Syllabus Week Shuffle

Good morning! I appreciate you all being patient and loyal as I get settled into my first week of my second year here at Miami.

The worst thing about syllabus week is the shuffle that is forced by it. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am a huge planner. (Just in case you haven't picked up on that by now.) I do a lot of reading ahead over the weekends to make my weeks move smoother. That option is pretty much taken away with syllabus week. There is no "ahead," there is only today. (A metaphor for life perhaps?) So, this week was a little more hectic for me than I would have liked. I had some sort of reading due every day, and usually an assignment to either go with it or just in another class. To make my struggle yesterday even bigger, I forgot to take my notebooks to campus with me and had to take notes on the back of single-sheet papers. Ugh! (Silly anti-technology professors)

But thankfully, the weekend has arrived! Meaning time to put some decoration on my walls and time to work ahead! Enjoy your weekend!

What if...

Good morning, all. It is on my schedule today to blog. However, I'm not particularly in love with the topic, and I'm not really in the mood. So, enjoy this fun yet educational ASAP Science video.

See you on Thursday!

Hello, New Semester!

As I begin to wrap up the last little bit of my summer, I find it a good time to reflect back and to look ahead. When I was accepted into Miami University on December 15, 2013, I only thought I knew what that meant. Who knew I could fall so deeply in love with a place? I've only spent one year in Oxford, and I already consider this tiny Ohio town my home. I know that when I go back next week, everything will fit into place without a single hitch.

The last year could not have been a better first year of college. I met some awesome new people and did pretty cool things (like almost falling off a small cliff). I spend too much time at my desk and made up for it over the weekends. I fully embraced college and let it shape me, and I'm only 1/4 of the way done (with my undergrad).

I look forward onto this year with a smile and the knowledge that it will be just as great or even better than this year. I look to the great classes I am taking and the awesome apartment that my roommate and I are lucky to have, and I can say that I look forward to the nights that I will spend hunched over a desk with a pencil in my hand because that's what college is for. I look forward to the nights that I will spend with my friends, laughing until we cry, dancing until we fall down and having the time of our lives. I look forward to another wonderful year with the Miami Ballet Corps and the great things our new leadership will plan for us. I look forward to another year to cheer on the Miami Hockey team and hopefully a more successful football season. I look forward to another year to "gently" remind my roommate to pick up her stuff, even though deep down I love her and her messiness. I look forward to another year of watching my beautiful campus change with the season.

As I once again pack up my stuff to move back to Oxford, I am filled to the brim with excitement. So, hopefully I can pass some to you. Or maybe you have as much as I do? Either way, let's be excited for the new year together. Mostly because if you start off with a negative attitude, how is it going to be a good year? So, as corny as this all sounds, get over it. College is supposed to be fun, yes?

So, as the new year begins, embrace it, enjoy it. Before you know it, midterms will be here.

Have a good day, all. Go Redhawks!

How To: Use Your Syllabus!

Good afternoon, all! As semesters are beginning, one of the first pieces of papers you will be handed on the first day of every class is the syllabus. The first thing you want to do it throw it away, or toss it in you backpack, let it get crumpled up and never use it. Okay, not really. But that was funny? Well all of us super-organized people cringe at the thought of people who just discard their syllabi. So, what is the best way to use the many syllabi that you are given in that first week of school?

1. Read it. Yes, read it, the whole thing. It contains important information about that specific professors policies on things like attendance, make-up exams, extra credit, and grade scales. It should also include a week-by-week calendar of the semester. This will give you an idea of what you are going to be doing, how often your exams are, and if you have any other assignments like homework or quizzes.

2. Make an assignment spread sheet. You can find a great post HERE, from Organized Charm, about creating one. I organize mine by month and them by week, with everything in order by due date. This can be a great tool! I print mine out and stick it in the front folder of my Lilly Planner. This way I always have access to it, incase I need it.

