I know at one time or another you all have been told to get involved in school and all the wonderful extra-curricular activities that school has to offer.  Well, just in case you were wondering: they are right! This past weekend, I went to Rock The VOTE at Old Main Quad and it was a DE-light. On the topic of getting involved, I was doubly involved this weekend because I was not only supporting Q.A.C by going to Rock The VOTE, but I was also supporting voting, and all the other organizations that were there.  To much dismay, I was only able to stay for an hour because I had laundry and other errands and such to tend to, but hey: better than NOTHIN’!  But an hour was good because I got to spend some time with fellow Q.A.C.-ers, listen to the LIVE music, educate myself and take some pretty snazzy pictures!

On that note, I would like to invite all of you to purchase a digital camera (you did?  GREAT!) and take it along with you, wherever you go.  That is precisely what I do, and let me tell you, it works splendidly.  There are more Kodak moments in a day than you could ever think up, and it should be for your photographic enjoyment that you document the day.  For example, when you’re at Rock The VOTE and NP Blogger Holly decides to “dance” to the live music, you can capitalize on this -and many other occasions- with a digital camera.  Speaking of which, I happen to have some choice pics from Rock The VOTE that I figured you’d all enjoy!

Anyway, enough Internet embarrassment!  I STRONGLY urge you to vote.  Think of it as your civic duty, that’s really fun!  No matter if you love ObamaNaderMcCain, or whoever else is on the ticket, just do it: VOTE.  Otherwise, you’d just be a Silly GOOSE if you didn’t!  I have recently discovered that the New Paltz Oracle (That’s our school Newspaper!) has published a sort of “both-sides-of-the-argument” two page spread in their paper stating the candidates’ positions on some major issues.  And get THIS:  The Information comes DIRECTLY from their websites!

So now you have NO excuse to “not vote” (<<what even IS that?)

Now as far as song for this post, well, I’m torn because as of late I have been listening to a lot of Frank Sinatra… so basically anything from:

“Fly Me To The Moon,”

“It Was A Very Good Year,”

to:

“Nancy,”

“My Way.”

Listen I tell you!

See You Lata,

Matt Stracq

: D

Every year F.Y.I. holds a few mandatory programs for the students, that will hit-them-with-some-knowledge so they can succeed!  In fact the first program is “Sweet Success Jeopardy!”  For this program, the RM’s made categories, questions and all the typical Jeopardy hullabaloo, and then we make teams and go for it!  The wining team gets FIRST PICK of the candy, and Esopesos (”ee-so-pay-sows”) -Esopesos are a sort of currency that one receives from attending a program, and an then purchase raffles at a later date.  But anyway, the anser is Yes: I DID dress up as Alex Trebek -and lucky me, The program runs for three nights, so I’m Mr. Trebek for each one!  Scrumtrelescent!  And for your enjoyment, I included a few photos of Diana, Tiff and I -and yes, I made the paper wig myself!

Thus far, we’ve had two of the three “showings”  for this program, and the third will be TONIGHT, so hopefully, all will go as planned.

Rosh Hashanah came and went, so how was your weekend?

LEAVE ME A COMENT TELLING ME ABOUT YOUR WEEKEND!!!

As far as the aforementioned is concerned, I would like to see just how interactive this blog can get!  So if you read my blog, and you see some thing that resembles way to many CAPITOL letters, then comment on the blog!  I will try my best to comment on the comments that you commented me on -originally… Get it?  Also, regarding interacting with my readers (That’s YOU), by a show of hands, who has a Twitter account? …Mhm, ok, a few of you, so for those of you who do, log on and “follow me” so you can keep track on all the fun and exciting/slash/mundane and ordinary things that are going on for me!  For those, who have no idea what I’m talking about, go on http://www.twitter.com to find out this new and exciting internet property that is available.  And for any and all who are interested, check out my video blog that will be posted in a hot second!  Its way long, and takes up two videos (yikes) but if you don’t get a laugh out of that, then nothing will!

