The holiday season has descended into its dark, twilight hours. The hot-ticket items have gone back to sleep in storage, and bottom-bin sales fill stores with the unwanted dregs of the free market. Last year in the technology industry, no items reigned more supreme than the Microsoft Kinect.
Heads up, New Year’s resolution makers: It’s about three weeks into 2011. Have you kept your self-made promise? We’re betting about half of you have already cracked — especially those who resolved to hit the gym and eat healthier. It’s no easy feat. But sometimes, the resolution to all your healthy lifestyle woes is simple: balance.
AT&T used to be my cell phone service provider — the key phrase there being “used to.” Dropped calls, poor phones and customer service staffed by incompetent gorillas are just some of the infamous issues the service provider is known for. Yet, people still cling to the carrier like submissive gimps — all thanks to the iPhone. If given the choice, a significant portion of AT&T’s customers would jump ship should the iPhone be released on a better service, say, for example, Verizon Wireless.
Exploration is a vital and vigorous part of the college experience. You’re not under your parents’ roof. It’s time to see what’s out there. Wild Iris Books is a place to start finding out. Located between Midtown and downtown at 802 W University Ave., Wild Iris is one of the last remaining feminist bookstores in Florida. Opened in 1992, Wild Iris has established itself as not only a store but also as a community resource for artists and organizations looking for a supportive space. The store, in association with its sister nonprofit Friends of Wild Iris, has hosted open mic nights, workshops, discussion groups and art exhibits.
The depiction of women in video games has always been a mark of shame in the industry. Undoubtedly, the majority of video games developers are male — as is the industry’s target demographic. Thus, it’s not surprising that many virtual females are designed to look like idealized perfections of the gender at best and pubescent fantasy at worst. Take these favored femmes: Bayonetta has 4-foot long legs, Taki from “Soul Calibur” has triple-E sized breasts, and the entire female cast of “Dead or Alive” can be summed up with the phrase “jiggle physics.”
If UF’s campus had a soundtrack, it would surely be the ringing bells of Century Tower. The distant sounds echo throughout campus from every corner, providing comforting music as students hustle and bustle to class.
For some Gainesville residents, old school is the only school
Each Thursday, the Avenue is serving up the best in entertainment, pop culture and everything in between. From the big screen to the radio waves, check out this week’s picks.
The only thing more important than what you did on New Year’s Eve is what you’re going to do in the new year. Sure, it’s just a date. But a new year means a fresh start: new friends, new experiences, and, most importantly, new resolutions. Though they may be clichéd and are more often broken than kept, there are a few worth trying. Lucky for you, we’ve sifted through the duds and picked out the best. Check out our picks for top new year’s resolutions.
Just as the first second of 2011 kicked off with a certain “Jersey Shore” nugget dropping down in a giant MTV ball, it hit you, right after that desperate, sloppy smooch. It’s New Year’s resolution time, baby. It’s the year for closet-cleaning and working more on saving the cash flow than slurping it down at Salty Dog. And most importantly, getting those post-holiday bods into shape. Of course, getting fit is no uncommon resolution. And, not surprisingly, within the first couple of days on campus, the gym crowd has exploded, and the number of runners necessary to dodge on the walk to class could be compared to a game of “Frogger.”
After the stockings have been stowed and the fireworks extinguished, it may be tough to get out of bed in the morning. Sadly, the days of overeating, not working out and sleeping in are gone, only to be replaced by the chaos that is the first week of classes: alarms that seem to go off too early, book-buying and hunting for new classrooms. Here comes the post-holiday funk. Try just one of these remedies, and we’re sure your former holiday cheer will be restored.
Between the days of soul-crushing finals and the start of a new semester, in that two-week slice of heaven called “the holidays,” I learned to appreciate the finer things in life: sleeping until noon, watching movies on the couch and good, old-fashioned monster stomping.
It’s that time of year again.
Whether you plan on rocking your cap and gown this month or have a few more semesters to trudge through — and we don’t judge, super seniors — let’s be honest: “Pomp and Circumstance” has been on your playlist ever since your Preview adviser told you UF boasts the highest graduation rate in the state. So, as you prepare for your official inauguration into the “real wold,” it’s time to ditch that cinder block in your pocket you call your cell phone.
Each Thursday, the Avenue is serving up the best in entertainment, pop culture and everything in between. From the big screen to the radio waves, check out this week’s picks.
Here’s something that’s not in your textbook: Our study routines (or lack thereof) just aren’t working. So, in the spirit of the quickly approaching finals week, the Avenue created the ultimate study guide. Armed with our own homework — and short attention spans — we investigated all over campus and found the best and worst locations for our academic needs.
It’s perhaps the most hellish of semester circumstances for students: We’re finished with midterms but still have weeks to go before we can say so long to fall semester and hello to winter break.
Each Thursday, the Avenue is serving up the best in entertainment, pop culture and everything in between. From the big screen to the radio waves, check out this week’s picks.
Solutions by The State News
