F.F.F. (First Friday of February!)

I can't believe it's February already! But I can definitely believe it's Friday, and boy am I glad! :)

This has been a busy week and I am definitely ready for a weekend! Last night the volleyabll team went to Intramural Aerobics and Yoga, and all I have to say is WOW. Yoga is SO much harder than I thought it would be. I now understand why our football and baseball teams do it. It is probably one of the most physically demanding things I have ever done. So I am definitely relaxing this weekend!

Tonight I am going down to Storzer to workout for a while, then it's dinner and a movie with Nick. Tomorrow there are basketball games going on down at Storzer, so I'll probably go to those between doing homework. Then tomorrow night we're having a birthday party for Nick and Mike, so that'll be fun. Then it's Super Bowl Sunday! A day of football and vegging on the couch! (and studying chemistry...our first exam is next Wednesday, so I do have to study for that...) :) But other than that...it looks like it will be a great weekend!

~Christy

Jueves...

Hello and Happy Thursday!

Yesterday, the birthday celebrations went well...we went to Big Stella's for dinner, where I ate WAY too much pizza and chocolate cake...then Nick opened his presents back at the apartment...then the celebrations were over for me...I had to go back to my room and work on homework. :(

That's what I'm doing today too. More homework. I have to do some probelems for Chemistry, rewrite/revise a Spanish paper, do normal Spanish homework, and study for a Stats quiz tomorrow. Tonight's going to be a busy night too: the volleyball team is going to aerobics from 5-6, then Yoga from 6-7, then doing a little lifting so we can start our off-season lifting program set up. We're using a really neat website called Fitrex; it has sport-specific workouts and exercises, so I'm really excited to get started on that!

I'm also waiting for this weather to warm up!

~Christy

Happy [freezing] Birthday Nick!!!

Happy 21st Birthday Nick!!

Today is probably one of the coldest if not the coldest day of the year so far. Lots of schools in Wisconsin and around the area have school cancelled for today, but not us! We bundle up and brave the cold...a whopping -11° of cold! But cold mornings call for warm breakfasts! Nick and I went to the Pub after class to get Easy Risers and tater tots :) which hit the spot! Now I have work, two classes, then time to get the last-minute suprises ready for Nick's birthday, then work again, another class, then open gym for volleyball!

Tonight I'm taking Nick to Big Stella's for dinner, then I'm curling up with soome hot cocoa and not outside again until I absolutely have to!!!

Stay warm!!!


Christy

A Balmy 41° in Ripon, WI!

Today is absolutely gorgeous! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I just flew in on my magic carpet. I'm kidding, but it really is 41°! Fabulous. This weekend was a pretty quiet one...Friday night Nick and I stayed in out of the cold and had a dress-up contest: "Who can be the most embarrassing to the other?" It was really fun! :) Then Saturday was the first Scholarship Day for accepted seniors, so I helped with that in the morning, then in the afternoon I went shopping in Appleton with Lauren and Jess.

Sunday was, of course, brunch and then homework. Nick's family came up to take us out to dinner for his birthday, so we went to the Applebee's in Fon du Lac. It was good to see them again, and the food was great! :) Nick's birthday is Wednesday, so I have a few things to get organized before then, but I have the help of my roommate and possibly a few others, so I'll be able to pull everything off! :)

Tomorrow we begin our off-season team workouts and training for volleyball. I am so excited to play again! I miss seeing the girls everyday too, so this gives us a good chance to hang out, catch up, but also to improve for next year.

~Christy

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun

Today it is a beautiful, sunny day! (But still cold as can be!) The sun always makes it easier to get up...I feel like I'm not the only one getting up early! Today I had Chemistry discussion from 8-8:50, work from 9-10, then Stats lab from 10:10-12:05. A pretty light day! But I need to talk to my advisor and see if I can add an Exercise Science class so I can get my Wellness Requirement taken care of. Because Ripon is a Liberal Arts college, as students we are required to take bredth requirements, which include a fine arts course, a wellness course, a natural sciences course, a behavioral science course, a writing and composition course, and other courses as well. But these requirements lead to well-rounded students and attractive resumes, so bring it on! :)

I'm also excited because tonight is the first class of Intramural Yoga, so I will definitely have to check that out...but other than that I'm staying inside where it's warm!

