presence of skull-shaped gummies, it’s hard to keep on track, especially when candy somehow manages to push itself in your face wherever you are during the month of October.

While I do have a diet, I have to keep my mind on a very major health issue - Type 1 Diabetes.

Yeah. It's not much fun at all...

Don’t get me wrong, I can eat candy as many as Type 1 and even Type 2 Diabetics can,  just as long as I’m careful.  However, it’s still irritating to see people with bags of candy just munching away with no worry attached to that second Mr. Goodbar.

I don’t get these feelings all year round; they’re just more prevalent during this season. Normall, I can get away with ignoring a passerby with my favorite candy in hand when my blood glucose levels are a little high.

But when each and every person has pumpkin shaped cookies, bags of candy corn, and bat Reese Cups?...

While living in a suburban neighborhood with a large amount of children, I’m always defected the duty of handing out the loot when they come around with their plastic pumpkins. Waiting for twenty minutes and not being able to chow down every once and while ‘cause your meter’s in the house? Just…no.

That’s cruel and unusual punishment.

Don’t take this the wrong way,  I love this time of year. Halloween is really when I get to thrive; I’m big on costumes and horror movies, a fan of vampires and werewolves alike, and The Nightmare Before Christmas is an annual favorite.

But it would be so much easier if there was a way to make chocolate bars invisible to the Diabetic eye.

Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P5qDqu3vEL0/Tq72zA7Bt8I/AAAAAAAACOM/_5xpCmjrnNY/s1600/halloween-candy-in-bowl-590.jpg

Okay, how many times do you log into Facebook or Twitter and see a diary-like status update from an attention-seeking individual.  TOO MANY TIMES.  Last time I checked, these sites are public and therefore, so is the content chosen to share.  WHY would anyone want to share personal thoughts or opinions regarding something that gives them a reputation of the following:

-insecure

-revenge-seeking

-pathetically-bored

-someone you cannot trust to be mature with your own feelings

Not-so-secret-anymore diary content generally places the sharer into one of the following categories that tarnishes his or her reputation within his or her social media community, which is already full of superficial and actual friends.  

Here's the thing, if you're upset or unhappy, take it up with the source whose causing you the personal anguish directly, not by releasing a social media post you hope will be seen by a specific person.  If you want the respect or attention your status is screaming to your social media public, you won't obtain it by that indirect and immature approach.  

Not only does it tarnish your personal present reputation amongst a semi-fake community of friends, but what about your future and potential employers that come across it?  Chances are if any content in a status promotes an individual's reputation as immature, he or she will not receive the job desired, solely on the fact that NO ONE wants to hire somebody who publically vents their feelings and comes off as a potential liability.

So take some advice from an extremely tired Facebook newsfeed viewer, keep the thoughts on paper, not in cyberspace.

Image Source: http://weknowmemes.com/2012/01/its-a-status-not-your-diary/

Group projects suck and have to be some weird attempt at forced socialization by a conglomerate of crazed sociology scientists whose influence spans the globe. Yes, I’m just figuring this out – sorry I’m late. Really though, why else would a system that shuns looking at your neighbors paper put you in a situation where you and your neighbor create the paper together? Don't look at your neighbors paper! … Unless we tell you to… But I ain't even mad at that; sometimes you get paired with some cool ass people. It's the other times where inconsiderate group members want to meet three days before a project (assigned two months ago) is due that makes me want to flip a small, plastic table. Oh you tried to email, to call, to talk in advance? Let me cycle through a series of excuses and send you information thirty minutes before class starts. C'mon son.

Note: If we are currently or have been in a group together at any point, I love you.

Image Source: http://loveisdead.net/10/2011/on-introversion-and-why-group-work-sucks/

I compare my body to the bodies of Victoria’s Secret models, celebrities, and other famed women with unnaturally toned stomachs, curvy hips with protruding bones, and toothpick-thin arms and legs. Doesn’t everybody? Those are the women I’m supposed to look like, right?

