Like Laura, I am going to make a list to see if I can get myself out of this rut and ready for the school year. Like Julie said, I will be joining up with the volleyball team again. I cannot figure out if that is something that should go on the list I will now make.
1) Volleyball will start; the sport that I have worked on so hard over the summer. I am excited to play.
2) Cool events for Gold Key will keep me busy at work.
3) New students are on campus and ready to meet me!
4) The fall. It is great, isn't it Laura? It looks especially beautiful on Beloit's campus, too.
5) Friends. Figuring out which ones actually care, and which ones can be moved to the trash.
6) New classes. New people. New professors. New topics. A chance to get my grades up, although I will never be able to beat Michelle or Julie.
7) I'll be an upperclassmen.
8) I'll be working with CELEB and have an internship.
9) Working on my portfolio is getting me really excited as well.
10) And I've decided shopping is very necessary to put me back into the school mode. So, day trip, to West Towne Mall in Madison, is a must. With friends, of course, right by my side!
*Brandi
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I can has classes?
Well hello all! To continue Brandi and Julie's recent posts regarding the rapidly-approaching beginning of the school year, I thought I'd pitch in my two cents as well. I'm not going to lie (and anyone who knows me well at all will not be surprised at all by this), I love the first day of school. I did when I was in third grade, sixth grade, and twelfth grade, and even as my FINAL year of college looms heavily on the horizon *gulp* I still find myself eagerly anticipating August...mmm...28th! and the official start of the 2007-2008 school year. I've listed the reasons for my jubilation, since for some reason I feel more accomplished if I compile lists than if I just type into giant paragraphs.
1. Summer's not over quite yet. I still have to go on a vacation of sorts (there's a memorial service involved, but it's still nice to get away!) for the first week of August.
2. I get to go to IKEA and SuperTarget and plan out my room/apartment decor.
3. School clothes shopping. Since I have to actually invest in items that will be post-grad-work-place appropriate, I'll be relying on the old "spend more, buy less" adage regarding clothing.
4. I can get started in my newest post as RoundTable editor-in-chief. My pet projects are waiting in the wings, eager to be fleshed out in print.
5. Classes are fun. I enjoy learning. Nerdy, yes--but whatever, that's what my parents are shelling out the cash for after all.
6. SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Nothing beats shopping for school supplies, I swear. Even if I do most of my work on the computer now, I still pick up at least a few important-looking binders and a new set of pens just to have the chance to walk around the school supply section and even give in to the temptation to buy the sheets of shiny stickers my mom never let me have. I always buy crayons, too.
7. Door decorations. As an RA, I have to be creative and decorate the doors to my residents' rooms, or apartments as it were. Since we usually make them after a long day of training, everyone is a little delirious by that point--which really adds something to the fun!
8. Fall begins! My favorite season (not only because my birthday is October 3rd!) in Wisconsin--the campus is so pretty and there's nothing like that crisp fall air!!
9. People who have been abroad are coming home! After months of being without my core group of girlfriends, we're going to be living and/or working together and living it up during our senior year *gulp again*
10. Folk'n'Blues Festival in September--one of the great traditional Beloit events that draw lots of people from both on- and off-campus.
Ok, I could actually go on and on. I won't, but please note that it's not just the summer that is exciting and fun at Beloit--there's a lot to look forward to after August! (Except for January and February. No one looks forward to them.)
~Laura DM
1. Summer's not over quite yet. I still have to go on a vacation of sorts (there's a memorial service involved, but it's still nice to get away!) for the first week of August.
2. I get to go to IKEA and SuperTarget and plan out my room/apartment decor.
3. School clothes shopping. Since I have to actually invest in items that will be post-grad-work-place appropriate, I'll be relying on the old "spend more, buy less" adage regarding clothing.
4. I can get started in my newest post as RoundTable editor-in-chief. My pet projects are waiting in the wings, eager to be fleshed out in print.
5. Classes are fun. I enjoy learning. Nerdy, yes--but whatever, that's what my parents are shelling out the cash for after all.
6. SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Nothing beats shopping for school supplies, I swear. Even if I do most of my work on the computer now, I still pick up at least a few important-looking binders and a new set of pens just to have the chance to walk around the school supply section and even give in to the temptation to buy the sheets of shiny stickers my mom never let me have. I always buy crayons, too.
7. Door decorations. As an RA, I have to be creative and decorate the doors to my residents' rooms, or apartments as it were. Since we usually make them after a long day of training, everyone is a little delirious by that point--which really adds something to the fun!
8. Fall begins! My favorite season (not only because my birthday is October 3rd!) in Wisconsin--the campus is so pretty and there's nothing like that crisp fall air!!
9. People who have been abroad are coming home! After months of being without my core group of girlfriends, we're going to be living and/or working together and living it up during our senior year *gulp again*
10. Folk'n'Blues Festival in September--one of the great traditional Beloit events that draw lots of people from both on- and off-campus.
Ok, I could actually go on and on. I won't, but please note that it's not just the summer that is exciting and fun at Beloit--there's a lot to look forward to after August! (Except for January and February. No one looks forward to them.)
~Laura DM
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
kaBAM!
