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!!!

So Thanksgiving break went by in the blink of an eye. Before I knew, I was sleeping in my bed at the dorms and I was preparing for the torturous Monday that I just encountered. 

But my break wasn’t all that bad, but I’m certain I’ve had better. I went home Tuesday night after my ASL class and slept at home that night. Then Wednesday morning at 6:30 AM, my mom and I made the 4 ½ hour drive to Pigeon Forge, TN, to meet up with some of her friends to hang out for a bit. We shopped, went out, and just had some good general girl fun (say that ten times fast lol). They ended up going home on Wednesday night but Mom and I spent the night in Tennessee. Then on Thursday morning, Thanksgiving, we went up through Gatlinburg, surprised there were people out and shops were open, but we went up into the mountains to Cade’s Cove and drove around on the path up there observing the natural scenery. It took three hours to drive the 25 miles up the mountains, the 11 mile trail, and the 25 miles back into Gatlinburg. It was excruciatingly slow but my mom and I had fun in the car making fun of all the other holiday drivers. ;) We ended up leaving for home at 2:30 PM and got to my aunt’s house at 7 PM. We were tired, I was hungry, and I was exhausted from driving in the car for almost 8 hours (Cade’s Cove trip + the drive home). The Thanksgiving meal at my aunt’s was good and we had fun hanging out and just being goofy. For example, my uncle had my two younger cousins, Lexie who is 8 and Jake who is 4, put on a circus and do acrobatic tricks for us in the middle of the living room. Of course, my other cousin, Sean who is 1, wanted to join in and he tried doing his own flips, unsuccessfully might I add.  

Friday was Black Friday and my mom and I went out again and shopped till my feet just about fell off my legs. It was fun though and I got some gifts for people crossed off my list so it was productive to say the least. Then on Saturday my brother and I spent 4 hours raking leaves for my mom (she’s showing up a lot in this isn’t she? Wow… lol). Of course, on Sunday we were looking out into the expansive backyard and my mom said, “Wow… it looks…” and I said, “Desolate.” And she said, “No. I was gonna say pristine.” Lol But later she did say it looked a bit desolate so ha! She agreed with me! Lol I like the leaves on the ground, just as much as I like snow on the ground. I just don’t like to clean either of them up, but again, who does? J 

Sunday I spent the day watching the Bengals lose again, but what else is new? I also watched the Steelers-Patriots game so that was fun. I like both teams so I didn’t care who’d win (I’ll prolly get flack for that later but oh well). Then I came back to school for school this week and the exams are next week so… 

Only four more full school days left and four exam days and then break! I’m going on vacation with three of my girl friends from Friday, Dec. 12^th-Sunday, Dec. 14^th, so I am really looking forward to that! But it’s getting down to the wire and I am stressed beyond belief but I really don’t have that much to do. I just need to calm down and breathe and I’ll be fine. That is some good advice for everyone though. J Until next time, breathe evenly and deep and all will be fine… J Now, if I can just remember that for myself… ;)

            So CAB had an event on Tuesday night in which we invited Nick Motil, an acoustic musician, to come play at the Mount! It was a really awesome mini-concert! We had a meet-and-greet as part of the CAB executive board (I'm the publicity chair) and I got there late. I had class at 6 and supposedly it was supposed to go until 8:30 but we got out at 7 so I went with Nicole (the treasurer) to the meet-and-greet for an hour and then we stayed for the concert at 8. It lasted until 9:30ish and it was some really great music. He plays acoustically and it's like indie rock/folk rock so it's really good. He played songs off his three albums, One of These Days (2005), Live from the Black Box (2007), and Everything's Alright (2008). He is well-known for often playing without wearing any shoes and his song, "One of These Days," is one of his most popular and recognizable songs.

            He played for an hour and a half for about 35 people in the Corona Room and he infused comedy into his set list which was quite a treat most were not expecting. With stupid stories (in his opinion), such as about a fan while he was on tour who requested “Free Bird” while being drunk or how free brownies make an awesome day-maker, and his other silly anecdotes, such as how he met his best friend and  his fiancée, the show was quite a success.             He was also here last year and was a success then so he was brought back again this year for a repeat performance. Hopefully he’ll be back again next year and more people will be able to enjoy his music.

            Music by Nick Motil is available for listening on iTunes, Rhapsody, MySpace, and his home page, http://www.nickmotil.com/. “No managers, no labels, no shoes…no problem!”

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.

