Happiness is Only Real When Shared

I've moved!

2009-05-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

I've moved to http://www.caitiehawley.com

Come check it out!

In just four years...how we've grown!

2009-05-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

The "F Word": Future, Part I

2009-05-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, I graduated from college.

Now I'm sitting here on a chair at my parents house in Lima, Ohio (not Peru - contrary to the Twitter confusion we had earlier) wondering when I'm supposed to start feeling like an adult.

I'm one of many of my friends who does not have a solid plan. Yes, I have a pending nomination for a position teaching Math in Sub-Saharan Africa. But, nominations come and go. I might not make the deadline. I might have to wait for another nomination, and wait a few more months until I leave.

I'm accustomed to being busy. There was a reason I was involved with 3 organizations while I was in college. Geez. "While I was in college." Past tense. Scary. I have several projects and plans for while I'm home. I have a bag full of cloth and t-shirts that will hopefully soon become a quilt for my grand little [pending me learning how to use a sewing machine]. I want to update my blog and create a website for personal and professional branding. I have offered my services as a tutor to the Economics and Math teachers at my high school. I will be attending summer soccer practices for my old high school team to help them get into shape [pending me getting in shape...] I have emailed the President of Allen Economic Development Group, a private/public ownership dedicated to economic growth of the community, to see what kind of opportunities they might have available. I want to get a part-time job. I want to take my little sister on college visits. Oh, and I want to take some time to visit friends and spend some time relaxing at my lake house.

Pre-graduation, I thought my resume was packed with all sorts of leadership experience and relevant work. Now, I question myself. Am I impressive enough?

The only way to know is by throwing myself out there and trying to make a difference in the only way I can at this point. The economy is awful, jobs aren't available - we all know this mantra. But that's no reason to sit at home and do nothing. I grew up in Washington, D.C. which made me cut-throat and motivated to be the best. I went to high school in a small town, which made me innovative and creative in the ways I avoid boredom. Time to use both of those attributes to create something powerful.

2009-04-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've become obsessed with Soul Pancake.

Backstory: I am new to the Twittersphere, and I've just started Twittering regularly (maybe a little too regularly...). I follow @rainnwilson, star of one of my favorite shows, The Office, and a hilarious actor. While many people follow celebrities @perezhilton for his gossip, or @britneyspears, who can't possibly say anything intelligent, Rainn's Tweets (following someone on Twitter makes me feel like we're on a first name basis since I get to see all their thoughts...) are not only knee slapping, but also insightful (Others include @jimgaffigan and @michaelianblack, for example).

Rainn tweets at least once a day about Soul Pancake, so I felt like I had to explore it. And it's glorious. It was partially created by Rainn Wilson. Here's his description of it on the What is Soul Pancake section:

We want to make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again. Were they ever cool? I have no idea. But it seems like a good idea. We want to engage the user to “Chew on Life’s Big Questions”™. (I was kidding about the ™ symbol; you can use that phrase however you want. Even to sell frozen taquitos.) Where do you go on the Interwebs if you want an irreverent, fun, and profound take on God and Art and the Soul and Faith and Beauty? Fox.com? Maybe. But maybe also here at SoulPancake.com.

We provide some rockin’ content (interviews, blogs, challenges, contests, features, and more), but it’s really all about having YOU—the SoulPancake community—bring this site to life. Say what’s on your mind. Be real. Talk about WHY WE’RE HERE. And if I say something that offends you, let me have it.

Just remember: Life is a rich, weird, difficult experience. So join us as we go on the spiritual and artistic journey that is SoulPancake.

Make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again? Sounds like a GREAT IDEA.

Today's post was particularly thought-provoking. It started with a quote:

"A GOOD WRITER POSSESSES NOT ONLY HIS OWN SPIRIT BUT ALSO THE SPIRIT OF HIS FRIENDS." —NIETZSCHE

Then, it asked the reader to come up with a five-item list of people who influence your art and how.

Hm. Sounds like quite a challenge.

I would never go as far to call myself an artist. My art includes graphs of supply and demand, and what happens when you shift said curves. My art includes my [arguably] fabulous sense of humor. My art includes creations in the kitchen. My art includes my love for travel, exploring new cultures (from a new country to a new-found shop around the corner), and combining the two in the most efficient, educational, and cheap way. My art includes cuddling up with a good book and enjoying it for its content. This seems like a good place to start.

Economics

After 4 years of studying the major that makes people gasp, swoon, and faint, I found Professor Jerry Miller. He has a passion for Economics. He has a sense of humor with his students, and isn't afraid to call us out or make fun of us. I walked into his class the first day of Mathematical Econ - the scariest class I've ever grown to love. He said that we were to complete problem sets, and he would call us randomly to the board to do problems in front of the class while he asked us questions about our work. He forced us to think out of the box. On nights before the exam, you could find the entire class at the library in the study room fighting over markers to correct each other on the white erase board, wondering to each other, "What would Jerry be thinking?" Everyone in that class is now best friends. I didn't get the best grade in the class, but he taught me a deeper love for the field of Economics when I was considering blowing it off completely post-graduation.

My class will be getting dinner with him tomorrow night.

My sense of humor

Easy. My mother.

Never have I met someone more sarcastic, or with a more biting, at-the-expense-of-others, evil sense of humor than my mother. She invented the "Ohhh...too soon." While I try to tone it down a bit and avoid making random strangers cry, I've started to see that our senses of humor are becoming more alike. I'm even starting to laugh like her. F my L.

Cooking

My grandpa on my dad's side. He hailed from Siciliy and not only ignited my love for the Red Sox (he was the biggest Boston fan I've ever met - he passed away weeks before they won the World Series in 2004. He was definitely up there making stuff happen), but definitely has been the inspiration for my cooking. Most of my memories of him either include watching Boston games or him in the kitchen with an apron on.

Some of his dishes included pasta with giblet sauce (Google giblet. Yeah. He made it delicious). He marinated different types of meat in marinara for hours and hours, and served it over pasta. Even though he hated Spiedies (Google them too. My all time favorite food), he still made them delicious. If I end up half the chef he is, I'll consider it my life accomplishment.

Exploring on a budget

My grandpa on my mom's side is the kind of guy who, when discovering a restaurant has free refills, will order one glass of pop for a table of 4. And I love him for it. I'm fairly sure that my knack for finding deals came from him. I spent countless hours driving through the countryside and scouring antique stores for the best bargain. Where else would I have learned how to travel efficiently?

The world of literature

As much as I hate to admit it...my dad. He used to make me read for literally hours every day from when I was in 3rd grade. I read some really mature stuff. I remember thinking Animal Farm was a really dumb story about pigs, and crying through The Yearling. But, something must have rubbed off. I can't get my hands off books. I'll read anything, fiction and non-fiction, from Harry Potter to The World is Flat. The only acception: Twilight. Seriously, it's 400-page drivel about over-hormonal teenagers, some of whom happen to be vampires. Give. Me. A. Break.

Yeah, so after writing this, I realize that most of these are family. I think that's fitting, seeing as I'm trying to be as unlike them as possible.

tragedy after tragedy

2009-04-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

This week alone, there have been 5 shootings around the country. Taken from BBC:

Sat 4 April: Father is suspected of shooting dead his five children, then himself, near Seattle

Sat 4 April: Gunman kills three policemen in Pittsburgh before being wounded and captured

Fri 3 April: Gunman kills 13 people at an immigration centre in Binghamton, New York state, then apparently shoots himself

Sun 29 March: Gunman kills seven elderly residents and a nurse at a nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina, then is shot and wounded himself

Sun 29 March: Man kills five relatives and himself in Santa Clara, California

What is this world coming to? The last few years have shown us several university shootings, which is insane enough, but now nursing homes? People killing their entire families?

I remember watching Amityville Horror, the story of the DeFeo family who was found shot and killed by their son and brother, Ronald. His explanation? He was possessed by a demon. Religious beliefs outside, that is literally the only rational explanation I can think of for doing such an awful, awful thing.

I pray that this week isn't so devestating. I don't know if I can take any more bad news.

OU/Miami Rivalry...

2009-03-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

...if you are liberal with words enough to call it a rivalry. Our inferiors in Athens seem to care a lot more about the so-called rivalry, while we generally just ignore them. Probably for the best that they stay away. We don't want any of their infectious diseases.

OU's lame attempt at a slam on my beloved University, written by the ENTIRE EDITORIAL BOARD of their paper. Clearly, it takes that many OU students to create enough brain power to write such an article:

Miami University sucks. That isn't a statement of opinion - that is a scientific fact.

Take Oxford, Ohio, the earthly site of that university. Oxford sucks. You know what's a fun thing to do in Oxford? Leave. We don't want there to be any mistake that we're insulting the town, so let's be honest about what we're looking at here: eight dozen brick buildings in the middle of a cornfield. From there, the Miami equation is simple enough. Pull 15,000 teenagers out of their local Sunglass Hut, toss in a porn shop a few miles down the road and call it a day. The result is the kind of thing you wouldn't want your mother to see because it's just too dirty. Something like the hellish product of a one-night stand between Old MacDonald and Paris Hilton.

Want to get acquainted with the Miami Boy Experience? Throw on some Brooks Brothers and your upside-down visor and get ready to keg-stand for the next three hours straight. By midnight you'll be ready to stumble out, maybe crash your Escalade into a drainage ditch and possibly even take a swing at a cop.

And sorry, boys. We know you're at least making an attempt to appear presentable, but Neutrogena was never meant to be used by men, no matter what you heard during The O.C. commercial breaks. Ask an OU man - he doesn't even know what conditioner is.

Then there are the legendary Miami girls. We could rag on them easily enough, but we won't. Those girls already have it hard enough, what with Miami boys chasing them, and books not making sense to them.

Even Miami's student groups suck. Such as the Miami University Radical Student Alliance. Upon hearing the name, you might imagine this is something awesome, like an alliance of students who drink liquor and swordfight on skateboards. You'd be wrong. This is just Miami's "Students for A Democratic Society" group. Yeah - we know even ascot-wearing dandies want to feel edgy once in a while, but what's with the name? This group is about as radical as spending spring break in your family's stable, slowly brushing knots out of a horse's mane while you deliberate whether or not your body might be the Wonderland John Mayer is crooning about through your iPod headphones.

Of course, if you go to Miami, this is probably a deeply familiar scenario.

Looking back into Miami's history is an uncomfortable experience. It's like looking through your neighbor's family photo album and learning that his great grandfather was - literally - a Nazi. It's no secret Miami's founders originally called themselves the Redskins, and even drew up a tasteless, feather-headed American Indian stereotype for a mascot. It wasn't until nearly two decades of thinly-veiled racism had elapsed that somebody finally called them out on it.

They eventually settled on "RedHawk," which, it turns out, isn't even a real animal. It's easy to imagine they arrived at the name by asking third graders to write down their favorite animal and color and then drew words out of a hat.The whole thing actually came about because they needed to find a new way to use hats that wouldn't muss their perfectly tousled hair.

Anyway, do they really think they can get off the hook that easily? Who do they think they are, the PC police?

If there's one thing Miami got right, it's Green Beer Day. If they want to dress in OU colors and vomit into "uptown" urinals at 5:30 in the morning, who are we to stop them? We can't help it if everyone's catching green fever. Green Beer Day is like the college equivalent of a 24-hour, beer-induced Freudian slip, and the message is clear: OU rules. Miami sucks.

First of all, try reading this out loud. The wording makes me cringe. Wah wah wah. You "suck". Give me a break. We're aware of the preppy Miami stereotype. Be original, for god's sake...

The best are the comments, which can be read below the article, and are basically an assortment of embarassment and apologies to Miami for the imbiciles who wrote this.

Our response:

To the Ohio University Post's Editorial Board:

I write in response to your Feb. 25 editorial ("We do it better: As OU's biggest rivalry heats up, Miami is still anything but cool"), which haphazardly assailed Miami University. Our student paper's editorial board refused to pen a response, the reasoning being something about having class and a shred of decency. It's sad the only program worth attending at OU (didn't get into Miami?!) can only produce a muddled, unfunny challenge to our university's prestige. As a favor, I will demonstrate how it's done properly:

My cheating ex-girlfriend attends OU. We broke up because she is stupid and ugly. I only call her cheating because she is a student in the engineering department. For her term paper she even copied former graduate students' misspellings.

I recently ran into an old high school friend, who went to OU, at the local Bath and Body Works, where he works. I pretended to be interested as he explained why OU's girls' volleyball team is better than Miami's. "We're rivals, you know?" No, I didn't. The average Miami student thinks our rivals are the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, Notre Dame University, Ohio State University again and then OU, in that order. You can be our rival when you get a hockey team. Maybe if your university's president had turned down that bonus…

I often hear from my cousin that the Halloween party in Athens is "off the hook." I asked her how many friends she invites into town to share in the festivities. "Just one. The university only gives me one guest wristband!" Nothing says wild and crazy like letting your administration put attendance quotas on your parties.

In your article, you mention Green Beer Day as a Miami student's day to wear green and pretend we go to OU. Okay I'll bite. We imagine you do start most weekdays with copious amounts of alcohol in an effort to numb the pain of living in Appalachia. Hooray for vomiting into urinals! The janitor at Skipper's confirmed this is indeed an OU tradition (class of '86 BTW). Oh, and speaking of accomplished OU alumni, those two guys who made Enzyte, the penis enhancement pill that was really just a placebo-they were Bobcats.

Finally, in response to your article's mention of our university's old mascot: Yes, the name Redskins is belittling and politically incorrect. So we changed our name, and we currently work with the Miami tribe to restore their language, display their artwork and offer scholarships for their young people. How fortunate Native Americans never inhabited the area around Athens, Ohio, knowing the land would some day be needed for an average academic institution serving middle-class, stoned, suburban underachievers.

Do I even need to touch on average SAT scores?

Take a shower to wash this one off. It would be your first in a few days.

SLAM.

My favorite comment on our page:

"Personally, I'd pay the OU article zero attention. When I was at Miami, OU was simply a giant party that happened to have a school attached to it. We'd roadtrip to Athens a couple times a year and pillage their women, who had much looser moral standards than their Miami counterpart. OU...not to be taken seriously."

Finally, I'd like to quote an anecdote from Phillip R. Shriver's "Miami University: A Personal History":

...in 1931 Jean West, a student from a farm in Scioto County, Ohio was denied further attendance at Miami because she failed to make sufficient progress toward a degree. Jean West did not accept her dismissal from Miami, and, with the encouragement and support of her father, she brought suit against the University...in the opinion of her father, testifying before the Court of Common Pleas in Butler County, if her daughter didn't have the smarts to graduate, it was up to Miami to see that she got the smarts and graduated. The university's case was that it had done its best to educate her, but Jean would have to do the rest for herself.

In the Appellate Court, the argument of Miami University was upheald, and Jean west was not allowed to return as a student. She promptly applied to Ohio University and was accepted, thereby elevating, as one wag suggested, the academic standards of both institutions simultaneously.

Miami > OU. It's a historical fact.

tomfoolery

2009-03-23T11:34:00.001-07:00

I generally use my blog to broadcast my silliness and other such ridiculous thoughts, stories, and adventures. Nisha, on the other hand, is the epitome of someone who uses her blog to share her beautiful and intelligent words and thoughts. And she's gone far with it! She's taken it to the level of having her own ".com", which to me, is the indication of success in our wonderful world(wideweb). She's literally become my online idol. I get excited when I find out my friends read my blog. She basically has celebrities following her every word.

I met Nisha through AIESEC, and we became closer as we both took on a great amount of responsibility within the organization. There are few friends I have who have watched me grow and experienced the changes I have gone through over the last few years. I feel I have done the same with her. One of AIESEC's statements is that it turns regular college students into change agents and leaders. Nisha is a perfect example.

Before you start thinking we're having a love affair (or are we? ANSWER: No. I'm very committed to my "wife" Ilana, another amazing AIESECer I admire, though she's been in Spain and away from me for over a year), I'd like to share the point of this tell-all infatuation post.

I get made fun of by a lot of my friends for keeping a blog. For having a Twitter. It's difficult to put into words why I want to share my thoughts, feelings, and stories with the world - especially in this day and age, where it's dangerous to put anything online, lest it be found and misconstrued by some future employer. But here I sit in my apartment in Oxford, Ohio, pouring my heart out as quickly as my fingers will type. Truth is, I want to make a difference in the lives of those who read my blog. Ok, that's a little bit of an overshot, but I really do want to.

Back to Nisha. She has given me (and all her other readers) 25 ways to use your blog and social media to create change. Reading this post inspired me to stop posting about jackalopes (ok...maybe I'll still post about jackalopes, but only because they're awesome) and start writing about things that matter - to me, and to other people.

Don't worry readers. You should still expect silliness. It's in my nature.

I just sent in my medical forms for the Peace Corps and should be leaving in July for 2 years of tomfoolery in Sub-Saharan Africa. If internet access is available, I will be blogging about my experience. Before then, I must set some goals for my blog:

1. Find a better forum than Blogspot. No offense, Google - it's easy to use, but I'm looking for a little more class.
2. Make my blog look better! Maybe a picture banner? Suggestions of what to make it of? I'm thinking frolicking jackalopes...
3. Follow some of Nisha's advice on pound out a few of those 25 ways...

2009-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Sir Elton Joel. I found him in San Antonio. Unfortunately, he costs $74, so I wasn't able to purchase him. However, if you have some extra cash lying around, and like me a lot, feel free to send him or one of his friends my way.

my bracket

2009-03-16T12:05:00.001-07:00

...can be found here!

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/entry?entryID=1377073&sp=true

I have Kansas, Pitt, Syracuse and UConn in the Final 4 with Syracuse winning it all!

Don't make fun of me. I only like basketball one month out of the year. My basic strategy is "I like School A better than School B." But Syracuse is scrappy. I don't think it's completely out of the question for them to win!

Let's see how I do.

bitchroll'd

2009-03-15T15:37:00.001-07:00

I woke up at 4:00pm this afternoon, refusing to give in to the realization that the Spring Break of my senior year really is over. After this, there are 8 weeks until graduation. This means only one thing: start kicking the fun into high gear.

This past week was a great way to start. It was a perfect metaphor for a school week. Here's how the vacation with my sister and 4 Delta Delta Delta's went.

Day 1: Regret for not preparing earlier. I spent Saturday with Cami and Andy, working on my submission video for the STA World Travel Internship. Cami's relative expertise at editing videos, combined with my pictures and video, and Andy's Mac laptop led to a pretty stellar submission, if you ask me. I told Jenny I wouldn't be ready to go until 9pm, because we still had a lot of work to do. Apparently she didn't listen, because she kept walking into my apartment to check. Hi. No matter how much you bother me, it's not going to make this go any faster. At 9:15pm sharp, I was ready to go. I loaded up my things, and got into a car with 5 girls who didn't hide the fact that they hated me. After my iPod died, I was left with nothing to do but share my misery with friends via text, and Twitter concerns about the upcoming treacherous week.

Day 2: Realization of the hell that I'm in. We arrived at the condo in Florida, and I started unloading my suitcase in one of the bedrooms. Unfortunately, someone else had other plans. My sister Jenny came into the room, yelling at me for taking one of the beds that she had promised her friends. I didn't see the reasoning, since my own baby pictures were on the walls. Jenny started telling me that neither she, nor any of her friends, wanted me there. That I should stay out of their way. Then I heard her talking to the other girls, telling them what a bitch I am. That they shouldn't listen to anything I say, because I'm fake. I sat there, crying on the phone with Cami, and they plotted how they would make the rest of my week miserable. Never in my life have I heard such manipulation.

After talking to my mom and asking her to book me a flight home at the end of the week so I wouldn't have to drive home with these girls, I cleaned myself off and got dinner at the Fish House. I bought a bottle of wine for the girls on the way home, hoping that might help things. Once I got home and sat down with my book, however, I started feeling sick to my stomach. I spent about an hour in the bathroom before I finally got to bed. What perfect timing.

