As we are packing our bags for pending spring break travel, the topic for this week’s Staff Picks will be where each of our staff members is traveling and what they are looking forward to as they partake in some R&R from Transy. If you have any topic suggestions that you would like to hear from us about, please email us at rambler@transy.edu.

Taylor Mahlinger, Editor-in-Chief: Nashville, TN and Owensboro, KY

“I will be heading to Nashville with three of my friends for four days! It is one of my favorite cities because there is always something fun to do, not to mention the incredible food and music. After that, I will be traveling home to Owensboro for the remainder of the break to spend some time with my family.”

Abby Stone, Managing Editor: Nashville, TN and Burlington, KY

“For my first official spring break trip, I will be going to Nashville! I have never been and am extremely excited to try all the famed food and listen to some amazing music. After a few days, I will be traveling home to Burlington for some much needed rest.”

Aaron Bell, Sports Editor: NKY

“I will be traveling back home to Northern Kentucky where I will make periodic trips up to Perfect North in Lawrenceburg to finish out the ski season strong. I will also take a trip over to South Bend, Indiana to tour Notre Dame Law school.”

Allison Spivey, News Editor: Louisville, KY

“I am going home to Louisville where I will get some much needed R&R and see friends and family. My 20th birthday is also over break, so I look forward to celebrating with any meal other than caf.”

Nyah Mattison, Graphic Design and Media Editor: Louisville, KY

“I’m going home for spring break, and I’m really looking forward to petting my cats for the first time in 2 months. With the recent warm weather, there will also be a chance to explore some of the parks in Louisville.”

Gabrielle Crooks, Staff Photographer: Ohio

“For spring break I will just be going home to Ohio. I am looking forward to spending time with friends and family and eating some good food!”

Taylore Latham, Staff Contributor: Nashville, TN

“I’m traveling to Nashville with some of my best friends for Spring Break! I’ve never been so I am really excited. We’ve put together a sort of itinerary to make sure we eat at all of the best restaurants and go to the best places so it should be really fun!”

Katherine Shearer, Staff Contributor: Chicago

“I am going to Chicago to see a concert and then back home for some relaxation. I am looking forward to walking around Chicago and being in a big city setting as well as seeing a band I have listened to for years. When I go home, I am looking forward to catching up on sleep and being with my family!

Will Hickey, Staff Contributor: Lexington, KY

“For spring break, I am staying in my hometown of Lexington. I’m not doing much, just some much needed R&R!”

Hello! I’m trying to give up sugar for Lent because I know it’s bad for me, but I have a huge sweet tooth. Do you have any suggestions for ways I can wean myself off sugar?

Hello, I too have an enormous sweet tooth so I feel for you. As far as giving it up cold turkey, I’d suggest temporarily indulging in another addiction of yours whenever you experience an urge. Personally, I love art so if I were giving up chocolate (which is the love of my life) for Lent, I’d draw. This will both take my mind off of the urge and create something beautiful (To my mom and I)!

Who’s the best writer on the Rambler?

Hi, everyone on the Rambler’s staff is talented in their own way! Everyone has strengths and weaknesses that when combined create a strong and wholesome organization for Transy.

Who’s auntie Mae?

🙂

Hi Auntie Mae, As spring break approaches, everyone is talking about the amazing trips they are going on and I can’t help but feel left out because I can’t afford to go anywhere. Do you have any suggestions for fun things to do or little trips to take over spring break that won’t break the bank?

Hello, if you plan on staying in the Lexington area for spring break, I suggest exploring downtown Lexington on foot. Walking through the city at night is so fun and it’s something that could be done with others or by yourself, not to mention it’s completely free. However, if you wanted to take a mini vacation, I suggest going to Eastern Kentucky. There are so many monuments and other historical attractions there that are completely free!

The topic for this week’s Staff Picks runs on a “Would You Rather?” theme. Each staff member was given an individual “Would You Rather…” question and asked to personally respond. So, keep reading to find out what the questions were and our staff member’s responses! If you have any topic suggestions that you would like to hear from us about, please email us at rambler@transy.edu.

Taylor Mahlinger, Editor-in-Chief:

Would you rather be an amazing artist but not be able to see any of the art you created or be an amazing musician but not be able to hear any of the music you create?

“I would rather be an amazing artist and not be able to see any of the art I created because music is such a huge part of my life, especially the music that I create. It would be really difficult for me to write or play music without hearing it!”

Abby Stone, Managing Editor:

Would you rather have unlimited international first-class tickets or never have to pay for food at restaurants?

“I would rather have unlimited international first-class tickets! All the money I would save can go towards the amazing food at each place I visit. Not to mention, I have so many places on my bucket list I want to travel to.”

Allison Spivey, News Editor:

Would you rather know the history of every object you touched or be able to talk to animals?

“I would rather be able to know the history of any object I touch. I think that would be more fascinating than anything else I could imagine. There’s so much history that the world would never know, expect with this power I could!”

Aaron Bell, Sports Editor:

Would you rather live without hot water for showers/baths or live without a washing machine?

“Simple, I can live without the washing machine. The one in my dorm is a little spotty anyway, so when I come down to Lexington I bring a lot of clothes for the week. Plus, in this scenario, I could wash my clothes with the hot water from a bath.”

Grace Morrison, Arts and Entertainment Editor:

Would you rather never be stuck in traffic again or never get another cold?

“I’d rather never get stuck in traffic again. Colds are prime opportunities for days off and to binge watch Criminal Minds.”

Ainsley Marlette, Social Media Editor:

Would you rather be forced to dance every time you heard music or be forced to sing along to any song you heard?

