A Learning Experience

Now that I have finished up my first semester in college I have the opportunity to reflect on many of my own and other freshmen's mistakes in order to avoid repeating them next semester. Some integral rules to follow as a freshman at Rockhurst include:

1.) Don't use the microwave in the Corcran basement.
2.) Avoid the handicap shower. It has terrible water pressure even though it is spacious and easily accessible.
3.) Don't ask about entering the MAC lab in Sedgewick if you are a science major since apparently you have no right to be there.
4.) Showering with your clothes on does not equate to washing them.
5.) Just because the bell tower continues to chime out Christmas music for five minutes extra after the hour does not mean that you can be five minutes extra late to class.
6.) Don't bring a plant to college if you don't plan on watering it consistently.
7.) Remember to put on clothes before you leave your room at three in the morning for a fire alarm.
8.) The expiration date on milk is not just a suggestion, it's a serious warning with serious consequences.
9.) Spending the night in Sedgewick is a bad idea, even if it is the honors room.
10.) Ice skating is harder than it looks no matter what the social mentors tell you.

Finals!!!

With the final two weeks of school before Christmas break comes the inevitable struggle of class finals. Fortunately I am already finished with Calculus II, Honors Bio Lab, and Honors Chemistry Lab. Still ahead are the cumulative finals for Chemistry, Biology, and Philosophy. Due to preparation for these classes I am not leading much of an exciting life to blog about. The most excitement I have had recently came when registering for the St. Louis marathon in April. Four months of freezing cold training lay before me and I couldn't be more excited! In the meantime, however, I am competing in a scholastic marathon that may decide whether or not I get into the graduate program of my choice. Let the racing begin!

Thanksgiving Break! And Hair Cutting...

After six weeks at school I finally got to make the trip home for Thanksgiving. Rockhurst has a nine day break for Thanksgiving starting the 21st and ending on the 29th. During this week I have a cornucopia (yes that reference was intentional) of things to attend to including: Shadowing two dentists, Studying for finals, writing Biology reflections, signing up for the Saint Louis Marathon, going fishing, and cutting my hair. In this post I will focus on the hair cutting. To the left is a picture of the exact clippers that I use when I cut my hair. They are relatively simple to use. I just snap on a 5/8 inch guard and go over my entire head. Next, I take a scissors and trim around my ears and sideburns. The tricky parts comes when I have to touch up my neck. This requires the use of two mirrors and the clippers without a guard. By looking into the reflection of my reflection I can see the back of my head and then I must remember to move my hand oppositely of what I see in the mirror. So left becomes right, up is down, etc. Currently I am not much of a barber but my skills are improving! I only cut myself once this time......

The Importance of Being Earnest

This weekend Rockhurst's theatre department put on the production: The Importance of Being Earnest. I attended last night and enjoyed it immensely. This play by Oscar Wilde mixes a witty English dialogue with clever situational drama to entertain even those unfamiliar with theatre (such as myself). Although in high school I did attend every single Spring musical as an usher and my senior year I held the illustrious title of "House Manager" or head usher. You could say I know my way around the stage.....just not on it. All Rockhurst plays are free for students so I definitely plan to see more productions from the theatre department in the future!

Odwalla

I dedicate this week's post to Rockhurst's supplier of delicious and nutritious drinks: Odwalla. In my refrigerator you will find a large cache of Odwalla Super Protein Chocolate, an awesome combination of chocolate milk and soy. After working out with Ben Norris we like to drink our Super Protein instead of getting a late night fourthmeal at Planet Sub as many students do. Now for you nutritionists out there I am fully aware that I do not need the additional 33 grams of protein in my diet. For me, one of the main functions of "healthy" foods and drinks is not necessarily receiving direct health benefits but rather putting myself in a healthy state of mind. It's kind of like a placebo effect that overflows into other areas of my life including academics and spirituality. By drinking a protein shake I am giving myself positive reinforcement for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Safe Trick or Treat

I started off celebrating Halloween by helping out with Safe Trick or Treat put on at the Rockhurst Community Center. This program is designed to provide a protected environment for members of the local community to come and trick or treat. Kids can go through a haunted maze then play games and get candy inside the center. My job was to take pictures of the kids with other workers dressed up in costumes. It was great to see so many smiling faces even if most kids wanted to take their picture with the skeleton or indian over the construction worker (me). After Safe Trick or Treat I went on a scavenger hunt with some friends. We gave up on the hunt after about a half hour and decided that it would be better to go stargazing. After a half hour of driving my group finally came to the airport where we found a suitable place for stargazing.

