Merry Christmas!
That's all.
-O
Monday, December 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
forever and ever
this isn't really a true post, because I don't have time for that, although I do love posting because it allows me to express myself. all I have to say is, school work is a bitch, especially with 18 hours of engineering. However, I have going to Europe to see Tesia, Elise, and especially Michaela to look forward to. I am very very excited that I finally get to see Michaela again, and on our 7 month anniversary no less. I have been in love for 7 months and more, and it is a wonderful thing. I can't wait to be in Europe, but mostly I can't wait to be within arms reach of Michaela. That's all for now. I might post at some point in the future, but you never know. And to those who might read this, I am sorry that I am boring.
-O
-O
Monday, April 23, 2007
break was so long ago
I don't remember where i left off for the break, so I am going to skip updating that for now. Sorry Mary. anywho, life post break has been fairly ridiculous as well. break was about 5 weeks ago. the big thing has definitely been that i am dating michaela. she's such a wonderful person, and i wonder everyday how i got this lucky. we became "official" on the 22nd of march, but i told her i liked her wednesday before break. so the whole time i was in ireland was alot of fun, but was making me crazy trying to figure out what was to happen after break. now we are dating, and ive really enjoyed the past month. i cant even begin to describe it adequately, so i dont think i will.
apart from that, this past month has also brought about the end of the Mike Peterson Show. The series finale airs in 45 minutes, and the taping was just utterly ridiculous. we didnt have a run through, it started late, it was just pure insanity. but it was very good, and i think mike left in style. he dealt with it with class and style. and now its just hard to believe that next year, my senior year, i will be running the show. not only that, it will be a completely different show altogether. it's so insane to think about now that i cant do it, really. ill have james there as my fellow veteran to help me with things, and several writers from last year, including joe kw. who will be hosting, but i have a feeling that even though i put alot of time into the show this year, it wont compare to how much ill be working on it next semester. im excited, but i can also already feel the stress. but, as with everything else i do, i'll be fine, and it will all turn out swell. so we hope.
if life has taught me one thing so far, it's that leadership is a mix of charisma, being good humored, listening to others, being fair and honest, but above all, being confident beyond a doubt. Confidence is so important it's not even funny. and to be able to have a sense of confidence about yourself will simply allow you to be that much more confident around others, and that is honestly half the battle with gaining people's trust and good nature. so ive learned that being confident in myself and in what i can do will not only bring out the best in me, but in those around me. this is just one of the many things that college has taught me. and yet i still have so much more to learn.
apart from that, this past month has also brought about the end of the Mike Peterson Show. The series finale airs in 45 minutes, and the taping was just utterly ridiculous. we didnt have a run through, it started late, it was just pure insanity. but it was very good, and i think mike left in style. he dealt with it with class and style. and now its just hard to believe that next year, my senior year, i will be running the show. not only that, it will be a completely different show altogether. it's so insane to think about now that i cant do it, really. ill have james there as my fellow veteran to help me with things, and several writers from last year, including joe kw. who will be hosting, but i have a feeling that even though i put alot of time into the show this year, it wont compare to how much ill be working on it next semester. im excited, but i can also already feel the stress. but, as with everything else i do, i'll be fine, and it will all turn out swell. so we hope.
if life has taught me one thing so far, it's that leadership is a mix of charisma, being good humored, listening to others, being fair and honest, but above all, being confident beyond a doubt. Confidence is so important it's not even funny. and to be able to have a sense of confidence about yourself will simply allow you to be that much more confident around others, and that is honestly half the battle with gaining people's trust and good nature. so ive learned that being confident in myself and in what i can do will not only bring out the best in me, but in those around me. this is just one of the many things that college has taught me. and yet i still have so much more to learn.
Monday, March 26, 2007
a lil more break
so I left off at Sunday on the last blog. Therefore, the next day would be Monday, wouldn't it?
Monday
After waking up late, we just sat around and chatted/read while we waited for the Dublin kids to get there. Once they arrived, the house became complete loud chaos. Poor kids didn't have much to eat that night, and Mike O'Connor's feet were all beat from climbing a mountain barefoot. Yeah, that's right, they climbed a mountain barefoot. That night was just a bunch of laughs and good times all around, but fairly uneventful.