As far as D.J. Matt (who just refered to himself in the third person, and did so again) is concerned, there is a new song for your listening pleasure:

“I Get Around” The Beah Boys   -Classic!

Talk to you Lata,

Matt

: D

Long time no talk, huh?

Sorry I keep bombarding you with blogs, (oooo alliteration) but I just can’t help mah-self! I have so much to share with you! The end is swiftly approaching, of this lovely time off, and tomorrow is chock full of things to do! For example, I have a plethora of rehearsals for the musical: 10:30AM rehearsal with the Stage Combat choreographer, 12:30-1:15 rehearsal of my particular scene in the show, 2:45-4PM rehearsal with all the married couples, and at 6:15 the entire cast is called for notes and a run-through of the show, until around 10ish? SOO tomorrow is gonna be CRA-zy. Since my Wednesday will be run by rehearsal mayhem, I’m happy to say I did get a couple papers out of the way. Unfortunately, I still have a reading, another paper, and an application due. So it kinda builds, now doesn’t it?

However, this blog entry isn’t actually about me at all. It’s about a junior who lives right down the hall from me in Bliss Hall named Danhui Wang.

This is Danhui Wang! Say hi everyone!

She had some very exciting experiences this past week, and I thought I should share them with you, especially since they involve some WONDERFUL opportunities which New Paltz gave her. I don’t know if you’re really supposed to do this, interview someone for your blog, but what she did last week was extraordinary! Also, since I’m a dum-dum when it comes to international relations, it would be much harder for me to comprehend and to take part in the expeditions that she has, first hand. So why not interview someone who has? Let me actually tell you what she did and where she went already, huh? SHEESH! So on Wednesday she went into the city to see the President of Iran and on Thursday she participated in a protest! How appealing is that? Don’t worry, I have the details. Danhui wasn’t very keen on me video taping her, so I respected her decision, but now I’ll have to try to sum this up in words to the best of my ability! Alright, here it goes….

Well this opportunity came about by her Academic Advisor actually e-mailing her and asking her if she’d like to meet the President of Iran. Danhui says, “It is one of the most exciting opportunities I could ever come by,” so of course she jumped at the chance. Therefore on Wednesday, she woke up at 5 AM to meet at the Haggerty Administration Building on campus, or the HAB (we’re a fan of abbreviations or “abbreves” here at New Paltz). From there she met up with 3 International Relations major professors and 12 students from New Paltz. They took three cars (2 of the professors drove) to the Poughkeepsie Train Station, which is approximately 20 minutes away from campus.

Here’s the lot of them who came from New Paltz, I believe. This was taken in New York City.

From there, they arrived at New York City in about an hour and a half’s time, and went to the Grand Hyatt Hotel on 42^nd Street. That’s where they went to hear the President of Iran, Mahmūd Ahmadinejād, speak.

A picture of the President of Iran, Mahmūd Ahmadinejād, that Danhui Wang took herself!

Even though it was a room of 500 people, it was “a very intimate setting,” says Danhui. Not only was New Paltz present, but some other schools attended such as SUNY Binghampton, Hofstra, Colgate, and Columbia. Danhui said it was rather interesting to hear live one of the most infamous characters around today. She told me some of things he has said in the past, such as, “Israel must be wiped off the map,” and “In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country.” That down-right shocked me! Consequently, “he’s not really popular among the western world,” says Danhui. She said the event was shorter than she expected, but her impression of him was that he was a very good speaker and a very good politician, especially since he “dodged 95% of the questions,” says Danhui. That comment made me laugh…a lot. At any rate, since Danhui is an International Relations major, this was a different learning experience, because “professors try to give you a bias perspective so you can formulate your own opinion, but with politicians they convince you to favor their side.” However, as an individual, you have to “look through the deception and flowery wording and understand their real policy and position,” as Danhui so wonderfully phrased it! Kudos! I couldn’t agree more!

On that note, here’s a video of the debate last Friday, if you missed it like I did!

P.S. I encourage all of you to register to vote if you haven’t already done so!!

