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Bambino’s atmosphere felt like a traditional Italian restaurant and it even smelled like authentic Italian food, but somehow these feelings were lost in translation when my bowl of penne alla marinara arrived. It tasted more like cafeteria pasta than fine Italian cuisine.

I looked over the menu with a positive attitude. For one, I was famished and the aroma led me to believe I was in for a treat. My friend and I figured we needed to order appetizers to get a feel for everything Bambino’s offered.

We settled on garlic bread and one of my personal favorites, toasted ravioli. The appetizers came out quickly, partly because the place was nearly empty, but also because Bambino’s can claim they have a capable wait staff.

Cooked to perfection, the ravioli tasted great. It was not the best I have ever had, but I would recommend it to any anyone who dines at Bambino’s. The garlic bread went a snitch overboard with the garlic, but I prefer garlic to be used subtly so garlic lovers might say it’s delicious.

The accomplishments of the toasted ravioli and even the garlic bread left me excited for the main course. I ordered penne alla marinara with meatballs and my friend ordered fettuccine alfredo with shrimp.

On my end, the marinara sauce let me down. It tasted like mass-produced red sauce instead of an original Bambino’s recipe.

Bambino’s fell short where it counted most. Great marinara sauce is essential for a great Italian restaurant. Anyone can cook noodles, but the sauces separates the ristorantes in Little Italy from the Olive Gardens. I cannot recommend an Italian restaurant with sauce issues in good faith.

— Mike Nolan

DIY: Broken phones loose numbers and your mind

Synchronizing your computer with your cell phone saves headaches down the road.

A friend of mine said to me, “When I got my cell phone, I forgot everyone’s phone number.”

I had an epiphany: I depend on my cell phone. I feel naked without it.

I junked my little black book when I unwrapped my first cell phone. Keying in and carrying numbers on my cell is more convenient.

But, if I lost or broke my phone, all its numbers would be gone. I would have to scramble to reconstruct my entire list of contacts.

Backing up phone numbers is crucial. I re-entered my phone’s contacts into my computer’s address book.

Retyping every new number into your computer manually would be tedious but worth it. Use a phone that synchronizes with, or “talks to,” your computer. Some phones use Bluetooth and iPhones connect to computers well, too. Connect them to create a virtual mirror between your computer’s and phone’s contacts.

Don’t worry about breaking or losing your phone. It’s not your phone you feel naked without, it’s your numbers.

— Sachiko Miyakawa

Top 5: Don't drink and dial

Top five reasons why not to drunk dial

5. It’s always an ex or someone equally as inappropriate.

Hashing the past with an ex when your sober is rough. But in an invincible intoxicated state, two in the morning sounds like the perfect opportunity to clear the air.

If the ex doesn’t answer, there is the unfortunate possibility of placing calls to the parents. Jordan Gormley, 18, Hiawatha knows this first hand.

After placing a call to his friend’s mother, she grounded her child from his car for three weeks.

4. Public displays of emotion will never be kosher

An emotional phone call will only land you in the corner of a crowded bar, crying. It’s great for others in the bar, and possibly one of my favorite things to see at the other end of an establishment, but not for you. On top of that, going out is a good time; don’t turn it into a bad one with an inebriated phone call.

3. It’s always embarrassing

After four years of college and just as many cell phones, I’m still embarrassed about calls I’ve placed in early morning hours. Here is why it is embarrassing…

2. The person you called probably remembers what you said

It’s usually the case that the night you went out, is the night the phone call receiver stayed in. A key determinant to know when to hang up the phone is when the conversation starts with, “Oh, were you sleeping?”

1. You don’t remember what you said

It’s common sense that when alcohol is in your system, memory isn’t a factor in your life any longer. But don’t worry: the next day a multitude of people will be eager to let you in on your antics.

Victoria Grandsoult, 21, Derby, has a habit of drunk dialing her exes for a late night hook up. Unfortunately, she’s reminded of her action the next day in her ex’s beds.

“They think were back together and it’s awkward to come clean and be like, ‘No’” Grandsoult said.

— Christine D’Amico

Environment Tips: Drought leads to Water precautions

Tips on how to watch youyr water consumption after Gov, Sebelius claimed 13 Kansas counties under a drought.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius declared 13 Kansas counties either unnder a drought watch or a drought warning, making conserving water a first priority. Here are some tips to help you reduce your water usage.

Tip 1) Water your lawn just after sunrise or after sunset. Jeanette Klamm, utilities program manager of the City of Lawrence, said this would help reduce evaporation.

Tip 2) Buy energy-saving showerheads. Klamm said the showerheads didn’t increase the amount of water, but increase the pressure.

