Month: November 2011

Surprise!

Surprise!

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Last Friday night, after a long shift babysitting, I was exhausted from the week and was glad to finally have the chance to lay down and watch some TV. I was in my friends apartment watching “The Grinch” when all of a sudden I had people jumping on me!

It turned out to be three of my best friends from home who came to Chicago to surprise me for my birthday! I had no idea they were coming so when I realized who it was that was jumping on me I was pretty much speechless. It was great timing because another friend, Tyler, was in town for a Skrillex concert. And his dad has an awesome apartment right down on Michigan Ave where we got to hang out Friday night. His dad’s apartment is on the 13th floor and has a balcony! Being in the middle of downtown Chicago on a balcony at night is an amazing experience. All of the lights and city noises made me feel like I was in a movie. I loved it!

I wasn’t sure how my friends managed to surprise me, but apparently they had been in contact with my roommate for weeks. Even though they all go to different colleges they were able to meet up in Michigan City, Indiana and take the Metra all the way into the city for only $8.50! My roommate even told them how to take the ‘L’ up to Loyola. Once they got downtown, they easily made it to my room without me ever expecting it.

Saturday we woke up and went downtown to shop. We ate at a great food court in the Water Tower mall called Food Life for lunch and had Giordano’s pizza for dinner. Yum!

The best part about our Saturday shopping trip was that I got to see the Occupy Chicago protesters for the first time. I have to be honest, they were not as big and noticeable as I expected them to be. I did not even see them until my friend pointed them out as we walked by. Their message Saturday was that “Occupy Chicago stands behind Egypt.” Even though they were not the big presence I was expecting, it was still cool to see protesters for such a big movement in person.

The Occupy Chicago movement on Saturday, November 12

Getting around the city with my friends was so easy with Chicago’s public transportation. I had the season pass (called the Upass) that Loyola provides for their students. And my friends each paid under $15 for a weekend pass. Once we had our passes in hand we were off to explore and conquer the city.

It was a great weekend. With the holiday parade this just around the corner and Thanksgiving break next week, it is shaping up to be a great November.
Dodgeball for Make-A-Wish

Dodgeball for Make-A-Wish

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The Chi Omega Dodgeball Tournament was last Sunday, and it was a huge day for my fraternity (yes, it is a sorority, but technically Chi Omega in particular is called a fraternity). Chi Omega came to Loyola’s campus last year, so this was our first major philanthropy event.

I had no idea how it would go, but thankfully, there was a huge turnout!  There were about 20 teams of six that entered either the girls, boys or co-ed tournament.  It was pretty exciting to watch. Some of the teams had some pretty intense game play!  Being the inattentive bystander I am, may or may not have gotten hit by a dodgeball once or twice…

The tournament was pay to play, with all proceeds going towards the Make-A-Wish foundation.  You have to raise a certain amount of money in order to grant a child a wish.  We exceeded the amount, raising over 5,000 dollars!

In a month or so, we should learn whose wish we get to grant.  We get to meet the child, and throw some type of a party for them.  I’m so excited to meet the girl or boy and grant his or her wish.  The kids supported by the Make-A-Wish Foundation really deserve everything they get.  Cancer is a horrible disease, but I’m so grateful  my sorority and I get the chance to a child’s mind off of cancer for a little while.

Jewelry!

Jewelry!

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Being that I am pre-dental I recently picked up a jewelry class and these are the things I have made so far.

Nacho Crepe Night

Nacho Crepe Night

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I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard the cheesy (yes, I went there) joke:

Q: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?

A: Nacho Cheese!

Inspired by the above joke, a few nights ago, my friends and I took a much needed study break and had “nacho crepe night.”  I made the long trek from Fordham to Georgetown (see my upcoming post on factoring wind resistance into your estimates of time it takes to get across campus), to find my friend Scott in the kitchen with this:

Yes, this is a cookie sheet covered in nachos.

They were just as delicious as they looked. They were especially tasty for someone like me, who can barely cook and found out only last year that she had been making Kraft Easy Mac wrong her whole life. Even though one of the best parts about living in upperclassman dorms is having your own kitchen, I rarely take advantage of mine.

But as if those nachos weren’t enough, our friend Mallory made us these:

I'd just like to point out that this was made in a dorm room.

It was unreal. I haven’t feasted that much and that well in a very long time.