~Christy

Wednesday already!

Hi there! This has been a busy week already! Monday was a popular day for prospective students to come visit campus, so I lunch hosted and walked a few people to classes and appointments. Yesterday was my day to sleep in! The only class I had was lab from 1-4 p.m. so I slept in and got some homework done! I am also applying to be a Resident Assistant (RA) next year, so I am working on that application and essay questions in my spare time!


Today is a full day of class, and what makes it even worse is it is so cold outside! I am ready for a heat wave or something! SOON! But I guess there are polenty of things to take my mind off the cold...on campus right now is a week-long celebration of Martin Luther King so we have activities related to that going on everyday: Monday was Celebration Dinner with Soul Food in the Commons over the lunch hour, Yesterday was a Poetry Reading during Golden Hour, today is "Straight Talk," a discussion led by Quay Hanna on this year’s theme, “Race, Gender and Politics,” then tomorrow night in Great Hall is keynote speaker damali ayo, writer/activist, and author of the book How to Rent a Negro, Friday's lunch will feature a Celebration Cake in the Commons, Saturday is a day of Service volunteering with Feed My Starving Children, and the week ends on Sunday with a non-denominational worship service by guest pastor President Joyce.



~Christy

Friday is my Favorite :)

I am so glad this first week was only a four day-er! It turns out I had a lot more homework than I had anticipated yesterday, so it was not entirely a day of rest... I went to the movie CUT, a documentary about teens and self-injury, sponsored by Residence Life at 7:30 with Nick. I thought it would be interesting from a psychological point of view, but it wasn't what I had expected. Then, after the movie, I raced to the Terrace to see Jason LeVasseur who was AMAZING! He was definitely a true performer. He was up on stage dancing, cracking jokes, making fun of people, and singing tunes from the Lion King, Christina Aguliera, Sir Mix-a-lot, Oasis--you name it! And BONUS: he's on itunes! So maybe I'll use my gift card! :)

Today I've had three classes so far...one to go, then it's time for a well-deserved nap. Then it looks like the Basketball games tonight and perhaps a movie tomorrow night since the HIGH tomorrow is a whopping TWO degrees! BRRRRR! But I came back with two new winter hats, so I can brave the Wisconsin Winters! :)

This weekend is also Bid Weekend for all the fraternities and sororities. At Ripon you can't pledge until second semester, which is really nice. It gives you a chance to meet people and get to know more about the various Greek organizations and decide if it is something you are interested in or not.

Happy Friday,
Christy

My day of rest...well, kind of!

Today I only had one class! A lab for my Research Design and Statistics class. At 10:10 we met in the computer lab to learn how to use some of the Psychology software we have in the Psychology computer lab. So I spent some time graphing on the computer and even out of lab early! So I got to sleep in AND get out of class early! What a deal. Then I work for an hour this afternoon, then it looks like homework until dinner, dinner, then hopefully hanging out until the Jason LeVasseur concert at 9 p.m. in the Terrace!

I'm really excited for the concert! I checked out his music today and it's really good! He's an acoustic/folk artist with a great voice, and I'm really looking forward to his THIRD visit to Ripon tonight!! :)

Jason LeVasseur

Day 2!

Today was the second day of classes, but I had all new classes today. Many of the classes run on either a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule or a Tuesday-Thursday schedule, so I had all different classes today than I did yesterday. The first day of class is mostly getting familiar with the course, the professor, and the expectations. In Chemistry we went over the class syllabus, my professor, Dr. Katahira, did a demonstration and went over a few basic concepts and terms. I really like him so I don't think 8 a.m. will be that bad! :) Then I worked for an hour between classes. At 10:10 I had Research Design and Statistics, with the newest addition to the psych department, Professor Kovack-Lesh, where we mostly went over the syllabus and did introductions. I had Social Problems after that, where we, again, went over the syllabus! So I am now well-organized for all my classes! :) I had a nice break from noon until 2:30 when I had Spanish until 3:40! My Spanish professor is actually the same one that taught my first semester of Spanish here at Ripon, so that's nice! And that's the way it is as you move further into the departments at a small college like Ripon; you pretty much get to know everyone in the department, which is really nice when it comes to needing letters of recommendation or references in the future.

