I am sick and tired of writing songs about you.

MY INDEX FINGER HURTS SOOOO BAD.

Yesterday I got angry because my keys were stuck through the bottom of the basket on my bike and I got frustrated and hit the keys with my palm. This was a bad idea and I cut my hand on the keys. Then, after a few hours, my hand got somewhat swollen and my index finger is stiff. Boo on me.

I have been asked to discuss biomedical engineering because many people don't know what it is. So here it goes:

Biomedical engineering is (taken from Wikipedia): the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to help improve patient health care and the quality of life of individuals.

Here at Illinois Tech we have three different tracks of BME.
1. Neural engineering (again from Wikipedia)- a discipline that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or treat the diseases of neural systems. Neural engineers are uniquely qualified to solve design problems at the interface of living neural tissue and non-living constructs.
2. Cell and Tissue engineering (Wikipedia credit)- the use of a combination of engineering and material methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions.
3. Medical Imaging- a discipline that uses engineering techniques to create new methods and improve old methods that allow one to (under relatively harmless consequences) look into the human body to see tissues, organs, etc. that are not visible by just the eye.

Often times, pre-med students will do their undergraduate work in BME. Because our faculty at IIT know a lot of our biomedical engineering students plan on going to medical school, all of the required courses to get a B.S. in BME are the courses one would need to take in order to attend medical school.

I might share more later, but for now I need to get back to the normal work of my days:)

I go home tomorrow! Expect a blog of epic proportions come Monday!

It doesn't matter what you say, you never mattered anyway.

I am peeved!

I read an article online today about how IIT is the #10 school in the country with the most unhappy students.!!! It discussed how the campus is ugly, there is no social life, and classes are difficult.

My response:
1. The campus is GORGEOUS. The whole campus design theme was "a park within the city" so there are trees and green space and flowers EVERYWHERE. Some of the academic buildings are definitely more of an acquired taste, but they aren't ugly.
2. NO SOCIAL LIFE?! Are you KIDDING me?! College is what you make of it. The reality is, Union Board plans events EVERY WEEK for our students, but half the students here don't take advantage of the events. Then they say "oh I'm not into concerts or hypnotists or [insert the event here]s". MY RESPONSE: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Get involved with UB and plan your own events! Too lazy/don't have time? SEND UB a message! They will do everything they can to accomodate your request! But don't you dare say there is nothing to do.
3. Yes, classes are difficult. The reality is, college isn't here to just party nonstop, it is here to prepare you for a successful career. Our classes are definitely more difficult than the average large state party school (we are ranked 96 out of the top 100 universities in the country) and they do require work. However, if you learn time management and keep up with your work, you have more than ample time to have a social life. Students who do work as it is assigned to them are more than able to go out on weekends without having to worry about falling behind. It's the students that put stuff off until the last minute that are stressing about all the work and the lack of socializing.

So yes, those are my thoughts on that article. I am NOT happy with that article (as a student) and I completely disagree with everything it says.

The end.

Stand my ground 'cause I'm not ready to back down.

I got a new bike!!

It was originally a black North Face bike, but when Margaret and I were finished with it, black was definitely not the color. The body of the bike is hot pink with lime green polka dots. There was a silver chain guard thing on the right side of it, and that got painted green. I decided to name my bike "Sally" (not sure why), so on that chain guard thing I wrote Sally in electric blue. In case this bike gets stolen I want it to be easily recognized :)

I get to go home in 3 days! That makes me SO happy. Everything is falling into place for this weekend. I also get to see my step grandma (whom I haven't seen for like 9 months) and my step cousins this Friday, which makes me VERY happy!

Jon and I got tickets to go see Danger Radio, Cute is What We Aim For, and Ace Enders on the 10. I am wayy excited for that show. I fully intend on dancing like crazy for Danger Radio.

I'm going to see the movie in Grant Park tonight-- it should be fun to hang out with some new people that I don't even know ;)

Alright, I'm working the front desk so I should really get back to it.

With looks to kill, you got my eyes in a thrill.

What a weekend!

Friday after work I went out to Chipotle with Emily, her brother, Ben, and Jon. As usual, Chipotle was delicious and I was able to get two meals out of it.

On Saturday we had the open house-- what an intense day! Several of us gave two tours back-to-back, each group consisting of about 40 people. Needless to say by the end we were all sweaty (it was about 85 and REALLY humid) and voiceless. It was fun, though, and kids came as far as Sweden and California!