“DANCE! Despite the awkwardness, wouldn’t it be cool to bust a move whenever a song played? I mean, think of how happy you would be just breaking out into dance. Also, I am the worst singer ever… so I would definitely be helping/saving others.”

Nyah Mattison, Graphic Design and Media Editor:

Would you rather move to a new city or town every week or never be able to leave the city or town you were born in?

“I love to meet new people and explore new places, so I would rather move to a new city every week. Every new location is bound to have interesting stories and sites to see, and with technology, I would always be connected to family and friends.”

Gabrielle Crooks, Staff Photographer:

Would you rather be locked in a room that is constantly dark for a week or a room that is constantly bright for a week?

“I would rather be locked in a room that is constantly bright for a week! I am definitely more energetic on sunny days and more lazy on cloudy or darker days. For the sake of productivity and my mood, I think a brighter room would suit me better.”

Will Hickey, Staff Contributor:

Would you rather go back to age 5 knowing what you know now or know everything that’s going to happen to you?

“The problem with this is that if I go back, I might not meet the same people that I know now and might not have the friendships I currently have. I like my life! On the other hand, knowing everything that’s going to happen to you takes the fun out of life.”

Taylore Latham, Staff Contributor:

Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself?

“I would rather be able to see 10 minutes into the future of anyone else because I feel like knowing what would happen to me would constantly make me really anxious, especially if it’s something bad that’s going to happen.”

Katherine Shearer, Staff Contributor:

Would you rather be fluent in all languages and never be able to travel or be able to travel anywhere for a year but never be able to learn a word of a different language?

“I would rather be able to travel anywhere for a year and never learn a language because I believe there is no better way to learn about different cultures than to experience them first hand. Travel opens you up to experiences that you didn’t know existed outside your culture and opens your mind to different viewpoints and experiences.”

Follow along with the video and instructions below to make your very own version of tiramisu!

1 tub of marscapone cheese

¾ cups sugar

3-4 eggs

16 oz of heavy whipping cream

Cocoa powder as needed

Espresso

Cookies of your choice (original recipe calls for lady fingers)

Dash of vanilla extract

Steps not listed in the video

1. After you pour the egg whites and sugar into the pot, bring a sauce pan to a low simmer and place the eggs in the first pot over the simmering pot. Leave for three minutes, then place the eggs in the ice water.

2. When you whip the cream, it is best to use a mixer of some sort instead of mixing it by hand, because it could take a lot longer (as I experienced).

The topic for this week’s Staff Picks is a skill each of our staff members would like to master one day. If you have any topic suggestions that you would like to hear from us about, please email us at rambler@transy.edu.

Taylor Mahlinger, Editor-in-Chief:

“I would love to master the art of public speaking because I think it is essential in life! You never know when you might be asked to give an important speech or presentation.”

Abby Stone, Managing Editor:

“I would like to become fluent in new languages, particularly Italian and American Sign Language (ASL). Also, I would love to master the skills necessary to train any dog with obedience needs and learning new tricks.”

Shawna Morton, Back-end Editor:

“I would like to master sewing because I always have the best ideas for clothes but no way to make them.”

Allison Spivey, News Editor:

“I have always wanted to learn how to do a somersault. A simple task, maybe, but I’ve found that it is much more difficult than one would imagine.”

Gabrielle Crooks, Staff Photographer:

“I would like to become a skillful gardener! My retirement plan for life is to open a greenhouse and sell Houseplants as well as produce. I find being among my plants to be peaceful, so I would like to learn more about their care and how to grow crops.”

Nyah Mattison, Graphic Design and Media Editor:

“I’m currently in the process of learning embroidery. I’ve been doing it for a couple of months now and eventually I want to be able to embroider clothing and tapestries. It’s really soothing, and I love that there are always new stitches to try!”

Will Hickey, Staff Contributor:

“I think one skill that I want to master would be knowing all languages, so I could communicate effectively with all people. Also, I think it would just be cool to be able to speak like Swahili whenever!”

Taylore Latham, Staff Contributor:

“I would like to master sign language one day because I think it’s an incredibly useful skill, plus I talk with my hands a lot so it would give my unnecessary gesturing meaning.”

The week of Feb. 17 marks Random Acts of Kindness Week. The first half of the semester is complete and you are ready for spring break, but so is the person walking beside you to class. The goal of Random Acts of Kindness Week is to promote social change through kindness. As posted on The Rambler’s Instagram story and said by Amit Ray, “random acts of kindness, however small it may be, can transform the world.”

Here are 25 acts of kindness:

1. Download the Karmic app which will assign you an easy act of kindness everyday.
2. Send a text to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and remind them that you appreciate their friendship.
3. Leave a funny note in a study room for someone to laugh at later.
4. Write a list of things you love about your significant other or friend and give it to them
5. Smile and say hi to someone just because.
6. Hold the door open.
7. Hold the elevator open for someone.
8. Help someone before they ask.
9. Post positive notes around campus.
10. Celebrate your friends, kind of like a group birthday!
11.  Make someone feel part of the conversation.
12.  Give a compliment to as many people as you can.
13.  Let someone go ahead of you while waiting in line.
14.  Collect litter that you see on the ground when you are out and about.
15.  Call a relative just to say hello!
16.  Leave money in a vending machine for someone.
17.  Avoid complaining for an entire day.
18.  Likewise, only say positive things about others.
19.  Thank the maintenance staff when you see them.
20.  Thank your Professors when you leave class.
21.  Bring your friends coffee!
22.  Pay it forward at Gratz Perk to the person behind you.
23.  Clean up someone’s mess.
24.  Find an organization to volunteer at.
25. Be kind to yourself!