By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you will more than likely haven neighbors. In the last four years, I've lived in four different homes. I moved into the home I'm currently living in one year ago this month. I knew the neighbors at the first place I lived, but not on a friendly basis. I didn't know any of the neighbors I had while living in the second home, but I did know the people that lived in the apartment underneath us in the third place I lived. They were an elderly couple and were definitely friendly folks. I would say hi to them whenever I saw them as a I walk by. Since I moved into this current house a year ago, I hardly know any of the neighbors. However, the one set of neighbors I do know (they live across from us) are some of the nicest people I know.

Not every one of your neighbors are going to be friendly, though. You might have that one set of neighbors that annoy you to no end, whether it's directly or indirectly. I have never talked to the people who live in the house behind us. Not once. From what I know, it's a father who lives with his two college kids. I'm not sure if they come from college or if they live there with him, but one (or both) of the boys throws multiple parties every summer. I noticed it last year, and it continued this summer season. They would be up until the early hours of the morning playing music and doing all sorts of chaotic things. However, the important thing is learning to deal with it. 

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." -Saint Augustine

All incoming freshmen at Endicott college are required to read this book called "This I Believe" over the course of the summer. I picked up the book last weekend and started reading it this past week. It's filled with stories and experiences from people willing to teach life lessons. It's a fascinating read that I strongly suggest checking out. One of the stories featured the above quote and I immediately fell in love with it. I love both reading and traveling, so the fact that the quote almost immediately became a favorite of mine was a no-brainer.

For three straight years from 2006 to 2008, I traveled across the world a part of the People to People organization. I had the opportunity to travel to Europe at the age of 10! Two years later, I traveled to Australia and had an equally awesome time. Not is the above quote well worded, but it's also 100 perfect true. What are you going to learn from staying in your house and sitting on the couch? Sure, there's the Internet, where you can almost anything within seconds, but it's nowhere near as fun as actually leaving your household and traveling to exotic places across the globe.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

In June 2011, I was going through a rough time and had trouble focusing on my school work. Taking final exams was the last thing on my mind at the time. Sure, I studied for them, but not very well. I pretty much half-assed every exam I took in that final week of school. 

Well, I didn't care to think of the consequences that would ensue from not caring about finals. I ended up failing my math exam, but didn't bother worrying about. To say my mom was infuriated when she saw my terrible grades on my report card (including the "F" on that exam) when it came in the mail about a week later would be an understatement. I even emailed the math teacher to ask her if I could see the exam itself to find out what I got wrong (this proved to be pointless, since it was summer and I wouldn't have seen the teacher until September anyway.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The summer season has finally arrived! We wait all year round for this special time of year to arrive... and then we are left wondering what we should do during the time off. As we enter the marvelous month of July, many people find that there is nothing to do with their free time, but that couldn't been farther from the truth. Here, I'll provide six different productive things you can do with your free time this summer season.


1. Relax

One would think that this is the most obvious option of all, and it's also the easier. Most people are burned out from working their tails off 24/7 from September to June. If you're still in school, then you're probably thankful you finally have an extended amount of time off from papers and projects. If you're a working adult, then you're probably still at work during the summer season, but still be sure to use your time off wisely. When I say to relax, I don't mean sit on your couch all day staring at a blank wall. Well, I guess you could do that, but it wouldn't be all that entertaining. Instead, find something you love doing and... well, do it. Whether it be watching a movie or reading a book, there are plenty of productive ways to relax without wasting time.