Goodbye Blog

This is my final blog entry. It is going to be comprised of many different ideas. I felt this last blog is a relief because I felt the blogs were extra work that was not needed at all. I feel like I told people who I don’t even know very well about a lot of personal things. I felt it was a relief that I could write it and let it out but felt there was a limit on words with was a lot. There weren’t a lot of things to talk about on certain subjects so I had to make up or bull shit my way around things. I think that blogging can be good and bad. I did not like this blog because anyone could get to it to read it so I had to limit what I said and what information I used. I did not want to have everyone in the world to know everything about me. I think that from my stand point that a lot of the students in the class felt the blog was pointless and commenting on others was a pain which took me way too long to do. I felt like we could have done this writing in class and not outside of class as well as not making everyone comment and if they wanted to comment they can or at least a little than was needed. I felt like when we had free blogs that after having so many that I had nothing to write about so I had to take time to think about what I could write about for 350 to 400 words which I think was a little too much after a while. I think for next year that the blog should not have to be every week. Maybe every other week because it seemed like we ran out of topics about half way through because there were so many free blogs that you could write about. I felt like that it was nice to write every so often but some of the topics that weren’t free write were hard to write about if they were specific. But this is the last one, finally but adios!!

What would I do?

If I had a friend come down and visit me at normal I would have to think really hard of what I had to do. I think I would personally suggest them not to come down and to just to meet me somewhere else. I would tell them to meet me in downtown Chicago or take the rain downtown together and hang out there. We would probably walk around and see the sites. AS well as talk a boat tour on the river to see what kind of architecture there is in Chicago. Then we would go to navy pier and eat. Also go shopping and go to the end of the pier and just chill and see the water and the skyline from there. Then we would ride the Ferris wheel and see the sites from there. We would go to Michigan avenue and go shopping and for me go to the really expensive shops and see what I can’t buy because it’s ridiculous how much they price certain items. As well as that maybe in a certain time of year I would go and see a baseball or football game. If it was football season we would go watch the bears at soldier field. If it was baseball season we would either go see the Cubs at Wrigley or the White Sox and U.S. Cellular. I think to not see a game when you are downtown would still be fun but not as fun going to see a game and have fun downtown. We would also go down State Street because it has Macys and has a lot of other shops that are less expensive and has good deals. I would definitely show my friend the water tower because I think it is so historical and how it was the only building to survive the Chicago fire. To finish the day I would go and see other historical landmarks and go back home.

The time until easter

For the next two weeks I have so much going on. On Thursday ISU is hosting the Red Jumpsuit and Secondhand Serenade concert which I am going to and I am excited because I have never been to a concert. Then on Friday I am going to starved rock with my sorority. Its and over night and I have no idea what we are going to do because it’s a bonding ritual they do. Then on Saturday I go see Evita which I have to see for my theatre class. After that on Saturday night my friends and I are watching twilight and having a party which will be fun. But then all next week I have classes and have big\lil night reverse for my sorority which exciting. As well with that I have to be the set director for a play that I am doing for my theatre class as well. Then Easter weekend I am going home which I am excited about. I come Friday and chill with my family and spend time with them. Then on Saturday I am having breakfast with my family and then my boyfriend is coming over to pick me up because we are going to the white sox game. Which I am excited about and he is lending me his jersey since I do not have one. Then we are sitting on the upper deck by the third base line. Then after that we are either going to his house or mine. We even might go see a movie. But I am excited to see him and hang out with him as well. Then on Sunday I am hanging with my family for Easter. We are probably going to have homemade breakfast then an early dinner which will probably consists of ham, mashed potatoes and peas. It a tradition for my family to have that dish for Easter. And of course get an Easter basket and to finish of lent and I can have soda which I am excited for. Then to make my mom happy we will take pictures so she can remember each holiday we spend together.