So this past week was interesting. Tuesday was election day and Obama won. We all knew that was gonna happen but I know a lot were hoping that McCain would win but oh well on that front... Wednesday morning I registered for classes for the second semester. I got up at 6:15 AM and my registration time was at 6:30 and as soon as I could get in, I registered for my classes and I got in my 6 classes in 5 minutes. One of them is now waitlisted so I managed to get one of the last 3 places- that was exciting and nerve-wrecking lol :) On Thursday I had to baby-sit in the morning and because of it I was almost late to my 10 AM class- that day I had to present a project with my partner Stephanie and I wasn't sure if I'd even make it on time so I had her get my things out of my dorm room so that she could start presenting if I was late or whatever but I got there on time and then unfortunately the projector and my computer weren't playing nicely with each other so we had to start late any way because we couldn't get the power point up and everything... it was very, very, very nerve-wrecking! But we aced the project so I was happy about that! :)

Then Friday was my 20th birthday!!! I met up with my family on Friday night at Kenwood and we had dinner and my parents gave me for my birthday the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and then the first 3 books of the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (I don't know when the 4th one will be out :( ) and my twiny twin Alex got some gaming stuff so he was happy lol :) Then after that, I went to the Mall and did a "Silent Dinner" with Nicole and we got to "talk" with a deaf man named Stuey so that was very interesting. I went home and hung out after that. Then Saturday my friends and I went to Newport: Maria, Sam, Bridget, Sarah, Jimmie, and Kristy. We met up with Alex and her date Josh and since Alex turned 20 on Sunday and I did on Friday, we were having a joint party on Saturday! We saw "Eagle Eye" and then ate dinner at Johnny Rockets! It was a pretty fun time and we enjoyed ourselves- getting out for a night was a relief and a blessing in disguise since I have so many projects and papers to do that I was even able to get out was pretty amazing! LOL :)

But now I gotta go get ready for class so I'll let you know what fun and new exciting thing happens this week! Prolly not much that's for sure lol :)

So I was a bad girl on Friday... :) I decided to skip classes (which was only 2) and I went on a field trip with my mom's classroom to a pumpkin patch!

That is one of the kewl things about Cincinnati- we have a TON of pumpkin patches. We went to Shaw Farm off of 131 in Milford (get off at the Milford- theater- exit on 275 and then follow that road straight and you'll eventually hit on your left- go for like 15 minutes) and it has pumpkins, a corn maze, a wooden maze (it's made of wood planks and only has one exit and one entrance right next to each other so you can let your kids go in and you can just stand watching the entrance/exit and they're bound to come out at some point or another), a hay ride you can take, and then a little shop you get candy, goods, food, drinks, and fun stuff in.

While we were there, we went on the hay ride and that was a blast! Then we got to see some animals- goats, a horse, chickens- that looked freaking hilarious! because they weren't the normal kind of chickens, they were ones with a ton of fluff and they looked like they were wearing boots around their feet, and some pigs. We also did a sensory activity. It was a bunch of boxes of corn with hidden objects and you had to find certain ones hidden in the corn. There were also boxes of mixed seeds and you had to identify what seed was what based on a diagram/chart they gave you. We also played in the mazes, played in the wooden "houses" which were just boards put up into house with no roofs so kids could go in and play and stick their heads out of them, found a pumpkin (those little tiny gourd ones- so cute!), and just ran around having fun!

This was also a part of my service hours for one of my classes, Human Exceptionalities. We need 30 hours to get a service learning credit, a free credit toward your total of credits that you can only do 3 times over the course of your 4 (or more) years at the Mount, and I'm working on that right now. So I got 5 hours helping out my mom on a field trip (these kids all have autism in some form or another) and I had fun in the process!!! :)

I love pumpkins!

For Homecoming we got a pumpkin shaped stress ball (just a balloon filled with sand) and it so much fun to play with!!! :)

It’s hard to believe another week has already flown by and midterm just blew past us. For some of us slammed with labs, practicals and everything in between, the annual Tri-Beta camping trip at Mammoth Caves this past weekend was just what the doctor ordered!

This of course was my first year going and I was a little skeptical about the whole sleeping on the ground in a tent thing. I’d been a camp counselor for 2 years but we had cabins and dining halls…definitely not the same kind of camping.

Mammoth Caves are the longest cave system in the world at over 367 miles. The sheer wonder of it's size alone was breathtaking. I will definitely be returning. I can't guarantee that I will choose a tent over a cabin (given my druthers), but getting back to basics does have it's merits. No tv or laptop, no cell service, no distractions -

Like true overachievers, there were those of us who packed flashcards and text along with sleeping bags and bug spray. We studied between campfires and cave hikes and even though I worried that I was not quite getting enough quality time with the skeletal system, I came back amazingly refreshed having retained far more than I usually do.

