Driftwood #17: Self-Care Corner

April 15, 2021

Play Self-Care BINGO: Win a Prize!

Have you ever been so caught up in school that you forget to take care of yourself? I know I have. Sometimes we just need a little reminder. (We included some cleaning ideas because it’s an important part of self care that allows you to feel accomplished while improving your well-being as you study and relax.)

Prize Alert! Check out the BINGO board below that includes physical, mental, and practical self-care tasks. We have some fun UWGB swag and other prizes for those who turn in a completed card with regular BINGO. You’ll get an extra-special prize if you turn in “Blackout BINGO,” i.e. fill in the whole card.

How to Play:
  1. Download a PDF copy of the Self-Care BINGO card.
    .
  2. Briefly describe what you did for each step you completed, below the card. You can type directly on the Word file, or print out either the PDF or Word file and hand-write your steps.
    .
  3. Email your completed card to fernandt@uwgb.edu, or drop your printed card off at the Marinette campus Student Services front desk.
    .
  4. Tag the Marinette campus on Facebook or Instagram (both @UWGBMarinette) with #SelfCareBINGO for your chance to win a prize!
Self-Care BINGO Card
Click on the image for a PDF file you can download and print.

—Angel Wolske, Jasmine Hanson, and Bruce Kong

 

Driftwood #17: Cooking at Home

April 15, 2021

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

In this issue of The Driftwood, we’re sharing a few family recipes that are cherished and of great value to us. <snip> These recipes may have been passed down from generations of family members, or may have just been recently introduced. Either way, it’s a recipe that’s been crafted with love and made with high-quality rich ingredients that fill your tummy. Enjoy!

Asian glazed chicken thighsIngredients: 

  • 1 cup rice vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup toasted sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons Asian chili garlic sauce
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon chopped green onion (optional)

Directions:

  1. Whisk the vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, garlic, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour half the marinade into a large plastic zipper bag; retain the other half of the sauce. Place the chicken thighs into the bag containing marinade, squeeze all the air out of the bag, and seal. Shake a few times to coat chicken. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning bag once or twice.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  3. Pour the other half of the marinade into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, to thicken sauce. Remove the chicken from the bag; discard used marinade. Place chicken thighs into a 9×13-inch baking dish, and brush with 1/3 of the thickened marinade from the saucepan.
  4. Bake 30 minutes, basting one more time after 10 minutes; an instant-read thermometer inserted into a chicken thigh should read 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
  5. Let stand for 5 or 10 minutes; meanwhile, bring remaining marinade back to a boil for 1 or 2 minutes, and serve chicken with marinade. Sprinkle with green onions.
—Bruce Kong

Tex-Mex Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Tex-Mex Mac n CheeseBoxed macaroni is a kitchen staple for college students, but if you’re looking to spice up your next dinner (no pun intended), then this is the recipe for you! Tex-Mex is equally as cheap and simple to make as regular mac ‘n’ cheese but adds a delicious, savory twist that’s sure to leave you craving more. Plus, it’s just as good after being reheated, so one batch can be the gift that keeps on giving for several meals afterwards.

Ingredients:

 

  • 2 packages of boxed macaroni and cheese (ex: Kraft)
  • 1 pound of extra-lean ground beef
  • 1 cup of Rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 can of black beans, drained
  • 1 can of whole-kernel sweet corn, drained
  • 1 package of taco seasoning
  • Sour cream and tortilla chips (optional for garnish)

Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat and add taco seasoning, following the directions on the seasoning package.

  2. Prepare the macaroni as instructed on the packages.

  3. Mix in the ground beef, Rotel, black beans, and corn to the prepared macaroni.

  4. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Top with sour cream and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

  5. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

—Mallory Allen

Driftwood #16: The Cosplay Advisor

April 5, 2021

Finding or Making Cosplay Patterns

This article is part of a series that will walk you through the steps to create a cosplay costume, suitable for Comic Con, our local Kitsune Kon, and more.
 

cosplay kids with tape moldsLast time, we went over how to choose a cosplay character and find reference photos. Your next step is to find your costume pattern and materials.

If you just want to buy a pattern, there are plenty of artists out there who specialize in cosplay costume patterns. One of my go-to sites is Etsy.com, which is where I purchased the pattern for the Iron Man cosplay. Make sure to read the description completely to understand what you’ll receive with the pattern package.

