Wednesday, Thursday

It’s kind of rainy tonight, which I actually don’t mind since it gives me an excuse to stay in and have some downtime. Tonight, I plan on chilling and (hopefully) completing my grammar homework for tomorrow by a reasonable hour. The Princess Bride is also playing on TV, which is fun, and one of my suitemates just asked me if I want to watch The Office. (Heck yes!)

However, I did have a fun and busy last couple of days. Yesterday, I was finally able to find a chance to visit one of my English professors during her office hours. We discussed my how I’ve been doing in her class, my feelings about studying rhetoric (which is what my class is based on), and other random things that came up about my life and the world in general. I love how the professors on this campus are very accessible and give meaningful feedback when asked. Many of them also can hold some interesting and engaging conversations.

Later in the evening, I attended the second annual Ira G. Zepp, Jr. Memorial Lecture, better known as the Zepp Lecture. This year’s lecturer was Dr. Michael Kimmel, a sociology professor from Stonybrook University, who talked about the new life stage that is emerging between adolescence and adulthood and what effect that has had on males in their 20s. He described this life stage in males as “Guyland.” Dr. Kimmel was a very engaging speaker and I thought the topic was quite interesting.

I also received a really nice package from my aunt and uncle yesterday, which was full of candy, pumpkin muffins, and other goodies. I love getting mail on campus, and having a post office in Decker Center makes getting letters and packages very convenient.

Today I attended my regularly scheduled Thursday classes, Approaches to Everyday Discourse, followed immediately by The Nature of Science. Both were good classes today.

Tonight’s dinner in Glar featured an ice cream sundae bar, which was a real treat! My sundae consisted of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, cherries, chocolate syrup, crushed Oreos, and M&Ms. So tasty!

After dinner, I ran into my good friend Avery, who invited me to go with her to Red Square (the center of campus by the library) to watch people rehearse their instruments for Ascend, an evening prayer group held at Ascension Episcopal Church in Westminster that some McDaniel students attend. I don’t know a lot about religious life on campus, but I learned tonight that several area churches give McDaniel students rides to church on Sundays. It was a nice change of pace to hear some well-performed live music, which was made up of guitars and a violin, and I had a great time talking with Avery and one of our English professors who is involved with the group.

A lot of conversation, a lot of learning, and some great food happened over the past few days. This is how I like my college experience!

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Labor Day Weekend

I guess you could say I had the best of both worlds this Labor Day weekend; I spent Friday evening and Saturday on campus while returning home for Sunday and Monday.

After class wrapped up on Friday afternoon, I went to hang out with my friends in Forlines house, where my one of my friends graciously let me paint my nails with a bottle of polish from her very extensive nail polish collection. Soon after, I went to the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship cookout on the quad between DMC and ANW, another residence hall. The cookout was open to all students and I had a great time catching up with people I know.

If you’re interested in religious life on campus, InterVarsity may be for you. IV is a campus ministry found on over 550 campuses nationwide. McDaniel InterVarsity meets once a week for worship in Little Baker Chapel and holds student-led bible studies throughout the semester. They also host campus-wide events (like the cookout) and go on retreats. I’m not a member of IV, but I really admire what a tight-knit and fun group they are.

After going to the cookout, I returned to my dorm to rest up before the outdoor screening of The Avengers, sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement. The first movie of the year is always screened outdoors (weather permitting), and it’s a lot of fun to grab some blankets and towels and sit out in Red Square with old and new. And did I mention there’s free pizza?

Saturday for me was mostly a homework day, though one of my suitemates went whitewater river tubing with the Outdoor Club. (I’m a little jealous, but I needed to get things done!) I still had some fun though, because in the evening, some of my friends and I drove to the nearby IHOP. IHOP is one of my favorite places off campus to eat and socialize, and it’s easily within walking distance, making it very accessible.

I spent the rest of the weekend at home because my poor little fan was no match for this weekend’s heat! I hadn’t planned on going home this weekend, but I was glad to get to see my puppy, Lily, who my family got last month. It’s tough to be away from pets at college, but there are dogs to be found on campus. For example, Canine Companions for Independence, more commonly known as Puppy Club is in the process of training a service dog, a black lab named Hudson, who can be seen at various campus and Puppy Club-sponsored events.

I’d have to say that my Labor Day went pretty quickly, and fortunately, so did my day. This evening, I’m off to the first Free Press meeting of the semester, and if I’m up for it, I’ll go see comedian Adam Ace in the Forum afterwards. This week is going to get busier as it progresses, so I’m glad it’s a short one!

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