So my Mother’s Day blog is a day late…what are you going to about it?
I always thought M-Day was some made up holiday created by the consumer culture that we live in, and to some extent in was as I drowned a “heavy penny” on two pots of flowers for the old lady.
But in all serious Mother Day was a nice time to thank Mom for all she has done, by sitting on my uncle’s backyard deck, eating chicken wings, playing bocce, and listing to the Yankees on the radio. Our Americanized culture has led us down such an interesting path of our pastimes.
I had a good three days back highlighted by the incredible amount of pointless errands I ran. Seems like the more I do the more the to-do-list grows. I helped everyone move out of Campion Hall over the course of the week only to find myself the alone when I moved out late Friday afternoon. This work has to result in cash soon, as is the way capitalism works.
It’s good to be back, it’s good to be with my mom.
Happy Mothers Day.
P.S. Mets won 5-4 on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 9th.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
In-class writing assignments
Like a 500-pound man running the last leg of a marathon, is how I would describe my finishing of this semester.
Fighting a cold and a lost cell phone, I made my way to the library quit a bit this weekend. I have calculated that my five finals will be an averaging of 20% of my total grade. Some count more then others.
But what really grinds my gears, are the in-class writing finals (Math and Politics).
When am I ever going to need to write long hand on a piece of paper?
Now, I know that we should be able to think quickly and react to a situation in an intelligent way, but if in-class writing is the means to accomplish that then our society is screwed.
As I write this blog, in a quick and intellectual style of prose, Microsoft has my back. I have spell check at my disposal. I am able to move sentences around. If I wanted to change a word all I have to do is highlight it, a type a new one.
The reason why in-class writing has hanged on during the course of time probably has to do with our teachers learning that way.
A column in the print edition of the Mirror this week suggested that term papers are dead. Well you know what I think we should bury the in-class writing assignment right next to it.
Fighting a cold and a lost cell phone, I made my way to the library quit a bit this weekend. I have calculated that my five finals will be an averaging of 20% of my total grade. Some count more then others.
But what really grinds my gears, are the in-class writing finals (Math and Politics).
When am I ever going to need to write long hand on a piece of paper?
Now, I know that we should be able to think quickly and react to a situation in an intelligent way, but if in-class writing is the means to accomplish that then our society is screwed.
As I write this blog, in a quick and intellectual style of prose, Microsoft has my back. I have spell check at my disposal. I am able to move sentences around. If I wanted to change a word all I have to do is highlight it, a type a new one.
The reason why in-class writing has hanged on during the course of time probably has to do with our teachers learning that way.
A column in the print edition of the Mirror this week suggested that term papers are dead. Well you know what I think we should bury the in-class writing assignment right next to it.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Finals vs Fun
It’s been a little while since I posted a blog, so time to get back on the horse.
Speaking about horses, the Kentucky Derby was today (you loved that transition).
Between the Derby and tonight’s big fight, I have no idea how I can concentrate on my finals. Getting near the end, combine with not having classes as cause me to “live life to the fullest.”
The summer is soon. For the first time in my life I am upset to leave school. Don’t get me wrong I am looking forward the summer, meeting up with friends and going camping. Leaving a world that has so been enjoyable, yet productive, is not easy.
Friday is going to be a tough day
Speaking about horses, the Kentucky Derby was today (you loved that transition).
Between the Derby and tonight’s big fight, I have no idea how I can concentrate on my finals. Getting near the end, combine with not having classes as cause me to “live life to the fullest.”
The summer is soon. For the first time in my life I am upset to leave school. Don’t get me wrong I am looking forward the summer, meeting up with friends and going camping. Leaving a world that has so been enjoyable, yet productive, is not easy.
Friday is going to be a tough day
Friday, May 4, 2007
Stall Scribes
(This went into the print edition of the Mirror on 4/19, but I felt my blog readers would enjoy it as well.)
Many things grab our attention on campus.
Some of these things are talked about often, but others are not.
The other day when I was taking a bathroom break in the library and I happened to read the inside of the stall door.
"Wanna play toilet tennis? Look left," it read.
I thought to myself, "I never played toilet tennis."
Being the curious scholar that the Jesuits taught me to be, I looked left. With my chin on my left shoulder I read, "Look right." My head rotated on my neck toward the right only to be greeted by, "Look left." As I continued to follow the directions presented on both sides of the stall, I realized that I was now playing toilet tennis.
But some of the stalls' messages were not all fun and games.
One stall read, "I made the mistake of believing in someone for 3 years, Freshmen don't get a girlfriend until your senior year or upon graduation." Ouch. Good words of advice from a thoughtful guy.
