First Year Diary 11

Hey everyone! This past weekend was phenomenal. A huge snowstorm moved in on Friday night, so our plans to take Ashley’s sister, Tia, around town were dampened. Instead, we ordered pizza from Crossroads and played Disney SceneIt in Ashley’s room.

The next morning, Ashley, Katie, and I all woke up extremely early to head over to the ballroom to help set up for the ballroom competition. Because of the snowstorm, several teams were late, but they all managed to get there later on in the day. Ashley and I had our smooth competition at two o’clock. We got called back in the Waltz and the Foxtrot. We ended up being in the top 12 in Foxtrot, and we placed 5th in Waltz. We were extremely happy with those results! At five, we competed in rhythm. We made the semi-finals (Top 12) in all of our dances again. The entire team did extremely well – most of our newcomer couples received call backs. Our senior couple, Nate and Loyola, placed fourth in every single dance, and one of our couples, Eddie and Michelle, placed first in Gold rhythm. Gold is the highest level in which the team competes. It was their first time competing at the Gold level, and they absolutely swept it. There was some phenomenal dancing Saturday!

On Sunday, I didn’t have to go to CCD, and I was thankful for the break. I used that time to get ahead in all of my work for this week. Right now, I am filling out my Kimball Captain application and my Tour Guide application (you have no idea how much I want to be a tour guide. Well, if you have read the blog, maybe you do.). I’m also studying for my International Relations midterm on Thursday, and I’m also writing my Latin paper that is due on Friday. In addition to all of that, I’m also translating at least fifty lines of The Aeneid per night. Luckily, I finished all of my Intelligence and FYP readings for the week back on Sunday. As much as I hate to see this semester fly by (and it really is), I cannot wait to go home for Spring Break and just relax for a week without classes!

This week has had its ups and downs. Take a look at the following examples:

Down: My Latin class officially finished translating Cicero’s Pro Archia.
Up: My Latin class is now translating Virgil’s The Aeneid.

Down: I have the flu.
Up: Lower Kimball started stocking my favorite Greek yogurt, so I can stay in the room for breakfast if I don’t feel well enough to go down the hill.

Down: It’s cold.
Up: It’s snowing!

Those are just a couple of examples. Carrie is also sick, so I started calling our room the Infirmary.

This weekend is the 9th Annual Holy Cross Ballroom Competition. I am so excited to dance on home turf (home floor?)! Most of my friends are planning to come and watch all of us. Also, Ashley’s sister, Tia, is here until Sunday. She came to ballroom practice last night, and Ashley and I taught her how to dance.

I cannot believe that in a week and a day, I’ll be back home for Spring break. This semester is flying by so quickly! Hopefully, I won’t have the flu by then.

The dictionary defines “cacophony” as a “harsh, grating, or discordant noise.” Yes, that word is the only one that suffices to explain what woke me up yesterday morning at 4:30. At first, I thought that it was the alarm on my iHome going off. However, I knew that I had set the alarm for 6:45, and I had also programmed it to wake up to my iPod. I rolled over and saw Carrie out of bed and putting on her coat. I thought that that was a strange sight, until I saw the flashing lights. Then I knew –  the fire alarm was going off.

So, all of the kids living in Hanselman shuffled (more like sleep-walked) outside, and waited while the Worcester Fire Department came in and found what had caused it (someone was cooking an omelet and forgot about it. No, I’m not really sure why someone was cooking an omelet of all things at 4:30 in the morning.). When they determined that it was safe, we were all allowed back inside. At 6:45, my iPod alarm did go off, and “Burnin’ Love” started to play. Later on in the day, Carrie’s shuffle started to play “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Talk about ironic.

Last night was the Freshman dance. Ashley and I started to ballroom dance to a couple of songs. The most exciting part for me was getting dressed up. I’m honestly not a huge fan of dances; however, last night was probably one of the most fun dances I have ever attended.

Today hasn’t really been all that eventful. I have an Intelligence paper due on Tuesday, and it’s assigned length is seven to nine pages. I’ve been organizing and writing that paper all day. Tomorrow, I get to work at Kimball and then study for my Latin test that is on Monday. I guess it’s only fair. I did have an extremely fun weekend last week. I’m currently writing this paper at Cool Beans, and the view is definitely distracting me!

I’ll try to update as much as I possibly can this coming week, but I don’t think I’m going to have much time.

There is only one bad aspect about having a Jesuit as your professor. Your class will never be cancelled. Don’t get me wrong; I love Latin with all my heart, but the weather yesterday was just not pleasant. Most of my friends’ morning classes were cancelled because their professors couldn’t drive to campus. When your professor lives on campus, there’s a very slim chance that he won’t be able to make it.

Everyone on the hall made valentines for each other, but I think that Carrie’s was the best one I received. It’s a French cabbage, and says, “Mon petit chou!” No, it’s not just a random cabbage. In French, “mon petit chou” is a term of endearment. It’s similar to “honey,” “pumpkin,” etc. (That’s your French lesson aujourd’hui!) I was so excited that I taped it to my International Relations spiral.

Well, I have to start on my work. Next week, I have a Latin test, a US Intelligence paper due, and a FYP paper due. I’m not too excited for that week. The week after that doesn’t look too bad – I have a Latin paper and an International Relations midterm. Okay, so it does look bad. But, at least I’ll be going home for the week after that. I can’t believe how quickly this semester is flying by!

Hey everyone!

This past week was actually quite fantastic. I was extremely busy during the school week. I had to turn in a paper for International Relations on Thursday, and I had to finish translating Pro Archia for Latin by Friday, but it was all worth it for this wonderful weekend.

On Saturday, all the FYP-ers and the FYP professors headed off to Walden Pond in Concord, as we’ve been reading Walden for a common reading. I first studied Thoreau in my junior year of high school, and I’ve wanted to see Walden Pond ever since. It was a beautiful day to go see it too. It had snowed the previous night, so the pond was frozen. It was excellent timing because all the sections had just finished reading the chapter called “The Pond in Winter.” Reading Walden is such a wonderful experience in of itself, yet actually seeing where he lived just added such a wonderful element to the entire experience.

After we visited Concord, we went to Cambridge to go and tour the Peabody and Fogg museums. Of course, most of us stopped by Mr. Bartley’s Sandwich Store for an excellent lunch.

On Saturday night, Haley and Jess hosted a “Recycled Goods” party.
Everyone had to make costumes from reused goods – newspapers,
magazines, bubble wrap, etc. I re-used one of my dance costumes (it
counts!), but Haley and Jess actually made dresses out of bubble wrap.
It was a great time!

Right now, there are winter “squalls” going on. The temperature is
dropping quickly,  and more snow is expected until Tuesday. Needless to
say, after ten o’clock mass, I’ll be curling up beneath my blankets
with a cup of hot tea and a book. Call me a nerd, but that sounds like
a perfect ending to a perfect weekend!

Well, I wish I could write this entry with a happy tone. However, my beloved Patriots decided to let me down during the last minute of the Super Bowl. My spirits are quite dampened.

Right now, Carrie and I are playing Boston-related songs to revive our spirits. Someone is blasting “New York, New York,” and we’re trying to keep the spirits of the hall up.

Okay, enough for the melodramatic sports affairs. This week went quite well, despite the past four hours. I spent this weekend with my aunt and uncle in Plainville, and then I went down to see my grandmother in New Bedford. It was great to see some family for a little while.

I’m quite sorry about how pithy this entry is. Hopefully I’ll have a more energetic one for tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our Super Bowl party tonight.