Hey y’all! (I’m from the South today, just kidding lol) So I thought I would just drop by and say hey! Hoping your summer is going well J Mine’s doing okay so far… nothing too much out of the ordinary… just chilling, working, hanging… the normal teenager/collegiate student type stuff…    

Some of the highlights have been: at the end of May, I visited my friends Sam and Maria up North in Piqua- that was a blast. J Then um… in the beginning of June I went with my mom to Nashville, Brown County, Indiana, for our annual mother-daughter get-away. I had a TON of fun there… Then I started my baby-sitting job when I got back from that vacation/long weekend (it was only four days which ironically was during the worst rain and flooding in Indiana’s history- ugh). That’s kept me occupied for about four days a week. I haven’t really been working at my other job lately, just ‘cuz it’s slow going there and they really don’t need my help right now. Um… for the Fourth of July, I went up to Anna, Ohio, to go Maria’s family’s party on July 3^rd. That was awesome! There were 300+ people there!!! I stayed the night and then went to a family party on the Fourth.    

 

 

 

As for upcoming events, I am helping out at the July orientation for the incoming freshmen at the Mount on July 18^th. I helped out at the June orientation too so that’s why I’m doing this again. I’m sitting at the CAB (Campus Activity Board) table during the lunch on the first day if you wanna come visit me or find out about the CAB. Last time we gave away free t-shirts to those people who took a quick survey. So I’m looking forward to that. Also, my cousin’s wedding is next weekend, July 19^th, in Indianapolis so that’ll be exciting to go to- I love this side of the family’s weddings! At one wedding, they actually got the bride to roll around on the ground to one of the songs, and for another, my dad and my uncles “kidnapped” the groom and took him out on the town- of course, their sister (my aunt), freaked out and to this day does not forgive them for doing that but it’s all good.    

What else… Oh! At the end of July, we’re having a family weekend/vacation together. My parents, my brother, and I will be doing a weekend of all things Cincinnati. It’s just like any other life in any other big city. You live here all your life and you never go to the tourist attractions. So we’ll be doing that… Then school starts August 25^th and since I’m dorming, hopefully, I’ll be moving in the week before school starts and before all the out-of-towners decide to move in. So that’s exciting- of course, I still need to buy and arrange and pack all the things I need for dorming… J    

Well, here’s a funny and ironic story for ya: so I was shopping the other day with on my best friends, Alex, and while in Icing, the clerk asked if she and I were sisters. We said no, obviously, but the more we thought about it, it almost seems like were sisters separated at birth. Here it is though: I have a twin brother, who is ironically named Alex. I was born at Good Samaritan Hospital on November 7^th and my friend Alex was born at Good Sam on November 9^th. This means, that, she and I were “nursery mates,” (as my mom puts it) while we were there! In the end, this means, that I’ve had a best friend since, literally, birth! I thought that was an awesome story that I had to share with ya… But maybe it’s only funny to me or one of those “you had to be there” or “you had to be them” kind of stories… but still, I thought it was cool… J    

But, any who, summer is moving pretty quickly, not to mention the year 2008. It’s all so very exciting but very sad considering how fast time really is moving… So I hope all is going well and summer’s going good for you… Let me know what you’ve been up to- I’d love to know what fun things go on for others. Story-telling and sharing is one of my favorite things to do, as you already know. ;) So, until next time, see ya later alligator! (This is where you say, “After a while, crocodile!”)

Anatole France, a French novelist, once wrote: “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” I’m starting to realize how right he was.

It’s really that way about school this year. I do want the school year to end. I need a break! Finals and everything really wears you down by the time you get out. But, at the same time…I’ll miss so much about this place. After being so busy for so long, when I go home and have nothing but my summer job to do.

I’ll miss how much art I make during the school year, that’s for sure. I do assure you, I’ll be doing plenty of my own art over the summer! But I’m never as productive on my own as I am in a group setting. Thankfully I’ve found that my roommate, Jimmy, doesn’t live too far away from me! So I think we’ll probably be hanging out a bunch over the summer. Maybe I’ll get him to work on some art with me over the summer. Maybe we’ll both keep each other working!

I’m sitting in the art gallery now, working my last Saturday this year. And it’s a beautifully sunny day outside. I can see the quad from here, and everything’s in bloom. It all looks so beautiful! I wish I had time to walk about campus a few more times and take another look at all my favorite spots.  Living on campus is sort of like having a really big, really nice front yard. I’m going to miss the convenience of having room to throw a baseball right outside my door. I’m definitely going to miss being able to see the river from my window!

