For what it's worth...

Video Blog

2008-04-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

So my friends and I needed something to do and we decided to make a video blog to share with you all. I always like doing this because it switches things up a bit. It is just a bunch of people hanging out in Corey and Jake(some friends from second floor)'s room. I had them all either give a favorite memory or some advice about college. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Scott

Less than a month left...

2008-04-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I have less than a month left of college. Wow. I really don't think that has totally hit me yet. I mean, I'm sending out resumes and I'm attending end of the year activities and I'm looking for a place to live- but in the back of my mind I still can't imagine not being back here this fall.

Mary and I were talking about that recently about how we're not ready to leave. Well, sometimes. We're at different stages of how we're feeling right now (and to be honest, I'm not sure any 2 seniors are feeling the same way about it because it is just such a big time in our lives), but we are both in agreement that we'll miss it. There are things that I'm ready to see and do outside of Bluffton, but I love my friends and professors and everybody I come in contact with on a daily basis. I'm really torn most days because while I am excited to try something new, I also know how much I love being here, just down the hall from most of my friends. And I feel like I just started. Less than a month of college left? No way.

That being said, it's been a pretty good time lately. Last weekend was one of the highlights of the year actually. I'll let you read Mary's blog for the details, but basically 30 Bluffton students went to Denny's in Findlay around midnight on Friday. It was so much fun, and we got some good pictures from it.

Today I get to sit in on a meeting of the Board of Trustees for Bluffton. Myself and 4 other members of Student Senate will be observing some of the discussions and decisions that the Board makes for the upcoming school year. I've had the chance to do this the past two times (they meet in the fall and spring) and it's always been a neat experience. I really enjoy getting to see what goes on in regards to decision making from a different perspective than just a student who goes to college here.

I don't remember if I mentioned it yet, but in a couple weeks there will be a Rock Band tournament on campus! For those of you who are not familiar with this game, it is just like it sounds- you get 4 people and you perform rock songs. In my band I'm doing vocals. I'll make a video of us playing sometime so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. But anyway, I am getting really excited about this tournament and we are in the process of putting a band together now. We have it pretty much figured out except for one spot. I will definitely keep you posted on this, and include pictures as part of the judging is based on performance and costumes. Oh yeah, life is good.

Well folks, that is all for now. I hope you are having a great day whatever you are doing!

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The pictures are from last weekend at Denny's. The first one of me is a really weird one (which begs the question of why did I put it up) but I was telling a story of taking a picture if I recall correctly.

Bummer.

2008-04-01T22:02:00.001-07:00

So apparently my last blog didn't post. I wrote one last week and something must have happened because I just checked now and it isn't there. Sorry about that. Bummer. Anyway, it has been awhile since I last posted anything. Life has been going pretty well lately though. It has definitely been very busy, but there have been some good things happening as well.

It has been hitting me a lot lately that I'm getting close to graduation. Several end of the year activities are coming up and it is making me realize that I am almost done with my undergraduate career. That is super weird, but I can remember the day I moved in like it was yesterday. I don't want to get all sentimental though, so we'll change the topic.

I found out some pretty cool news this past weekend. As a senior business major, I had to take a test that college students across the country take, and I found out I scored in the top 90th percentile in the country. It was pretty exciting to find out, and the EBA (Economics, Business Administration, and Accounting) Dept. here at Bluffton is giving me $100! So that obviously was a great start to my week. (Sorry, I just felt like bragging there for a little bit. It feels weird telling people in person, but if I write about it it doesn't seem quite as weird for some reason. I'm not sure that makes sense, though.)

My Student Senate responsibilities are coming to a close as well. We (the executive committee and our advisor) met this weekend to decide the allocations for next year. It's pretty cool because as Senate we have a lot of responsibility, including deciding how much each student organization on campus will receive for the upcoming school year. In order to do so, each group fills out an application and then we look at them and talk about each group and the activities they have done as well as what they would like to do. We also discuss how many students are actively involved in the organization, etc. Our meeting took over 2 hours to decide, but I feel good about our decision. It's a neat feeling knowing that you can make decisions that will impact the rest of campus.

And then tonight I went to the mock interview session hosted by the Career Development Center. Several community members from all types of businesses volunteered to interview dozens of students. It was a great chance to get some feedback from real professionals who have had experience interviewing and hiring. I actually hit it off with one of the interviewers who offered to send my resume to a recruiter for his company in Indianapolis! I was excited to find that out, because it sounds like the type of job I might be interested in. I'll let you know what I find out.

Well, that's all for tonight. This is a busy week though, so I'll fill you in on the rest later.

Until next time,

Scott

Almost Spring...

2008-03-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

It's good to be back at school after a week off for Spring Break. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely ready for a break from responsibilities and classes and everything, but when I'm gone for too long I get bored.

Spring Break for me consisted of visiting my brother and his wife in North Carolina until Wednesday which was a lot of fun (Mary wrote more on that), and then coming home for a couple days and just relaxing. I had a job interview as well but I just didn't bring my A-game and I don't think it went all that well. Oh well, I am just taking that as practice and an experience to learn from.

So I imagine if you're reading this there is a good chance you are looking at going to college in the fall. If so, you are also probably being bombarded with financial aid packets from all the schools you have been accepted to. A piece of advice from good old Uncle Scotty- breathe.

The decision that you are going to make about what college you will attend is big and I don't want to minimize that at all. But at least from my experience it just comes together after awhile. When I was deciding on where I wanted to go 4 years ago (whoa, that went fast), I spent a lot of time talking with my parents, my older brother and sister, friends, teachers, and admissions counselors. We talked about everything from cost to quality of education to opportunity to get involved and everything in between.

While cost shouldn't (in my opinion) be the deciding factor, it obviously needs to impact your decision. Depending on whether you are getting a lot of financial aid or whether or not you have parents or grandparents are helping to fund your education can make a big difference as to where you might be able to go. Even if you are essentially on your own paying, however, there are almost always a way to make it happen. Talk to your admissions counselor- they will everything they can to get you on campus.

But I strongly recommend balancing that desire for a "cheap" education with a lot of thinking about how the colleges you are choosing from will help to form you in your path through life. I've mentioned in previous posts about how different I am now compared to four years ago when I was making this same decision and I am happy about that. If I had a chance to go back and do anything different, I wouldn't. I have loved so much about Bluffton and the opportunities and experiences I have had here.

So as you're making your final decision in these next few months, remember to keep some of those things in mind. After I factored in a lot of pros and cons about each college I was looking at, Blufton stood out as the place that I felt I should be. There was just a moment all of a sudden when I knew that it was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life.

Hopefully you have a similar experience. Talk to your parents, siblings, friends teachers, mentors, pastor, Sunday school teacher, etc. Ask them if they attended college what factors helped make their decision. Talk to current students at places you are considering. But most of all, make sure it is your decision by deciding what is important to you.

I hope that helps. Now if you have any advice for finding a job, please let me know as this is all new to me. :)

Until next time,

Scott

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-02-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

What a week so far! It has been nice because it hasn't felt so busy. Plus, we've had quite a bit of snow and my friends and I have taken advantage of it by making a snowman, sledding and snowboarding. It's weird because sometimes growing up people try to act so cool and grown up and then when you get to college something happens that makes you wanna be a little kid again.

Tonight we were out for the second time this week and we spent a couple hours snowboarding down a hill by Sauder Visual Arts Center. It's not a huge hill, but big enough that I'm unable to stay on a snowboard. We decided part of my problem is that I have such big feet (size 14 shoes) and so my heels touch the ground instead of staying on the board. So we got the bright idea that I should stand on the plastic sled and use that as a sort of snowboard. And now I'm in pain. I got going pretty fast on that thing and then landed right on my shoulder. The other guys said it was one of the coolest wipe outs they had seen so far that night though, so that was some consolation at least. But I was definitely on the ground for a little while, and my first thought was "I wander if I broke something." It's gonna be sore in the morning.

I just realized that I never talked about Tony Campolo (see my last post where I mention my world getting rocked). Anyway, if you've never had the chance to read anything by him or hear him speak, I definitely recommend you check him out. He is an incredible speaker who really challenges you.

But hearing him speak last week really shook me up. He was brought in for our Spring Spiritual Life Week, so that was kind of the point I suppose. He talked a lot about how we are so wrapped up in our earthly comforts and things that we don't even care about things like kids dying of starvation or the AIDS epidemic. It hit me because lately I've been so excited about the job search and finding a good paying job so that I can pay off my loans and save up money that I have been only focused on myself. God definitely showed me through Tony's message and also some Bible verses later that night that I'm gonna be ok, but that I need to refocus on the types of things that I should be focused on. This doesn't mean that I'm going to be a missionary in some third world country (who knows though), but what it does mean is that my options need to be broadened and I need to seriously considering what it is God would have me do with my life.

So yeah, I've been doing a lot of thinking the past week and I'm not sure what I'll be doing next year. Who knows, it might be finding some job and volunteering some time helping out at a homeless shelter or something like that. Or it might mean a year of service in some other area that needs help. I really don't know, but it's been at the forefront of my mind lately, and I don't think it's going to go away.

I feel like I've covered a lot of ground in this post and the different themes might not fit together as well as you would like, so let me sum up the points that I was trying to get across in my stories. First of all, don't be afraid to just go and have fun. Sure, you might be a little sore later, but it's worth it. Secondly, be thinking about the path you want your life to take and be open to changing your focus. God has a way of shaking up plans sometimes, so it helps to keep an open mind and be ready to adjust.

It's late and I'm tired. Good night.

Until next time,

Scott

Whoa

2008-02-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

I apologize for what has proven to be my longest absence yet from blog writing. But alas, I am back, and I have tales for you that include, but are not limited to, staying up until 4 in the morning playing SimTower (actually, that's the whole story, I was just bored and I had the next day off from my internship because of President's Day), a road trip to Indianapolis, and my world being rocked. Let's dive right in, shall we?

There has been a lot going on this past week. It started out last weekend when I tried to make my computer run faster. Since I've had the same computer that I got because I came to college, it's been running really slow lately. I'm not really a tech guy, but I am ok with computers so I was only a little scared I was going to delete everything. I tried to format my hard drive, but it wouldn't really work. All my stuff is still on my computer, and it runs a little faster I suppose, but at least I found Sim Tower, which is a pretty old game that I forgot I had. So that's been my new time waster this past week.

Then on Monday I had to take a standardized test that all Business majors here have to take. Something like a 1000ish colleges around the country take it as well and it just lets the school know how the business professors are doing. It's actually kind of impressive because normally Bluffton seniors average around the top 70th percentile out of the whole country. As an incentive to students to do well and take it seriously, if you score in the top 90th percentile the EBA (Economics, Business, and Accounting) department gives you $100. So, I don't know if I did, and I'm not sure when we'll find out, but I think I did well. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Later that night Mary and I went to Fort Wayne to stay at her house for the night. It is always fun to get off campus and I love spending time with her family, so it was nice to be able to do that. Then we got up early Tuesday morning and went to see her sister and brother in Indianapolis. We got to babysit for her niece and nephew for a few hours and I discovered that I am apparently a pretty sweet babysitter. Aka, the kids loved me. I don't like to toot my own horn, but- beep beep.

