ushering the pittsburg symphony orchestra...

dear lord....
i just got back from ushering and OH MY GOD! so, basically, each person that goes to usher is separated into different parts of the auditorium to work. it turned out that i was the only person in a certain part of the auditorium so, they put me on coat check. now, you would THINK that coat check would be a FUN job, as i did, in the beginning. i ssat there for a long time with nothing to do, and thought "man, this is going to be boring. i wonder what songs i should sing to myself..." and then like a WAVE, EVERYONE started to come. lines and lines and lines of people ALL with multiple coats started to come. one can either tip (although, its not even required at all) when you drop your coat off or when you pick it up. i made over $40 in tips (which i dont keep. it goes to the auditorium(. consider this: if every, say. 3 people/groups of people tip $1 (which is generally what they did, except, i DID get a few 5's when i turned on the charm :) then that means that i saw over 120 people dropping off multiple coast at a time! i know that you are supposed to keep them in mumerical order so the person who returns the coats can give them to them easily, but it got to the point where there waos no space left! i had to stick them wherever i could! PLUS, all of these people were trying to check instruments! so, on ton of the hundreds of coats and lack of hangers/space, i had huge cellos and basses to worry about! ahhhhh.... when it was all over, all of the manager people came in and ALL of them said "whoa day! who did you WORK with?" and when i told them i did all by myself, they didnt believe me! in the end, they took me to the snack bar (where a glass of water is, like, $10, haha) and asked me what i wanted. i only took a hot chocolate, but they wanted to give me boxes and boxes of candy! whew.... THAT was stressful. they said that they want me to do coat check from now on... *groan* time to go put my feet up...

12 days until break! woohoo!
-a

what a great break!

hello all!
wow, what a GREAT thanksgiving break i just had! it was so wonderful to see everyone. when i was sitting at my aunt annie's house and i looked around at everyone that was around me, i just couldnt believe that it was all real! its weird to think about, really, in that: any other year during school, i would have never seen all of those people of my family, and i was never really "counting down" to thanksgiving to see all of them. and yet, this year, i think that it was the fact that i didnt have the availability to see them (as in: to go down to cinci even if i WANTED to), that made me want to see them even more, if that makes sense.... the POINT is, i loved seeing them all, and i hope that they had a great time like i did. and WOW, the FOOD! ate WAY too much of THAT....
fortunately, i dont have THAT much work left here for me. i DO have to have the first half of the first "harry potter" read by today (whoops!), but its not like i WONT be able to follow in lecture! i mean, come ON, im not going to have to ask questions like "ok, so this whole 'voldemort' thing.... now, who's this guy again?" (haha- i just realized thar if you have never read the books, you might not know what im talking about) (on second thought, its harry potter, im sure you know what im talking about or have at least HEARD about it) i went to see the 4th movie over break! MAN, THAT was good.
so, another worry of mine is this: i have 3 weeks left which im KINDA nervous about because i have NO idea what to expect from the college exams (plus, all of the exams that i have are cumulative- PUKE!), AND, the fact that people keep saying "oh, its only 3 weeks! you can get that done in NO time!" well, are they forgetting that if we can get through school that quick, that the break is only a half a week longer than that?! im just afraid that break will go by so fast and that these next 3 weeks are going to take forever..... ho hum....
well, now its work work work time. im told that the week before exams (or "dead week" as its called here since you dont REALLY get any assignments, you just review for the exams) is prety fun because it is so laid-back and everyone really starts to get into the christmas spirit. thats another thing, every year, i feel like christmas just creeps up on me out of NOWHERE, and i think that i know why: i never listen to christmas music! so, im going to start listening to it from some awesome online radio station or something and really start to get excited about christmas.
time to go buckle down, hope everyone's break was as great as mine! hope to see you in 3 short (hopefully) weeks! love you

-a

thanksgiving break!