After the open house, I headed back up to the north side to meet up with Jon. Once together, we got on a bus to head up to the Metro. We passed Wrigley Field along the way, which was the first time I've ever seen it in person. Our excursion to the Metro is also the furthest north I've been in Chicago. Anyway, we were early, so we headed over to a Subway to get some dinner. After we ate (and it was delicious, too, I might add) we went into the Metro. Jon saw a ton of people he knew from work and the studio, so he was being all social while I watched. The lineup (from openers to headliners) went: Lookout! Giants, A Kidnap in Color, Minus the Girl, Dormlife, and finally ending with Amrita. It was a really good show of all local bands, and I REALLY liked the venue. Jon and I are going to try to head back to the Metro on the 8th to see Cute is What We Aim For with Danger Radio.

On Sunday morning Shea, Ellen, and I went to church. After the service, Jon and I went out to lunch with Josh and about 6-7 other people. We ate at Dunlay's in Logan Square and it was SO good. After we ate, Jon and I headed back to his apartment. Lunch was so long we actually didn't get back til about 4. Once we were back, we headed back out to go to Lincoln Park Zoo. Unfortunately, everything was pretty much asleep at that point. We watched the sea lions for about fifteen minutes (they were one of like four animals throughout the whole zoo that were awake) and walked around for about 20. We headed back out of the zoo and got popsicles on the way. Once we got back to Jon's he grabbed some laundry and we went back to my place.

We both did laundry and just hung out with Shea. Nicole came over and we made edible play dough (Equal parts dry milk, creamy peanut butter, and honey). I just ate it, but Nicole and Shea played with it.

And now it's Monday. Monday always comes far too quickly. I'm supposed to go to Margaret's house tonight. She offered to give me a bike for free because she has a couple of spares in her basement that she doesn't use. We just need to clean it up and re-paint it, so I'm planning on using a bright color, such as hot pink or lime green!

Tomorrow night I'm going to the movie in Grant Park (I think it's Blue's Brothers) to meet up with my community group from church. It should be lots of fun.

Wednesday and Thursday I'll just be packing and getting ready to go back to Ohio. I am SO excited to head back.

Expect a blog tomorrow (in theory).

There's more glory to be seen and savored through suffering.

Ughhhh yesterday was more awful than I originally expected.

I took the math final, which was MURDER, and headed over to work. Work was ok, but I left early to study/take a nap before my circuits final. During the time I was home (between about 1:30 pm-5:00 pm) my bike got stolen from outside of my apartment building and it was locked up and EVERYTHING. Needless to say that did not help my mentality as I discovered it right before I left to take my last final. I filed a police report, but I don't expect to get it back at all. I talked to some ladies who were on their porch a few houses down, and apparently my bike was the 4th bike to get stolen off our block this week. Oh fabulous.

The good news is I found out my final grade in calculus was a B! Now I just need to hear about circuits...

Today is the first official day of summer vacation for me (yayy!). I'm going to Chipotle tonight with Emily, Jon, and Emily's brother-- it should be a good time. Besides, it's Emily's last free Chipotle coupon, so it will be free which is FABULOUS. Then Jon and I are going to hang out for a little bit, but not too late because he opens in the morning and I have to be at the open house by 7:30 tomorrow morning.

I just realized I won't have to do homework this weekend! THAT FEELS SO GOOD.

Beth and I are having a tiramisu party. It is so delicious.

Alright, I should probably find some other work to do around the office in preparation for the big open house tomorrow.

Go listen to the new Classic Crime CD. It's wonderful.

Let's make this now or never.

So I have been having some issues with my fall scheduling, and I am so impressed by the helpfulness of the staff at IIT!

Due to scheduling conflicts, I've had to drop and add random different classes for the fall. I'm trying to get into an IPRO that is full, and I also need to switch my physics class to a different time. I've been contacting two different professors as well as the director of the IPROs, and they are all so friendly and accomodating. It's nice to know faculty value the students here.

It's been a busy day. I got my glasses today--everything is so clear it's been weird adjusting to it! Definitely can't complain, though.

I have both finals tomorrow! I'm terrified, but Emily is coming over after work today so we can study together. Don't be surprised if there is no blog tomorrow-- the office is going to be really busy and I'm going to be majorly stressing, so we'll see what happens...

Desperate times, desperate measures.

What a busy day!



We made 260 open house folders, about 40 welcome to IIT boxes for our admitted students, and cleaned up the basement! Not to mention the tours and the data entry we've all done.



Echo attacked me last night. He bit my hand and as I pulled it away (he was still chomped down) his tooth tore about a 2-inch long cut in my right hand :( I was very upset at that kitty.



Jon and I made virgin pina coladas last night with pineapple juice and cream of coconut and they were SO delicious!!! I also had an at-home California Pizza Kitchen pizza for lunch today. It was ok, I prefer Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Pizzas over the California Pizza Kitchen ones I've discovered.