We spent some time talking with her brother later that evening about jobs and what we are planning on doing. He has quite a few connections in the area and has been helping us in our search for a job in Indianapolis. Plus we sat down and talked about expenses and what we would have to make to afford living in the area taking into account rent, groceries, loan payments, etc. It was a little depressing to think about, but at least it painted a realistic picture.

Then the next day we went to a job fair in downtown Indy and realized that maybe we would have to keep looking since there were only 12 companies there. It was pretty funny actually because we actually stayed in line to get into the room for longer than we spent in the job fair. Plus, Mary and I brought the average age down by probably 20 years. If we had made the trip just for the job fair and didn't see her family, it would have definitely been a wasted trip. But it was a blast getting to see them all and spend some quality time with them. Oh, and I had an interview with some sales company that wants me back for a second interview, but I'm not sure if I will at this point. I'll keep you posted.

I just realized that I have written quite a bit and I haven't even touched the "my world getting rocked" part yet. I think I'm just going to write about it next time because I did not expect to spend so much time on what I did. So, I'm keep you in suspense for a couple days, but trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

Until next time,

Scott

So weird to be back here...

2008-02-13T17:58:00.001-08:00

Greetings blog readers. After about a week of no posts, I am back. This past week has been a little weird because my schedule has been getting kind of busy and I'm getting over being sick. Plus I have two job interviews in the next week that I'm trying to prepare for which just adds to everything.

I have been pretty excited about the job search up until this point, but lately it's been getting me down. If you're familiar with Ben Folds, you'll know he sums it up pretty well when he sings "It hurts to grow up, but everybody does, it's so weird to be back here, let me tell you what, the years go on and we're still fighting it, we're still fighting it..." I love the thought that I'll be out on my own sometimes, but other times it just seems like too much. Even though I'm excited about my life after college, I also know that I'm gonna miss this place and the late nights talking with my friends, random trips to the Flying J, and even staying up all night writing papers and studying for tests. (Well, at least I'll miss my friends and the Flying J.)

So yeah, I guess you could say I'm embracing my future but fighting it at the same time. There are days that it seems like I will never get everything done and I'm just annoyed with all of the things I have to do- those are the days that I am ready to say goodbye. But then there are days that I have a few hours to relax and spend time with friends and play Rock Band and watch Scrubs unti the wee hours of the morning- those are the days that I know I'll miss. It's like I can't win.

But alas, time stops for no man. And tomorrow morning I actually have my first job interview. It is in Findlay with a financial investment company and I don't really know what to expect. I have been practicing (and will no doubt continue tonight) interview questions and shining my shoes (fyi, be careful when doing this at home or you might end up getting polish on your jeans like I did) and re-editing my resume for the 139th time and it's finally just time to do it I guess. Wish me luck.

Well, I best get back to the business that is the rest of my night.

Until next time,

Scott

I'm back!

2008-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

It's been kind of a weird week. I apologize for not posting earlier, but I have been feeling a little under the weather, which means that I haven't really done a whole lot, which means it wouldn't have been that interesting anyway. Except for the fact that I watched most of season 6 of Scrubs yesterday as I stayed back from my internship to rest. Like I said, I haven't done much.

Other than being sick, it has been an ok week. I got a couple of bigger assignments out of the way which is a great feeling. My professor in my Christian Ethics class gave us a lot of options as far as how we would be graded, and even let us put together our own syllabus. There are a lot of choices to do (movie reviews, journal entries, a creative project, tests) that are each worth a certain percentage of our overall grade. We just had to pick enough things to add up to 100%. Each one has a specific due date, so I'll essentially be done with my graded assignments in that class by the middle of March and I will already know my grade. I'm pretty excited about that. I mean, I'll still have to go to class and take notes (we have notebooks that he collects periodically that count as part of our grade), but it will clear up my schedule quite a bit as far as assignments go.

And I am really excited about this weekend. On Friday, Mary and I are going to go to her house in Fort Wayne and stay until Sunday. I'm excited to hang out with her parents and just relax. After a few days of not being able to sleep and just feeling sick, it will be nice to get off campus, get a change of scenary, and relax. I love her going to her house and seeing her family.

Looking ahead, the countdown is on until my first job interview. Mary and I are heading down to Indianapolis in a little less than 2 weeks to attend a job fair, do some interviews, and see her family around that area. I also really enjoy those people as well, and we all have a lot of fun when we're together. It still feels weird knowing that I'm interviewing for jobs already. It's cliche, but I feel like you will end up saying it too- college has been some of the best years of my life, but it's also gone by crazy fast.

Well, I'm off to study for my Christian Ethics test. Until next time,

Scott

I'm tired.

2008-01-31T22:32:00.000-08:00

For some reason I just haven't been sleeping well this week. I really don't know why, but I've been going to bed, laying there for an hour or so, and then getting back up for a couple hours because I'm not able to fall asleep. It hasn't been all bad though because it has given me more time to hang out with my friends late at night, which is a lot of fun. I can definitely tell that my body just needs a good rest though.

Today was a pretty good day. My only class was cancelled, which is always nice. Also, today was Focus the Nation, which is an event that a myself and a few others from the Student Senate Recycling Committee have been planning. (See my last entry for a little more explanation.) There was a pretty good turnout and the professors had a lot of insightful things to talk about regarding global climate change.

Tonight a couple guys from my floor and myself went to the Flying J in Beaverdam just a few minutes away. It's just a truck stop restaurant, but there's something about it that just screams "college hangout". I'm not sure if it's the huge amounts of greasy food, the interesting people that dine there, or the fact that you can pay for a shower, but it's a Bluffton favorite. One of the guys had never been there before, and that's always a great experience. I have spent countless hours at the J during my time here at Bluffton. Everything from midnight trips with friends to sleepless nights when I went by myself at 4 a.m. It's definitely one of those college things I'll miss.

I also scheduled my first job interview this afternoon! It is with a marketing firm in Indianapolis in about 3 weeks. And I think I have another one for around the same time, as soon as this other company calls me back. It's crazy to think that I am interviewing for a real job. I mean, I've interviewed for things before like high school jobs, my Resident Advisor position, and my internship this past summer, but this is real stuff. This is moving out on my own, wearing a suit, paying rent, doing all my grocery shopping type stuff. This is crazy stuff.

I am excited about my trip to Indy that time because in addition to interviewing, I will also be attending a job fair. So even if nothing comings of the interview(s), I will hopefully have some more ideas after I leave. As much as I am so excited about all this, it still doesn't seem real at times.

This just seems kind of all over the place tonight. Maybe I just need some sleep.

Until next time,

Scott

It's already the 4th week of the semester?

2008-01-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately in my blog posts. I don't have a lot of deep thoughts or memories for you today though, but I did get to wear my favorite outfit to my internship today (see below, minus the jacket). And someone even said I looked "chic". I guess there is a first time for everything.Speaking of my internship, it just seemed long today. Whenever you start a new job it always takes some time to adjust, but sometimes it takes awhile. With an internship I think it's more challenging because while the point of an internship is to be challenged, it's hard to do that before you get the hang of the environment, what is expected, etc. Also, an intern typically spends only a couple months at the internship, so you don't really have the luxury of time to get really get settled in. That being said, it was still an ok day, just long.

Nothing too crazy happened this weekend either. I was on duty, which means I had to miss the Winter Formal. Mary went though, so you can read about it here. But basically it's a toned down version of prom. I did go out to eat with Mary and her friends before the dance though. And I made sure to really stick out by wearing slippers to the restaurant. Go big or go home, right?

Then last night I ended up watching Scrubs for a long time. It started out as just my friend Jake and I wanting to watch a couple episodes. Then, after every one, we looked at each other, realized we had nothing better to do, and decided to watch another one. That, combined with some random things I had to do, kept me up way later than I would have liked. I've done a better job of getting to bed at a reasonable (college) time this semester, but I saw 3:00 am this morning. And then I paid for it when I had to get up.

I'm thinking it's gonna turn out to be a busy week. I just realized I have an essay due Wednesday for my night class that I haven't started yet. Also, I'm a member of the Recycling Committee for Student Senate and we are hosting an event called Focus the Nation. It's a national event that as of now has just under 1700 universities, schools, churches, and other organizations taking part in a national teach-in. There is a set schedule for the whole day on their website, but since we are a smaller institution we are going to have two sessions where 3 professors will speak on the issue of global climate change and how it relates to their discipline. I probably didn't do a very good job of explaining that, so you can check out the main website by clicking on the link above.

Well, that's all I have for you tonight. Until next time,

Scott

More memories...

2008-01-24T22:52:00.000-08:00

In talking with my friends, as well as prospective students that come for tours and overnight visits and events like that, I have discovered that for the most part there are two kinds of high school seniors- those that are really excited about leaving for college and would go the next day if you let them, and those that are nervous and scared and not sure what to expect. You may fall on either extreme (or somewhere in between), and that's ok. Everybody goes through it a little differently.

I remember around this time of my senior year of high school when I just couldn't wait to leave home and go to college. I didn't necessarily know what to expect, but I just knew it had to be awesome. All I talked about was how I couldn't wait to get out of Berne and start figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. (I still don't know, by the way, but I'm getting closer.) I was getting restless and I was ready to figure out if I could handle college.

Graduation came and went, and then it was just my summer job standing in the way of me leaving. At the time I was working as a manager at a local drive-in restaurant. It was an ok job, but I remember counting down the days til I was done and out of there. It could not come fast enough.

And then, it came. The night before move-in day. A few guys from my high school were going to Bluffton with me and we all decided to hang out together that night. I could hardly contain my excitement, and I remember talking for hours about what we would do and how we would all have such amazing experiences. (We also watched "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which I thought was a dumb movie, but that's a whole different story.) I had a feeling I wouldn't fall asleep easily that night because of all the excitement. Turns out I was right, but for a different reason.

You see, I am, and always have been, a last minute kind of guy. By the time I got home around 2:00 a.m., I realized that I still hadn't packed. This posed a problem since we were all going to caravan together at 8:00 a.m. As you can imagine, I was up pretty late. And it was in that time that I all of a sudden felt something in regards to college that I hadn't known before- fear.

I don't know if it suddenly hit me or what, but all of a sudden I was terrified. What if classes were too hard? Would I make any friends outside of the few Berne friends that were also going? What if I just didn't fit in?

I remember the first weekend pretty well. After moving in, there were several activities for all the first year students to participate it. At times it was fun, at times it was just long, and I remember it being in the upper 90s the entire time. But somewhere in that time I think I realized that I was going to be ok.

It's amazing how soon Bluffton began to feel like home. Within the first couple weeks I had my routine figured out, made some new friends from my floor, and realized that college classes weren't going to be the end of me. I was starting to realize what it meant to be a college student, and I was loving every minute of it.

