Easter weekend and such.

Easter is this Sunday, and a lot of students are heading home to spend the weekend with family...and I'm one of them! I'm bringing my roomate, Sara, with me. She lives in California, so she couldn't go home for the weekend. Plus, I thought it would be nice to show her Racine. After all, we've lived together for nearly two years now. It's about time she came home with me! I love giving tours...she's in for a treat! Hopefully she really doesn't want to do anything too exciting. All I can think about right now is sleep...ohh my gosh, how I miss it!

Last night Sara Wimmer got initiated into ADPi, and I didn't end up getting back to my room until around 12:30. I know that doesn't seem late, and I guess its really not. But when you have to wake up at 7:00 every day, and when you're definitely not a morning person (like me), then it really takes a lot out of you. I'm not looking forward to the car drive home today, I always get even more tired when I'm driving. I wish I could just snap my fingers and be home!...at least Sara will be there to keep me company!

I've gotten a good leg up on that to-do list I have on my last post. I started my American Public Address topic, I finished research for my Speakers Bureau in-class, and I'm starting research for my poetry and contemporary lit. presentations today. I think as long as I continue to stay on top of things, the last three weeks of class should go fairly smoothly.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

It's a beautiful day...and I'm getting old!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's slightly....WARM! Yes, I said it!

I'm so happy because I finished a poetry paper I've been trying to get through for weeks. I've never had such bad writer's block. Every time I sat down to write that paper, I couldn't think of ideas....at least not good ones. I talked to my professor several times, and each time I realized what I shotty idea I was bringing to him. But, alas! It is finished...and I think it's good. We'll see when I get my grade back. Speaking of grades, I also received my second American Public Address exam back today...another 100%! I felt awesome after that.

Tonight I don't think I'll be doing much, or at least I hope not. I want to just relax and hang out with friends. It's been a stressful couple of days, especially since I made a list today of all the big projects I have before the semester ends in four weeks...this is scary, take a look:

1. Write a 6 page Contemporary Literature paper.

2. Write a 7 page American Public Address paper in which I define and justify criteria for the greatest piece of American rhetoric, and select a speech that fits my critieria. Any contraditions within the paper result in an "F"...P.S. this is worth 15% of my overall semester grade.

3. Write a 5 page philosophy paper.

4. 25-minute group presentation for Contemporary Literature.

5. 25-minute group presentation for Poetry Aloud.

6. Speaker's Bureau in-class speech.

7. Speakers Bureau presentation about cyber-bullying to the local Kiwanis group.

8. 4 page reflection of the semester for Speakers Bureau.

That list doesn't include thing I have to do for finals...three of which are final papers and one of which is an exam. YIKES! I just want to play outside forever! It's truly scary how fast the end of this semester crept up on me. I have no idea where the time went. In fact, I still feel like I'm 16 and only have my learner's permit. When did I trun 20?

Well, enough reflection for the day. I need to go soak up some of the nice weather!

Admission Possible and Weather

Today I'm speaking to a group called Admission Possible at 4:15. I'm really excited about it! Last year, I talked to the same group (of about 25 students?) and they were amazing...so smart, diverse, such good questions, and just fun all around. I'm giving a talk about the student experience at Ripon for about 45 minutes with Q and A. I'm looking forward to the kinds of questions the students ask this year. It should be a good time!

Other than that, I had a really good weekend and did absolutely everything I planned on. Also, the weathermen keep saying it going to snow (yes, snow...in April...it's Wisconsin), and it hasn't yet. So I'm crossing my fingers that it stays this way! I just want spring to hurry up and bring me summer!

Weekend Weekend Weekend!

I got a call from my mom on Wednesday night saying that she got pick-pocketed in New Orleans. She's down there for the week for a convention for special school programs. Anyway, the guy who robbed her stole $300, which really sucks. But at leats she didn't get mugged and her credit/debit cards didn't get stolen. That would've been way worse! So always remember that downtown New Orleans can be a dangerous place...and don't carry a purse on you.

Thank God it's almost the weekend. Not only have I had a pretty stressful week (I've written three papers this week, one for philosophy and two for English, had two exam days, spoke at an event once, and have two more papers to write before the end of next week...the joys of the end of the semester), but I think this weekend is going to be a lot of fun. Mark's sister, Bridget, is coming home from UW-Madison today. She's a year younger than Mark and a year older than me, and we get along famously. Tonight, we're all going to go to a hockey game and then out to eat afterwards. Then Saturday, I'm hoping we're not doing anything...except relaxing allllllll day!

Sunday I'm coming back to Ripon early in the morning because I have ADPi meetings/events pretty much all day. They should all be a lot of fun!

