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/

In which a lot of things happen very quickly

The first few weeks at SMC were peaceful. Quiet. Not too much was going on for a non-party-goer like myself. When I wasn't sitting in my dorm room watching a movie, I was sitting in someone else's dorm room watching a movie. It was the slowest few weeks of my life.

But all that changed when the club nation attacked.

My friend Katie and I attended an activities fair and signed our names on almost every piece of paper we could find. We signed up for everything from MOVE groups to knit club to Random Acts of Kindness. All of a sudden, my e-mail exploded.

At this point, I think everyone on campus is used to the bazillion e-mails we receive daily. Signing up for all those groups made the situation even worse! It's awesome, though, to know that all this stuff is out there and that all these groups exist. :)

Since then, things have been hectic. I had a multitude of papers to write this week, and I attended a mass number of meetings. There were also some huge events going on around campus and in Burlington. On Saturday, I went with my friends JLo and Erica to the Pride Parade in Burlington. (We ended up being late to the actual parade due to a fabulous little thrift store on Church Street. It was fantastic. It might be my new favorite place.) We marched from the thrift store to Battery Park, where we walked around all day, listening to beautifully performed and hilariously clever live music. It was beautiful. We even managed to leave the park right before it started to rain!

Sunday morning, I woke up late for church by three minutes. However, I am proud to say that I still made it to mass nearly on time (with brushed teeth, even!) and enjoyed a lovely Sunday mass. Afterward, some friends and I enjoyed a fantastic brunch in Alliot. (Waffles. Waffles everywhere. With syrup. And strawberries. Mmm...)

Since the weekend, it's been pretty busy. My schedule has calmed down somewhat, though, so I at least have some steady activities. Aside from class, I also attend so many different meetings- Common Ground (SMC's GSA), Connections (basically a scripture-based reflection of our lives and our various faiths), Drama Club, and more. There are so many different groups on campus, and I would love to join them all if I could!

Side note: two of my friends here, Lauren and Katie (they also happen to be roommates), have seriously been my main source of comedic relief at Saint Mike's thus far. They both have such wonderful, dry senses of humor, and I love it. I was so lucky to become their friend.

Funny story: I went biking with Katie the other day. We were trying to find a mini golf course, but we took a wrong road somewhere and suddenly found ourselves very lost in South Burlington. It was at that point that we wimped out and took a bus back to Cherry Street to catch the transfer to Saint Mike's. It was a beautiful bike trip, but a word of caution- always bring your city map with you!

I also want to give a few shout-outs to some of my blogger friends:

Emily, who invited me to a fantastic VITA activity this evening that I enjoyed immensely. We are also Doctor Who friends. We are watching the next episode together for moral support (Whovians know)

Alex, who is literally the happiest, nicest person I have ever met. She is fantastic and is one of my BBC Sherlock fangirl friends. She helps run some of the activities I go to.

Drama (The Good Kind)

Drama. Action. Batman. Mulan. A shaved bear. Everything including the kitchen sink. (Literally)

You may be asking yourself, "How are these all related?"

Ladies and gentlemen, the 24-hour drama festival!

This week, I was able to participate in what was pretty much the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me: the SMC 24-hour drama festival.

The festival is exactly what it sounds like- 24 straight hours of theater. Students could sign up to write shows, direct shows, or act in shows- we were also allowed to direct and write or act and write. On Friday evening at 7:00, a bunch of SMC theater students gathered in McCarthy to audition (which, in this case, meant playing theater games for a good length of time.) It was amazing and fun, but when that was over, the real work began.

DUN DUN DUN.

After the actors left, the writers were put together in groups of about four. I had the pleasure of working with three amazing people who I got along with fantastically. I don't think I have ever been in an assigned group that had so much natural chemistry. We finished our first draft at around midnight which is, for the 24-hour festival, apparently very early. We took a break to make a mass Cumby's run with the festival directors. When we returned, it was back to work!

Our final draft was completed at around 3 in the morning. We had produced an 8-minute play that, to our sleep-deprived brains, was comedic gold. By 5, most people were either asleep or quietly watching movies. I personally slept for about an hour and a half- more than most of the others by far.

At 7 on Saturday morning, we were awoken. I had signed up to act as well as write, so I had a long day looming before me which, after the previous night, felt like a titanic challenge. We were cast at 7 and began rehearsals immediately. We had until 7 that night to learn the plays as best we could.

I was cast in a play called "Awkward Man and the Waitress of Doom." I played an Applebee's waitress/comic book nerd who narrates her life as if she were a superhero. One day, Batman and Wonder Woman walk into the restaurant to meet Iron Man, who told them to meet him there. However, they discover instead that it is a prank Iron Man played on them- instead of eating lunch with the famed Stark, they are tricked into having their lunch with Aqua Man! (Boo)

The waitress (me) tries to show them that she, too, is a superhero, but they essentially laugh at her. She then becomes a supervillain and fights Aqua Man, who loses terribly. Much of the play was spent putting down Aqua Man, who we all know is the least exciting superhero. (No offense to Aqua Man enthusiasts.)

