Finals Study Tips

It's Finals Week.
Naturally, there will be no DIY this week because um...finals and such...
BUT...
I have some study tips/advice or whatever.
Take 'em or leave 'em, being that this is my 7th finals week (and we're not counting the three summer sessions I've had),  I like to think I've had some worthy finals studying experiences.
That being said, here's how Neffie does her Finals Week.

Write Everything You Have to Do Out

This might seem intimidating at first, but once you look at your list of what to do and break it down between the days and hours you have to study, finals week can appear less intimidating. Unless, of course, you've slacked all quarter long, then, your list might appear overwhelming, to which, I have to sadly say, you're on your own for that one.

Eat Well

Just because it's finals week doesn't give you an excuse to starve yourself. There's a reason why they used to give us all snacks before we took our California State Tests in elementary and middle school- you'll be more focused and awake if you've had something to eat. If you're headed to the library, make sure to pack something to eat, bonus points if your snacks are healthier. Chips and gummy bears might be tasty, but they're not going to hold you over for long or make you feel very good. Snack choices that are easy to pack and eat are trail mix (preferably one with less salt and a higher nut to dried fruit/chocolate pieces. I tend to make my own mix of almonds, walnuts and chocolate chips), apples and peanut butter (apples have sugar and natural caffeine to help wake you up and peanut butter is protein packed to help sustain you), banana and peanut butter sandwich (better for you than a pb&j), a classic cheese and veggie patty or cheese and meat sandwich , qunioa (a grain with all essential proteins. It's easy to make and keeps well in a container. You can throw in any veggies for it to make it more like a meal. I recommend making it with veggie or chicken broth for extra tasty points), cheese sticks, carrot sticks, bagel with cream cheese and veggies, yams (maybe an odd snack choice, but you can make one in a microwave on high for 4 minutes. They're super tasty all by themselves and they fill you up pretty well), yogurt, and granola bars (but be careful with these- look for ones with lower sugar and higher amounts of protein.) Also, I tend to bring up a "treat" for myself, whether that be a chocolate bar or a few cookies because, hey, it's finals week and I want a treat.

Actually Get Sleep

I know, this one may seem impossible, but if all you're doing is studying and not sleeping, you're going to retain less than someone who got a good night sleep, even if they studied for less hours than you. Check out this short article of a UCLA Study done on academic success based on studying more and sleeping less.

Make Sure to Take a Break

Really. Do something you like or do something that requires very little brain power. This blog post right now? It's part of my 15 minute study break I have allotted myself. It's fun to write a post and I'm currently enjoying myself, which is nice. I plan to work on this more since my time is almost up when my next break rolls around after studying some more. Then, maybe I'll work on my zine, or go outside to practice ollies since I get fidgety if I sit too long. Basically, I'm going to keep myself happy and motivated to study today by taking breaks. I didn't use to take breaks and would just study for hours and hours on end, but I found that at the end of the day, it felt like I hadn't covered much and I felt frustrated and sad. Since I started taking breaks, studying seems less intimidating and I'll keep my motivation up over the course of the week. Think that breaks are crazy? Check out this study on the correlation of retaining information and taking breaks.

Change Up Where You Study

I get bored if I study in one place for too long. Sometimes I'll go to 3 different places a day to study (like, the library, my room and a coffee shop). Psychologists have found that a change of location can even boost your productivity and retention of information.

Manage Your Time

Set aside time for things other than studying such as eating, sleep, breaks, and normal people things (like brushing your teeth and showering). And please, don't feel guilty about not studying while doing such things. You're a person who has needs other than studying. If you have trouble managing time, there's this app for iphones called 30/30 that allows you to create list of each task you have to do. It allows you to add time to each task (ie: Study Genetics -45 minutes) and then "bings" at the end of each task and then moves onto the next task on your list (Take a Break- 15 minutes). You can even color code and add little pictures to each task and create different task lists. It's a pretty awesome productivity app, oh, and it's free.

