Wish You Were Here

spring at hopkins + open houses!

I remember when I found out I was accepted to Hopkins and made the quick decision to enroll, I would spend so much time googling "Johns Hopkins" just to find random pictures of anything even remotely related to the school.  So this post is going to be a sort of picture spam of the gorgeous places all around the Hopkins campus that are blooming with the arrival of springtime .. and some pictures from our Admitted Student Open Houses thrown in as well!  Sorry if some of the pictures came out blurry or washed out -- I still haven't 100% learned how to use my camera yet.  {With an entire summer to practice, by next school year I plan to be an amazing photographer.}

                   

These are all pictures from our Upper Quad, which is bound by Gilman, Ames, Krieger, Jenkins/Mergenthaler, and Remsen Halls, and the MSE Library.

                   

Pretty tress behind the AMRs, the Chemistry Building, and Dunning Hall.

               

Daffodils in front of Fresh Food Cafe and on our Breezeway, near the lower quad.

                       

More pretty trees behind Gilman Hall, behind the Hopkins Club, and by the Bloomberg Center.

   

Trees and bushes behind Mudd Hall and Mergenthaler Hall.

             

All pictures from around {and of} Gilman .. my favorite building!

              

The gorgeous flowers/plants by the Hopkins Club.

                 

Some more of the gorgeous trees on campus behind Jenkins Hall, by Maryland Hall, and right by the entrance of Shaffer Hall {apparently pronounced ShAHfer Hall, not Shayyyfer .. who knew?}.

              

All from the lower quad, facing Latrobe, Shaffer, and Shriver Hall.

Now for some pictures of the Hopkins Interactive team at our Admitted Student Open Houses.  A BIG THANKS to everyone who came out for them and those who asked lots of questions!  I honestly live for open houses {I am beyond disappointed that I have to wait a whole half a year for another one!!}, so I know I had the best time answering them.  :)

              

Admissions_Mark pretending to streak for a tour group {hey, we had to do something exciting!}; Julia ... and Rob trying to get away from my camera; and Andrew.

                 

The amazing action shot of Mark that I already posted for you; Siobhan, and Josh {both being oh-so-happy to be photographed, lol}.

                 

Stefanie and Jessica; Kate; Tabitha, Liny, and Stefanie {and me ruining the picture all the way on the right .. that's what I do best, what can I say!}.

         

Esther, and a little part of our Ask A Student table.  Yay for all the people who actually asked questions .. without you, this post of pictures would've been even bigger than it already is!  Let's be honest, the best thing to do when you're bored is to take random pictures.

Ok, so that'll be it for now.  I hope you enjoyed the little snapshots of campus, especially if you couldn't make it to visit in person this year.  Still, even though the open houses are over now, I still encourage you to come and check it out if you can .. it's even better in person!

memories of spring semester

I had a hard time deciding what to write about for this blog entry.  I have tons of entries on my list of ideas: how spring is beginning to bloom here on the Hopkins campus {this entry WILL get written, and will be complete with lots of pretty pictures!}, how great Hopkins admitted student open houses are {I have way too much fun when I work at them!}, how I'm sort of running out of steam and, while I am having so much fun at Hopkins right now, I really sort of need summer to come so I can rest and get refreshed for the fall semester, even how I've really been getting really good at eating good food.  That last one probably won't get written {I'll spare you my triumph over eating my default meal of Beefaroni for lunch and dinner}, but still, back to the point: I had a lot to choose from!  {That's "the beach," the sort of front lawn of our school that is right in front of our library.  As soon as the weather gets nice, TONS of students head out there to hang out and {pretend} to study!}

But, with the realization settling in that I really, honestly, actually only have one month left in my freshman year, I've been getting nostalgic.  The fall 2007 semester seems like a blur now: as I was living it, it felt like time was crawling, but now I understand how fast time went, and how I probably could have enjoyed it even more than I already did.  So I'm going to use this entry to go through all of the highlights of my spring semester thus far .. or at least the ones that I have pictures of to show you!

Bid Night
This semester seems like it has been totally taken over by all things Alpha Phi.  I couldn't be happier about that though -- after our recruitment week was over, I was SO relieved to receive an invitation to join my sorority!!  I'll always remember that first night as a new member of Alpha Phi, when we all got together and played games, painted a banner that hung on our Breezeway that week with all of our names on it, and overall just got to know all the girls that would soon be our fellow sisters.  {That's the only photo of me I have from Bid Night, courtesy of JHU_Julia's blog!}

