Expectation vs. Reality

College Edition

by Olivia Cappolella

There are many expectations you have going into college, especially as a first-gen college student, like myself. A lot of college is not what you'd expect though. Here are a few of my expectations versus reality circumstances that I've noticed.

1. A lot of people worry about gaining the freshman fifteen when going into college, but in reality, a lot of students are too broke to eat anything besides ramen noodles and the dining hall food is so bad you'd rather starve. The only weight any college students are gaining is from beer, which is kind of nasty. 

2. Going into classes, you expect your professors to never cancel class. Well, last week, one of my professors cancelled class because he didn't want to scrape ice off of his car and another cancelled because he didn't want to catch the flu from all the sick students.

3. Sylly-week is a thing, right? No, it's not. Now that I am in my forth semester as a college student, I know that sylly-week does not actually exist. Once classes start, they're in full swing. Don't expect to party every night the first week of school.

4. It's expected that college schedules are easier than high school schedules. Well, just because you push your first class back to noon doesn't mean you get extra time to sleep. The later you push your classes back, the later you're awake doing homework. Honestly, it's easier to start the day early.

5. You're going to expect to miss your friends from home more than anything, but once you find your group, you won't. When you go home, it'll still feel like you saw them just a bit ago. In no time, you'll be closer to your college friends than you ever were with your friends from home. 

Favorite Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe

by Olivia Cappolella

Are you looking for a great homemade macaroni and cheese? I have a great recipe for you. If you're interested in crunchy and gooey mac and cheese, this is the one for you. 

This recipe serves about six to eight people, but if you love macaroni and cheese as much as I do, you may end up fighting to get a bowl full. I am practically a macaroni and cheese connoisseur, so I've had a lot of it in my life time, so for me to say my recipe is one of my favorites, it proves a great deal. As a broke nineteen year old girl, like every other college student, this is only something my roommates and I pull out for special occasions, but it's always the biggest hit. Using store brand products makes the recipe much more affordable and it is still just as great, so if you're ever craving that comfort food that we all love, I highly suggest this. 

Ingredients:

16 oz elbow pasta                                                    salt and pepper

6 tbsp salted butter                                                2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

1/3 cup all purpose flour                                       1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups whole milk                                            2 tbsp smoke paprika

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream                         2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese                  1/4 tsp garlic salt

8 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese                 1 tbsp chives (optional) 

8 oz shredded colby jack cheese 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and lightly grease a baking dish. 

2. Boil the pasta, drain it and pour it into the greased baking dish.

3. Create a rue in the sauce pan (or small pot) by melting butter and slowly whisking in flour.

4. Gradually whisk in the milk, and then the heavy whipping cream until it starts to slightly boil.

5. Add in preferred amount of salt and pepper.

6. Whisk in first bag of cheese until smooth and then do the same with the other two until smooth. 

7. Add in another pinch salt and pepper (optional)

8. Pour cheese on top of the cooled and cooked macaroni, and mix it around until fully covered.

9. In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic salt, paprika, pepper and red pepper flakes to create topping.

10. Fully cover the top of the macaroni with the bread crumb mixture. 

11. Put the dish in the over for 30-35 minutes or until golden/brown topping. 

12. Garnish with chives (optional).

13. Let cool for about three to five minutes and serve. 

XXMas With Machine Gun Kelly

Concert Review

by Olivia Cappolella

On December 21, I was lucky enough to go to Machine Gun Kelly’s third annual XXMas show at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.  As a hardcore Machine Gun Kelly fan, I was happy to experience my first concert of his at one of his dearest hometown shows. How much better could it get than experiencing your first MGK concert at his very own favorite show of the year?

There were tons of artists involved in the XXMas show that I was excited to hear from. Opening act, DJ E-V built the energy early in the night. He boosted my excitement with his awesome set. Along with E-V, I was introduced to new artists like Siena Bella and Freshie, which I really enjoyed. It is always interesting to hear new music. The DJ also brought out a well-known EST member, DubXX, who I was overjoyed to see live. The whole opening act was great and a perfect fit for a MGK show. 

Right from the start, the intensity that was brought to the stage was extreme and had everyone off of their feet. Besides the first openers, DJ Ace and E-V, there were many special guests included that built the energy. From local Cleveland legends to close friends of the EST crew, it was a lot of different names and new faces. Before Machine Gun Kelly, the mic was passed to Lil Skies, who took Cleveland by storm. My brother, a Skies fan, was ecstatic to see him perform and there is no doubt that the rapper lived up to the expectations. As for me, a first time listener to Lil Skies, I now am a new fan. That music really got the vibe right for the main act. 

