Ahhh here we are. The end of the semester. Thank god. This semester has been long and hard, mostly because I broke my ankle and missed 3 weeks of school, and now it's ending. Although I am happy to be at the end of my Freshman year, it's also a little scary because school is going by soooo quick. I feel like it was just yesturday that I was walking around campus with my parents thinking, "You know I would really like to go here. I feel like I would fit in." And now a year has gone by and I have made friends and learned a lot about life. I've learned how to completely take care of my self, from doing laundry to applying for jobs. I've learned how to live on my own and now just eat and party all the time. This is the first time I've lived on my own and now I know that I will be able to take care of myself after college, with a little help from my parents.
This class has definitely been a challange. I feel like sometimes the papers are graded a little... harshly. So I really have to work hard to get a decent grade. I've done really well in English in high school and this course shows that college really is more challenging that high school.
I feel like having a blog is sometimes nice but I'm really not a "blogger" so I probably wouldnt have done this on my own. I much prefer Facebook to express things.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Normal...
Well Normal isn't exactly an exciting town but there are things to do just like anywhere else. The thing I used to do a lot was go to the Hookah bar in uptown Normal, but that closed a couple of weeks ago. Right now they are doing a lot of work to uptown Normal so hopefully they add some fun things there, because it is right next to campus. About a mile from campus is a street called Veterans Parkway which basically has everything you need. It's got a Target, mall, restaurants, Jewel, etc. Sometimes me and my friends will just start driving down Veterans and see where we end up. There are sometimes really cool campus evernts going on. The UPB does a good job of booking cool guest speakers and musicians, so if there is something going on that would be cool.
I would say taking a day to go to Chicago would definitely be the way to go. Especially if you've never been there. Normal isn't too interesting of a place, but Chicago is.
I would say taking a day to go to Chicago would definitely be the way to go. Especially if you've never been there. Normal isn't too interesting of a place, but Chicago is.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Oh the fun we've had
Since I've been at ISU I have done a lot of fun things with my friends.
One of the first weekends of school I went with my new friend, Lauren (wjo is now one of my best friends at ISU) to a Backstreet Boys concert in Bloomington. I look back at it now and find it interesting that I would go to a concert with someone I had just met since I am usually pretty shy when I first meet someone. But we went and we had a blast. We had pretty good seats and, to top it all off, the cutest Backstreet Boy blew us a kiss.
Another fun thing I've done at ISU is a couple months ago me and 3 of my girlfriends were bored so we just started driving and ended up in Springfield. We had been talking about taking a trip to Springfield for a while since some of us had never been there, and we decided we would just do it. Although we didn't really think it out because by the time we got there it was like 8 o'clock and nothing was open. So we ended up just walking around the capitol building and walking down the street where Licolns house was. It was fun though
The most recent fun thing we've done was 2 weekends ago. Me and 2 of my girlfriends took an impromptu trip to St. Louis. We had also been talking about going there for a while and we just decided to go one weekend. We booked a hotel for a night and we were off. The first night we just hung out in the hotel and watched movies and swam. Then the next day we went to the St. Louis zoo, which ended up taking up almost the whole day. Then we went and drove around the arch and went home. It was really fun.
And now in 3 weekends we plan to take a trip to Ohio and stay for the weekend.
One of the first weekends of school I went with my new friend, Lauren (wjo is now one of my best friends at ISU) to a Backstreet Boys concert in Bloomington. I look back at it now and find it interesting that I would go to a concert with someone I had just met since I am usually pretty shy when I first meet someone. But we went and we had a blast. We had pretty good seats and, to top it all off, the cutest Backstreet Boy blew us a kiss.
Another fun thing I've done at ISU is a couple months ago me and 3 of my girlfriends were bored so we just started driving and ended up in Springfield. We had been talking about taking a trip to Springfield for a while since some of us had never been there, and we decided we would just do it. Although we didn't really think it out because by the time we got there it was like 8 o'clock and nothing was open. So we ended up just walking around the capitol building and walking down the street where Licolns house was. It was fun though
The most recent fun thing we've done was 2 weekends ago. Me and 2 of my girlfriends took an impromptu trip to St. Louis. We had also been talking about going there for a while and we just decided to go one weekend. We booked a hotel for a night and we were off. The first night we just hung out in the hotel and watched movies and swam. Then the next day we went to the St. Louis zoo, which ended up taking up almost the whole day. Then we went and drove around the arch and went home. It was really fun.