hey there everyone!
sorry that i havent updated this in awhile, i have been busy busy busy! i am home at last! yay! im actually writing this right now in my favorite coffee shops of ALL time, STAUF'S! woohoo! im about to meet mom here on her lunch period, its always fun to sit here with her and chat over a good cup of coffee. guess what? i got a job! i went to easton (a shopping center here in colunbus) friday with my dad, and GAP (my favorite store! how perfect!) hired me before i could even leav the mall! wow!! i am going to be working this week (by holiday rush, i guess) and also over winter break, possibly in the summer, too, if it is still fun :) the only bad thing that i have experienced with it SO FAR, is that last night i had to go in to fill out some paperwork so i could get on the payroll or whatever, and afterwards, there was going to be some kind of "company-wide holiday meeting" that i had to stay for. and, can you guess what time it was over? now, keep in mind, i had been there since 5 to fill out paperwork. 10 frickin' 30 it got out. 10:30! i was there for five and a half hours! i swear, i am the closest to hating gap right now as i ever have been... but, of course, i still dont. i call them today to find out when i work. hope i have semi- good hours! hopefully....
i will be seeing my family in 3 days!!! aahhh!! im so excited! i want to see everyone SO badly. i think that thanksgiving will be a real blast.
i will be going back to school for 3 weeks in between thanksgiving break and winter break. hopefully, that time will go fast. im sure it will (with exams and all, *blah*) so, for now, im just hanging around this great town of grandview, soaking it all up (a couple nights ago, mom and i went to "the rocky horror show" MAN! was THAT funny! i LOVED it. we both stood up and everything and did "the time warp!" last night, i went to the grandview play. it was thorton wilder's "by the skin of your teeth" and i LOVED it. i think that it was my favorite play i have EVER seen). here comes mom to eat lunch. ciao!

-a

wow!

WHOA DAY! so, im walking back from english class this morning and ALL OF SUDDEN, this HUGE red-tailed hawk comes SWOOPING in and almost hits my face! it was as big as a backpack! it was SO amazing! all these people around me were just walking right past it and i felt so surreal just completely stopped, staring at this hawk, while the world was swirling around me. isnt it funny how little things like that can make an entire day seem almost magical? hmm, thats definitely something to think about...

ONE WEEK!

-a

10 more days and counting!

hi there everyone!
sorry that it has been some time since i have updated this thing. not THAT much has happened so far.
last weekend, my good friend jessica heilman came into town from grandview and hung out with me from friday night-sunday afternoon to see me, AND to see IU. i tried to show her around to all the fun things that i get to do. on saturday night, she watched me with the funk band that i am in, "soul revue," play a concert at a local theatre. along with the band was a dance group and a choir. it was QUITE a show! i sat with her once i was done playing. we both had a great time. the next morning, we had breakfast at a french crepery *oh la la!* and THAT was good. i think that she had a really fun weekend, i sure hope so.
my classes are still going well. i am loving my english class more than ever. we just got done reading "the godfather" (which i LOVED, now i need to see the movie), and now we are reading "misery" by stephen king. now, i thought that i was loving "the godfather," but im supposed to be at about page 80 or something for wednesday in "misery" and today i reached page 220! i cant put it down! its becoming one of those books that you have to read no matter what you are doing- you just gotta finish it! my journalism class is still as grea, too- i am really happy that i got to experience something like that.
i will be scheduling for next semester's classes next monday. my scheduling time online actually opens the same time that i am in english class, haha, so im going to take my laptop to class and schedule. hopefully, some of the lesson will enter my subconcious while i am looking for classes.
this week is full of learning new, last minute, material so the teachers can test us over it next week, or once we get back from thanksgiving break for exams the week before christmas. in 10 DAYS i will be home for thanksgiving, go back to school for 2 weeks for review and exams, and then im off for winter break until, i THINK, january 7th or something. yay! i can make it, i can make it...
today was voting day in grandview. i REALLY hope the levy passes- i dont want grandview schools to loose all of their sports and musicals and marching band and everything! lets hope for the best. i know that I'M keeping my fingers crossed. AND, good luck to the voting in cincinnati today- i hope that yours goes well, too!
well, im off to go fit in more "misery" and do MORE homework (it just seems so endless!). it is a surprisingly BEAUTIFUL day here (i think that the weather said it was supposed to get up to 74 today? i think its supposed to be nice tomorrow, too!), i think that i will go do that outside. 10 days! ciao

-a

what a great season!

