Quinn's Beloit Life

Do I have to like Vegemite?

2008-12-06T18:05:00.003-06:00

I know, two posts in a few minutes but they deserve separate entries.

With the new social network for Beloit College applicants and because I'm going abroad next semester I've started another blog.

So if you'd like to follow my travels down under, starting in February, I'll be blogging at http://doihavetolikevegemite.blogspot.com/

Because, really, do I have to like Vegemite?

It Feels Like 100 Days, 100 Nights

2008-12-06T17:52:00.001-06:00

I love it when things fall into place.

In the past year I've become obsessed with music from Allido Records and Daptone Records: Amy Winehouse, Budos Band, Mark Ronson, Rhymefest, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, etc.

My friend Michelle, writer of Rocksnobs.com got to see Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings last fall and said they were excellent. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were going to be in Madison! It's a $7 bus ride to Madison from Beloit so I was determined to get there, even on a Wednesday night.

My friend Kelly and I had originally planned to go together (she's from Madison) but by the Monday after Thanksgiving she wasn't feeling too hot. But by that point my friend Emily and her step-brother Robbie had decided to go to the show as well, and luckily, Emily has a car!

Now, before I start gushing about how excellent the show was I have to promote my newest favorite album. I first heard a few tracks on Mark Ronson's friday night internet radio show Authentic Sh*t from Menahan Street Band's Make the Road By Walking. Menahan Street Band is a mash-up of artists from various Daptone Records groups Budos Band and the Dap-Kings. Seriously, I can't get enough of their album; I've find myself humming their tunes all the time. Go have a listen, right now, right here: http://www.myspace.com/dunhamrecords!

So, back to the show. I was already very pumped to see Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, whose album 100 Days, 100 Nights has been in my rotation for about 4 months now, but couldn't contain my surprise when the website updated to say that Menahan Street Band was ALSO playing. I had to call my sister and brag.

For only $22, Emily, Robbie and I headed up to Madison on Wednesday night. The snow subsided by the time we hit the road at 4:30 so the ride was uneventful. The show started at 7:30 so with an hour and a half to kill before hand, we went over to Monty's Blue Plate Diner, across the street from the Barrymore Theater. I had a GBLT (guacamole, bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich), Robbie had a bleu cheese and bacon burger and Emily had a grilled veggie salad. We all dug into a Turtle Sundae before heading back across the street to see the show.

It took a while for us to gain feeling back into our toes but we had a good time looking around the old theater. It even has winking, sparkly stars in the ceiling. At about 7:45, Menahan Street band came on stage and we went to stand in front of it. Our feet glued themselves to the floor, which I doubt has been ever mopped, and we watched a great set. By the end of the night, the floor had gone from sticky to slick because so much beer had been spilled.

With only one album out, the set lasted about half an hour but they brought out a special guest! Charles Bradley! He's a James Brown-ish sort of guy with a great voice.

It was another half an hour before Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings got on stage, and in that amount of time the number of people on the floor doubled. I'm only 5'2" and was wearing tennis shoes so I went from having a clear view of the stage to a clear view of everyone else's shoulders. About half of Menahan Street Band are also Dap-Kings so they came back on to stage in nice suits to play a few warm up songs. Binky Griptite sang a few before introducing Sharon Jones. That lady can sing and move! Sharon (only 4'11" herself) brought people up on stage to dance with her, had the audience sing back-up and danced non-stop. A good portion of the audience was also grooving along to her soul-funky voice. To end the show, Charles Bradley came back on and they sang a duet. By this point it was getting close to 11 but no one was willing to leave. An encore was asked for a we got it. Sharon sang another couple of songs before heading out to the lobby to sign merchandise.

Emily, Robbie and I were exhausted by this point and didn't bother to stick around. We knew we had an hour's drive back to Beloit and all had things to do the next morning. We took a quick drive past the capital because I had never really been through Madison before, and hopped on the interstate home. I was back in my room by 12:30 and crashed immediately, wondering if I'd ever get the beer off my shoes or make it out of bed in the morning.

Just yesterday I found out that they'll be playing in San Francisco at the end of January. Since I have two months off between the end of my Beloit semester and the beginning of my Australian semester, I'm going to try and see them again!

Oh, and I apologize for the low quality pictures but the shutter button fell off on my camera over Thanksgiving break and I haven't bought the $18 piece of plastic to replace it yet.

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snowwwwwww.

2008-12-01T18:12:00.007-06:00

I was only off by 24 hours! By Sunday night we had about 2 inches of snow on the ground here in Beloit with an additional inch by morning.

December 1 2008 v. November 3 2008:

The sidewalks on campus weren't made by a ruler, instead they twist and turn around old forgotten trees and ancient Native American paths. In the winter they sometimes disappear entirely. Within a few weeks of the semester beginning, we know how long it takes to get to class and which route is the fastest. But when the snow falls, Physical Plant's whims decide our routes. Sidewalks go missing for months while other paths are created.

I lived in 609 Emerson my first year, before there was a path from the most-used door. Instead, we created a packed snow trail from the door to the nearest sidewalk. Within days it had become a solid ice-slide and made for many perilous journeys to meals. A new dusting of snow would only create another layer of ice that took weeks in the spring to melt.

My winter boots have been near my door for a few weeks but I truly needed them this morning as I made my way to class, past the library and Eaton Chapel to WAC. I pounded my feet off on the slushy steps and unwrapped my face as my sunglasses fogged up in the warmth of the building's lobby. The glittery snow looks beautiful right now under street lamp and moonlight, especially through a closed window.

--
Final countdown:
Papers: 2
Exams: 1
Projects: 2
Dinner's at a Professor's house: 1
Days until back in California: 16

Jumping on the bandwagon.

2008-11-20T20:47:00.002-06:00

I’m not sure how many of you are still reading this, and by “you” I mean people other than my mother. Some may have noticed that the link on the Admissions website to the blogs has disappeared and been replaced with another button.

In response to current internet trends Admissions has implemented this social network for applicants, Admissions counselors and a few current students who work for the Office, including myself. Invites will be sent after your application is received and the network goes live. Hopefully it will be up and running in early December for those early applicants who are already on the ball. We’ve got a few applications already being read in the office and can’t wait to get more.

