So my last big project was completed approximately... 1 hour ago.
What a relief.
The education program here at GMC is absolutely amazing. And by that I mean the professors are doing exactly what they tell us to do in every class--constantly reflecting on the effectiveness of their methods.
So I decided to wander around campus and take some cool pictures today--which made me realize that I didn't post too much about Earth Week. Irony of all ironies.
Earth Week is like seven days of celebration at GMC. There are tons of fun and educational activities. We always have speakers, recent alums visit, and there are garlic mustard pulls (it's an invasive species around here), and of course lots of music, and much more.
Last year, we had a competition across campus to see who could stay outside for the longest amount of time all week. Though the competition didn't continue this year (I think because there were concerns regarding students who had a lot of classes INDOORS, which is clearly something they can't control), flocks of tents certainly went up. And as I wandered around campus taking pictures, I realized that many of them have remained up past Earth Week, which is pretty cool considering it's pouring out and people are still having a good time.
Here are some pics:
Last week was beautiful. And when I say beautiful, I mean like summer weather, hardly a cloud in the sky, and maybe a slight to moderate breeze everyday. People were discarding their shoes and jackets (and responsibilities quite frequently) to enjoy the sunshine. Hordes of college students made their way down to the river with bathing suits and bicycles, as others started up the grill for a nice outdoor barbecue. It was fantastic.
And now many are thanking the weather gods for this sudden onslaught of rain. I know I've discussed the subject with a lot of my friends--we all have papers due today or tomorrow or this Friday, and rain keeps us indoors working on that 10-page psychology paper, and away from the trails on Buckner Preserve or the canoes on Lake St. Catherine. Though Green Mountain College students are blessed with the number of outdoor adventures that lie relatively close to the school, such blessings can be curses when the weather gets really nice and the semester is coming to a close.
My solution? Visit Poultney in the summer. It's a grand old time.
Only three more weeks of school... and I think we're all seeing the major effects of this... lots of stress, lots of things due... and lots of low immune systems...
I got sick this past week. It's not going away. I may actually have to go to the doctors for this one. Bleh.
Even so, I did have quite a nice weekend. I ended up going to NH for my grandma's 80th birthday, which really just became a huge family reunion (ie: I met people related to me that I didn't realize were related to me. Hoorah for that.) I also got to catch up with some of the cousins I haven't seen in a long time-- such as my cousin Josh who has somehow managed to grow like a foot in a half in the past year. Yikes.
Or the other Josh who has lived in NYC for so many years, and then moved to Portland, ME that I seriously had to do a double take to see if he was actually related to me or had just married someone. Haha.
It was a surprise birthday party, and by some miracle, managed to continue to be a surprise birthday party (there are a lot of people in my family, which means a lot more people who might accidentally spill the beans). Here's my grandma's "surprise face."
What a delightful weekend.
So my friend Ben Jankowski... (checking for pictures...)
(request denied...)
(oh wait... nope... here he is on one of his sailing adventures...)
My friend Ben is not only good at sailing, but also happens to be a total drama geek (I know he will take no offense to that statement). Ironically, the first time I talked to him--which was wayyy before we started hanging out--was because he was wearing a NH Drama Festival shirt that indicated he had gone to the same festival I had performed in a couple years prior.
Anyways--the point is that he directed a musical this semester, and I had the opportunity to see it this past Friday.
AND it was amaaaazing.
So it's finally feeling like spring here!!!
FINALLY!
So I took the weekend off to enjoy the thrill of it all.
(This is a pictorial representation of the excitement this weekend created).
Something that I love about GMC is the fact that there's always music playing. There are a number of campus bands, some of which will jam out the coffee house or the gorge every now and again.
It's fantastic being around so many creative people, so many great musicians.
Wow. I was just going through the pictures on my camera, when I realized that I haven't even updated about my 21st birthday, my adorable nephew on Easter, or the fact that my pseudo brother is getting married.
You'd think I'd be on top of this.
So. Here's the inevitable Easter picture of my nephew, who is now almost 7 months old.
(Boy is he going to hate me when he grows up and realizes I've posted pictures like this of him on the internet. hahaha).
Yes, those are bunny ears; yes, my father yelled at my sister for putting said bunny ears on him (he's going to be a sissy! he says); and yes, you do see a little bit of drool on his face. He's teething, man. Give him a break. :)
There was this amazing speaker I saw tonight.
He was invited for a Voices plenary, which is basically a speech that all the Voices students (second semester freshman, mostly) had to attend to write a two page reflection on (but it's open to the public).
Normally, I wouldn't attend something like this. I just happened to get out of a meeting early and bumped into a girl who reminded me that the speaker was tonight.
I am so glad I went. What a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I'm going to be honest.
There's something about being at college (which entails doing crazy amounts of homework, or rushing around between meetings and classes and rehearsals, or going on rants about random things like Nietzsche with friends until the break of dawn, or a combination of all these things) that sort of discourages me from keeping up-to-date on world events.
I hardly watch television (it's too mind numbing for me), and even if I do, I definitely don't plop myself on my comfy black chair, wrap myself in my grandma's knitted blanket, and make a big bowl of popcorn just so that I can watch CNN. No. Definitely WAYYY too depressing.
But every now and again, someone sends me an email or makes a comment in class that shakes me out of my little world and makes me consider what's going on around the world.
And seriously? I'm scared.