well, MY weekend was definitely jam-packed. starting off, friday i helped this committee that im on (board of programmers) set up for the dance that was on friday night. i didnt stay for that long to set up because, and i know that this sounds selfish, but if i helped set up THAT much, i wouldnt be surprised for what it looked like for that night! haha- so i left after about an hour of helping. then, some little kids came from some kind of daycare center to trick-or-treat around the dorm rooms. i escorted them around and let me tell you, after being with them for an HOUR, i am POSITIVE that i do NOT want to be a teacher of any kind. they were cute and all, in their little costumes and everything, but i was VERY stressed after being with them even for that short of a time. friday night, there was the dance that was tim burton themed (so very dark, think "the nightmare before christmas" and "corpse bride") and i didnt think that i was going to go, but last minute i did. i dressed up as a "hippie" i.e. i put on the funkiest clothes that i already owned and went down. people TOTALLY got that i was a hippie, which was the best part, and i was even wearing my normal clothes! on saturday, after a little bus fiasco (missing my bus, then getting on the wrong bus, then finally finding the right one), i volunteered at some kind of "fall festival" for little kids in the bloomington, indiana area. that was cute, i just set up different tents and stuff. that night, i saw "broken flowers," have you ever seen it? i liked it, but some of the people that i went with didnt. its kinda considered to be an "artsy" or "indie" film, so not everyone is going to like it, i suppose. sunday (today) some friends and i got up and drove about a half hour away to brown county, indiana. it was SOOO cute! we went to nashville, indiana, which is a little town in brown county, and i SWEAR TO GOD, it is the cutest little storybook town i have ever seen. i LITERALLY felt like i was going to see mother goose walking down the street. it was so great- the whole time i just felt so happy! of course, it was BUBBLING with tourists, i guess the town is very busy around fall (brown county is known around the nation for being absolutely beautiful in the fall), but i still liked it. i had a friend with me who is actually from that area, so he showed us all the good places to go. we had lunch/dinner at a FABULOUS italian restaurant and then walked around some more. it was just so cute! i know i keep saying it, but i just couldnt get over it! then, we drove around the paths in the woods. it made me realize how much i am sick of the same old buildings over and over again. i mean, i know that in grandview, it wasnt exactly overflowing with woods, but i still miss the outdoors a lot. overall the weekend was wonderful! tomorrow is the ACTUAL halloween, but i havent heard about any activities that are happening (which is weird), so i might have to make my OWN halloween celebration with some friends and some scary movies. we shall see....
happy halloween!! and happy birthday mom!! :) I LOVE YOU

-a

my halloween...

did you knwo that the lottery that was around indiana (or maybe it was NATIONwide, im not sure) called the "power ball" was recently at the all-time high that it has ever been before? 340 million dollars. 340 MILLION. thats just obscene. it really is.

i cant wait for this weekend. on friday, local kids from bloomington (since the college IS smack-dab in the middle of a town) are coming to my dorm (since it IS the hippy dorm ;) and trick-or-treating! isnt that cute? my roommate is going to decorate our room all spooky and stuff and me and a couple of friends are going to go around with the kids (all dressed up in their little costumes) and play games with them and stuff. THEN, on friday afternoon, i am transforming (thats right, TRANSFORMING right before your very eyes) the dining hall into a room that will house the "tim burton themed" halloween dance that is that night. im SO excited- i thought that i was going to have a gig that night, so that i wouldnt be able to go to the dance that i was planning, but it turns out that i dont! so, now i have to do some last-minute costume shopping... it should be a fun time. then on sunday, a group of friends are i are driving out to brown county, (FINALLY!), some kind of famous county here in indiana, known for their BEAUTIFUL fall scenes in their different parks. they do the whole "fall festivities" with bobbing for apples and corn mazes and hayrides and stuff and then they have a cute little storybook-esque town right next to it. it should be a good day. now just to get to the weekend. hmm....

on monday, the floor below me is opening up their floor for other people in my dorm complex for us to be able to trick-or-treat! there are so many opportunties to get free candy and dress up like little kids here! i love it! also, and MUCH more importantly, monday is momma's birthday! what is it, 58 now? haha- just kidding! happy early birthday, mom! i hope that the day is great, and im sorry that i cant be there for it! i will make it up to you when im home for thanksgiving (november 18th, baby! im TOTALLY counting down...) happy halloween everyone!