The social network is Admission’s way of making sure questions are answered. I know that Facebook was still predominantly college students with hard-to-get-into high school networks when I joined back in the summer of 2006. My first friends were other Beloit students I met in the Beloit Class of 2010 group. Each year these groups are being started earlier and earlier, as soon as the first acceptances are sent out. This last January, the Beloit Class of 2012 group had a dozen people by the end of the month. Many questions were posted about housing, classes, professors, the town, parties, and entertainment on campus without any real answers. A few current students generously tried to answer as many as possible but plenty were just speculation from other future class members.

Admissions hopes that this social network will help change that. It, quite like Facebook, has groups, profiles and forums to write in, but more people are able to answer questions and support confused future first-years.

Remember, the early action deadline is December 1!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2008-11-17T15:17:00.005-06:00

Seriously, isn't that song just creepy? And since one friend has it as a ring-back tone it is constantly stuck in my head. Thanks, Mark.

We've got 15 days left of class plus 4 days of finals before we're all out of here for the semester. I try not to rely on caffeine because I crash hard later but when November (or April) hits I'm all for an extra shot of energy after class.

Pleasant Street Coffee opened almost two years ago just off campus. Though we have the Java Joint on campus, their coffee skillz don't quite match a real shop. On Friday nights they have live music and often the place will be packed. Many times, on my way back from the public library, bookstore or grocery store, I've stopped into get a quick drink, thaw and a punch in my card. The fake fireplace is warming and the big screen TV plays news or sports silently while the radio plays a good mix of classic pop and rock. Student art lines the walls, everything from photographs to local hand stitched maps.

Often you'll find students working behind the counter, always eager for a chat about a professor or homework. Locals and students mix in a really cozy atmosphere over looking the Rock River. On a winter's night P-Street is a welcome respite against the cold winds, low temperatures and intermittent snow that falls between November and March.

And speaking of snow, it snowed today! Well, it seemed like quite a lot while in the classroom but the ground was warm and yet again, it did not stick. Within an hour there was barely a trace of snow on the ground, though the wind has stayed whipping. I think that if it's going to be below freezing, it might as well snow and look pretty.

For my first two years here, the first real snow fall of each year has landed on December 1st, oddly enough. So I guess we'll be waiting another two weeks for a real snowfall and what I consider the offical start of Christmas-music-listening season. I don't celebrate Christmas but I sure do love me some snowy medleys.

1 Dec 2007:

1 Dec 2006:

It's the Final Countdown

2008-11-09T00:26:00.005-06:00

I feel like my head's been in another place for the past week. Things are falling through the cracks as classes start to hit the last 6 weeks. As professors try to fit everything in students start to get stressed. I've been lucky not to lose more than a day being sick this semester but it seems almost inevitable. Last semester I ended up taking my finals while on antibiotics for a sinus infection. Hopefully this will be skipped this year...

We have about 4 and a half weeks of classes until finals. Within that are multiple of the 3 Ps: papers, presentations, and projects. My sanity seems to be running away from me. I find myself 15 pages into a packet on Marx and realize that I've absorbed nothing. The highlighter poised in my hand remains capped as I begin again...

It seems like such a downer of an entry and I apologize. I guess I'm starting to slump and need a break. Heck, this is my 5th semester here, and I think I deserve my two months off before next semester (the Australia semester starts mid-February).

Also, since it's now November, the inevitable snow fall will begin. It's been hovering just above freezing for the past two days. We had some brief non-sticking snow on Friday afternoon but it mostly drizzled icy rain. My computer tells me it's snowing right now but my window does not.

And to think it was 65 on Election Day...

I voted!

VOTE

2008-11-04T09:40:00.002-06:00

I don't discuss my politics. Who and what I vote for are mine and mine alone. But what I do support is voting.

Some who read this blog are too young but if you can vote, GO VOTE. In Wisconsin you can register at the polls.

GO. VOTE.

Tacos?

2008-10-28T18:53:00.005-05:00

Did you know that you could've gotten a free taco from Taco Bell today?

As the days turn colder here in Wisconsin, we spend more time online. I have my daily routine of checkin' the email and blogs. It really does pay to keep up on some of the neat websites out there. Without a TV readily available to us, students rely on the internet. Google news gives a good over view but when I really want some more unbiased news, I head over to Al Jazeera, actually. In such a time where all of the 24-hour news sources are focused on what Sarah Palin is wearing, it is refreshing to learn what else is going on in the world. We are global citizens after all!

Some of my other daily reads are Tree Hugger, for all my sustainable-hippie-hemp-and-sandal-wearing needs. I will always be a geek at heart (and growing up in Silicon Valley helped with that) so I hit up a couple of more tech-focused blogs like Gizmodo, for my gadget fix and Lifehacker, for interesting new programs and tips to make my computing time (many hours a week) just a bit easier. Jezebel and Pop Candy cover my pop culture fix. I also like to check out a couple of more brain-numbing sites like the Kitchn, and drool over recipies I can't try my hand at until breaks.

Mmmm. Free tacos for everyone!

*5 points for knowing what movie this is from, 10 points for getting the other reference!

I'm Back. Back in the Beloit Groove*

2008-10-25T12:46:00.005-05:00

I apologize for neglecting you for so long! I had a very large paper to write this week which took up all of my time.

Well, the week before last was our Fall Break and I got to head out East to visit family and friends. Here's just a slice of my time out there.

Woodrow Wilson House, Washington DC, with Allison

Washington Memorial at Night

New York City Skyline, from a train

Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

New York System Hot Weiners, a Rhode Island staple

And some Del's Lemonade, another Rhode Island classic, with my cousin Jill

Boston's Public Gardens with Alhan

The Charles River, Boston

*Reference: New York Groove by Hello

Slackin'

2008-10-06T16:22:00.003-05:00

I apologize for slacking on my posting duties but that last few weeks have been mega-full. It's the week before our Fall Break (one week break for mid-terms and studying) so everyone is already on vacation. My first year I stayed in Wisconsin but visited my mom's family out in Milwaukee. Last year I went home to California to see family and frie nds. This year, I'm heading out to the other coast.

My dear friend Allison (hi Allison!) is studying in Washington DC at American University for the semester. On Friday night I'm flying out there to spend the weekend. On Monday I'll be taking the train up to Rhode Island to see my dad's side of the family and for the last weekend of break I'll be in Boston to visit my friend Alhan and her family.

