UC Davis Tip #3

There comes a time in everyone's life, even if they aren't going to college, where they really need to use the bathroom...alone.

If you get stuck on campus because your first and second class of the day are a few hours apart and you don't feel like going home to use the bathroom (or maybe can't!) here is my tip for you:

Find a bathroom nobody is using.

This seems obvious, right? But maybe you don't know where to go to find these magical empty bathrooms? 

So here is my (to be continuously updated) list of empty bathrooms:

Are you in Olson Hall? --> Go to the basement floor if you don't want to leave the building.

(Side Note: I once left class to use the bathroom in Olson and literally every single bathroom except for the girl's room in the basement floor was out of toilet paper :( #firstworldproblems)

Are you in the Memorial Union (MU)? --> Go to the second floor (or any besides the first floor). I personally like the second floor bathrooms because they are nicer than most on campus. If you still feel like the second floor is too busy, just keep heading up! If that seriously doesn't work...you could try the Games Center bathroom? 

Are you in Wellman Hall?-->Again, try going to the second floor or the basement.

If you want some serious privacy (assuming you're there during normal school hours) I suggest you leave Wellman and head over to a nearby building like Hart or Kerr Hall. 

Confused? Here:

So if you're in Wellman Hall, you are in building number 1.

Hart Hall will be building number 2 and Kerr Hall will be building number 3. 

The two green rectangles represent the lawn so if you leave Wellman and see a lawn, Hart Hall will be on your right and Kerr Hall will be located to your left (and a little back). 

Are you in Tercero or Cuarto and don't want to use the bathroom near your room? (It's okay, I understand) ---> Try going to the first floor, which usually has individual bathrooms instead of a shared common bathroom.

(TBC :))

UC Davis Tip #2

Hello! My name is Gabbi and I will be a junior at UC Davis this upcoming 2013-2014 school year. I will also be an RA or Resident Advisor in the dorms :) Part of the reason I wanted to become an RA is because I enjoy helping people. This is also why I've decided to start blogging tips about going to UCD!

Gabbi's Tip #2

Dear freshies & other UCD students,

This is going to be a long tip, so I've decided to break it up into sections!

Tip #2.1

Just wait.

Wait to buy your books! I've definitely been guilty of jumping on buying my textbooks for classes, only to drop a class or be told by a professor that I didn't actually need a book. So just wait about a week to buy your books. I say a week because usually school starts on a Thursday, so you will go to all of your classes on Thursday and Friday, but you might have a class that only meets on a Monday or Wednesday. So go to all of your classes first, then gauge each class to see whether or not you really need that expensive textbook.

Tip #2.2

Okay, so you've decided you need the book(s). 

Now what?

Where do you find out what books you need?

First check your syllabus that you got on your first day of class. It should be on your syllabus! 

Oh, you skipped the first day of class? That's cool (NOT), but luckily you can use the UCD Bookstore website to find your required books. 

Go to the bookstore here and search for your classes.

Once you find what books you need through the bookstore, you can also see that they list a few competitor's prices underneath.

If you need help navigating the bookstore, here is a link to a different blog post that has pictures to guide you: Gabbi's Guide to the Online UCD Bookstore

Tip #2.3

Now you know what books you need, go look for them!

• You can try Facebook groups like the Textbook Exchange or even the Free & For Sale group (these are both for Davis).
• Sign up for Amazon Prime as a student fo freee (for 6 months)! Then you can get those expensive textbooks you're ordering off Amazon with two day shipping!
• UCD Bookstore both sells and rents out textbooks to students (the bookstore is located in the Memorial Union or MU). There are pros and cons to each, some people like to buy because then they can get money back on the book by selling it. Some like to rent because it can be a lot cheaper.
• Ask your friends to trade books, take their books, share a book...etc.
• Try out Slugbooks.com which will compare tons of websites selling the book you need so you can pick the cheapest option (or the cheapest option that you actually trust...).
• See Tip #2.4

Tip #2.4

Additionally, books might not even be used in the class even when you don't drop a class or a professor doesn't dismiss it. It seriously sucks that I can stare at a little pile of books that I didn't use at all in a few of my classes! This brings me to the fourth part of my tip:

Use that library card which is actually just your UCD Student ID card.

