Samantha OWU

Moving Day

2010-04-10T08:38:00.001-04:00

Friends,

I have a glorious few years with you and I hope you've enjoyed my company, but it's moving day. OWU is doing their best to update the technology and we will be opening up a new blog soon, soon, soon. Actually I've already posted to it. Check us out at our new location: http://bishopbytes.blogspot.com/

See you there!

SamanthaOWU

Job job two

2010-02-28T08:06:00.001-05:00

Readers,

So, I believe in an earlier post I updated you as to my grad. school adventures. Well, I still have not heard back, so plan A is still running. What is also up and running is plan B. I got a job! I got a job selling wedding gowns! Random, yet wonderful. It's always interesting when your plan B (that was really just fluke application) takes off before you plan A (which is what you really want to happen.)

Ugh, I am just so busy now. With school, It's like I'm working three jobs. My head is enough above water so I can breathe (last week it was not that way) and I'm treading all right. Looking forward to spring break in a week (not that I'm going anywhere with work both weekends) but it will be a great way to get my portfolio finished. Days upon days of uninterrupted work time; honestly, I'm kinda excited.

Have a great one.

Abhorrent Honesty

2010-02-17T08:04:00.002-05:00

Friends,

I am frustrated. I am taking a non-fiction writing class at present and all was good until my professor called on me to comment about a book that I had no time to finish nor had any interest in finishing. And so I told my professor just that. I told my professor that it took me one hour to read twenty pages and that I did not have six hours to dedicate to the book (I do in fact have other classes). I told my professor that also, the book was uninteresting to me and so it made me even less encouraged to finish it.

Apparently my honesty was not appreciated in a class on a genre that was built on being honest. Ironic, I think so.

I will say this: I never made the decision to not finish because I disrespect my professor (though perhaps my actions unconsciously did so). I do. I never made the decision not to finish because I'm lazy (actually I'm quite busy and the decision was made to keep my sanity, which, in all honesty, is starting to fail (oops, honest again.)) And finally, in a workshop class, I want to workshop. I will read my contemporaries before I read authors who have made their place in history because I believe that in workshop, your job is to make your peers and yourself a better writer. If the goal of this workshop is to get me to read pieces by people who I can not critique, then perhaps the name should be changed from non-fiction writing workshop to non-fiction exploration.

Leaky Snow

2010-02-12T14:24:00.004-05:00

My ceiling is leaking. First it was the tub chronicles and now, my ceiling is leaking.

You know, I always told Phoebe I would get her a fountain so she didn't have to be in the sink . . . but I never planned to have that fountain start at my ceiling and run down my wall and puddle on the floor. It's not even a good fountain. Good fountains recycle. Though it is kind of slum-chic.

Ugh. The maintenance man says that it's because of the snow and the cold and frozen gutters, which I get, but if this water doesn't stop, I'm thinking serious mold issue plus water damage to ceiling, wall, and wood floors. Want to know what else sucks? The real problem is the roof and the roof can't get fixed until the snow is gone . . . it's currently snowing.

Perhaps there are some perks to living in the dorms; aka you don't have be an adult and deal with a leaky ceiling yet.

On a happy note, my birthday is in a week. Woot birthday!

Have a great one.

Hi

2010-02-11T17:14:00.002-05:00

Friends,
Just a quick update. Currently the blogs are in a transition. Hopefully our new layout will be up soon but until then, my updates will be a bit sporadic. Bear with us through our digital evolution.

Thanks,
SamanthaOWU

Picture: Just for old times sake.

Happy New Year wishes

2009-12-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

Hello readers!

Thank you for sticking with me another year. As 2009 draws to a close I'd just like to wish everyone a content and forward progressing and healthy (because I am currently a sickie) 2010.

Yours,

SamanthaOWU

PS. For those keeping track (aka me) I am twenty-five posts away from 200. Here's hoping!

Brilliant

2009-12-23T19:29:00.001-05:00

Just checking in my dear readers.

So far, this break has been wonderful. I've already read a book simply for pleasure. I've already written some stories simply for pleasure. I've been baking and shopping and lunching in the the Cincy Crew. It is brilliant.

Hope everyone is having a restful holiday.

Have a great one.

Exam = pOwned

2009-12-16T21:20:00.004-05:00

For the point of this blog see title.

Have a great one and a very Happy Holidays (I'm prepared because my amount of updating at home decreases significantly and I might not update again before the holidays.)

Applications

2009-12-15T17:21:00.002-05:00

Grad. school applications sent.

Check.

Have a great week.

Austin Manor Rocketh my Socketh

2009-12-15T06:55:00.002-05:00

Hi all.

Today is Tuesday and yesterday was Monday and on Monday my neighbors to Zoe and I to this wonderful little restuarant with the best Butterscotch pie ever. It was so, so, so much fun. P.A was right when he said the restuarant would become the center of the world. If I could find it again, I would consider going weekly. And it's not expensive at all. On Mondays, they have $5 meals that include entree, veggie, and some sort of tater. Then, of course, you have to have pie.

Thanks Kristie and P.A. for a wonderful dinner!

Today is also still an examless day so I am mock-touring this morning, mailing my grad. school applications after that (I'm applying to grad school!), then going into to Polaris for some last minute shopping (which really isn't that last minute but it kind of is because I go home in two days.)

Have a great one.

PS 29 posts till I hit 200.

Photo: A goat.

This is me bragging

2009-12-13T09:20:00.002-05:00

I'm done!

What I considered done.

I'm done!

Utopia paper. Check. Asian and Arab lit. exam. Check. Journalism history exam . . . okay, so not totally done but done with the two big things that needed to get done. Now I can really focus on getting my independent study typed and sent along. Yes, it is going to take some focus. Woot though for the doneness.

But that still doesn't mean I can go home. Sad face. Because journalism history exam is Wednesday, inconveniently (arm wiggle) scheduled for late. But hey, I look at it this way. I will be home this week. This week! And I will be there for an extended period of time.

Oh . . . I'm a second semester senior . . . oh . . . scared!

Have a great one.

Photo: Our Christmas Tree.

Should Be vs. Actually

2009-12-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

Hi.

What I should be doing is studying for my journalism history exam that is Friday morning. What I'm actually doing is writing a blog despite the fact I updated this morning so I don't have to study.

What I should be doing tonight is the same thing I should be doing right now. What I will actually be doing is baking cheesecake brownies for the tour guides.

Yes, yes I will be.

One Acts Over

2009-12-09T07:37:00.003-05:00

Hey there Readers,

So, as my title suggests, the One Acts are indeed over . . . and their awesomeness is not just something of memory . . . and it is a very, very good memory. Everyone did such a good job with "Why Men Carry Purses" (aka my play), swooping seagull included, that I've no complaints.

And now for stuff of today.

We have a wind advisory because the potential gusts will be above 55mphs. I am taken back to a day last year when we had gusty winds. A tree fell down and we lost power and lucky for us then, it was relatively warm outside. If the power goes down today/tomorrow, we will be cold. The high tomorrow is in the 20s. My body freezes over when the temperature is in the 40s. Woot to sleeping with hats. (If I do infact have to sleep with a hat on I will take pictures and share them with you. Promise.)

What else. It's a Wednesday, which means I have eight days left of my fall semester senior year. Bittersweet; mainly because I need the break so bad but I don't want college to end so soon. Hopefully the grad school apps will be in the mail soon but even then I won't know anything till March. Limbo is a very strange place to be situated.

Well all, have a wonderful day and more updates as they are needed.

Have a good one.

Photos: Pictures one and two are the gang I went to the One Acts with. Picture three is a flash back to last year's wind advisory.

One Acts December

2009-12-05T09:20:00.003-05:00

Hello readers,

I hope December welcomed all of you with contentment. While I'm content, it's also a week and half before finals so busy, busy, busy. But, within the busy, there is a glimmer of fun, aka, the One Acts.

One Acts are put on by our theatre. Each member of the playwriting class writes a one act play and those plays get shuffled to the directing class who gets the actors and basically produces them. And those are this weekend, the first batch was last night and the second batch is tonight and I am especially exctied about tonight because my one act is being preformed. Woo!

Some of you might be de ja vuing right now because a similiar thing happened last year at this same time and you are right to be remembering that yes, last year, I also had a play as part of the one acts. Excitingly, this year they need an extra play or two and my got to be that extra. Woot!

So just a quick shout out to my actors: Joanna and Jamie you are brilliant. Thanks for all your hard work. And a shout out to my director: Frankie you are equally brilliant. Thanks for bringing my writing to life.

If your in the area, the One Acts are free and everybody should come see them tonight.

Spammers

2009-12-01T07:21:00.003-05:00

Dear Spammers,

My blog is not a place for you to post your birth control and Viagra ads and other such material. Please back off.

Yours,
SamanthaOWU

Thanksgiving to a Break

2009-11-20T07:15:00.003-05:00

Hey all,

Sorry to leave you in the cyber world without a bit of entertainment but I've been a busy student. One of those weeks where the world eventually faded into the colors of my word processor because I'd been staring at it for so long and when I looked up I wanted my sunglasses because the world beyond was so bright. But everything is done. I even have my grad school applications 75 percent complete. Yes, yes, I do.

Two more classes and then I've got a week off. What I look forward to most is reading a book that I choose. What I look forward to seeing is my family. What I look forward to eating is well anything that won't kill me.

Have a good one.

Picture: "I peel the potatoes," at Tour Guide Thanksgiving which was a rockin' good time.

Happy November

2009-11-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

It's November.

Two more months of 2009.

And I need to be working on my grad. school applications. They are two times the fun of undergraduate applications because you have fill out two apps. all together. One goes to the graduate school admissions and one goes to the program you are applying for. So cool, I know. I am going to get my MFA in creative writing.

Right now I'm drinking tea. It's a raspberry based black tea and it is so good. Yesterday I had green tea with honey and lemon. I feel so writer-ish when I sit at my computer and drink my tea and have my cat on my lap and work on the first three chapter of my book because those are the writing selection I'm sending to the grad schools.

And for those of you who are applying to undergraduate college, don't forget your deadlines. They are quickly approaching and the last thing you want to do is sacrifice opportunity because of laziness.

Good luck.

Have a great one.

Picture: Me eating hot sauce and oyster crackers at Skyline.

Hockey, Hockey, Hockey

2009-10-25T11:56:00.003-04:00

Hello readers,

So I have discovered some sad news, especially sad in my world but just a bit sad for any of my fellow hockey enthusiasts.

Sergei Zubov, a defensemen for the Dallas Stars officially left the NHL to play in St. Petersburg. Beyond being my favorite NHL player he also was one of the highest goal scoring defensemen in the NHL as well as an all around great player.

Good luck in St. Petersburg Zubie!

On a good note, the Stars are off to a great start this season. Keep it up guys!

Have a great one.

The Tub Chronicles VIII

2009-10-22T14:05:00.002-04:00

Hi.

I would like to announce that Austin Manor has a new water heater and it is lovely.

Thank you.

The Tub Chronicles Part VII

2009-10-18T16:00:00.003-04:00

I think the water heater is bi-polar. This morning it was ice cubes and this afternoon it was lava. Regardless. I got a shower and now I'm clean.

Count down to Austin Manor's new hot water heater: 4 days.

The Tub Chronicles Part VI

2009-10-18T13:28:00.002-04:00

And you thought it was over.

Today, I went to take a shower and the water was ice cold and not getting any warmer. So I shaved my legs instead. Hope that counts a clean . . .

Countdown to Austin Manor new water heater: 4 days.

OWU Preview Days

2009-10-16T19:08:00.002-04:00

Hello Readers!

I want to send a shout out to all of you who visited OWU in the last three days as part of our preview days. And an even bigger shout out to those of you who accompanied me around campus is tour form. It was fun.

And you know what else is happening this week? Mid-semester break! Woo! And I'm on campus. Giving tours. Woo!

Right now I am watching the Birdcage. It is brilliant. Nathan Lane is my favorite actor.

Quiznos got rid of my favorite sub. Boo.

Have a wonderful day.

Column

2009-10-07T07:16:00.002-04:00

Hello readers,

So, this will be the third time I've tried to post my column that was in this week's edition of the Transcript. I figured it might be nice to show ya'll a sample of my writing-writing.

Enjoy!

I attended a recent lecture and while I found the speaker entertaining, I was more fascinated by my classmates who apparently checked their manners at the door. I know we forget things over the summer, so now is the perfect opportunity for a little etiquette reminder.

First, lectures usually last 60 minutes, plus a Q and A session. Please allot the appropriate amount of time. If you absolutely have to leave during the lecture, plan accordingly. Sit in the back of the auditorium, on the end of the a row, so you cause the least disturbance.

I've found myself part of the following scenario numerous times.

I'm enjoying a lecture. The person two seats down decides that it is escape time. Said person closes their notebook in a flurry of rustling paper, shoves the notebook in a bad, an action which sounds like a blacksmith's shop, stand up and lets the fold-down chair bang against the seat back, and tried to slide by the entire row while saying excuse me and finally escaping in squeaky shoe glory.