Poison Ivy, Homecoming 1978 Date Party, etc.
One of the really cool things about being in a sorority {besides the bonds of eternal sisterhood and all} is that we basically get to have dances.  It's like high school, but even better because a lot of the time they're themed, the food is better, and they aren't held in the gym.  In summary .. they're a lot more fun!  This semester so far we've had a semi-formal called Poison Ivy {since the ivy leaf is a major symbol of Alpha Phi} and a date party thrown for Homecoming with the theme of Homecoming 1978.  There were some crazy costumes for that one, let me tell you! {Pictures - Megan, me, and Naomi at date party; JHU_Stephanie, Ellen, Miriam, me, and JHU_Jackie at Poison Ivy; Jackie, me, and Stephanie at date party; an example of those crazy costumes I was talking about, with Julia and Dorothy!}

Spring Break BABIIIIEEESSS
During the last half of my Spring Break {on March 20th} my cousin had identical twin girls, Hailey and Kara!  They were born about a month and a half before their actual due date so they were too premature to come home right away, but they're really doing great so far.  They're both taking bottles {instead of being fed from a tube}, and neither of them need huge oxygen tubes on them anymore.  I've only gotten to see them once and, since it was the day after they were born, I couldn't hold them, but I have an entire summer of being home .. and I'll hopefully get to see them a LOT!  Even just from when these pictures were taken, they've gained lots of weight and seem like they've developed their own little personalities.  I'm really excited to see them grow and grow as the next few months pass by. {Pictures - Hailey on March 30; Kara on March 27; the twins together on March 31.}

Revelation
In Greek Life, when you're a new sister/brother, you usually take some time to get to know the older people in your organization and, after a while, are matched up with someone older who is supposed to be your "mentor," a person with more experience that you can get to know really well, spend time with, and turn to whenever you need someone to be there for you.  So, Revelation is the night when you find out who that is!  First we had a ceremony when I found out who my big sister was {and, therefore, who my whole family is, because Naomi -- my big -- has a big named Kate, and Kate has a big named Megan, and she -- who is my bigbigbig, lol -- took two sisters as her littles, so I actually have a whole other side to my family as well -- aunts and cousins!}; then we all went out to dinner at Holy Frijoles in the Hampden area of Baltimore; then we went back to Megan's to just relax and sort of bond now that we all knew we would be family; and then, since it was a Saturday, we went out all together.  {Pictures - the Crabby family; all the new sisters waiting to go find out who their bigs are; Victoria, Megan, me, and Naomi at Holy Frijoles.}

GREEK Mondays
Every Monday night at 8pm, a group of us Alpha Phi girls gathers on the 7th floor of Wolman Hall west to watch Greek together.  Mondays are almost always incredibly busy for everyone homework/studying-wise, so it is great to have that hour together to take a break, relax, and watch us some Cappie!

Opening Day at Camden Yards
Four of us went to the Orioles game on opening day of the season!  The Orioles lost, but we still had so much fun.
         

Open Houses/Overnight Stays
I'll probably write another blog entry about the admitted student open houses .. but, for now, you get a photo of Admissions_Mark.  We were trying to do action shots during a lull in questions from admitted students and their families, and I think we did a pretty good job.

Homecoming
Unlike most schools, we have our Homecoming -- when alumni all come back to Hopkins and current Hopkins students almost explode with school spirit! -- in the spring, coinciding of course with a lacrosse game.  So, to celebrate this year's Homecoming, I first had a huge breakfast of M&M pancakes, bacon, danish, lemon cake, and orange juice with Naomi and Pooja {my aunt in my APhi family, even though we're both freshmen!}.  Then, we went over to Alpha Phi's barbecue: everyone got together at the grills next to the AMR freshman dorms, and we ate hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey burgers, cupcakes, cookies, soda, etc.  And THEN we finally went to the game, where we saw Hopkins walk all over University of Maryland .. we ended up winning 10-4!  And then Pooja and I went and got chinese food and sushi.  {Pictures - my family, minus my great-aunt Ingrid; waiting for the stands to fill up with my family that still goes to school here, minus Pooja who took the picture.}

And there are so many other great parts of this semester that I cannot possibly list them all, like the first time I got an A on a French quiz after not seeming to be able to break 90 all semester, or the time I planned my clases for the fall of my sophomore -- yes, SOPHOMORE -- year, or the time that I had a really bizarre interview to become a Student Advisor for next year.  This semester seemed like it just flew by and it's really hard to believe summer is less than a month away.

