Its been a good couple of days so far: good meetings, good work time, good meals, good down time -It’s All GOOD!  For one thing, my Women: Images and Realities class gives a ton of extra credit.  Which is excellent because it will help balance out some of me-harder-courses -so if You have any extra credit options, make it your business to capitalize on that! To tell you the truth, I really do have harder classes that I should be studying for right now -no worries, I’m feelin’ A+’s…

Outside of my classes I’ve been doing some pretty exciting things with my time.  I got a haircut yesterday -all went well, I look good -if I do say so myself- lol.

“Hey EVERYONE: Come and See How GOOD I LOOK!”  ~Anchorman.

I also am getting my bike tuned up as-I-write (wow).  I ride a Mongoose Rockadile mountain bike, and I am on that bad boy all the time! So if you see a blue and white blur whizzing past on the roads, its me, say “hi,” please.  Apparently the bike shop I took my bike to has been there for some thirty years and the owner really knows his stuff, so I feel comfortable leaving my bike there.  And I am SO excited to pick it up this afternoon.

Speaking of which, I have a nice little schedule planned out for this afternoon:  no Drawing II class (sadface) but I will be able to do some laundry, study, go to a prayer group, swim, eat, study, pick up my bike (!!!), study, eat again, do some extra credit, see Gideon YAGO, have a house meeting, eat again, and watch the Presidential DEBATE! Woo-Hooooo, Yeahh! Biz-E-Day To-Day, but as you can see, all good things.

Come to think of it, yesterday was a busy day too, because on top of all that I just mentioned, I went to a Study Abroad G.I. meeting and a NRHH G.I. meeting as well!  From what I’ve heard studying abroad is one of the BEST COLLEGE EXPERIENCES EVER! and that information is coming from people that have studied abroad, such as my oldest sister, Marissa, and other peeps.  Personally, I’m thinking of doing a summer session because I don’t want it to interfere with whats going on here at New Paltz -plus, I’d be great to get away for the summer!  Oh, and that’s right, I forgot to mention where I’ll be going: Florence.  I’m an Artist -why wouldn’t I go? lol.  As far as NRHH, it is an organization that recognizes students, faculty, on campus organizations, etc. as part of a regular, weekly, monthly, yearly sort-of-thing.  The members in it are the TOP 1% of Student Leaders on Campus!!! So, wish me LUCK!  Anyway, my application needs to be in by October 31st at 12 NOON.

Look out NRHH, here I come! (I hope : D )

MEWSICK!

(music -haha, I made a joke with letters!)

As of late I have been listening to some CHOICE tunes -and believe me, they be bumpin’:

Sting, “Desert Rose”

and

Jack Johnson, “Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down”

^^*Look this one up on www.playlist.com*^^

Peace Out, Cub Scouts,

Matt

: D

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

So hey everyone, long time since up an update, my apologies. I’ve been so busy with reading, writing, and working but now I finally have a little bit of free time. I hope everyone is enjoying this change in weather, I know I am. MORE TO COME ABOUT THE FALL TIME IN NEW PALTZ SOOON!

Although the weather is nice that’s not the reason I’m writing. In my junior year here, I’ve finally reached a crossroad. I don’t know HOW I thought of this this weekend but basically I changed my mind on what “I want to be when I grow up”. Since High school I knew I wanted to be a Guidance Counselor and I don’t even really know why. I had an awesome guidance counselor so she definitely inspired me, but I’ve always liked classes, and making schedules and all of that stuff so I thought it would be the perfect career for me, and I still do. However, this weekend I decided I want to get my PhD. That’s right, that’s Dr. Kevin McSherry! That sounds so weird, I can’t even imagine that but I kind of can and I think it would be really great to have it.

Since taking a whole bunch of classes here about therapy and counseling, I’ve decided that I want to explore the Clinical route instead of School counseling. But then again I don’t know because I’ve ALWAYS wanted to be a school counselor! It’s so confusing! I feel like a senior in high school again applying for colleges. You don’t know what you want to major in, what you want to do with your life, where you want to go! So this post is for you you intelligent group of prospective New Paltz students. You’ll probably never know what you want to do, and then when you do decide, you’ll probably change your mind. And that’s okay because that’s life and we all do it. So don’t fret if you have no clue what you want to do, it’ll all work out in the end.

Even though I have no idea what I want to do right now, surprisingly I’m not worried at all. More so excited! It’s really scary to think that I might be getting my doctorate, going through even MORE schooling than I had originally planned, and write a dissertation. Yeah so I kind of don’t want to do that last part but I can do it, I hope!

That’s all of my rant for now, at least until I speak to my advisor to see what he has to say about my plans.

As you probably know from reading other blogs, this past weekend was Spirit Weekend and it was SO much fun. It reminds me so much of Field Day back in Elementary School except this time all of the Residence Halls on campus compete to see who has the most spirit. There’s field events, a scavenger hunt, a banner contest, and my favorite, THE LIP SYNC! Everything went really well and I think everyone had a lot of fun so first I wanted to thank all of the RHSA E-board for making the day go by so smoothly and second I wanted to thank everyone in the Halls who participated who made the day a blast.