Please just sit on the aisle end.

Also, those of you with a chronic bladder issue, take an end seat. You cause even more problems then our before-mentioned escape artist. Not only do we have to accommodate your exit but then we also have to let you back into the row.

Second, when you do escape the lecture, right outside the door is an inappropriate time to call your roommate and say how boring the lecturer is. You might not know this, but people in the lecture hall can still hear you. So now, instead of focusing on the lecturer, they are focusing on what you had for dinner and what a jerk so-and-so professor is for requiring you attend. Truthfully, nobody cares, least of all the people still in the lecture.

Third, in a cramped lecture hall everyone can hear you whisper. I know some speakers are boring. I know sometimes you are just there for the extra credit but your boredom gives you not license to ruin the lecture for other people. It's like talking through a movie at the theatre. That is a very bad way to make friends.

So, I've got a few suggestions.

First, don't attend. If you think that lecture will be hazardous to your health, spare the rest of us your germs and stay home.

My second suggestio is that you bring something to do. Bring doodle paper, work for another class, your phone (on silent of course), a book, just something that will keep you quiet. But, if the talking bug does bite you, write a note to your neighbor. It might take an extra minute but at least you're being respectful to those around you.

To close, I think we as students also have to remember that these lectures are a privilege. OWU does not have to invite these people to campus. That siad, I think it means we need to be respectful to them both in out behavior during a lecture and in out interactions with said lectureres. Check your ego at the door, there is a reason the lecturer is on stage and you are in the audience.

Unfocused

2009-09-29T10:42:00.001-04:00

Hello dear readers.

This is your lovely, unfocused narrator trying to find something to give her focus. You know, how there are just some days that even if you have to get something done, for some reason, you just can't do it? Welcome to my today.

I mean, it's not like I've been unsuccessful. I finished my reading for Utopia, which is tomorrow morning. I finished a chapter out of the book for my Asian and Arab women in Lit class which I don't have to have finished until next week. And what I really want to do was read more of it but my brain is just all over the place and it is kinda of the suck.

What I really want to be doing to writing. I think part of the problem is I've got the idea-extension jig and I want to work on it but like silly me I left my notebook in my room.

Or I want to go to Kroger because I need toothpaste and deodorant. Like any of you really want to know that. But this is supposed to be real-life OWU and sometimes you just need deodorant.

Anyway, I'm going to go and attempt this productive thing again.

Have a great one.

Who Dey . . . fizzle.

2009-09-27T20:17:00.002-04:00

So, I'm from Cincinnati. My home city is wonderful. But there is one thing about home that makes me a bit upset and it is the Cincinnati Bengal's (NFL) catch phrase, "Who Dey."

Who Dey.

Who Dey?

Can we say who dey uneducated peoples?

In my opinion there is nothing creative about said phrase. It more sounds like a the only thing that the drunk fans can say by the end of the game. And if you are drunk, have at. I'd prefer you yelling "Who Dey" than driving around town. But if your not drunk, please don't. I think it is both uneducated and ridiculous.

Thank you.

Sheep

2009-09-24T11:09:00.001-04:00

So, I am taking a class called Utopia this semester and as in any literature class that focuses on one type of literature there are similarities between books. For example, in Utopian literature there is a drive to create a "perfect" society. That is a reoccurring theme. One theme that I did not expect to reoccur was sheep.

Yes, sheep.

I like sheep. My family has a history with sheep, but sheep in a Utopia? Why are these authors obsessed with the cute little fluffy baaing sheep?

I will now tell you a story.

So in Utopia each student has to present on one of the books we are reading. When I signed up for my presentation I was rather excited because I thought the book I was presenting on was called Ewehorn, (which was a lie because it is actually called Erewhon). Regardless, I was like, "Okay, so I am finally going to figure out this sheep thing."

Today, I picked up the book, realized my mistake and at the title and got kind of sad. But then I started reading. On the second page, readers learn that the narrator is a sheep farmer. Needless to say I about feel out of my chair laughing.

Project opener done.

Have a great one.

Good Tuesday

2009-09-22T16:56:00.002-04:00

Hi.

So, I just registered for the GRE. Woot. For those of you who unaware, the GRE is like the SAT of the grad school world and since most of the schools I'm considering require said exam, I decided I'd best get registered. I feel successful.

What else has been going in the life of me.

The Delaware County Fair was last weekend. Crazy story: the fair is exactly two years to the day that Zoe and Adele and I started hanging out consistantly. It's like an anniversery or something and it just hits home how close graduation actually is. I didn't think I'd be nastolgic when it came to my senior year but I find that the more and more I imagine graduation, the more and more I don't want to leave.

OWU, I don't know if you've ruined me or made me better for it.

Have a good one.

This One's For Adele

2009-09-12T19:11:00.003-04:00

I told Adele that I would post the picture in this blog.

So I did.

This is our cookie of oneness. We were trying to make individual cookies but instead they morphed into one giant cookie. So, this is our cookie of oneness and it means that we are all the same.

Peace, blog readers.

Cooking

2009-09-07T19:13:00.002-04:00

I really, really, really want to cook. I think part of the reason is because I watch Chopped (instead of doing the reading I should have been doing this afternoon) and the crazy stuff they were cooking with inspired me to make something as well. I mean, a dessert out of celery, that is crazy stuff. So, I jumped up off my couch, all eager and ran to the kitchen and flung open the cabinets and freezer and suddenly my mood changed. I had nothing to cook. I mean, I could have made cookies or brownies or something but nothing that required real cooking skills.

Sad day.

I considered going to the store. I considered my financial situation and changed my mind. So for dinner I made a sweet potato (which if you are looking for a cheap college dinner taters are the way to go. Besides, they are amazing.) and I made peas because I love peas but both those things were microwave things and not real cooking and it was a sad day.

I think the other reason I really, really, really want to cook is because it takes time and while I should be spending my time reading (because as a student I can obviously consume a 400 page book in a weeks worth of time (sarcasm)) I need a reading break. Don't misunderstand, I thrive on books. Without a good read before bed sleeping is no good so perhaps I should be thankful for the opportunity to read so much . . . doesn't mean I don't need a break.

Anyway, have a good one.

Photos: First is me, sad because I have nothing to cook. Second is a tomato, which I would cook if I had one but I don't. Third is me with my cousins.

Social Networking

2009-09-02T08:04:00.002-04:00

A recent comment on my 150th post inspired me to write this blog I am now writing. The commenter inquired if, since using blogger, I had become familiar with other social networking options like Twitter, Facebook, or other blogs.

In simple order:

Twitter=no
Facebook=yes
Other blogs=no

Explanations:

Twitter: I attempted Twitter for a short while because my boss thought it would be a good form of quick communication. In my opinion, my time on Twitter was substandard. It was difficult for me to sort through comments and honestly, I'm not a hyper-checker of such things so the real-time updates were lost on me. I think being a hyper-checker makes Twitter a bit more user friendly.
Last spring I also attended the SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) conference in Columbus. I attended a discussion on new social networking options hoping to learn a bit about what was out there. The presenters spent the entire hour talking about Twitter and about how wonderful it was. In my opinion, Twitter is convoluted. There are so many commands the user needs to know in order to get it work as it is intended that I find it not user friendly.
After the conference, I canceled my Twitter account and I've ignored it since.

Facebook: I am a Facebook user and I've been so since my freshman year of college. In my opinion, Facebook is more user friendly than Twitter and there is less reason to be connected to it twenty-four seven. I will admit that maybe my familiarity with Facebook makes it seem that way but I remember that when I opened my Facebook account, everything made sense. To write on someone's wall I click the button "write on wall". To see photos I clicked on the button "photos". To see a profile I could search a name or click on the person's picture. The prompts just made sense.

Other blogs: I currently keep just this blog, though I have considered starting something new. I think now, with my schedule, one blog is enough to keep me and those around me informed, but if a new creation does happen, I'll be sure to shamelessly plug it right here.

Thanks for the comment and thanks for reading.
Have a great day.

The Tub Chronicles Part V

2009-08-26T19:01:00.000-04:00

It's official.

The shower is fixed. It drains. It has hot water. It has good water pressure.

Thank you for your concern.

Have a great one.

Post 150

2009-08-25T18:19:00.003-04:00

So, unless Blogger is lying to me, this will be my 150th post. Who'da thunk it. Me, a little OWU blogger would reach 150 posts? Well, I'll tell you that one person who didn't was this little OWU blogger.

Thanks for sticking with me loyal readers and here's hoping for 150 more.

Photos: please notice that my 1 has an adam's apple. (and yes, I did just search adam's apple to make sure I had an actual body part).

Have a great one.

The Tub Chronicles Part IV

2009-08-24T16:22:00.002-04:00

Hi again.

So, when Zoe got up to take a shower this morning, because she wanted to smell good on the first day of classes, which I think is a legit reason to take a shower, we had no hot water and we had very little water pressure.

I like to call that the suck.

The last time such a thing happened, was last year when the wind storm blew through and knocked out the power. This time, we still have power just no hot water.

Right now, we actually have hot water, just no water pressure.

Keep ya'll posted.

Have a great one.

Ps. classes started today and they were great.

The Tub Chronicles Part III

2009-08-24T16:21:00.001-04:00

Hi. So, there were two plumbers that came and worked on the tub drain.

One was cute.

The Tub Chronicles Part II

2009-08-20T13:53:00.001-04:00

Yay plumbers. My tub is fixed and it is good. It is also clean. I already took a shower and I went and bought my books for this semester. Lots and lots of books. But with two lit courses, that is the way of things.

But, back to the tub.

Diagnosis: a lotta lotta lotta hair in the drain. Which I kinda figured but since I couldn't get the plugger-jiggy out to fix it, I had to call in backup (aka the plumbers).

Um, so the brings the Tub Chronicles to an end . . . sad day.

Otherwise, life is crusing and I look forward a great, squeaky clean semster.

Have a good one.

The Tub Chroniciles

2009-08-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

The Plumbers are here.

Woot.

Wu Wu

2009-08-20T11:13:00.003-04:00

I'm a train. I'm a train in Delaware OH. And if I, Samantha, am in Delaware OH, the probably means I am at OWU! Woot. Yes, yes, I moved back into Austin yesterday and so here I sit, at my kitchen table, blogging about being back at the Wu.

I think I'm going to get my books today. Or at least those that are in the bookstore.

I am all unpacked and the apartment is clean, clean, clean. Except for the bathroom because the tub won't drain. The plumber is coming today. Plumber shout-out on my blog.

And Zoe moves back in this afternoon and Adele moves back in tomorrow. Well, Adele doesn't move back into Austin tomorrow because she lives in the Smith but she moves back to campus tomorrow. Wootastic.

You know what else is wootastic? My Cincinnati. On Monday, my family made me a big going away dinner complete with BBQ ribs (BBQ being my favorite food), tato salad (aka potato salad), beans (beans), and a homemade taramisu (spelled wrong). It was heavenly, if a dinner can be compared to heaven.

Then Tuesday, I went out with Mike and Liv and we had dinner and hung out the park and it was lovely.

Have a good one.

Pictures: First is my plumber shout out. Second is a belicopter that Jake and I saw at the beginning of the summer and I took that from his convertible without zoom on my camera. It was a low-flying copter. Third is me. Fourth is the giant cookie that Gretchen baked.

Headed Home . . . OWU Home.

2009-08-18T13:16:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, I leave my Cincinnati home for my OWU home and I admit, I'm excited to get back. I'm excited to get the apartment in order and I'm excited to buy my books (really I'm excited about seeing what I'm reading for my two lit courses) and I'm excited to get back to tours. I'm super excited to get walking every day again. As much as my summer break was much needed, I did feel lazy just sitting on my couch. It wasn't until this summer that I realized how downhill television shows had gone.

Reality TV equals blah and two thumbs down. The only one I can stand to watch (and I'm not even sure it qualifies as reality except for the fact is contains real people) is Wipeout. Falling down is funny. Falling down from high heights due to silly stunts, is even funnier. And I love Jill's clothes.

Cartoons equal stupid. When I was a kid, at least there were quality cartoons with creative plots and likeable characters. For example: Rocko's Modern Life. Never seen it, you are missing out.

And series shows. Honestly, I don't have the patience to tune into something again and again. The only one I try not to miss is the Cleaner. Particially because I like the plot. Particially because I am in love with the character Acani's clothes.

But all my TV watching is pretty much over because classes start in less than a week and as Zoe will atest, I rarely watch TV up at a school. Usually this is because when I do get a break and chase channels, I fall asleep.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of summer.

Have a great one.

Pictures: So, those of you that have been with me for a while will remember my lovely drawing attemps with Paint. Well, their back! First, we have a TV. Second, we have Jill, from Wipeout's wardrobe. Thid, we have Acani, from the Cleaner, wardrobe.

On Campus Again

2009-07-29T17:19:00.003-04:00

So my dear blog readers who is excited about the visit programs next week?

Samantha is!

I always get super excited about getting back on campus and talking to ya'll about my second home. So, if you aren't excited, I'm hoping this blog will inspire some excitement as I describe to you the campus must-sees.