ISU Basketball

Over the past year I have seen many different events including football games, basketball games, and many other events. The one event I am going to talk about is the ISU Redbird men’s basketball game which we played Bradley. We played them on Saturday, January 31st at 3:05pm. Before even the game started we had to get tickets the Monday before. We have to get there early because we knew it was a popular game. They start giving out tickets at 10am and my friends got there are like 915 and the line was already half way around the store. From what I heard by the time we got tickets that we were in the upper level and over a few sections. So when my friends got back from getting the tickets they said that every seat is sold out and people in line are not even going to get any seats. Thank God we got tickets. So Saturday rolled around and so we were getting pumped up. Ironically my friend had a formal that same night and she invited me to be her date so before the game came around I curled my hair so I did not have to worry about it later. But we took pictures of us and on my face I had “BEAT BU.” So we are walking there, getting pumped and see all the people going to the game. Once we got there we went to our seats and took some more pictures. So Bradley had a section as well and every time they chanted we chanted back harder. It was so intense I could not sit down it was getting more intense by the second. But it was loud the whole time. There was so many people there and could not wait to see who won which was ISU!!After it was over we were walking and you could hear all the people who were happy and the Bradley fans who lost the game. After we got back I could not believe how fun it was and I am excited for next year when the game comes back around. I would have to say the atmosphere made the game seem so much better and more fun.

My Spring Break

For my spring break I did a multitude of things. First off even before spring break my dad and I were planning for my mom to have a surprise party and ironically it was the last Saturday of my break. During that whole week my dad planned for me to do everything, which at the time telling me I did not think it was not going to be that hard. On the invitations I was in charge of the people calling me to R.S.V.P. as well as my neighbor, Penny. When I got home whenever anyone was calling me to tell me if they were going or not and how many people I had to leave the room since my mom was home majority of the time. As well my mom is a very nosy person so she asked me who was it and I said it was a friend. Then she asked me who is the friend and I told her she doesn’t know her so I tried to lie out of my butt. It was very hard. To go along with that I had to order the cake which my mom went somewhere with the car so I asked my neighbor penny to drive me there. My excuse to my mom was that I had to go and pick something up at a friend’s house. After that I hung out with my friend Dan to get decorations and order the balloons. So my brother flies in on Friday and so all day Saturday he helps me get the alcohol since I am not age and I get the food and other drinks. When we are done getting all the food and finally got to my house we all decorated my house with all the lovely 50th birthday decorations. After that we cooked some food and got the cake at 11 and the balloons at 1. Also got the catered food we ordered. Once it hit the time for people to come, it felt like no one was at my house. A few minutes later there was a rush of people coming into the house. It ended up being around 50 to 60 people in my house. Finally my mom and dad turned the corner and we all got quiet. Finally she walks in and we all screamed surprise. She was so surprise and she was shocked that so many people where there to celebrate my mom’s 50th birthday. She thanked me for the party and said it was so nice. It was funny because people were asking me if it was hard, I felt it was not to a certain extend. It was hard guessing the amount of food for that many people. But I learned from my mom who plans a lot of parties for us. Then the Friday before the party my dad and I went to a gun range. WE go there and the inside of building was covered in guns. I was very nervous when I got in there. I was the only young girl who was there. We took a lesson with this guy Jerry, who my mom calls him, the new age gun lover. He told use when you are handling a gun think it is always loaded but when you are shooting the gun think it is unloaded. When we went into the actually range I shot first and did pretty well. First we did target shooting and then we did self defense shooting. At the end I was the last one to shoot and Jerry asked me if I wanted to do target shooting or self defense and I told him I wanted to do target shooting and my last shot was on the bulls eye. I was so proud of myself. Over all the spring break was fun, even though planning for the party was stressful, it all worked out in the end.

