A Day in the Life of UIC Students

Yesterday morning I looked out of my window in SSR and was shocked to see so many individuals without a coat, jacket or even a hoodie. You see, just a few days ago it was snowing, so it had been quite chilly for a couple of days. But not today, it was sunny and bright and I was overly excited. I broke out my hot pink ballet flats and light jacket and decided I was going to go for it. So after I took my shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed, I threw on my LIGHT jacket and got on the elevator. I hadn’t been so eager to go outside in about six or seven months. I turned the corner and walked out of the side doors nearest the shuttle stop and tada--I was immediately hit with the rays of the sun and the slight “spring-like” breeze. I was in weather heaven!

Well, later on that day, a few friends of mine from Courtyard, JST and SSR met at my apartment. I hadn’t been in the best of moods for a little bit over two weeks because of outside stress BUT today, nothing was going to get me down. We went out into the courtyard area between SSR, the other residence halls and the recreation center. Other residents were out playing Frisbee, catch or just laying around. We picked a spot on the grass and lay out. I went and got a few more residents from my floor to join us in enjoying the weather. We all played tag (yes, tag, we reverted back to our pre-school years), raced each other (I didn’t partake in the racing, I was too tired from tag, lol), went to student center west to grab some Subway and then went back outside and ate.

As it grew later in the day we became even more restless. The boys were doing flips; the girls were dancing and/or telling stories. Around six in the evening we all chilled out. I felt like I had just had an extended recess and now it was nap time. Everyone got up and said their goodbyes and we dispersed- some to the shuttle stop up the hill, others to SRH and PSR. I walked to the front of SSR and looked around. It was getting late so there was a night breeze but it still felt wonderful. I watched the passersby either driving, walking or riding their bike; there was so much life and vitality around me.

The ten o’clock hour was rapidly approaching and with the pleasure of knowing I didn’t have any homework to do, I looked out my window at my beautiful view of Chicago, admired the lights of all the buildings especially the Sears Tower, and closed my eyes. There was absolutely nothing that could break my mood- great weather, great friends, and great view; now it was time for great sleep.

I hope today, lives up to the expectations yesterday left. I saw the news this morning and it’s suppose to be warmer than yesterday. I am excited to see what today has in store for me –maybe a nice walk, or a trip downtown with my floormates, or a nice train ride through the city (thank God for the U-PASS, which makes all these traveling options possible)…who knows, we’ll see, until then...

There's only 19 more days left in this semester. That includes finals week, and that's crazy! I don't know where all the time went. Thanksgiving weekend always marks the point in the semester where I really need to start buckling down and studying for exams. I vowed to myself I would check my email one last time before I headed for home on Wednesday and then not think about school, work, or anything UIC related at all until coming back on Monday morning. I was unsuccessful, (I get anxious whenever I don't check my UIC email for a few hours) but at least I got to take a load off and see some of my friends in the country. I'm not entirely sure what caused it, but I got to take a little souvenir of my mini vacation back to school with me in the form of a rash. I think it's an allergic reaction to something, but I can't figure out what is causing it. I really wish I could figure out what it is so I can make it stop, because this is a terrible time of year to have any sort of physical ailments. After class today, I think I'm going to head on down to the handy-dandy convenience store on campus and buy me some Benadryl. Hopefully it helps because I have a lot more to worry about this week than dumb old itchy skin.

I guess it could also be some sort of stress related thing, as I have been very stressed out lately. I have papers and projects to finish, as well as final exams to worry about. Final exam week in the Residence Halls has a very different feel to most of the semester, I've noticed. Everyone seems very chill, which is the opposite of what I expected when I was a freshman. I sort of thought that my neighbors and I would be running around pulling out our hair and panicking about the impending doom of final exams, but it isn't like that at all. Instead, there's a very peaceful aura about the place, with neighbors banding together to form study groups and things of the like. This year I only have two exams, which is exciting, because I usually have to be here and study all week long; just two exams will be a nice change. While I'm not too happy that both of my exams are in the middle of the week at 8 o'clock in the morning, I am very thankful to be living on east campus so that I can roll out of bed at 7:50 and still make it on time. Also, it's going to be fun to have a four day weekend between my last day of class and my first exam. Who doesn't love days off? Finally, at the end of all of this, I get to celebrate my 21st birthday that Saturday, so you can bet I'm excited about that, too.

So the past couple of weeks have been the most stressful, yet at the same time the most fun. In architecture, we have been working on our final project for the semester, all of which is leading up to the final critique in two weeks. That particular review is different from all the rest because our professor brings in other architects that have never seen our work before and he has them critique it. Nothing like spending eight weeks working on a project only to stand “in the line of fire” and have it picked apart! However, all the comments they make are really helpful, and ultimately that's why we're in school, right?

Anyways, this project, along with work in all of my other classes, has been the cause of much stress in the past few weeks. I even pulled my first “true” all-nighter of the semester, not that I haven't had nights with just one or so hours of sleep, but last week was the first time I had a night where I got no sleep whatsoever. It was so bad that during architecture I was passed out in my chair! I tried standing during the reviews, washing my face with cold water in the bathroom, and getting up and moving around and nothing could keep me up! The minute I came back to the Stukel Towers after class I passed out on my bed, not even bothering to take of any of the clothes I wore that day. TWELVE hours later I woke up, packed, and got on a flight to Kansas City for Turkey Break. I rarely get the required eight hours, let alone twelve! All I have to say is that I am glad that week is over and that I could have a well-deserved vacation from all the stress.

