Tuesday, March 31, 2009
return to sender
I really hope to go back to Jordan this summer. I applied and I should find out these next few days if I am headed back or not. I trust the readership will go up at that point. I am trying to keep an international flavor to this blog. If you have any ideas on what you would like to see let me know. Hopfully some of this is funny, and informative. I have a few more weeks left of school, to include Drake Relays. I assure you I will get some fantastic stories out of that weekend, along with my Half Marathon I am running that weekend.
Kissed by a sunset
Probably the best picture I have taken in my life. Wadi Rum Desert at sunset in Jordan.
back in the USSR
Ian is studying…
Ian is procrastinating…
Ian is working…
Ian has decided the art of conversation is completely going to die due to the influences of technology.
Ian has updated his every move to twitter because quite frankly everyone needs to know:
Facebook status update, Twitters whole reason for existence. I never need people to know what I am up to at the rates that are possible now with Twitter and Facebook. It rather scares me to think what my own children will grow up in. My own teachers are now jumping on the facebook craze, which is amusing yet scary at the same time. (Teachers have lives? I thought they just turn them off after class, or plug them back into the socket.) Regrettably one is hard pressed to function in college without a facebook. It is an excellent source social events, as well a way to keep up with friends. It is also the only place I know of where pictures are stored. If you want a nice trip down memory lane start at the first pictures people tagged of you and work your way through. I was cute once, and the proof is on facebook.
It is getting weird though that someone needs to update people to their exact whereabouts with twitter and facebook. Even weirder is the fact that someone thought a lot of people want to do it, and thus sell advertising. Imagine how that sales pitch went.
Ian is procrastinating…
Ian is working…
Ian has decided the art of conversation is completely going to die due to the influences of technology.
Ian has updated his every move to twitter because quite frankly everyone needs to know:
Facebook status update, Twitters whole reason for existence. I never need people to know what I am up to at the rates that are possible now with Twitter and Facebook. It rather scares me to think what my own children will grow up in. My own teachers are now jumping on the facebook craze, which is amusing yet scary at the same time. (Teachers have lives? I thought they just turn them off after class, or plug them back into the socket.) Regrettably one is hard pressed to function in college without a facebook. It is an excellent source social events, as well a way to keep up with friends. It is also the only place I know of where pictures are stored. If you want a nice trip down memory lane start at the first pictures people tagged of you and work your way through. I was cute once, and the proof is on facebook.
It is getting weird though that someone needs to update people to their exact whereabouts with twitter and facebook. Even weirder is the fact that someone thought a lot of people want to do it, and thus sell advertising. Imagine how that sales pitch went.
Dead right round the poker face which was kissed through a phone for giving you hell
All of my posts, at least the ones back Stateside are titled after songs. I absolutely love music. So here is my take on the current top 5 songs, courtesy of Billboard.com
#1 Flo Rida-Right Round-Ah yes the knock off of Dead or Alive’s You spin me Right Round. Great beat, always played at the club. At the Rez Hall ball this was the song played during the dance off. I felt really bad the other day having to explain the meanings of the lyrics to a rather conservative friend of mine. All in all a totally hip, completely forgettable song
#2 Lady Gaga-Poker Face. Gags signature sound, again, after her Just Dance, which also went through the roof. I imagine this will get over played on top-40 radio. Another club song which will get remixed a million times. I thoroughly enjoyed OAR’s Crazy Little Game of Poker, but Gaga ode to Hold ‘em is going to make me fold.
#3 Soulja Boy-Kiss me through the phone. Far too many nights spent bouncing left and right to this song at the club. The original Soulja boy dance still fills the dance floor, and after that it has been downhill. I mean really? Kissing someone through the phone? You just made out with AT&T! Another really forgettable song.
#4 TI and Justin Timberlake-Dead and Gone. It is nice when an artist gets out of the club scene of middle school pop to serious songs. Nice job TI and JT. A nice song with an essence of Collio’s Gangsta’s paradise. I am also diggin the hook. Probably one of the better rap songs this year.
#5 All American Rejects: Give you Hell. The epitome of Pop Punk. Great hook, and the music video rips on suburbia. Imagine if the preps of your school moved next to the punks, then decided to have a sing off. This song has been stuck in my head all day, and I am pleased that it made the cut. AAR: ROCK ON!