Well I think last night was my last night of relaxation! :( I have homework to do tonight! It shouldn't be too bad, but I want to work a little ahead so I can go to the Jason Levasseur concert tomorrow night in the Terrace!

Hasta Mañana,
Christy

Second Semester!

Second semester has begun! It is great to be back "home!" Here is a picture we took of our Reunion! :)

Today was the first day of classes for the new semester! I got back to campus on Saturday night because we had our volleyball banquet. My family brought me back and I was able to unpack and get settled again before everyone came back on Sunday, so that was really nice. Then we went to my banquet where Coach gave out fun awards from the season. I received awards such as the "Good Sense" kitchen bag award for court awareness, the "Rip It" energy drink award for being second in service aces, the "Sweeper" duster award for being second in digs, the flashing whistle award for calling plays and helping the offense, and the frog award for being quick like a frog! The banquet was a lot of fun and a great way to wrap up the season and thank the seniors and the coaches.

Yesterday was registration. All the professors have a table set up in the Tartan area of Storzer and you are able to meet with them and change classes if you need to. I was lucky, I didn't have to make any changes to my schedule, so I just needed my advisor's signature!

This semester I am continuing to work toward my psychology major, and also working toward filling some of the pre-med requirements to keep medical school as an option in the future. I am taking the second semester of Research Design and Statistics (a Psych course), Spanish 222, Sturcture and Reactivity (Chemistry), and also my first Sociology class, Social Problems, which I am really excited about. If I like Sociology a lot I might consider double majoring! But we'll see what the semester brings! I also want to go abroad a year from now, so I need to start talking to my professors about the programs available and which would be best for my interests and goals. There's always something to do!

Tonight I have a SMAC meeting at 8 p.m. and I am going to go workout after work, and then I'll have the rest of the night to relax--no homework! (yet!)

~Christy

Finals Week!

Finals Week...Ahhhh!

It's hard to believe it's finals week already! I have my Chem final today at 1 p.m., Stats tomorrow at 8 a.m., a Latin test tomorrow at 1 p.m., a paper due for Latin Wednesday at 9 a.m., and then my Spanish final Thursday from 9-11 a.m. So I'm pretty busy all week! But it's easy to study around campus this week. There are extended hours at the library and Great Hall is transformed to an around-the-clock study environment with snacks donated by local churches. And my favorite part about finals week: Late night breakfast! Tomorrow night at 11 p.m. the faculty and staff serve a breakfast for the students in the Commons. It's free and a great study break! Plus, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so there's no way I'm turning down a second breakfast! :)

It's a stressful time, but we are rewarded with a month break...so I think it all evens out!

--Christy

A Dicken's of A Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend! I am ready to begin the last week of classes refreshed, rejoiceful and full of holiday spirit! :) Friday night my girlfriends and I went to Dicken's of a Christmas; it was my first time and I absolutely loved it! We went to an International Gift Market, looked at all the Living Windows, voted in the Gingerbread house contest, and ate lots of cookies! I can't think of a better way to spend a snowy Friday night! Saturday we got 6 more inches of snow, but I didn't mind! I stayed in all day working on my presentation for my study. Sunday was another relaxing day; I watched a little football game as I worked on homework and big snowflakes fell! I love the snow, even though I almost fell a couple times today! It's just so beautiful!

Lindsey, Jess, and me :)

--Christy

Dicken's of a Christmas!

