Kevin at Ripon

Wow, I need to keep up on my blog...haha

2009-03-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it just occurred to me that I haven't posted a blog for a month now! Jeeze, it kinda slipped my mind haha.
This is the first day of being back from spring break, and it's cold. And clumsy me, I forgot my dufflebag of clothes at home lol :( On the positive side, I scored very high on my Calculus II exam!!
My spring break started off extremely well. I hung out with friends during the first couple days. Last Sunday was my personal favorite because I attended the South Side St. Patricks Day parade on Chicago's southwest side. The festivities lasted all day long! Unfortunately, my break hit a rough spot on Tuesday when I had to get all four of my wisdom teeth removed, so I basically sat inside for 3 days straight. All I can say is that the Ice cream, chocolate shakes, pudding, and jello were amazing!! :P

Start of a New Week

2009-02-23T11:28:00.001-08:00

So there's a lot of work for me to make up this week, and I'm already kinda looking forward to the weekend :( At least it's a nice day, and classes haven't been too bad lately.
On the sports side, my Chicago Blackhawks have been looking good again, but they had a crushing loss yesterday to the Minnesota Wild. The game ended 2-1, but the hawks had 45 shots on goal compared to the Wild's 24. I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles!

Mondays are no fun :(

2009-02-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

It has been an extremely long day so far...at least classes weren't difficult!! Last night, I was kept awake by the constant beating of drumsticks by a neighbor who insisted on playing "Rock Band" until 2 o'clock in the morning. Yeah, so I didn't get a very good sleep, especially since my first class was at 8.
On the positive side, this has been a beautiful February day. The sun has been shining all day and the temperature is normal for this time of the year. Things are looking good!

Sunny Day

2009-02-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today hovered around 50 degrees the entire time! It was pretty funny to see the high amount of students walking around in shorts and t-shirts :)
I know that this weather will not last...IT'S WISCONSIN, PEOPLE!!! But all I can do is hope that this beautiful day lasts a little longer or that there will be more of these to come.

A break in the weather

2009-02-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been bitter cold here in Ripon, but there has been a major thaw recently. I'm so glad that I don't have dress up as heavily!! Even though things are looking nice as of now, I have a tough schedule ahead of me this week...I have three exams!! Let's just hope I can make it through this week and sail smoothely into the weekend :)
Anyways, I thought it would be a good idea to blog today bc I seriously forget just about every other time that I work. :-/

Tuesdays! Horaay

2009-02-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the sarcasm in the title, but I'm feeling absolutely stoked for the weekend...even though there are still a few days left in the week. I've been feeling kinda stressed lately, but thats life, right?
Even though I'm feeling kinda down, I think that things will rebound and get a whole lot better! But all I can do is focus on my schooling and work, and it'll get easier soon!

Back to school

2009-01-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

After a long and uninteresting break, I'm finally glad that school is back in session. It has been very very nice to see old friends and to hang out with people. I have decided to pledge for the fraternity of Theta Chi, and I'm looking forward to having an awesome semester! Greek life isn't for everybody, but I feel right at home among the brothers!!

Sorry For the Absence...Classes Are Over!!

2008-12-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

The last week has been pretty busy, and it completely slipped my mind to upkeep my blog! Sorry!
But on a lighter note, today was the last day of classes. All my lab equipment is returned, and presentations are complete. I cant wait until the final exams are over and I get to see my family for the holidays!!

Winter!

2008-12-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

I've always heard the Wisconsin winters are very harsh, and I never believed it...until now. Growing up in Chicago, I figured that Wisconsin isn't too far away to make a big difference in weather conditons and temperature. Well...I was wrong. The winter weather back home isn't very pretty either, but there is a significant difference up here. Don't get me wrong, I love the winter, but not the cold wind!!!
Anyways, the recent snows have been quite enjoyable, except for the ride back to Ripon after Thanksgiving break...the roads were terrible! Moving on, the snowball fights have been good as ever, and there have been plenty of people sledding down by Sadoff.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

This is my last time in the office before Thanksgiving, so I would like to wish everybody a happy and fortunate Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to visiting everyone in my family, and I can't wait to have an awesome feast.
To my surprise, it snowed a few inches last night. I had a couple good snowball fights with friends earlier, and attempted to make a snowman...my hands got too cold because I wasn't wearing any gloves haha!
All this talk of snow and ice has reminded me of some hockey, and I am happy to announce that the Blackhawks came back from a 3-0 deficit on Saturday night to upset the Maple Leafs in overtime...this happened much to the dismay of my girlfriend who is a Toronto fan, so I would like to rub it in her face : P

Blackhawks, baby!

