Yesterday was Mardis Gras and, without doubt, tons of college kids had a night full of binge drinking and eating. You’re probably realizing now that that 16th shot of vodka and all those extra slices of pizza are only contributing to the pain you’re feeling today. So, for obvious reasons, we’re dubbing this day “Dead Wednesday” (or, since I’m taking French, “Mercredi Mort”).

Everyone has their go-to cure for hangovers, so I’ve compiled a list of the tips that seem to work for most people. I’ve heard some pretty weird ones but these are the by far the best pieces of advice. Rest up, follow these tips, and pull yourself out of the zombie state that is your hangover (after all, Thirsty Thursday is right around the corner)!

initiating the gallery…

What are your cures for hangovers?

[Lead image via ostill/Shutterstock]

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The Oscars is hands-down my favorite night on TV. I get very involved in the process around winter break and I start watching the potentially nominated films. By the time that the nominations are announced, I have seen most of them. Basically, you could say I know what I’m talking about when it comes to supporting actors and original scores. Knowing that most college students are not like me, I’ve thrown together a little rundown of the major films to be familiar with this Oscar Sunday. No one needs to know you didn’t technically see the films (though I highly suggest you do!).

initiating the gallery…

[Lead image via Featureflash/Shutterstock]

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Types Of Music

No matter if you are interested in creating house, rap, jungle or hip hop beats, the Dub Turbo program can help you accomplish your musical goals. Compared to similar programs that cost much more money, this program is very easy to use and understand for beginners. Also, it offers professional sound quality that many other programs simply do not. For anyone looking to expand their musical careers, the Dub Turbo beat making program can help you get you on your way by.

Cult Following

Since this program is so incredibly simple to use it has become very popular in the industry. The Dub Turbo program was created by an industry insider who knew exactly what users were looking for in a beat making program. Thankfully, this wonderful system comes with an easy to follow instructional booklet that will have beginners making their very own beats in no time. Most programs similar to Dub Turbo are complicated and very difficult to use if you do not have any experience in the field.

Effective Tool

The Dub Turbo program comes with a plethora of preloaded musical samples that producers can use in making their own unique beats. This is another great benefit of the program, along with the fact that it comes with a great tutorial on how to use the program. If you have any interest in creating your own beats with a program that is simple to understand you should take a look at the Dub Turbo program.

Easy To Understand Tutorial

It can be extremely difficult to break into the music industry. However, if you outfit yourself with the right tools and programs you will have a much better chance of becoming a successful producer. The Dub Turbo program is great for beginners because it comes with easy to follow instructions and a step by step tutorial to teach people how to effectively use it. It is preloaded with many drum kits and beats so you will be able to make professional sounding compositions right away.

Anyone considering buying a program for the purposes of making their own beats has many options available to them. However, for the money, there may be no better program out there than the Dub Turbo program. Also, a similar program called Beats 365 review is good for making beats also. Its ease of use and versatility are unmatched in the market of beat making programs. It allows users to easily start making their own musical compositions after watching to fantastic tutorial. Dub Turbo is becoming increasingly popular in the industry because people of any skill level can use it and become proficient and making their own unique beats.

Evidence

Ancient artworks depict copious amounts of alcohol and alcohol jugs next to rulers and deities alike. Neolithic discoveries unearthed jugs that contained fermented beverages made from berries or honey. This is evidence that alcohol consumption is not a contemporary phenomenon. The worship of wine infused deities such as Osiris and Dionysius was also rampant throughout the ancient world.

Views On Consumption

Although alcohol has been used in many secular functions as well as religious practices, it was discussed in moderation. The ancient Egyptians warned of the importance of moderation. An attitude society still purports today. The ancient Egyptians didn’t necessarily believe there was anything wrong with being intoxicated, they just warned against venturing to taverns and excessive drinking. Taverns in ancient Egypt were also known for prostitution. Initially the Greeks and Romans were also known for their moderate drinking practices, however this changed over time. At the end of the day, the only way to beat alcohol addiction is with alcohol addiction detox.

Religious Practices

Practices dating back to the Neolithic times featured wine and alcohol in religious rites. There were many wine and alcohol deities who were widely celebrated such as Osiris and Dionysius, and festivals such as the Roman festival of Bacchanalia. Bacchus was the Roman version of Dionysius, the deity of wine and merriment. Modern day practices involving alcohol include pagan rituals with the ingesting of bread and imbibing of ale. Christian sects also feature the drinking of wine and/or the blood of Christ.

Drunkenness

The Egyptians discussed moderation when it came to alcohol consumption. This view widely changed. The Greeks, Romans, and Macedonians alike widely practiced intemperance. Notorious historical figures such as Alexander the Great were known for their over consumption of inebriating beverages. Wine and alcohol were celebrated as gifts from the gods and were therefore imbibed on a frequent basis.

