Laura's Summer Plans

First and foremost, my summer plans are not as adventurous (or busy) as some people's....*cough* Juan *cough* but I'm still looking forward to some relaxation and summertime fun! During the beginning of the summer/now-ish, I've been working with the lovely people at Glendon recruitment for a very special project, coming soon, which will greatly benefit the Glendon class of 2016 folks! Other than that, my iCal is pretty much blank from May-August....haha

But really, I'll be going to concerts, meeting up with friends, writing for the Canadian music blog I help run, Grayowl Point , other blogs that I can get my hands on, and continually looking for a job!

True to my English Major self though, the most important thing I'll be doing this summer is....READING! Now that readings for school are out of the way, I'll finally be able to tackle my "to-read" pile! Here's a hint of what my summer reading list looks like:

• "The Book of Negroes" - Lawrence Hill (Almost done!) 
• The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins 
• "Julie & Julia" - Julie Powell 
• "The Game" - Ken Dryden 
• "Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy" - John Le Carré
• Game Of Thrones/ A Song of Ice and Fire Series - George R. R. Martin

What are YOU doing this summer? Most importantly, what are your summer reads? Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter or join the fun in our Glendon, Class of 2016 Facebook group. 

I'll leave you now with one of my favourite songs about summer - "Summer Skin" - Death Cab For Cutie -  

Some Things To Bring

With exams now over for us students at Glendon, I can't help but get into the summer-time mood. And with summer right around the corner for high school students, I know that some of you, who are planning to live on residence, are getting a little eager about what to buy and what to bring to your new home at Glendon.

A couple of months ago, one of Glendon's 2016 students asked, on our Facebook group, "What is one must have for our dorm next year?" Well, I've been inspired to answer this question a little more fully in this post! Below are a few items that I couldn't live without during my first year, when I stayed on res:

1) A Fridge/A Kettle 
A mini fridge can be a great addition to your room! Keeping snacks and drinks, etc., at your disposal is great for curbing those late night cravings as you finish up that paper. If you depend on your tea in the morning like myself, a kettle is also an excellent addition to your room. Bring your own tea/coffee and you barely have to roll out of bed to get that caffeine fix. (Also, I had a friend in first year who would leave their kettle on the steam function in the winter to help prevent her room from getting too dry!) And you don't have to worry about other appliances like a microwave, your common room has one!

Your favourite poster

2) Posters
Feel free to bring along that poster you love of your favourite band, ....it's Justin Bieber isn't it..., or pictures of your friends/family to brighten up your walls! You can obviously bring posters from home or buy some new ones, but for the past couple of years, Glendon has had a stellar poster sale at the beginning of the year for you to stock up on. Just a reminder, you're not really allowed to tape up your posters with traditional tape so may I suggest this blue sticky stuff.


3) A Fan/Heater 
Along with the unpredictable weather throughout the school year, the heating and cooling on res can get a little unpredictable as well. One of those fan/heater combinations will do you wonders during your time on campus, keeping you comfortable during those (hopefully) warm September days and those cold winter nights. Edit: I've been told that heaters are technically a no-no! (Oops...) So just stick with the fan. :)

4) Things That Make Your Home, Home 
Bring that huge pillow you love so much, or those favourite sheets you have from IKEA, or those ridiculously old slippers you insist on keeping. Anything to make your new home comfy-cozy and a great place to come home to at the end of the day!

5) A Power Bar 

Yup, a power bar. (No, I'm not talking about one of those healthy granola bar type things but one of these ---------->) If you're like me and have 8 million things to plug in, I strongly suggest a power bar. With limited outlets available, don't be caught with one plug too few!

Thanks to Juan for help with this post!