Day 3: Work it I woke up feeling decently on Monday. I walked down to the beach, then walked the 4+ miles down to the pier to rent a bike for the week, so I wouldn't have to worry about being stranded. It took about 2 hours, including breaks for water and beer and oceanside bars. After locking up my bike, I went to the bar where I met some Michigan Staters on Spring Break as well. They were really chill and fun, so we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying dollar drafts. After getting sick to my stomach the night before, my first food of the day was a hamburger at the bar. Bad idea. A few minutes after biking home, I got sick again. I hoped this wouldn't continue as a trend for the week. All in all, though, a pretty good day (excluding whatever was keeping me from eating anything without getting sick). I avoided the girls, met some cool people.

Day 4: Letting up Woke up Tuesday feeling refreshed. The girls asked if I wanted to go to the beach with them, so I did. I lay there for a while, but got bored and asked some guys nearby if they wanted to play soccer. My sister and her friends pointed these guys out earlier as being from Indiana, but they said I shouldn't talk to them because of some reason I didn't really understand that made absolutely no sense. I took this advice with a grain of salt, and went over to say hi. I had a lot of fun kicking the soccer ball around, and after about an hour, got their number and said I'd love to meet up later on. The other girls had said they were going to the pier, so I biked down to meet them.

Once I arrived at the pier (at about the same time as the girls, who were driving), I found myself very hungry and texted Jenny to see if they wanted to meet me at a really great Greek place for some food. She said she would rather not, and that they were going shopping. That left me by myself, yet again. Something I was getting used to. I was disappointed in Jenny's attitude, because I was starting to get along with some of the girls. It seemed like she was pretty dead set on making sure I was alone and away from her friends.

[A little relevant side note: When me and Jenny were little, there were several times I would meet her friends and become better friends with them than she was. I was beginning to see, at the present time in Florida, that she may have been fearing this scenario]

Nevertheless, we went back to the condo, enjoyed some pasta for dinner, and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon. Jenny was eerily silent as I laughed and joked with the rest of her friends.

Day 5: Silent storm Wednesday morning, Jenny and a couple of her friends decided to drive 2 hours to Tampa to go to the aquarium. We had agreed that this was the night we would grill out, and they said they would be back in time to make and have dinner. Charlie, Nicole (the two remaining girls) and I had a really great day, going down to the boardwalk at the end of the island, having lunch and drinks at the pier, and walking along the beach. We found out about a beach party starting at 6, and went back to get ready and wait for the other girls to return. Even though we warned them, they didn't actually make it back until almost 8. I had made some Mac and Cheese as we waited, hoping that would expedite the process. I did everyone's laundry. My mom texted me to ask how things were going, and I said that Jenny was still being pretty bitchy. When Jenny got back, she started yelling at me yet again. How dare I make Jenny's mac and cheese? How dare I text my mom and say that she was still being bitchy? If I was going to say that, then she would work harder at making me miserable. How dare I try to be nice to her friends? I didn't see the point in , so I left immediately to meet the Indiana guys at the Outrigger.

That night ended up being one of my best on the beach. After some drinks at the Outrigger, we continued wandering around and having a lot of fun. It was the first night where I actually felt I could be myself without being judged by my sister. When I got back, I found her on the couch while all her friends were out. According to her, she couldn't go out because I had ruined HER night.

Day 6: Apathy After the drama from the night before, I decided I no longer cared what the others thought. Scott and Doug, friends from Miami, drove up from Naples and we spent the day at the beach building a giant sand Miami "M". I was pretty tired, so I went back to shower, take a short nap, then met the Indiana guys at their place before we went to a bar for my last night at the beach. Not as crazy, at least for me, as the night before, but even sipping on water was fun with these guys.

Day 7: The End I woke up early on Friday, knowing I had a flight at 5:30pm that I'd have to make. I met the Indiana guys out at the beach and threw the football around and swam in the ocean for my remaining hours. I left them at 2 to head back and pack my things so Jenny could drive me to the airport. It was a little tough for me to say goodbye, but since they live in Fort Wayne - less than an hour from Lima - I knew I'd see them again. Without these guys, this week would have been a lot tougher than it was. I knew that Jenny and a couple of her friends' goal was to make my week as miserable as possible. As hard as they tried, though, I will definitely look back on this week fondly, thanks to the Indiana guys.

After Jenny dropped me off at the airport, I could tell this traverse wouldn't be as simple as the 1 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta implied. I couldn't find anyone in Oxford who would be able to pick me up when I arrived in Dayton, so my mom arranged for a shuttle to pick me up and bring me back to Miami. My flight from Ft. Myers was delayed 40 minutes due to apparent bad weather in Atlanta. When I finally arrived in Atlanta, it became clear that I missed my flight. As soon as I had twittered about it, I got in touch with Nate. An hour later, he picked me up and we were headed to the bars to meet up with Tiffany, Charlie, Morgan, Ryan, and Masato. This night rivaled Day 5 in its ridiculousness. We went to a karaoke bar, where I sang Piano Man, and we RickRolled the place. After the requisite Waffle House visit, I got an hour of sleep and Ryan drove me to the airport for the last leg of my journey. At the gate, I found Amy, Hilary, Allison and Ashley, 4 other AOPis on the same flight as me, coming back from their spring break.

That day, I finally told Jenny that I'd had enough. She has spent this entire year using all the tools she has to make my life miserable. Between stealing the car from me, refusing to let me use it when I need it to go to the grocery store, spreading rumors about me to friends of mine who, luckily, know me enough not to care, and this week, I decided it wasn't worth it. She told my mom awful lies about me and turned family against me. She didn't back me up when I went through a hard time last semester. I have hundreds of friends who are better sisters to me than she could ever compare to. Today, I found out that my littlest sister, Emily (16), is planning on being a Math major in college. I'm lucky that I still have a wonderful sister, and tons of friends and other family members who love and support me. I won't miss Jenny one bit.

Day 8: Back to Reality...kinda I arrived back in Oxford with a sense of relief. I was finally home. As I approached my door with my key, I experienced a swell of panic. The key on my AOPi key ring was not that of my apartment door. I used the remaining juice on my laptop to email my landlord from last year, and waited at Good Vibrations, an AOPi house until she called me around 5:30 and said she could let me in. Once I entered my apartment, I realized I hadn't eaten since the afternoon before at the Ft. Myers airport. I made myself a big meal, Andy came over to hang out, and a few hours later, Emily, one of my roommates was back. The Indiana guys, who were driving back, decided to stop at Miami at 5am. It was good to see them, especially after the stressful traveling I experienced. After they left, I went to sleep and woke up at 4pm. And here I am.

As I said earlier, Jenny and some of her friends tried really, really hard to make me miserable. If there's one thing I learned, it's that there are always people trying to get you down in life. It sucks especially when that person is so close to you. I've learned that when someone is that set on getting you down, the only solution is to cut them off. Life - not to mention the last 8 weeks of my semester - is too short to keep that kind of poison around. Luckily, I was able to meet some really cool people in my time of need, and I will look back on SB09 with fondness.

HELP ME GET MY DREAM JOB!

2009-03-09T08:26:00.001-07:00

I'm applying for the STA World Travel Internship!
http://www.worldtravelerintern.com/

They're going to choose 2 students to travel around the world and share their experiences through blogging, pictures, and video. They're looking for someone with passion, someone who loves to travel and share their experiences, someone who's outgoing, and active.

So you're asking yourself: How can I help?

You can find my video submission here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfEg8GVMDCY

The more ratings/comments/views my video receives, the better the chances of me winning! Please get on there, comment on it, watch it all you want. Also, TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

Thanks and love,
Caitie

You have only a week to vote for me so I can make the shortlist (20 people!!) PLEASE SEND THE LINK TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

2009-03-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

In a recent US News article, there is discussion of repairing the image of the Republican Party. I say, it's about time - but how exactly do they plan on doing this?

Here's what I've been seeing in the news:

Head of RNC Michael Steele apologizes to Rush Limbaugh after making the following remark - “Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer,” he said. “Rush Limbaugh, the whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it’s incendiary, yes, it’s ugly.” Limbaugh went on to berate Steele on his radio show, and Steele quickly apologized. It's clear to see who runs the show (pun intended) when it comes to the G.O.P.
I didn't catch much of the CPAC on CSPAN over the weekend, but that which I did see made me gag. If these kids are the future of the Republican party, who's going to tell them that the image is changing?

And changing to what, exactly? After the 2006 and 2008 elections, it's clear that the white southern man no longer prevails on the ballot. Even their diverse selection of Jindal, a Governor from Louisiana of Indian descent, has been criticised.

From US News:
"We forgot those core ideals" that had led to success in the past, such as fiscal discipline, shrinking the size of government, and personal responsibility. "We walked away from the trust of the American people," he says. Steele pledged to not back down from confronting Obama and the Democrats on "basic principles."

Honestly, I wish Steele and the G.O.P. good luck in their quest for a new image. If they can find a way to relate to Generation Y - the youth and future of our country and our world, then good for them. I'm not talking about those who are simply Republicans because their parents are. I'm talking about those who think for themselves, and want to see our world as a better place, without looking back to the "good old days". It's time for a new sense of value in that party. As a proponent of bipartisan competition, I'm rooting for you.

2009-03-03T13:24:00.001-08:00

The Travel Channel has been frustrating me lately. While I was watching Anthony Bourdain explore Uruguay yesterday, I noticed commercials for two new shows I didn't know about before.

The first is "Bridget's Sexiest Beaches". Bridget, from Girls Next Door and Playboy fame, explores beaches and resorts around the world in attempt to cure her travel needs.

The second is "Dhani Tackles the Globe." In this show, Dhani Jones, an NFL player from the Cincinnati Bengals (EW! FIRST MISTAKE) travels to explore the local sports in different countries. This is a little closer to the mark. At least he's looking into some of the culture.

Anthony Bourdain gets pretty close to feed my needs with his exploration of cuisine in back alleys and other such unexpected places, usually through the eyes of some of the local people.Where are the shows that focus on nomads who travel from hostel to hostel, couch-surfing their way through countries and exploring the culture through the local people?

Alright, alright, I'LL DO IT.

2009-03-03T13:03:00.001-08:00

What's the ideal number of friends? According to a recent BBC article, the average number of close friends someone has is 5 (making Friends fairly accurate). The maximum number of close friends most people can handle is 6-12. If one examines wider circles, the count goes up to about 150:

"They usually consist of an inner circle of five "core" people and an additional layer of 10, he says. That makes 15 people - some will probably be family members - who are your central group and then outside that, there's another 35 in the next circle and another 100 on the outside. And that's one person's social world."

At a latest count, I am at 1448 Facebook friends. A little excessive, perhaps, but if you consider the number of AIESEC conferences I've been to (most of whom, admittedly, I became close to during the conference but I regrettably neglected to keep up with after wards), the amount of traveling I've done, and the student organizations I'm in, it makes sense.

In AIESEC Miami, there were about 40 members when I joined sophomore year, dropped to a measly 10 during my junior year, and has since grown to about 65. Considering those who graduated and those who've left the organization, this tends to add up. Alpha Omicron Pi: Joined Spring of sophomore year. A solid 150 members after recruitment every Spring. 150 members have graduated and moved on since I was a pledge, so that adds up to 300 members total. Add in the Water Ski team, College Dems, and it certainly adds up! Not to mention the rest of my friends come from meeting people in classes, in my dorm Freshman and Sophomore year, random encounters at parties, family members, etc. Whew!

Some claim that Facebook has made friendship less meaningful. While this argument has its validity, I tend to disagree. Facebook, along with other networking sites has made it easier to keep in touch with people. How else would I be able to remember who I know in Atlanta, so I can let them know that I'll be driving through on Sunday and want to meet up for breakfast?

I remember thinking freshman year, while I frantically wrote down names of people I was meeting at the earlier social events, "How did people make friends before Facebook?" Obviously the answer is simple: they collected phone numbers instead of stalking once they got home, but now things just seem so much easier.

Thank you technology for making me feel a lot more popular than I probably really am.

promises

2009-02-25T12:08:00.001-08:00

So, I was raised Catholic and Republican with a hint of cynicism and guilt. Things have changed in some ways and not others. Still, I've decided to make a Lenten Promise this year to supplement the New Years Resolutions that I've been surprisingly good at keeping so far.

I've decided to have lunch/coffee/dinner with one of my sorority sisters as many days a week as possible. Kind of an expensive promise, but seeing as it's my last semester...it'll be worth it. My goal is at least one girl from each pledge class per week, with a slight emphasis on the seniors and my own pledge class.

2009-02-24T13:47:00.001-08:00

I'm seeing a new trend in blogging. Websites where you can post things that are hilarious, weird, and aligning to a certain theme. Here are some of my recent favorites:

fmylife.com: People post awful things that happen to them. For example: "Today, I received my passport in the mail. They got my birthdate wrong. Then I picked up my birth certificate that I had sent in with the application. Turns out my parents have been celebrating my birthday on the wrong day for 16 years. FML"

thisiswhyyourefat.com: A website with pictures and descriptions of heart-attack inducing foods that look frighteningly delicious. For example: Meatloaf wrapped in bacon with a layer of mac and cheese in the middle.
Doesn't that look delicious?

Dinosaursfuckingrobots.com: I love dinosaurs. I love robots. They love each other. Pictures created by artists and comedians, all with inspirational quotes. iamneurotic.com: People describe different obsessive compulsions they have. For example: "I don’t breathe through my nose around people unless I really like them. I feel like I am taking a part of people in and there are very few people I want to inhale."

Any more anyone knows of? These are my new guilty pleasure. I'm going to find one that doesn't exist, create it, and be very famous and very poor.

NEW ADDITIONS: 2/25

cryingwhileeating.com: People send in posts of themselves crying while eating. Pretty self explanatory. Pretty hilarious. THANKS MADDIE!

stuffwhitepeoplelike.com: Stuff white people like with hilarious descriptions. Examples: Frisbee Sports. Black Music that Black People Don't Listen To Anymore. Appearing to enjoy Classical Music.

FEEDBACK: 2/26, 12:56am

Bryan: so, i read your blog post on the different websites and have done nothing all day

Mission: Complete!

Here's some more for your viewing pleasure:

Overheardinnewyork.com: I'm actually a bigger fan of Overheard at Miami, but there tend to be a few more crazies on OHINY.

Fark.com: Interesting interpretations of news that just makes everything that happens in our world sound really stupid. Which it is.

Stumbleupon.com: Create a profile, get personalized recommendations of random websites to go to. Basically the perfect way to waste time. Or, just click the Stumble button and it'll send you somewhere on the World Wide Web to a random video or game. Good times.

I think I'll start keeping a list of these on my sidebar.

2009-02-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Please vote for my friend Muff for the BEST JOB IN THE WORLD by clicking the link below, watching his video, and rating it with 5 stars!

http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/applicants/watch/Ni4cuNXKWC8

and the oscar goes to...

2009-02-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

The Oscars this year were the most amazing and inspiring I've seen. Every nominee deserved their nomination, and the winners, while predictable, were extremely deserving as well. I found the "smaller" awards, like those that were involved with production and technology, very interesting as well.

My favorite part, however, was Dustin Lance Black's acceptance speech for his Original Screenplay, Milk:

"When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life. It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe even I could even fall in love and one day get married.

I want to thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to. But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours.

Thank you. Thank you. And thank you God, for giving us Harvey Milk."

After hearing that speech, I had to wipe away tears. Even though celebrity influence on politics is annoying sometimes, this was a prime example of how it can be used for good. I hope everyone who heard this speech was as inspired and moved as I was. I hope minds were changed.

El Tango De Roxanne

2009-02-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

I try not to litter my blog with junk like this, but I think these things are really funny and telling sometimes. If you haven't seen this before, the point is to put your iTunes on shuffle and with each song that plays, fill in the questions in order. One thing I noticed is that apparently, I have a lot of soundtracks on my iTunes. It made for some very interesting answers...

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?" YOU SAY?
Christmas Eve Montage from Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

This doesn't make any sense. The song doesn't even have words.

2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Fantasy - Ludacris

Ha. At least I think so.

3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Thanks for the Memories - Fall Out Boy

Well that's a little pessimistic.

4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Technologic - Daft Punk

5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Hey Hey Hey - Cavashawn

6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Mama I'm A Big Girl Now - Hairspray Soundtrack

True. I have to convince my mom of this a lot.

7) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Men and Mascara - Julia Roberts

8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Ever Ever After - Carrie Underwood

9) WHAT IS 2+2?
That's my DJ - Girltalk

10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Pirelli's Magical Elixir - Sweeney Todd Soundtrack

11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Flashing Lights - Kanye West

12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY
Coyotes - Jason Mraz

13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Making Christmas - Nightmare Before Christmas

I want to be Santa!

14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Jingle Bell Rock

15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
One Sweet Love - Sarah Bareilles

16) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Something in the Water - Jealous Girlfriends

Maybe these two should be switched...

17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
My Funny Valentine - Michael Buble

18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson

19) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield

This is one of the songs I dance to with my friends quite often.

20) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Drinking for 11 - Mad Caddies

That would be pretty bad

21) HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Empty Apartment - Yellowcard

Alone? Ouch...

22) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Something Bad - Wicked Soundtrack

23) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Sunday Mornings - Maroon 5

24) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Mix Tape - Avenue Q Soundtrack

25) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Negative - Project Jenny, Project Jan

OH NO!

26) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Destination - O.A.R.

27) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Salty Dog - Flogging Molly

28) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood

SO. TRUE.

29) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne

30) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
El Tango De Roxanne - Moulin Rouge Soundtrack

2009-02-17T16:02:00.001-08:00

For my Racquetball class, the final assignment was to write a 3-page paper on the sport. Luckily, I've spent the last 4 years perfecting the art of bullshitting. Here's an exert:

Discovering Racquetball: Discovering Myself

It was 10am on the second day of the classes in the second semester of my senior year. I readjusted my goggles as I prepared for Will’s next serve. The blue ball bounced off the front wall and flew towards me at what seemed like mach speed. I swung my racquet wildly, completely missing the ball and sighed after I watched it bounce behind me for the second time. I swore under my breath at Kelly, ruing the day she convinced me to sign up for this class with her.

I thought back to the days when I was both coordinated and athletic on the soccer field. Obviously, this sad excuse for a sport was not for me. I was not meant to spend an hour stuck in a large white box, wearing unattractive goggles and leaping around in what seems like a perverted mix between tennis and dodge ball. I spend just as much time trying to avoid being pelted by this demon of a blue ball as I do attempting to hit it back to the front wall and return Chris and Will’s hard serves. I rubbed my hip after being assailed by another one of Will’s unnecessarily brutal hits.

Flash forward to now. Playing with the boys has obviously paid off, as Kelly and I dominate the girls’ doubles tournament. We control the games with ease, and almost feel bad as we beat the other players with scores like 15-1. Racquetball has become fun. I look forward to the mornings, where I am able to come in and socialize with my friends as we play aggressively. The boys still beat us, I continue to whiff occasionally, and I still hit the deck to avoid being killed by the boys’ returns, but I no longer feel frustrated. I am by no means a master of the sport, but I feel comfortable with the grip of the racquet in my hand. I return one of Will’s especially hard hits, and chuckle at him as the ball bounces twice on the ground past him

Racquetball was created in 1968 and was wildly popular until aerobics took over as the exercise craze of the 80’s. It is seeing a comeback as it becomes less of a sport for old retired men with nothing better to do but strap on an old pair of short shorts and bring themselves back to the “good old days”. I can attest to the excitement of blue balls whizzing past you at breakneck speeds. To the pain that comes from diving across the court for a ball, or being hit in the leg, forehead, and stomach with what at least seem like the 200 mph hits the pros dish out. But through all the pain, there is little more satisfying than the feeling of connecting perfectly with that hollow little blue ball, and the sound it makes as it strikes the front wall and bounces twice past your opponent.