Enjoy the Weekend!

Kevin!

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

For those who are wondering about what I could possibly be writing about, let me preface this blog with something I am thankful for:  I have been blessed with the immune system of an ox.  That being said, I may be getting sick. There seems to be some bug that is making its way around the Esopus Hall staff, and I don’t like it one bit!  A few days ago I noticed a little soreness in my throat, but I took an extra vitamin and got plenty of rest.  However, last night I was not able to get the much needed rest and relaxation to cure my common cold.  And so, as one could imagine, I woke up con-ges-ted!  But thankfully, after blowing my nose to oblivion I was able to get some rest, and as I just told one former Blogger, Allie Duarte, I will be taking a twenty-eight hour nap very shortly!

In other news -and on to a more positive note- Esopus Hall elected a new Hall Government E-board last night, and it was a hoot.  I was very pleased to have been one of very many, many people who came out last night to vote.  If I remember correctly, Esopus Hall was not out in full force for last year’s elections, unfortunately; but that is a thing of the past!  It really was a “refresher” -or a “reFreshens,” if I may (try the Chocolate!)- to see so many first-years and sophomores running, voting, and showing their interest in getting involved.  Also, I would like to encourage all of YOU to become active in Hall Government, even if you only plan on voting and coming out to programs (plus, it looks great on a résumé!).

Aaaaannnd, this FRIDAY the F.Y.I. program will be taking it’s annual trip to Mohonk!!!

Woooo, Lemon Squeeze : D

As for right now, well, I have a class at 10:40, so maybe I can sneak in a few winks before my class starts

…maybe…

LatA,

Matt Stracq

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

Today I got a great start to my day.  My 8AM class was canceled so at 8:30 I was able to go for a nice walk.  For those of you who were all snuggly in your beds, it was very cool and crisp -almost cold this morning; and as much as I enjoy the warm months to swim, bike, kayak and have a catch, the cooler months also hold a special place in my heart.

I have heard that after Michael Phelps swims, he logs in a little down time in a jacuzzi to keep his muscles, loose, flexible and relaxed.  However, I find that in the wee hours of the day, when it is just cold enough, my whole body and mind become relaxed.  There is a wonderful calming, clarifying and relaxing affect that the cool air and some well deserved alone time can allow, when on a walk on a crisp day.  And if you’re a morning person like I am, they you’ll surely enjoy the privacy of the shade and the breeze.

As for the rest of the day, it was pretty enjoyable as well.  After my walk I was able to visit my Comp. II professor from last semester, Ms. Perisse.  She is a doll!  It was good times just to talk and catch up
with her about her summer adventures with family in Washington and her Carpentry endeavors at home.

ANDDDD, I have recently rekindled my love for “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” by Blue Oyster Cult:

“Hey, I got a FEVER, and the only prescription, is More COWBELL!”

-Christopher Walken/Bruce Dickenson

Hello, All! Welcome to my blog! I hope that you enjoy reading all that I post throughout the course of the 2008-2009 school year!

My name is Jessie Ostrow! I am a junior, double majoring in Interpersonal/Intercultural Communication and Spanish, with a minor in linguistics. I am from Merrick, Long Island. Some fun facts about me are that my favorite color is orange, I play the tuba, and I love to spend time at the beach!

Anyway, I hope that you had a fantastic summer, as I certainly did! This summer, I was a Senior Orientation Leader for the Student Orientation and Registration program. I had so much fun working with the orientation staff to ensure that the incoming first-year students felt comfortable on campus. The staff this summer was truly unbelievable.. check us out:

Orientation Leaders rockin’ our blue polos & fabulous Lip Sync Finals costumes!

Furthermore, the students that I had the awesome opportunity to work with were amazing! The experience of working with such awesome individuals and seeing them grow in just days is truly incredible.

Towards the end of the summer, I spent some time at home. One of the best days of my summer was going to Ocean Beach, Fire Island with my mom. We spent the day walking on the beach, drinking iced coffee, and moseying throughout town. Fortunately, we happened to go on an absolutely gorgeous day!

Beautiful Fire Island Ocean & a Fire Island Water Taxi!

The following week, I went to Long Beach Island, New Jersey with approximately 35 members of my family, from all over the United States. We have been going to LBI for over 30 years, and it is always my very favorite week of the year! We had a few rainy days, but still managed to have a great time!

Long Beach Island, New Jersey!

Now, I am back in New Paltz and I am so excited to be living in Deyo Hall!  I work with wonderful staff and I am really enjoying being a Resident Assistant.

Deyo Hall RA Staff!

Yesterday was the first day of classes, and I am super pumped for this semester. I had my first Interpersonal Communication class, which was awesome. The professor seems fun and the material seems interesting. I then had Spanish Phonetics and Oral Practice, followed by Survey of Latin American Literature. These two classes are certainly going to challenge me, but I am looking forward to learning a lot.

Alright, well it is time for my second day of classes! Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy! -Jessie