TETRIS!

A friend told me about this the other day, and I thought I'd share it with you all.



This weekend we had a snow/sleet storm here that, unfortunately, forced me to cancel my plans to visit Chicago. A friend of mine was directing a show that only played the weekend, so hopefully it was taped. The good news is that the weekend turned out to be lovely anyway. I went to brunch with some Kappa Deltas and then we went on a quick Christmas shopping trip. The evening consisted of Lord of the Rings watching (including pulling my life-sized Legolas cardboard cut out out of my trunk, placing a Santa figurine jauntily on his shoulder, and hiding him (creepily) behind the festively decorated tree... actually, quite like this google image I just found... that's odd),

going to TKEs Kontiki party (complete with live regge band), and the Outdoor Environmental Club's Talking Heads party, where they only play Talking Heads music. Last year so many people attended that their wooden living room floor looked like a trampoline from everybody dancing on it. The crowd managed to break four crossbeams before the entire group was forced to migrate to a new location. Not quite as much excitement this year, but still an energetic evening. I think quite a few people were sticking close to home because of the weather. I myself fell down TKEs front porch steps, so I can see the aversion. Thankfully no harm done and I was able to laugh at myself... along with the few other people outside, after they had helped me up, of course.

:)

Have a happy day tomorrow!

Busy- the new idle

I am back from a successful (in terms of eating much delicious, home made food) and festive Turkey Break and have every minute allotted to something or another from here until next Wednesday.

Don't let anyone ever tell you college is restful. Right now, the hardest part is finding time to sleep! It gets hectic around this time every semester, so one would think I'd be used to it by now. Papers, exams, performances, homework- the various presentations of the culmination of a semester of learning, barreling down the home stretch before winter break. As of right now, there are only 11 days of class, 21 days total, until the residence halls close. The reason why those two numbers are so different is because there's a six day period allotted for finals after classes stop meeting. It's broken up so that classes end, then there's a study day, two exam days, another study day, and a final two exam days. Beloit does an excellent job of spacing out tests to make sure no one feels too overwhelmed, for which I am extremely grateful. If you have an approaching test of your knowledge gathered during this semester, in whatever format it may be, I hope it goes well.

Let it be, let it be...

Things I would like to do in my lifetime:

-Be a part of a protest (like a million person, over run D.C. type of protest)
-Own a talking bird
-Ride a bike along the Underground Railroad trail


-Meet a president
-Live for an extended period of time in London

(I think this is the first female BeefEater in 1000 years)

-See the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Pyramids of Giza
-Invent something useful (like a shoe horn)
-Breed a new type of dog

(This is a puggle! It's a pug/beagle mix!)

-Create an award winning recipe
-Get lost in the jungle and find my way out again (like Bear Grylls!)


-Befriend a wild animal


-Use my History major later in life!

I like that most of these have to do with animals or traveling.
What do you want to do?

The Smell of the Kill

I went to a play last night titled "The Smell of the Kill".

It was held in the smallest of our theatres, the Bunge, and people had to be turned away because it was so well attended. Jordana Berk '08 directed it and two of my good friends, Daisy Donohue '10 and Michelle Casali '08, were two of the visible three person cast (two other actors were voices off stage and many other talented and amazing people were involved, and I can't wait to spend more time with them all at the upcoming American College Theater Festival). The show is about three women that have gotten together for an evening every month for 12 years because their husbands were friends in college. They are not particularly close, however, and throughout the course of the play we learn that all of them are extremely dissatisfied in some way with their husbands and their lives. Hilarity and mounting tension ensues, and they all have a decision to make when their husbands get accidently locked into a meat locker. It was very well done and completely entertaining. There's nothing like a dark, female-empowering comedy as a way to broaden one's horizons, get one laughing, and escape one's busy day for awhile.

Madness in Admissions!

Warning! Shameless plug for Beloit below- proceed at your own risk:



I walked into work about 15 minutes ago and one of our dedicated admissions staff was on the phone with a prospective student. She sounded concerned and was asking questions such as, "Are you near a McDondalds? A Road Ranger? No? Ok..."



