Jeff Corwin visits Central College

Well, this past week was pretty darn exciting. On Wednesday was our first home game of the season. Now, it wasn't our best game by any means, but it really proved that we were willing to fight back when we were down. We started game one down by nine points. 1-10. Yeah, you read that right. But, great news we came back and won that game 28-26. It was an amazing comeback, but still only an okay game. We know we could have played so much better, but we are learning to work together in a new offense. Eventually, all will be great, and we will be a fantastic team. We have so much potential, we just have to utilize it.

Now, onto the reason for the title of the blog. As a part of the Inaugural Year here at Central to commemorate the new president of the school, Jeff Corwin, conservationist and naturalist featured on many television shows, came to the school to talk to the community. Earlier in the day, he talked to about 50 or so students and staff, and I was one of them. And after the talk, I was able to interview him for our school newspaper, The Ray, along with our other Co-Editor-in-Chief. The interview didn't last long, but it was great to do.

Then, later in the night, he talked to a room of over 500 people about his conservational efforts. It was actually a really interesting night, and my mom bought his new book 100 Heartbeats for me. He signed it, and when he did, he looked at me and said, "You were there earlier today, weren't you?" And I wanted to reply, "Well, yeah, I interviewed you!" All I said was, "Yep!" and "Thank you!"

Who knew I would be meeting the celebs after I got back from London. :) I really can't wait to read the book, but I have too much to be reading for school at the moment. But, it's on my extensive reading list.

Today, all former study abroad students from the spring had to attend a re-entry seminar. It's supposed to help us adjust to life in the US, but thing is, I've been here for four months now. I'm adjusted. Well, as well as I can be. I still miss London terribly, and I have days where I think of it constantly, but I'm still functioning...barely. We talked about how to communicate to future employers about your experience abroad in an interview, cover letter, and resume. Helpful, but I was still itching to get out of the room. It brought up a lot of memories, and it made me a bit depressed.

Reliving the experiences I had is a treasure because I never want to forget, but at the same time, it almost seems like I don't want to get on with my life here. Everything is just so much less...exciting, new, and fun. Ugh, United States, get it together! Instead of traveling to a nearby country, I will be going to another city or state for the next few weeks for volleyball.

Home tournament this weekend=super excited! I don't have to travel, and I get to sleep in my own bed. Win-win situation. That's all for now. Until next time, my lovely readers....

A quick update

I thought I would just give a brief, uninteresting update to my life...

I was messing around with the blog this week, and I playing with the layout. I won't be making changes for a bit because I don't have time to, but I'm working on it. This weekend we had a tournament in Minneapolis. What a weekend that was! It was a lot of fun to play in, and we ended up third in the tournament! We didn't play as well as we could have against St. Thomas (ranked 15th in the country) which was sad since we beat them last year. To read more about the weekend, the press release is here. I'm dealing with a case of tendinitis in my shoulder as well, so I hope that gets better quickly. Also, our first home game of the season is this Wednesday! I'm super pumped!

On a side note, today is my mom's birthday! Happy birthday, mom! :)

Okay, that's all for now. Peace out.

New Blog Title!

I came up with a new title! Yipee! Well, it's not originally mine, but I hope that it won't be a problem. "The Physics of the Quest" comes from the movie Eat Pray Love. I have seen it twice, and I love it! It is probably in the book originally, but I haven't read that yet, so here is the meaning of the phrase:

"If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared—most of all—to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself… then truth will not be withheld from you."

I love it!!!! I'm super pumped about it because there is so much to be learned from that movie. I can't wait to read the book...it's about living life to the fullest through pleasure, devotion, and balance. I think it's a great motto to just about everyone. Well, that's all for now; I have a ton of homework to finish and I must continue battling the cold I got over the weekend. Ciao for now (haha, that rhymes)!

Alright, here's the deal...

I wasn't going to continue this blog, but I got a text from my friend Sara Mouw (hey Mouw!), and she asked if I was going to keep blogging. My answer was "uh....maybe?" Well, I thought I would give it a go again and try to keep some people updated on the sweet stuff that's going on in my life.

Well, school's started. Ew. And volleyball! Yay! Our first match is tomorrow night, and I'm super excited to get back on the court. I feel like it has been forever since I had the chance to play competitively, well, since last November. School is off to a rockin' start. Who knew that I would actually like my science class? Go figure. And volleyball has been going for a little over two weeks now. We've had something like 20 practices in less than 14 days...absolutely ridiculous! It's all worth it though. Due to all of the serving I've done in the past couple of days, I have some tendinitis in my shoulder, so that's kinda sucky, but once it's rested up, I'll be good to go.

