I was going to post at least two more times before I head out for break but the sinus infection that has been brewing for the last two weeks finally hit me full force. I'm on a high dosage of an antibiotic that should get me pretty well before I hope on the plane home early next week.
--
This week a weird week. Mon-Wed are classes (with Tuesday being a Thursday schedule). Thursday is a study day followed by finals days on Friday and Saturday (3 time slots per day, 9-12, 2-5, 7-10). Sunday is another study day with Monday and Tuesday rounding out the days for finals. Wednesday of next week is the last day in the halls but if you're lucky you can leave before hand.
I've got a paper due tomorrow, one due Friday, and exam Saturday afternoon and a paper due next Monday...but I'm rearranging so that I'll be homeward bound by Monday afternoon.
--
Between now and then, I also have a few other things to figure out. First, how to sleep enough to get this sinus infection gone. I guess that's what Thursday is fore.
Second, what am I going to do about my roommate situation!??!
Marija, my current roomie, is moving into her sorority which means I have a few options:
1) Find another roommate on campus to move in with or to have move in with me
2) Wait and get placed with a returning, transfer, or international student
3) Hope that all the returning, transfer, or international students are placed elsewhere and get to keep my double as a single.
So far I've been employing option #3 because I didn't want to think about but today I got a letter from Residential Life saying I needed to find someone. I've made a few calls. We'll see...
--
I've also been having some issue with study abroad. Beloit tries to get 55% of students to study abroad but it's getting harder and harder with less money for the number for the number of students and programs being cut (mostly at the local level).
This has hit me in a different way that this school hasn't ever had to do before: wait listing.
There are two deadlines, one each semester, and usually the fall deadline gets less than 30 applicants. This semester the Study Abroad Office received 87. Because of this, they got nit-picky. By next semester's deadline (Feb 1) I have to write a supplement about what Environmental Studies classes I plan to take here at Beloit before and after studying abroad. When I wrote the first application I didn't know what courses were available for this semester so my application was weak in that area.
I can write that over the semester break, though.
--
Question: Could a Christmas Medley of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby get any better?!
Answer: No.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
2 weeks and counting
Friday night kicked off the last weekend before people really start buckling down to study.
Saturday morning made sure we will all be staying in.
Snow on the ground on the first day of December was a good enough reason for me to start playing the Christmas tunes. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, really, the music is great! Of course in the rotation are the classics (multiple versions of White Christmas) but also the more obscure (Spike Jones' Christmas album and a Tom Lehrer song).
The snow stuck but then it warmed --- just enough, of course, to have the falling snow turn to sleet and cover everything in a coat of ice. Walking across campus to see the cult classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth" was a very frightening experience...
Luckily, by this morning, housekeeping and maintenance had cleared enough paths that we students could make it to class (albeit, bundled and frozen). THANK YOU PHYSICAL PLANT!
---
A rarity occurred in one of my classes today --- we had a guest speaker in Tom McBride's The Art of Professional Lying class (don't worry, it's just an intro rhetoric class)! Michelle Kristula-Green, President of the Asia-Pacific Division of advertising agency Leo Burnett, came to talk about advertising from Pakistan to China to Australia and her experiences as a woman in that field. She showed us advertisements from the last two quarters -- everything from Thai condom ads to Chinese Tide to a radio ad for the World Wildlife Fund.
I also had the chance to eat lunch with her. Though I had to bug out early to get to class, it was so nice to hear about how she managed her family life while traveling all over her division. She talked about how balance isn't necessarily equality -- it is about finding what works for the individual.
But what interested me most, out of all she spoke about, was the wide marketing campaign she was involved in for Sydney's Earth Hour. On 31 March 2007, 2 million people in Sydney turned off their lights and unnecessary devices off for an hour. It is part of a year-long campaign to reduce Sydney's carbon emissions by 5% and raise awareness about climate change. Planning is already underway for another Earth Hour in 2008 with the possibility of it happening in other cities as well.
Each individual can make a difference!
Well, I've got books to read and papers to outline...
[[Next time: The Saga of Study Abroad]]
Saturday morning made sure we will all be staying in.
Snow on the ground on the first day of December was a good enough reason for me to start playing the Christmas tunes. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, really, the music is great! Of course in the rotation are the classics (multiple versions of White Christmas) but also the more obscure (Spike Jones' Christmas album and a Tom Lehrer song).
The snow stuck but then it warmed --- just enough, of course, to have the falling snow turn to sleet and cover everything in a coat of ice. Walking across campus to see the cult classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth" was a very frightening experience...
Luckily, by this morning, housekeeping and maintenance had cleared enough paths that we students could make it to class (albeit, bundled and frozen). THANK YOU PHYSICAL PLANT!
---
A rarity occurred in one of my classes today --- we had a guest speaker in Tom McBride's The Art of Professional Lying class (don't worry, it's just an intro rhetoric class)! Michelle Kristula-Green, President of the Asia-Pacific Division of advertising agency Leo Burnett, came to talk about advertising from Pakistan to China to Australia and her experiences as a woman in that field. She showed us advertisements from the last two quarters -- everything from Thai condom ads to Chinese Tide to a radio ad for the World Wildlife Fund.