Reward Yourself at the End of Finals

It doesn't have to be a lot, but you should have some sort of pot of gold at the end of the dreary finals week rainbow. Having something to look forward to at the end of the week can be a great motivator. Actual treats I have rewarded myself with at the end of finals week have included The Walking Dead Volume 1, a concert ticket to Andrew Bird, Harold and Maude DVD, a fancy tea at my favorite tea house in Santa Cruz, a new succulent, and a book on Bats of North America. My most expensive "present" was the Andrew Bird ticket, but most of my gifts to myself aren't more than $20. I purposefully set aside $30 at the beginning of each quarter just for this and since I don't splurge that often on random whatever, it's truly rewarding. If you don't want to spend any money, that's fine, motivate yourself with "free" or near free treats such as watching that one movie on netflix you've always wanted to watch or hiking that one trail you've always wanted to hike. Point is, treat yourself at the end of finals week, it was a stressful quarter and an even more stressful week, you deserve it.

Laugh

The final (ha) tip I have for you- laugh. It relieves stress, boosts your immune system and increases your mood among other benefits. Those breaks that are so important? Read a comic, watch a funny youtube video, have a tickle fight with the person sitting next to you in the library, do something to make you laugh. I like to read Calvin and Hobbes before each midterm and final to help me relax because it makes me giggle, and I read it during breaks when I'm studying for the same reason. It makes me less stressed and happy which leads to a more productive Natalie. I've included some short (less than 2 minutes) youtube videos that will hopefully make you giggle loudly in the library, which will encourage other people to giggle and create a happier, more productive place to study.

Cat Making Weird Noises

Lil' Bub

Frog or Squeaker Toy?

Reginald

Poor Ducks...

Cat Jump

Wrecking Ball ft. Nick Cage

Game of Hearts

True Facts about the Tarsier  (15 seconds over my 2 minute limit)

Goat Trouble

Joffrey Slap

Ticklish Camel

 How Animals Eat

Patience Test

Ron and The Glove Box

Horse Power

Room For Sax

The last three are Dodge Durango Commercials...but they're hilarious...trust me.

Love,

          Neffie

Thanksgiving's Cranberry Tart!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving as I'm sure most of you know.
Being part of the Neff family Thanksgiving means that I have to contribute in the form of pie, of course.
This is a cranberry tart and it's really simple and one of my favorite tarts to bake.
By really simple I mean, really dang simple.
Even the tart crust is easy.
The tart as a whole is not only beautiful (!) but also has the perfect balance of sweet from sugar and sour from cranberries. It's, well, tart.
So, yeah, it's the day after Thanksgiving and you can't make this now for the day of, but, you can make it now or for some sort of holiday party or something.
I had intention to put a recipe up the week before Thanksgiving, but I couldn't do it. Too much stuff happening with school and the like.
But, you have a recipe now and it's delicious and easy and wonderful.
The end.

Sweet Tart Dough

(from The Village Baker's Wife)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter at room temp

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 3/4 cups of flour

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Start by mixing the butter on medium until it's smooth with a beater or by hand.

Add the sugar and beat until incorporated.

Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until the first one is well incorporated before adding the other.

Lastly, add all the flour and mix until just incorporated. (It's important not to over mix here!)

Roll the tart dough out into two circles, cover with saran wrap and put in the fridge for about a half
hour or until the dough is cold enough to roll out and line the tart pan.

Once it's cold enough to roll out, roll the two circles out together, gently pick up and place into the tart pan, then, using your fingers, press the dough into the tart pan.

Poke a few holes into the tart pan with a fork.

Line the tart pan with aluminum foil.

After 6 minutes take the pan out and remove the aluminum foil, then place the tart shell back in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes more. The shell should be slightly browned.

Take it out of the oven and let it sit while you finish up the filling if you haven't already completed it.

Cranberry Crumb Tart:

Ingredients:

6 cups

12 tblsp butter (cold)

1 ¼ flour

2 ½ cups of sugar

½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 F

Wash and towel dry all the cranberries. Pick out any bad ones and toss them.

Make the crumb topping by first cutting up the butter into 1 inch cubes.

Mix the butter, flour and 1 ¾ cups of sugar with a mixer until the mixture forms large clumps. Be careful not to over mix into the dough stage! Set this aside.

Combine the remaining ¾ cup of sugar and salt and toss with the cranberries.

Pour the cranberries into the prebaked tart shell, mounding them in the middle.

Spoon the crumb topping onto the cranberries, but don't press the topping into them.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping begins to brown and the fruit bubbles around the edges.

Serve and eat at room temp.

There you have it. In all of its tasty glory. 

