Month: March 2012

Picking Up My Cap and Gown

Picking Up My Cap and Gown

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I have tried to write this blog in such a way that makes it accessible to incoming Freshman while showing Loyola in hindsight or from a more seasoned perspective. For the most part, I think I have done an alright job. My last post may have pushed the limit, and this one even more so.

However, this will be relevant one day to you, dear reader, unless you happen to be one of my friends or family who read this blog (Hi mom!). Contrary to popular belief I sometimes think it is beneficial to know how something ends before you start. Like a fine meal! How could you know to enjoy dessert if you ate your fill in the first 4 courses?

Leaving bad analogies behind now.

Like my Senior friends before me, and theirs before them, I picked up my cap and gown yesterday. (In case you are wondering, it came to about $58 with the tassel and everything.) All in all it was a much briefer experience than I expected. Truth be told, I had always imagined picking up graduation apparel as a long and involved process in a big loud room buzzing with every graduating senior. Instead, the whole thing took less than 10 minutes, and I spent some time making small talk. I bet I could have been in and out in 5.

The nice thing is that Loyola makes very sure you do not miss out on anything, so if you find yourself wondering when you will be able to get graduation apparel, don’t worry. Loyola will make it obvious. The emails and messages were very easy to follow. Plus, they have 3 separate days of the “grad fair” that takes place between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m, so there is plenty of time to fit it into your schedule.

Once I arrived it was just a matter of asking where the apparel table was (I skipped all the gimmicky class ring stuff) and telling them my degree so that they could find the right color tassel. Then I got in line to pay (correction: there was NO line- the event runs so long that people just come and go as they please) and chatted with the teller while she rang up my things.

Then I left.

Now my graduation gear is sitting on a shelf in my closet, unopened. It will probably only get put on once. I’ve played in the band for the commencement ceremonies and already sat through 3 years’ worth of ceremonies for all 9 of Loyola’s schools. I do not plan to attend any more than I have to this year (I could go through 3, but I’m only doing the School of Communications.)

Then I’ll have a nice dinner with the family, and “go light the world on fire” 🙂

Polish Adventures: Pierogies, History and Fun

Polish Adventures: Pierogies, History and Fun

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This spring break, I went to Poland.  Why was I the most excited to travel to this particular place? Easy.  Poland presented the opportunity to indulge in mass amounts of pierogies, one of my favorite foods.  I’d been counting down the days to this trip, and was so happy when I finally made it there. (And got fed pierogies the first night!)

Poland was a trip Loyola planned out, and all I had to do was pay for it.  All the meals and activities were planned for all 6 days of the trip.  This was an added bonus in that the trip was stress-free for me. All I had to do was show up and the group would travel together.

Contrary to popular belief, we did more than just eat pierogies.  It was a very educational trip. We went to a lot of museums, including The Uprising Museum, Schindler’s Museum, Auschwitz and the Salt Mines. Schindler’s Museum was very interesting.  The actual museum used to be the factory where all the Jewish people that he saved would work.  If you are completely clueless to what I am talking about, I highly recommend watching Schindler’s List. It’s a great movie that shows how one man made such a difference in peoples lives; he saved thousands of people from Auschwitz and death.

We visited Auschwitz as well.  It was probably the most depressing place I have ever been to.  It was exactly what I expected it to be: eerie, barren and dusty.  It was nice to see that those people’s memory was kept alive; there were flowers from visitors covering the wall.  I think the saddest part of Auschwitz was going inside the different buildings that were turned into museums, because everywhere you looked there were huge pictures of the people who lived at Auschwitz, and the horrid conditions they lived in.  They were so sad.  There was also a room with collections of things left behind. There was a huge showcase of shoes and suitcases, and there was one huge window of human hair that was found when the concentration camp was shut down.

On a lighter note, the rest of the trip was very light hearted and fun.  I really enjoyed traveling to Krakow because my great grandparents immigrated from there.  Both Krakow and Warsaw are beautiful cities.  They both have a big main square which is there city center, and surrounding the city center are buildings that are pastel colored.  It was beautiful.

We also indulged in a ton of food.  Since Loyola planned out all the meals, we got to eat like kings. I think my favorite meal would have to be the four course one consisting of beet soup, duck (which I tried for the first time and loved), pierogies, kielbasa, salad and apple pie. Simply delicious. Every meal was amazing, though. Polish food may be my new favorite!