I was slightly confused but decided I would ask questions when I came back upstairs after a trip to the bathroom. When I returned, seven admissions staff and Gold Key coordinator (and fellow blogger!) Alex Catalan had all materialized and were hurrying about, trying to print things and looking up directions to a bus stop in Kenosha, Wisconson. It turns out that said prospective student had accidently gotten on the wrong bus at the airport (which is easy to do, so please double check when you visit!!!!!!!) and was now located about an hour north of where she wanted to be. As soon as the admissions counselors knew where she was, they hopped in a car and are racing toward Kenosha as I type! That, my friends, is committment! A harrowing tale of a daring rescue- thanks, admissions staff! We love you!

The reason for all the on hand staff members (they are wonderful, but not present in the office 24/7) is because it is the last of our Autumn Visit days tomorrow, and there are over one hundred perspective students on campus! That's 8 percent of our student body! A big thanks to the Gold Key coordinators for running this all- it is a HUGE task and you do an incredible job every time.

Oh, Beloit. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by my love for thee.

This weekend was a whirlwind of fun and games, followed by work and more work. Unfortunately, that's the way the cookie crumbles. This weekend was of particular note for a few reasons:



My parents came to visit, and they brought my dog! My dad took all the pictures in this blog, and this one details the fall colors beautifully. While here we went to the football team's last game (which they won in overtime, 16-13!!!!!), an art opening at the school owned gallery down town, and a modern dance show about disabilities called From the Limb where they met a large amount of the members of Theater for Social Action, including Dan, Angie, and Sophie, who were all at the dance concert in the row ahead of us. Exciting stuff!



Emma Ramsbottom '10, Liz Ziner '10, and Megan Armstrong '10 accompanied us for dinner at the Atlanta Bread Company.



This is the crowd at the Voodoo Barbie performance that evening (the reason for my parent's visit). The woman in the foreground is Ms Judy Ziner, Liz's mom. Liz is in Voodo Barbie with me and her parents surprised her by going to the performance.



Jon Verkler and Travis Robinson during an improv game called Oxygen Deprivation. One has to stick their head in a bucket of water while two other people perform a scene. When the person in the bucket can't hold their breath any more, they start banging the floor with their hand to signal that they need to get out. Then one of the people in the scene thinks of a reason to leave and they take over for the person in the bucket, who them has to think of a reason for entering the scene while being wet. This is Jon being relieved by Travis in the middle of the game.



This is Voodoo Barbie (counter clockwise, starting with the bottom right corner: Daisy Donohue '10, Emily Edstrom '10, Liz Ziner '10, Caitlin MacDougall '10, Travis Robinson '08, Lincoln McLain '08, Jade Daugherty '11, Amelia Buzzell '10, Betsy Huggins '10, and Jon Verkler '11). We often perform during Presidential Weekends and other scheduled visit days, so keep an eye open if you do!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I've already carved my pumpkin, and the candy is in a bowl by the door. Bring it on, costumed little ones!

Last night, in celebration of the spookiest time of year, there was a ghost walk held on the Beloit campus. The paths were lit with candles in white bags, and there was cider and cookies out for everyone. The campus looked really magical, and the RAs worked hard to put it all together. The only thing that would have made it better was a big, fat snow storm!

Ok, I know what some of you might be thinking: is she CRAZY?! It can't snow YET!

Au contraire, mes amies. Tomorrow is November, and where I'm from (Minnesota, in case you forgot) November means winter. And winter means snow. It's not quite cold enough for it here yet, but I would bet on some flurries in the next two weeks. I mean, I'm not a meteorologist, but my new red coat with over sized buttons is waiting on the back of my desk chair oh, so patiently right next to my comfy black boots, sooo... something's gotta give.

Have a spooky Halloween and great All Saint's day (that's tomorrow)!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: My parents have been encouraging my extended family to read this (Hi, everyone!), and I have a couple redactions to make. First of all, my aunt isn't a travel coordinator, she owns a travel company. And second, my mother is only a LITTLE afraid I'm going to get malaria. We've talked about all the medical necessities for my trans-Atlantic jaunt, but moms will be moms and sometimes moms worry. It's ok, Mom, I'm not going for over another year. Heck- I have to make it INTO the program first! So, try not to be too worried too soon. Love you!

Love, actually...