I also had the chance to eat lunch with her. Though I had to bug out early to get to class, it was so nice to hear about how she managed her family life while traveling all over her division. She talked about how balance isn't necessarily equality -- it is about finding what works for the individual.
But what interested me most, out of all she spoke about, was the wide marketing campaign she was involved in for Sydney's Earth Hour. On 31 March 2007, 2 million people in Sydney turned off their lights and unnecessary devices off for an hour. It is part of a year-long campaign to reduce Sydney's carbon emissions by 5% and raise awareness about climate change. Planning is already underway for another Earth Hour in 2008 with the possibility of it happening in other cities as well.
Each individual can make a difference!
Well, I've got books to read and papers to outline...
[[Next time: The Saga of Study Abroad]]
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A list. I like lists.
1) Long underwear is fabulous.
2) TV shows with musical breaks are my favorite. (Yes, Julia and Erin, I watched more Flight of the Conchords...)
3) Long scarves are toasty-warm.
4) Being so cold anything in your sinuses freezes is uncomfortable.
5) Getting all one's classes the first time around is relieving.
6) Powdered cocoa is only okay
7) especially when it's in a syrofoam cup
8) then it's just bad for the environment
9) but when it's in a waxy-paper cup it doesn't work
10) because the wax melts into the drink and the cup falls apart.
11) I learned that the hard way.
2) TV shows with musical breaks are my favorite. (Yes, Julia and Erin, I watched more Flight of the Conchords...)
3) Long scarves are toasty-warm.
4) Being so cold anything in your sinuses freezes is uncomfortable.
5) Getting all one's classes the first time around is relieving.
6) Powdered cocoa is only okay
7) especially when it's in a syrofoam cup
8) then it's just bad for the environment
9) but when it's in a waxy-paper cup it doesn't work
10) because the wax melts into the drink and the cup falls apart.
11) I learned that the hard way.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Long Time Gone
Sorry, I know it's been a long time. It's the time of the semester where it's projects, performances, papers and presentations! The week and a half before Thanksgiving is the calm before the storm. We were lulled into a false sense of security; just regular reading and papers.
Post-Thanksgiving is hell (but I won't get into that yet, since I've still got 3 weeks before the end of the semester).
Thanksgiving break, though, was awesome.
I'd never been to Minneapolis/St. Paul before, except through the airport. Now I understand why all my friends from the area love it.
My cousin Mike hosted Thanksgiving this year so I trekked up there with friends on Wednesday afternoon. Because the rest of the Milwaukee-area family member
s (another 13 people) weren't heading up until Friday, I cooked and baked with Mike and his house mate Liesa on Thursday. Six hours in a newly remodeled kitchen with a dessert chef (Liesa) is a great experience though it put my "I can make brownies from scratch!" skillz to shame.
Then we remembered that nothing is open on Thanksgiving night, not even Cub Foods. Whoops. We ate in a local bar before retiring to the couch with the cats for the night.
Friday is when everything happened. Though dinner wasn't to start until 4, all of the 14 other people coming (family + a friend) arrived by 2:30. The turkey, of course, didn't make it in the oven until 3:30 which meant that some of the other dishes didn't go in until closer to 7! Liesa, Mike and I were in and out of the kitchen all night, serving, cooking and cleaning until the rest of the family finished and took over. It's wonderful to have aunts, uncles, cousins and grandmas who don't mind washing dishes and wiping counters.
Plans were made for the next day and everyone dispersed. Liesa had work at 6 AM the next morning (she works at a local non-profit kitchen) so Mike and I watched Fresh Prince reruns late into the night.
Saturday was another early day with a trip to the sculpture garden before lunch. Brrr, it was cold out there. The pond beneath the spoonbridge was frozen solid and covered with snow!
We had a great time walking around and critiquing the modern art ("Is that Prometheus dancing on a hot dog, or is it just me?") before getting back to the car.
Lunch was a reheat and buffet of Thanksgiving dinner and all the dishes we hadn't made it to (potatoes au gratin, green bean casserole, stuffing) and left overs of everything else. Some people departed for the Mall of America while others started the trip back to Milwaukee. The remaining 8 of us piled into cars and went to do some shopping.
We hit up stores of knick-knacks and Christmas presents before stopping at the one I loved the most: Robot Love. I ended up coming out with my very own labbit (complete with mustache, banana, bubble gum and ice cream).
That night we drove over to St. Paul and had dinner at the Chatterbox Pub. We played Uno and watched others play Duck Hunt and Tetris on televisions around the restaurant as we waited for our food to come. Though we were full we all went over to Nye's Bar and Polonaise Restaurant for drinks (I didn't have anything). It was crowded and loud but fun, even though the ambiance hadn't been updated since it opened in 1949.
