Ben, ‘11

October 25, 2009

So, this week has been super busy for me. It was meetings after meetings after meetings upon classes after classes after classes. However, organizations that I’m involved with took up just as much time. So, I don’t have too much to convey to you from this past week except that academics kept me quite busy. As Events Coordinator for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, I just realized I am working on four events occurring within a ten-day span. That’s a lot of planning and work. There was a tailgate, Medallion Hunt, Housekeeper’s Appreciation Brunch, and a Halloween party. So, I haven’t had much free time. In fact, it is now Sunday evening and I have yet to touch my homework since Thursday, which is incredibly rare for me. So, what have I been doing since Thursday?

I put together a tailgate for one of my groups and decided to expand it to several other groups on-campus. We partnered together and had a great time. But, it required days of planning, prepping, cooking, and cleaning before the event was over. The weather was not pleasant almost all weekend, but it held off for our tailgate. Our head chef, whose dad is a tailgating enthusiast and has his own website for tailgating, did a great job. She (yes, I said she), manned those grills like none other while my friend and I (yes, both of us are guys) stood by clueless with the grills. How’s that for breaking stereotypes? Oh yeah, the football team won in the pouring rain later that day to remain undefeated and #1 in the Football Championship Series.

The three planners of the tailgate

Also this weekend was a sorority social that I was invited to. The theme was “Throwdown for Your Hometown”. So, I represented the great state of Wisconsin. I found some overalls, a Wisconsin t-shirt, and cut out some cheese slices. My parents actually shipped a cheesehead from home, but it didn’t arrive in time. It was held at a downtown club called “Element” that we reserved and I think everyone had a great time. I know I did.

Representing our respective hometowns

Quote of the Week: “Pity the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” -Don Marquis
YouTube Video of the Week:

Ouch

October 4, 2009

So this past weekend was Parents Weekend. Every year thus far, I have been an orphan for Parents Weekend. However, this year, my mom came to visit, which was the first time anyone from my family had come to visit me during the school year. So, it was a weekend jam-packed with activities. There was an a cappella concert, a production by our Theater Department, a mentalist show, lectures by professors, open houses, an art show around our lake, and so many other things to attend. However, my mom and I made sure that we had plenty of time to simply walk around campus together, meet with my professors and my friends, and visit the city of Richmond.

We went out to eat on numerous occasions, which was great because I had never had the chance to visit many of these restaurants before. We went to a few classic Richmond restaurants, such as Black Sheep, Palani Drive, Angela’s Ristorante, and Strawberry Street Cafe. For one of these, Angela’s Ristorante, I brought along several other friends whose parents didn’t come. We had a great time simply talking and getting to know each other, which was something we hadn’t much time to do yet this year. So, this entire weekend was spent with my mom, from Thursday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. I think it’s safe to say that we both had a really good time and were sad the weekend had to end. She was able to meet a lot of my friends, many of whom said she sounded like Sarah Palin, which was quite entertaining.

Unfortunately, just because it was Parents Weekend did not mean that school work stopped. In fact, midterms and exams are starting to begin in full force. Between this this past week and next week, I have a Marketing midterm, Marketing presentation on the consumer behavior of truck drivers, Business Statistics exam, Theories and Models of Leadership paper, and an Operational Behavior exam.

Meeting my Rhetoric professor and my adviser

Going out to dinner with my mom and my friends

Visiting Maymont Park in downtown Richmond with my mom

Attending an art show around the lake on-campus

YouTube Video of the Week:


Shout Outs: Brian
Quote of the Week: “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He did not trust me so much.” -Mother Teresa via my Grandma