Whoever thought to start a textbook renting company is a genius. I'm talking about chegg.com people. Check it out for yourself. They let you rent your textbooks instead of buying them, helping you to save cash and the environment. They plant a tree for every book you rent from them. How cool is that? With our generation being as eco-friendly as it is, this is sure to be a hit for many years to come.

Don't forget- tomorrow is FREE SHIPPING DAY (12-17-2010). Your purchases are guaranteed by Christmas Eve and thousands of retailers are participating. So for all you slackers out there, here's your chance to get all your Christmas shopping done without leaving the couch. You're welcome.

Happy Holidays!

<3ash

Adrian Gonzalez on Monday. Carl Crawford on Wednesday.

What's next, Cliff Lee this Friday? I wish!

So far, our beloved Sox have invested almost $300 million for 2 high-caliber players this off-season. That's alotta dough. I, for one, am happy about this. We needed to make a splash. Last season was painful. And I know I'm not the only one feeling that way. How do I know you ask? Well, any REAL Sox fan knows this, but I know because last season's ratings dropped faster than Shawn Thorton's gloves on March 18th 2010. If you don't know what I'm referring to, ask my good friend google.com.

Want my opinion on the current Cliff Lee situation? You're getting it regardless so listen up. If he's smart, he should take less cash money and sign with the Red Sox already. I know what you're thinking and no, I am not saying this just because I am a Sox fan, I'm thinking more along the lines of preserving his numbers.

Check out our projected 2011 line-up:

1. Ellsbury CF
2. Crawford LF
3. Pedroia 2B
4. Gonzalez 1B
5. Youkilis 3B
6. Ortiz/Cameron DH
7. Drew/ McDonald RF
8. Scutaro SS
9. Varitek C

Sign with the Sox & avoid getting lit-up like a Christmas tree come springtime.

jus saying....

<3ash

Free Shipping Day is a one-day event held each December and involving hundreds of merchants who offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve.

This year's event begins at 12am EST on Friday, December 17th and ends at 12am EST December 18th.

More than 750 merchants participated in 2009; more than 650,000 merchant offers were clicked on and more than 35,000 sales took place through FreeShippingDay.com.

Check it out at: Free Shipping Day 

You can thank me later ; )

Ash

Free Holiday Parking

Weekend Shoppers can enjoy two free hours of metered parking throughout Boston's commercial districts, including Downtown, starting on Black Friday and continuing for five consecutive Saturdays through December 26th. While the meters are free on these days, a two-hour time limit will be enforced by the Boston Transportation Department to accommodate as many visitors as possible in shopping districts.

Mayor's Holiday Special

The Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events (who knew there even was one, you do now!) and ArtsBoston present a program of discounted tickets for your favorite holiday shows.

Anyone catch last night's hockey game? If you didn't, your loss. Not that the B's played great cuz they didn't. In fact, I'd say they played a solid 45 minute game out of 60 minutes. The Flyers literally came out FLYING! But the B's were able to find their game and give Timmy his 5th shutout of the season.

Fact- Timmy stood on his head the entire game. He was a complete animal and that's why we love him. His mustache also deserves a mention here.

Opinion- Now you're either a Jack Edwards fanor you're not. For those of you who don't know who Jack Edwards is, he's the play by play announcer for the Bruins on NESN. Personally, I am a fan because he cracks me up and keeps it interesting. I can't tell you how many times I'll be sitting there, watching the game and literally can't believe my ears when he makes a comment. I can guarantee you will hear at least two of these catch-phrases used in every game Jack announces:

Fungoes the puck

Set's up in Gretzky's office

Bonerrific play by ______!

Dangles along the blueline/sidewall**

The Bruins have just given the Canadiens the proverbial dutch oven!

Forearm Shiver**

Catch tonight's matchup vs. Tampa Bay for more 'Edwardisms.' The puck drops at 7pm. Giddy up!

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! Hopefully you had some time off and were able to enjoy it. I know I did!