To switch gears, you're all aware of the new Center for the Sciences but what of Chamberlin, the old science building? Well, you can watch it's deconstruction here. It should be completely gone by Halloween and then work on the gardens and greenhouse will start!

I love the new building but sometimes miss the large, 1960s styling of Chamberlin.

Rest in Pieces
1965-2008

Current drink obsession: Blue Sky Cola

Don't ask...

2008-09-29T18:34:00.005-05:00

I have a strange fascination with death. I guess it all stems from when I was a baby. My mom sang at funerals and when a babysitter couldn't be found, I would sleep in the casket showroom.

I still prefer dark and quiet to sleep in.

There is a cemetery not too many blocks off campus. I like to walk through it every once and a while when the weather is still good and the sun is just setting. Familiar names to Beloit students pop up, like Chapin, Bushnell and Porter. Some of the gravestones are only a few years old while others date back to pre-Civil War settlers. The brick-paved roads show through on some of the lanes while in other places they are just gravel.

Going to cemeteries much be genetic; one of my dad's sisters lives across the street from one of the oldest cemeteries in Rhode Island and my mom has had encounters with guardian-angel butterflies when visiting family sites.

For October break (coming up in less than two weeks) I'll be off to the East Coast to visit family and friends. Hopefully I'll make it out to visit the grave of Nellie L. Vaughn, seemingly another vampire, like Mercy Brown.

P.S. I still hope for one of these some day.

Family and Friend's Weekend

2008-09-23T18:12:00.004-05:00

Somehow I managed to be with my mom for an entire weekend and not snap a picture! I realized that as she drove back to Milwaukee on Sunday night! I'm sorry Mom!

This was the first Family and Friends weekend that someone from home came to visit. My mom is from the Milwaukee area so she got to see her sisters, mom and one brother. On Friday she drove down to Beloit. We made it through the first half hour of BeauSoliel, a Cajun/Zydeco band, in Eaton Chapel before we both realized how tired we were. The warmth of the upper balcony was cozy but we didn't think the people next to us would appreciate our snoring. We made it back to the hotel and got through a sweet little film called Arranged before turning in for the night.

On Saturday we hit the Farmer's Market after brunch so that I could show her a little more of town. Every stand was packed with locals, students and parents tasting and buying local treats. Friday night we had gone out to dinner with some of my friends when my mom spied the Angel Museum so of course we had to go.

I've been at Beloit for over two years now and attempted to visit the Angel Museum with friends last semester only to have it close. I took it as a good sign and left it at that.

Maybe we should have left it at that too. Inside were approximately 93085092835092835098432096583406983409865095820935809432809184326831096483 angels in every shape, size, color and porcelin moulding possible. And apparently this isn't all of them.

We giggled and made snotty comments the entire time; we are not fans of tchotches.

[[Side note: My sister just texted me to see if I took Blackadder. Sorry, Charlotte, I did.]]

And I'm kinda sorry to say, but the highlights of the weekend all revolved around food. Commons is fine for the every day but when someone else is buying and it's off campus, we're all happy campers.

A few selections:

The Badger Burger + Hummus at Bushel & Peck's Local Market (just a few blocks away)
The burger is "100% Local Black Angus beef mixed with fresh cheese curd from Spring Green, Wisconsin free range eggs, veggies and scratch bread crumbs in a hand formed patty" and the hummus was fresh and chunky. "It's like the consistancy of mashed potatoes but all that low fat protein," said my mom.
I cannot wait to go back and sample the rest of the menu.

Sushi at Shogun in Rockford. That was the first piece of octopus I ever had. It was excellent.

Tea and a chocolate muffin at Pleasant Street Coffee just off campus. We also split a veggie sandwich and a crab/artichoke quiche. It's a great little place for a light lunch next to the river or a safe haven between campus and the bookstore for coffee during the winter.

Thanks, Mom, for a great weekend. You're on your plane right now and I miss you so much already.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

2008-09-15T18:13:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah. We're back. Rather, I'm finally back. I was supposed to be back a week ago but they had to get new carpeting in Admissions so my days were canceled.

It's already the 4th week of schools so I've got plenty to write about but my fingers just aren't fast enough.

Life is different as an junior. Many of my friends are spread across the country and across the globe. This makes social life interesting. The small group of people I eat meals with is trying to branch out but we feel 1) old and 2) lost with all the new first-years. Seriously, there are 339 of them! That's more than the rest of us averaged out!

(You can also make a stop-motion-gif here)

I'm not complaining, though; they are a superb bunch. Who knew that so many excellent people would show up? Braving the harsh February weather for Presidential Scholarship weekends pays off!

So far, academically, this semester has been a challenge. Two English classes load on the reading PLUS I'm taking a Communication class that has an additional 32958032958 pages every night. But one of the most exciting classes this semester is Buildings as Teachers; it's all about the new Science Center. Holy smokes is that place awesome.

Really, the Science Center is like a new world! The technology is amazing, the bathroom counters are recycled and it's big and open. It is everything Chamberlin was not. I know that we lost some history with Chamberlin but the new place is great. Hopefully I'll get out my camera and show you some pictures of the new SC and the deconstruction of Chamberlin.

I've got so much to tell you but so much reading to do that I will instead appease you with a few other things until I charge my camera.

I've recently been obsessed with this song: I Blame Coco

And every song needs more cowbell...

this is the day...

2008-05-01T14:02:00.002-05:00

Today’s the day.

It’s the day that all deposits for incoming students are due.

It’s the day before finals.

It’s that last Thursday on campus for months.

And I can’t wait.

This semester was full of learning, work, snow, rain, sun, friends, construction, heartache and laughter. And it’s almost done. Many of my friends are going abroad next semester which changes everything.

Freshman 15. Sophomore slump. Not really. It’s up to you.

I’m sounding all philosophical but it’s because I’m burning out. I still have 2 papers and an exam left but all I was to do is sit around with my friends and laugh until we no longer can.

We’re all ready for a change for a few months. But by August, we’ll be ready to be back or be abroad.

Most of you still have at more than a month before your semesters end or you graduate. Hang in there. It’s not that much longer.

If you end up passing through town this summer, stop in at one of the new stores opening, Clean Cut Clothing on Wisconsin Ave or Bushel and Peck’s [the local produce grocery] on State St!

I hope to meet many of you, dear readers, this fall. I’ll be back in September for another semester of writing.

