Thoughts on an icy day

I sit writing this on a comfortable futon in my off-campus apartment. It’s Tuesday morning, the first day of February. The world outside is encased in ice. Just a few hours ago, I broke my ice scraper into several pieces trying to clear off my car so my girlfriend could go to work.

I look down Washington Street toward Beeghly Library. The buzz around Facebook and Twitter is that there’s a power outage and that the sidewalks aren’t salted.  As of 9:55 a.m. no one has broken a leg. Yet. But I might be the first as I make my way down the street. I do not have people to put down salt for me. I’m two blocks from the library but for some reason I am perfectly happy here.

Part of me wishes I still lived on campus. I would probably be standing at the top of the hill on front of Smith (if I could even make it up there) with some sort of apocalyptic sign. I would be dressed in black and I would have a trash can next to me, flames coming up from it as I burned something. Like in RENT. I would probably be burning flyers from events that happened two weeks ago but were still hanging up.

But I’m still in my bathrobe and sitting at my house. I’m waiting for the emergency Connect-ED system to tell me what’s going on. Should I go to my meeting for the Transcript? Should I do the homework I haven’t done yet? How are people going to eat if the power is out? Have the B&G generators kicked in? Has anyone slipped yet? What the hell is going on?

I keep waiting for campus-wide emails to pop up on my phone and tell me what’s going on, too, but I know that won’t happen. If I understand the email system correctly, someone in administration has to approve all the campus-wides before they go out. And there’s no way they can do that. Because there’s no power.

Either the administration is still deciding what to tell us, or it is just complete chaos in University Hall. The only people I can really rely on are my fellow students. But they aren’t telling me anything new.

I hope today is a lesson for the rest of the year, in case we have something like this again. Which we might. In case the Tea Party hasn’t noticed, global warming is real. And that’s why we have such extreme weather. Plus, it’s Ohio. You never know what the sky is going to dump on you in Ohio.

I understand that we’re a residential campus and that people have the capability to walk (that is, if the sidewalks are salted). What about our professors and commuter students, who have to drive? What about off-campus students like me who have to slip and slide to campus? If you’re going to ask us all to come, you should at least let us all know what’s going on and not just leave it to Facebook and word of mouth.

And for God’s sake, this was all in the forecast. Couldn’t you have asked that salt was put down last night so that B&G didn’t have to risk killing themselves today? I don’t want them getting hurt either, of course. I don’t want anyone getting hurt in this weather. That’s why I’m a strong proponent of snow and ice days.

By the time everyone reads this, it’ll be old news. And I know that people bitch and moan about snow every year. But it still deserves to be said, in my opinion. No matter how “residential” your campus is, icy sidewalks aren’t safe. Freezing rain doesn’t give a shit how many feet Hayes is from the academic side. It’s still going to come down. Sleet is unbiased: even if everyone lived in dorms it would still be on the sidewalks, waiting to kill us all.

I’m ready for some summer up in here.

It's clusterfuck Monday!

Seriously, when did being a college student get so hard?! I thought journalism was EASY!

Wagon train's a-movin'

Should be at Nyoh's learning to line dance with my sisters right now...but I have a nasty cold so I'm inside hanging out with another girl who didn't go and "doing homework."

Sigh.

Three of my sisters texted me when Miranda Lambert came on, though. Made me smile.

I hate being sick. There must be something going around.

Regardless, I am enjoying my time spent in the lounge of Thomson Hall reading Cosmopolitan online. Don't judge me.

Blurblurblur

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Getting back to school, starting new classes, formal recruitment, our chinchilla needing emergency care, my girlfriend's car breaking...and new years begun at The Transcript, Delta Zeta and PRIDE.

I have wonderful teams of people behind me everywhere I go and in everything I do. If not for them, I'd be lost.

I was officially transitioned into being the president of DZ tonight, after months of preparation. It's stunning to me how much faith my sisters have that I can leave them. And I think I keep learning more about myself as I take into consideration I have 61 other women to take care of, guide, and love every day. It's amazing. And it's also a little scary!

PRIDE is off like a rocket. The club has really come into its own. We got great new blood with our freshman class, and the whole group is very passionate about what we are doing. As with anything, I wish we could do more. And I wish we could make more of an impact on the local community. I really hope to see Ohio legalize gay marriage. Soon. Well, maybe soon is too hopeful. Someday? Can I just settle for someday?

Sigh.

The newspaper is something I love to do. I am glad to be on staff as an editor. Every day I am learning how to be a better journalist. Two of my sisters in DZ are on the leadership staff with me so that makes me very happy. Funny thing, they both come to PRIDE as well. Do I just attract journos who care about LGBTIQ rights?

Nah. It's more like I just attract wonderful people.

I'm so glad I have such a great group of friends and fellow leaders.

Leah tops them all though. :) We have been through a lot this week. She is so amazing and strong. I am so lucky she is my partner.

Get better, Pacco! We miss you!

Ochoclinton???

...WELL.

It sure is the life in Miami. Chad Ochocinco just Tweeted a pic of him and Bill Clinton. Apparently old Willy Jeff was at Ocho's birthday party!!

Keep in mind this is shortly after Ocho spent time with Cristiano Ronaldo and soccer team Real Madrid. He's a popular guy!

SWIFT REDEMPTION...brought to you by Gyllenhaal

It's just not Taylor Swift's year.

And does that upset me? Nah. Not a bit.

First, she gets shut out of Grammy nominations--so she'll be forced to sit idly by and watch as other stars get the recognition she "deserves" at the ceremony this winter.

Second, Jake Gyllenhaal apparently thought she was too young/too stuck-up/too dumb to date, and dumped her after a month of dating.

She is surely licking her wounds and writing a song of the angry breakup kind for poor Jake.

Luckily, I revamped part of Love Story for her...*ahem*

You were nine years older
When I first saw you
I closed my eyes as I sipped my latte,
You were there,
In LA in the summer air

See the lights, see the paparazzi
They're not gonna catch us doin' the naughty
Oh no no...
But little did I know...

That you are Gyllenhaal, and you can do much better
And your buddies said "stay away from Taylor Swift!"
And now I'm crying in my latte, writing a song for you...
And I'll say

I'm over you Jakey, sorry I'm so self-obsessed
I'll find another star to wear a white dress
For on a wedding day far in the future
Taylor Swift is back, bitch
And no one breaks up with her...

PS Congrats on the Peoples' Choice Awards...your fans still love you, but professionals and people who REALLY know you seem to be less than pleased.

DADT...there goes that excuse.

FML. Now if I get drafted, I won't have an excuse to stay out of war!

I'm just joking. of course. I couldn't help but to be a little skeptical when it was announced that Don't Ask Don't Tell would be repealed. But it looks like we have finally done it. Finally, gays and lesbians will be allowed to serve for their country and protect the very freedoms that they have been denied.

Let's hope that there's not another 15-year wait before we can all get married, eh?