That, friends, is the sound of the sophomore slump crashing into that vulnerable spot on the back of my neck just under the skull base. It's a freakin' avalanche.
As Brandi alluded to in her last post, there has been quite a bit of talk over envelope-duties about the upcoming academic year at Beloit. For Laura, working out the printing schedule for our campus paper, "The Round Table," is heavy on her mind. There's also a special academic project on her plate that looks like it may turn into a Senior Thesis. (She's kind of intimidatingly busy.) For Brandi, the focus is just getting pumped to get back into classes and getting back to her team. Travis is facing the switch back from academics and life abroad to regular campus life AND the whole the-end-is-in-sight syndrome known best by those facing their final year at a liberal arts college. Impressing the heck out of me with her motivation, Kristen seems to use most of her extra time planning events and checking out resources for a club she is helping to lead for Fall Semester.
Naturally, these focused coworkers of mine have got me in kind of a panic. I'm a creative writing major trying to pull together the papers to hop on a plane in January to spend a semester hiding out a university in France. All these prepared people are making me anxious to get back to the grindstone.
Without the crunch of due dates and a class schedule, my summer brain is left idle to wrap itself around how to spend my birthday on Sunday or training for Cross Country season or reading all the books left on my list for the summer (Anna Karenina, here I come) or whatever other shiney thought floats through my radar.
I can't believe I miss the stress of the academic year.
I can't believe we are already in the dregs of July.
I can't believe I gave in and got addicted to coffee.
I can't believe there are still more envelopes at my feet, waiting to be stuffed. I swear, when I finally leave three years from now, there will be no empty envelopes left in the state of Wisconsin.
Stay hydrated kiddies-- the sun is shining.
- Julia
As Brandi alluded to in her last post, there has been quite a bit of talk over envelope-duties about the upcoming academic year at Beloit. For Laura, working out the printing schedule for our campus paper, "The Round Table," is heavy on her mind. There's also a special academic project on her plate that looks like it may turn into a Senior Thesis. (She's kind of intimidatingly busy.) For Brandi, the focus is just getting pumped to get back into classes and getting back to her team. Travis is facing the switch back from academics and life abroad to regular campus life AND the whole the-end-is-in-sight syndrome known best by those facing their final year at a liberal arts college. Impressing the heck out of me with her motivation, Kristen seems to use most of her extra time planning events and checking out resources for a club she is helping to lead for Fall Semester.
Naturally, these focused coworkers of mine have got me in kind of a panic. I'm a creative writing major trying to pull together the papers to hop on a plane in January to spend a semester hiding out a university in France. All these prepared people are making me anxious to get back to the grindstone.
Without the crunch of due dates and a class schedule, my summer brain is left idle to wrap itself around how to spend my birthday on Sunday or training for Cross Country season or reading all the books left on my list for the summer (Anna Karenina, here I come) or whatever other shiney thought floats through my radar.
I can't believe I miss the stress of the academic year.
I can't believe we are already in the dregs of July.
I can't believe I gave in and got addicted to coffee.
I can't believe there are still more envelopes at my feet, waiting to be stuffed. I swear, when I finally leave three years from now, there will be no empty envelopes left in the state of Wisconsin.
Stay hydrated kiddies-- the sun is shining.
- Julia
Takin' Control
I decided to take control.
I am meeting with a lawyer today to get the contract written up so we can get a co-signer. There is still the issue of not having any apartments still available, but I'm sure it'll work itself out.
I have enough money in my bank account for me to survive to the next paycheck, and I might even be able to pay my cellphone bill.
Now I have to get ready for the fall semester. Talking to Julie and Laura yesterday I know how to prepare. I have to go shopping. I know, it sucks, but it must be done.
And if I organize my crap in my room, send stuff home that I don't need, I'll be a happier person.
I thought of all this while I was out on Whitewater Lake yesterday. I freed myself. I had fun. I took pictures. It was great. I took off work. I didn't get back until about 11:30 and then hung out with my friends that I had left back on campus. Sometimes, it's good to be home.
But, I have decided, next summer will not be spent in Beloit. I love it, but I need to get away for a summer. I'm excited about where I might be headed, but that is a ways off.
*Brandi
I am meeting with a lawyer today to get the contract written up so we can get a co-signer. There is still the issue of not having any apartments still available, but I'm sure it'll work itself out.
I have enough money in my bank account for me to survive to the next paycheck, and I might even be able to pay my cellphone bill.
Now I have to get ready for the fall semester. Talking to Julie and Laura yesterday I know how to prepare. I have to go shopping. I know, it sucks, but it must be done.
And if I organize my crap in my room, send stuff home that I don't need, I'll be a happier person.
I thought of all this while I was out on Whitewater Lake yesterday. I freed myself. I had fun. I took pictures. It was great. I took off work. I didn't get back until about 11:30 and then hung out with my friends that I had left back on campus. Sometimes, it's good to be home.
But, I have decided, next summer will not be spent in Beloit. I love it, but I need to get away for a summer. I'm excited about where I might be headed, but that is a ways off.
