Sauvie Island 4.0

In a longstanding Old Dorm Block tradition, upheld by recent HA graduates Lewis, Zach, and Ari in 2012, a herd of Reedies trekked to Sauvie Island on the first weekend of classes. Although the event was not advertised as a “CHILLFEST” as mentioned in years past, the trip to Portland’s mini coastal experience still featured a visit to both the beach and the U-Pick berry farm.

First stop: Bella Organic for some quality time with fresh strawberries and blackberries. A little bit of dirt didn’t deter some residents from snacking while picking. After a short walk back to the main part of the farm, residents from Anna Mann and Westport III decided it was time to get bovine during an adorable photo opportunity.

cowsAfter a pita bread sandwich lunch accompanied by some blast-from-the-past Capri Suns, we ditched the farm in favor of the water and headed to Walton Beach. Even though many students did not bring swimsuits, almost all of the residents ran into the water. Some even braved the cold of the Willamette in jeans and t-shirts!

RH Fall 12 008After the initial plunge, students dried in the sun, indulged in some reading for pleasure, and socialized with their communities. We polished off the rest of the food and climbed back into the vans. The car ride provided for a perfect nap time before returning back to life on campus. This trip gifted me a gnarly sunburn, but a bit of red was worth a fun day in the sunshine with my residents!

 

 

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The Reed Plague: What It Is And How to Survive It

Know your enemy: the common cold microbe.

Know your enemy: the common cold microbe.

It’s only the second week of classes and the Reed Plague is already sweeping campus. Students, faculty, and staff alike have been out of class and at the health center, citing the Plague as the cause of their maladies. Which begs the question, what do we mean by “the Reed Plague” and how do we avoid getting it (not to mention spreading it!)?

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Mythbusters: Reed College Edition Part II

Mythbusters: Reed College Edition is back with a vengeance to try to stomp out more myths. This time, we “dig deep” to uncover an automobile mystery, investigate Doyle Owl airborne appearances, and introduce an often-forgotten type of Reed student. Before we get started, I want to mention that all of the posts on the Res Life are written by current students. If you have a question or concern about anything we write, please let us know. All of the bloggers are open to constructive criticism and feedback! Now, without further ado, let’s get started…

mythbusters2

  1. MYTH: “Is a British sports car really buried beneath the Hauser Library?”  Continue reading
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“I Thought It Was Supposed to Be Rainy Here!”: Your Guide to Portland Weather

Greetings freshmen, transfers, exchange students, and those otherwise unfamiliar with Portland’s unique climate! Many of you may be wondering, or may find yourself wondering over the course of the next month, “what did I buy all of this rain gear for if it’s going to be so sunny out?”

All in due time.

Your best bet for staying dry in the coming months.

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The Cooking Chronicles Part 2: Food Essentials

So now you’re all suited up and ready to get cooking but you have no idea what to do. You know that you want something that’s fulfilling and delicious for dinner but you don’t want to have to spend 4 hours making it. You also really don’t want to whip out your water heater to make ramen. So what do you do? Here’s a list of a few easy, healthy, delicious (and cheap!) foods that will quell all of your hunger pangs.

  • Lentils: 

lentils
They’re great. They’re delicious! They’re versatile! They store really well! They come in a bunch of different varieties(including green, black, red, orange-red, yellow). Lentils are amazing. They are full of really great nutrients (lots of fiber, protein, and iron) and a small amount go a really long way. They’re great in everything from soups to stews to curries to salads. And you can easily mix them with lots of other foods to make delicious and balanced meals. And the best part? They’re super easy to make!

Recipe: Curried Lentil Soup

  • Rice: 

Rice is one of the perfect compliments to just about everything. It’s a fairly neutral food which means that you can manipulate it whichever way you want for a delicious meal (pineapple fried rice anyone? or maybe rice pudding? The entire rice world is at your disposal). And if you use your rice cooker, it’s one of the easiest things that you can make.

Recipe: Pineapple Fried Rice

  • Sweet Potatoes:

 
sweet potatoes
Sweet Potatoes are the potato’s confused cousin. Some people think that it’s a potato. Some people think that it’s a yam. Technically, it’s neither. Whatever, it is, this orange potato “thing” is sweet, delicious and super good for you. You can stick the whole thing in the oven and have a sweet baked potato. Mash it, and have orange mashed potatoes. It’s all the fun of any regular potato, but in a fun color.

