Don't stop believin'.

Well I certainly hope everyone has been enjoying the holidays. Mine hasn't been too bad, I suppose. I haven't done anything worthwhile, literally. I haven't decided whether that is a good or a bad thing yet. I worked pretty hard all semester long so it's very nice to have the break, but I've become slightly lethargic. So instead of procrastinating and waking up close to noon, tomorrow I will wake up, workout, and start my to-do list. It's not a very long list, but it is definitely full of things that should get done before going back to school.

One thing that I have done though, is watch A LOT of hockey. For being such an avid hockey fan, I didn't have time to keep up with the NHL as much as I normally would. One of my favorite things about coming back home is to watch hockey with my family, AND the fact that we have the NHL Channels on TV. It was just as much fun during the Winter Olympics last February because I would constantly check the statistics after daily games. One day, I literally watched hockey from 8am to 3am. And what a great day that was. :]

Other than hockey, I've discovered the joy in television series that is Glee. I've had the first 12 episodes on DVD but I didn't watch the first few of them until today. If you haven't gotten onto the Glee-train, please do! The talent that the actors have is simply incredible, and it's not just another high school drama television series. I'm definitely going to get the soundtracks as soon as I can!

I'm off to bed now, but here's to the increase in my productivity tomorrow beginning at 9am! Buonanotte!

Oh, I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.

I'm not going to sit here and be all cliche saying that Christmas is my favorite time of year, because truly, it isn't: Fall is my favorite. Right now, it's too cold, the sun doesn't shine as often, the roads are always slick, and you have to wear four layers of clothes plus boots and hats and gloves just to walk down the road to class. Yeah, not my kind of thing.

What I will tell you though, is that Christmas is a beautiful holiday tradition that I always seem to take for granted. I am blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas more than once with not only my immediate family, but with my extended family as well. But this year, it's been a little different. Normally, I would have spent the past couple of days baking cookies and wrapping presents at my mom's parent's house up north. Sadly, this is the first year without them, so the day has been a little out of sorts.

What I have discovered though, is the development of new traditions that I can enjoy with my family for years to come.

Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy the day, the food, the family. Enjoy life, and God bless.

She's about to break, break, break.

It's only four days into a three week break and I'm already bored! I already was ill too; go figure I would get sick as soon as I got a break from school. At least that bout is over with though, so now it's time to relax!

So far I have watched several movies, spent time with family, did some christmas shopping,... and that's about it. As soon as my last paper was turned in, my productivity level fell through the roof and it's pretty much stayed there ever since.  I'm hoping it will go back up soon though, considering the long list of things I have to do before January 7, 2011 arrives.

Speaking of which, it's going to be 2011? Where in the world has the time gone?! I swore it was 2002, like, yesterday, wasn't it? Like I said before, time is just going by too quickly! Whenever I feel like that happens, I tend to take more photos of my everyday happenings, which is shown by my increase in uploads since the beginning of December. I'm hoping to take a photography class this summer so that I can actually learn how to use my camera to its maximum potential. We'll see how that goes since I must also take classes pertaining to my major and balance three additional jobs. :]

Just a suggestion for those of you who read this, go see Tron: Legacy in your free time! It's an incredible movie with tons of action, AWESOME special effects, and a few of my favorite actors (Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund). I'm definitely going to go see it at least twice more before the break is over!

Ciao!

'Cause I'm as free as a bird now, and this bird you can not change!

Fall Semester 2010: You are officially over. And WHAT a semester it has been! It feels like the summer was so long ago, but also that this semester flew by in a breeze. How is that possible?

 I, for one, cannot believe that I'm halfway through my sophomore year of college. Didn't I just get accepted to Michigan State University like, yesterday? My life is flying by too quickly for my taste, but I've enjoyed every second of it. This past semester was simply incredible, insane, stressful, sleep-deprived, amazing, busy, and everything that I could have wanted. I was finally able to settle on a major, minor, and concentration that I know I'm going to stick with, especially since I'm now taking classes that pertain directly to Biosystems Engineering. I've made tons of new friends and improved my social networking skills. I've done so many new things, taken risks, learned more about myself, made great decisions, made awful decisions, which ultimately formed who I am at this moment.