25 random things...

2009-02-17T06:28:00.001-08:00

...that I love about Miami University, in honor of the Bicentennial

1. Being able to walk essentially everywhere but having the Miami bus pick me up anyway and seeing the smiling face of a friend I haven't seen all semester on the bus, sitting next to them and catching up on our lives.
2. Thinking back on how much I've changed and what a better person I am after 4 years here, and knowing it was because of the incredible friends I've made and how AWESOME Miami is.
3. Knowing our fight song by heart after one hockey game, because we sing it at the beginning and end of every period, and after we score every goal.
4. Being bored with my roommates and knowing the only thing this town has is Super Walmart and then having a blast as we go on the week's third Walmart run.
5. Seeing President Hodge on campus and chatting with him as he walks back to Roudebush and I meander off to my next class.
6. Red brick. Everywhere. So. Pretty.
7. Seeing the lights on campus shining through the trees at night as I walk home from the library
8. The lump in my throat I get when I look at our beautiful campus.
9. Telling everyone I know that we're the REAL Miami, and watching them roll their eyes and I go on about Miami Tribal Indians
10. Tuesday Nights: $2 drafts at BW3s, $2 pitchers at Stadium, $0.90 drafts at 90's Night at Brick Street
11. Wednesday Nights: $2 margaritas at Burrito Loco, $1 drafts at Skippers which are enjoyed even more from a "beer tower" in 70 degree weather on a Sunday in spring
12. Knowing I have friends that will go out with me every night of the week, but will also sit at home with me, a box of tissues, and a large carton of ice cream as we watch Moulin Rouge for the quadrillionth time.
13. Getting up at 5:30am to go to the bars with 5,000 other students on Green Beer Day
14. Seeing people in classes and at parties who lived in my dorm freshman year and having marathon conversations with them even though we never really talked back then
15. Making fun of the freshmen who dress up for class and live up to the J.Crew U standards, because...really? Who cares?
16. ...but taking pride in the fact that the girls here are hotter than at any other school. It's true. Come here and you'll see.
17. 15,000 students. Big enough that I can hide, but small enough that I'm within one degree of separation from basically everyone.
18. Meeting people that I have a million mutual friends with and wondering why we weren't friends before.
19. Having professors that care so much about me that they go so far as to take me out for brunch after class when I lose a bet in class. And sit for hours with me in their office talking about life. And add me on Facebook. And wave enthusiastically at me from across the bar.
20. Being able to say for a year, "My roommate is the Editor-in-chief of the Miami Student, the oldest university newspaper in the U.S. That's why I know random facts and gossip about everyone and everything." And now being able to say, "My roommate WAS the Editor-in-chief of the Miami Student. It was the most stressful experience ever for her, and everyone around her. You can find us at the bar for the rest of the year, thanks."
21. Bagel and Deli. 'Nuff said.
22. The fact that pretty much ever restaurant delivers until 2am (and sometimes after)
23. The fact that you can get beer delivered. Yes. Beer. Brought to your front door. I know, it's incredible.
24. AIESEC, Alpha Omicron Pi, the Miami Water Ski team, College Dems, and all the other amazing organizations I've been involved with. Not the mention the amazing people I've met through them.
25. Knowing that I go to the best damn school in the ENTIRE WORLD, and that being reaffirmed when I visit my friends at other schools and find that nothing beats Miami U!

2009-02-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY MIAMI UNIVERSITY!

200 years ago, Miami was chartered. 200 years later, it's the 10th oldest higher institution in the country.

So proud.

recognize!

2009-02-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

H. Res. 128

In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

February 10, 2009.

Whereas article III of the Northwest Ordinance states that ‘religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and its happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged’;

Whereas Miami University was named for the Miami Indian Tribe that inhabited the area now known as the Miami Valley Region of Ohio;

Whereas Miami University is our Nation’s 10th oldest public institution of higher learning;

Whereas Miami University’s motto is Prodesse Quam Conspici, ‘to accomplish without being conspicuous’;

Whereas Miami University is a student-centered public university deeply committed to student success, building great student and alumni loyalty, and empowering its students, faculty, and staff to become engaged citizens who use their knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of our society;

Whereas Poet Laureate Robert Frost once referred to Miami University as ‘the most beautiful college there is’;

Whereas Miami University is the birthplace of the McGuffey Eclectic Readers written by William Holmes McGuffey, ‘School Master to the Nation’, who wrote and compiled the first 4 Readers while a Miami University faculty member;

Whereas Miami University is cited annually by national college rankings as being one of the Nation’s best values among public universities, and provides the opportunities of a major university while offering the personalized attention found in the best small colleges;

Whereas Miami University is named as one of the ‘Public Ivies’, offering ‘an education comparable to that at Ivy League universities at a fraction of the price’ in the book ‘The Public Ivies: America’s Flagship Universities’;

Whereas Miami University is among a select group of universities in the Nation that have produced a Rhodes Scholar, a Truman Scholar, and a Goldwater Scholar in the same academic year;

Whereas Miami University’s faculty are nationally prominent scholars and artists who contribute to Miami, their own disciplines, and to society by the creation of new knowledge and art;

Whereas Miami University has its own campus in Luxembourg and consistently ranks among the top 25 colleges and universities in the Nation for the number of undergraduate students who study abroad, where more than 35 percent of students study abroad before they graduate;

Whereas in Business Week magazine’s latest ranking of undergraduate business programs, Miami’s Farmer School of Business appears among the Nation’s top 5 percent, ranking 8th among public universities and colleges;

Whereas Miami University has a retention and graduation rate that exceeds the national average for undergraduates, students of color, and athletes, and has the highest graduation rate in Ohio;

Whereas Miami has first-rate facilities, has completed a number of new facilities in recent years, including an engineering building and the Goggin Ice Center, and is currently constructing a new business school facility and planning for a new student center;

Whereas the Miami Student, established in 1826, is the oldest university newspaper in the United States;

Whereas Miami University is known as the ‘Mother of Fraternities’, as it is the Alpha Chapter for 5 national Greek organizations, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Tau, and the Delta Zeta sorority;

Whereas the University has over 150,000 living alumni who reside in every State of the union and numerous countries throughout the world, where they contribute significantly to their local and global communities;

Whereas Miami University is ranked 7th on the Peace Corps’ Top 25 list for medium-sized schools, with 39 alumni currently serving as volunteers, and since the Peace Corps’ inception in 1961, 809 Miami alumni have joined the ranks, making Miami the No. 44 producer of volunteers for all time;

Whereas Miami University’s alumni have a history of service to the United States, including a President of the United States (The Honorable Benjamin Harrison), 9 United States Senators, including sitting Senator Maria Cantwell (WA), 31 United States Representatives, including sitting Members, Congressman Paul Ryan (WI) and Congressman Steve Driehaus (OH), a Speaker of the House, the parents of a United States First Lady and grandparents of a United States President, 6 governors, 11 United States generals, and 7 United States ministers to foreign governments;

Whereas Miami University’s alumni include 27 college presidents;

Whereas Miami University has enriched our Nation in the arts, humanities, and sciences through students and alumni who have achieved the pillar of their professions such as a United States Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners, a National Teacher of the Year, National Institute of Health Fellows, National Science Foundation Recipients, National Endowment of the Arts Awardees, and renowned journalists;

Whereas Miami University is known as the ‘Cradle of Coaches’ for the unparalleled number of nationally prominent collegiate and professional coaches it has produced, 18 of whom have been recognized as national ‘Coach of the Year’ including Paul Brown (Cleveland Browns), Walter ‘Smokey’ Alston (Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers), Woody Hayes (Ohio State University), Bo Schembechler (University of Michigan), and Vicki Korn (Miami University);

Whereas Miami University has created a Culture of Champions, an environment that teaches student athletes to excel in their chosen endeavors as distinguished by a National Football League Rookie of the Year, National Football League Super Bowl Champions, National Basketball Association World Champions, National Hockey League Stanley Cup Champions, Major League Baseball World Series Champions, and Olympic gold medalists;

Whereas Miami University has contributed to the economic growth of this country through the education of men and women who have gone on to lead some of our most August corporations such as AT&T, Inc., Proctor & Gamble Co., the J.M. Smucker Company, and United Parcel Service of America; and

Whereas Miami University is the largest employer in Butler County, Ohio, and serves as an economic powerhouse for Southwest Ohio, the State of Ohio, and the Nation with an economic impact of over $1,000,000,000 per year to the State of Ohio: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) congratulates Miami University on the momentous occasion of its 200th anniversary, and expresses its best wishes for continued success;

(2) recognizes Miami’s profound achievements and unwavering commitment to liberal arts education and the active engagement of its students in both curricular and co-curricular life that has continually attracted and produced some of the Nation’s brightest faculty, staff, and students; and

(3) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make available enrolled copies of this resolution to Miami University for appropriate display.

makes me think

2009-02-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

After seeing "He's Just Not That Into You" which completely blew my mind about certain aspects of relationships (or lack there of), I found this picture on PostSecret at exactly the right time.

From the time we're little, our girlfriends, mothers, and other female figures in our lives give guys excuses. They tell us that guys act like assholes for an endless amount of reasons. They tell us stories about women who were dating jerks, but then the jerks changed and turned into the perfect man for them.

The moral of "He's Just Not That Into You"? Those woman are the exception. 99% of us are actually the rule - the women that men don't change for.

Last week started out with one of the biggest rejections I've ever gotten. Valentine's Day came and went, but I survived. I actually more than survived, and thought I had a really fabulous weekend. But sometimes I think my emotions and feelings cover up what's really going on.

It's not that I want anyone to change for me. I would never. My theory is that if a guy isn't right for me to begin with, why would I try to change in to be better?

I just wish someone cared about me as much as I care about myself, and as much as I know I deserve to be cared about.

I am SO the rule right now.

insha'allah

2009-02-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

Spring Break Plans
*****************
3/5: Green Beer Day, Oxford Ohio (OBVI)
3/6: Fly out to Phoenix
3/6-3/15(ish): Road trippin' with Nura (and possibly KZim and Uyen) through the wilds of Arizona to the Grand Canyon and to Vegas
3/15: Back to Oxford for the 2nd half of my last semester.

Ballin'.

the relevance of the republican party

2009-02-12T06:34:00.001-08:00

In my Great Depression class the other day, my professor mentioned that the extreme recession we went through ruined the Republican party. Since the 1930s, the Democratic party has had the majority rule for most of the years.

The basic platform of the Republican party is small government. I'm not talking about the neo-conservative obsession with guns, unborn babies, and Since it was started, several industries and markets have emerged (specifically, health care and education) that are not self-correcting or socially maximizing. Our economy has grown to the point where it has gone spiraling out of control - thus the financial crisis we're experiencing now. Small government was attractive before the 1930's because politicians during that time were bad, bad men, and giving them more power and money was a dangerous move. Politicians are still corrupt, but they are nothing compared to the scumbags who gave tax-payer money to the Mob in the 1920's.

So here's my question. Is the original version of the Republican party and its small-government platform relevant today?

echo chamber

2009-02-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

Recently, an acquaintance of mine wrote a Facebook note where he ranted about how Americans who want "free health care" (not "affordable" or "universal" health care) are grabby, selfish and needy. He calls us demanding and whiny for wanting the government to fix a problem we've created ourselves (implying that all health problems stem from the bad decisions we make in our diet and from smoking and drinking). He tagged several of his friends in the note (excluding me - SHOCKING), and it has sparked some debate in the comments below between liberals and conservatives alike.

I don't claim to be an expert on the subject of health care. It's actually a pet peeve of mine when people speak loudly about things they actually know nothing about. I do lean a little to the left (HA), but I know the implications of lowering the cost of health care - specifically, it might mean lowering the quality of health care due to the lowered incentives from the smaller salaries doctors receive. I'd like to believe, however, that doctors aren't just in it for the salary, and would continue to be just as effective in their work and would do their best to care for the influx of demand that would come from the lowered price.

But, our health care system isn't the point of this blog entry. The point is, the internet is a huge place. According to a count by Netcraft in February 2007, there were 29.7 billion websites. It has since only grown. When you open Firefox, Safari, or whatever your browser of choice is, you have countless options of blogs, news sources, and other such pages to get your information. I don't think it's a stretch to say that most people limit their perusing to their interests and political leanings. For example, I check my news at such places as CNN, BBC, and NYTimes. I check updates on the blogs of my friends, and those I have found that are interesting and agreeable to me. I imagine that most of the people who check my blog either agree with most of the things I say, or like me enough to not send me hate mail for the things I write.

I chatted about this with my roommate Kellyn, who said that one of her professors spoke about this exact topic not long ago. For most people, the internet becomes their very own echo chamber. The only thing they pay attention to are those which are pertinent to their interests, values. They don't feel alone, because they can find thousands of websites that agree with whatever fantasy of a believe they have. Like conspiracy theories? There are probably hundreds of other people who dance by the beat of your drum. My acquaintance, who wrote the Facebook note about health care was throwing his voice into his own little echo chamber.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Every so often I peruse Facebook groups which I find ridiculous, appauling, and downright silly. Really? A Million Strong for Creationism? I mean...Okay? Usually, these groups just end up making me angry and I stop before I lose complete faith in humanity.

The point is, people are putting information and opinions online every second. At the same time, people are looking up information and opinions that reflect their own. This will continue as long as the internet exists. How can we teach people to diversify themselves by choice, open up their minds, and their web travel options?

twitter gets weirder and weirder

2009-02-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

I started following The Onion on twitter. A couple hours later, I get this message in my inbox from The Onion (via direct message from Twitter):

i suppose we should thank u for following us, but do the gods thank man for his dutiful sacrifices? we're watching you.

outstanding

2009-02-08T14:24:00.001-08:00

Hi, caitieofohio (caitieofohio).

Dalai Lama (OHHDL) is now following your updates on Twitter.

Check out Dalai Lama's profile here:
http://twitter.com/OHHDL

Best,
Twitter

rejoice!

2009-02-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

A good thing has come from the economic downturn - Juicy Campus is officially closed due to lack of funding! Our awful economy has ended what people have been trying to kill for months. I cannot express how excited I am about this. Countless lives and reputations will be saved from the horrendous gossip and lies that were spread. Easy girls and womanizers are celebrating everywhere tonight - one can only begin to imagine how - as their debauchery cannot be documented on popular forums any longer. Below is the final letter from the founders:

JUICYCAMPUS COMES TO AN END

Open Letter From JuicyCampus Founder

Juicy Campers,

What a wild ride this has been! In the past year and a half, JuicyCampus has become synonymous with college gossip, and is more popular than I could have ever expected. We’ve expanded to more than 500 campuses across the US, and have more than a million unique visitors coming to the site every month. It’s clear that we have provided a platform that students have found interesting, entertaining, and fun.

Unfortunately, even with great traffic and strong user loyalty, a business can’t survive and grow without a steady stream of revenue to support it. In these historically difficult economic times, online ad revenue has plummeted and venture capital funding has dissolved. JuicyCampus’ exponential growth outpaced our ability to muster the resources needed to survive this economic downturn, and as a result, we are closing down the site as of Feb. 5, 2009.

On behalf of everyone here at JuicyCampus, I would like to thank all of our users for reading, contributing to, and telling your friends about the site. And I’d like to thank everyone who has engaged in meaningful discussion about online privacy and internet censorship. JuicyCampus has raised issues that have passionate advocates on both sides, and I hope that dialogue will continue. While there are parts of JuicyCampus that none of us will miss – the mean-spirited posts and personal attacks – it has also been a place for the fun, lighthearted gossip of college life. I hope that is how it is remembered.

Keep it Juicy

gender confusion and elitism

2009-02-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

As an Quantitative Econ major, it has been noted before that most of my classes are predominantly male. At a school where the female to male ratio is a hefty 5:3, this is a welcome statistic. I have had a couple classes where I am literally the only girl in the room - i.e. Mathematical Economics, Fall 2008. This particular class became very close knit as we spent countless hours at the library struggling through problem sets and studying for Professor Miller's mysterious exams. All these guys are now taking Industrial Organization with Gupta - and there are no girls in the class. I would register, but I took the course a year ago.

This semester I'm taking an Environmental Econ class. Though it's interesting, I find myself longing for the challenge I've had with other classes. We've spent a week talking about rivalrous and non-rivalrous, excludable and non-excludable goods, and the implications of these. Professor Elliott spent an hour telling us hilarious stories about his roommates from college at University of Wyoming in order to explain externalities. Now, I'm not complaining about the fact that this class will probably be an easy A. I have a feeling that down the road, what I will be complaining about is the Environmental Studies majors in the class (mostly female - SHOCKING) who will inevitably be making ridiculous comments as the semester progresses.

The other day, we got our group assignments for the project we have due at the end of the semester. I started at the screen in awe as I found my name and read the others near it. My friend Alex (male), me, and 3 other girls. I think part of the shock was that I have not worked with girls since I've decided to become an Econ major. Such a thing just doesn't exist.

I went to my next class, Regression Analysis, and sat down next to my Econ buddy Dave. After I listened to him in his daily complaint about how he'll never get into grad school and assured him that yes, he would, I said something that I wish I could take back a moment later.

"We got our environmental econ project groups today. Alex is the only other guy besides me in the group"

Dave stared at me, then asked if I recognized my own gender confusion. I guess being surrounded by guys in all of my classes led to this. I've always been considered to be "one of the guys" in the econ department - maybe a less awkward version of one - but this was just getting ridiculous.

I should mention another thing I've been noticing about Econ majors - we're very elitist. Even though we are housed in the Business School, we know we're so much better. Our curriculum and incredible selection of professors makes us the 9th best Econ department in the country. We chuckle as we listen to our friends moan about the difficult Introductory Micro and Macro classes, assuring them that "Econ isn't for everyone" and recalling that we easily coasted by with A's. Consequently, these were the last A's we received in our major, as the upper level classes left us longing for our high school GPAs. It's difficult to wipe the goofy smiles off our faces as we rave about professors like Miller, Hart, Brock, and countless others - other departments would kill for expertise like theirs. Yes, we're elitist. But we have a right to be.

natalie dee

2009-02-02T11:59:00.001-08:00

nataliedee.com

messages that make me smile

2009-01-30T22:39:00.000-08:00

Justin

so in 5 years when i start calling people to partner in on a sustainability consulting startup, i expect u to answer

until then, have an awesome life

peace.

Caitie

oh i will

Justin

and happy birthday i guess

After a week of tough realizations, snow days in the middle of the week that messed up my brain and made me think it was the weekend on Wednesday, and working my butt off to be made to feel inferior, it made me feel just a little bit good.

compounding

2009-01-30T22:27:00.001-08:00

A really interesting narrative about overpopulation and growth my Econ professor told me a week ago:

"Imagine that you put bacteria in a beaker. The population doubles every minute, and after an hour's time, the beaker is completely full of bacteria - no more room for them to reproduce or populate. You sit and observe the bacteria as they reproduce. At what time is the beaker half full?

Answer: A minute before the beaker is full."

Moral of the story: We're doing alright now, and we find ways to adjust to the population growth that is happening in the world, but we won't know we're screwed until a split second before it happens.

Mind-boggling.

Things I can still do while I'm 22

2009-01-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

Get cheap (and I mean, cheap - $69 per segment, or $99 for long-haul segments) flights through Air Tran U.