Sick!!!

I guess it had to happen sometime. On Monday I came down with some illness that has plauged me all week. Thankfully today, Friday, I am finally feeling the signs of recovery, but these past few days have definitely been ones to forget. Late nights, long days, stressful studying, constant lethary, and three boxes of kleenex sum it up pretty well. Luckily My teachers were extreamly helpful and worked with me so I didn't fall behind in my assignments. My "forehead thermometer" (shown above) was not not nearly as helpful. I must say I was severly disapointed with the quality of feverscan. The highest reading I ever got to was 96.4 degrees. 96.4 degrees? Really?

Kansas City Half Marathon

Today I am sore. Yesterday I ran the Kansas City Half Marathon. The day started out by having to wake up at 5:30 in the morning so that my Dad, sister and I could make it to the starting line on time. It was 40 degrees when we arrived at the race and a steady drizzle made stretching miserable. Thankfully by seven o'clock the weather had cleared up and the sun was clearing out the darkness. I began the race with a pace group whose goal was to finish the 13.1 miles in one hour and forty-five minutes. Although this is faster than the pace I usually run at in long distance training I felt ready to step up for the occasion. As I ran along I had to constant support of Kelly Daly, Erin Prendergast, Kim Patterson, and Nicole Dejanes who decided to give up their Saturday morning and come out to cheer for runners like me. Thanks guys!!! Around the five mile mark I began to feel slightly fatigued from the several hills in the beginning of the race. I wish now that I had Incorporated more hill work into my training schedule. Finally at the nine mile mark I fell off of the hour forty-five pace group and ran at a much more comfortable gait. It was not until midway through the twelfth mile that I began to pick up the pace again. My final time was 1:48:12 and I am satisfied with it. My initial plan was to run at a 8:30 mile pace and finish in 1:51:00 so I felt accomplished to do better. After the race I met up with my sister and Dad for one of the best afternoons I have had since coming to college. Certainly the free endorphins still circulating from the race helped my mood but the large chocolate-fudge-brownie from Coldstone Creamery also helped :)

Big Man on Campus

Tonight I went to see the Big Man on Campus competition put on by the Rockhurst Zeta's. BMOC is a fundraiser and part of a week long effort to raise awareness of breast cancer by the Zeta's. Most of the contestants were upperclassmen but there were a few freshmen boys competing including the overall winner John Merlo. Each contestant performed a skit in front of a panel of Zeta judges. Merlo lip-synced and danced to a "Party in the U.S.A" remix while dressed as Miley Cirus. My favorite was when Fred Grossman danced to Owl City's "Fireflies" and threw gold glitter out over the panel of judges. All of the contestants evoked a positive response from the audience, no tomatoes were thrown, and in the end a freshman won. Success.

With the exception that I still failed to win somthing in a raffle. Be patient readers, my time will come.

Hypnotic Humor

Last week I decided to take a break from my incessant schoolwork and watch hypnotist Jim Wand work his magic in the convocation center. Initially I promised myself to avoid being hypnotized since I was not sure of just how this particular hypnotist handled his participants. After his introduction, however, I found myself drifting back to the first time I was hypnotized last year and couldn't help but want to do it again. I was one of the first chosen to go up and took my place in front of the audience with around twenty others. The process of going under did not take long for me. We were instructed to focus our attention on a small light and listen to the hypnotist at the same time as he gave a few simple instructions. After approximately thirty seconds my eyes began to blink rapidly and I felt myself slipping towards that blissful state of relaxation known as hypnosis. I remember everything that occurred from the moment I went under till the moment we were told to "wake up". The entire saga of what transpired that evening would be too lengthy to recount so I'll give the condensed version:


I became a siamese triplet with the two girls on either side of me in the picture below, when asked what the best thing about being a siamese triplet was I replied "having three stomachs", after being separated from my sisters I joined several other guys as we mimicked the dancing of a small doll controlled by the hypnotist; the doll was followed by having to give birth to a child which I named Leonidas in honor of my favorite actor from three hundred and after the childbirth everyone became a duck in search of food which we found in the a vast cornfield which paled in comparison to my sensational performance as Britney Spears singing and dancing "...Baby One More Time" (notice the songs title does not include "hit me" in it because the record executives were worried that it would condone domestic violence: Kudos to Wikipedia for that bit of info) even though I only knew the refrain because my parents prohibited me from listening to secular music in fourth grade.


