AugieBlog

No, those aren’t my grades from last term…

Since not very much of significance has happened (since it’s only week 1), why don’t I tell you about my spring break? The best way to describe it? Three Fs.

1) Food

Generally, the food at Augie is okay. And apparently, it’s getting an overhaul next year, what with the new Center for Student Life and all. So, I’m not really going to complain. However, when I can start predicting what the cafeteria is going to serve depending on what day of the week it is, I know it’s time for some home-cooked food. And since I’m Indian, I start craving flavors that are not pasta, meatloaf and nachos.

So when I went home, I rejoiced at eating dal, rice, rasam and rotis (you can look those up on Wikipedia if you want to know what they are). I enjoyed eating vegetables cooked so that they’re flavorful (not mushy or undercooked), smelling garlic and cumin frying, hearing mustard seeds spluttering in hot oil.

Then I started to realize that I’ve always been happy to let my mom or dad make Indian food for me. I can whip up a pasta, and make couscous, but I’m actually going to have a kitchen next year in a TLA! I can make Indian food for myself! So I learned a couple of simple recipes from my parents, and I plan to learn a few more over the summer.

One thing I can do in the kitchen is bake. I love to bake from scratch, none of those cake mixes full of preservatives and who-knows-what. So, over break, I made a batch of walnut cookies (pretty delicious, if I say so myself), and an apple cake (which turned out flat, but still tasted pretty good).

Now that I’m back  at school, I’m okay with the cafeteria food. Talk to me about that week 10, and we’ll see what I say, but for now, I’ve had enough Indian food to last me for a little while.

2) Family

One of the things I love about breaks is that I get to see my parents. Yes, I’m one of those teenagers that actually likes their parents. But aside from going out to lunch with my mom, and watching lots of NBA with my dad, and just spending time as a family, we also visited some other family members.

One of my cousins’ cousins had had twin boys a few weeks before break. My parents and I went to visit and meet our newest little relatives, who are adorable. I have a soft spot for babies, so two of them just meant double the fun!

We also had dinner with another of my cousins’ cousins. I always enjoy seeing her, because she and her boyfriend are both really interesting people. We talked about everything under the sun–from race to accents to sports–and had a wonderful time.

3) Friends

I also visited my high school and met some of my old teachers. They were happy to see me, and hear about life here at Augie and my plans for the future. One of them had a baby a few months ago, so I got to see pictures. The more babies the better, I say!

You know, I usually enjoy the fact that I have more (if not longer) breaks than most of my friends because I go to a school that’s on trimesters. The one time I don’t is spring break every year. My high school takes two shows (Group Interpretation and Contest Play) to Sectionals and (if we qualify) the State competition every year, and Sectionals are always two weeks after I get back from break–or, smack in the middle of everybody else’s spring break. But I made the best of things and went to a rehearsal instead. It’s nice to be treated as a bit of a celebrity just because I’m in college. However, the fact that there were a lot of people in the theatre program that I didn’t know (new freshmen and sophomores who joined after I graduated) made me feel quite old. Still, the friends I still have told me all about their college plans, and were happy to hear about life in the world of university.

So, even though I didn’t do anything terrible exciting over spring break–I didn’t travel to new countries (that’s next year, with studying abroad), save lives or have epiphanies–I spent it the best way I knew how. It’s the small things that matter in life–good food and good company.

Posted on March 10th, 2013 by Rukmini Girish
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So my last first day at Augustana happened today – it’s a little bittersweet. But the last first day was on the heels of a fantastic Spring Break! Some highlights include:

Meeting Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy! He came to Anderson’s Bookshop because he recently released a book. They have really famous authors who have book signings there (like this month they have Stephenie Meyer & Jodi Picoult), so I signed up for their email list. I was so excited when I got the email saying Pete Wentz was going to be there! I absolutely loved Fall Out Boy when I was younger and wasn’t able to get tickets to their post- hiatus tour, so getting to see Pete Wentz in person was really exciting.