Ripon's 17th annual "Dicken's of a Christmas" kicks off tonight in Historic Downtown Ripon! The event began 17 years ago when a handful of community members decided to organize a Victorian-themed festival as a tribute to the stunning Victorian architecture and homes throughout Ripon and to thank the community and businesses for their support throughout the year. Over the years, it has grown and become one of Ripon's premiere festivals held every year the first weekend of December. It runs Thursday-Sunday and features Living Windows in downtown businesses on Friday evening, carriage rides through Historic Downtown Ripon, a Tour of Homes on Saturday (including the new Campus Apartments!), Dickens of a Quilt Show, an Enchanted Forest of trees sponsored and decorated by area organizations, an International Gift Market, Victorian Costume Contest, Breakfast with Santa, Gingerbread House Contest, and Victorian Dickens Photos--just to name a few!

I don't think I'll make it downtown tonight because I have a big Chemistry exam tomorrow, but I am definitely heading down for the Living Windows tomorrow night! I might even have to do a little shopping at the International Gift Market! :) Tonight I do want to try and go to the Yoga Class in Great Hall, which is led by the woman that owns Marigold Yoga, located downtown. I think it would be a relaxing and rejuvinating study break! :)

--Christy

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Monday night Jess and I went shopping and decorated our toom for Christmas! We have three strings of lights, two trees, lots of Hoho, Pine boughs, window clings, and hanging ornaments! It is very festive and full of holiday cheer! We've already invited over some of the Admission Counselors and have decided that we're hosting the Secret Santa gift exchange for our living group! :)

Our hanging ornaments and my tree!

My side!

Looking ahead...next week is the last week of classes already and what a week it will be! Monday I have a presentation for my research project, Tuesday my final Chemistry lab is due, and Wednesday I have my Spanish oral interview--to start the week out! Then the week after that is finals! I have my Chem final Monday, Statistics on Tuesday morning and Latin in the afternoon, Wednesday I have a discussion to talk about our research papers for Latin, and then my last final, Spanish, is Thursday morning from 9-11, so I'll be out of here Thursday! But there is much to do before then!

--Christy-mas :)

Back so soon?!

My Thanksgiving break was awesome!! :) Nick and I spent the long weekend at home with my family. He met my dad, my sister, and also my aunt, uncle, little cousins, and some of my friends too. I gave him a little tour of Rochester, we went to the movie "Enchanted" on Friday night with my family, Saturday we worked on homework (sad, I know) and then Saturday night we went up to the cities to the Timberwolves game and then went dancing afterward--it was a blast, but we didn't get home until 3 a.m.! So coming back to Ripon yesterday was a lot harder than usual! I was so exhausted and I had an incredible amount of homework waiting for me. :(

It's hard to believe the semester is winding down! We have two more weeks of classes, then it's finals week! I have two exams this week: a stats exam tomorrow and a chem exam on Friday. Spanish oral finals begin the end of this week as well! I am also finishing up a few long-term projects: my psychology research project, my latin paper, and my final chemistry lab, Identification of an Unknown. When I look at all the things I have to do on paper it's kind of overwhelming, but somehow I always manage to get everything done! Hopefully too much sleep won't be sacrificed in the process...

--Christy

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so excited Thanksgiving is finally here! I have class until noon today, then my dad and my sister are coming to pick up me and Nick. It's weird to think that the semester is winding down; after Thanksgiving we only have a few weeks left! I wish I could relax the entire break, but I have two exams next week, a paper to be working on, and also a research project to clean up a little. But this break is just what I need! I haven't been home since October, so this will be my second time home this semester and I can't wait! Also, Nick hasn't met my dad or my sister, so that'll be good that they can finally meet! :) And my sister can finally see my room! My sister is a freshman in high school and she also plays volleyball, so it's hard to find time to see eachother in the fall because we are both busy with our seasons. She hasn't been to Ripon all semester, so I'm excited to show her my room!

Then it's off to Minnesota for a long weekend of friends, family, and food! :) What an excellent combination!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

--Christy

Helloooo!

