Janae Sheperd

I’ve found it folks! I’ve discovered the best phone app to date. An app that let’s you combine cats, explosions, lasers and your favorite photos. This app is none other than CatPaint.
CatPaint is a premier cat-based image editor for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. You can effortlessly add cats to all of your photos! You can put catheads on your favorite celebrities or turn your favorite painting into a prrrfect work of art. Who doesn’t want to put catheads on your friends and make their eyes shoot laser beams? This app lets your imagination run wild and your craziest dreams come true. And it’s hypoallergenic.

Janae Sheperd

For me, it is not just an app– it is a creative outlet that lets you make cat masterpieces. I highly recommend this app to everyone with an iPhone, iPod or iPad, but I’m not the only one. A-list celebs like Taylor Swift and James Franco are avid fans. The apps creators claim that it’s even been used at NASA mission control. It will forever change your life for the better.
While CatPaint has had avid support, it hasn’t been without some questions. “Why aren’t you painting cats?” asks devil’s advocate Wolf Howard.
“That’s silly. You should be painting cats,” One review on the iTunes app store serves as fitting response. Says the reviewer, “…Because everything is better with cat’s on it. Duh.”

The best part? It’s free! You don’t have to spend a dime to decorate your memories with laser cats. Don’t waste another day without CatPaint in your life.

Image courtesy of Ellen’s Facebook

We all know how stressful being a student is. I forever feel like I am riding the never-ending struggle bus heading to struggleville. I feel this more than ever right now, because I have to figure out how to condense a semester’s worth of work into two months and also find a grown-up job. If you have the end of the semester blues and you are stressed about how to do life successfully, here are my four easy, cheap and fun steps to being happy.

1. Dance
Whenever I’m really sad I strip down to my underpants and shake my groove thang until it hurts. There is nothing more invigorating than slow twerkin’ in your undies to Beyoncé. After dancing, I usually feel too fierce to be sad anymore or end up laughing at myself so much that I feel better. If you are feeling down or just need a mood booster, I encourage you all to dance. Dance like a freakin’ maniac. Dance like no one is watching or dance like everybody is watching. Dance like that orange bear that’s on Grand Blvd. every Friday; that bear has some groovy moves. Dance like that woman who was always on the corner of Chouteau Ave. and S. Grand around the med campus getting down with her mp3 player.  These individuals know how to live life; they prove just how amazing dancing can be.

Image courtesy of Beyoncé’s Facebook

If you need a visual aid of how to get down in your undies to Beyoncé, check out my most recent blog post on my blog, Weird Is The Movement.

2. Consult your escape. 
What’s that one thing you do to escape the everyday stresses of life? That thing that you love to do alone? That thing that you never get tired of doing?

Find that thing, and then do as much of it as possible.

My escapes are laughing, music and art, just to name a few. All these activities have the ability to brighten my mood. If dancing in your undies doesn’t work, do whatever it is that helps you escape.

3. LOL
That expression – laughter is the best medicine – is true.  Laughter is a powerful antidote to relieve stress, relieve pain and make you feel great. When you laugh you boost your immune system, release endorphins and also improve your mood.  I live by the motto that 30 minutes of laughter a day can take the sadness away, it’s at least guaranteed to take the sadness away for the 30 minutes spent laughing.

Laughter has been proven to dissolve distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry or sad when you’re laughing. Don’t believe me? Watch a funny YouTube video right now. Notice your mood, it got a little happier, didn’t it?

If you really want to know the power of laughter, try laughter yoga. Yes, it is as bizarre as it sounds. There is even free laughter yoga every Wednesday at Plush, which is located within walking distance from SLU, at 5:30 p.m.

4. Food
George Bernard Shaw, a wise foodie, once said, “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” Shaw was right, no love will ever compare to my love for pizza. Pizza has temporarily cured a lot of my aliments.  I give thanks and praise to the magical powers of dough, sauce and cheesy goodness.  If you don’t believe that pizza or any food can enhance your mood, come find me and I’ll treat you to Pi Pizzeria, my favorite pizzeria in St. Louis.

Image courtesy of Una’s Facebook

Some of my favorite monologues come from my favorite movie: Forrest Gump. Every time Forrest speaks, I’m either compelled to cry, burst out in joyous laughter or go buy a box of chocolates. The only other monologues that have had those effects on me are the SLU Monologues and the Vagina Monologues. Una, the feminist voice on SLU’s campus, puts together two annual showcases of SLU Monologues and the Vagina Monologues. Each of these shows promises captivating performances and a vast array of emotions all to be experienced in two of the most fabulous hours you will ever live.