It was a hilarious and well-composed play, and so much fun to act in! We had a blast rehearsing it, despite the exhaustion we all suffered from. I love the people involved in theater, and I am so excited to be a part of such an energetic and welcoming group. I hope everyone has a chance to be involved with the group at some point, even if it is just going to see the shows put on by the wonderful and talented SMC theater students.

The 24-hour play festival video (in which I get a standing ovation, no big deal) can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2vWnJ1-v5E&list=HL1347905957&feature=mh_lolz

This is my fantastic writing group: (from left) Katie, Ashley, Russell, and me (photo cred to Shannon)

The Stacks: A Guide to Using the Library

The first time I ever walked into the Durick Library, I was a freshman in high school and I had never seen so many books in one place. It was like a sea of literature, and it smelled as if someone had created a GaGa-esque perfume of old pages, pencil shavings, and must.

It was love at first whiff.

I have always been a lover of libraries- a book connoisseur of sorts. Libraries are comfortable and predictable. The Dewey Decimal System was my best friend. So, naturally, I was a little shocked to discover that the Durick Library, a place I had pledged allegiance to back in the ninth grade, did not use my beautiful, predictable Dewey Decimal System. Instead, the Library of Congress Classification System was the one I would have to use. (Woe is me!

In my experience, most freshmen like myself find the library intimidating and confusing. Fear not! Once you are able to recognize the organization of everything, it's actually really easy to use!

THE CIRCULATION DESK

If you go to the library to find a book but find yourself turning in circles with no idea where to begin looking, the simplest thing you can do is ask someone at the Circulation Desk (the first thing you see when you enter the library- there will almost always be smiling people) to help you. I was assigned workstudy in the library and have been working there for three weeks now, and I have yet to meet a belligerent or impatient Circ Desk worker. Just remember- we're there to make your life easier! We are very approachable and friendly. I can absolutely guarantee that if one of us can't answer your question for you, we will find someone who can. :)

CALL NUMBERS

The first thing anyone at the Circ Desk will ask you is (most likely) the "call number" of the item you are looking for. If you don't know it, don't panic! You can find it on any computer! Just go to smcvt.edu/library and search any item in the library. Once you have found the item you're searching for, click on the title. That will bring you to the item's information page. Scroll down until you see "call number." (Example: the call number for John Green's "An Abundance of Katherines" is PZ7.G8233) If you write it down on a piece of paper (which can be requested at the Circ Desk), any of the Circ Desk workers can tell you which floor your item can be found on.

*TIP: Basically, If the call number begins with an A or a B, it will be downstairs. If it begins with C through G, it will be on the main floor. If it begins with H through Z, it will be upstairs.

*SECOND TIP: Books with call numbers beginning with PZ are in the children's section in Siberia. They are located upstairs in a God-forsaken room in the farthest reaches of the library where nary a soul has set foot. If you do manage to find the cave of wonder that is the PZ section, you may as well stay there for it, much like Narnia, might not be as easy to find again.

*THIRD TIP: The Indiana Jones shelves downstairs move when you spin the handle. It's awesome. I feel super powerful every time I have to go down there. You can move, like, ten shelves at a time. Be careful, though! Some of the shelves are stationary. If you feel resistance, they're probably not going to move anymore. If you hear pained yells, you have probably squished your best friend between shelves.

MAPS! I FOUND MAPS!

This might be a better explanation of the library: http://www.smcvt.edu/Academics/Library/About-the-Library/Building.aspx This gives a (very) brief description of each floor and, if you click on the hyperlinked floor plans, it will give you a PDF map of the library by floor! Hallelujah!

Also, quick location reference: http://208.83.125.74/library/about/floorplans/byfloor.asp

STUDY AREAS

There are some awesome study cubbies and "lounge" spots located throughout the library. The first floor has some easy ones- computer desks, comfy chairs with tables, the whole kit and kaboodle. The second floor is fantastic. There is a beautiful room with many chairs and student's photography on the walls. Everyone else on campus calls it the Daily Room. I call it the Beethoven Room. (Hey, when there's a giant bust of Beethoven making sure I study, I feel pretty obligated to name a room after him!) Also on the upstairs floor are little tables for studying in groups or alone, and two "lofts" with not-so-secret staircases. (You just have to really, really want to find them.) The downstairs has an astounding number of little study-cubbies, both open and closed. The open ones are set up so there are four spaces for people to work, separated only by dividers. The closed ones are actual private rooms with doors- very popular at midterms, I presume.

HOW NOT TO SET OFF THE ALARM

Trust me, I know. My FIRST time in the library as a student here, I set off the alarm. (Orientation wasn't even over yet.) Most items can be taken out of the library, however, there are some that cannot. Magazines must be kept in the building, as well as reserved items and other special items. Reserve items are lent out for only a certain number of hours, so be sure you know how long you have!

So the library is pretty easy to use. The hardest part of it is figuring out which of the Circ Desk workers you should go to. (Me. Always me.) Most of the Circ Desk workers will smile at you when you enter the library (so don't be alarmed if you look up and we are all staring), and we really are there to help. Don't be afraid to ask for help with anything, and pleasant Durick travels!