Tuesday
O'Connor woke up really bad, and threw up and was in no good shape at all. By the way, Happy Birthday Ginna! It was Ginna's birthday Tuesday. So Mike and Pat went to the hospital. The rest of us walked the 3 miles into town with backpacks, then shopped in the 1 grocery store, ate in the 1 of 2 pubs, then walked back the 3 miles with backpacks full of food for the evening. And Devil's Bit Cider. Oh, the "joys" of Devil's Bit... It was a great adventure, and the sheep are pretty vicious. The phalanxes work against them! That evening we celebrated with Ginna. More about this later. I'll update this much now.
Monday
After waking up late, we just sat around and chatted/read while we waited for the Dublin kids to get there. Once they arrived, the house became complete loud chaos. Poor kids didn't have much to eat that night, and Mike O'Connor's feet were all beat from climbing a mountain barefoot. Yeah, that's right, they climbed a mountain barefoot. That night was just a bunch of laughs and good times all around, but fairly uneventful.
Tuesday
O'Connor woke up really bad, and threw up and was in no good shape at all. By the way, Happy Birthday Ginna! It was Ginna's birthday Tuesday. So Mike and Pat went to the hospital. The rest of us walked the 3 miles into town with backpacks, then shopped in the 1 grocery store, ate in the 1 of 2 pubs, then walked back the 3 miles with backpacks full of food for the evening. And Devil's Bit Cider. Oh, the "joys" of Devil's Bit... It was a great adventure, and the sheep are pretty vicious. The phalanxes work against them! That evening we celebrated with Ginna. More about this later. I'll update this much now.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
what a spring break
That was an extremely long and amazing spring break! For those who don't know, I went to Ireland to visit my old roommate Pat. I think today I'll just go over the basics of what I did, and in the future I will add more later.
Thursday, March 8th (wow that seems so long ago)
This was my day of travel. I left South Bend at 4 AM to catch the plane in Chicago. There, I witnessed what was a ridiculous back and forth of people trying to get on to a plane where the gate was closed. This was, however, the only part of the trip that I actually wrote down in my journal. I eventually arrived in Dublin at 6 AM Friday morning.
Friday
I took a nap that morning because I hadn't slept in a long time. As I was sleeping, the adventures of Shower Shitter ensued. It was ridiculous. Anyway, when I awoke, I went into town with Ginna and went to the O'Connell House, which is ND's house in Dublin. It's ridiculous that ND owns the house where the Liberator of Ireland lived. Anyway, after walking around town for a while, we went back to the UCD campus, which is about a 15 minute bus ride from downtown Dublin, and had some tuna/rice/corn mixture. And our cooking was actually good. That evening, we went to Doyle's, which is like a much better Backer. It has a dance floor (but a big one) and still has lots of hilarious creepers (except these aren't over 40, and they are foreign.) Anyway, after a night of craziness, we went back to UCD.
Saturday
Kevin, Katie and Moira (Pat's sister) arrived. They were pretty tired and jetlagged, so we just hung out at the O'Connell House for a while. That evening, we ate at O'Neills pub. It was some of the most amazing lamb stew I have ever had. I can still taste it now. Mmmm. However, since Kevin, Katie, and Moira were tired from traveling and didn't get a chance (like I did) to take a nap, so we went back to UCD.
Sunday
All the Dublin kids went on a field trip to a mountain whose name I forgot. Therefore, Kevin, Katie, Moira and I were going to the house in Ballycroy by ourselves by train that day. Since Kevin and Katie had a hotel, Moira and I had to travel to Heuston Station (the train station). It is fortunate that I have such a keen sense of direction, because we get there just fine. We got to Westport, where we found Dermot, our cab driver taking us to the house. Dermot is quite a character. When asked, "Is there an ATM in Ballycroy?" his response was a quite ridiculous "Christ NO!" I guess you had to be there.