I'm getting REALLY nervous about finals on Thursday. I hate dreading a day that is at the end of the week. It's just not fun. The good news is I will be able to breathe easy come Friday morning. Just need to keep reminding myself it's only 2 tests and they will not completely destroy my grades if by chance I were to fail them. Oh the anxiety.



My visit home is rapidly approaching and with the looming finals in the near future, said visit home is one of the few things keeping me going right now. I can't wait to see my family and friends!



I just heard the first new single off of Underoath's new CD and I am SO excited for it! It's going to be an awesome CD, and as soon as I get home I'm going to pre-order it:)



Ok, time's tight and I still have a few things to finish up..

Aesthetics don't hurt one bit.

Man was I wrong about what it is that Dr. Orgel researches! He is world renown for his discoveries/work with COLLAGEN, not diabetes! After sitting down with two of his main lab students for a couple of hours, I became extremely fascinated with the different aspects of collagen research they are conducting! I am going to try to sit down with Dr. Orgel this week to discuss whether or not I can play a long-term part in his lab. We'll see what happens:)

This past weekend was amazing! Friday night Jon and I hung out, and on Saturday I went to the eye doctor. Turns out my vision has gotten worse (could be due to the fact that I haven't worn my glasses nor have I gone to the eye doctor in about 5 years) so I had to order new glasses. I'm kind of excited, though, because the glasses are brown on the outside but a purplish pink on the inside! Yayyy. Saturday night Jon and I went on a date to this place called Select Cuts in Lincoln Park-- it was AMAZING. I love going on actual dates with him, not to mention I always have such a good time when I'm in his company. I really lucked out with that one. On Sunday I went to church with Ellen, Jessica, Shea, and Jon, and after church Jon and I went to the grocery store to pick up fruit for him. Sunday afternoon/evening Jon and I hung out with Shea, Sasha, and Adam and watched marathons of Law and Order: SVU and then it was "WE Go Bridal Night". I also did calc homework. Overall, it was an uneventful but marvelous weekend.

In calculus today, Emily and I couldn't believe our last real class is on Wednesday. The summer semester went so fast, which is good and bad. I'm not ready for summer vacation to be over yet because this summer has been so wonderful (and I haven't really done much!) The good news about summer semester ending, though, is I can spend more time working and I get to go home in less than 2 weeks. I can't wait to see my friends and family, and every day I get more and more excited to go home.

Our 2nd summer open house is this Saturday and it's supposed to be epic. Sandra said there might be 200 students plus their families. We're actually trying to get other students to come in on Saturday to help out because we've lost a few of our workers to ROTC summer training and vacations and whatnot.

Alright, they're doing a mailing in the basement that I should go down and assist with. Hasta luego!

I'm one step closer to being just where I want to be.

What an exciting day in the parent's lounge! This time around there were TONS of parents to chat with! I talked to a dad from Maine and it was exciting for me because I've always wanted to go to Maine. His son is going to be studying architecture here and his daughter is studying at the University of Chicago, so it works out perfectly for his kids to travel to and from home! It was just fun to hear parents' stories and share ours.

I'm leaving work a couple of hours early today and I'm very excited for the reason why: I get to do research this fall (hopefully)! I talked to Dr. Orgel, my biology professor from the spring semester, and he said I could probably do research for him during the school year! I'm going in today with two of his graduate students to become familiar with the lab and what they're researching (if I'm not mistaken, I believe it has something to do with diabetes research.) Hopefully during the month of August I can get into the lab every now and again (his lab is already full with students so space is limited) and then if all goes to plan I might get to do research during the year! If you are unable to tell (sarcasm) I can barely put my excitement about this potential opportunity into words!

I think my circuits test went relatively well last night! I definitely don't have as high of a level of anxiety as I did after my first midterm in that class. We'll just see how it goes. I was also excited because I got to see Jon for a few hours last night. I made this AMAZINGLY delicious chicken pasta dish (that sounds very immodest-- not my intention. I was just surprised by it). All I did was fry up chicken with sliced garlic and ground oregano. I also made pasta with lots of butter (soo healthy), a little bit of garlic powder, some oregano, salt, and pepper. I was shocked at how wonderful it tasted with such minor ingredients put into it. I want more tonight!

This should be a good weekend. I'm supposed to study with my friend, Adam, for our calc test on Thursday. I also intend on reviewing some material for my ECE final. I'm going to the delt's tea thing today and tomorrow I think Jon and I are going to try to go to the beach for a little bit. Who knows, really, I just want to relax a little bit before Monday starts.

On that note I'm going to head back into the office and see if I can find some work to do. I should update the blog on Monday :)

Head under water, so they tell me to breathe easy for a while.

