Often, I just start running with a general idea of where I want to go, and then I have some fun and make it up as I go along (with my map app open on my phone, of course, so that I don’t get completely lost).

Here are some of my favorite routes to run around UCLA , starting with the shortest distance route. The distances provided will vary depending on where you start. Most of my runs start on the Hill. In the photos of the maps (click to enlarge), the gray numbers indicate the mile markers, and the green and red indicate the start and end of the run.

Stone Canyon (Out and Back – 3.0 miles)

This run is a great run if you’re looking for something that’s shorter in distance that still gets you away from UCLA. Starting from the Hill, run along Sunset and then turn onto Stone Canyon Road until you reach a pink hotel. You’ll run about three miles total. To shorten or lengthen the run, either turn back early or just keep running. That’s the beauty of out and back runs – you can turn around when you feel like it. Stone Canyon Road is fairly quiet and peaceful, although there are no sidewalks, so make sure to watch out for cars.

Beverly Glen / Wilshire (Loop – 4.2 miles)

This route is one of my go-to routes because it’s not too short, not too long, and it is the perfect mix of city and residential running. Starting on Sunset Boulevard, the sidewalk gets fairly narrow and you’re running right next to traffic, so make sure you’re not zoning out too much while jamming out to your music. Once you turn down S. Beverly Glen, continue on Comstock Avenue and you’ll pass by Holmby Park.

At the park, there are public restrooms and water fountains, which is perfect if you need to take a break in the middle of your run. Then turn on Wilshire Boulevard (slightly hilly) and then Westwood Boulevard. I love to stop in Westwood on my way back for a cold smoothie or boba as a post-run treat – a reward makes it that much easier to get out the door in this hot weather! If you do stop, the run will be a little bit shorter, but if you start and end at Wooden, you’ll run about four miles.

Extended Perimeter (Loop – 4.9 miles)

This loop involves running through more residential areas and is about a mile longer than running the perimeter. Starting on the Hill or at De Neve crosswalk, you run down Veteran, turn on Weyburn and then spend a short amount of time on Warner Avenue before continuing on Loring Avenue and then turning onto Sunset Boulevard. It’s slightly uphill for most of the second half of the run (once you cross Hilgard), so if you’d like to make this route easier, you could start on Sunset and run it backwards.

Rochester (Loop ~ 5.9 miles)

This loop is an extended version of the Beverly Glen / Wilshire Loop above: If you’re up for the challenge, it’s slightly more difficult, but also a lot of fun. The run begins the same way as the loop above (including passing by Holmby Park), except when you get to the intersection of Comstock and Wilshire, you cross the street and keep running.

After you cross, turn onto Rochester, which is in a residential area. There’s a hill on almost every block of Rochester, which makes this run a bit harder. One thing to note is that there are a lot of intersections you’ll cross while on Rochester, but not all the intersections are four-way stops, so you have to be on the lookout for cars coming through. After you survive the little hills on Rochester, it’s a straight shot back to campus on Westwood Boulevard.

I love this route because it’s a nice getaway from campus, and it’s easy to mix it up to run a slightly different path each time. You can explore a lot of the area past Wilshire and still pretty easily find your way back to campus. I ran this just the other day, and actually ended up running straight into the Hangover III premiere – not a bad way to end a run!

Mileage was calculated and routes were mapped using mapmyrun.com.

What’s your favorite route to run around UCLA? Tweet us @dbmojo or comment below!

An interactive memorial commemorating veterans, the first of its kind at UCLA, is on display in the Court of Sciences today and Bruin Plaza Thursday.

Organizers of the memorial encouraged passersby to write down the names of veterans they know, or choose a name from their list of UCLA veterans. The goal of the event, organizers said, is to get people thinking of what Memorial Day – which falls on Monday, May 28 – means for the UCLA community.

“Civilians sometimes take the time off for granted, but it should really be about remembering the people who have passed on serving our nation,” said Andrew Nicholls, a fourth-year psychology student and veteran’s coordinator at the UCLA Veteran’s Resource Office.

Nicholls served eight years in the army, and comes from a family with a rich history of service. He pointed to the name he had written on the board: “Michael H. Simpson.” Simpson, he explained, was a friend who recently died while on duty in Afghanistan.

“William LacLacblan, Class of ’50″ was another name etched on the wall. Second-year english student Dmitry Neronov stopped by the memorial on his way back from class to write down the name, which he selected from a list of veterans. Neronov said his mother works as an instructor for the military, so he appreciates the contributions of those who serve.