*Brandi
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Bills. Bills. Bills. and Apartments
So I'm looking for an apartment, but I can't find one in which I don't need a co-signer. I don't know what to do because in one month I will have no place to live. If I could just find a co-signer! I don't like talking about this it makes me so depressed.
I just got my cell phone bill and that makes me upset as well. I don't like bills. I wish that I could just have an endless supply of money. But then again everyone feels that way, hopefully.
Most college students have these worries, though. They just come at the worst time. We're already busy enough trying to secure a good education so we can get a good job with good pay. We study all night, play sports, try and have a social life and maintain friendships that are going to stand the test of time because friends are what gets you through times like these. Then on top of all that you still have to worry about money. I can't wait to get in the real world where all this crap will finally be worth it. I may still have to study all night, play sports, try and have a social life, but at least then I will get paid.
*Brandi
I just got my cell phone bill and that makes me upset as well. I don't like bills. I wish that I could just have an endless supply of money. But then again everyone feels that way, hopefully.
Most college students have these worries, though. They just come at the worst time. We're already busy enough trying to secure a good education so we can get a good job with good pay. We study all night, play sports, try and have a social life and maintain friendships that are going to stand the test of time because friends are what gets you through times like these. Then on top of all that you still have to worry about money. I can't wait to get in the real world where all this crap will finally be worth it. I may still have to study all night, play sports, try and have a social life, but at least then I will get paid.
*Brandi
Dude, for serious
Ok Miss Julie "Death Eater" Heney...I finished it, ok? Sleep deprivation clearly is no longer a factor in my delayed completion of Book 7. So here I sit, exhausted, but happy and with a sense of closure. Having avoided Internet spoiler pop-ups for the past three days, I am happy to say that I was properly surprised by the end--or at least many of the final moments in Harry Potter's saga. And to echo Miss Heney's comment (that Dark Mark prickling yet?? Oh wait, it WON'T anymore, that's right) J.K. Rowling can have all of my money.
p.s. This weekend, I went to Indiana to visit some of my flatmates from my semester in Dublin. For clarity's sake, I'm just going to list all of the things that I did:
1. Arrived at midnight Eastern time with ELEVEN hours of traveling (bus/train) under my belt.
2. Went to an Indianapolis house party and supervised a bonfire in a parking lot (phone books provided most of the tinder).
3. Went to bed at 5 a.m., got up at 10 a.m. Saturday.
4. Ate delicious food prepared by my friend Jess's mother Pam, who also grilled me about post-graduation plans almost to the point of tears on my part.
5. Sat by a pool and took a nap on a cabana chair.
6. Went to a microbrewery festival.
7. Bought Harry Potter.
8. Went out until 4 a.m., went to IHOP at 4:10 a.m.
9. Got on the train (miraculously) at 6:00 a.m.
10. Arrived in Beloit at about 2:30, tired and happy.
That's all, folks. The summer of ridiculousness continues...
Love, Laura DM
p.s. This weekend, I went to Indiana to visit some of my flatmates from my semester in Dublin. For clarity's sake, I'm just going to list all of the things that I did:
1. Arrived at midnight Eastern time with ELEVEN hours of traveling (bus/train) under my belt.
2. Went to an Indianapolis house party and supervised a bonfire in a parking lot (phone books provided most of the tinder).
3. Went to bed at 5 a.m., got up at 10 a.m. Saturday.
4. Ate delicious food prepared by my friend Jess's mother Pam, who also grilled me about post-graduation plans almost to the point of tears on my part.
5. Sat by a pool and took a nap on a cabana chair.
6. Went to a microbrewery festival.
7. Bought Harry Potter.
8. Went out until 4 a.m., went to IHOP at 4:10 a.m.
9. Got on the train (miraculously) at 6:00 a.m.
10. Arrived in Beloit at about 2:30, tired and happy.
That's all, folks. The summer of ridiculousness continues...
Love, Laura DM
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Love Note
Dear Jo Rowling,
You rock. Way to be. Thanks for a great final installment and you're welcome for all the whopping loads of dough you're making off of schmucks like us. You (and Harry) can have all of our money. It's over, Jo. You win.
Thanks again for a whirlwind weekend of reading on the Effigy Mounds and down in Indiana and out on the East Coast and down home in Texas. We're all back in Beloit on this Monday morning and we couldn't be more proud of you.
Love,
The Basement Gang
Middle College
700 College Street
Beloit, WI 53511
USA
P.S. Ok, ok so we lied. Laura is still using her summer brain and hasn't finished her first read-through. She's still greatful for your work-- we swear. It's a good book. Kudos, again.
You rock. Way to be. Thanks for a great final installment and you're welcome for all the whopping loads of dough you're making off of schmucks like us. You (and Harry) can have all of our money. It's over, Jo. You win.
Thanks again for a whirlwind weekend of reading on the Effigy Mounds and down in Indiana and out on the East Coast and down home in Texas. We're all back in Beloit on this Monday morning and we couldn't be more proud of you.
Love,
The Basement Gang
Middle College
700 College Street
Beloit, WI 53511
USA
P.S. Ok, ok so we lied. Laura is still using her summer brain and hasn't finished her first read-through. She's still greatful for your work-- we swear. It's a good book. Kudos, again.
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