To start, we have a beautiful stained glass ceiling in Slocum Hall. Slocum Hall is the same hall that houses our Admissions Office. When entering the front door I suggest taking a right and walking up the stairs and taking a right in the Slocum Reading Room and looking up. And when your eyes go up you will be met by the stained glass wonderfulness. Now, I guess some of you are reading and thinking, Samantha, also of colleges have stained glass. And I would agree but I bet those other stained glass ceilings at those other campus don't have a picture of Abraham Lincoln on the stained glass.

Also at OWU we have one of the most giantest crosswalks and those of you that are visiting and taking a tour will be required to cross said crosswalk twice, at least, and hopefully more as you get a good long look at our campus.

Just trying to wet you appetite for OWU. Hope to see you next Wednesday.

Have a great one.

Blog blog

2009-07-21T14:49:00.002-04:00

I am blog blogging. Though, that should be rather obvious since you've most likely found this blog through the bishop blogs, blog being in the name and all. I'm trying to think of something interesting to say, something not time wasting, but I'm not feeling very creative. It is for this lack of creativity that I switch from editing to blog writing . . . one writing to the next . . . and still lacking.

Maybe I just need a nap.

I had a family reunion this past weekend and it was fun and tiring and I was so happy to sleep in my own bed that I went to be early and my girl kitty was so happy to have the family home that she kept me up most of the night.

Yes, maybe a nap will help.

When I went to Donatos today, I wore my monster-eating-cupcake t-shirt and the guy who took our order really like my shirt. He told me it made his day and that made me feel good. I like to make people's days. And while this Donatos was at home, there is also one near OWU. And for those of you who don't know what Donatos is, it is a pizza place.

My cat is snoring. I think I'll join him.

Have a good one.

10 Away

2009-07-13T15:31:00.002-04:00

I am 10 posts away from reaching post 150. Who'da thunk that a little blog started to promote my four year home would turn into something so magic-like? Not this cowboy, that's for sure and I know that in the blogging world, 150 posts is nothing significant. True bloggers would probably have 150 in a week, but I like to think that instead of being repetitive, each blog had a unique personality, much like my lovely OWU.

I am looking forward to my senior year yet a realization hit me. I've worked in the admissions office since my second week on campus and I am used to seeing my little tourees show up on campus the following fall. That will no longer be the case. Any tours I give this year will be to people I will never have the opportunity to know as OWU students.

Tis the rolling nature of life.

Have a good one.

PS: Hasani! thanks for the welcome back.

Tis bin some time

2009-07-08T19:36:00.002-04:00

I said bin instead of been. hahaha. Oy, and no lie, "Gotta Find You" just came up on my mp3 player.

Anyway, so I think my last post was like May 3 or something ridiculous and so it has officially been two-ish months since I last blogged. But, I didn't feel like wasting ya'lls time when I really had nothing new to report. Exams were a bummer. I was busy. Now I'm home and not so busy because I can't find a job (is that really anything new?) so I'm running more just to get out my pent up energy.

I am working on independent study this summer (which I should be putting more time into but I'm not) which I will recieve credit for in the fall. The details are withheld due to my fear that somebody will steal my brilliance. But what is important to take away is that OWU is a great place for said adventures. When I approached my journalism professor with the idea, one that I thought would be shot down, she encouraged my exploration and for that I am grateful.

Ohio Wesleyan: cultivating ideas even during times of rest.

Have a great one.

Adele's Birthday Happened Again

2009-04-26T17:02:00.003-04:00

And lucky that, yea? Adele turned 21 this year and in a week long celebration we decided to go to California Pizza Kitchen. I believe the attics of our last trip to CPK was cataloged on the blog, so take a look in the archives to find it, but for those of you that have been following along, you will know that it is always quite the adventure. And this trip was no different.

So we (Alena, Brit, Red, Zoe, Del, and Me) went and we ate pizza.

And it was good.

Have a good one.

Pictures: First is Adele, with moose antlers, like Bullwinkle. Second is Adele, trying to hurt me. She's really scary when she karate chops people.

Stinger

2009-04-18T17:36:00.001-04:00

My life just got better, yesterday because I met Stinger, the mascot of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Carry the Flag! NHL Playoffs 09!

Not Long and Counting

2009-04-16T08:27:00.002-04:00

Um, so, it's mid-April and classes end on April 30th and that soon. I hadn't realized how close it was until my professors started assigning the big final papers that come at the end of the year and I was like, man, I've got so much time to get this done, and then I looked at my calender and went, man, I don't have so much time to get this done. Plus, the Admissions Office has three more larger visit programs. My work load just keeps growing and growing and ahh work. Granted, if I wasn't as busy as I am I would get lazy and then my grades would suffer and then that would be a sad day. So, busy it is.

So, what exciting things have been happening at OWU? The temperature is hitting sixty today. It's been colder and rainy that past few days so sixty and sun is a welcomed change. Not that I really minded the rain because I like to walk in it, but to wake up to sun, is nice.

I saw Paula Deen. I can't remember if I already informed ya'll of this, but I did. I saw Paula Deen with Olivia and Paula Deen was amazing. I even have a signed cook book. I think the only blah part of the whole evening was when Liv and I picked up the tickets, the woman at Joseph Beth Booksellers told us that it was open seating the the doors opened at 6. So, I skipped a class and Liv got off work early and we got there at 4:30 to get good seats. We were eighth and ninth in line, we would have had front row seats, but, when we got inside, we were ushered to the back because we didn't have tickets 1-175. Totally bogus and totally false advertising but Paula Deen walked through the crowd and we got to see her close anyway.

And to talk about the seating thing once again, we weren't the only ones who heard wrong because the people in front of and behind us, were told the same thing and ended up sitting where we did. Boo Joseph Beth Booksellers for your false advertising.

But Paula Deen, two thumbs (more in I had them) up.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is Liv and I at Paula Deen. Second is Paula Deen. Third is Adele, with a broken lamp.

CENSORED

2009-04-10T16:58:00.004-04:00

It has been some time since I've had something more interesting than my life to blog about, so hear it goes. This past weekend was SLICE, which, if you've been following along I was hyped to the max about. And SLICE went very well. It was smooth and the rain held off long enough that the picnic was a success and I heard the band was wonderful. But something else happened at SLICE. About 275 copies of The Transcript, OWU's newspaper were removed from the racks of the Hamilton Williams Campus Center, the home turf of SLICE.

Apparently, a junior Admissions staff member had a problem with the cover of the April 2 issue that featured a beer bottle as the above the fold front page art. Said staff member thought it would be offensive to prospective families and removed the paper from the racks.

While my own opinions about the incident are rather intense, I find myself in a sticky position because I write for The Transcript and work for the Admissions Office. But, I reject all forms of censorship and am disappointed in the Admissions staff. That said, I am very happy with the way our editor in chief, Mike, and the rest of the editors handled the situation. I believe they acted with dignity and understanding.

For that reason, I will refer you to the Transcript website to read the article and Mike's editorial: www.owutranscript.com

Pictures: First is picture of the questionable cover. Second is the cover of the following week's Transcript. Third is the editorial cartoon that ran along side the editorial.

SLICE! again!

2009-04-01T16:08:00.003-04:00

It's SLICE time, again!

SLICE is one of the my favorite times to be working in the admissions office because there is so much hustle and bustle and crisis it is spectacular. And by crisis I mean fun, of course.

Anyway, SLICE is this weekend ya'll should come and let SLICE eat your life like it has eaten mine. Beyond the english paper, transcript article, advanced newswriting article, SPJ conference, and literary magazine that I have to finish, I have SLICE.

(SLICE really doesn't stand for anything, I just like to make it big)

Some of you may believe that there is not enough time in the day to make all of this happen, but I will tell you that I can magically make hours in the day and still get to bed by ten, unless it's last night and my computer is being a jerk and not virus scanning itself so I can make sure it doesn't die on April Fool's day.

(In my opinion, people who put out virus scares are jerks)

Beyond SLICE there are some very exciting things happening this next week. First is the SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) conference being held on Saturday 21 minutes off campus. Second is on April 8, Liv and I are seeing Paula Deen. Woot for Paula Deen. And we get a free, signed cookbook which I will use and Olivia will probably not.

Have a good one and come to SLICE. Info on OWU's website.

Photos: First is of the Swing crew on Terpsicorps night which was blast-rific. Second is Sarah and myself, chillin in a bathroom on Terpsicorps dressrehearsal day. Third is a picture of me, in a bridge, which is amazing because I'm really not that bendable. Fourth is a beautiful picture of TOD. Aren't we pretty?

And We're Back

2009-03-18T08:49:00.002-04:00

So, honestly, I can't remember what was in my last post. This is mostly because my last post occurred before spring break right in the middle of a hectic, hectic, hectic week. But here's what happened.

Terpiscorps went well. The Swinging Bishops danced and it was good.

Spring Break happened. I went home and was sick and then I got better and have a relaxing, work-filled week. Liv and I did lunch, I took a cake to school for Gretchen, I met up with some old teachers and had lunch (Liv and I) had lunch with our school librarian. I went to the mall twice, once with Liv and the second time with my mom and sister to find Gretchen's prom dress and we found one. And I found a dress that was spectacular but expensive (plus I have no where to wear it) ((sigh)).

School started again. We have six weeks left and a busy six weeks they are going to be. Papers, projects, debates, oh my, not to mention SLICE!

Slice is an admissions office event April 5 and 6 and if you don't come you are missing out. Check out Slice on the OWU website or check back with me for a post dedicated to Slice. Because I like Slice. A lot.

Have a great one.

Photos: Terpsicorps before we went on stage, you got me, then Dwight, then Gloria, and William. Second, the Swinging Bishops in the audience that the dress rehearsal. Three: my face.

Computer Issues

2009-02-26T08:36:00.003-05:00

Hello readers,

The cord to my computer is ka-put and my battery is the magical uncharging battery so I am updating from a computer that isn't full of my randomness. No pictures, sorry, but this is a great time to discuss whether a computer is necessary at OWU.

It is definitly a luxury. To sit in my room and have the internet or write a paper; to open my computer and waste time on Spider; sigh . . . but, as I have discovered, OWU has numerous computers. I notice them a lot more now.

There are three labs on campus--Beeghly Library, Welch (dorm) and Hayes (dorm). There are labs in the science center and there is a computer cluster (6 desktops) in the science library. There is one in the admissions office and two in Ham-Will and two in Austin Manor.

My computer spot picks:

(1) Austin Manor 4th Floor: It's closest to where I live and who doesn't like a nice jaunt up the stairs before sitting in a chair for a while?
(2) The Admissions Office: I live there when I'm not living in Austin and it's a nice distraction when waiting for a tour.
(3) Second Floor Science Center in the corner where the geology hallways split: It's secluded, it's quiet, it's wonderful.

Have a great one.

Today is Today

2009-02-18T08:46:00.003-05:00

Hey all,

It's today. And today is my birthday. And today will be a good day and I hope ya'll have a good day too.

This is post #131 if anybody is counting.

This past weekend was the Chicago Fly-In and it was lovely. Really nice people, especially Rose, who stayed with Zoe and me.

Two-ish weeks until Terpsicorps and the Swinging Bishops first club performance. Come see us, 6:50 on Sunday March 2.

Have a good one.

66 Degrees . . . It's February

2009-02-11T16:16:00.003-05:00

Yes, yes it is February and yes, yes it is 66 degrees. It's raining and we are under a tornado watch. Perhaps I should get off my computer . . . no, I am a dedicated blogger, and I will update because I should.

I feel like all I write about is the weather, but the weather is important, much like food. Yes, food. Right now Adele and Zoe are trying to figure out what we should do for dinner because they are hungry. I'm not. I had a bit lunch. In the Bishop Cafe. It was potato soup and a grilled cheese which I dipped in the soup and it was good, but it was a big lunch and I ate like three hours ago.

Anyway, they are discussing food. We have food on campus. 12 places to get food on campus. And we have 5 off campus locations that accept our food points . . . wholly cow, I totally went tour guide. I try to separate tour guide life and my life-life but, well, the two are so ingrained they are inseparable.

I was joking with another tour guide about tour guide Touretts. Like talking, talking, talking, Elliott hall, talking, talking, talking, 12:1 and it goes from there.

Anyway, well, stay dry if it's raining and stay safe if it's storming, and stay warm if it's cold and just take weather precautions.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is me, in a closet, at the RV show. Second is my face. Third is the word "beans", in some beans.

Not Procrastinating a Paper

2009-02-04T11:10:00.004-05:00

Woot, woot I just rough drafted my paper and it's not due until tomorrow . . . some of you may be thinking that because I just started my paper today, technically, I did procrastinate but really, I didn't.

Good gravy has it been a busy week. It feels like all my professors decided that three weeks into the semester was a great time to make the first "big" projects due. Paper in modern America, immersion story in advance news writing. But hey, I successful laid out my first full new paper page in editing and design yesterday. And I only had one dog leg . . . and it wasn't even really that bad. I just need to wrap it around some ads. But after I finished it, there was jumping.

