The Watterson Experience

Though only a hut by Chicago standards, Watterson is a gargantuan beast that dominates the view of Bloomington-Normal. So when one of my friends asked me to visit her in Watterson for help with her German project i thought it would be cool to be inside the tallest building for miles around. I thought wrong. When i got there she texted me giving me directions as to how to get to her room and as soon as i got off the first elevator i was lost in the creepy labyrinth of dormrooms. I was lost for around 15 minutes trying to find out where her dorm was and i was only saved because when she came to look for me we happened to be going up the same stairwell. Since then i've maybe been there twice but every time i walk through the front door i always get a feeling as though i'm walking into a maze.

Full Time

Being a full time student and a full time worker is harder than what many young adults can handle. While I am exhausted all the time trying to balance my school work and my job that keeps me there till ten at night, it takes all one’s concentration and determination to continue doing both at the same time. When you’re a full time student and worker you get no days off because you are either at school, work, or both never being able to be lazy or relax unless you are on break from school and the break from school lands on one of your days off or you request to have the day off, but when your job is demanding days you request off aren’t always allowed depending on the time of year and if other co-workers are already asking for the day off. Also when the holidays come around and teachers start assigning more homework and at work the hours start increasing, the stress level starts increasing and sometimes it can feel like its too much and some start to wonder if it is all worth it but you need work to pay your bills and you need school to get a better paying career to pay your bills and having that better paying career will also make life easier. But while doing all of this, I also have to juggle being in the military the monthly drills, the yearly 2 week long annual training that is during school and even though I do get paid for the drills and annual training. It doesn’t fix the fact that I have to catch up on 2 weeks of homework that I have missed. The only thing that keeps me going is my determination and the support from my friends and family.

Home

To me walking off a plane onto the soil of another country
is nothing new; I’ve done it countless times before in my life to the point
where to me it feels like I got into an airplane and just circled the airport
for 10 hours before landing in the same airport. To many, crossing into states
seems like travelling to a new country but to me it feels like nothing more
than crossing a street. Now I’ve made what will be, at least for a while, the
final transition in a long line of relocation and from what I’ve seen so far
this transition may be the worst. All the travelling took a massive impact on
my life to the point where I am nothing in almost anyway like those around me, I
am multilingual with several languages, I consider myself German-American, I talk
differently from those around me, even some aspects of personality seem bizarre
to the friends I’ve made. This is especially strange to me because throughout
my life my parents always referred to Illinois as home even though I had never
been there for more than 3 months at a time. Even now as I get used to the
dorms its hard to get to know the neighbors when they just call me “Germany”
and forget my real name later. Its hard for me to believe that even in the
place I’m supposed to call “home” I’m still the foreigner. Hopefully it will
get better

Time management; From The masters of Procrastination

At Illinois state University, and colleges around the nation, students are struck with the poisonous disease of procrastination. This procrastination starts with the students need to justify other events or occasion as more important than their college education. Now I’m not trying to act like I don’t justify, because I have a whole lot of experience in the expertise of procrastination. If you gave me something fun to do, I would say oh I’ll finish this blog post later. But no, not me. Not the new and improved ISU student. You see, I’ve learned valuable tips to cease the justifications. When you wake up in the morning don’t hit the snooze, your just going want to hit it again and again and again, beauty sleep is good but if you got some work to do, get it done and then go get pretty. Next, if you get an assignment, no matter when it is due, get a start on it that night so its done. Or at least you have a head start, because that date has a tendency to sneak up. And if you got a test in a weak, don’t wait until the weekend to go to the library, get a pal and go, because once friday hits the justifications are going to begin. Your going to want to go out friday, maybe even go to U of I or a near by college to visit friends on saturday, the bears are going to be playing sunday so I’m going to have to wait until night to start. Then whoop there it is. Class at 8 am with a giant fxam, oops I meant exam. Learn from whosever mistakes those were

So far this year at college one of the most reoccurring themes that I have been learning about is managing my time. Not going to lie I started off the year expecting to be able to get through college without ever studying just like I did in high school. I was wrong. Quickly after realizing this I decided I had to study, sometimes at least. I started off by only studying the day before at the last minute. This failed me to I was officially a professional procrastinator. I realized after checking my grades something had to change. It started the first time we had to meet in the library for English. After realizing it wasn?t so bad I tried going there a few times with my roommate. It was amazing how much more I could get done without being in a dorm. Now I go there multiple times before every test I have in order to study. Whether my friends are there or not its is just much easier to concentrate on my work. Since I began going to the library instead of procrastinating my grades have been on a steady incline and still rising.