Beloit on the weekends is an interesting time. I'm often thrown by the juxtaposition of the calm and focused days with the abundant energy of the nights. Events on campus this weekend included a scary story reading, a German polka dance, a staging of the Rocky Horror Picture show, battle of the bands at the on campus bar, a band at the on campus bar the next evening, and a halloween party, complete with costume contest (first prize went to a guy that fashioned an Optimus Prime costume out cardboard boses and intricate spray painting), thrown by Sigma Chi and Kappa Delta. As social chair of KD, I was one of the people in charge of this all-campus shindig, and I am extremely happy that it went as well as it did. There were some CRAZY costumes out there! I feel that Beloit may be one of the only places where Edward Scissorshands, an alein from Star Wars, a member of the blue man group, Spartans from 300, Anna Nicole Smith, a transformer, pirates, and 4 different stages of Britney Spears can be found in the same place. I could be wrong, though. Also, don't let anyone ever tell you that there's nothing to do at Beloit. If they say that, they clearly have not looked hard enough or are just not paying attention. I mean, that's quite the list for two days!

Really quickly I want to explain the title of my blog. Last night I slept over in my friend Liz and Emma's room (they are wonderful and let me keep my own toothbrush there), and when I walked into the room Emma had put on the movie Love, Actually. This movie will always remind me of my first year in college (I watched it who knows how many times first semester last year with my friends Rachael and Ally) and having it on last night took me back to those first few weeks when it felt breezy, confusing, delightful, challenging, and amusing all at the same time trying to figure out the whole college thing. This year I'm up to my ears in repsonsibility, constantly on my toes, and having the time of my life. My point is, it is so interesting to see how things have worked themselves out over the course of a year, and I wait excitedly to see what challenges, lessons, and stories the rest of my time here will bring. Like watching Love, Actually more than any other movie as a first year, and being delighted by it enough my second year to have trouble falling asleep after a night of constant action, distracted by the memories of using every excuse possible to watch it (bad day, good day, rainy day, homework break, etc) only a year before.

It's thoughts like these that make it all too clear why I'm a history major :)

So sweet, the fall!

Oh my goodness, College street on the residential side of campus is simply gorgeous right now! All of the leaves on the trees lining it have turned stunning and subtle shades of red and yellow. When I got back from break and saw the change that had taken place, I had to pause for a moment and appreciate life and being here at Beloit. Sometimes I think I don't live my life with enough gratitude, but I need to keep in mind how lucky I really am.

And speaking of gratitude, I am extremely grateful for the relaxing time of fall break! Beloit certainly does know how to split up a semester, and after being here for a couple of months it is nice to escape back home for a breather. Over break my friend Emma and I went on a roadtrip with stops in Plymouth Minnesota (where my parents live), Moorhead Minnesota (where a bunch of my close friends go to school), back to Plymouth, a night in Beloit, and finally to Champaign Illinois (to visit with Emma's extended family that were in town). There were some crazy adventures over the 9 days, too many to recount, so I will give you the top 5 moments of my fall break (you know, other than being happy to be home- also,with pictures to follow):

5. Emma and my photo shoot on my friend Sam's extra long couch, inspired by a rerun of America's Next Top Model
4. My friend Georgia stuffing 5 gumballs in her mouth after a halloween costume shopping trip at a store called Fantasies.
3. Every hour in the car that Emma humored me by letting me listening to musicals while claiming to be "expanding her horizons"
2. My parent's first reactions to the news that I'm planning to study abroad in Ghana (after Emma prefaced the conversation with our fake marriage, to soften them up): My dad immediately got onto Wikipedia and read the page about Ghana, and the first words out my mother's mouth were, "You're going to get malaria." (ok, not quite, but close- she warmed up to the idea over the next few days... it helped that her sister, a travel coordinator, is behind me 100 percent. I know she's reading this- Hi, mom!)
1. When Emma and I finally purchased Uggs (don't judge!) after a two day journey that involved Dick's sporting goods, two holds at different stores, Bubbly Betsy and Downer Dennis, and a lot of self-doubt, coercion, and pie

Ok, I will post again soon!
Good night, everyone!

Julie came in, here is her poem...

Julie and the Medical Condition



Oh, sweet Julie fair

with brown eyes and brown hair

Has a love that she longs to see

Each week she makes sure,

with a heart that's quite pure,

To find time for with them to be

It takes only an hour

for her joy to flower

On her face, a fine filigree

And when the time's up

it is awfully abrupt

And she knows she wants not to be free

For each night when she dreams

Each picture gleams

With what her life someday may be

And when she wakes to the day

the dreams prompts her to say:

"I love you, Grey's Anatomy."

