Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Christmas is Coming!

Hey everyone,

I hope you're not all too stressed out with everything to do at the end of the semester (like I am...and I really need to get on it, so I'll keep this post relatively short), but I just wanted to take some time to acknowledge all of the beautiful sights of this season because Christmas is coming! I love seeing the snow piling up on the ground around the brightly decorated Christmas trees especially, and what better way to see this easily than to look out at the Quad!

I love this shot in black and white.

They are HUGE and beautiful!

My roommate and I walking toward the trees after a late-night study sesh
So this week, I'm also trying to treasure as much time as I can with my roommate before he leaves to basic training for the Navy in a week! It'll be a hard semester without him in the spring, but I'll be supporting him through every step of his journey just like he did for me when I was gone for Air Force training!

Anyway, I hope everyone takes some time to play out in the snow, catch up with an old friend, or help decorate the tree with your family this holiday season - don't let the work bog you down! There's always plenty to be thankful for, and I couldn't think of a better December than watching the snow fall and reminiscing with my roommate before he goes.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thanksgiving, Reflection, and Classes.

Hey everyone!

Wow, I'm a little late with this post, but I guess that's how things are going to be at this time in the semester. I can't believe there's just one week left after break before finals! I'm so excited for next semester, but I'm kinda sad to see this one go to. Going to miss all of my friends and fellow juniors who are studying abroad next semester! (It looks like I'm going to have to take up letter-writing...this should be interesting!)

Anyway, now that Thanksgiving is just two days away, I think this is a really important time for people to reflect on the year they've just put behind them and how truly fortunate they are to be going to college, working, or whatever they're doing in life with their friends, families, and loved ones. Even though I only live thirty minutes north of St. Michael's, I know I don't see my family as often as I'd like to from time to time, and although they can get annoying and clingy, they're family - gotta love 'em. Fortunately for me, my family has invited two other families to come celebrate Thanksgiving with us this year as well as my grandparents. It's gonna be a full house with tons of food!
Don't mind if I do!
Aside from the food, fun, and thoughtfulness that comes with Thanksgiving, I've also been excited recently because I finally solidified my schedule of classes for next semester! This is huge because I originally didn't register at my scheduled time because I thought I would be studying abroad, but I was finally able to make things work to create a schedule of classes I'll need with the help of amazing professors and coordinators in the registrar's office - you guys rock!

EN-403-A - Film & History (HON)
MJD-210-A - Photojournalism in the Digital Age
MJD-219-B - Communication for Social Good
PY-103-A - Acoustical Foundations of Music
EN-306-A - Shakespeare Performs: On Screen

Hopefully I picked a good mix of classes that will challenge me while offering me different kinds of work (not all papers, for example) so I'll be able to stay sane! I'm focusing heavily on English and Media Studies next semester, primarily because I only have 4 Business classes left to complete the major! It feels odd and almost uncomfortable being so close to completing my degree requirements, and after next semester, I'll only have 4 MJD classes left and one LSC!

Well those are the big events going on in my life lately. I know I'm ready to get home and have some downtime (although PLENTY of homework will be getting done), and I'm sure many of you are already home and enjoying it! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving - I hope you all take some time to think about just how fortunate you are too.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Decisions.

Hey everyone!

So recently a lot has been happening in my life, and I think this week is a good week to share all of the big decisions I've had to make lately and why. Once you hit college, life kind of just comes at you quickly, and you start realizing that you need to make more than a few huge life choices.

Originally, after returning to Saint Michael's after basic training and tech school in July, I was planning on studying abroad next semester in Leeds, England, but that all changed in what seemed like the course of two days. At the beginning of last week, I heard that I had been awarded the Buxton Scholarship, a scholarship given out by the Air National Guard for students who're enlisted, and it gives me 12 credits for free.

At first I was ecstatic, thinking that this scholarship would cover the rest of my fees for next semester and that study abroad was all paid for, but after I emailed the woman in charge of Veterans Affairs, she told me that this scholarship could only be used for Saint Michael's.

This would leave me with thousands of dollars to come up with for next semester that I had no way of getting without the scholarship, so I made a very important last-minute decision - I decided to postpone my study abroad plans until the summer.

A lot of factors came into this decision aside from the scholarship though, such as Christian Camerota, the man in charge of the blogging program at Saint Michael's, offering me a paid blogging position if I stayed at Saint Michael's and getting offered seasonal job at RadioShack just yesterday. With all the opportunities arising here, it just didn't seem like the right time for me to study abroad. While it was definitely hard to give up England, I think I made the right choice.