Highlights from this semester were:

- Lady Gaga concert with Elli and Stacie
- managing six classes and three jobs
- meeting so many new people!
- Quidditch World Cup in New York City
- 3OH!3 concert
- BIG TEN CHAMPS (even though we're tied with two other schools)
- hanging out with my friends every second I'm not doing homework or sleeping

I can only hope that the next semester will bring me more memories, more amazing people, challenging classes, and so much more fun! I hope everyone has been having a great week despite finals! Now it is back to packing so I can go home in the morning. Buonanotte!

Technologic.

I am officially cutting myself off from the Internet. Except for emails and writing my paper!

Next time you hear from me, it will be
WINTER BREAK!!! :D 
Good luck to everyone on their finals!

Oh, and snow in December? Finally.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Just a reminder to everyone on campus that quiet hours begin tonight! If you haven't already, now is the time to crack down and study all of the information you've accumulated over the past three months. Freshman, don't worry, they're not as bad as they seem.

Also, congratulations to all of the seniors who are graduating at the end of this semester, especially to Stacie Sharples, the first friend I made at my first job ever. I'm going to miss you, dear. <3

Have a great weekend everyone, study hard!

Look what I found!

Hello there from the Engineering Building!

I had a vast amount of time after my Biosystems Engineering class and I didn't want to go back to my dorm just yet, so I decided to stop in the EB and work on my paper and some homework before my next class.

I never realized how nice it was in here. Even though I am an Engineering major, I unfortunately do not have classes in the building just yet, so I've never really come in except to cut through when it's -18 degrees outside in the winter. There's tons of open computer labs and lounges to just relax and do homework in a different setting than a distracting dorm room. Mind you, I'm still easily distracted by the Internet and people-watching, but the change in loction makes it a little better. I am also a fan of the dual computer screens. For those of you who are not aware, it's simply just two monitors hooked up to one computer to maximize desktop space. That way I can have a word document opened up on one screen and all of my resources opened up on the other making paper writing less dreadful!

Alright! Time to go submit a paper and walk to class across campus! Hope everyone is doing well with studying and writing papers!

IZ-ZO!

I had quite the sports related experience on Saturday. First of all, I went to my first MSU men's basketball game! Luckily enough, I also got to sit in the first row, lower bowl, center court. It was such a blast! I sat with hardcore MSU basketball fans, so they were able to teach me the ways of the Izzone. I found out that it is very similar to the traditions we have for the MSU hockey games, like special cheers and cat calls during certain points in the game or when a certain play is made. By the end of the game, I truly felt like an avid basketball fan. And boy, was I exhausted! All that jumping around and screaming your lungs out, it'll get to you after a couple of hours.

But my day wasn't over yet.

I still had the MSU hockey game to attend! It was our third game in a row vs. Ferris State University, but sadly we lost 0-1 in overtime. FSU is a great team and an excellent challenge to us, but we just didn't perform to our greatest this weekend. Hopefully that won't be the case this weekend at THE BIG CHILL AT THE BIG HOUSE! For those of you who are unaware as to what this is exactly, it is an outdoor hockey game between the MSU and UMich teams held in either of our football stadium. This year it's being held at the Big House, since a few years ago it was at Spartan Stadium, and of course with the two schools having such a large rivalry, the game is naturally SOLD OUT. I am so pumped for this weekend! The only problem is that it's the weekend before finals, so that just means I have to get everything done sooner!

Speaking of which, time to go write a ten page paper.. Ciao!

Let it snow.

The title is a little cliche, but it fits perfectly.

Thanks December for bringing us this cold, wet weather. That was a little sarcastic. It's not that I don't like winter, it's actually one of the most beautiful times of the year, I just don't like the biting cold wind. It blows things around, messes up your hair, pushes your body around in unintentional directions. I rode my bike from Case Hall to Holmes Hall yesterday; it took me an extra six minutes and my legs were so sore from pedaling against the wind once I got there. It was one of the worst biking experiences I've had on this campus. Well, that's an understatement. I've been in a head on bike collision and got hit my a car (all with minor injuries) over the past two years, but that's beside the point. The wind just sucks.