Perhaps –this was a good indicator of what I need in my study plans. A little less white noise and a little more peace, quiet and a good old fashioned "low tech" (gasp!) hands-on approach may be the ticket…at least once in a while...

So I just have to say this was a fun week!!! It was only a four day week so that was definitely a plus for me- no school this past Friday!!! :) Monday, I had my classes and did nothing as usual. Tuesday was the same. Wednesday was normalish. On Wednesday night, I stayed up until past midnight to help my friend Jimmie celebrate his 21st birthday on Thursday! His sister came over and celebrated in the traditional way that is the 21st birthday. I did not partake since I had an early day on Thursday. Thursday was fine. But Thursday night was AWESOME!!! 

I got to go to Cirque du Soleil with my friends Kristy and Maria! It was freaking AMAZING!!! It was the show Saltimbanco and was full of single performers and cast performances and flying high stunts and awesome showmanship and just extraordinary make-believe skills! We had so much and it was just across the river at the Bank of Kentucky Center on Northern Kentucky University's (NKU) campus so that was just a stroke of good luck to have it so close! It's never been this close that I know of in the last few years! The bad part of it all was we weren't allowed to take pictures because "if your camera goes flashy then our performers go crashy" (that's what the woman in the beginning told us- she was one of the performers so when she said it, it was funny as heck- the intro, not the part about crashing). My favorite part was when Eddy (that's what the program named him as) went up and down this imaginary hallway and opened all these doors and one was a closet full of toys. Such as a yo-yo that he played with, a bat, and then a ball that became an interactive part with the audience (one guy did well, a woman managed to "throw" the ball short and then too far, and then a man who threw the ball at Eddy but when Eddy tried to hit it with the bat, the ball flew into his mouth and then he ended up swallowing it. He tried using the bathroom to get it out but the toilet was already clogged so when he tried to flush it, the bathroom filled up with water and he became submerged in the water. He called someone on his "cell phone" and they let him out and flooded out and knockd down some other performers. I will remind you, though, that none of this was real and all of this was done with just Eddy on the stage. No props. Just him, his body movements, and his sound effects. It was freaking HILARIOUS!!!). I ended up buying the DVD of the show for my parents since it was their anniversary, but it's also so I can see it again and enjoy the fun I had all over again. 

Some of the other acts were two women doing high flying acrobatic work, a juggler that used like 12 balls, two muscle men (hot!), four high flying bungee cord performers (they were AMAZING!), a woman with these two balls flying around on these string things (I don't know what it was so I can't explain it), and some awesome singing (it was all in French so I have no idea what they were trying to sing but I got shivers anyway so it must've been awesome whatever they were singing). And of course, everytime they just "said" something, it was just jibber jabber in some made up language and I didn't understand a word of it but it was funny as heck! :) 

We had an amazing time and 2 and half hours was too short! I want to go again as soon as I can because Cirque du Soleil is just an amazing demonstration of creativity, ingenuity, athleticism, and pure genius! Wow... just... wow...! 

Friday I had off so I did some service hours as Mercer Elementary School on the East Side and got about 6 hours worth in. Then I had to go "rescue" my brother. His car broke down on the side of East 275 so I had to pick him up and follow the tow truck to the car repair shop. Then Saturday I got to go to the home football game. We lost to Anderson University but I got to hang out during the game with my parents so I had a ton of fun doing that. Then my mom and I did some errands and now here we are! :) Tomorrow I'll go back to school and it's all down hill from here. We're in the home stretch, half way done with the semester and just half of it to go! Only 8 more weeks! Amazing how fast school has flown by...! I'm ready for a real long break but I'm not ready to get to the end just yet... It'll be too much fun just getting there!!! :)

This past weekend was beyond words. I attended the Metanoia Retreat (Change of Heart) for the third time of my college career. My first year here at the school I had attended it because my friends said that it would be a fun weekend to get away for a while. This is when those friends became some of my best friends. My sophomore year at the school, I was on the team to lead the retreat, that was a great experience all in itself not only for the inner-faith aspect but for learning aspects of leadership. This year I chose to attend the retreat again due to the changes that have been made in it - each change was definitely for the better and was very impressive. I learned so much more about myself and about living life in general because each person had such an open heart. I had gone to Kairos in high school and loved it but didn't gain from it like the way I have in these retreats in college. Each person that I have had a chance to talk to through the retreats held by the Mount has become a new friend. This past Retreat Weekend, I have been able to make some new best friends. My heart has been opened up in to taking more chances and making my choices not only for my own sake of well-being but for every person around me. Every person in my life has had some kind of effect, whether it be for betther or worse, in the end. Every thing that happens is another life lesson, and therefore a good experience. My entire life I have been a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason. This retreat has made that belief even stronger. I have been able to open my heart to change and for believing every day is a new lesson in my life. This retreat has helped me to become a stronger, more relaxed, more faithful, and open to change kind of person. And last but certainly not least a much bigger fan of HUGS!!!