I'm sorry Leeds - maybe I'll be there this summer!
Sometimes you need to sacrifice what you really want to do for what's most practical, and other times you just have to go for it - it all depends on the situation. I think it was right for me to give up my dreams of England to gain more support at home first. I'm now looking into some summer programs in England and Scotland, and I'm hoping to start the process for those very soon!

Well that's my big news, do you all think I made the right choice? I'd love to hear what you have to say if you want to share - in the mean time, I hope your semester is wrapping up nicely, and if you're studying abroad next semester, I hope you have an incredible time and realize just how lucky you are to be going!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Story of My Roommate.

Hey y'all!

So since the semester's been dragging on and I haven't really done anything exciting within the last week, I figured I'd focus this week's post on my roommate Jesse. He's come up a few times on here, and I bet at least some of you are wondering how we came to be friends, so here goes!

Jesse and I went to high school together in Saint Albans, Vermont at a school called Bellows Free Academy. It's funny, because we never used to talk too much while we were there, but we were locker neighbors all four years of school (go figure). When the time for applying to colleges came around during our senior year, we were talking in-between classes one day like we usually did about whatever came up, and he brought up his acceptance to Saint Michael's.

I remember feeling really excited because I had applied there and was waiting for my letter of acceptance as well, so I asked him immediately if he wanted to be roommates. I wasn't a fan of the whole random roommate assignment thing, and I figured it'd be better to at least know someone a bit beforehand if you're going to room with them for at least a year. He said yes, and we began talking a lot more over the summer before coming to Saint Michael's as freshmen.

Needless to say it was a huge success! Things were a little awkward at first, but we immediately began opening up to each other more and becoming closer friends than we ever were in high school. It's hard not to get to know someone when you're living with them, and now I'm wondering why we didn't talk more in high school! (I guess I know that actually, we had different from groups and hardly ever had classes together).

So now, almost three years later, we've had so many amazing times together and I don't regret asking him to be my roommate one bit.

This is one of Jesse our freshman year when he was going out to a dinner for his work study - lookin' spiffy!
This is probably my favorite picture of us because we look so ridiculous! This was after a trip to GoodWill sophomore year, where Jesse found a box that sang a somewhat creepy tune when you open it.
Jesse and I in our natural habitats sophomore year - priceless!

This was is from earlier this year, where we went to Vergennes, VT to race in a Color Run 5K that benefits local charities! We loved it so much we ran it twice!
If you already go to SMC or if you're thinking about coming, your roommate can really make or break your experience. This isn't saying that the random roommate selection process is always bad - I've seen more than a few roommates become best friends because of it! Just giving someone a chance can show you a lot more about a person than you'd think, and who knows, maybe your current or future roommate will become a great friend of yours too!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Crunch Time & Positivity.

It's starting to come down to the wire pretty quickly this semester - November is the last full month before finals, I'm getting TONS of complex and time-consuming assignments, and I'm trying to balance it all out with working for the Guard base (while maintaining sanity!) The month before finals is always bound to be packed with tons of things to do and little time to waste, and taking media classes such as Reporting for Media and Media Law that involve interviewing people, transcribing the interviews, and going to various locations around town to dig up public records and sit in on court hearings definitely makes it that much more challenging. 

This is how I end up feeling at the end of most days in school now...my brain is just fried!
Don't get me wrong, I love my classes and I love learning more about the wide variety of subjects i'm taking this semester, but sometimes the work load is just outrageous! I'm sure we've all felt this way at some point, and this kind of stress can definitely take a toll on you socially and psychologically in the wrong situations, so it's important to stay positive!

So for this week's post, I've decided to give you all a few pointers about how to stay on top of your workload and, more importantly, to stay positive!

1. Realize that it's only temporary.

This may be the most important point of all - the classes you're taking the semester, the stress you're under, and anything else that's going in your life that's making it more stressful will all go away eventually. It has to. Nothing lasts forever, and that's even more reason to enjoy the moment and find the good in every situation.

2. Make a list of things to do and organize them into a schedule.

You have no idea how much this has helped me this semester. Making lists and schedules has always been difficult for me because I always end up just ignoring them or forgetting about them, but I've been forcing myself to commit to a schedule and write everything I need to do in it for the past few months and it's helped me tremendously. Planners at the campus store are only $5 (and making your own in a binder or a notebook is even cheaper), and they'll save you a lot of time and energy in the end, trust me!