First Presidential Debate of 2008 -McCain and Obama- Video and Transcript

The next day, Danhui went to the city again for an Amnesty International Protest. The protest was against the inaction of the UN member states with the crisis in Darfur. In case you are unaware (like I am with this stuff!) Darfur is a region in Sudan that since 2002 has been subjected to genocide and it’s still continuing today. Danhui went to this protest with five of her friends who are all in the Amnesty Club here on campus. None of them have ever been to a protest so that must have been sooo exciting! I wish I could have attended! Once there, all six of them were handed cardboard cut outs of people representing the Security Council member states, with a red ribbon around their eyes to symbolize their blindness toward the sufferings of the Sudanese people.

The gals holding the cardboard cut outs.

Her experience was that the entire occurrence was very powerful. Danhui says, “Protesting may seem very small on the outside, but you feel like you’re making a difference.”She wants to participate with more protests in the future! Hey- maybe next time I could join her!

Also, Ms. Wang got some free stuff at this protest, such as T-shirts and Instant Karma CDs of mainstream artists covering John Lennon songs. (She gave me one of those CDs! How nice of her!) Oh, and all six of them signed a petition to stop these crimes in Darfur.

All six who went to the protest, in their shirts and with their posters!

Well I learned a lot from this blog, and I hoped you did too! Now, it’s back to classes…BLAH! :-p

[Side note: The Amnesty Club meet Thursday from 6-7 in the Student Union building or the SUB Room 416. Oh and by the way, DANHUI IS THE PRESIDENT. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled that I capitalized that. There are amnesty programs pretty much at every school, Danhui tells me, and they’ve made a lot of impacts on promoting human rights! They have a facebook group here at New Paltz, which is: Amnesty International New Paltz Chaper II. Check it out!]

Hey hey hey!

How’s everyone doing on this oh-so-long weekend, or you could say, mini vacay? For those reading this that AREN’T going to SUNY New Paltz, let me inform you that we have NOOOO classes until WEDNESDAY! How splendid is that? Thank you Rosh Hashanah! I know a bunch of people went home or visited friends at colleges this weekend….but I’m staying here in the Paltz. This is due to: 1.) I have rehearsal for many of those days we have off. 2.) I’m giving tours around campus.

However, it was so nice to smack that snooze button this morning, without a consequence in sight! Oh and I want to get ahead of some homework, since Midterms (with a capital M) are around the corner and the musical will be in full storm very VERY soon. It would be IDEAL to get some of those papers and projects behind me. I hope I achieve my objective here. I don’t wanna be all talk and no action.

So last night I attended something called 24 Hour Theatre, which was presented by Alpha Psi Omega (the National Theatre Honor Society on campus) and New Paltz Players. Flannery Spring-Robinson and Kathleen Bulman were the Producers, keeping this entire event alive and kickin’! It took place in the Blackbox located in the Smiley Art Building.

The program (above) explains what 24 Hour Theatre entails and what the objective was, so I shall type up what it states.

“The mission of this event was to provide fresh talent, yearning to collaborate with other passionate individuals in order to create an innovative performance. The individuals are urged to take on roles which they may not be used to; such as Producer, Director, Writer and Actor. Each group had a task to take a common theme (in this case, the common theme was resistance), and thread it throughout everyone’s ideas: the Producer’s concept, the writer’s text, the director’s vision, and the honesty of the actor’s performance. Thus, culminating in an end product that, if for no other reason, is successful because it was created within the time frame of 24 hours! That shows true passion for commitment, collaborations, and fun!

This project wasn’t for people to go on massive power trips and gain a huge ego! NO NO! It’s about GREAT MINDS NOT THINKING A LIKE…and that is a good thing! Learning to work with others, who have varied views, is a beautiful and beneficial process: the true art of the theatre is collaboration.

We were told to please take in this experience with an open mind and the willingness to try something new!” <– And I couldn’t agree with this statement any more!