I'm now back in Santa Cruz for about 2 hours before I head off to Big Sur for some weekend adventuring.

And you, dear reader, matter to me so very much that I made sure to leave you with a tasty blogpost. 

Especially since I didn't update this last week.

Ehm. Sorry.

See you peeps on the flipside!

Love,

          Neffie

Journaling Drunk(ish)

I enjoy journaling.

I enjoy journaling after a night out.

Here are some drunken, tipsy and soberly regretful thoughts of Natalie over the last year or so.

And before you get all upset at me drinking, remember that 95% of the time, I'm the designated driver, I've never gotten black out drunk and the most I've ever drank in one night is 2.5 beers.

Most weekends I stay in and do old people activities like knitting, baking and drinking tea.

On the RARE occasion, I will go out and get a little tipsy.

I didn't even get drunk over Halloween weekend and I went to multiple parties.

I'm a goodie two shoes who enjoys the occasional beer and because I didn't do a DIY project this week and have nothing better to do with my time (except maybe finish reading that genetics chapter...), this is what you're getting.

Bearing all that in mind, also remember that these are entries that I started LAST YEAR. This is a full year's worth of rambles and most are from the same entry. 

Regrets:

"I'm going to regret the everything of life I have"

"I had one job. Climb the ladder. Could not climb latter. Attic room regrets."

"Every time I get drunk, I text people. I want them to know ridiculous things that are happening, but because I'm drunk and aren't wearing reading glasses, texts aren't texted very well. Why I can't just hold my phone a little closer to my face when out is beyond me."

"I should have all the regrets of everyone, but I don't have enough shame. I already too far gone in the having shame to have regrets of shamefulness."

Food:

"I want a grilled cheese"

"I wish I had pizza in possesion"

"It's two am. Two am taco time. Two am taco time in taco town is where I want to be. With taco and taquitos."

"Why does everyone want Taco Bell when they're drunk? I never want taco bell. I just want taco from another taco place that's not bell."

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to come home and remember that I baked a pie. I win at life. 

Even when drunk. Boo. YA."

"I want a chocolate. So. Much."

"If the world was good, there would be a pizza burrito in my hand right now. And I would eat it like a person eats a pizza burrito. With all the might of eating most delicious."

Being the life of the party:

"I got drunk before everyone else tonight. I went from regular loud person to voicecontroless veronica in one beer."

"Tonight, I stood in a corner and people watched for forever. It was fun until I realized how creepy I must have looked"

"I have a bean plant and the universe is impressed. It grew out of the drier and into my heart. Everyone loves it."

"I think people forget that I can't hear them when they talk over my head at a loud party, so half the time, I don't ever know who I'm talking to or what I'm talking about entirely. There's only so many times you can say "what?" before it become weird."

Boyfriend Priorities:

"Tonight, this girl told me she needed no more boys, but a man in her life. I must have a long way to go before marriage because at this point in my life, I just want someone who wears flannels and watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

On Being Forever Alone:

"There are reasons why being forever alone is my life always. Reasons are: can't shut up and control voice volume."

"Flirt with boy for a long time. Girlfriend walks in. I win at this game"

"Guys don't want weird girls because weird girls probably can't kiss very well and they don't know you're actually ok at that one."

"My flannel has become my significant other because it's with me at every party, keeps other boys away and holds me close when the drunk wears off and I get cold. But it lives in my closet. I don't want a boyfriend in the closet."

That's this weeks really intelligent and enlightening update.

Hope it was refreshing.

