By the time it gets to the end of the week, I’m dead. My last class on Friday ends at 2, I walk home blaring Imagine Dragons and Weezer, and either dump my backpack and catch up with my roommates, or dump my backpack and do my laundry.

Today is the Laundry Friday.

I’m currently sitting in the laundry room with my legs propped up on the table typing away and waiting for the wash to finish before I pop it into the dryer. Every five minutes someone waves to me from the doorway.

Which leads me to why I’m bringing laundry up in the first place. Even though the stereotypical college student supposedly hates laundry day, I think it has its social and therapeutic qualities.

I know, this sounds really weird, but hear me out. The laundry room in my dorm is close to the back door so it gets a lot of traffic from students walking to and from classes. Certain hours yield more people doing laundry than others, so sometimes you’ll see a fair amount of people that way, too. It’s kind of the perfect way to say hi to friends before the weekend hits and you either hole up in your dorm or spend every waking minute outside for the next 48 hours.

Last year I would bring my homework along and try to be productive during the 1+ hour of being in a relatively distraction free room. It worked! I have the distinct memory of reading Thomas Aquinas for theology and writing rough drafts of my paper on societal standards on campus for writing. The sound of the machines has this rhythmic quality to it that just becomes white noise if you stay in there long enough.

Even after the whole process of doing laundry, it still has to be folded. And that is where the true relaxing comes into play. Yeah, OK, so you probably think I’m nuts by now. But I swear there’s something soothing about repeating the same action with warm, sweet smelling fabric. Granted, it can be pretty staticky and I’m so ready to sit down after folding what is two large loads worth of clothes, but it’s still a nice chore compared to taking out the garbage.

I guess the take away from this is to look for the unexpected pleasures in life. Meet ups with friends in uncommon places, homework in rooms not intended for studious behavior, and unwinding at week’s end through mundane “normal” activities. But that’s the best part of the college life. Always expect the unexpected. Life is more enjoyable that way.

Fwap Fwap
Whoosh
Smooth Smooth
Fold
Smooth Smooth
Fold
Stretch
Smooth Smooth (quickly now)
Fold
Stretch
Smooth Smooth (faster now)
Fold

Fold

Fold

Flip

The Laundry

I think one of the most common questions a college student hears after “What’s your major?” is “What do you do for fun?” Which, when you think about it, can sometimes be difficult to answer.

Not because all college students partake in nefarious activities (that’s an overstatement), but because “fun” is a relative term. Some of my friends consider a fun time to be vegging out all weekend and cramming in homework Sunday night, while others have more energetic (albeit tiring) activities throughout the weekend.

One thing is for certain though. If you live in Baltimore, there is always something to do. There may not be as many activities on campus, but Loyola definitely isn’t a suitcase school.

Take last weekend for example. My Italian professor invited his different classes over to his house for dinner. We met his family, he made pizza (by made, I mean tossing the dough and all that jazz) and we got to hang out in a new environment. The food and company was fantastic! If a professor ever offers some sort of food, take the opportunity to spend time with them and see them outside the classroom. It’s worth it, if not only for the free meal!

I spent Saturday afternoon at a meeting with friends, then went to the Towson Mall with my roommates and had a wonderful dinner at Pho Danh Than, a Vietnamese restaurant in Towson. We blazed a trail through the slushy streets and icy sidewalks to warm up with Goi Cuon Thit Nuóng, pork summer rolls, and Bún Gà Nuróng Xa, a vermicelli dish with bean sprouts, lemon grass chicken, and a spicy/sweet sauce on the side.

The next day was the Super Bowl and you’d be fool if you didn’t get a tiny bit excited, even if it’s only for the the commercials! Honestly, my roommates and I aren’t big football people, but it was really exciting to hear the celebrations across campus after the Ravens won. We also had a fantastic spread of food!

I made hummus!

We also made pizza and fries to balance out the "healthy" food.

If going off campus isn’t your thing, during the week there’s a fair amount of special lectures, club meetings, sports, and of course downtime with friends. Oh, and sleep. Sleep is always good during the week!

