Tag Archives: Orientation Leader

Diva Lesson #5: Indulge

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Heyhey my Divas-in-training! If you’re like me, you’ve been hard at work day in and day out, and you’re probably looking for some kind of a break. Hey, I don’t blame you! We all want some time to relax and enjoy some free time. Well…you’re probably wondering “But wait Brendan, what exactly does a Diva do with spare time?” Obviously the number one answer any Master Diva would tell you: “Get that heel training in!” High heels aren’t easy, but practice makes perfect! Well anyway, that’s not what this lesson is about. Actually, this lesson is about something different…probably the number two answer to that question…and the answer is: Indulge. Hey, you work HARD for the money and everyone is entitled to a break. So lemme tell ya ’bout it. So here we go, strap on those training tiaras and get ready, cause this week’s lesson is “Diva Lesson #5: Indulge.”

All last week, I was counting down the days to the weekend. It was our first feel week of classes and you KNOW I was feelin’ it. But hey, we’re here in college to work, and that’s what we do. So anyway, last week was a big week in my family. It was my parent’s anniversary, my dad’s birthday, and my sisters birthday. All of these events within one week of each other! Cray-cray, I know. But life works in mysterious ways. As part of this extravagant celebration, my parents decided that they would come up to visit me, along with my sister, for the weekend. So, on Saturday morning, my parents came and picked me up from New Paltz. We had a small debacle where we all ended up running circles around Parker Quad looking for each other, and it was kind of hilarious. Eventually, we all met up and I went with them to the neighboring town of Gardiner where we would be staying for the night.

The place where were staying was an apartment above someone’s garage. It was a giant room with a bed, futon, and couch, along with a TV set, refrigerator, and a small but nice bathroom. The home was gorgeous and it even had a heated pool, a hot tub, and a sauna along with a mountain view. It was wonderful. After we dropped our things off, we drove down the road and got some sandwiches and other food to have a picnic in the mountains. We then drove down to an area of the Mohonk Preserve where there was a little waterfall and we ate our lunch. Then, we drove further down the road to a second area of Mohonk and took to the trails! We did some hiking through the mountain trails, and then some serious rock climbing as well. As you can imagine, I wasn’t particularly prepared for this, and wasn’t exactly thrilled about this rock climbing situation. Still, I went along with it, and after I did it, I felt pretty accomplished. It ended up being really cool and the view was spectacular from the top of that area up high on the rocks. Also while we were hiking, we ran into a woman and her family. Funny enough, the woman recognized me. She was one of the people in charge of International Orientation and she recognized me from working with me since I was an Orientation Leader this summer. This just furthered the lesson that you will be recognized as an Orientation Leader wherever you are…even on the side of a mountain. We chatted with her family and ended up descending the mountain with them as well. It was a charming afternoon.

After we left the Mohonk Preserve, we went back to the house to compose ourselves and get super classy for our evening ahead of us. We ended up going to dinner at the French restaurant inside of the Culinary Institute of America. The campus there was so beautiful and when looking at the map, I realized that all of their residence halls were named after different spices which I thought was hilarious. The restaurant was phenomenal. I had a seafood crepe, aged pan seared beef, and flour-less chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream. The food was all so wonderful, and the atmosphere was great as well. While at dinner, my family had time to relax and catch up with each other. We talked about all kinds of things, and I updated them on what’s been going on in my life lately in more detail, since it can be hard to do so over the phone. Once we were done there, we went back outside and the campus was beautifully illuminated, and there was a gorgeous fountain right outside of the main doors. We drove back to the house for the night, and we all just relaxed for the evening. My mom and sister even took advantage of the facilities and took a dip in the hot tub! I was super tired though, so I just hung around the room and went to sleep.

The next day, we packed up all of our things since we would be leaving that day. It was my sister’s birthday too! She turned 21. We started out the morning watching reality TV (Top Chef: Just Desserts, in case you were wondering) and we ate cookies that my dad bought downtown. Then, we got the car all loaded up and headed out to breakfast at the Plaza Diner. It was weird being there during the day, because generally Stephen, Jen, and I go there really late at night. But hey, a little change up never hurts. While we were there, my sister opened her birthday gifts. My parents bought her a Nook Color, and I got her a gift card that she could buy things for her Nook with. I placed it inside of a Little Mermaid card. I figured it was fitting. After that, we went down to a nearby apple orchard and we picked apples for a while. I was picking all of the biggest one and had a really heavy bucket. We walked all over that orchard looking for the best apples. Fruit selection should be taken very seriously! I picked about 19 pounds, and my sister got about 14-15 pounds. That’s a ton of apples. Once we left there, we made a stop at my sister’s friend’s place. She just transferred to New Paltz and lives off campus, so she invited us over to take a look. The place was very small, put perfect for her needs and very cute too. Still though, it made me think about how glad I was to still be living on campus. I don’t think I’ll ever move off.