Third-year geophysics student Jacquelynne Vaughan kneeled close to the wall to scribble the name “Brad Parks” on the wall. Parks, a friend of Vaughan, is currently a second-year physics student. After high school, he went straight to the Marines and infantry. “He works really hard, and is overall a really good person, so I wanted to commemorate that,” Vaughan said.

Military Veteran’s Organization, Bruin Battalion, Operation MEND, Red Cross and ROTC are co-hosting the event. The boards are provided by the nonprofit Nicholls co-founded, KIA WIA Foundation or “Killed in Action – Missing in Action.”

This is the first year these groups have come together to organize a memorial board on campus. The plan, Nicholls said, is to keep these boards in storage and bring them out each memorial day to display. Nicholls said he would like the project to become an annual event, so that the UCLA community can connect with veterans.

“I hope the community finds something powerful in this event,” he said.

The memorial boards will be up in Bruin Plaza on Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Actor, director and writer Josh Radnor is best known for playing Ted Mosby on the television show “How I Met Your Mother.” He visited UCLA Monday night, and the line to see him talk wrapped around the exterior of Ackerman Union.

Most students in line could rattle off tons of facts about Ted, but knew very little about Josh. Watch the video above to see students get quizzed on Radnor and his character.

Radnor started off his talk with a crowd-pleasing move: throwing a few bags of chips in to the audience. He was quick to say that he is not Ted Mosby and he was not going to lead a discussion solely about his television character.

So the questions that everybody no doubt wanted to ask were left unanswered – Can you say some of your taglines? How do you think the series will end? Is Cobie Smulders 100 percent committed to her husband and can I have her number and would she answer and who is the mother of your Ted’s children?

“I’m grateful for the show, and I’ve lent a lot of myself to the avatar on television, but that’s not me,” said Radnor, explaining the difference between Mosby and himself. “People get mad at me for something Ted did, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m a hired gun.’”

Radnor has been visiting college campuses for the last few months, and he said he likes to focus on answering students’ questions about life goals and careers, rather than his TV persona.

He spent the majority of his 25-minute talk discussing spirituality and self discovery.

“(We need to) begin the act of waking up. The real war is against unconsciousness, sleep,” Radnor said.

Following his talk, he answered students’ questions about his inspirations and his views on the state of society today.

Radnor ended the night by emphasizing how failure can be used as a source of motivation in life.

Did you attend Radnor’s talk? Tell us what you thought of the talk by tweeting @dbmojo or commenting below.

With less than a month until the end of the quarter… and finals… and graduation… and life after college… no doubt seniors must be feeling somewhat like this:

Sometimes, making lists help. So we have decided to do what we here at Mojo do best: make a list of the miscellaneous “stuff” you have to take care of before you graduate. Hopefully this list will make your life easier in the weeks leading up to graduation.

• Pick up commencement tickets: The tickets you ordered on MyUCLA will be available from CTO starting Tuesday, May 21. Be sure to bring a valid photo ID. Tickets that aren’t picked up by Tuesday, June 4 will be released to other students.
• Reserve parking passes for commencement: This can be done on MyUCLA by clicking on the commencement icon in the top right hand corner.
• Make use of the Career Center: After you graduate, you will no longer have access to the UCLA Career Center‘s resources unless you pay a fee. Luckily, there is still time to attend some career workshops and use BruinView to apply for jobs.
• Set up lifetime email forwarding: Although UCLA doesn’t allow you to keep your actual @ucla.edu email account, you can have any emails sent to your @ucla.edu email forwarded to an email of your choice for the rest of your life. You can set it up here.
• Order your cap and gown: Order your cap and gown via the UCLA Store website. Order pick ups have already begun at Graduation Etc. on Ackerman A-Level.
• Take the senior survey: Take an optional survey about your experiences at UCLA and be entered to win prizes in a raffle including Lifetime Alumni Association membership.
• See a departmental AND college counselor: You should see both counselors to make sure that you have met all the requirements for your major and specific college, so you are on the right track to graduate. Counselors are also very helpful if you have any questions about the whole process (or life in general).
• Apply for Optional Practical Training (International students): International students hoping to stay in the United States and work for 12 months in a specific field of study should consider applying for OPT. The recommended deadline for applying for OPT is two months after graduation. But keep in mind that the OPT application takes about 3 months to process, and you cannot start working until your application has been approved. Read this online workshop from the Dashew International Center for all the details before you submit the necessary paperwork.