We stood (for there were no seats available) in the bar and to listen to Ruth Adams and the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band while playing "Name that Tune that they somehow made into a polka". By the end of the night we concluded that the trumpet player/singer was actually the Swedish Chef in human form and Ruth Adams somehow sneaked a tiny yappy-type dog into the bar. That was a bizarre night.
Since Laura and Jon (my ride) wanted to get out of town by noon, brunch was rather early at another local spot: Bryant Lake Bowl, part restaurant, part bowling alley, part theater. Never has bowling alley food been so good and never have I had granola that was so tasty (they put cashews in it!).
By 12:30 we were in the car on the way back to Robot Love for a quick purchase by Jon (and an impulse buy by my roommate Marija).
A few bathroom breaks and naps later we were back in Beloit by 6 -- just in time to order some Jimmy John's and crack open those text books.
Hopefully I'll make it back to the Twin Cities some time soon (and possibly when it's warmer). Now I'm off to do some more homework and prepare for the avalanche of papers and projects that are headed my way!
Post-Thanksgiving is hell (but I won't get into that yet, since I've still got 3 weeks before the end of the semester).
Thanksgiving break, though, was awesome.
I'd never been to Minneapolis/St. Paul before, except through the airport. Now I understand why all my friends from the area love it.
My cousin Mike hosted Thanksgiving this year so I trekked up there with friends on Wednesday afternoon. Because the rest of the Milwaukee-area family member
s (another 13 people) weren't heading up until Friday, I cooked and baked with Mike and his house mate Liesa on Thursday. Six hours in a newly remodeled kitchen with a dessert chef (Liesa) is a great experience though it put my "I can make brownies from scratch!" skillz to shame.Then we remembered that nothing is open on Thanksgiving night, not even Cub Foods. Whoops. We ate in a local bar before retiring to the couch with the cats for the night.
Friday is when everything happened. Though dinner wasn't to start until 4, all of the 14 other people coming (family + a friend) arrived by 2:30. The turkey, of course, didn't make it in the oven until 3:30 which meant that some of the other dishes didn't go in until closer to 7! Liesa, Mike and I were in and out of the kitchen all night, serving, cooking and cleaning until the rest of the family finished and took over. It's wonderful to have aunts, uncles, cousins and grandmas who don't mind washing dishes and wiping counters.
Plans were made for the next day and everyone dispersed. Liesa had work at 6 AM the next morning (she works at a local non-profit kitchen) so Mike and I watched Fresh Prince reruns late into the night.
Saturday was another early day with a trip to the sculpture garden before lunch. Brrr, it was cold out there. The pond beneath the spoonbridge was frozen solid and covered with snow!
We had a great time walking around and critiquing the modern art ("Is that Prometheus dancing on a hot dog, or is it just me?") before getting back to the car.
Lunch was a reheat and buffet of Thanksgiving dinner and all the dishes we hadn't made it to (potatoes au gratin, green bean casserole, stuffing) and left overs of everything else. Some people departed for the Mall of America while others started the trip back to Milwaukee. The remaining 8 of us piled into cars and went to do some shopping.
We hit up stores of knick-knacks and Christmas presents before stopping at the one I loved the most: Robot Love. I ended up coming out with my very own labbit (complete with mustache, banana, bubble gum and ice cream).
That night we drove over to St. Paul and had dinner at the Chatterbox Pub. We played Uno and watched others play Duck Hunt and Tetris on televisions around the restaurant as we waited for our food to come. Though we were full we all went over to Nye's Bar and Polonaise Restaurant for drinks (I didn't have anything). It was crowded and loud but fun, even though the ambiance hadn't been updated since it opened in 1949.We stood (for there were no seats available) in the bar and to listen to Ruth Adams and the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band while playing "Name that Tune that they somehow made into a polka". By the end of the night we concluded that the trumpet player/singer was actually the Swedish Chef in human form and Ruth Adams somehow sneaked a tiny yappy-type dog into the bar. That was a bizarre night.
Since Laura and Jon (my ride) wanted to get out of town by noon, brunch was rather early at another local spot: Bryant Lake Bowl, part restaurant, part bowling alley, part theater. Never has bowling alley food been so good and never have I had granola that was so tasty (they put cashews in it!).
By 12:30 we were in the car on the way back to Robot Love for a quick purchase by Jon (and an impulse buy by my roommate Marija).
A few bathroom breaks and naps later we were back in Beloit by 6 -- just in time to order some Jimmy John's and crack open those text books.
Hopefully I'll make it back to the Twin Cities some time soon (and possibly when it's warmer). Now I'm off to do some more homework and prepare for the avalanche of papers and projects that are headed my way!
Monday, November 12, 2007
I feel like I talk about my weekend more than anything else but it's also when most stuff happens. During the week I go to class, hang out at the library and work in Admissions. Sometimes a lecture or performance will break up the week but often they get pushed aside to write another paper or study for another exam.
