So last week was Thanksgiving. I hope you had a great holiday. I did! We had classes on Monday and Tuesday. I had one on Monday at 9 AM until about 11 and then only one on Tuesday- that ticked me off a bit. My teacher told me that he was going to quiz us on the first ten pages of the chapter and we all have semi-horrible grades in his class so we all wanted to take the quiz to better our grades. Well, low and behold, he decided after we all got there that he was going to cancel the quiz. Ugh. That made me so mad. It was my 2:15 PM class- the last one offered in the time allotted for day classes for the Mount. The last class in the day time before break. And no quiz. I wanted to stage a walk out right then and there. But I stayed... took notes... got ready for end of the semester exam... Ugh... 

But Thanksgiving was good. Slept in, watched football (good job Packers beating the Lions), and listen to Dad ramble on and on and on about how good the turkey smelled in the oven. I couldn't smell it. I don't know what he was talking about. Then we went to my aunt's house for dinner- turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, rolls. The goods. :) Watched TV, played Guess Who?, had fun. Then my mom decided to talk me and my aunt into shopping with her on Black Friday. At 4 AM. She was crazy. But my aunt and I agreed. It was stupid in my opinion but whatever. I'd never gone out at that time before on Black Friday so I said what the heck. We got home about 10 PM on Thursday, I stayed up watching TV until 12:30 AM, fell asleep and then woke up at 3:30 AM to go shopping. Yes, I actually got up. My mom didn't think I would. But I did.

So we picked my aunt up at 4 AM, and my little 9 year old cousin. I was surprised she wanted to go with us and that she actually got up that early. My aunt said the same thing about me too. Weird. So we got to the mall about 4:15 AM and it was crazy. Women everywhere. I thought it was going to be a bit more hectic than that but since we didn't get there before the doors opened, it wasn't that bad. So we shopped a bit at Pennys, I found Christmas presents for my two roomies, found two sweaters for myself. Mom found a few things, so did my aunt. Then we changed stores to Kohls and on the way there, Lexie (my cousin) found a booth in the mall that sold African frogs. She convinced my aunt (her grandmother) to buy them and she would pay her back with her allowance money. $28 for two silly frogs that won't ever get bigger than a quarter, you only feed twice a week, and change the water for only two or three times a year. Ya. Go figure.

So found a few more things in that store. Then we went to IHOP for breakfast at 8:30 AM, took my aunt and cousin home, and Mom and I continued onward. We went to Stein Mart next where I found the best deal: a $150 comforter set for only $25- marked at $60 for Stein Mart, at half off, with a $10 off coupon. It was a steal! I was so excited! And it looks perfect in my room!!! :) Then we went to Macys and Target. Found a thing or two more and then were done. I stayed up til about 1 then napped to about 4 PM. Then we went out to celebrate with my brother. My brother got his first job with graphic designs and he starts tomorrow for Ripple Junction, a tshirt company. He's starting at 10 hours a week but may increase to 25 and possibly work from home. It sounds interesting and he's excited. Putting his education to good use, yay! :) I'm so proud of him!!! 

Now we're into our final week of classes- I have only three more days of class, one day of observation, and then next week is finals week. I have only one final and that just happens to be Thursday at 10:30 AM. Go figure. The last day of exams is the day I have mine. But then my roommates and I are going on a four day vacation to Brown County/Nashville, Indiana, and coming home that Sunday before returning to our homes for our one month break! How awesome is that!? I can't believe the semester is practically over. It went by way too fast... I hope your Thanksgiving was great last week and I hope your upcoming holidays are great!!! :) 

Two days ago I woke up on Wednesday morning and looked out my window.  It was gray and foggy, I thought, "Great! What a beautiful day to be sleeping outside in a cardboard box."  I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to shower and get ready (I was running late for my first class).  When I was finished with my shower and dressed I looked out the window again.  The fog had lifted, but it was as gray as ever... and now it was raining! I got in my car, stopped to get gas, and went to class.  After class it was still raining.  I drove from class to work and after 4 hours at work it was STILL raining.

