Classic Bev

I have to tell you, I didn’t quite know what to expect this past weekend for President Cornwell’s Inauguration, but I was SO impressed. I was monster focused on my presentation, which went really well (or at least I thought it did). Friday was the “Movable Feast of Undergraduate Research” so there was food from local restaurants all over campus along with all of the IS presentations. I was in the room “Women and the World” with my friends Lizzie and Elisabeth. I think I sat through seven or eight presentations in total, venturing over to Severance (Chemistry) to see my friend Lauren’s IS poster and to partake in TJ’s outstanding mint brownies. I also went with my advisor, Dr. Shaya, to the presentation of my fellow Classicist, Alex. He also worked on Cicero but instead looked at the six months of Cicero’s life where he tried to deify his deceased daughter Tullia. I found it really interesting, especially since the room he was in was “Religion, Science, and Society,” so I also listened to my friend Christina’s presentation. A Philosophy major, Christina looked at the substantial and moral harm associated with pornography. Each presentation I watched was thorough, well-done, and well-attended. Mine was standing room only and that was the case with a lot of them.

Saturday morning was the Inauguration itself and I actually really enjoyed myself. I thought the Student Ambassadors stole the show, each presenting President Cornwell with a gift from their country along with a lot of humor (Sheldon, a fellow intern from Jamaica, remarked that he and President Cornwell have a lot in common: they’re both tall, dark, and handsome ). President Cornwell also got the chance to discuss his ideas on research at a liberal institution, which is obviously of interest to all of us, since we just finished IS!

That night was the Inaugural Gala and I went just because I love any excuse to get dressed up. It was Latin-themed (though not my kind of Latin. Bad joke. Moving on…) and so there was a live band and dance instruction and the most random mix of administrators, students, alumni, and trustees. It was a blast though, I had so much fun, especially when my friends and I busted out some trusty dance moves (Lawn Mower? Shopping Cart? YOU BET). Plus, there was free dessert, and if there’s anything you’ve hopefully learned about me, it’s that I do not turn down anything free.

Now it’s the last week of classes and it is SO surreal. I have a paper due tomorrow that I need to “polish” (you all know what that means from my last post) as well as needing to do some serious laundry and organize everything for the Eta Sigma Phi BBQ on Thursday. Just as a heads up, if I haven’t mentioned it, I get my IS grade on Friday…AHHH!!

PS, I may have gone to Gap again yesterday. It’s an addiction, okay? Admitting it is the first step…

So after my jam-packed weekend of Wooster sports (and my brief shopping excursion to Akron for all things Gap-related…I have an addiction), I have settled down to focus on the next few days. This week has been insane, there is SO much to get done! Tuesday, I went to Oberlin with five other Classics majors and minors to see one of my former professors give a lecture on Tibullus and Horace’s Satires. Not only was it incredibly interesting, but it was also a lot of fun and great to see Dr. McGowan again. We drove him back to Wooster and we all went out to dinner and then I took him to the airport Wednesday morning. It’s funny how no one here blinks twice when I say that too–I think I’m about the third or fourth person to have taken McGowan to the airport, plus my feeling about professors and students here is that we’re all very close. I know so many people who babysit or dogsit for professors, have dinner at their homes, etc. I think it’s just the culture here.

Now I’m just trying to focus on the tasks at hand. I have my IS presentation for the President’s Inauguration tomorrow that I need to polish (and by polish, I mean start writing…come on, I’m not shy about my procrastination), plus I have work tonight AND my mom is coming into town to take me out to dinner. I’m really excited to see my mom, plus we’re going to South Market Bistro, which is the nicest restaurant in town. I’ve never been there, so I am PUMPED. Then tomorrow I’ve got class, a panel for the last visit day, my presentation, and then Senior Farewell for the Peanuts, where we all dress up and tell stories about our time here and basically just cry a lot.

And on top of all of this, I have started applying for jobs!! I think seeing McGowan motivated me, because after dinner with him, I realized that I still don’t have an answer for every senior’s least favorite question: what are you doing after college? So I sent out seven resumes/cover letters/applications/bribes (just kidding on the last one…) that night. We’ll see what happens from there.

This whole time right now is about waiting. Waiting to see who calls back for a job, waiting for my IS grade, waiting for the next two and a half weeks that lead to Commencement. It’s a strange place to be in right now, one full of concurrent excitement and sadness. Every senior I’ve talked to feels exactly the same, though, so it’s good to know we’re all in the same boat. Right now, I think I’m just going to focus on checking my mailbox like a fiend and writing this IS presentation. I’ll keep everyone informed as I continue to get updates…

So due to some technical difficulties (aka, I have no idea what happened), one of my posts got deleted. So I’ll recap for everyone the past two weeks. I had my oral defense Friday a week ago and I passed! I got my questions beforehand and prepared well and it really wasn’t scary at all. I was nervous for a minute, but I think I was more excited than anything else. It’s funny how you’re never truly done with IS though. I still find myself randomly researching Clinton’s speeches or trying to find a source on media as propaganda in ancient Rome. It is quite the relief to be done though. Now it’s just a waiting game on my grade…I’ll find out in a few weeks.