As I mentioned in my very first blog post, I was fortunate enough to spend the Spring semester of 06' studying abroad in lovely London, England. The reason I bring this up is because I was searching online and found several articles that state London as the #1 study abroad destination for US students. The reasons for this, in my eyes, are very obvious.

1-They speak English and for anyone who has ever been abroad, its hard enough to understand other cultures as it is, no need to try to learn a language.

2-London is the epicenter of Europe. That might or might not be a known fact. I just made it up, but having lived there, I 100% believe it to be true. You can get anywhere (for very little money) from London.

Top 10 List

1. United Kingdom
2. Italy
3. Spain
4. France
5. Australia
6. Mexico (not sure why anyone would want to spend an entire semester in Mexico but to each his own i guess)
7. Germany
8. Ireland
9. China
10. Costa Rica

Until I get the hang of posting pics, you will have to settle for one at the moment. But don't worry, I have PLENTY more on the way = )

This Book is laugh out loud funny. I can't say enough about it so I'll post some quotes and let you see for yourself just how hilarious Sam Halpern, "like Socrates but angier and with worse hair," is.

1. "You're like a tornado of bullsh** right now. We'll talk again after your bullsh** dies out over someone else's house."
2. "I just did an hour on the gym machine. I'm sweaty and I have to sh**. Where's my fannypack, this workout is over."
3. "Your mother made a batch of meatballs last night. Some are for you, some are for me, but more are for me. Remember that. More. Me."
4. "The worst thing you can be is a liar...Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two."
5. "I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly."
6. "Fine, let's take a vote. Who wants fish for dinner? Democracy ain't so fun when it f***s you huh."
7. "What happened? Did somebody punch you in the face?!...The what? The air is dry? Do me a favor and tell people you got punched in the face."
8. "Snausages? I've been eating dog treats? Why the f*** would you put them on the counter where the rest of the food is? F*** it, they're delicious. I will not be shamed by this."

Both my dad and I laughed so hard we cried while reading this. Pay attention, I'm helping to take some gifts off that long list of yours.

Happy Friday! <3ash

If you're dreading winter, chances are you're not a skier or snowboarder. Personally, I prefer boarding given that I've been doing it since the 5th grade, but that's just me. Either way, winter has arrived which means the mountains are ready and waiting for us. And guess what? Like everything else, there's an app. Check out 5 mobile apps for keeping track of resort conditions, navigating the slopes, you can even quantify your slope time for those extremists out there.

1. REALSKI Augmented Reality- Name the runs, chairlifts, and facilities ahead of you just by holding your phone up. Free for Killington but you can download additional resorts in the Northeast for $0.99 each.
2. iTrailMap 3D- Lets you flip between a paper version of resort maps and their 3D, GPS-enabled counterparts. The full 3D version is $4.99 and gives you access to 750 resort maps worldwide.
3. Snow and Ski Report by REI- This app makes it easy to track the weather at up to 12 of your favorite resorts.
4. Elevation Pro- For $0.99, this app tells you what your current elevation is.
5. snowEdge- Judge your skill based on how fast you go, how dynamic your turns are, and how much air you get on jumps. By leaving the application open, you'll get a measurement on each of these factors for every run that you do.

So get your gear outta storage and head for the mountains! (Feel free to stop in Southie to scoop me up on your way)

Happy Monday all!

<3ash

Ciao.. Hoi.. Salut.. Hola.. Eyhay.. (yes that was pig latin you just saw and most likely said in your head or out loud)

Hey there!

This being my first ever blog post, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Ashley and I am the resident blogger here at Campus Crate. You’re probably wondering what on earth that is huh? Well I’m going to let you find that out for yourself. Check out our How it Works page, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more information. Or you can do all 3, your call. And if you still have questions, shoot me an email at campuscrate@gmail.com or info@campuscrate.net. I might be one of the last 20-something year olds without internet on my phone, so if you’re waiting more than 20 minutes for a response, relax and wait longer. I’ll get back to you. I swear.

Since no one really enjoys reading large bunches of text, I figured I’d take a different approach and introduce myself through the 25 things you don’t know about me routine. And yes, I said routine because I bet the majority of people (around my age) reading this have already done so via Facebook. And if you haven’t, I’d bet you’ve seen this while flipping through any recent US weekly. Ok, here goes.