As a reminder, I’ll be walking you through the construction of an Iron Man costume and a Rainbow Dash costume. If you want to make a pattern, here are some steps to follow:

  1. Make a duct-tape mold of your body. On this mold, you can trace out the armor or clothes to create the pattern. I make my duct-tape molds by putting a plastic garbage bag on and wrapping the duct tape around it, from top to bottom. However, some cosplayers find it better to wrap the duct tape in a criss-cross pattern, but you can choose whatever way works better for you. If you’re making armor, I would recommend sizing your pattern pieces a little bigger than the mold so it looks normal and fits well over clothing. (See the photo, above, for the duct-tape molds I made on the models for my Iron Man and Rainbow Dash costumes.)
  2. Make your pattern. Use thin paper for making cloth patterns and cardstock for making armor patterns if you’re making them by hand instead of on the computer. Trace out the pieces you’ll need, and then cut out the shapes from your paper or cardstock. (If you need more guidance, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials out there on how to trace and cut out your pattern pieces.)
  3. Purchase your fabrics and other materials. When making armor, I mainly use cosplay EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foam, which you can find on Amazon and other online stores. However, you can also use foam mats from a hardware store or crafting foam. For the clothing parts of your costume, visit a fabric store and pick out the fabrics that appeal to you and that you can easily work with. I’m using tulle (see photo, right) for the Rainbow Dash cosplay.
  4. Purchase your thread and glue. You’ll have to know how to sew for most fabric cosplays, though hot glue works in some cases. Use cement glue instead of hot glue or super glue when making armor out of foam, because it’s flexible and strong. You also won’t have to go fishing for glue strands like you would have to if you used hot glue.

Try out some of these, options and look for the next edition of the Driftwood, when you will get to see more on how I made my Iron Man and Rainbow Dash cosplays.

—Angel Wolske

Driftwood #16: Cooking at Home

April 5, 2021

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

cookiesIf you love baking (like me) or just have a major sweet-tooth (also me!), then you have to give these cookies a shot. My family and I first tasted them when my dad’s friend brought a few over to our house for us to try, and the first words out of all our mouths was, “Oh my gosh, we need this recipe!” Prepped and cooked in less than 30 minutes, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are quick and easy to make, but best of all, they’re utterly delicious!

Cookie Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter (softened)
  • ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 ½ cups chocolate chips, semisweet

Frosting Ingredients (optional):

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with brown and white sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  2. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir into the creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Drop spoonfuls of completed cookie batter onto a greased baking sheet.
  4. Bake at 350° F for 12-13 , or until cookies are lightly brown.

Frosting Directions:

  1. Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.
  2. Using a butter knife, spread your preferred amount of frosting on top of the cookies.
—Mallory Allen

Seasoned Oven Fries

seasoned oven friesIngredients:

  • 2 medium potatoes
  • 2 teaspoons butter, melted.
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • Minced parsley, optional.

Instructions:

  1. Cut each potato lengthwise in half then into 4 wedges.
  2. In a large shallow dish, combine the butter, oil and seasoned salt. Add potatoes; turn to coat.
  3. Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
  4. Bake at 450° until tender, turning once, 20-25 minutes.
  5. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

—Bruce Kong

Driftwood #15: The Cosplay Advisor

March 11, 2021

Cosplay, Cosplay, and More Cosplay

This article is part of a series that will walk you through the steps to create a cosplay costume, suitable for Comic Con, our local Kitsune Kon, and more.

cosplayerWhether you’re trying to make something amazing to wear to (hopefully open) conventions this summer or getting a head start on preparing your Halloween costume​,​ ​this new section is the perfect place for you​. ​In this issue, ​we are going to talk about choosing a character for your cosplay.
  1. Decide if you’re going to cosplay an already made character, an original character, or a little of both. I will be creating Iron Man and also Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony) in the future tutorials in this section, ​which should teach you basic skills needed for making most cosplays.
  2. After you choose​,​ you now have to pick an outfit of the chosen character or decide if you’ll be making an original design of the character. I chose one of the original Iron Man suits that is not very complex, and I’m going to do an original design of Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony.
  3. Now it’s time to find reference photos or sketch out original designs ​(or characters if cosplaying an original character)​. It’s best to have at least one photo of the front, back, and each side, but if you can get multiple photos, that will help your cosplay have better detail. Also​, ​if you plan on entering any cosplay competitions, they will require reference photos most of the time.
  4. Do plenty of research. Look up cosplayers on YoutTube / Facebook and watch their crafting videos. The more research you do, the easier it will be to create your own cosplay. ​Here aresome cosplayers and crafters I recommend checking out:
Next time, I will go into detail on patterns for both armor-making and sewing, plus materials to use. 
—Angel Wolske

Driftwood #15: The Phoenix Crossword

March 12, 2021

The “All About Green Bay” Edition

This issue’s crossword features trivia about the city of Green Bay. Click on the puzzle image below to get a PDF you can print out and complete. We’ll publish the answer key in the next Driftwood. 