Saturday was the MS Walk, so we traveled to the Youngstown area to walk with Katie’s family and friends. It was chilly (and early, we left Woo at 7) but we had such a good time. It was great to be a part of something like that and like I said, we’re big fans of walking. As I type, I’m recovering from my Relay for Life shift. Relay is a blast too, there are bands throughout the night, I left during a fried chicken eating contest, there are prizes and games. Plus, this year, Relay coincided with our big outdoor concert and fair, SpringFest. There was a mechanical bull, funnel cakes, and all sorts of booths and food and activities. We also had two music groups, Fiery Furnaces and The Cool Kids, perform and the speakers are set up so that you can hear it all over campus.

This week was also Greek Week, so we were super busy: long Lip Sync practices, Powder Puff football on Sunday, Faculty/Staff Reception in Lowry on Tuesday, and Wednesday was Lip Sync. Our routine had ribbon dancing, jump roping, and all out BRILLIANCE. We tied for first (I don’t know if that’s ever happened before) and we WON Greek Week! So exciting, plus I finally got to sleep and not have to worry about dancing the next day. We’re all exhausted and sore and bruised, but it was an absolute blast and I’m sad it’s my last one. At least we went out on a high note!

Last night, a HUGE group of Wooster students went to the Cleveland Indians game. Wooster Activities Crew organized the trip, but this wasn’t your typical game (and not only because my baseball boyfriend Ryan Garko hit a two run homer and we won 11-1). The Betas organized an event called the 60 Mile Pitch where they left Wooster at 8am the day of the game, literally ran a baseball up to Progressive Field (which I will forever call the Jake) and one of them threw out the first pitch. They raised almost $5000 for the Jimmy V Foundation, which funds cancer research. There were at least 100 Wooster students at the game to cheer for Aaron, who threw out the first pitch. This was on top of the fact that our tickets were only 5 bucks and thus, totally worth it. I also finally bought a Ryan Garko jersey, a silly side note that’s pretty exciting to me.

Tomorrow, I’m going to the Wooster baseball game, the women’s lacrosse game and the men’s lacrosse game. All of the teams are doing incredibly well this season and I’m excited to go out and see all of them. It’s funny, I’m always asked by prospective students if I ever get bored on campus or have trouble finding stuff to do, but if this week has been any indication, I usually have the opposite problem. I have a feeling it’ll be quite the packed weekend. Good thing I’m done with IS…

So this weekend was my last weekend with nothing to do. I loafed around, had a bonding session with some friends, watched way too many movies and episodes of “The Office,” and ate A LOT of food. This upcoming weekend, however, is the MS Walk that the Peanuts have done for four years now. One of our girls’ moms has multiple sclerosis, so we walk with their team and get to do service, work out a little, and spend some good quality time together. The weekend after that is Relay for Life (which benefits the American Cancer Society), so needless to say, I’m going to be doing a good deal of walking in the next few weeks. I did a lot of community service in high school and one of the reasons I joined a club on campus was so that I could continue that work. I volunteer at the Humane Society as well (though socializing kittens never feels like service, it’s more therapeutic for me); Wooster is incredibly service oriented campus, which is one of the many things that drew me here. In late September, Wooster students, professors, alumni, and even community members gather in cities all over to serve their communities (from here in Ohio to Boston to Phoenix…this year, there was even a project in London!). It’s a great way to make connections and meet new people.

I got my oral defense date: this upcoming Friday at 3pm. Needless to say, I’m excited and terrified at the same time. I’m not necessarily worried, I’m just anxious. I’ll get questions beforehand though, and like I’ve said before, I’ve had a ton of practice talking about my IS to other people, so I think I’m just a little nervous. It’ll melt, I’m sure of it.

I have a Roman Archaeology and Art exam to study for and a panel tomorrow morning right afterwards (plus two meetings, work, and lip sync practice), so needless to say, it’s going to be a long 24 hours. The upside? I have a massage scheduled at the Wellness Center for tomorrow afternoon. I’ve never gotten one before and I cannot even say how much I’m looking forward to it. I’ll report back on that too

So I’ve decided to be a little adventurous (well, for me anyway). Jackie wants to go the ballroom dancing classes that are offered to students and faculty and I can’t believe this, but I agreed to go with her. It’s going to be fun, but oh…the embarrassment. I love that I have this opportunity though, I’ve been trying to renew some of the things I used to do in high school. I danced tap and ballet for 13 years before I got to college and I really miss it. That’s why Lip Sync is so fun too. Greek Week is coming up and during the week (in addition to faculty receptions, an all Greek kickball game, and a huge BBQ) we have a Lip Sync competition. It’s always really ridiculous and fun; choreographing and dancing are what make it so great for me. Now, we’ve come in second the past two years and to say that the Peanuts are bitter would be an understatement. We’re bringing out the big guns this year. I can’t necessarily say what they are yet…but I’ll keep you updated. I added a picture from last year’s performance. That’s us doing Superfreak by Rick James, we did all of the choreography from Little Miss Sunshine, complete with tie and ridiculousness. I’m the one in the dead center front (since you can’t tell from the front, haha)