The trip was a success.  I had a ton of fun, devoured delicious food, and learned a ton about the history of Poland and it’s role in World War II.  I’m so glad I decided to go on this trip!

Senioritis

Senioritis

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It’s finally happened.  I’ve officially diagnosed myself with a chronic case of senioritis.  Symptoms include: exhaustion, laziness, and general apathy.

The cure: Graduation.

Part of me is greatly saddened by this sudden onset of illness.  In all actuality, I love school!  I normally head to class with enthusiasm, and I don’t really mind homework or projects or anything that has to do with school work.

I’m really trying to pin down the root of the problem, and yet I cannot find the source.  What I do know is that I’m perpetually tired, which is leading me to forget things, then leading me to turn in some minor assignments late, leading me to feel bad about that, leading to me to the conclusion that there might really be a phenomenon known as senioritis.

My plan of action for now is to simply carry on as best I can.  I’ve already calculated that I only have 11 actual days of class left because I only have classes on Tuesday and Thursday.  In the grand scheme of things, that’s a ridiculously small number.  Senioritis or not, I can totally handle that!

St. Patrick’s Day In Chicago

St. Patrick’s Day In Chicago

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St. Patrick’s Day is one of the holidays that it definitely pays off to be in Chicago for. At home in Michigan, St. Patrick’s day is recognized by people pinching each other if they are not wearing green and that is about the it. In Chicago, on the other hand, it is a holiday celebrated by many in the city and even draws in people from the suburbs and surrounding areas.

The city dyes the Chicago River green at 10:30a.m. and has a St. Patrick’s Day parade at 12:00p.m.. Downtown was packed to say the least! My friends and I obviously have been looking forward to the parade for awhile and were very excited to wake up Saturday morning.

So, after an 8:30a.m. wake up call, I put on my obnoxious green outfit that I had planned for the parade and went over to my friends residence hall right across the street, Georgetown. We made ourselves green pancakes and headed off to the L to go watch the river dying.

The L was packed! There were a ton of people going downtown and I ended up with a friend sitting on my lap to create more room for standing people. Once we got downtown we headed to the river and, similar to last year, the intensity of the green was stunning. I can not figure out how they get the water so green!

Not only was the Chicago river green, but it seemed like the whole city was too! Masses of people were wearing green and the streets of Chicago looked like a sea of green. The floats in the parade contributed to this as they passed down Michigan Ave. The parade was awesome and it was so much fun seeing all of the floats!

After a long day downtown, my friends and I were all very exhausted and hopped on the L to head back up to school. We were so exhausted that as soon as we got back, around 5:00p.m., we all took naps.

It was an awesome St. Patrick’s Day and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to spend it in Chicago. I already can not wait till next year!

My friends, Elizabeth, Kelly, Pedro and Mary in front of the green Chicago River!
The View from My Office

The View from My Office

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I wanted to share the view from my office with you today. Take a look:

The view from the 11th floor of Mundelein Center. Click to enlarge.

This view actually means a lot to me.

First, it is a sign of the parallel between how far I have come and how far Loyola has come since I arrived here. It has actually been pretty fun to watch this school grow alongside me. Despite the annoyance that construction brings, it is pretty exciting to watch and it feels good to know that something better is always on its way.

When I was a Freshman, that green lawn (which is our East Quad between the Information Commons and Dumbach Hall) was a hole in the ground. The year before I got here the IC had just opened for the first year and the year I arrived they were re-doing the roads, sidewalks, and lawn around it. In the picture you can see a construction crane. They’re working on finishing up Cuneo Hall, which is standing on the stump of old Damen Hall. Loyola has grown a lot.

I remember looking out onto this view from my old boss’ old office. I was a Freshman and he was the Operations Manager of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. During the year I set up chairs and stands for ensembles and helped my boss with events. I finished my first year of college with a 4.0, a lot better than the GPA I had in high school. Now I have a new boss (Scott Heston, who rocks), a new office, a new set of jobs (Event Manager, Jr. Marketing Specialist, Blogger, and Media Analyst) and I’ll be graduating this May. I’ve grown a lot, too.