Thanks for making me feel young, Aunt Donna!

overwhelmed

2009-01-29T08:51:00.001-08:00

I love my birthday. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best day in the entire year. I have several family members and friends who share my birthday including my mom, my "wife" Ilana, my "sisters" Caty and Whitney, K.Zim, and Gavin. I went out on Tuesday night with some friends. I don't know if it was just a coincidence, but even the bar tenders who checked my ID didn't seem to care about this birthday. "Oh, you're just turning 22. Big deal. You won't be here to tip me next year, so what do I care?"

I was still excited for my birthday, but around 11:50pm I started freaking out. I wanted time to stop. I wasn't ready to turn another year older. As the clock rang 12, people around me started hugging me and congratulating me and wishing me a happy birthday, but on the inside, I was screaming, "NO!! I DON'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN! I'M NOT HAPPY!"

I woke up on the morning of my birthday to a foot of snow and ice, and the following email:

Oxford campus is now closed Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Good. I was too depressed to go to class anyways.

For a few years now, I've been told that soon I will be 22, graduated, and moving on to the "real world". Now, one of those three things has come true and my feelings are...overwhelming. I feel like I'm going through the 5 stages of grief.

1. Denial. I'm not 22. I'm not graduating in 4 months. I'm staying in Oxford with my friends forever.
2. Anger. Eff. I am 22. This SUCKS. I don't WANT to be this old. WAH.
3. Bargaining. C'mon. ONE more year of bumming around at Miami wouldn't hurt anyone.
4. Depression. [I'm in this stage now] This includes me laying on my couch, not knowing what to do with myself because I can't handle my age.
5. Acceptance. Waiting for this to happen.

Hopefully this weekends festivities with 100 of my closest friends will be just the jump start I need to start this new year.

feelings on snow

2009-01-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

Miami canceled class after 4pm today! Consequently, my last class of the day, History of Miami University, starts at 3:30. Standard. I made the mistake of coming home to shower and now I'm comfortable and the pile of laundry I have to do is looming, so I won't be making it. Happy early birthday to me. Ten total inches are expected from last night until tomorrow morning.

Speaking of which, the snow is making it difficult to convince my friends to go out so that I can ring in my 22nd with a beverage in hand. I'm not going to accept any excuses.

I'm hoping and praying that people don't wimp out on AIESEC info sessions because of the snow. Last semester, a hurricane thwarted a couple of our sessions. I'm fully expecting balls of fire to fall from the sky during interviews.

BAH. I just got an email from my History of Miami professor reminding us that we should probably come to class since we have an in-class writing assignment. Eff. I should probably get dressed...

put away childish things

2009-01-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 20th was a day I'd been looking forward to for a very, very long time. First, it was Inauguration Day! Finally, after 8 years of having to travel and feel ashamed to be an American, I am able to stand up proudly. I love my President. Not only do I think he's adorable, but I think he's going to do an incredible job as the 44th President of the United States.

Secondly, it was Bid Day. After the turmoil of a week and a half of recruitment - waking up way too early, staying at the suite for 8 hours at a time, talking to girls for what seemed like forever (I honestly don't understand how guys can stand it!). Nt to mention, the heartbreak that comes with talking to a girl who I know would be perfect for Alpha Omicron Pi and our sisterhood...and then not seeing her on the list of girls coming back for the next round. It's a kind of drama that no guy or GDI (god-damn independent!) could ever understand. But when it comes down to it, we had the best recruitment and return rate in years, we met a ton of amazing girls, and after all of that turmoil and drama, all of our worked hard we got to meet our new baby panda pledge class at 6:00pm on Tuesday night!

Since I knew I wouldn't be able to make it back to my place to watch the Inauguration Ceremony, I found out that MacMillan would have a viewing starting at 11:30am. I strolled in at about that time to find the hall filled with anticipation and, more importantly, TONS of people. Luckily, I found a seat in the back next to Erin and Dan. We held back tears as we listened to Aretha Franklin sing "My Country Tis of Thee", heard a preacher say the benediction, and finally, Biden take the Vice-Presidential oath. Before he could take his oath, the clock struck noon and the entire room burst into applause as Barack Obama replaced George W. Bush as the 44th President of the United States!

It seemed like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. When I started traveling, Bush was our President. There have been countless times that I've been misjudged because of a preconceived notion of Americans due to our leader.

Next, Obama was sworn in and started his speech. What really hit me was the bible quote he used: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." This quote holds a lot of meaning for me in various other organizations that I'm in. I think we tend to put a lot of weight on the President to make things better, when in reality it is the responsibility of all Americans to grow up and take charge of our country and our lives.

I carried on with the rest of my day somewhat normally, but with a definite air of anticipation for the new pledge class I was about to meet. Like last year, I offered to drive girls from the suite to Balcony uptown. I arrived at the suite and looked at the list, and was excited to see that I recognized a ton of names of girls that I talked to during recruitment and LOVED! As the nervous, excited new members filed in, I started talking to them, hugged the ones I remembered from recruitment, and even found a fellow Limian! Fifty beautiful, adorable new members. I drove a car-full up to Balcony as we chatted, and then ran upstairs to join the rest of the old members. The babies walked in and we clapped and screamed for them, our sophomores and juniors were matched up with their "Little Hearts" (temporary littles), and we socialized as we waited for the photographers to get there. I found my little heart Whitney, who now has a little heart of her own (my grand-little heart, Lauren!). I was delighted to discover that Lauren was in the group that I drove to Balcony! This seems to be a trend, because I drove Whitney up to Balcony last year for her bid night. Whitney even wore a scarf this year, because she remembered that last year I wore a scarf and she wanted to be a good big heart like I was.
Finally the photographers arrived and we got our chapter and pledge class pictures taken.

After an extremely filling dinner at Fiesta Charra with Kelly and Natalie, we went home to get ready to go out. I watched Beyonce sing at the Inaugural Ball, and started bawling while Barack and Michelle danced. Good way to start off the night. I always imagined that I would go out like crazy on January 20th, 2009, but I was so exhausted from the excitement of the Inauguration, classes, and Bid Night that I could only stand a vodka cranberry at BW3s and then a couple beers at Stadium before I went home.

Fifty new beautiful sisters, and a new president, all in one day. What more could I ask for?

2009-01-19T19:19:00.001-08:00

Miami ranks 7th among medium-sized schools in the Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities, producing 39 Peace Corps volunteers in 2008.

facts of life

2009-01-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

As excited as I am thinking about probably spending the next two years in the Peace Corps, I've already been forced to make some really unfortunate decisions. I know that inevitably, it's probably for the best, but I guess thinking about my future is one of the cons of being a second semester senior.

Being done with yesterday's preference round is a relief after nearly two weeks of hardcore sorority recruitment, but there's a note of sadness as well. I held my tears in to the best of my ability while listening to my sisters speak about their experiences. Okay, so I failed a few times. But I'm only human. Only a human filled with lots of estrogen, too many emotions, lots of germs, not enough antibodies, and not nearly enough sleep.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow we will have a new pledge class. It was bad enough last year when we realized we wouldn't be the babies anymore. After my big graduated last semester, I became the "biggest" in my tiny little AOPi family. My little and I, the only remaining, stuck it out, and we're more than ready for a new addition - I just don't know if I'm ready to be a grand-big! It sounds so old. I had so much respect (and fear!) for my grand-big when I was initiated into my family two years ago. She was so mature, so involved, and only a junior. How will my grand-little feel when she sees me? I mean, I'm pretty impressive...and I'm a senior. About 60 girls will become AOPi pledges tomorrow night at 5pm. That's 60 girls that I will be rushing to get to know in the few remaining weeks I have until I'm both an AOPi and a Miami alum.

Time goes by too fast. I mean, I turn 22 in 9 days - I should have realized that. I get attached to people quickly, I fall deeply and desperately in love with each and every one of my friends, and then inevitably, everyone leaves each other. It's a fact of life. People graduate, they move, they fight, they break up, they die, and they go to Africa for two years to volunteer for the Peace Corps.

I have spent the last 3 years frequenting AIESEC conferences and spending my time there creating some of the best friends I've ever had for a week. I can safely say that I continue to talk to a large percentage of them on a semi-regular basis. But why do I do that to myself? Why do I find people like K. Zim from AIESEC Arizona, who is not only my birthday buddy but my other half. Or M.O.M., better known to me as MILF from AIESEC Kansas. I'm pretty sure we're in a contest to see who can become famous-er. I hope I win.

A small part of me wishes my heart would have learned this by now. That part swells to the size of a watermelon that puts an enormous lump in my throat, makes it hard to breathe, and makes my chest feel like it's going to explode during times like these when I have to hurt people, and in so doing hurt myself even more.

But would I give up the incredible, intense, life-altering, staggeringly debilitating and yet somehow empowering friendships I have made over the last 3 and a half years, and will continue to torture myself by making for the next semester?

Absolutely not.

2009-01-14T21:28:00.001-08:00

Sometimes Miami pride pops up randomly in my life. This video Eric showed me today was one of these times.

Watch as much as you can stand of the video...

Somewhere around minute 3:00 will explain why my pride flared.

history of miami university

2009-01-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

This semester I chose to take a class called History of Miami University. Some might find it odd that I register for such a class in my last semester, but this year being the Bicentennial made me really interested in discovering what's been going on here for the past 200 years.

One of the prospects I'm really excited about is that Miami is creating a Campus Heritage Building Inventory Report. Nothing like this has ever existed in the past. There's a lot of lore and history surrounding each building and landmark at Miami, but they want to make a very concrete report. Students in the class have the option of creating their own report on a building of their choice by researching in the archives and other readily available to students that will be added to the compilation. I'm really excited to get started on this project and be a part of not only learning about Miami's history, but creating and researching it as well.

Today our professor asked us to write our names and majors on a piece of paper - pretty standard - but he also asked us to write a little bit about what experience we have learning about and researching Miami's history. I thought my mini-essay was pretty darn good so I thought I'd share because it puts into words how I feel about Miami.

I took a tour of McGuffey Museum. My friend works there and I was amazed at how interested I was in Miami's history. Since the first day I stepped foot on Miami's campus, I've had a great deal of pride and spirit for my school - not in the way that Ohio State students love their football team, or Yale students might boast that they made it to the top of Princeton Review's ranking system. There's a certain unity that all Miami students have that I have a hard time explaining to friends at other schools. From the outside looking in, we're all cliquey - placed into our respective sororities and fraternities, College Dems or Republicans, club sports teams, and various other organizations. However, I can't help but notice that I feel connected to every single student at this university somehow. I want to discover why, and I think this class will help me figure it out.

thoughts on the last first day

2009-01-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

Someone thought it was a good idea to...shall we say...anti-prepare for our EB meeting last night. I was feeling it in the morning when I woke up at 9am for the Racquetball class that Kelly convinced me to register for last night. Since the class is all the way across campus, she picked my scrubby butt up. So much for looking good on my last first day!

We finally found the room in Withrow, and I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend Will, a fellow econ major. We'd been struggling to take a class together since our Calc class freshman year and the miserable Econometrics class sophomore year that I try really hard to banish from my memory.

Our instructor waltzed in, looking pretty darn good, if you ask me. He opened his mouth and I almost died. A Kiwi accent. Then, he asked the class how many of us have experience playing racquetball. Approximately half the class raised their hands.

"Good, because I don't know how to play, so you'll have to teach me."

I can say with pretty fair certainty that mine was not the only jaw that fell to the floor at that point.

We left the class after only 15 minutes which gave me some time to go to Shriver with Will while he bought books and I browsed. One particular section of English 111 is reading Fight Club. Some people have all the luck.

I carried on by going to my Environmental Econ class with Elliot. I sat unhappily in the back row with Eric, since we were apparently the only ones not to get there 15 minutes early. It gave me the chance to look around the room and recognize at least 6 familiar faces. Adam, a kid I've had a couple Econ classes with before, turned around and said "I didn't realize you were THE Caitie H..." Caught me by surprise, needless to say, and I asked what he meant. He went on to say that we have a lot of mutual friends, and he knows a few people in AIESEC. I made a mental note to ask Fakler what she says about me behind my back. I'm glad it was only that, and I wouldn't have to go home and search for myself on JuicyCampus.

My Environmental Econ class is going to be very fun. Elliot is hilarious. His example for externalities was when students who live next door to him have a party, so he has to suffer through the noise and trash, but he isn't invited. He is also clinically dyslexic. He wrote "socail v. indvidual" on the board. I giggled. I couldn't help myself. I then went on to make myself look like a huge dork when he asked the class who had read Coase's Theorem. Everyone else who raised their hands read it for a class. I was the only one who read it for fun. Dog garnit. We also have to do a group project on an issue - he's going to assign the groups. By my calculations, though, the chances that there will be someone I know in my group is pretty good. The only bad thing about the class is that he has a test scheduled for the day after Green Beer Day - the Friday before Spring Break starts. We spent the next 15 minutes discussing the moral dilemma of such a thing, and he pretty much convinced himself that this is an awful, awful idea.

Done with classes for the day, I went home to check my DARS and make sure I had all the classes I need to graduate. To my dismay, I discovered that I need a 4 hour stats class to graduate with a Quantitative Economics degree. Luckily, it's with a professor that I've taken two classes with before, and I recognized several names on the roster. It won't be that bad after all.

GMM was fairly normal. About half the LC showed up, but it wasn't a mandatory meeting, as it's the first day of classes. Only 3 of the 16 people on the sales team were in that group though, so when we broke out into tracks my meeting was not as successful as, say, the recruitment meeting (suck it, Mason). I'll just have to send another angry email detailing how important and generally kick-ass sales is. After getting dinner with Eric, Francis, Zach and Kate, I went home to enjoy a very long and wonderful phone conversation that kept me from doing my homework before Gossip Girl came on. In my opinion, phone calls are underrated and I wish they happened more often.

I played soccer with some friends to top off the night. I played for 13 years but haven't been able to get out on the field much in the past couple years, so it was nice to finally be able to do that again.

All in all, a really great first day of classes. I'm finding it hard to believe it's my last one. I'm really glad, though, that my classes are filled with friends and people I know. This semester is going to rock.

where has the big 10 gone?

2009-01-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

Florida won the National Championship in College football. Again. Big whoop. It's only been two years since the last time they did it. It isn't enough that this school is blessed with good weather - they have to have a monopoly on national championships. Something must be in the water down there in Gainesville. Or, rather, the Gatorade.

I haven't been a big college football fan for long. Until I was 14, living in the D.C. area and admiring the Redskins (when they had a winning record) was good enough. Then we moved to Ohio and college football hit me right in the face. Everyone I knew in either cheered on the Wolverines or the Buckeyes. I took the high road and decided to cheer on Notre Dame. I give a quiet little "woohoo" when the Fighting Irish decide they want to put forth a little effort and win a game. It doesn't happen often.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when Miami students cheer on another college football team more than our Redhawks. Yes, I realize Big Ben leaving was a huge blow to our program. I know we haven't had a winning record in years. But c'mon. We're sitting in class with these guys. When someone poured acid on our seal to make out the words "Go Bucks", I almost cried. Show a little respect to your alma mater, people.

So, Notre Dame isn't in a conference. The MAC leaves something to be desired. Even though I don't particularly care for Ohio State or Michigan, when they're playing an SEC or a Big 12 team, I cheer loud for the conference that seems to surround me. I'd do that for any Big 10 team, for that matter. And I think it's pretty nifty that within the words Big 10 is hidden an 11 (for the number of teams in the conference). Hehe. I'm a big ball of ecclectic football fan.

You can't help but love the Big 10. Seven of the eleven schools in the conference have AIESEC chapters. If I'm not mistaken, that's more than any other conference. Woo!

The Big 10 has a long history of beating each other up. It seems like every year, teams like Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and other member s leap frog each other in the rankings. Rivalries run deep - I don't think anyone who's seen a Michigan and an Ohio State fan in the same room or this commercial can argue that.

It seems like in the other conferences, one team is picked to go all the way - and no one GETS in their way. Good work Florida. No other SEC team even gave you a good game all season.

Six years since Ohio State won the National Championship. Six years too long. Next year, I want to see a Big 10 championship! And not in a sleasy way, like how other conferences do it.

2009-01-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Thank god one of my friends texted me about this incident because I saw it on the evening news. I probably would have flipped. No pun intended.

--

8 hurt when Miami University of Ohio glee club van overturns in Erie

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

The Associated Press

ERIE, Pa. -- A hospital spokeswoman says eight people have been injured when a van carrying Miami University of Ohio glee club members rolled over near Erie.

Hamot Medical Center spokeswoman Lucia Conti says four people were treated and released for injuries such as cuts and bruises and four others are under observation. She couldn't provide their conditions late this afternoon.

A volunteer firefighter says all the injuries are believed to be minor.

Authorities say the van was one of five taking people to a performance in Buffalo, N.Y., when it crashed on Interstate 90 east of Erie about 10:45 a.m. today.

--

Luckily, none of my friends on Glee Club were in the van. It's incredible that no one got seriously injured, because the van apparently rolled 3 or 4 times. Also luckily, none of their vocal chords were injured - which I think is the most important thing.

new years resolutions

2009-01-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

1. Lose weight/be healthier. I'm joining Weight Watchers. I'm going to start working out again. Not because I think I'm fat, but I've been looking at pictures of myself from the past (i.e. last water ski season) and I'm realizing that there's a me in here that used to look a lot better than the me now. Time to work on that.

2. Stop living for other people. Start living for myself. I make decisions too much because it'll make other people happy and not because I want to make them. Speaking of which, I just saw this on TV and I really want it. Maybe it'll help with

3. Start living without regrets - and not in the crazy "it's my last semester, I'm gonna dooo ittttt alllll" way, but the "Let's stop making decisions that I regret and pretend like I don't" way.

kewl

2009-01-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

The problem I've had with blogging after conferences: If you wait too long, the memories and "conference high" aren't as clear in my mind. But immediately afterwards, my thoughts seem to be too jumbled to get anything coherent out. I'll settle with about 24 hours after the fact.

After a very merry Lima get together on the night of the 26th which left me not in the condition to drive down to Oxford the night before our sojourn to St. Louis as planned, I got up at 5am and drove to Miami to meet Jess and Zach. After driving last year to and from St. Louis alone, I was excited to have company. Unfortunately, the assholes fell asleep for 2 and a half hours. Weather was not in our favor, and in the middle of Illinois we met up with torrential downpour and tornado warnings. In the middle of December. Lame.

One of the first things we did at the conference was set some goals. One of the problems I have with myself is that I do things to make other people happy, and rarely do things for myself, so I hoped to work on myself at this conference. Secondly, I wanted to figure out the answer to a question about my future I've been struggling with. Thirdly, as this was possibly my last National Conference, I wanted to live it to the fullest with no regrets.

Work hard, party harder was definitely a theme for the conference. After Opening Plenary, the super hero party went underway. Party ended, and two hours later Plenary started. This trend of sleep continued for the entire week.

It was great to see old friends and faces at the conference, but as always, I loved getting to know new people. Networking was key, and I wanted to discover more about what other LCs - particularly their BD teams - were doing to kick ass. I must say, I learned a lot, and met a lot of people I want to work together with. Another great thing about the conference was getting Miami known. We've been flying under the radar for FAR TOO LONG, and it's about time people saw how awesome we are! We were definitely all over the place, and it was awesome to sit at our station on the LC Fair session and watch how impressed people are with what we're doing.

Another great thing about the conference was having all of the internationals there. The PAI, and delegates from Poland and China were there! Learning best case practices from them, but most of all hearing their stories and partying with them was such a treat! I loved learning from JJ and Juan about the AIESEC Way, the AIESEC Experience, AIESEC 2010, and all of the things I've been hearing about internationally but we haven't implemented in the U.S. yet. Also, learning about all the possibilities of things we can do abroad - CEEDs, traineeships, Growth Networks, International Conferences, and more! We were able to Skype with the AIESEC Canada National Conference as well!