I started to wonder if sleeping outside was the best thing for me to do.  I was feeling a little under the weather already and I had just gotten the flu vaccination which meant I would be more prone to catching something.  I texted Sam asking her if there was a rain plan for Shanty Town or if we were all just going to die of hypothermia... she said these was no plan B and that Shanty Town was still on.  I drove home to pack my stuff and thought about the cold rain all around me... it would be miserable to sleep outside in it.

When I got home, I did some thinking.  It was close to the end of the semester and it wouldn't be very good if I got more sick than I already was right before exams... that would be disastrous.  Not to mention the fact that Thanksgiving was coming up and right after that my birthday... it would be horrible to be sick on my favorite holiday and my birthday.  Sam let me know that she had just gotten the call not to put the boxes out yet and she told me to just wait and come for the Soup Kitchen at 9:30.  I told her I thought that was a good idea, but that I was having second thouhgts about staying the night.

Around 8:45 I drug myself out o fmy cozy room and into my cold car and drove to the Mount.  Camus Ministry and there Shanty members were in Seton lobby constructing their Shantys.  I mingled and floated around taking pictures for Dateline.  Then it came time for the Soup Kitchen and the game.  There was vegetable beef soup for everyone and slices of white bread... after everybody had eaten their fill it was time for the game to be explained.

The game was called Single Room Occupancy, and it was quite difficult to understand at first, therefore I will not even attempt to explain it here.  It was quite fun though.  I followed Samantha around trying to keep her from dying... and it worked.  When the game was over everyone went back to the Cornona Room and counted up their points.  Sam fell somewhere in the low end of the middle (but hey, at least she wasn't dead!) and Jeff Ward ended up winning.  The game was supposed to highlight certain aspects of real life and I think everyone who participated got some meaning out of it.

I stayed long enough to get a picture of Sam and Molly in their Shanty and a few of the bonfire and reflection, but then I said I needed to go.  Part of me wishes I had stayed to sleep over, but part of me is really glad that I didn't stay because I probably would've gotten even more sick.  I was presnt for enough of the event to realize just what I had to be thankful for... and just in time for Thanksgiving too!!

Hey guys!

Big weekend this past weekend. As you know from my last blog, the wrestling team traveled to Buffalo on Sunday. We arrived in Buffalo a day early so we had some time to kill. Our first stop was Niagara Falls, which was awesome. I’ll post some pictures below. The weather could have been a little better, it was rainy, cold, and windy as you can see in the pictures. But overall it was a cool experience.

After our visit to the falls, we checked into the hotel and settled in for the night.  We spent some time watchin Game 3 of the World Series (stupid Yankees won) but eventually we were influenced by the Halloween spirit and set out in search of candy. Yes, the MSJ wrestling team went Trick-or-Treating in Buffalo. We waited until all the kids were in, so that way we would not interfere with their fun.  But we still got a surprising amount of candy and even recruited a few families to come watch us the next day.  It was a pretty fun day.

The next day we went to the tournament and spent the day wrestling. I did not wrestle due to my surgery, but I was able to commentate for our very first live webcast of the matches. We got hooked up with Go-Live, a internet sports broadcasting company that set us up with all the equipment to stream live video of all of our matches so that fans not able to attend can watch us compete from the comfort of their homes. Then, when the webcast is complete, the webcast is archived so that it can be accessed at a later date in case anyone missed the action. If you’re interested, check out the webcast at http://www.livesportsvideo.com/sportselector.asp?sport=Wrestling&subcat1=College%20Wrestling&subcat2=College%20of%20Mount%20St.%20Joseph . You may need to set up a username and password, but don’t worry, it’s quick and it’s all free. And if you do sign up, be sure to check out the website for future feeds.

See ya!

>Eric M.