Once we arrived to the house, we had something else coming to us. This house was 3 miles away from Ballycroy. And, well, Ballycroy itself wasnt much of a town, either. It had 2 pubs, 1 of which was owned by Dermot, the cab driver who seems to own half the town, and the other was not only a pub, but also a grocery store and the town post office. This town was that small. And the night was sooo dark, since there were no lights or houses around. Also, we had to burn peat to keep warm and alive.
I will stop here, on Sunday, because I have much more to say than I can imagine or I have time for. Later I will type more.
Thursday, March 8th (wow that seems so long ago)
This was my day of travel. I left South Bend at 4 AM to catch the plane in Chicago. There, I witnessed what was a ridiculous back and forth of people trying to get on to a plane where the gate was closed. This was, however, the only part of the trip that I actually wrote down in my journal. I eventually arrived in Dublin at 6 AM Friday morning.
Friday
I took a nap that morning because I hadn't slept in a long time. As I was sleeping, the adventures of Shower Shitter ensued. It was ridiculous. Anyway, when I awoke, I went into town with Ginna and went to the O'Connell House, which is ND's house in Dublin. It's ridiculous that ND owns the house where the Liberator of Ireland lived. Anyway, after walking around town for a while, we went back to the UCD campus, which is about a 15 minute bus ride from downtown Dublin, and had some tuna/rice/corn mixture. And our cooking was actually good. That evening, we went to Doyle's, which is like a much better Backer. It has a dance floor (but a big one) and still has lots of hilarious creepers (except these aren't over 40, and they are foreign.) Anyway, after a night of craziness, we went back to UCD.
Saturday
Kevin, Katie and Moira (Pat's sister) arrived. They were pretty tired and jetlagged, so we just hung out at the O'Connell House for a while. That evening, we ate at O'Neills pub. It was some of the most amazing lamb stew I have ever had. I can still taste it now. Mmmm. However, since Kevin, Katie, and Moira were tired from traveling and didn't get a chance (like I did) to take a nap, so we went back to UCD.
Sunday
All the Dublin kids went on a field trip to a mountain whose name I forgot. Therefore, Kevin, Katie, Moira and I were going to the house in Ballycroy by ourselves by train that day. Since Kevin and Katie had a hotel, Moira and I had to travel to Heuston Station (the train station). It is fortunate that I have such a keen sense of direction, because we get there just fine. We got to Westport, where we found Dermot, our cab driver taking us to the house. Dermot is quite a character. When asked, "Is there an ATM in Ballycroy?" his response was a quite ridiculous "Christ NO!" I guess you had to be there.
Once we arrived to the house, we had something else coming to us. This house was 3 miles away from Ballycroy. And, well, Ballycroy itself wasnt much of a town, either. It had 2 pubs, 1 of which was owned by Dermot, the cab driver who seems to own half the town, and the other was not only a pub, but also a grocery store and the town post office. This town was that small. And the night was sooo dark, since there were no lights or houses around. Also, we had to burn peat to keep warm and alive.
I will stop here, on Sunday, because I have much more to say than I can imagine or I have time for. Later I will type more.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
happy
That was one crazy half semester. now spring break has arrived, and im quite happy. i'll be in ireland for the week, i wont have any work to do, and there's that one thing that makes me smile all the time.
That's half a semester down. let's see how the other half goes. :)
That's half a semester down. let's see how the other half goes. :)
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
from jenni heissel
This is from the Emo party:
Oscar
Source of hope
Source of pain.
He hopes
Life fails.
The cycle continues
Hope
Pain
Hope
Pain
Pain
oh, crazy emo Jenni!
Oscar
Source of hope
Source of pain.
He hopes
Life fails.
The cycle continues
Hope
Pain
Hope
Pain
Pain
oh, crazy emo Jenni!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
the longest of days can feel so short
1. studebagels is really popular at 8:30 AM
2. becky knows the words to every song imaginable
3. let's get in a circle!
4. park benches? lets clean up the highway instead.
5. jake dominates with the circular saw. becky dominates with the drill. libby IS the square lady.
6. so why did we make them park benches?
7. sometimes im a bit cocky when it comes to bowling. and sometimes i get beat.
8. mary and jo are my favorite lay around partners ever.
9. faux hawks take much longer to prepare than one imagines.
10. im a completely different person when im emo, and its scary.