3. Write the due dates in your planner. Go down the list of your assignment spread sheet and write all of the dates in your planner. If, for some crazy reason, you don't want to put every single assignment in your planner (why? that's what the planner is for), then pick the most important ones and just write those.
I would recommend some extra-precaution by writing the big assignments on multiple pages. Got a big 10-page paper due? Write it down once a week for the month leading up to it, that way you won't forget.
For the actual date that these big assignments are due, I use double arrow stickers so that I don't mix up the due-date with days I have it written to remind me to work on it. I get all of my planner stickers from The Nifty Studio on Esty. She works out of Cleveland, OH and shipping is super fast!

4. Study hard! Enjoy your semester and don't forget to use that assignment sheet!

Enjoy another syllabus meme, because why not? Have a great day!

Playlist: Tattoo Tuesday

Good morning, a rather early morning if you ask me. I've been on vacation in Michigan, still am actually. But today, lovely people, is Tattoo Tuesday! I am someone who listens to music while I'm getting inked, so here is my playlist for sitting in the chair. Be sure to get enough rest and eat something before you head to your chosen tattoo parlor.

Artist Spotlight: Saint Asonia

Good afternoon, all! While at Rock on The Range this year, I had the pleasure of seeing Saint Asonia for their world premiere. The artist slotted for the first Sunday spot on the main Monster stage was "Special Guest." I was up in the stands with my mom and brother while we were talking (over text) with our cousins who were down on the field about who the "Special Guest" was. While showing a #ROTR twitter feed on the jumbotron, we saw that someone said something about being excited to see Saint Asonia perform. Since they weren't on the lineup anywhere we figured that was who the special guest was. Not long after, we got a text from our cousin who said that it was Adam Gontier's new band (formerly of Three Days Grace.) However, my brother was convinced that the name of Adam's new band was named something differently, so we looked online but couldn't find anything. Then, we got another text saying that the mic stand on stage was most definitely Adam's mic stand. So, me the die hard Three Days Grace fan that I am (not so much anymore with the new singer) rushed down to the field to see them from as close as I could. I ended up pretty damn close to the stage and got to see the first show ever that Saint Asonia will play.

Saint Asonia frontman Adam Gontier.

Saint Asonia is a "super band" whose members include: Adam Gontier on guitar and vocals (Three Days Grace), Mike Mushock on guitar (Staind), Corey Lowery on bass (Eye Empire and Dark New Day), and Rich Beddoe on drums (Finger Eleven).

Saint Asonia drummer Rich Beddoe and frontman Adam Gontier.

The band was formed in Toronto, Canada and "Asonia" is a noun meaning tone deaf. However, if you heard Adam sing, he is certainly not tone deaf. Asonia is on RCA records. The band released their first single, "Better Place" May 15th. Next was "Blow Me Wide Open" on June 29th. "Let Me Live My Life" was released July 17 and "Fairy Tale" 10 days later and "Trying To Catch Up With The World" was released two days before the album.

Their self titled album was released only a few days ago on July 31st, listing 11 songs. The same day the band released their first music video for their first single "Better Place."

As a long time fan of Adam's voice in Three Days Grace, it was pretty great to hear he was doing something new, and to be able to see their first performance ever. Take a look at their music video and their channel on Youtube. You can buy their CD on iTunes or at Best Buy, Target and FYE. Their about to kick off their tour, check out their dates at SaintAsonia.com.

Saint Asonia frontman Adam Gontier walked down the center of the crowd. 

Playlist: Wake Up, Love

Good morning, all! I thought I would toss up a quick post this morning before I head out on my busy day. Summer mornings are my favorite, especially the ones that are cool and sunny. Matching the perfect playlist with these types of morning is important. If the playlist isn't quite right, then I can get a little frustrated, but if the playlist is perfect, then things only get better! Obviously my music tastes aren't the same as some of yours, but here is my morning playlist. Have a good day y'all!