Moira Recommends: 

Tofu!

 

Tofu is a food.  It is a delicious and nutritious food. 

Tofu is essentially a white soy bean curd.  It has a fun, squishy texture and is usually cut into small cubes. 

Tofu is meatless, and is marketed as a meat-replacement product for vegetarians.  And it is true that Tofu's cow-friendly ingredients form the basis of its appeal. But tofu does not taste like meat, does not serve the same functions as meat in a meal, and has enough of its own merits and attractions to lure even the most devoted carnivores.  

Some people do not like tofu.  These people say that tofu has no flavor.  These people are ignorant and beastly.  For while tofu does not taste like much on its own, its value lies in its versatility - it can be cooked, seasoned, and mixed to form a rich, delicious, and enjoyable center of almost any meal.   

Furthermore, tofu is like, so good for you.  Tofu contains ample quantities of protein, calcium and iron, all of which are things you really should be getting more of.  It also has almost no cholesterol and a surprisingly slim caloric content, making it both good and good for you. Have some tofu today!

Tofu!

Moira Recommends:

 

The Missed Connections Section on CraigsList! 

The Missed Connections Section on CraigsList is a web page.  It is a web page for people who encountered someone to whom they were attracted, but did not pursue either because of nerves or unfavorable circumstances. 

Some of the people who post in the missed connections section on Craigslist are creepy.  These posts will make you laugh.  Most of the people who post in the missed connections section on Craigslist are charming.  These posts you will find cute.  

The missed connections section on Craigslist aims to provide its users with a second chance to meet interesting new people, a goal which is honorable enough to obscure the site's negligible effectiveness.  The web page also has the effect of giving readers an insight into the emotions and desires of the posters, thereby helping them to humanize strangers and, like, restore their faith in humanity.  

The Missed Connections Section on Craigslist!

Moira Recommends: 

Merriweather Post Pavilion! 

Merriweather Post Pavilion is an album.  It is an Animal Collective album. 

Animal Collective are one of the most successful genuinely creative bands making music today. A lot of people like to say that Animal Collective has 'sold out' because their past two or three albums have been more structurally coherent than some of their former work.  Moira recommends that you consider this a creative maturation, rather than a betrayal of principles.  Merriweather Post Pavilion is, after all, a very innovative record, and one that manages the rare feat of being intelligent and life-affirming at the same time.  When you listen to Merriweather Post Pavilion, you will feel oddly empowered, and your day will just get better from there.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is really more of a holistic album as opposed to a collection of singles but many of the songs stand very well on their own.  Moira recommends that you listen to "Summertime Clothes." 

Merriweather Post Pavilion!

Moira Recommends:

Wearing a dress! 

Wearing a dress makes your whole day better. It's a small and simple treat that makes you look good, feel good, and see the world through rose colored glasses.

Many women think that it is necessary to have a special occasion to wear a dress.  This is not so.  Dresses can be dressed up, dressed down, and, through the use off layering and creative incorporation of tights, can brighten your day in any weather!

Wearing a dress is fantastic!  Try it today! 

Wearing a dress!

Moira Recommends:

Hug Time!

Hug Time is a book.  It is a children's book. 

Hug Time is by Patrick McDonnell, and tells the story of a small kitten who is so filled with love that he travels the world trying to hug everyone and everything. 

Hug Time is also the greatest accomplishment of philosophical thought of the twenty-first century. 

Hug Time!

Moira Recommends: 

Shortbus!

Shortbus is a movie.  It is a John Cameron Mitchell movie.  

Shortbus has a complicated plotline which Moira does not recommend you try to reproduce in the internet.  Suffice it to say that a group of frustrated New Yorkers that you care about very much all find themselves at an artistic and sexual salon, known as Shortbus. 

Shortbus features a lot of sex.  Shortbus features a lot of real sex.  But Shortbus is not pornographic, and nor is it about sex, at least not really.  Shortbus is about how sex makes us who we are.  It is not about fucking.  It is about living. 

Shortbus!

Moira Recommends: 

Looking at old photos of your parents!

Looking at old photos of your parents is super fun.  Looking at old photos of your parents is a lot like reading history, only this time its about people you're actually interested in.  Looking at old photos of your parents gives you an opportunity to ask about the stories behind these photos, which are always interesting, and help you to relate to your parents more.  Looking at old photos of your parents can also impress upon you how much your parents have changed, and how much you're going to change, too. (Warning: This aspect of Looking at Old Photos of Your Parents will make you happy and sad at the same time.)  

My father, for instance, used to look like this: 

Wowza!

Looking at old photos of your parents!

Moira Recommends:

Getting off campus!

School is great, but everyone needs to getaway sometimes.  Getting off campus for a weekend or even just an afternoon is a great way to relax, blow off steam, and break out of your routine. 