2008-11-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Blackhawks are out to a rare start. They are 9-4-5...pretty impressive compared to the last decade of gameplay. Not only that, the organization has been setting up some solid fan promotions, and it looks like it's working...why? because the Hawks have the highest average home attendance in the entire NHL. Chicago's old-time hardcore fans are coming back out to support their team. Currently, the hawks are on one of their toughest away stretches and are already 2-0. Tomorrow night, they will be tested against the Toronto Maple Leafs...a great match; I'm already looking foreward to it!!!

Let It Snow

2008-11-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

You can't help but notice how beautiful Wisconsin becomes when it starts to snow. It feels very nice to look out the window and see the flurries rush past the window. I know that I'm enjoying the snowfall as of now, but my opinion will probably progressively change the sooner we approach spring.
It's only a little over a week until Thanksgiving, and I'm getting more excited by the day!

Already Craving Thanksgiving

2008-11-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

It's really beginning to feel like November weather conditions, and I can't help but think about the Thanksgiving meal my family will have. It's usually the best dinner of the year, and I'm excited to get the chance to see my whole family over the holiday. I haven't seen much of my relatives this year, and I am soooooo excited to catch up with everybody....Let's just hope the next two weeks don't drag out too long!

Here Comes Winter

2008-11-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

Along with the Packer's horrible defeat yesterday against the Vikings came some bitter Wisconsin weather. It's hovering around 30 degrees right now, and we've even experienced occasional flurries. Hopefully we can get some snow and a change in scenery. Thanksgiving is upon us and I can't wait to go home and spend the holiday with my family!

Looking for another IM Tshirt

2008-11-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

I was just added to the roster on one of the college's intramural soccer teams. So far, the team is looking great, and I'm hungry to take home a tshirt for another intramural championship.
I'm beginning to look forward to the colder days of the year, and I'm almost positive that they're not far off. We're predicted to cool down significantly and possibly get snow over the weekend. I've been itching to go sledding!

Beautiful Day

2008-11-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Coming to Ripon, I expected to have nothing less than the most harsh winters I would ever see. So far, it has been no different than back home. Seriously, it's in the 60s right now and we're in the first week of November. I expected there to be about a half foot of snow accumulated on the ground.
Right now is kind of boring, I feel too busy thinking about future plans rather than focusing on school. I've really been trying to plan a getaway weekend and bring a few friends to Chicago in early December so we can spend a night downtown. Hopefully we will definitely try this time instead of copping out at the end.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T11:38:00.001-07:00

Upon waking this morning, I became deeply disturbed. It looked irregularly dark this morning, so I thought I had set my alarm too early. Not the case at all...It really was time to get up, and I figured it would be a perfectly dark and gloomy day for Halloween. Much to my dismay, the weather cleared up. It's unseasonably warm and sunny for this time of year in Ripon. I never would have thought the temperature would get this warm again until spring.
Tonight, I plan to head down to the quads and join some Halloween festivities with my gf and other friends. In all respects, it should be a spectacular night!

Back in Black

2008-10-27T11:28:00.001-07:00

Fall break...a time where a Ripon College student returns home and completes nothing even remotely productive. Personally, I must have spent at least' 80 hours sitting on my couch. Besides getting up to make food, I did NOTHING. The only excitement came during the weekends and last Thursday. Most other colleges do not have a fall break, so almost none of my buddies were home except weekends.
Thursday was the only bright spot during my stay at home. My family and a few neighbors hooked a sky box at Chicago's United Center for the Blackhawks' match against the Edmonton Oilers. The game turned out to be a blast and the Hawks won 3-0, not to mention the three fights during gameplay.