Alright, so on that note, the two short plays that were created within a 24 time span were called…From the Human Psyche, and Cross Beam. The Group Statement of …From the Human Psyche was that through this collaborative piece: “We are seeking to confront that which we want to resist. Before confronting, we must identify and accept. Before identifying comes the inevitable search. This is a compilation of what we discovered as a group through internal and external exploration. We invite the audience to explore these themes as they apply to their own lives.” And the producers, directors, writers, and actors in this production were Paul Rigano, David Mangiamele, Carley Colbert, Patricia Draghi, Kristin Dwyer, Meg DiMaggio, and Nick Bourchier.

Meg DiMaggio & Carley Colbert holding hands, adding movement to the piece.

David Mangiamele speaking his great monologue!

Nick Bourchier talking about life in America, with Trish Draghi in the background.

Paul Rigano playing the keyboard while the cast sings. In this picture Kristin Dwyer, Meg DiMaggio and Nick Bourchier.

They did a marvelous job! It was all so honest, delicate, and stunning. Music, lyrics, and monologues were created especially pertaining to this theme of resistance. Each piece the person did (sung or spoken) related to something personal that affected their lives. The vulnerability made it that much more beautiful! Paul Rigano said this was a great experience and we should all do it next time it comes up! Perhaps I will P. Rigs…perhaps I will.

Here’s a little clip with Producers Flannery Spring-Robinson and Kathleen Bulman giving a nice introduction, as well as a little clip of From the Human Psyche before my camera’s battery gave out!

24 Hour Theatre Introduction on YouTube

Then there was a 10 minute intermission, so the Blackbox could be arranged differently for the next play, which was Cross Beam. This play dealt more with lighting effects. Their mission statement of their work was the following: “We have created a semi-traditional drama, through experimental means, in an attempt to communicate a series of resistance between the ideas of the natural and the contrived.” So this play was a little more abstract. Jess Maxwell was the producer as well as the writer with Alex Oates. Ryan Carlesco, a freshman here, got involved by being the director, and the cast included Chris Lavin as Steven, Rachel Ritacco as the Mother, Alex Rich as the Father, and Stephanie Spohrer as Light Girl. At first, it was hard to grasp the concept, but after talking with Chris Lavin, he stated the turning on of the flashlight symbolized the opening of portal to his own, mystical world, which was resisting reality. Anyway, that’s the basic gist. The spectacle was striking, as well as the message. Here are some pictures to show you what I mean.

Chris Lavin with the light!

Stephanie Spohrer freezing in place.

Alex Rich, Rachel Ritacco acting as concerned parents.

This one is my favorites! Chris Lavin and Stephanie Spohrer shinging the light on one another.

Anyway, everyone had a great time and the audience was very supportive! That’s always lovely!

A big round of applause everybody, for all who was involved!

So hey ya’ll. How’s everyone doing? Whenever I ask how people are doing, I seem to get responses such as: “Eh- I’m getting sick,” or “I’m tired.” So everyone take those vitamins and try to get some sleep. Ah I sound like my ma, but she’s totally right. I could really use some more Zzz’s. I know, I know, it’s easier said than done right? Yes, well I’m in the same boat as all you sleep deprived and sickly kids. However, hopefully this little viral “bug” will be stepped on soon and we’ll all be able to enjoy this lovely autumn season!

Anyway…

I know I just posted and ever’thaaang, but I wanted to give you an inside view of one of my classes. This is my class, Voice 1, with Professor Stephen Kitsakos where we meet every Tuesday and Friday from 12:15 until 1:30. I recorded bits and pieces of our class on Tuesday, September 16^th. On this particular date, we were each given one of our solo songs, which we will be working on all semester to achieve specific goals such as audibility, dynamic variety, clarity, resonance, etc.

So in this particular video, Shana Circe and her husband edited it (I cannot take the credit.) They did a really nice job! They incorporated background music when we weren’t singing, and has the page “flip” as a nice transition from one image to the next. However, I wish they edited me out when I’m singing in the end…buuuut I will not complain, since it’s beautifully done and all. OHand Professor Kitsakos told us to sing with a southern accent for fun, and mine came out…well…not southern… Oh dear. Amy Smith, the girl I was singing with in the center of the circle, now SHE had a southern accent. Not I!

