Remember the Positives

I'm guilty of this too, but you ever notice how people only seem to remember the negative things in life? No one walks into work and says, "Man, I hit every single green light on my way in!" It's always, "Every single light was red on the way in. Took forever." I read somewhere once (I'm pretty sure) that negative events are remembered better because they trigger a stronger reaction in the brain. I don't know if that's 100% true; I'm not a scientist and I don't feel like looking it up, but it makes sense.

On top of that, if you miss the bus, you're going to stand at the bus stop for the next 10-15 minutes dwelling on the fact that you missed the bus and are now running late. Same thing with the stop light example: when you sit at the red light, that's all time spent thinking about how the light is not green. When you catch a bus on time, you walk right on without a second thought.

I think it'll be amazing how much better your days will be when you stop and make a conscious effort to remember the good things. Every time you hit a green light, be sure to remind yourself: I'm really lucky that I just caught that light green. That's 3 in a row! When you do hit a red light, you can tell yourself, "one red and three green lights is pretty good odds." It may seem silly, especially if you take that positive thinking to the I'm-so-glad-there-was-toilet-paper-left-in-the-stall level, but if you actually remember all the good things that happen to you, your whole outlook on life will change.

Your disposition be bright and sunny, and people around you will notice. The worst that happens is that you look silly for getting excited about catching your bus. The more likely result is that your positive outlook will be contagious and the people around you will start to have a more positive outlook on their lives, as well. This, in turn, benefits you: happy people are much more pleasant to deal with. You'll be happy to deal with pleasant people for once, which will make you even happier. It's the cycle of positive happiness. Copyright pending on that term.

Just try it. I dare you.

Schools That Should Add DI Lacrosse

While lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in the country, it has long been plagued by lack of growth at the NCAA DI level. The sport currently has 61 division I teams (Marquette and High Point will join the ranks next season); that's three teams short of even being able to field the NCAA basketball tournament. It was also recently announced that BU will be adding varsity men's lacrosse in the near future.

By comparison, the sport has 189 teams playing division III, and over 200,000 players at the high school level. One of the big reasons for the lack of growth at the division I level is Title IX. Schools with football programs can't make a men's lacrosse team feasible because of Title IX sanctions. Michigan being able to add the sport is a big step. Below are five schools that could add successful lacrosse programs, and why:

1. Northwestern University: The Northwestern women's program has been extremely successful as of late; (6 championships in the last 7 years) so there is clearly a recruiting formula for lacrosse success in Chicago. Illinois is also getting very good high school lacrosse from schools like New Trier, Fenwick, St. Ignatius Prep, and Loyola. Travel to games becomes less of an issue with schools like Marquette, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State relatively nearby. Northwestern would also join Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State as Big 10 schools with lacrosse, making the Big 10 eligible to make lacrosse a conference sport.

2. Wake Forest: Wake Forest could join a competitive ACC, which would attract top recruits right away. Lacrosse in North Carolina is really picking up, and a private school like Wake reaches into the images of lacrosse's prep-school history. The Mid-Atlantic region has plenty of schools to schedule close by for out-of-conference games with Johns Hopkins, UMBC, Towson, and Navy.

3. Boston College: New England lacrosse is growing rapidly, and BC would do well with local recruiting. Schools like Duxbury and St. John's Prep are competitive nationally every year. Schools like Glastonbury, Fairfield Prep, and Hotchkiss in Connecticut produce top talent, as well. If Wake and BC both added lacrosse, the ACC would have a six team conference, making for a much less redundant post-season tournament. They also have a great natural rival already with BU. With BC, BU, and Harvard having lacrosse, Northeastern would be the only school needed for a lacrosse Beanpot tournament.

4. Connecticut: Again, great local recruiting from Glastonbury, Fairfield prep, and Hotchkiss, as well as the rest of New England. Long Island would also be considered local recruiting for the Huskies. UConn would join an a very competitive Big East with Syracuse, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, Providence, Rutgers, and St. John's. It would be hard for a recruit to say no to a schedule that loaded with top teams.

5. Kentucky: The SEC school is the long-shot of the list. Trinity and St. X in Louisville have some top high-school talent for UK to recruit from, and so does the state of Ohio. Kentucky could schedule Ohio State, Michigan, Bellarmine, Penn State, and Notre Dame without having too much cost on traveling. The same goes for Northwestern's potential team, but scheduling games with Notre Dame will be very tough early on; the potential is there, though.

The Trouble With Girls...

Saturday night was a friend's birthday; I think 22nd, which basically just means it was the first anniversary of her 21st birthday. While out with the group, I noticed that girls have certain social interactions that are played out as perfectly as if they were reading off of a script. It almost gets humorous because every single social interaction involving a group of girls is played out the exact same way. From the outside looking in, here's a typical night out for a group of girls, through the eyes of a guy:

The night starts with each girl getting ready, usually on her own, or with one or two other girls. Each girl has the same end goal in mind with her outfit: how can I dress like a slut without looking like I'm actually a slut? Girls are usually enjoying some wine, or other type of alcohol while they get ready, and I have an idea as to why. The alcohol gives them the courage put on higher heels, and tighter, shorter dresses. The girl isn't finished getting ready until she has a solid buzz going and is feeling in a good mood.