Got a new guinea pig named Snickers. When I’m home, things typically seem to get done. One of the things my family has been meaning to do for a while is get another guinea pig. We finally went to the pet store and got this adorable piggie whom we named Snickers. She was so tiny – I could hold her in one hand! It’s going to be so weird to see her all grown up when I go home for Easter.

Visited Florida! Despite the fact a few days in Florida were rainy, I absolutely loved going to Florida for a week. It was so nice just to relax, lay out in the sun, and read. I bought myself an iPad and I learned you can rent books from the library. It was fantastic just reading and vegging out. The best part was definitely eating lunch by the ocean for my mom’s birthday.

Other highlights include: an interview & internship offer from Disney World. Sadly I had to turn down their offer because they pay less than Illinois’ minimum wage – but it was still nice to get accepted. Also got good grades winter term! The Augustana Observer won 15 awards at the ICPA’s. I also helped out my grandma after she had a minor stroke – I was basically a chauffer. In addition, I won a giftcard for a designer store (yay clothes!).

But the best thing that happened over spring break? I got accepted to Georgetown University’s grad school program!! It’s fantastic that I now have options for after graduation.

Next week, I’ll be blogging about my trip to the University of Oklahoma where I am presenting my COMM SI at a communication studies conference.

Posted on March 4th, 2013 by aliciaoken09
Filed under: Alicia Oken | 1 Comment »

Spring break 2013 in Rock Island has been a learning experience thus far. I feel like the narrator in a growing up tale written by Stephen King’s nephew Rodney King. I began my Friday with a wrestling practice where one of my coaches asked me a profound question that really dug at the core of me.

“Gary, why would you ever dye your hair red and make yourself a ginger?”

Blankly staring at him like the time my mom caught me trying to marry one of my pillows when I was four, I said to him,

This was the first time I truly knew what it felt like to be asked a question. Normally, I pretend life is an opera and everyone is just singing to me. I also envision everyone as a Muppet (trademarked by Jim Henson, don’t sue my imagination Disney). His question totally shattered my universe.

That Friday evening I went to bed early after organizing my Dixie Chicks albums alphabetically. A voice woke me up like it was a mission from God. I opened my eyes to see the clock said 3 A.M. and I did the only sensible thing I could at that time. I put on my favorite shirt, sprayed myself with store-brand Axe, said goodbye to my Bane poster and walked down to Alex, Connor, and Dave’s room. On my journey to the Thunder-dome, I pontificated to myself about global economics and wondered if I would ever find love in a hopeless place. When I finally arrived, Alex was waiting for me in a swivel chair, surrounded by other Jimmy Gold Bond villains: Ben Deig, Cody Weitzel, and Emalee Leigh aka El Gato Pollo.

They demanded I take them to Taco Bell, and after three minutes of Medieval style torture, I relented.

 We packed into the carriage and I took them to Denny’s after finding out Taco Bell and The Interesting Hiphopanonymousaurus Orders Pudding (IHOP in America) were closed. When we got seated in Denny’s the waitress perplexed me with her rapid fire questions.

“What kind of drink do you want . . . What do you want to eat . . . Are you sure, is that your final answer?”

I found myself having to phone Emalee from across the table.

“Emalee, tell Ben to tell the waitress that Alex was told by Cody to buy a 25$ T-bone steak for breakfast”.

After everyone earned Denny’s respect by eating all our food and paying for it we headed back to Augustana. Everyone in the mini-tank was astounded by the music and thanked young Garold for the adventure.

It was time for a slumber and when I awoke it was time to spend all day with Alex and his parental guidance units. The day consisted of consuming calories in the form of Hamburguesas y pizza. Our day was also filled with the new Die Hard. The first movie in the Die Hard series is my favorite Christmas movie. A couple of really, really big spoiler alerts for the new Die Hardis that it’s in Russia, John Mcclane deals out death to bad guys like grandma dishes out sloppy kisses on Christmas, and Pee-wee Herman doesn’t lose his bike. John Mcclane & son constantly make the audience say to themselves, “that would never happen, they’d be dead in real life”.