So, I thought I would share that the London program for the fall starts in a few days, and all of the people on it left today. I keep seeing Facebook statuses that make me wish I could have stowed away in a suitcase. Ah, well, can't always get what you want. Even though I want to go back really, really, really, really, really (you get the picture) bad. Also, good news, I got 140 prints of my pictures from abroad! I'm going to hang them up all over my room. It will be a constant reminder of where I am not. Sad. :(

I will, of course, have to change the title to the blog, but until I figure a new one out, it's going to stay as is. Well, I do have tons of homework to finish, and unfortunately, it will not finish itself. Trust me, I've tried that.

Signing off. Night all. :)

Eat Pray Love

The movie Eat Pray Love, was adapted from a book by the same name. It is the true story of a woman named Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) looking for her word. Who is she, and why is she here? After suffering from a divorce, Liz decides to do something for herself. She jets off to Rome where she eats and tastes some of the most delicious looking foods! She lives in Rome, learns Italian, makes friends, and discovers that moving up a size in jeans isn't the end of the world.

Next, she moves onto Dehli, India. She joins an Indian ashram where she must learn to forgive herself through prayer and meditation. Not only does Liz find her spirituality, she makes friends along the way that admire her. Liz changes their lives by helping them learn to love and forgive. She finally ends her year traveling in Bali, Indonesia. Here Liz learns to balance her life through a medicine man named Ketut. She runs into many different people, but in the end, she must find her balance in life while learning to love a man she meets in Bali.

The main reason I wanted to see this film was because it involved travel. What this woman did is something that I wish I could do. She was incredibly strong to travel on her own, and to meet people the way she did. I feel like Julia Roberts captured the spirit of the movie perfectly. I wanted to take her place. I have been missing Europe so much, and this movie did nothing to qualm my "Europe-sickness." When Rome came on the screen, I think I sighed. I know a little bit how this woman felt, and I think anyone that has lived in another country for any amount of time will understand what I'm talking about. It's like you are a puzzle, and discovering yourself in another country is like putting a piece of the puzzle into place. It's so satisfying. You feel good about yourself, and you find out what you can accomplish.

This movie made me realize that I can't settle with what I am doing with my life. I want to travel, see something that I have never seen, and I want to experience a life that is uncertain. I want to feel something more...do something exciting. I want the universe to rush in and make me live life. I want to discover my word. Will I ever get to do that? I don't know, but I sincerely hope that I can. See, that is what this movie did to me! Goodness, I've become sappy and travel-happy. But, if I could spend my life like Liz did in the movie, I would be a very happy woman.

Recommendation: Now, the movie wasn't the most spectacular thing ever created. In fact, it didn't get very good reviews. But, I truly enjoyed it. I thought is was well acted, inspiring, and funny. It is a chick-flick without the tear jerking moments (for the most part). If you have traveled, and wish to do so again, this is a movie for you. There's romance, humor, and some great looking food! All in all, a nice night out at the movie with a girlfriend. Watch out for this line: (mixtape playing) "Darling...it's time." Funniest. Line. Ever. :)

Trailer:

Sports - Peyton Manning contract

I like to watch football, and I cheer on the Colts because I am a Hoosier through and through, but I'm not a huge sports fan. Mostly just football and volleyball. Peyton Manning's contract is up after this year, and there is no doubt in my mind he would leave the Colts, but everyone seems to want to know what's going to happen. How much is he going to make?!? My answer: who cares? Seriously, Peyton is definitely more focused on other things, like winning the Superbowl. Here's a quote from Peyton talking about how he will not discuss his contract:

“For one thing, it keeps another thing from clouding your mind. It’s served me pretty well. I don’t see much reason to abort that now. I’m under contract. I’m in a good frame of mind mentally. I’m excited about this team. It will work out. I don’t get into the numbers or see how that has any affect on me. I’ve got too much football to deal with.”

Peyton is such a class act. He seriously has to be one of the most down-to-earth football players out there. And that is why I love him. Not to mention his rocket, golden quarterback arm. Peyton is looking to the future. So what, they lost to the-team-that-must-not-be-named (as my brothers call them these days). It's in the past, and the Colts are looking up. Imagine what they could do with a full healthy team!?! If I were any other coach in the NFL, especially a defensive coordinator, I would be shaking in my boots. Yeah, the Colts are coming for you.

To read more of the article, click here.

Trailer - Vampires Suck

Okay, I saw this trailer on TV the other day, and I thought I was going to die of laughter. I am a big fan of Twilight and the books, but even I can admit that the movies can be a little over the top with the acting and plot. I am definitely going to have to see this movie...it will probably be so bad it's good. Love those kind of movies!

Trailer: