Busiest I've ever been.

I'm the busiest I've ever been. Just thought I'd note it so I can look back later on and decide if that's a true statement or not. Here's something that I wish actually existed to help me get through this weekend:



I guess I'll just have to stick with a good ol' cup of joe.

You know Spring Break's over when...

You all know how I feel about lists, and yet I always feel the need to let you know when one's coming. This post will be a return to said form, a favorite with which to follow breaks. Here you have it:
You Know Spring Break's Over When:
1- Not only are you no longer in sunny California, but you returned to below freezing windchills and snow
2- You can't sit on your bum all day with your improv troupe, watching America's Best Dance Crew and eating hummus

3- The thought of maybe going to sit by the pool and nap for an hour is only a thought and not an actual physical possibility
4- Your roomate tells you to clean your half of the room... again. And it's only the first day back.

5- You realize you didn't actually do any of the work you had intended, meaning you're probably on the right track for sleep deprivation... you know, that slightly groggy feeling that went away when you were sleeping 10-12 hours a day and you didn't even need the snooze button

6- Your first professor of the day is red as a tomato from climbing a volcano in Ecuador
7- Games in varying forms (board games, card games, etc.) seem a figment of the intelligent and lucky imagination

8- All of your clean clothes are in your hamper because you're too lazy to hang them up, but none of them are dirty right now, so who cares anyway?
9- Your first after break deadline used to be weeks away and is now suddenly, shockingly, tomorrow afternoon
and 10- After 19 years of life, you've discovered Law and Order marathons on TV, but no matter how sexy you may think Elliot is, you just don't have time anymore to marinate and properly enjoy the juicy arranged marriage, murder, and custody battle soaked drama (warning: plot points vary every hour, on the hour)

If your Spring Break is yet to come, I hope it's as relaxing as mine was and that is will be a little less jarring upon your return to active responsibility.

(Here's another picture option from google for a "messy room" picture that I found amusing:

The sweater! The hair! The bandaids! The lack of actual mess! And is that a UNICORN in that painting? The title of this is "Teenage girl standing in messy room". I'll let you decide whether or not that's a fitting title for this work of art.)

Spring, I can taste it!

I saw my first flock of geese today! It was an exciting moment, and it made me think of a poem I'm fond of:

Something Told the Wild Geese

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go.
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered - "Snow."
Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned - "Frost."
All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,
But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.
Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly -
Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

Rachel Field
©1957

Well, it doesn't quite apply here. I could try to write one about spring. Let's see...

Something told the wild geese
It was time to come
Though gray sky hovered
Something began to hum
Snow was ripe for sledding,
Ice a mirror made
But despite this wonder
Something at them bade

The next great poet can finish that sometime in the future.

This week is midterms, which means Spring Break is too close for comfort. Meaning, I know I won't actually be able to relax until Friday comes. When it does, however, I will be in shock. What will I do for 9 days? Probably write a couple papers and finish my study abroad application. After that, however, it will be bliss! Just think, I can actually sit around and do nothing for a bit. Granted, it won't be completely mind-numbing. This coming weekend Voodoo Barbie is performing at the Self Employment in the Arts Conference in Naperville, Illinois. It's a little nerve wracking to branch off campus, but thrilling at the same time. After that I head home for 2 days, then I'm flying to California with a couple friends. A few days there, then back home for a day and finally to Beloit. Can't wait! I have instructions from my Dad to go to this beef jerky place in Cali and bring him home a bit of teriyaki lime flavored jerky. Will do! Currently, this is my only plan for my time spent on the coast. Man, I can practically feel the vitamin D my skin so desperately craves.

Speaking of parents, mine visited me this weekend and saw me perform in the Vagina Monologues. We had a nice time, and there's nothing like talking about sex and violence and women's empowerment in front of those that raised you! It was a beautiful production, and I was happy that they could be here for it. Here's a picture my dad took of the cast bow:

Yay ending violence against women!

Barack the vote!

Yesterday was an extremely politically charged day here at Beloit. Two major political figures were on campus: Chelsea Clinton and Barack Obama.

