Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snowwwwwww.

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.

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

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

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

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?

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*

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