Do you know how much it stinks to finally grow up and deal with things in the "real world"? I definetly figured this out quickly last week. As I have discussed before, I am signing my lease for my apartment on Friday. This is all exciting news and such, however along with an apartment meant I have to set up arrangements to get TV/Cable, internet, and energy. Naturally, I assumed this would be a fairly simple process, much like signing up for a new email account, or something of the sort. WOW WAS I EVER WRONG...

First of all, I logged onto the websites of the local cable and internet providers, hoping to compare prices and get some basic information on their packages. No. That's asking too much, apparently. I found it ironic that their websites did not list any clear prices for me to compare, but rather I had to CALL the companies individually and begin setting things up (whether or not I wanted the service) in order to understand a price. I found the sales representatitves to be pushy and confusing, and I was quickly overwhelmed into agreeing to mystery packages of services for my new place. After wasting THREE HOURS (this is not an exaggeration) on the phone, giving out my credit card and social security number to these companies (which was required, mind you. I am not normally one to give out either information very easily), I had two dates set up for service men to come out nd set up my cable. I found that there was no other way to get the information I needed to make a decision about my services without actually making the decision...if that makes sense.

i think/hope I finally got this sticky situation figured out It took a lot of research, talking to friends who have been through cable/internet/new home setup, and a few firm responses to the pushy sales representatives. This situation taught me how harsh and confusing the real world is going to be, and that not everything is simple and cookie-cutter. Preparing for this new apartment has definetly helped me realize how nice it has been to live in the dorms for two years, because you don't have to worry about cable, heat, water, internet, etc...bills. However, we all have to grow up sometime, and perhaps this is my time?

It always seems that right as the school year gets kicking, it is about to be over. I felt like this semester didn't get rolling until the week after spring break, in which I was bombarded with work. Now, believe it or not, there is only two weeks left until summer. It is flying past me so quickly, I cannot believe that I am almost halfway done with my undergraduate education.  The idea of "growing up" is certainly not a thrilling one. If you really think about it, a HUGE CHUNK our lives are spent attending school; homework and grades, teachers and professors...so the thought of the "real world" (yes, these quotations are ever-so-necessary) is quite baffling. I certainly feel somewhat prepared, I'm just not sure when I will be completely accepting to making the transition (or lack there of) to the adult world. 

I started recieving calls regarding my application for the Mount's summer employment initiative (see my previous blogs for an explaination of that). Very exciting! Out of four calls, I lined up two interviews, and landed one offer before the second place was even finished interviewing. I was thrilled. I'm going to be working as the activities coorduinator for Mother Margaret Hall. I'm really excited that I am going to be working a meaningful job rather than flipping pizzas all summer. Not to mention I will be making a lot more money, as well.

I am supposed to sign my lease next week for my apartment. This is another trip back to the crazy idea of growing up, finally. I can't believe I'm signing my own lease! There has been tons to think about that I have never experienced before since I have lived in the dorms these past two years....like, paying bills, paying rent, setting up utilities, buying a mattress, phone service, cooking meals. I definetly took all of these things for granted because in the dorms, most of it is provided and worked out for you. It's too late to back out now though, so expect some pictures on the big signing day in which I will (partially) aquire my new pad (living area/humble abode/etc.)

Hi everyone! The weather is beautiful, but I won't state the obvious. My weeks are getting busier and busier thanks to the end of my sophomore year approaching quickly. It seems that after spring break, professors bombarded us with work to do. Of course I am going to blame the professors in this case, no doubt. I'm just an innocent college student, afterall. One that would NEVER procrastinate.....

Either way, last week was quite eventful. I had a chance to attend the opening for the Senior Thesis (what is the plural of thesis?) projects in the San Guiseppe art gallery on Friday night. For those of you who aren't familiar with MSJ, that's the art gallery located in the art building on campus. The seniors had hung their thesis' (plural...again?) and were proudly showing them off to family, friends, faculty, and anybody else who wanted to attend. It really was wonderful. My favorite professor, Kathy Salchow,  thus far at the college was also giving her "last lecture" (i must put this in quotes to avoid any reference to Randy Pausch, for I hope Kathy Salchow lives a long and healthy life following this weeks event).It was amazing to see how many students showed up! Kathy was my 2D and 3D design professor last year when I was a freshman. I HATED HER CLASS! But little did i know, during the dreaded morning studio classes, I was learning so much and being graced with the presence of a true design genius. Kathy (or "Salchow" as we lovingly referred to her in the studio) was an adjunct professor who also taught at the University of Cincinnati. Her husband, Gordon Salchow, helped found the DAAP program at the University of Cincinnati (a well esteemed art program, one of the best in the nation!) as well as recieved a masters degree in fine arts from Yale. WHEW! That's impressive . Kathy taught me so much, and has inspired me in many ways. It was awesome to suck the knowlege out of her for the few hours I managed to get each week. I often thought to myself, "I'm getting a DAAP education right here in Delhi!". 