1. My main goal here is to entertain you. My biggest challenge will be keeping you entertained.
2. There’s no point in me trying to keep my personal info a secret in this day and age so I guess I’ll tell you, I’m 25 years old. (there, I did it)
3. Other than when I have to write my rent check or when I’m running around Boston in the so-called ‘real world’ (aka life after college) I really do still feel like I’m in college. Especially when I’m with my girls. So that puts me at about, let’s say, 20 years old mentally on (most) occasions.
4. Like I said, I live in the city but I’m originally from a town 15 minutes north of Boston.
5. I can be very sarcastic. I already lied. I am sarcastic.
6. I’m the oldest child with two younger brothers, one 24 and the other 14. I’m positive they will both be providing me with plenty of ridiculous things to talk about. Did I mention the 24 year old is still in college and the 14 year old is a freshman in high school? BINGOOOOO
7. We can be friends if you can tell me where that quotes from (hint: HBO series).
8. I have a Boston accent so it will sneak into my writing. You know, drop the ‘ing’ for an ‘a’ like gonna. Or combining two words like kinda (kind of). Or the big, drop almost any ‘er’ for an ‘a.’ Motha, fatha, whateva, dinna, betta, Jon Lesta. I could go on. (in the future, I will never spell Boston sports figures names wrong, I was just making sure you’re paying attention)
9. I love sports and therefore don’t think I could live without HD tv.
10. I grew up in the rink so naturally hockey’s my favorite sport. I also love baseball. (Let’s go B’s!)
11. I’m not ready to talk about the Red Sox.
12. I studied abroad in college and still think it was the best time I’ve EVER had.
13. I was a cheerleader in college. (Did I mention this is a judge-free zone, because it is. Because I said so)
14. I plan on keeping this blog current which means you’ll stay current if you continue reading it. (Don’t say I never did anything for you)
15. I’m not going to push the Campus Crate product on you in this blog but I’m also not going to lie, it’s a real good idea. One I wish was around when I was in college. (my reason for doing this blog in the first place and I mean, who doesn’t need somewhere to store the 3 foot, light-up ‘This Bud’s for You’ sign you scored at trivia last semester that your mother won’t let within 10 feet of your house sign)
16. My plan for this blog is to try to talk about all things relevant to college kids. So stay tuned.
17. I take public transportation 5 days a week. I mostly find it over-crowded, stiflingly hot, annoying and dirty. But if you people watch, like I do, it can be highly entertaining.
18. I have an English bulldog named Willie and he’s amazing! He’s also a tank, at a solid 73 pounds and counting.
19. I will never enjoy moving, painting, oysters, long lines, people that talk sh_t and the taking off & landing part of flying (why? Because I’m a fan of Travis Barker and DJ AM ((rest.in.peace)) and who didn’t hear about what happened back in 2008)
20. This will be my longest blog post. Ever.
21. I’m so close to 25 I can taste it. And it tastes like victory, which tastes like Budweiser, which is my drink of choice at all sporting events (your obviously thinking about how classy I am right now aren’t you? Well you’re right. All class, all the way babyy)
22. I prefer to read my news online as opposed to watching it because lets be serious, it’s pretty depressing stuff most of the time.
23. I don’t know too much about politics but I do know it’s an important topic. This is cheesy but our future really is in our hands, which is why I’ll be keeping up on it. So go vote. Even if it’s not Election Day, do something, make a decision, take a stand. Our opinions matter. Speak up!
24.  I know this is long, almost done.
25. Lastly, help me help you. I need to know what matters to you guys so we can converse, or complain or pop bottles, I mean celebrate, so COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT!

So much for not having large bunches of text. But don’t worry, like I said, this will be my longest post ever. I apologize for the eye strain you’re experiencing right now, but it won’t happen again. Not from me anyways.

I hope you enjoyed learning a few things about me and what my intentions are for this blog. Being my first post, how did I do?