Practically, I can't wait to go home and take a break from all the work.  My organizational systems {both in my room and in my studying/homework habits} have broken down and really need to be reestablished, lol, and I obviously REALLY miss my family and my town.  But I have to be honest .. I'm actually going to miss Hopkins during those three months.  When I first came here I would never have guessed I'd end up saying that -- all I wanted to do was go home!  But I feel like I've settled in here and, now, every day here has something good about it.  I have a routine, and I have a certain familiarity with my life here now.  I'm going to miss the friends I've made, being busy and feeling really accomplished and productive with the challenges I overcome, and the simple things, like the sounds of the Baltimore streets, the taste of the BBQ breaded chicken sandwiches at Levering, and people opening and closing {ok .. more like slamming} the doors on my floor.  I'm going to be homesick for college when I'm actually AT home, and that seems so weird to me.  Just another thing to get used to though, I guess, which I really feel like freshman year is all about -- adapting, and learning to become accustomed to some really unpredictable, new, interesting things!

what lies ahead

CONGRATULATIONS to all those lucky students who got letters welcoming them into the Class of 2012!  I'm sure you know this already, but this time in your lives right now will prove to be so exciting.  You'll wish with anticipation for time to go faster, and at the same time you wish you could enjoy those last few months of high school forever.  You'll be here before you know it though -- it's hard to believe I already only have about a month left of my freshman year. 

It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting in front of the family computer, over-eagerly refreshing my GMail inbox and waiting for my yes or no email.  I say "over-eagerly" because GMail actually refreshes your inbox for you . I was just so impatient after months of the decision being out of my hands that I think I wanted to feel like I had some control over making my decision arrive faster.  {I'm in a nostalgic mood since we're talking about high school .. those pictures are of the history/language hallway in Haddon Township High School, while we were decorating it for Spirit Week in our junior year.}

To be completely honest, when I applied to schools, I hadn't been banking on Johns Hopkins.  I obviously understood it was a beyond amazing school and that I would be honored to be accepted.  I put a lot of time and effort into my application for that reason and really tried hard to make sure I showed off my talents, strengths, interests, and what I would bring to the university in the clearest way possible for the person in Admissions who would eventually read it.  But I don't know that I ever really expected to actually come here .. until that moment when, after refreshing my GMail inbox for the 100000th time, I saw those words: "Congratulations from Johns Hopkins University!"

I still have the email, and every single time I look at it I remember that strange, unexplainable feeling that I felt when it popped up onto the webpage.  It felt like all the blood rushed to my head and to my fingertips -- everything got tingly, probably because I was so surprised! -- and it felt like my heart started to beat faster and faster and faster and would never slow down, and I'm sure my foot was wiggling up and down because that's what I do when I'm nervous and excited, and I had the urge to snap my fingers and be 6 months into the future at Johns Hopkins, RIGHT NOW, because I've been accepted and why would I want to wait any longer to get there? 

But I seem to remember just sitting in my chair with my mom at the table next to me and my dad in the next room, totally calm on the outside, just saying, "I got in!" loud enough so they both could hear.  At that moment, for some reason I'll never understand, none of the other decisions I was waiting for mattered.  {Those are my parents and me during one of their more recent visits to Hopkins.}

This year was definitely more competitive than any other before {even just from when I applied!}, and I am so excited for all of you new Blue Jays to join the Hopkins community.  This campus, more than any other place I have ever been, inspires me every day.  It sounds silly and probably a little cliche, but you really do walk by students or sit in class with them and wonder which one will cure a major disease, which one will become an extremely influential politician, which one will win a Pulitzer for their novel, and which one might be president of Hopkins or another university {Or the country?!  You never know!} later on down the road.  {That picture has basically no relevance, but since I finally found out who my big and my Alpha Phi family are, I'm excited!!  So there's a picture of my bigbig, my big, and me.  And they're pretty awesome, so I can make it less random by saying that they're some of those inspiring people I was talking about!}

It is such a surreal idea to grasp, to know that you are going to school with the best of the best.  Never in my life have I considered myself "knowledgable" about a whole lot of things and, while I know I'm driven and determined and have huge dreams for myself, I never really let myself believe that I was capable of achieving anything BIG in my life.  But living, learning, and talking with these students has almost made it seem like it's possible for me and for everyone .. and, because of the friends I've made here and the things I've learned about the world and about myself, I'm excited to try to make that happen.

So CONGRATULATIONS again .. get excited, and enjoy every single second left of your senior year and your first summer before college.  I am so happy to be here now and to feel like I'm making progress towards a future goal, but time always goes by way too fast.  Slow it down, take one day at a time, and know that there are so many amazing things waiting for you when you get here in the fall.  :)

{And, in the meantime, come visit if you can!}

Hopkins Cribs: Wolman Hall East, Suite 504B

Welcome to Wolman Hall East, Suite 504B!!

As you'll see when you first come in to our suite, we have a kitchenette complete with a refrigerator, two burners, and a sink.  We also have a bathroom .. but each of those places need a little bit of scrubbing down before I'll show them on my blog, so let's continue on!  ;)

Heading down the hallway to my and my roommate's bedroom, you'll see we tried to decorate the walls to make things a little more festive.  Those pictures are from a calendar we bought from a stationary store about a block from campus.  They're French advertisements for mostly kitchen items {food goods, spices, etc.}, and they're so colorful that they definitely do brighten up a plain, boring white hallway.