I think the moral of this story is that a) nachos are delicious; b) crepes are delicious; and c) nachos AND crepes are indescribably delicious. It’s also a reminder to take advantage of the amenities provided to us, because even Simpson Dining and ramen can get tiring after a while.

5 of the Best Unlikely Places to Study

5 of the Best Unlikely Places to Study

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As a nursing major, I study a lot. It’s vital for me to have plenty of different options of places to study at, or I get sick of my surroundings and can’t focus. Here are a few of my favorite (and less commonly used) study spots:

5. Millennium Park – This is not the place to go when it’s rainy or cold out, but Millennium Park is just a quick train ride away. It’s huge, so you have plenty of options for places to sprawl out and work. And there’s the added bonus of great people watching and great restaurants downtown when you need a study break.

4. The Mundelein Greenhouse – Located in Mundelein, Loyola’s center for the Fine and Performing Arts, the greenhouse is awesome if you want some quiet studying, but don’t want the crowds of the library and Information Commons (IC) or you don’t want to go to far from your dorm. Because of the panoramic view, I recommend going there in the early hours of the night or when it’s storming or snowing.

3. The beach – We’re lucky enough to have a beach within a few blocks of campus, so why not take advantage of it? If the weather is mild and you have homework that doesn’t require a computer, nothing is more pleasant than reading on a beach towel while getting some sun and watching Lake Michigan.

2. A coffee or tea shop…downtown – Most students know just how awesome it is to study in the multitude of great coffee shops that surround our campus (The Daily Cup, Metropolis, etc), so if you want to go to a place that isn’t swarming with students, I recommend going downtown. Personally, I highly recommend Argo Tea off of the Lake stop of the Red Line.

1. The Field Museum – It’s a bit of a hike (you take the Red Line to Roosevelt and then walk about 15 minutes), but when I have a particularly bad case of cabin fever, this is my favorite spot to go.  I know it seems a bit out there, but the Field is notorious for discount or free days, and there is something about reading your Nietzche, Anatomy/Physiology or other college reading on the couches in the World of Mammals section that makes you feel very much like a boss.

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Baby It’s Cold Outside

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Last week saw the first official snowfall in Chicago!

Not as excited as I am about this? We should consider ourselves lucky. Here in Chicago we had some big, wet flakes that did not stick to the ground. I got a text from my mom around 11:00am. It was a picture of my house back in Michigan with a blanket of snow over it!

There is nothing like snow to get you in the mood for Christmas. My friends and I finished our night with popcorn and the movie Elf. I love Christmas even more than I love snow. It is not yet Thanksgiving but I am definitely in the Christmas spirit.

My house in Michigan covered in snow!

Loyola's still green campus after the snow.

Internship Hunting

Internship Hunting

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As part of the journalism curriculum, students must obtain an internship to practice the various reporting skills obtained in the classroom.  As procrastination and I are very good friends, I am now well into my senior year and scrambling to find a sweet internship for the upcoming semester so that I can graduate on time!

The process seemed a bit daunting at first as it requires resume writing, cover letters and writing samples.  Writing samples I had on hand from my coursework, but my resume was very much out of date and I had no cover letter.  I cannot excuse my behavior as Loyola consistently offers resume and cover letter workshops, and often times, professors are more than happy to edit these sorts of documents.  The Career Development Center is a great resource if you need help with writing or revision.  (Word to the wise—Start your resume now!  Add experiences as you gain them, and by the time you graduate, you won’t be hard pressed to remember dates and details of your experiences!)

As I began the quest in search of the perfect internship, I first checked the School of Communication’s internship database, which has postings from most all news organizations in Chicago.  Next, I went to Loyola’s RamblerLink, a very nifty site that has job and internship postings, AND lets you load your resume, cover letters, and writing samples so that you can just pick what organization you want to apply for and send in all your documents, without the hassle of loading them over and over again for each separate application.  RamblerLink is also a great resource to find part-time jobs, work-study jobs and full-time jobs after you graduate.

So now that I’ve settled on a few places, it’s just a matter of hearing back!

Backflips at the Ballpark

Backflips at the Ballpark

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For everyone who believes that the city of Chicago offers something for everyone, this past weekend was proof.  On Saturday, I was interrupted from my studies by a friend who was down at the historic Wrigley field.  He was on his way to attempt the infamous Lucky’s Sandwich Challenge (A daunting task that not even he could complete) and was brought right past the stadium.  He called to spontaneously inform me about an event we would be witnessing later that night.