OK enjoy! See how much fun we all have in Voice 1! Click the video below!

See Voice 1 for yourselves, on YouTube!

Talk to ya soon, I gather.

Yo, Check-It, today was the Fire Safety Bonanza I was telling Y’all about and it was AWESOME!  It was really a good time overall, and for those of you who went and supported your halls: Good Job!  And for those of you who didn’t wake up until 2pm: oh well, maybe next year.  There was food, free pamphlets, keyring toys, and activities.  The activities were really the best part because they were a real eye opener to even me, a real fire safety buff (or at least now I am…)

Next to the R.H.S.A. table there was the R.A.D. program table.  At this table, there were Officers Kelsey and Coxe who played the victim (who knew how to beat the snot out of an attacker) and the attacker, respectfully.  Very cool.

The first activity was the “Rescue Drag.”  This entailed some poor soul (Me) thinking they could drag an -approximately- 165 lb. dummy fifty feet and back.  FIFTY FEET!  Lets just say, that the dummy and I were lucky that Capt. Scott Schulte was there to help me with the last forty five feet (give or take my dignity…)

After that there was the “Let’s-all-crawl-into-the-smokey-room,” dealio and that was scary -no lie.  There were five of us, and one Fire Fighter, and he briefed us about feeling the door, staying low, and crawling TEN feet to the exit door.  Scary…  As soon as I got in, I was like Dane Cook in the War Flute bit! LOLOL  First of all, lets just talk about this phenomenon of memory loss that happens when you open the door:  I forgot to crawl.  Then, I was blinded by -no, not the light (thank you, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band) but by the incessant smoke, no matter that we were on the floor.  Oh, did I mention that I went first?

Now, this next one, was probably the least realistic, but regardless, it was a good experience.  I participated in the Fire Extinguisher training session.  There was a Fire Fighter that operated a propane flame source from a “trash can” and I used the Water Pressure Extinguisher and the P.A.S.S. technique: Pull the pin; Aim; Squeeze the lever, Sweep the extinguisher back and forth at the base of the flame.  Very Savvy…

Now here’s the BIG ONE -Oh My GOSH!  At 2pm they lit a mock college room on fire -legit: no propane, dynamite, gasoline, charcoal, aerosol cans, candles, steak dinners, what-have-you.  Just the room and the flames.  This was one of the most scary and impressive things that I’ve ever seen -and I know what you’re thinking: “Hey Matt, you sure do get scared a lot, huh?”  Nay.  No I do not; but this inferno was something to be seen.  And for the late sleepers of the group, I’ve got a snazzy-do video you can chickety-check out.  Now, this was an event that I wasn’t going to miss, so I planted myself some forty feet away and setup the cam.  As soon as they lit this thing up, i could smell smoke, and as soon as the smoke accumulated there was fire -from there it was over: the picture fell ,the computer monitor EXPLODED and the tapestry created a curtain of flame.  Even me being forty feet away I could feel the heat, and it was deceiving how real it was, because at first, I thought it was the sun, or me just getting all worked up, but when I checked in with the peeps next to me, they confirmed that it was real flame broiled hotness.

Overall, I was super glad that I went, schmoosed, took pictures and video, and had a blast.

Oh, and I have recently discovered “No Air,” by Jordin Sparks (recently? I know, right? what, do I live under a rock? ).  And in case some Dane Cook fans are wondering, I am seeing My Best Friends Girl tonight!

PEACE!

Matt

P.S.  There will be NO audio on the video -do not fret!

