(Part 4) Top products from r/Frat

It's not uncommon to feel as though you're the Golden Boy in your smaller high school with a wider range of success and failure among kids - and then to find you are just a little above average after landing on a good college campus where everybody is smart and everybody has things going for them.

For example, a cardinal rule of Rush is not to wear your high school letter jacket or championship ring. After a few well deserved snickers, an Active will tell you everybody there has those, to take them off and show us what's beyond the high school accomplishments.

You've been chosen time and time again for your superior innate intelligence and your proven track record of accomplishment. Your Brothers chose you because they judged you as good to the core and capable of great things - worthy of their investment and love. Good on you. Now let's see what you can do to be worthy of their confidence.

Practically speaking, you may need a few wins to buff up your own confidence. Look at your schedule and see what you can cut out, so that you have more time and more focus to excel at the things that are left. Two generations ago, your fraternity was designed to be immersive - you worked hard to excel in class because being truly educated is a rare privilege (most workers are simply trained, programmed, or work by algorithm) - and the rest of your focus was with your fraternity: Brotherhood events, mixers, intramural sports.

Once you've swept the decks clear and have more time for what's left, start a physical conditioning program - cardio for stamina 6x/week and resistance training for strength and for your self image (3x/week full body or 6x/week for muscle groups - leaving an important rest day between working out the same muscle group), with cleaner and purposeful nutrition to feed and stimulate the muscle growth. Start working with a couple of Brothers who understand the science and rigor of conditioning, and be accountable to them. Losing 10 lb of fat and gaining 10 lb of muscle will do worlds for your self confidence and it will get you better notice from the Lesser Ribs of Adam. And unlike with molly, deep and well earned self confidence doesn't go away.

I'm not a fan of campus based mental health counseling for this level of downturn - counselors are in the business of finding or creating things wrong with you - and they are usually just Masters Degree level professionals. You do need a doctoral level professional (psychiatrist, not psychologist - only psychiatrists can prescribe effective meds) when and if you begin to have suicidal thoughts - new meds and very little couch time can turn that around. At your level, you need to unload to your Brothers, and start to work on a real plan to make you a better, happier, and more confident you. It's easily doable before you start class in the fall. If you want to hack your brain, the highest selling motivational book of all time is still in print and still as effective as ever: https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Salesman-World-Og-Mandino/dp/055327757X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3KQZMCU9HQ2SY&keywords=the+greatest+salesman+in+the+world+og+mandino&qid=1554671423&s=gateway&sprefix=the+greatest+sales%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1 128 pages. Under $10. Every successful man I know has read it, and as hokie as it may sound, when used as directed, it works.

The goal is not to have you believe you are the greatest man to walk the ivy covered halls; the goal is to remind you of your gifts - innate and taught - and to assure you that you can live a happy and significant life filled with people who love you and remarkable accomplishments if you will apply thoughtful analysis, laser focus, and indefatigable diligence toward accomplishing your goals. Many will look up to you and be drawn to your mission. You can, truly, Be Amazing.

DM me if you want to chat.

What you’ll need
Crawfish
Salt for purging (3-4 big Morton’s salt containers)
Kiddie pool with holes poked in it
Zatarains crab boil x 2 64 oz buckets
Vidalia onions
Lemons
Red potatoes
White corn
8 sticks of butter
Bushel of cloves of garlic
Andouille sausage
Large empty coolers

Go to dekalb farmers market for the crawdads, they are delivered a few times a week live and you can buy sacks of about 30-40 lbs. you have to go to the back of the seafood counter and ask for the sacks. Season goes through June but is usually dried up by July 4th. Shoot for 3-5 lbs of crawfish per person. Pick up lemons, onions, garlic cloves, corn and potatoes there as well, it’s ridiculously cheap.

Buy one of [these](King Kooker 5012 Portable Propane Outdoor Boiling and Steaming Cooker Package with 50-Quart Aluminum Pot and Steaming Basket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004070QDA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hjL4AbD13FVYW), or something like it. Get something that you can use to lift the pot out and the lid off. You’ll only want to fill it up a little over halfway so you don’t overflow the pot when you put the crawfish in.

Buy two of [these](Zatarains Pre-Seasoned Crab and Shrimp Boil 72 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009K6RAO4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CmL4Ab1NJAWY1) it’s the best seasoning you can buy for these.

Get a bunch of large empty coolers to throw the food in once it’s done cooking.

First you’ll need to purge the crawfish, which is throwing salt on them so they shit themselves before you cook and eat them. The easiest way to do this is pour them out in a kiddie pool that you have holes poked in. Hose them off really good before you add the salt, they can be pretty dirty. Salt them up good and let that sit and then rinse it off. I use about 2 containers of salt per bag of crawfish.

Get the pot boiling and throw in just enough seasoning to make the water turn colors, about 1/8 of that jar of seasoning. That’s for the corn, you don’t want to have the water too spicy for the corn because it soaks everything up. Boil for 10 minutes and strain immediately.