Click on the image to download a PDF of the crossword.

We will post the answer key for the Feb. 25th puzzle as soon as our editors make it available.

—Sydney Sebert, Puzzles Editor, and Mallory Allen

Driftwood #15: Cooking at Home

March 11, 2021

Easy Grilled Cheese

grilled cheeseWe’ll keep things really simple for you this time. To start things off, grilled cheese is by far one of the most convenient dishes to make, and it only requires a stove, bread, and cheese. You can take it with you on the go, or you can enjoy it at the dining room table. Either way, it’s quick, it’s delicious, and it will save you time.

Ingredients: 

  • 5 Tbsp. butter, cubed
  • 4 slices sourdough bread or white bread
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions:

  1. Spread 1 tablespoon butter on one side of each slice of bread. With butter side down, top each slice of bread with about ½ cup cheddar.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add 2 slices of bread, butter side down. Cook until bread is golden, and cheese is starting to melt, about 2 minutes.
  3. Flip one piece of bread on top of the other and continue to cook until the cheese is melted, about 30 seconds more.
  4. Repeat for the second sandwich.

—Bruce Kong

 

Easy Meat and Cheese Muffin Melts

Muffin MeltsEveryone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, it’s often difficult for college students to find a balance between their most convenient breakfast options, like sugary cereals or microwavable waffles, and healthier meals that are more time-consuming to prepare. Take it from me: these quick, simple, and delicious muffin melts are the best of both worlds!

Ingredients:

  • 3 English muffins, split in half
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard*
  • ¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce*
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 cup deli ham, diced
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, cheddar
  • ½ cup bacon pieces

*Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce add great flavor, but the recipe still works if you don’t have any on hand

Instructions:

  1. Whisk the raw eggs with four tablespoons of milk or water. Add in mayonnaise, Worcestershire, and garlic powder, and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture into a sprayed medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. 
  2. As the eggs begin to cook, add the cheese, ham, and bacon pieces. Cook until firm, then remove the pan from heat. 
  3. Place six halves of English muffins on a cookie sheet and top them with scrambled egg mixture. Place the sheet under the broiler and remove when the egg tops are hot and beginning to brown. 
  4. Garnish with cheese and bacon pieces. Serve right away and enjoy!

—Mallory Allen, food editor

Strawberry Tanghulu
Bakery photo created by azerbaijan_stockers – www.freepik.com

This week, we want to add in something sweet and simple. This is a dairy-free dessert that is still just as sweet as a milk-based option! 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ½ cups of sugar
  • ¼ cup of water
  • Strawberries (or other fruit)
  • 2 Tbsp. of honey
  • Drop of red food coloring (optional)

Instructions: 

  1. First add your water, honey, and sugar to a pot on low heat. Don’t stir the pot; just occasional swirls will do the trick. 
  2. Once sugar is dissolved, turn the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. This is around 300° F, which is when you want to add your food coloring drops. 
  3. Turn off your heat and then dip your strawberries in the pan mixture. 
  4. Let them cool. Once these are cooled, you’re in for a delicious treat!

—Whisper McDonald

Driftwood #15: Important Campus Services

13 Ways to Boost or Fix Unreliable Home Wi-fi

laptop with teaWith several UW-Green Bay classes still online during the pandemic, some students have been frustrated by internet connection problems. (Thanks, Coronavirus.) If this inconvenience sounds familiar, here are some tips to boost or fix your wi-fi.

While some of the options below are free, others require buying things. If you are short on cash and are a UW-Green Bay student (any campus), PLEASE e-mail gboss@uwgb.com and request emergency funds to cover the costs. That’s what these funds are for—to help provide for students’ essential needs during the COVID-19 crisis so you can focus on your work.

1) Don’t use wi-fi. Plug your computer directly into your router via an ethernet cable.

2) Sit closer to your router. The closer you are, the stronger the signal.