Love you, Julie!

I hope everyone enjoys their next week! See you after break, world!

:)

Mentally checked-out!

Mentally checked out, and, therefore, not wanting to process anything else completely intellectual until after fall break.

And now, continuing with the poetry vein:

An Ode to Shanna Dell

(The Limerick!)

There once was a SOI we called Shanna

Who, unlike most girls, disliked fauna

One evening at work

She revelaed a small quirk

When she changed her whole name to Svetlana

Now there's a SOI named Svetlana

Who really is a prima donna

She's really forthright

(Her bark's worse than her bite)

One day she hopes to reach nirvana

Svetalana has twenty iguanas

Half of them are named after Madonna

She puts them in clothes

Then likes making them pose

In scenes full of Americana

(The traits discussed in this poem do NOT relfect nor are supported by Shanna Dell[TM], especially the final stanza)

When Julie comes in I'll write one about her, too...

:)

Haiku: The Challenge

Goal of this blog: to write about recent events in verse, specifically haikus. Aaaaaand, go!

Homecoming weekend
Beloit students past
One day we'll remember, too
The sweetness of youth

Oh, Kappa Delta
Alum whose stories rivet
Champion Osculate


Geology field trip on Sunday
Early in the morn'
Stumble to the science lab
Naptime in the vans

Baraboo, 'sconsin
In ancient times, folded rocks
Continents collide

Devil's Lake, cliffs, sun
Wade in at lunch, rocky sand
Hey! I skipped two rocks!


Midterms
Examinations
The exhuastion of the mind
Study. Sleep. Study.

Papers and research
Stacking mental layers with
Full concentration


Fall break
Freedom? Is that you?
Fling, float, fly, flap, flaunted rest
I had forgotten


Student Outreach Interns
Old and matronly
A little bit square, but cute
As Beloit is shared

While in Admissions
Things get creative and crazed
And sometimes Miss Seuss-

Miss Seuss says: What did
You do? Where did you go? Did
It rain? Did it snow?

Then I write in verse
Oh, aren't syllables funny?
Refridgerator.

Thanks, Krista, for the
Inspiring, accidental
Oh, my dear Miss Seuss


Have a nice night, friends!

And now, the things that keep Emily real real busy:

There are a LOT of things to do at Beloit. Here are the ones I am involved with:

Gold Key: This is the club that coordinates overnight, lunch, and evening visits for prospective students. I have a permanent tour spot on tuesdays at one (so look forward to that if you visit then!), but have not been able to host any students yet due to my slightly hectic schedule. Last semester, though, I was fourth overall in hosting prospies (the affectionate term for prospective students)... although, Shanna, another SOI, ran laps around the rest of us. She won a fridge. Touche.

Kappa Delta: I joined Kappa Delta last semester, and I live in the house this year. I never know what to say about being a sorority, because I never thought I would join one. I love the community and being part of something national is so cool. The opportunities for leadership and networking and philantrophy and sisterhood, etc., etc. are amazing. Being a part of something that promotes strong, intelligent women is a really positive thing to have in my life, and though some things have been a challenge, that's what I know is making it worthwhile. Also, I am having a ton of fun! If any KDs out there are reading this- AOT!

Theater for Social Action: This is a club one of my friends, Agnotti, started last year. All last year a group of us worked super, duper hard on figuring out how to get a forum theatre group, based off the work done by Augusto Boal, off the ground. We've done a few performances so far, the first called White People Talking About Race, and a reincarnation of that this year renamed Race in Your Face: A Reahearsal for Action. This semester we're working on a performance for November that is doubling as an assignment for one of our member's classes. I am really excited about this and always look forward to meetings. The people are amazing, and we do some really neat abstract theater-y things while exploring various issues in our society. The goal is to spark dialogue within communities about oppressive situations. It's pretty sweet.

This is a workshop that Augusto Boal ran on Theatre of the Oppressed(Agnotti went to one like this two summers ago). The guy in the back with the glasses and the nametag is Senor Boal himself.

Voodoo Barbie: This is the most recent addition to my repetoire of activites. It's an improv comedy group that's been around for a while. I saw them when I was a prospective student here, and now I'm a part of it! It's pretty crazy. At practice on monday we played a game that's basically an interview backwards, like a person give the answer to a question and then the interviewer has to say the question. Difficult, extrmely so, but pretty entertaining when it went well. This is something I look forward to digging into over the semester!

Oh, Google. I image search voodoo barbie, and this is what I get. Would you say that dog is looking at the camera suggestively?

In other news, I declared my major two days ago. Woohoo! I am now officially a history major. I know, try to contain your excitement. :)

Well, I believe that's all I have.
Cheerio!

Chicago, Land of Shiny Things!

Hello, all! Ok, so this weekend was super busy. I went down to Chicago to visit my friend Regina, who goes to Loyola, and to see my Dad who was there for a conference. After arriving on Friday, Regina, a couple of her friends, and I went to a sketch comedy show called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. They do 30 plays in 60 minutes, and the audience chooses the order of the shows. About half of them were funny, while the other half were a little weird and very political. I had a good time, though, it was definitely an experience! Then on Saturday I met my Dad downtown and we had lunch in Millenium park by the giant shiny kidney bean (see above). Afterwards we went to an art gallery in the northern part of downtown that specializes in poster art from Europe. For instance, there was an origianl of this poster on display:

After we traveled by foot to the Newberry Library, a huge and widely respected research library. It was a big nerdy thing to do, and we had fun doing it. Not only did we learn the origin of Hot Crossed Buns, we also looked up a book written about my ancestors on my mom's side, the Lyford family. Steven Lyford came over in the 1600s, so that's pretty neat. Then we got some coffee underneath the Hancock building to kill some time before our dinner reservations at six. We ate at North Pond, this really swanky restaurant in the Lincoln Park area. The food was really, really delicious! I loved being able to spend some time with my Dad, especially since this weekend was family weekend at Beloit and wouldn't have been able to see any of my family otherwise.

Later that night I went to a party at Regina's boyfriend's house. There were a lot of people there I didn't know, but everyone was really nice and interesting. Most of them went to the University of Chicago, so it was a party in celebration of their first week of classes, which was this past week. That was really weird to me because I've been at Beloit since August 15, and tomorrow is October! I hear they get out in the middle of June, which makes since. I like getting out in early May, though. It certainly helps to beat the rush of college students looking for summer jobs!

I traveled back home this morning and had a Theater for Social Action meeting that I ran at four. I know I haven't talked about my club involvement yet, so look forward to that on Tuesday (unless something else exciting happens that I absolutely have to share)!

Have a chipper week!

-Emily

फॉर अल ऑफ़ यू व्हो स्पाक हिंदी आउट तेरे...

हेल्लो! If you can read Hindi, that title is for you. Enjoy!

Hey there again! I hope everyone's weekend was grand (I know we've almost hit the hump day, and another weekend is quickly approaching, but stick with me), I know mine was. A fair amount of work, but enough play to make up for it. My weeks are starting to have a common theme, which is- "If I can live through Wednesday, I know I'll make it. Just live until 4 on Wednesday."

This week is no different. Well it's a little different because, and I'm warning you that some of you may think less of me for this, new TV starts this week. And I am TV junkie. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that TV can be the devil... but I just cannot live through my week without the Office. I've recently decided that every other show could cease to exist, but so long as the Office is on, I am one happy, ecstatic camper. I know my love for the Office can be overwehlming, but it starts in two days so I'm a little preoccupied at the moment.

Ok, all. I'm excited for my post tomorrow!
Until then, stay dry (it's raining here a bit),
Emily

Summer in five pictures or less

The challenge: Provide an overview of my summer using only five picutres to do it. And use five sentences to describe each photo, no more, no less.
Here goes!


My friend Michelle came to visit me in June. She had only been to Minnesota once before, and only went to the Mall of America at that. We went to the cherry and spoon sculpture, simply because no one can resist. Plus, it was an excuse to be downtown at night. I should make a public apology to Michelle right now for getting lost at least 9 times that day- I'm sorry, Michelle, I really should pay more attention to road signs.


This is from a media event my summer job held about renemable energy. It's at the Minnesota state capitol, and each pinwheel represented one of the windmills it would take to power the entire twin cities, minneapolis and st. paul, on wind power. There were 421 pinwheels, and the event was with U.S. PIRG. They were trying to pass a national renewable elctricity standard this summer, and I know it did go through the House of Representatives, but I don't think the Senate has voted yet. In case you were wondering.