3. Get plenty of sleep!

You're probably laughing to yourself after reading that one (it's college, who sleeps?), but don't take it lightly. I'm sure we all know how sleep deprivation is, and we all probably don't get enough sleep as it is on a regular basis, but I know that the days I sleep for more than 8 hours are my absolute best days. I feel happier, wake up easier, do better on tests and working through homework, and I'm far less grumpy and irritated! Getting tons of sleep definitely has many benefits, and it'll only help you stay focused on what you have to do while maintaining a positive attitude.

4. Find a hobby, an activity, or something unrelated to your studies to participate in.

We can't be all school all the time, and I'm sure everyone has something they love to do that helps them relax and eases their mind, so do it! Separating yourself from your studies for short periods of time is just as important as getting through them. SMC has tons of clubs on campus that fit a wide range of hobbies too, such as singing, knitting, or even anime-watching! It's recommended that students only study for 30-45 minute intervals and then take 10-15 minute breaks. Calling a friend briefly to catch up, playing a video game, or riding your bike to the store and back are all great ways to de-stress and clear your mind from the heavy course load you've probably spent too much time studying as it is. 

5. Stay healthy.

Go for a run around campus, go to the gym with a friend, play some basketball in the gym on an intramural team! Staying active and eating well-balanced meals will help substantially in tackling your homework load and maintaining a positive attitude too! Take it from someone who worked out every day for six months straight this past spring and summer. After joining the Air Force, I found a new appreciation for running, and my roommate and I have made it a habit to go running a few times a week together (one time this past summer we ran 8 miles around Colchester and Essex Junction - it was a blast!) I use it as an outlet to de-stress, relax, and cope with whatever's going on in my life, and it works.

I hope these tips help at least some of you with dealing with school, friends, work, and whatever else you have going on in your life. Staying positive is the only way you're going to make it through, so try your best and keep a level head - things have a way of working themselves out! But following these tips can definitely help make it that much easier to tackle life head-on too!

And if none of that helped, here's a picture of me wearing a cat mask I found in the Alliot parking lot this afternoon. :p Comedy can work just as well to create some positivity!


Cheers!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Over Halfway There!

Hey everyone!

So it's that time of the year again - midterms are coming and going, it's getting colder quick (although the summer lingering was nice, it's most-likely over), and everyone is preparing to head into November, the last full month of the fall semester. Hard to believe that there's less than two months left until Christmas!

I've been plenty busy writing papers, studying for midterms, and trying to get ahead as much as possible, but that doesn't mean there's absolutely no time for fun, either. Since the semester is already more than halfway over, I thought I'd recap some of the highlights:

The Champlain Valley Fair this past August with Jesse on the far left, and two friends from high school, Brandon and Tiffany!


My roommate Jesse and I after the EPIC Color Run in Vergennes, VT at the beginning of September! It was literally a blast!
Great times downtown with friends - we frequently go to Boloco since we're addicted to their Nutella milkshakes!
Just one of the many beautiful sight pictures I took last weekend in Providence, Rhode Island while visiting a friend. The city was amazing!

I can finally go back to work again since the government shutdown is over!

There's always some time to spend at my quiet home in Saint Albans, VT too with this big lug. He's my half Rottweiler, half Springer buddy Duncan!
Now with all of the excitement of this year comes a lot of thinking about the future too. I'm a junior this year, and my college experience is already more than halfway over, so I need to start thinking about what the plan is going to be once I graduate with my MJD and Business degrees. Originally when I started my schooling at SMC as a freshman, I was thinking I'd go into advertising and graphic design with my majors, but with the two law classes I'm taking this semester, I may want to go a different route and pursue something law-related. Who knows, maybe law school would be neat (and challenging of course, but that's life)!

That just goes to show how taking classes and floating through your college career can actually shape it into something entirely different! I love how much variety and how many differing perspectives there are here at SMC, even within majors!

Anyway, I hope everyone's as stoked for Halloween as I am, and I hope your midterms were aced with flying colors!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Fall Break Rhode Island!

Hey everyone!

So, fall break has finally arrived - a nice, four-day weekend to catch up on school work, do some traveling, and relax! This fall break, I decided to come down to Rhode Island to visit my friend Ian, who I went to technical schooling with for the Air Force down in Mississippi this past summer! I've never driven out of state on my own before, so this was a pretty big adventure, but four and a half hours later, I arrived safe and sound in Johnston, Rhode Island.


Ian showed me around Rhode Island, and the first on our list of stops was his high school, Johnston Senior High School, where we watched is younger sister play a volleyball game. Later, we went to the University of Rhode Island in Providence, where I went to my first college football game!