The MCP election was easily one of the most amazing experiences of my AIESEC XP. Being able to discuss and vote for the next leader of our country was incredible. I was so proud of each other candidates - they each had such a great campaign, and I would have been honored to have any of the three as my leader. Tiffany ended up winning and I am so excited to see all the amazing things she'll be able to do! Can't wait to see who the team is going to be!

Before 2008 was over, the LCPs had their first legislation. Legislation ended exactly when the fireworks started at 6pm, which was so fitting. We now have a compendium! We made lots of plans for our LC and worked on getting to know other LCs so they can help us. More than anything, I am proud to have been a part of the conference that made history for AIESEC U.S.

New Years Eve went by so quickly that it was like a blur. We celebrated the 60th anniversary, at dinner, dance our pants off, and before I knew it, we were counting down to 2009. They announced the superlatives,which Kansas easily dominated due to the fact that they stuffed the ballots, but I somehow won Loudest AIESECer. How that happened, I have no idea.

In the end, all of my goals were achieved except for one. I now have more questions about my future. The good news is that I now have more friends to help me make the decisions that I will be making over the next couple months.

WC was over way too quickly, but it seemed to have lasted forever, if that makes sense. Jess and I drove home alone and talked for most of the time about memories that we made and the good times that we had. Laughing randomly about something that happened was not an uncommon occurance. I woke up in my room this morning and quickly went into depression about the fact that Monica, Chloe, and Kaitlin's smiley faces weren't there to greet me. If I'm going to keep my sanity, LC road trips are going to have to happen - and soon!

welcome mike haywood!

2009-01-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Miami is no longer football coach-less! It's Mike Haywood, who was until recently the offensive coordinator for Notre Dame.

Welcome to the Home of the Redhawks!

austin

2008-12-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Austin was...there's no other word for it...an extravaganza. Expectations? A city full of gun-toting socially aware BBQ lovers. Conclusion? That, and so much more.

I left Oxford on Friday on the nicest day in a while. While there seemed to be a storm a'brewin', it was fairly warm. If it wasn't the middle of December, I'd call it tornado weather. Jerry, my friend from Miami and I flew to Charlotte for an hour and a half layover during which I consumed overpriced beer and subpar crab cakes. Being from Maryland makes you picky about those sorts of things.

On the flight from Charlotte to Austin, I met him. I'd been told he existed, but never actually met someone like him. I'm not a huge fan of talking to weird people on planes, so the plan usually consists of plugging in the iPod while I find my seat, trying to decide if the person sitting next to me would be suitable for conversation, and then making a judgment from there. Old hairy man snoring 5 minutes into the flight? I don't think so. Cute guy who looks like he's possibly my age wearing a Harvard Law sweatshirt? You bet your buttons I'm talking to him.

This specimen was wearing a baggy black Scarface tshirt and baggy black pants. With chains on them. How he got through security is beyond me. He reeked of beer and whiskey. Even though I had my iPod in, he said hi. Faux pas, in my book. Don't interrupt my music, sir.

We started talking. Rather, he started talking. My obviously disinterested fake-smiling-and-nodding wasn't catching on. Turns out he's in the Marines. Strike one. I'm an Army/Air Force fan, myself. He's been at boot camp and is now going back to Austin to see his family. He recounts the wild parties he has every night. He tells me that people who get married to a military man is stupid because everyone knows our troops in the Middle East are fooling around with prostitutes. He asks about my Arabic tattoo on my wrist. Am I a terrorist? No, I spent the summer in Morocco teaching English. "Well that's funny," he said. "You're going over there to teach those mother f*$&ers and I'm going over there to kill them." He swears just about every other word, by the way.

Other highlights of the conversation include him telling me that his mother will kill him for all the tattoos he's gotten. He gets to see his little 16 year old sister for the first time in 2 years. She had a baby. He tells me about how she was raped..."but she probably deserved it." I kid you not. He said that. He tells me about how his cousins (yes...that's plural) went to jail for raping a girl, and then when they got out, they got revenge by raping her again. I almost threw up. He tells me about his dreams to be in the FBI (even though he doesn't want to go to college). He says that when he spends his 4 years in the Marines, he'll have his record cleared. "Which is pretty good, because I've been arrested more times than I can count."

I pretend to sleep for the next 2 hours of the flight. By the way, pretending to sleep for that long is hard work. He starts chewing tobacco and spitting into a plastic bottle. I try to ignore the stench. He talks to the guy across the aisle. Every so often I crack open my eyes to see the new victim shooting me pleading glances across the way. Sorry buddy. He's yours now.

The part that made me the most sick was when we were landing, and the flight attendant made an announcement that there were military personnel on the flight who had just come back from the Middle East. Everyone gave them a round of applause, except my friend next to me. He screams "HELL YEAH", stands up, and takes a bow. I want to hit him. I have had friends and parents of friends go on multiple tours. My mother is a Colonel in the Air Force, which, if my calculations are correct, makes this guy my bitch. I tell him this and he straightens up a little bit. This guy doesn't deserve a golf clap.

He asks if I have plans for that night. I say I'm going home with my friend Jerry. He says there's a pretty wild party in a warehouse that I should come to. And "if I'm interested in X, acid, coke, crack, pot, anything...it'll all be there." I politely pass. He tells me I'm lucky because I'm the first girl he's met in a while where he didn't ask for my number in the first 10 minutes. I count my blessings.

Finally off the plane, I meet Jerry and recount my story. I guess this guy went up to Jerry when he got off the plane and said "Your welcome. I'm in the Marines. Show some f*&^#ing respect." Cute.

Jason, my friend that I mainly came to see, was working for the next two nights so I decided to spend the night at Jerry's. His family was hilarious - they're Belgian. His mom was very attentive and made sure I was happy at every single second, but got a little annoying after a while. Jerry's sister Barbara was loud, but I loved her. She was disappointed that we didn't want to go out. I looked at the clock. 2am in Ohio. Time for bed.

The next morning I woke up and called my cousin Teress. We have a somewhat estranged group of family members in Austin that I haven't seen since I was 7. I wasn't able to meet up with Teress because she was working a lot, but it was great to talk to her regardless. Jerry and I went into Austin and checked out the Capital. Turns out the statue on the top makes it taller than the Capital in DC, which wasn't allowed. Silly Texas. Saw some cops, they actually wear cowboy hats. I was impressed. Found the portrait of G.W.B. He looked much younger. We went in the House of Representatives and saw where Texas laws go through. Took a picture with a cannon. Usual debauchery.

After that, we went to a place called Magnolia Cafe for lunch. It was on Food Network and was suggested to me. For a greasy spoon place, it wasn't bad. I was still craving some good ol' Texas BBQ though.

We drove over to University of Texas and walked around the campus for a while. It's quite pretty. Jerry and I took some inappropriate pictures with some statues. Got lost for a little bit. This place is much larger than Miami.

We went home and had dinner with his family then got ready to go out to 6th St. From what I've been told, this is a mix between Bourbon St. and Booze Heaven. Jerry, me, Barbara, and her friend Mel bar hop for 4 hours. I'm impressed. 6th St. reminds me a lot of State St. in Madison. I like that you can choose a bar based on the crowd and the music you want to hear. At Miami, you don't have much of a choice. Rap and douchebags, and your occasional creepy townie frequent every bar in Oxford. I'm enjoying the variety. After deciding to leave The Parish, a pretty cool dance place, my heel gets caught on the top step and I proceed to tumble down half of the flight of stairs. I hear a couple guys yell "HOLY SHIT" and catch me somewhere in the middle before I manage to crack my head open or break my leg. I still get bruised up pretty bad, but nothing a drink can't fix. The sad thing is, I wasn't even that drunk. I'm just a klutz.

Jason picks me up around 2am and we head back to his place where we begin catching up and having a couple more drinks before heading off to bed. Jason is my friend from Lima who moved to Austin to advance his film-making career. My favorite is his frito pie recipe video. Right now, he's working as a waiter until things pick up. On the drive over to his place he tells me about how he got jumped and now he has a handgun. Yeesh.

Sunday we wake up and go to Maria's Taco XPress for some breakfast tacos and migas. As delicious as they are, I'm having trouble eating them due to a surprise hangover. We head back for a nap, then go to S. Congress to check out the antique stores and other funky shops. I buy a few gifts for family, since I'd done zero Christmas shopping to that point. Finally, we head over to Rudy's for some delicious BBQ and bring it home to enjoy while we watch some Curb. A couple of Jason's friends come over and we go to the Trail of Lights, which kind of makes me want to stop being such a scrooge about this whole Christmas thing. However, it's below freezing, and I didn't pack for such weather. I mean, I'm going to Texas. I didn't realize it got cold.

Monday we went to S. Congress Cafe for brunch, which was a little expensive but was delicious. After some perousing on le internet, we discovered that the Alamo Drafthouse, a movie theater that serves a full menu of food and drinks, was playing Dark Side of Oz (also known as Dark Side of the Rainbow, the Wizard of the Moon, etc) at 8pm. A modern mystery, it plays Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon over The Wizard of Oz - and syncs almost perfectly! Maybe it was because I was under the influence, but it all made complete sense. The heart beats at exactly the right time...Money starts playing when the opens the door to Munchkinland...lyrics and transitions match up perfectly...Dorothy and her friends seem to be dancing to the music at some points! DO NOT DIE BEFORE YOU SEE THIS.

Tuesday was my last day so we wanted to make the most of it. I gave Maria's migas another try (not hungover, this time) and then we went to the shooting range because I'd never shot a gun before. Turns out I was a great shot! By the time we got done there, it was time to go so Jason drove me to the airport and I departed.

Like I said, Austin was everything I hoped it would be and more. I love how open-minded the city is, how fun it is, how much good food and stuff there is to do. My only complaint is that it's extremely spread out, so you pretty much have to drive if you want to go somewhere. All in all, definitely a great start to my winter break.

Next stop: ST LOUIS, BABY!

2008-12-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

The Economist released a promiscuity index that ranked 48 countries from most to least promiscuous.

I honestly find the results shocking. The U.S. only 22/48? My experience on a college campus like Miami says otherwise...

Article from the Economist can be found here.

who throws a shoe? honestly?

2008-12-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

Apparently Arabs. But only when they really don't like you.

Yesterday's shoe-ing of President George W. Bush while he was giving a speech during his last visit to Iraq brought on shock, laughter, and a new-found respect for President Bush. You gotta love a guy who chuckles immediately after being almost impaled by a shoe. I watched the video over, and over, and over, my eyes widening and the inevitable laughter coming out each time.

My biggest question is, who was sitting next to this guy, watching him take off his shoes and pull back as he prepared to launch, and as he uttered, "This is a farewell kiss, you dog!" A little melodramatic, if you ask me.

According to the BBC article I read, a shoe-ing is one of the single greatest insults you can inflict on someone. It makes sense. In the Muslim faith, shoes are considered unclean. One must remove them before prayer, eating, and entering the home. Even showing the bottom of your shoe to someone is extremely insulting.

This is why I love travel, and exploring other cultures. The differences of insults, compliments, and general manners gets me every time. I just bought a book called "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" which is a guide on how to do business in other countries, lest you risk insulting anyone. I should probably master our country's business etiquette first. At Miami, Business students get full on prepared for this sort of thing for 4 years. I, a lowly almost-graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, get a pat on the back and then a quick shove out into the cut-throat world. Sometimes, a suggestion that we should probably go to grad school. But hey...at least I can integrate the crap out of most anything. Right? ....Right?

Boo hiss. I guess a shoe beats getting pelted with tomatoes.

classy

2008-12-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

For the last party of the semester, I went as Audrey Hepburn.

See the resemblance?

Hopefully this quote by her gets me through this phase I'm going through right now.

“Your heart just breaks, that's all. But you can't judge, or point fingers. You just have to be lucky enough to find someone who appreciates you.”

As a wise woman told me recently, success is the greatest revenge. Heck yes. At least, if I have anything to do with it.

almost famous-er

2008-12-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Another quasi-step towards being famous one day. I'm kinda-sorta in the Washington Post too! Nisha's not the only one. Taken from Potomac Confidential, a live chat with columnist Marc Fisher.

Vienna, Va.: Hey, guess what! My niece was accepted into the Peace Corps! That's not related to anything else you're discussing, but I'm really proud of her. She's just always been wonderful!

A Proud Aunt

Marc Fisher: Good for her--I have a friend who decided to do Peace Corps at age 47 and went off to North Africa, an experience that has dramatically added to her life. It's not just for 21-year-olds.

The entire discussion can be found here.

that's czarina to you...

2008-12-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

WSJ has an interactive website that keeps track of Obama's advisor appointments.

My question: What the hell is an Energy 'Czar'?

peace corps progress

2008-12-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I've thought about my Peace Corps application. With the semester coming to a close, and drama seemingly taking over my life, it's been in the back of my mind. I sent in the latest packet of information, including my fingerprint cards, some more information regarding my background and qualifications for the assignments my recruiter, Aimee, thinks I qualify for (English teaching, Math teaching, and Business Advising), and a National Agency Check form on November 24th. I've been getting a little anxious about the next steps, so I emailed Aimee and asked her what I should expect next.

While I was sitting in the library today, Aimee called me! She said that she found a really great program for me - teaching Math in Sub Saharan Africa! One position would be leaving in July, and one in September. I picked the one in July, and Aimee said she'd nominate me today!

Apparently, the next thing I have to do is get prodded and probed by doctors and dentists to make sure I'm physically fit for this thing. Fun!

good for her

2008-12-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

A young Chinese woman was left partially deaf following a passionate kiss from her boyfriend.

The 20-something from Zhuhai in Guangdong province arrived at hospital having completely lost the hearing in her left ear, said local reports.

The incident prompted a series of articles in the local media warning of the dangers of excessive kissing.

"While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution," wrote the China Daily.

The doctor who treated the girl in hospital was quoted in the paper explaining what had happened.

"The kiss reduced the pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear."

The chorus of warnings was echoed by the Shanghai Daily, which wrote: "A strong kiss may cause an imbalance in the air pressure between two inner ears and lead to a broken ear drum."

The young woman is expected to regain her full hearing within about two months.

next on the itinerary...

2008-12-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

12/19-12/23

Austin, Texas

Per usual, the only plans I have are a list of people I'd like to see. List of places soon to come. Any suggestions, southerners?

Yeehaw.

2008-12-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

English people are funny. And so is the financial crisis, when you look at it this way.

Thanks Jason.

motto

2008-12-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

My favorite professor, Jerry Miller, who consequently teaches my favorite class, Mathematical Economics (DORK), called me brilliant today while I was doing a problem on the board.

This is exactly the push I need to get me through the last two weeks (not including exam week) of the semester...

...with the following new motto:
One ho? Why not two or three? Why put limits on your life? Dream big...you may never wake up. -Snoop Dogg

Last night I found a CD of pictures I took in Morocco. This was a relief, seeing as a couple falling outs at the end of my traineeship and after my return to the States have left a stain on my experience. The truth is, no matter what happened, it was an incredible, life changing experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. So I'm gonna forget the haters. These are the kinds of memories I want to keep:

wanderlust

2008-12-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

A day spent watching the Travel Channel has left me yearning for another international adventure.

A light dusting of snow makes me consider Switzerland, where my friend Roman, a nomad I met in Morocco, promises me both a place to stay and to teach me a 1080 on my snowboard.

My favorite show, No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, has him traveling to countries all over the world and exploring the food beyond the commercialism. Pretty much my dream job. The episode I'm watching right now has him exploring Laos. Awesome.

Where's this job on Miami Careerlink?

Just in time for No-Shave November

2008-12-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

FOUND in NYTimes.com archives (circa June 13, 1913)...

The Miami Mustache Club left campus on May 18th, 1913. Anyone capable of growing a mustache welcome. Anyone who joins the club waives his (or her???) right to shave.

Bye bye Shane

2008-11-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Another one leaves the Cradle of Coaches.

After a 2-10 record this season (which was culminated by a 41-26 loss to rival Ohio University) and a four year record of 17-31, Shane Montgomery "resigned" as the head coach of the Redhawks football team.

After the uproar I've been hearing on campus, I wouldn't be surprised if the resignation was forced. But that's just speculation.

Montgomery made his mark as being one of the main developers of Ben Roethlisberger as Miami's offensive coordinator and quarterback coach from 2001-2004.

Let's just hope this isn't a "grass is greener" situation...

There's no place like home

2008-11-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

One of my movies is and always has been The Wizard of Oz. There's a home video somewhere of my sister and I dancing on the table to "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead". I think she slipped on a newspaper and fell off the table.

For this and a lot of other reasons, I always wanted ruby slippers. There were a pair of ruby-sparkled Mary Jane's at the local shoe store, but my mom never bought them. I'm still a little upset about it.

Thanksgiving is a time for going home and spending time with the family. Almost everyone I know had a great break and spent the time relaxing, spending time with friends, shopping, and eating lots of turkey. I did none of the above. I always feel on edge when I go back to Lima. My parents have made it clear that they're unhappy with the choices I've made, my priorities, and the direction my life is going. I have to watch every word I say to avoid an eruption. Freedom of speech tends to only exist in the household if you agree with what the parents think. Because the economy in Lima is much like any other small town in Ohio, most of my friends' parents have moved away. An eruption on Wednesday night led me to me leaving early. There went any chance of shopping or Thanksgiving dinner.

Lima was a transitional experience for me. I only spent my 4 years of high school in this town. After going to school, I feel very little attachment to my "hometown".

If I clicked my heels together, where would I go?

Would I go to Washington, D.C. where I spent the first 14 years of my life? Where I played soccer on the same club team for 10 years, got up to a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, and was a member of the show team at the horse center I rode at before I was uprooted?

Would I go to Lima, where my family continues to live?

Would I go to Manhattan? New York - a city where I spent 3 magical months. I've never felt more at home with 8 million other people just trying to make their way, just like me.

Would I go to the Oudaya in Rabat, Morocco? I still reminisce about the blue and white walls and how at home I felt in a country where I didn't even speak the language.

Probably not any of these. Most likely, I would end up exactly where I am right now. Oxford, Ohio. Where all of my friends are, where I've spent the last 4 years making my way, studying, partying, and making the best friends I'll ever have.

There's no place like home on the holidays.

Eat this, OSU

2008-11-25T08:41:00.000-08:00

Miami University ranks as the most affordable public college in Ohio, according to The Center for College Affordability & Productivity (CCAP)/Forbes.com's first ranking of America's Best Colleges. While Miami's tuition is higher than other public Ohio universities, the ranking considers several factors in gauging affordability.

Miami is ranked the 33rd most affordable public university in the country and ranks 277th out of 569 colleges nationwide, beating out Ohio State University (295), Wittenberg University (314), Ohio University (349), University of Cincinnati (516) and University of Dayton (526).

CCAP's ranking focuses on student satisfaction and educational outcomes. The ranking looked at five components, including four-year graduation rates, enrollment-adjusted numbers of students and faculty receiving nationally competitive awards, average four-year accumulated student debt of those borrowing money, student evaluations of professors, and alumni lists in the 2008 "Who's Who in America."

Miami is listed 24th for its graduation rate and 140th for alumni in "Who's Who in America" among all the ranking colleges.

"College is a huge investment, particularly during the current economic downturn, which is why we've devoted so much time and funding into need-based scholarship programs like the Miami Access Initiative and the Miami Grant," said Chuck Knepfle, director of student financial assistance. "Miami University provides a high-quality education, including personal contact with professors, more opportunities to do research as an undergraduate, and the ability to complete a degree in four years."

Miami provides need-based financial assistance to students through federal, state and university grants. Additional merit scholarships may be awarded for academic excellence. About 57 percent of Miami students receive financial assistance through scholarships, grants, loans, work-study employment and campus jobs.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 4,000 college campuses exist in the country. CCAP ranks only the top 15 percent of all undergraduate institutions. CCAP is dedicated to research on the issues of costs and efficiency in higher education.