On opening the door to bedroom B, the first thing you see is my desk.  My desk is RIGHT in front of the door: if I sat there to do work, I'd practically be out in the hallway!  So, as you can see, it has become a handy storage area.  I keep all my books, my printer, flowers, and my flavored syrups {for Italian Sodas!} all the way on top; I have nail polish, medicine, bandaids, and jewelry on the next shelf; on the bottom, I have books, magazines, important paperwork, and some decorative touches like my Big Ben sculpture made of silver wire.  And, of course, my shoes are all underneath!  It looks cluttered .. but trust me, everything has its place.

The next big piece of furniture is my closet, which is right next to my desk.  On top of that, I have my television, my lava lamp, my mirror, and more school books, but recently it has been taken over by Alpha Phi things!  I have a bear that I got during Revelation {which is when all the new sisters find out which "family" they have been taken into}, a daffodil that my big gave me during our naming ceremony, and wooden letters that my big decorated and that spell out APHI.

Speaking of Alpha Phi, presents are not only taking over in that one area .. they're all over the place!!   Last week was Secret Week, so the new sisters got anonymous presents ALL week long from their big sisters.  I can't bear to take mine out of the bags because I want to make sure I remember what I got on each day, so everything is just sort of sitting in a corner of my room.  I'm making use of all the tee shirts, mugs, and candy .. I just have to dig through the pile to get at them.

So now, to the most important part of the room: my bed!!  I do all of my studying there, if people come over we sit on the bed {our plan early on was to make enough room for chairs/a futon .. and it didn't actually happen}, I get my beauty rest there .. it's pretty much essential.  It's amazingly comfortable thanks to a featherbed that my grandmother bought for me and, since my aunt and uncle bought bed risers for me, underneath of my bed is great for storing all my snacks, toiletries, my suitcase, and cleaning supplies.

And last but not least .. the obligatory tour of the fridge!  My roommate brought a mini fridge with her so we actually have one right in our room {our suitemates use the one that came with our kitchenette, so it works out really well}, and it's really convenient.  We keep all sorts of things -- milk, eggs, take-out, yogurt, chocolate icing {ok, that's mine}, soda, and more.   It's really nice to be able to keep these things there so they don't go bad.  It's great to know that you have the ingredients to always have a home-cooked meal if you decide you want one!

And there you have it -- a pretty typical Wolman suite.  I love Wolman and would recommend it to any incoming freshman.  It's just like a dorm in that you share a room, interact with people on your floor, and learn to do things on your own, but it's even more like an apartment in that you can cook for yourself, you have to clean for yourself, and you have room to take the steps to make it feel more like home.  It's a great dorm, and I'm really happy that I could show you a tiny bit of it so that you can see it for yourself.  I hope you enjoyed it!

Now, just as they say on MTV Cribs all the time .. get out of my house!  ;)

happiness is ..

For the sake of keeping the randomness going for one more week, I've been keeping a list of little things that happen in life that make me happy.  They're things that keep me going when school gets really stressful, or when it feels like my next trip home is really far away, or when I'm feeling sick or tired or annoyed or whatever.  They're things that really don't mean anything in the large scope of things .. but they matter to me.

1)  When my favorite songs come up on my iTunes party shuffle.
2)  The reaction everyone has when I tell them I've met JK Rowling .. because, honestly, it is pretty cool.  It's easily one of the neatest things I'll ever be able to say I've done in life.
3)  The color purple.  The actual color, not the movie.
4)  My authentic Louisianaian Mardi Gras beads that hang off the corner of one of the pictures on my wall {in particular, the ones with the crawfish, oyster, crab, and shrimp boot charms on them}.
5)  Making anyone laugh.
6)  Staying up late doing nothing productive but playing Scrabulous and learning how to make Country Fried Steak from Paula Deen {key: no amount of buttahh is too much buttahh}.
7)  Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing I still have more than three hours left to sleep.
8)  Bathing suits, especially my newest additions to my collection.  It's an obsession.
9)  New hair cuts, especially when my hair still smells like the salon where I got it cut.
10)  Getting my hair shampooed at that salon.
11)  Driving into Baltimore down Charles Street and realizing that I'm really, actually going to Johns Hopkins University.  I live it every day, and even still it feels surreal sometimes.
12)  Seeing tour groups of prospective students and their parents all around campus.  When I walk by, something about these groups sort of makes me want to randomly burst out a, "Yayyyyy, Johns Hopkins!!"  But I don't, because I kind of have a feeling that wouldn't sell the school all that well.
13)  Jeff Probst.
14)  Restaurants around campus like Bert's now being SMOKE FREE.  You don't realize how good of a law that is until you go somewhere that doesn't have it {like Baltimore for my first semester}.
15)  Freshly painted fingernails, especially if the paint job is a good one.
16)  Pearls.  It's as simple as that .. I just have a thing for them, I guess.
17)  Going to graduate student Writing Seminars readings at the Den and realizing that they are all about sex, alcohol, and general social awkwardness .. and then realizing that no, this isn't what creative writing is all about.
18)  Being able to read an article in the newspaper that I wrote.
19)  Seeing a movie for the first time .. but only if it's a good one.
20)  Knowing that, even if it's hard and even if I question it sometimes, I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing with my life right now.
21)  Babies, and knowing that they really do learn something new every single day.
22)  McDonalds chicken nuggets.  I know they're a heart attack in a cute little box, but they're fantastic.
23)  Hugs.  And being told, "I love you."
24)  Good television, and the fact that all of my favorite shows are going to be coming back on the air soon!  I've missed Dirty Sexy Money, Boston Legal, Grey's, and How I Met Your Mother so bad!
25)  Crossing the bridge from Delaware into New Jersey.  There's no happiness quite like coming home.