11. emo parties are ridiculously fun. i mean, ugggh.
12. i could go on and on, but mike's not gonna pay attention anyway. he has the attention span of a 4 year old.
13. jenni heissel writes beautiful poetry.
14. eye liner anyone? and i really want to wear emo glasses everyday.
15. mary ... NO!
16. i contend that we were part of the truly emo group, we sat away from everyone else.
17. "my hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me"
18. i thank paul ryan for my excellent emo dancing skills
19. i guess non-dancing parties can be fun.
20. i might be screwed for this week, but saturday was so much of everything that is good in the world. :)
2. becky knows the words to every song imaginable
3. let's get in a circle!
4. park benches? lets clean up the highway instead.
5. jake dominates with the circular saw. becky dominates with the drill. libby IS the square lady.
6. so why did we make them park benches?
7. sometimes im a bit cocky when it comes to bowling. and sometimes i get beat.
8. mary and jo are my favorite lay around partners ever.
9. faux hawks take much longer to prepare than one imagines.
10. im a completely different person when im emo, and its scary.
11. emo parties are ridiculously fun. i mean, ugggh.
12. i could go on and on, but mike's not gonna pay attention anyway. he has the attention span of a 4 year old.
13. jenni heissel writes beautiful poetry.
14. eye liner anyone? and i really want to wear emo glasses everyday.
15. mary ... NO!
16. i contend that we were part of the truly emo group, we sat away from everyone else.
17. "my hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me"
18. i thank paul ryan for my excellent emo dancing skills
19. i guess non-dancing parties can be fun.
20. i might be screwed for this week, but saturday was so much of everything that is good in the world. :)
Thursday, March 1, 2007
the power to abstain
so, wednesday at senate we had a 2 1/2 hour long meeting. some parts were about this, some about that, but the bulk of the meeting was to discuss the power to abstain. as it stands, for a candidate to win in a runoff election, they must hold majority plus 1 of the vote. if they dont get that, then the election is sent to student senate, where each senator is to vote according to the plurality of his or her constituency.
the amendment debated yesterday stated that, in the runoff, there would still be the abstain vote, but that the vote would only count those the ballots cast for the candidate, and the candidate with the plurality of the votes would win. only in the case of an absolute tie would it go to the senate.
i find that keeping the abstain vote takes away the validity of the abstain vote, and gives voters a false sense of voice. what is the use of having it there if it doesn't make a difference? seriously, people might as well not take the effort to vote. and it would look very bad for the candidate if abstain won the plurality, hell even the majority, and the candidate still gets to be appointed to office. if 'abstain' is on the ballot, there should be a meaningful reason behind it, and not just the symbolism. if people don't want to vote for either candidate and want to abstain, then there should be merit behind abstaining. if it is not going to change the election, then it's useless. and if it is not useful, why have it? maybe thats just me.
and evidently i am in the minority, because the amendment almost passed. it received 2/3, but not 3/4 to pass in an election season. you can bet your ass that im going to keep contesting this until the end, because it should mean nothing or not be there at all. and im sticking to it.
other than that, i think that im trying to force things too much. i just need to let things happen on their own. except for school work. that does need to be forced, doesnt it? oh well. today is to be a day of alot of community service and alot of school work. and the fact that i can stay up until 6 am because i dont have class tomorrow is nice, too.
the amendment debated yesterday stated that, in the runoff, there would still be the abstain vote, but that the vote would only count those the ballots cast for the candidate, and the candidate with the plurality of the votes would win. only in the case of an absolute tie would it go to the senate.
i find that keeping the abstain vote takes away the validity of the abstain vote, and gives voters a false sense of voice. what is the use of having it there if it doesn't make a difference? seriously, people might as well not take the effort to vote. and it would look very bad for the candidate if abstain won the plurality, hell even the majority, and the candidate still gets to be appointed to office. if 'abstain' is on the ballot, there should be a meaningful reason behind it, and not just the symbolism. if people don't want to vote for either candidate and want to abstain, then there should be merit behind abstaining. if it is not going to change the election, then it's useless. and if it is not useful, why have it? maybe thats just me.