But, it's the first snow of the year! It's not much, but it's definitely enough to wear winter boots and maybe put on a few extra layers of clothing.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

Fly like an eagle.

Well, it's back to the old grind.

Only three more weeks until (almost) complete freedom. Three weeks of paper writing, project making, researching, and long hours of studying in the lounge and at the library. I didn't even realize HOW MUCH I had to do until I finally settled down this weekend and went through my checklist. It is going to be a tough few weeks ahead of me.

In other news, I got a new phone AND a new iPod this weekend. Sprint was having a special on their phones for Black Friday, so I got the LG Optimus (creatively nicknamed Optimus Prime!) for free! It's a smartphone with a data plan and it's also my favorite color: PURPLE! I was in dire need of a phone upgrade so this sale came at the perfect time. It's also been fun playing with all of the settings and applications on both of these new devices since I have both the Android and Apple markets.

Now that I'm well rested from Thanksgiving break, it's time to get back into studying! Buonanotte!

Happy Turkey Day!

It's so good to be home! I walked in to my house for the first time since September and it felt so different, like I hadn't been here in years. I am so happy to be back though, even if it's not going to be a very restful break with all of the projects and papers I have to finish this weekend. At least I get to see my family, finally!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families! Eat good food, celebrate with good people, and enjoy life!

Na na na na, na na na, na na.

Thunder? In the middle of November?

I'll take that over the snow any day. It was unseasonable warm today, and I have absolutely no problem with that. :]

Best three words to hear on a Monday morning..

"Class is canceled."

!!!! I was so excited when I heard that my first of two classes was canceled today! Mind you, I did bike all the way to Holmes from South Complex, BUT it is also around 60 degrees outside today, so I didn't care that much. :]

Well, it looks like I should get some of my other work done since I have two plus hours until my next class! :D

Raise you glass if you are wrong in all the right ways.

I broke my Ipod the other day. Well, I didn't break it persay, I just kept it in a very unsafe place during the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premiere. It was in my backpack with my camera, wallet, phone, gloves, and.. water bottle. I never expected it to explode all over the place (thankfully my camera and phone were in hand when this occured), but it's still unfortunate. I am intending on purchasing a new one when I go home for Thanksgiving. There is an Apple retail store conveniently located in the mall that I work at so I can turn in my busted one to get a discount on the new one. Guess that means I need to work some more hours to make up for it.. :/

The Harry Potter premiere itself was amazing though! I went with the majority of my Quidditch team to NCG in Eastwood Plaza and we had to wait outside for sooo long. We had so much fun though! We played Ninja and Samuri, which are two time-passing games about as ridiculous as Quidditch. My friend Will is watching the Red Wings game with my right now, and he referred to them as "group dynamic ice-breakers" if that makes any more sense.. Anyway, we sang old school songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, "Allstar" by Smash Mouth, and "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne. Overall, it was a great, great night.

I also worked my last shift for the football games Traffic/Special Events! The colorguard parents gave my coworker and I breakfast again, they are so sweet! I decided to go to the game too, it being the final home game of the year, and I'm so happy that I did! Everyone kept talking about the "blocked punt" just how we couldn't get over "little giants" or the "mousetrap."Anyway, it was an excellent season, so pumped for our final regular season game, BEAT PENN STATE! :D

Let's hear it for New York.

Michigan State University Quidditch Banner

I'm back!

And very much not excited to come back to reality. I hadn't read my emails for three days, and oh boy, I'm never waiting that long again, even if I'm away from home. So after filtering through ALL of my emails and notifications, it was back to the daily grind. This week is especially busy with one paper, one exam, one quiz, and working all three jobs. Sigh. At least I had an incredible weekend to make up for it. The Official Michigan State Quidditch team won two of three round-robin play games on Saturday against Syracuse, Franklin & Marshall, but lost to Middlebury, and we also lost in the first round of elimination against Texas A&M on Sunday. It was our first year attending the Quidditch World Cup, and honestly, I don't think we did that poorly. Our coach is extremely proud of how we performed, we just have A LOT of work to do for next year!