Finally, it was time for them to leave. They dropped me off back on campus with all of my things, including a ridiculous amount of apples, and my magazines. Magazines are essential. You need to keep yourself updated! Mark Sanchez is on the cover of GQ, Armie Hammer is on the cover of Details, and Kate Moss is on the cover of the phenomenal and over the top 758 page tome that is the Vogue September Issue. I live for this. Once I was back on campus, it was right back into the regular routine. Homework, Avant-Garde staff meeting, and then straight into the week with interviews (more on that in Extra Credit!), club meetings, homework, classes, quizzes, and other such things. This week, I had nine of my students all with birthdays within ten days of each other. Insanity I say! The week actually went by very quickly though, and I can’t believe it’s Thursday night already.
As I sit here typing, awaiting my 8:00 meeting with the Chairs of the NACURH Advocacy Committee, and then the first A Capella show of the semester at 10:00, I can’t help thinking and reflecting upon the fact of how important it is to treat yourself. You need to take care of yourself above all else. It can really help you get into a better frame of mind just to take a step back and do something that is either a lot of fun, or that you really enjoy. Sometimes, an escape can be the perfect remedy when you’re feeling stressed, sad, or just need a serious time out. This past weekend was the perfect example of this principle….and believe me, I indulged enough for all of you! Do not ever hesitate to enjoy yourself and indulge because hey, let’s face it! You’re a Diva, you deserve it! That’s why the lesson for this week is “Indulge.” You are now free to engage in your own person guilty pleasure. Enjoy!

Extra Credit: Earlier this week, Jen, Rose (also known as Lil Fabz), and I were sitting in our Feminist Art and Culture Class, and suddenly we heard “Only Girl in the World” playing from someone’s phone before class started. It was hilarious.
Also: This week, I had my interview for a spot as a delegate to go to NEACURH later this year. It went very well and I found out today that I got the spot as a delegate! I’m very excited and can’t wait for all of the preparation to begin for the conference.
Finally, New York Fashion Week has been going on. The lines from all of the designers have been pretty flawless. Spring 2012 looks very promising. Be sure to check them out on the Vogue website or something! They’ll leave you gagging on eleganza!

Diva Lesson #4: Measure Your Growth

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Wow! Can you believe how quickly we’ve been moving through the year already? Even though this was technically the first full week of classes, we’ve already been at school for almost a month. With that being said, another week gone by means it’s time to learn another lesson! This week, I’m gonna teach y’all an important Diva Lesson. This one can get complicated, because it requires multiple skills, such as analyzing the past, and being able to look back at the past at the same time. I have faith though, because you’ve all been following along for a couple weeks now. I think you’re at the Miley Cyrus Disney phase, or the Selena Gomez phase. In other words, you’re blossoming Divas. But there’s still so much to learn! So without further a due, I present to you: Diva Lesson #4, “Measure Your Growth.”

This week has been pretty wild. I’ve had a lot to do, and a lot to keep up with. Managing the usual school work and responsibilities, I’ve also been working on an application for NEACURH, which is a regional leadership conference. I hope I get to attend. Anyway, I’ve also been dealing with a cold and being a little sick, which can be a major undertaking in itself. But there’s no rest for a true diva, and no time to slack off! Basically, I’ve been trying to slow down my life some, and take it easier than usual. Also: I took some time today to indulge in a Matcha Green Tea Latte from Jazzmine’s in the Jacobson Faculty Tower. It was phenomenal. Totally ordering that a hundred times more. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, this week I had to work at the Club and Involvement Fair, which was held on Tuesday. From 11-2, I sat outside of the Student Union building while all kinds of students walked around exploring so many of the different organizations that New Paltz has to offer. For the first half of the day, I was stationed at the table for Avant-Garde Magazine with Rosalie, Ashlee, and Sharyce (also known as Chauncey now). Avant-Garde Magazine was founded last year by a student named Michelle to help promote positive body image, and spread other positive messages around campus. It’s also the first women’s magazine on the New Paltz campus which is also very exciting. I know, can you tell I’m a Women’s Studies major? We have a website and a Facebook page where you can check us out, become a fan, and see previous issues. Check us out! In the second half of the day, I was tabling for First-Year Fridays as part of being an Orientation Leader with OLs Jon, Mike, Jenn, and Stephen. Tara was there too! I got a lot of sun that day. Nothin’ wrong with a tan! Tans only enhance a diva’s natural beauty. But remember, always consume sun responsibly! You don’t wanna burn. Not cute. It was a lot of fun, and it also made me think about how I have found all of these great organizations to be involved with, and how lucky I was to have fallen into these groups as a first-year student last year.