Image courtesy of Janae Shepherd

This is thefifth year Una is presenting the SLU Monologues. SLU Monologues are a collection of true stories written by SLU students, faculty, staff and alumni. This year they will cover a range of topics dealing with personal identity, sexuality, gender, mental illness, love, loss and poop. Sounds like something you need to witness, right? You can watch them on Feb. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. Both shows will be held in the Tegeler Auditorium. Tickets are $5.

The Vagina Monologues are part of a global V-Day movement to end violence against women and girls. They were drafted by Eve Ensler in 1996, a project she completed by conducting interviews with 200 women about their views on sex, relationships and violence against women. SLU students will be putting on a performance you won’t want to miss of the Vagina Monologues on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. Both performances will be at the Sheldon Concert Hall, which is a block north of SLU’s campus on Washington Ave, just past the Fox. Tickets are free for SLU students, and a $10 donation for non-students.

If you don’t already have enough of an incentive to attend, all of the proceeds of both shows go to supporting the V-Day Spotlight Campaign and the Karen House, which is a Catholic Worker house of hospitality for homeless women and children in North St. Louis. Tickets will be sold this week and next week at the CGC, cash and credit accepted. So, bring your tissues, funny bones, friends, family, partner, annoying roommate and anyone else you can think of to the SLU and Vagina Monologues and prepare to be empowered, inspired, enriched, tickled and have an all-around great time.

Courtesy of Saint Louis Museum of Art Facebook page

One of the coolest courses SLU has to offer is English 401:New Media Advocacy.

This course uses the tools of new media (podcasts, short videos, blogs, twitter, etc.) to engage communities in productive, respectful and service –oriented ways. This semester this class, with the instruction of Professor Nathaniel Rivers, made it their mission to advocate for all the unique things St. Louis has to offer. This advocacy comes in the form of an organization called Seize The Lou.

Seize The Lou (STL) is a grassroots, non-profit organization committed to showcasing the best of St. Louis. The organization shows off St. Louis through media outlets. The main media outlet is the website www.seizethelou.com. According to one of Seize the Lou’s organizers, Pierre Louis, “This website offers an interesting perspective of St. Louis in a way people are not used to. It shows all the great and unique aspects of the city.” Seize the Lou’s website highlights three components that add to the beauty of St. Louis: housing and businesses, food and drink, and urban attractions.

Courtesy of City Museum’s Facebook page

In the Housing and Business section this organization speaks to three of the best places to live in the Lou: The Central West End, Tower Grove and Soulard. While their job blog highlights employment opportunities and possible jobs for people majoring in the top ten majors at SLU. Seize the Lou’s food & drink blog aims to discover the best cuisine that St. Louis has to offer. The food and drink reviewers fled to the many wonderful breweries and eateries that St. Louis has to offer, some of the reviewed eateries include Strange Donuts and my personal favorite, Crown Candy. The urban attractions section highlights a few of the unique aspects of the city of St. Louis. Some of these sights include The Pageant Theater, City Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum and even SLU’s very own Billiken Basketball.

One of the campaign’s core missions is to keep the youngest generation of the workforce eager to make St. Louis its home. Seize the Lou is doing an amazing job selling St. Louis. According to a Seize the Lou student organizer, Dena Colantino, “I’ve been a student in St. Louis for almost four years now, and though I’ve always loved the city, I’ve never fully embraced everything it has to offer. Working with Seize the Lou has given me the opportunity to get to know St. Louis better and appreciate it for the cultural hub, vibrant metropolitan and welcoming home that it is.”

This campaign has the potential to grow St. Louis, improve its economic standing and sell all of its majestic beauty.

Fall is my favorite season. There is pumpkin everything: pumpkin chai, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ale and even a pumpkin launch held in Tegeler Field on Nov. 2  During fall the leaves are starting to change to an array of lively oranges, but what I love most about fall is the fashion. People, IT’S SWEATER WEATHER!!! Fall is the perfect season to be cute, comfy and warm. My five fall fashion must haves include:

1. An oversized sweater. My life motto is there is no such thing as an ugly sweater. The uglier the better. I encourage people to wear earth tone colored sweaters this fall and also weird colored or patterned sweaters. Don’t be afraid to grab that sweater with pumpkins and cats on it because you think you might look silly, in actuality that sweater will scream “I am a fun and festive person.” If you are in need of some fun sweaters for fall check out my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/EmbraceWEIRDNESS.