P.S. I never thought I’d eat Taco Bell at midnight in the basement of a bar while listening to a live death-metal band called “Sounds of Serenity”. Hm. College.

If I Only Had The Words...

2008-04-21T16:57:00.007-05:00

…I do have the words, just not the time or the energy. Instead, I’ll show you some pictures that sum up the last week for me. Spring Day, Alas: Jaywalking, a field trip, going to my friend’s sorority’s formal and the general warmth of Wisconsin spring…

[[photos courtesy of Mark S. and myself]]

jkasjdg;poialkjwa;eoitjalkscjlkdjf

2008-04-14T20:26:00.003-05:00

Sorry about the week long hiatus but last Sunday through this morning was busier and more stressful than I could have imagined. Part of it is personal issue but the last two days are what many of you who read this [I hope] were involved in:

Senior Open House [SOH]. Usually this is from Sunday-Monday but with 150 students flying in from across the country I had two lovely prospies from Saturday to Monday! That, coupled with many of my friends’ mom’s coming in for the weekend did not give much time for the rest I needed. But that will be made up this week. My weekend was roughly:

Friday

Dinner with friends and their Moms in the guest houses ~ 6 PM

Little Shop of Horrors from Netflix ~ 11 PM

Saturday

“End of the World” Party at Spanish House ~ 12:30 AM

Hanging out in one of the dorms.

Scrambling the last of my eggs* ~ 3:30 AM

*I forgot that I was planning to make banananananana bread. Now I’ve got four banananananananas in the freezer

Watching the TV Guide channel with friends [because there is nothing else on!] ~ 4 AM

Sleep ~ 5 AM

Homework ~ 2 PM

Re-dying my hair ~ 3 PM

Dinner ~ 5:30 PM

Pick up propsie #1 ~ 7:40 PM

Annual Drag Show [Yes, professional Drag Queens from Chicago come perform every year] ~ 8 PM

Pick up prospie # 2 ~ 11 PM

Sunday

Walked around campus, dancing ~ 12 AM

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [the Tim Burton version] ~ 12:30 AM

Sleep

Brunch ~ 11:30 AM

Prospies dropped off for tour/info sessions; Bus pick up ~ 2:30 PM

Dinner ~ 5 PM

Prospies hung out at the Alliance while I was here in Admissions ~ 8 PM

Voodoo Barbie [to watch the lovely Emily perform] ~ 10 PM

Finish Sweeney Todd ~ 11:30 PM

Monday

Sleep ~ Eventually

Breakfast ~ 9:15 AM

Prospies dropped off for the day ~ 10 AM

And then, because my class is cancelled this week due to a Saturday field trip, I went back to bed until 12:45.

---

This week is less hectic but it just gives me time to read and write more for next week…

Final Countdown*:

1 final exam

4 papers

1 revision

843098502385 lines of poetry

1 field trip

*you got Rick Roll’d!

you know nothing of the crunch!

2008-04-06T12:52:00.003-05:00

It's the final crunch. I fly home in a month for three weeks of lovely Californian free time until I start my internship.

In between then and now, though, are 6 papers, 1 exam and 50 lines of poetry.

At least I have part of the poetry done!

My intro to creative writing class covers three genres: non-fiction, fiction and poetry. That's also the order of my preference. We have come upon the last third of the semester and so we begin poetry.

I don't like poetry. I think that anything that is written in poetic form could be put into sentences. I've never liked poetry. And I still don't think I ever will.

toothpastefordinner.com

But my professor is a decent guy. Instead of saying "WRITE POEMS!" he is giving us creative ways to learn how to create poetry. Our first assignment, due Tuesday, is to "translate" a poem.

Let me explain:
1. Take a poem from another language, written phonetically
2. Using just the sounds, write it out in English
3. Smooth it out, begin to make it your own
4. Cut, paste, rework, rewrite until it's new!

We were provided with already phonetically written poems and I chose one written in Persian/Farsi. Look at the evolution of it!

1. [farsi-> english, first two lines]

Dideh-I to ‘ankabur-e biqarar

Dar khiali migozarad ruzegar

2. [first draft, first two lines]

D-Day, I to anchor bury big car

Door key ally me go far ahead rosé guard

3. [second draft, first two lines]

D-day, I bury anchor, big car

Door key, rosé, guard-ally goes far

4. [final draft]

I buried an anchor on D-Day

the door key broke; rosé

a bay of sod, full of dummies

marred the door; rosé

Peace, Jared

the door is in disarray; rosé

you cannot bar me from coming

rosé

bashing the red surrey

bar the door; rosé

buried in anchors and maggots

bar the door; rosé

buried in anchors and maggots

Cool, huh?

hahahahahaaaa.

2008-04-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

marriedtothesea.com

CHEAP TRICK AND JOAN JETT

2008-03-30T20:10:00.007-05:00

Aren't you jealous? I know I would be if I wasn't...me? What?

ANYWAY. Cheap Trick and Joan Jett. Brilliance.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts started out the night. Due to dinner issues we missed "Bad Reputation" but heard most of it on the way inside and in the bathroom. Hit after hit with some new stuff thrown in. It was a great show.

Rachel, Sara and I danced like fools in our seats much to the chagrin of the middle-aged fans around us. Most were either standing still or sitting during Joan Jett's regardless of the raw energy that flowed from the stage. When we were walking to the arena I thought that it was a recording playing because the voice was so flawless. It was power, perfection and performance.

I did sneak out during a low-key song to score some concert swag for myself. $35 later I was the proud owner of a Cheap Trick shirt and made my way back before she sang "I Love Rock'n'Roll". To our surprise, they did an

excellent rendition of Tommy James and the Shondell's "Crimson and Clover". Somehow, everyone around us managed to stay completely still during the entire thing...

One encore later, the lights came on and the drum kit went down.

Sara, Rachel and I attempted to a get a group shot with the result of this after 438048502385 attempts...

It was only after another dozen text messages that I finally secured a t-shirt order from my sisters but then the lights suddenly went out and the classic intro started. Anyone who has ever listened to "At Budokan" is very familiar with it...

They powered through hit after hit interspersed with stage banter from front man/guitarist Rick Neilsen. I snuck out again during the one song I didn’t know all the lyrics to, “Best Friend”. I made it back in time for “I Want You To Want Me”. The set list was AWESOME. S
ure, they had to “The Flame” but I was able to pass it up because it was followed by That 70s Song!

