Well this is it! It is now technically Wednesday of exam week for the S109 semester. I am still awake because I have been spending the past couple hours going through old papers from the semester and beginning to set things up for next semester. I fortunately do not have anything to study this week because I have no scheduled exams so this is my way of preparing to finish the term papers that i have to write. this paper work though has been on my mind for weeks and as i've always said, i need organizaion in order to truly finish anything off. so now that i'm physically and mentally prepared i can focuse on doing my best job with finishing the term papers. tonight was the exam jam, so it was able to set me off in that great mood. i spent time with some good friends just relaxing and having fun. I was able to eat some free food which was served by the teachers, get a free AMAZING back massage, attend a session of 'blessing of the brains' from campus ministry in which you could join in meditation through prayer, and also we were given the opportunity to pie some of the RAs in the face. that was definitely amusing! oh and how can i forget the kareoke. i was able to witness some very interesting performances from some of my friends as they attempted to ...i believe sing... is the word several popular songs from the ages. it was definitely a fun night. and come saturday i will be able to travel home, again through the megabus, for just less than a month. i am hoping to work A LOT at home with my lovely ladies at Hallmark and to build closer relationships with my family! i've realized a lot this year how much i really would like to bond with my family more. i don't want to be cheesey, as some might think. but really, i do love my family. of course we fight and bicker and tease each other and oh my gosh do we get on each others nerves sometimes. but i love them. hey, family is the one thing that will always be there anyway! so whether i like them or not. i'm stuck. but i'm glad i'm stuck with this family. a big irish family in the southside of chicago is one of the greatest things ever known. i'm glad i'm a part of such a community!

 oh and i want an ipod and the twilight series for christmas ;)

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! It's been a great semester!!!

Hey everyone!

 

Turkey day is rapidly approaching and I have to say it is one of my most favorite holidays.  It might have something to do with the fact that I love to eat and always put my diet on hold during the season to enjoy Thanksgiving as much as possible.  My reasoning for this is that I am extremely thankful for how fortunate I am to be able to stuff my face and spend time with my family. So my weight cutting for wrestling can wait. Sorry Coach.

 

As I said, I am extremely thankful for all the things I have:  heated house, a great family, warm clothes, food, clean water, great friends, an amazing girlfriend, and a caring church among other things.  Many people are not as fortunate as I am and Thanksgiving usually reminds me of these people more than any other time of year.  This week is Homelessness Awareness Week and the College of Mount St Joseph is hosting a week full of events to share homeless perspectives with the students and the rest of the community. 

 

The week starts with a representative speaker from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Homeless experiences will be shared, followed by a question/answer session about life on the streets. “Street Vibes”, a newspaper written by the homeless of Cincinnati, will also be available.  Tuesday, the movie “Dark Days” will be shown. This film is biographical documentary about homeless who live in abandoned tunnels in New York. Then Wednesday, the Mount’s Quad will turn into Shantytown.  Students will make shelters out of cardboard in the Quad and participate in a mock soup kitchen.  Then the students will actually spend the night in their cardboard shacks outside in the elements!  The week ends with a candlelight vigil in Shantytown on Thursday night and a reflection on connections between homelessness and our faith and how we are called to help the homeless. 

This whole week will hopefully raise awareness of the seriousness of the homeless situation, not only in Cincinnati, but all over the country, especially when so many jobs are being terminated these days.  I know I’m going to try to make an effort to help out in some way.  I’m not too sure how just yet, I’m involved in a small food drive type event at my church that is gathering items to host a Thanksgiving dinner for needy families, but I’d like to do a little more.  I would like to call on any of you reading this to try to help out a little as well. Any little thing helps.

 

Let me give you an example of something my cousin, Paige, did a few months ago.  Paige took about forty bucks and bought a handful of gift cards to Arby’s.  She took the gift cards downtown and just walked around.  If she crossed paths with a homeless person, she would ask them if they liked Arby’s and give them a gift card.  Then she would hang out and talk with the people and get to know them a little. She heard some pretty crazy stories along with some real heartbreakers.  Paige has done this a few times now and it has gotten to the point where if she’s downtown, she has people coming up to her and thanking her for the gift cards and the meal they purchased with them. 

 

I have a lot of respect for my cousin for doing this and I hope that I can find the time and money to do something half as decent as what she did.  I challenge you to do something too!

 

Have a great week!

 

>Eric M.

Hey guys!