Our team is also all over the internet!:
ABC News
NY1
NBC Boston
Techland Photos
The State News
Youtube: Conga Line
Youtube: MSU victory over Syracuse
Youtube: MSU loss to Middlebury
Flickr jamie_nyc
Flickr QueenHermione
Official MSU Quidditch Team Facebook Page
  ^^Most of these are my photos!

And that's only the start of it. :]

We also have club games this weekend, on Friday at 2pm at the Rock, if you want to watch us play! Bring your broomsticks if you want to join! :D

Time Square, New York, New York

Cardiology is a mystery.

It's an amazing thing when you feel like you made a contribution to the world. Today, I gave blood for the first time. And oh boy, was it quite the experience.

My friend Jacob convinced me to donate even though I hadn't incorporated it into my schedule for the day. I ate a big lunch, went to class, came back and ate a banana before going to the blood drive at Wilson. Unfortunately for me, Jacob had an appointment to go so he was in and out of there in no time (relatively speaking, he was still there for an hour). But as I was waiting for my number to be called, I got a little more nervous as the time went by. I didn't even know what I was jittery about though. I'm not afraid of needles or blood or doctors or anything like that. It was probably just because it was a new experience for me.

 Anyway, they FINALLY called me up after two hours of waiting and then it was paperwork time. They took my information, identification, and asked me a ton of questions pertaining to my health. They also took a blood sample to make sure I was actually able to give blood. I'm not a fan of pricking my fingers, and I had to get mine done twice. The first time, my iron count was too low on my left hand, so they redid it on my right hand and it was A-OK. After a few more questions they told me to sit on an open gurney and wait. 

More waiting. 

I won't go into the process of drawing blood, but I can tell you that it was over much quicker than I would have thought. Or maybe counting just makes the time go by faster. Either way, it was over and I did my good deed for the day! I didn't even get dizzy or light-headed or anything. The only negative results of this are a small purple bruise in the crook of my elbow and my arm occasionally falling asleep. But that will not stop me from donating again on January 15, 2011!

30 Points to the Spartan Spitfire!

I KNOW that this is another post that talks about Quidditch, but I need to share my excitement with someone. First of all, we got our new jerseys this weekend!

OFFICIAL jerseys, and I am number less than three :]

I have never been on a sports team that required me to have any type of memorabilia. The only thing related to that would be my marching band uniform in high school. So it is pretty exhilarating the first time you wear it with your teammates. Mind you, I did NOT attend the MSU vs. UoM Quidditch Tournament this weekend because, sadly, I was writing a paper and fighting a cold, but I did think about my team the entire day! We beat Michigan TWICE too (that's FOUR sports, Wolverine fans!), 140-120 and 40-30 and we caught the snitch in each game! 

I am also SUPER PUMPED for the Quidditch World Cup this weekend in New York City! There will be about 60 teams there, so it will be awesome to meet people from around the country who are just as nerdy as we are!

 Also, check out this article from ESPN. What would you think of Quidditch becoming an NCAA sport?

This is Halloween, this is Halloween.

Sorry for such a delay since my last post everyone! Once Halloween weekend was over, I just got swamped with projects and papers for my classes. But speaking of Halloween, it is by far my favorite weekend of the year. It is the only time of year that black, orange, and purple match, apple cider is in season, you can play dress up like a little kid again, and almost everyone on campus participates. This year, my best friend from home came up to stay with me for the weekend, and other than celebrating holiday festivities, we attended two MSU hockey games! She is very big into hockey like myself, and (lucky her!) she is able to keep up with all of the latest NHL news and daily games more than me. She is planning on enrolling in Michigan State next year either in engineering or hospitality and management, so I gave her a personal tour around campus and explained all of the amazing (and even not so good!) things about it. She absolutely loved it here, so I hope that I gave her a positive experience that will help her decide exactly what she wants to do!

My best friend Paige and I at the MSU vs. Alabama-Huntsville hockey game.

I also got a picture with Jake Chelios at one of the hockey games! :D

For Halloween this year, my friends and I decided to be Disney characters! Caryn was the only exception, she was a secretary. I was Eve from Wall-E, my roommate Krista and her boyfriend were Day and Night from the short film before Toy Story 3, Paige was Kevin from Up, and my other best friend Elli was the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland (1951).

Krista, Me, Caryn, Elli on October 30, 2010.