Today is yet another ridiculously hot day. I shouldn't be surprised, though, seeing as this is what normal July weather in Chicago is like. I guess I just got used to the cooler temperatures this past week.

Another summer orientation session began today. Tomorrow I get to sit in the parents' lounge again and talk to, well, parents. It's one of my favorite aspects of the job except for the fact that I leave the lounge feeling a little more homesick each time.

It hit me today that (in theory) I only have about 2 years of school left before I get my Bachelor's degree. I can't believe the time is going so fast. I got really excited just to realize I still have to get my Master's degree, which means I probably actually have about 4 years of school to finish before I plan on really diving into my career. I guess I'll just see where life takes me.

Dinner was SO delicious last night-- well worth the hype I built it up to be.

I have an ECE midterm again tonight. I'm nervous about it, but I also feel a lot more confident than I did for my first midterm. I've prepared pretty much the best I can-- I really don't know how else I can study for it (I've gone through all my notes and re-worked the examples, I've also gone through all of the corrected homework problems for the sections of the test. Then I read the chapters and marked my book with little post-its so I know where things are [it's open book]). I hope the studying pays off, but if it doesn't, I will figure out how to deal with it.

I wrote my first check for June utilities/August's rent. That's the first time I realized how expensive it is to live on your own (and I don't even pay for health care or car insurance!) Mad props to Mark and Doreen (my parents) for paying for all this stuff throughout my sister's and my life. When they're too old to care for themselves I TOTALLY plan on putting them in a luxurious retirement home ;) JUST KIDDING! I'll take care of them. :)

We have our 2nd open house of the summer a week from Saturday. Apparently the turn out is supposed to be huge this time around, so it should be lots of fun!

Aaaand I think that about sums up everything that is new and exciting in my life. The delts (one of the frats on campus) are having an authentic Indian tea party (the brothers who are from India are making tea the way they make tea in India from what I understand) tomorrow, and I'm going with my friend Cory. I'm excited, but I really don't like tea that much, so we'll see how it goes. I'm working on being more adventurous :P

I've been jumping from the tops of buildings for the thrill of the fall.

It is SO hot outside today! On my way to class around 9:45 this morning I'd say it was already well near 80 degrees.

I'm officially done with (learning) new material for my ECE 213 class! Now all I have to worry about is a midterm tomorrow and my final a week from tomorrow! It feels good to know that summer classes are basically over.

Gave a quick tour today. Talked to Don about some financial aid questions I had. I get to hang out with Jon tonight-- we're going to make barbeque chicken pizza from scratch and I am SO excited-- I hope it tastes even better than the Lean Cuisine barbeque chicken pizza.

Echo jumped onto my shoulder while I was at the kitchen sink TWICE last night. The surprising thing is that Jon was in the room when it happened so someone else actually witnessed it this time. I'm excited to be getting Marsala soon so that Echo has someone to play with.

The office is reallllly quiet again. My fellow Ambassadors and I are lost without Sandra here to give us random projects to do. :)

We have another orientation session tomorrow-- it should be a LOT of fun for them. I kind of regret not applying to be an OC, but with summer classes it wouldn't have worked anyway.

There are two girls I work with, Beth and Lisa, and they studied abroad in France the beginning of the summer and earned credits for their upper level humanities and social science courses and they loved it. I just requested an audit to find out what classes I need to graduate, and if I still need an upper level humanities or social science class I'm very much considering applying for the same program next summer!!! Now I'm kind of really hoping I don't have those credits so I can do it! Fingers crossed.

Beth and Lisa are also twins and they are messing with me because they are able to communicate without speaking. They also saw me typing this so they are doing it MORE than usual!!!! It's crazy.

Ok I should go now, bye.

Don't fight these feelings (we both know you're not that type).

Another summer orientation session wrapped up today!

The parents had a LOT of questions about campus living and Greek life this time. Luckily, Preston, who is in Triangle fraternity, was there and was able to answer all of them.

I hung out with a few of our new freshmen last night-- it was a lot of fun! I met a lot of new architecture students and a couple civil engineering ones, but unfortunately I didn't meet any other BMEs.

I'm getting more and more excited as each day passes for a couple of reasons:
1. I get to go home in 17 days
2. I get to go see A Kidnap in Color, Minus the Girl, Lookout! Giants, Dormlife, and Amrita at the Metro in 11 days
3. I will be done with summer classes in 10 days

...yeah, this is turning out to be a ridiculously amaizng summer.

I have the song 'Party Foul' by Danger Radio on repeat. I was dancing around my room to it as I got ready this morning. It's just so poppy and danceable that I can't help but get into it.