Speaking of, I have THREE days left until I head to New Jersey for spring break!  I don't really have any grand plans -- I imagine there will be lots of sleeping, lots of eating real homecooked food, lots of playing board games, and lots of watching movies -- but I'm looking forward to it all the same.  It will be amazing to have almost two whole weeks without any classes, and that same amount of time with very little homework to worry about.  I can't wait to kick back, relax, and spend some quality time at home.

JHU_Lauren: A Few of My Favorite Things

This week, all of us at Hopkins Interactive thought we'd change it up a bit and present a common topic.  Through the blogs and message boards, we've loved giving you all a glimpse of our lives at Hopkins while helping also show you what might lie in store for you if you decided to become a Hopkins student as well.  One of our favorite things, though, is getting to talk about the totally random things that we love!  Just like we've done with the Off Topic Discussion Forum of the message boards, we're taking a break this week from Hopkins talk and discussing our favorite things.

So here are my answers to a survey of my favorite things.  Be warned .. things are about to get REALLY random!


Who is your favorite author?
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Dickens.  I'm a wordy writer and I get in trouble for it regularly, so I love seeing acclaimed writers who have embraced details, elevated language, social commentary, and intricate plots.  Their styles are similar to the style I hope to use while writing in the future, but the difference between them and myself is that they had such a handle on making that style work.  I'm still working to get to that point {that's what education is for!}, so they're easily two of my favorite authors and role models.  {That picture is one of my favorite books of all, This Side of Paradise.}

What is your favorite website?
Facebook and Live Journal.  It's pretty hard not to like them!  Also, for one website you may not have heard of .. I am in love with Overheard in New York, a website where people submit funny and/or bizarre snippets of conversations that they overhear in New York City.

What is your favorite item in your bedroom?
Either my lava lamp or my neon palm tree.  I have lots of little things in my room I love -- a few stuffed animals, pictures of my family and friends, my Alpha Phi welcome banner, Mardi Gras beads from Louisiana, cookies .. but I think those two items are the quirkiest and the most fun of them all!

What, in your opinion, has been the greatest invention of your time?
The remote control.  I know the Internet, cell phones, and the iPod are HUGE in terms of the advances they've brought to technology, but the television remote control is so useful and really groundbreaking.  It's wireless, it involves sending a signal over space, and it makes life a whole heck of a lot easier.  My parents always laugh and tell me the horrors of actually having to get UP from the couch to change the channels and adjust the volume .. crazy!  ;)

What is your favorite news source?
Television.  I get my entertainment news from the E! ticker at the bottom of the screen, weather updates from The Weather Channel, politics and world news from CNN, and local news from the 11 o'clock nighttime news {both at home and in Baltimore, I usually watch ABC}.

What is your favorite movie series?
Of course, I have way more than just one series.  It has to be Harry Potter, Grease, Father of the Bride, or My Girl.  I love them all for different reasons -- Harry Potter because it's magical, Grease because it's a musical {singing makes every movie better}, Father of the Bride because it's cute, quirky, and a little bit goofy {and Kimberly Williams-Paisley is an Alpha Phi, gotta love that!}, and My Girl because it is SO down-to-earth and SO real.

What is your favorite time of day? Why?
Early, early morning, just as the sun is rising.  It's rare for me to actually not be sleeping at this time of day, but it makes me so happy to feel like I'm the only one awake for miles.  I love that feeling as the sun is rising and everything gets a little bit lighter, a little bit lighter, and a little bit lighter still until the day has finally arrived.  It feels so fresh and so new -- it makes it hard not to feel positive that your day is going to turn out right.

Who is your favorite one-hit wonder?
According to VH1.com's list of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders, New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" is a one-hit wonder.  I have a bunch of songs by them so I never gave it a thought .. but I LOVE that song!  And I'm a big fan of some of their others too: "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega, "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mixalot, etc.  That New Radicals song is a legitimately great song, but the others are just fun, and I think that's what a one-hit wonder really should be.  Go to the list and pick your own favorites!

Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to have a cup of tea with?
Dolly Parton, Audrey Hepburn, or Helena Bonham Carter.  They are all extremely interesting women in very, very different ways -- I admire each of them for certain characteristics they possess and certain life experiences they have had.  And with any of the three, I have a feeling our tea time would definitely not be boring!

What is your favorite quote?
I have two.

"My favorite thing is to go where I've never been." -- Diane Arbus

"Leave something good in every day." -- Dolly Parton

Are you a dog person? Cat person? An "other" person? Why?
I'm a dog person through and through!  Cats creep me out -- they walk around and have that look in their eyes like they know something we don't know.  They're too independent for me, I think .. I like to be able to take care of a pet, to cuddle, to play, and to enjoy each other's company.  With that said, the only pets I've ever had were hamsters, fish, and hermit crabs, and I still turn into a pouty 8 year old when I'm told there is basically no chance I'll ever be able to bring a dog into my house, but I know I would just love the experience of having a dog.

What is your favorite game?
I don't have one favorite -- I have lots!  Scrabble, Boggle, Sorry, Monopoly, LIFE, Gin Rummy, Apples to Apples, Mad Gab, Scattegories .. the list goes on and on.  I'm a big game person!

Who is your favorite TV villain?
Okay, so after thinking for a couple days about this, I came up with one: Lucy Spiller from Dirt.  Courtney Cox-Arquette plays a great ruthless, matter-of-fact, basically bitchy tabloid magazine editor, and it is so entertaining.  So that's who's my favorite!

Where is the one place in the world you would want to visit?
Russia!

No, I shouldn't answer that quickly because I have wayyy more than one place I'd want to go!  I've actually created a list on 43places.com {it's a really neat website where you can create a profile and list the top places you want to go -- then, when you go, you can check them off the list and replace them with others if you want}, and my top places there are Moscow, Pompeii, Tuscany, and Ireland.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
The animated series "Arthur."  I have never, ever been a fan of cartoons, but I LOOOOOVE watching this show!  Half the time, I think some of the things are written more for adults than children anyway, lol.  It is so much fun to watch.  That, and Drake and Josh.

To finish the survey, here are some questions invented by Bernard Pebo that are asked at the end of every episode of Inside the Actor'€™s Studio by the host, James Lipton.

What is your favorite word?
I'm a fan of double-Z words, like "dazzle" or "fizzle" or "pizza."  In terms of meaning though, my favorite is "home."  Or "Jersey!"  :)

What is your least favorite word?
Batch, fetch, words like that.  Apparently I like a word based on sounds that are in the word, lol.  That's something I never really noticed before!

What turns you on (creatively, spiritually, or emotionally)?
Making people laugh.

What turns you off?
Laziness, or the ability to settle for less than you're worth or less than you're capable of.  I hate to see people devoid of any ambition or determination .. and, therefore {at least in my book}, any self-respect.

What sound or noise do you love? 
Waves crashing at the seashore, with amusement rides and seagulls and chatter in the background.  And that totally contagious, uncontrollable laughter of a toddler.

What sound or noise do you hate?
CHEWING.  There isn't anything much worse than this for me.  And really, it's so preventable -- is it that difficult to keep your mouth shut when you're eating?

What profession would you like to attempt?
I want to be a respected novelist, America's Next Top Model {honestly, who doesn't want to follow in Tyra's footsteps?}, a screenwriter, a fashion designer, and a mother, all at the same time.  Basically, super woman.  I think it's possible.

What profession would you absolutely not like to attempt?
Anything involving science or math.  I'd end up hurting someone with my complete inability to make anything worthwhile happen involving either of those subjects, honestly.

Finally, if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"Overall .. nice job."

If you want to agree or totally dispute any of my answers, or if you just want to chat, be sure to add a reply on my personal message board thread!  And back to why we're here for you .. if you have any Hopkins-related questions, don't hesitate to as them there as well!

aaahh .. aaahh .. aahhhcchooo!

The entire Johns Hopkins student body is sick right now.

Now, that sounds farfetched -- and, granted, is probably a little bit inaccurate -- but honestly, every single person I know has complained at least once of a headache, coughed/sneezed messily in my presence, and/or have been couped up in their room with flu-like symptoms in the past two weeks.  People I pass while I'm walking to class are blowing their nose, coughing up a lung, or just look miserable in a way that only the combination of fever/stuffy nose/sore throat can create.  I myself had a 103 degree fever for a few days a week and a half ago {flu, I decided, since I basically couldn't move because of the aches and couldn't eat because of the sore throat} which turned into a nasty, painful sinus infection.  That is now holding on as a head-splitting headache and a really irritating cough.  I'm pretty sure I gave it to my roommate.