Speaking of Turkey Break, a bunch of us got together at Grace's apartment in TBH for our own Thanksgiving dinner last week. Steve “made” the corn and brought the pumpkin pie, Ashley made the turkey, Priyanka made the mac and cheese, Monica made the stuffing, Jon brought the cranberries, Bryan cooked the jalapeno poppers, Grace made the mashed potatoes, and I baked the apple crisp for dessert. It was a nice little break from all the homework and to spend some quality “family” time with all my close friends I've made in the past year by living at UIC. Plus, I love cooking and Grace's apartment makes it so easy!

Living on campus definitely helps relieve the stress that comes with college. I couldn't imagine commuting and having to complete the projects we're doing now, for it's so easy just to head into studio to do work because it's right there. Also, having the city at my fingertips has been great. If ever I am in need to take a break, I can always find a coffee shop in the city, go down the street to get a tapioca freeze from Joy Yee's, or take a walk in the park to clear my head and relax. A few weeks ago, Grace, Steve, Priyanka and I all put off our homework for once and went to Millennium Park to take some cool silhouette photos in front of the Crown Fountains. Those of you reading this should give it a shot some time if you're ever there: at night, turn off the flash on your camera and stand in front of giant wall of LED and all you'll see is a black shadow of yourself.

I’m learning this year how important it is to make time for yourself, something I am still struggling with but is crucial nonetheless.

This part of the year has always brought around major stress and brain farts for me. I think part of it has to do with the onset of winter (It»s supposed to snow tomorrow?!), but for the most part, I think its because the semester flies by so fast that I don»t even notice the passing of time until all of a sudden there»s only about a month left. It feels like I just moved in a week ago, but today in my English class the professor brought up the final paper. Final papers mean the semester is beginning to wind down, which means I need to start REALLY making sure my grades are where I want them to be. This is difficult though, because my brain is telling me it is over worked and under paid and would much rather take a nap than think about the evolution of porcupine quills or the portrayal of women in early English texts or any of that sort of thing. I feel very lethargic and scattered and if it wasn»t for that bio project I have due tomorrow, I would be calling up my pals for a stress-busting movie night. It could be worse though, I mean, it could be winter break.

I don»t really look forward to breaks anymore because I get so bored. For those of you who don»t know, I am from a little middle-of-nowhere town. It consists mostly of churches, bars, and car dealerships, none of which particularly interest me. For the last two years I spent my breaks working at the sole fast food joint in my hometown and spending my spare time on the couch. By the end of the first weekend I am sufficiently recovered from finals week and ready for the next round of…well, anything.

I find that as soon as I»m out of school for a few days, I»m ready to go back. I get so bored without some sort of intellectual stimulation, and it makes me wonder what happened to me. When I was in high school I was more than happy to spend a few days in my pjs, watch Jerry Springer and eat coco puffs. Now when I do that I feel like my brain is melting, and that does NOT feel good. I went to visit my parents this weekend and got a little preview of the do nothing sort of days I have waiting for me in a few weeks. I don»t normally go home on weekends, but when I do it makes me realize how astronomically different my life is now that I»ve been living up here. I feel almost like I»m a whole different person and that both amazes and terrifies me. If I»ve changed this much now, I wonder what I»ll be like when I graduate, and after that? Scary stuff, but I think I like it.

So this semester has been quite hectic with school, work, friends, and a relationship but in order to make everything less stressful I try to look at the good side of things. Instead of getting upset about the things I do not understand, I try to find the things I do understand, incorporate the unknown, and learn that way. So far, it has worked for me. In the very beginning of the semester I was so upset because every time I would have a class critique, everything was against me and I felt I did not know anything about graphic design, typography, or color theory. As the semester progressed I realized I needed to change things about my living habits and focus more on school. In class I normally would be falling asleep, disinterested, or in a cranky mood, which made learning ten times harder. I knew that if I wanted to get better, I would have to stop these habits and focus!

Soon enough things were looking up, I was slowly making progress and I did not dread going to class as much as I did in the beginning. Out of my three classes I found that Color Theory was quite interesting and a lot more difficult than it appeared. There are so many different terms and theories that derive just based on colors. A couple of main terms such saturation, value, and complementary may seem simple to grasp but there is just so much more behind it, it boggles my mind. The class as a whole works together to help understand and the more projects we do, the easier everything is. This week we get to create a project that “hurts the eyes” or in other words, contrast. Usually putting together complement colors (blue and orange, green and red, and purple and yellow) will have this effect on the eyes. The tricky part is getting the correct quantity, saturation, and value between each of these colors. The easy part is, green and red already have all three of these traits, no matter what…but our teacher forbade us from using these colors for our next assignment. I think I am going to incorporate crazy corners and use analogous colors. Analogous colors are colors that are next to one another on the color wheel, in a group of 3. So for example, Red, red-orange, and orange is considered analogous colors. Though, for this project I can use only two colors, so I’ll use 2 of the 3 analogous colors, which would also be a part of the same hue, or color family. So hopefully I can succeed in painting a composition that will “hurt the eyes.”