And then I snapped out of it, peaceful and refreshed after a full hour of relaxation.

Homecoming Dance '09

Last night I attended Rockhurst's Homecoming dance at Bartle Hall. Before the dance, Res Life treated us to a free dinner at the intercontinental hotel (special thanks to Nicole DeJanes for supplying the names of these establishments). I was excited to try out the new dining etiquette techniques that I mentioned in my last post. Immediately upon arrival the dilemma of how to properly eat our dinner rolls arose and I seized on the opportunity to spread my newly found knowledge with the other members at my table. Throughout the dinner, Res Life raffled off some great prizes. Unfortunately I did not win anything. This seems to be a common trend for raffles here at Rockhurst and there have been several. Don't worry though guys, there will be a post eventually about me winning something. Even if it's just a key chain

I'll.....but I digress.

After the dinner we were bussed to Bartle Hall for the dance. It was at this dance that I met a truly incredible individual. To think that in eighteen years of my life I had been deprived of their presence until last night is truly disconcerting. Last night, for the first time, I was introduced to the chocolate fountain (shown above). I assume that for most people the dancing highlighted their evening. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy attempting to dance as much as the next guy, but the chocolate fountain made my night. I think I'll have at least a half dozen at my wedding. Each with a different kind of molten chocolate rippling in sheets down its sides. Until then I suppose waiting once a year for the annual homecoming dance will suffice.

Dining Etiquette Dinner

Last Tuesday I attended the Dining Etiquette Dinner put on by Career Services. The dinner was a walk through of proper dining etiquette for those who will soon find themselves in a professional setting. Career Services went over basics such as how to properly cut meat, which silverware to use, and how to enter your seat as well as minute details including how to correctly eat a roll, proper topics of conversation, and how to fold your napkin. The presentation was well done and I found it to be informative.


I learned many things from the dinner, one of the most important being that your neck and back will be sore afterwards if you properly dine from the rigorous posture mandated. I also found myself much more self conscious of my actions at the table. This resulted in a somewhat tense and nervous dining experience. Granted I enjoy getting dressed up for the occasion and acting professional, but having to sacrifice a potentially fun outing by focusing entirely on a set of specifications doesn't completely agree with me. Perhaps after enough practice I could learn to enjoy myself more in that kind of environment.

Mass of the Holy Spirit

Today Rockhurst celebrated the "Mass of the Holy Spirit." This is a traditional mass held each year as a way to kick off the school year. Fr. Curran led the congregation of students and locals who wished to attend as we prayed for both students and teachers in this scholastic year. My favorite part of the mass was getting the chance to listen to the choir. I took part in concert choir my junior year of high school and it brought back the memories. Maybe i'll join next semester....definitely not this one though. I could bore you guys with stories about my homework, how WebCT and webassign are currently down, and how the printer in the computer lab doesn't care that the review on calcium and the heart is due tomorrow. I guess that is what I signed up for when I picked out my classes this semester. I complain about them sometimes but I really do enjoy a challenging curriculum. Yes for those of you reading this I do like school and I am not one of those people who dread going to class each morning. And somehow I just got way off topic.........I apologize for the lack of coherence in this article but I'm not really focused right now. So in conclusion, (an extra apology to all the English majors out there for my atrocious use of this cliche to end my post), the Mass of the Holy Spirit was enjoyable and the technical difficulties of trying to do homework is not so enjoyable.

Fruit Smoothies

Today after a long morning of Biology, Calculus II, and Chemistry, I decided that the best way of celebrating surviving the morning was to enjoy one of the amazing smoothies our cafeteria offers. This might not seem like a major deal to someone who has not experienced the magic of a Sodexo smoothie, but I can assure anyone that it is. Let me begin by explaining just how these smoothies are made. You walk up to the smoothie counter and choose any combination of fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, bananas, blackberries, to be blended with either milk, orange juice, yogurt, or cranberry juice. Many smoothies at commercial chains add processed, sugary additives to sweeten their smoothies. Not in the Rockhurst cafeteria! Knowing that I can have a natural, flavorful, unadulterated, unprocessed fruit drink at lunch is the main reason that I have such an obsession with these smoothies. I can certainly see myself getting tired of most cafeteria foods that are offered every day but fruit smoothies are not one of them.

I would like to give a special thanks to Kim Patterson for inspiring me to write my latest blog entry about smoothies today. Without her encouragement this blog entry would probably never have happened.