Chelsea spoke in the early afternoon, answering several questions about her mother's policies. One student asked if she was planning to run for President in 8 years, but she said her political aspirations only went so far as to actively campaign for her mother in this election. Liz Ziner, '10, got to meet her afterwards with a small group of students and ask some more questions one on one. What cool opportunity! One of the most interesting pieces of Chelsea's talk was hearing her say that she had waited for quite some time before deciding to support her mother as a candidate. She wanted to make sure that she believed in what she was endorsing. It was neat to hear that she's just as careful about her politics as the rest of us; that her family ties didn't automatically make the decision for her. Here's a picture of a group of Kappa Deltas and Miss Clinton. This was on the front page of the Beloit Daily News this morning:


Then, as soon as Chelsea finished, a large group of my friends ran to the sports center where Obama was set to speak in 6 hours. We passed the time (the first hour of which was outside in the freeeezing cold) by playing a card game that Angie Bonilla, '10, had brought along, singing various tunes (the louder the better!), and snuggling as best we could under blankets. Obama spoke for 45 minutes, and if you needed proof that he was at Beloit, here's a picture of him in our gym (Go Bucs!):

THAT IS CRAZY!!! We were so close to him! I can't even begin to explain what an experience it was. The flood arena was packed past capacity, the energy was so positive and lively it made everyone really emotional and hyped up. I love his ease with speaking, the way he worked the entire crowd- young and old, student and working citizen. He certainly knows how to give a speech! The words thrilling, inspirational, historical, and motivational come to mind. After Obama was done speaking, he came down and shook hands with people in the crowd (including mine, yipee!). Angie was very excited and moved and had been crying most of his speech. Here he is meeting her afterwards:

He called her sweetheart :)

Favorite quote from his speech:
"Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom."

Yesterday was a momentous adventure, blessing, and crazy opportunity. I am so thankful and lucky to have this experience and to have shared it with my school and with my wonderful friends.

Also, I voted today.
:)

League Of Pissed-off Voters

The primary election for Wisconsin will be taking place next tuesday. There's a group on campus, the League of Pissed Off Voters, that's been working their tail off to raise awareness of the date, register people on campus to vote, and provide shuttles to the polls on voting day. I feel the need to take a moment and recognize their hard work- I tip my hat to you, LOPV.

I know I'll be on one of those shuttles come tuesday. The democratic process is thrilling, isn't it? If your state (or country) has an election coming up, I urge you to get involved. It's an exciting time for the world, and if one has the opportunity to speak up then what is there to stop them?

Look before you Leap!

You know what makes me happy? Leap years. You forget about them every other year, but once every four years there's a whole nother 24 hours to play with. I think february 29th should be a national holiday that people aren't allowed to work on. It's a free day! All the other years when you're thinking, "Man, I just wish there was more time in the year." Well, this year- there is! What isn't exciting about that?

Also, I love when people are born on February 29th. One of the things I remember about elemnetary school is that Mrs. Healy's dad AND son were born on february 29th. Isn't that crazy? Another thing I remember is that the Healy clan was extremely tall... and not by little kid standards, either. Sure I'm short, but when everyone in a family is over 6 feet tall- whew! It hurts my neck just thinking about it. She was a great teacher, though. To be honest, I don't remember exactly everything I learned from her, but I do love school and I think it comes from being excited to go when I was little. Thanks, Mrs. Healy! Also, my dear friend Angie Bonilla ('10) is a leap year baby. I can't wait to celebrate with her this year!

My First Trip to a Conference

This weekend I flew down to Olive Branch, Mississippi with Liz Ziner ('10).

We were attending the annual Presidents and Emerging Leaders Conference that Kappa Delta holds. It was a great learning opportunity and a lot of fun to see so many Kappa Deltas from across the country. Boy, is Greek Life different around the country! The basics are the same, but some of the things I heard about were so elaborate. Understandable, when there are chapters out there with over 100 people in them. That's incomprehensible to me! Anyway, other than learning about being a better leader, we did a couple really neat things. First, we got to visit Kappa Delta Headquarters, which is located in Memphis, Tennessee. I love me my history, and this was right up my alley:

One of Kappa Delta's national philanthropies is the Girl Scouts of America. Together they formulated a program called Uniquely Me! that focuses on empowering girls to gain self-esteem. The spokesperson for this program is SuChin Pak (yes, the MTV personality), and she came to talk to us about this program and encourage us all to get our chapters involved with the girl scouts by holding Uniquely Me! events.

The last neat thing I'll talk about was seeing Bonnie Purvis Warren, Kappa Delta's National President, in her element. She really is a great woman and perfectly suited for her role. She said that somebody in an airport once asked her what she did. She responded, "I'm the head of a non-profit women's group of over 200,000 women that has given over 8 million dollars to Prevent Child Abuse America, is partners with the Girl Scouts of America, and focuses on empowering young women to be their best." He said, "My God, what do you do?!" And she replied, "I'm the National President of Kappa Delta Sorority." :)

(I have a bichon frise, too!)

After that exciting, whirlwind of a weekend, I'm happy to be back. Beloit is great to come home to and I couldn't be happier to settle back into the routine. And, I'll admit, ready for next weekend already!