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

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

Break!

Break is about over, and I can't wait to get back to school. The last week has been nice, however. I got to rest and recharge my batteries, which was greatly needed. When I come home, be it for a weekend or a week-long break, I tend not to do too much. I believe it is a time for relaxation and that means not doing a whole heck of a lot. I did go see 300 at the Imax, which was amazing. And I am going to Washington D.C. for a peace rally in two days. But other than that, it has been a lot of hanging around the house.

One of the best moments of the last few months occurred on Tuesday around 11:02 PM. It was announced that the Penguins will stay in Pittsburgh for a long time! It was amazing to hear those words after the years of waiting. This team is good right now...but will be simply amazing in a year or two. I fully expect them to dominate the NHL very soon, and it would have been a shame to see them do so in Kansas City. Go Pens!

That doesn't mean I have forgotten completely about school. I read a whole book for one of my classes, and worked on a paper for another. I still need to write another paper for a class at some point before Tuesday. It is getting to the point in the semester where every few days a major assignment is due. Thankfully, there is another break in about 3 weeks, and I'm sure I'll need it by then!

While being at home for a week is nice, it really makes me miss school. I have so many friends at Clarion and it can be really boring without them. The break really makes me appreciate the time I have with them while at school.

That's about all I have for this week. Thanks for reading!

Mike

Penguins game!

This past Sunday, my roommate, his girlfriend, and I went on the UAB (University Activities Board) trip down to Mellon Arena for my second and last Penguins game this season. We got C-Level seats, which provided a pretty good view of the ice.



Being the Penguins, the game went to a shootout as they seem to be unable to win in regulation lately. They pulled it out in the end, and it was a great time. Tonight the team decides whether to stay in Pittsburgh or leave, so keep your fingers crossed!

I am so excited for break, which begins on Friday. This semester has been very stressful classwise, and I've been sick for the past few days. It'll be nice to be able to relax a few days at home before coming back and finishing out the semester.

Thanks for reading!
Mike

Time Flies...

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was finalizing my schedule for this semester. Next week are midterms! It is hard to believe I have now been at Clarion for almost 2 years. I don't know where the time goes when I am at school. At the end of next week...I have a week off for "Winter Break". After that week, there are is only 2 and a half weeks until "Spring Break". After that break, there are only three weeks of classes left! I can't believe how fast this semester is moving along...

Being that next week is midway, I have been bogged down all week with work! From today until next Friday, I have 3 essays due in my classes, one of which must be written in class. Add that to the normal homework schedule...and I will be running on empty by next Friday. The break will be nice! I plan on doing a whole lot of relaxing until St. Patrick's Day, when my aunt, my uncle, Megan, and I head down to Washington DC for a peace rally. I'm so excited!

This weekend is the weekend I have been waiting for all semester. PENS GAME! The school is taking a bus down to Pittsburgh for the Sunday afternoon game against the dreaded Philadelphia Flyers. Hopefully the new players they picked up at the trade deadline will be effective and we will see a great game. Let's go Pens!

Adios!
Mike