I want to start working out, but I lack the motivation. Even with my Zune playing I get so bored when I work out. I just don't have the attention span for it. Jon has exercise DVDs that he said he's going to make me do with him. We'll see about that ;)

We're in the process of [attempting] to re-organize our basement storage room. It's difficult to do because there is already a sense of organized chaos down here, and I feel like we really aren't making any improvement.

Alrrrriiiiiiight, I should probably get back to cleaning, organizing, etc. Go listen to 'My Getaway'. They are yet another peppy sounding band that can put you in a better mood than before you listen to their music. :D

Tell me all that's needed, 'cause I don't really want this.

Life is hectic here in the undergrad office today!

A few of our staff members are in Phoenix so the ambassadors (Lisa, Beth, Preston, and me) are running around doing random tasks here or there.

Christy is going to take me to P.A.W.S. next week (kitty shelter in Chicago) and I might just find a new bundle of joy for myself (plus my friend, Tasha, (She lives in Ohio)) will be dropping her cat, Marsala, off in August.! :) Echo is getting out of control and really needs a feline friend to put him in his place.

This weekend was amazing. I got to see Jon on Friday night, and on Saturday Sasha made dinner for a bunch of people. It was absolutely delicious and made me so happy! Sunday was church, then Jon and I went to Panera for lunch and grocery shopping. It was wonderful to be able to get food again!

After grocery shopping we went back to my apartment and hung out with Sasha and Adam. We watched WE Go Bridal night on WE TV. It was wonderful! (Who doesn't love the shows 'Bridezillas' and 'Platinum Weddings'?!) It's just really nice to be able to hang out with everyone and watch television.

This blog has actually taken about 3 hours to write-- I've been showing our new student worker the ins and outs of the admissions office. We also had to give a tour and put some material together to be mailed. We still have the daunting task of re-organizing our basement supply room, which will probably take the rest of the week. I still have to finish updating our database with those international guidance counselor names. It is going to be a busy couple of weeks, I can already tell :) Until the next time I can squeeze in a blog, enjoy this beautiful weather!

I know why you never take your eyes off of me--I've used my lungs for everything but breathing.

Today the orientation session concluded and I got to talk to more parents than freshmen this time around.

The office is really quiet again today, it's kind of eerie.

This weekend is going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to Chipotle with Emily and Jon today to get free food (Emily has this coupon for free burritos, chips, guacamole, and drinks for four people!) and then Jon and I are hanging out after. Tomorrow Jon has to work during the day so I am going to *hopefully* motivate myself to do some homework and studying, then tomorrow night Sasha is having her dinner for everyone (Jon is probably going to come to that, too). Sunday I have church, then I am DEFINITELY doing homework.

Monday marks the last full week of classes, then both of my finals are a week from Thursday! I am anxious already.

There were some really awesome thunderstorms last night. On the news they showed images of all the different buildings downtown getting struck by lightning and it was ridiculously awesome looking!

I should probably get going-- I have a bunch of files to pull and more data entry to do before I go home tonight :)

There's got to be some stable ground left to walk on.

Oh my goodness!! Echo has retained a place in my heart from now until ETERNITY! Last night everyone was out (Sasha had her orientation session and Shea was out with friends) so Echo was traipsing around my room while I did some homework. It finally got on my nerves when he attacked my pencil midsentence, so I kicked him out. The little booger cried outside my bedroom door, so when I was ready for bed I decided to give him a shot at sleeping in my room (I always sleep with my door shut & locked at night-- it's one of my security "blankets"). At first he kept attacking me as I moved under the sheets, but after about ten minutes he curled up in a ball by my knees and passed out. When I woke up this morning he was cuddled up on my chest and it was SO adorable. The little guy made me feel so special. If everyone is gone again tonight I might just let him sleep with me again!

Today summer orientation session numero tres began! I'm amazed that the excitement of talking to new students hasn't decreased in the slightest. Actually, with each parent's lounge session that I sit in on, I become MORE stoked for the next! Parents are just so fun to talk to, partially because so many of them remind me of my own. It's almost like I get a mini-visit with mine every time freshmen parents come to campus. I am very homesick right now so it's a breath of fresh air to have mom's and dad's walking around campus.

Today is my busy day. I had calculus 10-12:35, work from 12:35-5, then circuits 6:25-9:05. Long Thursdays make Fridays so much better, though, so I just focus on what I'm doing at that moment to help the time go quicker.

I really want to try to get to the beach this weekend. I had a dream last night I was on a boat on Lake Michigan, so I'm crossing my fingers that eventually that dream comes true! I also have to study this weekend because I have my 2nd circuits test on Thursday and finals are a mere two weeks a way!! How did time go so fast? Summer is almost half way over!!