-a

i have rhe best friends anyone could ask for

WOW! what a GREAT weekend i have had. my friends jacob, jordan, trophie, katie, and grace came all the way from ohio to visit me for the weekend. they drove up on friday night and stayed until sunday afternoon. we went to the OSU game (there were SOOOO many OSU people there! i swear, it was DEFINITELY 2/3 OSU people, 1/3 IU people. it was amazing! such fun!) it was so weird, though, because i was sitting in the OSU student section, and i didnt know who to cheer for, i mean, i GO to indiana, and we are here IN indiana, but i was sitting with all of these OSU peope and OSU will ALWAYS be "my team," whether or not i go to school in ohio, so i just cheered for both! haha. it was really nice though. last night we went to katie's aunt/uncle's house (they live here in bloomington, i have been over there one night for dinner) and her mom and dad were in town this weekend too (i dont know WHY, exactly, but they were) so we visited with them and THAT was nice. it was so great to see them. we sat around fizoli's (which i had never been to- good food for VERy cheap! yum!) for about an hour and half just talking about different high school people and experiences and middle school and elementary school and EVERYTHING! it was such a flashback! then, we went to see "a history of violence," which was graphic (sexually and voilenty), but VERY good. we all enjoyed it.

it was so nice of them to come all the way here to see me. it really shows me that i have great friends. they are going to send me their schedules so i can visit them when i come back for thanksgiving at their schools. i love them al so much. less than 4 mondays until thanksgiving break! time to buckle down and focus until break. :):):)

grandparents and friends

yoyo!
so, last weekend was amazing only to be followed by an amazing one coming up. (i feel like i shouldnt deserve all of this!). last weekend, my GRANDPARENTS CAME! i was so great (and TOTALLY weird) to see them walking up the sidewalk towards my dorm. what? grandparents in indiana? what?!?! it was so great though. we went around campus and i showed them stuff like the stadium and the auditorium and then we went out to lunch (which was DELISH). it was so great to be with them. i hadnt realized how much i had missed them. just hearing their voices and being near them made me feel so at home. they were only here for the day, but it was enough to make it clear how much they care about me and to make me start counting down the days until thanksgiving (4 more mondays! as natalie and i are counting them down, that is...). i cant for thanksgiving because its so FAMILY-based in my family. going home for homecoming was nice, but it was mostly filled with friends (which is GREAT, dont get me wrong), and not family.
AND, THIS weekend is going to be great, too! everything besides the weather is going to be wonderful. i dont know about the weather where you guys are, but the foreast for bloomington, indiana is FILLED with rain, rain, rain. :( that means a PLEASANT OSU/IU football game.... in the rain! but, im sure that everything will be OK. my friends are coming to see me! thats why we are going to the football game, they all go (except for troph) to OSU. 5 people: jacob (again! the sweet guy), jordam, grace, trophie, and katie will all be coming TONIGHT at about 9 or 9:30. i am so excited- im PAST the stag eof bursting. i have been anticipating this weekend since i even found OUT that OSU played IU in early JUNE! i cant believe that they are coming! they want to see a movie sometime, so i think we might do that some evening. they will be staying until sunday afternoon/morning i suppose. i hope i dont bore them! i dont want them to feel rushed while they are here, but i want them to be able to have options to do things while they are here. plus, the rain is going to limit our activities to indoors, but oh well. we might go to the student union and play video games or shoot some pool or bowl or something.
haha- i have my math MIDTERM soon. "when?" you ask? SATURDAY MORNING! out of ALL the saturdays- its the one wher my friends are here! im going to have to get up early and leave them alone while i go and take my test. oh well. the only thing i dont like about it is that they are going to have to get up in a new and different place in the morning without me being there for them. they are just going to have to manage i guess! time to go study...