If this first semester here at ISU has taught me anything it’s to MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY. At first I thought I could wait till the night before to study for test but now I have learned to use my time wisely. Instead of watching a movie or TV three days before a test I now start filling out study guides and I do practice problems if it happens to be math class. I’ve also learned not to waste my time on studying thing I already know now I focus on the things that I struggle with so to use my time as best possible. Now that finals are coming near I have already begun preparing for them a week and a half in advance. First what I did was I filled out my study guides then I found out what I didn’t understand in each class and now I have set up a system for each class and I only study about two hours a night rather than 72 hours straight right before the final and it has allowed me to get much needed rest. Sleep for me personally is more important than even studying since sleep is what allows you to have energy the next day and if I don’t have any energy the day of the final I know for sure that I will more likely than not fail my test. So for me the best way to manage my time is to start studying a couple weeks ahead of time so that the week of the final I will not be sleep deprived.

A Flea in Her Ear. Brilliant

On Wednesday November ninth I attended a production of A Flea in Her Ear, written by Georges Feydeau in 1907. Feydeau set the play in Paris at the turn of the century, however in the production at ISU, the location is vague, and presumed to be in New York, because the characters seem rather American along with context from the dialogue. I believe this was done in order to make the classical play more appealing to a younger college audience. The play is a comedy, and the jokes were approached in an exaggerated fashion putting emphasis on every punchline, making me believe the play is a satire. The story evolves around a wife’s doubts of her Husband being unfaithful due to his recent infidelity. The play is classical, but has many different sexual references along with other humor that the audience it was written for would’ve been astonished. Illinois State on the the other hand laughed continuously to the play and was exubrent and enthusiastic with clapping at the sound of the raunchy jokes. Overall, I loved he play, and I would encourage students to check out an ISU production.

A Saturday at ISU.

On Saturday December 3^rd, 2011 my girlfriend and I went to the track meet held at the Horton Field House. It was the Early Bird Invitational. We went there because my friend from back home was running in this meet for Concordia University. The races started at 10:30 in the morning. I don’t know when it ended because we left early. We were there from 10:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon. From what I saw there, there were six schools there. The schools were ISU, Concordia, Western University, Saint Louis University, Ashford, and Loyola University. The first thing we heard when we walked in was a gunshot for a race to start. At first the track meet was entertaining then it got boring. At first there were so many things going on. At least it seemed like it. There was pole vaulting, sprints, and weight throwing. They were all going on simultaneously. It was just cool to be able to see different going on at the same time. During this time my girlfriend and I took a lot of pictures from the meet. After this there was the 60m dash. My friend was running in it. My girlfriend and I cheered him on and took pictures of him for him. He finished in 4^th place. It was his first time competing since his junior year of high school. After this race we talked to him for a bit. It was nice to hear from him. This is when it got boring. There was nothing going on except weight throwing. It was so boring. My girlfriend and I sat at the meet bored waiting for my friend’s next race to take place. We waited for an hour. Finally my friend’s race was about to start. He did the 200m run. He finished 4^th again. After that race he told me “College track is a lot harder compared to high school track.” He didn’t mind coming in 4^th, he just knows he can do better. After that race my girlfriend and I left the track meet and headed back to the dorms.

