Christmas coming early
Red Starbucks cups, Christmas music on the airwaves and ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" — we are already inundated with the holiday spirit, whether or not all of the Halloween candy has been eaten. The weather in South Bend is still crisp and fall-like and the inevitable snow is not yet bogging us down. We can take this opportunity to appreciate the happy parts of winter that the red cups and Christmas commercials imply, without the usual frigid temperatures. While enjoying the last few weeks of moderate weather with Christmas tunes playing, we can enjoy the best of both seasons — hot chocolate in hand, surrounded by beautiful orange trees. What could be better?
Florence + the Machine, "Ceremonials"
With the release of sophomore albums from both Adele and Florence + the Machine, 2011 is shaping up to be a year full of emotionally charged, powerful music from young female singers. Featuring superb singles "What the Water Gave Me" and "Shake It Out," the entire album is packed from start to finish with sweeping music and Florence's howling, shiver-inducing voice. It turns out that 2009's "Lungs" was only a sneak peek of the creativity and talent that was to come.
Leather Boots
That's right folks — the time for flip-flops has slipped away from us. But fear not, for there is another option to replace the flip-flop as a daily footwear choice. No, we're not talking about Uggs. We're talking about some good old-fashioned leather boots. They are the perfect fall staple and no sweater-jeans combination is complete without a pair of leather boots. Walking around campus, roughly one in two women (not an actual statistic, more of an observation) can be seen in leather boots and no two pairs of boots are exactly the same. It's become the Notre Dame fall uniform, and we're definitely not complaining.
Crossword Puzzles
Looking for a quick break from writing a term paper or studying for that Orgo test? Crossword puzzles are the way to go. They exercise your mind and give your mind a break from the toil of studying the same subject over and over again. Sure, it's not a break on Facebook where you can see all the pictures from last weekend, but they're much easier to abandon when you need to get back to work. Check out page 15 of today's Observer for a challenge.
Sharpie Pens
If you have never been excited about writing with a pen, you have never written with a Sharpie Pen. Sharpie markers were always cool, but there just aren't that many situations that call for a permanent marker. That predicament has been rectified with the Sharpie Pen. Sold in a number of attractive colors and models, there is no smoother writing experience than allowing the Sharpie Pen to glide across a piece of paper, and you'll be relieved to know it does not bleed through an average piece of paper. Mitch Hedberg favored Uniball pens, but if he had written with a Sharpie, he probably would have been won over.
