Open House; Open Memories.

Today, November 9th, was the college's annual Fall Open House. I am always excited to be a part of it.
It is a day to show off all the amazing clubs, gorgeous mansion residence halls, the beautiful Rosary Hall and we get the see all the brilliant students that could potentially become future Albertus students; future Falcons!
I love meeting the perspective students because it brings me back to days not that far back in my life. I have experienced all the emotions you could possibly feel when you are in high school and looking at colleges. Everywhere I look during open house, I see my mom and I as we walked around the campus for the first time four years ago. Wow...has it truly been that long?

Picture this if you can; four years ago, a high school sophomore, shy and nervous, silently hiding behind her mother and her younger sister. She slowly and carefully takes a peek around the campus all while making sure not to stray too far from her two buffers. Her mom holds the Q&A sessions and gathers flyers of information at every table they moved to. Her younger sister takes part in the raffles going on and nudges her older sister to play the game; win a prize. English club table, the Writing Center, English majors table, Residential Life, etc; it was all too much to take in, but wonderful all at the same time.

Ah, memories. That was the very first time I came to see what Albertus Magnus College was all about. I mean, who would not like it here? The campus is gorgeous, especially in the fall; when all the leaves turn colors. Well, I wore two hats during the Student Activities portion of open house today; Student Alumni Association and representing Breakwater, the literary magazine that I am a co-president of with Annemarie Tompsen. SUBMIT TO BREAKWATER NOW through FEBRUARY 14TH! EMAIL US AT breakwater.amc@gmail.com.

Been A Long Week

So, you are probably wondering where I wandered off to. Well, let me tell you that things at school have been so crazy. The last two weeks have been like one giant, annoying flash mob. By definition, a flash mob is a small gathering of people that come to one specific place at a specific time and perform an action and then disappear. “In like a lion, out like a lamb,” as they say. Where should I begin?

My Halloween was quite mellow. I was on duty in McAuliffe Hall that night, but I did have a lovely floor function. There was pumpkin painting and tons of candy and cookies to be had. It was delicious. Between the chocolate bars and Vampire Diaries, my night was exactly what I asked for. 

On Saturday night, last week, I helped to co-chair the Falcon League event with some of my co- RA's. It was a little discombobulated at the start, but once we got the games started, the night ran smoothly.

Falcon League was a night of obstacles; some hard and some easier, but the name of the game was to overcome the tougher challenges and become a legend. We had three rounds with three stages in each round. The first stage of the first round was to place a cookie on your forehead and try to eat it without using your hands. Next, the contestants had to build a pyramid out of cups and then un-stack it. The final stage for that round was to answer 3 out of 5 trivia questions. The trivia questions were all about the residential life staff. Some people definitely need to brush up on who is a part of the residential staff. It was all fun and games anyway, so, no big deal. Some of the other rounds included: push-ups, jumping jacks (while reciting the alphabet), dizzy bat, paddle balancing, and card matching. 

Our three winners; Falcon Legend, Falcon Warrior and Falcon Survivor were awarded with cash prizes and three gorgeous blue sashes created by myself and RA Mimi. It was definitely a successful night and I was glad to be a part of it!

The morning after...Sunday, I hopped on a Metro-North train to Stamford where my aunt picked me up and we drove an hour back to Long Island. Why would I go home for less than 24 hours? Well, we were celebrating my sister's 19th birthday and my grandmother's 72nd birthday. It was one of the best Sundays I have had in a while. I am so glad I made the decision to go home for the day. 

Now, I am back at school and the work is just being tossed at me from every direction. I have two tests this coming Monday and a paper due sometime this week. Crazy stuff. The semester is definitely winding down though. I can feel it. Until next time!

The Long Trip Back

As a Creative Writing concentrator, I am currently taking a Creative Writing seminar with one of my absolute favorite professors; Dr. Susan Cole. She is amazing and can make even the trickiest of writing tasks seem possible. The other day, our assignment was to write a poem based on a task that we would complete that seems un-poetic. I am very proud with the way I made my trip back home to Long Island seem so poetic. I would like to share my original piece here with everyone.

The Long Trip Back

Start with the Blue and catch a Red.