Drinking Games Aren’t New

Young people today didn’t invent the idea of drinking games. They have been around for centuries. Beer pong, beer battle ship, drinking card games, and many more are widely practiced on Friday and Saturday evenings on any college campus. These games originated in Rome, once such game the ancient Romans played included the quick consumption of alcohol at the throw of a dice.

Shifting Views

From the Sumerians to the Romans ideals surrounding alcohol continuously varied. Some periods discussed the virtue of temperance and moderation while others memorialized the intemperance of alcohol. Prominent men throughout history were either honored for their temperance such as Julius Caesar or were widely praised for their drunken ruling practices. Even as Christianity shifted thoughts, the prevalence of alcohol in rituals continued.

Italian

Italian is spoken throughout the world. It is the native tongue for about 65 million people spanning almost all continents. It is the national language for many European countries including Italy and one of the four national languages for Switzerland. Italian has a long debated history, deriving from Latin. Many scholarly debates have turned Italian into the lyrical romantic language it is today.

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a turning point for many of the humanities. Art, philosophy, and linguistics. During the Renaissance Italian was being used in every state throughout the country in the courts. At this time there was a rediscovery of Dante’s De vulgari eloquentia. This reclaiming instilled a debate among scholars as to what the best version of Italian would be like.

Debate

The Renaissance thinking of the 16th century sparked huge debates among scholarly factions as to which form of Italian should become contemporary. These different schools of thought included the Purists, the Florentines, and the courtiers. There was a fourth faction that didn’t hold much weight. They believed that the best form of Italian was that which was used by the papal courts.

Classical Italian

The purists were a faction of scholars headed by the Venetian, Pietro Bembo. They argued that the language should be similar to that of the great literary classics like Petrarch and parts of Boccaccio. The Divine Comedy although considered by some to be a great classic was not good enough in the eyes of the purists. It did not emblem the lyrical Italian that the purists were seeking.

Other Schools Of Thought

The Florentines which included Niccolo Machiavelli believed that the Italian spoken by the ordinary people in their own time was the best version of Italian. The courtiers felt that each local vernacular should contribute to the new standard. Eventually the purists won.

The Italian Language Institution

The purist’s ideas prevailed over the others and this lead to the formation of the Accademia Della Crusca in Florence. This was established in 1582-1583. This was known as the official legislative body of the Italian language. The academia della cursca is responsible for the publication of Agnolo Monosini’s Latin Tome, Floris italicae linguae libri novem in 1604. This publication was then followed by the first ever Italian dictionary in 1612.

There was much debate during the time of the Renaissance regarding the Italian language and how it should be spoken. Unfortunately back then they didn’t have language programs for learning languages like rocket Italian or Rocket German reviews. The different schools of thought fought and debated the best modern Italian and instilled one of the greatest romance languages in the world.

When it’s over, is it over forever? Can’t there be a way to forgive and forget? Forgive and move forward? There’s no question that a lot of people do attempt to cultivate a second, third…twenty-fifth, chance with an ex, but it never seems to work out. This isn’t rocket science (though I’ll bet rocket scientists would have a hard time identifying all the variables in this equation), whatever the problem, so there has to be a way to solve it. Well, dear readers, I give you a bit of a cautionary — yet hopeful — guide to the risks and rewards of getting back with your ex.

Motivation. The why. Before you’re rushing back in, you’ve got to look at what’s got you so eager. If it’s loneliness, don’t. If it’s fear of being alone, don’t. If it’s because you’ve got nothing better on your plate, don’t. You broke up for a good reason, perhaps several. What’s changed since? 99 times out of 100 you can’t, and shouldn’t, jump back to the place you left things, after all it was the place you left things…the bad place. No one wants to go to the bad place! There was something you wanted and didn’t get, or something you needed that you hadn’t had, and the question is whether or not you’ve gotten it on your own and can move forward, or you’ve compromised on how to attempt to fill those voids for each other.

Nostalgia kills. There it is. You can’t “go back to the way it was.” There were good times but that’s not where you would be picking things up from, and you two won’t be the same people who left things the way they were. People change, or should change, after a break up. They need to reevaluate who they are, where they’re at, where they want to go, and how they want to get there. If two people who couldn’t make it work attempt a second life, but try to be who they were before, well, that’s just a dangerous delusion. There are no re-dos or rewinds when it comes to relationships.