Still feeling like you’ve forgotten something? You can find more information on the Commencement website, as well as the commencement Facebook and Twitter pages.

Today, I was in line for Diddy Riese after stocking up on  ______ (food) at Ralphs. When I reached the front of the line ______ (number) hours later, I discovered the line wasn’t for cookies. As I struggled to remember if the ______ (number) sequel of Iron Man was playing, I realized tonight was the world premiere of ‘The Hangover Part III‘. Looking up, I ______ (verb -ed) into Bradley Cooper, with his ______ (adjective) hair and ______ (adjective) eyes. Before I could respond by ______ (verb -ing) at him, I was knocked to the ground by a mob of ______ (adjective) fans. When I tried to escape the stampede, I was instantly ______ (verb -ed) by paparazzi flashlights. I turned around, only to bump into  Zach Galifianakis, who had picked up my ______ (food) and was  ______ (verb -ing) it with Ken Jeong. Ken Jeong  ______(verb -ed) at me and yelled “So long ______ (insult noun/expletive)!” before he ______ (verb-ed) on a ______ (noun). Before I knew it, I had gotten roped into watching the film and didn’t return home until my groceries had begun to smell like ______ (noun). Sigh, such is the life of a UCLA student. I hope I will never have to face another ______ (adjective) experience with so many celebrities … except my roommate just told me that ‘The Internship’ premieres in Westwood next week.

It’s not uncommon to see students sporting UCLA Bruinwear on campus. But does that mean we have school spirit? And how does our school spirit compare to that of students in other countries?

This past week was I Heart UCLA Week, an event put on by the Student Alumni Association that the group intends to amp up “Bruin pride” on and off campus. Mojo asked international students what they thought of the week and the concept of school spirit overall. Check out the video above to see their responses.

What do you think of UCLA’s school spirit? Comment below or tweet us @dbmojo.

1. Spring Sing 2010 Opener.

There’s only one thing you should take from this hilarious spoof of “The Hangover”: No matter where you are today, or how thirsty you were on Thursday, go to Spring Sing 2013 or … you’re dead. Warning: There’s a high likelihood that you’ll get James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” stuck in your head after this watching video.

2. Spring Sing 2011: Club B-Cafe.

 The “DOs and DON’Ts” of late nights on the Hill.

• DON’T hit up that party … B-Cafe will satisfy your raging needs. They don’t even check your IDs.
• DO use fantastic wordplays. “They call me milk ‘cause I’m steaming,” anyone?
• DON’T lose control. There are no bathrooms at B-Cafe (thanks for the tip, SSC).
• DO eat all of the “baaaagels.”
• DO follow sexy European strangers. No danger here.
• DO listen carefully. It took me two quarters of watching this video to figure out that the charming pigtail lady’s all-time fav B-Cafe dish was “ham and swiss.”
• DO listen to this song at the gym. Best workout of your life.

3. Spring Sing 2012: UCLA VS. USC Rap Battle

“Live your life like you’ve got 19P” is perhaps the greatest mantra ever created. This video obviously deserves a place in our top five (and you’ll undoubtedly have the chorus stuck in your head for the next 24 hours).

4. Spring Sing 2010: “The Twilight Saga: Pawprint.”

It’s kind of unreal how much the actor parodying the character of Edward Cullen looks like Robert Pattinson. Also, “Pawprint” is a far better love story than Twilight. Fur-real.

5. Spring Sing 2012: Bruin Love Line

Of course, we had to include one of Company’s facetious live skits. The puns are all-inclusive, UCLA-specific, science-related and, of course, sexually charged (it’s college, after all). No wonder securing a spot in the elite Spring Sing Company is about as easy as finding a table in Powell during finals week.

This week, we visited Professor Hans Barnard‘s office in the basement of the Fowler Museum. Barnard, originally from the Netherlands, ditched his background in medicine for a job in archaeology so he could travel and work with his wife, who also teaches at UCLA.

The first thing in his office to catch our eye was his piano, which he doesn’t play often because of the thin walls between him and his busily working neighbors. But he said it comes in handy when colleagues bring their children in to the office.

On the walls of his office are many colorful woven baskets, collected by his wife. He also has a small collection of pottery, which he uses as examples for his class on the archaeological analysis of ceramics. He said his goal of the class is to combine science with art in a way that helps break down the “North Campus vs. South Campus” way of thinking.

Check out our footage of his office, stories of his career and his piano-playing skills in the video above.

Know a professor who deserves to be featured on Office Hours? Tweet us @dbmojo.