Tip 3) Check faucets, toilets and outside water connections for any leaks. Klamm said you might have a crack, which could cause an increase in your water bill.

— Mandy Earles

Fitness: Kicking exercise into another gear

Student teaches kickboxing class.

Kickboxing has been Stacey Pope’s primary form of exercise since she was 16. Now, Pope, Topeka junior, leads her own kickboxing class at the Student Recreation Fitness Center.

“I had been taking classes for a while and when I had the opportunity to get certified I went for it,” Pope said.

Students must be certified by AFAA, the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America in order to teach classes at the University. Pope said she had to take a workshop of classes for a weekend and take a test. The test was comprised of a written test portion consisting of physiological questions and a performance portion to demonstrate warm-ups and workouts.

Pope chose to enroll in kickboxing classes because she said it was an enjoyable alternative to working out on a treadmill or stationary bike.

“The machines get so boring after a while,” Pope said. “Kickboxing is really high energy. You feel like you can defend yourself; you feel strong and you feel powerful.”

Pope said that she also enjoys the dynamics of working out within a group.

“There’s a sense of solidarity within all the girls in the class,” she said.

This month, Pope leads the kickboxing class every Monday at 4:30 p.m.

— Deepa Sampat

Nooks and Crannies: A view from the top

Rustin Dodd examines the best view on campus.

Seven-story Fraser Hall sits on the highest point of Mt. Oread. As a result, any window on the seventh floor will provide onlookers with beautiful scenic vistas of campus and the rest of Lawrence. Look out one of the windows and see the top of Lippincott Hall and Memorial Stadium in the distance. Walk down the hall and look out the window of the other stairwell and you can see the shopping district at 31st and Iowa streets, perched in the distance. If you’ve never had a class on the seventh floor of Fraser, a 10-minute trip to the top might be worth your time.

— Rustin Dodd

Movies: It’s just not happening

Asher Fusco reviews “The Happening”

Director M. Night Shyamalan has made a name for himself by throwing outrageous plot twists into his films. Unfortunately, Shyamalan avoids throwing a curveball in “The Happening,” a movie that could use some wholesale adjustments.

For starters, Shyamalan could ditch the contrived dialogue, cut loose his group of laughably poor actors and modify his film’s ridiculous premise.

Mark Wahlberg is decent as Elliott Moore, a teacher who grapples with marital problems while trying to avoid a deadly natural phenomenon. Zooey Deschanel plays Moore’s disgruntled wife. The combination of bland dialogue and Deschanel’s incompetent performance leaves the viewer rooting against her character’s survival within the film’s first 30 minutes.

Though Wahlberg stands out by delivering the film’s only passable acting performance, his mere presence in the film disappoints after his great work in “The Departed.”

There isn’t much to the storyline in “The Happening,” forcing Shyamalan to tack on a hackneyed and forced environmental message. The film — billed as the director’s most frightening work — leaves no lasting effect, although the prospect of repeat viewings is quite terrifying.

Shyamalan’s career arc has trended down since 1999’s “The Sixth Sense.” At this point, his career is in need of a creative plot twist.

— Asher Fusco

Meals on a budget: When fruit is not just fruit

A KU students shares the secret of a tasty snack recipe.

Brynn Hamlett, 18, enlightens us on the benefits of a tasty, zesty kick to plain, cut-up fruit.

Ingredients:

Grapes

1 Granny Smith apple

1/2 of a cantaloupe

1 Lime

Honey

Cinnamon

Directions

Cut up the apple and the cantaloupe and place in a bowl. Add one cup of grapes in as well.

In a smaller bowl, start making the glaze. Squeeze out the juice from one full lime. Use between a fourth and half of a bottle of honey and add a dash of cinnamon. Stir all three ingredients together, continuing to pinch in more cinnamon until it tastes to your liking.

Once the glaze is thin, pour it over the fruit and place in the refrigerator while covering the bowl with wax paper or a paper towel. The lime should help keep the fruit fresh longer.

“It adds a kick of flavor,” Hamlett said, who claimed to make her fruit salad once a week.

The beauty of this recipe is that any combination of fruit can be substituted, depending on what you like.

Hamlett said this snack should be eaten either during the morning or afternoon, but never at night.

“You’re supposed to have something with sugar during the morning because you burn it off during the day,” she said. “At night, you just go to sleep.”

And that’s how you make a quick, simple recipe to help get you through the day. All prepared in less than 10 minutes.

— Jesse Temple

Top 5: Sports bars in Lawrence

The best places in town to watch the game.

5. Set‘em Up Jacks,

1800 E. 23rd St.

Located on the far east side of town, Set’em Up Jacks is anything but convenient for KU students. But the food is worth the trip (but by no means outstanding). What the restaurant does have, however, is the best television in town — a 22-foot high-definition screen.