Also, the end of any school year always comes with goodbyes. Maria, my RA who has been so wonderful to us this entire year, is graduating. I don’t know how we’ll get by on the 6th floor without her. I know she’ll do wonderfully I whatever career she finds herself in. Good luck, Maria!

Also, our good friend Sarah is moving on to Bowling Green. She’s been with us all year, and I was so disappointed to hear that she was leaving. I know that she’ll do well though. Good luck, Sarah, we’ll miss you!

And all of our seniors that I’ve gotten to meet and work with this entire year, including a few of our bloggers! Good luck to EZ, Jodi, and Kristen. I know you guys will do well in whatever careers you find along your path in life. Good luck to each one of you. We’ll miss you here at the Mount.

But of course, with every ending there comes a beginning. We’ll have a brand new class of Freshman coming in this fall. And hopefully a few people reading this now will be joining us! I’m looking forward to starting our new clubs and organizations and performing in new plays and musicals along with newcomers from the incoming class. I know next year will be even better than this one.

And with that, I’ll leave you folks! Over this summer there’s a lot of work and preparation to be done…I’m already looking forward to next year!

I hope you all had a wonderful school year, and I hope you all have an even better summer. And I hope to see you all next year, right here at the College of Mount St. Joseph!

Its that time of the year- summer!...vacations, sleeping in, laying around not doing much of anything sounds pretty good right about now. Except, I have to take summer classes! A lot has happened this year for me, one being that I declared a DOUBLE major. I am double majoring Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing AND Sport Management. It’s a heavy load to take on and I will definitely be here for 5 years. So summer classes are a must for me. This summer I will be taking 15 credit hours, one of which is a co-op that I got that should be fun because some of it has to do with volleyball J Vacation will give me a break in the smack dab middle of summer. My family is going to Florida!! Family vacations are fun, especially when the decision has been made to fly (thank goodness). Sleeping in will happen a little bit because I won’t be working full time. In addition to co-oping I will continue to work on campus a little and coaching still.

This week has been hectic with finals approaching, and the thought of moving alllll the stuff I have crammed in my room to the house I’m moving into. Since the place is only 5 minutes away it shouldn’t be too bad- but I’m sure you know the overwhelming feeling that I’m talking about that just sits in the back of your mind.

I have a feeling that the summer will just fly by, much quicker than it normally does. I’ve already got a lot planned and can’t wait to spend time with my sister who’s graduating college this Sunday and coming home for the summer! We both have The Beach Water Park passes so we’ll be laying poolside once a week. It’s been a hectic, fun, and quick sophomore year, but one well worth it. Go on vacation, sleep in, and lay around. Most importantly, remember to have fun because they are they days you can’t ever get back.

 

Here's to the nights when the sand is your seat,  

the waves kiss your feet, and your friends outnumber...
all the stars in the sky.

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                  

 

I know that people have been talking about stress and relaxation and exams but I had something fun to talk about for that.  

But first, I wanna tell you that I don’t stress out easily. I usually just wait until the weekend to do homework or projects and just do it all in two days. That’s how I do things and I seem to do well with it. All my homework is done from Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening and then it’s done for the week. 

And as for a stress reliever, I usually just hang out with my friends, watching TV, playing games, or just surfing the internet. But I thought I should share this picture with you. I took it today at about 11 AM. Not to mention, the temperature this morning was not even 50 some odd degrees. So… needless to say… it was quite interesting to see:

 

 

I can only assume that Damon, in the pool (there was no water), and Steven were just having too much fun hanging out in the Quad. (Notice how freaking green the grass is! Wow… I love spring!!!) I thought it was just really cool that they found a way to relax and just hang out. So a shout out to them! But what were you guys really doing? (If either of you read this, leave a comment at the bottom if you want) J    

So some people have some really interesting ways of relaxing and getting ready for summer. Only three days of school left and four days of exams. I have three days of school, only two exams, and one project left so I am sooo excited to finish and have an awesome time during the summer!    

So keep up with your studies, relax, take a deep breath, and have fun!!! J

P.S. Alpha Phi Omega ended up raising $515 for MS :) Congrats guys!!!

Cincinnati! I love this city. Granted I’ve lived here the past 19 years of my life… which is my… entire… life. Hahaha! LOL And sometimes I still don’t know what to do in this city.     