Love,

          Neffie

T-Time: Triple Threat Triad T-Shirt

Look! A real DIY project!
Oh my glob, guurrrrllll.
It's T-Time again.
This one is very heavily inspired by the Generation-T book that I have mentioned before.
(And by heavily inspired, I mean, everything is the same except for one little t-weak)
This shirt is rather playful- it shows some skin down the sides of the shirt (and possibly, shows off that one cute bra you own) , sports a v-neck and also emanates the sheer awesomeness of the classic slashed sleeves of a muscle T all while still maintaining a certain femininity guaranteed to make your shirt (and you) the topic of conversation at that hip house show next week.
You know the one where your crush is 99% certain to show?
That same one.
So, ladies, this one's for you.
Find that T-shirt in your closet that's a little long, baggy, and frankly, unflattering to your rockin' bod and let's make something a little short, tight and sexy.
Fellas, sorry, this project kind of excludes you.
But, if you want to impress a DIY lady with your crafty T-shirt reconstruction skills, then by all means, feel free to use this post to your advantage next time she asks you how she should reconstruct an old T.
Did I mention that this one's a no-sew?
Hells yes.
Basically, you're cutting the sleeves off, making a v-neck, and then cutting triangles out of the sides and tying the fabric together on the sides.
Easy as pie.
I apologize for the photography- I did this project late at night and so yeah, not the best photo quality.
Also, I forgot to take a before picture, but this shirt came down to my thighs and there was about 2 inches of fabric on each side I needed to take in to make it "fit" and the sleeves were long and collar high on my next.
But...
Let's cut the chit-chat (you've had enough of my endless ramblings the last two weeks, sorry) and get to the t-shirt reconstruction.

The Triple Threat Triad T-Shirt

Needs:

1 slightly long, baggy and unflattering T-shirt

Scissors

pencil or chalk

Ruler or measuring tape

Reconstructions

Take your T-shirt and lay it flat on a, well, flat surface. 

A floor works nicely.

Cut the sleeves off just above the seams.

Cut the neck out and make the front a v-neck by cutting a V out of the center of the neck. Duh.

Figure out how long you want your shirt to be. Keep in mind that it'll be a little shorter when you're done tying it up and such. So, with that in mind, figure out how much you want cut off. If you like the length, then leave it. If you still want a raw edge look and the length, then just trim off the hem.

Make sure your shirt is laid out really flat and even for this part! You're going to be cutting through two layers of T-shirt, so make sure that T-shirt isn't laying down all wonky!

Also, your doing this step for each t-shirt side. When you're done, you should have 4 drawn on triangles, 2 on each side of your shirt and "sides" as in right and left, not front and back.

Ok. Triangle drawing time. Grab that rule and measure the length of your shirt from bottom of shirt to bottom of armpit hole. Divide the length by two. That how long each triangle bottom will be. Make a mark to separate each triangle bottom. Now, find the center of each triangle and make a mark with your drawing instrument. From that center, measure out a 2-3 inch line and make a mark at the top. Do this for each triangle. Now, complete your beautiful triangle by drawing straight lines from the top center triangle mark to the bottom end of the triangle bottoms. 

Look closely...there are triangles drawn on

Cut out the triangles out through both layers of t-shirt (front and back layers)

Try on and tie the points made by cutting out the triangles to your desired tightness. 

Now rock that bad boy and accept all complements and flirt shamelessly.

Unlike me in the next two photos.

I can't pose for pictures.

Front

Side!

Woo!
You've got this, girlfriend.
And yes, the title is a Legend of Korra reference.

Love,

        Neffie

Because People are the Greatest Thing to Happen

Does it bother anyone else how much you judge someone immediately by how they dress?

I mean, it's not that I'm trying to be judgmental of people, but you know, if I see a girl dressed in an ambercrombie shirt with booty shorts and uggs and and another girl dressed in a flannel with jeans and chucks, my mind is going to immediately think two completely different things about each person.
I don't want this to happen because, who knows, maybe booty short ugg boot girl is actually really down to earth and grunge punk gal is actually really plastic and fake instead of the other way around- the way my brain automatically labels them.

Not trying to immediately stereotypically label someone the first time I see them before I know them is something I've been working on since my freshman year of high school.
So far I've deduced that this is basically impossible and the best I can do is let my brain automatically label someone as "interesting" or "bro" and then tell myself, "You don't know anything about them, so you can't think that" and then try to get to know them before making anymore assumptions.

Maybe I'm a total asshole for thinking this way, because honestly, I have no idea what goes through other people's minds when they meet someone for the first time, but this is what happens with me and the little "don't assume" in my head is proving to be pretty efficient.

Recently, I wrote in a letter to one of my friends about this phenomena and that since I've been doing this, I've become friends with people I would've probably ignored because of how they dressed.
Which, I mean, how terrible, right? The fact that I would dismiss talking to someone because of the way they present themselves with clothing is pretty awful, but it's true and I'm just being completely honest because, yay honesty and such.

But like I said, since I've been practicing trying to ignore how people dress, the people I've met and friends I have gained from such practice is pretty damn awesome.
I have a variety of friends that enjoy a variety of different activities and interests and this makes my personal life much more enjoyable and fulfilling.

