Someone isn’t taking finals well.

So these last few weeks of school push even the most dedicated and responsible student to the brink of insanity. In honor of this delirium, UT4D invites you to participate in our first ever photo contest. Here’s how it works:

 1. See students studying/sleeping/looking stressed around the city

2. Snap a pic.

3. Send the pic and caption to UTforDummiesATgmailDOTcom.

The pics will be judged, ranked then uploaded to the site in all of their glory the day after finals end. So step up to the challenge and have some fun during these weeks of hell….

Parents love Bevo Bucks. Ask them for cash, and they might say no; ask them for Bevo Bucks, and they will at least think twice–They know at least you can’t buy (illegal) drugs with them (yet).

But Bevo has cut some loopholes with those horns. There are a few things mom and pop didn’t think about or know about.

1. Get a nice haircut.
Orbit Salon is located on 500 W. 18th St. And, I actually have had my hair cut there before (with Bevo Bucks) and they do a fantastic job. Use those five bucks on something that lasts for a month.

2. Pay your sin tax and grab a beverage.

Both the CVS on the Drag and the convenient store in Dobie mall accept Bevo Bucks. Bevo asks for you to not take advantage of him, with that being said.

3. Get yo’ meds.

In Austin, EVERY season is allergy season (yay!). The UT Pharmacy accepts Bevo Bucks for medicine and all the goodies you can buy within the store (toothpaste, gum, candy…).

4. Lazily order food.

Places on the Drag like Veggie Heaven don’t accept Bevo Bucks, but like I said, loophole.Longhorn Delivery accepts Bevo Bucks and delivers from 27 different restaurants around campus (many of which don’t individually accept BB). But that’s not all… They also deliver toiletries, school supplies, cigarettes, batteries, light bulbs, hangover relief, condoms, and even guitar picks.

Tell the ‘rents you need some food money and put it on Bevo’s tab.

In honor of Earth Day, the city of Austin formulated a little Flash game to test the recycling knowledge of Austin children. Luckily, my maturity is equivalent and I just spent an hour playing “Recycling Round-up” using my character of choice, Rex the dog.

So besides chillin’ on the West Mall getting goodies from all the good-natured UT orgs saying the word “green” more times than you can count, fresh up on some knowledge imposed upon you by ATX’s finest.

In light of the stoner’s holiday that blew in with a cloud of BBQ smoke and out with a cloud of.. well.. you know.., I decided to investigate a UT myth that has been circling around campus for the last few decades.

A close friend and alibi, who graduated from UT in the late ’90s, told me about a hidden ‘pipe’ - if you will - that facilitated the smoking of various plants and herbs on campus. Apparently there was a time when smoking whatever/whenever was tolerated?  Not sure.  Anyway, this pipe is supposed to be carved out of the wall in this vicinity:

In case you can’t recognize this space, it is the area to the Southeast of the tower. The above picture is only an example of the wall, but I was not given any specific directions on where to look for this mystery piece. I examined the wall with much precision, but all I found were blemishes in the stone like this one:

After searching for something I decided doesn’t exist, I realized the task at hand was much too large for one person. That wall is huge! I was looking for a needle in a hay stack.

Urban legend or real antique paraphernalia? I wish i knew..

Have a UTish photo to contribute?

Post it in the Facebook group, and we just might feature it on our lovely UT4D Flickr.

That’s right, UT4D wants YOU!

We want to keep this little blog baby alive, and the more contributers, the merrier. Email your ideas, suggestions, or express your desire to join the UT4D team: utfordummies@gmail.com.

OH! and if being awesome isn’t incentive enough, we’re getting t-shirts soon. One could be yours at the price of 0$ !!!!!

UT4D fact: you can get busted with a pretty graffiti fine for a little sidewalk chalk. UTPD reported a loss of $50 for some on the steps of O’Henry Hall.

Just say no.

So on Sunday night, some guy in Jester beat the crap out of some drunken man who stumbled into his room. Apparently the man had waltzed right in and hit the student in the face, before the Jester rez knocked him clean out.

Although my mom encouraged me to purchase some mace before coming to this big bad city, I realized today that this small town chick would be in a world of hurt if a drunken idiot hit her in the face.

So I decided to look up some places to take some lesson in general butt-kicking. Here’s what I found near campus:

Kim Soo Karate on South Lamar:

Kinda pricey at 120 bucks for six weeks. But apparently you get one of those bathrobe uniforms and a gym bag.

Plus, it looks like these gals could take on anybody:

And speaking of pics… sign me up for whatever class this woman is taking…

Sun Dragon Martial Arts on Riverside. $85.

And they have this archive of blogs called “Why I Train.” Here’s a little morsel from on for all you peeps out there…

Jen

Training Since: August 2005

I train because to not train is to deny myself needs
that are as primal as hunger,
natural as breathing,
innate as a heartbeat.

My body needs movement.
Therefore,
I move it though kata, kihons,
self-defense drills.
I move it against bags and ukes.
I move it through kumite.

My mind needs puzzles;
to sort through the intricacies of
a combination or a kata
keeps me sharp and ready.