Every Sunday, this always happens: I sit down on the couch to watch the Bengals game but in my lap are my books and papers and study materials. All for the tests and quizzes I have during the week. I sit there and try to study and cram material in my head all the while trying to scream at "Ocho Cinco" to catch the gosh darn ball! (That man is egotistical and paid more than he's worth in my opinion. What man chooses to change his own last name to a number that isn't even spelt or sounded out correctly. "Ocho Cinco" is 8-5, not 85. 85 is "Ochenta-cinco" [I may have spelt that wrong] but it is pronounced that way and more or else spelt that way. That's what should be on the back of his jersey- not "Ocho Cinco." Sorry, tangent.) So...

If I actually sit and try to study it doesn't happen. So here I am, 11:38 PM. On Sunday. Trying to study. For a quiz I have at 9 AM (more or less). Great.... Not to mention the MAJOR mid term I have (yes. A mid term not in the middle of the semester. This teacher should actually call them tri terms- because we have three over the course of the semester before the exam... so maybe quatro term...? lol). And the last test I got a 74%- the middle of scores between 97% and 18%. No joke. It was a ridiculous range of scores. In a class that in the long run, I think, doesn't matter. Oh well. I need it to stay in the education department and to graduate. So.

But on the other hand, why do I attempt to even study while the Bengals are even on!? I'm a Cincinnati girl through and through. I like my Bengals. I also like the NFL. So it's not JUST the Bengals I'm watching. Today I watched the Patriots take on the Buckaneers on their "home" turf in London. Go figure! At Wembley Stadium! I was sitting there, almost crying to death 'cuz I knew all the sites they were showing and I was like, "I've been there! I love that place! Can I go back!?!?!?!" It was sad. So my mom and I figured, $250 a month for two years is $6,000 and we could go back again for about a week. How awesome would that be!? So that may be our plan for the next few years. But first, I have to get a job. lol :D

But the NFL. Yes. I watched the Pats game, the Bengals, Minnesota lose to Pittsburgh (Wow.), all while trying to study. I do this every Sunday and it really needs to stop. We'll see how my test scores turn out in the next few days too. Hopefully not too bad and I'm not expecting a whole lot of pain anyway from the test scores. So I think I'll be fine. But that's just me. Some people need to really study. "To each their own." So we'll see what happens... But I don't recommend trying to study and watch football at the same time. (And to the Brits: it's American football, not European football.) :)

This past week was our Homecoming week here at the Mount. It was full of activities, events, and fun for the Mount.

Monday had making Mount gear: decorating tshirts and socks in the Mount colors. Tuesday had a laser tag tournament. Wednesday was the final game of the Powder Puff tournament (orange v. turquoise and orange won 6-0). We had our push cart parade on Thursday and the top five were the nursing association, campus ministry leadership team, lions for life, NEKO, and art education association. The winners were picked at the Homecoming game on Saturday.

And then Friday had the Homecoming Extravaganza- a carnival of sorts in the gym. It included inflatables (an obstacle course, bungy cord thing, a velcro wall, batting with wiffle balls, then corn hole, sandy candy (make your own pixie sticks), decorating frisbees with those spinning table things and you drop paint on it and turns out a spinning design, and then a photo booth (that produced the strips of pictures) and a key chain photo producer type set up. I watched Maria (roommate) battle Nicole (friend) on the obstacle course and played corn hole with Nicole against Jeff W and Jeff C (friends). I also got three key chains: me and Maria, me and Tom (friend and fellow blogger), and me, Maria, and Tom. I also made and ate one of those huge pixie sticks. Then made two frisbees- one for me and one for Sam (other roommate). I also did the photo booth with Maria and Nicole. It was quite a fun event. :)

Then Saturday was the Homecoming game against the Hanover Panthers. We won 28-13! It was a fun game. The funniest thing that happened, that I've never seen before, was one of our players got his cleat/foot STUCK in the helmet guard of a Hanover player. It was the funniest thing trying to watch them get untangled. They had to take his helmet off and then yank it off our player's foot. It was hilarious!!! :D lol (I actually designed the Homecoming tshirt this year- the lion standing over the Hanover panther forcing him to lose the ball. Very kewl- if I say so myself- and very appropriate).

