a tree house to some. an unstable shack to others. but home to all.

As of lately it seems that our precious squirrel house has been falling apart. In honor of our humble home, I have decided to take you on a tour through our house and to let you in on all of the hidden charm.

First things first. As you enter our home, you will be impressed to see that we have a state of the art security system. If it is past 9 pm, his name is Jerry. If it is during the day, our lives are protected by a 3 digit code that is sure to keep out all thieves and pervs. Oh, you look thirsty, let's go to the kitchen. Watch out and please don't trip over our fancy red cooler. It is a one of a kind ice chest that you won't find in any other house. Just dip your cup in and grab a refreshment. We don't go for that automatic stuff. We appreciate manual labor, so if the cooler gets empty or a little too watery, don't panic. Someone will be out soon to wheel it away and replenish it. Thanks to our high security, our thermostat is protected by a thick plastic encasement. It is kind of like a zoo animal. You may admire it, but don't even think about touching it. And yes, it is 80 degrees down here, so let's continue upstairs.

Welcome to the second floor. As we walk up the stairs you are obviously greeted by a gorgeous piece or artwork that resembles a Chinese inspired partition. Our den has beautiful white sinder block walls. A few of the lamps are functioning and when found, the remote usually has batteries. Each room has two desks and one bed. To dissolve any fights that may occur over which roommate gets the bed, we have sleeping barracks..i mean porches. These porches have antique bunk beds with antique window units. Most rooms are well lit, but some rooms have an added charm of a flickering light or maybe no light at all. Our spacious study rooms have two computers. It is always fun to play the old game of "Guess Which Computer Works Today". That game is fun, but it is not nearly as fun as "Find the Internet". Everyone loves that game. We love it so much that we play it all day. Sometimes you find us crouching in hallways or near windows...just trying to find the internet. Such a tease, that internet. As soon as you get it, it runs off, and there you are left chasing it again. When we tire from such games, we love to clean up in our community bathrooms. Now our bathroom is the real gem. It reminds me of the old children's story: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. One of these showers is too hot. One of these showers has no water pressure. But one of these showers is juuust right! All of these showers have matching curtains and each curtain does its part as it struggles to hang on. This tour has come to an end. Mainly because I am tired.

Nothing can top our humble home and all of its unique amenities.

greetings, from a former cave dweller

what a great day! After an entire year of fuming with jealousy over this incredible blog, I am officially a contributor. You are probably racking your brain wondering why I have not joined sooner. Well, you see, I didn't live in the house last year. Therefore, my skills were not desired. But no need to dwell in the past..my dream has been fulfilled, and now I get to share my random thoughts with blogger world.

Last year I lived in an apartment or a cave (depends on who you talk to). It was a spacious home with a den, kitchen, private bathroom, private bedroom, and a bed that allowed me to roll over. Obviously, times have changed. Goodbye personal space, hello shoebox! Before you sink into a depression out of pity, let me share with you a few reasons why this shoebox definitely trumps my once beloved cave..

Only in the house can you...

• Find squirrels in your bed and respond with laughter instead of horror
• Experience someone who compulsively fluffs her pillow
• Return home at night to discover half of the Publix bakery in your living room
• Stare out your bedroom window for hours
• Watch Lifetime movies in a dark place that reminds me of the cave..the Vortex
• Hear people singing or yelling at all hours
• Find at least one person to accompany you to the rec
• Gaze at a large poster of boys in red track suits
• Get banned from adjusting the thermostat
• Send out a search party for a friend who likes to drunk creep into rando beds
• Consider it a victory when you make it to your bunk without demolishing a fan
• Live within twenty feet of all your best friends..cheesy but true!

The squirrel

As I am sure everyone knows the squirrel is the revered and loved mascot of Alpha Gamma Delta. The reason being that in 1909 the founders of AGD (probably Whats-her-face Butterworth) thought that the squirrel was a curious creature and thus should represent our beloved sisterhood. Over the last 3 years as an Alpha Gam I have grown to love this little critter. Why you may ask? Because, next to the lemur, it is the cutest animal known to man. Would it be cute to see a turtle sliding down a fireman pole... no! But a squirell how precious! I love being able to walk across the quad and see them nom noming on an accorn or scurring up a tree. Squirrels are nice animals, not ferocious like a lion or pointless like a dolphin. Can any other sorority  see their mascot on a daily basis? I think not. I would rather not see a phi bear or a panda bear on my daily trek to class. I think the most important reason why I so love the squirrels is because of the abundance of types of squirrels. Black squirrels, brown squirrels, red squirrels and flying squirrels. Who doesn't love an animal that can fly? I mean hello! Winner right there!!!!

Songs that define the Fronthall Ballers

"Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z

--Lash. Broadway is in her future.