So anyway, I guess the point of this long, random story is that no matter what stage you're at right now- excitement, terror, nervousness, unsuredness (if that's a word)- you'll be ok. I went through a range of emotions by the time I got here, and I think that's normal. Just enjoy where you are right now, even though it can be hard sometimes. I'm going through a similar situation right now in which I can't wait to get out into the real world and see if I can make it working a full time job, paying bills, living in my own apartment, etc. But I know soon enough I'm going to miss this place that I couldn't wait to get to.

That's all I have for you tonight. Until next time,

Scott

Top picture= All of the Berne boys that were going to Bluffton on our last day of high school-Tyler, Andi, Kyle, Eric, and myself

Bottom picture= High School graduation day with a friend from high school

This seems familiar...

2008-01-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

So the last few months I've been spending time preparing for and now doing a job search. With graduation just around the corner, I've been polishing up my resume, signing up to attend job fairs, and hitting the internet hard trying to find that perfect job. It's more work than I had anticipated, and I feel like looking for a job is about as challenging as actually working at a job.

But anyway, it got me thinking about my senior year of high school when I was doing a college search. Taking college visits, taking the SAT, and sending in applications were the big things 4 years ago for me. It's a lot of work and it may seem like more trouble than it's worth at times, but trust me when I say it's worth it. It's more than just a diploma that you can frame on your office wall someday, it's your life for the next 4(ish) years. And just like I'm not looking for a job just based on how much it pays, I would encourage you to not let price be the deciding factor for your college decision.

No matter where you end up going, make sure it is where you really want to be. Don't go somewhere just because you feel pressure from friends or family to attend a certain college or university. While it is important that you listen and let that influence your decision, you need to do what's right for you. Factors such as the institution's values and mission statement will tell you a lot about what that place is all about.

You can learn a lot about a place by talking to students, faculty, and staff. So I encourage you to take visits to several colleges/universities if you haven't already. Ask questions that are important to you about what you feel should be included in your college experience.

Anyway, that's all I have for you on that one. I've been in a "looking back over the last 4 years of my life" mood lately, so be prepared for more of that to come in the future.

But other than the job search, things have been going pretty well. I enjoyed the long weekend with Martin Luther King Jr. Day off of classes, and it gave me a chance to just relax a little bit. I have a feeling that a lot of the responsibilities I have this semester will be nearing an end by around the beginning of April, so the last month should be a lot of just hanging out with my friends and enjoying my last few weeks of college. I am definitely looking forward to that.

Well, it's off to bed for me. Until next time,

Scott

That was quick...

2008-01-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

The past few months I've been doing a lot of looking back on my time here at Bluffton. These past 3 and a half years have produced some of the toughest and best times of my life, and all kinds of things in between. It's weird to think, but a lot of the people here probably wouldn't recognize the high school me. There's something about college that changes you in ways you would never expect.

I remember about half way through my senior year of high school when a friend of mine, who was a year older, came home to visit. He went to a college a few hours away so I hadn't seen him for several months. But it was different. He wasn't the same guy that I knew from high school. It was weird, and I didn't like it. I mean, it wasn't like he was bad guy all of a sudden, but there was something different that I just couldn't put my finger on, and I didn't like it. I wanted it to be like old times.

So anyway, I made up my mind then and there that I wasn't going to change- I would be the same person that I was when I started. I didn't want to be some weirdo when I came home to visit. Then, it just happened without me having any say in it. And you know what? I'm ok with it. In fact, I don't think I would have gotten my money's worth had I not been changed.

Change can mean so many different things really. For me, it means learning to think globally and not just about myself. It means being more responsible (which I'm still working on, but I'm getting there). It means tackling some tough issues and finding out where I stand in my beliefs. It means being open to whatever life brings my way.

So, I guess the point I'm trying to make, is to be prepared to undergo a transformation when you go to college. I can almost guarantee that you'll be surprised with how you turn out. With a little hard work and an open mind, I can also guarantee that you'll be pleased with how you turn out. Be prepared to be stretched, to be shaped and molded, to be changed. It can be uncomfortable at times, but I think you'll like what you see when it's all said and done.

Oh and by the way, it goes by faster than you think, so enjoy yourself. Until next time,

Scott

Another week

2008-01-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

The second week of classes is already upon us. Weird. I'll probably say this a lot this semester, but it seems like the school year just started. But at the same time, it seems like I've always been here. Like I said, weird.

So this past weekend was great. I already talked about the all night craziness that was "The Office" lock-in, but I should tell you that I think I'm caught up on sleep. Saturday was very much a relaxing day filled with hanging out with Mary and watching movies. Oh, and going to bed earlier than I usually do on Saturday nights.

Then on Sunday I spent the afternoon watching football. Any other year this would have brought me immense joy, however this year has been a little rough on me as a sports fan. First of all, Notre Dame was just pathetic. But then I thought my Dallas Cowboys were going to make a run at the Super Bowl, which gave me hope. It wasn't to be however, as they were the first ever #1 seed in the NFC to lose their first game of the playoffs. Watching the Colts lose was fun, but my joy quickly faded as the Cowboys followed a couple hours later. Oh dear.

Yesterday just seemed a little off. I can't really put my finger on it, but for some reason everything was just kind of blah. You, one of those days when you just don't seem to have the energy to make it through the day? Yeah, one of those. My guess is that part of it was a result of the lack of sleep from the weekend. By the end of the day I was feeling better, but I was glad when it was time for bed. (Which, incidentally, came at 11:00, something that I can't remember happening for a long time.)

Today's been pretty good so far. I was able to get a decent amount of sleep and then got up and worked out and then went to forum. (Forum is an event every Tuesday at 11:00 am where a speaker is brought in to talk. These speakers range from just about any academic discipline you can think of and talk about everything from health care to the quality of drinking water to poetry.) Today's forum featured a Bluffton alum who was my admissions counselor during my Senior year of high school and Freshman year at Bluffton. He was actually a huge reason that I ended up choosing Bluffton. I was really excited to see him, and he did an awesome job. He just graduated with his master's degree and he came back to perform a one man play that he wrote.

Well, I need to wrap this up so I can get to class. Have a great day!

Until next time,

Scott

All Night Madness

2008-01-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

It is currently 8:30 on Saturday morning and I am writing a new blog entry. Why, you might ask, would a college student be up this early on an ever so precious chance to sleep in? Well, I actually haven't slept yet.

Last night MCB had an lock-in in Bob's Place where we watched the entire 3rd season of The Office. It was pretty cool, and I won a talking Michael Scott bobble head, but man that's a lot of any tv show straight. (It started just after 10:00 pm and got done around 7:40 am.) But it was a lot of fun hanging out with everybody and trying to stay awake.

So far so good for this semester with classes and everything. I was a little unsure of my internship at first (and still go back and forth), but I think I'm really going to enjoy it. Some of the stuff I am doing is a little more daunting then I originally thought they would be, but it should stretch me to do things I haven't done before. My main project is an analysis of the bank's products and services compared to their top competitors, along with some suggestions of new products to add or how to better market existing products. It feels a lot like some of the work I've done in various marketing classes I've taken, but on a bigger scale. So we'll see how it goes.

This weekend should be pretty fun (if I ever sleep). Mary is planning on coming over around lunch (around 3 hours from now) and we're just going to spend a good portion of the day together watching movies and being lazy. I can tell that I'm not going to have the energy to do much else, so it will definitely be what I need. Sometimes days like that are needed.

But yeah, that's what I've been up to. Just living the dream, being a college senior, and dreaming about sleep. I'm not sure that made sense.

Until next time,

Scott

I'm back

2008-01-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

After a great Christmas break, I am back in action here at Bluffton! It's been a little rough getting motivated after doing what I wanted (which was nothing) for over three weeks, but I'm getting by.

But as I alluded to above, it was an awesome break. Getting to spend some time with my family and friends from home was good. My friends from high school have stayed pretty close even through college, so it's always fun when we get together. We played a lot of Eurorails (a board game that people who aren't boring probably have never heard of) and watched some Planet Earth (the show from the Discovery Channel) and ate too much good food. Yep, great times.

The picture at the top has a pretty sweet story to it, or at least I think so. From left to right it goes Tony, Doug, Bob, me, Eric, Josh, and Tim. All of those guys are my friends from home except for Bob, who was a starting offensive lineman for Notre Dame last year! We were at Josh's house around the South Bend area for New Year's and he's friends with him. It was crazy because I had no idea he knew him and it was awesome to get to meet him. I'm am a huge Notre Dame fan, so it was definitely a high point of the night.

I also got to spend quite of bit of time with Mary and her family. Her family got together the weekend before Christmas, and then we went to visit her extended family in St. Louis the following weekend. She came on Christmas to my house and got to hang out with my cousins and I, which was a lot of fun. This was our first holiday season together, so it was really a lot of fun.

Enough about break though. The new semester is upon us and I am excited! It should be a pretty cool semester since I am only taking two classes. With the rest of my academic load I am doing an internship at a bank about 10 minutes away, which should be some great real world experience. I was there yesterday for the first time and I think it should be fun.

It's crazy to think that it will only be a few more months before I am out in the world on my own. I'm very excited, but at the same time I am a little nervous about the whole job/apartment search. I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

Alright, that's all for now. If this post seems a bit random and unorganized, it's because I'm still trying to get back into college mode where I have to make sense when I write. I'm not sure that last sentence made sense. Ok, I'm done now.

Until next time,

Scott

That's all for now...

2007-12-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I just got done with my last final which means I am done with all things academic until about the second week in January. It's a pretty good feeling.

This week has been pretty sweet, as is to be expected from a finals week. There was a whole lot of just hanging out with the guys (and Mary) and not a whole lot of anything else. Except Tetris- that seems to be my addiction of the week.

Yesterday I met with some of the people I'll be working with at my internship in the spring. I'll be at a bank about 10-15 minutes away, and I'm pretty excited about it. I don't know much about banks so it will be me an idea whether or not it'd be some place I'd like to work when I graduate.

I am really looking forward to next semester because I will be spending most of my time at my internship as opposed to classes. I only have 2 (classes), which will be a great way to end out my college career. I mean, you learn things in classes, but I'm starting to learn more and more that practical experience is the way to go. And it tends to be more fun. And there's no homework. It's really a win-win situation.

I'm also looking forward to a great break. I will get to see all my friends from home for our last Christmas break together. It feels so weird to be writing that, like I'm growing up or something. Funny how that happens. We have already made a lot of plans for our break and it's sure to be a great time.

Anyway, I just have to finish packing and I am out of here for the next three weeks. Have a great Christmas!

Until next time,

Scott

I love this place

2007-12-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

I love everything about finals week. I love the weekend before where you feel like you should study but you don't because you know you can just stay up late and do it later, I love the free time and just hanging out with friends, I love the feeling of it being a weekend all week long. I love this place all the time, but this week I just love it more.

This past weekend was pretty good. I kept telling myself I was going to start on one of my take home finals that I had due yesterday and Thursday, but that didn't happen until Sunday night. It was just a good time to hang out, watch Scrubs until 5 in the morning, and then wish I was sleeping the next day. Like I said, solid weekend.