Last week we did this same project, but it was printed off of the computer. Which leaves a lot of us at a disadvantage because printers will make our reds appear orange and some of our blues appear purple. Painting is a lot more time consuming but has a bigger impression when doing projects of this sort, and also the printer cannot print of the same quality that we receive from painting. I am feeling confidant I will succeed with this project and anyone in the arts AND architecture should consider Color Theory as an elective, it is surely a challenging class and will help in the future.

Every semester, as an Honor College student, we have to do what is called an Honors activity. Well, for the fall semester, I am putting together an AIDS Benefit. This is a disease that has always been close to my heart, and eventually I would like to go over to an AIDS orphanage in Africa and work there. And after that, as an adult, I would like to adopt some children that have lost their parents to AIDS.

So, last year, two friends from the theatre department and I got in talks about having an AIDS benefit. Well, Michael Anderson, the head of the performing arts department approved it and now all the prep work is being done.

We decided all the proceeds would go to the Chicago AIDS Foundation, and our goal is to raise over a thousand dollars. It is important to us to utilize our talents for a greater cause which is why we decided to have a cabaret type of event.

The hardest part was deciding who we were going to ask to sing in the event. I didn't want to offend anybody, but I also wanted the show to be really good. The show needs to be way beyond the bar because this is something very close to my heart and I want people to remember how well it was put together.

So, about twelve people were asked and now we are waiting for the replies. We also contacted some restaurants and various stores to donate so we can have an auction as well. We set the date for December 1st because that is World AIDS Day. We decided to invite a wide variety of people from Chicago. Letters are being sent to people like Oprah and various theatre stars in Chicago.

I am also really excited because we get to intermesh the music and the theatre department, both of which share the basement of the EPASW, but hardly ever even work together. Although, I am an acting major, music is still a big part of me, so I am really excited to be able to sing in the benefit because it's not something I get to do very often anymore. I also like the directing aspect of this, where I can decide what people should sing and help to make the show run as smoothly as possible.

But, it's definitely a lot of work. Getting together acts, pianists, publicity, the money etc., takes time. But if done well, I think we can raise a lot of money, and hopefully this is something that can be done from year to year or even semester to semester.

Plus, this is great experience for the real world. Because who knows as an actor what I will have to do from day-to-day and I will have to learn to do all this work eventually, so I'm really excited, and I'll keep you updated!

Peace,
Ashley

Campus Housing definitely knows how to throw a big bash! A few weeks ago, Lake Michigan was the spot to be at because it was the annual RHA (Residence Hall Association) Boat Cruise. This was a chance for residents to get all dolled up and dance their butts off on The Spirit of Chicago while being treated to a catered dinner and beautiful views of the city throughout the night. I hadn't gone the year before, but this year I knew more of my friends through housing that were going. So, I decided to work the good looks and electric slide the night away (or I should probably say “Soulja Boy” the night away). On a side note, Monica, Steve, Ashley, and I learned the “Soulja Boy” dance, as well as the two-step and part of the King of Pop's “Thriller,” to bust out on the cruise, and we looked good doing it (as I brush off my shoulders). What made it even better was that tickets to go on the boat cruise initially would have been around one hundred dollars, but Campus Housing works their magic and the event had only cost residents twenty-two dollars for the whole night. I must say that I never totally realized how many benefits there were to living on campus. I knew that it was great, but they always seem to find a way to exceed my expectations.

We began the night by getting our tickets and heading to Navy Pier via the CTA bus routes. After getting off at Halsted, Grand, and Milwaukee, we were going to switch over to another bus heading east. However, much to our surprise, all the buses going down Grand were not running for the night. Imagine, for a moment, sixty or so college students frantically hailing down taxi cabs in formal attire. Had someone not called the bus company, we would have been waiting at the bus stop for hours and missed the cruise! Anyways, we packed a cab and made it over to The Spirit in time for a few pictures before taking off. The city looked amazing that night and it made me realize how privileged I was to be out on the lake with a bunch of great people. Dinner was delicious, and after running for cabs it was exactly what all of us needed. The music got louder and the dancing began, but none of us were prepared for how small of a space the dance floor was. Everyone was squished together, and at times I didn't feel the need to dance because the movement of the crowd did all the work. The congestion accounted for the heat and sweat, but nonetheless it was amazing, even though the perspiration made my shirt twenty times darker by the end of the night. It was the most fun I had had in a while, perhaps even better than the dances I had in high school. I witnessed one Ashley fall on top of the other in the middle of the dance floor and Steve picking up one of the Ashleys in the middle of Enrique's “Hero,” very Michelle Kwan at Nagano circa 1998. Nothing like a great date and lots of sweaty college students shaking what their mama gave them…

All acting students have to take at least two years of a Voice class. This class basically teaches us to breathe, speak and utilize our body correctly. Well, this year, a new teacher was hired to teach our class. So, right now, we are working on what is called restructuring which is when we have broken our bodies down and now we are building them up to speak correctly.