You know where else there is jumping? Swing.

And do you know what the Swinging Bishops are doing this year? TerpsiCorps.

TerpsiCorps is a dance club on campus that puts on a student run show in the spring. The Swinging Bishops got invited to perform and I am excited. Practices have been crazy though. We've got about a month to pull the piece together and it takes a lot of work and sync four couples. But, we are going to be awesome and that is all the matters.

And I am going home this weekend. I am so excited. I've not been home since winter break, which was really on three weeks ago, but still, it will be nice to see the family and kinda have a break weekend. I've still got reading and editing to do, but, I look forward to doing it at home.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is me, hiding behind some ice I pulled off Adele's car. Second is Redward, the cockatoo. Third is Adele dancing, at the bowling alley, after a strike.

Snow Snow Snow and It's at OWU

2009-01-29T13:50:00.006-05:00

Well, as with most of my titles, the content is somewhat predictable . . . well, at least with this blog, it is.

It snowed.

It snowed a lot.

I like snow.

I like snow a lot.

The way the snow plows plow snow is they really like to push it off the roads and into huge piles at the entrances to sidewalks. Those piles, besides being inconvenient to those people who don't really like snow, are so much fun to climb upon and I climb them. They are also great fun to sink into and I sink into them. Lucky for me I have boots. Not having boots in an Ohio winter is silly. And I'm not talking boots with heels, I'm talking boots that you can romp in. Romping boots.

The date on this post will be Thursday but I am finishing it today, Friday, and Friday is my day off. So, I'm chilling on the couch after working this morning and I hear this scraping and cracking sound and the room kind of shakes and Jaz jumps off my lap and runs away. Guess what it was?
It was the half inch of ice and only-meteorologists-know how much snow sliding off the slanted roof my apartment. It was terrifying.

What else? I have decided that clearing snow off cars with the Trio of Doom is fun. First we cleared off Adele's car and then we cleared off Lola. Adele was going somewhere. I just wanted to get the weight off Lola.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First if the night of the snow storm and an intersection close to Austin. Second is Adele, clearing her car. Third is me, with a big hunk of ice-snow that I pulled off the top of Adele's car. Fourth is Adele and me after the car clearing when bad. Who do you think will win?

A Panel Discovery

2009-01-26T19:23:00.002-05:00

Hi there,

So, whenever a discovery happens . . . OWU related usually . . . but sometimes not, I feel the need to share with you, dear readers. And this discovery, involves my blog.

Today, I served on a student life panel for the visit day that OWU hosted. At the beginning of the panel, we were asked to introduce ourselves, which included the activities we were involved with on campus. My turn comes and I'm talking about the Swinging Bishops, and The Transcript, and the OWL, and I get to my work in the admissions office, which includes this blog.

Two seats down from me is Will, a freshman who I am acquainted with. So, I talk about the blog and right in the middle of it, he exclaims, "That was you!"

To which I blush and say yes. And he went into a short explanation about how when he was looking at OWU he read the blogs and stuff. It was cool.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First, is the brilliance of Delaware, with it's -50% sale. Second, is me at dinner a few night ago.

Fiction and Non-Fiction; Acceptable Career Paths

2009-01-19T08:06:00.004-05:00

In my recent return to lovely OWU, I have attended classes and made a few life-sustaining discoveries. No, I didn't come up with the cure to some disease, I'm leaving that up to the science major. Yes, I still do plan on writing my way through life, aka novel length fiction that blows the socks off of everything out there. But, in order to afford a nicer box, because just writing in general will only get you one that is about the size of a tv, I have decided to supplement with literary journalism.

Oh, now I've gotten technical on ya. If literary journalism is confusing, I won't even speak page design language. I think the editing and design class should count as a foreign language requirement.

Basically, literary journalism are piece longer than your average news story and bring the nuances of ordinary life out where people can appreciate them. Usually this involves the reporter immersing herself in the life of the subject.

This semester I am writing for the Transcript and I was going to do my basic reporting stuff again but then I had a revelation. Why not practice this literary journalism stuff. So, I proposed the idea, got the okay, and now, I am going to spend a week with a person on campus and write a piece about what they do, their quarks, their goals, all of it. And I am so excited.

That is just another way OWU is wonderful. They give me the opportunity to afford a refrigerator box instead of a tv box . . . (I really don't believe that I will write from a box. It's a joke that I have with some friends. I am going to be one of those writers that has a house. That's truly what I believe.)

Have a great one.

Pictures: #1 is Adele, le fellow English major and myself making faces . . . no wait, our faces always look like that . . . no we were making faces. #2 is the same night, my camera without a flash. #3 there is still snow and it is still cold.

Back to the Wu

2009-01-12T08:32:00.002-05:00

Hello, hello and guess what happened yesterday?

Hint: See title.

So, now that I'm back, and now that I'm up and wasting time before class (which doesn't start until 2) I have made one determination.

It's cold.

Holy cow it's cold. And it snowed. It was snowing yesterday, a bit, but it snowed last night a bit more and when I got up I couldn't see the grass. And the trees are coated. And it's really pretty. Really pretty because I can see Monet Garden from my window and the benches are coated in snow and the bushes make a snow circle.

My favorite days are when there is snow on the ground and a blue sky above. I'm not sure if we'll get there today. Right now, it's cloudy, but it's a light cloudy and I hope the sun breaks the clouds apart and there is sun in the sky and snow on the ground. It would be a nice welcome back day.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is the view from my window on this snowy morning. Second is Monet Garden.

09 Is Here and it Happened at Katie's . . . Again

2009-01-01T20:36:00.004-05:00

Happy holidays and happy New Years . . . late, but better than never dear readers. Well, as most of you are probably aware, it is now 2009. (I'm sure that in some technical time keeping system I'm off by a bit but in my world it's 2009 so I don't want to hear it).

The gang met up at Katie's and we welcome this New Year much like we welcomed 2008 and 2007 and we think 2006, so just go back and read the 2008 blog.

Joking, I'll tell ya'll what we did.

We ate food, played cards, played games, took pictures, made a lot of noise, teased each other, and exchanged presents.

Oh, why don't I just defer discussion to the pictures.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is Mike's gift to Liv, Katie, and I: Rose-Hulman t-shirts. Yay t-shirts! He even got Katie and environmentally friendly t-shirt. Woot environment.
Second is Katie and I in a wonderfully nice picture of the both of us that is now my desktop because I needed a desktop picture that wasn't from a high school graduation party and I like this one. Boo-yah!
Third is Mike, with my slippers, that he stole and that Olivia and I eventually rescued. It was kinda of dejavu-y though because new years 08 Mike also stole my slippers and he wore them. They still smell like Mike-feet.
Fourth is Sang Mee during a rousing game of Apples to Apples in which she smoked us all. I swear she was holding half a deck of green cards when the card fight broke out.
Fifth is the classic sparkling juice toast to a happy and healthy new year and I wish ya'll the same.

Exam 1: Conquered

2008-12-15T10:11:00.004-05:00

This blog is being written about five minutes after I finished my first exam. It is five minute after becaue it took me that long to locate a computer . . . the science center is a large building. But as far as the exam is concerned, conquered. I triumphed over that ten page monster like a dexterous dog would open a hot dog pack and cook them on a grill and eat. There was struggle, but in the end, I felt good. I feel good, still. And, as perk, when I finished the exam, I got a piece of a cinnamon roll, which my stomach welcomed after a small breakfast this morning because when I got out of bed it still felt like I had the tacos from dinner in my stomach.

And what does the rest of this exam day entail? Well, I've got nothing work-wise this afternoon, save a tour a noon, which will be cake, except its raining and I am wearing boots but I like boots and I like rain so it will be cake, which I also like.

Oh, I know what this afternoon will be full of. Bread. I will be baking bread. My goal number is twenty four loaves of bread in fact, but because of the set up of the recipes it will be more like thirty little loaves and four big loaves. But, anyway you slice it (yay puns) that is a lot of bread. It is Gingerbreaf load and Cranberry Orange bread, for exactness purposes.

Play Time 3

2008-12-12T15:03:00.004-05:00

I almost promise this is the last one . . . you never know when I'll get a sarcastic streak and have to publish something under "play time" that has nothing to do with the title, kinda like the first one.

Anyway, my play was amazing. A big thank you to Elliot, Jake, and Meredith because they worked hard and brought Jake and Drew to life and I was very happy with what they did. Another big thank you to everybody who slogged through the original drafts; aka Zoe, Bonnie, and Katie. Overall the One Acts were a success and from the reviews I've gotten, the audience really enjoyed them.

I'll tell you what, it spurred me into writing another play. If I didn't have enough creative endeavors already, oy, but there is just something exciting-amazing-wonderful-terrifying, about seeing your play on stage and hearing your words being spoken. It is so exciting-amazing-wonderful-terrifying, that I want to do it again.

Also, it was great because my parents came in an got to see my work. They don't get to read much of my stuff so it was a treat for me to see their reactions to my writing and to hear what they thought. It was also fun to have three extra people sleeping in my apartment for a night because it's a good size . . . for two people and two cats. Five people and two cats is a bit cramped but we made it work and it was wonderful.

What else . . . exams. Blah . . . but they are a necessary part of college life and I will power through them like I powered through them last year and the year before. I'm not worried. There isn't any reason to be. And then after exams, the semester is over. Today was my last day of classes for the semester. It's unbelievable how fast everything seems. I'm going to be a senior is less than a semester. I just told myself to hold my horses . . . I'm not ready to think about that. Back to now, exams, ahh!

Have a great one.

Pictures: #1 is the photo from The Transcript of Elliot (Jack) and Jake (Drew). #2 is the Trio of Doom at opening night. #3 is also from opening night.

Play Time Too

2008-12-04T12:20:00.003-05:00

I realized yesterday that the title of my previous blog, "Play Time" had a purpose until I started writing the blog which went in completely different direction then talking about plays, which was the original goal of the blog. So, in this blog, I cam going to attempt to focus on the plays which I was going to discuss in the previous blog. Not to knock the content of bloggo previous because it is great, its just I was trying to tie my title and content together and I failed without trying to fail. I believe Gretchen would call it an epic fail.

So, guess what readers, I am having a play produced on campus as part of the One Acts. The One Acts are where the playwriting kids, aka me and my classmates, write plays (duh) and then they are given to the directing class and the directing kids get the actors and put on the plays. Mine was chosen. Mine is in the One Acts.

Incoming shameless plug: The One Acts are Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5 and 6) at 8pm on the main stage of the drama center and tickets are free.

Come see them. They are wonderful and cover a wide range of topics that can only be witnessed by coming to see the shows. There are six of them and they should be able ten minutes so it's really only an hour-ish, so if your not a theatre buff but are dedicated to reading my blog you can still come and still be entertained. This be advantage one.

Advantage two, you can experience a different style of writing from your truly and it can be instant gratification instead of waiting for the novel which will be published someday but not as soon as someday which is my play which is tomorrow and Saturday.

Yay plays!

Have a great one.

Photos: 1. is Gretchen's "epic fail" face. 2. is my "writer's face". 3. is Shakespeare, except me.

Play Time

2008-12-03T07:44:00.003-05:00

Hello Readers and isn't it a lovely December. Here at OWU, December is complete with snow . . . not that any of it is sticking but it's falling from the sky and being beautiful. I think that, and the passing of Thanksgiving have put me in the holiday spirit. To back up, my Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was just a quiet time at home and it was just my immediate family. We had turkey, taters, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, rolls, butter, iced tea, wine, pie, and apple crumbly and green beans.

Break was lovely too. Class work was a bit less than the load I was given at mid-semester break so this break actually felt like a break and that was nice. It gave me time to work on the book and re-read Breaking Dawn and see Twilight . . . twice while I was home. Time one, I surprised my sister by picking her up and school and pretending to drive her home when we were actually going to the movie. It was opening day and she was super excited when we got settled at the theatre. Time two was with Jake.

Then, I got back to school and Sunday was bust as far as doing what little work I had to do so Zoe, Adele, and I went to see a movie. Points to whoever can guess which movie.

But to get back to now time; holiday spirit, yes. There are lights in our windows and there is tree-getting consideration and wreath-for-the-door consideration. And besides that preparing, exams are in two weeks. Studying would be a good idea. I have three exams, one is take home, and a presentation. Yes, I should study.

Have a great one.

My tree decorating story. After I put Phoebe down for her nap (picture one), the family decided it was tree decorating time. I saw some grapes and decided to eat them (picture two) and then Gretchen told they weren't real. So, after I stopped eating the ornaments, I started to decorate the tree, (picture three) which was actually Gretchen. Then, Santa fell from the sky and landed on top of me (picture four).

Knick Knack

2008-11-27T18:08:00.002-05:00

By Gretchen and Samantha

This old man
He played one
He played knick knack on my thumb.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played two
He played knick knack while turning blue.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played three
He played knick knack in a tree.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played four
He played knick knack on a door.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played five
He played knick knack on a bee hive.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played six
He played knick knack with some chicks.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played seven
He played knick knack on his way to heaven.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played eight
He played knick knack on a first date.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played nine
He played knick knack while going back in time.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played ten
He played knick knack on Big Ben.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played eleven
He played knick knack because the bread was unleven
With a knick knack patty what
Give a dog a bone.
This only man came rolling home.