Then yesterday I had my first final. One of my take home finals was due yesterday at 9:00 am, which was kind of lame. I had to get up to turn it in, and then I didn't have anything until my 6:30 pm final that night. But it turned out pretty cool because Mary and I went down to Bob's Place and had a breakfast date.

Lately I've been obsessed with playing games online when I should be working, and yesterday was no exception to that. I discovered a place to play Tetris for free, so that kept me busy for a few hours. Mary and I went to Wal-Mart as well, and I picked up some candy and cards for all the guys on my floor for Christmas. That should be fun, but now I just need to find the motivation to write all the cards.

I also finalized my schedule for next semester, which is awesome. Setting up my internship turned out to be trickier than my advisor or I thought, so it came down to the wire. But luckily, it worked out and I have an internship at a nearby bank. I'm excited to see if that's something I would be interested working at. We'll see, and I'm sure I'll keep you updated.

Alright, that's all for now. Hope your week is going great!

Until next time,

Scott

Bracing myself for the best week of the semester...

2007-12-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

Classes are done! Well almost, I have one more tomorrow. But I just have to show up and listen to a couple presentations. After that there is just one week of finals and then Christmas break! I am excited about that- seeing my friends from high school, spending time with my family, getting in some much needed R&R- but I am not in a hurry to get next week over with.

You see, next week is finals week, which means it is probably my favorite time of any semester. For a whole week, there are no classes, just exams. Now you might be saying to yourself, "Self, why would this be fun?" Well, even though you have to study for exams, there is just so much free time to hang out with your friends and really do whatever you want. Corey, Slurp, and I have decided this is going to be the best finals week ever. I don't even know what all that means, but I'm excited.

It's just such a nice feeling being pretty much done, too. I have a couple take-home finals, but for the most part I just have to take a few exams. Only one more semester. Wow, when you say it like that... where did all that time go? I was up until about 2 this morning working on stuff, and got up at 6 to finish. It's weird to think that that could be my last time ever doing that in college. I don't think my spring semester schedule will be too crazy, so I should probably celebrate. (Don't get me wrong, I'll still be up late. Just probably not being productive.)

Also, I got Mary's Christmas present done tonight, which is exciting. I'd let you know what it is, but she reads this too for the most part, so I better not. But I like it. And I hope she does too.

Anyway, I apologize for the lameness of my blog recently. I feel like it really needs spiced up- maybe some good stories, sweet pics, etc. I'll work on that during finals week. I think it holds a lot of potential.

That's all for now. Until next time,

Scott

Almost done...

2007-12-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

As the title of this entry suggests, I am almost done with all my responsibilities for the semester. Today I gave a presenatation in my Advanced Public Relations class, tomorrow is a presentation for Corporate Strategy, and Thursday I have a paper that's due. So I'm pretty much done except for the paper, but it's only 3-5 pages, which is nothing. In other words, I'm feeling pretty good about things.

The senioritis has intensified, that's for sure. And to prove it, why don't you try beating this game on all three difficulties in 4 days? I think you'll find it's a pretty impressive feat that I have accomplished while putting off my homework until the wee hours of the morning.

This weekend was pretty fun though. Friday I went out with Slurp, Corey, and Jake to one of my Chinese restaurants in Findlay. Among other things on the buffet, they have peanut butter chicken, which I think is great. (Nobody else with me thought it sounded good, but I get it every time.) And then after a little "Man vs. Wild" marathon, my friends left to play basketball while I waited for one of my other friends who graduated but was staying with me for the night to come over. It was good to see him again and hang out for a while.

Saturday was pretty solid as I caught some college football before heading off to a Dayton Bombers hockey game with a bunch of other Bluffton students. MCB (Marbeck Center Board, our activity planning council on campus) sponsored it and drove us down. I went last year as well so I knew it would be a good time, but this year more of my friends could go. We even got on the big screen a couple times when we were going crazy cheering.

On Sunday, Corey, one of my friends, spoke during Sunday Morning Worship. It was a really cool message and it was neat to hear it from someone I'm pretty close to.

After lunch, Mary and I had a Christmas date. She loves everything about Christmas, so we started out making and decorating cookies. Then we delivered them to people on my floor and some of our friends in other buildings. After the cookie delivering, we went Common Grounds (a coffee shop uptown) and had supper and hot chocolate and chatted for quite a while. I love good conversation and finding out new things about people, and it's extra special when it comes to finding out these things about Mary. After getting back we watched "Elf", which we both really like. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Technically the weekend wasn't quite over though because I still had to write a paper. I really impressed myself though because I wrote a three page, single spaced paper in an hour. I'm a decent writer, and I've thrown together some quick papers in my day, but this one made me realize how all those late night last minute papers have paid off now.

Well, I should get to bed. Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The first picture is of part of our group on the big screen at the Bombers game (it's easier to see when it's bigger). The second is of D-Ron and Jake in my room last week working on homework.

Senioritis

2007-11-30T18:44:00.000-08:00

I knew it was gonna hit me sooner or later, but I'm definitely starting to get senioritis. For all of you high school seniors out there, I know how you feel since this is my second time going through it. It is starting to show itself by the fact that I've been more and more time on http://www.addictinggames.com/, which is something I haven't done for several months. I even have a new favorite game.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate school. I actually really like it- I'm just not real big on the academic part of it at the moment. After spending pretty much my entire life that I remember in school, I am just struggling to stay focused. It will be really tough leaving all my friends and professors when I graduate, but I think it will be awhile before I miss the studying. I think Christmas break will be a good thing for me. Only one more week of classes followed by finals week (which, incidentally, is probably my favorite week of the semester)- it can't come soon enough.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow night I'm going to a Dayton Bombers (hockey) game with MCB. Several of my friends are going, which will be a lot of fun. Sounds like a good time for pictures, which I will try and post next time. And then on Sunday I am planning a Christmas date for Mary. She loves Christmas and so we're going to do all kinds of Christmasy type things including, but not limited to: baking cookies, drinking hot chocolate, and listening to Christmas music. (You're probably thinking that's kind of lame, but Mary sometimes reads my blog, so I'm trying to keep parts of it a surprise.) I'll let you know how it goes.

Tonight I'm just kind of relaxing and watching "Man vs. Wild". (If you haven't seen this show, do yourself a favor and watch it) Me and some of my friends (see my last entry) really don't have a lot of energy, which might have something to do with the fact that we went to a Chinese buffet earlier. Good food though.

I just realized how many links I put throughout my post tonight. Check them out if you have time. Or if you just have senioritis.

Until next time,

Scott

Special Edition

2007-11-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Alright, first off I want to apologize for being a couple days late on my post- there's been a decent amount of stuff going on for me. However, I will try to make it up to you by making a special edition video blog. You even get to meet some of my friends and see my Christmas lights. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Scott

Time flies when you're having fun...

2007-11-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

One more day before Thanksgiving break. Very nice. I'm excited to spend some time with my family since I haven't really been able to do that much lately. I'll also be spending a couple days with Mary's family, which will be a lot of fun as well.

So this past week has been pretty sweet. I had several classes cancelled which gave me a lot more free time with which to be somewhat productive. I definately did my share of relaxing, but I've been presently surprised with all I've got done as well. Right now I'm working on a presentation for my Sales class that I'm really excited about actually. We can sell anything we want to, so I'm being a recruiter for Notre Dame football. (Which, by the way, Notre Dame winning was also a nice part of a great weekend.)

Yesterday (Sunday) was a really good day with several high points. One of my friends that graduated last year, Dan, was visiting and I spent part of the afternoon watching football with him after Sunday Morning Worship and lunch. Then at 6:00 I had the annual LDP Christmas Dinner. It's always a lot of fun, and it gave me an excuse to wear a suit and take a couple pictures. For more details on that event, check out Mary's blog.

Then, starting at 11:00 pm, the doors opened for Midnight Madness! This is always a favorite event on campus and it serves as the opening of our Women and Men's basketball seasons. It normally happens earlier in the year, but it was still fun. People start lining up outside the gym an hour or so ahead of time because they give out free shirts for the first 100 or so people to show up. They also had free hamburgers from McDonald's and free tacos from Taco Bell to give out as well. There were all kinds of games from a three point contest to knockout to a dunk contest and more. To be honest, I was thinking the dunk contest would be kind of lame, but it turned out to be really cool. It was only a 7 foot goal, but there were some pretty sweet dunks and the crowd of students was going crazy. I'm was impressed

Our mascot, Bucky the Beaver, made an appearance as well (Mary got to do it and she was really excited!). Since McDonald's donated several hundred hamburgers, the Hamburglar made an appearance as well. They competed in a couple events, including my favorite, the dance off. (See below)

So now I only have three classes standing between me and Thanksgiving break. This semester has gone so fast, and it's crazy to think we will only have a couple weeks after we back before Christmas break. This is nuts.

Alright, that's all for the night. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Until next time,

Scott

A much needed break

2007-11-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

This week has been really relaxed, which is something I've neeeded. There hasn't been too much going on with most of my assignments and group projects coming due in the past couple weeks. It's actually been a polar opposite- I've had six classes cancelled this week. That doesn't happen very often (or ever, really), but it actually has given me a full week of classes off. I haven't had class since Tuesday, and I won't again until next Tuesday. Life is good like that sometimes.

It has been a struggle making the most of my new found freedom. I've been working a lot on getting my resume and everything for my job search, which I'm planning on starting around the beginning of the year. I still can't get over the fact that I'm going to be graduating in a few more months. I'm excited and sad at the same time because it will be nice to be done with classes, but I'm gonna miss all my friends.

(I've also been doing some thinking about what to get Mary for Christmas. If you have any ideas, let me know.)

But other than that, I've been doing a lot of relaxing- watching scrubs, sleeping in, and hanging out with my friends a little more. Like I said, it's been a much needed relaxing week. Tonight I'm actually hanging out with some high school students who are spending the night in my room. They are here for an event called "For Seniors Only", which is a chance for students to come and check Bluffton out. I'd encourage you to check it out if you're interested. Besides getting pizza, you'll get a chance to take a tour, spend the night in a residence hall, and even attend a class.

This weekend shouldn't be too crazy because a lot of my friends are gone at a conference in Atlanta. So hopefully I will be somewhat productive with some random things I need to get done, but who knows. Chances are I'll watch a lot of football.

Alright, this is kind of random and scattered, but there hasn't been a whole lot going on lately. I'll catch you up on the weekend in a few days.

Until next time,

Scott

Incredible

2007-11-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm a little upset because I totally posted a blog Friday night telling all about how excited I was for the weekend. Or so I thought, anyway. I was really tired because it had been a long and busy, but good day. I must have just been really out of it and not saved it or published it. Bummer.