Check to see if the library has the book you need for the class! It is almost guaranteed to be in the Reserves section of the library. At the Reserves desk, you can check out the book you need for 2 hour blocks (usually 2 hours, but sometimes up to 2 days+). Sometimes you have to stay in the library with that book, sometimes you can leave.

Regardless, this is FREE (well...you pay for the library with tuition; even more reason to use this method) and it will force you to study. I have testimonials that using the Reserves desk to check out the textbook, rather than buying it, led to actually studying more, doing better in the class, and better time management!

Tip #2.5

Search online...I mean you know what I mean.

UC Davis Tip #1

Alright, I've decided this needs to go up because I want my fellow Aggies to stop doing stupid stuff, but first, why am I qualified to write tips?
Because, my fellow UCD or other college student, I have made plenty of mistakes (sometimes repeatedly). I have some first hand experience here, 'kay?

Gabbi's Tip #1:
Dear Freshmen and Transfer Students, or even just people in need of furniture in Davis,
If you are seriously in need to save money (because the struggle is real, right?) and you also really need a freaking dining table, there are some special times where you can get some nice furniture for real cheap.

This magical time is when people get kicked out of their apartments/houses/etc.

This is an especially magical time if you happen to know some seniors who are graduating, because they are usually gettin' rid of everything. However if you were too intimated as a freshman (like I was) to be down with the seniors taking your swipes to make some older friends, don't worry!

There are a few groups on Facebook that will help you find people willing to sell their furniture for real cheap or even for free!

Try looking for the awesome Facebook group "Free & For Sale" if this link doesn't work: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/418689691489871/?bookmark_t=group

If you don't have a Facebook page or just don't want to search online for stuff, there is always the art of dumpster diving! It's not as gross as it sounds (usually) and I don't actually recommend it that much (because it's been sitting next to a dumpster...) but there is a TON of stuff that people moving out of their apartments leave. Usually it's in pretty good condition!

So, if you really just don't have the money to spare for some expensive furniture, try these two options! 

You can always also try going to the many thrift shops in Davis, using coupons at stores to buy your furniture, or really just asking around your friends and family for stuff they may not want anymore.

Personally, I didn't need to buy much furniture when I moved into my first apartment because my family had a lot of extra furniture. However, I did buy a $200 mediocre bed from IKEA when I probably could've gotten an even nicer bed on the "Free & For Sale" FB group for around $50. It's just up to you.

Always,

Gabbi

Gabbi's Guide to the Online UCD Bookstore

Finding out what books you need for your classes is easy! Go to the bookstore and search for your book or add your classes to the box that looks like this:

Once you've added your classes to this list by using the "Select Term, Department and Course" menu,
click on "Get Course Materials".

This should take you to a page that looks like this:

You will notice that there is a picture of the book in the left-hand corner. USE THIS PICTURE as a reference when buying the book elsewhere, just to make sure you have the right book!

Now that you've found the book(s) you need, you will notice that there is the "Used" and "New" price. I highly recommend the used book, which usually is in good condition.

Underneath these prices is the "Compare Prices..." box, which is self-explanatory. This shows competitor's prices (which are almost always cheaper than the UCD Bookstore's) but you can also use slugbooks.com to search for even more competing prices.

You may wonder why you would ever pay so much for a book when you can order it online.
The answer is simple. Sometimes you need that book immediately or you just don't have the money to buy it now and you need it now.

The UCD Bookstore lets you charge items to your Student Account, essentially allowing you to pay for the book later (this is at mybill.ucdavis.edu). Be careful though! Not paying your bill on time can sometimes mean you will get dropped from your classes!

How to Organize Tissue Paper

This is how I organize my tissue paper! In the past I have usually bought the tissue paper that comes in multiple color packs and therefore I have accumulated quite a bit of tissue paper.

As you can see, my solution to storing tissue paper is a huge accordion file folder. However, you can choose any size to fit your needs. I like to save tissue paper that comes in presents or even from stores that wrap your clothes when you buy from them. So I chose a large filer to anticipate filling it up with even more tissue paper! 