Most of my week is mundane; I just don't know how many people really care about the great lecture Tom McBride gave today on semiotics, discourse and its relation to rhetoric and the Platonic archetypes. That sort of thing is right up my alley (heck, Tom even pointed me out for being a Rhetoric and Discourse major in front of the whole class).
Even my weekends are relatively mellow. I saw the comedian Rob Paravonian on Friday night (thanks programming board!) but otherwise I spent it painting my nails and watching Rushmore. Also that night was the Literary Ball hosted by Pocket Lint, the campus literary magazine. I attended last year but by the time I made it back to my room after seeing Rob Paravonian, it was nearly over. Alas, my Elizabeth Bennet dress will stay in the closet until it finds another use.
Saturday was low key as well. Sure, there was the Playaz Ball (an annual disco-themed party) but I stayed in to watch Sense and Sensibility and drink a pot of Earl Grey. We know how to party it up here at Beloit.
Sunday (was that only yesterday!??!) was busy, though. Starting Saturday afternoon I baked 4 dozen cupcakes to add to the other 10 dozen others had baked. Along with some campus Baha'is and local Baha'is, we hung out in front of Commons for 2 hours to raise awareness that there were Baha'is on campus! And it worked!
Or at least, all of the cupcakes were gone.
We gave out balloons, stickers, and informational pamphlets as well. Some people were happy enough to eat a free cupcake for breakfast while others eyed us more suspiciously, asking "What's the catch? What am I signing up for?" Apparently we're all cynics here!
Other than letting people know there are 5 Baha'is on campus this semester (2 are studying abroad), we also were letting people know that there was a Holy Day celebration that night! The founder of the Baha'i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, was born on 12 Nov 1917 (190 years!). The local community (some even came from Janesville) were having some devotions before dinner. And
since it's on a Sunday, people are always looking for a free meal. We had 4 students from the college come with us and hang out and eat dinner.
For Holy Days such as this, Baha'is are asked to take the day off work and school but I find that hard to do while at college -- it's why I'm in Admissions right now, writing this entry!
Also, my mom sent me a present to celebrate the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh! It's a (fake) sleeping puppy that breathes. It's partially cute, partially creepy (especially since it doesn't have an on/off switch).
Her name is Pumpkin.
Most of my week is mundane; I just don't know how many people really care about the great lecture Tom McBride gave today on semiotics, discourse and its relation to rhetoric and the Platonic archetypes. That sort of thing is right up my alley (heck, Tom even pointed me out for being a Rhetoric and Discourse major in front of the whole class).
Even my weekends are relatively mellow. I saw the comedian Rob Paravonian on Friday night (thanks programming board!) but otherwise I spent it painting my nails and watching Rushmore. Also that night was the Literary Ball hosted by Pocket Lint, the campus literary magazine. I attended last year but by the time I made it back to my room after seeing Rob Paravonian, it was nearly over. Alas, my Elizabeth Bennet dress will stay in the closet until it finds another use.
Saturday was low key as well. Sure, there was the Playaz Ball (an annual disco-themed party) but I stayed in to watch Sense and Sensibility and drink a pot of Earl Grey. We know how to party it up here at Beloit.
Sunday (was that only yesterday!??!) was busy, though. Starting Saturday afternoon I baked 4 dozen cupcakes to add to the other 10 dozen others had baked. Along with some campus Baha'is and local Baha'is, we hung out in front of Commons for 2 hours to raise awareness that there were Baha'is on campus! And it worked!
Or at least, all of the cupcakes were gone.
We gave out balloons, stickers, and informational pamphlets as well. Some people were happy enough to eat a free cupcake for breakfast while others eyed us more suspiciously, asking "What's the catch? What am I signing up for?" Apparently we're all cynics here!Other than letting people know there are 5 Baha'is on campus this semester (2 are studying abroad), we also were letting people know that there was a Holy Day celebration that night! The founder of the Baha'i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, was born on 12 Nov 1917 (190 years!). The local community (some even came from Janesville) were having some devotions before dinner. And
since it's on a Sunday, people are always looking for a free meal. We had 4 students from the college come with us and hang out and eat dinner.For Holy Days such as this, Baha'is are asked to take the day off work and school but I find that hard to do while at college -- it's why I'm in Admissions right now, writing this entry!
Also, my mom sent me a present to celebrate the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh! It's a (fake) sleeping puppy that breathes. It's partially cute, partially creepy (especially since it doesn't have an on/off switch).
Her name is Pumpkin.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
For some of the SOIs, this is the first blog they've kept but I've been keeping another blog for nearly 5 years. And being a blogger, I read others' too. Some of the most fascinating and well written ones are those of television writers, most of whom were at the forefront of the blogosphere, and have been writing online for a lot longer than most us.
So, I know you all watch TV so don't forget to support the writer's strike that's going on right now. Because so many of us stream or download our shows know, they're getting the short end of the stick.
One of my favorite shows is the Office. Apparently Steve Carrell called NBC so say he was suffering from "enlarged balls" and couldn't work.