And of course Sunday just ends with a Bengals game against the Texans. It should be a good game. It's at home so my brother and his friend will be at the game enjoying the victories and woes of the Bengals. At least they're doing better this year than in the past few years. I'm sure it won't last too long... Nothing good ever does... Oh well. :) It was a good week for the Mount and we're officially past the midpoint of the semester. We are on the down hill now to Christmas break. Only 7 more weeks. (I'm not really counting down but I just know that we've past the middle of the semester.)

So make the best of your week and hope it was as good as our last week here at the Mount!!! :)

i am so excited about Friday! me and one of my besties are heading out to chicago for the weekend and i can't wait! this is my first time heading home since my 21st birthday in the first week of july. this is megan's second time heading out to the fabulous city so its going to be a really fun weekend. i'm anxious to see my friends too! i haven't seen them since i was home and practically my whole family too! friday night we're planning on heading out to western avenue which is one of the best-known bar scenes in the chicago area. i love that it is only a few blocks from my house so we won't be calling any taxis either. i'm assuming we'll be going to in to the city during the day saturday so megan can get her city shopping in! saturday night we'll be munching on the amazing chicago style deep dish pizza and enjoying some refreshments out on the deck with some good friends and family with a great brunch the following morning before megan and i head back to the nati. i usually only go home 2 or 3 times a semester so its always exciting be home!

which is why i'm excited that i'll also be heading home for halloween weekend! two of my friends (twins) are turning 21 on halloween and so we'll be celebrating the best way possible. i've actually already been working on tshirts for the group going out together. the picture i've picked out is pretty awesome for the night!

check it out!!

So I decided that this past weekend was the perfect time to take a break from school. My mom and I packed up out things and went to Nashville, Brown County, Indiana. We spent two and a half days shopping, talking, walking, and enjoying the little arts and crafts town. I had SO much fun! I went into all my favorite shops: Rings and Things, the Old Bartley House, the Eucalyptus Tree, the Toy Shop, among others. I also ate at some great restaurants: the Muddy Boots Cafe, That Sandwich Place (yes, that's it's real name- home of all the possible IU memorabilia), the Artists' Colony, and the Harvest Moon Pizzeria.

All the pressures of life and school just melted away and I just had fun. No thoughts of kidney stones, surgeries, homework, classes, or life interrupted. I just chilaxed all weekend and just had an amazing time with my mom. Sometimes it's just good to get away. To forget everything and just have fun. 

But of course, as soon as I get back, I remember all the things I do have to do and then I spaz as to when I'll do them and if I even have time to do them. Like... I have a quiz in my RDG 331 course on Tuesday but I wasn't there last Thursday to actually hear what was going to be on the quiz so I'm not sure what I'm even gonna study, then I have my outpatient procedure-slash-surgery on Wednesday for my kidney stones to be "blasted" to get rid of them, then Thursday is a mid-term in my EDU 255 class so that requires a ton of studying that I haven't even started, then Friday morning is another quiz, and there's another project due on Monday morning for that class. It's getting a little ridiculous how much I have to do. lol. But I'll get it done. I always do. :)

So now I'm headed back to my "studies" so that I can catch up after relaxing for my fun, fun fun! weekend. :) (P.S. fall has already hit Nashville and it was gorgeous with the oranges and yellows and red! Gorgeous!)

So Thanksgiving break went by in the blink of an eye. Before I knew, I was sleeping in my bed at the dorms and I was preparing for the torturous Monday that I just encountered. 