Fifteen fifty for a one way ticket.

Down to Track 14; it never changes.

Find a secluded seat; no babies please.

Headphones in and my nose enters a book.

Half way there at Stamford and straight on to Harlem 125^th,

and then on to Grand Central.

Hop on the S, switch to the 2; Penn Station!

That’s half the battle.

Eleven twenty-five and two more trains.

Penn Station, switch at Jamaica and away to Merillon Avenue we go.

I sprint to my mom’s camry.

Esta una sorpressa!

I’m home.

Snaps for the poet. Never Applause. 

Thank you!

Uncharted: The Best Series Ever!

Who here has a Playstation 3 or a PSPvita ? Anyone? My pal Ricky does and he was kind enough to let me start playing this awesome game called Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. These games are mainlt available through Sony products and sadly, I only possess a Playstation 2. In case you have never heard of these games and might be intrigued by my blog, I have posted a trailer for the third game; Uncharted 3:Drake's Deception. I started the third game in the series because I honestly had not noticed which number I picked up. We played that game together for two consecutive nights and straight on until six in the morning. 

The games revolves an Indiana Jones type of treasure hunter, named Nathan Drake and his mentor Victor Sullivan; treasure hunting thieves by trade. He is on a mission to prove that an explorer, Francis Drake, was sent on an expedition in search of the East Indies for Spain, did not really find the East Indies, but they found a city lost in time. He goes on this extremely dangerous adventure that takes him through a burning French castle, a Syrian palace on the verge of collapse, a dessert in the middle of Yemen and a ghost town in the far Middle East. There are 22 chapters in these games. In two days, Ricky and I worked our way through 20 of those chapters. I have yet to go back and complete the game. Those were the best two days of my life.

The best part about these games being so popular is that people have filmed themselves playing the game and post it onto youtube in such a fashion that you can watch them like movies. I know this because I have been watching all three every night for the past two weeks. Am I the only one that is attracted to Nathan Drake? If I am now, I am sure that I won't be by the time you see these games. I highly recommend them because you are in for some laughs.

Happy Long Weekend!!!!

Finally! It's Friday! I never thought I would see this day! Friday means Lacrosse practice and then the Slenderman Albertus @ Nite event! I will be hiding in the pub because it sounds terrifying, but my best friend and Co-RA Carlo is running it, so you should check it out. 

Friday also means that there is only one day standing in the way of me and Long Island. I have not been home since August. I miss my house, my family, me bed; but mostly I just miss my mom. She makes me laugh so hard. Even though we fight and I can get so annoyed with her, I love her more than anyone in the world. This weekend will also involve more of my grandmother's delicious meat sauce. Yum! It is a pretty good tie between my grandmother's and my mom's meat sauce. 

My sisters are both going to be home this weekend and I am excited to see at least one of them. (I won't say which I am excited to see).

The Day the TV Died

This is not a happy post, but I was on Facebook and I felt like this needed to be shared with the world. Every Gleek on the face of the Earth has been waiting for tonight's episode. No, it's definitely not a happy episode and it is never one that I want to see repeated. My heart will break as I watch, but as of July 13th, 2013, the world expected this. Today is the day the world will attend the memorial for Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), We will get to say goodbye and cry with the whole cast as they truly grieve for their fallen friend and loved one Cory. 

I was on youtube and I found the full version of Lea Michele's Glee cover of "Make You Feel My Love". This song will be featured in tonight's episode of Glee. I think it is better to sort of mentally prepare oneself for a sad event by listening to sad music. It seems almost therapeutic in a way. It definitely helps me a lot. I am by no means a Gleek. If I am lucky, I have seen maybe three episodes of this show. My heart still exploded into a billion pieces when I heard Cory died, but not for the reason people think. Most people are just distraught that Cory is gone, but I am destroyed by the fact that the love of Lea Michele's life is gone. That has to be the hardest thing to go through. She is so strong though. My eyes well up when I just see her face. I hope I have enough strength tonight to get through the whole episode. 

Give the song a listen. Hug the ones you love. Be grateful for everything in life.