: D

fire-safetyb1

Yesterday, I saw my bff Kellie in the SUB and she was all:  “Hey, come on down to Queer Action Coalition with us!” and even O.L. Eli F. and my co-Blogger Holly Gooden were all: “Yeah, definitely come!” So, I went, and I really enjoyed myself.  The meeting is Wednesdays at 9pm, in SUB 402 -but wait, you don’t know what Q.A.C. (pronounced “quack”) is?  Well, it is a group on campus that advocates and educates about G.B.L.T.Q. (Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transsexual, Queer) rights and so forth.  So far they have events like Coming Out Day, Halloween parties, something-for-Thanksgiving, and other cool business going on.  To tell you the truth (the whole truth, and noting but the truth) I wanted to continue to get involved, but I didn’t think it was going to be with Q.A.C.  Actually, I thought it was a one-time-deal meeting instead of a weekly organization, but as it turns out, I really like it and I’ve got something else to be involved in.  And that’s another thought that popped into my head: that you never stop getting involved in new things, if you don’t want to.  That being said, I will be as active in Q.A.C. as I can this year, because I am PUMPED to be there, with Kellie, and Holly, and my new friend Leighann.

Now, back to my friend Kellie: she is a riot! I met her last year because we were in F.Y.I. together, but only in the last few months.  I find it weird that in such an involved organization as F.Y.I., there can still be people that don’t meet until the party’s almost over -in this case: F.Y.I.  Regardless, we are crazy close and if any of you see her just shout out some Anchorman quotes and she’ll get the idea/laugh incessantly.

Aside from Kellie and Q.A.C., I am really looking forward to this weekend.  No, not to engage in illegal and debasing activities but for Fire Safety!!! On Saturday, at high-noon in the Old Main Quad, there is a fire safety Bonanza and they will be burning a college room -and for real, though, they lite the room UP!  I also heard that its basically going to be an awesome get together of classy, classy individuals like Fire Chief, Scott Schulte.  I hope to see you all there -yes, ALL of you!

Oh, and just in case you guys were wondering, Ive been listening to a lot of Bob Marley -namely: “Could You Be Loved,” it’s magical.

My homework AWAITS-

Matt Stracq

: D

Today was the second annual Jell-O War!  RA Chris in Esopus Hall came up with it last year and it was so successful that this year Scudder Hall did it as well!  What is a “Jell-O War,” you ask?  Well, it stars the night before in a mass Jell-O making campaign.  For a war of our magnitude, RA Chris, RA Kim and PA Felipe prepared eleven trays of Jell-O, with approximately three packets to a tray …you do the math!  Then, as usual ,the Jell-O is chilled overnight, and cut up the next day.  As far as the game is concerned, everyone is given a number (to wear/hold) and then a group of numbers (i.e. 1-15) is called out at a time, and the goal is to eliminate -by way of Jell-O throws- the number above yours.  As soon as you’re tagged with Jell-O, You’re OUT!  However, if you are the victor, you are to seek out your former opponent’s target.  And if I didn’t explain it well enough, just trust me: It’s AWESOME!!!

However, this year, the Jell-O liquefied in the trays, and a Jell-O Free-for-All ensued.  But it was all good, and I got some sweet shots from the sidelines.

In other recent news, I was able to get into “Women Images and Realities,” class.  This is my second semester in a row trying to get into the course, but it was well worth it.  I have heard nothing but good things from the course and I even heard from RA Kim: “It changed my life!” -So if dat ain’t proof, I donno what is! I must say, that although I just-got-in, it has been very enlightening, thus far.  So now when people ask what courses are good to take, I can at least say: “Women Images and Realities.”

Check out the Jell-O War pictures,

Thanks,

Matt Stracq

: D

On Friday, the F.Y.I. Program took it’s annual trip to Mohonk, and it was a blastie-blast!  Lemon Squeeze, Skytop Walk, Botanical Gardens, and Chillin’ with RD Kristen… Ohh, yeah!