But my break wasn’t all that bad, but I’m certain I’ve had better. I went home Tuesday night after my ASL class and slept at home that night. Then Wednesday morning at 6:30 AM, my mom and I made the 4 ½ hour drive to Pigeon Forge, TN, to meet up with some of her friends to hang out for a bit. We shopped, went out, and just had some good general girl fun (say that ten times fast lol). They ended up going home on Wednesday night but Mom and I spent the night in Tennessee. Then on Thursday morning, Thanksgiving, we went up through Gatlinburg, surprised there were people out and shops were open, but we went up into the mountains to Cade’s Cove and drove around on the path up there observing the natural scenery. It took three hours to drive the 25 miles up the mountains, the 11 mile trail, and the 25 miles back into Gatlinburg. It was excruciatingly slow but my mom and I had fun in the car making fun of all the other holiday drivers. ;) We ended up leaving for home at 2:30 PM and got to my aunt’s house at 7 PM. We were tired, I was hungry, and I was exhausted from driving in the car for almost 8 hours (Cade’s Cove trip + the drive home). The Thanksgiving meal at my aunt’s was good and we had fun hanging out and just being goofy. For example, my uncle had my two younger cousins, Lexie who is 8 and Jake who is 4, put on a circus and do acrobatic tricks for us in the middle of the living room. Of course, my other cousin, Sean who is 1, wanted to join in and he tried doing his own flips, unsuccessfully might I add.  

Friday was Black Friday and my mom and I went out again and shopped till my feet just about fell off my legs. It was fun though and I got some gifts for people crossed off my list so it was productive to say the least. Then on Saturday my brother and I spent 4 hours raking leaves for my mom (she’s showing up a lot in this isn’t she? Wow… lol). Of course, on Sunday we were looking out into the expansive backyard and my mom said, “Wow… it looks…” and I said, “Desolate.” And she said, “No. I was gonna say pristine.” Lol But later she did say it looked a bit desolate so ha! She agreed with me! Lol I like the leaves on the ground, just as much as I like snow on the ground. I just don’t like to clean either of them up, but again, who does? J 

Sunday I spent the day watching the Bengals lose again, but what else is new? I also watched the Steelers-Patriots game so that was fun. I like both teams so I didn’t care who’d win (I’ll prolly get flack for that later but oh well). Then I came back to school for school this week and the exams are next week so… 

Only four more full school days left and four exam days and then break! I’m going on vacation with three of my girl friends from Friday, Dec. 12^th-Sunday, Dec. 14^th, so I am really looking forward to that! But it’s getting down to the wire and I am stressed beyond belief but I really don’t have that much to do. I just need to calm down and breathe and I’ll be fine. That is some good advice for everyone though. J Until next time, breathe evenly and deep and all will be fine… J Now, if I can just remember that for myself… ;)

Hey everyone!

Turkey day is rapidly approaching and I have to say it is one of my most favorite holidays.  It might have something to do with the fact that I love to eat and always put my diet on hold during the season to enjoy Thanksgiving as much as possible.  My reasoning for this is that I am extremely thankful for how fortunate I am to be able to stuff my face and spend time with my family. So my weight cutting for wrestling can wait. Sorry Coach.

As I said, I am extremely thankful for all the things I have:  heated house, a great family, warm clothes, food, clean water, great friends, an amazing girlfriend, and a caring church among other things.  Many people are not as fortunate as I am and Thanksgiving usually reminds me of these people more than any other time of year.  This week is Homelessness Awareness Week and the College of Mount St Joseph is hosting a week full of events to share homeless perspectives with the students and the rest of the community. 

The week starts with a representative speaker from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Homeless experiences will be shared, followed by a question/answer session about life on the streets. “Street Vibes”, a newspaper written by the homeless of Cincinnati, will also be available.  Tuesday, the movie “Dark Days” will be shown. This film is biographical documentary about homeless who live in abandoned tunnels in New York. Then Wednesday, the Mount’s Quad will turn into Shantytown.  Students will make shelters out of cardboard in the Quad and participate in a mock soup kitchen.  Then the students will actually spend the night in their cardboard shacks outside in the elements!  The week ends with a candlelight vigil in Shantytown on Thursday night and a reflection on connections between homelessness and our faith and how we are called to help the homeless. 

