Just got my commission back. Done by @taygurney It's based off a painting I did. The logo will be turned into a tattoo for my arm. #projectfreelancer #rvb #redvsblue #rt #roosterteeth #wash #agentwashington #halo #tattoo #comission #art #digital #recoveryone https://www.instagram.com/p/Brh_QRij5uV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k2e5l3y0o7mj
any college packing tips? honestly anything you can think of.
yes, actually, leaRN FROM MY MISTAKES!
this is moderately long, but if you're heading to college and you don't know what all to take, this is my experiences and my recommendations. feel free to skim. this has ten points of the things i consider the MOST important!
1: pare down what you're taking
trust me, you don't need all the clothes you own or all the pairs of shoes you own - limit yourself to what you really wear and what's going to be good for the climate your school is located in. if you're taking books (pleasure books, not textbooks) try to limit yourself in those as well, don't feel compelled to display your entire favorite series in your dorm room - you WILL NOT have space. knick knacks, in general, should be heavily considered as to whether or not you'll have space for them in your room: if you don't need them, don't take them, because 9/10 times they're going to get in your way and become really fucking annoying. side note: pack your boxes like you're playing tetris. the less space you take up, the easier your move in / move out is going to be, and the less car space you need. pack those boxes TIGHT.
2: invest in plastic storage tubs
get ones that will fit under your bed. they're great for storing extra clothing, extra shoes, board games / extra decorations, or body parts you want to save for later.
3: bed risers are vital
assuming your bed isn't lofted, you will probably want bed risers to a) match everybody else in dorms b) make your bed sit at a more comfortable height and - most importantly c) give yourself under-bed storage space
4: duct tape
it fixes everything and is a general last-minute help for a lot, lot, lot of problems. make sure you have a roll or two when you go to school, because it will definitely (probably) help you at a few junctions.
5: carefully select your bedding
if you haven't already bought your bedding, it's important to consider the climate where your school is located (so how warm the bedding is), comfort, and STYLE. pick a bedding you will STILL LIKE in a few months to a few years, and you may never have to buy a new comforter or sheet set for four years. also: get two sets of sheets, that way you always have one on reserve when you go to wash the first set. make sure you have an extra blanket, too, especially if your school experiences cold winters and you (like me) don't like the top sheet thing that comes with sheet sets.
6: lights
desk lamp. desk lamp. desk lamp. love yourself and take a desk lamp, you'll thank me when it's 3 am, you're studying for a final, and you can't turn the room lights on because your poor roommate has already passed out over their textbooks and you really don't want to wake them. also: i would suggest investing in a set of christmas lights - the ones on a string. they're very good alternative lighting to sickly-colored dorm lights, and you can hang them up wherever you want in your room. of course, consult with your roommate, but most people tend to like them.
7: electronics: know what you need, plan accordingly
so this varies a bit depending on what kind of electronics you tend to use. i have a desktop computer that's stationary and has a bunch of cords, so i need a dedicated power strip just for my computer and affiliated doodads. i ALSO have a secondary power strip for everything else in my room: a little fan, my alarm clock, charging for my laptop and phone, et cetera. i would generally advise you have at least one power strip (it's going to make your life so much easier) and, if you use a lot of outlets like i do, that you take at least two. depending on how your room is set up / how fastidiously you do your hair, you might also want one for the "vanity" area of your room to plug a hair dryer, straightener, curler set (etc.) into. also consider: extension cords, they might ease the pain of having to revolve your entire life around the nearest electrical outlet.
8: butt pillow
this sounds stupid but if you are anything like me, you like your butt to be comfy. college chairs that come in dorms are typically... not comfortable, at all. personally, i have nerve damage in my leg and it flares up painfully if i sit on hard surfaces for too long, so i needed something to cushion the uncomfortable chair so that i wouldn't constantly be in pain, and thus: the dedicated butt pillow. i would recommend you either buy a cheap pillow or use an old one from home that nobody likes because it will slowly deflate over time and also. it's an ass pillow, nobody wants to sleep with that after you've used it for a few months lmao. if you end up not needing a butt pillow / the chairs are comfortable - then you just have an extra pillow! cuddle with it, if you want, or put it in that sweet under-bed storage space you made for yourself with bed risers.
9: bath & laundry items
the hard, fast truth is that you're gonna be walking around in a towel a lot - literally every time you shower. some people manage to get dressed in the bathroom, but that sounds so fucking uncomfortable that i'd never recommend it. so either: invest in a big, fluffy towel that covers you easily (i suggest big towels because they're so comfy), or buy one of those elastic terrycloth tubes that you just pull over yourself and walk around in. BUY SHOWER FLIP FLOPS. NOBODY SHOULD GO BAREFOOT IN A COMMUNAL SHOWER. I'M DEAD SERIOUS, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLEGE ITEMS. SHOWER FLIP FLOPS. GET THEM. as for laundry: buy your own detergent. you no longer have to be ruled under the tyranny of whatever smell your mom likes. that said: those little detergent pods are a lot more convenient for dorm laundry than liquid detergent - they're easier to carry around and easier to do laundry with. also, you'll never spill a pod and make a giant mess on your dorm floor like i did. seriously, just use the pods. dryer sheets are also a good investment, as are bra bags for bras + more delicate underwear, and make sure you have a good, sturdy hamper for hauling clothing around in. because you're going to spend a lot of time doing that.
10: take comfort & fun items, they'll make transition easier.
you might not find new friends right away that are steadfast or that you feel like you can rely on them (i got lucky here and landed a very excellent friend group in like? two weeks, completely by accident). but that aside: transition to college can be really tough depending on how attached you were to home life / how far away you're moving / how well you deal with all the new responsibilities, et cetera. i said "cut down on knick-knacky items", and for the most part, that's true - but if you have a stuffed animal that you love, or a blanket that smells like home, you should definitely take it. the blanket i use now (i got a new one for this year but i'm still taking the old blanket up) is a pretty heavy-duty comfort item for me, and i didn't get homesick very often but it comforted me when i did. also: take games! take uno, or cards against humanity. college kids are oversized children who drink alcohol, and it's pretty universally appreciated that a group of friends can just spend a night playing cards or a board game. take your favorite game and share it with people, they might really like it too!
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this isn't really a full point: but make sure you take some stuff to decorate with! you might make friends based on the posters you hang up, and they'll make the space feel personalized and 'yours'.
so that's what i'd recommend. i'm going back to boston this fall and i can't wait but i've learned SO MUCH in terms of how to pack and what to pack for school, and i'm happy to share what i've learned with other people. all that said, i must put a disclaimer on this: this is my personal experiences, and my personal taste. there are going to be things you consider more or less important than the stuff i think is important, and you should always plan accordingly. your tastes and your needs come above any recommendations, but this list is - i feel - a pretty basic set of guidelines towards what's important.
your college might have a "what to pack" list online somewhere, and i'd definitely also look at that.
happy packing, and congrats on becoming acquainted with the soul-numbing, debt-plunging experience of college!
How do you organize your recipes? I find a lot on the Internet, but I want a way to organize them and add notes and adjustments for when I make them in the future.
I use Evernote. It makes it easy to keep separate folders for different types of recipes and I can edit them at will. If you can get it to work they even have a web clipper that works in your browser (there’s a bug in Chrome where sometimes it will cause the browser to lose your saved tabs, so I had to stop using that).