I thought I'd include some pictures from the art opening, as well as a few of my favorite photos of the thesis exhibits. I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to stop by and take a look at the graphic design senior thesis projects that are up right now, because they truly are amazing and inspiring! It's only going to be up for another 3 days...so hurry!

Why, hello there. What a great weekend. Not only did I enjoy a FOUR day weekend (oh, the perks of being at a Catholic school), but I also enjoyed some fantastic weather. It seems that Cincinnati is finally catching on to this concept of seasons.
 
Over this past summer, I took two summer courses at the University of Cincinnati, because my through my dad's wonderful job, tuiton at UC is free. HOLD ON....I know what you're thinking. If tuiton is FREE for me at the University of Cincinnati, then WHY am I paying tuiton to attend a private catholic college also known as the College of Mount St. Joseph?? Am I out of my mind? No. There's plenty of reasons my parents and I (HI MOM) decided to make such a backwards financial decision. I was reminded of this yet again yesterday. Now, back to what I was saying. Over the summer I took two courses through UC to help stimulate my brain during the summer months (or something like that) as well as earn some credits which would allow me to free up my schedule more during the year. One of the classes I didn't end up finishing due to outstanding circumstances, and therefore is waiting to be completed before I can send my transcripts over to MSJ and get credit. Well, in order for that class to be complated, I had to track down the professor and get the final test from him. And that was problem A. Not only have I spent literally six months tracking down this professor, when I showed up at his office (cubicle...) door, he had NO IDEA who I was. For most, this is common. However, being at MSJ...I am used to my small class size and therefore professors KNOW ME by name (blessing/curse...depends on the circumstances..)

Another thing I began to realize I was SO thankful for was parking. I spent literally 20 minutes fighting for a parking spot in the gigantic amusement park-esque parking lot. Even as I fight for a spot at MSJ, people are a lot nicer and understanding. As petty as it is, parking can be a huge negitive aspect of the entire experience. 

These are only the surface reasons why I remember that I chose MSJ over a larger, more "typical" college/university, however they are reminders to me on a daily basis. MSJ is once choice I have not regretted.

It's unbelievable how quickly the end of this year is approaching. One huge hint was today in my philosophy of art class, when I looked around and took note of how many seniors in the graphic design major either looked like zombies or were out cold. That's because senior thesis is approaching. Now, I couldn't quite tell you what exactly senior thesis is, because I haven't reached a full definition myself. All I know is it is a big project that is due/presented at the end of senior year for Graphic Design majors. I also know that if I say the words "senior thesis" around anyone planning to graduate this year, I usually get groans and pain noises similar to those of a woman in labor. So, until it's my turn....I simply will not ask 

I have been searching endlessly for a summer job, since I will be relocating to an apartment in Delhi rather than going back home to live with my parents (sorry Mom & Dad). I applied to a few places...Target, Biggs, Donatos...however there are not many options around here. I applied through the MSJ Summer Employment Initiative (I think that's what it is called...), which sounds pretty cool too. Basically, we were given a grant that helps MSJ to place students in summer jobs at various local (mostly) non-profit organizations. The pay is pretty excellent and the jobs that were listed are all things that are going to be helping other people in one way or another, so it is rewarding in that way as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get an offer for one of those opportunities because they sound really cool. 

Happy Easter, everyone! 

Facebook. Who hasn't heard of it? Walk into the lobby of the classroom building or the lounge where the commuters hang out and you will see at least 3 people with their laptops open, drooling and pointing at the newest gossip on Facebook. Social networking goes far beyond Facebook (there's Myspace, Twitter, bebo, flickr, tumblr...just to name a few), however Facebook seems to be all the rage among college students. It is even, on occasion, integrated into the classroom. 98% of my friends have an account, as do I. But at what cost?

Privacy is hard to keep on the internet, and as a young, carefree, excitable college student, I am eager to jump on any kind of social bandwagon that's going to allow me to communicate with my peers more easily and effectively. I use it to pass the time between classes, to keep up with old high school friends across the country, and even to talk about homework. I have set up a group for the MSJ graphic design students, where we can come together and talk about assignments, professors, critiques or just share funny design-related links. With all the positive features of Facebook, it's easy to forget how it is a double-edged sword. Anything I may post to Facebook, including pictures, can be taken and used against me by the people I allow to access my profile. Photos can be used to incriminate others, and words may be easily twisted or taken out of context. 