At ISU there is a lot to do on the weekends. For an example me and my group Mike and Dylan decided to go out on a Friday and do different things to show just some of the things you can do on campus. For my activity I went bowling and played pool at the bowling and billiards center. The bowling and billiards center is good to just go and hang out with friends. Plus it is not that expensive for students. Although I did not do very well when we went bowling it was still fun to just hang out with friends and relax. Plus when we played pool I got a lot better and didn’t feel as bad for being bad at bowling. Along with going to bowling and playing pool my friends and I decided to go get something to eat at Einstein’s in the Bone Center. This restaurant is also a good place to go and hang out with friends or to just go and relax with a nice cup of coffee to do homework. It is a quiet and comfortable place with a fireplace and relaxing chairs that allow you to relax and just enjoy whatever you have to drink while doing homework, seeing friends, or even discussing things with a professor. It is a more professional style place to enjoy yourself and to actually get something done. I would definitely recommend both the bowling and billiards center and Einstein’s to anyone who needs something to do when they are bored.

BY: Mike H. and Sami G.

Turkey Break!!

A whole 10 days off of school was well needed. Going home for Thanksgiving break was a great vacation for me. I could have left the Wednesday before break even began but I didn’t have a ride home at the time so those last couple days were dragged out. We had a floor meeting that Wednesday night before break and our RA informed us of everything we needed to make sure we did before we left. We had to unplug absolutely everything, pick everything up off the floor, take down “alcohol related posters” and throw away any food we had in our refrigerator. If you ask me the whole process was a huge pain but I was glad to get out of my dorm room for a week. I had intentions of seeing lots of friends during break, which is saw a few but for the most part I was worked every day. I was in desperate need for money so I was willing to put in as many hours as possible at the mall which was probably the worst/ most crowded place to be over break. I was thankful to get through Black Friday; my shift started at 4 am and didn’t end until 5 pm. Once I get my hands on that check all those long hours will be well worth it. It was good to be home with my family too, having home cooked meals, eating out, shopping, showering with no shoes on, and having a big bed to sleep in were the things I miss most about being home. Thanksgiving break was well needed overall, and I am defiantly looking forward to winter break in a couple weeks.

McCaskey Time!! Many things occurred while I was on Thanksgiving break from Illinois State University. I left the Friday before the break started. For me the break started off with a bang. The night I left my brothers Brian and Casey picked me up at five o’clock. That’s not why my break started off so greatly it was the fact that I went to a Tech N9ne concert that night in Normal and it was the best concert that I’ve seen up to date. The days after the concert weren’t as exciting but they were still fun. Friday and Saturday I had the house to myself because my parents went on a little cruise in Florida on the frigate that my brother Patrick assigned on. I did nothing Saturday but my parents came home around 7-8 P.M. Then on the Sunday after was a day of nothing but hunting with my pops. My dad and I went out two times that day from 7-11 and from 3-sunset. Sunset that day was at 4:36 if I remember correctly. Monday I went to a body shop and got some paint for my Jimmy but I never painted the chip on the hood at all that week and hung out with a friend that night. Tuesday night l went to wrestling practice for my alma mater high school and practiced/coached the current wrestlers and I went wrestling practices on Friday and Saturday nights. On Wednesday night with some friends and I had a birthday dinners for two people. My friend Tim’s birthday was that Wednesday and my birthday was on Thanksgiving. Thursday was not only Thanksgiving but my birthday, so no matter what it was going to be a good day. Also for dinner we almost had ham instead of turkey but I talked my parents into turkey and stuffing instead of ham and no stuffing. Sunday I didn’t return until around 9:30 at night and I wanted to come back as late as I could so I could have as long a break as I wanted.

Thanks giving break is a time to spend with your family and friends. The break is a weeklong which is longer than most schools break is. It’s weird being home after you away for a long time. When you see your friends even though you haven’t seen them for about three months you pick up right where you left off like you just saw them yesterday. Your parents are the happiest of all to see you. At the end of the break no one wants to leave but everyone has made new friends and has a new home in Normal Illinois. As more time passes your new home in Normal starts to feel more like your actual home more than your home town. Thanksgiving comes around and most people spend time with their extended family for me my aunt and uncle come along with 7 of my cousins including 2 babies. We all spend hours watching football and eating food and the traditional looking through the magazines looking for things to buy each other for Christmas. The break goes by faster than you think it will but when we get back to school we know that in only a few short weeks we will be away for college for a month. This transition will be weird because you will be saying goodbye to your new friends for a month. Everyone will be happy to see their family for another break.