3) If your router lets you choose (on the network) between a 2.4G and a 5G option when you’re connecting a device to it, use your router’s 5G option while sitting closer to your router. 5G provides a faster signal at shorter distances. 2.4G provides a stronger signal for farther distances, but it may be slower.

4) Get a new router. If your router is more than 5 years old, it’s probably time to replace it, says Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist for the Wall St. Journal. Stern’s top pick is the Eero, which retails at about $99. You can also add in $149 Eero beacons throughout the house to boost the signal in different areas. I have the Eero in my basement, plus one beacon on the ground floor, and it works well in my two-story house.

5) Try unplugging your router and modem, and then plugging them back in. (You might also restart your computer, as well.) Marinette Campus Student IT Support Specialist Danielle Roberts emphatically agrees that this solution often helps with wonky wi-fi: “I cannot emphasize restarting the modem and router enough,” she says.

6)  Turn off unused or extra internet-connected devices. “If there are multiple phones, tablets, smart TVs, computers, smart home devices, and video game consoles sharing the network, that will reduce the available bandwidth [for your computer while you’re working],” says Roberts.

7) Ask others in your household to turn off or minimize their use of streaming video services when you need to work online. If you have roommates or live with family members, be mindful that streaming video services—i.e. video chat/Netflix/Vudu/Hulu/Amazon/etc.—will use large amounts of bandwidth, says Patrick Goggins, UW-Green Bay’s Senior Network/Systems Administrator. Make a plan with your roommates or family to lay off of streaming video when someone needs to connect for a virtual class.

8) Figure out how to access your router settings and limit the speed for streaming video devices. “Most modern routers have some sort of QoS (Quality of Service) or Bandwidth Control functionality. Use it to either limit the speeds for the Roku/Chromecast/TV/etc., guarantee a minimum speed for your work device, or set up some sort of priority (high/medium/low) to better control the traffic,” says Goggins. He notes that every router brand “does its own thing,” so you’ll need to check your router’s user manual to see how to accomplish this step. Most will have the manual or directions for accessing router settings on their websites.

9) If you have an internet provider with tiered service (i.e. fast, faster, and fastest options), call them up and see if you can get a deal on boosting your service. (Be sure to tell them you’re a college student to see if you can get their best price available.) You can always put your service back to its original speed if you go back to all in-person classes post-COVID.

10) Get discounted or even free broadband/wi-fi. This January article from HighspeedInternet.com provides details on discounted and even free wifi for students.

11) Contact your mobile phone company to see if they have a better data plan for college students. Some companies are offering inexpensive unlimited data plans during the pandemic. Contact your phone company to see if they can provide you a good option. Then, see #12, below.

12) If you have an unlimited cell phone data plan with a strong signal at home, use your phone as a mobile hotspot for your computer. Look in your phone’s settings for something like “Personal Hotspot” (which is what my phone has).

For example, here’s how I do it on my iPhone 7: Click on “Personal Hotspot” in settings. When I turn on “Allow Others to Join,” the name of my iPhone pops up in the network list for my computer. I can then hook my laptop into my phone’s hotspot by clicking on my phone’s name on the network list, and then entering my phone’s wi-fi password (an auto password listed in the “Personal Hotspot” settings menu).

13) Get a mobile wi-fi hotspot. you can still get free mobile hotspots from the main campus library. Email gboss@uwgb.edu to request.

Or, for about $100-150, you can purchase a mobile wi-fi hotspot device (like MiFi), and connect your computer to it to access the internet. These do require a data plan, which is an additional expense. For some, you’ll have to get a data plan through one of the big data providers, like Verizon or AT&T.  Others have their own plans that are easier to set up. The Skyroam Solis, for example, has inexpensive pay-as-you-go data plans that you can connect to through the Skyroam app—no SIM card or outside data plan setup required. Skyroam’s plans include a $9 per day option (where you don’t pay if you don’t need data that day), a $6 per GB per month plan, and a $99/month unlimited plan that allows you to use it around the world, not just in the US (which is not REALLY necessary right now, but just in case you’d like it later).

If you’ve done all of the above and still can’t get a good signal, the UW-Green Bay IT Help Desk may be able to help you pinpoint the problem. Visit the UWGB IT Help Desk website for contact info and hours.