It is easy to forget these things, because everybody on your friends list is your 'friend'...right? Perhaps, but you can never be sure. This week I cleaned out over 300 people from my "friends list" that I felt did not need to know my every move or have access to my Facebook life.  I have to say, it certainly felt good. I have two specific friends who refuse to even have a Facebook account. Their reasoning? "If people felt they could talk to me over Facebook, the face-to-face interaction would eventually lessen if not stop all together". This is a good point, and one I certainly think about every time I log on to the site. I can't say I am ready to give it up completely quite yet, but as I come closer and closer to the "real world" and being an adult with a career; the less interest I have in maintaining my account.

Ahh...well hello. That's the sound of contentment, as I warm my toes on my laptop charger. Yes, I have seemed to become quite crafty as a college student. Learned to live on less, and get creative!

I suppose I could share a few of these "craft-tastic" tips with my readers, as long as you don't sell them for money. Ready?

• Ramen spaghetti. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this one myself...but you can buy the jars of spaghetti sauce at the store, and instead of pouring the disgusting (I mean, er, delicious and nutritious) "seasoning packet" from the ramen over, use spaghetti sauce. Badabing-Badaboom: INSTANT SPAGHETTI.

• The MSJ refrigerator. Now, this doesn't really exist. And unfortunately it only is available to some. Being in a center suite this year (*outstretches arms, gets up to use my PRIVATE restroom, goes to mess with my PERSONAL thermostat*), I opened my window one day and noticed a small ledge. It's not too wide, but just wide enough that during the winter time, I realized I could set my water bottles or sodas (of course) out there and they would be nice and chilly within less than an hour. Obviously, this won't work during the warmer months. But November-February, it's pretty awesome. Especially because my fridge is small enough that I have to wonder what will fall out next when I open it.

• Broomsticks. Ah, now this one I did not discover until recently. I figured brooms were for sweeping, right? WRONG. Brooms can double as great friendly notices to your neighbor that it is 7:45 AM on a Saturday, so why can I hear your Power Rangers tv show? Now this must be done gently and swiftly, because you would not want to leave a mark on the wall or else you can expect to be charged upon move-out. In that case, attach a towel of some sort, or even a stack of tissues to the end before firmly and quickly banging, er, tapping lightly on the wall.

Hey everyone. I have to say, I am SO happy to be able to be typing this right now. No no, that wasn't sarcasm...for once. These past two weeks have been a little unpredictable and frustrating with the internet on campus. I don't know the entire story, but there were "electrical problems" in the library, resulting in us losing internet for long periods of time the week before spring break. WHAT! NO INTERNETS???  What is a college student to do?!?! 

Well, for most people it was just a mere annoyance. However being a graphic design major, most of my classes right now involve heavy internet and computer work. So every time I would boot up my trusty mac and see the "Unable to Connect" dialog box, I would get dizzy. In fact, my palms started sweating and I began having the shakes. My roommate even considered painting our room navy blue to help me cope with my Facebook withdrawals. Then we realized the dean would probably not be too happy or understanding when it came time to take the paint off. 

Anyways, we finally got the problem fixed (or so we are told), and all connections (internet, email, webCT, etc) are back. For now. Either way, the entire ordeal made my fellow classmates and I realize how huge of a role technology plays in our academic and social lives. What's that cliche saying...."You never know what you've got until it's gone". Yeah, well.....dang, I missed you internet. Over and out. 

Hello world. I hope everyone has been surviving in this snow globe of a place lately. The MSJ community was graced with another snow day on Monday, thanks to white death part deux. I kept hearing that it was coming, however I was unimpressed with the slight dusting that was on the ground around 5am that morning. It must've just been dumped on us like a five-year old with a bucket of Legos, because the next thing I know, it's 9am and there's snow up to my knees. Hey, I'm not complaining. 

Alright so this year has been quite different for me schedule-wise than my freshman year. Actually, it's almost opposite. Last year all my classes were during the day, usually beginning at 8:30am and ending around 2pm or 3pm. Typical day, much like a high school day or some work days (yawn). When I started to schedule for this year, things began to get trickier and more limited because there were less sections being offered for the classes I need to take for my major. When all was said and done, my schedule consists of classes that don't start before 1pm, and night class 3 days out of the week. To some, this would be a dream schedule! Sleep in...wake up in time to catch lunch...awesome! However it has its downsides to it as well such as today, when school was closed until noon because of the white death. That really didn't help me much, but everyone else seemed to be thrilled. I also hate knowing that at dinner time while everyone else is unwinding and filling their bellies up for a night full of studying and ping pong, I'm mentally preparing myself to sit in a classroom for three hours straight without completely losing it . Either way, I have found that my night classes are filled with more adult students which sometimes has the potential to make the discussions and learning atmosphere more serious and stimulating than a room full of freshman and jocks during the day (no offense). Night classes are not for everyone, however I have started to adjust and almost acquire a liking for them.