Once Machine Gun Kelly and his band took the stage, the whole arena went ablaze. There was not a single person in the audience who wasn’t dancing and singing along with every song. Some of my favorites were “Till I Die,” “Why Are You Here,” “Hollywood Whore,” “Bad Motherf*cker” and “I Think I’m OKAY.” I clearly am eager for the upcoming pop-punk album, if you consider some of my favorite songs. I was also lucky enough to see the very last live performance of the Eminem diss, “Rap Devil,” which I was hoping to see. The entire live performance was better than I could have ever expected. 

The whole entire show was exciting. Kells brought out some guests throughout his set to jam with him on stage, which I loved having the chance to see. The special guests he invited included Phem, YFL Kelvin, YFL Pooh, Doeboy, Goody Grace and again, Lil Skies. As someone who is very particular about my music taste, hearing new artists live for the first time always  It was enjoyable to see Kells and the band with other musicians on stage. 

MGK’s band, too, is on a whole different level. Slim, Baze, Rook and AJ are a talented set of musicians and elevate the show to a whole new level. It was impossible to ignore the passion that the band expressed. Without them, the environment would have never been the same. The band made it much more than a rap concert. It was just awesome to see them all in action. 

I am very thankful that my first Machine Gun Kelly concert was the XXMas show. It was an awesome night and I cannot wait until the next time I see him and his band live.

Maui, Hawaii

Travel Blog

by Olivia Cappolella

There are a lot of beautiful places in the world, and Hawaii is most definitely one of them.

The island of Maui is incredible, with extreme versatility in all there is to do. From hiking through the rainforest to swimming in all the different beaches to watching the sunrise on top of Haleakalā volcano, there are tons of opportunities that will make your time there more than worth the money spent.

Over this past summer, my family and I took a trip to vacation in Maui in July. We stayed in Wailea, a heavily travel-based location with high status, fancy hotels all down the rocky shoreline. I highly suggest that adults stay on that side of the island. If you have younger children, I'd more likely suggest Ka'anapali, where cliff diving is encouraged, specifically at the infamous Black Rock. Nonetheless, every part of Maui has something to offer.

Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott

Whether you are one for adventure or not, my biggest suggestion would be to do the Road to Hana. While it is a full day trip and you must begin your journey early in the morning, to experience such amazing sights and fun activities all on one very tricky 52 mile road is more than noteworthy. The long day and difficult driving is worth the opportunities that one has when taking a trip down the Road to Hana. Plus, the Instagram pictures are guaranteed to get you some extra likes.

My favorite part of the Road to Hana has to be a tie between Twin Falls and Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach. Twin Falls is more of an adventure because you have to hike about a mile before you find it, but once you get to those two waterfalls and you have the chance to swim underneath them, it is amazing. The black sand beach, while much less difficult, is very crowded and busy, but the blue water crashing on the black sand is definitely a once in a lifetime sight (especially if you don't plan on coming back to Hawaii). Any stop on the Road to Hana is incredible, but these two were the most memorable to me.

To list everything that could be done in Maui would take a very long time, so I'll leave it at that. I suggest a trip like to this everyone, if you'd ever have the chance. As a well-traveled person for someone of my age, Maui was definitely my favorite vacation spot.

Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott

Find more photos on my Instagram and VSCO!

Ithaca Invitational

Wrestling Recap

by Olivia Cappolella 

The Ithaca Invitational wrestling tournament, held inside of Ithaca College's Glazer Arena in the Athletics and Events Center, was the perfect kickoff to the 2019-2020 competitive wrestling season. The tournament had fourteen participating teams, some traveling all the way from North Carolina and others from just an hour away. With heavy competition and stacked weight classes, each wrestler had to bring their A-game.

Over the two day tournament, the wrestlers engaged in high-paced, ambition competition. Despite the many upsets and injuries, all competitors performed fairly and followed the NCAA guidelines. The event ran very smoothly, making it a great start to the season for all parties involved.

Johnson & Wales of Rhode Island took first place with 147.0 team points while Ohio's Baldwin Wallace University trailed behind by 15.5 points coming in second place at 131. 5 team points. The event holders, Ithaca College received third place with 123.5 team points. Individual champions per weight will follow:

125: Logan Ninos (Ithaca College)
133: Hayden Brown (Johnson & Wales)
141: Gabriel McDaniel (Johnson & Wales)
149: Da'mani Burns (Johnson & Wales)
157: Stanley Bleich (Baldwin Wallace)
165: Christian Gramuglia (Oswego State)
174: Jordan Wallace (Ithaca College)
184: Eze Chukwuezi (Ithaca College)
195: Zeckary Lehman (Baldwin Wallace)
285: Drew Casper (Otterbein)