The rest of the week went on pretty uneventfully, except for the usual work that had to be done and that fabulous Matcha Green Tea Latte (yes, I’m probably going to be talking about this one for a while). Tonight though, I had to work a rescheduled Saturday Nights at the Terrace event with Tara and OL Mike, along with the RHSA Executive Board. Mike, Tara, and I got free shirts from RHSA that we usually have to sing for, and I was very excited about that as well. Mainly, it was because the shirts were Lady Gaga related. How fitting! (Pardon the shirt pun.) As we set everything up, like putting out the table clothes and candy, Mike and I danced around the Multiple Purpose Room in the Student Union Building. It was really a blast. It was such a great night. There was lots of Gaga music (AND cupcakes since one of the round was themed around her), Beyonce, and other such wonderful pop. Watching the students work on their cupcakes, and seeing all of the creative things they were going was really great. We also ate obnoxious amounts of candy, and a few of the OLs came to visit which was also nice. Probably the best moment of the night was when Sam, Mike, Jen, and I all performed the lipsync with just us. It was hilarious trying to act out all of the parts with just a few of us. Then, I came back to my room and started working on my NEACURH application some more, and now here I sit, typing away, instructing all of you in how to advance yourselves further in being a diva.
As I sit here and reflect, I immediately thought of what a perfect lesson this could be for the week. All week, and especially today, I’ve been thinking about how far I have come since the first year I spent at New Paltz. Sure I was strong for the most part, and unafraid to be myself. I mean…Lady Gaga has taught me well I suppose. But at the same time, there’s more to it than that. There’s also the pieces of finding yourself, finding a place, a space, where you belong and can grow and excel. For example, today I saw some of my students walking around campus, and I suddenly felt this overwhelming feeling of pride that I had helped introduce them to the school, to navigate the campus, and now they’re roaming all over, doing it on their own…and surviving. Even later on today, as I roamed around wearing my cupcake hat in the spirit of Cupcake Wars, I entered the dining hall and so many people knew who I was from this past summer. For obvious reasons, this wasn’t true last year. I think I knew a good amount of people, but how many knew me? Unclear. Now I feel as if the roles have been reversed. I’m taking more chances, and pursuing more of what I want to or enjoy doing. Last year at this time, I would not have applied for NEACURH. I wasn’t ready for it. I think the growth that has taken place, through the ability to measure it, has made me feel better prepared to go through the application process, and see what the outcome could be. That’s just one example. I truly enjoy where I’m at in my life right now. In this moment. Sitting in Sam and Jordan’s room telling all of you about my life. I enjoy it because of this week’s Diva Lesson. I can look back, and reflect. Last year, I came into this school unknowing, and unaware, and in a single year, I have found places where I belong, like Avant-Garde Magazine, or with Student Development. I think that’s what matters the most. Sure sometimes we fall back, we slip, and we can lose sight of where we’re headed. But always remember to analyze your current situation, and see where you’ve come from; where you’ve grown from. It’s not about how far you’ve made it; it’s about how far you’ve come and how much you’ve grown. I think I too, have learned a little this week as well. So I’ll be sure to apply this Diva Lesson to my life more as well. I guess that just goes to show that there’s always more to learn. Hey, I never claimed to be a perfect Diva…just pretty close to it! Take this lesson, enjoy it, learn from it, and grow. Always remember as you move forward, the importance of Diva Lesson #4: Measure Your Growth. Class dismissed.

Extra Credit: My family is coming up this weekend and we’re staying in a house in Gardiner which I’m very excited about. It will be good to see them. It’s been almost a month already! Also: I got a perfect score on my quiz for Classical and Medieval Political Theory. That’s some political REALNESS! Finally, remember to smies (smile with your eyes). Tyra wouldn’t always remind her girls to do it if it wasn’t important!