By: Mike, Shawn, Gina

A Saturday at ISU (my part)

On Saturday December 3^rd, 2011 my girlfriend and I went to the track meet held at the Horton Field House. It was the Early Bird Invitational. We went there because my friend from back home was running in this meet for Concordia University. The races started at 10:30 in the morning. I don’t know when it ended because we left early. We were there from 10:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon. From what I saw there, there were six schools there. The schools were ISU, Concordia, Western University, Saint Louis University, Ashford, and Loyola University. The first thing we heard when we walked in was a gunshot for a race to start. At first the track meet was entertaining then it got boring. At first there were so many things going on. At least it seemed like it. There was pole vaulting, sprints, and weight throwing. They were all going on simultaneously. It was just cool to be able to see different going on at the same time. During this time my girlfriend and I took a lot of pictures from the meet. After this there was the 60m dash. My friend was running in it. My girlfriend and I cheered him on and took pictures of him for him. He finished in 4^th place. It was his first time competing since his junior year of high school. After this race we talked to him for a bit. It was nice to hear from him. This is when it got boring. There was nothing going on except weight throwing. It was so boring. My girlfriend and I sat at the meet bored waiting for my friend’s next race to take place. We waited for an hour. Finally my friend’s race was about to start. He did the 200m run. He finished 4^th again. After that race he told me “College track is a lot harder compared to high school track.” He didn’t mind coming in 4^th, he just knows he can do better. After that race my girlfriend and I left the track meet and headed back to the dorms. Overall it was fun to be there.

THE COLD WEATHER

The past week has been in the 30’s and 40’s which is a very cold temperature yet people are still walking outside without a coat I don’t get why. Most people on campus are getting sick and I think it is because of the weather and people not dressing for the weather. On when it rains some people don’t even wear a rain coat they just walk through the rain with a short sleeve shirt and shorts on its crazy. Although people may not think it is “cool” to dress for the weather it is an important part of staying healthy people need to learn this. I’ve walked back from a Monday night class in the pouring rain when its only 40 degrees out and all people are wearing is shorts and a tee shirt. People on campus need to learn how to stay healthy!

It’s Time for Basketball!

It was a Wednesday evening when ISU played Chicago State University In basketball. ISU crushed CSU by the score of 85 to 41 it was ISU’s biggest win since 2000. The begging of the game was exciting to be an ISU fan the crowd went crazy when freshman Nic Moore threw Jon Ekey an ally-opp pass. The game in the second half was not as exciting because of the very large lead ISU held over Chicago State. ISU also attempted a school record 38 3 point shots and made 14 of them. ISU made a lot of exciting plays for the home town crowd. The crowd was a little disappointing because the student section was not even a quarter of the way full. The game overall was very exciting to watch with your friends. I recommend going to as many games as you can this year as ISU tries to win the MVC and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament!

Meatheads: A Great Place for a Great Burger

There are many different restaurants in the Bloomington-Normal area and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. The newest of these restaurants are located on Main Street about a block away from Southside Dorms. One of the restaurants, Meatheads, has been gaining a lot of popularity as the best burger place on campus. We decided to put this to the test.

Here is Justin's opinion:

I first ate at Meatheads two years ago after high school finals because my friend said I should try it out. I do not remember what I got but I do remember that it was delicious. Although it tasted very good, I felt sick after eating it. I used to eat very healthy so I think it was my body not being able to handle all the fat. I have been there a few times since and I have never felt sick.

I’ve gone to Meatheads once since I’ve been at ISU. My friend had a coupon and so I thought it would be nice to eat there again. I got the basic hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes and ketchup. Along with the hamburger I got Cajun fries and a drink. I loved the fountain drink machine in the Meatheads on 701 south main street because has a touch screen that you pick your drink and then you can pick from a wide variety of flavors such as cherry, lime, lemon and more. All in all I think Meatheads is a great fast food restaurant and in my opinion the best tasting near the ISU campus. The only problem with it is that it is expensive for fast food. The normal price of a meal is somewhere around 10 dollars, which is a lot more than McDonald’s and Burger King. If you’re looking for a great and fast burger and are willing to spend a little more money, then Meatheads is the place to go.

