First Year Blog

Xairete, everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well! I’m quite excited for Thanksgiving this week, especially since I get to go home on Tuesday. My dad and sister are driving up early and I should be home around late afternoon. I’m going to try to make this break a bit less stressful than Columbus Day break, when I ran around like a crazy person trying to see everyone and get things done. I really just have some homework to do and a paper to write, so I’m going to take the time to relax before the final push of the semester.

Yesterday was a really fun day. Cat and I worked our normal Saturday mid-day shift, had our evaluations (we’re doing fine!), and then ran from the end of the shift to catch the shuttle to Boston. We walked around the North End and ended up in a little café for canoles. It was the perfect release after a long shift and week for the both of us!

Enrollment went very well for me, thank goodness. Some people don’t trust the internet connection in the dorms and get up insanely early to grab a computer in the 24-hour O’Kane lab, but I’ve never done that and enrollment has always gone just fine. I registered for Vergil’s Georgics and Eclogues, the second half of Intermediate Greek, my Honors seminar Religion and Violence, and a topics math course in Statistics. I’m actually looking forward to having a non-humanities course in the mix, even if it is (gasp!) math. Interestingly, my Greek and Latin professors from this semester, Professor Ebbott and Professor Smith (respectively), are going to be switching roles(Professor Ebbott will be doing Vergil and Professor Smith Greek), which will be a lot of fun. This is probably going to be my last semester in a year for which I will have to legitimately register for classes at Holy Cross, since I’m becoming more and more certain that I’m going to end up in England for a year. I had a meeting with Professor Brit Smith, the coordinator for Oxford, and all looks to be going according to plan. Just an interview and some essay tweaking to deal with!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Safe travels and enjoy the time with your families. I’m off to Philly in less than 24 hours! Valete!

Xairete, everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well! I’m quite excited for Thanksgiving this week, especially since I get to go home on Tuesday. My dad and sister are driving up early and I should be home around late afternoon. I’m going to try to make this break a bit less stressful than Columbus Day break, when I ran around like a crazy person trying to see everyone and get things done. I really just have some homework to do and a paper to write, so I’m going to take the time to relax before the final push of the semester.

Yesterday was a really fun day. Cat and I worked our normal Saturday mid-day shift, had our evaluations (we’re doing fine!), and then ran from the end of the shift to catch the shuttle to Boston. We walked around the North End and ended up in a little café for canoles. It was the perfect release after a long shift and week for the both of us!

Enrollment went very well for me, thank goodness. Some people don’t trust the internet connection in the dorms and get up insanely early to grab a computer in the 24-hour O’Kane lab, but I’ve never done that and enrollment has always gone just fine. I registered for Vergil’s Georgics and Eclogues, the second half of Intermediate Greek, my Honors seminar Religion and Violence, and a topics math course in Statistics. I’m actually looking forward to having a non-humanities course in the mix, even if it is (gasp!) math. Interestingly, my Greek and Latin professors from this semester, Professor Ebbott and Professor Smith (respectively), are going to be switching roles(Professor Ebbott will be doing Vergil and Professor Smith Greek), which will be a lot of fun. This is probably going to be my last semester in a year for which I will have to legitimately register for classes at Holy Cross, since I’m becoming more and more certain that I’m going to end up in England for a year. I had a meeting with Professor Brit Smith, the coordinator for Oxford, and all looks to be going according to plan. Just an interview and some essay tweaking to deal with!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Safe travels and enjoy the time with your families. I’m off to Philly in less than 24 hours! Valete!

It’s been a long time since my last update, although I have been thinking of you, dear Readers. I almost wrote an entry about this year’s apple picking trip, as well as our second adventure at making apple crisp (alas, we missed a crucial ingredient and were thwarted again—we made apple turnovers instead). I almost wrote about how last Wednesday/Thursday I survived on one and a half hours of sleep. Likewise, I almost wrote about how on Friday night I went ghost hunting with a large group of other students when CAB sponsored a professional ghost hunter to guide us. I ended up going to bed at 6:30 in the morning partly because I was a little unnerved and partly because me and Goebel were setting the record for the longest conversation our dorm hallway has ever seen. If I wanted to, I could write about how Kimball owns my life. Alas, what brings me to you tonight is the misfortune of some strange boy I met in the O’Neil computer lab.