It was so much fun to get ready with all of them and wear our costumes to the hockey game too! I love Halloween so much, and I'm so sad it's already over. There are too many Christmas things out now, and I do not like it at all. :[ Hopefully it won't be here too soon, I have too many things to accomplish before the semester is over!

Oh, oh what are you waiting for?

I am currently in my MTH 235 (Diff EQ) lecture and we are discussing the problems with our latest exam. It's not that this class is difficult by any means, the majority of us just believe we could be taught effectively in a different way than we are now.

Side note: 239 people are enrolled in this class, and only 60 are here.

We use WebWork.com for our homework which is very similar to Chemistry OWLs and Physics Lon-Capa. So we all know that it's a little bit of a pain to use, especially when the homework is due in the AM hours. But when it comes to the exams, they are written completely different and seem much more difficult to conquer within a small hour. Sigh, this is frustrating.

This weekend should make up for it though, since it's HALLOWEEN!! :D

Bonne chance!

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to wish everyone good luck this week on their midterms and other various papers, presentations, projects, etc. I have a few exams to study for still, so this shan't be a long post.

MSU Spartan Football is 8-0!!! And #5 in the Nation!! How excited are you to be a Spartan fan?

I lost my voice this weekend from a compound of multiple occasions. There were two hockey games (one a tie, one a win!) and I also went to the dance club on Saturday, so my voice is completely shot. It was all well worth it though, I can promise you that. :]

Halloween is this weekend!! What is everyone going to be this year? When I finish my costume, I will promise to upload photos.

Well, it's late and I still have laundry to do. Bon soir!

The evening star is shining bright, so make a wish and hold on tight.

- "Down in New Orleans (Prologue)" , The Princess and the Frog

If there's anything that intrigues me more than life itself, it's space. If I wasn't going to become a biologically based engineer for practicality reasons, I would totally be going for a degree in astrophysics and astronomy. Since I was little, I have gazed at star patterns, comets, planets, lunar eclipses, etc., and it simply never gets old. The Perseus Meteor Shower in early August is probably my favorite time of the year because it is possible to see an average of 5-60 shooting stars per hour, plus it's warm enough to lay outside in the grass all night. Unfortunately, I live in a heavily light polluted area, so my experience with star gazing is nothing like it could be if I travelled farther north.

The reason I bring this up is because of a few articles I've found on Yahoo.

The first regards a galaxy astronomers have recently discovered that is claimed to be the oldest ever to be found. You can access this article here. It is absolutely amazing that we continuously discover celestial bodies that further expand our knowledge of the universe, which in retrospect is infinitesimally tiny.

There was also an Earth-like planet called 'Goldilocks' discovered in a neighboring galaxy. It's not too big or too small; not too far or too close to its dominant star; not too hot and not too cold. Wouldn't it make this planet just right for similar organisms to exist? It's crazy to think about this, especially because it's something we've questioned since the dawn of time: are we alone?

What do you think about this?

I'm lovin' cloud nine, my head's in the sky.

- "Ridin' Solo", Jason Derulo

It is Monday morning, and I am in a fantastic mood. :]

Why is this you might ask? I'm not exactly sure, but I had a great weekend. I think I got a total of ten hours of sleep since Thursday night, but it was well worth it. 

I woke up early Friday morning to go to work, then went to class, then home to finish the rest of my Calculus homework before the hockey game. I had quite a bit left to finish, but then my professor emailed us to tell us that the due date had been extended by two days! I went to the MSU hockey game in a great mood and enjoyed spending the night with my hockey-obsessed friends. I started some of the cheers in the student section again which always gets the fans pumped up. The Spartans ended up winning a 3-2 game against the Black Bears of Maine! Also, the team's captain and assistants signed autographs after the game: Torey Krug (C), Dustin Gazely (A), and Trevor Nill (A).