So support them. All they want is a few more cents.
www.unitedhollywood.com
So, I know you all watch TV so don't forget to support the writer's strike that's going on right now. Because so many of us stream or download our shows know, they're getting the short end of the stick.
One of my favorite shows is the Office. Apparently Steve Carrell called NBC so say he was suffering from "enlarged balls" and couldn't work.
So support them. All they want is a few more cents.
www.unitedhollywood.com
Sunday, November 4, 2007
What? I'm cold!
A fresh week. WHOO. Good.
But that's not to say lots didn't happen this weekend.
Saturday, luckily, was lazy. I listened to some podcasts, cleaned and stared at the ceiling. I don't know about the rest of you but for me, they are very cathartic.
Today, was another story.
I was asked by Japan Club to drive for their field trip to Mistuwa, a large Japanese superstore outside of Chicago. Getting off campus is always nice.
And we arrived just in time for lunch:
Mmmmm. Chicken Katsu, Tempura, Udon noodles.
By 3 PM we were all back in the van to head back to campus. We were each loaded down with snacks, tea pots, lunch boxes, ice cream, books and magazines. I even invested in Japanese decongestant to banish my on-coming sinus headache.
[Cat with her panda cookie]
Any reader of this blog (and Julia's) knows that I love to complain about the weather. Well, it's officially cold enough during the day and night to layer everything on. So I am, including my hat (which is as tall as I am!), Cuddl Duds, 75¢ mittens from target and fluffy coat.
What? I'm cold!
But that's not to say lots didn't happen this weekend.
Saturday, luckily, was lazy. I listened to some podcasts, cleaned and stared at the ceiling. I don't know about the rest of you but for me, they are very cathartic.
Today, was another story.
I was asked by Japan Club to drive for their field trip to Mistuwa, a large Japanese superstore outside of Chicago. Getting off campus is always nice.
And we arrived just in time for lunch:
Mmmmm. Chicken Katsu, Tempura, Udon noodles.
By 3 PM we were all back in the van to head back to campus. We were each loaded down with snacks, tea pots, lunch boxes, ice cream, books and magazines. I even invested in Japanese decongestant to banish my on-coming sinus headache.
[Cat with her panda cookie]Any reader of this blog (and Julia's) knows that I love to complain about the weather. Well, it's officially cold enough during the day and night to layer everything on. So I am, including my hat (which is as tall as I am!), Cuddl Duds, 75¢ mittens from target and fluffy coat.
What? I'm cold!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Lots of red pictures.
Oh man, what a week. Papers, Sears customer service, study abroad application turn in, late nights, weird movies, Halloween. It's easier to just post pictures with captions.
I had to drink too many of these this weekend...
Found on the sidewalk on the residential side of campus.
My roommate's book bag's button collection.
Reds.
Polka dots!
I had to drink too many of these this weekend...
Found on the sidewalk on the residential side of campus.My roommate's book bag's button collection.
Reds.Polka dots!
Friday, October 26, 2007
10 Things
1) Someone stole my pumpkin from outside my room the other night between 11 PM and 1 AM. Dude, not cool.
2) T.Rex's Electric Warrior.
3) Sears.com is not a fast shipper nor do they have good customer service
4) Tortilla chips + hummus = dinner
5) You've got the universe reclining in your hair
6) Jasmine green tea
7) Naps in the afternoon
8) Late night oatmeal
9) SoCal is in my prayers
10) Early bed time
2) T.Rex's Electric Warrior.
3) Sears.com is not a fast shipper nor do they have good customer service
4) Tortilla chips + hummus = dinner
5) You've got the universe reclining in your hair
6) Jasmine green tea
7) Naps in the afternoon
8) Late night oatmeal
9) SoCal is in my prayers
10) Early bed time
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Back in Black Beloit
Well, it's Tuesday and we're all back at school working hard. Fall break was a welcome respite from papers and reading (not to say I didn't do homework). I managed to finish up my application essays for studying abroad and buy some warm clothes for this winter.
The highlight of my week was a conference of sorts. Now, I haven't mentioned it yet but I'm a Baha'i. For those of you (probably most) who don't know, it's an independent wold religion. Check out the link to learn more (mostly because describing the Baha'i Faith in a nutshell would take ages).
The summer counseling job I had was at Bosch Baha'i School, a conference center in the Santa Cruz mountains. This past weekend I went up for the College Club weeked. We focused on Baha'i Campus Associations/Baha'i Clubs on college campus. Out of the 19 counselors for the Jr. Youth week this past July, 11 of us were at college club! It was a mini reunion of some of the best, most loving and energetic people I know! Can you find the same people twice? (There are only ten in the second picture because Sam couldn't be found)
Part of the requirement for my major is a 90-hour internship having to do with Rhetoric and/or Discourse. To fill this requirement I am going to serve as a volunteer at Bosch Baha'i School next May, June and July in whatever capacity they need. I have many friends who are serving there for a year currently and I can't wait to join them for a few months. Baha'i youth are asked to do volunteer work for a year at some point. I do not know how I will fit this into my future but I will find somehow.