I sandwiched my laptop in between two of the computers here because I am currently using excel, and I dislike how the computers in the lab automatically open to the new version. I’m doing this for genetics, and while I think I have all the right numbers, I have yet to find out what they mean. I asked Professor Lemay earlier today, and he explained it to me. Unfortunately, grasping biology is sometimes like grasping sand—it slips through your fingers too easily. I even asked the Excel Paperclip for help—you know it’s bad when you ask office supplies for help. The computer lab technically closes at 10 pm, however, if you are already in the lab, nobody really kicks you out. I ended up alone here with two boys who were using the Macs on the other side of the room. I feel that they were doing some sort of math/physics/upper level chemistry type of homework. As I was reading over my lab manual for the answers to my problems, there was a sudden yell and one of the boys exclaimed “The computer just froze, all my work is gone!”

Of course, I felt bad for him, but did not realize the extent of his troubles until a few minutes later he was lying facedown on the floor banging his fist against the carpet. He repeatedly asked what we all ask in situations like that—“What did I do to deserve this?!” He walked in only his socks from between his computer and the printer trying to let it all sink in. He tried bringing back his work. Sadly, all ten hours worth of work was gone. As the two of them left to get food, the boy’s friend turned to him and said, “On the bright side, if you start now, you can be done by six.”

Six in the morning.

The moral of the story, dear Readers? Save, save, save. What do I not do? Save. What should I do? Save. What will I do? Save, save, save.

And now I shall return to genetics.

Until next time!

p.s. New favorite phrase: Me Hercule! (According to Professor Lao, it means By Jove! Every time Pat decides I’m having an “Oh Brandi…” [insert weary sigh] moment, I try to respond with this phrase).

It’s been a long time since my last update, although I have been thinking of you, dear Readers. I almost wrote an entry about this year’s apple picking trip, as well as our second adventure at making apple crisp (alas, we missed a crucial ingredient and were thwarted again—we made apple turnovers instead). I almost wrote about how last Wednesday/Thursday I survived on one and a half hours of sleep. Likewise, I almost wrote about how on Friday night I went ghost hunting with a large group of other students when CAB sponsored a professional ghost hunter to guide us. I ended up going to bed at 6:30 in the morning partly because I was a little unnerved and partly because me and Goebel were setting the record for the longest conversation our dorm hallway has ever seen. If I wanted to, I could write about how Kimball owns my life. Alas, what brings me to you tonight is the misfortune of some strange boy I met in the O’Neil computer lab.

I sandwiched my laptop in between two of the computers here because I am currently using excel, and I dislike how the computers in the lab automatically open to the new version. I’m doing this for genetics, and while I think I have all the right numbers, I have yet to find out what they mean. I asked Professor Lemay earlier today, and he explained it to me. Unfortunately, grasping biology is sometimes like grasping sand—it slips through your fingers too easily. I even asked the Excel Paperclip for help—you know it’s bad when you ask office supplies for help. The computer lab technically closes at 10 pm, however, if you are already in the lab, nobody really kicks you out. I ended up alone here with two boys who were using the Macs on the other side of the room. I feel that they were doing some sort of math/physics/upper level chemistry type of homework. As I was reading over my lab manual for the answers to my problems, there was a sudden yell and one of the boys exclaimed “The computer just froze, all my work is gone!”

Of course, I felt bad for him, but did not realize the extent of his troubles until a few minutes later he was lying facedown on the floor banging his fist against the carpet. He repeatedly asked what we all ask in situations like that—“What did I do to deserve this?!” He walked in only his socks from between his computer and the printer trying to let it all sink in. He tried bringing back his work. Sadly, all ten hours worth of work was gone. As the two of them left to get food, the boy’s friend turned to him and said, “On the bright side, if you start now, you can be done by six.”

Six in the morning.

The moral of the story, dear Readers? Save, save, save. What do I not do? Save. What should I do? Save. What will I do? Save, save, save.

And now I shall return to genetics.

Until next time!

p.s. New favorite phrase: Me Hercule! (According to Professor Lao, it means By Jove! Every time Pat decides I’m having an “Oh Brandi…” [insert weary sigh] moment, I try to respond with this phrase).

Salvete, all!

It’s been a good day. I took a Sociology exam this morning, went to Greek, and then passed out for three hours. I was so out of it that at one point, about an hour into my nap, I shot out of bed in a frenzy thinking that I had missed my Latin class at 2 (it was 3 at the time). When I calmed down a minute later and realized that I don’t even have Latin on Wednesdays, I put down the books I was starting to pack and collapsed back onto bed for an epic snooze. Just goes to show how tightly wound I’ve been lately.