2. A hat. Beanie or brimmed hats, fall is one the only season that your ears get the chance to be warm and cute. I love matching my earth colored sweaters with vibrant colored beanies or my vibrant colored sweaters with earth tone colored beanies. A wide-brimmed hat is a must in my fall wardrobe; I’m talking a Panama- style wide- brimmed hat. The best part about wearing a hat is that your ears maintain warmth and you can disguise the fact that you probably haven’t combed your hair in weeks.

3. A scarf. I love bright silky fun patterned scarves, which can be tied a million different ways. My neck is sensitive to cold so fall is the perfect season to start wearing my infinity scarf. Infinity scarves compliment any outfit while allowing you to stay warm and cozy.

4. Boots. This fall you will catch me wearing boots galore, such as combat boots, cowboy boats, knee high boots, knock off Doc Martins and Timberlands. My boot choice typically correlates to my mood. Boots help you trek through the fall weather feeling confident and stylish.

5. Printed socks. Printed socks are one of the best investments you can make under $15 to instantly update your combat boots, chunky heels, skirts, jeans and cropped trousers. I love matching my pink floral socks with my floral sweater.

Fashion is whatever you want it to be. There are no rules in fashion. Just remember, tis the season to be trendy, comfy and warm!

While most of us were hiding in our residence halls from the heat this Saturday or taking a dip in the pool at SLUruba, many artists around St. Louis were creating masterpieces with sidewalk chalk in the Delmar Loop. Located right next to Fitz’s Soda Bar & Grill, a depiction of the Delmar Loop sign was drawn in chalk near the registration tent of the 3 Chalk On!” festival, where volunteers were braving the heat.

Andy Kouba/ Contributor
The typically drab sidewalks of The Delmar Loop were brighter and more colorful than usual this weekend.

The event kicked off at 9 a.m. and lasted until 5 p.m. Participants paid $6-$10 to enter the contest. The sidewalk chalk festival was divided into four categories: Best of the Loop (where you depict what you love most around the loop), Chalk of Fame (dedicated to the Walk of Fame inductees), most creative and Chalk Land (for kids 12 and younger).

The winning artists in each category will be featured on the Loop’s website with photos of their winning artwork, artistic biographies, and links to their portfolios or personal websites. Winners also receive cash prizes, as well as gift certificates from a variety of Loop businesses.

The chalk art turned the Delmar Loop into a colorful and vibrant neighborhood, as if it were a scene from Mary Poppins. The imagination involved makes you want to dive into these magical chalk creations. Watching a middle-aged woman draw “Alice in the Loop Land,” brought on thoughts of falling down the rabbit hole of someone’s imagination. Wonderful pieces of chalk art covered a four-block stretch of the Delmar Loop.

This event showed the wide range of artistic talent in the St. Louis community. Some of the younger entries showed much promise and development.
One of the artists drew a Bugs Bunny while another had gone for an different classic cartoon character, the Pink Panther.

When I spoke to the one of the participants, Kayla, about her reason for scribbling on the pavement from 10 in the morning until two in the afternoon with the temperature ranging from 90 to 98 degrees, she replied, “It’s fun; it’s definitely a great way to get out and inspire people to think.”

Kayla spoke to us about being a vegan tattoo artist and a humanitarian. Her chalk artwork depicted an animal in captivity, a world with the words “One life, One chance, One love,” surrounding it, and an array of symbols for love and respect. It definitely displayed her artistic abilities and her personality perfectly.

Other artists decided to voice their opinions and views through different ways, with one of the blocked-off parking lot sidewalks displaying a marriage proposal written out in a rainbow of chalk colors. Another creative use of the chalk was found seconds away from the proposal, where a colorful city landscape laid with an orange mountain in the background of buildings. The outside windows reflected yellow, orange, and red hues. The Sidewalk Chalk Festival turned a neighborhood into a canvas taken over by imagination and colorful chalk.

In the end, regardless of who won the four categories, the chalk festival has given artists a chance to display their creativity and the community a chance to appreciate it.