Travel Europe

If I had the amount of cash to pay for college and could only go out and see the world there are many different places I would go. I would first travel across the ocean and visit Europe. Within Europe I would visit France, Italy, Greece, England and Ireland if I had enough money. The first place I would visit would be France, since I have been taught French since junior high, I would love to go and experience speaking in a little French. Also see the Eiffel tower and possibly walking the entire way up or taking the elevator. But at the top there is a restaurant that I would eat at and have some classic French food. As well as I would go around Paris and eat. Also since Paris is a fashion capital I would love to go shopping there as well. Other than Paris I would go and visit Marseille with is the Southern France. It is a Riviera where a lot of famous people go and it very expensive to stay. The second place I would go to would be Italy. From what I hear from when my mom went to Italy she said to visit all of the ancient Rome buildings. I would go and visit the coliseum of course and go inside and see everything. Also I would go to Venice and experience a city surrounded by water and maybe even get a ride on the gondolas. The third place I would go would be Greece, for the most part, I would just go there to experience the white houses and the extremely blue water to see how beautiful it is. Of course I would go swimming in the Mediterranean. The fourth place I would go to would be England. I would go in London and see the Big Ben and the Buckingham Palace and have fun with the guards. As well I would just experience England with the way they drive; opposite of the U.S. would drive. Finally I would go to Ireland. I would love to go there and walk around where the mountains are and see how beautiful it is, and experience the beautiful Ireland terrain. Also like P.S. I love you, the movie I would love to meet someone there and maybe end up living their because it would be so beautiful. For me having to pick one place would be so hard, I love to travel so I would pick many little trips instead of one big one.

ISU tips

When I came to ISU I heard many different things about people, classes, dorms, and many other things. The one thing I always heard was it had the highest ratio of students with STD’s which did not affected me coming hear….but my mom was worried. But for me there were three things that I never thought I need to know before I went to school and I learned it from my own experiences through last semester and this semester. The first thing is to bring a sturdy umbrella and rain boots. These are essential because when it rains, it doesn’t mist, it pours and since ISU has the worst draining system the boots will keep your feet wet and the umbrella, hopefully with keep you dry. I remember one of the first rainy days I say about 5 to 10 umbrellas in the garbage because it was so windy and little umbrella do not do the job. The second thing is to go random when you pick a roommate. From what I hear when you room with a friend, you will, most times, end up hating each other and since that happens having not a fun time in your room or you stay good friends. Or even just stay friends with each other and not branch out to make new friends. I went random for roommate selection and since we have gotten along so well we are rooming with each other next year and possibly for the rest of college. Finally the third thing it to get red alert and go to as many sporting events as possible. The reason why is because usually they are fun and especially for men’s basketball, you can truly experience what ISU sports are about. When it comes to picking an event to go and see, I feel everyone should go see sports you would of never thought of going to see because it shows what good athletes our school has. I have been to men’s basketball games, football games, gymnastics meets and a soccer game. I also plan on seeing more sports this spring, like softball or baseball. Overall I think with these tips your year at ISU can be only better and go up.

NCIS

My favorite TV show is NCIS, which stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It is on Tuesdays at 7pm on CBS. I first started watching NCIS in 8th grade with my mom and my sister. At the time my mom still liked watching JAG, which stands for Judge Advocate General, which NCIS was a spin-off of that show. After I started watching it every store line was different but throughout all the different story lines the characters became better friends. The main character on the show is Gibbs, which he is the head of his team which goes out and finds out who the killer is. The reason why they get certain cases is because a military officer was killed or part of it. Some of the other characters were Tony who I think is the hottest out of the bunch who is the witty but stupid at times type of character. Next is McGee who is the computer “nerd” who helps the team track the killer and keep tabs on the phone records as well. Then there is Director Vance who is the head person of NCIS who makes sure Gibbs team does not do anything illegal or go against other criminal units. Then there is Ziva who was the cousin of Ari who was an assassin who kill one of Gibbs team member a couple seasons ago. She was not very well like in the beginning because they were on sure what her motives were. Then there is Abby who is in charge of the DNA analysis to see if there is a match and always is has a little interesting look of how someone you think would have that job. Then last but not least there is Ducky who is the coroner, which actually talks to the dead and makes kind of sick jokes. Also during the shows over the years has the FBI and CIA come in if they think that they have more priority for this case than NCIS. But since most of the cases are in the Virginia area by Washington D.C.. I personally believe that it is one of the best shows I have ever watched and in writing this I am about to watch it.