They “finished” the set but as always, enough cheering and feet stomping, they came back out.

WAIT. They didn’t. An Illinois State Representative came out? Whaaaaaa?

He declared that, from now on, April 1 is Cheap Trick Day. I am totally celebrating.

Rick Nielsen Guitar Count: 7

P.S. This guy had a sweet sweater.

not a shop-a-holic.

2008-03-27T16:37:00.003-05:00

Sure, we have a Cub Food's grocery store just 5 blocks off campus. Sure, we have a Wal*Mart a few miles off campus. Sure, we have a local pharmacy a 5 minute walk of campus.

But what about the other stuff?

I wore a uniform in middle school and a uniform through my first three years of high school so when I hit college I realized that color coordination is an okay thing. At Beloit is doesn't matter quite as much but I also found that my shopping was squished into short periods of time. My week-long mid-term breaks are centered around when I can get to Downtown Santa Cruz to buy a new pair of pants and another pair of leggings. When my sneakers start to fall apart on me through the snow and rain I pray they don't disintegrate before I can buy a fresh pair.

That's where the internet comes in handy. Amazon. Ebay. Threadless. Old Navy. Whatever we can click our mouses on.

Once I've learned my shoe size or pants preference for specific brands it's a breeze. Sometimes I even wing it and guestimate...

Recently, my favorite shoe company has become Simple Shoes. I love my black Satire's, my Joe Curren Satire's, and my darkearth Tomatoe's. Made from recycled plastic bottles, truck tires, organic cotton and water based glues, these shoes are durable and comfy.

Another favorite of myself and many students on campus for all our t-shirt needs is Threadless. Not only do we wear holes in these American Apparel and Fruit of the Loom Tees but some organizations even adopt them for themselves! Last semester, the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi used the "Communist Party" shirt!

Threadless recently had a $9 sale and my friends and I hit it up FAST. I already had three shirts from another sale but two more can't hurt...right?

And coming up are the Greek formals. I've been invited to go to Alpha Sigma Tau's Spring Formal with my friend Allison. Woo! Excuse to buy something I've been eying for a while: a red swing dress from Daddy-O's. It arrived yesterday and looks fabulous. I can get lots of mileage out of the dress, too.

But don't think it's just clothes. It's also strange things. Mattress pads, loose leaf teas, wigs, reference books, posters, appliances and music.

By the way, I'm waiting for two albums to arrive from the UK.... Foal's Antidotes and Reverend and the Maker's State of Things. They're cheaper to import from Amazon UK rather than Amazon US.

OH! Did I mention...I'm going to see CHEAP TRICK AND JOAN JETT on Saturday!

rewind, rewind

2008-03-22T14:38:00.004-05:00

My mom says that children are there to prove you wrong. Whatever you say they will then turn into a lie.

Apparently it works for the Midwest too. Everyone on campus was ready for flip-flops and shorts this weekend. And then we awoke to this:

We got about 5 inches in less than 24 hours. Not unusual for southern Wisconsin but IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING. It's in the high 30s today so it's melting. Uggggghhhh...

---

Well, my HUGE project for Environment and Society was finished and submitted at 11:15 PM last night. By the time that was finished, I was bushed. I had already missed the rockabilly band that played a C-Haus [campus bar] so I loaded Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train on Netflix.

With the weight of that off my shoulders, I hit snooze on my alarm clock this morning until noon. That felt nice. But of course I had missed brunch with friends so, inspired by fellow blog Simply Breakfast to make myself a nice, simple brunch of orange juice and rye bread with organic peanut butter and banana, to start off my day.

Eating in a dorm doesn't mean it has to be Ramen.

---

QUESTION: Does anyone actually click all the links I put in my posts?

---

QUESTION: Is Paul Newman the hottest man ever?
ANSWER: Yes, yes he is.

spring has sprung

2008-03-19T21:38:00.002-05:00

It's officially spring starting tomorrow night with the vernal equinox but today cemented it for me. Sure, the snow is basically gone since the temperatures have been warming consistently since spring break.

But one thing seals it on this campus: Ultimate Frisbee

It also helps that Beloit College holds the record for the longest continuous Ultimate Frisbee game: 72 hours, 15 minutes. It was set one rainy, muddy spring day that forever lives in the hearts of Beloit students: 9 April 2006.

And even though I was not here yet, it's still pretty darn powerful.

it goes up to 11

2008-03-17T11:13:00.004-05:00

With two of my classes focusing on global climate change and the general destruction by humans of our Earth, I have to find positive reasons to keep going; my single CFL light bulb doesn't help.

Netflix, an excellent local public library, and the Film Series club aid Beloit students in fleshing out their film watching skillz. Most weekends, sometimes twice, the Flim Series puts on strange, cult and indie films.

Anyone who knows me that I have strange taste in films. I tend to gravitate toward dark comedies but love suspense films and adore musicals. Hitchcock's library is slowly being ticked off my list [I love finding his cameos] but I cannot count how many times I've seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

I've watched classic silent films with their striking scores and period films about the lowest scum of the earth. I have watched some movies that are pretty messed up.

But this one topped them all.

Film Series showed 2006's Brothers of the Head on Saturday night. Punk rock conjoined twins, you say? Sure, I'm there. Maybe that was a bad idea. I'm usually all for mockumentaries, especially of musicians [This is Spın̈al Tap, anyone?] but this one was....just too much. I had to go watch Voodoo Barbie [student improv] and dance the night away at Alpha Sigma Tau's annual St. Patrick's Day party to clear my mind.

Sadly, I missed Film Series' Wallace and Gromit night.

short and sweet

2008-03-16T20:32:00.004-05:00

Ack. March is turning out to be a very, very full month. I have many things due this week and more due the following week.

I just received an email from my Aunt Evelyn with a link to the obituary of my great Aunt Hope. Because she lived in Rhode Island, I hadn't seen her in over two years.

"After the death of the body the spirit perishes, is like imagining that a bird in a cage will be destroyed if the cage is broken, though the bird has nothing to fear from the destruction of the cage." - Baha'i Writings

Soar to heaven, Aunt Hope.

Food, Glorious Food!

2008-03-11T17:18:00.005-05:00

I left 65 degree sunshine on Sunday morning only to arrive back to melting snow and a reset clock [which I then, promptly, set 12 hours off which made me miss my first class on Monday].