Of course, if you decide to go back home for the weekend to “escape” school, you miss out on a lot of cool experiences that are unique to the Loyola campus/area.

My friend Mary alerted my roommates and me to a pottery place in Mt. Washington, which is just a short drive away from campus, so off we went Friday night (once again through the rain and wet) to spend a few relaxing hours painting and nattering away.

Later that evening, I spent some time at the studio working on intaglio prints while Erin and our friend Connor knitted and kept me company. The following day our group of friends spent another large chunk of time together celebrating Erin’s birthday with food, cake, and watching Across the Universe and The Princess Bride.

You’d think I’d had enough social interaction by now. But to be honest, it’s what I live for. I love being on a campus where I can say my dorm is my home, my friends are my family, and the time I spend with them on the weekends is my “escape” from school while still staying on campus.

“I just have five more gen ed classes and the next three years will be all neuroscience and chemistry.”
“What!?!?! Five? Only five? I have like, I don’t know, fifteen!!!”
“Hahahahahaaaa, sucks for you.”

That is the rough summary of a conversation between me and one of my best friends last year. We had been talking about graduation requirements while enjoying the shade of a nearby sidewalk cafe on a hot summer afternoon.

To be honest, my reaction to “Sucks for you” was “Mmmm” as I sipped my drink. Because if you think about it, wouldn’t you rather be doing what you love sooner, instead of having to balance core (gen ed) classes with your major/minor requirements? As I reached for a french fry from the basket between us, I tried to remember when a core class at Loyola turned out to be something I “loved” without knowing it.

Maybe I had missed something, a discussion in Theology that really got me to think about a global issue, a poem in English that inspired me to write one of my own, a lesson in CompSci that made me appreciate the complexity of the web*. At the time, I couldn’t come up with anything. Don’t get me wrong, I liked those classes, loved them even, but nothing stood out that made the core at Loyola “essential” to my understanding of “the bigger picture.”

And then last semester happened.

I don’t know if it was the combination of classes, the professors, or just the content, but suddenly everything started to click. Every week I had a Eureka moment of “Oh my God! We just talked about this author in my other class! And he relates to both classes! Ah!”

Here’s a less vague example: My first core History class started with the Renaissance, as did my Art History class. Throughout the semester we’d be covering the same time periods, but focus on different aspects of society and I was able to see how politics and cultural trends directly affected the art world, in every era. My Art History class covered the 1970s feminist contributions which were later discussed in my Life Drawing class because the representation of the female nude is a huge point of contention. That Life Drawing class also had assigned readings relating to philosophy and the concept of what makes us truly human which my Philosophy professor ensured we discussed when we read Plato’s Timaeus. Those connections made those classes worthwhile. I was excited for whatever came next, knowing that it might relate to a different class.

You don’t get that in high school, and you definitely don’t get that in all colleges. There’s a lot of early specialization in state schools, and if there is a core, you don’t have to take 2  classes of Theology, Philosophy, English, History, and Social Science, courses which teach you to think in totally unexpected and different ways.

Unexpected. That’s the best way to describe it, I think. We’re reading Frankenstein right now in my Lit class and Rousseau in my Philosophy class. Suddenly the debate about human nature and man’s “natural state” takes on a whole new meaning. I just learned about comparative cost in my Microecon class and boy does that change my rate of procrastination!

Maybe it’s pure luck that my classes are working out this way. Maybe my attitude has changed from last year and I view classes differently now. Maybe I’m just paying more attention.

No matter why this change has occurred, what’s important is that it has. Last year I was frustrated at not seeing how my classes tied into each other. I was forcing that connection the Loyola brochures advertise as an advantage of the core. This year I see, hear, and understand those connections. I finally get it. And it’s beautiful.

*For the record, since this chat with my friend, I have realized all of those possibilities are true.