But that's really the only thing I have to be upset about, because this weekend was AWESOME!!! I've said it before, I'll say it again- I have the best girlfriend ever! She took me to the Notre Dame game in South Bend, Indiana. It was great because I am a huge fan and I have never been to one of their football games before. And even though they are 1-9 this season and it feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest every Saturday afternoon, I still love them so it was great to see in person. Since I missed the second post last week, and because I'm still so excited about it, I'll give you a play-by-play of the weekend.

Friday Mary and I got to her house in Fort Wayne around 7pm. Her brother and his wife, and her brother's friend and his wife met us and we went out for dinner. The six of us went to Flanigan's, which is kind of an Irish-themed restaurant close by. If you ever get the chance to go, get the ribs, because I did and they were great. After we ate we went and bought groceries for the next day to tailgate with. Then we went back to Mary's house and watched "Rudy" to get ready for the next day's happenings.

After about 4-5 hours of sleep, we got up early and drove to South Bend for the game. It was less than a 2 hour drive from Mary's house, so it wasn't too bad. We grilled and listened to music and talked to other Irish fans close by. It was a lot of fun to see all the other die-hard Notre Dame fans from literally all over the country and even Canada. From where we were parked, we couldn't find a single Indiana license plate, which I thought was pretty amazing.

Around 11:45, Mary and I left the spot where we parked and walked to campus. Where we parked was about a mile from the stadium because it was completely on the other side of campus. It was a really nice walk though because it was almost perfect weather and the campus is beautiful. As we were walking around admiring everything, we saw a group of people standing around so we walked over to see what was going on. As we walked up we realized that the whole team was leaving mass, so we got to see them and the head coach Charlie Weis as they left. It was a really cool experience.

After walking around a little more, we decided to head over to the stadium. We got in about an hour before kickoff because I was just so excited. The ushers were really nice and even took a couple pictures for us. Since there wasn't many people in the stadium yet, I got to get pretty close to the field to take pictures, too. After we got to our seats (which, even though they were two rows from the top, were excellent seats) we were able to sit and talk for a little while. (It's probably good to note that I probably didn't stop smiling the entire time we were in South Bend, except for when we started losing.) It was just so cool to see all the history and tradition that Notre Dame has. Incredible.

After the game (which we lost), we headed back to Mary's house for the night. It was nice to just relax after a long but incredible day. We talked a lot about a lot of things, and this was probably one of the highlights of the weekend. It was just really good. Then on Sunday we met two of my friends for lunch who were in Fort Wayne. One of them I hadn't seen for several months, so that was really good. Then after that I got to meet one of Mary's friends and we went out for ice-cream. Mary's parents, who had been gone for the weekend, got back in the afternoon and we talked with them for a little bit before heading back to Bluffton.

So yeah, just one of the most incredible weekends of my life. I feel so blessed with everyone in my life and everything that I have been given.

And then, as an added bonus, my 8:00 am and 1:00 pm classes are cancelled tomorrow. My professor, who teaches both, e-mailed and said he has the worst cold of his life and lost his voice. It's not good that he's sick, but it's good that I get to sleep in. Plus the same professor will be gone at a conference this weekend, so those classes on Thursday are cancelled too. It's nice to be able to sleep in on days like that... :)

Alright, well I should get to bed since I still do have a 9:30 class tomorrow. I hope you have a great week!

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. Lots of pictures today: first is me enjoying a bratwurst during our pre-game tailgating, next is a picture of Larry (Mary's brother) and Scott (Larry's friend) grilling, next is Mary and I at the stadium an hour before the game started, next is the Notre Dame football team running out of the tunnel before the game, and last is a video of a cheer during the game- if you listen closely you can hear our side of the stadium yelling "Go!" and the other side yelling "Irish!"

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right...

2007-11-06T05:52:00.000-08:00

So the only relevance the title of my blog has to anything is in the next line of that song it says "Here I am, stuck in the middle with you." I just feel like I'm in the middle of two awesome weekends with a week that is just a bit rough. A loose reference at best, but I'm a dork and I'm running on not a whole lot of sleep. Plus that song is in my head.

But yeah, this past weekend was great. Saturday I was able to spend some time with Mary and her family, which was pretty cool since I don't get to see them all that often. It was family day, so her parents brought up their RV and tailgated and then watched the Bluffton game. I came too late for the food, but it was still a lot of fun.

Sunday was really cool because I went to the Cleveland Browns game with MCB (the campus activity board). About 30 people went and it was a lot of fun. We stopped at Hannah's (one of the people who planned it, she lives close to Cleveland) for lunch before getting to the stadium. The Brownies ended up winning in overtime over Seattle, so the stadium atmosphere was great.

I should take this time to mention that there was a low point to the weekend in which Notre Dame lost to Navy in triple overtime. Now you see, I have dealt with 7 other losses this year, so I've been able to deal with it somewhat. But the last time we lost to Navy JFK was still President, and we've played them every year since them. For those of you keeping score at home, that put us at 43 straight wins against them. Oh boy. Ok, I'm done writing about Notre Dame football. Well almost.

The reason next weekend is going to be so awesome is because I am going to see the Notre Dame vs. Air Force game! I have the best girlfriend ever who bought tickets to go see it! So I guess you could say I'm pretty excited about it.

But until then school is definately keeping me busy. It will get better after this week, but I had a test this morning at 8:00 and a group project for Corporate Strategy due Thursday. For some reason both of these are just kind of big psychologolical road blocks, so once they're done I'll be feeling better. Also tonight Student Senate is hosting our 2nd annual Feedback Night where students can come and get free coffee from Common Grounds (the local coffee shop uptown), hear what we as a Senate have been up to, and give us ideas on what else they would like to see happen this year. It'll be a long night from the time we set up at 8:45 to tear down around 11:00 or so, but it should be worth it.

Wow, I just realized this is pretty long. I'll stop now. Have a great day!

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The picture is all of us in front of the stadium in Cleveland.

I love this place

2007-11-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

First off, my bad for not getting this up Thursday night. I know you were all worried that something happened to me, but I was just really tired and didn't have the energy. And then yesterday I forgot. So now, since I have free time and I remembered, I figured I should put something up to make sure you know I haven't forgotten about you. (Yes, I'm talking to you, reader of my blog.)

This week has been kind of up and down, but good overall. It was definately draining (that's for sure) which is evident in the fact that I didn't even have the energy to even type up a blog entry.

First of all, the not so fun stuff. Every semester there is at least a week or two when it seems like EVERYTHING is happening at once. In my case, I have a big project for my Corporate Strategy class due next week, but since it is a group project we have to work on it together. The only time we can do that is this coming Monday night. This is fine, except that also on Monday night I have class, Student Senate, and I have to study for my Money and Banking exam for the next morning at 8:00. And Money and Banking exams are usually pretty rough, requiring you to study for at least a couple hours. I would rather not be up super late that night (seeing as how the actual exam is at 8:00 am), but I know I will be. I would maybe study tomorrow, but I am going to a Cleveland Browns game with MCB (the activities board on campus, it's pretty sweet). We aren't going to get back until some point at night, after which I'm doing a floor activity until probably after midnight. And today will be busy because I'm giving a couple tours today and Mary's family is coming for Family Day, so I will be spending time with them as well. Plus it's Saturday, and it is probably the hardest day of the week to get motivated to study.

Ok, so if you take all that I talked about up above, add in the fact that I haven't had a whole lot of sleep for the past couple weeks, plus the fact that I'm starting to get a cold, it just seems like a lot.

The good news? I love it. I mean, it's college. I'm going to a Browns game tomorrow along with a bunch of my friends, next week I'm gone for the weekend in South Bend, IN for the Notre Dame vs. Air Force game (which is seriously one of the coolest things ever!!!), and Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. Plus, after this week I'll have a lot of homework and projects out of the way for the semester. I get to spend time with my friends and just put off being responsible for a little while as we watch a movie or Scrubs or play Eurorails (the best board game ever). No matter how many things I have going on here, I love it, because I know that everyone else here is experiencing the same feelings. There's a sense of accomplishment in knowing you can get through it.

Man, I'm gonna miss this place next year.

Until next time,

Scott

Good things...

2007-10-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of good things happening the past couple months, and I'm excited about some really good things coming up as well. These past couple days have been an example of good things.

This past Friday night I was at a costume party out at Bluffton's cabin in the nature preserve. One of my friends, Corey, and another girl were having a party because both their birthdays are this week. It turned out to be a lot of fun and even though I didn't dress up (I'm lame), there were a lot of fun people there who did. We played a little euchre and just talked and ate a lot of good food.

Then on Saturday I got up early to help out with an open house the basketball team was having. Registration began around 8:15 so I had to get up by 7:30, which on a Saturday is just brutal. But I survived and then gave a tour at around 11:30 as well. I really enjoy taking prospective students and their families on tours of campus because it gives me an opportunity to share about the place where I've spent so much time for going on 4 years. I really do love this place and I like to help other people find if this is a good fit for them as well.

Saturday afternoon Slurpy and I went to Corey's house near Archibold, OH. Corey and Jake had left earlier, so we met them there. Every year Corey's family has a fall get-together with all his cousins and aunts and uncles, so we went on a hay ride, cooked hot dogs over the fire, and watched football. After his extended family left, we were able to hang out in the hot tub and watch more football. Yeah, I guess you could say it was just about perfect. We stayed until mid afternoon on Sunday before coming back. But it was a lot of fun to just hang out with the guys away from campus for a day.

Sunday night the Hall Association for Ramseyer (where I live) put on an ice-cream social with card games and prizes and stuff. I ended up winning a gift certificate to a local pizza place for getting 2nd place in the euchre tournament, so it was a pretty good night for me. It was a blast just getting to hang out with a lot of people that showed up. We ended up watching Scrubs then in the lobby as the card games started to die down. Once again, I'm not sure it could've got much better.

Today was back to the normal everyday grind. I've just decided that no matter how good a Monday starts out, there is just some sort of psychological barrier in place in my mind that automatically wears me out. Today started out great, but for some reason by the end of the day I just feel like I already need a weekend again. Although I did get good news from my night class, Sales, which helped. A group project we were going to be doing got cancelled, and instead we will each be giving individual presentations in which we can try to sell any product. I decided I'm going to act as if I'm a recruiter for Notre Dame football. Dorky, yes, but it's something I'm passionate about and I feel as if it will really give me a chance to show I know something about sales. We'll see how it goes, but I'm actually really looking forward to presenting.

Well, I've got to be at class in 7 hours, so I should probably get to bed. Until next time...

Scott

P.S. Top picture is Jake and I at Corey's house, next is Corey (who normally doesn't have facial hair like that but did so for his cowboy costume Friday night), and last but not least is Slurpy just a few seconds after I discovered the black and white feature on my camera.

Just need some sleep...

2007-10-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

This week has not been all that crazy. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep after a great Homecoming week and all the fun events that go along with that. But all in all, it's been pretty normal.

Tonight was pretty fun because I am a huge fan of the tv show Scrubs and the season premiere was on at 9:30. Since I was on duty and couldn't leave the building anyway, a few of my friends came down to watch it with me. It's kind of sad that this is the last season. But I digress. Anyway, that was fun to hang out with some friends I wouldn't always see.