Recipe: Mashed Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

  • Plantains:

 
plantains

I love plantains. Love them. They’re the banana’s superior cousin.There are a myriad of different ways to make them, but frying them is my personal preferred method. Buy them green and make crunchy tostones, or get them ripe and bask in the salty-sweet deliciousness.

Recipe: Fried (Ripe) Plantains

  • Frozen Veggies:

 

So say you’re not feeling the entire prepare-cook-wash dishes-clean up routine and you just really want mac and cheese. Add some vital nutrients to your quick fix meal by mixing in frozen broccoli or spinach. All the joy of vegetables, without all the work.

  • Oatmeal:

 
oatmeal

Oatmeal may bring about awkward flashbacks of watery mush with technicolor dinosaur eggs, but trust me when I say that when done right, oatmeal can be a warm delicious experience. It takes almost no time to make and you can customize your oatmeal with anything you’d like (my personal favorite is peanut butter, nutella, and dried coconut). Be adventurous!

Recipe: Pumpkin Gingerbread Chocolate Oats

 

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Portland on a Budget: Portland Art Museum

Whether you’re an incoming student making a pre-Orientation trip up to PDX or a current student exploring the city over the summer, there’s always something to do in Portland on a student’s budget.

Portland Art Museum

Portland Art Museum

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Looking (Further) Back at Olde Reed

Throughout the years, the physical landscape of the Reed campus has changed, but the rigorous academics and life of the mind have remained the same. Using photos from the Reed Centennial Archive, I want to investigate the architectural history of our 116-acre campus. This Olde Reed exploration focuses on the heart of the campus: the Eric V. Hauser Memorial Library AKA the Hauser Fun Dome.

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Check out the gallery and get a Reed-flavored blast from the past. Continue reading

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Portland on a Budget: OMSI

Whether you’re an incoming student making a pre-Orientation trip up to PDX or a current student exploring the city over the summer, there’s always something to do in Portland on a student’s budget.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

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Mythbusters: Reed College Edition

Admittedly, the Reed College student body is filled with weirdos of all shapes and sizes. Postmodernist literature-reading hipsters, RPG and Dr. Who fanatics, science aficionados, and lovers of the just plain bizarre populate Reed’s green campus in the heart  of Southeast Portland. For those of you interested in attending Reed, we want to debunk a few misconceptions about our home here in the City of Roses.

mythbusters2

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The Cooking Chronicles Part 1: Kitchen Essentials

When it comes to on campus living, most people don’t automatically seem to consider cooking as something that they’ll be doing a lot of. Which is understandable, given the vast amount of options that Commons provides every day of the week, the convenience of the board plan, and all of the great food that can be found around Portland. But sometimes you’re hungry and the only thing that will soothe your pangs is a home cooked (or in this case, dorm cooked) meal. Here are a few kitchen staples that will make college cooking as easy as pie (terrible pun intended).

meme

please don’t do this. please. I’m begging you.

  • The Hot Pot: I know it just looks like a glorified kettle. And in some ways it is. But hot pots are great for making quick soups and stews. And all for about $17.00. Let the soup making commence.
hotpot

The Hot Pot. More than a kettle

  • The Rice Cooker: I love rice cookers. Maybe more than any other kitchen device. You can make anything in a rice cooker. Rice, soup, vegetables, shrimp, stew, dumplings–the list is literally endless. And it does all the hard work for you! Just put your food of choice in, press a button, and there you have it! Perfectly made rice, steamed veggies, hot stew, etc. It even keeps your food warm for you! There are entire cookbooks full of quick and easy rice cooker recipes. There’s even a Buzzfeed article (you can make bread. BREAD!) Go get one. Go get one now.
  • The Oven Mitt: Dorms (unfortunately) don’t come equipped with these. Don’t do what I’ve been doing and use your hoodie to take your cupcakes out of the oven.
  • The Measuring Cup Set: Baking is one of my go to stress relief activities. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to make soft, fluffy cookies without measuring cups. Get some and ensure cookie making goodness.
kitty measuring cups

You can even get cute ones like these!

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