But Spring Break was great.

What I miss most about being away from home are the food choices. When I go home I hit up my favorite places and taste the diversity that Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties have to offer.

But before we even start the drive over the mountains toward home we make a stop: In-N-Out. I like the #2 - a Double Double with grilled onions and a chocolate shake. My friend Brianna is from Northern California as well and even though she's now a vegetarian she says she misses In-N-Out.

Now, I must mention that Sunday, 2 Mar, my first full day home, was the first day of the Baha'i Fast. Sun rise to sun set, for 19 days, Baha'is over 15 fast. It is a discipline that I actually enjoy doing. But after only one day, I came down with a horrible cold. Illness, age, travel, menstruation, pregnancy and nursing are reasons for not fasting so I was exempt.

This did mean, though, that I got to eat.

On the Sunday night, my sister Charlotte and I hit up Marianne's Ice Cream, a Santa Cruz favorite. Usually I get the Peanut Butter and Chocolate or Mint Chocolate Chip but I decided to be daring. After multiple times sampling it, I went for it: Pistachio Cardamom. Though it reminded me of little old Persian ladies, it was FANTASTIC; creamy but spicy and full of whole pistachios.

[Yes, those are dancing cows on the wall paper]

Back at Thanksgiving, I helped make some of the best bread I've ever had. I attempted to remake it. Yewollo Ambasha [recipe linked] is an Ethiopian spice bread. My first attempt, with a mix of different flours, turned out dense but well for a first time. Along with it, I made Doro Wat [recipe linked], a spicy chicken stew, also from Ethiopia. The stew and bread were both hits among the family and the general consensus was to have it again.

On Friday we opened our home to friends to come break the fast with us. I started baking as soon as I was up that morning and finished cooking just as people arrived. I made three loaves of Yewollo Ambasha [this time with just regular flour] and 5 times the recipe of Doro Wat. We were expecting lots of people, which was a good thing because 35-40 people showed up for dinner! The chicken from the Doro Wat was gone by the time I got around to it but spicy, caramelized onions and sauce on bread is just as delicious.

One week was not enough it hit up all my usual favorites [Indian, Japanese, Mongolian BBQ, Greek, etc.] but summer is only 8 weeks away...

**images courtesy of Google Images and my sister's cell phone

Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

2008-02-28T23:28:00.004-06:00

It's is Ayyam-I-Ha! These 4 days [but 5 on leap years] is a time of gift giving, service projects and celebration in the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i Calendar is made up of 19 months of 19 days each. This leaves some days left over at the end of February before the month of the Fast. Starting Sunday March 2nd, Baha'is over the age of 15 will fast from sunrise until sunset for 19 days. On March 21st, we celebrate Naw-Ruz [New Year]. And what else happens that day? The Vernal Equinox; the official start of spring!

But because it's also midterms I've had a hard time getting to the local Ayyam-I-Ha activities. I did manage, though, to do some baking.

Dorm kitchens can sometimes get messy but most afternoons they are quiet and a good place to bake. With the Wild v. Capitals hockey game* on in the background I made my newest favorite cookie: Craisin Oatmeal.

*I'm a loyal Sharks fan, though.

Since so many of my friends have been raving about them I'm putting up the recipe for all to see.
----
Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

350F - 10-12 minutes [until golden around the edges and soft in the middle]
Makes 1.5 dozen approx.

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar*
2 Tbsp honey*
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract*
1 c. flour*
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1.5 c. oats
1 cup raisins*

PARCHMENT PAPER!

Optional:
1/2 c. nuts
1 c. chocolate chips [REMOVE CINNAMON]

---

*Modifications that I use:
Splenda brown sugar mix [which equals half the amount]
Cranberry honey [local]
Pure, real vanilla extract
Red Mill gluten free flour mix OR flour of choice [spelt & amaranth mixes are great]
Craisins instead of raisins

---
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Large bowl: butter and brown sugar until well blended.
Add honey, egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth

Smaller bowl [or not!]: flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix with butter mixture.

Add oats and raisins. Mix until thoroughly combine.

THESE ARE WAY STICKY. Spoon/roll/pinch dough and place on sheet.

10-12 minutes or until golden brown on edges with soft middle.

Preferably cool on a rack but just the parchment paper works.

ENJOY!

be kind, rewind.

2008-02-25T20:11:00.002-06:00

Sorry about the hiatus.
It's mid-terms and I've had too many things on my plate to get around to this. I've got a brief break tonight [read: regular amount of homework] before I have to outline 5 essays for an exam.
Hopefully, though, my Wednesday at noon, I'll be basically done.
Ahhhhhh. A break is clear!

At least, in my time schedule, if not the weather*.

Is it still Monday? Can it possibly still be Monday?

The week before any break is the longest ever. We all have exams, papers, and projects on top of our regular schedule of reading and response writing, lectures and TA hours.

*A weekend of 30s and then back to snow storms. Thanks, Wisconsin.
--

I cannot tell you, though, how excited I am to see this movie: Be Kind Rewind.

Not only do I love Michel Gondry but I also love Mos Def.

Any movie that gets the fans involved before it is released is right up my alley.

As the main characters do in the film, fans are "sweding*" their favorites.

My personal favorite sweded films are:
Labyrinth
Tron
The Princess Bride

I hope to see this as soon as I can when I get home. How about Sunday morn?

*Sweding: The tapes in the Be Kind Rewind video store take so long to receive because they are coming from "Sweden" when they are really being refilmed.

chelsea + obama at BELOIT?

2008-02-19T18:29:00.004-06:00

DISCLAIMER: This post is about politics. I hope that the entry, though, is unbiased because I support no candidate.
---

We promised our supervisor, Bryan, that if he canceled work for us last night we'd all go see Obama speak.
And we did.

But earlier in the day another came to answer some questions: Chelsea Clinton.

The main floor of Pearson's Hall was already pretty full when Allison and I sat down at 1 PM. By 1:45 it was packed. A music mix was pumped through the speakers and we joked, was it Hillary's iPod? The athletes in front of us sang along with the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does It Magic" and the Smash Mouth cover of "Believer".

Though Chelsea was supposed to speak at 2 she didn't manage to get the microphone until after 2:30 because Tammy Baldwin, the representative for Beloit's district, was speaking of her long friendship with Hillary.