Also, it figures to be a pretty good weekend since Notre Dame has the week off (and by default can't lose). I don't know what all I'm gonna be doing, but I think on Saturday some of my friends are going to Corey's house for the night, so I'm thinking I'll tag along. I've never been to his house so it should be a lot of fun to see where he lives.

I feel like at this point it should be noted that I fell asleep writing the last part sometime around 4:30 in the morning and now I'm awake, it's 12:47 in the afternoon, and I just woke up less than an hour ago. I really love being in college. Moving on.

So today should be a pretty relaxing day. I have absolutely nothing planned for the rest of the day except hanging out with my friends. But tonight we're having a party for Corey and another girl, Tonya, because their birthdays are this weekend. That should be fun. It's actually a costume party, but I don't know what I would go as, so I might just not dress up. We'll see. I've never been the best costume maker. If push came to shove I could just wear a mask or something, but that's kind of weak.

Alright, that's all for now. I apologize for the lameness of this blog entry. I'll do my best to do something worth retelling this weekend, which shouldn't be too hard considering the guys I'm hanging out with. (I'm not even sure what that means)

Until next time,

Scott

What a weekend...

2007-10-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was definately one of the best in recent memory. The combination of Homecoming activities, seeing friends that have graduated, and Mary's birthday made for a really fun couple of days.

Friday was fun because as usual I got to hang out with Mary. We didn't do anything crazy, but it's always a good time. Then that night was the Homecoming parade. The court was supposed to get to ride in these sweet 1950s convertibles which was going to be awesome. However, when Brian (another guy on court) and I went to pick them up, it started to sprinkle and looked like rain, so the owner had us put them away. So, I ended up driving a Ford Taurus through the parade since we had about half an hour to put together some vehicles. It was still fun though. Later that night I went to a campfire hosted by Mary and fam, which I'll let her explain in greater detail. But it was fun.

Also, my friend Dan stayed with me this weekend. He graduated last year but he's one of my close friends and he was back on campus seeing some other people. Since I was busy with a lot of Homecoming stuff, I didn't get to see him much, but we got to chat Friday and Saturday nights before we went to bed, which was fun.

Anyway, Saturday was the big day! It was really cool because my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and great aunt came to the game and coronation. It was fun to get to spend some time with them since I don't get to see them very often. But one of the coolest things about Saturday was Mary getting Homecoming Queen! And one of my close friends, Zack, got Homecoming King. I was really excited for both of them. We all had fun just being on Homecoming court, and even though it was really windy, we got a couple good pictures. We ended up losing the game in overtime, but it was still fun.

Saturday night was a blast as well. Once again I'll let Mary explain it in more detail, but the Homecoming dance theme was a toga party. It was awesome.

Then on Sunday, I finished up Mary's birthday present. I arranged some pictures into a frame and gave it to her (along with some slippers that I gave her a couple days ago). Overall I think it turned out neat. Since we are both so busy during the week, we went out that night for her birthday, which was actually on Monday. We went out to eat, which was fun. The best part though was the surprise birthday party waiting for her when we got back. I talked to a couple of her friends and we decided it would be a lot of fun to surprise her for her birthday a week or two ago. So we decided on a time and games and everything and then I just had to stall her until 8:30. She was super surprised and I think she really liked it. Everyone there (over 20 people showed up) seemed to have fun and so I think we chalked it up as a success.

So like I said, good weekend. Today was alright I suppose, but let's be honest: weekends are where it's at. It should be an alright week, but I'd be surprised if it lived up to this past weekend.

That's all for tonight. Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The top picture is of Kyle, Eric, Zack (the Homecoming King), and myself during the football game. The second is Mary and Zack just after being announced king and queen.

Homecoming!

2007-10-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty good homecoming week so far. But while there have been several fun activities, tonight was by far the most fun. We'll get to that in due time however- more on that below.

Tuesday night was pretty cool. I got to host "Are You Smarter Than a First Year?" In case you've seen the show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?", it was just a knock off of that using first year students instead. I had a lot of fun, but I found out two things: I am very average at hosting events like that, and show-biz probably isn't in my future. But like I said, I had fun, and people won money, so that's a big plus. (Below is a picture of me with one of the contestants who won $50.

Yesterday's (Wednesday) event was a pep rally. I wasn't able to go, but I do know a lot of peopel got free water bottles and shirts and whatnot. So I missed out.

But like I said, the best part was tonight. We had a guy named Christopher Carter come in and do a show. Honestly, it was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. He's a magician, but the coolest thing he did was a lot of freaky mind stuff where he seemingly read people's minds. It was kind of cool because at the beginning he kind of explained how he doesn't read minds, he reads people. And from then on did some of the craziest things I have ever seen. I was involved somewhat, as he was blindfolded and he asked a student to go and collect items from people. I gave my student ID and without touching it he was able to tell what it was and even my name. But the thing that got me was that before I pulled my ID out of my wallet, I thought about giving my license instead. He even announced that I had done that as well. I was a little shocked. You probably just had to be there, but trust me, it was crazy.

It's not letting me embed it in here for some reason, but here is a video of him I found on YouTube. He did this trick tonight at Bluffton as well.

I'm excited about the rest of the weekend as well. Tomorrow is the parade, which means I get to drive a sweet convertible. Hopefully it doesn't rain, and hopefully I'll get a cool picture or something. And then Saturday is the game. I'm pretty excited because since I'm on Homecoming court I get to wear my new tie I bought just for the occasion. I'm a dork like that, but I just really like getting new ties. Plus it's a purple tie, and that's just cool.

Well, it is getting past my bedtime. Not that I have anything to get up for since I have no Friday classes (life is rough sometimes...), but still. I'm tired. Goodnight.

Until next time,

Scott

I needed that...

2007-10-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

There wasn't a whole lot going on this past weekend, but I think that was just what I needed. The semester has been pretty good overall, but I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about what I'm going to do after I graduate. I still have several months before May rolls around, but I have a feel they will be gone before I know it. I'm currently debating between going to grad school right away or taking a year or two off so I can work and start paying off my loans. While it is exciting to think about all the possibilities there are available, it's starting to just become a lot of information to process. I think that's why this weekend was so good.

I didn't really see anybody most of the weekend to be honest. I could have probably been more social, but it just seemed like a lock myself in my room and sleep and watch football and scrubs type weekend. Plus, all my friends left for the weekend, which was odd. Usually one or two might, but literally all my friends were busy with something for at least part of the weekend. It worked out though, because as I alluded to above, it was just nice to have a chance to unwind and not think about all the decisions I will have to be making before long.

This week should be pretty cool though. It's Homecoming week which is always a good time. Today was the kickoff with a block party in front of Neufeld Hall. Instead of having food in the normal location (Marbeck Commons), it was served outside as more of a cookout. There were also prizes (gas cards, water bottles) being given away every 15 minutes or so. I didn't win, but there's still a chance I could win an iPod Nano on Thursday night. (If you recall, I won a Nano a couple weeks ago at the Rootbeer Keg Party. If I win this time, I know what Mary will be getting for her birthday on Monday. :) )

I'm pretty excited because I get to host tomorrow's event- "Are You Smarter Than a First Year." It's a spin off of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. It should be pretty fun and the contestants will have the opportunity to win up to $50 each. I've never done anything like this before, so we'll see how good I am at hosting a gameshow. Who knows, maybe I'll find my calling and my post-graduation plans will have figured themselves out...?

Alright, that's all for tonight. Hopefully I can get some sweet pictures or video of me hosting "Are You Smarter Than a First Year". Or some other Homecoming event. I apologize for dropping the ball with viewable media lately.

Until next time,

Scott

Thoughts on a shortened week

2007-10-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

Weird. Even though I only had one day of classes this week, it seems like it has been a long week. Not bad, just long. It felt like the weekend was never gonna get here.

Nothing all that exciting happened this week to be honest. I think that due to the fact there was a shortened week, the normal events that different groups would put on during the week just aren't happening. I'll be ready for next week, Homecoming, because there are all kinds of events to get involved in.

Last night I hosted a couple high school seniors that are here for a visit. Bluffton has these events called "For Seniors Only" as well as "For Juniors Only" a couple times a year. (Check them out if you're at all interested, they're a great way to get to spend a little extra time on campus and really get a feel for the what Bluffton is like.) The two guys staying with me were named Vance and Lance, so that was easy enough. After picking them up from a group event featuring games and pizza, we headed back to my room. They both knew people currently on campus from their high schools, so we tracked a couple people down. That was pretty fun. They we headed back to my hall again and we met up with some of my friends and we go to spend some quality chill time together. Nothing too crazy happened, but I think the guys enjoyed themselves. All in all, I had a good experience as well.

Since I had to drop them off at 8:30 this morning, I am now up and I should really think about taking advantage of this extra time that I would normally be sleeping. I keep telling myself I will get some stuff done over the weekend knowing full well that I probably won't. So my goal for the rest of the morning, until lunch at least, is to be productive and get some of my random projects out of the way. Don't be surprised if my post next time features me complaining because I too much stuff to do, however. :)

Dang, two posts in a row without pictures or video. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

Until next time,

Scott

There's no place like home...

2007-10-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend! A lot of good stuff has been going on and I'm excited that due to Fall Break, I don't have classes until Thursday still. In my last post I mentioned how I just needed to relax a bit over break, and I have definately accomplished that. Also, before I forget, I also mentioned last time that my fish did not have a name yet. Well, the verdict is in and my Oscar's name is... (drum roll)... Howard. Howie for short. If you don't like it, you'll have to take it up with Mary. (Good luck, she's scary :) )

But yeah, a lot of good stuff has happened between my last post and now. Friday Mary and I went to her house in Fort Wayne and I got to meet her sister, which was a good time. And then we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Flat Top Grill, which is always a good time. Then I bought two snails to help keep Howie company and we headed back to Bluffton. The rest of the night wasn't incredibly exciting, as I was on duty and most people were home for break, but Mary came over later and we got some more quality chill time in.

Saturday was pretty good as well. In the afternoon I got to spend some more time with Mary. Then, my friend Jake and I went to Findlay so I could buy some food for Howie. My goal was to get ghost shrimp, but they were out so we settled on 10 goldfish for $1. They ended up giving me 15 or 16, so that's cool. So needless to say, Howie will be eating well for awhile.

And then, Saturday night, NOTRE DAME WON THEIR FIRST GAME!!! If you haven't picked up on it in my previous posts, I am a huge Irish fan. I couldn't watch the game because it wasn't showing around our area, but I was able to listen to it online. That definately made my night. Mary came over after that again and that was really good too, and we talked about some good stuff.

Then on Sunday, I was able to go home and see my family for the first time in about 2 months. Some of my cousins and aunts and uncles came over for dinner which was a lot of fun as well. Mary was there, so it was a lot of fun to introduce her to everybody. And there's always a lot of good food at those kind of events.