This old man
He played twelve
He played knick knack on some elves.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home.

This old man
He played thirty
He played knick knack because he was dirty.
With a knick knack patty whack
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old me
He played a thousand
Because in German its ine tausend
With a knick knack patty what
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Acid Paper v Acid Free Paper

2008-11-12T20:16:00.004-05:00

In my efforts to be a good student, I decided to work on the works cited page for my media law paper and while searching for publication information in my textbook, I discovered that my book was published on acid-free paper.

This is a new concept to me; not because I assumed that everything was printed on acid containing paper but because I didn't know that there had to be a disclaimer about acid paper and non-acid paper. I decided to share this fact with friend Jake and friend Jake said he was aware of this difference.

So, I inquired as to whether I could die from eating a book. Apparently, in older times, when books were published, they were published on acid paper to keep the pages from fading. Nifty eh? Well, in our lovely environment preservation mentality, paper people have come up with a new acid-free paper that does the same thing as the acid paper. Cool beans, right?

And as far as the dying from literary consumption is concerned . . . I think just cramming the paper down your throat would kill you, but as far as death from acid paper, neither Jake nor I think it would happen.

Another random fact for ya'lls fact books.

Have a good one.

Pictures: More leaf fun from when I was last home. First is Gretchen with leaves. Second is us with leaves. Third is out shadows with leaves.

Thanksgiving Break starts the 21st. I can't wait to relax.

Halloween; Austin Manor Style

2008-11-01T18:17:00.003-04:00

Unlike my other posts, I am going to make this one work with the title. So, there was a Halloween Party at Austin Manor.

That wasn't much fun (the title pertaining part because the party was excellent).

Now what. Daylight savings tonight; 2:00 am I believe. Stay up and party and the like. I'm super excited because my internal alarm clock doesn't let me sleep past 7:30 anyway and it doesn't have a daylight savings switch so 6:30 here I come. Oh well, at least I won't miss class . . . bad joke . . . really, really bad . . . but good for those classes that have attendance policies, and our professors can do that because out classes are small and they know, magic-like, or they hand around paper that you sign. I wonder if they actually look at the name or if it gets to a point that know handwriting or if they just count. It would be interesting to sign someone else's name, not like a name from someone in the class but like Benjamin Franklin or Joseph Heller or Jennifer Lopez . . . would that count as identity theft?

Anyway, I wonder, but with my luck there would be absent people and then it would get confusing and then I'd be counted absent when I really sat through the whole lecture. Oh well.

Watched the Twilight preview just a bit ago. Finished the book for time two yesterday.

Zoe just turned on her pants putting on song.

Anyway, have a great one.

Pictures: #1 us the mega sundae that Zoe and I got at Hoggy's the other night. #2 is my Halloween costume. I was Miss. Matched. #3 is the brain at the Halloween party. #4 is the line up for the costume contest fashion show.

Mormons in the News

2008-10-25T09:54:00.003-04:00

It was a muffin morning (but actually I was eating a Cinnamon roll because all the muffins at the bakery would have killed me). I was reading the newspaper and in said paper there was a headline that caught my eye: "Mormon calender Helps Cost Grad his Degree".

Being a curious person, I decided to take a gander and this is what I discovered.

"Brigham Young University has yanked the diploma of a man who created a calendar featuring shirtless Mormon missionaries and was later excommunicated from the church." That is the first paragraph of the story.

. . .

. . .

Wow.

So, being a curious person, I searched online for this calender and I found it and Wow. The calender pages feature two pictures, one of the missionaries in their classic shirt, jacket, and name tag. The second picture features them shirtless and Wow. Mormon missionaries are not bad to look at.

Now, I don't want to ruffle any feathers . . . wait . . . but really? Shirtless guys = excommunication? I see worse things walking down the street, like shirtless unattractive guys. That is far worse the shirtless attractive guys. Sometimes guys that are wearing shirts are unattractive.

Oh, and what about all the attractive poses that women in calendars assume? Enough, said.

Also, it's not like the money was just filling the creators pocket. Each missionary got a reasonable cut to give to the place where his mission was located. Sounds like a sweet gig to me.

So, that's the news.

Have a great one.

Photos: #1 Censorship: sad. #2 Shirtless Mormons! Where are you? #3 Something equally pretty, waterfall!

Leaves!

2008-10-20T18:51:00.003-04:00

You know, the kind that are on trees? It's not an order and I'm in no way been left and I'm not giving an order in a tense other than the order giving tense (yes, that is the technical term). It would be fun to write an entire blog in the wrong tense. It might frustrate you readers a bit, but you've been kind enough to put up with my grammatical errors up to this point . . . maybe it will happen. (For those of you who think it will never happen, I wrote an entire blog in Swahili once, don't mess with me.)

Anyway, so mid-semester break is where we left off and it went. It went quickly. Breaks tend to go quickly when every class assigns work (I'm not bitter) but in the midst of feeling like I was still at school, I did have some time to kick back and relax.

Gretchen raked up a huge pile of leaves and then invited me to jump in it, which I did. Olivia and I had our Chinese food fix. I spent an entire day in my pajamas. Spencer did not eat Phoebe. I got to spent time with mom and dad. I lost my keys and then discovered I'd already packed them because I am too efficient and I expect myself to remember this. I spent money at one of the best stores ever, Half Priced Books.

That is a good sum up. So, as you can read, some stuff happened and it was good. Then I got back on campus, got resettled (which involved unpacking and making a Kroger run) and then I went to class on Monday in which Adele informed me she found her Halloween costume. I want to thank everybody who considered submitting ideas, next time please submit them. But Adele is going as a French maid. I'm excited.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is Gretchen laying in the leaves. Second is me rising from the leaves. Third is Phoebe not in the leaves. Fourth is Gretchen attacking me with a leaf in the leaves.

Waiter, I Would Like One BREAK Please!

2008-10-13T17:10:00.004-04:00

Apparently there is this wonderful ask and you shall receive policy as OWU because right when I need a break, I'm being served one. As soon as classes end tomorrow, mid-semester break starts. In my case its as soon as tours end tomorrow I'm on mid-semester break. And this is the longest one since I've been at OWU. We get five days, Wednesday through Sunday, and it will be excellent.

I'm going home. Phoebe and I are making the drive tomorrow afternoon. Yes, Phoebe is going home and she will be meeting her "step-siblings" seeing as how I've got four cats at the Cincy homestead. And let me just say I am super excited about the drive because of the lovely music I'm sure she'll be making. The solo meows, I will have to invest in the CD . . . the Solo Meows sounds like a great band name. There's another one for ya Adele.

Adele is collecting cool could be band names. She's come up with some great one. Not that any are jumping to mind at the moment but trust me, they are great. I think the best part about this trying to remember jig is I know exactly where I was standing, my kitchen washing dinner dishes and I know where Adele was standing, next to the table with her arms folded, when we had this conversation.

Speaking of brain farts, Adele needs our help to find a Halloween costume. Her favorite holiday is Halloween yet she is blanking on costume ideas. Help her out and submit something amazing, or not so amazing, to the comment section!

Have a great week.

Pictures: First if the I-need-a-break face and who can argue with that? Second is just how happy I am to be getting me break and to be going home. Yay! home. Third is about where Adele was standing during out conversation. Fourth is Adele, begging you with her sultryness to help her find a Halloween costume.

Homecoming and #16

2008-10-09T19:13:00.003-04:00

Can anybody guess what this weekend is? No hints because if ya'll read the title as is the natural tendency when going from the top of a document to it's bottom then ya already know. But what you might be confused by is the number.

I'll tell you what it is not.

16 is not the number of this weekend's events we've had (see how I'm creatively not giving away the answer to question 1?) 16 is not how old I am. 16 is not the number of DVDs on our DVD shelf. 16 is not the number of meatballs on my samich tonight. 16 is not the number of toes on my left foot. 16 is not the number of trees on campus.

I'll tell you what it is.

16 is how old my sister is. 16 is the number of tiles in my kitchen minus two rows. 16 is the number of toes on my right foot . . . haha . . . and 16 is the number of president's OWU has had because Rock Jones president number 16 gets inaugerated tomorrow. Woot!

I get to try out my arm waving skills tomorrow as a parking attendent. Yes, if you thought my tour guide arm waving skills were impressive you should check out the parking lot attendent arm waving skills. 7:30 tomorrow morning I will be waving wildly in a parking lot on campus. parking lot . . . I thought one more would be good.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is Gretchen, who is sixteen, with Jaz, who is not. Second is the chunk of chocolate I found in my ice cream. Third is the number 100, which is not the number 16. Fourth is Rosemarie.

Jeff Dunham Dot Com

2008-09-28T10:51:00.003-04:00

On Thursday the Trio of Doom plus John and Red and Adele's sister, Sarah, and her friend Alice went to see Jeff Dunham. It was excellent. It was super excellent. It was totally super excellent. In the words of George Carlin it was "moderately neato". It "was not unwell".

Background: Jeff Dunham is a ventriloquist comedian. He had two tours; "Talk With Myself" and "Spark of Insanity" (which we saw) and he is starting work on a Christmas special due to air on Comedy Central in November. While doing a bit of stand-up the show revolves around the puppets he bring to life. At the show we attended he had Walter, Achmed, Peanut, Jose Jalapeno, and he provided Bubba J as an encore.

Oh for the sake of heavens, it was hilarious. And we definately got our money-worth. The show started at eight and went until eleven. It was wonderful. Accompanying Jeff Dunham was a comedian called Guitar Guy. Guess what, he was a guy with a guitar (I thought I'd help ya'll out) and he was excellent.

My favorite material was when Jeff Dunham and Guitar Guy were both on stage and Jeff Dunham would improv to make Guitar Guy laugh and then immediately ask him to play music. The laughter made my face hurt.

Achmed and Peanut are my favorites.

Overall it was good and I would totally go see him again.

Pictures: #1, the Trio of Doom before the start of the show. #2, Jeff Dunham and Achmed. #3, Jeff Dunham, Peanut, and Jose Jalapeno. #4, me and Zoe after the show.

Have a great one.

September Sum Up

2008-09-24T18:59:00.004-04:00

Hello. It's been a bit since the last writing. Besides being overrun with work, both the school and the tour kind, I've been sick. Yes, I got the ick and while today I'm feeling good, yesterday and the day before I felt terrible. This is the first night I've eaten in my room this week and it will be the only night. Monday was an Austin Manor dinner, yesterday OWU President Rock Jones has the tour guides to his house for dinner, tomorrow night is Jeff Dunham, Friday is the tour guide dinner at Hilary's. Yes, a week of good food.

But, as the title says this is the Septemeber Sum up. For the past two weeks I've been commenting on all the blog I should write. Instead, I'm going to sum up and hopefully, this way, I will remember to elaborate on the more interesting stuff.

(1) High winds at OWU knocks down tree at Austin Manor.

(2) Don't see Burn After Reading because critic me says it is a waste of time.

(3) There are cool staircases at OWU.

(4) Hoggy's, a new Delware resturant has good food.

(5) The Columbus Zoo has animals.

(6) Jaz and Phoebe are getting bigger and have more toys than they know what do to with.

(7) When procrastinating on writing new articles, spend time at the Mean Bean.

(8) Come see Fashion! (OWU theatre department) because I sewed some buttons.

(9) It just took me four hours to do half a load of laundry.

(10) When keys are lost, look in the lock on the door, that's where I found mine.

September Sum Up! Have a great one.

Welcome Jasmine and Phoebe and the Couch

2008-09-13T10:05:00.004-04:00

One of the perks of my new residence is the ability to have pets. So, Zoe and I got kittens. They are orange tabby cats and they are currently wrestling on the couch. Oh! we got a couch too. My parents brought it up from Cincy. It's more a love-seat than a couch but it's perfect because Zoe, Jaz, Pheobe, and I all fit on it. When the cats get bigger I doubt that will be a possibility but right now it is nice.

It's also nice when they wrestle on your face, eat your hair, become a hat, become a scarf, and sleep on your bladder all when your sleeping.

So what else has been happening . . . class. There is also sick traveling around OWU right now which it ick. I know a bunch of people have been stomach blah and sore throat blah and stuffy nose blah and I'm denying that I'm any of those despite the rawness of my throat though half of last night.

Zoe and I and the kittens watched August Rush last night and I believe there were eight thumbs up across the couch.

What else, there was an excursion to Red Lobster sometime back which was good. And I think that's it.

Have a good one.

Pictures: #1 is Phoebe under my bed the day we brought her home. #2 is Jaz (on the chair) and Phoebe wrestling. #3 is Nelson at Red Lobster. #4 is me at Red Lobster.

Why Do Anime Guys Rips Off Their Shirts in Every Day Activities and Real Guys Do Not?

