so getting snow days in college is definitely worth experiencing. waking up on a tuesday (worst part of the week) at 7am to get ready for a full day of classes is never entertaining to me. however, waking up at 7am and discovering a text sent at 6am that the college is closed for a snow day is always entertaining!

so what did i do next? i went back to bed! only to wake up in time for some lunch with friends. it was then that we turned in to little kids again and started planning our schemes for the day [[snowmen, snow angels, igloos, sledding, snow ball fight, etc.]] unfortunately this didn't totally work out as i had hoped because my body decided it didn't like the cold and in turn give me a cough and cold. not fun! but that didn't take away from our indoor plans. the rest of the night, however, included a whole lot of disney [+dreamworks]. we watched shrek 1 and 2, played disney scene it, as well as put together my disney panorama puzzle.

successful day? i think so!

Hello there. First off want to say happy white-winter-wonderland day to everyone. As most everyone in the greater Cincinnati area is aware, the dreaded "WHITE DEATH" has struck our area again, giving us a break from classes for a day. It is kind of nice being off, but boring as well. What exactly does a college student do on their snow day? Well.......

There are quite a few options, but one of the most common ones is to catch up on sleep and homework that should have been done last night (hey, that's part of college, right?).  Of course I was thrilled when I got the automated phone message this morning at 5:56 AM saying that the college was closed for the day, but that was quickly wiped away by some panic. WHAT IF THE DINING HALL WASN'T OPEN?!?!  The thought of a snow day without food makes any college student cringe.  Luckily our devoted food services director Greg Kathman was there to save the day. I think there are very few times that I don't see him running around the dining hall getting things done for us, that includes weekends. Alright, that was a little off-topic and a small shameless plug but I had to stick it in nonetheless. There are so many people like Mr. Kathman around here who really work hard to make the residence life at MSJ move smoothly. Anyways, luckily we had hot food and despite the college technically being "closed", everything seemed to be normal around lunchtime. 

Now, once the hunger situation has been taken care of, the options of this "free day" really seem to open up. I sat with my roommate and pondered what ever could we do? I heard distant laughter and screams coming from outside the window, and when I went to take a peek I realized there was no other option. Sledding. Yes, sledding. Despite the fact that we are all adults who are busy with jobs and studying hard, snow days give us an opportunity to break out and let our inner-child(ren?) play for a day. Last year, as I remember, the dining hall was getting ready to go trayless, and during one of the snow days they handed out the plastic blue lunch trays to students to use as sleds. This was wildly popular all over campus.  Unfortunately I don't have my tray from last year, however my roommate has come prepared with sleds in the back of her car.

So, I thought I would just share with you all my admittance that yes, even in college snow days are a time for fun. 

So it's the end of the semester... I can't believe we've finally made it here! It seems like we just started! I also can't believe it's the beginning of December too! Wow... Time flies!

So as the semester comes to an end, we have projects, papers, presentations, and exams to go through. We also have good byes, plans for break, a month off, and dorms to clear out. With all of this in mind, it makes me sad that yet another semester at the Mount is ending. I have made so many wonderful friends here that I can't stand thinking that I won't see them as often as I do now when I graduate. It's sad... 

Another thing that I rarely think about it packing for the break. As part of being in the dorms, we have quiet hours in effect so that people can study. No loud noises, disturbances, reckless behaviors, etc. It's a hefty fine if you get cited by the cops or RAs for that. We also have to prep our dorms for the absence as well. We can't have things plugged in, batteries for fire alarms will be replaced, and we have to take anything home that we want. We are not allowed to come back to "visit" our dorms. I'm not sure why, especially if I remember in the middle of the break that I need something that I have in my dorm. That's something I'll have to work with while I sit here packing. I have to take home clothes, chargers, clocks, etc., and make sure I have it all out by 5 PM on Friday. Of course it doesn't help that my roommates, Sam and Maria, and I are going to Brown County for the weekend. We're leaving all our stuff here and coming back on Sunday to pick it all up before going home. It's the easiest way to get things done. We check out with our RA today. I don't remember what that pertains to but it's something that's got to be done.

I'm just sad that we are all taking a break and that we are now more than half way done with our college careers. Only three semesters until the real world. It's quite a burden to think about. I'm not sure I'm ready for it just yet... Ah! Oh, by the way, it snowed this morning and it was a beautiful sight to wake up to. :) 

Now, we have a month off, only one exam to go, a vaca with my girls this weekend, Christmas, New Year's in New York City!, and return on January 11th is the plan for the next month. I am so excited! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Enjoy!!! :)

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

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

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

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

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

This semester is quickly coming to a close and with only a month or so of classes left (and Thanksgiving Break in between) students are starting to get excited about break and anxious about exams.  In most of my classes the questions have already started popping up right and left during the class period : "When is our exam," "What will it cover," "Will we have a study guide," "Will we be preparing for it in class?"  Tension is high in the killer classes like psych and math, but with increased tension comes increased adrenaline... everybody is kind of on an exam high already and the high will last through to the end of exam week (at which point most of us will crash and sleep for two days straight).

However, on the flip side, in the dorms, around campus, and in the dining hall the questions take on a different tone...

Students are asking each other about what their plans are for the break and when they can get together and hang out.  I mean, seriously, going an entire month without seeing the friends you've been living with for the past four months is a little bit of a shock.  We will be hanging out and celebrating the holidays with family, but I can almost guarantee you that most of us will take some time out of the busy holiday schedule and catch up with our roomies and class buddies.  We're human... we can't help being social.