Elizabeth, our teacher, is also a medical practitioner, so yesterday she wanted to open our ribcages to help us breathe easier. What I had to do was lie over a yoga ball, while two people held my arms up and another person braced my head. Then Elizabeth, felt around under my ribcage, pressing down on my diaphragm. Then she made two fists and pressed down hard on my diaphragm so that I couldn't breathe! This was to constrict the air flow and force me to use my lungs to expand my ribcage so I could breathe. All of a sudden the room felt twenty degrees hotter. All sorts of noises were coming out of my mouth to help get air moving. She kept pressing harder until my ribs just expanded then all this air started flowing through my body, and the room became the right temperature again.

While still on the ball, and her still pressing down constricting me, I now had to speak. That wasn't easy. Under all the stress that my body was going through, remembering a monologue wasn't easy. But the way I was now speaking was so much freer and open. It was amazing.

At first, I was really nervous because I knew that it wouldn't feel very good. I knew that it was going to hurt, but that it was something I just had to do. The process was a struggle, but after everybody felt amazing because it was so much easier for us to breathe.

Last night, I had rehearsal for my show, which opens next week P.S, and I felt really good because it was easier for me to say everything and my monologues were much freer and less timed and planned out.

This is an exercise that might only happen a few times in a lifetime because now our bodies will adjust to this freeness and set this as the new normal. I just think that is insane. The fact that I have been breathing all my life one way, but in a day my body can start to adjust to a new way. That's pretty intense.

Peace Out,
Ashley

Sometimes it is important to realize that we can't always have what we want out of life. As my Italian teacher would say, “C'est la vie!” which is funny because that is French, not Italian. Regardless, although we are capable of making our own decisions and defining our own destiny, there are some things we just can't control. Life always seems to throw us curveballs that catch us off guard, throwing us into a state of disillusionment and defeat. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, bad weather when you've got a million errands to run, or training your hardest only to lose the race, there seems to always be an indeterminate factor that you can never control. I remember back in high school, I was the busiest person alive with schoolwork, being President of the Senior Executive Council, and being the lead in the musical, among many other extracurricular activities. In every show I did, the week of the performances always brought with it an illness I would always seem to catch. It was the combination of the stress and the change in seasons, one of which I guess I could have controlled if I wanted to. I remember that for the final night I didn't even know if I would be able to sing until the moment I stepped onstage because I was so sick. It is when the cards are dealt as such that we have the choice to remain as we are or push through it, and in the case of that performance I pushed through it and gave the crowd a great show I had never done before.

However, sometimes those curveballs come from people that mean the most to you. It may be something that, ultimately, would make them happy but leave you distraught. It is a tough lesson to learn that I am currently going through. I, as well as anyone else, would want the best for that other person and it is a matter of putting your own wants aside to make that clear. As we all know, that is a very difficult thing to do because no one likes being unhappy. Seeing other people unhappy makes me unhappy. I think my parents were sad, perhaps more nervous, with the idea of me going so far from home for school. They tried convincing me really hard to stay at a state university in Missouri or Kansas, but they knew that I would be content in Chicago and combining that with the idea that I would be going to a good university ultimately made them happy. I am sure that I am not the only one dealing with something like this, and what is great about living on campus is that I have people I can always turn to in order to help me out. Hopefully I can eventually be happy with the decisions that have been made, and until then I will do as my parents did and attempt to be.

So here is my thought of the “typical” life of a student on campus. You basically wake up at all hours of the morning, in some cases the afternoon, go to class for a few hours, go get lunch, take a nap, go to work, and then around 5 or 6 at night go down to the cafeteria to eat dinner, which by the way is pretty nice this year. (This all you care to eat meal plan is definitely a plus.) And then afterwards, you end up back at your room for homework. But how do you find time for the other things? Like my roommate and my favorite- TV shows! And of course other things like doing laundry, going to the gym, videogames, adventures in Chicago, watching movies, creeping on facebook (come on- everyone does it whether they admit it or not) going to all the great activities that housing offers, and then of course just social time. The easiest way for me to get it all done in time, is to just make a list. I leave it either out on my desk in my room, or stick it up on the wall and then just cross it out as I go. It's one of the easiest ways for me to remember. I tried sticky-notes- big mistake. My desk was just a jumble of bright colors and funky shapes of all the different ones I had.

But lets get back to these other activities….. I don't know what I would do without my weekly America's Next Top Model and Grey's Anatomy! Like last night when Izzie was in the cafeteria waiting for Calley! Priceless! My cluster mates and I, (who weekly sit and watch these shows together) were a little upset when the weather warning pop-up rudely interrupted our TV show. I mean it was just about a tornado warning in Michigan- is that really more important than Grey's Anatomy!? Kidding!!! I am quite excited for next weeks episode though, the Halloween episode. I wonder what kind of tricks these people will try and pull in a hospital! And then Janet being kicked off of America's Next Top Model was definitely disappointing. She was one of my favorites, which made me a bit sad to see her go, but its all good in reality TV! Besides TV- the other unimportant activities- like laundry and such are also fun and exciting this year. I mean- who can beat free laundry service! It is definitely a perk for any new and incoming students to hear free laundry. My mom for one was definitely excited when she heard that news because I wouldn't be bringing as much laundry back home with me.

Unless there are reruns on this weekend of my shows, it looks like my weekend is dedicated to homework. Midterms are coming up once again in about two weeks, and studying is going to be one of the top priorities. Of course, there will be those time blocks dedicated to the relaxation of laying in my bed, watching TV, and eating junk food, but then it's back to studying and reality once again.