Hey you! Yeah, you! Com’ere. Now listen carefully. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There’s this document called The Loyola Factbook. It’s packed with information, and I don’t know how many people know about it, but it’s AMAZING. There are numbers on everything. Every major, every ethnicity, every professor, every grad student who comes here is part of this demographic booklet. And let me tell you, the numbers make sense! You can actually see the evidence in the student body. Now, pretend I’m just part of the wall and walk away slowly.

In all seriousness though, you should check it out. If you’ve ever stood on the stairs at Maryland Hall and looked out at the throngs of students passing by, you’ll see certain trends, and I’m not just talking about fashion. Just take a quick glance: the first thing you’ll notice is the amount of girls on campus.

True, you can see packs of guys walking together, but for the most part girls surround them, weave in and out, and generally overtake the population. (The exact number, by the way, is 61% and 39%. Class years vary, but they’re all pretty close.)

I know I’m about to lose you if I don’t stop with numbers and stats and vague commentary, so think about this and how it might relate to living with almost 2,400 girls and just over 1,500 guys:

An Official Girlfriend Application

Yes, you read that correctly. Application. When I first saw this circulating online, I just laughed. Whatever, right? But I’m starting to realize we live in a world where we make decisions based on statistics, friendships based on profiles, and relationships (boss, co-worker, professor, etc.) based on applications.

The Official Girlfriend Application

So, when it comes to living on a campus where guys are in high demand and everyone is fairly competitive, this application is very tempting to fill out and tape to my door. As a joke of course.

I’m also fairly certain that if/when my parents read this, they will have qualms about me releasing personal information (a concern I share). So, as fun as it would be to carry around this handy application, here are some tips to carry instead.

How To Survive On a Mostly Girls Campus and Maintain Your Sanity

1. Be practical. I get it, you want to look fresh, cute, and catch the guy’s eye, but seriously folks. Those cobblestones on the bridge are not safe for stilettos! At any time of day! And guys, shorts and flip flops in February is a very debatable fashion choice.
2. Be smart. I don’t mean this in a “take care of yourself way,” even though that’s true, too. Be smart and show your smarts. Feigning ignorance of knowledge in and out of class doesn’t garner respect for either gender.
3. Be diverse. Try new activities, join new clubs, go to the FAC. Getting involved means getting to meet new people.
4. Stay relaxed. You already have to concentrate on school, extra-curriculars, probably a job, maybe even an internship. Don’t stress about looking for a guy in such a competitive environment, especially if it distances you from other aspects of your life. The same goes for you strapping young lads out there. Just because there’s an abundance of girls doesn’t mean you should revel in excess.
5. Stay silly. This goes with the relaxed bit. It’s OK to be goofy, to laugh so much your eyes tear, to freak out over your favorite band/book/TV show, to make silly faces at friends in public.
6. Stay true to yourself. I know, it’s cliche, but it’s so vital to figuring out who you are and where you belong as a young adult. It’s more important to feel comfortable with yourself than try to fit into a mold you think others want.

I know this post probably resonated more with my girl readers, but guys, thank you for bearing with me!

The Official Boyfriend App

Have you ever been reading for class, and maybe even for fun, come across a word you don’t know, and proceeded to look it up? Confession: Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. It’s a matter of being close to a dictionary and/or remembering to look up the word later when I do have a dictionary.

Either way, when I do learn a new word, it always seems to be some obscure, Latin-based, beyond SAT requirement expression. And sometimes that’s pretty cool. I mean, any language is infinite, constantly evolving and being modified to accommodate our rapidly changing world. As impressive as it is to learn that the Oxford Dictionary just included tweeps, takeaway, and soul patch, I think it’s time we went a bit retro.

Here’s a (goofy) list of some classics and how to apply them in a Loyola lifestyle. (All definitions courtesy of Oxford Online Dictionary)

Suitor: noun, A man who pursues a relationship with a woman, with a view to marriage. The 60:40 ratio on campus made it difficult for young women to find suitors.

Natter: noun, Talk casually; chat. Students frequently natter away at the table by Starbucks.

