Thursday, May 3, 2007

Fond Farewell

Well, this is it. My final blog post as an official Clarion University student blogger. It has been fun, reflecting every Thursday on the past week and what was coming up. I only have 2 classes left...then Finals Week. After that, I am going home for the summer to mow grass, make money, and prepare for the Fall semester.

I'd like to thank the Admissions Office for choosing me out of the applicants. And I'd also like to thank everyone that read this blog. Hopefully you recieved insight on what it is like being a student at Clarion University.

Good luck to everyone!

Mike

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Winding Down

As of this writing, there are only 6 more days of classes.
That is 15 classes.
Only 15 classes seperate me from the "fun" that is known as Finals Week. It is hard to believe how fast this semester went for me. Most every college student would agree with me that the Spring Semester seems to go much faster than the previous Fall Semester. It is so tough to believe I am 15 classes and a few tests away from being a Junior. Offically halfway done with my undergraduate career.

This week was pretty eventful. I traveled down to the local mini-golf course twice since last Friday. It is quickly becoming a (relatively cheap) habit of mine. 3 dollars per 18 holes isn't that bad. Last night, I attended the final theater production of the year, which was "How I Learned to Drive". It was well performed, but the play itself was . . . interesting. I won't spoil anything, but it needs to be seen to be believed. And finally, tonight included a trip down to Michelle's Cafe to see two of my professors recite poetry and sing folk songs. I felt so cultured!

Finally, today was a very exciting day for me! My roommate and I finally found a place to live next year. It is much closer to campus that where we live now, and it is a two-story house, as opposed to the apartment we lived in this year. I can't wait to move in and begin my third year of classes.

Speaking of classes, here is my super exciting schedule for next year.
MTWHF: Intensive Spanish - 9 to 9:50 on MWF, 9:30 - 11:00 on TH
MWF: US Literature: Beginning to 1860 - 10 - 10:50
MW: Excursions of Math - 6 -7:15
TH: The Novel Across Cultures- 12:30 - 1:45
TH: World Literature: Background and Traditions - 3:30 - 4:45
As you can see, it will be a busy semester for me. 18 credits!

One last thing: I have to say, it can be quite exciting in my classes this semester when the teacher uses the Smartboard and goes onto the Internet. You see, every computer on campus has the Clarion frontpage as its homepage. There is a one-in-six chance that when the teacher opens a browser window, my smiling face will pop up very largely in front of the whole class. It makes me laugh every time.

Mike

Friday, April 20, 2007

What a week.

I'm sure none of what I'm about to write is new, but oh well.

Watching the events on Monday, I was shocked. I really couldn't believe what was going on at Virginia Tech. To think that one person could do that to their classmates and their professors really sickens me. It's really hard to comprehend that the deadliest shooting in US history took place earlier this week. My heart goes out to all the victims and the families of the victims. The university is sponsoring a candlelight vigil next Wednesday on campus. I encourage everyone to come out and show your support.

Mike

Friday, April 13, 2007

Busy!

After this week, the rest of the semester is going to be busy! I have homework, papers, presentations, and other misc. things to get done. Not to mention finding a place to live! My roommate and I are trying to find an off-campus apartment with two bedrooms that is somewhat close to campus, and the search isn't going too well! I'm sure we will figure something out though. And although it will be tough, I will most likely survive to see the end of the semester!

This weekend should be be fun. I'm going home today to see a concert, which should be interesting. I'll be able to see some friends from high school I haven't seen in a long time. Saturday night is my high school's annual Variety Show. It is a, you guessed it, variety show put on by the seniors that is usually something fun to go see. On Sunday, my friend Shane and I are going on a school sponsored trip down to Pittsburgh to see the Pirates play the Giants. I've been waiting for this game for a month! I'm interested to see how the crowd will react to Barry Bonds when he comes up to bat. And, of course, there are two Penguins play off games this weekend. The game on Wednesday did not go so well, but I believe they can bounce back against the Senators. Go Pens!


Mike

Friday, April 6, 2007

Home...again.

It seems like just yesterday that I was writing about being on break. Well, once again, I am home! This break isn't as long as the last...6 days...but it is still a nice break. It'll get me ready for the last part of the semester. By the time I go back next Wednesday, I only have about four weeks of the semester left before I go home for the summer. It is really hard to believe how fast this semester is going, compared to how slow (in comparison to the Spring) Fall goes.

Remember that sunshine I wrote about last week? Well, it seems to have gone away again! As soon as I got home for "Spring" break, the temperature has dipped back into the 30's with a little bit of snow! Winter seems to be hanging around for the next week or so. You have to love the weather in Western Pennsylvania!

School is going to be quite hectic the next few weeks. I have two papers due the week after I get back...A couple books to read...And, of course, finals week. I'll be counting down the days until summer for sure!

Thanks for reading!

Mike

P.S.
Go Penguins! The playoffs begin next week. I can't wait!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Weekend with the family, peace rally, and the after effects of said peace rally.

Hi again!

Last weekend, I went down to Harrisburg with my parents to see my brother Nick, my other brother, Nate, his wife, Kellyn, and my baby nephew, Zane. I don't get to see any of them terribly often, as Nick lives there and Nate, Kellyn, and Zane live down in North Carolina, so I was really happy to visit with them. My nephew is only 8 months old...but he is so fun to play with! He is starting to throw things and is almost able to crawl.

Front: Zane, Kellyn, Mom, Dad
Back: Me, Nate, Nick
After getting back to Clarion, not too much exciting happened to me. The weather has been absolutely incredible for the past week or so. It is a great feeling to be able to walk to class in a t-shirt and shorts.

Today was pretty interesting, however. The Clarion Young Democrats sponsored a peace rally near the Gemmell Student Center. Being the young activist I am, I checked it out for a few hours. Since my American Contemporary Literature professor, Dr. Terman, was speaking at the rally, he let us out early to see what was going on.

Dr. Terman, reading from "Here, Bullet" by Brian Turner
It was a lot of fun sitting out in the sun listening to some great music and poetry. As you can see in the picture, it was a beautiful day to support a great cause. Unfortunately, I was not prepared to sit outside for several hours.

As you can see, my skin isn't exactly prepared for summer yet!

Thanks for reading!

Mike

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Spring is finally here!

Although it took a while to finally start, Winter really made its presence known here in Clarion these past couple months. It seemed that once Winter finally arrived, there wouldn't be more than 2 days without a new coating of snow on the ground. Although it was nice for a while, I can't say I'm sad that the weather is in the 50's once again. I enjoy walking to class (I live about 15 minutes from campus if I walk) and it was really tough to keep that up the last couple months. Now that it will be warm, I will be able to make that my regular routine once again.

I'm also hoping to make visits to the Rec Center part of my daily routine. It is a great facility with an indoor track, 3 basketball courts, weight room, and a rock wall, among other things. Although I have no attempted the wall yet, hopefully I will by the end of the semester.

The past week as been pretty uneventful. I went to Washington D.C. last weekend to protest the Iraq war, which was an interesting experience. It was my second march against Iraq, and it never ceases to amaze me how many different kinds of people come out to support the cause.

After getting back to school, it has been all about hitting the books hard. I think I am done with writing papers for a week or two, but that doesn't mean there isn't stuff to do. I have a couple plays to read, including Angels in America, which is 280 pages long, so that will keep me busy.

Thanks for reading!

Mike