Sean had this to say:

When I told people that I was going to be attending Illinois State University in the fall, one of the first questions that I frequently got asked was if I had ever eaten at Meatheads. I had never even heard of this restaurant before, but I knew that if so many people were asking about it, that it must be good. After being at school for a few weeks, I made it a priority to eat there since it was such a hot topic. The perfect opportunity arose when my friend Timmy’s parents were coming down to visit and offered to take us anywhere we wanted to eat. Since neither of us had been to Meatheads yet, we thought this would be the perfect time to try it.

The Meatheads on campus is located on Main Street about a block away from the Southside dorms. It is a very convenient walk since I live in Atkin Hall, the dorm closest to Meatheads. When I first got there, I was amazed at how nice the interior looked. For a fast food restaurant, it was very clean and the overall look was very welcoming. At a glance, the menu appeared to be heavily stacked with burger options. This is what Meatheads is known for. However, after further observation, I found out that there are many other options such as hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, and multiple other food items. I ordered the Cajun sunrise with Cajun fries and a drink.

The drink machine has literally 106 options and flavor choices to choose from. There is something for everyone! I got strawberry sprite and it tasted amazing. The service was quick and friendly. As soon as the burger was set in front of me, I knew it was going to be delicious. It was a burger with fried egg, pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, and fresh jalapenos. After picking it up to take my first bite I never managed to set it down. It was that tasty. The fries were also extremely delicious. They were not too crispy and cooked just the right amount. Everything tasted great and I would highly recommend this restaurant to any ISU or Illinois Wesleyan student and anyone passing through the area. Even though it is a little pricey, it is absolutely worth it. I left feeling full and very satisfied with my meal.

Lastly Dolan thought this:

My fiancé and I went to the restaurant called Meatheads. When we arrived at the restaurant it was very clean and service was very friendly. When we went up to order the cashier was extremely nice and took our order and unlike most people she actually double-checked to make sure our order was correct. After we chose our table the food came out fairly quickly and it smelled amazing. I got the "Meathead" with everything and fries and my fiancé got the "build your own" with bacon, bar-b-que sauce and fries. Though my sandwich was a little bit on the greasy side, it was still quite good and the fries were cooked all the way. My fiancé said her sandwich was also good. While we were there eating, they had good music playing and it wasn't too loud so we could hear each other talk. The place had the speediness of a fast food restaurant but the pricing of a 5 star restaurant. Though everything was good and we enjoyed eating there, the price was a tad too expensive for the kind of food we chose.

Overall, we all had similar opinions on the restaurant. We all liked the food and the service but thought that it was a little bit pricey. We would all recommend trying it at least once because you will not leave dissatisfied.

Written by: Sean, Justin, and Dolan

A Disappointment on Turf

It was parents weekend here at Illinois State University and I was going to my first football game. I was really excited since I played football all four years of high school. I got my ticket for free since my room mates dad had an extra. As we walked over to the stadium I new I shouldn’t have gotten to excited. I quickly realized this was not going to be like the big ten football games I had visited. We even had to watch the game standing since there were no seats. My legs kept getting more and more tired until I had to go back to the dorm. My roommate and I roommate weren’t even having that much fun. Not that many people cheer at the football games here and therefore we didn’t have to much fun. Where we came from the kids went absolutely crazy over our high school football games. Thankfully it isn’t a far walk back to Tri Towers, and in the future now I no not to spend my money on the games.

How Do YOU Spend Your Flex Dollars?

Bored of the usual dining centers? Want a different type of food to satisfy your hunger? Well no worries, that's exactly what flex dollars are for! If you have a meal plan here at Illinois State University, you also have flex dollars that you can use at select locations such as Pizza Hut, Mcallister’s, Einstein's Bagels, Burger King, Subway, and a couple smoothie shops located in The Bone and The Rec Center. We're sure almost everyone has an opinion about flex dollars so each of us gave our input on the topic.