The next stop of the night is at a friend's place for pregaming. It is almost certain that the host will not be ready when the first few people arrive; more than likely, she'll come to the door in a robe, and be looking for help deciding on one of three or four outfits that are laid out on her bed. As guests arrive they are greeted with the loud, high-pitched, "Ahhh! You look soooo good!" The accepted response is an equally loud and high-pitched, "Thanks! Look at youuuu!" More drinking ensues, and suddenly every girl wants a picture with every possible combination of girls: roomies, BFF's, sorority sisters, birthday girls, neighbors, freshman year orientation group love, and on and on it goes. After each picture is taken the following dialogue ensues (thoughts in italics):

Photographer: Wow, you guys all look so good! Maybe if I talk up the picture before they see it, they won't make me take another one.
Girl Who Owns The Camera: Here, let me see. Oh, it does look really good!
Random Girl In Photo: No, I don't like the way my left eye brow looks. Let's take another, but this time I'll switch sides so no one sees my left eye brow. Actually, I don't want anyone to see the huge zit I had trouble  hiding with my makeup, but I don't want anyone to know...
Photographer: Does anyone have any rope so I can hang myself? Okay, ready...1, 2, 3...looks great!
Random Girl In Photo 2: Now take it long ways so you can see our shoes!
Photographer: No one cares what your shoes look like. They all just assume it's slut heels anyway. Okay, ready...1, 2, 3...looks great!

Hopefully at this point, the cab has already been called. While waiting, everyone will complain about how long it's taking for the cab and talk about how ready they are. Once the cab arrives, a chorus of "of, shoot!" can be heard as girls,  who were "ready," struggle to find their purses, phones, etc. and actually get out the door. Five minutes later, after the cab driver was 10 seconds away from just leaving, everyone piles in, and away they go.

Of course, once they're at their destination, the same picture sequences take place, but usually the lighting at the party spot is low so the pictures turn out bad. In this instance, no one is happy with the result.

Prep Essentials: LL Bean Duck Boots

Now that's March, winter has decided to arrive in the Boston area. With the first significant snow since Halloween 2011, it was time to dig into the closet and reach for that prep essential: The LL Bean duck boot. While it is commonly known as the duck boot, it's official name is the Bean Boot, and it has been around for 100 years. The boot got its start when L.L. Bean was on a hunting trip in Maine, he could not keep his feet dry, and, thus, invented the Bean Boot.

Today, the boots are still made by hand in Freeport, Maine, and are dunked in a tank to guarantee they are watertight. They come in a variety of different styles, colors, and insulation options, but overall the boot largely remains unchanged.

For many years, the boot had more of a cult-type following in New England, and especially in Maine, but it is now rapidly growing in popularity on college campuses across the country. Four years ago, the brand manufactured 150,000 pairs, but is expected to manufacture 500,000 pairs in 2012.

Perhaps the greatest point of pride with this boot is that LL Bean is not going to outsource to companies overseas to handle the spike in production. Every single pair will be manufactured in the United States, which means the company is creating jobs for Americans!

Head on over to LL Bean to get a pair of duck boots, find a store near you, or check out their other great products.

*I referenced this Time Article in the writing of this post.

Snooki is Pregnant!?

She is going to be a mother?

I've never actually seen a single second of a single episode of Jersey Shore, but I feel like I still know plenty about Nicole Polizzi, better known as "Snooki."I know she wrote a book (and by "wrote a book," I mean I'm sure she had someone write it for her because I highly doubt her ability to form coherent, fluent English sentences). I have no idea what the title of the book actually is, though. I also know that she gave a talk at Rutgers University and got paid more than the actual relevant person that spoke at commencement.

I don't typically follow celebrity gossip, so if I know that she is pregnant, than I'm sure the rest of the world does, too. This women is essentially only famous for being a really tan bimbo-type guidette, making fashion choices that barely (and sometimes don't) cover her lady parts. Now, she's pregnant. I don't think it really comes as a surprise to many people; perhaps the bigger surprise would be if this truly was the first time she has been pregnant in her life.

I can only imagine what life would be like being raised by Snooki. I feel pretty certain that the child will be extremely embarrassed when his or friends start showing YouTube clips of Snooki making a fool of herself every week on MTV.

As I've come to say quite a few times: the world needs more Audrey's and less Snooki's.

Featured Brand: Southern Marsh

Here's a look at another preppy clothing company. As the name Southern Marsh may suggest, it's also from the south side of the Mason-Dixon line.

Southern Marsh was inspired by the South's reputation for its unique culture, beautiful people, and timeless dress; and a way to escape from the big city. The brand is influenced by the lifestyle known by those who find themselves waking up at 4 am to head to a blind in the woods, those taking a day off to go fishing, or a southern belle spending the afternoon with her friends.

Southern Marsh strives to make the highest quality products, packaged with a piece of authentic Southern charm. All the while maintaining the Southern tradition to give thanks for the little things that make life that much more enjoyable.

You can purchase their products online, or though a variety of retailers throughout the southeast. Be sure to check them out online at Southern Marsh.

Casual Friday/Saturday

From True Prep by Lisa Birnbach.