Chelsea answered our questions for an hour; everything from college tuition to the Iraq War. She told us exactly where her mother plans to fund all of these changes. She wasn't inspiring in the same way Obama was but she told us factually what would happen. She was humble about every question directed toward her and handled questions by the opposition with grace

On the walk back to my dorm I spotted the first of the Obama supporters. It was nearly 4 PM and they had been outside the Sports Center for nearly 2 hours. They would be there another hour before the doors were opened and they were allowed to stand in line.

Some email checking and dinner later and I bundled up with my camera, iPod and homework to see Obama. A few friends had gone over at 6 but I waited until 7. I quickly found Katie, Nicole and Allison in line and we stood/sat/leaned for the next hour and a half in line in the Field House.

We zig-zagged our way back and forth and they pushed the line tighter and tighter together. At 8 PM security opened and groups of 15 or so were let through and upstairs. Just after 9 PM we made it into the Flood Arena where we met up with Beth who had been volunteering for 4 hours.

The Beloit Memorial High Pep band was playing and the crowd was antsy. They continued to pack us in close, panning cameras over the cheering crowd on the floor and in the stands [we were on the floor].

Obama was to speak at 10 and we started counting down while singing to the music pumped through the speakers. A local singer sang a song by Rob Tamaro, a music professor, and some local coordinators pumped us up.

Amazingly, he started early!

He spoke for about 45 minutes of hope, change and the opposition. He roused the crowd and got huge cheers. Obama was about inspiration and hope.

Luckily, I managed to get one video before my camera’s memory card filled and the batteries died.

Over all it was really cool to see both of them speak; each was different.

++Images are MINE!++

2008-02-14T22:26:00.002-06:00

I had an entry planned out in my head but I don’t know if I can write it coherently after finding out about the shootings as NIU. All my thoughts and prayers are with them.
---
It’s Thursday night before the second Presidential Scholarship weekend and that means the Admissions Office is biz-ay! But that’s boring stuff you don’t want to read about so I’ll tell you of my Wednesday instead.
I had forgotten that it was the 2nd Annual Karaoke night but quickly remembered when the background choral work of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody rang through Commons. With my Tapatio sauce in hand [yes, I do bring my own hot sauce] I settled down with friends to eat tacos and listen to sober people sing their hearts out.
Then I decided to sing too.
It was another 20 minutes before I got up and sang Mama Cass’ “Dream A Little Dream of Me”.

Fast forward six hours and I’ve finished all my homework, watched Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” and I’m about to send one more email when the fire alarm goes off. The lucky people at the other end of the building ran into Maurer, which we are connected to. After midnight we can no longer enter other buildings from the outside so I, on the other hand, put on sweat pants, a long sweat shirt and shoes before heading outside.
It was around 0F as we stood out in the snow. Most of us were in pajamas and shoes rather than snow boots and jackets. We threatened that there would be blood for 1) waking many people up and 2) making us stand outside in the cold.
The RAs, we grumpy and it didn’t get any better when snow balls began to be thrown. 20 minutes later, close to 1 AM, we made our way back inside to thawed in bed. Thanks Mom for the microwavable heating pads. They are excellent.

trapped in the blinding whiteness of the TUNDRA!

2008-02-12T18:45:00.000-06:00

You know it’s winter in Beloit when…

+Your nose hairs freeze with your first breath

+Even your long underwear is stiff

+You turn on your computer before 8 AM to check if your professor has cancelled class [rare]

+You dream of wearing only two layers

+Your Chem professor uses your pants’ rock salt absorption line as an example of capillary action

+You don’t mind wearing snow boots to a dance party

+You plan trips 10 minutes early to scrap ice and snow from the car

+You get Facebook invitations for giant snow ball fights in front of Pearson’s

+English professors reference the “Storm of 1976” in comparison to the previous night

+And you are studying it in your Biology class

+You stay here anyway

slip 'n slide!

2008-02-05T15:47:00.000-06:00

I complain of the weather often.
And I’m sorry.
But seriously, Mid-West, warm temperatures + ice rain + below zero + 9 inches of snow over night?
C’mon!

Enough, enough. I resolve to complain of the weather no longer ~~in this post~~ although it did make walking to downtown a bit of an adventure this morning.

My Environment and Society classes headed down to the new headquarters of Beloit 2020, the civic committee who have been revamping Beloit for the past 19 years. We got to wander a bit through the fabulous displays of what has been changed and what is to come. I highly recommend getting a peak at it [even through the windows] if you’re visiting Beloit.

In Environment and Society class, at the moment, we are focusing on Beloit as an ecosystem. We’re all researching various topics of sustainability and human-environment interaction. Most of the presentation we saw was about what changes have happened and are going to happen. With this in mind, during the after-question-session many of us asked of specific green/sustainable plans being implemented in town.

Though the students are quite keen on these new technologies, current in-chargers [is that even a word?] don’t seem to have the background to want to use them. Sure, local small-city politics play a role but it’s about individual initiative!

There may be a local produce market coming in but, again, there is a lack of interdisciplinary-mediary types to move these sorts of small business along. Oh, and the whole “we-need-money-to-do-anything” aspect too…

This is a plea to you who read this; we need people well versed in multiple interpretative communities if anything is to get done!

don't get it...

2008-02-03T20:20:00.000-06:00

nataliedee.com

It may be Superbowl Sunday but that doesn’t mean I’m not snacking! The Admissions staff never fails on leaving left over snack food [which the SOIs then eat].

I really do love Bit-O-Honey, even if no one else does. And by the looks of the hidden candy stash, no one else does!

It was Presidential Scholarship weekend with great results. It wasn’t nearly as cold as last year [and managed to hold off on the snow until tonight]. We saw the magician Peter Boie. Being the skeptic I am, I saw right through his tricks [except for maybe one or two]. Those orange sneakers he wore were just to keep us from looking at his other hand!

We then ventured over to watch the student improv group Voodoo Barbie. Judging by their drawn on facial hair and plaid shirts, it was Lumberjack Night. As always, they were fabulous and Richardson Auditorium was packed way beyond the fire code limit. The stairs will filled, the window sills packed – but this made it all the better.

One of my prospies had an interview at 8:30 the next morning so we were up and breakfasted before I even get up for classes!

Well, by 3 PM, most prospective students were on their ways home and all those involved could relax.