less than 4 more mondays to go!! i can make it, i can make it.... ciao

my past weekend

WELL, what a weekend i just had! on friday, i had my first gig with the R&B band that i am in. we played at a local theatre/movie showplace and opened for another R&B band that is professional and is known around indiana or the midwest (im not sure which). it was a LOT of fun. of course, i had my fair share of "first time mess-ups," but all in all it was a great gig. then on saturday, i went to the IU/Illinois homecoming football game with a few of my friends- it was so great! i discovered that not only do i not mind football, but i also am in love with brats! double score! they are so yummy, it really makes a football game worth attending, you know? we won, 36-13, so that ALSO made it a fun game to watch (its always fun to root for the team that wins, you know how that goes). after the game, my friend sarah-anne and i walked around the square that goes around the courthouse that is filled with different cute little shops and cafes. we discovered 2 new little cafes that neither of us knew about- i cant wait to hang out there and eat lunch/study! on sunday, i ushered at the IU Auditorium. guess what i got to see? BLAST! it was AMAZING! if you ever get the chance to see it, do NOT pass it up. i repeat, do NOT miss it! its an amazing show put on by both the musicians and the dancers. and the best part was that since i was an usher, i got to see it for FREE! how cool is THAT?

now the week has started and im just trying to stay as busy as possible, it will make the weekends come faster. i am trying to get all of my HW out of the way NOW, so i dont have to stress about it late at night or over the weekend. tomorrow night, there is a traveling food service group that will be coming to my dorm and be serving a sushi bar! yum! i just go down to the dining room like i always do, but instead of choosing from the fresh meal of the day, i can choose to get as much sushi as i want, too! i am DEF going to take down some sealable containers and slip some in my bag, you know what im sayin'? on friday, a friend and i are going to go to brown county, indiana. im told that brown county is famous around the country for being beautiful in the fall. im told that the parks and the festivities are one-of-a-kind, and i love all of those fall festivals, so i cant wait! even MORE exciting is that on saturday, MY GRANDPARENTS ARE COMING! yay!! i cant WAIT to see them- i miss them a lot. i am going to show them a great time, i hope that they enjoy seeing where i live.

well, im off to do some math HW *blah*, anything to make the days go faster- bring on the weekend! ciao!!

a reflection on homecoming weekend

hey there!
the weekend at home was.... interesting.... it weird to go back to a place that hasnt changed at ALL physically, yet is so different at the same time. i went there and everything seemed so THE SAME, but when i saw all of the people, it was weird. people who have graduated have always said "when you come back to grandview after you have graduated, it is strange around everyone." i never believed it- i mean, come on! its grandview! how can it be weird? everything is the same, duh! but it totally was. i felt weird. i was around all of these people that i knew and loved already, but i was completely disconnected from them. i cant really discribe it, but im sure i dont have to because im sure that some of you have felt that before. then, when my mom left today (which, by the way, was really great that she came with me back to IU. it really helped me transition better), i was a WRECK. its just hard to think that my life is HERE now. im not just here for some kind of break from home and then things at home would just resume: NO! THIS is my life now! i am going to be here for th next 4 years no matter HOW fast the days go. that was a hard reality to deal with. i dont mean to get you down, im just realizing everything kinda late. but, overall, it was really great. i mean, i was still in grandview in my OWN bed (which feels SO nice). i cant wait to go home again. but, this time, not for the people (like it has always been), but because of the feeling that i get when im home. the great comfort that i feel at home with my family, my house, and my favorite coffee shop ;)

GOING HOME TOMORROW!

hey there!
today has a been a day that has been LONG awaited. i thought that this week would be the slowest week of my life, but it has actually fone by fairly quick. today, thursday, all i have left to do it go to funk class, and then i will be seeing dad! WOOHOO! i think that we are going to walk around "downtown" campus (do a little shopping maybe?) and then we are going to go to a restaurant called "shanti." it has really good indian food (or so im told), and dad says that he wants to "become more educated with indian food" so we are going there tonight with a few of my friends. then, tonight, we will stay in a room at the student union and then we will wake up at the CRACK OF DAWN to get up and drive to grandview! although i hate early morning starts, i am looking FORWARD to getting up early to get home. tomorrow night (i cant believe that it is this soon!) is the homecoming football game. before the game, during the school day, i will tour the hallways and see all of the homecoming decorations and also do the whole give-away-the-crown-at-the-assembly thing. the thought of being home is making me want to burst! wish me luck for this weekend! ciao!! :) :)

2 DAYS, yo!

hey everyone!
i just got done watching the 2nd part of the two-parter documentary of bob dylan on PBS- ooohh!!! it was great! i REALLY want the DVD and soundtrack. some people have talked about how it is just a showcase for martin scorsese, but i think that even though he WAS good at directing it, that it is definitely a great collection of dylan footage. now, onto the more important matter at hand...