I would be speaking for all of my fellow studiomates when I say that architecture students have it quite rough in terms of the workload. This semester has been insanely busy for me, between memorizing dates and names of artwork for Art History, learning the Italian language, and reading forty-page articles on architecture, I still have studiowork to complete. I'm going to give you an inside look on what it's like to be an architecture student here at UIC. The most recent project we had was an analysis of a site in down in Pilsen in which we would eventually build a runway for a fashion show. However, it wasn't just a straight, traditional runway because that would be mundane, not to mention no fun at all. Instead, we were to look to the principles with which our assigned clothing designer created garments and draw from that for inspiration. It was about implicitly communicating similar ideas architecturally instead of through fabric. If you are reading this and are not an architecture major, this may be difficult to grasp, but it was a really interesting project. Architects must be prepared for different clients with different requests and sometimes that means becoming an expert in something you have no clue about. I came into this project with a fair amount of knowledge in fashion, what I guess you would call the fundamentals. However, I completed the project with a greater sense of how the fashion realm coincides with the architectural one. There is so much to consider when creating clothing, from structure to materiality. What is interesting is that both of those ideas are just as important to creating architecture, and the most minute of alterations can drastically change one's experience.

Every class period, we get reviewed by our professor on the work that we've produced. He is not afraid to rip pieces off of our models and write all over our presentation boards, which at first was surprising and intimidating, but has now become slightly amusing. I feel like I've learned so much already and his reviews have really helped better my understanding of this field and how to think architecturally. For the final review for each project, he invites a guest reviewer to critique our work. What is difficult about that is that the person doesn't know anything about the project or about the work we had done leading up to the final. It is our job to sell our ideas and communicate our concept clearly.

Overall, the program seems pretty difficult and I would definitely agree. On the other hand, it's important to say that this program is different from many others. It is a design school, heavily driven on concept. I looked to this school because of its location and the many opportunities available in the city. If I were going to study architecture, I would want to be in a place where there is a variety of great buildings. Chicago has so much history and is constantly evolving, and because of that I feel like I had made a good decision in picking UIC. I am sure that this isn't the last you'll hear of me and my architectural exploits, for the following project is designing our first building: more fashion, this time as an atelier (studio) and gallery. If you'd like to find out more, keep reading in the following weeks!

Well I woke up this morning and my eye was swollen; why? I'm not really sure at all; all I know is that I had an allergic reaction of some kind. I know my eyes are really really sensitive but I didn't do anything that could possibly agitate them. But I always wonder: Why my eyes? I've only had one other allergic reaction that resulted in my whole face swelling and that's because I'm allergic to hamsters and my brother bought four of them; so that's understandable. But now I just have random moments where my eye tingles and next thing I know its swelling; why? I don't have the slightest clue. And the allergic reaction always happens at the worst possible times: before a party, before school, before work-did I mention before a party! Never both eyes, just one! Because it's like a complete mystery to me I'm just left asking: Why eye, why?

I literally hoped out of bed this morning and much to my dismay I could only see out of my left eye :-( Sad, I know. What made it worst is the fact that this was my first allergic reaction where I wasn't at home. I'm so use to just going to mom and saying" Mom, it's my eye again" and her knowing what to do ­GOTTA LOVE MOTHERS. But today I had an all out panic attack because there was no one there to help or guide me. I got a warm towel and put some ice cubes in a plastic baggie and wrapped it in a towel. I figured I could either take the heat approach with the towel or the cooling effect with the ice. I put the towel on my eye sat for fifteen minutes; looked in the mirror and I could have almost swore the eye was even more swollen. I threw the towel out and went for the ice; put the ice on my eye for fifteen minutes, looked in the mirror and besides the fact that my eyelids were numb from the cold, there wasn't much of an effect.

So I did the only other thing I knew would work- I called my mommy and told her "Mom, it's my eye again." She told me those magic words oh so familiar "Just calm down, I'm gonna make it all better." It didn't register in my mind that my mother was about an hour away at work but just the sound of her voice eased my nerves and calmed me down; my eye was still swollen, but who cares when your mommy says she'll take care of you. She told me she'll bring my eye drops after she gets off work, don't put a towel on it because it only irritates my eye more, and stop panicking because that doesn't make any situation better. I knew she was right and shook my nerves off. Gosh I love my mother, even from miles and miles away she makes me feel like she's always there no matter the distance.

Now, I'm ready to face the day ahead, swollen eye and all. As long as I know my mommy is coming with my eye drops I know the end result will be a good one but until I have eye drops in hand and an explanation of why my one eyes swells, I just have to wonder: Why eye, why?