Thanks again for reading!!!

 THESE ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST PEOPLE YOU COULD EVER MEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've found out that I have one of the weirdest personalities that I've ever encountered. Let me explain. 

I love being busy. I do. That's why I was so bored this summer. I had a summer baby-sitting job for which I had to literally sit in the living room of this family's house for about four hours a day because the two girls I was "baby-sitting" were 14 and 11. They really didn't needed to be "sat" but they needed someone to drive them to activities, piano lessons, volunteer work, to their schools' summer programs, etc. The parents worked in combination 4 of 5 days a week and needed me to cover those days that they couldn't drive their daughters around. So that's what I did. But most days we didn't do diddily sqwat. I got very bored, very fast. I've completed 2 and 1/2 full cross-stitch projects in the last two summers. That's how bored I was.  

Anyway, I like to be busy. But then I discover that I get agitated while being busy. Or maybe it's when I get too busy. Take this past Thursday. I was supposed to have class 10-11:15 AM, then I was supposed to have one meeting at 11:30 and then another at 12 PM that was off-campus so we (a group of us were going) had to leave at 11:40 to get there but we had to be back in time for class at 12:45 PM. Then I was to have class until 3:30 and then I had another meeting at 5 PM. Well, as it turned out, the two meetings at 11:30 and 12 were cancelled. I was actually kinda excited that I got to have a full day but at the same time, I was agitated that I had to do all this running around lacking the time to breathe. So in the end, I guess it worked out okay. 

But then on the days I'm bored, like Friday, I get just as agitated. On Friday, I woke up at 9 AM to conduct an interview at 10 AM and I was supposed to have class 11-11:50 AM but the teacher was sick so class got cancelled and my next class wasn't until 2 PM. So I had nothing to do between the hours of 10:30 AM-12:30 PM. I ended up getting some laundry done and read some of a new book I got ("Public Secrets") but that was it. After my afternoon class I did more homework while I watched part of "The Patriot" (LOVE! that movie!) and then I went home for the weekend. I got home, caught up on my shows on DVR ("House," "Project Runway," but I couldn't find "Eureka"), and then went out to dinner with my parents at Main Street Cafe in Newtown (I/My parents [I guess I don't technically 'live' there anymore since I dorm] live on the East Side of Cincinnati). 

You have a lot of down time while you're living on campus. I never realized that. When I commuted, it was all about when to schedule my driving times around the rush hour Downtown and when to leave and when to come, etc. But here in the dorms, it's more like, what do you want to do when you don't have anything to do? There's only so much homework to do and only so many TV shows and movies you can watch. I also try to stay ahead in making CAB flyers and working on my article(s) for Dateline but again, there's only so much to do. I'm sure I'll come up with something... 

And this weekend shouldn't be anything extravagant either. I'll prolly watch TV or go shopping with my mom on Saturday and Sunday I know our family will sit down and scream at the TV as the Bengals play the Cowboys (and prolly lose in the process but we'll still keep our hopes up). :) 

Next week should be fun though! That's what I'm really looking forward to! We'll be heading into our 7th week of school (I can't believe how fast school is moving along this year!) so we have our mid-semester break on Friday so no school! But on Thursday night, my friend Kristy and my roommate/friend Maria and I will going to the Cirque du Soleil show at the Bank of Kentucky Center at Northern Kentucky University! It's so exciting! I read their book my Senior year of high school in my cermaics class (it was supposed to inspire more creativity in our work but I don't think it worked) and ever since then, I've just really been interested in thier performances and the work and elegance and fun that goes into each show. The show this time is Saltimbanco, meaning "to jump on a bench" in Italian, and it delves into the world that is the urban. It explores the city and the streets and the hustle and bustle of city life, according to their website (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/default.htm#). It looks absolutely AMAZING and I cannot wait to go!!! :D 

I'm sure I'll have another blog up soon, and it will be full of the details and fun of the Cirque du Soleil show and I can't wait to share it with everyone!!! So until next time, did you ever figure out if a tree would hear you if you fell in a forest? ;) lol