Wicked Wednesday

 Wow, can you believe we are almost into the middle of October? Time sure does fly when you are having fun with crazy work schedules, mass amounts of homework, RA duties, and other exciting things. I know this was last Wednesday, but I have to share with you all that I have now seen Wicked three times on Broadway. Yes, that's right; three. The very first time was in the 8th grade with my best friend Erin. She had tickets for her birthday. The second time was my freshman year of college and I went with my older sister Rachel because she had been dying to see it for years. Those tickets are expensive so my mom never got the chance to take all of us to see the show.

So this time around, last week, I took my mommy to see Wicked. She had so much fun at the show and that made me really happy. Broadway is always changing the way the run their musicals. The costumes are more extravagant and the lines are run much differently. What I like about Broadway is that there is one constant during each performance; the music. The orchestra does not change. Yes, the instrumental parts when people are speaking have to match the lines, but the actual music that the show is built on is exactly the same. I just find that kind of enchanting. When I watch any kind of play, movie or television show, I immediately scope out the cute guys. Well, it is safe to say that the Fiero I saw in this last performance of Wicked was the cutest of all three. I definitely recommend this play to anyone who is interested in musicals. It is just amazing.

Inner Bullies: The Worst Kind

Last night, I attended an Anti-Bullying Seminar on campus. I walked into the event thinking that it was about how to handle bullying in today's world, but it actually focused on the most interestingly complex bully; the Inner Bully.

Sharon from Z-Force came and taught us the ways in which we can try and prevent self-bullying. She shared her personal struggles with self-bullying when she was fighting against bulimia and anorexia as a child. We are our biggest critics and sometimes we take it way too far and end up being our own bully. This really got me thinking that I do need to take it a bit easier on myself. Never being satisfied with our bodies and appearances is natural. She offered us a lot of tips that can help us fight off and recovery from years of bullying ourselves.

It's okay to have to ask for help from others. It's okay if you need to speak with a therapist about what's going on in your life. As long as this person helps you get through this rough patch and get you on the road to recovery, then go for it. You need to develop some kind of support system for when you have those rough days. If you don't feel like talking out your problems, then try journaling, drawing, painting, singing, etc. The point is to find something that will help you release all that tension that you build up during the day. It just needs to be something positive that can help and destroy the all the negativity in your life. Surround yourself with positive people. It's just like that mantra that Ed Gerety has taught all of us: Positive people, positive things!

Beach House

Hi Everyone!

I hope that summer was an amazing, rejuvenating experience for everyone else as much as it was for me. Yes, we have been back in school for 3 whole weeks already, but technically fall does not start until Sunday September 22, so it is still summer!

On Sunday, September 15 the Student Alumni Association had an amazing Welcome Back BBQ at Carolyn Behan-Kraus's family's gorgeous beach house in Branford, CT! It was beautifully sunny and a kind of warm-cool day. Now, for anyone who knows me really well, know that I am not a majorly outdoorsy kind of girl, but I do in fact enjoy many outdoor activities. Carolyn has kayaks at her house and she let us use them for the day. I love kayaking and I was able to get on the water and kayak with my friends. As a Girl Scout, I had achieved the boating badge which included kayaking. I was able to make good use of my badge by helping my friends figure out some of the kayaking basics. I feel so empowered when I am able to teach my friends a skill of mine. It also showed me that I have amazing upper body strength because, yes, it does take strength to build up speed in some kayaks.

Carolyn and her husband Marty prepared a mouth-watering meal for us: grilled chicken, flank steaks, beans, salad and her mom's delicious cheesy potato recipe. I enjoyed devouring second helpings of steak and potatoes. I could not get enough of them they were that good! Marty baked us this delicious blueberry crumble for dessert. I do not normally eat desserts with fruit baked into them, but I figured I would give it a try and I was SO glad that I did. It was one of the most heavenly things I have ever put into my mouth. The hot blueberry crumble matched with cold French vanilla ice cream was perfection. The only downside to this is that I accidentally let this slip to my relatives that I ate a dessert with fruit in it, so now I have to eat theirs.

Let the apple crumble consumption commence! It was the best Sunday I have experienced since being back at school. It was a day filled with good friends, good food and the simple pleasures of just being. If I could have more days like that, I would be so happy. 