I had yet another pleasant experience with the Office of Financial Aid yesterday. The staff over there are so ready and willing to help with anything finance-related at all; it amazes me! I had to sign some paperwork and all I did was walk in and they had it waiting for me. I can't get over how much IIT cares about its students. It's AWESOME!

I must sign off now, I'm helping give a tour to some freshmen in high school and we need to prep!

It's funny how we see things so clear when we have no time left to live.

What a busy, busy day!

Since today is the only day admissions is really open to outside people (due to summer orientation sessions being held Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri), we had about 16 people wanting tours of the campus! As usual, though, I LOVED it, loved talking to new people.

I am absolutely exhausted! I haven't been sleeping well lately, and last night I had about 3 nightmares and woke up on about 7 different occasions. I think I've reached the point that I'm simply too tired to sleep.

I talked to one of my favorite bands, This Providence, via their studio webcam/chatroom yesterday. It was good times-- those boys are amazing. Then last night Underoath broadcast one of their live shows over Stickam. It was crazy to see them playing from a backstage point-of-view, and it was nice to get to hear two of their new songs (without paying to go to the actual concert-- lovely!)

Echo was crazier than ever last night. I'm hoping that once he gets fixed his testosterone levels will decrease and maybe he'll become less aggressive. I was washing dishes at the sink and he jumped off of the dining room chair (which was four feet away, I might add) and onto my shoulder... TWICE! I think Echo thinks he's a dog (due to his playing fetch) and a monkey (due to his jumping long distance through the air onto unstable things). He thinks he's a dogkey.

Emily and I realized on Monday that we only have like... 2 1/2 weeks of classes left for the summer! That is NOT enough time for me to do all of the studying that I need to do.

Sasha is having a dinner party at our apartment on Saturday. I'm excited because it means homemade spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread. I am curious to see if Sasha will be awake to cook the dinner, however, because Sasha is working for the orientation session Thursday through Friday, and generally after she works a session she sleeps for 26 hours straight (no really, she totally did it was crazy!) Gotta love her.

New episode of Baby Borrowers tonight!!!! LOVE it.

New band: www.myspace.com/freeforallband. Ok, I don't know what their music sounds like but I talked to one of the members and they were really cool guys so they deserve some cred.

Ok, I gotta go eat my orange and then get back to updating the database!

Oh, my divided mind and restless soul.

Vega Under Fire = amazing band.

Today has been hectic! I woke up at 8:30 this morning and figured I would go into work a little bit late today to quickly realize I had to give tours to the orientation session parents by 9! With my mad skills I managed to stroll into the Admissions office by 8:50. 8-)

This orientation group was AMAZING! I talked to a TON of new freshmen/parents and they were all so nice and friendly and wonderful. With each summer orientation I am becoming more and more excited about the fall semester/all the new faces.

Yesterday was busy. After work I got some ECE help. Jon had dinner on the table right when I got home around 5:15. He made nacho taco-y things and they were SO good. He also bought me feta cheese! What a man. What a wonderful, giving man. He spoils me way more than I deserve.

We watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 with Shea last night. It made me laugh because Aaden, the little sextuplet with glasses, found out he wasn't getting dessert since he didn't eat his dinner. His response was, "I don't get my cupcake!? OOOOOOH!"--it was SO adorable and I wanted to steal him.

Echo is more rambunctious than normal. I think it's because he's been sleeping all day when everyone is gone so at night he is well rested and absolutely CRAZY. Silly kitten. I also found out from Shea yesterday that he plays FETCH! And then she showed me and he really DOES! She would throw his little mouse toy and he would run and get it and drop it by her so she could throw it again. This went on for about half an hour. It was amazing. We used to have cairn terriers that couldn't even play fetch.

I'm in the process of updating a TON of international schools in our database, so I gotta get back to it... just didn't want to forget to write a blog today.

Go listen to these bands if you have time:
-Esme
-A Kidnap in Color
-Vega Under Fire
-This is an Empire
-Call Me Constant (a plug for my friend's band from Ohio--but they really are amazing)

Ok thanks :)

It's so hard to push my pride to the side.

Oh what a marvelous weekend I had!

On Friday I went to the grocery store and got stuff for the apartment cook-in. We made WAYY too much food so I have TONS of left-overs (every college kid's dream!). It was also the first fourth of July Jon and I were able to spend together (he was in Arizona and I was in Ohio last 4th) and it was great! After we ate our indoor BBQ, we went down and walked around the Taste of Chicago for a bit. It was really crowded, though, so we wandered into the loop and searched for dessert. We ended up getting milkshakes from Potbelly's (SO delicious) and we took them down to the riverwalk to drink. While we were sitting next to the river, about 50 kayakers rowed past-- it was weird because it was around 9:30 and already getting dark. After we finished our shakes we went back to the apartment--we also got to see some of the fireworks from the train. There were fireworks being shot off all around Bridgeport-- it was so cool, and my roommate's kitten, Echo, was going NUTS. It was just enjoyable to watch.

