Lifestyle – Page 11 – The Western Howl

Curious about coffee? Wanting to spice up a routine caffeine run? Here are some options in a comprehensive, educational list to start the school year off right.

Americano — Espresso and hot water

Affogato — Espresso over ice cream

Cafe au lait — Espresso and warmed milk

Cafe Misto — Half drip coffee, half steamed milk

Cappuccino — Equal parts espresso and milk foam

Cortado — Espresso shots marked with steamed milk

Drip Coffee — Its coffee b—h

Espresso — Simple espresso shots served hot or iced

Flat White — Ristretto shots with lightly foamed steamed milk

Latte — Espresso with steamed milk

Long Black — Ristretto with more espresso, less hot water

Macchiato — Steamed milk with espresso shots poured on top

Mocha — Latte made with chocolate

Red-eye/Shot in the Dark — Drip coffee with a shot of espresso

Ristretto — Smaller, sweeter espresso shots

Traditional Macchiato — Espresso shot ‘marked’ with milk

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@wou.edu

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Our Class Cocktails

Written by: Jude Bokovoy

A few members of the Howl took the time to deeply ponder what cocktail would fit best with each major here at Western. Find the drink to clink at one’s graduation toast.

American Sign Language — Mimosa

Anthropology — Old Fashion

Art and Design — Jello Shot

Arts in Dance — Lavender Lemon Drop

Biology — Warm Beer

Business — Smirnoff Ice.

Chemistry — Azidoazide Azide

Communication Studies — White Claw

Community Health — Aperol Spritz

Computer Science/Mathematics — Gin and tonic

Childhood Studies — Tequila Sunrise

Criminal Justice — Whiskey on the rocks

Earth Science — Lemon Drop

Education — Kamikaze

English Studies — Pinot Noir

Exercise Science — Spicy Margarita

Gerontology — Death in the afternoon

History — Manhattan

Humanities — Pina Colada

Information Systems — Strawberry Daiquiri

Information Technology — Dirty Vodka Martini

Interdisciplinary Studies — Long Island Iced Tea

International Studies — Moscow Mule

Interpreting Studies — Body Shot

Mathematics — Vodka shot x2

Teaching — Green Apple Martini

Music — Gibson

Philosophy — Whiskey Sour

Political Science — A shot of tequila

Pre Nursing — Bloody Mary

Psychology — Rum and Coke

Public Health — Chardonnay

Public Policy & Administration — Gin martini with a twist

Social Science — Long Island fish bowl

Sociology — Sangria

Spanish — Mojito

Sustainability — A tall glass of water

The Arts — Cider

Masters in anything — A full bottle of champagne.

Contact the authors at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu howlentertainment@mail.wou.edu

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The time has finally come. For some this journey has taken a decade, for others it has been as short as three years. Nevertheless, this is an accomplishment to be proud of. For some, this is another degree on their path through education, for many this is the finish line. No matter where one’s headspace is at, here are a few things to think about.

Go to events — This is the last chance to go to a Western event as a student. If something sounds interesting, might as well go check it out. If one is personally invited to an event or award ceremony, make time to attend. This is where memories are made and how one can create interesting answers when asked about one’s college experience.

Post-grad stance — A question many ask after finding out one is graduating is “what are your plans after graduation?” No matter if one has or does not have a specific plan, remember that all that matters is how one personally feels. All that truly matters is that one pursues their endeavors with passion. Everything will work out. All of the hard work was for something. The opportunities are there, they just may not be revealed yet.

Lean on fellow graduates — This is one of the few moments in life where one is surrounded by many people in very similar circumstances. Use the community of graduates as a source of relief. Lean on friends, ask them how they are doing and release personal worries. Spend time with them because for most, this will be the last week with them.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

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Throwing a Cat Birthday Part

Written by: Mikayla Coleman

I’ve had a few cats in my lifetime, but one constant was that they were all rescued and adult-aged, meaning I had no idea when their actual birthdays were. When I adopted a kitten this summer who was born in-shelter and I saw her date of birth written on her paperwork, I knew instantly that I was going to be celebrating every birthday with her.

It sounds kind of crazy right? Who throws a birthday party for their cat? Me. I do. As someone who loves to divert attention from myself onto other people — or I guess, animals — I could not think of a better way to gather my friends in a format in which I didn’t have to be the center of attention.