Bumbershoot: noun, An umbrella. The weather in Baltimore is so fickle every student should have a bumbershoot.

Freck: verb, To move swiftly or nimbly. My friends and I frecked across campus to go to Chordbusters.

Twitter-light: noun, Twilight. When crossing the bridge to Campion and Newman, the twitter-light is particularly appealing.

Swell: adj, Excellent; very good. I think Loyola’s core requirements are quite swell.

Brouhaha: noun, A noisy and overexcited reaction or response. There is always a collective brouhaha when the Loyolapalooza band is announced.

Cloying: adv, An excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment. The Febreeze left a cloying scent in the air after being sprayed in the flooded apartment.

Defenestrate: noun, The action of throwing someone out a window. Students would almost defenestrate themselves to get out of the classroom as soon as it was 75 and sunny.

Flummox: verb, Perplex greatly; bewilder. I am always flummoxed at how quickly finals approach.

Humdinger: noun, A remarkable or outstanding person or thing of its kind. It’s not hard to find a humdinger professor during your time at Loyola.

Cahoots: pl noun, Colluding or conspiring together secretly. My friends and I were in cahoots planning Ben’s birthday last year.

Kerfuffle: noun, A commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views. Philosophy club kerfuffles are always interesting to watch.

Lambast: verb, Criticize harshly. It’s not uncommon for freshman to be lambasted in their first college paper.

Skullduggery: noun, Underhand, unscrupulous, or dishonest behavior/activities. Loyola has strict policies on skullduggery.

Thrall: noun, The state of being in someone’s power, or of having great power over someone. Students are careful not to become thralls to stress-inducing homework or mass procrastination.

Winsome: adj, Attractive or appealing in a fresh, innocent way. Everyone starts the autumn term looking winsome and energetic.

Saucy: adj, Suggestive in a light-hearted and humorous way. My friends’ saucy retorts provide great amusement and get me through the day.

Balderdash: noun, Senseless talk or writing; nonsense. “Didn’t you hear? They’re trying to cancel Midnight Breakfast!” “Balderdash!”

Woolgathering: noun, Dreamy imagining; absent-mindedness. The Humanities porch is a perfect place to exercise woolgathering.

There is a certain creature of collegiate life whose existence will soon be obliterated. It’s appearance is rather plain, leaving room for human modification. It attaches itself to the doors of residence halls where it feeds on the thoughts of passing strangers and the inside jokes of unsuspecting room occupants.

Oftentimes this versatile being is accompanied by a small, black utensil which acts as a distraction to prey, luring them to the white plastic void. A few subspecies have been discovered which pair themselves with a spongy surface that attracts loose pieces of paper.

Unbeknownst to the wider public, this secretly social critter is losing its place in the world of modern communication.

That’s right folks. The whiteboard is slowly but surely growing extinct in the halls of college dorms.

At least, it seems that way based on my quest for the elusive creature earlier this evening.
Yes, I really did walk around looking for whiteboards with my roommate. And yes, my own room has a white board, which we use for leaving messages about dinner, our whereabouts, silly quotes, and seasonal doodles. I don’t know what impression my neighbors have of me based on that board, but I’m sure it’s an interesting one!

If you based all your assumptions about college on movies and TV, you’d think every door has a whiteboard and no one has anything better to do than leave cute messages for each other. It’s like in those middle school TV shows when the girl finds a mysterious note in her locker shoved in through the air slots. Everyone has a secret desire to find that note, or in college, the “Sorry I missed you, call me -(name)” scribbled on the board. It shows that someone’s thinking about you.

So, if we all go into college expecting to see whiteboards, and bringing whiteboards with us, then why aren’t they actually used?

Of the eight floors (I believe 152 rooms) I searched, there were only 19 rooms with whiteboards. Seven of these were blank.

Some of the boards had welcome back messages, but many had goofy jokes and drawings (like my own room’s)

The interesting bit is that as I worked my way down from the first year to upperclassmen floors, the number of boards decreased. Well, with the exception of the floor for Ad Finitum, which actually had the most whiteboards.