4. Yacht Club,

530 Wisconsin St.

During KU basketball games, the atmosphere at the Yacht Club might be second best to only Allen Fieldhouse. It’s loud, exhausting and exciting. The restaurant also serves the best chicken tenders in town.

3. Johnny’s Tavern,

410 N. Second St.

The walls of Johnny’s are covered with more than 50 years worth of Kansas basketball memorabilia. Easily the longest-running sports bar in Lawrence, it was opened 55 years ago. Johnny’s has a diverse menu and terrific food.

2. Jefferson’s

Restaurant,

743 Massachusetts St.

It’s hard to believe Jefferson’s has been open for only eight years because it has turned into a Lawrence tradition. With its great location and even better burgers and wings, Jefferson’s is an ideal place to grab lunch and watch a game.

1. Bigg’s Barbeque,

2429 S. Iowa St.

Bigg’s combines three of the best things in the world: barbeque, sports and rock ‘n’ roll. The sports bar has enough televisions to be disguised as an electronics store and the barbeque is simply mouthwatering.

— Case Keefer

Weekend Project: Camping in the wild

A weekend filled with green grass, campfires, clear night skies and friendship is a great way to take a break from any stress you may have in work or school. But before you pitch a tent and rough it, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, decide how tough you plan to be. Considering most students don’t own RVs, luxury camping is out of the question. But, if you’re not into hardcore camping, there are ways to make it more lavish. Bringing a cot or air mattress to put under your sleeping bag, grilling steak to be served with a nice bottle of wine and scouting out the campsite to locate the nearby showers and rest rooms, are ways to keep from roughing it too hard. Or, if you feel like taking a walk on the wild side, sleep in a hammock, pee in the woods and become one with nature while you cook your own food in a dutch oven.

Before you go, make sure you pack the right things. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, flashlight, backpack, means to light a fire and utensils to cook food. Make sure you pack old clothes and tennis shoes because you will most likely get dirty. Other basics are water, rain gear, first aid kit, army knife, bug spray and sun screen. If you plan on drinking any cold beverages, be sure to bring a cooler with plenty of ice. Before you leave, check to see if firewood is provided. If not, be sure to bring some with you for a campfire.

When you arrive at the campsite, find the optimal place for your tent (avoid rocks or else you’re in for a bumpy night). It will be a group effort to get all the poles in place. Once your tent it set up, it’s time to light the fire and start enjoying the night. During the day, explore the surrounding areas with a hike; just be sure to bring either a map or a compass. The more sophisticated camper might also bring a handheld GPS device.

Whether your camping trip is for one night or for a whole week, come prepared with plenty of clothes and plenty of food. Camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, but be ready for any bumps in the night.

“Camping is such a good time to just hang out with friends away from all the drama,” Jared Clark, Topeka senior, said. Clark also suggested to bring some alternative means of entertainment, such as liquor, mixers and smoke of choice.

— Rebekah Scaperlanda

Books: 'Flames' bursts with dark humor, witty essays

Child abuse and neglect are tragic, awful crimes, and not at all a laughing matter, unless you’re David Sedaris reminiscing about your childhood. Sedaris’ latest collection of essays, titled, “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” range from a white-trash babysitter who forced him to scratch her back for hours (he’s still traumatized), to a disappointing encounter with his first dingo. His long suffering boyfriend, Hugh, only shakes his head and sighs at all of Sedaris’ obsessive-compulsive ticks. The dark humor he uses to depict humanity can be appreciated by anyone who has encountered American tourists in Europe and those who try to quit smoking. “Flames” more closely reflects Sedaris’ real age of 51, than his past two books, but it is a necessary addition to his collection of memoirs.

— Gretchen Gier

Music: Punk Rock family reunites

After a two year hiatus, the band From First to Last releases exciting new album.

From First to Last disappeared out of the punk rock family when a member of the band became ill in 2006 after releasing their third album, “Heroine.” Two years later, the band is back with a new album and a different sound.

In their self-titled album, the band brings a mixture of rock, pop and excitement.

The album definitely lives up to the title. From the first song, “Two As One” to their last song, “In Memorium in Advance,” I was intrigued by the sound and lyrics.

The songs I liked most were “Two As One,” “Worlds Away” and “Tick Tick Tomorrow” because of the thrilling sound and crazy lyrics.

I also like how some song titles coincide with the album title, like in “I Once was Lost, But Now Profound” and “We all Turn Back to Dust.” Even though I’m not a punk rock fan, the catchy titles helped peak my curiosity.

I think everyone would enjoy listening to the electric sound in From First to Last.

— Brieun Scott

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