And now in 3 weekends we plan to take a trip to Ohio and stay for the weekend.
Anthony Rapp at ISU
A few days ago I went to see Anthony Rapp speak at the Bone Student Center. Anthony Rapp was one of the stars of the Broadway musical and movie Rent. I saw Rent for the first time about 6 months ago and absolutely loved it. When I heard that he woould be coming to ISU I knew I would want to go. Plus it was free! I didn't really know what to expect because the flyers that were up around capus didn't really say what he would be talking about. But the main thing he talked about what his journey though Rent; how he got the job, how it grew to be such a hit, etc. He was very funny, which was unexpected because his character in Rent, Mark, isn't really funny. His voice was also a lot different than in the movie.
He talked for about an hour and then opened up for question and answer. One of the first questions that was asked was what I wanted the most. They asked if he would sing us a little somthing. Unfortunately he said that it was his day off and he really shouldn't because he does 8 shows a week. So that was kind of a bummer.
But all in all I learned a lot about his life and all the things he's gone through to be where he is now. It also made me realize that he is just like anyone else.
He talked for about an hour and then opened up for question and answer. One of the first questions that was asked was what I wanted the most. They asked if he would sing us a little somthing. Unfortunately he said that it was his day off and he really shouldn't because he does 8 shows a week. So that was kind of a bummer.
But all in all I learned a lot about his life and all the things he's gone through to be where he is now. It also made me realize that he is just like anyone else.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring Break
So last week was spring break and I did what spring break was meant for... nothing. I just relaxed. Actually I spent most of the week trying to get my dad to agree to us getting a puppy. I had a dog when I was younger but we had to give him away when my brother was born because he is allergic and ever since then I've wanted another one. Well about 2 months ago I realized that there were dogs that were hypoallergenic. I looked through the list and found one that I really liked: Border Terriers. I asked my dad and he right away said no. But over Spring Break me, my mom and my brother teamed up and convinced my dad to say yes. So the week I come home for summer I am going to get a puppy!
I also went to see 3 movies this break. I saw Watchmen, which I didn't really like, Slumdog Milloinare, which was good but depressing, and He's Just Not That Into You, which I really liked.
I also went to the local Hookah Bar a couple times. Once with my friends and once with my mom, which was kinda funny since she had never been to a hookah bar.
I also babysat for my neighbor a couple times. I needed the cash since I haven't had a job in about a year.
But basically I spent the entire Spring Break relaxing and spending time with my friends and family. It was nice to get a break from school.
I also went to see 3 movies this break. I saw Watchmen, which I didn't really like, Slumdog Milloinare, which was good but depressing, and He's Just Not That Into You, which I really liked.
I also went to the local Hookah Bar a couple times. Once with my friends and once with my mom, which was kinda funny since she had never been to a hookah bar.
I also babysat for my neighbor a couple times. I needed the cash since I haven't had a job in about a year.
But basically I spent the entire Spring Break relaxing and spending time with my friends and family. It was nice to get a break from school.
Friday, March 6, 2009
If I had 4 years worth of tuition money I would want to do a lot of things. First of all I would probably take like 6 months to travel. I would go places like the Bahamas, Italy, Paris, etc. Some places I would go with my family and other places I would go with my friends.
Then when I came back I might buy a condo, take a trip to my favorite place, IKEA, and buy furniture and stuff. I would paint it myself with bright colors and lots of light.
Then I would proabably still have a little money left over that I would put in a savings account and I would then probably try to find a job as an Elementary School teacher, both for fun and so I wouldn't run low on money. Plus I don't know what I would do with myself sitting around in my condo all day.
Then when I came back I might buy a condo, take a trip to my favorite place, IKEA, and buy furniture and stuff. I would paint it myself with bright colors and lots of light.
Then I would proabably still have a little money left over that I would put in a savings account and I would then probably try to find a job as an Elementary School teacher, both for fun and so I wouldn't run low on money. Plus I don't know what I would do with myself sitting around in my condo all day.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Prospective Freshman
So there are many things that new comers to ISU should know. Here are a few;
1. Schedules: When making your schedule I would suggest making your classes back to back. My first semester I had at least an hour between every class but I never knew whether it would be worth going all the way back to my dorm or not. And if I did go back, often I would not want to go back out and I would end up ditching class. This semester I put my classes back to back and I always get there on time and I almost never ditch class because I'm already out anyways. And also you finish all you classes in just a few hours. Also incoming freshman should NOT expect to have fridays off. It is almost impossible for freshman, or even sophonmores, to have no classes on Friday.