The people you surround yourself with help shape the person you are and the life you live, so having a variety of different people in my life is freaking awesome. I have friends I sing with, friends I skate with, bake with, go to shows with, study with, thrift with and eat ice cream with.
I don't know if anyone understands how freaking stoked I always am to have the friends I have, but I promise you I'm really f'ing stoked.

Every night, before I go to bed, I always like to think about my day and everything I did. Mostly, this consists of who I came into contact with, how I treated them and why I treated them a certain way. It's always less rewarding when I look back on my day and realize that I was a flaming bitch to all the people I care about, because I never have any reason to be mean to anyone and then when I am, it's terrible because dammit, I freaking am so excited to be your friend, honestly, so stoked you're in my life and then I treated you like poop today and I'm so, so sorry.

I've also recently discovered that even the people I don't see eye to eye with or who drive me insane are also pretty cool. Not everyone is going to get along all the time, and I know I'm not the poster child of someone who's easy to get along with (a shout out to being a little over opinionated and loud a little too often...), but I am starting to appreciate the people in my life I'd rather not see as often as I do more and more. Even if it doesn't seem like it, I promise that's true.

Everyone I meet has taught me something and just because I don't like some initially (or for years at a time), it doesn't make them or myself a terrible person, I think it just means we have yet to discover what we share in common, even if it's just one hobby, like drinking tea or eating ice cream, doesn't mean we have to be best besties forever, but I definitely enjoy life more when I've got less enemies and more friends and friendly acquaintances in it.

Plus you know, it's important to love your neighbor and that's more fun than disliking someone.

So, in conclusion, yay for people, you know?
And try not to judge each other so harshly, yeah? No one benefits from that. You definitely don't benefit from that.
And maybe be a little nicer and forgive a little more? Be a little more understanding.
And just because you haven't seen someone in months or years doesn't mean you can't be friends or love that person anymore.
And treasure the friends you've got- faults, quirks, weirdness and all- and make sure they know you love them because even though on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, love lies in the middle, right above food and security, it doesn't mean it's not important, because it is important.
Really damn important.


Love,

          Neffie

People Who Don't Get Enough Recognition

I am taking a study break to bring you this:
A thanks to 15 people who are so damn wonderful and don't even realize it.

The person who holds the door open for you because they see you carrying something heavy even though you're relatively far away.

That was a mouthful, but it's true. You have no idea how grateful I am when I'm walking up the steps to the library with my arms full of textbooks and as you're leaving, you see me there at the bottom of the stairs struggling and you wait for what would be a socially awkward amount of time to hold the door open for anyone, but you're feeling so dang nice and sweet Jesus, thank you for waiting and holding that door open for me.

The person who doesn't laugh at you when you crash on your bike/skateboard/rollerblades/whatever and genuinely asks if you are ok.

My pride may be hurt worse than my body, but thank you for actually caring about me. It gives me great comfort to know that if I ever truly injure myself badly in front of a group of people at least one of them will choose to help a sista (or brother) out instead of making me feel like a larger idiot than I already feel.

The car that waves along the pedestrians to cross.

Glad that I don't have to worry about being run over today. Thanks, friend!

The car that lets you merge in.

You're going to let me into this lane even though I messed up and didn't merge into it earlier when there were no cars around to stop me? You sir, are the best.

The employee who hands me my food in McHenry instead of leaving it on the counter. Or, to the stranger who hands my food from the counter to me. (UCSC Specific. Ha.)

I'm short. I cannot reach my delicious soup on top of the counter. When you hand it to me, you save me from a lot of potential embarrassment and disaster.

The housemate that hears me at the door and opens the door so I don't have to scrounge for my keys at the end of the day.

You were all curled up and comfy doing some late night studying and you got up and opened the door for me. Thank you so so much.

The person at the punk show who picks me up.

Some huge man child with a beard just kicked me in the face while crowd surfing and knocked me off balance and onto the floor. You just picked me up and saved me from an untimely death, thanks.

The bus driver who waits.

I just ran a marathon to get to this stop since I saw you heading this way, and you waited for me, kind bus driver, you waited for me.

The friend who offers you food.

You just spent $7 on that pile of delicious for yourself and you're going to let me have some?! Care to be my new BFFL?