Today was pretty solid as well. I randomly found my passport under my bed early in the afternoon, which was cool. (For the past year I thought I had lost it. Well, I remembered that I put it in a specific bag, but then my mom moved the bag and put it under my bed apparently. So I'm blaming it on her. :) Turns out that's not a very good story.) I had to run a couple errands for my parents, but other than that I did what any good college student does on a break- absolutely nothing. Well, that's not entirely true. I did learn a sweet magic trick where I can make a toothpick disappear and then reappear. I would show you a video of me doing it, but I just remembered I left my camera at school. But trust me, it would have blown your mind. (I'll probably post a video of it next time, because I'm oddly proud of the accomplishment.)

And then tomorrow I have to go shopping for homecoming. I have a suit, but I think I'll have to buy a new shirt and possibly a new tie as well. I really don't like shopping, but it's fun to get new dress clothes. The classic Catch-22. Then I'll be heading back to Bluffton. I guess breaks can't last forever.

That's all for now. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but like I mentioned earlier I forgot my camera at school. I'll make it up to you next time.

Until next time,

Scott

Fall break is almost here!

2007-10-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

I am definately ready for fall break. I just really need a break and a chance to sleep in a couple days. Although for the most part everything's been going well, college life just takes a toll on you after awhile. It could be the 4 am bedtime, it could be the homework, or it might just be that Notre Dame is 0-5 in football, but I'm just worn out. So it's nice that we don't have class on Monday or Tuesday, which means my first class next week is Thursday since I don't have Monday, Wednesday, or Friday classes. (That is rare, but it is also awesome.)

I would go home tomorrow probably, but since I'm an Resident Advisor I have to stick around to be on duty for the building since there will be some residents still here. I'll get to go home Sunday though, and I'll probably stay until Tuesday. I'm pretty excited too because on Sunday my extended family is coming over to my house for a little get-together. I normally wouldn't think it was as cool as I do now, but I really haven't seen my family all that much lately. I haven't been home since I got to school (almost 2 months) and I was gone all summer at an internship in New Mexico. So, since May, the only time I've spent at my house was the week between when I got home from my internship until I came back to school. Kinda crazy to think about.

In other news, today was a pretty good day. It started off when I slept through my first two classes (bad that I missed them, good in that I felt well rested at least). But I woke up in time for chapel, which was good. And then I had a presentation to give in my Corporate Strategy class, which I really enjoy doing. After that, I had my once every three week meeting with Bluffton University's president. President Harder and I meet in my role as Student Senate President to talk and just make sure the students and faculty/staff/administration are all on the same page and doing well. I always enjoy these meetings as President Harder is a super nice guy who is fun to talk with.

Then, a little later in the afternoon, Ramseyer (the building I live in) staff had a staff bonding activity. We drove to Findlay for some ice-cream at a place called Dietsch's. It is a really great ice-cream place where they make all their own products- ice-cream, chocolate, candy, etc. You should check it out if you're ever in the area. Since we were in Findlay, myself and two of the RAs in my building, Trevor and Nate, went to a pet store and I finally bought a new fish! I was pretty excited about it. Although now I'm just hoping I didn't get one that will get too big. According to what I've read on the internet since I got back, it will. So, I might have to find someone with a bigger tank eventually to take it from me. I'll keep you posted on any developments there, of course. (As you can see, he's kind of camera-shy)

It is pretty exciting to know that I can go to sleep and wake up and know that I only have one more class before the weekend. (Earlier I said I don't have classes on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, but that's technically untrue. I do have a class at 1:00 each of those days, but it rarely meets because it is an internship based class where we just check in every once in a while. Tomorrow is one of those days.) Like I said, I just need a break.

That's all for tonight folks. Say hello to my new friend. Mary is working on a name for him (we're assuming it's a guy I guess), but until then, he's nameless.

Until next time,

Scott

Late night, anyone?

2007-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much random stuff one can find to do while putting off writing a paper. It will most definately be a late night, followed by an early morning. At 7:00 I am going to a breakfast as a sort of thank you to our Buildings and Grounds staff. It's always fun and there's good food (steak and eggs), but man that's gonna be early. I guess that's what I get for having such a good time this weekend. Allow me to explain.

On Friday, as I always do, I spent a lot of quality time with Mary. Friday afternoons are normally the highlight of my week for this reason. Then, later on that night, one of the groups on campus held a rootbeer keg party in Bob's Place. It was so much fun to just hang out with a lot of my friends and act goofy doing crazy dance moves and whatnot. But the best part of the night was when I won a brand new iPod Nano! There was a drawing and my name was called, and myself and another guy were quizzed on the dangers of alcohol. I was the first to correctly answer one of the questions, so I won. I've never owned an iPod before so I was pretty excited.

Saturday was a lot of fun as well. As is usual, I watched Notre Dame get beat. But then, I was able to spend some time with two of my favorite people in the world- Annie and Carrie. They are twins and I got to know them during the fall semester of my sophomore year when we were in Northern Ireland. We became very close during the 3 and a 1/2 months we were there and we were able to help each other get through some of the tougher parts of the experience. Anyway, the three of us went to Common Grounds (a local coffee shop) and just talked for an hour or so. It's always good to catch up.

Then on Saturday night Mary and I went out for dinner and a movie. It was awesome. First of all, the Red Pig Inn in Findlay is one of my new favorite restaurants (I'd never been there before but if you're in the area, you need to go there- I suggest trying the ribs). Secondly, the movie 3:10 to Yuma is one of my new favorite movies. So good. In-between dinner and the movie (we had a lot of time between), as well as after the movie, we just had a lot of fun talking about a variety of topics. I honestly don't know how we get on some of the topics we do, but it's always a good time.

Today I went to Sunday Morning Worship here on campus, which was good. The subject this week was about building our relationship with God. Always a good thing to talk about. I don't think we should ever stop in that pursuit, so it's good to be encouraged in that direction.

In the afternoon I started out strong reading for this paper that I'm currently putting off. I read a couple chapters and then took a short break, or so I thought. Of course once I checked football scores, I thought that it wouldn't hurt to watch for a couple minutes longer. And then tonight we had what is called Fall Festival in preparation for Spiritual Life Week this coming week. Many of the clubs on campus have a booth where students can come and do all sorts of fun fall-themed activities. For Student Senate, we had a cookie decorating booth. Several girls baked close to 300 cookies yesterday and then made icing today for people to decorate with. The end result was a lot of fun for the students who stopped by.

So this is where I am now. I did end up setting up my fish tank tonight while I was procrastinating, which is nice to get out of the way. But along with my paper, I've got some odds and ends that need finished for tomorrow, so I'm prepping myself for an all-nighter that may very well happen.

I hope you get more sleep than I do.

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. The girl in the top picture is my friend Carrie, decorating a cookie at the Student Senate booth at the Fall Festival.

Fires and blood drives and Scrubs- oh my!

2007-09-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

It's definately been a different week than I'm used to. In a good way though.

Tuesday night was a good time (see picture to the left) as Corey, Slurpy, Phill, and I went with Wade to his parent's house just a few minutes from campus and had a fire and some solid bonding time. The theme was "It Ends Tonight" as it was the official end of summer and the start of Autumn. Well, it just so happened that we decided to do this on that night I think. I really don't know, they just invited me and I thought what the heck. We did the whole cooking hot dogs over the fire thing and talked about our summers. Dispite it raining a bit and getting bit up by mosquitoes, it was a pleasant experience.

Then Wednesday was slow as usual, but my weekly visit with Phill to the Bradfield Community Center in Lima was definately more lively than our first time last week. The kids were just really wound up and had so much energy. It was a lot of fun just getting to play bingo and kickball with them for a couple hours. While I was kind of nervous and didn't know what to expect before we started going, I'm starting to really enjoy my time there.

Today was one of those days where I just didn't want to get up. I tend to be up too late for no good reason (case in point- it is currently just before 3 a.m. as I am writing this!) and I have an 8:00 a.m. class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But I got through it and I can sleep in the next couple days. But today was no ordinary day. It was pretty cool because Shaun Groves was here today for Chapel and then he played a couple concerts tonight as well. If you've never had a chace to hear him speak or sing, I strongly encourage you to check him out. He definately had a powerful message during Chapel and I am upset I couldn't go to the concerts tonight (more on that below). Also today was one of the year's blood drives (Bluffton has a couple every year) and that's always a good day. I always look forward to these days because it's a simple way for college students to help other people out. Plus, I am like the world's fastest blood donor. Or at least I like to think so.

Tonight was fun, despite missing the concerts. Since I was on duty and still had to complete another floor activity for the month of September, I decided to combine the two and had a Scrubs marathon in the main lobby. There was a pretty decent turnout (20+ that came and went) so that made for a good time. It's a good thing that that many showed up too, because I bought a lot of snacks that I wouldn't have known what to do with otherwise. We ended up watching Scrubs for about 5 hours, which was definately long enough for me. I mean, I love that show, but I was the only person there the whole time, and 5 hours is just a long time for anything.

So now all that stands between me and the weekend is... well nothing. I love not having classes on Fridays. But I do have a project for the weekend- getting my fish tank up and running. I'll keep you posted.

Here you can see what I have to work with. I'll be glad once it's up and going and filled with fish.

Hope you have a great weekend! Until next time,

Scott

Why do weekends have to end?

2007-09-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my first exam of the year for my Money and Banking class and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not overly worried, but I just feel like I'm not prepared. It's probably just the fact that I am still adjusting back into class/study/exam mode to be honest. Since it's hard for me to feel motivated late at night, I am going to get up early and go to breakfast and study a bit before my exam. The only downside is that my exam is at 8:00, so I'm gonna have to go pretty early. Oh well, I'll catch up on sleep later I suppose.

So this weekend was a lot of fun. Friday night I didn't do a whole lot, but it was relaxing. I watched several episodes of Scrubs, which just happens to be the best show ever created. Seriously. And then Mary came over and we had a nice chat and we went on a walk. It was just nice.

Saturday was good too. Mary had let me know that she was planning a surprise date over lunch for me, which turned out to be my favorite meal (sloppy joes and mac & cheese in case you're curious, mmmboy) and games. It was a lot of fun, and kudos to Mary because she even e-mailed my sister to find out how my mom makes sloppy joes (because that's my favorite). And then I proceeded to dominate in Yahtzee. I mean, it was ugly. After that, Mary watched the first half of the Notre Dame game with me for the first time. It was actually quite brave of her because I can get somewhat violent during Irish games. (My remote has never been the same since the first game of the season.) But I did really well this game, and it was neat to watch it with her. I like to be able to explain football to people who aren't as familiar with it.

That night I didn't do too much because I was on duty so I couldn't leave the building. Mary came over later and we got ambitious and rearranged my room. I think I like it this way. And I got inspired to get my fish tank up and running again. I had it up last year, but I just never set it up yet this year. I'll keep you posted on my fish endeavors. (I'm not entirely certain I spelled that correctly. I'm over it.)