• The Black Forest ham sandwich, topped with a spicy apple slaw, has a surprising little kick (mmm, jalapenos). The spice pairs nicely with the coolness of the apples in the slaw (although the slaw had a little bit too much mayo). I also enjoyed the sweet and salty combination of the apples and the ham. Chances are, if you like contrasting flavors and textures, you’ll like this sandwich.

• If there’s one thing I have to say about the Asian-style roast beef sandwich, it’s WHOA, WASABI. The wasabi mayonnaise is pretty overpowering, especially if you don’t eat spicy foods often. However, the roast beef was pretty good, and the carrot and radish slaw provided a nice crunch. If I order this sandwich again, I’ll be asking for it sans-mayo.

• You can add the chunky chicken salad sandwich to the list of items I would order again. The chicken salad wasn’t too creamy or too dry, and I loved the added crunch of the sliced almonds. The fresh baby spinach and sliced tomato on top of the chicken salad definitely made this sandwich a winner.

• The new tuna salad has a base of romaine and iceberg lettuce, topped with the tuna salad mixture (the same mixture used in the tuna salad sandwich), cucumber, tomato, onion, hard-boiled egg and a side of Italian dressing. Since I’m sort of a tuna-hater, I asked Katerina Pagsolingan, a first-year theater student, what she thought of the salad. She said that the tuna salad itself was a little dry and bland, but with the addition of the Italian dressing, it hit the mark.

• Of all the items I tried, the Mediteranean nachos dish (pita chips topped with hummus, cucumber, tomato, olives, onions, feta cheese and tzatziki sauce) was one of my favorites. The nachos were refreshingly simple and are the perfect snack for summer weather. The pita chips were more like a baked pita than chips – chewy in some places, crunchy in others. Clara Woodie, a first-year ecology and evolutionary biology student, said that she liked how Bruin Café put a healthy twist on classic nachos.

• Finally: BACON. Okay, maybe I’m a little overexcited about the new chicken, bacon and gorgonzola salad, but, let’s be real, who doesn’t love bacon? Throw in some champagne dressing and I’m sold. And it seems that a lot of other students were sold too, since Bruin Café actually ran out of the salads on Wednesday afternoon. It’s a delicious combination of salty bacon, fresh veggies and creamy cheese that’s worth the long wait in line.

Have you tried any of the latest menu items at Bruin Café? Tweet us your opinions @dbmojo or leave a comment below.

If you go to a blood drive, chances are you’ll be asked to sign up for the bone marrow donor list. Last year, I was actually a match for a leukemia patient. I ended up giving a peripheral blood cell donation (which is less intrusive than donating bone marrow), and it was a truly humbling experience. While it is a big time commitment if you do get called, I’d highly recommend signing up to be a bone marrow donor. I’m going to try to convince you by talking about all the sweet perks you get (at least, based on my experience).

1) Free Food: It’s every college student’s dream. Getting food without having to fork over money for it. If you donate blood, you usually get some cookies, juice and maybe some chips. But when you donate bone marrow, you get all that plus a free lunch!
2) The Nurses Pamper You Like Crazy: Again, I’m just speaking from my experience, but the nurses treat you like royalty. You’re selflessly giving something you have for the benefit of another person. In a hospital, that practically makes you a rock star. They’ll open your drinks and cut up your food if your arms are still sore after the procedure. And they’ll give you all the blankets you want. Oh, by the way…
3) The Blankets Are Frickin’ Awesome: Hospital blankets are the comfiest things I’ve ever had on my body. And they’re so warm. They must put them in a microwave or something because the blankets were so toasty. When your blanket loses its heat, they’ll take it away, and give you another one that’s just as warm as the last one.
4) You Get to Watch TV: If you end up giving a peripheral blood cell donation, you’re lying in a bed with two needles in both arms for 4 to 6 hours. Luckily, they’ll have a TV, so you can watch whatever you want. When I donated, I finally had a chance to catch up on the final season of Seinfeld. You really can only watch TV, so it’s a perfect excuse for not doing your homework. And one more thing…
5) It’s the Perfect Excuse for Getting Out of Class: You’re helping another human being. If your professor doesn’t excuse you from class, he/she has no soul.

The I <3 UCLA Blood Drive takes place Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kerckhoff Grand Salon. You can schedule an appointment at 310-825-0888. The first 250 donors get a free I <3 UCLA tank top. More free stuff! And everyone gets a movie ticket for donating. Even more free stuff!