Look how huge that stadium was! To get up to the bleachers, we had to go up multiple staircases! Coming from Vermont to here was definitely a huge change, especially going to Saint Mike's where we don't have football teams.

After seeing the college life, we decided to go out to downtown Providence and visit the Providence Mall and Thayer Street, a street bustling with excitement, tourism, and a whole lot of restaurants, outlets, and other places to explore.



The buildings were huge, and Providence Mall was a blast! I go back to Saint Michael's on Tuesday, but I've been loving my mini vacation here in Rhode Island so far. There's even a little river by the mall where they put on a "fire on the water" show that lights up the night by lighting flames along small sections of the river (unfortunately they didn't put one on last night though - bummer!)

I hope you've all been having a great fall break too! If you're worrying about homework or stressing out, remember to take some time to enjoy the world around you! Sticking to your studies and doing well is imperative, of course, but exploring and being with friends is a huge part of the college experience too!

Today is mine and Ian's "homework" day (since he's in college as well), but tomorrow we'll be going on one last adventure before my departure around the city! College is definitely a balancing act, but when am I going to be in Rhode Island again? Might as well enjoy it!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Study Abroad Madness.

Hey everyone!

So, this week's definitely been a busy one, but getting a couple of my midterms out of the way has really helped my workload (only one left in Business Law!)

October can be a really stressful time around Saint Michael's, with everything like midterms, class registration, and, if you're a junior like me and you're looking to explore the world for a semester, then study abroad paperwork also starts to dominate your life. This week is the week that almost everything is due for my trip to Leeds, England next semester, from class registration forms to passport paperwork to program down payments.

My plan is to take a media-heavy course load at the University of Leeds through the API program to explore the British view of media and communication with classes like Digital Cultures and Motion Graphics while knocking out a class or two for my LSE requirements. I wanted to take a couple of business courses as well, but the school wasn't offering any courses that I needed for my major for next semester, and since I'm a double major and a minor, I have NO wiggle room whatsoever (which is a bummer!)

So one of the components of my application that was due this weekend was a passport photo to use for my school IDs over in England. Passport photos can be done at places like Walmart or Walgreens for a fee, or you could save a bit of money (every penny counts in college!) and take your own. This is actually pretty simple and feasible to do with a camera, a sunny room, and a white or off-white background to work with!

I made this my project for the weekend, and here's how it came out:


I could've done a little better with getting the shadow out in the background (the less shadow, the better), but here are some basic guidelines for submitting a good photo to use for your passport:

1. The photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches, preferably 300 dpi.
2. It can only include your head and shoulders.
3. A white or off-white background must be used.
4. Make sure it is taken in a well-lit room to diminish shadows.

I haven't heard back from my program yet about whether or not they accepted this photo, but I'd say it's a pretty good attempt! Traveling is a huge part of the college experience, and for those of you who are interested in study abroad, the Saint Michael's page on it is located here. Also, my program provider has been really flexible (since I had to do much of the paperwork while I was away in military training), offers good variety of programs and locations, and they representatives are super awesome and great at getting back to you quickly and efficiently. You can check out API here.

Hope this helps for all of you looking into traveling in your undergraduate career, and here's hoping my passport photo attempt was a good one!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

It's About That Time.

Hey everyone!

Looks like it's about that time again - fall! Fall is my favorite season by far. I love the way the leaves cover the ground in myriads of red, orange, yellow, and green, how the air becomes a bit colder, and how everything just smells so, I don't know, fall-y! Plus, I get to wear sweaters now, and I've been waiting too long to break some of those out!

Anyway, as the halfway point of the semester approaches (it's really going fast!), I like to stop and take some time to enjoy the outside, get away from the stresses of work and homework, and just relax with friends or by myself. The foliage around campus is already really beautiful, and now that Quad Commons is finally finished, there's no more construction to detract from it!


I snapped this photo on the way to class the other day. The colors around campus create such a nice, homey feeling, and I'm loving every day of fall! Definitely the perfect time for tea and Netflix for hours or cracking open a good book. (homework permitting!)

Now, funny thing about work lately - since the government shutdown occurred last week, I've been out of a job. This has its perks and nuances, of course, but so far it's been nice to have some extra time to catch up on homework, sleep, and enjoy the semester a little bit more! It's stressful enough having 6 1/2 classes for sure, but work on top of that just breaks me some days. 


Air Force, HUA!