30 hour famine

2008-11-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last week, AIESEC and Hanna House worked together to create Hunger/Homelessness Awareness Week. Various activities included a canned food drive, Pledge-a-Meal, and to top it all off, a 30-hour famine from Thursday at 6pm until Friday at 10pm. I kept notes on my thoughts and feelings throughout the famine, which I now find very entertaining. Here goes:

Thursday, 12:36pm - Decided that since there was going to be a *free* International Food Banquet held at 6pm on Friday, I would start 4 hours earlier at 2pm. I conveniently decided this in the middle of eating lunch and sitting at the Hunger/Homelessness Awareness Week table at Shriver. Megan liked my thinking, and decided to start early with me.

Thursday, 1:30pm - Went to the police station to get fingerprinted so I could send in my next packet of papers for the Peace Corps. They took longer than I hoped and I worried that I wouldn't have time to eat something before the famine began.

Thursday, 1:59pm - Back in my apartment. Gulped down several Oreos and a mug of milk before the clock struck 2.

Thursday, 2pm - Famine beings. Took a shower. If I'm going to be hungry, I might as well be clean.

Thursday, 2:30pm - Went to the library to work on some Mathematical Econ homework with Dimitry. Sat and chatted with a few friends.

Thursday, 4pm - Sat down with some people for a small group discussion with Jared Cohen, who would later be giving a lecture. He's a 28 year old Rhodes Scholar who traveled the Middle East talking to youth and Hezbollah insurgents, wrote a book that is criticized as being too optimistic about the situation in the Middle East, and now advises Secretary Condoleezza Rice. And is fluent in Swahili. Needless to say, the AIESEC girls were drooling in anticipation.

Thursday, 4:45pm - J.C. arrives late and talks briefly about how important travel and learning about different cultures is for young people. DUH. He has to run to get dinner at DiPaolos (fancy shmancy restaurant. Standard)

Thursday, 5pm - Sales meeting. Of the 16 people on the team, only 4 people are there. I am beginning to get grumpy from the lack of food, and this doesn't help.

Thursday, 5:30pm - More AIESECers join me at my table. They're eating furiously and racing the clock because they're starting their fast soon. I look longingly at their wraps.

Thursday, 5:45pmish - I have the following conversation on gchat

5:41 PM Michael: first bite better be a beer

5:42 PM me: oh you better believe it

5:44 PM it's been 3 hours. im feeling the fatigue

5:47 PM Michael: i hear you

i'm going to go eat some Little Caesar's

Hot 'n Ready

me: i hate you

Thursday, 7pm - Jared Cohen lecture. I sit in awe as he tells stories about sneaking into the Congo under piles of bananas and across another border through a minefield with refugees. I forget about food while I hear about this man's amazing life that I want to have.

At this point, I'm starting to get really hungry. It's around dinner time, but instead of looking forward to going home and making myself a good meal, I'm looking forward to going home and...staring at the food that I can't eat. I get a few emails via the Blackberry that piss me off more than they should. Eric suggests I eat something after I bitch to him about everything under the sun. Kate tells me that she counted the hours and we're actually only fasting for 28 hours. Great.

Thursday, 9pm - Arrive home, change into PJs, watch Greys. At this point, it's all I can do. Roomie comes home and I warn her that I'm a mega bitch because I'm not eating. She looks afraid. Decide I should probably leave my emails for another day since I'm being irrationally angry because of the hunger.

Thursday, 10:30pm - I don't know what to do with myself so I go to bed. I start having irrational thoughts such as "What if I secretly have diabetes and die in the middle of the night?" or "Do stomachs really start eating themselves when you get really hungry like my Salvadoran nanny told me when I was little?" At this point, I'm not even hungry anymore. I just have a monster headache. Even David Sedaris isn't making me feel better with his hilarious banter in his book that I've been reading. I decide the thoughts I'm having are too fun to not remember later, so I start taking notes. I write, "Feel my heartbeat in my stomach".

Friday, 10am - Woke up with a headache, very thirsty. Drink 3 glasses of water. My phone was nice enough to break and now only holds 5 hours of charge. I try to count how many hours I've been fasting and can't count. Finally figure out it's been 19.

Friday, 11am - Start crying because it's so cold on my way to class. What.

Friday, 11:30am - Mathematical econ + no food = DUMB

Friday, 12pm - Feeling irrational anger towards people who are eating in Shriver. The girl sitting next to me at the table is being too chatty. Scott finds me and gives me a supportive hug.

Friday, 1pm - Spend the afternoon running errands, cleaning, doing some laundry to keep my mind off things. Went through half an hour of activity and forgot what I had done 5 minutes later.

Friday, 2pm - Relax with a book. I feel sane enough to check emails.

Spend the next few hours getting ready very slowly for the international food banquet. Arrive and have to wait in a really long line, but when I finally get my food, I show incredible restraint but eat a lot. Then I feel sick because I ate too much. I guess I can't win.

One thing I noticed about the time that I wasn't eating was that all I could think about was food or how I was feeling. All the other problems I have went out the window. Once I started eating, they came flooding back. Funny how your priorities rearrange themselves depending on how you're feeling.

Miami stars in SNL

2008-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

I guess NBC executive Rick Ludwin is a '70 Miami alum and had some old Miami shirts lying around.

2008-11-20T15:14:00.000-08:00

Miami Financial crisis update: The villagers are starting to grumble (using the Miami Student) as a forum.

This kid lived in my dorm freshman year. He wasn't half as entertaining then.

--

As I sat in the halls of Upham Nov. 11, I was informed of the most aggravating Miami University related news in my four years here. President David Hodge, in order to "maintain fiscal responsibility," denied a faculty department the simple and decent tradition of sending flowers to a recently deceased faculty member. My initial reaction was, 'You've got to be kidding me.' I've met Hodge. I refereed his first broomball game. I watched him cheer on the RedHawk icemen complete with red and white scarf. I liked the guy, right up until today when a disgruntled faculty member informed me of his refusal of a request to send a mourning family flowers. He then informed me of Hodge's recent 11 percent pay raise-equal to roughly $40,000 which includes his personal police escort, his wife's consultant salary and his daughter's Miami-funded maid service.

Times are tough. Miami is on financial lockdown. A hiring freeze has been implemented. Yet the highest paid people on campus are able to accept raises and enjoy frivolous perks? Has my education failed me, or does this seem completely f**ked up to anyone else on campus?

The part of this story that should disgust everyone on campus is the fact that Hodge is denying a 35-year member of the Miami family a decent final gesture. The department has taken up a collection amongst themselves, but that's not the point. When did this institution allow itself to become so indecent? Love and honor to Miami, right Hodge? I guess that mantra is just a song to you, but as a member of this family myself I say to you this: You don't just disappoint me, you disgust me. I have shaken your hand before. Next time we cross paths expect nothing but a bird to be flipped in your direction.

My name is Ben Metcalf. I am a senior finance and decision science double major. I wake up at 5:30 a.m. five days a week to shovel horse feces so I can continue my time here at Miami. I recognize that Hodge and I are on different ends of the spectrum. Yet the fact that the leader of this institution can't find it in himself to spare chump change for a longtime RedHawk, yet gladly accepts personal gain, makes me wonder if we don't have the snobbish stereotype sitting at the head of the table, stealing all the gravy.

Ben Metcalf

If the world could vote...

2008-11-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

...here's what the results of the election would have been (electoral college style). 203 for McCain, 9,115 for Obama. All according to The Economist.

Maybe I don't know enough about world politics, but...

WTF Algeria?

2008-11-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Certain series of emails over the Water Ski listserve make me laugh:

-----
SUBJECT: thanksgiving Dinner

Everyone,

We're terribly sorry to inform you that Thanksgiving Dinner at Brewski [the water ski house] on Wednesday has been cancelled. Due to a deep frying accident, schedule conflicts, and a lack of funds (I hope you guys had fun at the Mustache Party) we are going to be unable to have a Thanksgiving party at Brewski.

We hope that the Waterski Team is able to put together a party for Thanksgiving, but at this point it is completely out of Brewski's hands.

Sorry for the late notice,

Brewski

SUBJECT: RE thanksgiving Dinner

Not to worry everyone, we are in the process of finding a new location for Thanksgiving aka, we are still having it! We will keep you up to date! :-)

-Syd

SUBJECT: RE RE thanksgiving Dinner

what the f*** is going on down there? thanksgiving cancelled? you think christopher columbus told the redskins and the royal family "oh we cant hve it this year, we ran out of food and money and we had a deep frying accident aboard the santa clara so i guess we just wont celebrate." at least go to burrito loco and get hammered or SOMETHING! miss yall, take care.

weshton [water ski team alum]

2008-11-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

Instead of studying or preparing for my interview tomorrow, I decided to instead plot each LC in AIESEC U.S. and try to figure out where the geographical center is.

But since Google hasn't made the "Find Geographical Center" tool, and I'm really bad at eye-balling these types of things, I'm going to leave it up to you to figure it out.

AMEN!

2008-11-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of the reasons why, despite the fact that I almost failed his class and don't agree with any of his political beliefs, I think Professor Rich Hart is one of the best professors at Miami University:

He writes, in a letter to the editor in the Miami Student:

University holding back on full financial impact

In his e-mail to the Miami University community responding to Miami's financial crunch, President David Hodge stated: "As we respond to the immediate financial challenges, it is vital that we remain clearly focused on our future. Our unwavering goal is to provide the exceptional student experience that Miami is known for. We will not compromise on this."

However, if what is happening in my department is any indication of what is happening across the rest of the university, the first steps being taken by the administration certainly suggest that the undergraduate educational mission is, in fact, going to be the sacrificial lamb on the budget-cut altar. To date, almost all of the cuts in my department are coming from the teaching side of the academic equation. And this is in a department in which the vast majority of students taking ECO 201 [Principles of Micro], ECO 202 [Principles of Macro], ECO 301 [Money and Banking] and ECO 344 [International Economics] are taught in increasingly large Ohio State University-like sections, where students increasingly do not engage or interact with faculty.

Here is the budget-cut arithmetic for my department. We have three visiting faculty, two of whom have been notified that-because of budget cuts-their positions will not be continued here next year (we do not know the fate of the third visiting faculty). This will represent the loss of 14 sections of economics courses next year (18 sections if the third visitor is terminated, too). The university has also instituted a "hiring freeze," which means we may not be allowed to replace the faculty who leave Miami (because of retirement, etc.). At present, there is the possibility that two faculty members will leave Miami next year for a loss of another 10 sections of economics courses. Add to this the potential loss of four more sections due to faculty who will be on Assigned Research Leave (ARL) or Faculty Improvement Leave (FIL) and you have, in the economics department alone, a loss of 14 (best possible scenario) to 32 (worst possible scenario) sections. What this means, quite obviously, is that average class size will increase, yet again, leading to a decrease in the integrity of the undergraduate teaching mission.

I would encourage The Miami Student to investigate the extent to which this is happening across the university, and report it to Miami undergraduates-the ones who seem to be targeted for bearing the brunt of the burden, but the ones whose tuition most assuredly will not fall in line with the quality of their educational experience.

The Student should also inquire into how many administrators are being terminated (bodies, not positions) given that much of the explosion in cost at Miami has been due to growth in the administration, and whether the faculty will be asked to make modest changes in their teaching as one small step in protecting the integrity of the undergraduate teaching mission. For example, how many undergraduate sections could be preserved if Hodge mandated that all faculty currently teaching two sections or less per semester teach one additional undergraduate course next year? How many sections could be preserved by a one-year moratorium on all ARAs and FILs?

Bottom line, Miami undergraduates are entitled to know if Miami is serious in its commitment to preserve the integrity of the undergraduate teaching mission (and make Miami more Miami) or if it will continue along the Garland path of making Miami more Ohio State (only with higher tuition).

Rich Hart
Professor of Economics
hartwr@muohio.edu

--

My first reaction: THANK GOD HE'S ON TENURE.

Second Reaction: Amen. Thank God I'm not a lower level Economics major at this time. Miami is in the top 10 of the undergraduate economics schools in the country, and unfortunately, I see this going down the tubes if something isn't changed within the administration, as Professor Hart suggests.

The way I see it, Economics is the most vital major in the University. Students from other majors might scoff, but econ is probably the major whose classes are taken by the biggest variety of majors at Miami. Not only are there three different types of economic majors, but there is one minor, and six thematic sequences, and one of the top one-year graduate programs in the country. Poli Sci, International Studies, Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, and all Business majors all have econ in their requirements. And, don't discount those students who take Economics for fun (God bless them) and because their parents suggest it.

I'm not saying other departments aren't going through the same issues, but to see this happen to the economics department makes me sad. Deep. Down. Inside.

This Week's Obsession...

2008-11-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Cake Wrecks. Disasterous, hilarious pictures of cakes gone horribly wrong. And you're occasional friggin' cool cake.

Here's a classic example. Seriously? The deer is emerging from an inferno.

Cake Wrecks makes me laugh. It makes me cry. It makes me pray to the karma cake gods that they won't punish me on my wedding day.

The best compliment I've ever gotten:

2008-11-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

"I want to be the next Caitie."

-Eric

Live your Dreams, Young Eric. I know you can do it.

Perhaps this is why I'm so conceited.

Ode to Fakler

2008-11-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

Fakler is a maverick. Not only do we make quite the dancing pair (just ask A.King or Luke), but I've decided she's my AIESEC spouse. Here's how I figure.

On Monday, CNN released an article about how some people have "work spouses". I am going to expand it further. I have an AIESEC spouse. And it's Fakler. You can read the original, but here's my adjustment to describe me and Fakler's loving AIESEC relationship.

1. I depend on Fakler for office supplies, snacks and aspirin.

2. There are inside jokes that Fakler and I share. And we tend to awkwardly giggle about them at GMs and EB much to everyone's confusion.

3. I can be bluntly honest with Fakler about her appearance, hygiene or hair (and vice versa). You're comfortable enough to point out that Fakler's hair is sticking up -- or that she's wearing the same sweats at GM that she did last night at EB.

4. When something eventful happens in AIESEC, Fakler is the first person I text to gossip.

5. At breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks, Fakler knows what to order for me and how I like my coffee (and vice versa).

6. Fakler and I can finish each other's sentences. Better yet, we can read each other's minds.

7. Fakler knows almost as much about my personal life as my best friend does. False. She knows more.

I [will be] legend

2008-11-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

I just returned from Rowdies ROKS Fall 2008 in Milwaukee, WI. What a delightful weekend full of fun, debauchery, and learning.

This ROKS really brought me full circle on my AIESEC experience thusfar. My first ROKS, Fall 2006, was in Milwaukee as well. Michelle and I, who were both new members at that conference, sat in the front seat of Van 1 of 3, leading our beautiful babies on to greatness. When I arrived, I almost felt like a new member myself. Sure, I knew my LCMates, a select few of the newbies I met when I was in Madison a few weeks ago, and the 20ish other old members who were there, but for the most part, it was a conference full of strangers. Not something I'm accustomed to.

I facilitated the Events Session, which was weird, because events is the one aspect of AIESEC that I've never really been a part of. Sure, I've dabbled in and out of event planning, and do my best to contribute to ever event @Miami puts on. I took it as a challange - teach people something you don't know much about. I'm pretty sure Ashok and I rocked it. I went to all of the sessions I could, and the faci team, OC, and chair-subchair were all incredible. We all put on excellent sessions, and kept the energy as high as possible even though we were all dragging ourselves. Miami put on what was in my opinion, the best roll call that's come out of our LC in years. Everyone who I talked to said they enjoyed it as well.

Of course, the parties kicked ass. Friday night led me to many rooms, many new faces, and a 5am bedtime. Saturday night we were almost kicked out of the hotel, but we adjusted and ended up having a fantastic time. The highlight was observing the self-proclaimed "WT Wedding" that shared the hotel with us. The bride walked by and I said, "Congratulations, you look beautiful." She said, "Really? Because I just threw up." Someone saw the bride and her wedding party playing leap frog in the hallway. Classy! We danced our pants off and sung our hearts out to "American Pie" until 4am. Again with the 5am bedtime.

Getting back in the van with all the babies that we brought was possibly one of my favorite parts of the weekend. When I asked everyone if they had a great time, I was met with a resounding OMG THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN I LOVE AIESEC! Incredible. When babies leave the conference that excited about AIESEC, you know it was well done.

During the 8 hour drive home and the time that I've had to think since the conference, I've been doing a lot of retrospection. At one point on Saturday night, A.King asked who I thought was the most legendary person from my LC was. I said "Me" with only a little bit of sincerity. However, I've decided that my goal for the rest of my senior year, within AIESEC and beyond, is to become legendary. This was the theme for the conference - become legendary. I'm not sure what that means, or how I'm going to make it happen - but it will. I will be a legend.

What were you doing at 11pm on 11/4/08?

2008-11-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

I was huddled in front of the TV in a house stuffed full of College Democrats.

I was still cheering for victory in Ohio and Virginia.

I was counting down the seconds until the polls closed on the west coast.

I was screaming at the top of my lungs and jumping up and down.

I was laughing.

I was crying.

I was hugging and kissing my friends, who put so much of their time and money into this campaign.

I was finishing my beer and popping the cork on several bottles of champagne.

I was singing the Star Spangled Banner and saluting our flag with pride.

I was obnoxiously texting my friends "GOBAMA"

I was chanting, "8 more years"

I was laughing at all of the obnoxious statuses of my conservative facebook friends.

I was living history.

Check out this madness.

TXT Conversation with my mom

2008-11-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Mom: I got your father the perfect present for his 50th birthday

Me: What's that?

Mom: He's going to play the triangle in the Lima Symphony Orchestra.

Me: Hahahahaha

Mom: It was between that and the cymbals. I thought he could handle the triangle better.

120 Hours

2008-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Students from Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta came up with this reeeeeeeeemix to T.I.'s "Whatever You Like", titled "You Can Vote However You Like". Adorable.

Obama on the left, McCain on the right, we can talk politics all night and you can vote however you like. Democrats left, Republicans right, November 4th you decide, and you can vote however you like.

Today was my first time canvassing. It wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be - no one slammed a door in my face or was overly rude. I think I might have even swayed a few undecided voters! Or they were just being nice...either way, it was a fun time, and I got lots of exercise.

Peace Corps application....

2008-10-29T14:21:00.001-07:00

....officially submitted!

2008-10-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

U.S. Presidential Endorsements through the years

The Economist vs. New York Time s

CD vs. CR vs. Power Staplers

2008-10-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a short break, 3 hours into my 6 hour stint at King Library, to write about this. Mostly because I'm ranting about it to anyone who knows me and happens to walk by, and more than once I've been told, "Caitie, keep your rage to yourself for a little bit. I have to go to class/wash my hair/jump off a bridge/something else that is more fun than listen to you rant." Oops. My French paper can wait.

Please keep in mind that I'm speaking hypothetically and please don't take offense if you fall into any of the groups I'm about to talk about.

Actually...I take that back. There is no reason I should apologize for having an opinion that goes against the grain of what my friends, or a group that I'm in thinks. Which leads me to my point.

In Tuesday's edition of the Miami Student, there was an article entitled MU students defy political stereotypes. One of those interviewed was a girl who called herself the "typical Miami girl" (for those that aren't familiar with this breed, it is as follows: parents make more than $200,000, in a sorority, walks around in leggings and boots with the fur while texting on her Blackberry, collar-popping, blonde, weighs less than 100 lbs and may or may not call 5 celery sticks a meal). I don't typically feel bad for these types of people, whose woes, easily overheard as they whine in their high pitched voices, include not getting a BMW in the correct color from their daddy, or eating one too many pieces of pizza. This one, however, I do pity.