On Saturday Jon had to work most of the day, so I went to the Taste of Chicago (to actually taste food) with Emily, Frank, Ben and a lot of Frank's friends from Ohio. I ate tiramisu gelato, a chocolate covered strawberry, and a Greek chicken sandwich on pita bread. It was SO delicious!! After that I went up to Jon's apartment and we went out to eat at Stella's diner and it was so good. On Sunday I had church and then I did homework. It was just an overall, nice and relaxing weekend.

Got my calc midterm today--did relatively well :)

Summer orientation sessions 2 and 3 are this week which means I probably won't see Sasha very much. It was thundering this morning so I hope the kids have relatively good weather this week.

Jon met everyone I work with in the office today--it was adorable because he is so shy at first and everyone in my office is so sarcastic. Poor kid didn't know what was coming at him! He's a great sport, though, so it went just fine.

I'm at it again-- caught up in the moment (but not in the right way).

YESSS!!!

It is almost the weekend which makes me so incredibly happy! Especially because it's the weekend of the 4th which makes it SO much better! The office is closing early today (actually everyone has already left) so I am just blogging. Then I plan on shifting everything on Ryan's desk three inches to the left. He's gonna hate it! :)

I gave TWO campus tours today. It was absolutely crazy! The first was to three families, the second was to two grad students from Croatia--they were all so friendly! I love talking to people from all over-- it fascinates me. Other than Canada, I've never left the country (and I don't really count Niagra Falls as Canada to be honest).

Tomorrow we're probably going to have a cook in at the apartment (can't be a cook out because we don't have a grill). I'm going to make burgers and hot dogs, plus have the usual chips and dip and watermelon. I think the food is part of the reason why I love 4th of July so much!

I think I ROCKED my calc midterm today. I passed my ECE midterm. Midterms just make me feel so good because when they're over I appreciate not being stressed so much more. The only thing standing between me and a whole day off tomorrow is my ECE lecture tonight, but it shouldn't be bad.

I got to hang out with Jon last night which made me extremely happy! I always have so much fun with him. We went and bought ice cream at the Shell on the corner and it was so good. I also found out my that my brother's (or as I refer to him: Ziggy) chinchilla had babies yesterday! He said I could have one and he would also give me a cage. That ALSO means he and Alexis (his beautiful wife) have to come to Chicago (from Pittsburgh) to visit me!

I am super excited (and kind of bummed) about the first weekend in August! I get to go home for a weekend! I'm getting in Friday afternoon and I think the family is all coming over to hang out. Then on Saturday a TON of my friends from home (and Jon from here) are all going to Cedar Point for the day... which makes me stoked for rollercoasters. Sunday Jon is getting baptized then we come back to Chicago Sunday night. It's going to be nice to get to see everyone again before fall semester starts up. I'm bummed, however, because Chicago's Warped Tour, Lolapalooza, and my block's block party are ALL that weekend. Naturally.

Fireworks on Navy Pier are tonight. Sadly I will be in class, not to mention there will be about a million people there. Oh well, there's always next year.

I had a terrible dream about a fiasco of a wedding I was having last night. (I know, I'm not even engaged-- oh well!) Basically, it was my wedding day and I didn't have a bouquet, a cake, or centerpieces, so 3 hours before the wedding I was running around trying to find stuff. For some reason I was doing this in my wedding dress, and then someone stepped on the train and it tore my dress. It was terrible! Then the bouquet I was trying to make was really ugly. I blame the dream on the episode of Reba I watched yesterday-- it was the first one where her daughter was getting married.

Yes, I watch Reba. Better yet, I watch Reba on LIFETIME.

Yeah, put that in your pipe and smoke it.



;)

They can take all of me, but they won't ever take what I still believe.

Woke up this morning to a fresh start from the anxiety of the ECE midterm, only to greet the anxiety of my upcoming calc 3 midterm. I need to stop worrying so much and start enjoying life while I have it.

Professor Lubin, my calc prof, made me smile today. During lecture we were discussing how to get the area of a shape in a polar coordinate system, and he asked us what we should refer to a particular shape as. He said he called it a polar rectangle. I asked him to call it a polar bear, and he referred to it as such for the rest of the class. It was hilarious because the first time he went to say it, it seemed as though it was painful for him to refer to it as a polar bear.

I guess it's the little things in life that can mean the most when it's 10 am and you're already having a bad day.