There are 7 Baha'is here at Beloit (2 abroad this semester) but we don't have a formal club. I've been working to get the Baha'i students on campus together and active but we're all so busy that we aren't finding time to get together. Because of this we've been attending meetings and devotional gatherings with the Baha'is in town.
The Spiritual Life Program here on campus helps to organize field trips to various religious
performances, temples, churches and sites. This Saturday we're heading to Wilmette, IL (outside Chicago) to visit the Baha'i Temple for North America! I'm very excited to visit the Temple again, even though I was there in May. The gardens surrounding it are beautiful and the leaves are changing into beautiful autumn reds and golds!
Well, I've got a lab report to write and a short story to memorize so I'm off.
P.S. This computer's keyboard has major lag time when typing on blogger.
P.P.S. Go Red Sox!
The highlight of my week was a conference of sorts. Now, I haven't mentioned it yet but I'm a Baha'i. For those of you (probably most) who don't know, it's an independent wold religion. Check out the link to learn more (mostly because describing the Baha'i Faith in a nutshell would take ages).
The summer counseling job I had was at Bosch Baha'i School, a conference center in the Santa Cruz mountains. This past weekend I went up for the College Club weeked. We focused on Baha'i Campus Associations/Baha'i Clubs on college campus. Out of the 19 counselors for the Jr. Youth week this past July, 11 of us were at college club! It was a mini reunion of some of the best, most loving and energetic people I know! Can you find the same people twice? (There are only ten in the second picture because Sam couldn't be found)
Part of the requirement for my major is a 90-hour internship having to do with Rhetoric and/or Discourse. To fill this requirement I am going to serve as a volunteer at Bosch Baha'i School next May, June and July in whatever capacity they need. I have many friends who are serving there for a year currently and I can't wait to join them for a few months. Baha'i youth are asked to do volunteer work for a year at some point. I do not know how I will fit this into my future but I will find somehow.
There are 7 Baha'is here at Beloit (2 abroad this semester) but we don't have a formal club. I've been working to get the Baha'i students on campus together and active but we're all so busy that we aren't finding time to get together. Because of this we've been attending meetings and devotional gatherings with the Baha'is in town.
The Spiritual Life Program here on campus helps to organize field trips to various religious
performances, temples, churches and sites. This Saturday we're heading to Wilmette, IL (outside Chicago) to visit the Baha'i Temple for North America! I'm very excited to visit the Temple again, even though I was there in May. The gardens surrounding it are beautiful and the leaves are changing into beautiful autumn reds and golds!Well, I've got a lab report to write and a short story to memorize so I'm off.
P.S. This computer's keyboard has major lag time when typing on blogger.
P.P.S. Go Red Sox!
Monday, October 8, 2007
An Open Letter to the Weather
Dear Weather,
I know I chose to go to school here but it certainly wasn't for you. If I wanted beautiful autumns I would've gone to
But you could still try.
I mean, really. It's the second week of October and it is 89°F out with 70% humidity. That's not cool.
The air conditioning was turned off in my building last week because we shouldn't need it! We had the fan on all night and I still woke
up with my pajamas stuck to me! After I dropped my prospie off this morning I came back to shower and turned the fan on HIGH and COLD. All it did was blow warm air.
And then I remembered the magic of the
Then the wind picked up and it felt like autumn. Thank you, I finally get to wear a sweatshirt again (even though it’s 70°F).
Weather-gods, where ever you are, thank you for letting us have autumn. Tomorrow’s forecast (in the 50s and 60s) looks lovely.
At least you haven’t made it snow yet like you did a year ago this week. Yeah, that wasn’t cool.
Sincerely,
Quinn
Thursday, October 4, 2007
thursday means it's almost the weekend
Today is Thursday - the best day of the week, at least, in my opinion. Not only is it almost the weekend but it's also a great TV night. Not only does is The Office on but starting tonight is Supernatural! I say I watch Supernatural for the content - American urban legends - but in reality it's for 3 simple things:1) The Metallicar (a 1967 Chevy Impala)
2) The classic rock soundtrack
3) The attractive main characters
Other than that, this week has been pretty mellow. Last week consisted of 2 papers, 1 rewrite and 1 exam. With only 1 exam this week I can see the light of October break. Ahhhh, I'm excited.
Last weekend was Parent's Weekend so it was a mellow weekend on campus. This weekend, though, is Alumni Weekend. That means that this week was Homecoming...I think. We're all proud to represent Beloit, here, but we forget we have sports teams (sorry about that...). It also means that things are really happenin' this week and weekend. Tonight is another band night at C-Haus (the bar) for student's bands and this weekend there are some dance parties at a frat and sorority.
I found this on the sidewalk outside a dorm. It's a good reminder.
Smile.
Monday, October 1, 2007
pure-bred geek
I'm sitting here in Admissions trying to locate the USB port for this computer. Where the heck is it? Apparently, this computer doesn't have one even thought it seems to be only a few years old. I've got some lovely photos on my flash drive but can't get them off there onto the computer!