Sunday was solid as well. Lots of football with some Mary time sprinkled in (I spend a lot of time with Mary, huh?) makes for a great day. Most of my friends were gone for random things, so I didn't get to see them this weekend, which was a bit of a bummer. But all in all, it was a good day. Except for Sunday night event night, which didn't happen due to lack of participation. Although it pains me to say it, I feel as if Sunday night even night is dying. Or dead already.

Today was another pretty good day. On Mondays, the only class I have is at 6:30 at night. This gives me a lot of time to work with, which is nice, but it is a challenge to make the most of it. Usually what ends up happening is I work on the agenda for the Student Senate meeting (meetings are every Monday night at 9:30) and just figure out what we're gonna talk about there. I always say I'm gonna do homework too, but that usually gets pushed back to a late night/early morning time later on. But Senate went well tonight and we had some good discussion, so that's always exciting.

So now that I basically gave you the play-by-play of my life for the past couple days, I'm gonna stop writing. But if you made it through all that, God bless you. And as promised, I took pictures tonight! (see above)

The picture on the left is of Slurp and Corey making a collage for one of their classes. Well, it kind of is. Slurp is apparently cutting Corey's hair, and Corey is terrified or something.

The other picture is my study-buddy Beth. She is a fellow Business major who I have spent countless hours studying with over the years. She is also in Money and Banking so we studied tonight for our exam.

That's all I got for you fine folks tonight.

Until next time,

Scott

The weekend is almost here!

2007-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks.

As I'm writing this, I can't help but notice how hot it is in my room. I just thought you might like to know.

Today for the most part was a pretty good day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my busy days with classes (I have three both days) but they all went well. In my last class, Corporate Strategy, I had to give a presentation with another person. I really enjoy doing that kind of stuff actually. This class is the highest level Business class for Bluffton Business majors so even though it's somewhat challenging, it's a lot of fun. While most of the general education classes might have 30 or so people in a class, once you get to your upper level major classes there are less people which makes for better discussion.

I also found out that I'm on Homecoming Court this week, which was neat. My girlfriend, Mary, is also on it which is super cool. The whole group of people on the court is a fun group so it should make for a fun couple of days next month.

Tonight hasn't been overly excited as I've been in my room all night. I might have gone to Open Mic Night down in Bob's Place, but Thursday nights are my night on duty. As an RA (resident advisor) I am responsible for one night a week and every 5th weekend to just be around the hall and make sure everything is in order. It's not bad, it's just sometimes a bit boring if there's other things going on somewhere else on campus. But some of my friends have stopped by throughout the night to keep me company, which has been nice.

I'm looking forward to this weekend (as I do all weekends) for sure. I'm excited because as always, football is on all day Saturday and Sunday! That's just a given every weekend, but I'm also excited because Mary is planning some sort of Saturday afternoon date, which is some sort of surprise apparently (but she promises that I'll be back in time for the 3:30 kickoff between Notre Dame and Michigan State). So, that's exciting to me.

I also might be going to Fort Wayne Saturday night, but that's still up in the air. And then Sunday is always the best night of the week with Sunday Night Event Night, or SNEN. (Actually, to be honest that was the first time I've ever used that acronym. You should feel special that you were there for the first time.)

I feel like this is getting out of control and that I should stop for the night.

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. I promised to take pictures this week, but there just haven't been any good opportunities to. But in order to not leave you empty-handed for the third straight post, here's a picture of me with my best friend Eric (who I will no doubt refer to many times over the course of my blogging) last spring. We really should have planned to both be smiling or both be game-faced, but we roll with it anyway.

Crazy Week

2007-09-18T11:51:00.001-07:00

Do you just ever have one of those weeks where it just seems like everything needs to be done yesterday?

It's been a pretty good year so far, but this week just seems to not offer a whole lot of free time. Part of this is my fault, part of this is just the way things happen. For example, I have a lot of homework/projects/reading to get done for this week. But, I also wasn't very productive with my weekend. It was relaxing though. I'm still working out this whole budgeting my time concept.

I am kind of excited about a couple of things coming up this week though. Tomorrow a group from my high school in Indiana is coming for a visit and tour of campus, and I get to be involved. I'm pretty excited about that, since I'll probably know several of the people. Most of them will probably be 4 or 5 years younger than me, but I'm from a small town and so I'm sure I'll at least know who they are. It's fun to show people from home around where I've spent most of my time these past few years.

Also, I'm starting to work with the local movie theatre in town for my Advanced Public Relations class this week. I'm going to be doing some PR projects for the theatre, which is kind of a cool thought. I'm excited with who I'm working with too, because the owner is a business professor here at Bluffton with whom I am currently taking two class. He's definately one of my favorite profs since coming to Bluffton so it's just neat that I'll get to spend more time with him outside of class working on this project.

Other that though, I'm just waiting it out until the weekend. With all the homework and meetings and whatnot I have until Friday afternoon, time for friends is hard to come by. But come Friday afternoon, I just intend to sit back and relax and maybe take a nap. Yeah, that sounds good.

Until next time,

Scott

P.S. Sorry to be so lame and not have pictures again. I promise I'll take some this week.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

2007-09-14T01:31:00.000-07:00

This past week I definately been noticing all my responsibilities start to creep up on me. The conference I went to last weekend got me behind a bit on my reading and I'm still trying to play catch-up. Add in Senate, RA stuff, making time for friends and Mary, and a lack of sleep and this has been a long week. Not bad, just long. I told myself I was going to get to bed at a respectable time tonight so I can rest up for a weekend full of football. That is, until, we decided to pull an all-nighter.

Why, you might ask, would we decide to do this? Well, first of all, "we" is myself, Corey, Jake, and Slurp. There were a couple other people, but we lasted the longest. Apparently Slurp and Corey have a paper due for their 11:00 class, so Jake and I just decided to stay up with them. I am actually getting ready to get to bed, and it's just before 5 a.m., so technically I didn't pull an all-nighter.

This weekend should be fun though. One of my favorite things to do is wake up on Saturdays in the fall and watch college football all afternoon. Notre Dame is playing Michigan, which even during a rough year like this (for both teams) is a huge rivalry game. I'm somewhat optimistic, but every time I get my hopes up lately I end up getting crushed.

Then on Sunday Mary and I are driving to her house in Fort Wayne to spend some time with her niece and nephew (I'm sure I'll watch some NFL as well). I'm excited because I haven't met them yet, but it should be a good day.

And then, the second weekly Sunday night event night will be going on as well. This week will be the gallon challenge with milk. I'm a little nervous because I've done it and thrown up in the past. But it's all about making memories, right? I'm sure I'll have pictures when it's all said and done, so stayed tuned for those. (I promise to not actually show anyone puking)

I'm not sure how coherent this is sounding by this point, since it is 4:54 in the morning, so I'm heading off to bed. Have a great weekend!

Until next time,

Scott

2007-09-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling pretty good right now. I just got back from a walk with an amazing girl and now I'm watching Monday Night Football. Those are two of my favorite things in the world to do. :)

This weekened was solid as well. I got back from the conference at Ball State around 6:00 Saturday night, just in time to see my beloved Notre Dame Fightin' Irish get beat by Penn State. This was the low point of the weekend. You see, I'm a huge Notre Dame fan (it's gotten to the point where I can't decide if I'm just a dork or have an unhealthy obsession) and so when they lose, I hurt. But enough of that. There was a high point to the game however, as one of my close friends, Dan, was visiting this weekend, stopped in and watched it with me. Sure, he let me know how bad my boys in blue and gold were doing (he's an Ohio State fan), but it was good to see him regardless. We talked a lot and caught each other up on our lives the rest of the night. It was awesome because I hadn't seen him since graduation at the beginning of May.

Sunday was a lot of fun as well. Mary and I went to church at St. John's in Pandora, a small town just a couple minutes away. I have really grown to love this church over time, and it's nice to be back after being gone for the summer. And then after church, Mary and I spent the afternoon having one of those great conversations that I'll never forget. I'm a lucky man.

And then, Sunday night, it just got crazy. Well, not crazy so much as just random. Last weekend my best friend, Eric (who I'll probably refer to as Slurp from now on) and I decided that Sunday nights from now on will be known as event nights. What this means will change every week, but this week the challenge for anyone brave enough to accept it was to drink as much water in 15 minutes as you could, or first to a gallon (whichever came first). I ended up winning quite soundly. I had most of the gallon done at the 15 minute mark, but I gave in to peer pressure and finished the whole thing in under 20 just for kicks and giggles. Below is a play-by-play of the action...

Pre-start: The three other contestants are looking obviously scared out of their minds that they have to face me in this challenge. Who can blame them?

13 seconds in: I have a commanding lead, probably consuming about 1/2 a gallon (give or take) by now.

22 seconds: I take a break and allow the others to think they have a chance.

1 minute, 56 seconds: I begin planning out my victory speech.

3 minutes, 42 seconds: The other contestants, still ashamed at how they are performing compared to yours truly, start to feel a little sick.

5 minutes: Satch is disqualified because she just can't keep the water down (I'll let your imagination do the work on that one and spare you the details).

7 minutes, 3 seconds: Ok really, I'm the man at this.

7 minutes, 7 seconds: Yep, still the man.

11 minutes, 33 seconds: LeeAnne and Carol are not looking too good, and everyone begins to wander how long they'll keep it all down.

12 minutes, 8 seconds: Did I mention how good I am at the gallon challenge?

15 minutes: I am officially crowned the winner.

18 minutes(ish): I give in to peer pressure and just finish the whole thing.

So there you have it, my crazy Sunday night. I don't know what else to say about that.

Well folks, it off to bed for me. Money and Banking at 8:00 in the morning tomorrow is gonna be here in around 6 hours. Dang.

Until next time,

Scott

Practicing what we preach

2007-09-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted. Right now I'm writing from Lee's Inn in Muncie, Indiana where myself, along with fellow Bluffton students Andy Lehman and Kristen Shelly and Dr. Cynthia Bandish are attending a conference entitled "Greening the Campus" at Ball State University. We've heard a lot of really great information all day, but it's definately nice to have a break back at the hotel. It's somewhat of an information overload after sitting and listening to lectures from 8:30 until 5:00.

On a sidenote, I forgot my power cord for my laptop and my battery died, so now I'm using Kristen's computer. This is alright, except for the fact that I had some homework I was supposed to get done on my computer so now I'm going to have to wait until I get back this weekend to do it. Bummer.

But nonetheless we have been getting some good ideas about sustainability to bring back to share with the rest campus community. Since our campus-wide civic engagement theme this year is "Environmental Stewardship", this type of conference fits right in with what we're talking about. It's through this type of experience that Bluffton is able to practice what we preach and not just talk about being responsible citizens. I'm excited to see how the campus community responds this year to the new theme!

Other than being here though, the school year has been going pretty well. It's been nice to get back into the swing of things at school and see all my friends after being going for the summer. I'm anticipating a great senior year, and I'll be sure to keep busy with Student Senate, being an RA for my floor, homework, and making time for my friends.

That's probably about it for tonight. I'll probably have a little lengthier post next time, but my brain is a bit fried and I need to give it a break.

Until next time,

Scott