It can never be said enough: COMMUNICATION IS KEY! If you’re going to jump back into the emotional sack with your ex, you better have a few long f*cking conversations, that may or may not involve actual f*cking. You’ve got to redefine the boundaries. For example, if you’d been living together for a few months, don’t just move back in. If one person cheated, you might have to establish some new communication rules (calling each night, being aware of each other’s schedules, etc.) for a while. See, I’m making it sound like a lot of work and, really, IT F*CKING IS, DUH! You’ve got to rebuild trust. If you don’t think that’s going to take work and awareness, then don’t even bother. There may be parts that feel uncomfortable or like an obligation for the first month or two, but this is a marathon and not a sprint. When you’ve proven you’re competent at showing the kind of respect, awareness, sensitivity and effort that the other person needs, things will evolve beyond that point. But you’ve got to get there first!

Some will argue it’s easier if it’s been only a little while since things ended and some will argue the more time the better in terms of being able to build a new trust with an ex. I don’t know. Honestly, it’s a case-by-case basis. A large part having to do with why things ended in the first place and how much personal growth has been accomplished since. Those don’t possess fixed rates and values.

There are lots of great couples out there that break up. We’ve all watched perfect couples plotz. Should they ever get back together if they want to? Why not? Seriously, ask yourself that question: Why not?

I’m all for people giving it another chance. You were drawn to each other for some reasons, hopefully healthy ones. If there’s something there, it’ll always be there, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, which will provide plenty of fertile ground to grow something new. And that’s the best way to look at it: a new relationship.

Wounds can heal. People grow. Circumstances change. Needs evolve. There’s always hope. Just realize it’s a new day, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new chance, that the old rules don’t apply, and, yes, he probably still does that annoying thing that used to drive you crazy.

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They’ve begun trickling in—photos of the bread some of you’ve made as part of our Sourdough Challenge. I can’t tell you how delighted I have been to see them. I’m so pleased to think about new sourdough bakers out there.

Here is Charlotte’s bread, up in Canada. Isn’t it beautiful? “My first batch of starter went all wierd on me so I started again,” Charlotte reports. “I coddled it a bit more (made sure it was warm) as the temperature in our house fluctuates madly…I kept saying to myself, if they could do starter on the Oregon trail…”

I think the pioneer farmwives would be proud of you, Charlotte.

And here in Seattle, Meg turned out this gorgeous loaf (and a couple of others as well). You can read about her sourdough experiments. This loaf is round two out of three. I think Meg gets the prize for persistence.

My friend Marisa, who writes the fantastic Food in Jars blog, now has bread to go with all the great jams and pickles she makes. She said the first loaf came out flat as a pancake (though tasted fine for toast), but she’s clearly hit her stride now. This is a version of the King Arthur recipe with two cups of the flour swapped out for whole wheat.

Crawford turned in this beautiful sourdough made in a loaf pan. “I have tried for years to successfully ‘start’ some dough,” he wrote. “I tried water. I tried pineapple juice, whole wheat and plain unbleached flour… I coddled, nursed, bullied and praised my starter always to have it turn in to a blob. I had given up when my brother ran across your blog and sent it as an encouragement…and this morning I enjoyed two slices of delicious sourdough!” Congratulations, Crawford.

And in far off Bulgaria, Rumy wrote a whole blog post about her sourdough adventures that produced this lovely loaf. I only wish I could read Bulgarian so I could follow along. But the pictures are great, and the bread looks wonderful.

In New York, fellow writer Christine whipped up this sourdough series (she gets extra points for cool photography effects). This is another version of the King Arthur recipe, and the first loaf of bread Christine has ever baked. Impressive, no?

The other night, when I went over to my friend Rebekah’s house for dinner, there on her stove were two loaves of bread she had made (with the addition of some buckwheat flour, that made it lovely). She said she didn’t think it would turn out, because she neglected and didn’t really knead it, but we gobbled it down and I had more for breakfast this morning.

Finally, in Wisconsin, long time reader turned friend Lee used her new starter to make the Tartine bread recipe. “Last night I made some of the best bread I’ve ever had,” she reports. “To say I am thrilled would be an understatement.”

[I should point out that this is not the first loaf of bread that Lee has ever made, but it's the first with her very own starter. Her results got me interested in trying the Tartine recipe myself. I'll have a full report on that one soon.]

You guys are so cool. Three cheers for sourdough bakers!

And a big thanks to all who sent in photos.

I’ve had a few reports from folks having problems with their starter. Obviously I’m not in your kitchen and can’t tell you exactly what is happening, but I find it helpful to go back to the basics.

There are really three variables to consider.

Flour: Ideally organic, start with rye or whole wheat and switch to unbleached.

Water: Spring water, or start with pineapple juice if you want to play it super safe.

Environment: Keep things warm enough for the starter, find a protected nook or use your oven with the light on if your house is as cold as mine is.

And if you have any specific questions, send them in!

Happy baking.

Tea & Cookies