and evidently i am in the minority, because the amendment almost passed. it received 2/3, but not 3/4 to pass in an election season. you can bet your ass that im going to keep contesting this until the end, because it should mean nothing or not be there at all. and im sticking to it.
other than that, i think that im trying to force things too much. i just need to let things happen on their own. except for school work. that does need to be forced, doesnt it? oh well. today is to be a day of alot of community service and alot of school work. and the fact that i can stay up until 6 am because i dont have class tomorrow is nice, too.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
soooooo busy
ive been sooo busy this semester. lets take it from the top; 2 weeks ago. that would be feb. 10th. feb 10th was kiwanis mid year. i had to go, along with several other people on the circle k district board, to vote on awards for the district. earlier in the semester we were in indy for a board meeting, but i cant even remember when that was. so feb. 10th we had to vote on awards for the district. there was way too much drama, and then i got a ticket on the drive back. that was no fun at all. hopefully that will work itself out. the ticket, i mean. i am waiting to hear word from miami county of indiana about that.
the weekend after that was JPW. my parents came in. this weekend is the proudest that i've ever felt to be their son. it gave me such a happiness to see their joy in me during the weekend. it really made me feel that ive done something right in their eyes, and thats really a huge deal. it gave me such a sense of accomplishment. it was also alot of fun, and gave me a newfound love for my parents. it was more of the appreciative love, a love of thankfulness for them, for what they've give me, and for them just being who they are. this was especially evident when my parents interacted with the other parents and met all of my friends on the first night. hearing everyone say how cute my mom is and how funny my dad is really gave me a great sense of pride of being their son.
last week, i left thursday to columbus, indiana to help with circle k district convention. it was really weird leaving thursday morning and being gone until sunday afternoon. thursday went ok in terms of planning. its always a bit hectic being around those running a convention with 100 people coming from all over the state, but i personally wasn't too involved with planning. so for me, it wasnt very stressful. friday came along, and there was more planning and going over scripts and getting the decorations and everything ready. then, people showed up, and all of what was hectic was worth it when people started showing up. the hotel was really cool, but there lots of strange people staying there with us. then saturday came around. it was a really good day overall. we had ND and SMC people there, and so it was just a great day. its days like those that made me want to do the lieutenant governor thing in the first place. we had a health fair in the morning and about 1oo kids came in. that was alot of fun, especially since it was just alot of hanging out with kids and hanging out with friends. after that, we had workshops, which was a bit of down time for me, since i only ran 1 workshop, then helped decorate, so i didnt have to go to all the workshops everyone else had to. then we had the presidential banquet in the evening, and there was a speech and the awards. it was fun being the MC for the latter half of the evening. then, after that was caucasing, where people i had my caucus room dress up in togas. after that, we went over to the dance that evening. that was alot of fun. i love being ridiculous, and being MC Grouch. I think i just love being extroverted. then that evening we played mafia, and i just had a great day. Then sunday was just crazy, being up so early, and elections and all of that jazz. then we stopped by jakes, which is always a great time, then we came back to campus.
this is when hell came down. i had to study for my make up exam on monday. instead, my body said no! and i fell asleep for too long sunday night. because of this, i only got 1 hour of studying before the exam, and thus i did horribly. the only redemption is that it's only 15% of my final grade. after that, i had to go to all of my classes since i made it my lenten promise, so i still had to go to class after my test while my mind was still trying to cope with how bad i did on the exam. but luckily, i read for theo, because i had a quiz in there, and my exam and paper were both pushed back 1 class period each. the rest of yesterday went fairly well because i adopted the mentality of what's done is done, and i cant do anything about it anymore. and today, finally, i got some sleep, so im back to my old state of mind. im happy once again, at least for today, and i can mull over once again the problems i had before all of this mayhem, which are primarily classes and girls.
luckily, MPS is going strong, although being a producer is much more work than i imagined. senate is suddenly moving into high gear, with tons of resolutions coming up after the election controversy. other senators are telling me it will take at least 2 hours tomorrow. thats ... exciting. and come april 1st, ill be done with senate and with circle k lt. governorship. this means ill be left with MPS and HES (hispanic engineers and scientists) and hosting my radio show on WVFI. hopefully these are the only clubs i stay in for senior year, because doing as much as im doing now is just ridiculous.