Just off the Addison stop sits the heralded Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team.  Today, though, baseball was not being played.  The millions of people who visit Wrigley every year to watch Cubs baseball would have been taken aback at what they saw.  In fact, almost anyone would be taken aback.  That is because the outer-limits of Wrigley field had become a playground for snowmobiles.
Yes.  It was a chilly 50 degree day in early November in Chicago, but there was certainly no snow on the ground.  What there was, though, was multiple 25-foot tall mound of dirt covered by a rubber tread.  This tread became the launching pad for 450 pounds snowmobiles.  In addition to these mounds were tall ramps that sent snow machines and their riders 50+ feet in the air, giving the rider just enough time to show off a trick or flip the machine.  As the fearless riders propelled themselves into the air, the crowd cheered for them in excitement, but mostly in awe.  This was the Red Bull Fuel+Fury freestyle Snowmobile Competition.
I had never seen such a sight.  Eight riders from around the world were flipping and spinning large snowmobiles outside of Wrigley Field to the dismay of all observers.  Occasionally there were close calls, and in one instance a rider flipped off the vehicle upon landing, but wound up being okay.  The best part about the evening (besides experiencing something entirely new, and of course, the Red Bull) was the free admission.  On a college budget, nothing beats free, and this event did not disappoint.  In terms of bang for the buck, this event ranks up there with $5 Broadway Lion King tickets and $10 Blackhawk tickets.
So, for all of those snowmobile buffs, or all those who like extreme sports, or even all of those who like adrenaline rushes, make sure to remember that Chicago can and will provide.
For the record, Daniel Bodin won the competition and received his trophy from the great Cub, Ernie Banks.

The photo in this picture was taken by student Brian Bafaro.

Lovin’ the Rambler Network

Lovin’ the Rambler Network

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A lot of people ask me why I went to Loyola, a private college in Chicago rather than a state college back home in Minnesota. Some argue that I would get the same degree and same education without having to pay so much.

What I tell them is that I’m not paying for the degree (which, by the way, I would argue isn’t at all the same education I would get at different college) but, rather, I’m paying for the connections. People at Loyola are well connected, and I had the feeling that if I went to school here, they would hold my hand and help ensure that I found employment after graduation.

This Tuesday my Digital Media Campaigns class was visited by Alecia Dantico, @danticoa, who is the Vice President for Edelman Digital, the digital facet of the largest private public relations firm in Chicago. She spent more than an hour talking to my Digital Media Class and ended by giving her card and telling us that we should contact her whenever we want or whenever we need advice.

Then the next day as I’m visiting my capstone professor for next semester, Herb Ritchell, he gives me the contact information for a Loyola Alum who also works for Edelman Digital. So I emailed her and set up a time to meet over coffee. As of writing I’m waiting in the Starbucks at the Aon Center to talk to her about post-graduate opportunities.

So the Rambler Network runs deeper than I thought; and if anything, it is what’ll put me in a better position to land a job after college.

Christmas… already?!

Christmas… already?!

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It’s crazy to think Chicago is already getting ready for the Christmas season.  I’m starting to see some lights and decorations go up around town.  I always thought of the Christmas season starting the day after Thanksgiving, probably because that’s Black Friday. That’s when I shop til I drop and buy all of my Christmas presents for everyone.

Anyways, a few friends and I went down to State Street Saturday night  for the annual Macy’s Christmas tree lighting.  The huge, beautiful tree is located on the seventh floor of Macys (yes, it has 7+ floors).  There is also about twenty mini trees, all different colors, surrounding the big tree.

Giuliana and Bill Rancic were on hand to count down and officially light the tree.  If you didn’t know, Giuliana is the E! News correspondent and Bill is the winner of the first season of The Apprentice, a Chicago native and Loyola Alum! They also have their own show on the style network.

Seeing the two at the tree lighting was a huge deal for my pop culture obsessed self.  Unfortunately, in order to meet them and have them sign a copy of their book, “I do, Now What?“, you had to spend one hundred and fifty dollars on items in Macy’s hotel collection. As if I, a broke college student, had that kind of money to blow. Still, I got a few low quality pictures of them.

I am so happy I went to the tree lighting.  Seeing Macy’s all decorated definitely got me into the Christmas spirit.  Now, the weather just has to be consistent enough so we can actually get some snow instead of the 55 degree day we had the other day.  THEN it will feel like Christmas!

Here’s Giuliana and Bill talking with their audience after the lighting.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a picture of the lighting of the tree because of the awful angle I had.