Other than that, I have an exam today which I need to study for right after I leave the admission office...and at some point in the day I'm hoping to spend some time with my first love: naps. That sounds wonderful right now! Haha, I literally just woke up an hour ago and want to go back to bed. I think my love of napping is just too intense!

Here's the scoop...

So...

I heard back from the golf course about this summer. It looks like they have everyone coming back from last summer to work, so they're not hiring anyone for this coming summer. On the plus side, I just heard back from the school district I'll be working for. I'm going to be getting paid $15/hr. for 6 weeks, 24 hrs/week. I thought I was going to be making more with the school district and I really wanted to get the job at the golf course, but all in all I'm happy. Funding for the summer school program literally just got cut today. I guess I'm lucky I still have a job at all!

ADPi Formal was this past weekend. It was SOOO much fun! I felt radiant in my dress and had a really good time with my friends. It was definitely an experience! I have some pictures that I'll post when I get home tonight (which, because of my Monday night class won't be until 9:30...merh!).

I also had one of my first meetings for Panhellenic Council (Panhel for shirt) this Sunday. Panhel is the governing body for all three sororities on campus, and I got elected as treasurer a couple weeks ago. It was good to have a meeting to figure out what my duties are and what everyone else's job is as well. I'm really looking forward to being a part of the council.

Additional news? I took the first part of my second exam for American Public Address today and I'm pretty positive I rocked it!

Also, my best friend JoAnn who is also a sophomore at Ripon is apparently reading my blog and is sad that I haven't included her at all...so let me just share a little anecdote with you. This weekend JoAnn and her boyfriend Alex went to the store to buy milk. When JoAnn and Alex arrived at the store, they found that the milk in the cardboard carton was $.50 cheaper than the milk in a plastic jug. Herein lies the predicament: JoAnn always buys milk in a jug because she thinks its more sanitary (it closes better, she claims), but Alex made her buy the milk in a cardboard carton to save $.50. Today JoAnn has a stomach ache. She blames Alex for making her drink cardboard carton, unsanitary milk. Do you get the feeling that she's ridiculous? Good, you're spot-on. That's why I love her!

AHH!

This weekend is ADPi formal! I'm so excited! I got a really cute dress and new shoes over break, and I'm definitely ready to wear them (and I finally found a tie for Mark that will match what I'm wearing). I can't wait to take pictures with the girls, dance, and just have a good time with all my friends and Mark.

Other than that, things have been kind of stressful. It's been really hard to get back into the groove of things. The final stretch can be so painful. I have to read a couple books by Monday, write two-three papers that are all due next week, plus I have an exam in one of my communication classes. I wish I could've worked on my papers during break, but unfortunately I didn't have the assignments then. The nice thing is that I always know I'll pull through...it's just being in the moment when I get frazzled.

In conclusion, formal is coming at a perfect time. For one evening I'll be able to get away from it all and just relax before really digging into homework on Sunday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Guess who's back?

Today is the first day back from spring break. I had an awesome week off - I pretty much did whatever I wanted for an entire week. I still had a few things that I had to do...appointments, homework, etc., but all in all it was a good time. On Tuesday, I landed a co-coordinator position with a middle school in the school district in my hometown. I'll be working and helping map out the middle school summer program. It's a lot of responsibility and work as I'll be the third top person in charge of an entire middle school, but after I'm done I know I'll feel really accomplished. I worked for the program last summer in a different position and I felt so fulfilled after the program was finished. Plus, the pay is outstanding! So that was excellent news. Because the program is only 6 weeks long and I want money for when I live in Chicago next year, I'm hoping to get a second job at a golf course by my house. I hear about that this week!

Everyone is busy this week registering for classes next semester and meeting with their advisors to get schedules approved. I have meetings today and tomorrow. The classes I've chosen are...

Foundations in English Literature
Creative Writing: Poetry
Applied Communication
Elementary Statistics
Speakers Bureau

...for a total of 17 credits. I decided to take a peotry writing class after Patricia Smith (award-winning poet) visited our campus. I wrote my first ever poem today about her. It's called "Patricia Smith." It's a persona piece about her as a performer...she was amazing to watch, and I wanted to think about what must be going on in her head before she reads a poem. Here it is:

I am a performer.
I love to hear the spoken word.
How my words hit the air, pierce it and leave it wounded
Begging me for more.

I crave the stage -
I've gotta have lights and an audience.
Feel the warmth of the spotlight,
Feel the energy of the people.

This rush
is what poetry is.
And this feeling
is what I have come to long for.

This is my muse:
To know that the house is packed
To walk out onto the stage, my stage
...and perform.

Well, there you have it...my first ever poem. It's rough, I know, but it was fun to write. I should go get started on some work :) Unfortunately it's dark and drizzly outside and I'd give anything to go back to my room and crawl into my bed. Hope it's nicer weather wherever you are!