Anyway, I'll continue.
[EDIT: I added photos!]
I recieved two packages last week, on the same day. One was a new bubble umbrella (clear with a blue stipe) and the other was a care package from home. We have 5 apple trees, a pear tree, an asian pear tree, 2 plum trees and a necatrine tree in the yard so my parents send a box of apples and pears. I've given some away (like to my RA, Connor, for helping me carry the box) and others I've eaten.
I love autumn in Wisconsin, there are so many more colors than at home (silly evergreen trees!). In Botany today we took a field trip around campus to see some of the trees! Most of them are still green but a few have been turing beautiful shades of orange and yellow.I can see from the blog counter that lots of people have been visiting the blogs from all over the country and the world! It's really nice to know people are reading because for a few weeks there it seemed like only the other SOIs were reading the blogs. That and our parents (Hi Mom and Dad!).
Thursday, September 27, 2007
be classy, okay?
This summer I worked at Ace Hardware for most of the summer. It was uneventful other than the few days I had pink hair (for Harry Potter because I went as Tonks).
The highlight of my summer, though, was the week I was a Camp Counselor for a group of 83 youth in 7-9th grades. Working with such an energetic bunch of young adults was life changing. It's a tricky age to be in (remember 8th grade? yeah, not fun). The energy that my fellow counselors and I were able to help focus was unbelievable. That one week gave me such a better outlook on the future. The amazing ideas and futures in those youth were more than I ever thought of at that age.
Right now I'm chatting on AIM with one of the girls that was in my cabin this summer. I can feel her enthusiasm in everything she writes.
There is really is hope for the future.
And remember...
nataliedee.com
Monday, September 24, 2007
i haz a blog
Even with all the work I have this week and next, I still find time to goof off. Rather, I love the internet and often spend too much time reading dumb websites... Like I Can Has Cheezburger ---->
College does have a lot of downtime. I seriously never thought I would watch as many 90's movies as I have. Or movies from my childhood (the Swan Princess anyone?). The public library has an amazing selection, as I've mentioned before. If I were a superhero, my power would be able to "call" things (Accio keys!) but libraries would be my weakness.
Speaking of the library, they're building a new one! Currently it's 3 blocks off campus in a decent sized building but they're renovating the old Beloit Mall and putting it in there. It'll now be the opposite way off campus and not much farther. It should be opening in late 2008 or early 2009.You really have no idea how excited I am for this new library. I love libraries.
In other news, the evening chat is now online! Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 CST you can chat with real, live students -- ask any questions you want! Just sign up here and log in! Once things get hopping, if you just want to sit in the chat and not ask any questions, that's fine too!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
half a post...in hindi. thanks blogger.
LAME. I wrote half a post before it switched into Hindi. Blogger can now be written in Hindi but if it gets switched into it it can't go back. Not cool.
It's been nearly a week since I posted because things get crazy all at once. I have two paper and an exam this week PLUS an exam next Monday. This is on top of the regular reading and smaller projects that I have like memorizing a Shakespearean sonnet to recite for class or reading all of Gulliver's Travels in a week.
All I want to do is snuggle in my bed a read The Great Gatsby again. It also doesn't help that my roommate got me started on the first season of Heroes. I finished my paper before I got here so we're going to watch at least one more episode tonight.
Julia and I are in here tonight (along with Tracy from the Admissions Office) trying to get into the new chat module. Emily seems to have gotten on fine early this evening but we've having a hard time. Something isn't loading right and logins aren't working. We haven't gone completely live yet so we aren't worrying too much but Bryan (our supervisor) is on the road and unable to help.
You know how in high school it's really annoying but sort of fun when the fire alarm goes off? You get to leave class, chat with friends and avoid doing work, right? Yeah, it's not all that cool when it's 7 PM, you're writing a 5 page paper and someone burns chicken on the floor above you so everyone has to go stand outside the building. We sat for 15 minute in the parking lot waiting for security to give us the thumbs up before we could enter the smoky building stairwell.
At least it was a decent reason - apparently a fire extinguisher exploded last year during the winter at 4 AM and the alarms went off.
Maybe we can log into the chat module now that it's been half an hour since we got here...if not, it's homework time!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
true confessions of a college student
If I was a productive student, I'd be doing the Botany reading that is sitting at my elbow.
toothpastefordinner.com
But I'm not. It's Tuesday and my brain is fried. I was sick this weekend so I neglected to write an analysis of a sonnet for Oral Interpretation (THEA 105) until 9 PM last night. The other problem is that my roommate and I get sidetracked by doing things like trying to find the mouse that has been eating our food or dancing around the room to Beirut songs. So when we finally turned out the light at 2 AM I had no idea I had set my alarm clock wrong.
Let's just say I wasn't too late for class.
Not much is happening in the office tonight since all the phone calls have been made and all the envelopes have been stuffed. It's a chill Tuesday night on campus too so when I'm done with my shift it will be back to my room to read some Aristotle for my Rhetoric class before bed.