The good news is it's supposed to thunderstorm today and I LOVE thunderstorms. The other good news is I get to see Jon tonight. The final piece of good news is that I'm alive and that every day is a gift.

PS, I wanted to kill Echo this morning. He views my laptop as a jungle gym and while I was starting my day he kept messing up the music that was playing in my Zune library. Lame cat.

I have re-discovered All Time Low (a band). It's delightful. I've also recently come across a band called "The Wedding" and I LOVE them.

Oh, I am in the process of potentially trying to set up a concert in August/September for Union Board as a sort-of "welcome back to school" shenanigan (spelling? I'm feeling too apathetic to consult dictionary.com). If I get my way, the band Call Me Constant (my friends from Ohio who played in the Bog the week after spring break in March) would be opening for a powerpop/rock band called "The Last November". Ellen is out of the office for a few days (Ellen is the Bog's faculty advisor for Union Board), but as soon as she gets back I will hopefully have more details for you.

OH! That reminds me. I don't think I ever gave a little spoof about what exactly UB is. Union Board is a student programming organization that is the primary planner for concerts, magicians, hypnotists, movies, etc. on campus. Any student can join and you can plan basically anything you want (granted you need approval for the event as well as approval by the Student Government Association and/or have the funds in the Student Activities Fund), so if there is a band you want to see play on campus get involved and set it up. If you are too lazy to, recommend it to someone you know who is in UB. Basically, there is usually at least one event a week, and DEFINITELY one event a month, planned for main campus. So on a Saturday night that there is a band playing in the Bog, I don't want to hear you say there is nothing to do. GO OUT! GET INVOLVED! We work hard to bring stuff to campus for our students, so enjoy what we plan! More info at ub.iit.edu.

Dang, blogging put me in a little bit of a better mood. It's nice to be able to forget your worries for a few minutes.

"Love the madness."

Tell me what it takes to get to you and I'll be there, waiting.

Took my ECE midterm tonight....

"breathe in, breathe out... live it up, you'll never live this down..." -Hit the Lights

...Not sure what to expect even in the slightest. I'm not optimistic.

PS, the new HTL album=basically amazing. Not to mention they're from the Cleveland area, too, so I gotta represent the 440!

PPS, the cutie in the picture with me = boyfriend. Disregard winter clothes; taken in January.

PPPS, I am exhausted so I am going to bed. Goodnight dears.

She gets what she wants and she breaks what she gets..

Why hello there. (explanation of photo to follow below)

Sorry I haven't written in a few days (I'd honestly be surprised if anyone has been reading this, frankly). Jon has been terribly ill since Saturday, and yesterday I was also showing signs of sickness yesterday morn. Luckily, his fever has dropped back to normal temperatures, and other than my worries about midterms, I am feeling perfectly fine.

So midterms! I have my ECE-213 (aka Circuit Analysis 2) midterm this evening at 6:25. It just fully hit me this morning that it's tonight, so I'm already all nervous about it. I have been getting extra help from my professor during office hours, I have been doing all my homework, and I have studied for about 5 hours thus far (more studying tonight from 5-6:15). I feel somewhat confident about it, but more preparation could have been done so I am definitely anxious.

I have my calc 3 midterm on Thursday at 10 am. I'm studying for that one tomorrow (I have class tonight and have been studying for ECE in my spare time thus far) and I attended an optional review session for that midterm on my lunch break today. Similar to ECE, I have been keeping up on the homework and quizzes, so hopefully it will go smoothly.

On a less anxious and dreary note (because honestly, who likes midterms?), Echo, my roommate's rambunctious kitten, was on an adorable rampage yesterday. Apparently Shea had kept him up all night because she couldn't sleep, so he was passed out (contrary to his usual daily bitings, sneak attackings, and ridiculous amounts of energy) for pretty much the entire day. The most beautiful moment came when I was studying and I reached into my bookbag to get my textbook when I realized Echo had set up camp in it! He was passed out with his head and paws popping out.. ok I don't need to explain, you can reference the photo for yourself. Pardon the Moosejaw sticker-- I sent this picture to them because I literally just got my bookbag from their website four days ago and I thought they would appreciate the amount of adorable in the picture. Christy says he was exhausted from watching me study. In case you were worried, Echo was back to his typical antics this morning. I think he needs his brakes checked because he always slides into the walls when he is running. :)

It is a beautiful 80-degree day here in Chicago. I'm excited for Baby Borrowers tomorrow. I'm also excited for the 4th of July coming up! I think we're having a mini cookout at the apartment. I'm supposed to go to Taste of Chicago Sunday, so we'll see!

Have a beautiful Tuesday!