As you guessed, I was on the Lemon Squeeze with CDA Matt, RA Chris, RA Lorraine, RM Diana and RA Matt (hey, would you look at that, all the “Matt’s” went on the Lemon Squeeze!) along with most of the F.Y.I. program.  I felt very important as I was checking students on and off the bus, wearing my bright orange shirt, and taking up the middle group of the Lemon Squeezers all my myself (Yeah!)  Now, as a former F.Y.I.-er from last year, I forgot how awesome it was to be in the thick of it with all those rocks, and all the climbing and the occasional plateau to gaze out over the range.  Although it was a hot, hot day, it still was not as hot, humid and hazy as last year, because this year we were actually able to see the campus!  JFT, HAB, AWC, REH, OM, CH, Hasbrouck Quad, and just a hint of Lenape.  And although this is a small school and a small campus, it still is big. But, even though the campus looks big, and the tower at the top of Mohonk is way tall and has been there forever, it’s all still dwarfed my the awesomeness of mother nature.  Everything from the clouds, the sun and the mountain to the Hurricanes down south (yikes, I hope they’re alright!) can dwarf all else, in its size, grandeur and longevity.  It makes me respect and understand nature and our environment more and more for each one of these experiences.  I only wish I could have taken more pictures, but then again, I think of “3×5,” by John Mayer and I say:

“Naa, they have to see it for themselves -and I should see it again too!”

On that note, I would encourage all of you to go to Mohonk, and climb the Lemon Squeeze.

For now, it’s back to homework and what not

“Yikes! …and away.” -Snickers Commercial

Matt

: D

So after reading my blog and comparing it to what my fellow bloggers wrote I totally realized something I forgot to do…introduce myself. So, let me do that. My name is Kevin McSherry I’m a junior here at New Paltz and I’m from Shirley, Long Island. People usually laugh when they find out I’m from Shirley but I never really understand why. (Apparently it’s a funny name???) I’m a Psychology major with a Disaster Studies minor and right now I’m thinking of adding a Communication and Media minor just for fun.

Let’s see, I love music and I love to sing obnoxiously. For some strange reason I really like the song No Air…it’s always stuck in my head. Although my picture makes me look like a professional guitar player I am in fact not. I took a guitar class last semester for fun and my class was right after the photo shoot so I had my guitar with me and the photographer asked if I could pose with it for a picture or two. I like guitar and I would like to expand my guitar skills so if anyone out there would want to give me free lessons, I would greatly appreciate that.

Like I promised I’m going to talk about what I did this summer. The main highlights were my brother’s wedding and being an Orientation Leader! It’s so hard to sum that experience up into words because we lived together for 2 whole months and did everything together but I’ll try my best. It started off with three weeks of intense training where we bonded and got to know each other. In no particular order we threw in some random sing alongs e.g., R-E-S-P-E-C-T, a Frost Valley Retreat, flies, a campfire, PAM, lip sync rehearsals, realities rehearsals, late nights staying up to make door tags and boards, a controversy surrounding a turtle named Jackie, BINGO, late night trips to wherever, building preparation, Phantom of the Opera, No Air, clipboards, a night with PACE, Karaoke, and record breaking packet/folder stuffing.

We were now ready to take on the 1300 first year students who were awaiting orientation. AND WE DID! It was 5 amazing weeks filled with laughter, tears, support, friends, random outings, super-fun activities, The Dark Knight, The Bronx Zoo, Red Robin, birthdays, sleepless nights, Lip Syncs galore, Beavis, a BBQ, my i-pod, and so much more.

A night of Board and Door Tag Making with OL's Emily, Tif, Daniel, Eli, Christina, and Chris T.

I was able to meet and work with a really awesome and diverse staff and I met a whole bunch of students who are going to become true assets to this campus. I can’t word it any better than Jessie, watching your students grow and break out of their shells in a 3 day process is absolutely amazing.

By far this was one of the best summers of my life. I learned so much about myself and my abilities while having fun at the same time. I recommend to anyone who might be interested to look into the job and apply when the time comes. You won’t regret it.

For now I have to be lame and give shout outs to Robin, Michelle, Rob, Val, Ben, Erin, Chris L, Jessie, Honor, Christina, Karim, Felipe, Jenifer, Daniel, Tif, Eli, Paul, Emily, Chris T, Linda, Cheyanne, Arian, Amarilis, Jackie, Diones, Wendy, and Jessica. Thanks for making this summer a memorable one.

All of the OL's for our final lip sync performance

The Ladies of SOAR '08

The Gents of SOAR '08. Nice Chris.

Until Next time…

-Kevin