Last year, she was in College Republicans. This year, she walks around with an Obama button pinned neatly to her North Face. She complained to the student:

"I feel like I can't go back to College Republicans next semester, after all this. That's what I was going to plan on doing. I'm not a Democrat so I can't be in College Democrats. What am I? I'm a political science major, I have to be in something. It's my career. But I'm neither right now."

"I feel like I'm betraying a lot of people in a lot of ways-family, friends, friends here."

Although [she] also said she tries to keep her political and personal life separate, she has lost at least one friend since switching over to support Obama and even received a negative message via Facebook.com.

WHAT!??!! SERIOUSLY!!?!?!?!?

I am ready for this election to be over for a lot of reasons, but this is a BIG one. People losing friends over who you're supporting to be the next leader of our country? Now, THAT is messed up.

This is my issue with College Republicans and College Democrats. I support College Dems at arms length for a lot of reasons. Tomorrow, I will be canvassing for Obama, a duty I need to fulfill in order to be invited to the College Dems' Halloween Party (something I'm not happy about, but I planned on canvassing anyways). These are organizations that force you to think what they think. This poor girl is being shunned by CR, an organization she was involved with because of her opinion. THAT is MESSED UP. I gotta give it up for College Dems. They have done a great job of getting out on campus, getting people registered to vote, canvassing for Obama. But what if someone in College Dems didn't want to be in support of Obama? Would they accept that? Doubtful.

I am so lucky to belong to an organization that encourages everyone to think for themselves...form their own opinions...be a leader, a change agent, and most of all, a bad ass.

Don't judge someone for how they're going to vote. If I've learned anything from being an Econ major, it's that we're all rational human beings that make decisions based on incentives and scarcity and marginal revenue equals marginal cost and all that fun stuff. But most importantly - rational human beings. Based on incentives. Just because someone is voting for someone you don't agree with doesn't make them a monster, or an idiot. So don't judge. Leave the judgement up to me. It's a hobby of mine.

Always gotta have the random Caitie comment at the bottom: King Library has power staplers. You put your papers into the stapler opening, and it dispenses the perfect staple. Genius. It really is the small things in life that keep me going every day.

2008-10-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Bloggerheads question everything I know by debating whether the financial crisis proves that markets don't work. My main man, Adam Smith, is turning in his grave.

My opinion? Man and greed intervened into the markets. Right now, the invisible hand is bitch slapping us.

On an Econ-related note, I found this quote by Keynes in a reading I was doing for class. Keynes was responding to George Bernard Shaw's suggestion that Marx's virtues could get us out of the Great Depression:

"My feelings about Das Kapital are the same as my feelings about the Koran. I know that it is historically important and I know that many people, not of whom are idiots, find it a sort of Rock of Ages and containing inspiration. Yet when I look into it, it is to me inexplicable that it can have this effect. Its dreary, out-of-date, academic controversialising seems so extraordinarily unsuited for this purpose. But then, as I have said, I feel just the same way about the Koran. How could either of these books carry fire and sword round half the world? It beats me. Clearly there is some defect in my understanding. Do you believe both Das Kapital and the Koran? Or only DK? But what ever sociological value of the latter, I am sure that its contemporary economic value (apart from the occasional but inconstructive and discontinuous flashes of insight) is nil. Will you promise to read it again, if I do?"

you go girls

2008-10-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Not only is my Aunt Donna one of my most faithful blog followers...but she sends me some truly incredible articles. This one I just received is an incredible inspiration for anyone who follows women in developing countries. My favorite lines are in bold.

Women Run the Show In a Recovering Rwanda

By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, October 27, 2008; A01

KIGALI, Rwanda -- On a continent that has been dominated by the rule of men, this tiny East African nation is trying something new.

Here, women are not only driving the economy -- working on construction sites, in factories and as truck and taxi drivers -- they are also filling the ranks of government.

Women hold a third of all cabinet positions, including foreign minister, education minister, Supreme Court chief and police commissioner general. And Rwanda's parliament last month became the first in the world where women claim the majority -- 56 percent, including the speaker's chair.

One result is that Rwanda has banished archaic patriarchal laws that are still enforced in many African societies, such as those that prevent women from inheriting land. The legislature has passed bills aimed at ending domestic violence and child abuse, while a committee is now combing through the legal code to purge it of discriminatory laws.

One lawmaker said the committee has compiled "a stack" of laws to modify or toss out altogether -- including one that requires a woman to get her husband's signature on a bank loan.

"The fact that we are so many has made it possible for men to listen to our views," said lawmaker Espérance Mwiza. "Now that we're a majority, we can do even more."

The unusually high percentage of women in Rwandan government is in part a reflection of popular will in a country of 10 million that is 55 percent female.

But it also reflects the heavy hand of one man, President Paul Kagame, whose photo hangs on the walls of houses, restaurants and shops. It also hovered over the swiveling leather chair of parliament speaker Rose Mukantabana as she opened a session late last week.

Since the 1994 genocide, in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days of highly organized violence that included the systematic rape of Tutsi women, Kagame, a Tutsi, has enforced a kind of zealous social engineering.

With a population that was about 70 percent female after the genocide, Kagame's new government adopted ambitious policies to help women economically and politically, including a new constitution in 2003 requiring that at least 30 percent of all parliamentary and cabinet seats go to women. The remaining 26 percent of the women in parliament were indirectly elected.

"This was a broken society after the genocide," said Aloisea Inyumba, Kagame's former gender and social affairs minister, who was also a prominent official in his ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front when it was still a rebel group fighting the country's genocidal government. "We made a decision that if Rwanda is going to survive, we have to have a change of heart as a society. Equality and reconciliation are the only options."

While many African legislatures have adopted quotas reserving seats for female lawmakers, none has done so as ambitiously as Rwanda. The country's overall attitude toward gender puts it at odds with its neighbors.

Just next door, an epidemic of sexual violence has ravaged eastern Congo, where law and order have almost completely broken down. In the run-up to Kenyan elections last year, several female candidates were beaten and threatened with sexual violence. One was murdered. Out of the legislature's 222 lawmakers, 21 are women.

In this hilly and green capital city, meanwhile, women successfully lobbied for the removal of a statue in a central roundabout that depicted a woman holding a jug of water on her head and a baby on her hip.

In its place came a more neutral one: a smiling woman free of the jug, holding the hand of a little boy walking alongside her.

Not far away is the parliament building, where rows of women took their seats last Thursday, and listened to the finance minister present the midterm national budget.

Afterward came questions from women such as Bernadette Kanzayire, who was a practicing lawyer before she became a politician, or Suzanne Mukayijore, who once worked in banking. And then there was Ignacienne Nyirarukundo, who went to work for Rwanda's national reconciliation commission after surviving the genocide. She then worked on children's welfare issues, and decided to run for office this year, campaigning on a platform of eradicating poverty through reduced birth rates.

"I felt I could do better helping to build my country in parliament," said Nyirarukundo, 39.

Other female lawmakers are Hutu or Tutsi, genocide survivors or former refugees who grew up in Uganda, Burundi or Tanzania. They come from different parties, though opposition to Kagame is not exactly vigorous.

In the recent parliament session, lawmakers asked the finance minister about the impact of the global financial crisis on Rwanda's budget, the gap between exports and imports and the soundness of Rwanda's booming mortgage market. Just one question -- about funding for maternal and child health -- was gender-specific.

Sitting in her office later, Kanzayire spoke diplomatically about "working with men" and seemed sensitive to the joke going around that soon, Rwanda will need affirmative action for men.

Though profound tensions and scars from the genocide still exist here, so does a strong sense of national purpose tinged with unapologetic political correctness.

It is taboo to speak of Hutus or Tutsis these days; everyone is Rwandan. The last Saturday of every month is community work day, when neighbors gather for six hours to help with a collective project -- clearing brush, or repairing a less-fortunate neighbor's house.

"We are doing this for ourselves -- not because it's a law," said Beatrice Namyonga, who was clearing weeds with her neighbors.

When it comes to the role of women, a similar attitude prevails.

In general, men here seem to have accepted and even embraced the policy of promoting women in government, even if their endorsement at times carries a dutiful tone.

"It was the government's aim to promote women, and the biggest proportion of Rwandans are women," said Jean Muhikira, 49, a driver who said he notices many more women in his line of work these days. "Women can contribute a lot in ideas."

In some quarters of Rwandan society -- particularly among older men and Hutu men who harbor some mistrust of Kagame's government -- the policy is viewed with faint suspicion.

"Maybe now that women have more than 50 percent in parliament, it could be a big problem," said Thomas Habumuisha, 29, who was out shopping with a friend on Saturday. "Maybe women could take advantage and oppress men."

His friend, Muhire Bitorwa, whose wife, a teacher, is helping pay his way through Kigali University, nodded politely, but disagreed.

"In my view, women are more reasonable, more merciful and less corrupt than men," he offered. "And culturally, women have not been recognized."

2008-10-27T00:54:00.001-07:00

Insomnia can be a bitch.

But not when you find great stuff like this floating around in cyberspace at 4am-ish!

http://aiesecmiami.blogspot.com/

The last post is February 20, 2006 - a semester before my time. Why does that make me feel young and old at the same time?

I don't recognize many people in this picture, but there are some great ones of Lauren, Francis, Katy, Carly C, Mark, Thomas, Katelyn, Ann...

AHH. Ghosts from the past. Loves it!

yay for free stuff!

2008-10-26T20:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we got a package from The Oprah Winfrey Show. Enclosed was as follows:

Two (2) Oprah baseball caps
Two (2) Oprah t-shirts (size XL)
One (1) Oprah coffee mug
One (1) card from Allyson, the Production Assistant, saying thank you for helping Lexie out, and if I ever need anything to let her know...

"Hi Allyson! I'm a senior at Miami, and will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics..."

Apparently, on Wednesday John Boehner, the Republican representative of the 8th District of Ohio will be at Brick Street. Free drinks for anyone who goes (over 21, I'm assuming).

And on Tuesday October 28, we will be able to obtain a free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco from Taco Bell anytime from 2-6pm. Thank you Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays shortstop! You've got me rooting for the Rays...for sure.

Free stuff is the theme of the week, I guess. Trick or treat?

2008-10-26T12:41:00.001-07:00

Inevitably, during every debate my friends and I have watched, we get into an argument about whether or not Cindy McCain is good looking. Granted, the percentage of my closest friends who are guys is larger than the percentage of times that John McCain voted with George W. Bush, but I consider myself a decent judge of how good a woman looks. So far, I've been outvoted. Next time such an argument breaks out, I'm pulling out this gem:

Either Halloween came early for Mrs. McCain and she's going as the crypt keeper, or Botox is taking a turn for the worse.

God Bless the Onion.

2008-10-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

My favorite part about Halloween (besides dressing up)

All the creepy TV shows. For example, World's Creepiest Places on the Travel Channel. Another favorite - 13 days of Halloween on ABC family. I won't be sleeping tonight.

Why do I have this obsession with scaring the shit out of myself? I think part of it comes from the day that my dad brought "The Exorcist" home and said "Watch this Caitie...this is the true story of what happens to bad little Catholic girls!" I haven't been the same since.

New item for my bucket list: Stay in a haunted place overnight!

Who's with me?

My Miami

2008-10-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

Well hello there, Homecoming Weekend of my senior year. I've been looking forward to you for a long time. Too bad my plan to spend the day on the Skippers patio with a beer tower has been thwarted by a torrential downpour. Additionally, the homecoming parade has probably been canceled. If not, it will most definitely be much wetter than anticipated. True float making abilities will be put to a test this afternoon, fa sho.

So here I sit in King Library in my favorite comfy chair, shoes off to the side, probably grossing out everyone around me with my bare feet up on the ottoman. This is a normal Monday-Thursday afternoon for me. Too bad it's Friday. I came with the intention of focusing on my job applications, getting started for my Peace Corps "cross-cultural experience" essay (being an AIESECer makes that one pretty easy), or getting started on my homework for this week. Instead, I'm blogging. Standard.

As usual, I read the Miami Student. Rooming with the editor-in-chief guarantees that I know about some of the articles before it goes to press, but there are always a few surprises scattered about.

Anyone who pays attention knows that Hurricane Ike tore through Oxford a few weeks ago. What I didn't know was that the damage cost Miami a cool $750K! Apparently, if President Bush declares Oxford and Miami a "disaster area" - which, if you strolled around at all during the week following, saw the large tree blocking Withrow, or were one of the not-so-few without power for over a week, you might agree. I'm taking this plea for being denoted a disaster area quite literally. As a university, we're experiencing the financial crisis first-hand.

The Petters situations doesn't help this fact. Tom Petters, CEO of Petters Group Worldwide was arrested a few weeks ago after the FBI raided his home and verified that he had a role in a fraud scheme involving over $100 million of investments. Why does this matter? Tom Petters has pledged $14 million to Miami over the last 4 years, including the John T. Petters Center for Leadership, Ethics and Skills Development (in memory of his son, a Miami student who was killed while studying abroad in Italy) which was going to open in the new Business School. Irony, anyone? Needless to say, Miami probably won't be receiving that money, and we have since frozen a study abroad program to China that was being funded by money given to us by Tom Petters. Another little dose of irony: his son was a poli sci major, a department which is not in the business school. If this isn't a "disaster area", I don't know what is.

When things like this happen, it saddens me. Anyone who knows me knows that I have more school pride than most people here. I literally yell at people who are bigger Ohio State fans than Miami fans. I go to the hockey games and pound on the glass, cheer for Mercier, while other girls around me are wondering why there are only "3 quarters" and what the blue line rule is. I tell anyone who will listen why Miami is in Ohio, that we're much older than those wanna-be's in Florida, and can list of Miami traditions like it's my job. I'll defend my alma mater to the death, and even though I've paid my fair share in parking tickets ($65 per? WHAT?!) I'll probably donate until (and probably past) the day I die to ensure that all Miami students, past, present, and future, are given reasons to share the love for Miami that I do. 2009 celebrates our Bicentennial. We've been here for 200 years, and you better recognize.

The slogan for Homecoming week is "Old Miami, New Miami, YOUR MIAMI." My Miami, indeed.

Love and Honor to Miami,
Our College Old and Grand
Proudly we shall ever hail thee
Over all the Land

Alma mater now we praise thee
Sing joyfully this day
Love and Honor to Miami
FOREVER AND A DAY

Oprah, con't

2008-10-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

The live video of Lexie's interview with Oprah is now available on The Miami Student website.

Living with the editor-in-chief is pretty legit sometimes.

See the video here.

Please note that I got one (1) Art credit from Miami University for that videography. Outstanding.

[Note in retrospect: My roommate has the power to hand out $400 credits. I don't care what you say, that is pretty fucking outstanding]

Hello, 5 mins of fame!

2008-10-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just squeaked on the Oprah Winfrey Show. SQUEAKED. If you turn the volume up you can hear me.

Yesterday Lexie came over with a large suitcase full of techie stuff that the Oprah Show overnighted her. We set it up in our "dining room", which is literally just an extension of our kitchen. After about half an hour of two girls (and Jerry) fighting with wires and playing "guess and check" with plugs, we got it set up. Tah-dah!

Soon, a guy from the Oprah show who couldn't have been more than 25 (because he kept saying things like Holla!) got on skype and we tried to figure out what we wanted in the background. Seeing as this is a college apartment that has been recently decked out with Halloween decor, this was harder than expected. We took the camera around the apartment for a while to look for a primo spot. During said tour, I screamed because I found a centipede. I told Lexie not to take the camera into my bedroom, which was messy. Techie Guy, as I will call him from now on, said "No, go in her bedroom!" Weird.

We soon settled for the back of my fridge with a view of my microwave, and put a vase of fake flowers and a framed picture of me and my roommates in the background. Sweet. Now I've solidified the fact that I'm legit going to be on TV. Who need to pop up awkwardly in the background of a shot when I can just stand there and look pretty in photograph form where I KNOW I look good? Plus, this way Emily and Kellyn could be there with me even though they'd be at class/work when the taping occurred. We also had to move our Diet Coke, Special K, and Cheerios out of the scene because of product placement.

Last night Lexie slept over for our pre-Oprah slumber party, and we got up at 8am to shower and get ready for Oprah. After booting up the computer they sent us, our new bff, Techie Guy skyped us. We were told not to walk around naked because they were going to keep us on video skype until the end of the show. Easier said than done, Techie Guy...

Finally at around 9:30am, we sat down in front of the computer. I made sure again that the photograph was easily visible, Techie Guy made sure Lexie had perfect "head room" for the shot, and someone named Allison prepped her with the questions that Oprah will PROBABLY ask. Silly Oprah. Sometimes she goes off script. We got to watch people file into the audience, the camera people cue the audience with cards that said "APPLAUSE!" (didn't know that really happened) and Oprah come out and sit down on her lovely beige chairs WITHOUT her shoes on. She also talked about how her skirt hiked up a lot. Sexy. I love it.

Promptly at 10, the show started. We watched and made fun of the family that was on, how Susie Orman picked on the 15 year old girl who came on, and the questions that people called in with. Before we knew it, Lexie's dad was on. I took video. Note the reactions we have to the pictures Lexie's dad sent in.

About 5 mins later, it was Lexie's turn. I took video of that too. The picture in the background looked lovely. I couldn't stop giggling, as can be seen in the video which will be posted later because I can't get it to load. Also, for those who saw the segment, you can't help but hear a loud squeak when Lexie says "I'm in my friend Caitie's apartment." I literally almost died.
Here's a still from the video we took. This is what you saw on TV if you watched the show. You can see the picture of me, Kell, and Em in the background. I'm sitting off the the right of the screen, creepily taping the whole thing with my camera.

Lexie and I packed up the stuff and headed off the library to study for all the classes I skipped while doing Oprah stuff. I emailed both my professors, and I'm pretty sure they'll understand. Lexie got an email from the Miami press people who said they were trying to leak the story to Cincinnati and Dayton news so that they could do a story on her. And me? Maybe? I mean the Oprah stuff STILL IS at my apartment right now...

The Oprah Winfrey show was very gracious to me letting Lexie use our apartment for the segment - as if! I'd do anything for Oprah - so they're sending us a present in the mail. I hope it's a neeeeeeewwwwwww CAR! Or a helicopter. Or Johnny Depp. Ok, ok. I'll settle for David Beckham. FINE, FINE. James Marsden will do.

For those who missed it, it'll be on my DVR forever. Let me know if you want to hear me squeak. It's quite audible, I assure you.

This was seriously the funniest, most random moment of my life. I will treasure my 5 minutes of fame for all time.

double play

2008-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Now Senator McCain is just getting ridiculous. The more ridiculous thing is that I found this article while perusing BBC:

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has accused his rival, Barack Obama, of supporting both teams playing in the baseball World Series.

Speaking in Pennsylvania, Mr McCain said: "Now, I'm not dumb enough to get mixed up in a World Series between swing states.

"But I think I may have detected a little pattern with Senator Obama. It's pretty simple really. When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies, and when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he 'shows love' to the Rays.

"It's kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts, but then votes for tax increases after he's elected."

McCain also brings up the fact that Obama is a White Sox fan. Sorry Senator, but I gotta give it up to anyone who continuously supports Chicago sports teams. It takes persistence and patience, for sure. This coming from a true blue life-long member of Red Sox Nation (yes, even before they won the World Series in 2004. Like it or leave it).

Consequently, McCain's beloved Arizona Diamondbacks didn't make it to the playoffs. I'm sensing bitterness.

Funny. He always struck me as a Yankees fan.

Implying that Obama is trying to get votes by supporting baseball teams in the World Series is just ridiculous. Both states have two MLB teams (Marlins and Rays for Florida, Phillies and Pirates for Pennsylvania), so by supporting either team he would be pissing off half of the rest of the state. Not to mention the fans of the teams that the Rays and the Phillies outed on the way to the top. I don't even want to talk about how I felt on Sunday night after my Red Sox went down.