Why this change? Why are there so few whiteboards in the first place? What has caused this change in communication?

It’s very easy to say technology, but is that all? Sure, blame it on the instantaneous text message, the Skype chat, the faceless email, but I feel like there’s something else to this picture.

The human element of interaction. Whether it’s a physical handshake or a physical note, it’s something that is becoming less and less prevalent in our culture. I’m not saying technology is bad, or we should stop texting and start writing missives to our friends. I’m just making an observation.

If you’re wondering how I came to make this observation in the first place, or at least to look into it, well, my boss asked me to. At first I thought “What? Whiteboards? Really?” but it slowly grew on me. I got excited to look into this seemingly random yet relevant topic and I think the results were worth it!

Remember how I had major issues writing my first post? I sat staring at my screen for half an hour not knowing how to introduce myself and worried that people wouldn’t even read this. Since then it’s gotten increasingly easier, but this week I hit a roadblock.

It was like all the creative parts of my brain had taken a permanent holiday. All the negative, doubtful thoughts swarmed in and made it difficult to trust myself and my abilities.

After a very long time of chasing around possible topics in my head, I decided to make a list, and finally experienced enough confidence to start writing. So here I sit, or lie, rather, on my bed, surrounded by pillows, snuggled up in my hoodie, and listening to movie scores, telling myself I will dazzle you all with my …

Top 15 Reasons to Look Forward to Spring Semester at Loyola

New Classes
A fresh start, a clean slate, call it what you will, but it’s so nice to come back to school with limitless possibilities. Personally, I’m looking forward most to my Printmaking class and Major Writers Lit class.

Roommates’ Birthdays
Two of my roommates are celebrating their birthdays this semester! Everyone loves the opportunity to go out for dinner, relax for a bit, and enjoy each others’ company.

Winter Formal
Ok, so I didn’t go last year, and I don’t know if I’ll go this year, but the Winter Formal sponsored by the RHA is pretty cool. Every year Loyola students line up for tickets to go to the Aquarium to dance the night away.

Poetry Club’s Valentine’s Day Celebrations
I think one of my favorite memories from freshman year was experiencing the chaos of Valentine’s Week in Poetry Club. There’s an Erotic Poetry Night, in which students read poetry geared towards the day of love (laughter guaranteed). The club also makes, sells, and delivers Valentine candy-grams as a fundraiser (I promise I will go into detail closer to the date! No spoilers!).

Waking Up to the Sun
No more stumbling around in the dark when you get up for class! Now I’ll actually get up when my alarm goes off!

Titus Andronicus
This year’s symposium play is Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, made up of an all female cast (including my roommate!) and is scheduled for February 21-24.

Flowers Blooming
You can’t deny it. Spring flowers smell fantastic. Despite the allergies that come along with it.

Picnics on the Quad
I don’t care if it’s a cliche. You have to. It’s so much fun, just sitting with friends, chatting, eating a packed lunch, and later lying on the quad watching the clouds go by.

Knitting Club’s Trip to Lovely Yarns
I am determined to get the Knifty Knitters over to the local knitting shop in Hampden. I’ve never been there, but Lovely Yarns seems to be a beautiful and interesting place.

Finger/Splatter Painting Outside
My roommates and I have decided to get a large roll of paper, spread it out on the lawn, and finger or splatter paint it. Just for kicks. Having fun with paint isn’t just for kindergarten!

Soaking Up the Sun on Humanities Porch
By far one of the student body’s favorite activities. As soon as it gets warm everyone vies for a coveted rocking chair on the sunlit porch of Humanities. It’s perfect for people watching, doing homework, and, in my case, starting to sunburn early.

Spring Movie Releases
I don’t know which I should be more excited for: Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness or Wait…Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

Barbecues
Or at least the smell of them! One of the few times I get homesick is when I smell charcoal cooking something delicious out on the quad or by the dorms. Always reminds me of the street fairs back home!