Wonderful news! I was accepted to the College Honors program, which means that next semester I will be taking an Honors seminar on Religion and Violence with the program director. I’m especially excited about College Honors because it means that in my senior year I will have the opportunity to write a senior thesis in Classics, something I wanted to do even if I didn’t get into Honors. The application process was demanding and required a very intense interview, so I’m glad that everything is set in place and I can move on to my next endeavor: study abroad.

I feel like every post I write now has a study abroad component, but that’s because it’s always on my and many other sophomores’ minds. I can’t even count the number of study abroad-themed conversations I’ve had with my friends…including late-night Cool Beans runs where we all just need to vent. My application is sitting next to me, ready to be handed in by Friday. All I need to do is make two copies of my passport and my fate will be sealed. Whether I’m off to England or to Rome will be in the hands of Study Abroad and the respective programs to which I’m applying. My deadline is a week earlier than everyone else’s (of course, because that’s just how my life works), and my notification will be early as well. The thought of living in England for a year is still daunting to me…leaving Holy Cross, my second home, and leaving my family and friends presents a scary reality that I don’t think I’m ready to face just yet.

I had my advising appointment for next semester with Professor Hamilton, and have pretty much decided to go with Georgics & Eclogues, Vergil’s other, pastorally-themed poems, for my Latin seminar, I’m continuing Intermediate Greek, and am (this might come as a shock) probably going to take a Statistics course. I haven’t taken math in a year and a half, so that should be interesting. Added to my Honors seminar, all of these classes will make for quite the demanding second semester of my sophomore year. The time is simply flying by, even more than last year. I can remember this time of year as a freshman when everything was still so new and exciting. As I sit here now, I feel so comfortable with life at Holy Cross that I cannot help but marvel at just how much I love being here. Sure, it’s stressful, and I’ve had more work this year than probably ever before, but I still glean so much satisfaction from my studies, activities, and friends that I could not imagine being anywhere else.

My 8 a.m. was cancelled for tomorrow and I’ve finally finished all of my midterms and tests, so I’m going to take a well-deserved break tonight and watch the Phillies. LET’S GO PHILS! Valete!

Salvete, all!

It’s been a good day. I took a Sociology exam this morning, went to Greek, and then passed out for three hours. I was so out of it that at one point, about an hour into my nap, I shot out of bed in a frenzy thinking that I had missed my Latin class at 2 (it was 3 at the time). When I calmed down a minute later and realized that I don’t even have Latin on Wednesdays, I put down the books I was starting to pack and collapsed back onto bed for an epic snooze. Just goes to show how tightly wound I’ve been lately.

Wonderful news! I was accepted to the College Honors program, which means that next semester I will be taking an Honors seminar on Religion and Violence with the program director. I’m especially excited about College Honors because it means that in my senior year I will have the opportunity to write a senior thesis in Classics, something I wanted to do even if I didn’t get into Honors. The application process was demanding and required a very intense interview, so I’m glad that everything is set in place and I can move on to my next endeavor: study abroad.

I feel like every post I write now has a study abroad component, but that’s because it’s always on my and many other sophomores’ minds. I can’t even count the number of study abroad-themed conversations I’ve had with my friends…including late-night Cool Beans runs where we all just need to vent. My application is sitting next to me, ready to be handed in by Friday. All I need to do is make two copies of my passport and my fate will be sealed. Whether I’m off to England or to Rome will be in the hands of Study Abroad and the respective programs to which I’m applying. My deadline is a week earlier than everyone else’s (of course, because that’s just how my life works), and my notification will be early as well. The thought of living in England for a year is still daunting to me…leaving Holy Cross, my second home, and leaving my family and friends presents a scary reality that I don’t think I’m ready to face just yet.

I had my advising appointment for next semester with Professor Hamilton, and have pretty much decided to go with Georgics & Eclogues, Vergil’s other, pastorally-themed poems, for my Latin seminar, I’m continuing Intermediate Greek, and am (this might come as a shock) probably going to take a Statistics course. I haven’t taken math in a year and a half, so that should be interesting. Added to my Honors seminar, all of these classes will make for quite the demanding second semester of my sophomore year. The time is simply flying by, even more than last year. I can remember this time of year as a freshman when everything was still so new and exciting. As I sit here now, I feel so comfortable with life at Holy Cross that I cannot help but marvel at just how much I love being here. Sure, it’s stressful, and I’ve had more work this year than probably ever before, but I still glean so much satisfaction from my studies, activities, and friends that I could not imagine being anywhere else.

My 8 a.m. was cancelled for tomorrow and I’ve finally finished all of my midterms and tests, so I’m going to take a well-deserved break tonight and watch the Phillies. LET’S GO PHILS! Valete!