The semester’s off and running, the weather’s getting worse, and next summer feels like an eternity. It’s easy to find your mood plummeting, your motivation waning, and your usually chipper self turning into a snappy betch. Misery has a snowball effect: you’re grumpy, and it rubs off on your roommate; you’re already in a bad mood, and walking into a pop quiz can set you over the edge. Before the blahs take over your body, take time to stop, breathe, recharge and rejuvenate. Here are five quick pick-me-ups to get you out of a funk.

1. Sleep: You’ve been up at the crack of dawn every morning to hit the gym, struggle to stay awake through three back-to-back classes, rush to your part-time job, and finally head home to tackle several hours worth of homework. Of course you’re feeling dreary! Lack of sleep can have adverse psychological effects– take it from a girl who is known to burst into tears at the slightest provocation after pulling an all-nighter or two– so even if you can’t fit in a full eight hours of sleep a night, treat yourself to a long, comatose nap. When you wake up, you’ll be more energetic and alert, so it might even boost your studying stamina later in the week.

2. Treat Yourself: You’ve been running on empty for weeks, neglecting yourself in order to make a good impression on your professors, sorority sisters, friends, coworkers, etc. Do something nice for yourself. If you have some extra cash, buy yourself a new outfit. If you think you look good, you’re bound to feel good, too. Low on cash? Scrape together some change and download a couple of jams on i-Tunes. I mean, they’re only 99 cents most of the time– you deserve it! Get a track that will raise your spirits, like Flo Rida’s “In the Ayer,” DJ Laz’s “Move, Shake, Drop Remix” or, for a bubblegum pop sound, The Orion Experience’s “Obsessed with You.” Then, crank up your speakers and have your own personal dance party for a few minutes. It’ll be worth it. Read More »

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[Photo courtesy of x17 online]

Something Old: The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979)
Something New: Semi-Pro (2008)
The Connection: Both are disco-licious basketball comedies – my favorite genre

I am a cynic by nature. I don’t go to church. I don’t play the lottery. I don’t read books that the general population agrees are good. I don’t watch Extreme Home Makeover. I don’t think Barack Obama can revolutionize America. I don’t believe in procreation. I don’t coo over puppies.

But one of the few things that can consistently penetrate my hard-ass realist exterior is an underdog sports movie. Seriously. I can’t explain it, but ever since Rudy, this cheesiest of movie genres has had the ability to burrow in to my stone-cold heart and leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and sometimes even a little teary-eyed. It’s embarrassing but true, and I take a special kind of guilty pleasure in indulging this ever-so-sissy aspect of myself.

And while The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh is certainly no Rudy, it does the double-duty of being a satisfying underdog sports film and a campy tribute to the disco age (YESSSS!). Set in, duh, Pittsburgh, the film centers around a pro basketball team called the Pittsburgh Pythons that’s on the brink of extinction due to their horrendous track record. In an attempt to save the team, the young waterboy contacts an astrologer (Stockard Channing) to ask for advice, and she determines that the key to success is to create a team of players born under the sign Pisces – hence, the film’s title. Read More »

Have you, gentle reader, ever entertained the thought of seducing John Krasinski - through the universal language of song? Yes. Yes, in fact, you have. But before you proceed, consider the sad example of Aimee Mann.

She tries to do just that, in this entertaining yet not-at-all timely mockumentary, which features Mann wandering around Hollywood in a succession of dapper ties, trying to book various stars for her annual Christmas spectacular.

(Before you ask why Aimee is releasing a Christmas mockumentary in mid-February, consider the larger mystery at play: she’s scheduling the show itself for November 30. Aimee Mann apparently has trouble figuring out when Christmas happens.)

The clip itself mostly features John K. honing his suprisingly well-developed skills of shifting around and making uncomfortable faces at the camera. (You know, if only there were some sort of SHOW where he could do this EVERY WEEK.) Yet, for Mann’s song alone, it’s well worth your time. Read More »

Anyone with a sense of humor can tell that Saturday Night Live has ebbed a little when it comes to being hilarious.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what has turned the once intensely entertaining show into an hour of slightly-too-long sketches that sometimes make a person laugh, but whatever the recipe that conjured the Eddie Murphy, Chris Farley and later Will Ferrell generation, today’s SNL could use it.

That being said, I’m not sure the holiday would be complete without a little visit from a vintage SNL clip that only gets funnier with age. The combination of public radio personalities, Alec Baldwin, and tasty, bite-size treats is pure comic genius.

Long Live Schweaty’s Balls.