The End

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Weeds

So about a month ago a couple of my friends brought over the first season of Weeds and said I had to watch it. That night we watched five episodes and from that day on I was hooked. Weeds is on showtime, so I can't watch it in my dorm room, but luckily I can watch it at home and on my computer, which is exactly what I did. I found all four seasons of Weeds on the internet and watched every episode within a week. That's basically all I did.
Weeds is about a widowed mother of two teenage sons who starts dealing pot when her husband died. Throughout the four seasons she has run-in's with the law, unusual relatiionships, and is still trying to raise a family.
I would definitely recommend Weeds. It's a very funny show. Although it's definitely not suitable for kids. Not only is there, of course, a lot of drugs, but there are also very sexual scenes and inappropriate language.
Some other shows I really like are Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, etc.

Commercial

The last couple of months I have seen this commercial that really bothers me. It starts off with a man jogging in regular work out clothes. As he runs he says into the camera, "Every year I take my daughter to New York to see a play on Broadway. She gets to pick the play. Daddy gets to pay." The commercial is for Match.com, the dating website. I do not understand this commercial at all. I don't understand how a guy going to a play with his daughter has anything to do with online dating. I've seen this commercial probably a dozen times and yet I still don't get it.
I really don't think the advertisement is fulfilling it's intended purpose because all I'm thinking after I see it is, "That's confusing" instead of, "Wow. I'm definitely gonna use that product." It also wouldn't persuade people to use it because there's nothing exciting about it. There are a lot of different online dating websites, so they should really show something that would made it different than other dating sites.
So I really remember that commercial, but not in a good way.

My life at ISU

I generally enjoy my life at ISU. I live in whitten, which is only ok. The food is pretty good but the rooms are small and all my friends live in Watterson. So I often gind myself walking back from Watterson at midnight because I was watching movies with my friends, which may not be the safest thing.
My roommate is a little quirky but generally alright. We don't talk much, but I think that's ok with both of us. She is a nude model for the art department so she often comes back with lots of... interesting stories. And then there was the phase about 3 months ago where she wanted to sneak a HEDGEHOG into our room as a pet. Luckily that passed fairly quickly. She also enjoys knitting.
I spend most of my time at school doing the following: class, homework, computer, friends. I sometimes get bored with all the freetime, but I hope to find an on-campus job next year.
I am one of the lucky people who has my car on campus. I was told by many people not to bring my car to college because I would never use it, but I disagree. I am the only one of my friends who has a car so we often take it to go shopping or, occasionaly, to dinner. It's also nice because I live a couple hours away so I can drive home fairly easily.
ISU is a perfect distance from my house. Not too far and not too close. I go home about every other weekend. I was choosing between ISU and Northern, which is about half an hour from my home, and I definitely made the right choice.
I am the first born and neither of my parents went to college so when I started picking colleges me and my parents had no idea what we were doing. So I guess I'm pretty luckily I actually made it here in one peice.

I fell down...

So the most interesting thing happening in my life right now started on Friday, January 16th. Here is what happened:
It was freezing cold outside and I was walking back to my dorm from my English class. There is construction going on outside my dorm so I have to take a shortcut which involoved stepping over a short chain.
I was on the phone with my mother and as I stepped over the chain, my left foot caught and down I went. When I fell onto the cold, hard ground, my body went one way while my foot went the other. I heard a loud crack. I was in shock so I really didn't feel any pain. My mother on the phone didn't even know I fell until I said, out of breath, "Mom I fell. What should I do? I dont think I can stand up..."
Not suprisingly she started to freak out. But after just a few seconds a young girl came up to me and asked if I needed help. I'm not usually someone who asks for help easily, but in this case I didn't really have a choice.
So I accepted her help and told her what happened. Walking by at the same time was a teacher and her young daughter who also stopped to help me. The teacher had a car nearby so she went to get her car while the young girl helped me off the ground and helped me get over to the car, which was the longest 20 feet of my life. And on the way I decided, not so smartly, to try and stand on my left foot. And the second it had any weight it buckled from under me.
The teacher took me to student health services and there I got an x-ray and found out I had, in fact, broken my left ankle.
Luckily it was a Friday before a three-day weekend, so that night my parents drove down to ISU. which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive, to pick my up. They took me home and two days later I got my cast put on and I was told that I wouldn't be able to put weight on my leg for 3 weeks. So me and my parents sat down to discuss what I would do about school. I mean ice, crutches and my klumsiness do not mix.
After much discussion we decided it would be safest for me to take classes from home for the 3 weeks I would be on crutches. And so that is what I've been doing for the last week and a half; sitting home and doing homework through the internet. It's been tough but I'm managing...

President Obama's Inauguration

I will never forget January 20th 2009. On that day the United States regained their trust in the government and what it can accomplish with the right leadership. President Obama's Inauguration Speech brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps to my skin. He had confidence and power in his voice, even though he has a whole country to get back on it's feet. He gaurenteed us that it would be a long and difficult journey, but someday our country will have a stable economy and will be friends with the Middle East rather than enemies. His voice showed no sign of doubt or worry. He would do all he could to make this country what it should be.
I sat on my counch in my living room surrounded by my mother, father and ten-year-old brother. The television was set to CNN and there stood the 44th President of the United States and our first African American President. As his words flowed from the screen, I sat dumbfounded. Our country is in such disaray, yet Brack Obama has no fear or doubt. My parents sit with tears welling in their eyes as my little brother sits and plays with his action figures, not quite understanding just how big this moment is.
I thought President Obama did an amazing job at connecting our past government with our current government and looking at what will happen in the future. I also enjoyed seeing all the celebrities that attended the Inauguration, seeing how emotional they got. I thought it was beautiful when Bono was singing. I also loved seeing how many people where standing outside of the White House, hanging onto every word that our new President said.
I was also suprised and impressed by the fact the Obama didn't talk much about the fact that he was the first Black President, which I think was the right thing to do.
So those are the events that took place on January 20th 2009. Where I was and how I felt I will always remember. The words he spoke and the vibe felt around the country will stay in my memory forever.

Hola, me llamo Kelsey

Ok so my name is Kelsey and I'm a freshman at ISU. I'm majoring in Elementary Education, much like the other 70% of students at ISU. I live in St. Charles, which is about an hour outside of Chicago, and went to St. Charles East High School. I now live in Whitten, but am kinda wishing I lived in Watterson because thats where most of my friends live. I am currently looking for an on-campus job to make some extra cash since I just spent 300 frickin dollars on textbooks.
Some of my hobbies are being with friends, scrapbooking and my newest hobby, drunk sledding. I enjoy reading. Yes I am one of those obsessed Twilight fans. However I am very picky about my books; If I dont like it within the first few pages, I'm done.
I have a nine year old brother who's in fourth grade. I do a lot of traveling. I've been on eight cruises and last summer I went with my best friend to an all-inclusice in Cancun. And I also went with a large group of friends to New York a couple weeks ago for New Years Ever to watch the ball drop, which was amazing.
Just some random facts about me. I twirl my hair constantly, it really annoys my friends and family. My 11 year old cars name is Rosy, because shes red. I am ALWAYS taking pictures. Whenever I get together with my friends I bring my camera and take tons of pictures, which also annoys them. But I always end up catching great moments that I might have otherwise forgotten.
I listen to all types of music from The Beatles to The Ting Tings. Some of my favorite movies are Superbad, The Notebook, Napoleon Dynamite, Elf (but only near Christmas), Breakfast Club, etc. Some shows I watch are Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Friends, 3o Rock, etc.

Ok well thats me in a nutshell, hope you enjoyed.