in the midst of chaos

well, here i am, sitting around blogging in the middle of finals. my last day of classes on this campus is at hand, and it is indeed a sad day. The mood on campus is that of general mayhem, the professors are running around getting finals together and organizing end of the year activities like graduation, and students are dropping around campus like flies with the stress of their procrastinations and upcoming projects. at this point of the year, many people, including myself, have been pushed beyond breaking point and have decided, "screw it!"
haha, of course, this is the wrong attitude to have, and naturally we will all pull through, just like every other semester. yet, the stress remains and pressure will gradually build until May 20 when the last final is taken. in the mean time, there is a great opportunity to study your butts off tomorrow, thursday 15, during the biannual "study night" where many professors will be waiting to answer any burning questions you may have and also where you can stuff your face and gang up for study groups.
between then and now, is the road rally (a scavenger hunt in your car) tonight at 6:30pm-? which i heartily encourage everyone to attend because it is an absolutely fantastic time!
hope to see you around before the year ends! if not, have a great summer!

Multi-Culti Club

The club had their first official meeting today at noon. It turned out pretty good. This is a new and upcoming club that will officially get started fall of 2008. Today's meeting was informational and gave us a bit of an insight on what we plan on doing. There definitely will be FOOD involved, we're thinking about bringing speakers in, having different months' for different cultures, and more. Over all, the meeting was a success. The next meeting will be in late August before school starts. Hopefully we'll be ready to go once fall comes around, and you know what that means...new freshman to join the club!!!

So the year is coming to an end and that means...FINALS! Hopefully everyone is planning to start on those big projects and essays early to avoid cramming in the end.

Another thing...Trask is having his "last lecture" presentation next Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Congrats to him on his retirement.

STIR-IN!

Hello students!
Wow, all I can say is that, so far, the week has been going just swimmingly! I am really excited about the things going on around campus for STIR-IN and other things!
On Monday, the university hosted an Immigrant Panel where immigrants were invited to come and share their experiences of coming to America. We had several Hmong panelists whose views and experiences really showed us how hard of a time that they had and how hard it is to move to a new country. Two of the other panelists were from Mexico and they too had interesting stories to share. One of the main things that they tried to stress was that they wanted to be accepted in our country without having to totally assimilate and give up pieces of their culture that matter most to them. They were able to give us a perspective on a part of their lives while also giving us an opportunity to become more aware of what we can do to make the experience a little easier for new immigrants (practice tolerance and patience). After the panel, eggrolls and churros were a big hit with a little side of some American chocolate chip cookies. Hats off to Susanne for organizing it all and a big thanks to the panelists for an informative night!
Afterwards, many of the students headed outside for a bonfire and smores to kick off the STIR-IN week. A couple very large tents were seen being set up periodically throughout the day and a few smaller ones were set up later in the afternoon. The turnout that night was amazing and the cause that we were protesting was Safety. Tuesday (Tuition), had the addition of another large 6-person tent but to our utter sadness, the two smaller tents packed up until another night. (we miss you, come back!) There will be bonfires each of the nights during STIR-IN so even if you aren't going to sleep over, come on down for football, frisbee, games, marshmallows and fun!
Just a reminder, tonight's issue is Invest (Invest in the UW schools!) and tomorrow is Rental (book rental system so we don't have to shell out $500+/semester for books). We also have Life Night tonight which is Casino Night (hosted in part by the business club) and after, another bonfire!
More updates on the week to come, along with some pictures! Hope to see you there!
song of the day:: (in spirit of the campers)
Monkey Paw -by Pat McCurdy
quote of the day::
"The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness." -Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist

Just a follow up...