The only upside to being sick at Hopkins is the fact that you actually have an excuse to slack off a little.  It's been a nice break, to be honest, to be able to lay in bed, watch a little more television than I should, get very little work done, and stay in my pajamas for most of the day.  It sort of sounds like me on a normal, healthy day .. except I certainly feel better about doing those things when I have a feverish forehead to back it up.

So, needless to say it's fun here at Hopkins right now.  I'd end with "I wish you were here" .. because that IS my blog theme and all .. but, honestly, at the moment, I don't.  Even if you're the most hygenic person, even if you take Airborne religiously and vow to give up hand-shaking and hugging and "Hey, how ya doin'?" until this crazy epidemic passes, you'll get it.  That's one of the drawbacks to living in such close quarters with the same people you go to class with, study with, and hang out with -- you pick up everything.

Let's see, how can I spin this .. ok, wish you were here, with a box of Sudafed, a stack of magazines, and a chicken nugget Happy Meal to make me feel better.

That's the food I crave when I'm sick, what can I say.  :)

Be All That You Can Be With ALPHA PHI!

It's official ... I am now a new ...

ALPHA PHI BABYYYYYY!

Head over to the Hopkins Guest Blog and read Anne's blog, which perfectly describes the Rush experience.  It was a lonnnnnggg week and I already have so much to write about {you know me!} so, rather than me explain it, I thought it'd be best to send you over there where it is already laid out really well.

After such a stressful week, Bid Day and Bid Night were a relief!  To finally know where I ended up and to meet all of my future sisters on Bid Night was so exciting -- the picture on the left is of me at Bid Night {stolen from JHU_Julia, an Alpha Phi junior!}, where we played name games and ate a lot of pizza and really enjoyed getting to know all of the other girls.

Since all the invitation day festivities, we've been getting together in groups to really get to know each other better: we've eaten dinner at current sisters' apartments, been matched up with an older sister for a one-on-one coffee/lunch/dinner date, and have even gone ice skating together!  Even at this stressful time {even worse because of the fact that almost every single Aphi girl is sick right now, including me}, I get SO excited before every Alpha Phi event.  I can't wait to walk in and meet someone new or get to know someone better {it's a small group of girls .. but it still takes a while to learn everything about everyone!} and have a great time in the process. 

And what's even better is that I honestly feel like I ended up where I belong.  If you go through Rush, you have to make really important decisions and you will undoubtedly question yourself as you go through and have to rank the sororities in order of your preference.  But as long as you're in it for the right reasons {to meet new, intelligent, GREAT girls and to develop a sort of family at Hopkins that you can always rely on .. and that you actually like!}, you will end up exactly where you should be.  I haven't met an Alpha Phi girl that I haven't liked so far or whom I wasn't interested in learning more about.  They really are extremely intelligent, fun, interesting, silly, caring, concerned, and aware, and I feel so lucky to soon be able to call myself their sister.  I feel so comfortable around every single one of them, and I feel like they all know and appreciate me for who I truly am.  That's what everybody wants, isn't it?  :)

If you have any questions at all about Rush, Greek life, becoming a new member, or anything else, make sure you use our message boards!  If you want to ask a question of me in particular, head over to my Meet Me thread.

And I WILL get around to writing that blog about my trip to Louisiana, I swear.  I have so many pictures that can't go to waste just sitting here on my computer, so I've got to!  In the meantime, check out Anne-Jay the Blue Jay mascot's post over at our Random Blog for a few pictures and a short account.  And, until next time, wish you were here!

rushin' around

So, the first full week of school is over!  This morning I dropped We Are What We Eat {personally, I think it would have been too much work for just one credit}, but I still went to the other two courses I haven't told you about yet.  They were AMAZING -- Tuesday and Thurdsay are easily my favorite days of the week now!

Introduction to Fiction and Poetry Writing II
For this class, which is a requirement for Writing Seminars majors, I am in a majors-only section, which so far has been really exciting.  It is really challenging because you know that the others in the class are just as serious, just as interested, and think that they are just as "qualified" as you do.  I'm excited to workshop my pieces of writing with this new batch of students, and see how different it is.  I have this class with Professor Glenn Blake as well and, as some advice to you all: TAKE A CLASS WITH GLENN.  I've only had two class sessions so far and, honestly, he is just such a neat guy.  We're going to be reading some great stuff this semester and I love my class, but he makes me so excited to get on with the semester.

Renaissance Keywords
This class is a 300 level and there are about 8 people in the class.  At first, this made me nervous.  I felt like I was in wayyyyyy over my head, and that I should drop the class and take something easier that everyone takes and passes.  But I'm glad I stuck it out because, so far, I feel like I've learned a lot.  I may not have really picked up any information that I didn't know, but I've learned that I can really read fast, lol.  That's a good skill to have!  It's going to be a great class though ... seriously, these two courses make my Tuesdays and Thursdays wonderful.  They remind me why I chose to be an English/Writing Seminars major to begin with!