Hi there! It's been a while! Things have been so busy around here lately! Let me catch you up on last week: Jay Black was HILARIOUS. I am so glad I went! Totally worth the sleep I lost doing homework after the show. Thursday was the first day of my Psychology Study, "The Effects of Time of Day on Cognitive Performance." I am looking to see if there is a difference in people's concentration in the morning versus the afternoon, so I tested 10 people over the course of Thursday and Friday, and I found that on average, people do better in the afternoon. Friday night was TOTU (Take Over The Union), sponsored by Residence Life. This year it was an Olympics theme, so everyone was dressed in togas, like famous athletes, or in athletic gear, and we played Olympic games like curling, hocky, frisbee, ring toss, and hot lava. I was there serving mocktails for SMAC. We served Steroid Manufactured Athletic Concoctions :), I thought it was cute! Friday night was also the Shack-a-Thon, where students created homes out of cardboard boxes and spent the night outside to raise money and awareness for the homeless. The rest of my weekend was pretty quiet; I worked on a lot of homework, studied for the tests that I have this week, and started research for a Latin paper due at the end of the semester. The only thing I did this weekend was homework, and I still have more to do. This time of the semester is just crazy for everyone, but we just have to get through these next three days then it's Thanksgiving! I can't wait.

--Christy

Late nights

I love my roommate. Last night we were both exhausted; I was doing homework until midnight, but we stayed up for another hour just talking after we went to bed. Having a roommate is like having a sleepover--every night. I love it. I have never shared a room with anyone before coming to college, and now it's weird to have my own room when Jess is gone or when I go home. I don't like not having anyone to talk to or to send IM's to from six feet away, it's just not the same! :) So even if I do only get five hours of sleep I don't care because that's not what I'm going to remember. In twenty, thirty years I'm going to remember all the late nights, the laughter, and the girl talk. That's what's important. :)So even though I might look like a zombie today there are many things to do (like usual!). I have class until noon, then I work from 1-3...then I think I might go for a run or hit up the Fitness Center for awhile to get rid of some stress, and drop off my jerseys and bag down at Storzer. Tonight SMAC is bringing comedian Jay Black to the Terrace, so I really want to see him! It'll be a tight fit though...he's at 8 p.m. and I meet with my Chemistry tutor from 9-10 p.m., but I'll make it work! I can always make time to laugh! :)

Jay Black

--Christy

Perfect.

Today was such a great day! The weather was beautiful--53° when I went downtown this afternoon!! I wish the weather would just stay like this for the next three months! Today was a very productive day also! I designed the student planner for next year, along with my co-chair, Arielle, as one of our duties as SMAC Student Representatives. So that is a great thing to have taken care of early! If only I could do everything I need to do this far in advance! I have a few long-term papers that I need to get started on because once Thanksgiving has come and gone the rest of the semester will fly by! I think this weekend I will practically live in the library...at least they have that window seat I like so much! :)

--Christy

Another Monday...

This was easily the best weekend I could have asked for. I did nothing but relax and watch football! Friday night I went to the swim meet then watched "We are Marshall" with the girls, then Saturday I watched the Badger game while Nick and some of his roommates made breakfast. Saturday night Nick and I went out to dinner at Dos Gringos and stuffed ourselves, then went to Fred Claus, which was playing at the Campus Cinema. It was such a great movie! And it definitely put me in the mood for Christmas! Except I'm still waiting for Thanksgiving... :)

And it's days like this that I can't wait until Thanksgiving! Today was extremely busy: my first class of the day was Orgo from 8-8:50, but I had some things I had to finish up this morning, so I got up at 6:30 to do that. I am doing a psychology study on the Effects of Time of Day on Concentration, so I had to make a sign-up sheet for my participants. I am also applying to participate in the Peace Studies Maymester in Jamaica this May, so I had to write an essay telling why I wanted to be in the class. I finished up both of those things early this morning (with a little help from Nick :)) Then it was off to Orgo, then work, then recruiting Intro Psych students to sign-up for my study, then Spanish from 10-11, then Stats from 11-12, then lunch, followed by Chem lab from 1-4, then a Marketing Advisory Committee meeting from 4-5. I went to dinner at 5, then I had to run a few errands downtown. Now it's laundry and homework. Fun, right?

--Christy