So the one thing I have vowed to do this semester living in JST is to really take advantage of the programming abilities we have as residents. A few weeks ago, 4 fellow JST-ers and Beatles enthusiasts and I went to the AMC downtown to go see the new movie, *Across the Universe*. We were all stunned by its phenomenal covers and incredible visual appeal. All of us immediately fell in love with it (and 'all you need is love', right?) The next day, the timeless Beatles classics were blasting through the halls and dance parties could be frequently spotted (all before quiet hours of course!) I decided to share my love of this movie with everyone I knew, and sent out a massive text message inviting everyone to come to *Across the Universe* night at the AMC, with $3 movie tickets, courtesy of Campus Housing! I couldn't believe the response....we needed 27 tickets! Jason, the RD who I put in the request to, couldn't believe it either. Nevertheless, we got the group together, got the cheap movie tickets, and all headed over. Everybody loved it, I didn't hear one negative review! I'm glad to have spread the joy of this fantastic movie, but now I am being pestered by too many people for the soundtrack. Oh well, it was all well worth it...thank you campus housing! One month later, the soundtrack is still on loop in our suite majority of the day and night, and the distant melody of out of tune renditions of "Hey Jude" can often be heard ringing through the halls.

I know I am much delayed on commenting about my time at the boat cruise, but it completely slipped my mind last time I wrote a blog. Well, the Boat Cruise was probably the best night I've had thus far at UIC. We got a group of about 15 people together (no dates…no pressure!) consisting of former floor mates from SRH and new floor mates from JST. We all got ready together, had a little pre-dance dance party in our living room, and then headed off to Navy Pier, the former home of UIC. Can I just add that I am completely opposed to switching campus from Navy Pier to the Circle Campus? J I mean, they can feel free to change it back, just keep the IMAX, the Ferris Wheel, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and of course, the Spirit! We all boarded the Spirit Cruise line at about 7:00…fully prepared to have an intense night of dining and dancing. The boat was gorgeous and the food was fabulous. After taking far too many pictures (142 too many pictures to be exact,) the tour guides met up, and took it to the dance floor! It was so much fun. I have to say, I went with a pretty intense group of people that insisted in being in the limelight the whole night. We were in the middle of the dance floor for three hours, being videotaped having the time of our lives for the UIC TV Channel, tearing it up, and circling up. Every few songs or so we took breaks to get off the crowded dance floor and to go outside and feel the amazing breeze of Lake Michigan, and look out onto the best view of Chicago I had ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. It was at this point I realized that I was so glad I did not go to U of I Champaign-Urbana; because if I had, I would probably be running through a field look at all the corn, not dancing on a beautiful boat, eating rich cuisine, and enjoying the smooth sail around Chicago at night (…and to think, all for $22!) Can I just say if you ever get a chance to board the Spirit, whether it be on your own, or through another awesome Campus Housing program, make sure you try the Crème Brulee cheesecake!

This past weekend was the closing of the theatre's play A Balm in Gilead. Aside from being a tour guide, I also work in the box office for the theatre. After the show on Friday, a bunch of us decided to go back to my friend Alex's townhouse where a few of my friends live. Well, unbeknownst to me, I walked into a pitch black house.

Apparently, their electricity had been cut off for over a week now, leaving them not only in the dark, but without hot water, and no way of refrigerating their food.

To me, it seemed like a big, fun sleepover, but I guess after a week of living in the dark, it looses its thrill. It didn't take long before they divulged the details as to why they have been living like cavemen for the past week. Well, apparently, they received a 1300 dollar electricity bill! But, the four of them have only lived their since early June, and the bill dated back to the previous August. It seems, that the previous tenants had to decided not to pay their bill the whole time they lived in the townhouse. When they received the bill, they went to their landlords and told them that they shouldn't be charged because they didn't even live there at that time and that their electricity needs to be put back on. Well, the landlords told them to get in touch with the actual electricity company who then told them that it could be a few business days to get straightened out.

This all happened early last week, but then on Saturday at about 2a.m. they all awoke to some girls banging on their door. They opened the door to about five girls they didn't know who are screaming and giggling that they lived in this house last year! Then my friend Jenna says, “Oh, so you're the reason we are now living without power!” I bet they didn't see that coming! These girls then went on to tell them that they are now in a legal battle with the landlords about a series of fees that they had and that is why they moved out. None of this pleased my friends, who are locked into a contract with these landlords for a year.

All of this made me very happy that not only was I not in their position, but that I live on-campus where I know not only would none of this happen, but that any problems would be taken care of in a timely fashion! I could not imagine living without heat and light for a week! How do you do your homework? How do you shower? All of this was completely ridiculous. My friend Sean said later, “I am applying to live in JST next semester; I can't take living here any longer.” Hmm. Sounds like a lot of drama to me to live off campus.

Peace Out,
Ashley

It’s hard to believe it’s already week 8! Time sure flies when you’re…well…busy. So I've been compulsively eating at all the restaurants around campus…amazing. The other day, me and some fellow floor mates went to WOW (World of Wings) on Maxwell Street. Absolutely delicious…I recommend it. Probably the best chips and salsa I’ve ever had. I must say, having the Polish hot dog stand, Jim’s, next to JST is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. Open 24 hours with amazingly cheap artery-clogging goodness, it is a Chicago landmark. I’m pretty tight with the workers there now. They know my name and give me discounts. A+ for compulsive habits! My fellow TGs (Tour Guides) and I went to Lalo’s on Maxwell last weekend after giving campus housing tours. It was also very good!

But the great tastes of Chicago are only an escape for midterms creeping up around the corner. I have two this week, and one more next. On top of working two jobs, and the fall play Balm in Gilead approaching, it is quite a time. The daily admissions tours keep getting larger and larger, which is both a blessing and a burden. Granted I am always late to my next class, they are so much fun to give to big groups. All the parents and students are so enthusiastic about living at or attending UIC after seeing the residence halls. I am pretty sure they are sold after they hear “free laundry.”

