Written by Shannon Mitchell

Published on December 16, 2014

Let’s face it, 2014 has kind of been a long year. With all the stressful group projects and petty drama between friends, we definitely deserve to enjoy ourselves. Here’s a foolproof list of different activities that help keep boredom at arm’s length.

1. Eat something that will warm you up and make your stomach merry. Plus you get to tell all the nonbelievers that you can cook more than ramen or velveeta. Mouthwatering Mashed Potatoes is a recipe by yours truly. I made this for my friends at our Super Bowl potluck and they keep asking me to do it again. This classic comfort food will definitely satisfy any guilty pleasure cravings.Ingredients
   1. 5 potatoes, I use russet (aka Idaho) but pick whichever one you’d like
   2. ½ cup of milk of your choice
   3. ¼ cup of butter
   4. ¾ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
   5. Bacon Bits (put as much as you want!)
   6. Salt and pepper to taste
   7. Optional: ¼ cup of chopped green onions, ½ clove of minced garlicSteps
      1. Peel and dice your potatoes
      2. Chuck them in a large pot and cover with water
      3. Bring it to a boil of medium-high heat then lower it just a tad bit.
      4. Cook potatoes until they’re soft. (You can tell by poking them with a fork.) This can take about 10-20 minutes depending on how thick you’ve diced your potatoes.
      5. After straining, transfer those bad boys to a large bowl and throw in the rest of the ingredients (save a little cheese for the end!)
      6. Mash everything together (see what I did there?) using a wooden spoon or any other large utensil you have
      7. Sprinkle more cheese on top and enjoy!
2. After you have filled your stomach, hit up the movie theater. Plenty of them offer student discounts, so don’t forget to bring your student ID to these upcoming flicks. Want to know what movies are coming out? Here is a list and you can also visit MovieInsider.com for more dates and movie reviews.
   1. November 21: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – See the lovely/badass Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen begin the revolution against President Snow after surviving the Hunger Games twice.
   2. November 26: The Penguins of Madagascar – Give your parents a break and take your younger siblings out for once.  “The most entertaining and mysterious birds” team up with a spy organization to stop Dr. Octavious Brine from world domination.
   3. December 17: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – This prequel to the Lord of the Rings series focuses on Bilbo, Thorin and the Company of Dwarves. Their future is at stake when their enemy Sauron stealthily attacks the Lonely Mountain. It’s up to them to put aside their conflicts and join together to stop his advances.
   4. December 19: Annie – The classic musical gets a modern revival with a present day setting and a star studded cast. Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and Golden Globe nominee Cameron Diaz follow the basic plot of the other two adaptations. Plus, it’s produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith!
      

      See Annie in theaters, starting Friday December 19!

3. By the way, Christmas is around the corner, tis the season, so get a gift for yourself. The holidays are all about giving but what about you? Save up some dough and buy something nice that you’ve had your eye on. These items may spark your interest:
   1. Instruments: guitar, keyboard, turn tables, etc
   2. Watch: Michael Kors can get a little expensive but Guess and American Apparel have great options for a decent price
   3. Gadget of some sort, whether it’s a new camera, tablet, TV or laptop
   4. Nice dinner party of 1: Venture out on your own to a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try. You won’t look like a loser eating by yourself, people do it all the time.
   5. Room decorations: Spice up your personal space with posters, tapestries, and funky things that can go on your desk/dresser. Dollar stores have plenty of christmas lights that creates a mellow vibe.
4. Speaking of gifting, it is possible save the stress and avoid tearing out your hair during the whole process. Marketing major and retail worker Isabelle Fleury shared a tip on making shopping a whole lot easier.
   1. Plan your time accordingly. Coming in on Black Friday can help your wallet but “not all ‘deals’ are so great, so coming in at 2am isn’t worth it.” She advises shopping in the afternoon “when the herd has cleared out.” It’s less stressful and is easier to browse through racks.
      

      Please be nice to the employees. She’s been working for 8 hours straight on swollen feet and an empty stomach. Do your part. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

 5.  With the snow headed our way, when was the last time you went sledding? Can’t remember? Then it’s been too long. Sledriding.com offers plenty of hill options in local areas. For Connecticut, the list is broken down by county. Fairfield county has 4 hills posted on the site, but if you look around your neighborhood by schools, parks, etc. you can find more. There are Stratford listings, so save these for a snow day and get shredding!

1. Bunnell High School: 1 Bulldog Blvd, Stratford, CT 06614, grass turf, 45 degree slope, 100-200 ft long, smooth texture
2. Boothe Memorial Park: 5800 Main St, Stratford, CT 06614, grass turf, 60 degree slope, 100-200 ft long, smooth & bumpy texture

 With these activities, there’s no way you can get bored this season. Get off the couch, grab some friends, and enjoy yourself!