I've been going downtown a lot more lately as well, which has been really great. It always surprises me how many places exist downtown that I had no idea about every time I go, and when I went earlier today, my friend Shelbie showed me a place called Delia's Tea. And I was not disappointed! The tea was exquisite, and she ordered us some sort of treat with lumped rice and bean paste that tasted really...peculiar. It was one of those foods that I didn't know if I should classify as good or bad, but I just kept eating it anyway...weird, right? But the calm atmosphere, the quick service, and the antique shop itself were all really awesome!


Just look at that teapot! I'm also an excellent creep when it comes to taking pictures of people. :)

Well, that's basically been my week in a nutshell! Over the next two weeks, I have three midterms to deal with...bummer. I'll try to keep you all updated as much as possible between breathing and studying, so keep me in your prayers!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

My Class Schedule.

Hey everyone!

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm keeping plenty busy this semester by taking 6 1/2 classes to make up for my semester that I took off for military training, and I thought I'd break down my schedule for you all - this will be especially useful if you're a MJD or Business major!

1. Philosophy - Freedom & Desire

I'm taking this class to fulfill the LSC requirements of the school (which I probably should've taken a while ago since I'm a junior now and most people take this sometime freshman or sophomore year...oops!) This class is very thought-provoking and digs deeper into the topics of erotic love and freedom by reading works by Plato, mostly about an ancient philosopher named Socrates, among a variety of other readings. I'm taking it with Professor John Izzi - a very lively and energetic man for an 8 a.m. class, but his class is definitely interesting!

2. Business Law

This class is a requirement for the Business Administration major, and I'm taking it with Professor Wargo - he's very calm and the workload is fair. The work consists of reading The Buffalo Creek Disaster and A Civil Action, two books that deal heavily with business law, and responding to questions about them online, watching a movie every Thursday session regarding law, and taking short quizzes on law each Tuesday from the textbook (which aren't so bad if you study!). This class sounds more overwhelming than it actually is - so far, I'm loving what I'm learning about the law.

3. Media Law

Media Law ties in nicely with Business Law, so taking them in the same semester is helping to reinforce what I'm learning about the law since many of the concepts in each class overlap. This class is required for the MJD major, and I'm taking it with Professor Traci Griffith. She's very passionate about the law, and she keeps the class lively and interesting with her passion and rambunctious personality. The case study readings about the law are really interesting as well, since you learn where a lot of today's laws come from by reading them!

4. Reporting for Media

Here's my hardest class of the semester. This class basically teaches you the fundamentals of reporting by putting you in the reporter's role, doing interviews, typing articles, and learning the AP Style format used in news writing. My professor is Professor Cleary, and she's really knowledgeable about the field having worked in news writing before. Be warned though, this class is demanding and has a high work load, so prepare to dedicate some time to it!

5 (4 1/2?). Honor's Colloquium

I believe I forgot to mention in my last post that I'm in the Honor's Program here at Saint Michael's! In this program, students are upheld to higher standards, such as taking 3 honors-level courses, taking the Honor's Colloquium, creating an honors Senior Capstone project their senior year, and maintaining a 3.6 GPA. So far, the program has been really rewarding for me: I've taken 2 honors-level courses and I'm now in the colloquium, so I'm well on my way to meeting the requirements before graduation!

The Honor's Colloquium is basically an open discussion kind of class. Unlike most of the classes at Saint Michael's, which are 4-credit, this class is only 2 and meets once a week for an hour and a half. Students pair up in twos, explore a topic of their choice, and present their findings to the class for 1 1/2 class sessions, thus becoming "teachers" in a way. The topics we've discussed so far in this class range from media addiction to the female image, so I'm really enjoying the variety and lively discussion that results from controversial topics.

6 (5 1/2?). Managerial Accounting

This is a required class for Business Administration majors, and it can only be taken if a students has already taken financial accounting. These two accounting courses are expected to teach business students a bit about the accounting side of the business world and is especially useful for students looking to start their own business with their degrees. Personally, I find accounting really difficult, so this class is not my favorite, but many business majors choose to become accounting minors after taking these classes, so it all truly depends on the person! I'm taking this course online through Community College of Vermont instead of at Saint Michael's to save money and time, mostly, but it's almost identical to the course offered here.

7 (6 1/2?). Social Media

This course is an elective course in the MJD major, and each student with the major is expected to take 3 electives in the major in order to graduate. This class is probably my favorite one this semester, as I'm really fascinated with how media has developed to be such a strong influence in society and what effects its having. In this course, we delve into Facebook, Twitter, media addiction, advertising in media, and a variety of other topics that generate a ton of discussion and opinion. I'm also taking this class online through the Community College of Vermont for the same reasons as the last class, but it's been highly interesting and rewarding thus far!