This whole week will hopefully raise awareness of the seriousness of the homeless situation, not only in Cincinnati, but all over the country, especially when so many jobs are being terminated these days.  I know I’m going to try to make an effort to help out in some way.  I’m not too sure how just yet, I’m involved in a small food drive type event at my church that is gathering items to host a Thanksgiving dinner for needy families, but I’d like to do a little more.  I would like to call on any of you reading this to try to help out a little as well. Any little thing helps.

Let me give you an example of something my cousin, Paige, did a few months ago.  Paige took about forty bucks and bought a handful of gift cards to Arby’s.  She took the gift cards downtown and just walked around.  If she crossed paths with a homeless person, she would ask them if they liked Arby’s and give them a gift card.  Then she would hang out and talk with the people and get to know them a little. She heard some pretty crazy stories along with some real heartbreakers.  Paige has done this a few times now and it has gotten to the point where if she’s downtown, she has people coming up to her and thanking her for the gift cards and the meal they purchased with them. 

I have a lot of respect for my cousin for doing this and I hope that I can find the time and money to do something half as decent as what she did.  I challenge you to do something too!

Have a great week!

>Eric M.

Hey guys!

For those of you who don’t know, Cincinnati recognizes daylight savings time.  This means that that a couple weeks ago, we all turned our clocks back an hour to allow for more light in the morning.  It was designed to save on energy for the workplace. But I have a problem with this.

This time of year is obviously wrestling season (my earlier blogs might have clued you in on that) and we have morning and afternoon practice.  Morning practice takes place early enough that I’m still driving in the dark to get to practice and afternoon practice takes place just late enough to be dark once again on my way home. The constant darkness starts to take its toll and get a tad depressing.  And all this on top of the stress of school, wrestling, family obligations, and a combination of all three.  School work is getting tougher, I need to make weight every week now, and the holidays draw a lot of work and time at home. 

But guess what? I have some tips on how I avoid getting stuck in the rut of depression caused by all this stuff.

First and foremost, in regards to wrestling and making weight, I watch what I eat very closely.  I’m nothing close to a doctor, so don’t take my word for anything, but the way I keep my diet helps my energy levels.  I take a B vitamin complex, which helps with the healthy maintenance of the nervous system among other things. I also take my protein shakes that help my muscles recover to keep my body from hurting too much more.  Bodily pain tends to weigh heavy on your mind and keep you from focusing.  I also take ice baths to help my muscles recover quicker as well. 

Along with the supplements, I keep my vegetable and protein intake high and sugar, sodium, and carbohydrate intake low. I don’t know how much this affects my mood, but it helps me make my weight.

In regards to the other factors, I make sure I go to every class (I have yet to skip a class this semester) so that way I don’t get buried in missed work or struggle to find the notes for the missed lectures.  This is hard to do. The last thing I want to do is wake up from a hard practice and get to class. But you gotta make yourself do it.  Speaking of waking up, sleep is vital! I try to get as much sleep as I can, which usually falls between 4 and 5 hours a night, which I know is too low.

Other helpful tips to keep energy levels up that I have found to be successful include a workout routine and chill time.  I’ve found a regular workout routine (as long as it’s not too intensive) increases my energy levels and happiness.  Chill time for me would include napping, watching a movie or two, and talking and hangin out with my girlfriend, Katelyn, and my teammates and friends.  Video games, meditating, listening to music, and other enjoyable activities tend to help as well.

Well I gotta try to increase my sleep time tonight! I hope this might help you cope with the long, cold, sometimes depressing winter months. Just remember, spring is just around the corner!

See ya!

> Eric M.