I bought one of the posters before the game for them to sign instead of the general poster. :p

I went to bed as soon as I got home from the game and woke up two hours later to go to work. My partner, Stacie, and I ended up watching three disney movies before the sun rose, then we listened the the MSU drumline rehearse about 20 ft from the car. They simply amaze me. After having three of my good friends and my brother play snare for years, I have learned to appreciate the work and dedication it takes to be a true percussionist. We were stationed at Dem Hall Rd. and Chesnut, so I got to see some of my marching band friends before they went to the field to practice. One of the color guard's dads offered us breakfast too, it was so nice of him! For the rest of our shift, it was gorgeous outside, so we decided to pull out my iPod speakers and sit on the hood of the car and watch the tailgaters go by. I ended up going to the game also to watch another AMAZING Spartan victory! I must admit though, the best part was seeing Gerard Butler there, especially when he asked us what our profession is! :D

Since Gerard Butler was a major topic of discussion all weekend long, my friends and I decided to watch  "300" after the game. I had never seen it before then, but I can tell you that I will definitely watch it again! :] The Red Wings were also playing that night, so my favorite hockey fan came over to watch the game with me, and we won in overtime! I also received a surprise visit from my one of my high school friends who attends Michigan (yeah, I know) who I haven't seen in about two years! It was so great to see her, and I discovered that she plays Quidditch for UoM so I will be facing her on November 7 when we travel to a tournament down south! :]

Finally having slept in on Sunday, I lounged around for a bit then went to Quidditch practice for two hours. It's awesome not having to think about homework for two hours, and to be able to run around with people staring at you like you're crazy. :] After that, I came back to my dorm, did a little bit of homework then utilized one of my favorite on-campus MSU opportunities by going to see "Despicable Me" at Wilson! I had never seen it before, but it was so cute, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys animated movies. 

After this eventful, yet relaxing, weekend, I am ready to start this next busy week (it's midterms!) with a good attitude. 

Ciao for now!

Crime and Punishment.

I would like to precede this post by offering I do not wish to frighten anyone, but there has been a rising cause for concern around campus since school has started.

The crime rate has increased at a steady and unsettling amount since last year. There have been several thefts and attempts reported, and it's only a month and a half into the academic year. The newspaper accounts and emails from the MSU security departments disclose this information to their students, but the students are the ones that must take action to prevent the reports from becoming commonplace.

These are things that our parents tell us over and over again, "Be safe! Be aware! Be cautious!" But what they tell us is perfectly true. Lock your doors at night before you shut off the lights, or if you're going to nap, or even if you're simply using the restroom. Be aware of your surroundings, especially if the area is dimly lit or not very populated. Do not go somewhere alone without telling another person where you intend on going, or simply do not venture out alone in murky areas.

To tell you the truth, I carry a whistle on me, attached to my lanyard and keys, just in case. I have never had to use, nor do I ever hope to, but it is always with me in case I get into any sort of trouble. I have been ridiculed for it, but that does not change my decision or persuade me to remove it from my person.

It all seems foolish and overprotective to most people, but in the end, it will save your skin.

Just be smart, and use your head.

I’m flyin' on the pitch as I catch the snitch!

- "Midd Kid" , The Allen Jokers

What a weekend this was for MSU! Hockey, Football, and Quidditch all in a span of three days? Yes!

The exhibition hockey game was interesting to say the least. The student leader from last year will not be able to attend hockey games this year, so it has been expected of myself and a few others to lead the student section in chants, heckles, and cheers. I never thought that I had a loud voice until that game when i led one of the goalie heckling chants. It was rather exhilarating to be in control of the what the ENTIRE student body was saying in Munn Ice Arena. I am very excited for the season to start!

Jess, Nichole, Chelsea, Krystina, and I before the game! 

[Creds. Chelsea Goddard]

Obviously, the next day was going to be just, if not more, enthralling. I bought one of the shirts that said "Maize: Not An F'ing Color Since 1817" and wore just it for the occasion. The first quarter was a nail-biter, and once Michigan scored the first field goal, I knew we had to get pumped up and come back. Which we did! I'm very happy with how far our team has come since last year, especially with all of the negative media and health problems we've had to overcome. I must say, I am PROUD to be a Spartan!

Now Quidditch, this is MY sport. I joined one of the club teams last year (we were called the Ministry of Magic) and it has since evolved from there. A few of my friends and I decided we wanted to build a collegiate team that would play other schools in the Midwest, so we held tryouts early in the Spring semester and have been training since then. 