When you go to dinner at a friends house and they remember your food allergy and/or dietary choice.

Being vegetarian is my own decision, but I appreciate the hell out of the fact that you ordered an entire cheese pizza amongst all the pepperonis just so I could eat at your party. (True story, btw)

 The friend who stops you from drinking too much and forces you to drink water.

I'm not hung over today and you're the reason? You're stupendous.

The Designated Driver.

Doing us all more than just a solid.

People who are extremely skilled in something you're a beginner in and instead of snubbing you, they help you become more skilled.

I suck at skating. The fact that you're giving me pointers at Derby instead of avoiding me on the other side of the snake run and snickering at me falling is a major upgrade and very much appreciated. Also, shout out to all the employees at Santa Cruz's Skate Works put up with all my skateboard questions and genuinely help me.

The friend who tutors you and remains your friend.

Now that you know how terrible I am at math, I'm surprised you still want to hang out with me. You got to see the not-so-beautiful pieces of me that emerge when I'm doing something I despise and you still helped me and we're still friends. Serious kudos, to you, dude! (Especially you, Mr. Vanover.)

The employees at any ice cream shop (and especially at the Penny Ice Creamery)

It's ice cream day. I want to try all the flavors. You let me try all the flavors with a smile on your face. You're awesome.




Ok. Back to studying,
Hope I remember everyone.
Stay classy.

Love,

          Neffie

How to Change Your Skateboard Bearings (and clean them!)

Backstory first:

One of my nearest and dearest friends in high school loved skateboarding and often asked me to go skating with him after school. I didn't skateboard at all and the only board I had was a warped hand me down from my younger brother, but eventually, I started skating after school with this friend. He taught me how to ollie and drop in on a ramp and I found myself enjoying skating.

Fast forward to the summer before my third year of college. I hadn't skated since my senior year of high school, but wanted to get back into it since I enjoyed it then and wasn't living on campus, where you can get a $150 fine for skating. Every summer, I like to learn how to do something new, and even though it wasn't super new, both Courtney and I decided that we would relearn how to skate.

I had to relearn how to ollie because I had completely forgotten how and it wasn't until recently I finally was able to ollie over a garden hose. I know it seems stupidly easy to ollie over a garden hose, but it was a very large accomplishment for me and I still have to do a million terrible ollies every time I skate before I can start doing some good ones. I also had to learn how to drop in again. This came a little easier to me, but I needed a skate park to go to to practice this, so Courtney and I would go to a skate park near our house in the middle of the night or early morning because we didn't want to run into any kids who are actually good at skating.

ANYWAYS...

I really enjoy skating. I'm really terrible at it, but I enjoy it a lot. I'm really high energy and some nights when I have too much energy to fall asleep, I'll just go outside and practice ollies and attempt kickflips until I'm tired. I also enjoy getting back in shape by not going to the gym because I'd rather be learning a skill than endlessly lifting weights or whatever.

Recently I turned 21 and with some birthday money, upgraded from that same warped, hand-me-down board to a mini Creature. I got new wheels as well since the old ones were falling apart, literally, chunks of plastic were chipping off.

I did not get new bearings even though I really could've used a new set and to try to extend them, I decided to clean them out.

I ended up caving last week and shelling out $20 for some reds and sweet lord, it's so nice to ride with bearings that don't suck.

So,

Here is a tutorial on how to change your bearings by yourself if you get new bearings and also how to clean your older bearings if they get all sticky and nasty. 2 tutorials! Woo!

How to Change Your Bearings:

All you need is your skateboard, a socket wrench that fits the bolt at the end of your wheels, a bowl (to put all the bolts, spacers, bearings, etc in), and the bearings you want to change.
I don't change from old to new bearings in this tutorial because I cleaned my old bearings and put them back in.
Understand that each wheel has 2 bearings, so you have 8 bearings total and the harder your wheels, the harder it is to take out and put in bearings. (ex: it's easier to change bearings on long board wheels than vert wheels because long board wheels are softer)
The tool I use is a bones bearing tool and it's pretty handy, but you don't need it to take your bearings out, you can just use your trucks.

Ok.

Start with you skateboard.

Unscrew the bolts at the end with a socket wrench and put them in the bowl.

Take off any spacers (if you have them) and put them in the bowl so you don't lose them.