But one place I went this weekend was Newport on the Levee. Um ya… that’s Kentucky but still- you cross the Big Mac Bridge and you’re in Cincinnati.    

I was down there to go the Newport Aquarium on a field trip with my mom’s class and I got to walk around the levee and then part way across the Purple People Bridge. It’s this awesome PURPLE bridge that is strictly a pedestrian bridge that connects Cincinnati and Newport. It’s an awesome bridge if you think about it. You get to cross over the Ohio River from one state to another, one city to another. It’s a really cool concept.     

But I had so much fun at the Aquarium and I’ve put some choice pictures up below. It was fun seeing the fish and the sharks and the divers hanging out with those sharks. There were also the jelly fish and the penguins and the alligators… LOL J     But it was an awesome little trip and a break away from reality when I only went fifteen minutes from my house and actually it’s only fifteen minutes from the Mount. It was a great little outing in which I got to a break fun my busy and hectic life and just hang out a bit. Newport also has a movie theater and shops and restaurants and fun things to do. It’s a great place to hang out and get away… I recommend hanging at the Newport whenever you get a chance- too much fun. J

 

Hey guys.

So, as predicted, this past week was insane. Many late nights and a lot of typing.  But most of the hard parts are behind me.  I have a few things for next week, but they aren’t anything to worry too much about.

 

One thing that has been on my mind that I thought I’d share with you is issue of summer classes.  Summer classes are a great way to earn college credit in a low pressure setting.  Just taking one or two classes can really help you catch up, lighten your schedule during the regular school year, or, as in my case, get the extra classes you need for a minor. 

 

When I first came to the Mount, I came in as a psychology major.  I changed to a history education major after my first semester.  I didn’t change because I didn’t like the program, I actually love psychology.  But I learned I couldn’t get an education license in psychology, it’s not an option.  So I found out I could teach Psych with a Social Studies license, so I made the choice to take the History route, which isn’t bad because I like history a lot too. 

 

But, completing all those psychology classes left me pretty close to earning a minor in psychology, and I didn’t even know it! My old advisor, Dr. Bodle, told me about it last semester.  So now, I’m thinking about taking the remainder of the classes I need for the minor program during the next summer or two.

 

The problem is (and I think it is a problem for a lot of people) that a lot of the summer classes are during the day, times that I will need for my summer job.  So I’m going to have to balance out my options and make a decision in the next week or so. 

 

>Eric M.

Hey everybody! And Hello again from the Mount! I can’t stay to talk too long today, I’m working tonight at the thesis opening for the Interior Design majors. As an artist, it’s really wonderful to see what the older students are capable of doing, and it’s awesome to see the stuff they’ve put together!

It really is moving almost to see the displays. What these senior students are showing is the culmination of four years worth of hard work, and it’s a condensed project showing all the skills they’ve learned. And after this, they’ll be leaving us, out to either continue their education elsewhere or to move on to work in the real world. I wish them all the best of luck!

It’s coming to the end of the year! Just one more school week left, a few exams, and we’re outta here! Thankfully, as an art major, I have a lot of final projects, and a big portfolio review in design, but not too many exams. At least, not too many this semester. : D

At this time of the year, when I’m watching all the senior students working on their final work here at the Mount, I start looking forward to working on my own capstone.

The capstone program is something unique to the Mount. It’s a culmination of everything you’ve done here at the Mount. It’s not really supposed to focus on the core curriculum, but also not entirely on your major. It’s a complete representation of yourself as a person, and what you’ve learned here at the Mount.

The exact definition of what are capstone is can be found here. http://inside.msj.edu/departments/acad_affairs/ccep/capstone/

A capstone project is really versatile, it can be almost anything that a student thinks of, as long as the student can demonstrate how it integrates disciplines, and shows the learning outcomes of the college.

Brand new this year was the first phase of the recycling program here at the Mount. For the first time this year, the College has recycling receptacles in the Seton Center, and they’ve given a recycling bin to each of the rooms for the residents to use for recycling. This entire program was suggested in a presentation that one of the graduating seniors presented last spring. He laid out a several year plan for making the College a recycling campus. And so far, I think it’s worked well.

Well, most of us art majors won’t be creating recycling programs for the Mount. The art majors create a culmination of their art skills. But you’d be surprised if you come down to see what these art students have done, you’d be amazed at what the students come up with. I’m really looking forward to seeing the interior design majors’ work up tonight for the first time!