2008-09-06T15:37:00.003-04:00

That is the question we are addressing today.

Since my internet connection has again become reliable (mainly because I'm using the cord signal and not the wireless signal which still has bugs) I've been watching more Anime. I recently finished Yu Yu Hakusho (demons and spirit detective, if you've got no idea don't worry about the specifics) but it is good.

While watching, I noticed that majority of the guys would just randomly loose their shirts. While riding a bike, that was my favorite. I'm riding a bike, no shirt. Yes, that's how it went. In the most recent Kenshin episode a man jumped off the roof and ripped his shirt off. Why? And why can't guys in real life do that?

I believe that if I were walking across campus and a man on a bike rode by and his shirt ripped off, randomly, I would be entertained and in some circumstances forced to stare. In other circumstances I would be disgusted but overall I would be entertained because of the fantastical nature of it.

The jumping off the roof thing is a big harder to the real man. First he must survive the fall. Second he must have enough dexterity to rip off his shirt. It might be too much to ask.

Now, my dear readers, I will include a disclaimer so when the crazies get on here and have the desire to try this . . . just don't try this. Don't jump off the roof. If you are riding your bike and attempt to rip your shirt off and then get his by something it is not my fault, it is your own stupidity for trying. Thank you.

Have a great one.

Picture #1: My face when odd shirt-loss occurances occur on anime shows. Picture #2: My face if I were to see something like that in real life. Picture #3: My face if anybody were to jump off the roof of a building after reading this post.

Week One Update

2008-08-31T11:31:00.004-04:00

Week one done and I've got a pile of work next to me that resembles that piles of work I had that the end of previous semesters except this is the beginning of the semester and when thinking about the work that I will have at the end of this semester I begin to worry if it will resemble the height of our table which would be sad because our table is very tall.

That might be an exaggeration, especially since I just stacked everything up and it took a lot of creative supplementing in-order to make it high enough. And that would truly be ridiculous and nobody should have to do that amount of work and if they do my sympathies.

All of my classes are good and I think that after these first few weeks the group of us will settle into a nice schedule of work, playwriting, and Transcript work. Some reading. Some more reading. Hopefully some reading for pleasure.

And that's it because my brain is about to explode in stimulous overload. Have a great one.

Pictures: First is our table leg and how tall it is. Second is my actual stack of work. Third is all the stuff I would need to make my stack of work as tall as the table leg. Check the stack. It's amazing.

To OWU and Beyond

2008-08-23T07:26:00.004-04:00

Back at OWU. In my apartment. With it's slanted ceilings and rounded windows. And it's kitchen. And it's fridge that has BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayo, water, and some old pizza . . . I think there might be a shopping trip calling us. Majority of students move in today and all the freshmen moved in last weekend so they could participate in OWU's week long orientation.

I think Austin will be good for Zoe and I. There is more space than I remember there being . . . especially with the big hole in the center of the room because we don't have a couch or anything yet. It's funny looking because we've got out beds and such set up on one end and then we've got the kitchen and table and shelves on the other end and this big empty space in the middle. But I figure it will take us a few weeks to get everything set up. Most pressing is food; we've got a kitchen and we need to use it. Besides, BBQ and ketchup stew doesn't sound very appetizing . . . not at 7:30 am, not ever.

Austin Pictures of Our Room and Stuff:

OWU is Calling and the Cincy Crew is Sad

2008-08-21T14:53:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow I will be returning to my home away from home, OWU, and I believe there will be some crying. Leaving home is always hard for me because I dislike relocating. I am relocating to an amazing place, Austin Manor with my kitchen and everything, but leaving home is difficult. But I believe there will be come crying outside the family as the Cincy Crew is also splitting up and out future is uncertain.

Being juniors, the next step for most of us are internships and travel. Katie is spending the fall semester abroad in the Netherlands and Turkey. Mike returns to school and next summer he is looking for an internship anywhere from Cincy (he says with a wink). Rosemarie is permanently relocating to Columbus and Olivia graduates in four months with every intention of returning and living out the rest of her life in Cincinnati. My own future is a bit uncertain as far as location is concerned. An internship would be cool and there is always the book and its progress uncertain. So we had our before school fling.

Mike hosted a bonfire at his place where as our conversation went; "I'll bring the fire and you Sam, bring the people" and it went very well. 170 pictures later, we were all camera blind but nobody fell in the fire nor got beaten with a croquet mallet so I suppose it was a successful evening. There was the potential for hammock fatalities but I believe the only one at risk was the hammock.

Then we had a girl night of poker complete with arguments on the rules of the game. It had been two years since we'd played and apparently we'd been playing by different rules in our respective cities. There was food: Alfredo, pumpkin roll, chips and dip, salad . . . and it was yum.

And tomorrow I am back at OWU. Junior year here I come.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is the fire. Second is the hammock and us not in it. Third is our friendly croquet game. Fourth is the Cincy girls.

Books That Make the Heart Go Pitter-Pat

2008-08-14T08:17:00.004-04:00

I've done a lot of reading this summer. More than any other summer because my summers were usually bogged down with required reading and while required reading is good because books are involved it is required and that word, required, seems to put a damper on any situation.

Moving on; books.

Twilight -Stephenie Meyer, and you talk about a book that makes the heart go pitter-pat . . .
it's a book that is hard to put down because the characters are beautiful and natural, perhaps cheesy, but it a cheese that is easy to tolerate, like a medium cheddar instead of a sharp. Despite it's length, 498 pages, it's a quick read, three days for me, and I think the best part about finishing it is knowing there are another few books of equal length with the same characters. Need some love in your life? Check out Twilight.

The Scarlet Pimpernel -Baroness Orczy. While this is a little out of my reading zone it was the choice of the newly begun Rose, Olivia, and Samantha Book Club and it was good. The beginning is a bit dragging while the characters are sorted out and the plot unfolds and by chapter three I still wasn't sure who the story would be following but after I knew my protagonist, I really jumped into this tale complete with backstabbers, country hopping, disguises, and common brilliance. It's a shorter read between 250-300 pages and a little slower (five days for me) and overall lovely.

Extras -Scott Westerfeld. This is fourth book in the Uglies series that I remember reading in high school. Usually I am disappointed by series continuations and honestly, the trend that continued after the opening novel Uglies was disappointing Extras surprised me. The characters were new and exciting and the city was different and inventive. While the old characters return, the build up to their return was my favorite part of the story. After that, I found it a bit predictable because of the rest of the series.

The Things They Carried -Tim O'brien. I read the short story are OWU and was able to pick up the novel this summer and I wasn't disappointed. It left me melancholy but a novel of it's sort is supposed to and for that effect I won't describe it to you. Just read it.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay -Michael Chabon. This is another long one dear reader and the near 700 pages took me a good three weeks to power through but in the end I am glad I did. Kids and comic book artists and WWII and giving a life to art and the pros and cons that come of that life. I suppose the lovely thing about it is that it is a novel that is easy to come back to and slip back into the story and, of everything I read this summer, it was the funniest.

So there you go reader, five books for your reading pleasure. Drop me questions in the comment section and have a great one.

Picture: Samantha says, "Read them so I don't have to go down the hill again."

Bumpers, Blues, and BBQ

2008-08-07T08:17:00.004-04:00

So, there were bumpers which were old and shinny. There were blues which were bluesy. There was BBQ which was amazing. My dad ate alligator. Olivia attacked me with powered sugar. Mike. The cousins chilled with us. There was minimal sunburning. It was a good day.

Blogging through Pictures (enjoy):

Allergic to Dynamite

2008-08-06T10:16:00.002-04:00

While I always try to avoid explosives, I've learned another reason, in the plethora of reasons, to avoid dynamite. I am allergic to it. Honest to goodness allergic to dynamite. According to an e-mail I received, one of the many ingredients in dynamite is the peanut. I am deathly allergic peanuts and therefore I am deathly allergic to dynamite.

Have a good one.

Visit Day Completed

2008-08-05T16:59:00.005-04:00

And so we have another visit day under our OWU belts . . . I wonder if the bookstore sells OWU belts. It wouldn't surprise me that much, their a bookstore and all, and how cool would it be to have an OWU belt, so cool, but the bookstore has other cool stuff like books and sweatshirts.

Anyway, visit day completed. I suppose that says it all. i left my house at six am, arrived on campus at 8 am, gave tours, sat on a panel, had lunch, left campus at 1pm and got home at 3pm.

This blog has the potential to be the shortest blog ever . . . though I am recalling a sarcastic response blog a few months back . . . but if I just published the above paragraph it would be my shortest blog ever but why would I want to do that make life at OWU easy? We are a rigorous school and honor of that, I will make this blog long and pointless . . . not that I am implying that rigor equals long and pointless, it's just that rigor is part of all our advertising and I felt like inserting an advertising world and neither relationships nor real-world experience seemed appropriate.

Academic rigor is cogency.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is an OWU belt (and if we had them I am sure they would come in black. Second is cogency.

August and Campus Visits

2008-07-31T10:38:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is August 1st. Can anybody else believe it is 1 day from August? I start classes in twenty five days. I remember that no long ago I was fretting over not having enough material to keep all ya'll entertained over the summer and soon I will have all of my school experience to blog about . . . or at least I hope I'll have a lot of experience to blog about . . . no, I will, I'm an optimist.

But, a very exciting thing is happening tomorrow. Tomorrow is an OWU visit day. Anyone that has a history with my blog will know have heard about visit days before but for those of you that are new to OWU or to the blogging arena I will explain. At strategically placed days through out the year, OWU provides an entire day where there are numerous programs (panels, financial aid stuff, etc.) and even more tours to give prospective students an unhastled day to explore all aspects of OWU. And tomorrow is one such day.

I will be making my return to campus to participate in tours and the student life panel. I jump up and down when someone tells me that they've read my blog so if you have and you happen to see me, give me a shout and I will hopefully hear you and turn around.

And for stuff that is not OWU but that I will be doing this weekend that I have to talk about because it is amazing and a family tradition is the Bumpers, Blues, and BBQ festival. It lasts all of Saturday and there are old cars and blues music and my favorite part, BBQ from tons of different vendors with different and special recipes and it is yum. I plan on eating a lot and then eating more. And also my family is going and family friends are going, and my cousins and aunt are going, and Mike and Liv are going and it is going to be a good time.

Hope ya'll have a good time and have a great one.

Pictures: First is what I look like with beanbags on my head. Second is what I look like when I am eating . . . but I will control myself tomorrow at the luncheon. Third is what I look like when I put my feet out a window. Fourth is what I look like when I'm dancing . . . and there is lots of dancing on visit days.

100 One Hundred 100 ONE HUNDRED

2008-07-24T17:13:00.004-04:00

Can anybody guess the theme of this blog? No, it's not puppies or sprigs of thyme. It is, in fact, the number 100.

Why?

Well, it could possible be the 100th day of the year, but its not. I could possibly be 100 years old, but I'm not. I could be counting number of stops signs from Cincinnati to Columbus, but I'm not. Maybe 100 is the number of shoes I've worn on my left foot, but no, it's not. This dear readers is my 100th post. Can anybody believe it? I can't believe it. I started this blog in November of 2006, the November of my freshman year and it is now July of 2008 and I have finally reach 100 posts.

I remember planning this day around post 92 and now that it is here the best work that I produce is rambling nonsense. But I suppose that fits the unwritten title of my blog, The Rambling Nonsense of OWU, so why should post 100 be any different?

I would like to offer a thank you to the loyal readers that have gotten my hit count up around 300 and who have taken the necessary time to decode the wonderfulness of OWU from the previous 100 posts. I would also like to extend a thank you to the friends that I've featured in my previous posts because without them the tales that I've rambled about probably wouldn't have happened.

I look forward to the next 100 posts and I hope the rest of you do as well.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is the number 100 and a very nice reunion with the paint program on my computer. Second is a banana that looks like and probably did sit on the parking lot for 100 days. Third is a wall in the radio station booth and looks like it has a lot of lines. I don't have the patience to count them. Fourth is the Trio of Doom and it probably took around 100 pictures for us to get a decent one of everybody.

The Trio of Doom Reunites

2008-07-22T11:23:00.003-04:00

Hello wonderful visitors to the OWU blogging pages. It is the third week of July, a Tuesday, and I sit in McAllister's restaurant, borrowing their internet to update you all on the lovely weekend I had with the Trio of Doom aka Zoe, Adele, and myself.

Last Thursday, I drove from home to pick up Adele and then we made the trek to Ann Arbor to stay with and visit Zoe. While in Ann Arbor we went to the Ann Arbor art fair which encompasses much of the downtown area and involves a ridiculous amount of walking that you don't really know you are doing until you reach the end and have to make the journey back to the parking spot you lucked into. The art fair is mostly visual arts; painting, drawing, sculpture, jewelry, etc and while most of it is on sale, the prices are a little outstanding for a college student. My favorite booths were the silverware jewelry booth and the leather booth with the masks.

