Between semesters

The fall semester has been over for almost three weeks now.

The bookstore just posted the list of required books for next semester which has brought me back to reality.

I have really been enjoying winter break. It is one month of not having to worry about classes or homework. My time can be spent preparing for other things, like my hobbies. Last year I attempted to complete the Project 365 and failed. For anyone that doesn't know about the various 365 groups or won't click the link, Project 365 is a photography project wherein the participant takes a picture everyday for a year. I was going strong last year when I unknowingly dropped my camera in the snow. It was not long after that when I discovered what happened but could not find my camera. A few weeks later my camera was found and returned to me but I had already missed a few days and had to start over. This year I will be starting on January 1st like many other people. Many of the photos from my first attempt involved school. The new attempt will be no different except that it may be my last semester.

Boozel Dining Hall has been closed for renovations since the end of last spring semester. It is scheduled to open on January 9th, just in time for the semester to begin.



This will make things vastly simpler concerning food. Boozel is the closest dining hall to almost all of the dorms. That is actually why it was being renovated. With the construction of the new dorms, Boozel was often reaching capacity. Now, it will be able to handle many more people dining and will be serving an improved menu.

Almost There

The end of the semester is within sight. Most of my classes have final projects and papers due next week. I wish it was all over. I wish I didn't have to do it at all.

In my last post I said that nothing went awry with regard to my scheduling. Just after that something almost did. One of the classes I signed up for was under-enrolled. When that happens the class is most often canceled. The last time this happened it was a class which included a trip to London that was canceled. This time it is the very last class I need for graduation. Luckily it is the same for everyone else in the class as well. The provost has graciously allowed the class to continue with only 5 people.

The weather here still has not made up its mind as to what season it is. One day it is closer to summer the next it is back to winter. The past few it has been snowing so I think that it might be winter to stay pretty soon.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. It's my second favorite holiday, the first being St. Valentine's Day. I have not been home since fall break at the beginning of October and am looking forward to seeing my family again. This is actually the longest I've been away from home. Before, I went home monthly for various reasons. Now I simply don't need to and haven't been going. It's definitely going to be nice to go home.

Tonight is Slippery Rock's Light Up Night. It starts about an hour from now, but I'm not sure if I'm going to go. Even though it is beautiful outside, I have a ton of work to complete. Most of it due Monday. And I know I'm not going to have time this weekend to do it. On Friday night I am participating in a fund raiser for St. Jude Hospital called Up 'til 2 For St. Jude. On Saturday I will be celebrating a friend's birthday (not all day so I will have some time). Also, sometime this weekend an old friend will be visiting. Then finally on Sunday is the Gym Class Heroes concert. I just bought my ticket yesterday, and was surprised that they haven't sold out already. I also have a meeting Sunday immediately after the concert which will take up the last moments of my weekend.

First Snow

Last week was the first snow of the season here in Slippery Rock.



Two years ago when it snowed in the spring semester the snow didn't melt for two months. If you don't know, there are only three seasons here in Slippery Rock. One is summer. It doesn't last very long. The second is winter. This lasts considerably longer than the others. The third is actually just a transition between the two. Also the weather seems to jump between the seasons whenever it wants to. Last week it was snowing, this week it's almost 70, and next week it is supposed to snow again.

This week also marks the beginning of scheduling for the spring semester. I scheduled myself earlier yesterday. Just on a side note, scheduling has never gone smoothly for me. Something has always gone wrong. Most often it is a course that is filled by the time I register. This time nothing has gone wrong. It's about time.

Homecoming

This past week was homecoming. For the first time, one of my friends was on the homecoming court. Campaigning for someone on court is quite exciting. For about 2 weeks you can brag about your friend as much as you want. It also means that voting was easier for me.

Throughout the week there were homecoming related events all leading up to the parade and game on Saturday. The pep rally and concert were the largest of these and a lot of fun. The concert this year was Day 26 and Live In Color. I am not familiar with them but tried to go see tham anyway. People started lining up several hours in advance. I didn't show up till about an hour before the doors were supposed to open. The concert was delayed 45 minutes though, so since I was tired of standing in line I left before going in, but heard that it was amazing.

Two nights ago was my event as house council president. We organized a paint a pumpkin event for Watson Hall. W e bought 100 pumpkins for the residents of Watson to take and paint for halloween. We also had pumpkin pie, apple pie, and apple cider for everyone. At the end we had only about 30 pumpkins left. Everyone who attended had a good time, or so I hear.

Fall Break

Just as I begin to get comfortable in my routine and recover from all illness comes fall break.

It is what I consider the most pointless break of them all. It is only two days off just as everyone becomes acquianted with the semester.
I am looking forward to going back to school though. That is because when I get back the trees will be changing colors to show off their autumn splendor. The view in some parts of Slippery Rock, and even some places on campus, is extremely beautiful. The campus really looks beautiful in every season. (Winter has the added benefit of more cancelled classes than the others) I especially like Autumn though because as a photographer I prefer more colorful pictures. There is about a 1 week window in which the foliage will look its best. During that week I tend to be happier as the campus just amazes me.

I'm really excited for homecoming this year. Many of my friends are on the homecoming planning committee this year. They are trying to make homecoming a big tradition here on campus. Even though I'm not on the committee I am doing everything I can to help them succeed. Also, I know half of the homecoming court again, so I will have to base my choices for homecoming king and queen on more than that. Regardless, I'm going to be in the parade again this year. The parade is a big part of the community and I feel great to be a part of it. The only downside is that I will have to get up really early on a Saturday to prepare. After that, it is an awesome time.

And We're Off

So here's an idea. Why not have actual students tell about what it is like to go to Slippery Rock? That is the whole premise behind this blog. A student of Slippery Rock University describing my experiences in college.

But first, a little about myself. I am a senior Computer Science major. I also have a minor in Information Technology and am considering a minor in Philosophy. I am also involved with several extracurricular activities on campus. My favorites are the Honors Program, and Student Government Association. A lot of what I do is related to the honors program. I have found it to be one of the best things to be part of on campus. My favorite thing to do is photography. I take more pictures than everybody else that I know. I will probably feature a photo here from time to time.

But wait a minute this is about my experience at SRU, not about me.

We're now a month into the fall semester and my classes are becoming quite regular. That is to say that I know what to expect of each of them. My computer classes are my difficult classes, but I enjoy my liberal studies so much more. A few weeks ago I had a problem which landed me in the hospital for a few hours. There was nothing they could do about it, so I ended missing a few classes while I recovered. Stuff began to pile up rather quickly and I was having trouble dealing with all of it. Now I am almost completely caught up with the exception of one class. A few more days should be all I need. Normally those days would be a weekend, but this past weekend I went to Camp Allegheny to do some community service for the honors program. Many other members of the honors program went as well. We did a lot of painting for the camp. This wasn't the first time I had done community service at Camp Allegheny, but it was the most enjoyable.