One of my favorite things about the town of Beloit is the public library. Not only do they have nearly all of P.G. Wodhouse's works but they also have a GIANT movie collection.
I returned 3 Twilight Zone DVDs and picked up a couple of things I had never seen before and one of my favorites:
I love musicals. Love 'em all.
[[photos courtesy of toothpastefordinner.com and google images]]
toothpastefordinner.com
But I'm not. It's Tuesday and my brain is fried. I was sick this weekend so I neglected to write an analysis of a sonnet for Oral Interpretation (THEA 105) until 9 PM last night. The other problem is that my roommate and I get sidetracked by doing things like trying to find the mouse that has been eating our food or dancing around the room to Beirut songs. So when we finally turned out the light at 2 AM I had no idea I had set my alarm clock wrong.
Let's just say I wasn't too late for class.
Not much is happening in the office tonight since all the phone calls have been made and all the envelopes have been stuffed. It's a chill Tuesday night on campus too so when I'm done with my shift it will be back to my room to read some Aristotle for my Rhetoric class before bed.
One of my favorite things about the town of Beloit is the public library. Not only do they have nearly all of P.G. Wodhouse's works but they also have a GIANT movie collection.
I returned 3 Twilight Zone DVDs and picked up a couple of things I had never seen before and one of my favorites:
I love musicals. Love 'em all.
[[photos courtesy of toothpastefordinner.com and google images]]
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Trapped in Beloit
I've decided to carry my camera around more this semester because my first year here at Bel-wah wasn't documented all that well.
On Friday my Botany class took a walking field trip to the Turtle Creek Floodplain which is about a mile off campus.
Had we walked another mile we would've made it to the movie theater, Starbucks, Jimmy John's, Culver's, Wal*Mart, Menards and the Hormell plant. They're all close to campus but just a bit far to walk (especially since the sidewalk ends at one point). Luckily, every few weeks, a van does errands to the stores down there for free.
Along the way I took some photos of other plants which made my fried Rhiannon and I a little behind the rest. We caught up in time to hear Yaffa, the professor, explain the lab we were doing.
Look! A rubber plant from someone's yard!
We wandered in the old fields and down to the riverbank while being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The real point was to see how the land has changed since it was abandoned and turned into a park. We could see where fields used to be and the succession of the plants.The white flowers to the left are Late-Flowering Thoroughworts which we focused on for our lab. It looks like each bundle is a flower but really over a dozen packed together smaller than my thumb nail.
That night, after watching half of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the 204750294385th time, Allison and I bundled up and sat outside in 35 degree weather in the new amiptheater to watch Chapters 1-22 of R. Kelly's Hip-Hopera "Trapped in the Closet".
We cheered, boo'd and had appropriate reactions to it all. By about chapter 17, Allison and I had drunk all of our Earl Grey tea and were frozen so we went back to my room to thaw.
That’s us trying to be gangsta. We were supposed to be representin’ the MW (mid-west) but our hands got cut off. Oh well.
I’ve got a paper to write, bed to make, and dinner to find (Sunday nights we’re on our own!)!!
Friday, September 14, 2007
First Post!: Boring Subject Line
Hello inter-webz! Hello world!
Well, it's the end of the 3rd week of classes and I'm ready to relax. A cold must've snuck into my room last night because I've been sniffling all day. Some more tea and baking cookies will help with that, though.
So far this semester I've done a lot, met new people, read more than my eyes can take and not taken quite as many naps as I would like. Also, I've taken lots of pictures. Here are some from the first 3 weeks back on campus!
Here's my room. Last year I was in 609 Emerson but this year I'm in Aldrich.
Last weekend I dyed my hair from the red-brown it was to black. I was hoping for a dark brown but it went darker. Also, this is one of the plants I rescued from Botany; her name is Lilith.
They raised the prices of laundry this year (from $.75 to $1) so new machines were needed. The old ones ended up in the parking lot for a day.
I start working for Admissions on Sunday night as a SOI (student outreach intern) but until then I'm going to nap, dance the night away and do some baking.
And homework too.
Well, it's the end of the 3rd week of classes and I'm ready to relax. A cold must've snuck into my room last night because I've been sniffling all day. Some more tea and baking cookies will help with that, though.
So far this semester I've done a lot, met new people, read more than my eyes can take and not taken quite as many naps as I would like. Also, I've taken lots of pictures. Here are some from the first 3 weeks back on campus!
Here's my room. Last year I was in 609 Emerson but this year I'm in Aldrich.
Last weekend I dyed my hair from the red-brown it was to black. I was hoping for a dark brown but it went darker. Also, this is one of the plants I rescued from Botany; her name is Lilith.
They raised the prices of laundry this year (from $.75 to $1) so new machines were needed. The old ones ended up in the parking lot for a day.
I start working for Admissions on Sunday night as a SOI (student outreach intern) but until then I'm going to nap, dance the night away and do some baking.
And homework too.
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