Wow, it has been a while since I had enough time to blog... I am not quite sure what to say, there is so much going on here for me that it is all jumbling together! To start, senate has been planning the upcoming STIR-IN event, personally, I can't wait to camp out for a few days! (To clarify a bit in case you didn't get the email from Justin Nickels, S-safety, T-tuition, I-invest, R-rentals, and finally, IN-inform. Each of these topics greatly affects the campus and if you want to stand up and voice your opinion and show that you are aware, this is a great opportunity!) Also, I recently took a psych exam and tomorrow I have a dreaded Anatomy and Physiology exam which will most definitely kick my butt. Tonight is the Plant-a-thon for the weekly life night, and I am pretty stoked that we are going to be doing something for the environment as well as for the campus!
I guess that is all there is to be said along those lines, some other things that are going around campus: The UW had a great performance of "Agnes of God" a little while ago, and from what I experienced and what I've heard from others, it was a hit. Good job to all those involved! Along those lines, "Zoo Story" is the next production, I can't wait to see it!
Registering for classes is also open, be sure to get the ATP (advance tuition payment, $100) in so you can sign up for some great classes that are being offered here next semester like yoga! If you have any questions, just stop in the student services office and the lovely ladies in front will sign you up for an appointment with an advisor!
(btw, you can sign up for summer school classes already too!)
That's all from me for today, hope your week goes well!
song of the day: My Wish for You -by Rascal Flatts (just for you Cathy)
quote of the day: from Tommy Boy (1995)
Tommy: Hey, what's your name?
Helen: Helen.
Tommy: That's nice, you look like a Helen. Helen, we're both in sales. Let me tell you why I suck as a sales man. Let's say I go into a guy's office, let's say he's even remotely interested in buying something. Well then I get all excited. I'm like Jojo the idiot circus boy with a pretty new pet. Now the pet is my possible sale. Hello there pretty little pet, I love you. And then I stoke it, and I pet it, and I massage it. Hehe I love it, I love my little naughty pet, you're naughty. And then I take my naughty pet and I go [makes ripping noises as he tears apart the roll]
Tommy: Uuuuuuh. I killed it. I killed my sale. And that's when I blow it. That's when people like us have gotta forge ahead, Helen. Am I right?
Helen: God, you're sick.

Monday.. yet again!

It's crazy to think that after today, there are only 4 Mondays left of actual class! I don't know about you.. but for me this semester has flown by! Here is a quick look at what is going to be going on, on campus these next few weeks!

4/16/08: Life night: PLANT-A-THON.. you are going to be able to plant seeds for your personal use.. as well as for the school! It starts at 9:00 in the Commons!

4/21 - 4/46: Student Senate is sponsoring the STIR-IN. It is a chance to get students aware of the issues concerning our campus. There will be activities through out the week to incorporate the different themes for each day. Also, students are invited to pitch a tent and sleep outside!


4/21/08: The Immigrant Panel Presentation... Starts at 7:00pm in the University Theatre. FREE OF CHARGE.. It is featuring Southeast Asian and Hispanic panelists.

4/23/08: Life Night: Casino Night sponsored by Senate and the Business Club. Starts at 9:00 in the Commons.

4/30/08: Life Night: Road Rally! Get your team ready for this fun event. Susanne Skubal makes a list of clues and tasks all over Manitowoc that you have to complete in the shortest amount of time.. and with the least amount of mileage! This event starts earlier! I will let you know the correct time when Senate decides on it. There are are always pizza and prizes at this event!

5/7/08: Life Night: Get ready for the end of the year party! There are multiple tasks that have to be done before hand. It is starting at 9:00pm in the commons!

5/9/08: END OF THE YEAR PARTY! This year's theme is HOLLYWOOD... past and present! There will be more information once we get closer to the party.

*There will also be a study night prior to finals, but we are not sure on the date for that yet. As soon as I know, I will put it on here!

Well, I hope this was helpful. Have a good rest of your Monday!

Blood Donor

Wow, I am officially a blood donor now. It feels great to know that people in our community will benefit. I hope that everyone had a chance to stop by the county board room to donate today. A job well done to The Blood Center and UW-Manitowoc Future Nurses for setting this up.

Okay, my personal experience. I started freaking out when I saw how big the needle was. I mean this needle was HUGE compared to the little ones I'm used to. I kind of started laughing but kept my cool. I was fine once I got started. It was just a bit of a surprise. Thanks to Nick for helping me laugh it off.

Again, thanks to all who donated.

i aLwAyS sEeM to bLog On MONDAYS

Today is Monday.. and we are coming off of a beautiful weekend! I hope you all got outside.. on Saturday especially! Today is a little darker out.. my friend who lives in Eau Claire said it is lightly snowing by them.. and I heard snow flurries for Wednesday.. ahh! Speaking of Wednesday.. this weeks campus life night consists of us watching the movie, The Kite Runner, and eating tacos! It starts at 9:00pm in the commons! Also, big thanks goes out to the Future Nurses for putting together the Wellness fair this past Wednesday, and also to Student Senate for sponsoring the food.
**A heads up.. It's almost time to bust out the sleeping bags and tents! The STIR IN week is soon approaching! It goes from April 21st-25th. This is a great opportunity to see what your campus is all about. You are invited to sleep outside on campus during this week! It adds to the fun!
Well I should get going and get some work done.. take care! -Amanda