Throw the rest of the first jar of seasoning in the boiling water, and throw the potatoes and andouille in with that. Boil for about ten minutes and strain immediately. Do a knife test to make sure that the potatoes are done. Keep the corn, potatoes and sausage in the coolers so they will stay warm.

Now for the crawfish. Take out the straining bowl from the main pot. You’ll want to cut up about 6 lemons and squeeze the juice in the water and throw the lemons in the straining pot whole. Throw 12 cloves of garlic (or more, I haven’t found the amount that is too much). Throw in two or three whole Vidalia onions. Fill the straining pot up 3/4 of the way with crawfish. Once the water is boiling good again, put the crawfish in. Once it gets up to a boil, set a timer for 3 minutes, or drink a beer. After three minutes is up, turn the heat off and throw two sticks of butter on top of the crawfish. The butter makes them easier to peel. Put the lid back on and let them soak for at least 15 minutes. After that first pot, repeat all the other ingredients and keep adding spices so you have different levels of spicy as the day goes on.

If you have any more questions feel free to pm me.

Source: at least two fraternity crawfish boils in Georgia a year for 6 years, and a Cajun father in law.

Make sure you use water-based paints, house paint and art grade paints can cause allergic reactions in some people and the pigments can be toxic

In regards to distribution I know other fraternities have had good results using something like this with good results. Ask your cook to order them bulk from her kitchen supply company for a better price.

They are more accurate and effective than a cup-like container and if knocked over make minimal mess.

Just buy soundproof foam on Amazon, will be easier than mattresses or egg cartons.

http://www.amazon.com/2x12x12-BURGUNDY-CHARCOAL-Acoustic-Soundproofing/dp/B00ATP5KF6

Works pretty damn well, and its easy to cut to fit specific window shapes.

Especially if you fill them in these jello injectors

Great for themed parties and you can get 'em in bulk.

When one of my little brothers was a pledge, I made him the Fashion Police. I found this rainbow belt that I made him wear across his chest like a sash. He had a little police hat, a sheriff's badge, and a ticket book. Made him go up to people and write them a ticket for something about how they were dressed. It surprisingly worked kinda well on chicks with a sense of humor, if he approached it the right way.

If you're going with a Roaring 20's theme, the main decorations will be the apparel. Flapper skirts, headbands with feathers on the girls, classic tuxedos on the guys with hair slicked and parted. Those will be the things people focus on, remember, and see in pictures.

If you're determined to decorate, though, it can be done on the cheap:

• Gold/silver fringe curtains on the walls. Example.
  
  
• Gold/silver paper lanterns. Example.
  
  
• Champagne coupes. Example.
  
  
• Gold/silver streamers. Example.
  
  
• Create a photo backdrop/standing prop in Art Deco style (plywood and paint). Example.

Here are some really good sound-reactive lights.

http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-16-4-Feet-Changing-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B00CZ6VB6Y

4 foot sound bar that is sound-reactive: http://www.amazon.com/Xstatic-Pro-Lighting-BRIGHT-LIGHTING/dp/B00AK45HKO/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1452183642&sr=1-2&refinements=p_4%3AXstatic+Pro+Lighting

Get some dehumidifiers and an industrial fan or 2 and you should be good. We had a heat problem at the beginning of this semester and then we got one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00836E6LM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sFPYzbV127RQD

https://www.amazon.com/National-Hardware-V7710-Nails-Galvanized/dp/B005MJFA8G/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1465400289&sr=8-9&keywords=nails

These are the rubber nails I like to use.

Get you a Don't Tread On Me flag. I like this one better than the yellow Gadsden flag

They let you carry a bottle of wine on the ship. Pop the cork, drink the vino, and fill the bottle with vodka.

Re cork and get something like this

http://www.amazon.com/30-Black-PVC-Shrink-Capsules/dp/B00AUJE4GM

To make it look professional. If you and all your brothers do this, you will have lots of liquor.

The crotch "Freedom" Flask

https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Flask/dp/B006WV1HV2

Buy these to reseal your water bottles

Hungover: The Morning After and One Man's Quest for the Cure Paperback – November 20, 2018

i got you fam

https://www.amazon.com/KIDZ-BOP-Christmas-Kids/dp/B008VTRLUE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BLVOQB6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498694250&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=spinning+led+light&dpPl=1&dpID=41YfzQcjcfL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/Electro-Voice-ZLX15P-Two-Way-Powered-Loudspeaker/dp/B00CE0VN3M

https://www.amazon.com/ELECTRO-VOICE-ELX118P-Repack-Powered-Subwoofers/dp/B004M8GR8A/ref=pd_sim_267_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0B5HWYMVDKA336AF0ARP

Two of each. Bluetooth will hinder sound quality, I wont recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AB2AQLU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JeoZDb6E4MB75

We have been stealing it from each other's places for the past few months too (we got the monkey 4 or 5 years ago).