this was a long post, and typically the first ones are. this is when i have the most on my mind, and the biggest reason to ramble. they're also usually the most superficial, just because i need to get the basic stuff out of the way first. perhaps, in the future, ill ramble about more important things other than the basic ins and outs of my life. perhaps my philosophies on life and things like that, since thats what blogs are apparently supposed to be. but until then, ill be left with this.
the weekend after that was JPW. my parents came in. this weekend is the proudest that i've ever felt to be their son. it gave me such a happiness to see their joy in me during the weekend. it really made me feel that ive done something right in their eyes, and thats really a huge deal. it gave me such a sense of accomplishment. it was also alot of fun, and gave me a newfound love for my parents. it was more of the appreciative love, a love of thankfulness for them, for what they've give me, and for them just being who they are. this was especially evident when my parents interacted with the other parents and met all of my friends on the first night. hearing everyone say how cute my mom is and how funny my dad is really gave me a great sense of pride of being their son.
last week, i left thursday to columbus, indiana to help with circle k district convention. it was really weird leaving thursday morning and being gone until sunday afternoon. thursday went ok in terms of planning. its always a bit hectic being around those running a convention with 100 people coming from all over the state, but i personally wasn't too involved with planning. so for me, it wasnt very stressful. friday came along, and there was more planning and going over scripts and getting the decorations and everything ready. then, people showed up, and all of what was hectic was worth it when people started showing up. the hotel was really cool, but there lots of strange people staying there with us. then saturday came around. it was a really good day overall. we had ND and SMC people there, and so it was just a great day. its days like those that made me want to do the lieutenant governor thing in the first place. we had a health fair in the morning and about 1oo kids came in. that was alot of fun, especially since it was just alot of hanging out with kids and hanging out with friends. after that, we had workshops, which was a bit of down time for me, since i only ran 1 workshop, then helped decorate, so i didnt have to go to all the workshops everyone else had to. then we had the presidential banquet in the evening, and there was a speech and the awards. it was fun being the MC for the latter half of the evening. then, after that was caucasing, where people i had my caucus room dress up in togas. after that, we went over to the dance that evening. that was alot of fun. i love being ridiculous, and being MC Grouch. I think i just love being extroverted. then that evening we played mafia, and i just had a great day. Then sunday was just crazy, being up so early, and elections and all of that jazz. then we stopped by jakes, which is always a great time, then we came back to campus.
this is when hell came down. i had to study for my make up exam on monday. instead, my body said no! and i fell asleep for too long sunday night. because of this, i only got 1 hour of studying before the exam, and thus i did horribly. the only redemption is that it's only 15% of my final grade. after that, i had to go to all of my classes since i made it my lenten promise, so i still had to go to class after my test while my mind was still trying to cope with how bad i did on the exam. but luckily, i read for theo, because i had a quiz in there, and my exam and paper were both pushed back 1 class period each. the rest of yesterday went fairly well because i adopted the mentality of what's done is done, and i cant do anything about it anymore. and today, finally, i got some sleep, so im back to my old state of mind. im happy once again, at least for today, and i can mull over once again the problems i had before all of this mayhem, which are primarily classes and girls.
luckily, MPS is going strong, although being a producer is much more work than i imagined. senate is suddenly moving into high gear, with tons of resolutions coming up after the election controversy. other senators are telling me it will take at least 2 hours tomorrow. thats ... exciting. and come april 1st, ill be done with senate and with circle k lt. governorship. this means ill be left with MPS and HES (hispanic engineers and scientists) and hosting my radio show on WVFI. hopefully these are the only clubs i stay in for senior year, because doing as much as im doing now is just ridiculous.
this was a long post, and typically the first ones are. this is when i have the most on my mind, and the biggest reason to ramble. they're also usually the most superficial, just because i need to get the basic stuff out of the way first. perhaps, in the future, ill ramble about more important things other than the basic ins and outs of my life. perhaps my philosophies on life and things like that, since thats what blogs are apparently supposed to be. but until then, ill be left with this.
Friday, February 23, 2007
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