Take out your bearings using the bearing tool or your trucks. (See below!)

Put in new bearings or your cleaned old ones. (See below!)

One at a time, put your wheels back on by sliding them on the trucks and screwing back in the bolts with the socket wrench. Don't screw so tight your wheels can't move!

That's it!

Using the Bones Bearing Tool:

Pick up a wheel.

Click the little button at the top of the tool and insert into the bearing.
Using a motion similar to that of opening a bottle of soda, pulling up at an angle,  pop out your bearing.

Now do this seven more times.
To put the bearings back in, click the button at the top of the tool, slide a bearing over the tool, and holding a wheel, push the bearing straight back in.

Do this seven more times, homeslice.

Using the End of Your Trucks:

Turn your board side ways so the end of your trucks are sticking up.

Pick up a wheel.
Holding wheel, put the wheel with the bearing over the end and using a motion similar to that of opening a bottle of soda- pulling up at an angle, pop out your bearing.

Do this times seven!
To put bearings back on, slide a bearing onto the end of a truck. Pick a wheel and press the wheel over the bearing to pop it back in place.
Times seven that shiz!

Cleaning Your Bearings

I have been told that it's better to use a razor and pop the outside of the bearings off to dry clean the inside of the bearings with a q-tip, but I was not told that until last week. This method I'm about to explain has worked well for me though and if you're bearings aren't working so hot, this could help them run a little longer until you get money in da bank to buy some new ones.

Needs:

Skateboard bearings (duh)

Acetone (Nail polish remover has acetone in it unless otherwise specified)

An old rag

A plastic container with a snap tight lid
Bones Speed Cream (optional)

Steps:

Take off all your bearings.

Put them all in the little plastic container.

Pour acetone over the bearings until it covers them.

Put the lid on and shake the container up and down and back and forth to help dislodge debris that have gathered inside of your bearings. 

Let your bearings soak in the acetone for about 3 minutes.

Take them out after that and thoroughly dry them and clean them further with the rag. You want to make sure they are completely dry before you put them back on your board.

Spin test your bearings to see how they work. If they're still sticking you can repeat this again. If they're still sticking after that, go to your favorite skate shop and buy a new set.
Add a drop or two of speed cream for speediness. 

Put them back on your board and go skate, ya hooligan.

That's it!

If you do go buy new bearings because cleaning them just won't do (the ones I cleaned in the tutorial got replaced the next day because they were so nasty and sucky still), bring your skateboard to the skate shop you're buying them from. Oftentimes, the people who work there are nice and will change out your bearings for you so you don't have to do it at home. They can also help you pick a set of bearings that suits your budget and board.

Also, remember that buying bearings is like buying a pair of jeans, it's better to spend a little more on a pair of jeans that will last you a long time than to go to forever 21 and buy a cheap pair of jeans that'll last you about a month.

True Born Hooligan

Hope this was helpful to someone.

Sorry 'bout the late update, this last week was not one of those weeks where I had extra energy.

Love,

          Natalie

T-Time: Sassy Crop Top

So, yesterday, my A'cappella group (UCSC's Cloud 9) held auditions for 85+ people. On behalf of my A'cappella group, thank you to all who came out and auditioned!

Anyways, I didn't really do any DIY project or anything last week, but then I remembered that I did some T-shirt modification with my Cloud 9 shirt (much to some of my fellow Cloudies dismay since it is no longer a "super matchy" t-shirt, but I think it looks much better like this than as the moo-moo dress it flattered me with all last year) around mid-summer and never posted that because I kinda forgot about it...
But! I have it here for you now! And how appropriate that I post this the day after auditions? Woo!

Sassy Crop Top

Need:

Scissors

Larger T-shirt

measuring instrument 

ribbon or t-shirt scrap from this project.

Your brain

T-Timing:

Gather your large shirt

I promise I have short on under this.

Cut a 2-3 inch wide circle from your neckband. This will help the shirt really drape off your shoulders and allow you to be the sassy beast you've always known you can be. Then cut off about 1.5-2 inches above the hem on your sleeves.

I always use chalk or a pen to measure and draw what to cut for accuracy purposes.

Your shirt should look like this afterwards:

I know the back is crooked, I fixed it later.

Determine how much you want cut off the bottom to make it a crop top. I'm on the shorter side and ended up cutting off 5-6 inches of t-shirt from the bottom to achieve a crop top.

