So long, farewell...

Ah, the final post for the semester. While it's always a little sad to bid farewell to another half year of my college career it's also hard to be very despondent when a month of respite begins in only two days. Don't worry Blog fans. The SOIs will return in January to entertain you with the thrills and exasperation of being a Beloit student. So until then enjoy this final post for Fall '07!

Much has happened since my last post. But where to begin? Friday night was a busy one on campus. My friend and I went downtown to attend the Beloit Holidazzle after dinner. It was very spirited with all the lights, piped-in Christmas music, and free food and drink. I bought a gift for my nephew from the college bookstore and wandered into several of the little shops lining State Street. There were crowds of people down there mingling--students, faculty, and Beloiters. Even Santa Clause made an appearance. Pretty sweet. We headed to campus after a while to attend the first annual Miss Beloit pageant hosted by one of the frats on campus. Don't worry. Pageants on campus are simply a venue for student organizations to raise money for charities and for folks to humiliate themselves on stage. The girls competing for Miss Beloit were not the traditional sorority girl figure of popular culture. In fact, one of the contestants sawed a log with a chainsaw as her talent, which really says something. It was an entertaining spectacle to be sure. Afterwards my pals and I headed out to see the final Voodoo Barbie (campus improv group, for the uninitiated) performance of the semester. It was even funnier than usual perhaps because it was a veteran member's last show and they tried harder. Who can say? The rest of the weekend was work, work, work especially on Sunday when work intruded on my dinnertime. Just kidding, Bryan! Actually Bryan was really sweet and took all the SOIs out to dinner at a local fave called La Casa Grande. It was good time to reconnect with coworkers and de-stress at the end of the semester--plus we got a free dinner. Let's hear it for Beloit Admissions!

Only one more class stands between me and freedom. Being unusually lucky this semester I was exempt from final tests and only had final papers to complete for my classes. I handed in my English paper on Monday, my creative writing portfolio today, and my history paper will change hands tomorrow morning. In weaving we already put our rugs on display in the library and will just clean up the studio tomorrow and eat fry bread. Yum, yum. Now nothing left to do but pack and attend various cultural events 'round campus. I attended a friend's band concert last night and will go to the dance workshops tomorrow night. An Anthro party and friendly get together involving biscuits and other snacks will round out the fun. Hurray for December and have a great month everyone!

Hickory Dickory Dock...

Unimaginative title, I know. But I'm feeling rather uninspired tonight. Again it is snowing in Beloit and the cosmic ballet goes on. It seems as though the weather is aligned against me. Only when I have to venture out to work in Admissions does it begin to snow.

Not much has happened this week since my last post. I finished my basket in weaving class and so set about spinning yarn from some merino wool that I bought at the Minnesota State Fair a couple years back. Ah the State Fair! It seems so long ago that I was trekking around in the straw and muck of the fairgrounds eating deep-fried goodness and ogling seed art. Goodness, how I miss the prairie and my Minnesota home.*

Anyhow, today was the last 'real' day of my creative writing class so my professor threw us a party. It was so sweet! He told everyone to bring something and no one did except him which was sad (actually I brought some cookies I made on Sunday but they were getting kinda stale and so I was too embarrassed to put them out). But he brought quite a spread--crackers in the shape of butterflies, cheese and meat, clementines, and cider. If I had known that he would go all out I wouldn't have eaten lunch right before class. This is just one shining example of the dedication of professors here at Beloit, folks. They are even willing to spend their weekend beer money on students, as he put it. From here on out it will be paper-writing, filling out evaluations, and packing for me. Perhaps something wild and woolly will occur this weekend that I can regale you all with come Tuesday. One can only hope.

*Reference to a song from A Prairie Home Companion movie.

Snow, snow

It is snowing strongly outside at the moment. Walking over to Middle College tonight in the whispery hush of the snowfall I was reminded of a Mary Oliver poem entitled "Lonely White Fields." The scene evoked by the final line seemed fitting to quote this evening--"The fields swell with a rosy light and the snow keeps on falling, flake after perfect flake." That is what I'm thinking of as I look out the windows tonight. Well, that or The Shining if you prefer a more sinister take on snowfall...

There is a real pine tree in the admissions office and it is emitting a pleasant though distracting scent of evergreen.

So classes are winding down and students are winding up right now. I'm down to two more creative writing classes which is sad. We're having a party on Thursday which should be fun though everyone is supposed to bring something to share and very few students have the money/time/inclination to go buy something for class. I haven't decided whether to bring graham crackers or Cheerios since those are the only real foodstuffs left in my pantry. Well, that or dried pasta. It will be interesting to see what anyone brings. A poor man's feast, no doubt. I only have one more paper to write for my classes, which is quite a relief, and I finished up with tutoring for the semester today. The other folks in my weaving class are completing their rugs and I've woven a little basket as of Monday that could be used for keys or pennies. Our rugs go on display at the library next Monday which will let everyone see the outcome of our hard work and agony over the course of the semester. And only two more shifts in admissions are left as well! Hopefully there will be much excitement to share with you in the following days before I finish with classes and head home for the holidays. Excitement such as a snow day perhaps? Actually that never happens on a residential campus like Beloit unless the professor can't make it to campus because students simply have to strap on their boots and bundle up before going out to slip and slide on our way to class.