Even with classes put aside, things have been busy busy busy!  I am almost finished with rush here at Hopkins, during which I feel like the entire freshman class of girls has been rushing our four sororities along with me.  I know it isn't every freshman female {don't feel like you HAVE to rush, because you definitely don't -- it isn't a major part of life here on campus, but it's an option that every girl should consider}, but there are a lot of girls and it makes me a little nervous to think about it {more girls=chances of getting a bid to join the sorority you want goes down!}.  I definitely have my one favorite though, and that's a comfort going into the very last event.  It's hard to go to each of the four sororities during rush week, get to know a few girls from each one, try to picture yourself there, and then rank them based on how comfortable you feel, but I think I really found a good fit.  I won't say anything yet about it .. we find out Thursday for sure!

So until then, I say to all of you, from my heels, blown-dry hair, dangly earrings, and pretty skirt {it's fun to dress up for rush!} ... wish you were here!

spring has sprung!

The first full day of spring semester 2008 has officially come to an end!  This semester feels pretty much like the last one, with the exception that I'm less emotional {I'm certainly not as homesick, because I understand that a month without going home really isn't all THAT long -- it seems it though!}, and with the exception that it seems like the student body has like doubled in size.  I went to Levering Hall for lunch yesterday around 1:30 and I stood in line for about 20 minutes just to get a chicken sandwich.  Levering closes at 2:00pm, and I have honestly never, EVER seen that many people there so close to their closing time.  Nuts!

I've only been to three of my classes so far {I still have two more today, and one new one tomorrow that only meets once a week} but, while it's clearly going to be a lot of work and pretty tough to get through {I get dramatic -- of course we'll all get through it!  Sometimes it doesn't seem that way, though, especially during exam time}, each of my classes sounds like it will be a lot of fun .. and if not fun, then at least interesting!

Advanced Intermediate French II {Dunning Hall}
Although I only went to the introductory class so far {I'll have our first "real" session tomorrow}, this sort of seems like it'll just be a continuation to Advanced Intermediate French I .. which sort of makes sense.  Our first assignment was to read a short French story called Le Tailleur Fute, which my high school French class and I read in 11th grade, so I'm feeling pretty confident.  Even so, I know not to get too full of myself -- there are always curve balls, always things that everyone else knows that you don't, so you have to be prepared for everything.  I have a new teacher's assistant this semester and, while I really enjoyed last semester, I'm ready for the change.  I'm not looking forward to having to make regular visits to the language lab to take quizzes again though .. but I guess that comes with it.  There's got to be a balance, college can't be all roses and rainbows, lol.

Fluid Earth {Olin Hall}
Holy moly.  Honestly, I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I took this class.  Sure, I needed one more 3-credit class in Natural Sciences, Quantatative Sciences, or Engineering to finish up my distribution requirements for my majors, but Fluid Earth?  A real, full-blown science course, about the globe and plates and continental shelves and longitude and latitude?  The last science course I took, Subatomic World, was geared toward non-science majors so I did pretty well, and I think I got a little too full of my capabilities when I was picking classes again.  It'll be very, very interesting, to say the least -- all I know is that I will be paying super attention in class and really studying my notes.  I always have to try harder to understand science than I do any other subject, so this isn't any different.  It makes me nervous though!

We Are What We Eat {Mudd Hall}
This class is a freshman seminar of 25 students, and it's based all around nutrition and the processes that food goes through once it is ingested.  We were all assigned a topic {I got Absorption}, and we have to prepare and present a 50 minute "seminar" on your topic on your assigned day {I'm on March 3rd -- I wanted to get it done before spring break}.  I'm a little nervous because I haven't done a big presentation like that in college yet, but I'm also sort of excited to get creative, make posters and hand-outs, and get up in front of the class like we did in high school.  I hadn't realized it, but I missed those hands-on projects!

That's it so far!  I'll post again after I've gone to my next two classes, and then edit that post once I've experienced my very last one.  And after that, my Louisiana post!  I'm excited to do that one -- I wish I would've had more time to do it!  School really crept up on me this semester .. it was break, and then all of a sudden it was my last weekend home.  I'm loving the semester so far, but here's hoping the semester goes as fast as winter vacation did!  I have a feeling it will, as it's already almost February, Groundhog Day is right around the corner, and every tree on campus is FILLED with robins.  It definitely feels like spring, even with little remnants from our last snow on the ground.

So, during the exciting first week back at school -- when everything feels new again, from the campus to friends to classes to even your dorm room in some strange way -- I've got to say .. wish you were here!