Barack in Beloit

I'm sure all the other SOIs have recently blogged about the Barack Obama rally that came to campus on Monday. Not to be a mindless duck but I will fall in line with this trend and briefly regale you with my personal experience. Luckily, admissions work was cancelled Monday so the student workers could attend the rally if they so desired. My friends and I got in line at 6:30 and entered the arena where Obama would speak at around 8. Security was tight--we had to walk through a metal detector and empty our pockets. Still, the crowd was buzzing with excitement. The arena was covered with handmade posters bearing messages like "Cheeseheads for Change" and "Yes WI Can"--a delightful regional play on the Obama slogan. The local high school pep band played rousing marches. When Obama made his appearance at 9:45 the entire room was packed and people were screaming and cheering and clapping for a full five minutes. The energy and optimism were catching. Whatever your political views, one has to admit that Obama is a charismatic speaker. He won the crowd over with his smile, ironic humor, and message of hope. I wasn't surprised with the outcome of yesterday's primary election. Beloit was putty in Obama's hand.

In other news, my application for domestic off-campus study was accepted! Now I move on to the second round of applications which requires more recommendations, essays, and liability waivers. Thank goodness spring break is coming up so I will have a moment or two to breathe and get cracking on the second application. It is difficult to juggle classes, social life, and the future while in college but a necessary evil to learn. I finished my first project in weaving which is a scarf made on the inkle loom. We are beginning to learn broadcloth weaving this week and I should finish my sample early next week. I hand in my apple essay tomorrow--did you know that singles in ancient Greece would throw apples at their love interests? It's a shame that practice died out. Certainly sounds effective. Today I saw a visiting writer on campus for a Q & A session. Unfortunately it wasn't widely publicized and so I was one of only two students that showed up. Awkward. But this writer was a Beloit alum and very chatty about the old days so it worked out.