Perks of getting off campus include:

1. Seeing old friends!

2. Making new friends! 

3. Finding interesting new places! 

4. Escape from monotony!

5. Seeing other people's schools! or

6. Getting away from anything school-related altogether! 

7. Coming back at the end of your trip and realizing how much you love your college!  

8. Having an adventure!

Here are a few tips and reminders for your getting-off-campus escapades:

1. Make use of public transportation! Public transportation is cheap, environmentally responsible, and oodles of fun!  Try making use of any transportation services that are available on your campus to help you get the fuck off campus, or check out how far you can get on Metro North for twenty bucks! 

2. Go someplace different!  While it's true that your quaint, rural campus is super-beautiful this time of year, the fact of the matter is that there isn't a whole lot of off-campus things to do in your neck of the woods.  Try shaking things up by going to The City, or better yet, by going to a different city!

3. Go someplace where you won't be inundated by things that remind you of school!  This is particularly true of smaller, shorter, briefer getaways, when you are more likely to stay in the local area.  An off-campus adventure to the coffee shop downtown where all the students hang out will probably not be a good idea. Going to the coffee shop across town, where there will be fewer students, is a better idea.

4. Do not go home! While going home is a practical option for off-campus escapes, and offers the alluring draws of free rent, free grilled cheese sandwiches, and free maternal affection, going home is sort of a cop-out.  What you want from an off-campus adventure is just that- adventure!  Exoticism!  Bold confrontation of the unknown!  Challenge yourself, because the world is your oyster! 

Getting off campus!

Moira Recommends:

This sandwich!

This sandwich is delicious.  It is very much like a grilled cheese sandwich, but with apples and walnuts in it. 

You make this sandwich like this:

Step one: Butter one side of two slices of bread.  Bring a frying pan to very low heat, and find a spatula.  

Step two: Slice up a red apple thinly, but not too thinly.  Put one piece of bread butter-side down in the frying pan.  Lay down one layer of apple slices, a slice of provolone cheese, a bunch of crumpled walnuts, then another slice of provolone cheese and another layer of apples.  Put the other piece of bread, butter-side up, on top. 

Step three: Grill the sandwich on very low heat.  When the cheese starts to melt, take the spatula (I told you you would need a spatula), and flip it over.  When the cheese is totally melted and the walnuts are golden brown, take it off the stove and eat it.  Eat it slowly.  You want to savor the deliciousness.  

This sandwich!

Moira Recommends: 

Love!  

Love is lovely.  It is always in fashion, goes well with ay attire, and is available in a variety of shapes and sizes. 

Fun attributes of love include: 

1. Holding hands!

2. Eating ice cream!

3. Footsie!

4. Kissing!

5. Waking up because someone is kissing your eyelids!

Love is an excellent way to brighten your day.  Try it today! 

Love! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Moira Recommends: 

Getting up early!

Getting up early is good to do.  When you get up early, you can start your day with optimism and excitement.  Getting up early helps you to better utilize your time by doing something productive with those precious morning hours which you would otherwise spend sleeping, and also prevents the embarrassment of tardiness by giving you more time to get ready for work, school, or wherever the day may take you.  

Unlike sleeping in late, getting up early is a versatile activity, one which can e adapted for any day or situation.  Try it on the weekends!

Also recommended:  Staying up late. 

Getting up early!

Moira Recommends: 

"I Loved You" by Alexander Pushkin!

"I Loved You" is a poem.  It is a love poem. 

"I Loved You" contains two rhyming quatrains, and is unflinchingly sentimental and arrestingly sincere, without teetering over into cheap, corny territory.  

"I Loved You" makes you feel sad in the good way. 

The best translation of "I Loved You" is by Babette Deutch.  It goes like this: 

I loved you; and perhaps I love you still, 

The flame, perhaps, is not extinguished; yet

It burns so quietly within my soul, 

No longer should you feel distressed by it. 

Silently and hopelessly I loved you, 

At times too jealous and at times too shy. 

God grant you find another who will love you, 

As tenderly and truthfully as I.

"I Loved You" by Alexander Pushkin!

Moira Recommends:

 

High Places! 

High Places is a band.  They have laptops-and-turntables background music and lyrics about how beautiful life is.  High Places features the vocal stylings of a pretty girl, and blends mellow ambiance with giggly excitement.   

High Places is excellent background music for:

1. Drawing

2. Reading

3. Driving

4. Happiness

High Places! 

Moira Recommends:

Almonds!

As a snack food, almonds offer a sweet-but-not-too-sweet flavor, a satisfying crunchiness of texture, and the coveted status of "natural food," which allows the snacker to cast self-satisfied sneers at the processed foods enjoyed by her nutritionally irresponsible friends. 

Fun Facts About Almonds: 

1. Although popularly considered a nut, the almond is actually a seed, produced by the almond tree that is native to the Middle East and Indian subcontinent.  

2. The adjective "amygdaloid," literally meaning "like an almond," is often applied to objects with almond-like shapes.

3. Almonds are delicious.

4. There are two different species of almond plant.  The white-flowering variety produces sweet almonds, which are harvested for consumer production.  The pink-flowering trees, meanwhile, yield bitter almonds, which are used in the production of cyanide. 

Almonds!