Halloween in the residence halls should be a lot of fun. They were talking about doing residence hall trick or treating, and having a dance party up in the tower lounges, which I am all for! Sounds like a blast! A few of my suitemates are really intent on decorating the place hardcore for Halloween. Black lights, spider webs, too much candy, strobe lights, the whole shebang. Speaking of which, I need to go buy a costume. :)

Alrighty all, time for Solitaire. Adios my friends.
Lauren “Jane” Hall

It is already the 7th week of school and I don’t know where the time has gone. I have definitely had some very busy weeks filled with school, sorority, and work. The past few days have been especially interesting. On Friday morning I woke up with a massive toothache so to get rid of the pain I took some Advil. A half hour later and still in pain I decided to use the Orajel my mom had bought for me. For all those who don’t know what Orajel is, it is a liquid pain reliever that you rub on your teeth/gums. I had used it once before but had clearly forgotten the full extent of its “pain relieving” abilities! As soon as I had applied it I knew it had been a mistake; the entire left side of my mouth/cheek went numb. Thank goodness I was only going to math so I wouldn’t have to do any talking!

As I finished getting ready, I was thinking to myself, “This isn’t so bad, it’ll wear off, just go to class.” So I looked out my window to gauge the weather; it looked cloudy but weather.com informed me that there was no rain in the area, so I left my umbrella in my apartment. Mistake number 2 of the morning! I was outside for no longer then 5 minutes before it started pouring. I was now walking in the rain, clutching my hood over my head to try to protect my nicely blow-dried hair, all while trying not to drool out of my numb mouth. To top it off I was going to my math midterm! Thankfully my day got better and one bad morning didn’t ruin the whole day! The next time I even suspect rain I’ll be sure to grab my umbrella and I’ve already thrown away the Orajel and have an appointment with my dentist!

Over the weekend I went home for a short time to visit with friends visiting from out-of-state schools, and then returned on Sunday morning to watch the Marathon. Both my aunt and uncle ran and finished in just over 4 hours! Last year I ran with my aunt for about a mile (which is pretty much all I can run at one time!) but this year I decided it was too hot to run. I don’t know how all those runners did it; it was over 90 degrees! It was definitely an amazing thing to witness!

I don’t think anyone really likes Mondays, and today I definitely had “a case of the Mondays!” I had to wake up extra early to work at the Preview Day, go to three classes and then go back to work! But, to look on the bright side, at least I haven’t gotten rained on, and I have complete feeling in both sides of my face!

Hello all!

Ah! Blogging feels so weird! I’ve recently taken a moratorium on my blogging adventures since I realized MySpace is a tad creepy and deleted my account. On the brighter side of life, school is full in motion and very going well. Classes are surprisingly manageable, and the new James Stuckel Towers are amazing. I’m a little bit in love with South Campus…amazing food, beautiful fountains, Caribou Coffee…what more could one ask for? As Ashley also said, I’m pretty stoked that our living room looks amazing and that most of the suitemates have a general problem with compulsive shopping/decorating. The result? An oh-so-beautiful suite.

It’s great being able to meet all the new people on the floor and in other towers, as well as through this job as a Campus Housing Tour Guide. Fall semester is off to a great and fun start. Of course, I am a little over-nostalgic about our floor on SRH 4 last year, but it is amazing to see that everyone has stayed so incredibly close and still hang out in our suite pretty much everyday. I’d have to say, moving into the dorms January of last year, I was a little nervous about campus housing, but I ended up meeting some of my best friends for life and having the best 4 months I had ever experienced! I hope and pray this year will be just as great!

I also have to add that I am a complete sucker for college campuses in the fall. The weather is absolutely beautiful now. I love curling up in a sweater with a book and a cup of coffee on the grass in the shade around campus. If you see someone napping between classes, that’s probably me. I also want to personally thank the bookstore for having Beyond the Wall come in for the poster sale. I bought a whole bunch of amazing posters to hang up in my dorm today, the amount of wall space I have is almost overwhelming. So much room! Despite the great weather, I see a trend of sickness spreading through the campus—I just hope it doesn’t reach me soon. I’ve had enough of allergies in the past month to last me a lifetime.

Alright…enough rambling. Enjoy the marvelous weather! Adios amigos.

LH

It’s Thursday and I’m so excited because the weekend is almost here. I’m mostly excited because so many things are going on around campus this weekend. I have my choice of a one of UIC’s many organizations’ events. It’s almost a crime to have to choose. But I think tonight I’m going to a Poetry Slam at Addams Hall on East Campus.

I’m also happy that the week went by fast because I have been campaigning all week and voting has just started and I’m so eager to know. Yep, I’m running for President of SSR Apartment Council. It’s a bit stressful because I know the other person who is running against me but I have definitely been working extremely hard for the past week. I had drawn a mini cartoon version of SSR (which is like not mini at all, lol) and like four banners, all in color mind you! Then I had to copy fifty copies of my sign and post them up everywhere possible. I put up so many signs that I have random SSR’ers approaching me saying “Hey, I just saw you two seconds ago and then two seconds before that and four seconds before that!” In the beginning I was apprehensive to run because President is such an important position, but my RA (resident assistant) and my floormates took the time to boost my confidence and tell me about RHA. After talking with everyone I definitely knew that I wanted to run and participate in both SSR Apartment Council and also RHA. *Wish me luck*

Well, I’m going to get going because I have an Anthropology paper due at 11:59 PM on Blackboard and a Spanish test I have to study for. So…

Adios Amigos,
Sigourney ;-)

P.S. Vote Sigourney President of SSR Apartment Council…uh huh, uh huh.