I feel like I should back up a little. Quidditch, how do you PLAY Quidditch, you may ask? Well, the simplest description I can give is that we run around on broomsticks whipping deflated balls at each other and through homemade hoops. People are simply astounded by this, and I answer them like it's no big deal. Now if you're not a part of this generation or you are simply not a Harry Potter fan, feel free to skip the next paragraph as I explain the basic outline of the game.

There are seven positions: one keeper, two beaters (that's me!), three chasers, and one seeker. There are three hoops and the goal is to throw the quaffle (a deflated volleyball) through one of the hoops to score ten points for your team. The snitch, on the other hand, obviously cannot be a magically flying golden ball, so we have ingeniously replaced it with a cross country runner! Yes, they volunteer for this job too. Dressed in all yellow or gold, he or she runs around a certain square area of campus and does everything in their power not to get caught. The first seeker to "catch" the snitch receives thirty five points for his or her team, and the game is ended there. 

This past weekend, MSU held the Fall Spartan Spectacular where we hosted Quidditch teams from Oberlin College, Eastern Michigan University, Bowling Green State, and the "Double Rainbows" (due to issues with the college, I am not allowed to outrightly name the school.) There were thirteen regular games played, and one championship in the end. The weather was absolutely PERFECT for Quidditch playing, and MSU won every game that day, INCLUDING the championship! :D It was just so much fun to meet people from other schools who are just as nerdy as we are. 

The five attending schools!

Did I mention we're going to the Quidditch World Cup in New York City this November? Yep, we really are.

To see more photos, try this website.

Have any questions, or want to join? Just ask! :D

We will be victorious!

"They will not force us.

They will stop degrading us.

They will not control us.

We will be victorious!"

- "Uprising", Muse

It's a magnificent day to be a Spartan. For the third year running, the Michigan State University football team has conquered the school "down south" on both home and away turf (yeah, that wasn't just a fluke last year). It was a pretty good game to watch on television also, though I wish I had been in Ann Arbor today. Now all we need to do is defeat the UoM basketball and hockey teams, particularly at the Big Chill at the Big House, the rest of the year and we're good to go!

I have a feeling that many of my posts will end with this, but..

GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

Just make sure you are looking out for number one.

- "Unnatural Selection" , Muse

I went to the Career Gallery at the Breslin today.

To be perfectly honest, it was rather intimidating. There were so many diligent, classy students there, all ready to sell themselves to as many employers as possible.

It was a formal affair, so men were dressed up in suits, coats and dress shoes, and women wore pencil skirts, jackets, and pumps. Unfortunately, I did not bring my nice clothes with me to school, so I wore pinstripe pants, a simple yet elegant blouse, and a pair of old navy flip flops. Many of my professors had been stressing the importance of the Gallery over the past several weeks, but I had never imagined it being quite to this magnitude.

Not only was the arena filled to the brim with potential employers, but the concourse was packed as well. There were many name brand companies there including GM, General Mills, DTE Energy, IBM, PepsiCo, Shell Oil Company, Nestle USA Inc, and even Starbucks Coffee Company. It is a great opportunity for all students to browse companies for summer internships, future job opportunities, or simply just to network and get their name "out there." While most majors are accepted toward co-ops and interships in each individual company, my major is one of the most difficult to coordinate with companies like these. Many of them cater to mechanical, electrical, computer, or chemical engineering, none of which I am studying. Though, I was able to hand out a few of my resumes, and many employers encourage their candidates to apply online. So there is still hope.

Overall, I am very happy to have strolled around the Breslin in my not-so-fancy clothes looking like a frightened pigeon. It was an eye-opening experience; it exemplified and reinforced my idea of competition in the work place, and it also gave me new insight and motivation in pursuing my degree. Biosystems Engineering, for the win!

Buanotte a tutti. (Italian for "Goodnight, all" in case you were wondering.)

Contact Information

I realized that it is not very easy to get a hold of my contact information, so here it is:

Email -  School: klumpaer@msu.edu
Email - Personal: liivelaughhlovve@yahoo.com
Web address: www.facebook.com/liivelaughhlovve

If you have any questions or comments just let me know! :]

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life.

- "Feeling Good" ,  Anthony Newley