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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!