We also watched a lot of movies while we were there. We to the theater and saw The Dark Knight which was impressive to someone who wasn't all hipped up to see it. I thought the performances were great and when Christine Bale isn't doing the Batman voice, I could listen to him all day long. We also watched Sweeny Todd, Moulin Rouge, and I Am Legend. All three were also good. On the last night Adele and I were there, the three of us made enough cookies to feed the city of Ann Arbor. I ate a lot of them and brought even more back to Cincy with me.

Overall it was an excellent weekend I was happy to spend it with my OWU girls.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First if the Trio of Doom getting ready to go to the art fair. Well, I suppose we are already ready but we were soon to be walking out the door. Second if Adele and my, at the art fair, pushing the giant cube that Zoe said was a must do with visiting Ann Arbor. Third is a picture of me in a hat. Fourth is Adele in a freezer.

Road

2008-07-10T10:12:00.003-04:00

Ah road.
My road.

You use to be broken
Worn and faded.
Your black asphalt resembled
a depressed persons view of life.

But like antidepressants
make loopy the souls of the hopeless
the county finally made you new.

The black poured from the truck
and gave you a tax bought new coat.
The rollers pressed you and made
you beautiful.

And then the details:
Yellow dashes that will mature
into the solid yellow lines of an adult.

And then my road,
you are no longer worn and broken.
You are new.
You are rejuvenated.

Someone is 16 and Someone is Dead

2008-07-03T10:37:00.003-04:00

Kind of a menicing title, isn't it? Dead. Sixteen. Well, the sixteen year old isn't dead but the host of her murder mystery party is. William Bunbury (Adele, that name's for you).

For Gretchen's birthday party she wanted to have a murder mystery and she wanted to write her own, which means I wrote it. Well, we did work together coming up with the characters, the theme, and those building blocks but the story line, clues, and overall happenings are copywrited to my brain. And I did all that writing the day before and the day of the party. I allowed myself the procrastination time.

I think that the party was an overall success. The attendees spent three hours playing the murder mystery game and then the last hour they had for whatever they wanted. The clues were probably too easy but for my first murder mystery I think it was well composed. They were all going in a different direction at the beginning and I was able to turn it around in the end.

Character-wise, it was a good time because I got to play a fortune teller and Liv, who was the other moderator, played a reporter. Gretchen was an actress from the 1920s and in the pictures, the dress she is wearing, is my never-before-worn prom dress because I was sick and couldn't go. It's a great dress and I'm glad she could use it. There was a war widow, a detective, a gem inspector, a flapper, a mob boss, an heiress, and a world traveler.
There were also cupcakes. Mmm cupcakes.

Have a great one and have a very happy 4th. Right now there are no giant plans. The family might be visiting friends in Kentucky, assuming the rain holds off which being the 4th of July in Ohio, doesn't seem likely.

Pictures: First is the group of kiddos that came to the party: Kristi, Charity, Gretchen, Chad, Meriel, Ashley, and Elizabeth. Second is Gretchen in my dress right before everybody got to the house. Second is me and Liv all costumed up. Fourth and me and Gretchen. It is our heads and they are nice heads.

16th Birthday . . . Not Mine or I Would be a Prodigy

2008-06-26T10:56:00.005-04:00

Gretchen turned 16 a few days back and we had a little part for her. The big party is coming this weekend and I am writing it. Yes, writing it. She wanted to do a murder mystery party but she didn't want to get a kit or anything so she came to her creative writing major big sister and said, "can you help me write this?" and I said "sure" and the next thing I knew I was writing the entire thing. It'll be fun though. I get to play a hobo.

I had to work all day on Gretchen's birthday so the real fun began when I got home because instead of doing sixteen spankings, I decided to do sixteen sneak-tackles. And I got all sixteen of them in, plus a pinch. I hope this brings just as much luck as the spankings would have.

Probably the funniest tackle was when I snuck up on her in the living room, yelled tackle, and proceeded to through both of us over the back of the couch. She screamed and we ended up a pile on the floor. Tackle sixteen was enjoyable because I cornered her in her bedroom and tackled her into her dresser which we slide down and landed on pillows, paper, books, and whatever else Gretchen keeps on her floor. It was a good evening.

There was cake too and Gretchen's big birthday present with a new lacrosse stick and the lacrosse camp that finishes today. She went to the UC campus and stayed overnight, three days and two nights.

A huge bug just flew into the window. It wasn't a cicada but if it had hit me I would have screamed like it was a cicada. Good thing I'm not a window.

But I think Gretchen had a blast on her birthday and I hope the party this weekend goes just as well.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is Gretchen acting sixteen with no eye fronts. Second is Gretchen getting ready to blow out candles and then eat cake. Third is the result of one of the tackles. And fourth, because of the tackle, Gretchen got confused and thought she was ninety one.

The Soccer Game that Wasn't

2008-06-24T13:48:00.004-04:00

It feels like my life has been very sportsy lately. Baseball games and more baseball games and running and the soccer camp and the last almost-sporting-adventure was to a soccer game starring the Cincinnati Kings. Rosemarie mentioned we should go and organized a group of us. I was so excited. It had been a while since I'd gone to a game. The last game I went to was one up on the cape when I was visiting Katie a few summers ago.

But, the night of the game this icky storm blew through Cincinnati. I was of the opinion that we could still go because we were driving to northern Kentucky and the storms weren't there but Rose made the command decision that we shouldn't go. Which I understand. She was driving all of us and didn't want to get there and find out the game was cancelled. Jonathan also didn't like the idea of sitting on metal bleachers in a lightening storm.

So, instead, the lot of us went to the movies and grabbed dessert at Outback. We saw Get Smart, which turned out better than I thought. I expected it to be funny and it was and it was a consistant humor that was easy to enjoy.

After the movie we drove to Outback. On the way there we got caught in a Harley-Davidson party. There were thousands of bikes surrounding the store. At the restuarant I had cheesecake with raspberries. Good times.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is the fight over the bread which wasn't really a fight and more of a posing because someone (me) had their camera out and ready to take blog pictures with. Second is of Rosemarie laughing. Third of of Jonathan, but check out Liv in the background. It is gold. Fourth is of Liv.

Homerama 2008

2008-06-20T09:38:00.007-04:00

So, yesterday, something exciting happened that happens only a few weeks a year (summer weeks) and makes me a very happy girl. That something is Homerama.

Homerama could potentially be something that is only confined to Cincinnati but it is something that is wonderful. Multi-million dollar homes are built and then opened to the public for viewing. They are fully decorated, but if you buy the house you don't keep the decorations. All the furniture and paintings and stuff are auctioned off at a later date.

Some of the homes a simply ridiculous. They have theaters in the basements, pools in the backyards, insane grills, ceilings, and one even had a six car garage. There were ten houses this year. Ten to twelve is an average number.

My favorite room was the two story library/office with a waterfall and spiral staircase. I didn't have a favorite house this year but there were elements in each one that I enjoyed. There was a Cape Cod style home and the paint colors and art work in it was beautiful. The furniture in the India inspired home was very contemporary and I like contemporary furniture. There was one house that was decorated like a European castle and was complete with a full bar in the basement.

Homerama is one of my favorite summer events. When I first saw the opening day in the paper, I was talking about it and trying to coordinate a day with the family for a home viewing adventure. The family enjoyed it too.

Have a great one.

Pictures: First is one of the houses at Homerama. Second is the waterfall in the two story library. Third is a picture of 2008 (for those that forgot). Fourth is a picture of me a Gretchen.

Soccer Camp and Soccer Dreams

2008-06-19T10:41:00.003-04:00

So, the latest happening is the soccer camp that Rosemarie proposed and then asked me to assist with. I agreed. We host the free camp once a week, Tuesday evenings, for two hours at a park close to our homes and it welcomes junior high students.

She originally was just going to help her younger brother, who is trying out for the junior high soccer team in the fall, but decided to extend the opportunity to other junior high soccer players and with the extension, she brought me in.

Both of us have played for near fifteen years and I've refereed for ten years. But experience aside, the first meeting of our camp was one of the hardest things I've done in a while. I think it's because I know how to play. I know what a defensive stance is and I know how to "go hard" and not commit an obvious foul. But to have to teach that to other people is more difficult than I imagined. I tried to channel an old coach of mine, who I absolutely adored, but even that didn't help too much.

I do have to send a shout out of the junior high coach that assisted us because he did know how to translate what we were trying to teach to the kids. Yay coach.

Overall, it wasn't a failure. For our first coaching attempt, I say we did a grand job, but it definitely demonstrated that just because you know something with every muscle (and all my muscle are still yelling at me today) in your body, it doesn't mean you've got the tools to pass it on to others. We are going to continue to try and hopefully, but the summer's end, we will be experts (I love instant gratification).

Have yourselves a great one.

Pictures: #1 is of BBQ Chicken Quesadillas (yay bad spelling) except these ones lack the BBQ sauce and the chicken. All ya'll out there should totally try these, though. Just get quesadilla shells, shreaded cheese (I like sharp cheddar), chicken (a chicken breast or chicken that you can just heat up in a pan), and your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook the chicken, put everything it the quesadilla, five minutes in a 350 degree over, perfection. #2 is of Gretchen making a funny face at the camera. #3 is Gretchen eating the sour cream for the quesadillas. #4 is a Cicada. Yes, they are still here.

Baseball with the Reds

2008-06-12T11:23:00.003-04:00

So a few posts ago we discussed baseball by not the Cincinnati Reds. Today, we will discuss baseball by the Cincinnati Reds. Liv, myself, and a few others attended a Reds game two nights ago and in typical Reds fashion, the most rewarding part of the experience was our seats . . . Our dear Cincinnati baseball team didn't even stick to typical Reds playing and do well through the fourth inning. I believe it was inning two where the Reds pitcher had back to back home runs hit off his pitches (because if they were hitting off anything else it would be a little kinky). Granted, first baseman, number 19, Joey Votto did have a home run somewhere early in the game (which made me happy because he's my favorite) but other than that, it was a pretty poor showing.

I am happy I went thought because we, courtesy of Olivia, were sitting five rows from the field right behind first base. We were in foul ball territory. I was fearing for my life most of the game and adrenaline rush from that was enough to make up for the lack of adrenaline the Reds were providing.

Also, last night was a big night. In the world of college, its really nothing, but in the world of me, it is something. I don't know if this has been discussed before but I am an early to bed person. 9, 10, I'm in bed and then I get up early, 7 or 8. That is my schedule. My body works really well on that schedule and I have been able to keep it up through college. Well, last night my schedule was blown out of the water.

Rose, Jake, and I decided to hang out for a bit and we ended up at Jake's apartment watching a movie, Transformers, which we didn't start until after midnight. We watched the whole movie and when I got home and crawled into bed, it was 3am. 3am! Jake and Rosemarie now hold the recorded for the latest Samantha has stayed up. Congratulations!

Have a great one.

Pictures: #1 Our view, un-zoomed from the seats. #2 Our view zoomed from the seats on Joey Votto. #3 me, taken by Olivia. #4 Mr. Redlegs.

June Cicadas

2008-06-03T11:47:00.004-04:00

They are crawling up a tree near you, breaking out of their shells, drying their wings, and then flying into your face. Well, they are if you live in southern Ohio.

It is our seventeen year cicada attack (its not really an attack but as I go screaming through the yard as I try not to step on them or have them land on me it sure does sound like a cavewomen battlefield). Gretchen thinks its funny.

They haven't gotten too bad yet. They are singing their song of love and soon, outdoor activity will be accompanied by earmuffs (despite 90 degree weather) just to block out the noise. And soon, every car trip (assuming gas doesn't get any

pricier) will look like an episode of Star Wars when they go to hyperspeed.

I suppose I should specify 'they', cicadas. They are in the title but I've not included the name yet. Cicada. Cicada. I learned there are a few different types of cicadas. We have the ones with orange wings. The ones with green wings are bigger and I believe they are on a fifteen year rotation. Who just learned something by reading my blog? You did!

Wish me luck in the cicada suvival and have a good one.

Pictures: #1 is of a cicada emerging from its shell. The picture is so-so but it was actually kinda cool to see. #2 is of the all the cicada shells on one tree. Usually there are two of three is a small area there were like twenty five on this one tree and I got as many as I could in the picture. #3 is Gretchen with a cicada on a stick. She wasn't eating it or anything, just chasing me with it. #4 is my dad, holding a cicada.

Baseball but not the Reds

2008-05-29T11:55:00.003-04:00

So, in the midst of no wisdom teeth, the family and I went to a baseball game. If you read my bio, it explains that I am from Cincinnati. Cincinnati + Baseball =(usually) the Reds but not us. We do like to go to Reds games and by go I mean walk from the kitchen to the living room and sit on the couch and watch the game . . . but we decided to switch it up and go see a game played by the Florence Freedom in Florence Kentucky.

The Florence Freedom is an independent professional team and part of the Frontier League of Professional Baseball which encompasses West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southwest Ohio. The league is now comprised of twelve teams.

So the family went down to Florence and caught a game. It was complete with baseball players, baseballs, and mascots. Our seats were great too, three rows up, directly behind first base, right next to the Florence Freedom dugout . . . and there was no net to protect us from foul balls. Not that many came our way but I was ready to jump and duck. Gretchen decided to hid behind a nacho chip.

