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

Slackin'

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 friends. 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...

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

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.