Roommate Trouble

LEANNE SANTAMARIA/SC Staff Writer

It is extremely important to be comfortable enough with your roommate(s) where you can easily approach him or her. Tolerating someone who is not respecting you can be hard, which is why you need to approach them.  Explain how you feel and what the problem is.  Form a compromise with each other, so you have specific rules.  For example, have him or her consult with you first before bringing people into the room, have set times to be back, and respect each other by not making noise when you are trying to sleep.  If none of these work, then it is best to meet with your R.A. for further assistance. 

The one thing about roommates that I have learned is to not be afraid to communicate.  You should feel absolutely comfortable telling them exactly how you feel about something, whether it’s good or bad.  This makes your friendship stronger, and a chance to actually tell the truth without sugar coating things.  If you are a freshman, this could be hard because you are just getting used to them-especially at the beginning of the year.  You may be walking on eggshells around them, and feel embarrassed to confront them about something that is bothering you.  My advice is to say it and get it over with.

Dorm living can be really frustrating because your “home” is one tiny room that you have to share with somebody.  There’s no doubt that bickering will occur and disagreements will surface.  It is just a matter of how you handle the situation.  You may have one roommate who loves to go out and come home late, and you may have a roommate who loves staying in.  This could develop into major trouble.  Figure things out, compromise and respect what each of you has to say.  We are now considered adults, so we have to approach things in a mature fashion.  Of course this isn’t always the case due to certain circumstances, but when you finally feel comfortable enough to tell your roommate(s) how you feel, things will eventually fall into place. 

Check Out Stroudsburg’s Newest Delight: Pocono Limited Winery

KATE LANGENBURG/SC A&E Editor

Wine lovers rejoice! Salvatore Vito, local lawyer of Stroudsburg, has started a new winery in our area called Pocono Limited Winery. He, along with fellow winemaker and ESU graduate Joseph Richards, have devoted their time to the creation of specialty organic fruit wines.

The apple flavored wine has been thoughtfully named “La Pomme,” which means “the apple” in French. It brings new taste to wine connoisseurs that falls out of the realm of your typical white wine. The apple flavor offers a drier, crisper aftertaste to the mouth, leaving you craving a second glass after your first sip.

Of course, the apple flavor is not so overpowering as to ruin your wine drinking experience. It is subtle, light and is paired very nicely with an Italian meal, just to make a suggestion.

The organic wine making process is quite unique. The wine is fermented so that it can reach a stable temperature, then filtered using a microbial filter, which keeps the product sterile without losing any of its organic qualities. Instead of adding sulfites, preservatives that can add to a hangover, the winemakers barrel-age the wine for four months to strengthen its flavor.

ESU graduate and winemaker Joseph Richards fills bottles with La Pomme. Photo by Kate Langenburg.

Because Pocono Limited Winery crafts each bottle in a European style, they take pride in the aging process, which helps them achieve one of the most important goals in European winemaking: to develop weinsteins or “wine diamonds” in the wine. Essentially, wine diamonds are a sign that the wine has not been overly processed and has reached full, high quality maturity.

One of the main draws to the apple wine is the lack of preservatives. Chemicals that are added to most other wines, like bentonite or potassium sorbate, are the main causes of those nasty hangovers that often come with a night of wine drinking. La Pomme doesn’t have any of those chemicals, so it leaves you feeling better than you would drinking any other wine.

Pocono Limited Winery has also created a smooth apple liqueur, which is equally as delicious as the wine, but is more decadent. The interesting aspect about its production is that it is cryogenically created, hence why the winery calls it “ice liquor.” At the end of the process, the tasty drink comes out to be 75 proof.

Recently, Pocono Limited Winery entered the 2009 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, which was held in Rochester, New York. The competition featured over 500 wineries worldwide, with over 2,100 bottles of wine entered in the contest. La Pomme received a bronze medal, an achievement equal to third place.

Joseph Richards is very happy with the wine’s success. “For a winery that’s only been in operation for under a year, we’re doing really well,” he said. “We’re competing against wineries that have been in business for many years. It’s [the winery] got a lot of potential.

As of right now, Pocono Limited Winery features solely apple wine and liqueur created from organic apples, but plans are in the works for making other organic fruit flavors as well.

Pocono Limited Winery will be selling their delicious wines and liqueurs at the Chestnut Hill Nursery on the weekend of May 16-17. They will also be at the Monroe County Farm Market in Stroudsburg every Saturday morning from May through October. If you can’t wait that long, they also sell wine at The Crossings in Tannersville. You can find Pocono Limited Winery at the kiosk right next to Vitamin World.

To learn more, or to order yourself a bottle or two, visit their website.

If you’re any kind of wine lover, I urge you to try La Pomme. It’s scrumptiousness far surpasses many other wines out on the market. Plus, the fact that it’s completely organic helps, too. Lucky for you, the winery will be holding tastings by appointment in very soon.

Email Kate Langenburg at kll2718@esu.edu

University Dance Company to Present Spring Performance

ESU PRESS RELEASE

ESU University Dance Company. Photo from Google.

The University Dance Company at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania will hold its spring performance in the Abeloff Center for the Performing Arts at 7:00 p.m. on April 16, 17 and 18.  The event is open to the general public and tickets may be purchased at the door.  Ticket prices are $7 for the general public, $5 for ESU faculty/staff, and $3 for all students, senior citizens, and children.  Tickets should be purchased at the door.

For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Gibbons, ESU professor of movement activities and lifetime fitness, at lgibbons@po-box.esu.edu.