#1 Flo Rida-Right Round-Ah yes the knock off of Dead or Alive’s You spin me Right Round. Great beat, always played at the club. At the Rez Hall ball this was the song played during the dance off. I felt really bad the other day having to explain the meanings of the lyrics to a rather conservative friend of mine. All in all a totally hip, completely forgettable song
#2 Lady Gaga-Poker Face. Gags signature sound, again, after her Just Dance, which also went through the roof. I imagine this will get over played on top-40 radio. Another club song which will get remixed a million times. I thoroughly enjoyed OAR’s Crazy Little Game of Poker, but Gaga ode to Hold ‘em is going to make me fold.
#3 Soulja Boy-Kiss me through the phone. Far too many nights spent bouncing left and right to this song at the club. The original Soulja boy dance still fills the dance floor, and after that it has been downhill. I mean really? Kissing someone through the phone? You just made out with AT&T! Another really forgettable song.
#4 TI and Justin Timberlake-Dead and Gone. It is nice when an artist gets out of the club scene of middle school pop to serious songs. Nice job TI and JT. A nice song with an essence of Collio’s Gangsta’s paradise. I am also diggin the hook. Probably one of the better rap songs this year.
#5 All American Rejects: Give you Hell. The epitome of Pop Punk. Great hook, and the music video rips on suburbia. Imagine if the preps of your school moved next to the punks, then decided to have a sing off. This song has been stuck in my head all day, and I am pleased that it made the cut. AAR: ROCK ON!
you make me feel like dancing
REZ HALL BALL: A CLASS NIGHT IN BLACK AND WHITE
Imagine a small ballroom, even Cinderellaesque. You are dressed to impress with your best black and white. Your date looks stunning. As you and all your friends enter the Ball you are impressed with the entire wall of speakers, lights and subwoofers pounding out that latest dance groove. You give a nod to the DJ up in the booth as he mixes out new beats to your favorite songs. You have just walked into a Drake University Morehouse Residence Hall tradition: The Rez Hall Ball.
I am Vice President of my dorm, thus I am part of the Executive council for said dorm. Every year our dorm puts on a ball. This is the closest thing Drake gets to a Prom. This year we had the help of the Herriot Hall EC as well, which made planning go very well, and they also did an excellent job getting the word out to the other dorms.
The reason we have this is that the Greek System generally has a lot of formal type events. However only ¼ of the school is Greek. That means there are a ton of people who would go to such an event but have no opportunity to do so.
This year was the largest turnout ever. I am quite pleased of the work that was done, along with the EC. Everyone said they had a blast and that it was nice to have a change up of social activities on campus.
Readers who knew of my involvement in high school: Yup through my first college dance, and it went quite well!
Imagine a small ballroom, even Cinderellaesque. You are dressed to impress with your best black and white. Your date looks stunning. As you and all your friends enter the Ball you are impressed with the entire wall of speakers, lights and subwoofers pounding out that latest dance groove. You give a nod to the DJ up in the booth as he mixes out new beats to your favorite songs. You have just walked into a Drake University Morehouse Residence Hall tradition: The Rez Hall Ball.
I am Vice President of my dorm, thus I am part of the Executive council for said dorm. Every year our dorm puts on a ball. This is the closest thing Drake gets to a Prom. This year we had the help of the Herriot Hall EC as well, which made planning go very well, and they also did an excellent job getting the word out to the other dorms.
The reason we have this is that the Greek System generally has a lot of formal type events. However only ¼ of the school is Greek. That means there are a ton of people who would go to such an event but have no opportunity to do so.
This year was the largest turnout ever. I am quite pleased of the work that was done, along with the EC. Everyone said they had a blast and that it was nice to have a change up of social activities on campus.
Readers who knew of my involvement in high school: Yup through my first college dance, and it went quite well!
Hail to the Chief
Student senate elections are this month. Every student pays a small fee called student fees. This is mixed in with a fair amount of other cash which gets dumped into a massive pot. This pot is then divvied up and handed out to organizations and initiative by The Student Senate. I know probably half of the Senators from different organizations that I am in, and classes.
Drake holds certain spots on Senate for first year students. There is also a first-year interest committee of things the First Years wish to see that reports directly to Senate.
I would encourage all readers to get involved in college politics, especially if you were never the student council type in school. It allows one to meet a ton of people and have a real impact on the lives of your fellow students. Good Luck to all those running.
Drake holds certain spots on Senate for first year students. There is also a first-year interest committee of things the First Years wish to see that reports directly to Senate.
