I can't believe how fast the summer has flown by. In a couple of weeks I will be back at school participating in sorority recruitment. This is a two week long event where there is lots of bonding, stress, tears, dance parties and very little sleep. In order to get psyched up for it, in addition to typical posts I will have, I will also have a Greek focused post each day. From why I chose to go through recruitment, to vocabulary (yes, there is vocabulary), how to survive as a PNM (see! told ya, vocab) and as a sister the stress of recruitment, and why I chose the chapter I chose, I hope you will enjoy and learn a little about something that is very much a part of my life. 
Get excited and get ready for Greek Week on Pearls & Political Science!

I am always on the hunt for cute items for my room at home or for the dorm room and because I'm trying to be fiscally responsible, I turn to Etsy. No better place has absolutely adorable stuff, from art prints, to desk accessories to clothes.  Recently, I found Patrician Prints. Let me tell you, I'm obsessed

How cute are these prints? Each one is 10 dollars and they have more 200 prints to chose from! I am absolutely in love and I can't wait until I can find an excuse to snatch these up!

Check out Patrician Prints today!

When it comes to money, I am the stereotype for a millennial girl. Most (including myself) might see me as financially irresponsible at times, and I really wish I wasn't  Seeing as I am  college, my parents still give me a stipend or allowance every month. So I go from feeling flush with cash, to being too broke for Ramen noodles. Or at least I did. After several months of this, I realized something had to change, so I downloaded Mint.

Mint is a website, app, and an easy way to track your finances, set budgets and be an overall ninja with your money for free. As soon as I started syncing my accounts to Mint's secure system, I began to take notice of my accounts. Did I really spend that much? On stationary? Not any more!
Mint makes you stop and take notice of what you are spending, where you are spending it and how much you are spending a month. 

There is nothing more satisfying that knowing you are being responsible with your income (even if it is teeny-tiny) and not having to worry that you aren't going to have enough for gas, food or whatever your necessities are.

Check it out at http://mint.com or in the app store today!

The struggle is real of the city of Detroit. 
Years of white flight, out-sourcing and declining industries, decreasing taxes and a financial crisis have left Detroit filling for Chapter 9 (municipal) bankruptcy. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chapter 9 bankruptcy gives municipalities the ability to tackle their debt problems, something they might not have been able to do before hand.  Despite declaring bankruptcy, the city is still open for business. Public services will still occur; however, taxes will most likely increase (a major problem for a small population with low incomes) and there may be issues with pensions.


How did this happen? 
Well as I mentioned, it was a perfect storm; however, this storm didn't occur out of the blue, it was a long time coming. During the 1950s and 1960s, racial tensions grew high in Detroit, causing many of the white  as well as wealthy citizens to "flee" to the suburbs. For some reason,  Detroit really hasn't recovered from this, like many other cities in the U.S. has. Known as the Motor-City for it's booming automotive and transportation industry, this is where Detroit made its money. When companies began to leave the U.S. for cheaper work south of the border (as well as in Asia), this left a city dependent on the industry in quite the lurch. Finally, with the loss of jobs and the "white flight", the tax bracket of Detroit greatly decreased, and when paired with the financial crisis, it would be hard for any city to recover.

Despite all of this, I'm not giving up hope for the Motor City. This filing of bankruptcy will be an opportunity for the government to restructure and just reminder to all the skeptics out there, New York almost declared bankruptcy in the 1970s, and look at it now. I won't ask if, but I will ask how long do you think it will take for Detroit to bounce back? 

There are some songs that you can't get out of your head. Florence and the Machine is usually the culprit, at least for me. "Only If For A Night" is amazing. About her grandmother's ghost, this song is just purely bliss. How do you top that? You really can't, but this cover surely tries.

It's 8pm. You have just hunkered down in the library when as you begin to study for an exam that's in a couple of days, your screen goes blank. Dark. Nothing. You freak out. The next day you go to the local Apple store/ Best Buy. Everything is gone.  The exam is tomorrow morning at 9am. Your worst nightmare is now a reality. But, if I were you, all I would do is go to the nearest computer with internet (hello every computer) and log on to Evernote...hello class notes.
This is why I take notes on Evernote. A desktop app, website, iPhone app, Android app, iPad app, Evenote is everywhere so it the perfect place to put important information. From class notes to confirmation emails for orders, grocery lists, recipes,  sorority work, journal, Evernote is the all-in-one app..its the iPhone of apps.

When I open Evernote, this is what I see, my notebook stacks. See Fall 2011, in that stack is 3 notebooks with notes for 3 classes that allowed me to use a computer in class. On the left hand side, there is a list of recent notes, a quick, accessible way to get to that project you just stepped away from
You can tag each note with topics, add your location to it and even search within the note. Remember talking about behavior economy? Was that in your Survey class or your Political Psych class? Evernote will remember for you. 
Your notes sync almost every minute up to the cloud, so they can be accessed anywhere through your account.