Strolling Around Sherwood Gardens
There’s a public block by Loyola that has wonderful gardens and is full of families and wedding parties in the spring. It’s a good way to get off campus and experience multitudes of tulips.

Loyolapalooza
If you don’t go to this music/food/friend fest, you are missing out on a LOT. Every year Loyola students pack the quad to listen to good music, eat great food, and share a few more memories with friends before the semester ends. Last year Jack’s Mannequin and The Palace at 4 AM rocked the stage, but I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year!

As you can see, springtime at Loyola is pretty sweet and goes by surprisingly fast! Even if I don’t get to do everything on this list, I’m still looking froward to a spectacular semester.

Wow! I haven’t written in a month and it feels … weird. At first it was nice not to stress about writing a post during finals, and then it was also nice to enjoy my Christmas peacefully, but afterwards I kind of missed it. Really missed it, actually.

By the end of break I was itching to write about my adventures and, oddly enough, get back to my hectic life on campus. Sometimes the schoolwork can be overwhelming (It’s only been two days and I have so much homework!), but I think if I wasn’t as busy as I am, I wouldn’t be happy. I need activity in my life; whether it’s mental, physical, or emotional, I need something to be invested in.

I think that’s why I was so busy over break, and let me tell you, this was no resort in the Bahamas or skiing in the Alps!

But I’m not going to give you a blow-by-blow. That would be immensely boring and I have enough pictures to make this much more interesting. However, I will explain a few events because not all pictures tell an accurate story!

My aunt started a crazy tradition of having an “ugly sock contest” and I usually got stuck with all the horrible socks. This year I got my revenge!

I think this was one of my favorite parts of break. My cousin who lives in New York City asked me to cat sit for her during New Year's weekend so I brought my friend Phoebe & Stacey along on the journey into the city and spent five glorious days exploring together.

Our walk in Central Park turned into Let’s-Find-All-The-Places-Where-They-Filmed-Doctor-Who. Which was brilliant! I think we climbed on every boulder in the southern half of the park until we found the right one.

You'll never believe where we went next!

The Daintiest Thing Under A Bonnet Charity Ball hosted by the Baker Street Babes. A Sherlockian dinner and auction whose total proceeds went to the Wounded Warrior Project. (Photo Cred – Melinda Caric)

Photo cred Melinda Caric

I got to spend a few days at home reading, doing laundry, and curling up with my cat, but it’s safe to say I had more fun running around with my friends than sleeping!

Somewhere in there I played Cards Against Humanity, saw Les Mis and Django Unchained (I can’t believe I got carded to buy my ticket), and almost made it to The Hobbit.

And that, my dear readers, pretty much wraps up my winter break! I hope you all had a wonderful time with your family, or away from work, or enjoying yourself in some small way. Here’s to a new year and a new semester!

I sit here, sipping my Chai tea
letting smooth tones
of Christmas jazz
wash over me.
The foggy gray sky offers little hope
of wint’ry snow
or distraction
from final’s mope.
But in a bag I have a small yarn stash,
which will be used
to make presents
worth more than cash.

With finals drawing near, so too does Christmas. This means many things for college students:

1. Shopping for gifts is a perfectly good procrastination excuse.
2. More reasons to bake and eat cookies!
   
3. It’s socially acceptable to wear dorky Christmas sweaters.
4. (Free) Department dinners.
5. Knitting comes in handy for whipping up last minute presents.

Ok, so the last one is kind of tailored to my own Christmas plans, but it’s more common than you think.

I grew up in a crafty household, and quickly learned that hand-made presents were cherished more than those I bought at the store. It sounds horribly cliche, and maybe I over do it when I paint my own “gift wrap” (paper bags, since I’m too lazy/broke to buy holiday paper), but I promise you those hand made gifts are worth all the hours you put into them.

I remember when I first learned counted cross-stitch and I spent several years churning out kitchy samplers and ornaments for my family. Shortly after that came knitting and crocheting which launched my brief career in scarves. There were also short stints of beading and I’m pretty sure everyone remembers those woven potholders!