If anyone is craving a day for kayaking, please take me with you!

Always Keep Wishing!

People always say that wishing for something hard enough will make it happen, especially with a little patience in the mix. I never believed that, until this year. I remember the exact hour and minute that my life changed as if it was my wedding day. Monday July 8th 2013 at 3:26 pm. If I had not checked my tweets I would not be writing this entry right now. The exact moment in question is the moment I found out that I won two coveted gold pass tickets for that weekend's Vampire Diaries convention in Parsippany, NJ. For anyone who knows me, you know that I am the biggest Vampire Diaries fan ever and a Team Damon girl at all times. As you could imagine I freaked out. I could not breathe or stand or talk really. Two gold tickets to this convention would have cost $700 ($350 each) and they do not even include photo-ops with the actors; autographs only, but that's okay.

It took me an entire day before I realized the best part about winning these tickets. I would be meeting Ian Somerhalder. For those who do not know, he plays Damon Salvatore on the Vampire Diaries, he was Boone Carlyle on Lost and was in The Rules of Attraction a long time ago. He is an actor/ philanthropic environmentalist. He started his own foundation, Ian Somerhalder Foundation, back in 2010 in response to the destruction of his home, Louisiana, after the BP Oil spill. Now, he is working as hard as he can to kick vampire butt on television and save the world. How cool is that? It also does not hurt that he is gorgeous, just saying. I mean, just look at him. His eyes could compel to do just about anything to save the world.

The first thing I did was try to find a friend to come with me, but no one could go. I felt really bummed that I had to go alone, but I would rather go alone than not go at all. My younger sister is working at camp this summer and I was really sad she could not come with me. We are TVD buddies and love Ian equally.

Saturday morning came and my mom, brother and I took off for what would become a 3 hour drive to Parsippany, NJ all because of construction and traffic on the route to the George Washington Bridge. Once we got onto the bridge it was smooth sailing straight to Jersey.

My mom and brother dropped me off at the Hilton Parsippany and my convention weekend began. I went into the vendors’ room to check out all the merchandise and let me tell you…they had tons of stuff waiting to be bought. So I bought stuff. I bought a candle from the Somerhalders’ and one of their reusable bags; a life size Ian for my room, a banner with Damon sitting in the grill for everyone to sign and some little pictures to get signed. I have now met Dena and Bob Somerhalder and they are super awesome! Bob is Ian Somerhalder's older brother and they have a company called B.O.B (Built of Barnwood). They take old pieces of wood and other objects that have been thrown away and recycle them and make beautiful wall art, candles, jewelry, and many other things. They go to just about every convention that their brother is attending. I unfortunately did not get a picture with them, but maybe I will get to meet them again one day. If you are ever in the Bay of St. Louis, Mississippi I insist that you go and check them out.

As for all the talented people I met, we started the weekend with Robert Ri’chard (Jamie from season 3) and Charlie Bewley (Vaughn). Then I saw Nate Buzolic (Kol) and he was such a super sweet guy. He has one of the most tragic back stories though…no, really. His grandfather was killed in Croatia before he was born and his mom fled as a refugee to Australia. Then right when he was born his father bolted and he and his mom were dirt poor. When he was really little, he said he made a promise to take her on a proper European vacation once he became a big actor. Everyone thought he was crazy for wanting to act and up until a week before he got hired to play Kol he had only 20 dollars to his name and was about to call it quits on the acting plan. Then he got a call from the Executive Producer, Julie Plec and he became our Kol Mikaelson, and just last month he returned from his European vacation with his mom.

(Left to right: Nathaniel Buzolic, Charlie Bewley, Robert Ri'chard)

I also met Devon Haas at the convention. She and her mom are integral parts of the ISF family. They go wherever there is a call for ISF volunteers. This past weekend they were there in an ISF capacity as well, talking about all things green and planet friendly. Devon is a child actress, model and an ISF Kids Army member. She is very opinionated for such a young girl and I love that about her. She has taught me so many things about our current environmental conditions and what we can do to help save our home. This past school semester was very stressful for me so as a therapeutic relaxer I started making bracelets. I asked Devon to tell me her favorite colors because I wanted to make a bracelet. I did, but I kept forgetting to mail it to her, but I gave it to her at the convention. She was so excited when she saw it and she knew exactly who I was because later that night she tweeted me, "Thanks @stephano93 for the bracelet. I love it!" That was one of the best parts of the whole weekend.