I cannot express how great Evernote is....so check it out yourself! Evernote.com

I know I'm not the only one who feels that sometimes, life can get a little overwhelming. From jobs, school, internships, sorority work, club memberships and hanging out with friends, I feel that, especially during the school year, I'm always exceptionally busy, if not overwhelmed. Freshman year I would cry because I had no idea what to do...which solved nothing. 
Now, what will be two years later (where does the time go??) I have ways to make sure I am organized. First let me start with the basics.
Physical
My Erin Condren planner is my life. Plain and simple. With two page calendars, days broken down by time (Morning, afternoon and evening), stickers, important dates and more it is hard not to be totally obsessed. Did I mentioned it was personalized? This planner is a little expensive, but it lasts for 12-14 months depending on when it is ordered and I honestly use it everyday.

I hate clutter. I admit that I dislike throwing somethings away. Therefore, I love document boxes. Martha Stewart for Staples has adorable boxes in white, sky blue, and brown and with little stickies that can be bought for a small price, these look like the expensive ones you find at the Container Store or Barnes and Noble. Now I have a place for my sports certificates from high school and places to put my better papers and tests (How can you throw out an 100%?)

Finally, in the physical world, I love desk calendars. Before going to college I would spend ages in Staples, part of that dedicating to finding the least bent desk calendar. Having it all out there in front of you is extremely helpful for planning as well as proving to yourself that you only have to get through a couple of crazy days before things calm down. This Russel+ Hazel desk calendar is definetly my next purchase for back-to-school organization
Electronic
First is Evernote. Evernote is a gift sent from the technological gods. It deserves it's own post (see tomorrow). 

Grades 2 is also my grades savior. When professors don't put grades online, the end of the semester can seem like Russian Roulette with you have no idea what your GPA will be. Grades 2 takes all the guess work out. Just enter your syllabus and your grades as you get them, Grades 2 will do the math and tell you what you will need to make on each test, paper and quiz etc to get your target grade.

iStudiez Pro is a great app for the hyper organized--it's a planner on your phone, iPad and computer. I use it in combination with my Erin Condren planner to figure out exactly what I need to do when so my life is as stress-free as possible for a college student.

School is little more than a month away for me (and most Southern school), and maybe a little longer for Northern schools and those on the trimester system-- but being in that organization mindset, how do you get organized?

I am loving this most recent Lilly Pulitizer collection. That deserves a "No duh" but still...
How cute are these dresses?! And super work appropriate. Just thrown on a sweater and you are all set for researching, phone-calling, errand running, shadowing and whatever else you might be doing at your internship or job.
It is so hot today in NYC, that seersucker or light cotton will only do--it's sweltering! 
Hope y'all are staying cool and are loving this Lilly pick-me-up as much as I do!

True confession time: I love me some epic poetry. Total nerd-alert I know, but there is nothing better than reading something you know is ancient, and being able to understand it and relate to it. Right now I'm ready both The Iliad and The Odyssey (one on the kindle, one on the Path train aka paperback). I read The Odyssey in 9th grade (I don't even want to talk about how many years ago that is) and I loved it then, and I love it now. I am particularly fond of the Robert Fitzgerald translations perhaps because they are the easiest for me to read because they sound how people actually speak.
Aside from the Greek cycle (epic poetry is told in "cycles" or series based on location) I have also read Beowulf recently as well as slogged through Nibelungenlied (Think ride of the Valkyries). Each poem provides the reader with ancient insight that was important then just as it is now. In the Odyssey, Homer says "Each man delights in the work that suits him best", which is grandfather to most important and quintessential phrase in job-hunting, "do what you love, the money will follow. Not bad considering it was written centuries ago. This timeless advice, along with many other lines is why I cherish epic poetry so much. I highly recommend , if you have or  haven't taken a recent dip, dive on into some epic poetry.

I love Boxwood plants. They are classically beautiful and all around just preppy as all get out. Unfortunately, they are extremely expensive, and more difficult to care for than you might think of. I really wanted one, but I can barely take care of this blog, much less a high-maintence plant so I decided to make my own. 

I am never an advocate for fake plants, but with this little D.I.Y. they look less like they belong in your great-aunt's house and more appropriate for someone in their 20 somethings.

All you need is 1 Boxwood plant, from Michaels, 1 terra-cotta pot, and white spray paint. This project will cost around $15 bucks---way cheaper than people offering them for $50.  All you must do is spray the pot white and wait for it to dry. Put the plant in the pot, and display!

Here is my Boxwood plant for y'all

Happy crafting!