I like looking out on the lawn during a sunny day and seeing everybody looking so small in our beautiful campus in the city. Being so far above things and seeing this view is a great de-stresser. It helps keep things in perspective. I can see so many little people bustling about their daily lives. From eye level it feels as if you are in your own little world down there. But from up here I can see them next to the lake and with Chicago all around. It helps put things into context. The world is a lot bigger than your problems, and you’ve got plenty of places to go- plenty of things to do- that you haven’t yet.

When I leave work I’ll be back down there among them and on my way to class. I’m no different, but at least I am lucky enough to enjoy view from my office for a little while.

Shalom, Momma Gordon!

Shalom, Momma Gordon!

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My mom has developed a bit of a reputation amongst my friends as our token Jewish mother.

For awhile at the beginning of my freshman year, whatever excuse she had, my mom would visit me – whether it was to drop off clothes, pick up old library books or give me copious amounts of food.

Typical picture of us

And it’s the food that my mom is really known for. Despite the fact that I’m well into my sophomore year, it still keeps on coming. I have countless stories of her peculiar culinary adventures, so I thought I’d share my two favorite stories from this semester:

The Bad Day Cookie Cake

Around Valentines Day, I was texting my mom (my friends often joke that I text her as much as they text their best friends or significant others) about how my forever alone status was making me sad. Afterwards, as I was reading a book, I suddenly got a text from her to go downstairs.

Confused, I took the elevator to the lobby, only to find my mom and her car parked in front of Fordham. As I approached, what did I find on the passenger seat?

A cookie cake.  A whole, completely uneaten, 12 inch cookie cake…that happened to feed my friends and I for the next week.

This is actually a real life comparison of the size of my head and the cookie cake

Pie in her Pants

This fall, my mom went through a “I must bake at least a pie a day” phase, during which she was baking pies nonstop. One day during this time in her life, she picked me up so we could drive out to suburbia for a doctor’s appointment. Being that I’m a nursing student, I was pretty miserable about being away from the IC and my other study spaces for the day.

While I was sulking in the car, my mom suddenly pulled over.  The next thing I knew, my mother mysteriously pulled out a homemade pie and two forks from…

…well, from I’m not sure where.  Only my mother could have the skill to stash a pie in her car, in preparation for any meltdown that needed to be soothed with food.

Since I STILL don’t know the original location of said pie, when I retell the story, I simply say that she pulled the pie out of her pants. That’s because a) alliteration is awesome and b) since I don’t actually know where the pie come from, it’s technically not a lie.

Wherever that pie came from, it definitely made my day.

(And it made the day of several of my friends, who got to enjoy the leftovers with some ice cream.)

Picture of the Cookie Cake – Attributed to Zelda’s Sweet Shoppe

St. Pat’s Weekend

St. Pat’s Weekend

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This weekend was of course the holiday that is St. Patrick’s Day! The last time I went to the parade was my freshman year, so I forgot how completely busy and crazy everything is during this time.  There were so many people, but the weather was amazing for the event!

I was particularly excited to see it because my younger brother was in the parade.  His flashing green bow-tie and suspenders were quite eye-catching and amusing.

I was also excited to spend time with my boyfriend who came up for the festivities.  Though we didn’t go to the river dyeing event, the river remained very green for the day so we stopped by after the crowds cleared out.

Near the bridge, we noticed a street magician, so naturally we had to check it out.  I’m still suspicious about the couple he chose to partake in his grand trick of making a twenty-dollar bill disappear and then reappear inside a lemon, but my brother got to be part of a card trick that was impressive!

After that, we hit up Portillo’s for some great food!  Fun was had by all!

The Impossible Dilemma

The Impossible Dilemma

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I’m an awkward person. The rules of social situations constantly evade me. I never know when to talk or shake hands or smile. Basically, I’m a mess when I’m hanging out with more than two friends. A funny mess, but a mess nonetheless.

However, there is one thing that strikes fear in my heart more than any party or anybody’s parents:

  • Walking in the opposite direction as someone.

    You all know what I’m referring to. That moment when you turn down a hall, or a street or a random corner, just at that exact same moment that someone on the other side does the exact same thing.