“A thumbs up for Bruce Willis and a confused look for all the girls way prettier than me”

But then the audience remembers how much Charlie Sheen cheats death on a daily basis and says, “I totally believe in Santa, the NBA, and that my cats aren’t planning to steal all my shirt sleeves in the night, why not this”.

It has been a lovely spring break so far, I look forward to turning Westerlin into an anti-zombie fortress before people get back.

AMEN

Posted on February 17th, 2013 by garymiller11
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Our means of expression is often limited by the language we use. The value an abstract idea holds in a culture can be seen in the amount of ways available for people to express it to each other. Unfortunately, in the English-speaking culture, there are just some feelings/actions that don’t can’t be expressed in a single word or phrase.
As a person fascinated by the role of languages in culture, when I stumbled upon this list I had to share it.

Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start.

Yuanfen (Chinese): A relationship by fate or destiny. This is a complex concept. It draws on principles of predetermination in Chinese culture, which dictate relationships, encounters and affinities, mostly among lovers and friends.

Forelsket: (Norwegian): The euphoria you experience when you’re first falling in love.

Cafuné (Brazilian Portuguese): The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone’s hair.

Saudade (Portuguese): The feeling of longing for someone that you love and is lost. Another linguist describes it as a “vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist.”

Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time.

La Douleur Exquise (French): The heart-wrenching pain of wanting someone you can’t have.

Ilunga (Bantu): A person who is willing to forgive abuse the first time; tolerate it the second time, but never a third time.

Koi No Yokan (Japanese): The sense upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall into love.

Ya’aburnee (Arabic): “You bury me.” It’s a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person, because of how difficult it would be to live without them.

 

Posted on February 11th, 2013 by lesliecarranza11
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1. This guy and his face. I believe he goes by Connor Cummings, or Nalthar the Destroyer. I’m thankful his gang of mercenaries protect me when I have to pick up eggs from the store, or when I go venture to see my friends in the “forbidden zone”. Got nothin’ but love for my crew and stuff man.

2. Aliens exist. They like watching the X-Files because David Duchovny is actually an alien.

3. This girl exists on the same planet as me. Holla.

4. I have good friends and team mates. The kind that will help you catch that Rumpelstiltskin guy. He always tries to make off with your baby! Knifebaby can’t be taken though. He’s protected by Connor Cummings & the funky bunch, and Liam Neeson.

5. Clowns are scary and give me nightmares, which makes me ready for anything! It reminds me of the days when I was a young lad and fearful of everything. I used to wet the bed as a child and one day some good friends decided to help cure me of  this. They told me if I peed the bed again Freddy Krueger would kill me. I wish I knew I could call the Ghostbusters at this point in my life. Their devious plan didn’t work but at least I went home crying at 4 in the morning as a three year old! That made me tougher and I went back to play with them everyday. These are the same folks who introduced me to Mortal Kombat.

6. Wrestling and being involved in plays.It helps to blow off steam when all you do is homework. Living by this code of ethics everyday of my life has paid dividends this week.

7. The Dark Knight trilogy, Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, Mortal Kombat, Hardball, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Say Anything.

8. The wonderful people back home and good old Columbine high school. Once a Rebel always a Rebel.

9. That I get to wake up everyday and create mass chaos (pronounced like the Ch in chair). Then I get to call my parents and tell them that I’m slowly turning into an infant like Benjamin Button. Except when I turn into an infant i’ll look more like Danny Devito’s head attached to a Popsicle stick. I also appreciate Kyle Frake and Sean Mcintyre teaching me how to read this week. I’ve been pretending I know how my whole life to impress girls. I now understand why Sam doesn’t want those green eggs and ham.

*How I Used To Handle The Dollar Menu at Mcdonalds

10. I don’t have to yell at the toilets in my dorm to stop talking to me. Sometimes all they really want is a friend to listen to them.

I can sell girl scout cookies door to door on 1J and 1I.

And everyday I end up saying . . .

Posted on February 7th, 2013 by garymiller11
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