IM GOING HOME IN 3 DAYS!! MY DAD IS COMING TO PICK ME UP IN 2 DAYS! the last bit really hit me today when i was talking to tim albon and he talked about how he had been practicing the homecoming half-time show (for band) and all of a sudden i realized "oh my gosh. the band isnt practicing for the show for weeks from now- they are practicing it for THIS WEEKEND- AND IM GOING TO BE THERE!" im so excited. i know that im going to want to do so many things- im going to have to pick and choose what i want to do the most, i already know. for anyone who is reading this is grandview- i hope that i see you ate the football game or SOMETIME this coming weekend (THIS weekend!!!), im going to try to see as many people as possible. everyone, have a great homecoming weekend and i will see you at the football game! woohoo! go cats!

my weekend...

yoyo g's,
this weekend, i hung out with a friend that i have made that actually lives off campus- jessica. we went to a "persimmon festival." have you ever had a persimmon? its kinda like an apricot and a plum mixed together- it was DELISH. then, i went to her catholic mass (which, by the way, i have never been too before- it was definitetely an experience) and then went back to her house and baked all night! yay!! since there are no good kitchens here to use, i have missed cooking SO MUCH, it was so great to be able to cook again! i had really missed it. we stayed up all night baking bread and making chocolate desserts (can you IMAGINE what the kitchen smelled like? wow- it was to die for!) and then we fell asleep and she brought me back home this afternoon. the weirdest part was, that when i walked into collins (my dorm) after being dropped off, i actually had the feeling of "*sigh*, good, im home" wow! i have never felt that way about IU before, until now!

i cant WAIT to see the decorated hallways for homecoming on friday (are the spirit weeks days the same days as it always is? i REALLY wish that the school as a whole had liked 80's day more- i thought that was SUCH a fun day- i loved it), im going to see them during 6th period after lunch. i hope that the week is great- in my opinion its the best week of the whole year. (i still cant believe that i will be home in 5 days! OH MY GOD!) ciao!

ONE WEEK!!

yoyoyo!!
i just got back from a lecture called "creation vs. evolution." it was pretty good. i had to go to it because i have signed up to be an usher at the IU auditorium (that way, i can see free shows! yay!). everything with school has been going pretty well. i am done with my first english essay (i only have to write one for each semester- wow! isnt that light? i guess the work load is compensated with all of the reading i have to to... grrr....) and i just had my first math test. it might not have been a good sign when the people around me all got the same, different answers than i got. hmm... i am counting down the days until i go home for homecoming. dad will be coming to IU to take me and my friends out to dinner in exactly ONE WEEK! i have been counting this down since last august- and now its finally coming up! im so excited!!! i cant wait to see everyone at the football game- SOOO many people that i have talked to are coming home for it. i didnt know that coming back for homecoming was such a big deal for graduated students! honestly, i dont think that i would be coming back if i didnt have to follow that stupid tradition of giving away the crown (although, i guess i should be grateful since it IS giving me a way to go home :) my weekend is going to be so packed. im going to try to cram in so many things, i hope there are enough hours in the day. this weekend, there are two major events that i am hoping to go to: 1. a persimon (sp.) festival. have you ever heard of a "persimon?" its some kind of weird fruit that you can make ice cream and pudding out of- im told it delicious! well, i have never been to a festival completely devoted to a fruit- so im DEF going and 2. the lotus festival- its a street festival full of different bands all day with artists and food. they both sound pretty fun to me. hope everyone's week is great- i will see some of you homecoming weekend! eeee!! ciao all

PARENTS!!

well, parents weekend just fnished. my parents came out to IU on saturday morning. it was so amazing to see them waiting outside of my dorm for me. THEY were there with ME! in indiana! from a different state! EEEE!! then, we walked around campus for a little bit (had lunch in a GREAT bagel place, i think they liked it) and then we went to the football game! now, im not much of a football game person, but i LOVED going to the IU/kentucky game (hha- eat that, eric!) with the band all loud and all of the cheers that the band/student section synched. im going to try to go to as many games as i can (they are so darn cheap to go as a student- i cant NOT go!). then, after the game, the 'rents met 2 of my friends and we went out to a DELICIOUS italian restaurant (ate WAY too much, of course). today (sunday), we grabbed some coffee and cinnamon roll things and went to lake monroe and just hung out and read the paper. some of you might think that it sounds pretty boring, but honestly, i wouldnt have wanted to do anything else. just sitting around with them was the greatest feeling. i cant wait till i go home for homecoming. i love it here and everything, but going home is going to be such a thrill. less than 2 weeks and counting!