2. Dorm Living: Ok so first of all I would suggest Watterson as a good place to live. Right now I live in Whitten (southside) and the rooms are much smaller and all of my friends live in Watterson because its much bigger. Watterson has a better food court, better dorm rooms and more people. The reason I didn't pick Watterson is because when I went to visit that dorm seemed really confusing and the elevator only stops on every third floor so theres a good chance that you'll have to take the stairs to get to your room, but neither of those things matter, really. Also, if you're planning on lofting your bed I would suggest against it, especially if you live in a small room. It makes the room look a lot more cluttered. Plus I have a loft bed and in my room I am right below the vent, which sucks. Another thing, you will get sick of dorm food real quick. The dining center has pretty good food, and thankfully there are different 'restaurants' with a variety of food, but it still gets old. But Subway is always a good option and your Redbird Card automatically comes with about $150 Flex dollars which you can use to buy Subway or eat at a place in the Bone. Lastly, don't expect to end up BFF's with your roommate. Me and my roommate get along but we are definiely not friends, although it is hard because she always like 10 feet away from me.
3. Bringing a car to college: Everyone told me before I started school that I shouldn't bring my car because I would never use it. Well I ignored tham and brought my car anyways. There are really only 2 different places you can park your car. There is a parking lot on Main St. which you usually would take the bus to. It's only $79 to park there for a year. That is where I park. Then there are parking garages next to each dorm, which are $250 for a year. I am very glad I brought my car. I am the only one of my friends with a car so on the weekends we always take my car to Target or Chipotle or wherever. Plus I go home every few weekends so it's great to be able to drive rather than have to buy a train or bus ticket. And it's really not too difficult to get to my car since the bus picks up at all the dorms at least a couple times every hour.
Hope those would help any incoming Freshman.
1. Schedules: When making your schedule I would suggest making your classes back to back. My first semester I had at least an hour between every class but I never knew whether it would be worth going all the way back to my dorm or not. And if I did go back, often I would not want to go back out and I would end up ditching class. This semester I put my classes back to back and I always get there on time and I almost never ditch class because I'm already out anyways. And also you finish all you classes in just a few hours. Also incoming freshman should NOT expect to have fridays off. It is almost impossible for freshman, or even sophonmores, to have no classes on Friday.
2. Dorm Living: Ok so first of all I would suggest Watterson as a good place to live. Right now I live in Whitten (southside) and the rooms are much smaller and all of my friends live in Watterson because its much bigger. Watterson has a better food court, better dorm rooms and more people. The reason I didn't pick Watterson is because when I went to visit that dorm seemed really confusing and the elevator only stops on every third floor so theres a good chance that you'll have to take the stairs to get to your room, but neither of those things matter, really. Also, if you're planning on lofting your bed I would suggest against it, especially if you live in a small room. It makes the room look a lot more cluttered. Plus I have a loft bed and in my room I am right below the vent, which sucks. Another thing, you will get sick of dorm food real quick. The dining center has pretty good food, and thankfully there are different 'restaurants' with a variety of food, but it still gets old. But Subway is always a good option and your Redbird Card automatically comes with about $150 Flex dollars which you can use to buy Subway or eat at a place in the Bone. Lastly, don't expect to end up BFF's with your roommate. Me and my roommate get along but we are definiely not friends, although it is hard because she always like 10 feet away from me.
3. Bringing a car to college: Everyone told me before I started school that I shouldn't bring my car because I would never use it. Well I ignored tham and brought my car anyways. There are really only 2 different places you can park your car. There is a parking lot on Main St. which you usually would take the bus to. It's only $79 to park there for a year. That is where I park. Then there are parking garages next to each dorm, which are $250 for a year. I am very glad I brought my car. I am the only one of my friends with a car so on the weekends we always take my car to Target or Chipotle or wherever. Plus I go home every few weekends so it's great to be able to drive rather than have to buy a train or bus ticket. And it's really not too difficult to get to my car since the bus picks up at all the dorms at least a couple times every hour.
Hope those would help any incoming Freshman.
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