The Slowskys

For the most memorable advertisement would be the Comcast commercials, which are on the TV and as well as YouTube where I found it. Always at home I see the commercial and they make it funny to watch and since I have it I know it is good at what they do. Comcast sells high speed internet, cable TV and Comcast digital voice (telephone service). Within that you can get all three and it’s called the triple play or do what family does and has Comcast cable and high speed internet. One of my favorite commercials of theirs is when they have this couple who are turtles called Bill and Karolyn Slowsky that are always about DSL because it is so slow. But the commercial is about how they are trying to get there Comcast cable to slow down because the farther you are away from the hub the slower it is. So then they have the computer across the yard to make it slow but it does not get any more slow. And so Karolyn tells him to push harder and so he does and she aggravates him to say u come and push it, push it real good. Every time I see it, it always makes me laugh. The Slowky commercials came on after my parents bought Comcast so I think for anyone it is a good way of showing how fast it is. I think if I did not have Comcast, that these commercials could be adequately persuading if you like these commercials. I think the reason why I liked the commercials so much was it had a lot of comic relief to it so every time I saw it, I was like, I have Comcast and it really is fast. For the most part the Slowsky commercials did not annoy me but some of the other Comcast commercials did bother me because they just say too much to comprehend in on 30 seconds to 1 minute worth of a commercial. For the most part I remember it, truly was because it was on all summer before college and it did watch a lot of TV. But as well as they played it on a lot of primetime shows commercial breaks, which I do watch a lot of primetime. I think in general Comcast has a good look out on people and what they like to watch for commercials, since there are so many.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QuuOwQB4MQ&feature=related

My poems

I am going to post some poems I have done in the past. It shows how I express myself through another way of writing.

Poem #1: Sabrina

Don’t tell me no
Don’t tell me lies
Open up
Those pretty eyes
And just sing for me
Just sing for me
And smile down from heaven
Enjoy your party
Live your dreams
We’re all sitting down here
Singing for you

There was a time; there was a place where I would have screamed. There was a time; there was a placed where the nuance of the day would have struck her as odd. Now all she feels is a numbing pain. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold. Make up your mind, her body is detached from her head. No heart to beat blood, not lungs to breathe. She closes her eyes, the lightest hazel, feels the feathers of her lashes; the thudding of pain behind those pained lenses. Nowhere and no one have arrived. This time; this place. She screams, she screams. Pain is a house she has built within herself. She will only be free from the reality, of the situation painted on the wall before her. He is a halo above the trees; the sun that shines through the clouds. He is the birds that sing in the rain; the fire that licks the cold. He is forever; he is never wavering. He will pinch her cheeks, he will grind his teeth. He will smile; flowers will bloom. He will laugh; thunder will boom. The bricks that have built up to he will never fall. He is her strength, her eternal fortress.

Poem #2 : Summertime

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
As the days go by much has happened
Looking back
Wouldn’t change a thing

I started well
Dating a boy that was different
Becoming more of a friend
Trusting only few

Days go by as so do people
People who I trusted, broke that
Didn’t believe in love
Friends hate the one some are in love with
Changing attitude
Changes the way I look at them

Today has made a difference to me
Changing friends for good or bad
Trusting is all needed
When friends are there
And summer has gone by

An Important Date to Remember

It all started, Saturday, January 26, 2008. I was at the movies, with my friends. As soon as we left my dad and my mom left at least 5 messages on each of their phones. As I was driving home thinking, “Oh crap I did not tell them where I was, I am in so much trouble.” As soon as I came in the door, my mom comes rushing up to me and says that she has something important to tell me. So she finally tells me with tears in her eye that my brother Tony, has died in a motorcycle accident. As I heard this come out of my mother’s mouth I start balling like no tomorrow and cannot believe what I just heard. After a long time of emotion I go and call my boyfriend and my best friend to tell them the news. They are both in shock and make sure I am ok but as they both know I am not ok. So then after that my parents are calling only my brother, Ben. They did not get a hold of him until late that night and he, as well, cannot believe it has happened. As I go to bed I cannot stop thinking about it, and so Sunday comes around. So my sister, Monique, and I ask my mom if we can have a few friends over and so my best friend, Sabrina, and my boyfriend at the time, Dan, come over and help get my mind off of what happened the previous day. But Finally Monday came around and all I can say that everyone was trying to make me feel better and it did. The first day back my sister made if through only half a day but I made it through the whole day.