funk band!

hey everyone, sorry for the delay.
lots has happened since my last posting. i have dropped out of my "edible wild plants" class (as awesome as it sounds, i know) because it conflicted schedule-wise with my NEW class called "Soul Revue." it is an r&b/funk band! isnt that awesome? its kinda like conspiracy, that funk band that i played with in columbus, but it has more vocalists and all of the memebers in the band (with the exception of a fellow trumpet player, ansyn banks, who is the NICEST person in the world) is a student. i was VERY nervous for my first practice (as many of you know) on tuesday, but everything went great! it was really great and i had a ton of fun! today, i have the second practice. for some reason, im nervous again, but i know that thats just my mind talking. i KNOW that it will be fine. other than that, there's really nothing else new other than the fact that MY PARENTS ARE COMING FOR THE WEEKEND!!! im so excited!!! it was weird though, because today in my english discussion class, the "AI" (assistant instructor- just a jazzed up version of "TA" i guess...) asked the class how many people had their parents coming in, and i was one out of two people that raised their hand! i couldnt believe that more people didnt have their parents coming in! oh well- i cant WAIT for mine to come. i miss them a lot. hope school/work/life is going well for everyone. have a great day! ciao and make sure to funk it up! i know I will...

day by day

hey everyone,
im getting more and more used to college life and it passes by me. so far, i have found that if i get EXTREMELY busy, then the days go by faster (which, i think is a good thing right now). so, today i went to join a recreational flag-football team. i hope that THAT works out- i would LOVE to play that for fun. what else.... i dropped my current math class (it was just incomprehensible) and now im in a different one starting tomorrow. i think tht after that class swich, my schedule will finally be "set in stone" so to speak. also, im thinking of joining an r&b/funk band directed by ansyn banks- a guy that i used to watch at jazz clubs in columbus! hopefully that will fit into my schedule... other than that, im just doing the usual- you know, seing casablanca on an old movie screen (for the first time! i liked it), going to protests (yup- living up my dream of being a hippie chick), and trying to keep up with homework, homework, homework. this weekend, my friend jacob is going to come up and see me- im so excited! then, next weekend is parents weekend- cant want to see the 'rents. "everything's turnin' up milhouse." ciao!

weekend plans!

well, i must be really fitting in here. i have weekend plans! im so excited. some new friends and i are going to pack some picnic supplies and a few frisbees and go to some lake that they know about (they are all from indiana so they're not as clueless as i am!) and hang out all day. we all love it here, but we all want to get away from the campus for a nice day trip. then on sunday, i think we may explore the bigger city and get aquainted will all of the cool little shops. then, on monday- I HAVE CLASSES! on a NATIONAL holiday! so, all of you that get to do nothing on monday, think of me (although, i DO only have 1 class on fridays ;) hope everyones weekend is great! ciao!

sorry for the delay!

hey everyone!
sorry for the delay, i have been pretty busy here at IU. i am almost done with my first week of classes. every DAY seems to go by really fast, but when i look back at the week, it feels like i have been taking these clases for months! (i dont know if thats a good or a bad thing yet...). my math class is VERY confusing. have any of you seen the movie "Sideways?" Well, if you have, my math teacher is just like the main character in that movie: middle-aged, sloppy, balding, and kinda "skittish." he is very hard to follow and i even know the material right now! i cant imagine how its going to be when he starts to teach us new things. EVERYONE in my class is confused. mom says im going to have to get together with a study group. hmm.... my english professor is amazing- he is making me LIKE learning about the history of george washington! you know you have a good teacher when they make obviously boring topics awesome. my "environment and people" class is the most boring thing i have ever been in. i try to bring some sort of mint or something to keep me awake during that class. starting september 13th, i will be taking a "edible wild plants" class. i thought that it started sooner, but oh well. im sure it will be worth the wait. what else... some new friends and i are going to explore the city of bloomington this weekend and follow it with a trip to some lake for frisbees and picnics. we all agree we need to get away from the campus (and we have only been here for 2 weeks!). but, dont get me wrong, i am LOVING it here. i love everything about it. thanks to all of you that gave me support and advice when i needed it- it really helped me through ! ;) i just emailed a bunch of clubs, so i will soon be involved in many activities, too! i cant wait for that. there is always something to be reading for class these days (now we know why college students always have books strapped to their bodies) so, im off to catch up on my reading (if i EVER get behind, i dont know how i would get myself out of it!). thanks for checking up on me to see how im doing! love you all