Every year, the first day of classes can be a thrilling, yet intimidating experience. You meet your frighteningly menacing professors, you receive piles upon piles of homework, and you get introduced to a wonderful thing called time management. However, I’d like to go on the record and say that it really isn’t as bad as it seems. There is an eclectic bunch of great, intelligent professors, the homework isn’t uncontrollable, and you soon discover that managing your time is actually fairly easy as long as you take time for yourself. Interestingly enough, the first day always seems to have an unusual incident to make it more memorable.

For me, freshman year began with a nosebleed right at the start of my first 8 AM sociology class. I will always remember that as being my introduction to college. I didn’t begin this year with such a peculiar occurrence as the last, but my suitemate couldn’t say the same…

It was August 27th at 8 o’clock in the morning. The James Stukel Towers suites have a sink in the bathroom and a sink by the bedrooms that is referred to as a “vanity.” I began to brush my teeth at the vanity while my good friend and suitemate (we’ll refer to him as “Steve”) was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Suddenly, I heard a cry of despair come from the bathroom. As a good clustermate would, I rushed to his aid to find that he had accidentally swallowed the strip of toothpaste he had squirted onto his toothbrush. He tells me that his stomach begins to feel queasy as the sensation of menthol uncomfortably chills his throat. We’ve all swallowed a little toothpaste before, but once the toothpaste bottle’s label informed him that he should seek emergency help for doing such a thing his stomach got even queasier. I think that a little toothpaste is okay, but swallowing the entire tube would be a different story.

We went down to the JST cafeteria to have some breakfast before class and he leaves the table to make a phone call. Much to my surprise, he actually called poison control! It turns out that after he had something to eat, he began to feel better. All in good fun, I must be truthful and say that this thirty-minute melodrama was actually kind of funny. Living on campus, I always find myself meeting great people with interesting stories, and sometimes your roommates offer the most fulfilling of those.

Campus Housing…gotta love it.

So this past week has been crazy!! Besides Monday because we had work AND school off :), it’s been full of activities. After the first week of school I already had TWO presentations due, one for my Color Theory class and another for my Typograpy class. It was a group effort, so it wasn’t too bad, but still scary. On Tuesday the Hall Council elections started! My roommate Ashley and I are both running together and it has been wild. We posted flyers which were pretty funny and our friend Mallory helped us out and posted some of her own. Ashley and I went door to door passing out cupcakes, flyers, and suckers asking people for their vote. That was about two hours long and exhausting, but hopefully worth it. This Monday (9-10) we get to find out if we have won or not and I’m neeeervous!! Along with that I have tons of projects due and I am pretty excited about actually starting my own work. I’m hoping to rock this semester and have fun!

Tonight is the closing Orientation Dinner for all leaders, directors, and of course Melvin Mcbean. The dinner is to gather us leaders from this past summer who showed incoming freshman and transfer students the campus and helped them in the process of registration. I loved this job, it was simply amazing and I think I am going to do it again!! We are eating at Leona's on West Taylor, and I bet it will be delicious!!! I am also throwing my friend Bailey an ’80s themed birthday party tonight! I can’t wait to listen to 80’s rock and roll and maybe dance to Thriller.

For the rest of my weekend, I believe I am going to go to a bike sale at 7 AM with Cyrus, another tour guide, and a buddy of his. I’m not sure how I feel about waking up that early on a Saturday, but I really would like a bike. Hopefully I can find a pink or gold one. :) After the bike extravaganza, I am going to STUDY, STUDY STUDY. Ohh what a fun weekend I will have!!

Monica
: )

So as nerdy as the heading of this entry may appear to be, please don’t let it deter you from reading about my oh so interesting life. I’m not quite the geek I appear to be. However, after the first week of classes reading actually does seem to be my life. I am an English major here at UIC and a sophomore. As my load gets heavier, my friends seem to increase in number as well, which is both a blessing and a hindrance.

I live in the new residence hall, James Stukel Towers or JST, and I am a campus housing tour guide. Therefore, I have met so many new people, it’s actually hard to keep everyone straight. Being a TG is really fun, all of my coworkers or should I say new friends are great, and our supervisor Kachet is extremely fun too. But it is a job, so obviously there is some work involved which inevitably takes up time.

College really is about time management. School, work, new friends, homework, family, friends from home, sleeping, and of course eating, all require time and I am learning that more and more each day. Yet, I wouldn’t change anything. I love that our living room is the hang out room; I love my classes and even the books that I spend hours every night reading, and I love being in a city and school that allows me to meet so many new people and have so many friends. Yes, that was definately a little sappy, but it’s totally true.

So, I guess I better get back to doing all the things I need to do, but at least it’s Friday. I hope everyone has a good Labor Day.

Peace Out,
Ashley