"Waitin' On A Woman" by Brad Paisley

--Kat. As seen from the eyes of Michael :)

"If I Ever Leave This World Alive" by Flogging Molly

--Sage. Irish song. By Irish band. That sings about Irish things.

"Get Out of This Town" by Carrie Underwood

--Jody. Come May she's going to run. Far, far away...

"Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap

--Courtney. Because she has one :)

"Teach Me How to Dougie" by Cali Swag District

--Morgan. Need I say more?

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve

--M.A. Mary means bitter. Alice means sweet. Think my mom planned that when she named me?

Think I'll pair movies with my peeps next time. Suggestions from the floor??

Love, M.A.

13 Uses For Your Gameday Shaker

Well, It's Football season again! I, sitting at the football game the other day, was inspired to write this blog, so here it goes!

1. Stirring your drink
2. poking the person in front of you in the back
3. pointing out things on the field or in the stands
4. interesting clothing additions....for some people
5. to block the unwelcome rain from your freshly straightened hair
6. for 8 year olds that want to thread the shaker through their ponytails
7. use as a broom to sweep nasty things off the seats
8. to reach that unreachable itch on your back
9. as a comb to part your hair
10. to get the tangles out of your hair
11. to practice conducting as the band plays
12. to draw to words on your friend's back during the boring parts of the game
13. and finally to cheer on your favorite team! Roll Tide!

Lessons from a slacker senior

Why hello blogdom! Its been a while. I had an amazing summer at camp complete with a massive tire explosion on the way home. Thank you creepy AAA man for your assistance. I would like to share with you some things I have discovered thus far in my senior year.
1. Being 21 is awesome!!!!! Coming from someone who didn't drink prior to that blessed day I can honestly say that the grass is way greener on this side. Goodbye awkward parties.
2. I am horrible at beer pong. This could be because I have a serious lack of depth perception or that my absolute abhorrence of beer has psychologically predisposed me to be bad at anything related to that horrific hop creation.
3. Taking only 12 hours is not as glorious as I thought it would be. I attend class a whopping 5 times during the week and never on Monday or Friday. So what do I do with all of this extra time? So far I have applied to 20 jobs, written 1 essay, watched 2 splendidly cheesy lifetime movies and wasted the other 300+ hours. I have officially become a slacker.
4. Shouting out random Kardashian facts in class is not only socially unacceptable it also tells the other 60 people sitting in the room that I get my news from E! and not a more adult like channel such as CNN.
5. And finally, after some observations on the quad I have decided that grown men should not carry little pink umbrellas, bikers have no souls and my shoes will get wet if I walk across the grass at 8am.

Sorry this entry is not quite as interesting as some of the other ones. It is the best a slacker can do.

Bicycles: The Ninjas of the Road

Hello Blog Readers! I know it has been a while since my last entry. I was inspired today so enjoy:

Today I was walking down University Blvd, an everyday ritual these days, minding my own business, day dreaming, planning my evening...when all of a sudden this biker whizzes past me, OUT OF NO WHERE! The only thing that crossed my mind was "what a bike ninja"! Then I began to ponder: they really are ninjas, and they are everywhere!

1. Quickness of a ninja: the number of people on bikes on this campus has gotten out of control, but bikes do make your trek to class more efficient. so what if you have to plow over a band kid, sorority girl, and that poor German exchange student, punctuality trumps saving lives.

2. Silent like a ninja: all you can hear is the sound of tires hitting on the highway, squirrels scurrying across the pavement, a hippie child throwing the frisbee to a shirtless frat boy on the quad, a terrier yapping, but it all turns to a soft muffling until all of a sudden you hear the wheels of a rapidly moving object, drawing nearer, nearer until it zooms past you, only because you jumped out of the way at the last moment. what was this metal speeding object? A BIKE! I cannot even imagine the feeling if you have earphones in...just say your prayers

3. Travel in packs like ninjas: You never see just ONE biker. There are always PACKS of them, coming from every direction: on the grass, on the sidewalks, in the streets!

4. Tricks like ninjas: If I could have only one wish granted it would be to see some show off biker fall of his bike. jumping over curbs, standing up, "look Ma! No hands!". The weirder you appear on your bike, the more I want you to fall off of it.

5. Different types of bike ninjas:
The asian bike ninja: by far the most popular model and also the most dangerous. These ninjas have no concept of traffic laws or pretty much any rule giving pedestrians any rights, whatsoever!
The frat boy bike ninja: this is the trickster. He bought the bike to get from his early mornings cleaning the frat house to his 10 AM political science class, but he has convinced himself that the tricks he has learned, make this bike even cooler. WRONG!
The hippie bike ninja: These are the most entertaining. Usually have long dresses on, maybe some weird posture choices, and they most always have antique bikes. Golden opportunities for people watchers like me.