Thursday, October 30, 2008

Where has the time gone?!

Hello! I am sorry it has been so long since my last post! The time has just run away from me! First, it was midterms week and then I spent Fall Break in Texas on a volleyball trip! It has been a hectic few weeks!

Texas was a BLAST! It was nice to be out in the warm sunshine! We went on an African Safari, ate dinner at a Medieval Times Castle, visited the JFK Museum, did some shopping, and of course, played lots of volleyball!

The volleyball season is coming to a close, sadly. We had our last home game of the season last night, where we lost to St. Norbert's in four sets. Saturday, we play at Lake Forest College in Illinois, and if we win we will be the number three seed heading into the Conference Tournament next weekend! Only the top four teams go, so it would be very exciting!

This weekend is Halloween--my favorite holiday! :) This afternoon I'm going to Goodwill to try and find a last-minute costume! There are plenty of Halloween festivities happening around campus: Theta Sigma Tau is hosting a Halloween Party at the Union tomorrow night and Merriman fraternity is having a Haunted House Saturday night! I am so excited...let the tricks, treats, and hauntings begin! :)

Friday, October 10, 2008

T.G.I. Friday AND Homecoming Weekend!

I am so the weekend is almost here! Today was a very stressful day: I had two exams, a quiz, and corrections for a composicion due! So...last night I took a study break at midnight to make a Kwik Trip run for caffeine and ice cream treats! I didn't go to bed until 2 AM and I got up at 7 AM to study some more before my first exam at 9! So I am runnign on a solid five hours of sleep! I have one more class today, from 2:30-3:40, then I have to run and lift for volleyball, and then the weekend is all mine!

Tonight I am going out to dinner with some of the girls and then SMAC is showing fireworks over Upper Sadoff at 9:15 PM! I'm so excited! What a great way to kick off the weekend!

Then tomorrow the football game is at 1 PM against Beloit College, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is performing at Storzer at 7:30 PM, and Magdalen Hsu-Li will be performing in the Terrace at 8:30 PM!

So much to do this weekend...including studying for midterms next week... :(

Happy Homecoming! GO RED HAWKS!!

--Christy

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Give up my cell phone for a day?!

In my Intro to Sociology class we are studying deviance. Deviance does not necessarily have to be something bad, just something outside your norms. On the first day of the unit our professor, who normally wears pumps and business attire, was sitting in the front of the class wearing sweatpants and a hoodie with her feet up the the table! That was her form of deviance, but today is a chance for the students to be deviant! For 10 EXTRA credit points, we had to lock up our cell phones in her office for 12 hours. So as of 9:15 this morning I am going on 45 minutes without my cell phone! I think it will be good for me though; I have two exams to study for today, so I won't be distracted by calls or text messages! :)

On the court last night, the volleyball team beat Lawrence University in 4 sets: 16-25, 25-19, 25-15, and 25-23! It was also Senior night, so we, juniors, had to plan the night! Yesterday Sara and I were running all over town, getting balloons and bouquets of flowers for our five wonderful seniors! But everything went very smoothly and the seniors and their parents really appreciated it!

Today from 3-4 pm there is an Alumni Panel on Graduate School, followed by a panel of Alumni Attorneys, who will speak in detail about careers in various legal fields. This is a great opportunity to learn about graduate school admission process, programs, and the GRE.

Also tonight, Ripon College's Ethical Leadership Program is sponsoring a forum to discuss Wisconsin’s Drinking Age and the Amethyst Initiative. The Amethyst Initiative is a statement signed by 129 college presidents, including Ripon College’s President David Joyce, that does not prescribe a particular policy change but states the signatories' belief that the legal drinking age of 21 is not working as well as the public may think, that its unintended consequences are posing increasing risks to young people, and that it is time for a serious debate among our elected representatives about whether current public policies are in line with current realities. The forum is intended to open the discussion about Wisconsin’s legal drinking age as well as encourage student, faculty and community participation to bring forth as many positions, beliefs and questions as possible. It should be a very interesting and well-needed discussion.

--Christy

Monday, October 6, 2008

Homecoming Week!

This week is Homecoming Week at Wild Wild Ripon and there's a great line-up of events! The week kicked off on Saturday with a brat fry at the soccer game. Yesterday campus organizations grabbed thier paintbrushes and painted the windows of the commons, and today SMAC sponsored Monday Music Madness in the Pub during lunch. On Thursday, comedian Chad Daniels will be at the Terrace. Friday there is a Fireworks show on Upper Sadoff and Couch Potato Playoffs, and Saturday is the Parade and the Big Game! The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is also performing Saturday night at 7:30 in the Rodman Center.

Homecoming week is a fun week to show our school spirit and attend activities around campus! GO RED HAWKS!!!
--Christy

Madrid, Here I Come!

Today I received my acceptance letter from the Academic Year Abroad - Madrid Program! Now the next step is filling out an academic questionnaire, a health/insurance questionnaire, a housing questionnaire, and signing a contract for payment...

I am so EXCITED!!! :)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Working Hard...or Hardly Working?

Today is my "day off" so to speak! I don't have any class, so I am going to use my time to walk a few blocks to Ripon Drug and pick up a few things and then cruise over to the Thrift Store and see if I can find any treasures! It's kind of chilly, but definitely worth it! Maybe I'll even stop in at Vox Coffee for a sip of heavenly warmth! :-) After my shopping, I'll probably cook up a little lunch with Nick, and then decide if I want to do some homework or consider taking a little nap! This cold, cloudy weather is not good for my spirit! All I want to do is stay inside and sleep the day away! Especially since Plant Department turned the heat on in all the buildings on campus yesterday!

Even though I'm hardly working today, the construction crew is hard at work, tearing up the streets of Elm and Seward! I think the students are ready for the project to be done...the construction crew starts long before any college student ever wants to be awake! But the project should move quickly; the goal completion date is the first snowfall...which I hope is not coming any time soon! Here are some pictures of the current campus conditions!

--Christy