The steps listed below are the ones that I took to throw my cat’s first birthday party. Use these tips if one finds themselves in a similar situation — all aspects of our lives deserve to be celebrated, especially the lives and relationships of our pets.

Make invitations — When I knew I was going to have a birthday party for my cat, I knew invitations would be important. One should choose whether they would like to have a digital invitation in the form of a pdf, printed invitations or both options to choose from. I ended up printing my invitations because I wanted my friends to be able to have a physical picture of my cat to display in their homes on their refrigerators or walls. It also made it seem like more of a solidified deal, getting the partygoers thinking “Oh, wow, there are actual invitations. She is taking this very seriously.”

There are many ways to design both digital and printed invitations. If one is printing invitations, stores like Walmart or Walgreens print invitations for pretty cheap and have a plethora of different invitation designs to choose from and individualize. I ended up making my own custom invitation on a drawing software called ProCreate, where I drew over a pre-existing picture of my cat, including the party’s day, time and place. I then got them printed through Walmart and distributed them amongst my friends.

Decorations and supplies — When I started researching decorations for pet birthday parties, I was pleasantly surprised by how much variety there was to choose from in the pet party realm. There were a lot of different packages on Amazon, many of which included balloons and banners spelling out things like “Meow” and “Let’s Pawty.” At first, I thought these were pretty cheesy, and don’t get me wrong, a lot of them were not the aesthetic that I was going for, but I ended up picking up a “Let’s Pawty” banner from Target, of all places. I picked up some other miscellaneous supplies like a flower garland and small paper plates from there as well. The star of the show, however, was the cat birthday outfit I bought off of Amazon — a party hat and skirt decorated with polka-dotted tulle resembling confetti. I do not think I will get her to tolerate it for even a second, especially not in front of our guests, but I couldn’t not buy it.

Pick out party favors — When it comes to a cat party, party favors had me kind of stumped. My guests are all college-aged and older, so traditional goodie bags were out the window. I wanted to have something to offer as thanks for coming to my super extra cat birthday party, and everyone knows college students love free stuff, especially if it’s cute. After scouring the depths of Amazon, I found some cute cat keychains that were all in the same sort of cute, minimalist style that came with cute mesh gift bags. This was great, but it didn’t feel like quite enough, so I ordered a few sticker packs in a similar style and paired them with the keychains.

Food and drinks — Running on a college budget, trying to figure out food and drinks was difficult. I wanted to be able to allow people to choose what they want to snack on, without having to cook anything on my own and accommodating a large variety of food allergies. I ended up going with a charcuterie board, which allowed me to be able to cover all of those bases. I did a majority of my shopping at Trader Joe’s and supplemented missing pieces at other stores like Roth’s.

Happy celebrating!

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

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The Language of Etiquette

Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

The fork goes on the left and the dessert spoon goes at the top. Moreover, do not forget to start on the outside and work inward towards the plate. The cutlery resting directly on the plate indicates the end of the meal to the catering team.

These were only some of the many dining etiquette tips provided to the 150+ students and professionals by the special guest speaker of the Etiquette Dinner, Sabra Jewell. Jewell is the Communications Coordinator for the City of Monmouth, with a background in communications and experience in hospitality and catering. This made Jewell the perfect candidate for guiding guests of the event toward a professional dining experience.

“I’ve done it all,” explained Jewell. “I have served every kind of level of practice and style of dining on every kind of budget. I have seen it all from that perspective.”

The Center for Professional Pathways is the on-campus organization that brings the Etiquette Dinner together for students every year. However, the event — despite being a student favorite for many years — was absent from campus tradition for some time due to a brief hiatus.

This year, the Center for Professional Pathways partnered with the Stitch Closet to provide students with a double event through both dinner and a fashion show. The purpose of the culmination of the two events was to teach students about professional and business communication, as well as the importance of nonverbal cues and fashion etiquette — whilst still encouraging an environment where guests can have fun and dress in formal attire.

The fashion show took place prior to the dinner, which presented guests with eight categories of attire — including interview attire, sports attire and formal work attire — and encouraged guests to make an educated guess on which attire corresponded with which category. The Stitch Closet rewarded the individuals with the highest number of correct answers with flowers from the event.

The dinner portion of the event consisted of a three-course meal, featuring mocktails and the option for both vegan and gluten-free alternatives. Jewell taught attendees the intricacies of dining etiquette as the guests ate and conversed, such as where to place cutlery, how to correctly butter bread, the correct way to pass the pitcher of water — and most importantly — reminded attendees to keep elbows off the table and their posture straight.