 

For those of you who don’t know, Cincinnati recognizes daylight savings time.  This means that that a couple weeks ago, we all turned our clocks back an hour to allow for more light in the morning.  It was designed to save on energy for the workplace. But I have a problem with this.

 

This time of year is obviously wrestling season (my earlier blogs might have clued you in on that) and we have morning and afternoon practice.  Morning practice takes place early enough that I’m still driving in the dark to get to practice and afternoon practice takes place just late enough to be dark once again on my way home. The constant darkness starts to take its toll and get a tad depressing.  And all this on top of the stress of school, wrestling, family obligations, and a combination of all three.  School work is getting tougher, I need to make weight every week now, and the holidays draw a lot of work and time at home. 

 

But guess what? I have some tips on how I avoid getting stuck in the rut of depression caused by all this stuff.

 

First and foremost, in regards to wrestling and making weight, I watch what I eat very closely.  I’m nothing close to a doctor, so don’t take my word for anything, but the way I keep my diet helps my energy levels.  I take a B vitamin complex, which helps with the healthy maintenance of the nervous system among other things. I also take my protein shakes that help my muscles recover to keep my body from hurting too much more.  Bodily pain tends to weigh heavy on your mind and keep you from focusing.  I also take ice baths to help my muscles recover quicker as well. 

 

Along with the supplements, I keep my vegetable and protein intake high and sugar, sodium, and carbohydrate intake low. I don’t know how much this affects my mood, but it helps me make my weight.

 

In regards to the other factors, I make sure I go to every class (I have yet to skip a class this semester) so that way I don’t get buried in missed work or struggle to find the notes for the missed lectures.  This is hard to do. The last thing I want to do is wake up from a hard practice and get to class. But you gotta make yourself do it.  Speaking of waking up, sleep is vital! I try to get as much sleep as I can, which usually falls between 4 and 5 hours a night, which I know is too low.

 

Other helpful tips to keep energy levels up that I have found to be successful include a workout routine and chill time.  I’ve found a regular workout routine (as long as it’s not too intensive) increases my energy levels and happiness.  Chill time for me would include napping, watching a movie or two, and talking and hangin out with my girlfriend, Katelyn, and my teammates and friends.  Video games, meditating, listening to music, and other enjoyable activities tend to help as well.

 

Well I gotta try to increase my sleep time tonight! I hope this might help you cope with the long, cold, sometimes depressing winter months. Just remember, spring is just around the corner!

 

See ya!

 

> Eric M.

Hey all! And hello once again from the Mount!

I sat down to write today, and it occurred to me, if there’s one thing that a college student really loves, it’s food. Don’t worry, at the Mount we got it covered!

We actually have three places you can go to get chow here on campus. Our main one is the Fifth-Third Dining Hall. (No deposit slips, please) This is the main place where students go to get our food. It’s open Breakfast, Lunch, and a little bit longer for dinner. They always have a main meal, and almost always have an alternate meal for anyone who might not like what’s up on the main plate for the day. And supposing you still don’t like that, there’s always Deli-style sandwiches, soup, and a salad bar, every day!

In addition to the dining hall, there’s also the Food Court (which is in the process of being updated to be even better, by the way!) The Food Court is for students who eat between times that the dining hall is open. It’s got hamburgers, chicken patties, fries, salad, fruit, and drinks, perfect thing to grab a snack to take to class!

Then there’s the Starbucks Gallery. The Starbucks Gallery is a small place over by the theater. They serve a fixed menu often a sandwich and a side, and they always serve coffee and other drinks, for those of you who need a pick-me-up before class. :D

Also, the neat thing about the food service is that they will work with you if you have special food needs. I myself have a digestive disorder that won’t let me eat anything that’s got more than 30% fat, and I can’t eat anything that contains any milk. (Bummer, huh?) Thankfully, the Dining Hall works with me. All the servers know my name, and they know what I can eat. Anytime I need it, they’ll cut me a piece of chicken and grill it for me. They also have soy milk and turkey burgers that they keep in just for me. It makes it so much easier for me, because I don’t have to try to keep in so much food for myself in my dorm room!

If you have special food needs and you’re considering coming to the Mount, go ahead and contact our food service. I’m certain they’ll be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss your options for food at the Mount. ;)

Well Folks, I have heaps of homework, so I think it’s time for me to get back into it! I hope you all are having a great week! We’re going to blow glass cups in glassblowing tomorrow. I hope I can hop on and tell you how it went!

Until then!