Sooner or later everyone in my family received (or is receiving) something I made, and I don’t mean that in a pompous “I’m better than you are” way at all. It just kind of happened. And those hand made presents, no matter how young and inexperienced I was at the time, still hang on walls, get put on the Christmas tree, or are worn when the weather gets chilly.

You may not be the best artist (I know I’m not) or craftsman, but you don’t have to be. The only thing that matters is that you put care and (this is so cheesy) love into the production of the gift. I like to joke with my friends at knitting club that if I’m working on a project and I keep on messing up or the pattern is frustrating, I’ll put it down and let it rest so it doesn’t get bad karma. It sounds silly, but it’s true. You can really tell when knitters had a hard time with a project (tight stitches) and/or if they put a lot of effort into it (resilience despite a few mistakes).

Sometimes the process of making something means more than the end result, which I think a few of my fellow knitters are discovering!

No matter what you choose to make or buy, it’s the thought behind the gift that makes people smile.

Have you ever been so happy and thoroughly enjoying yourself that you can’t stop smiling?
How about being so lost in the moment that the only thing you can focus on is the joy you are experiencing right then?

If you have, that’s wonderful. If you haven’t, don’t worry! There’s plenty of time to get on that. Because let’s face it, going through life day after day, week after week, year after year, only thinking about the future and worrying about everything that is coming up immanently can really stress you out. It sucks all the spontaneity and joyful surprises out of your experiences. And that just … sucks.

So that is why after going through this weekend and taking time to reflect, I decided I’d squeeze one more “usual” post in before writing something about Christmas at Loyola.

And let me just warn you: the things that got me grinning like a fool and living in the moment are not things I’d expect to lose myself in. Especially as one centered around the music my grandpa listens to (which I secretly love).

Can you hazard a guess? Yes? No? Maybe? Well, um, here goes:

SWING DANCING, BABY!

Yeah, who would have guessed I’d spend my Friday night with a great group of friends learning how to swing dance (at the Mobtown Ballroom) and then use those moves on the dance floor?

It was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Seriously. I didn’t know how it would go, which is probably why I had such a great time, and even though I may not be the best dancer in the world, it didn’t matter. I learned lead (the guy part, because at first there weren’t enough guys), and spent a good two hours kicking up my heels with people who were truly enjoying themselves. Yeah, ok, it was a bit awkward at first because no one knew what they were doing, but by the end my roommate and I were twirling each other around and having a grand old time.

I wish I had more pictures of the action, but the lighting wasn’t that great and I didn’t feel like blinding people with my camera’s flash.

I will say that sitting between dances and being asked to dance kind of made me feel like I was in a Victorian romance novel. It sounds ridiculously cheesy, but I couldn’t help but think of Pride and Prejudice while chatting with my friends.

By the end of the night we all agreed we wanted to go again next semester, so I’m super excited for that!

Now, going along with this musical theme of entertainment, my Saturday night was spent in a similar manner, though not as physically draining.

CHORDBUSTERS!!!!

Anyone who goes to Loyola knows that at some point they have to go to this amazing concert hosted by the Chimes and Belles, the two a cappella groups here. I’ve mentioned them before, but then I’ve only seen them sing a few songs at a time. Not a two-hour concert of sketch comedy and fantastic renditions of pop music from all eras. My favorites were Sweet Disposition, Hey Ya, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and All I Want For Christmas.

As I sat there in total awe of the Chimes’ ability to crank out high energy and high notes, I marveled at the human voice. It can truly do spectacular things. Those songs may not have given me the shivers (like Amazing Grace, goosebumps every time), but trust me when I say I couldn’t stop smiling.

It’s not very often I can shake all the worries I have going through my head and truly enjoy a leisure activity. Being able to do that this weekend was so freeing, I only wish I was able to experience it more often. But then again, would that reoccurrence take away from the appreciation of these special events?

I don’t know about that answer, but I do know that music has something to do with it!