    In case I’m not the only one who experiences anxiety when faced with this dilemma of what to do, I’ve compiled a list of tips for dealing with this dreaded interaction.

    1. Pull out your cell phone – This is my favorite. I’m seriously a pro at making it look like I’m reading the funniest text of my life, when really all I’m doing is staring at a blank screen.

    2. Don’t ask about their day – I know this seems kind of harsh, but even if you know the person walking towards you, asking about their day will only lead to sore vocal cords when you end up shouting back to your friend once you pass each other.

    3. Make eye contact – If you’re not afraid of making people uncomfortable, turn your awkward encounter into an even more awkward encounter by making it an impromptu staring contest.

    4. Books are you best friends – In “a poet in New York,” Charles Bukowski wrote, “I often carry things to read/so that I will not have to look at/the people”. I think that pretty much sums it up. If you’re like me and won’t trip and fall to your doom by reading and walking, this option is pretty great.

    So there you have it. Five ways to survive the impossible dilemma of what you should do when someone is walking towards you. Good luck and good walking!

    The Golden Nugget

    The Golden Nugget

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    In a never-ending attempt to bring awareness to good eateries around the Chicago area, I have found a local diner that creates pancake perfection.

    The Golden Nugget, located off the Lawrence Red Line stop, sits at the humble corner of W Diversey Avenue and N Western Avenue.  Boasting its name with a large golden sign (and blinking lights), the Golden Nugget begs for any hungry passer-by to stop in and give their food a try.  My three buddies and I, in search of a late night meal, stumbled across this gem online and thought we would give it a try.  In theme with many Chicago restaurants we have been to, we were not disappointed.
    After a sizable walk west down Diversey Ave. we finally came across the Golden Nugget.  Upon entering the sparsely populated diner, we were told to sit at any seat we liked.  We then opened the menu, only to be overwhelmed by the shear quantity of options presented before us.

    Like most diners, breakfast food was a staple on the menu; pancakes, waffles, hash browns and eggs were offered in any number of combinations.  Page two outlined further outlined the breakfast options. Page three was dedicated to sandwiches and four was the entrees.  Page five covered the cuisines: Italian and Mexican/Spanish dishes and six, the dinner menu.  Flipping to seven and eight we encountered the soups, salads and side menu options and by page 9 we were at the skillets and burgers.  Rounding out the gargantuan menu were the desserts and then finally the drink options.  Needless to say, the Golden Nugget provides a plethora of options for all palates.

    In the Sinfully Delicious section of the menu (located somewhere between pages two and four on the menu), are daring pancake creation that would make all moms frown in disapproval.   The Golden Nugget boasts a handful of menu options that mix meal and dessert.  These items include the Oreo pancakes, Oreos baked into pancakes and smothered in an icing-syrup, and the Alaskan waffle, a Belgium waffle topped with ice cream and fruit compote (a warm fruit jam).

    For me and my friends, pancakes were enough.  I had a large stack of the fresh blueberry pancakes while my buddies got the banana pancakes (smothered in homemade pecan syrup) and the traditional buttermilk pancakes.  All at the table were pleased and sufficiently full by the end of the meal.

    After eating, we bid our farewell to our pancake haven, acknowledging that we would see the Golden Nugget again.

    Pictured: My two friends and some Chicago TV anchors, all having a good time, or course.

    Giving Up Meat Is Not That Bad After All…

    Giving Up Meat Is Not That Bad After All…

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    For the second year in a row, I have decided to abstain from eating meat during Lent completely, not just on Fridays. I take these 40 days to reflect on how I have been doing in regards to my faith life, and how I can improve in my relationship with God, but those around me.

    At first, it can be hard because I always feel hungry, but I know that this brief sacrifice is worth it.

    Over the weeks, I have found meatless options just in case I am not up to cooking my own meal. Oysy is a sushi bar off of the Grand L stop. The restaurant offers an interesting lunch special that lasts until 5:00 p.m.! For $13, one can get miso soup, vegetable tempura, edamame, six pieces of sushi, salad and a grilled seafood or meat.

    I chose to go with the grilled eel and I thought it was delicious, filling, and definitely cost effective. The ambiance is very relaxing, and the service was great. If I could have meals like this until Lent is over, it comes to show that giving up meat is not that bad after all.