That’s what society persuades me and basically every other woman to believe anyway. The media sets unrealistic standards defining the “ideal” body, or the body that modeling agencies like Victoria’s Secret present as attractive and socially acceptable.

 Marilyn Monroe, America’s sex symbol in the 50’s, was a size 14 and would probably be considered overweight next to today’s size-two models. At some point in the 50's, for whatever reason, curvaceous bodies went out and ultra-thin bodies were in, beginning a diet and exercise revolution, and introducing society's new beauty icon, skinny supermodel Twiggy Lawson, in the 60's. .

No wonder so many women suffer from health disorders. It’s almost impossible and unnatural for most women to live up to this standard. And I don't mean to say that Twiggy suffered from a health disorder. I know many women are born with a naturally thinner bone structure. But, for those who aren't, there's too much pressure to go to extremes to look like a toothpick when you're meant to look like an hourglass.

 What’s really unsettling is that Victoria’s Secret has the power to change the status quo for women’s bodies yet chooses not to. It's not just a clothing company; it’s an advertisement for women’s bodies and a role model for many. If shapely, healthy-looking models were chosen to promote its brand, it could revolutionize how women see their bodies and how the rest of society regards women instead of contributing to mental and physical rehabilitation due to unreasonable social standards. 

Can you really live with that on your conscience Victoria’s Secret?

I embrace my imperfections because they’re what make me different from everyone else. My opinion of myself is the only one that matters . I might be built similarly to others but I don’t strive to look like anyone else. I have my own identity.

Image Source: http://www.thatonerule.com/rules/302.png

The cliché “there are plenty more fish in the sea” serves quite a significant purpose when it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. There are many girls out there who hold on to someone or something out of fear of losing the comfort and care they once received. But what’s the point when that feeling of respect has vanished?

Ladies and gents, if it’s been longer than a month of the same song and dance, after failed attempts to speak your mind, it’s time to pack up and go.  It’s not worth your time, and you should not be wasting it.

Time should not be consumed hoping, worrying and wondering why certain expectations are not met. Chances are, after conversations to make things work in your favor fail, they will not be changing anytime soon. Why wait around for things to change when what needs to be different is within yourself, not someone else.

Many people underestimate themselves, allowing the insecurity of being alone overpower the disappointment they’re fighting inside. This not only goes for relationships, but all difficult situations that won't change for the better after trying to make it work. Sometimes the best and only thing to do is walk the other way without turning back. An impact like that usually sparks a change that wouldn't have been made otherwise.

The first day is always the hardest but the days following get easier. DO NOT self talk yourself as a failure, disappointment or letdown unless you want the rest of the world to see that pessimism radiate from you. Hold your head high, and know things have to get broken before they can be mended.

Image Source: http://typeinspire.com/images/portfolio/let_it_go.jpg

I absolutely can’t stand when you have plans with a friend and you say, “Okay, lets meet up at _______ (some specific time),” the time is confirmed by your friend and plans are set. Then the day comes around when you are going to carry out the plans that you have made. You clear your schedule, turn down that request you have to go shopping with your other friends, postpone the school project you were supposed to work on with your group, take a shower, get ready, and wait around. You show up at the meeting spot, maybe 15 or 20 minutes early, then you get a text from that friend saying, “Hey, sorry I don’t think I can make it today, something came up.”

Oh really? Something came up? Yeah, well maybe you could have told me that four hours ago, before I got all ready, and turned down the other invitations I got from other (cooler) people. Not to mention the time it took for me to drive to the meeting place, find a parking spot, pay the meter and its all for nothing.

After that happens, my day is wasted and I’m pissed off.

So here’s a warning to you, the people who do this type of thing to your friends: you are now officially 2 notches down in the ranks on that person’s friend list.

Image Source: http://img.ehowcdn.co.uk/article-new/ehow/images/a08/5i/cv/signs-being-stood-up-800x800.jpg