I would encourage all readers to get involved in college politics, especially if you were never the student council type in school. It allows one to meet a ton of people and have a real impact on the lives of your fellow students. Good Luck to all those running.
in my room
Managed to clean my room today. Something tells me that sentence if published on facebook would get my parents to hit the “Like this” button. It is far too early to put up a packing list for college but there are some suggestions: do not over pack. I have tons of clothes here that are more or less sitting in suitcases. I did not really take back too many clothes over the breaks, so they are still here. Now it is rather pointless because it will soon be shorts weather. One of the issues I have is shoes. There are many shoes, all over the place. Find something to organize them if you have them. In order to justify myself they each have a purpose: black street shoes, two pairs of dress shoes, some brown casual shoes, two pair of running/athletic shoes, combat boots, and snow boots.
Get into a system of where to put things, especially things used frequently, such as books. My helmet and uniform always go into the same spot, along with my other ROTC stuff. Make sure you and your room mate discuss levels of comfort with cleanliness. If either of you are having guests, make sure to clean, spotlessly prior to their arrival. Extra cleaning should be taken care of if parents are arriving, and/or females.
Make sure you have some decoration in your room. Getting a calendar helps greatly. I have one of 1000 places to see before you die, and my roommate has 1000 places to see in Ireland. Adds a nice touch, and makes it feel more homely. Your room speaks a lot about you and when you all move in people will immediately associate your room with your personality. Also do not be afraid to change around your room at semester or whenever to keep it interesting.
Get into a system of where to put things, especially things used frequently, such as books. My helmet and uniform always go into the same spot, along with my other ROTC stuff. Make sure you and your room mate discuss levels of comfort with cleanliness. If either of you are having guests, make sure to clean, spotlessly prior to their arrival. Extra cleaning should be taken care of if parents are arriving, and/or females.
Make sure you have some decoration in your room. Getting a calendar helps greatly. I have one of 1000 places to see before you die, and my roommate has 1000 places to see in Ireland. Adds a nice touch, and makes it feel more homely. Your room speaks a lot about you and when you all move in people will immediately associate your room with your personality. Also do not be afraid to change around your room at semester or whenever to keep it interesting.
sittin on a dock of a bay
I had a reader ask the other day: Ian you live in Iowa: are there any lakes?
Yes there are. Every spring Iowa floods and you can sail all the way form Dubuque to Des Moines. Just kidding. Yesterday I went to Grays Lake. This is a 2 minute car ride, or a 3 mile walk from campus. Around the lake is a lighted path. There is also an interesting strolling bridge over part of it as well.
This could be used as a fun/cheap place for a date, to hang with friends, to get away from campus or whatever. When you look for schools make sure there are social things to do. You should be studying nonstop 24/7, (another JK-always take some time to relax and let out off steam.) Be mindful of the seasons as well. In the Midwest we have some very distinct seasons but social activities change from season to season.
There is another very large lake for boating and fishing about 15 miles north of town. I have not been there yet but we are planning on going camping and having a bonfire once the weather gets really nice.
Also from talking to older students about this topic: Make sure if you are going fishing that you have a fishing license in the state. A buddy is from Wisconsin, fishes all the time there, has a permit, for Wisconsin. Apparently that does not hold up in Iowa. He got a $100.00 fine from the gentlemen of the IOWA DNR, so check your laws.
Yes there are. Every spring Iowa floods and you can sail all the way form Dubuque to Des Moines. Just kidding. Yesterday I went to Grays Lake. This is a 2 minute car ride, or a 3 mile walk from campus. Around the lake is a lighted path. There is also an interesting strolling bridge over part of it as well.
This could be used as a fun/cheap place for a date, to hang with friends, to get away from campus or whatever. When you look for schools make sure there are social things to do. You should be studying nonstop 24/7, (another JK-always take some time to relax and let out off steam.) Be mindful of the seasons as well. In the Midwest we have some very distinct seasons but social activities change from season to season.
There is another very large lake for boating and fishing about 15 miles north of town. I have not been there yet but we are planning on going camping and having a bonfire once the weather gets really nice.
Also from talking to older students about this topic: Make sure if you are going fishing that you have a fishing license in the state. A buddy is from Wisconsin, fishes all the time there, has a permit, for Wisconsin. Apparently that does not hold up in Iowa. He got a $100.00 fine from the gentlemen of the IOWA DNR, so check your laws.
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