The Freedom won the game, which capped off a great afternoon. I want to go back and see another game because it was a small venue, lots of fun, and nice to watch (*big smile).

Have a great one.

Pictures: The first is of the between innings eyeball race. Second is of one of the Freedom's mascots. Third is the view from out seats. Fourth is the Gretchen.

Busted May

2008-05-29T11:37:00.005-04:00

Well, it seems like May was a bust in the blogging world, at least at SamanthaOWU (and I like to think I make up the entire blogging community). Besides getting home and having the desire to do nothing, I had my wisdom teeth out, which contributed to the lack of blogging. You'd think that being laid up on drugs would be the best time to blog but I decided that my drug induced state was a lot less fun (and a lot less cohesive) than my normal state and I wouldn't want to show that face to the world.

However, I did have every intention of showing the world my lack of wisdom teeth face the day I got them out but Gretchen hasn't loaded the pictures up for me yet. So, the embarrassment will be delayed a few posts and ya'll will have to deal with the standard pictures (though nothing I put on this blog is standard so I won't bore you).

I don't feel any stupider without my wisdom teeth . . . bad joke and if one stitch would fall out I would be a very happy person. I'm eating normally too, not like a little bunny with just my front teeth, and the length of one meal has been greatly diminished. All in all, I am a happy girl.

Hope summer finds everyone in a good mood. Good luck with exams ye whose high school finished in the next few weeks and have a good one.

Pictures: Me with my wisdom teeth. Second is a picture of my wisdom teeth done by the my-wisdom-teeth-expert, me, and I have to admit that if my teeth actually looked like that, I'm glad I had them out. The final picture is me without my wisdom teeth. Embrace the differences.

Panty Bar . . . What?

2008-05-12T10:09:00.004-04:00

I am home and in typical home fashion things have gotten a little random.

Liv and I reunited in Cincy on Thursday. She came and picked me up and out plan was to go to the mall. So we dropped by her house and I made the mistake of saying "take her" in front of her dog and the dog gave us puppy dog eyes (because if she gave us platypus eyes that would just be creepy) and we decided to take her on a walk.

It was raining and I didn't have the appropriate footwear for rain. So when we got to the park I kicked off my shoes, rolled my jeans up around my knees, and fought with an umbrella so we could walk the dog. By the end of our adventure I had found a penny and stepped in goose poop. A successful day.

At the mall we visited a lot of places including the food court but probably the most interesting place was the panty bar. Liv had a coupon for a free panty and when we visited the store we were directed to the panty bar. It's much like a drinking bar, except for panties. And the variety is as vast a drinking bar.

There are a lot of different bars. There are oxygen bars now and there are ballet bars. There are metal bars, wood bars, plastic bars. There are bars in the woods. There are big bars, small bars, baby bars, brown bars, polar bars, Goldilocks and the Three Bars.

We live in a world of bars.

It's been a great start to my summer and I hope your having a great one.

Pictures: #1 is the Trio of DOOM! (and DOOM does stand for something but we don't have all the letters figured yet so that will be a later post). #2 are shoes that are not rain appropriate. #3 is John and the cantaloupe. #4 the summer gang.

Birthday and Almost Done

2008-04-29T09:51:00.007-04:00

Here's a little update for ya'll on what's been happening. Much like the last post, I am up to my earlobes in work. I've got five paper due sometime this week and one in class exam on Thursday. But, unlike the rest of the university, this is my last week on campus. Four days until my parents come and help lug all my stuff back home (apparently we are walking to Cincy . . . because I said lug.) Right now, I've got one paper finished, the second paper almost finished, and the go ahead on my Victorians paper which means that I've got to sit down and write it.

Last week we celebrated Adele's birthday. We all (Adele, Zoe, Red, John, and I) went to dinner and I feel like we did something else . . . oh no, we all did not do something else but we all did individual stuff after we got back on campus. John and I waited on some help for my flat tire. That's what happened. I had a flat tire, a screw got in the center tread. Thank goodness I heard the air leaking out or I would have been a very unhappy person when I got back to my car in the morning. I was unhappy with the situation but at least I didn't have anywhere to be.

But, back to happier. Adele's birthday. We went to dinner at Mongolian BBQ in Easton. Bascially, you make your own stir-fry. It was good. Different, but good. They just put one in back home and now I'll have to take the family there. During dinner a balloon animal man came to our table and made Adele this amazing balloon hat as a happy birthday gift. There will be pictures and I assume that by reaching this paragraph you have probably already seen the hat. Amazing, yeah?

So, four days left, four papers and one exam to go.

Have a great one.

Pictures: #1 Adele is in the middle with her amazing hat and then Red, Zoe, John, and myself surround her. #2 Dessert that Zoe and I shared and it was good. #3 is Adele and her hat. #4 is of Adele in her hat after it slipped down her face after I tried to take a picture of her in the parking when a car was coming and we all ran away because there was a car coming and apparently it is not a good idea to try and take a picture of someone when a car is coming.

11 Days

2008-04-22T09:49:00.005-04:00

It's an amazing thing, 11 days until I go home for the summer. And in those 11 days I've got three papers and one exam to prepare. Paper one is done and in the revision stage. Paper two is also in revision stage. Paper three is not started but I've been thinking about it (yea, hard core thinking). I've actually had the idea for some time now, since I finished reading King Solomon's Mines, which happen about a month back, I've just not acted on the idea. I'm hoping I'll have some time the next couple of evenings and then on Sunday because Saturday is dedicated to Sping into College, out last big visit day of the year. (not gonna lie, I'm excited to get on a normal tour schedule).

What else, there really hasn't been any exciting developements in the world of me. Just lots and lots of work. I told someone yesterday that I'm not even sure that I sleep but I must be at some time because I've not passed out yet. I know I slept last night because in the middle of the night my arm did this really weird jerk and hit the wall thing. It hurt. My shoulder hurts now. I don't know why it jerked like that, just did.

I suppose I can preview my summer plans. None. That was easy.

No, that's a lie. I'm going to be working. Yes, lots of working, same job as last year, the nanny jig. It should be fun. I think I start in June. And plans beyond that, I'm just going to play things by ear. I might be visiting Katie in the Cape . . . maybe . . . it all depends on work and whether or not I can afford a plane ticket.

Have yourselves a great week.

Slice Cap

2008-04-15T09:53:00.004-04:00

Slice is over. Thank you everybody who came and made it any amazing weekend. Hope ya'll had a great experience. If you have any comments about the weekend feel free to share them with me and the other blog readers. Yay Slice and I know I'll see everybody next year. Also, if you missed Slice don't get sad, on Saturday the 26th OWU is hosting Spring Into College. Join us for that.

SLICE; No, Not of Pie or Pizza but of College

2008-04-10T09:38:00.008-04:00

Friends,

This weekend OWU proudly (. . .) hosts Slice of College Life. We will be welcoming 250 prospective students, plus their families, to campus to participate in numerous college-like activities. Sunday, there will be tours (you all who are coming should make sure you get here for the Create Your Own Tour at noon because the work that went into it was crazy and just come) followed by both regular campus tours and res hall tours. There will be food and there will be panels and there will be a bunch of other stuff that will show you that OWU can put together a wonderful "convince you to come" program.

Readers of my blog, if any of you will be on campus for Slice find me. I will be giving tours and/or working a tour sign-up table on Sunday and Monday I will be around. It's always nice to meet people who put up with my writing.

Monday of Slice there will be more tours and there will also be class visits and other stuff. (Really, I only know about the tour end of it because that has been my life for that past three weeks). It's a little nervous-making because I really don't know how things a getting down (aka papers and such) but they are (and as always they are amazing) and I am busy but I feel good about busy. It's college, dear readers, that is what it is all about.

But there is my plug for Slice. If you are coming, yay! If you are not coming, don't worry, I didn't participate in Slice as a prospective either.

Have a good one.

Pictures: #1 It would make me ever happier if ya'll came to Slice (especially the Create Your Own Your Part). #2 John is so excited about Slice he gave us an thumbs up. I'm sure it would be two if he wasn't holding a drink in the other hand. #3 Adele can't believe that any body would think that they shouldn't come to Slice.

Jazz Hands

2008-04-03T09:45:00.006-04:00

So, in a desperate attempt to again stall for Mery . . . (trust me its the end of the semester we are all busier than flies swarming the back of a horse) I will tell you about my exciting adventure at the Columbus Jazz Orchestra show. John put to the whole thing together a couple months back and since the first mention I have been excited. Not only was it a change of scenary (not that OWU isn't pretty but even pretty things get redundant) but it allowed me to get dressed up (which probably doesn't sound too exciting to most of you but after living in jeans and tennies for weeks on end the prospect of heels and dry clean only clothes is heaven).

There was a whole group of us that went. Lots of music majors then me, Zoe, Ryan, and fearless leader/driver John (who is also I music major but deserves special recognition because of the work he put into the planning.) We went to dinner first the the Spaghetti Warehouse. It is an actual warehouse. If ya'll have the opportunity while on campus and are looking for a fun place to go that unique, Spaghetti Warehouse should be at the top of your list. It was fun, friendly, and the perfect spot for our group of twelve.

After dinner we went to the show at the Northern Theatre in Columbus. Again, lots of fun. The music was excellent. My favorite was a song played by the bass, drumset, and piano. John wanted to be "smacked in the face with a wall of brass sound" and he was at the show's end. But I think even more exciting was the theatre itself. Not too often do you go to a place where when the name of a song is mentioned the entire audience sighs or makes the recognition sound (don't try and tell me you don't know what that sound is.) Not too often do you go to a place where people are dressed in heels and jackets but throughout the entire show there is whooping and cheering and calls of play it again.

It was an experiance and one I am happy to add to my list of things completed.

Have a great one.

Art, Not.

2008-03-27T09:22:00.006-04:00

So, I know I said that Mery would be writing us a blog about her spring break adventures and she is and while she is I am going to insert my opinon on a little experiment that took place on campus last week.

OWU has lots of art scattered around campus. We have sculptures and we having painting and we have photography and we have books and we have art muesums and we offer a fine arts degree. Lots of art.

For a project/experiment the art around and inside of the library was covered up with plastic bags. This was supposed to show OWU students what it was like without art. To be honest, I noticed the structures more, covered as they were. So, instead of seeing campus without art, I saw it covered by white trash bags which, in itself, is an art form. In my opinion, this experiment didn't work. All it did was draw more attention to what was already there, which was art, which is the opposite of the intended goal.

I also have to comment (because there is no way I could let this slip by without and if I offend some people oh well) on the covering statues. Statues are sometimes tall and sometime short. Most are narrow and point into the air . . . think about it for a minute. And then these erect statues are covered with white plastic . . . do some more thinking. If that is advertising anything, well, I would have to go with safe pre-marriage practices.

Continuing on. After the bags were removed from inside the library, there was a whole new art display and I have to admit, its some good stuff. I am kind of curious about one thing. There are READ posters over the front desk that feature OWU professors telling people to read and those were left uncovered in this expedition to not have art. Too bad for photography, apparently, you are not art. And too bad for books, all of those were left uncovered, you are not art either.

Have a great one.

Pictures: #1 is as close as ya'll are going to get to the erect-covered statues I mentioned. #2 a covered painting that hangs in the staircase. #3 a covered gong that is in the library basement. #4 Yours truly.

Spring Break Re-Cap

2008-03-20T08:30:00.006-04:00

So readers, I know its been a bit since the last post (always seems to happen around break time) but I am back and blogging about spring break.

Spring break wasn't so springy to start. On campus we has two feet of snow and at home we had a foot of snow. I have the odd feeling that I ranted about snow on the previous post but I don't remember so I will rant about the snow again. It snowed. It snowed a lot. I like the snow. I liked this snow a lot because I was home and didn't have to worry about driving in it. And to be honest, I don't think Lola (my car) could have made it through the snow if we tried. She is just too close to the ground.

After the blizzard, the temperatures climbed to fifty and the snow melted. It was sad, but at least spring break was springing up.

On these nicer days, Liv and I went and got chinese. Mmm, it was yummy. We hadn't been there together since Winter break and I was ready for chinese food. When we were in high school we used to go every week, because we both got out super early on Wed (it was around noon-thirty) and then we would just go to lunch at the chinese place. Good food, good visit to the past, mmm.

Beyond that I did a lot of work on the book. Six more chapters to edit and its done. Scary, yea? I'm nervous. What will I do without Lark and Alexander? I will find a way to get by. I've actually got a few more character bouncing around the brain. Get excited.

Oh, and another reason to get excited, Mery is going to write a blog for all ya'll about her spring break trip. Yay!

Have a great one.

Pictures: #1 is me on the penguin slide my sister built. We ran at the mound of snow, jumped on the mound of snow, and slid down on our stomaches. #2 is me standing in the middle of the road taking pictures of the road. #3 is Gretchen and I right before a snow ball fight (she won). #4 is Lola.