If it suits you, you could go ahead and add labels to the different files according to the color or pattern :) I hope this helps you solve your tissue paper organizing problems! I have seen other methods of storing tissue paper, such as: 

So try out what ever works for you!

Pixel People

Pixel People is a cute little game app made for your iPhone (and I believe Android phones now!) that let's you build your very own city!

Here's a picture of mine, which is unfortunately too large to be viewed now. Don't take this as me bragging. Take it as a tribute to how addicting this game is!

I'm not just posting to share this game with you, I'd also like to write about my experience trying to unlock the Easter Bunny. If you google something like "Pixel People Easter Egg Hunt" or some variation, the wikipedia page that pops up says that the Easter Bunny is only available from April 10th-30th of 2013.
However, I unlocked the Easter Bunny this month (today!) by doing this:

1. Go to the Gene Pool building. 
2. Press the "View" button, then click on the very last box (it should be grey at this point since you are probably reading this to get the Easter Bunny).
3. Press the "Unlock" button, which will then prompt a pop-up asking if you would like to spend 25u (Utopium) to unlock the Egg Hunt.
4. Search for your eggs after paying the 25u. (If you need help finding the eggs for your egg hunt, click here!)
5. Then after finding all of the eggs, head over to Utopia HQ and click on the Easter Bunny mission to complete!

**Important! In my personal experience, I had to pay twice because I started the egg hunt on Tuesday but did not complete it on Tuesday. Therefore today, Wednesday, I had to repay to start my egg hunt again. I'm not sure if it just really makes you pay 50u but I'm thinking you just have to finish the same day you pay. Goodluck!**
Here is also a thread discussing peoples' issues with completing the Egg Hunt after April:
http://pixelpeople.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:5363

I wanted to share this to maybe help some people save 25u (or just fulfill the relentless urge to complete all of the jobs).
If you would like any other help with the game, just comment below!

Cupcake...

...Magnets!

Aren't these cute? Or at least quirky? Haha I found these at the Papyrus store and since I love cupcakes (I used to wake up early to bake fresh cupcakes to take with me to school) I decided to go ahead and buy them. These magnets are $10.00, which is extortion (they're just magnets!), but as the packaging says they're "Real Strong," which I find to be totally true. So at the very least, I have quality magnets for my $10 (; 

If you'd like your very own set of magnets, you can find them online here.

Apparently there is an Owl set, as well as a Kitty set and Sushi set if any of these strike your fancy!

What's your favorite magnet(s)? Post a picture!

Bath and Body Works Mini-Haul!

I have a mini-haul from Bath and Body Works to post about! 

I really try to not go overboard when I go to B&BW, so I tend to buy sample sizes a lot more than full size items. This is just to make sure that I really, truly like something before I dish out for the full size. If something doesn't have a sample size, like a full-size lotion, I'll try out the lotion and walk around for a while to decide whether or not I love it enough to buy it. But today, I pretty much already knew that I loved these scents so here's what I got!

Two hand sanitizers, two soaps and one sample size (or travel-size) lotion!

I love this matching set! I have to say that I doubt this literally smells like a coral reef. I actually think it might be closer to watermelon! I think what really got me was the fact that I have always loved the ocean, especially coral. This even matches my bathroom, which is Hawaiian themed! 

I recently got back from a family vacation in Italy, so seeing this in B&BW made me happy! I actually bought solid lemon-shaped and scented hand soap in Sorrento, Italy but this is much easier to use on a daily basis. I want to save the lemon soap I got from Italy for special occasions, whereas I will use this soap regularly. I personally think this smells pretty spot-on, minus the alcohol of course. What makes it even better is the fact that this soap has olive oil too! I'm interested to see how this affects the soap.

 Testing out how I feel about this new scent by B&BW :)

Last, but not least! I love s'mores, it's true! I think the little face probably sold me on this one. I'm not really sure it smells exactly like s'mores but it is close enough for me and I've been excited for fall to come! I love all of the warm, delicious treats that come with it--including s'mores (; 

Want s'more of me? Let me know what you'd like me to blog about in a comment!