In the afternoon, there was an auction for some TVD merchandise and it was crazy the amounts of money people spent on some of this stuff.  After that, I went to panels for Zach Roerig (Matt), Michael Trevino (Tyler) and Kat Graham (Bonnie). Then I waited 2 ½ hours to get autographs from Michael, Robert and Nate. Robert Ri'chard gave me his cell number on my banner. I never plan on using it, but it was a nice gesture. He was impressed with my banner that I bought.

Sunday; the biggest day of my life. Thank goodness my older sister Rachel came to hang out with me because I was a nervous wreck from the moment I woke up that day. I literally could not eat because I was nervous and felt like I needed to throw up. I bought some awesome gifts while there because how could I not.

So, as gold pass holders Rachel and I got to hear Ian and Paul speak twice that day. There was a special ½ hour panel with them at 10 and that was a blast. Ian is hysterical and he kept impersonating Cartman from South Park all day. It was cute. The guys talked about some their most embarrassing moments. Paul's was one time he thought a group wanted to take a picture with him so he said sure and jumped in when really they wanted him to take a picture of them. Ian's was a little better. He told us about a time last season where he was not feeling so wonderful, but they had filming to get done so he could not go home. He was afraid he looked awful on the camera so he asked the Directory of Photography (DP) if they could use one of the camera filter disks to soften his features to hide the tired eyes. The DP decided to play a cruel joke on him. He said they are for the girls only because each time you use them the set has to pay a royalty. Ian being Ian fell for it and so he was making phone call upon phone call, trying to find out what someone could do for him. The DP and the rest of the crew were all hysterical laughing at him as they watched Ian run around set like a crazy man. He said to us that he "Had a major diva hour that morning." That's hilarious.

 

Rachel and I took a lunch break after all the morning panels were done and we had from 1-3 until Ian and Paul came back again. Unfortunately, my tickets were only good for autographs. No photos. Next time, if there is a next time. Lunch was very unsettling for me because I was so freaking nervous. I was so scared that meeting Ian wasn't going to be what I thought it would be. I was dreaming about it for 4 years and now it’s here. I think it was because you were not with me. It felt wrong in a way. So, we go to their second panel at 3 and it goes for forever. They like to talk these guys. At around 4:15 we start getting on line for autographs. They stick everyone onto Paul’s line first and then on Ian’s. Want to know why? Because Ian likes to chat and his line moves very slowly but Paul is really quiet and signs really fast so that way at least someone would finish.  We didn't stand on Ian’s line very long, but it certainly took a lot longer than Paul’s. Ian was so sweet to me though. I get up to him and hand him my banner for him to sign …here comes a little dialogue…all true! I swear!

Ian: Hi Sweetness!

Me: Hi Ian.

Ian: Sorry I’m in such a rush today

Me: Oh it’s alright Ian, I’m just so glad I finally got to meet you

Ian: No I’m glad I finally got to meet you

(I take my banner when he slides it to me)

Me: Thanks Ian. Have a really nice weekend!

Ian: Thanks Babe, you too!

I WAS DYING!!!!! Yes, I realize he probably said something like that to every female that was there…and there sure were plenty, but for those 30 seconds I felt special. So let me have that.

Well, meeting Ian was everything I thought it would be and that’s the worst part. After we got his autograph, Rachel and I headed for home and I was just…bummed. I think that’s the word. The excitement was over, the dream came true and now I had to go back to reality. He is such a sweetie and he wants to talk to everyone and know everything, but there just isn't time. He is too popular. His photo op tickets were sold out from January. I will also say, Ian and Paul are extremely tiny men. Like, you could warp your hands around their waists.

So that was my amazing life changing weekend. This summer has been one of the most amazing! My next adventure will be in New Orleans! Another wish of mine that is coming true!