Any trip to an Ohio bar on a Saturday afternoon is proof. Try yelling "WHO DEY" into a crowd of Browns fans. You will not come out alive. Or you'll just get laughed at. The Bengals, by the way, are 0-7 this year. Haven't been hearing much WHO DEYing around campus. What a relief. If there's anything worse than a Yankees fan, it's a loud Bengals fan. And if there's anything worse than a presidential candidate who's falling back on his opponents apparent sports preferences to win votes...

Wait... There's not much worse than that.

I'M FAMOUS!

2008-10-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be on The Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow! Essentially...

As posted before, her dad is going to be on and Oprah is Skyping her. Fortunately for me, Miami's firewall doesn't allow for the Skype to work. So, Lexie asked if she could come over to my apartment so that she can SKYPE WITH OPRAH!!! I think I screamed. My apartment is going to be on Oprah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's the details: Wednesday, October 22 at 4pm EST on whatever station Oprah is on for you. Check local listings here.

I'll do my best to actually be ON THE SHOW, I promise. Whether it be walking through the background, writing a note, or peeking over the back of the couch...I'll figure something out.

I've never been so excited/happy in my life.

2008-10-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Miami had its own little article in the Boston Globe last week.

The article focuses on the fact that Miami, as a historically conservative campus (mostly due to the fact that the average income in a Miami student's household is way over $200,000) just MIGHT be going blue.

Watch the video here...and try to contain your urge to punch the College Republicans who appear in the face.

OXFORD, Ohio - It was lunchtime at the student center of Miami University in Southwestern Ohio, and the food court was hopping. Students streamed in and out, some texting friends on cellphones, others lost in their iPods. They were studying, gabbing, eating.

Traffic was heavy at a small table of Barack Obama supporters, beside which stood a life-size cutout of the candidate, a permanent smile on his face. Campaign stickers, postcards, volunteer sign-up sheets, and buttons - Warhol-like in their vibrant colors - were spread out before them.

"You want some Obama gear?" Jessica Gephart, 19, asked a student amid the bustle.

"Yeah!" he said, grabbing a fistful of stickers and buttons.

On many college campuses, where support for Obama runs deep, this scene would be nothing remarkable. But this is Miami, a historically conservative, public university in a deeply conservative region north of Cincinnati. It has long been seen as reflective of the area's Republican leanings; its reputation was well-known when I was looking at colleges as a high school senior in suburban Columbus 15 years ago.

"Liberal is a kind of a dirty word around Southwestern Ohio," said Sarah Owens, a 23-year-old botany graduate student and Obama volunteer. "Everyone's expecting this area to go red. Anything we do to put a dent in that, to overturn it a little, is going to be a success."

Indeed, the surrounding Butler County voted for President Bush by a 2-to-1 ratio in 2000 and 2004. But this year, the Democrats, buoyed by Obama's appeal among young voters and a highly organized campaign operation, are making their biggest push ever on this picturesque Georgian brick campus of more than 16,000 students.

Even the College Republicans at Miami, who are working furiously to help John McCain hold onto this critical state, concede that are finally facing some serious competition. When we visited the McCain volunteers yesterday, they were gathered at an off-campus house, painting signs for today's nearby rally with GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin: "Palin git 'r' done"; "Palin Fever"; "Palin is Patriot"; "Welcome to Palin Country," the signs said.

"This year they're giving us a run for our money," said Caroline Connor, a 21-year-old geography major and McCain volunteer from Dublin, Ohio. "It's a pretty big change."

"I have close friends who are Democrats," said Thad Boggs, 21, a senior from Washington Court House, Ohio, who is majoring in political science. "And they'll say, 'I registered a couple voters for Obama today.' And then I swallow hard."

When we asked students yesterday to take a stab at guessing the political breakdown of the student body, several said 50-50. But in a brief tour of campus, we found many more Obama voters - and more Obama signs - than McCain ones.

We met Jenna Ward and Jackie Sherrick, political science majors, as they were heading to an exam in "comparative security." They were laughing with each other. They both had PDAs in their hands. But they do not share a candidate.

"I feel like Barack Obama doesn't have the experience I would like to see in a leader," said Ward, a 21-year-old junior from Virginia who objected to Obama's plan to end the war in Iraq.

"I definitely think we need to get out of the war. We need to refocus on Afghanistan," said Sherrick, a 20-year-old junior from Dublin.

The students working for Obama enjoy the challenge of being at Miami and persuading friends and classmates to join their cause. Often, they say, students here are conservative only because their parents are, and that once on their own they begin challenging long-held assumptions.

"I see the movement swallow people," said Stephen Kostyo, a 20-year-old political science major from Findlay.

There appears to be a big difference in how the Obama campaign and the McCain campaign interact with their campus volunteers.

The pro-Obama students report having constant interaction with the campaign, and their strategies and day-to-day activities are very much coordinated. The Republicans on campus, however, operate with very little oversight.

"We basically do what we do," Boggs said. "They don't really give us direction."

To some McCain volunteers, that is how it should be.

"I know the campus. I know what works here, what gets picked up, what gets popular," said Courtney Rosellini, a 21-year-old from Racine, Wis., majoring in speech communications.

But the Obama activists on campus seem to be benefiting from their close relationship with the campaign field operation, helping to organize rides so students can vote early, schedule volunteer shifts, and plan voter registration efforts.

Connor and her cohort are acutely aware that, with McCain lagging in some battleground states, the last thing they need is a strong Obama operation peeling away student votes that Republicans used to be able to count on.

"Every day matters," she said.

I asked the McCain volunteers how they would feel if Obama were their president.

"I'm moving to Italy," Rosellini said.

"I'm coming with you!" added Carly Roman, a 21-year-old zoology major from Canton, Ohio.

See the full article, along with pictures and some really fun comments to laugh at.

Such as....

Republicans - you are absolutely right corporations, free of those annoying government regulations , will make sure you are gainfully employed, your family is fully insured and you'll never ever have to worry of your job going oversees, because they believe in doing the right thing and keeping jobs here...they will also fund schools, highway police and infrastucture projects....effective government is nothing more than a socialist comunist agenda, someone making $10k a year should gosh golly pay the same as someone making $1MM a year, besides, cleaning toilets, hotel rooms, picking fruit and collecting garbage are unnecesary jobs that just are not the hard work us good christian (and only christian) rich folks do.. unrestricted .dog eat dog, survival of the fittest capitalism is best for humanity and the planet..., money making is all there is to life...we don't need government to interfere in our selfish quest! oh except when it comes to religion and morality...you MUST believe in Jesus, or we'll kill you as the devil worshiper you are.. you MUST believe that all life is precious, except when we think we should kill you for commiting a crime,God delegated capital punishment long ago......and it wouldn't hurt if you were all applie pie eating, red blooded, english speaking americans...cuz who needs diplomacy when we can just bombl you...sounds good to me...

BARF.

2008-10-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Lexie is going to be on the Oprah show.

Ok, so her dad is.

But they're skyping her from the show.

Her dad, Dan Kadlec, is a contributing writer for Money Magazine. For one of his articles, he wrote an article about money management as a college student in the form of a letter to her.

Dear Lexie,

On your first day of college, let me congratulate you on your well-earned freedom. No more curfews. No more being dragged places you'd rather not be. No more of Dad's teachable moments about responsibility, opportunity...life. And no more boring lessons about after-tax income, saving, borrowing, compound returns and growth stocks.

While we're on the subject of "no more," let me gently mention that it applies to the car you've been driving too, and my gas card and your allowance. Freedom, you see, has its price. Sorry, I couldn't resist one more teachable moment.

I know that you will study hard and explore all the great things that a university has to offer. You are ready for this and, frankly, so am I. Your freedom and a degree of mine come wrapped together.

Yet I can't help but worry that you may get tripped up with money issues. It's easy to do, especially when you're just starting out. But happily, it's also fairly easy to avoid. So if you'll indulge me one last time, I'd like to offer some parting financial wisdom for your first semester and beyond.

Live within your means

You are fortunate to have parents that can take care of your biggest bills - tuition, room and board, transportation home. But the rest, dear child, is up to you. It would be a shame for you to end up in debt with your modest earning ability right now (the average credit-card balance for college seniors: nearly $3,000).

So estimate all of your expenses over the next 17 weeks and compare that with your available resources. Looking at the whole semester, not just a sample week, makes plain how recurring expenses add up - like, say, $4 a day at Starbucks setting you back nearly $500.

Separate your spending into categories, such as books, laundry, entertainment, food and beverages (spare me the details about what kind of beverages).

"Keep an envelope for each, and place all of your receipts in those envelopes so you can go back and count what you spent where," says Douglas Andrew, author of Millionaire by Thirty. "That way you'll quickly recognize where you may be going overboard."

Make adjustments as needed. But when you add to one category, be sure you subtract from another. If money runs tight, don't default to a part-time job unless you'd really enjoy it or it's truly a last option. You worked hard all summer and saved enough to get by. Cut your expenses instead. That's a lifetime skill worth developing now.

Get the right credit card

I have a confession: In the past few months I have - without telling you - thrown away at least a dozen credit-card offers to you. This bombardment will continue when you move to campus.

Why do credit-card companies want to hook you before you have income? They're in it for the long term. Issuers know that people tend to be loyal to their first credit card; get it in college and you're likely to still be using it years later. So they will not stop the barrage, and even without me as your guardian filter, I hope you'll keep throwing the offers away.

You need only one - a Visa, a MasterCard or an American Express. Later, when you've proved you can manage one card, I want you to add two others - a department store card and a gas card - to help build a good credit rating.

In each case, never charge more than 30% of your credit limit and pay in full every month. But just to be safe, authorize an appropriate automatic monthly payment to protect you from late fees and a credit blemish.

You don't yet appreciate how important a good credit history is. When you graduate, your credit rating will be looked at by landlords, utility companies, cell-phone providers, banks (if you buy or lease a car) and even employers.

"The worst thing you can do is miss a payment," says Ellen Cannon, managing editor of Bankrate.com. "That will damage your credit score, which is the basis of your financial life."

Look for a low-rate student card with no annual fees, like Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa for College Students (0% interest for six months; 13.99% thereafter) or Blue Cash from American Express (0% interest for the first six months; then 8.99% to 15.99%, depending on your credit history; and a cashback feature for purchases).

I don't often get excited by a 0% introductory rate. But in this case it's a nice feature. You may charge more than you expect initially buying books and setting up your dorm room - and have to carry a balance for a month or two.

Study money

Even if you don't have to, take at least one economics and one personal-finance course. High schools don't teach much about budgets and credit or supply and demand.

These courses will open your eyes to how money works in the real world and introduce you to practical skills you'll use the rest of your life. They will also, finally, give you an inkling of what your dad's been writing about for 25 years.

See the big picture

Don't get caught up in talk on campus about which majors are the best stepping stones to financial success. You'll hear plenty of that from kids who want or may be under pressure to get a quick return from their education. Forget them. Many of those kids will end up disliking their jobs and muddling through so-so careers.

You can make a great living doing almost anything, as long as you love it. So take risks. Explore. Switch majors. Get your head out of the books and do something surprising. There's time. But find your bliss and pursue it.

Go ahead and get fluent in Spanish and study abroad if that makes your heart sing. Your knowledge and experience will pay off later on, I promise - just as you'll be rewarded for the joy you bring to tasks that excite you.

So that's it, Lexie. Of course I'll be available for more advice anytime - for the price of a phone call. Judging by how eagerly you packed your things, though, I recognize that my time would be ill spent sitting in front of the telephone waiting. That's okay, I won't. We're both ready.

Love always, Dad

Saying that I'm insanely jealous is a large understatement.

And the financial crisis hits home...

2008-10-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues:

As we are all painfully aware, our economy is experiencing one of its most challenging times in more than a half century. This situation greatly impacts every organization and every individual in the U.S., including Miami University. We have been working hard to assess how this will affect Miami and to develop financial plans based on the best information we have about the future. However, this planning is very difficult because of the great uncertainty that still exists in the economy. We cannot yet determine, for example, the size of the drop in our investment income that now seems highly likely. Ohio’s economy is also precarious, and this will very likely have a significant negative impact on our state funding.

As we announced earlier, we will be enacting a total of $5 million in one-time cuts during the current fiscal year. (Note: the fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th.) Although we cannot determine the exact status of our budget situation, given the volatile and deteriorating economy, it is important that we take additional steps now to give ourselves more time to address larger budget shortfalls that now seem likely. This will help us minimize the impact on our faculty and staff and on our students’ educational experience.

Specifically, we are taking four additional actions. First, we will immediately implement a hard hiring freeze for staff for at least the rest of the fiscal year. This means that no open classified or unclassified staff positions, including administrative positions, will be filled unless approved by the Vice-President for Finance and Business Services (in consultation with the appropriate vice president) and is determined to be critical to the university’s health. Second, all previously-authorized faculty searches are being reviewed and a substantial number will be canceled. Third, we are re-evaluating the scheduling of all capital projects, with the goal of postponing what we can. This will lead to the delay of some projects, including the remodel of Kreger Hall and the construction of the Bicentennial Student Center, until the economic situation improves.

Fourth, in this period of financial uncertainty, we need to explore every avenue to eliminate unnecessary costs and/or to more effectively and efficiently carry out our mission by better utilizing our resources. We are asking each person who has budget responsibility to closely examine the necessity of all expenditures, and we encourage everyone in our community to seek ways to streamline and reduce unnecessary costs. To make it easier to share cost saving and process improvement ideas, and to recognize those ideas, a new suggestion Web site is located at http://www.muohio.edu/ThisMakesCents/ .

As we respond to the immediate financial challenges, it is vital that we remain clearly focused on our future. Our unwavering goal is to provide the exceptional student experience that Miami is known for. We will not compromise on this. In fact, even in these difficult economic times, we must strive to make this experience even better to ensure our long-term success.
Our strategic goals allow us to identify our priorities and focus our resources on those areas that move us to the future we envision. Some areas may progress more slowly than planned, but we will not lose sight of our long-term goals as we make the difficult decisions that lie ahead.

Miami University has been successful for nearly 200 years, largely because of the resilience and commitment of our faculty, staff, and students. By working together with commitment and vision, we will succeed in meeting the challenges we face today. My deepest thanks to everyone for your continuing efforts to keep Miami strong.

David Hodge

I honestly almost started crying when I read this. The fact that the financial crisis is impacting higher education is nothing short of awful - not to mention the number of early education systems this may be affecting. My heart still swells with pride for my school as we work through this as a community.

Love and Honor To Miami

2008-10-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

2008-10-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Miami is evil and I had to register at 7am the morning after fall break. Per usual, I registered for more classes than I'm actually going to take. Here's my current schedule for my last semester at Miami:

Flight Fundamentals - A class that teaches me how to fly planes. The final is the test for a pilot's license (all I need to do on my own is get flying hours in)

History of Miami University - I'm excited to learn all about my school in my final semester.

Kid's Stuff: Toys in America - Self explanatory.

Great Depression Revisited - Wait...is this a study of the current economy? Or maybe a description of how I'm going to feel while taking this class. Either way, I hate Macro and the fact that the Econ department is only offering one Senior Capstone this semester.

Environmental Economics - A.K.A. preparation for what I want to do with my life?

French 102 - Do I really want to continue with a language? Not sure.

Regardless of what I'm taking, this is looking like the best semester I've ever had.

It's a gorgeous fall day outside. The leaves are all different colors and it's 67 degrees out. Ok nature, you win. I'm going for a run.

2008-10-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on my couch in my WARM apartment in glorious Oxford, Ohio, eating pizza and pondering the age old question:

Did Madison just own me? Or was it the other way around?

I'm gonna go with both.

On Wednesday I found a kid named Ben on the Ride Board who was also visiting Madison. I called him and told him I was as well, and would he like to carpool? The answer was a resounding yes. He occasionally visits his girlfriend who goes to Wisconsin, and the 8 hour ride alone was something he was looking to avoid (as well as the gas, which ended up as $45 each. w00t).

24 hours later we're on our way to Madison. On the way there, we split the driving pretty much 50-50 and made it there in 7 hours and 40 minutes. 20 minutes faster than anticipated!

Oh, Madison, WI. The place where my grandparents went to school, met, and fell in love. I was told to have a brat for my grandpa and an ice cream cone for my grandma.

On Thursday night I stayed with Goldstein and pretty much passed out immediately. The 1 hour time difference was getting to me. The next morning we got up, made breakfast and explored State Street. I bought some sweet Kanye sunglasses, which I sported for the rest of the day/night, and Unicorn vs. Narwhal action figures for my roommate Emily. Ballin'. All in all, it was a fairly good afternoon (besides the rain and the cold. Boo the north). Around 3:30, we made it to the Union where I was delighted to see beer was served. After a pitcher, I got brats at State Street Brats (check off the list! woohoo!) and soon after we headed off to newbie social.

I always thought I knew a ton of people at Madison, but when I was at the social the other night, I was slightly disappointed by all the strange faces. Granted, I got to know people quickly and loved talking to the newbies but it was a very strange sensation - realizing many of my friends have moved on. These feelings were quickly interrupted by the drama llama. I was downstairs for a few minutes and came back upstairs to see drunk people running around like crazy. A newbie was DJing that night, and at some point, his speakers were stolen. There were a few non-@ers who had showed up, and not only stole the speakers but presumably hit a couple of the girls. As one might imagine, shit started going down. Soon after, Monica and I left to go to the bars and the night improved greatly.

The next morning I woke up at Monica's and spent most of the day helping her and Bobby set up for their birthday party. It began at about 8:30, and debauchery occured, fa sho. Dance party and beer pong on the 1st floor, hookah lounge on the second floor. Everyone was dancing, having a blast. Williams was picked up from the airport in a limo, and after stopping at Echo Tap, showed up at the party (only to berate me for not having gone). Monica, her friends and I took a quick interlude from the party to go to the bars and Taco Bell, and then returned for a late night of hookah and learning about interesting perspectives on the bailout and other fun conversations. Not to mention a beer pong game during which Williams and I murdered Luke and Jeff (or scraped by and won by a cup. Either way). I'm pretty sure I also kegstanded for longer than Luke did. Moral of the story: I'm better than Luke. The end.

Or would that have been an early morning? We left the party at 6am and I never got to sleep. I want to say Ben understood when he picked me up why I was still unsober and and slept for most of the ride, but who knows. The 8 hour ride home was anything but a blast. I slept for most of the way. Luckily, Ohio welcomed me home with this beautiful sunset. Probably the best I've ever seen, and this picture doesn't do it justice at all. It literally stretched across half of the horizon.

I've visited a lot of schools since I've been at Miami, and everytime I come back, I am reminded of why I chose the school that I did. Miami is incredible, and I cannot imagine myself anywhere else...except MAYBE Wisconsin. Maybe This is a big deal, people. I've been to Harvard, Brown, Yale, and Princeton. I've been to Notre Dame. I've been to BC. I've been to OSU. I've been to Iowa. I've been to Montgomery Community College. I'm sorry. Miami is the place for me. Except for maybe Wisconsin. But not quite...

2008-10-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Talk to your parents about voting for John McCain

Can I have fries with that?

2008-10-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Today on the way to class I saw this flyer in the ground:

I mostly took a picture because I found it entertaining that they mixed up the words "steak" and "stake". I giggled at the image of Miami students bringing t-bones and flank steaks to the hub and putting them on the seal.

+

= ?????

An hour and one half-assed exam later, I made my own "steak" in the hub.

I also signed up to be a Campus Captain for Progressive Future. What does that mean?

That means me and 5 of my friends are in charge of calling 200 students the nights before the election to remind them to go vote!

Horray!

Who wants to be my friend?