So there you have it, my schedule in a nutshell. It's hard to stay on top of everything this semester, so I have to be especially proactive, but it's not impossible! Besides, when the going gets tough and I need a little break, I can go home to northern Vermont in Saint Albans to see my family, which is only about a half-hour drive from Saint Michael's!

I went to visit my family this past weekend, in fact, and it was really stress-relieving! I helped mom cook, caught up on sleep, and hung around with my 6 pets - 3 dogs and 3 cats!

This is one of my cats, Troy, interrupting my mom reading a magazine - he's always craving attention!

It's always nice to be at college keeping busy and pushing myself to get to where I want to be in the future (which is a WHOLE other post in itself, which I will most likely do soon enough), but going home once in a while and taking a break from the hectic life that is college is really refreshing as well. If you're already here at Saint Michael's (or any college, for that matter), I hope you're not stressing out too badly and remembering to breathe too!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Start Fresh.

Okay, so let me start by giving you guys a little bit about me: my name is Nathan Gabel, I'm a junior this year at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, and I have a double-major in Business Administration and Media Studies with a minor in Creative Writing. I'm obsessed with running, web design, consuming large quantities of milk, and writing fiction.

Something that's been on my mind since the beginning of this semester in the phrase "start fresh." To me, this means getting a chance to do things you never thought possible, or maybe even getting a chance to do things again in a way you'd preferred to beforehand. Since about a year ago, I've had a ton of "fresh starts," such as enlisting in the United States Air Force, taking the spring semester of 2013 off to complete basic training and technical schooling, attaining much more financial stability to be able to go to Saint Michael's with the Air Force's help, and almost completely finishing the plans for my study abroad trip to Leeds, England for next semester.

Clearly, this past year has been loaded with many new obstacles and challenges for me, and I've been overcoming them well so far, but I've been making sure I remember to breathe and enjoy the time I have here at Saint Michael's! In just the course of this past month, I've had a ton of fun times with friends old and new, and I'd like to share some with you all!


This is my roommate Jesse (on the left), Sheila, and I moving in the first weekend back at SMC! It was definitely a long day, and everyone was working hard to get organized and tackle the new semester.




The weekend after Jesse and I got all settled in, we went to the Champlain Valley Fair! For those of you who may not know, this is an annual fair that takes place at Essex Fair Grounds about two miles away from Saint Mike's. It draws in a huge crowd, it has tons of fun rides, and it throws some awesome concerts! This year, Ke$ha came!

The top picture (from left to right) is my roommate Jesse, Brandon, Tiffany, and I on the Wild Mouse roller coaster!


This is a compilation of photos I took on an early-morning run a couple of weeks ago around North Campus - we're so lucky to have all of this history to explore right outside our window!



On September 14th, Jesse and I decided to go to the Color Vibe 5k in Vergennes, VT! This is a 5k where you get blasted with colored cornstarch, essentially, while running the entirety of the track! Once we were finished, there was a live DJ bumping dubstep and techno for a color-filled dance party. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life, and the best part is they come every year! This took place only an hour away from St. Michael's campus, too!



This past week, it was the Air Force's 66th birthday, too! For being a member of the Air National Guard instead of being active duty, I have to serve one weekend a month at the VT Air National Guard base in Winooski, VT, and next drill weekend, we're having practice for simulated chemical warfare! We get to wear gas masks and suits while being tasked with various jobs to prevent contamination of the base while maintaining day-to-day operations (I kinda felt like the guys in suits on Monsters, Inc.!)


All of this fun while trying to keep up with classes, of course! Above is Cait on the right, Emma in the middle, and I during one of our philosophy lectures (clearly we were having fun!) This semester, I'm taking 6 1/2 classes because I need to catch up to graduate on time since I took a semester off for military training...not an easy life being a double-major with a minor!



This is Mimi, my best friend of four years! We went to high school together, and now she goes to Champlain College, which is just a few miles from SMC! We've made it a tradition to go to Boloco, a burrito restaurant in Downtown Burlington, every week to get dinner together while catching up about anything and everything. It's nice to have someone I've known for a while so close!

This semester has been nothing but rewarding so far, and I can't wait to see how the next three months play out! In the mean time, I'll be filling you all in here, so please feel free to ask me anything and everything about my life, anything I've mentioned so far, or Saint Michael's in general!

More madness to come soon!