Super Bowl Boulevard!

You don't have to love or even care about football to have a good time this upcoming week. Broadway from 34th street up to 47th street has been shut down for traffic and renamed Superbowl Boulevard for the week.

If you are a football fan, you can take a picture with the Vince Lombardi Trophy or giant Roman numerals commemorating Super Bowl XLVIII and snag a few autographs from current and former NFL stars.

There will be ongoing concert performances on the stage between 8-10pm daily between 39th and 40th street and the REAL show stopper between 40th and 41st street:

THE SEVEN STORY TOBOGGAN SLIDE.

Tickets can be purchased on site. :)

The internet ... WITH SCIENCE!!

I am an artist and I should focus on art things but I still have a love for science. The reason I am an internet junkie is because of science. Often I get my science fix by learning about the Sea Pig. Or that  Thomas Edison was a jerk and instead we should learn about Nikola Tesla. Or what Stephen Hawking explained in A Brief History of Time and how that title is one of the best puns you will ever encounter. Long story short the internet is an amazing place where you can learn almost anything about anything.

The YouTube channel called AsapScience perfectly combines my love for science and my short attention span. Today I'd like to share three videos about alcohol that are worth knowing. 

The first one is how to cure a hangover. 

The second video explains what causes a hangover.

The third is about why coffee and alcohol cause frequent trips to the bathroom.

Part of living on your own is learning how to be responsible, so learn to be responsible with alcohol. I hope you enjoyed these videos. Search for things you like to learn about because the internet is a vast pool of knowledge worth exploring. 

Laugh the Cold Off

The holidays are over, classes are back in session and the cold isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's becoming easier and easier to just hang around in your little hole in the wall we call a dorm, but that doesn't mean you should! Need a little pick-me-up?

New York City has a burning hot comedy scene that you need to take part in at least once. Just a short walk from our lovely Ludlow Residence is the Upright Citizen Brigade at 153 E 3rd St (between Ave's A & B) New York, NY 10019. 

They have a wide range of shows with a variety of comedians (sometimes a couple you may have seen on TV) performing improv, sketch and standup. Every night they have shows that are $5, $10, or FREE. You can wait in line or make a quick reservation online. 

Want to do your own improv or sketch? They have classes, too!

"The Upright Citizens Brigade (Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh) came to New York, from Chicago, in 1996. Noticing an absence of "Chicago-style" long form improv in the city, the four members of the UCB soon began their training program in 1997. The UCBT quickly became the place for great, cutting-edge, comedy. Casting directors, agents, festival producers, and journalists all began to flock to the theater to see the best comic talent in the city. And as buzz for the theater grew, the training program expanded even more with hundreds of students learning the art of improvised theater. Our theater at 307 West 26th Street continues to offer the best and most innovative improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy in the city every day of the week. In addition to our performance space, UCBT is home to an intensive Improv Guerilla Training Center where students learn the art of improvisational and written comedy. In 2005, the UCB Theatre LA opened to make the UCB Theatre the only bi-coastal sketch, improv, and comedy theatre in the country." 

Beyonce - New 2013 Album

This morning I woke up at 3:45am for no reason and I decided to go on Instagram because I couldn't fall back asleep. 

My Instagram feed was full of posts about the new Beyonce Album. It was kind of overwhelming!

If you haven't already bought the album on iTunes, checkout this link to listen to some samples of the new songs! They are great!!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beyonce/id780330041

No More Sriracha Sauce

What I am about to tell you (or what the title already has) might alarm you, but don't panic.

Sriracha sauce is no more.

For now.

Huy Fong Foods has been sizzling with some scorching criticism these days. Their production plant in Irwindale, California is the source of all the eye, nose and throat irritation in the area due to its mass production of the holy Sriracha hot sauce.

Neighborhoods nearby have been complaining about the fumes for quite some time now. There was even a report of a nosebleed with fingers pointed back at Huy Fong Foods.

According to the California Department of Public Health, "a hold time was necessary to ensure an effective treatment of micro-organisms present in the [Huy Fong Foods] product. Holding products for a period of time at a specified pH level is one method of controlling those micro-organisms."

Sriracha sauce now must remain in the plant for at least 30 days after it is bottled before making its way to the store shelves. But fear not, this #Srirachapocalypse is not as disastrous as it may seem. Huy Fong Foods reassures its loyal consumers that there shouldn't be a shortage with the fortunate amount of bottles they have on hand now.

How to stay warm and avoid getting sick WITH SCIENCE!

As a native Minnesotan I have perfected the ways of staying warm in the winter and avoiding sickness. So here are some tips and tricks to staying warm scientifically proven. Some of them might be no-brainers but it's still cool to see science at work in everyday life.

1) The human body produces enough heat to boil half a gallon of water in thirty minutes. The trick to stay warm in the winter is learning how to trap your body heat. Native tribes in the Arctic often used animal skin to keep warm. The fibers of the firs trapped their body heat acting as insulation. You may be asking. "But Kate I don't have any nearby Arctic animals to spear and use their fur for clothing!" Fear not fellow Ludblood, I have the answer. Dressing in loose layers can help trap you body heat. The air between the layers will eventually warm to your temperature and make it more difficult for heat to escape through several layers of cloth and air. If you can, invest in a down jacket. The fibers of the down feathers trap your body heat.

2) Contrary to popular believe your head does not give off 90% of your body heat. But your head is one of three areas that gives off the most heat. However, your head, face, neck and hands are more sensitive to cold weather than the rest of your body. Your face, head, neck and hands have more nerve endings under the skin causing the air to feel colder. That is why it is important to cover these areas with hats, scarves and gloves. If you cover these areas you will be less miserable when walking outside.

3) Most of our body heat escapes through the head, armpits and feet. That being said we often neglect our feet. Our feet are the farthest appendage from our hearts making it more difficult for warm blood to reach our feet. Then the blood in our feet has to fight against gravity back up to our hearts. We can help our body out by always wearing a warm pair of socks. Also, keeping your feet warm will make it easier for your body to fight off sicknesses. If your body doesn't have to work so hard to keep you warm it can put more energy into fighting off sickness.

4) Our bodies are amazing and can do so much for us, but they work better when we take care of them. In order to fight off sicknesses it best to take care of your basic needs like always getting 8 hours of sleep and getting plenty of vitamins and minerals. But for those who can feel a cold coming, drinking lots of fluids can help strengthen your body. Also, I personally recommend using an immune booster or a glass of orange juice when you feel the start of a cold. Your body needs these basic things in order to function properly. 

16 Ways to Stay Sane During Finals Week

16) Sharpen your weapons and fight the procrastination monster.

15) Take a deep breath, breathing is good.

14) Think fast food will help your brain work better? Guess again. Eat healthy.

13) No one wants to stand next to someone smelly in the elevator. Remember to shower.

12) Keep a list or a schedule of deadlines to keep it all straight in your head.

11) Take a break by taking a walk or jamming to music in your room.

10) Naps are your new best friend.

9) Back up your work ...

8) Back up your work ...

7) and back up your work!

6) Remember you are not a robot. You still need to eat and sleep.

5) Calming tea can be the difference between feeling like your world is falling apart and knowing everything is fine.

4) The internet will still be here after finals week. You don't need to check on it every ten minutes.

3) Learning to work under a deadline is an important life skill, even if it takes you a few years to get it right.

2) You've made it through the entire semester so you can make it for one more week.

1) No matter how stressed or busy you are, winter break will still happen.