What a great place to post relationship advice. Maybe we should meet with our advisers on the crapper.
Another situation came to my attention while I was sitting on the porcelain pool of my beloved Campion Hall fourth floor.
This time there was only one saying and it was located to my left:"Don't look here the real joke is between your legs." Now, it does not amaze me that some guy would be as immature as to think about what is in between the toilet occupant's legs.
What really has me scratching my head is, why would some go through the trouble to write about that?The method of 'stall scribing' features some clutch product placement.
Stall scribes are putting their stuff in the high traffic areas. Thanks Sodexho.
One of the loudest stalls on campus is Canisus' second floor men's room. This one stall includes: "If penis touches toliet, wash, disenfects and seek porn stardom immediately."
Another stall includes its own shorted version of the Ten Commandments:
1. Poop shall stink
2. You Shall Clog the Toilet
3. You Shall Make Grunting Noises
4. You Shall Wipe
5. You Shall Couresty Flush
Some of the scribes educated the public on alternative names for feces, calling them poop, lump fish and unleashing the demon.
Despite its mischievous upbringing, stall scribing brings up an interesting question: is graffiti OK if it's creative? The word graffiti simply means to write and has as many positive aspects as it does negative ones. If people enjoy graffiti, they will make it legitimate by dressing it up with a word like "mural."
Administrators will tell you that graffiti is damaging school property, but if it is intellectual (i.e. not "the joke in between your legs"), maybe it should be given a fair chance.We live in a world moving further away from our parents' world than ever before. The days of magazines are over.
Perhaps this is what FUSA Senator Nazar Kamenchenko '10 had in mind when his constituents said they need entertainment in the bathrooms.
Can you image a culture in which people go to the bathroom to get their news?
It's not that far off from the old days of bringing the paper to the can. No matter how much you read the stalls, just make sure you read The Mirror a little bit more.
I look forward to seeing what interesting observations these stall scribes will make as they continue to enlighten my day. I hope you will join me.
Many things grab our attention on campus.
Some of these things are talked about often, but others are not.
The other day when I was taking a bathroom break in the library and I happened to read the inside of the stall door.
"Wanna play toilet tennis? Look left," it read.
I thought to myself, "I never played toilet tennis."
Being the curious scholar that the Jesuits taught me to be, I looked left. With my chin on my left shoulder I read, "Look right." My head rotated on my neck toward the right only to be greeted by, "Look left." As I continued to follow the directions presented on both sides of the stall, I realized that I was now playing toilet tennis.
But some of the stalls' messages were not all fun and games.
One stall read, "I made the mistake of believing in someone for 3 years, Freshmen don't get a girlfriend until your senior year or upon graduation." Ouch. Good words of advice from a thoughtful guy.
What a great place to post relationship advice. Maybe we should meet with our advisers on the crapper.
Another situation came to my attention while I was sitting on the porcelain pool of my beloved Campion Hall fourth floor.
This time there was only one saying and it was located to my left:"Don't look here the real joke is between your legs." Now, it does not amaze me that some guy would be as immature as to think about what is in between the toilet occupant's legs.
What really has me scratching my head is, why would some go through the trouble to write about that?The method of 'stall scribing' features some clutch product placement.
Stall scribes are putting their stuff in the high traffic areas. Thanks Sodexho.
One of the loudest stalls on campus is Canisus' second floor men's room. This one stall includes: "If penis touches toliet, wash, disenfects and seek porn stardom immediately."
Another stall includes its own shorted version of the Ten Commandments:
1. Poop shall stink
2. You Shall Clog the Toilet
3. You Shall Make Grunting Noises
4. You Shall Wipe
5. You Shall Couresty Flush
Some of the scribes educated the public on alternative names for feces, calling them poop, lump fish and unleashing the demon.
Despite its mischievous upbringing, stall scribing brings up an interesting question: is graffiti OK if it's creative? The word graffiti simply means to write and has as many positive aspects as it does negative ones. If people enjoy graffiti, they will make it legitimate by dressing it up with a word like "mural."
Administrators will tell you that graffiti is damaging school property, but if it is intellectual (i.e. not "the joke in between your legs"), maybe it should be given a fair chance.We live in a world moving further away from our parents' world than ever before. The days of magazines are over.
Perhaps this is what FUSA Senator Nazar Kamenchenko '10 had in mind when his constituents said they need entertainment in the bathrooms.
Can you image a culture in which people go to the bathroom to get their news?
It's not that far off from the old days of bringing the paper to the can. No matter how much you read the stalls, just make sure you read The Mirror a little bit more.
I look forward to seeing what interesting observations these stall scribes will make as they continue to enlighten my day. I hope you will join me.
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