I like this one a whole lot. This is Laura. She is neat. We went to high school together. We met each other in ninth grade when a mutual friend sent me a singing tellagram at lunch via Laura.


This is my good friend Sam. We also went to high school together. This summer we took a trip to New York we'd been talking about for quite some time (yay five musicals in three days over the 7th Harry Potter book release!). Here he is in our tiny hotel room. Mind you, he's a giant, but the room really was that small.


This was taken at my friend Kevin's cabin where 12 of us went for a weekend this summer. I just thought it was a bit creepy, so I put it up. That's Laura with me behind her and then Regina. I did not go to high school with Regina, but, oddly enough, met her through the same mutual friend through whom I met Laura. Regina goes to school at Loyola, which is in Chicago and therfore only an hour and a half away, and I'm going to visit her next weekend- yay!

Ok, one more, if only because I love it oh so much:

This is Sam, Megen, Andy, and Laura at the Zoo. We went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 3-D. We had a hard time figuring out that the 3-D glasses are only used for one part of it, so we might have worn them the entire film (don't judge). Then, on our way out, we pretended we were going to zoo camp! Aren't they precious?

Well, that was basically my summer. Lots of play, good friends, and a bit of work. Plus, let's face it, a good amount of Harry Potter. It was a grand ol' time, but I am happy to be back at Beloit. One can only keep one's summer brain for so long before it is time to start thinking again.
Enjoy your day!
-Emily

Ok, people.

I know that I've left you in suspense for a few days now, but it's going to have to wait at least one or two more. I just really wanted to explore the font options on this blog and thought I'd share the expereince with you. By the end of this I hope that you will have experienced at least part of the joy of curiosity I'm feeling right now. No lie. See? Isn't this fun?

Let's see. What are some ispirational words?

Motivation

Beauty

Truth

Honor

Perseverance

Oooo! What an uplifting array of vocabulary!
Expect an update tomorrow, world.

Until then, stay sharp.
-Emily

Sunday, Sunday...

Sundays are always interesting days on the Beloit campus. It's quiet and subdued, a stark contrast to the frenzy of Saturday nights; a deep breath before the academic plunge of the week. For me, it's the last line of defense between me and my homework, for I am a terrible procrastinator. Even now, as I write this blog, I am participating in my natural resistance to just get things done. I've been doing really well this year, though, waking up early instead of staying up late. I hope this will help me in the long run with my intellectual pursuits, especially since I'm taking a few reading heavy courses this semester. Which brings me to my classes: History Workshop (Hist 190), History of Education in Southern Africa (Hist 150), Principles of Geology (Geo 100), and an interdisciplinary course being co-taught by Amy Sarno, a theatre director here, and a Fulbright Scholar from Ireland called Do You See What I'm Saying. It's about community based theatre, particularly in the greater town of Beloit, and our goal for the semester is to create a play based off of oral histories we're going to obtain from community members. It's a bit more complicated than that, but it's really an exciting and interesting class.
Anywho, life is amazing. Next time expect information about my club involvement and/or summer!

The suspense is simply dreadful, isn't it?

Emily: The Five Minute Guide

Beginnings can be awkward. Especially for people, such as myself, who feel fairly secure greeting people in the real world, but are never quite sure how to present themselves online without sounding like a carefully worded personal add. So, being a big fan of various ice breakers, I decided to do a mini tutorial centered mainly on a few of my favorite things (partly because I like thinking of favorite things, and also because I love musicals and puns). Starting with a list I made during a pause in Geology today-

Favorite words:
-Lollipop
-Snafu
-Tetrahedron

Favorite baby animals:
-Squirrels
-Sloths
-Wookies (I know they are fictional, but I'm pretty sure that is irrelevant in this case... sometimes I make executive decisions about these things)

Favorite Antagonists (fictional and historical):
-Miss Trunchbull from Matilda
-Rasputin
-Napoleon

Favorite Beloit facts:
-The school got sued for having the same mascot symbol as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-The "Wall" is a handicap access ramp
-Oscar Meyer of Oscar Meyer wieners was on the board of trustees
-Pearson's Hall was designed by Burnham and Root, the architectural firm in the book the Devil in the White City

Ok, I think that's a fairly accurate introduction to me. I hope it wasn't too awkward, but I'm pretty sure the wookies saved me from the personal add trap.
Have a good day!
Emily