We've got some super events coming up on campus in the next few weeks.  MSJ Band will be having its holiday concert (always worth going out to see!! I know I'll be there), Shantytown will be gracing the quad again and I can't wait to actually participate this year, Dateline has a full issue coming out for the holiday season and it should be a great one (Be sure to look for my photo story on Shantytown), and the Giving Tree in back in Seton Lobby.  It's official, Christmas has hit the college... let's embrace it!

Don't stress about your exams, stay healthy and take a little bit of time every day to do something for you and you only... trust me it will keep you sane.  Don't put all of your studying off until the last minute, but do study hard... keep your eye on the goal, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it just happens to be wrapped in red paper with a big green bow...

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

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

check it out!!

So life has been pretty boring lately. Nothing really exciting going on in my life. My weekend kind of sucked too. However I did watch the 51st Grammy Award ceremony on sunday. That Chris Brown sure knows how to hit a woman. Coldplay, one of my favorite bands won three Grammy's that night I believe. The one thing that truely got me excited is that blink-182 showed up to present the best rock album of the year. Blink-182 has been broken up for 5 years. It was nice to see them on stage again. Then they announced they're getting back together and recording a new album. Now that made me smile. Blink-182 has always been one of my favorite bands growing up in High School. So I think I'm suppose to write more in my blogs. I think my boss wants me to have at least 250 words. Hmmmm....I've been improving on the piano quite significantly. I'm almost finished with my first book. The grades are good. The girls....well I don't want to talk about them *laughs*. Speaking of which I'm definatly not looking forward to this weekend. Another pointless hallmark holiday that has to make guys like me feel left out from the lovey dovey crap. Well think I'm going to treat myself to dinner and a movie. Taco Bell and friday the 13th. *sigh* Another lonely weekend.

Hey guys….

Guess what? I’m snowed in….AGAIN! This past week has been crazy with our good ol’ Cincinnati weather. Last Monday we got his with our first big snow storm of the year. And it was a big one. It started with rain, which froze and then got covered with about 6 inches of snow. Then the next day it sleeted, which also froze, followed by another few inches of snow. It was crazy! I was shovelin my driveway and it was wild to see the layers of ice and snow piled up. On the down side, the ice made the snow a bear to shovel, it was heavy and just not fun to throw off to the side.

The snow came at a great time, because Tuesdays are my rough days. I start out with morning practice at 7 a.m. followed by four classes of an hour and fifteen minutes each at 8:30, 10:00, 12:45, and 2:15. Then I have afternoon practice from 3:30 to 5:30, then a three hour night class at 6:30. And last week in particular, I had a Friday weigh-in for a tournament so I had to get a third work out in after my night class to get my weight down. As you could imagine, I was not lookin forward to last Tuesday.  Thanks to the snow, the college was closed and all classes were cancelled, meaning I didn’t have to deal with it! And as an added bonus, Wednesday classes were called off as well as classes before 10 on Thursday.

The only bad thing about all this was the fact that my private drive I live on doesn’t get plowed or salted, so I was stuck at my house for the entire ordeal. And not getting out of my house means not getting on the mats to practice and I had a big tournament a few days away.  I was pretty stressed about that. And even though I was able to workout on my treadmill and stationary bike a few times a day, it’s just not the same as getting on the mats and drilling.

But all turned out okay. I was able to get down to weight, weigh in and wrestle, and I’m happy with my performance. We took 12th place as a team out of 30 something teams with half of our line up benched due to injuries, sickness, and discipline issues.

After all that chaos, things finally got back to normal. The roads have finally gotten cleaned up and my car lost the last bit of snow that was piled on it on Sunday. Then, today around 1:30 in the afternoon, the snow started fallin AGAIN and the college closed at 5:00 p.m. The good side to this is I’m trapped at school, not a half hour away at my house so I won’t miss any workouts. And I can get my blog done for all you to enjoy! Ha.

If any of you have been affected by this snow, which I think most of the country has, I hope you are stayin warm and safe and are able to make a snowman or two.

See ya!

>Eric M.

  The view off my back deck. All the trees were covered in ice!

I got the most random, or at least I thought it was random, text from my mother on Tuesday morning at 5:15 AM. It said: "School's out for summer! (I mean snow) School's out forever! (I mean today)" And I had no idea what was going on until I got a call at 5:20 AM saying that school was cancelled for the day for a snow day! That's when I rolled over and looked at the quad- it was beautifully covered in white snow! lol It was awesome! No school!

And Wednesday was originally set to be delayed until classes that start at 6 PM but then the college decided at about 12 PM on Wednesday to cancel school all day so that meant two snow days!

Then of course, Thursday meant that most of the snow was cleared off and we had a two hour delay and classes started at 10 AM. It was still awesome to get such an unexpected break!

My mom's and brother's breaks were much better, they both had a 2 hour delay on Monday and then had the following 4 days off! They got a whole week of rest! Of course, though, Alex wouldn't say that since he had to shovel snow for 4 days instead lol but that's what you get for living at home lol. :)

But now it's Monday and we've gotten back to school and it's all piling up now that we've missed those two and a half days. Projects, papers, playing catch up, and general school activities are just attacking me and trying to get my butt moving but it's not working very well... I'm still just being generally lazy.... lol :) Like writing this blog instead of reading the 50 pages for my Wednesday morning class but I guess I should work on it instead of lolly-gagging... so off to hit the books! Enjoy the snow and be careful driving around! :)