Championship Game, baby!!!

2008-10-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Two, days ago, my softball team beat out team penetration to make it to the championship match. Beyond all belief, the fourth seed Merriman upset the league best Space Jam Kazaam. So all we have to do is stay confident and play our game. If we can manage to stick to the plan, then we should take the final game easily. In our first playoff game, we allowed too many walks and made a few critical fielding errors; making the score a little close for comfort, but about half of their runs resulted the 14 walks given up.

Homecoming Weekend

2008-10-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I had a very nice time yesterday as a couple friends and my girlfriend celebrated my 19th birthday. We had cake (which was extremely chocolatey) until we were completely stuffed.
Tonight, I'm going to get caught up on school work and then hang out with my buddies later on.
Since this is homecoming weekend, there will be plenty of sports events, so I might go and attend the football game against Beloit College. Go Redhawks!

It Must be my Birfday

2008-10-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well its a beautiful morning this October 9, which just so happens to be my 19th birthday. Last night I had a good time with friends and my girlfriend, and we took a very late night stroll in the prairie as well. It was wonderful to see the moonlit sky with all the stars out and about.
Today, I plan on relaxing and just chillin out with all the people I enjoy most.

Best $5 I've Ever Spent

2008-10-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, I signed up for a campus sponsored activity, and we went paintballing up by green bay. The cover charge was only five bucks, and I was a little nervous at first because I have never gone before. The teams were evenly split, and we started having fun right away. Aside from a few bruises, everything went awesome. Everybody had great stories to tell afterward. The whole thing lasted about 4 hours. The $5 cover was only to pay the gas for the trip.
I have no idea why, but this has been one of the worst sporting weekends I have ever witnessed. The Packers lost a terrible game, and the Brew Crew were knocked out of the playoffs. Not only that, my White Sox must win tonight in order to force Game 5 in the ALDS. It seems that they're pretty much toast as of right now, but they can maybe turn things around right now and give Tampa Bay a run for their money.

Union Party!

2008-10-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the red light-green light party at Ripon's Union Hall and Pub. It is a mainly social event, being hosted by the Theta Chis and Kappa Deltas. For the event, people who are currently in relationships wear red, singles wear green, and for people for whom their relationship status is complicated-yellow. I'll proudly be wearing my red color tonight and hope to have a great time...perhaps giving pointers to any of those in green haha.
Also, I'm going paintballing tomorrow for most of the day. The cover charge is only five bucks to attend. I'm sure thats most likely for bus fees. Anyways, I hope to enjoy a packed but enjoyable weekend.

Soxtober and Construction

2008-10-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

October has finally arrived and the White Sox are the AL Central division champs...sorry twins fans. Once again, it feels like the sox are bringing the same excitement into the playoffs as the 2005 season when they took it all. Watching a bunch of veteran baseball players jumping around like a bunch of kids made me feel like they can actually pull it off (maybe with a little more difficulty this time through, haha.).
One thing I've noticed in the past week is the amount of construction going on around campus. The school is knocking out the streets cutting through campus in order to make it completely closed to traffic. It's a bit annoying as of now to hear all the machinery moving around outside, but I hope that it will make Ripon look much better in the end.

Lets Go Soxside!!

2008-09-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today, my south side white sox are taking on the Tigers in a makeup game. It isn't a meaningless game by any means. If they lose, their solid season will be for nothing. After a W for today, they would force a tie-breaker against the Twins in order to reach the playoffs. Best of luck to Gavin Floyd and let's hope he has a stellar performance in today's outing.
Aside from sports, I got to see my parents and sister over family weekend, and we had an enjoyable time. I'm missing my buddies back home and hope I can see most of them when I go back for fall break.

Parents Weekend

2008-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Family weekend is finally here, and it has been over a month since I have even seen a member of my family. A month may seem like a good chunk of time, but it has felt extremely short. I really miss them and want to have the most enjoyable weekend possible. And if I think about it, I'll be heading home again for fall break in just 3 short weeks.
And I almost forgot...we won a game and lost a really close one this past tuesday for softball, so we're looking like one of the best teams in the league.
Yesterday my FYS Literary Love class traveled to Green Springs, WI to see A Midsummer Night's Dream at the outdoor theater. The weather conditions were extremely sunny and hot...I got a ton of sunburn. But besides that it was a very enjoyable play and a good experience.