Jewell explained the importance of an event such as this, stating “These events expand your network. You never know who you’re going to meet sitting at one of these tables. It could be your future mentor; your future boss. It could be somebody who’s gonna be a peer who’s gonna help connect you to things in your own career.”

The event was free of charge to any student or community member who wished to participate. It could not have occurred without the help of the sponsor, Ash Creek Animals Clinic, and the beautiful table decor donations from TL Celebrations and generous floral arrangements from Petal & Vines. Ultimately, the event culminated in a resounding success.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

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Monmouth Recognized Local AAPI Vendors

Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

The City of Monmouth was teeming with enthusiastic residents of the community on the evening of Saturday, May 20, as a result of the sunshine and the grand number of local festivities to explore.

The Asian-American and Pacific Islander Vendors Market was one of the many events brought to the community by the Hawai’i Club, in partnership with the City of Monmouth. The arrival of the vendors market occurred after the conclusion of the Peacock Festival and Fun Run on Main Street Park, which equally captivated and engrossed the community with a few hours of leisure and entertainment.

Taking place in the month of May, Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is devoted to the celebration and recognition of the historical contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders — a celebration that largely extends to including the community contributions of local pop-ups and business vendors.

The first of potentially more in the near future with the high number of attendees, the family-friendly vendors market featured a number of businesses owned by the AAPI community, many of which prioritize craftwork and artistry, as well as sustainability. There were food businesses at the market — some familiar to the community, some not — as well, including Da Hale, Yang’s Teriyaki, Sing Fay and Da Ayala Grindz.

Furthermore, the following vendors could be found at the market: Maganda Glassworks LLC, AJE Pottery, Haole Brand Clothing — Hawaii Clothing Brand — and Treats by Yap Trap. These businesses function in that they are either pop-ups or provide catering services through commissions to Monmouth-Independence and the surrounding community in which they are situated and based. For example, AJE Pottery is a pop-up business operating for and in established shops, selling pottery such as mugs, sauce dishes and plant vases, with a creative and adorable touch.

Meanwhile, Maganda Glassworks is a new business just beginning to sprout and make a physical mark in the community, offering art and stained-glass work — including necklaces, earrings and other custom and handcrafted jewelry — as well as courses in stained glass artwork. Maganda Glassworks can be found on Main Street in Independence, Oregon.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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It’s Time for Tea

Written by: Jude Bokovoy

Getting bogged down by doing repetitive activities with friends and loved ones? Looks like it’s time for a tea party. Creating a little event for those who one cherishes can be the perfect way to show appreciation for them. Hosting a tea party is ideal for people of all ages, for any season and gets people outdoors, dressed up and participating in something unique.

Thrifting — Don’t break the bank by purchasing a full tea set from an antique store. Instead, buy the necessary items from a thrift store. This is more environmentally friendly and will give the party more personality for pennies on the dollar. To keep costs even lower, and provide an activity for guests, ask each of them to bring a thrifted tea cup and tea plate.

Cuisine — Simple finger sandwiches and little cookies will do just the trick. Grab some fun cookie cutters to dress up three ingredient cucumber and tomato twiddle sandwiches. This aspect could also be potluck-style if one is desiring a heartier meal along with the experience. Since iced drinks are more suited for the season, there is no need to go crazy with tea. It is more than okay to grab a jug of iced tea from the grocery store to serve from a decorative pot.

Invitations — Make this a special occasion for guests to look forward to. Send out custom invitations with the date, time, location, attire and anything else that they may need to bring. This can be done digitally or through physical print by spending no more than 20 minutes on Canva for free.

Location — A tea party can take place indoors or outdoors. If one desires outdoor seating, there is a great variety to choose from. The event could take place in one’s backyard, public park or even at the beach.

Attire — Who doesn’t like dressing up? Figure out what is reasonable for guests to already own that would suit the event or keep things simple by asking to wear a sundress or a light-colored shirt and shorts. Create a mood board to give guests inspiration and make sure everyone gets the memo.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

A, B, Coffee: for your next coffee order

Our Class Cocktails

Graduation Motivation

Throwing a Cat Birthday Part

The Language of Etiquette

Monmouth Recognized Local AAPI Vendors

It’s Time for Tea

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