Frosh Get-A-Way

Last weekend I attended Frosh Get-A-Way, a retreat put on by the school for incoming freshman. We left on Friday afternoon in three buses destined for the Tall Oaks retreat center in Kansas. Once there we were organized into groups that we stayed with throughout the retreat. My group was dubbed the "flaming ice cubes" and we fearlessly led by Jacie, an awesome upperclassmen who helped us to acclimate to each other during the first few awkward hours. All the retreatants participated in several icebreakers to get us acquainted with each other Friday evening then we ate dinner, went to prayer service, and afterwards had a bonfire. I spent the night will all the other male retreatants and male leaders in the Delaware cabin. We awoke the next morning at 7:00 to Fred (one of the several awesome leaders besides Jacie) banging something metal against a table to get us out of bed. I would also like to note that our cabin had been air conditioning the entire night and it felt about 43 degrees getting out of bed.

Saturday centered around a low ropes course. Pictured below is our group for the course plus Bill from campus ministry (center) whose last name I will not even attempt to spell. The course consisted of many small challenging activities that required teamwork and cooperation to complete. My favorite was a fourteen foot high wall that our entire group had to get over. Bill was most impressive in the "human spider web" which required bodily contortions and the optional rolling up of shorts for increased agility. Our group passed all of the obstacles with flying colors.

On Sunday we had our final prayer service after a sumptuous breakfast provided by the Tall Oaks staff. I would like to give a special shout out to them for their home cooking all weekend. The retreat was a great experience and I hope to come back as a leader next year. After about a half hour of pictures we had our last group meeting and packed back onto the buses. By this time I was entirely exhausted and managed to sleep the entire ride home.

Sab is Right

Each year the Student Activity Board puts on a mock game show called "Sab is right" which is a spoof off of The Price is Right. Entry was three dollars for this shirt (shown right) and all entrants were entered into a chance to compete on the show. I had nothing better to do that night so I bought a shirt and showed up looking for some entertainment. The show was hosted by my awesome RA Phil Bennet who was dressed up to look like The Price is Right host Bob Barker. I can't blame him for picking Bob over current host Drew Carey. After seeing Bob Barker in a fistfight with Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore who wouldn't want to dress up like him?

The games went on with some pretty impressive prizes up for grabs including: A Nintendo Wii, an Xbox 360, a microwave, and (best of all) a zebra snugie. My chance at fame and glory came in the fourth round. My name was announced over the sound system and I took my place in the front row to compete against three other contestants for a cornucopia of items and the chance to compete for some of the big prizes. My guess for the price of the those items, unfortunately I can't remember what they were, was 72 dollars even. It turned out to be too conservative as the actual listing price was 95 dollars and one of the other contestants guessed 80. Oh well, it was fun playing.

Freshman Orientation and First Week of College

After a wild and exciting first week of college I have finally found time to update this blog. It all started with Freshman Orientation.

Starting on Saturday and going through Tuesday, Freshman Orientation kept us freshman busy and constantly engaged in fun, interactive activites. I uploaded our schedule to the left to try give my followers an idea of just how much was planned during those four great days before school started. The freshman class was divided up into groups that competed with each other throughout orientation. My group was Group 15, led by upperclassmen Maddie and Clarke. We made a human machine, participated in the Finucane Service Project, toured Kansas City, and competed in the Orientation Olympics. Fueled by the exorbitant energy of team members Awesome Alex, Preferable Paul, and Jamanji Joey, Group 15 had a blast and possibly drove their mentors a little crazy.

Honors Orientation

Hello everyone and welcome to my first post as a freshman at Rockhurst University. Here is a little more background about me:

I am the third in my family to attend Rockhurst; my father and sister coming before me. My intended major is Biology and I am taking Pre-Dental curriculum. I enjoy running, fishing, baseball, school, sleeping, and manly movies (Think 300 and James Bond). My brother Nick is a freshman at Notre Dame High School, my sister Emily is studying in Philadelphia, and my other sister Claire is an undergrad at SLU.

I moved into Rockhurst on August 13th and took part in the Honors orientation. Upperclassmen and members of the Honors program organized two days of engaging activities for the forty or so of us freshman in the program. My mentor, Kim Beckvar, (sorry if I spelt that wrong Kim) did a great job in showing me around Rockhurst. Other activities included going to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the low ropes course at William Jewel College, and eating dinner with other members of leaders of Honors Orientation. Immediately following Honors Orientation was Freshman Orientation which I will be writing about in my next post...