Free Cups and Ear Piercing

I have to get this out of the way: DOCTOR WHO COMES BACK ON TONIGHT!

So as many Alliot-goers know, there were stacks and stacks (and stacks) of free cups the other day. And, although I have no use for cups, I took twelve.

Twelve. Do I need twelve cups? (No. I do not.) But now I have twelve (TWELVE) useless cups.

My mom actually used to collect ugly cups. Seriously. For years, every store we went to, she would browse for the ugliest cups. I think it might have been in part due to my family's inherent ability to break dishes. (She actually used to tell us that we could break all the dishes we wanted, but only if they were dirty.)

Maybe I have her Christmas gift figured out, because these old Alliot ones are pretty hideous.

Today is Saturday, and 99 percent of the freshman class is out apple-picking. I am the one percent. I decided that I was going to do laundry for the first time today. (Major props to Emily Clegg for her blogpost on how to do laundry at Saint Mike's!) I even brought my laptop so I could watch The Dark Knight before philosophy on Monday! (Anyone who has Jim as a professor knows what I am talking about.) But when I went into the basement, every washer was full.

I stood awkwardly by the door, holding my see-through cloth hamper, while a room full of sophomore boys switched over their clothing.

I think my last blog post described my awkwardness superpower pretty well, so I won't get into it. But I was definitely not going to stick around watching Batman on my laptop, waiting for a washer to open.

So I trudged back up to my room with my still-dirty laundry, a walk of shame that I wish upon no one, and tried to figure out what I was going to do with TWELVE ugly cola-colored cups.

Before I reveal what happened to the twelve cups, I want to take a moment to reflect on the past two days. I feel as though we have been here for months already. Assimilation into the Saint Mike's life was so swift and painless that it already feels like home. Public transportation is still tricky, but even then, everyone is so helpful! A friend and I went to the UMall yesterday (for five hours. FIVE HOURS.) and had to take the bus. We had no clue where we were going, but we sat across from a group of upperclassmen who talked easily with us the whole way, pointing us in the right direction and even walking us through a bus stop so we wouldn't get lost. I don't remember who they are, but that is a kindness that you will not find in many places. Saint Mike's is such a fantastic community!

While my friend JLo and I were at the mall, we stopped in at Claire's so he could get his ears pierced for his 18th birthday. When he was done, a family showed up with a little girl, maybe nine years old, who had apparently been asking for years to get her ears pierced but had never gone through with it. She sat in the chair while her mom signed the paperwork, but as soon as the woman working at Claire's came over, the little girl began crying and visibly shaking. Her mom and family tried to talk her through it, but she couldn't be calmed. She wanted her ears pierced so badly, but she was absolutely petrified that it was going to hurt. (Her mother also told us that the little girl had an anxiety disorder.)

JLo and I tried to comfort her as well, talking to her about how much fun it is to have pierced ears. She began to calm down when he let her touch his new earrings, but she began crying again when the woman came back to pierce her ears.

The girl's mother was getting very frustrated and quite visibly (and understandably) flustered, but JLo calmly took the little girl's hands and spoke quietly to her, promising her that it didn't hurt at all, just a little pinch. Finally, after a little over two hours of hysterical sobbing, the girl managed to sit still long enough to let the woman pierce her ears. Ten minutes later, she was skipping happily through the store with her sisters, swinging her arms with new earrings clenched in her hands. :)

It was such a fantastic experience, even as a partial bystander, to watch. The girl had been uncontrollable for two hours, and to watch her work through her fear with the help of complete strangers was so beautiful. The girl's mother was so happy she was almost crying. She gave JLo and I both huge hugs (even though JLo did the majority of the psychological work) and said thank you at least twenty times. She couldn't believe that two college students could care enough to stick around on a Friday night and comfort a stranger's child. It was truly an amazing experience, and I think you'll agree when I say that JLo, a psychology major, gets bragging rights for life. :)

So yeah, yesterday was a pretty exciting day. When we got home from the UMall, I met up with some other friends and headed over to McCarthy for the improv show, which was absolutely hilarious! Afterward, we went to the Joyce second floor lounge where we found a few other people to hang out with. Two of the girls had ukeleles and one had a banjo, so they went to grab them while I skipped (literally) across campus to Ryan to grab my guitar- which I then relinquished to the other girls when I realized they, unlike me, could actually play string instruments well. :) After the mini musical concert, JLo brought up snacks from his dorm and we put Mulan on the television, which, of course, attracted a crowd. There was one boy who had never seen Mulan before, but I think by the time we were all done singing along to "I'll Make a Man out of You," he was hooked. :) Was it the best first Friday night at college, you ask? Undoubtedly. :)

It was nice to sleep in after such a crazy and long day. Campus is almost silent now, with everyone out apple-picking (aside from the sophomore boys doing their laundry downstairs...) and it's nice to have some quiet time to just sit and listen to nothing. :)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! This is what I did with the ugly cups:

(Green Lantern FTW)