Mondays...what a drab

2008-09-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

So it's everybody's least favorite day of the week and to top it all off, the Packers lost a terrible game to the Cowboys last night. Honestly, I don't think I have ever seen so many people become so upset from a football game. But whatever, the season is still young and there's plenty of time to correct mistakes.
On another note, I'm hoping my Chicago White Sox can clinch the AL Central and blast their way into the playoffs. Although they are not the most talented of teams, they have a group of veterans who have never won a world series title and are hungry for one of their last chances to win it. So if the pitching staff can remain solid, the south side boys might have a great shot to go far this year.
Tomorrow, I play in a double header for intramural softball and hope face some stiffer competition than OET because we beat them 19-0 with only 7 players on the field. I guess we'll find out whether we're among the top teams in the league after tomorrow.

Chillax Time!

2008-09-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Whew, my biology and organic chemistry first exams are done and over with, and I think I did fairly well on both, so no worries, but my brain felt like absolute mush after all the studying I've done in the past few days. An overworked head was no match for a haughty meal at the commons earlier. It really energized me. Now, the only thing on my mind is how I'm going to spend the weekend and just take a breather. Hopefully I can hook up with some buddies and watch a movie in their dorm. Whatever happens this weekend, I just want to enjoy it and keep my mind off of school for a bit.

September 18, 2008

2008-09-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, we had our first intramural softball game. Despite my 3-5 p.m lab, I barely made it to the 5 game on time. The sky was bright and fields a little damp from the previous days rain, but the conditions didn't hinder our performances. With three homeruns in the first inning we took a lead that would not squander as the game progressed. In the end, our team won in three innings because of a mercy rule, giving us a 1-0 record.
Wednesdays are my most filled days because of four morning classes followed by a three hour chem lab. Although yesterday felt extremely long, our labs about chromatography and the synthesis of acetanilide were very interesting and fun to be able to do without help from instructors.
Today, I must prepare for two exams, and I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting weekend with friends.

An enjoyable weekend

2008-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Besides the regular load of homework, my weekend was very eventful. On friday night, about a dozen friends and I drove to Oshkosh to see the Coen brothers' newest feature, Burn After Reading. The film was a dark comedy resembling a mix of Fargo and The Departed. After the movie, we headed back for campus and hung out the rest of the night. The next morning, I participated in the frisbee golf tournament that the Theta Chis hosted. The whole experience was a blast, and the frat brothers were our caddies. No matter where the frisbees went, they had to fetch them. A few of the members of Theta Chi had to trek into forests, creeks, and even climb up trees to get lost frisbees.
Although my first intramural softball game got rained out, I'm looking forward to our double-header this coming Tuesday.

Fall Softball

2008-09-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

9/11/08
Yesterday was my intramural softball practice, and our team is looking absolutely stellar. Although one of our big players recently underwent surgery, our team will still hold out strong. Every guy on the team can hit bombs and the girls all have had prior softball experience. I'm wishing for a successful first game tonight and hoping everyone stays healthy and on top of their game.

First week at Ripon

2008-09-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

At first, coming to Ripon college felt like it would be a scary experience. I have never been away from home for an extended period of time, and I didn't know a single person on campus. There was a bit of doubt in my mind about how I would do at school. To my surprise, the summer orientation for incoming freshman turned to be a complete success. The orientation committee composed a packed schedule which encouraged first years to come out and join activities which helped students get to know each other as soon as possible. Through events such as playfair and comedy sports, I was able to meet plenty of new friends. Not only that, I plan on joining the swim team this year, and it has been great to meet up with my team captain and even hanging out with him and the rest of the guys on the weekend.
Aside from a social life, I love the academic portion as well. So far, all my professors truly care for the students and they wish to become acquainted with them
I honestly believe coming to Ripon was the best choice I have ever made.