After some time, my parents finally decided when they should have the wake, the funeral and where. The wake was on the Super bowl last year and so we were joking about having a plasma television over the casket so we could watch the game since the New England Patriots were playing but we did not. But so after the wake was over his friends from New York, Palatine, and the Naval Academy came over to watch the game and of course there was wonderful food and drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. So for the funerals there were two places that we had them. The first funeral was in Palatine, Illinois on February 4th, 2008. The first part of it we went over to the funeral home so we could close the casket and so it was very emotional. So as soon as we got in the limo to go to the church, there was this HUGE strike of lightening and scared the crap out of everyone. But when we got there it was raining hard and so we all got wet. During the funeral, it was very hard for most of us. After it was over we all went back to my house and just hung around and ate some food.

After a few days we went to the second funeral that was in Annapolis, Maryland on February 7th, 2008. When we got there we went to the church and had a beautiful ceremony, and my brother said the eulogy. The whole church was filled with people. I could not believe how many people truly loved my brother. But after the mass we walked about a half mile to the grave he was going to get buried in. So we got there and sat down and so the priest said another few things and then the soldier that carried his casket folded the flag and handed it to my mother. After we finish the ceremony burial, we went to the alumni center to meet some more people and to hear how they felt about my brother. The whole time I was there I felt like I was in some movie, it felt so surreal. But in the long run I feel like it helped me see how much my brother was seen from other people, but it also sucks that I did not see him in that light. And recently I have got a tattoo for him and so did a lot of friends of his. I feel like since I have a tattoo that he will always be with me more.

Inaguration of Obama

Ironically I literally just walked in and turned on CNN and Barak Obama just started his speech. As he kept on talking, I grabbed food from my fridge to eat and drink. He kept on talking and so I was also texting my mom and she felt he was very inspiration and I agreed. Our cleaning lady was mopping our floor and so I had my room door open and she started to talk to me and say “promises, promises” and I guessed she meant she is unsure about Barak and his plans. And so I kept watching but for the most part I was by myself in my dorm. In my politics class we talked about how his speech was idealistic and realistic. Some of the idealistic ways was that he talked about how country can only go up, we can do it, and he said a lot of, what some people might say, naïve things. But his realistic side was that he knows we are in a recession and he said that it might take a long time but if we try I can get better. When he was talking for most of the time it gave me the chills because he is such a good speaker. But after he was done I went across the hall and talked to my friend, Jaime. Myself and her talked about Michelle Obama’s dress and how it was such a lovely dress and we were watching CNN in her room so it had 24 hour coverage so watching it I found out that Obama is the third president from Illinois and that their luncheon was a “themed” luncheon. But we talked a lot how for Obama he just has to try to minimize the fighting in the house and the senate. But since Obama is a democratic president and the democrats control the house and senate that he has to be aware that he needs to make both parties happy with all the bills. Of course the first 100 days is the most important for a new president. But from what I heard from my politics class is that he still has not passed certain bills because it doesn’t have any say from the republicans so he is going to wait until the democrats do that. I personally thought that his inauguration speech was really good and if he does what he is going to say it looks good for the United States but we will have to just wait and see.

What I am (blog #1)

My name is Christine. My major is undeclared but I have to apply to the exercise science. With that degree I might go get my masters in athletic training. But I want to help people prevent injuries or help them heal if they already have injuries. I am involved in a sorority, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, which is actually on of ISU’s service organization. I was born in Stony Brook, New York and lived there for 11 years. Then in 2001 I moved to Palatine, Illinois. Literally 2 months after I moved to Palatine, September 11 happened. Every one of my friends asked me if I knew anyone who died and at the time I did not know anyone who died. But after all the bodies were identified, I knew a firefighter who was one of the first ones there to help. He was a family friend. At home I live with my mom, my dad and my sister. My dad works for Northrop Grumman and also is a naval reservist. My mom works at home and is a leader for my sister’s Girl Scout troop. My sister is 15 years old and goes to high school. I have a brother who goes to Villanova Law School on the east coast and is 24 years old. I also I had another brother who went to the Naval Academy but about a year ago he passed away. It all happened because he had a motorcycle and he was on an onramp on his motorcycle, lost control and his helmet flew off. It was a long process for my whole family. During his wake there was over 300 people who gave there condolences to my family. Over my life I have learned many things and I still have more to learn about and I am ready for it to come.