P.S. Folks! Just thought I’d add in a little extra! Here are some pictures I took at the Thesis opening on Friday night! The place was paaaaaaacked! We really filled it up with people. I was so glad to see so many people in our art gallery!
 

Today, the Mount’s very own Greek house (strictly academic and no actual house that would consist of a stereotypical Greek house), Alpha Phi Omega, decided to raise money for awareness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and their goal was $250. And if they reached that goal, then 5 teachers would dress up in odd- and I mean odd- “costumes.”

The participants would be: Dr. Jim Bodle would be a “gangster,” Dr. Buffy Barkley would be a “natural wonder,” Dr. Meg Riestenburg would be a “recycling bin,” Dr. Elizabeth Murray would be a “skeleton,” and Dr. Jozef Zalot would be a “Bengal’s fan.”      The goal was to raise the money outside of the Fifth Third Dining Hall- they just asked for your loose change and any extra donations you could make. And then the teachers also walked around with tin containers collecting money as they walked along. As of today at noon, when the teachers got dressed, the money raised was just about $487.00, according to Scott Day (who I heard announce this amount at this time). I’m not sure if that’s counting anything else they collected today or not.      

And the teachers did just what they said they would do. Jim was a “gangster”- including his Freud tattoo on his arm and Mickey Mouse clock around his neck,  Buffy was a butterfly- a natural wonder in this world (I thought like the Great Pyramids or something but apparently not haha- shout out Buffy!), Dr. Murray was a skeleton in her black skeleton t-shirt and socks, Dr. Zalot- a Patriots fan (he had that t-shirt on underneath his Bengal’s jersey)- wore a Shayne Graham #17 jersey, and Dr. Riestenburg was a green Rumpke recycling bin- flowers and all. I’ve included pictures below, courtesy of Alex Griffith’s camera. J     

I’ve included the website to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society if you’d like to learn more about MS (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx). It was very entertaining to see the teachers dress up. What was funnier was there was a tour of high school students that walked right through the “parade” of teachers and I made sure they would see what they were getting into and the fun we have the Mount. It was a very funny sight to see at lunch time. I thought I’d share the fun with y’all. Enjoy! J

 

One of my least favorite things about college would definitely be having to take a class that you hate, solely because you are required too. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could just make up your own degree with the collaboration of the classes you wanted to take? That would be the epitome of freedom. For my own good I’m not going to specify the class I’m talking about but I just dread going to it. It’s boring and it’s not that I don’t understand the material…it’s just a drag to go to it week after week. My professor is nuts and the course title hasn’t been reflected it in any classes? Odd. But, nothing I can do. I just do the assignments, show up, participate every now and then, and am on my merry little way. But after every class I have the feeling that I just wasted hours of my life, hours that I will never get back. I’m sure we’ve all felt this way about a “chapter” of our life, a class, or just regretting a decision that you can’t take back. There’s no turning back and unfortunately I can’t make up my own curriculum. Until then (which I never see happening), I’ll have to force myself to not skip class and count down the days until summer J

Three more weeks left in the year! But as classes start to wrap up and the freedom offered with summer break is in sight, the papers, projects, and final tests are piling up.  Some people think that the last week, exam week, is the hardest and most stressful part of the semester. But I believe the few weeks leading up to exams are the toughest.  Every professor wants to get that last big paper or test in before the final exams.  I’ve had about 3 papers and two tests just in the past week!  And to make things worse, my AYA 365 class ends two weeks early.

 

The AYA course is the Distant Learning course I am taking that I told you guys about earlier in the semester.   There are a lot of independent projects involved that have had some technical problems that have just recently been fixed that I’ll need to catch up on and an observation portfolio that I have been working on for a few weeks.  The portfolio consists of a 15 hour observation practicum at Oak Hills High School, a summary of the lesson plans I observed, and a review of experiences I had observed.  I also have a final paper to write up.  All this is due this upcoming Thursday! So I’m going to be pretty busy this next week, finishing up the work for that AYA course, while taking care of all the other papers and tests I have for the rest of my classes. 

 

So all the plans I have for the summer, no matter how close it seems, need to just wait a few more weeks because I still have a lot of work to get done! I just have to muster up enough motivation to make sure I stay organized and on top of all the assignments.  It’s hard to stay focused after such a long year!

 

I’ll let ya know how it’s all going next week!

 

>Eric M.