finally settling in...kinda

hey everyone!
im sitting here in my dorm room about to get some free food (always a good thing). im doing a lot better than i was the past 2 days. last night, i watched a movie in one of the girls on my floor's room, and while we were wathing- a bat did laps up and down the hallway! it went back and forth (forever )) <> (( ) for a LONG time! im finding out that to really "make it" here, you have to be obnoxiously friendly to everyone. i know that when classes start on monday, that everything will get better. also, im getting a cell phone- i know, i tried to stay away. but i really think that being able to contact anyone at any time will be really helpful. my number will be (its coming in the mail tomorrow PLEASE call me- i would love to hear from you.

info

whoops! i almost forgot: here is the phone number to my dorm room (since i dont have a cell phone... yet) and dont worry about keeping me on the phone, my roommate has a cell phone, so she has told me that she wont be really using it that much:

(812) 857-7675

feel free to call me! but, keep in mind, that im one hour behind you, so if you decide to call me at 6:00am, i probably wont be up :)

im here!!!

well everyone, i made it. im sitting in my dorm room right now. im not unpacked (its too much! im overwhelmed with stuff), but speaking of overwhelming, i am feeling SOO many different feelings right now. everything seems to be moving so quickly yet in slow motion at the same time (i know, it IS confusing). my parents just left, so quick! yet, everything that is happening here at IU seems to be going fast (im in the room that im going to sleeping in for a whole year already), but i havent met that many close people yet. its hard to explain, i suppose. i know that i will get used to it eventually, its just that im told that most people start to get "homesick" 2 or 3 weeks into their college experience but im feeling an EVER SO SLIGHT feeling of sadness right now. maybe i just need to get busy. i will try to unpack now. day one almost conquered...

in a "nice" hotel

im here in bloomington! yay! my family and i are staying in a hotel that is VERY nice (the paint is practially peeling off the walls, any minute now, i know it will...). we just got back from dinner at a very cool pizza place. but, and here's the REAL news, while we were at dinner, i realized something that you COULD call... crucial. i realized that inside my jean bag, which is hanging on a chair in my kitchen, is my wallet. inside of my wallet is my driver's license. now, im not going to be driving while im here, no, but i need my ID to get my college ID. what is so important about my college ID, you ask? well, without my college ID i cannot: get into my dorm, buy anything, or eat! yay! im such a genious. right when i thought that i had packed EVERYTHING (although, i also realized that i forgot my printer, too) i forgot my little wallet. thankfully, a goddess in the form of kris sutter is going to over-night it to me through FedEx so i will be able to EAT on thursday! tomorrow i will be moving in! im pretty nervous, but i know that everything will be OK in the end. i found my "real address" or my "physical address" as some have called it. i love email, but i love letters even more. here is my address at my dorm:

Allison Hendricks
Collins-Edmondson 0304
541 N. Woodlawn Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47406-7500

there's no rush. but if you ever find that you have some extra time on your hands, write me down a little note. i would really appreciate it. also- you can post something back to me on this blog by clicking on "blog this!" i think... more later after the move tomorrow!

almost there!

hey everyone!
its getting down to it. less than 5 days to go! im to the point of no return, going to target everyday, my room filled with skattered plastic bags... im so excited! my roommate, sarah, will be coming home soon (from VIENNA! what a world traveler!) and we will be making the final arrangements about our room situation. im still struggling with reserving books and such for my classes (some professors dont put down the book requirements until RIGHT BEFORE school starts- thanks a lot teachers...). other than last minute jitters everything is fine. im just trying to fit in as much as possible here in grandview as i can before i go.