I've got to finish up a presentation on Greenland's melting ice sheet for my Global Climate Change class tomorrow before I bundle back up and high-tail it back to my dorm.

Oh, and don't get scurvy.

all i want is a room somewhere...

2008-01-28T20:18:00.000-06:00

The fax machine keeps spewing out random fax cover sheets every few minutes since I sat down tonight.

I wish sitting down meant I could have a break, but it's Monday night which means no.

I feel like all the professors got together and decided that they would assign lots of reading and then response papers/journals as homework. With three of my classes doing this [and the other just assigning insane amounts of reading], my week nights are booked.

In just the next few weeks I have at least this:
- poetry recitation
- 10 page non-fiction essay
- 6-8 page essay for rhetoric
- multiple small projects for the two biology classes
- presidential scholarship weekends
- vagina monologue rehersals
- sleep?

Two weeks in and my brain is getting fried. This is not a good thing.

I do keep sane by going through my Netflix queue and browsing pretty sites like Apartment Therapy. The more I read that site, the more I want to save up to buy my own Eames Lounge Chair [and ottoman] and go antiquing for DYI projects.

What Rhetoric major wouldn't want a dictionary wall?

Most of these are viable in a dorm room but that didn't stop my roommate and I from hanging a clothes line across the room or insulating our windows against the cold [Ace Hardware's window film is a miracle]!

For now though, I must be content with the computer chair here in Admissions as I write up a wiki article for my Environmental Studies class.

carmex

2008-01-21T21:59:00.000-06:00

My red scarf covers half my face as I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. I can smell the heavy medicinal menthol of the Carmex I have smothered on my lips with each warm breath that is filtered through the fleece. I pull my hat down more to cover my ears but resist tying the strings because, even in the dead of winter, one still cares if they look like a dork.

I shuffle through the snow, already inches high only hours after maintenance has all gone home for the night. With my hands so tightly jammed in my pockets, if I slip, I will just roll into a ball. This is a constant worry for me; thoughts of a childhood fall involving broken teeth replay in my head and I slip my way over the powder.

The pristine snow glitters off the orange street lamps like the sparkles all the girls wore on their eyelids in elementary school. I can see each individual snow flake on my sleeves, each with its unique formation of crystals holding it perfectly together. They really do mirror the snowflakes we cut out of paper in my Californian elementary school.

I re-adjust my scarf after a few choice snowflakes drift in, only to have the red fleece stick to my Carmexed lips.

2008? What? Already?

2008-01-19T13:52:00.000-06:00

Well, it's a fresh semester. That means fresh classes, fresh activities, fresh people and fresh homework!

Lots of things are already going on this semester! This weekend is the Beloit International Film Festival. Films from all over the world are being show throughout campus and town, bringing in people from all over to see everything from Harry Potter marathons to prisoners-training-puppies documentaries to short films with no plot! I didn't make it to any last year because we had 3+ feet of snow on the ground and it was below zero. Sadly, it's not all that much better. The snow is only about 2 inches BUT it's below zero WITHOUT the wind chill factor. Brrr.

Let's see, what else is a-happenin'?

Oh, my roommate situation worked out fine. My prayers were answered in the form of an email that my friend Rachel sent at the end of the semester. I was already home, unpacking and napping when Rachel decided to move out of her sorority. A few emails between us and Residential Life and it was set. We're both settled and it's working out just great.

Soon, it's going to be the biggest weekends of the semester for all of us associated with the Admissions Office: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP WEEKEND! Contact the Admissions Office and make your plans. It's a great opportunity to grab a scholarship and just one of the many ways Beloit wants to help you come here.

Since its January, shows are beginning auditions and rehearsals are packing people’s schedules. Back in December, dance majors put together the December Workshops out of which 8 pieces were chosen for the annual Chelonia performance. It’s packed full of tap, hip hop, modern, ballet, jazz and mixed dance forms for a great show in early February [and during Presidential Scholarship Weekend!].
A few weeks later is the annual performance of the Vagina Monologues. I had the honor of performing in it last year and will also be in it this year. Last year was an amazing experience. We backed the second floor of Pearsons’ Hall to the point that people were turned away. This year, we’ve managed to secure Wilson Theater and have two performances so that everyone can come see it. If you want to schedule a visit around that time, come see the performance! The first people to get there get chocolate vulvas!
**P.S. I apologize for the last entry from last semester; I was heavily doped up on medication to rid me of a terrible sinus infection.

a pretty heavy entry for the last one of 2007

2007-12-10T18:02:00.001-06:00

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.

2 weeks and counting

2007-12-03T18:10:00.000-06:00

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]]

A list. I like lists.

2007-11-27T20:07:00.001-06:00

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.

Long Time Gone

2007-11-26T18:05:00.000-06:00

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 members (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!

2007-11-12T18:14:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-11-07T18:23:00.000-06:00

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

What? I'm cold!

2007-11-04T22:09:00.000-06:00

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!

Lots of red pictures.

2007-11-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

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!

10 Things

2007-10-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

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

Back in Black Beloit

2007-10-23T20:06:00.000-05:00

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!

An Open Letter to the Weather

2007-10-08T17:51:00.001-05:00

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 New England, if I wanted mild winters, I would've stayed home. Alas, I love Beloit too much.

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 Midwest – it changes in an instant. From the time it took to walk from the library to Aldrich (time: 3.5 minutes) the skies grey. By the time I had set down my books and walked to the bathroom there were ominous clouds outside my window (time: 35 seconds). And when I had made it back to my room from the bathroom (time: 10 seconds), it was pouring. I grabbed my umbrella and bag and headed out into the rain. I hadn’t walked more than 50 feet when the rain stopped.

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 means it's almost the weekend

2007-10-04T18:12:00.000-05:00

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.

pure-bred geek

2007-10-01T18:17:00.000-05:00

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.

~~Alas, I'm also lacking in a beautiful picture of the trees. But I'll add some tomorrow or later tonight!~~ Pretty leaves!

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!).

be classy, okay?

2007-09-27T23:33:00.000-05:00

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

i haz a blog

2007-09-24T19:15:00.001-05:00

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!

half a post...in hindi. thanks blogger.

2007-09-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

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!

true confessions of a college student

2007-09-18T20:07:00.000-05:00

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]]

Trapped in Beloit

2007-09-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

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!)!!

First Post!: Boring Subject Line

2007-09-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

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.