Jeffrey Gettleman and why it's important to go to the Saint Michael's College speakers

This isn't going to be a long blog post, but I feel like it's important anyway.
Yesterday, a man came to Saint Mike's to speak to students and community members about his life and what he stands for. Jeffrey Gettleman, journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winner, didn't waste any time getting to the interesting part of his speech. He jumped right in with a story about how he and a few other journalists and photographers had been captured and held at gunpoint by insurgents in the Middle East. He also told us about his experiences writing about foreign conflicts- often while he was in the center of the action- and we had the pleasure of hearing a moving story about how he helped organize a rescue of a Pakistani boy being held captive in Iran. I won't even try to begin to tell his story, because I can't do it justice, but here is a link to Gettleman's twitter. His articles can be found at the New York Times website.
Gettleman's speech was moving and made me want to take a part in changing what is happening in impoverished areas of the world. A couple weeks ago, we had Leah Bolger come speak at Saint Mike's to speak about the drones America are using in Pakistan. Her speech also left me charged and wondering how I could help out. We've had other speakers and topics as well, but those two left me feeling the most charged and ready to kick some unjust-government butt!
It's important to go to these speeches and talks, even when they don't look incredibly interesting. I wouldn't have gone to the Jeffrey Gettleman speech if it wasn't assigned for a class, but I am so happy I did. He is one of the best public speakers I have ever heard. He knows how to tell a good story and keep the audience hooked. I know others who didn't go to listen to him speak, and almost every one of them said they wished they had!
Saint Mike's offers so many opportunities to help out in the community and the world, and it's awesome to be able to go sit in on a lecture by someone who is as widely acclaimed as Colman McCarthy or Jeffrey Gettleman and listen to how they have impacted even some small part of it, like the life of the one Pakistani boy Gettleman helped to save. It gives me hope that I, too, can make a difference, even if it takes years.

Side note: Leah Bolger showed us this video of her protesting the Congressional Super Committee. I think it's worth sharing, in part because she is so sensible about her arrest and in part because I think Leah Bolger is a boss.

An Insider's Look at Switching Rooms

I will be one of the first to say that college life has treated me well. I have made a lot of really great friends and I feel completely at home on campus. I even started using the toaster to cook my bagel in the mornings! (That was a big step.) If there was one thing I would want to change about Saint Mike's, it would be my housing situation. So guess what I'm doing this week?

It's not that I absolutely hate where I am living. I was placed in Ryan Hall, first floor- not a bad place to be. It's usually pretty quiet, and the construction secludes us from the other halls. It's a nice get-away from regular college life. It's not that my roommate was a terrible person, either- sure, we aren't best friends, and yeah, we don't communicate as well as we could, and there have been a few awkward encounters and moments of inconsiderateness, but we didn't see each other that often and things tended to only get weird when one of us came home past midnight. (Doctor Who marathons for the win.) I also have really wanted to live in Joyce Hall since the second week of school, when I discovered that every single one of my friends lives there.

There have been some fun times in Joyce already. There was that time Jan-Luis and Erica were watching Doctor Who for the first time:

(photo cred to Emily)

That time Jan-Luis stuck googly eyes onto my cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen and we walked around the res halls, scaring people:

 That time Jan-Luis and his roommate, Ryan, kicked Erica and I out after a particularly long homework night:

 And last night, at the birthday party social. It wasn't really anyone's birthday, but darn it, we had a party!

(I am drinking a delicious F'Real mango smoothie, sold at Cumby's or the Knightstand)

I was so nervous about requesting a roommate change. I had spoken to a few of the RA's and one of the RD's about it, so I knew it would be somewhat easy. I already had my roomie chosen- Erica, one of my friends whose roommate moved out earlier in the semester. I was mostly just nervous about telling my roommate I was leaving. I didn't know how to approach her and say "Hey, this isn't really working out, so I'm moving" without it being awkward.

After about three full days of procrastination, I finally bit the bullet and told her. And guess what? It was easy! She totally understood, and said that she had also considered moving out of Ryan.

I'm really excited to move into Joyce. I'll be closer to my friends Emily, Jan-Luis, Erica (my new roomie), Katie, and Lauren (who is very funny, cough cough). It's closer to my classes, so it won't be as stressful to leave my building in the morning unsure of whether or not the Alliot printers will actually print my homework. (They are always broken or out of paper right before the 8am's.)

Now that I've told my roommate, I just have to fill out the paperwork. That does sound like a complicated process- I have to get signatures from all kinds of people- but I have been reassured by many, many people that it will be easy. Everyone is so civil and helpful. I love it!

I can't wait to be a Joyce resident. I was told I should be moved in by the end of the week or next week if I can get my paperwork in ASAP. So anyone who comes to Saint Mike's and ends up in a housing situation you're not comfortable with, rest easy! It's a pretty simple process to switch rooms. Everything will be okay. :)

Am I a hipster yet?

Last week, my friend Emily told me about a ten dollar bag sale going on at a thrift store in Burlington. I had been to the store before, and it's a high-class, expensive place. They have really nice clothes, very retro, and it is better organized than most current-trend stores. Ten dollar bag sale?! Yes!

Emily and I went to the store, Downtown Threads, and stuffed our bags to our hearts' desires. Some of the clothing was almost painful to look at, but that's expected in a thrift store. We ended up finding a few really nice things for each of us- Emily picked up a few beautiful dresses and I grabbed as many vests as I could see.

Last night, my friends Katie and Lauren and I took a very, very, VERY late bus into Burlington to do a little bit of grocery shopping. We ended up at City Market, which is a glorious place. Here's a link to their website: http://www.citymarket.coop/ If you live anywhere near Burlington, check out this store. It is affordable and wonderful. There is even an entire section just for locally-made cheese!

I bought crystallized ginger, which should help as sickness-season passes through Saint Mike's. I feel as if everyone I know is sick! I considered arming myself with clorox wipes, lysol, and hand sanitizer, but I think the crystallized ginger will work fine. :)

I am completely wiped out after last week. I had way too many papers due in a short period of time. It was all manageable, but my brain is fried. I was so tired last night that I accidentally created a new snack- crystallized ginger on wheat thins. It sounds terrible, but it is the perfect combination of so many different flavors, and is very calming. This might become my new study-food.

Here's looking forward to another thrifty, organic, and studious week!

Also, this video is fantastic: http://laughingsquid.com/somebody-i-used-to-know-played-by-obsolete-electronic-devices/