My soul needs community.
Walking into the dojo is to
walk into a friend’s embrace
irrespective of the quality
of your mood,
irrespective of what you are
able to give that day.

To train is to meet the requirements of my soul’s dynamism.
I am blessed to do that at Sun Dragon.

Friends and hands of death? Yes please.

 I usually delete the ‘please take a moment to fill out this survey about the university’ email from my inbox before I even open it.  Today though, the gmail preview read, “Congratulations! You have the distinguished opportunity to participate in..”

Wow!  Congratulations AND distinguished: two words that make me want to read on.

Yep, I was sucked in.   I ended up completing a survey about something I am completely removed from - UT athletics.  I did, however, think it was amusing that UT is trying to figure out how to promote academics as grandly as sports already are.  It’ll never happen, largely because a lot of the promotion is out of the university’s hands (media coverage, alumni, etc).

Side note:   I also had to complete a page about myself.  Under sexual orientation, the options included (but not limited to) gay, lesbian, male bisexual, female bisexual and queer.  Did I miss something?

My condo complex is a giant chocolate chip in the West Campus cookie. The Croix is infamous for its West Campus expansion area of who knows how many block(-party)s.

This explanation barely scrapes the gentle surface of the environmental transformation process the Croix experiences every Saturday night to Sunday morning.

The saga of my upstairs neighbors continues. Known for previously throwing trash down the stairs and bashing the upstairs window in a fit of drunken rage, last night their story was toned down when they simply could not finish their last bite of pizza and their last sip of Coca Cola.

The pizza was not found on the scene.

This has been a brief and first introductory episode of “The Croix Report.” Tune in next Sunday for more compartmentalized apartment stories, or later this eve as more details unfold.

Children of the 90s’, I beckon thee;

Remember this character?

Ya, we all remember Hammer time. And that time is again.

Meet A’Keiba Burrell, Sir Hammer’s lovely 20-year-old daughter… AND UT MUSIC STUDENT.

Bam. Burrell, however, has taken the semester off to participate in MTV’s “Rock the Cradle,” a show about celebrity children who compete in a talent-show-type environment. The audience gets to vote who goes and stays.

Basically, a vote for her is a vote for UT and for MC Hammer. Can’t touch this…

…But there are some things that will.

Apartments and condos that are decorated nicely and kept in good quality are often chosen to be shown by realty agents, meaning that your personal belongings become exhibits in the effed-up museum of the big-money property game.

Recently my apartment has been shown up to three times a day–one time even during dinner— ripping my roommate and I of privacy and comfort. Deadbolting stopped working after they complained to our landlord.

So how to get rid of your real estate infestation problem?

The key point to remember: don’t get evicted. Leaving an apartment/condo filthy is bad for everyone. Instead, try these simple pointers:

• Leave out objects society finds uncomfortable in a notable place like the living room floor. For example: lubricant, condoms, sex toys, and porn magazines. Realty agents often show apartments in accompaniment with parents, and parents don’t want to see that kids in your complex are ::shudder:: having intercourse.

(Lubricant on display)

• Leave out an overwhelming amount of alcohol. This is only suggested if you have NOT HAD a warning against you in the past. Empty and full bottles and cans left all over the abode will also hint to parents that this complex is no place for little Betty.

But remember, do not leave out anything ILLEGAL, including paraphernalia. You have to keep your apartment societally filthy and taboo.

So the next time Joe calls and says he’s got an appointment at your place…. Make sure he knows it will be the last.

Ever read the UTPD Campus Watch archive?

First and foremost, the writing is brilliant. Without it, one would never know that UT police officers move with “cat-like reflexes.”

UT for Dummies fave crime from yesterday:

Burglary of Coin-Operated Machine: A UT staff member discovered four coin-operated machines located inside the women’s restroom had been forced open and an unknown amount of product had been stolen. Loss value: Unknown at this time. Discovered on: 3-28-07 at 9:30 PM.

Loss value of tampons: priceless, is what they meant to say.

Additionally, the faithful squad posted this:

“Again the University of Texas Police Department is asking for your assistance in reporting any and all suspicious activity that you witness. Your telephone call could earn you a pizza of your choice.”

For joining clubs, solving crime, winning sports games… we salute you pizza.

It has been recently called to my attention that a new ‘humor’ site has been making its rounds throughout some of the UT community. The site, usagonedirty.com, features five cities (college towns i.e. easy targets for the dirtay) where incriminating photos have been taken. Austin can now call itself one of those five as we too have apparently ‘gone dirty.’

Anyone can upload pictures and captions. Commenting is obviously available for viewers just incase the stereotypical caption provided isn’t enough. As frat guys, fat girls, and half naked blondes are posted up there to be ridiculed for their ‘dirtayness,’ one must keep in mind that a fair majority of these Austin dirties don’t even know they are on the site. The pictures can be unknowingly stolen from facebook or personal photo page.

While the pictures may have been on facebook to begin with there is still some level of control that someone has over those shots. I talked to a girl who found herself on the site in a picture that has been taken off facebook. She still hasn’t been successful in getting the picture taken off.

It is all fun and games until you find your dirty self up there! Thoughts on this?