Mmm...fabric scraps.

Now the fun part. Take a look at your sleeves. Measure how much fabric you can take out of the width of them, subtract a 1/2 inch and cut that out.

If this is confusing you, I could deal with 3 inches less of the width of my sleeve. So, I determined the center line of my sleeve from the neck to the bottom hem (or, where it used to be) and cut a 2.5 inch wide piece of fabric out from my sleeve. Now you have a "sleeve" that's cut in half and needs to be "stitched" back together. 

Cut fabric out of the sleeve. Woot.

Next, make 7 pairs of holes equally spaced apart and about a 1/2 inch in from the side of the vertical cut on your sleeve. Using some ribbon or t-shirt scraps, begin lacing up your sleeve like a tennis shoe from top to bottom of sleeve. 

Holes!

I had originally used an old neck band from a white shirt as my string, but it didn't hold up (rookie mistake) and I ended up just using scrap fabric from the bottom of my shirt I had cut off earlier.

Blasted white fraying fabric.

That's it! I recommend wearing this with at least a bandeau top (bet you could make your own matching one with your scrap fabric. Here's how .) or a well fitting bra. I decided to go with a tank because I felt a little too scandalous with just a bra or a bandeau, but don't let my fear of scandalousity stop you!

Supa Sassy.

Performing with Cloud 9 in my sassy top  + a flannel at UCSC's OPERS Fall Festival. 

That's all for this week! 

Love,

          Neffie

Courtney. Win.

The Watermelon House: A garland of tea bags, twinkle lights and chalk boards.

'Ello peeps!
Still testing the waters as to which day will be the numero uno best day to update.
Count on not Tuesday and Thursday.

Last night, the infamous Watermelon House (the house where I live down her in the SC) threw a party full of shenanigans and sangria.
And it was awesome.
Seeing that this is a blog, I should probably try to say something profound about it, but meh, that's for tween girls on tumblr to take care of.
Instead I will just say this:
Good friends aren't that hard to come by if you provide sangria and clementines.

This week's post is about decorating, kinda.
I live in a house full of beautifully artistic people.
And even though maybe some in here may dispute that,
each is wonderfully talented and creative in their own, sometimes unconventional, way.
The Watermelon House is a collective of the best and brightest and while it may not last more than a year, at least a year it shall stand and at least for a year, my housemates, friends and I will enjoy it.

Anyways...
Decorating.
This was actually another request after someone viewed a picture I put on instagram depicting our twinkle-lighted living room.
Our house is not fully decorated yet, but we're working on and I'm here to share the secrets and progress with you, dear reader.

TEA GARLAND

The tea garland! I made a post about this last year when I lived with just Courtney and Cedar and a lil' apartment on campus overlooking the redwoods and ocean and it's here. 

But, I will give a short and sweet explanation about it.

Steps:

Drink tea and save tea bags.

Nail strong string (hemp or the like) on the top sides of your walls.

Tie tea bags to string.

That's it. 

TWINKLE LIGHTS

I mean, they're twinkle lights. Two strands criss-crossed back and forth easily across our living room and I got the strands for a dollar each at a thrift store. A dolla' make me holla'. Or something. 

Whatever.

We used these things called staple tacks to adhere the lights to the wall. We also ran them alongside the tea bag garland. So now, our living room is illuminated by tea lights each night.

Tea lights. Get it? Ah!

DIY CHALKBOARD

Ok, so this is a little more in the DIY section.

Now, you could go out and buy a chalkboard, or...you could make one.

Making things is always more fun and satisfying.

Here's the lofi-lowdown:

Steps:

Gather: The largest piece of plywood you want and chalkboard paint.

We used chalkboard spray paint for a 3x5 piece of plywood and it worked just perfectly. If you want to go bigger, I recommend 2 cans of the spray paint or a quart of the paint. 

Basically, follow the directions on the can, but if you have trouble reading all those tiny letters, here:

Lay plywood in backyard.

Spray-paint 3 coats on plywood with housemates.

Let dry.

Hang up in house with tack nails.

Write on it.

That's it.

And now you can have your very own Watermelon House themed party!

Just don't forget the two-buck chuck sangria or clementines.

Love, 

          Neffie

P.S. - Excuse the house messiness in the pictures as we had a party last night.