Because it’s important, I’ll say it again: If you don’t have the budget right now to purchase equipment you may need to boost your wi-fi, apply for emergency funds through UW-Green Bay. It’s as easy as e-mailing gboss@uwgb.edu and telling them how much you need and why. It’s important to all of your professors that you have the set-up you need to finish your classes to the best of your ability. It’s our privilege to help you now, when you need it most.

—Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Lecturer (English, Creative Writing, and Women’s and Gender Studies), UW-Green Bay, Marinette Campus

This article was checked for accuracy by Danielle Roberts, Marinette Campus Student IT Support Specialist (robertsd@uwgb.edu), and Patrick Goggins, UW-Green Bay Senior Network/Systems Administrator.

Some of the tips above are from this Wall St. Journal video.

Driftwood #13: Campus News

February 25, 2021

Free Student Success Workshops

GPS logoThe UWGB GPS (Gateway to Phoenix Success) program now has a full calendar of upcoming workshops to help UWGB students learn better and smarter. These workshops include the following:

  • Nutrition and Fitness for Your Dorm or Home
    When: Monday, March 1 at 3:00 pm

    Get some great tips about nutrition and fitness geared toward college students. Mariah, a UWGB Dietetics and Nutrition Major, will share some quick and easy recipes perfect for dorm and apartment living. And Hayley will combine her knowledge and passion for fitness to give you some dorm-friendly workouts.

    Join our Zoom Meeting here on March 1. (Meeting ID: 307 276 2293. Passcode: MnGx33)

  • Self-Care Practices: Mindfulness
    When: Wednesday. March 10 at 12 noon. 

    Take a break from your midterm studies on Wednesday, March 10 at 12 noon to learn about self-care strategies you can use to help relieve stress. We will practice meditation and have an open discussion about other self-care techniques.

    Join our Zoom meeting here on March 10th.  (Meeting ID: 913 9185 8823. Passcode: FCeMC3.)

  • Making and Maintaining Relationships on Campus and Beyond 
    When: Thursday, April 8 at 10 a.m.

    In this workshop, GPS mentors Brooke Betrick, Chance Kangas, and Mari Mitchel talk about joining student organizations and using them to make friends on campus. The hosts will also talk about creating relationships with TAs and professors, and they’ll give you tips on maintaining other relationships, whether they be friendships or something more personal. Finally, the mentors will provide suggestions on what to do if you encounter relationship problems or obstacles.

    Join our Zoom meeting here on April 8th. (Meeting ID: 762 0259 1959, Passcode: 3RMvwN.)

    Goal Planning: Take Action Steps to Reach Your Goals
    Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2021
    Time: 3:00-3:45 pm
    Description: If you could be anything, do anything, or have anything, what would it be? Using a step-by-step guide to map out your goals through the Passion Roadmap exercise.

    Join our Zoom meeting here on April 13th. (Meeting ID: 959 9438 4233, Passcode: xi66uR.)

Driftwood #14: Self-Care #2

February 25, 2021

Take the Relaxation Challenge

tea with plantsRelax, unwind, and start afresh with this relaxation challenge that was designed to help you decompress from the stress of continued homework and jobs. Relaxation is an important part of keeping your mood and mind healthy, so feel free to take this challenge from the top to bottom, or in any order you like.

  • Day 1: Take a nice, hot bath or shower, and give yourself a pamper session. This can include exfoliating, moisturizing, or just relaxing in the warm water. And, if you have music playing, don’t be afraid to release some sweet singing!
  • Day 2: Do a hobby you’ve been putting off. Whether this be drawing, writing, or just going for a jog, doing something you love to do, or trying something new for that matter, will give you a much-needed break from constant work.
  • Day 3: Try out some face masks! Whether it be the Mix and Match Face Masks from the last issue or one you buy at the store, face masks help you start feeling new, refreshed, and ready to start the day.
  • Day 4: Read a book/manga. Sometimes just curling up with something to read is a great way to help give your mind some time to recuperate, and to let your imagination run wild in whatever story that is written on the page.
  • Day 5: Make or find a playlist with calming songs. A relaxation playlist is great to have on hand if you ever need it as well, so your future self may thank you for making it!
  • Day 6: Write on a scrap piece of paper what you’re grateful for. Writing this down is a great way to remember all the good things in your life, both past and present.
  • Day 7: Watch a funny YouTube video or TV show. Sometimes a good laugh is enough to help keep the stress away, and whether that be with a funny cat video or a comedic TV show, there are plenty of things that are out there.
Jasmine Hanson