Brittany stated, “I think flex dollars are so useful. Even though I didn't get as much money to spend with my flex dollars, I made sure to spend them wisely. Every meal plan comes with a certain amount of flex dollars, and since I have the unlimited meal plan, I got a total of $200 to spend. I tried to be somewhat smart about it and save my dollars till winter because I knew I definitely would not want to be walking over to Watterson for every meal in the rain, snow and below freezing temperatures. Lucky enough for me I live in Hewett Hall which has a Subway right downstairs. Unfortunately, I spent all of my flex dollars though and with about a week left of the semester I do have to walk over to Watterson for food. I believe that incoming students to Illinois State University should be told about flex dollars and what meal plan works best for them; whether they want to mainly go to the dining halls or maybe they would like to not have the unlimited meal plan, but be able to spend more money (flex dollars) on outside restaurants like Einstein's Bagels or Pizza Hut”.

Liz had her own opinion on flex dollars and said, “I honestly do not know how college students do not have a meal plan. Sure, the dining centers suck, but the flex dollars that come with each meal plan is simply a little piece of heaven on earth. Flex dollars are just so convenient, especially when you have family or friends visiting. It seems as if almost everything is just free. Having flex dollars is also an easy way to get out of the dorms and get together with friends. For example, every Tuesday the girls on my floor and I go to McAlister’s. It is so nice to just get out and relax, I feel like flex dollars are almost a way to relax and get your mind off of school work. Now as much I truly do love flex dollars I think they should be able to be used at other fast food restaurants such as: Chipotle, Noodles & Company, McDonald’s, Meatheads, and Potbelly’s. Now that would be awesome”.

Lastly, Adam explained, “My experience with flex dollars has not been a memorable one. I started out the semester with $450 flex dollars with the meal plan I had picked. What I have used over half my flex dollars on is Subway. My reason for that is it is open till 2am. Second reason is that a subway is in Watterson which is where I live. This means I don't have to walk anywhere when I feel lazy or when the weather outside isn't cooperating. Another place that I have used my flex dollars is Mcallister’s which I think is phenomenal. The food is great and they have a wide variety. I love the atmosphere it provides with a cool retro feeling and the service isn't bad either. It is just hassle sometimes to go there because it is at the Bone Center. I used about $75 flex dollars there. The other places I have used my flex dollars at is Burger King. It is also in the Bone Center so it is a pain to get to if I am in my dorm and want food. I usually just get BK in between classes. I think their burgers are decent but I do love their onion rings. Then I found a liking for Jamba Juice because I’m always around the Rec Center. I figured I would have to try it and I spent a good $40 flex dollars at Jamba I would say. My favorite smoothie from there is the Orange Dream Machine. I haven't made great use of my flex dollars but I try to make an effort to change up my variety. I have to say I am pretty sick of Subway. I managed to still have $70 flex dollars left with 2 weeks left in the semester”.

Written By: Brittany, Liz & Adam

The Chicago Trip

Until a week ago I hadn’t been to Chicago in years and since my uncle lives there and my baby cousin was to have his first birthday that weekend I saw no reason not to. On top of that a friend in my frat (who is filthy stinking rich) rented a penthouse suite in the United Center to watch a Blackhawks game so it was obvious my weekend was made. So Saturday morning I hopped a train to Chicago and since I woke up at an inhumane hour I slept through most of it but something shocking happened on the train. When the train officer came to me asking for my ID and ticket I had no ID to give him other than my military ID so when he looked at my ID he looked back at me and said “thank you for your service”. I’m still not sure whether that was really a big deal or not but that hit me like a brick wall.

When I got to Chicago my grandparents picked me up at the train station and took me to my uncle’s house and as soon as I got there families started showing up with their toddlers for my cousin’s birthday party. It was like drowning in a sea of toddlers and I was the only person there above the age of 10 who had neither a wife nor a kid. But, from the perspective of someone who never gets to see their family, it was a huge moment for me. My other cousin, a two year-old girl named Brielle, was born while I was on the other side of the world and I didn’t even get to see her for the first time until they came to visit me in Germany and by that time she was walking and had already said a lot of her first words. That said, being able to see my new baby cousin during the crawling stage was big for me. For the rest of the night and into the next day I spent as much time as I could with my baby cousins up until my friends called and said they were at the United Center.

My uncle drove me to the United Center and the whole way over railed on me about how the Chicago Bears were destroying the Lions (I’m a Packers fan). When I got there I called my friends and they said to go to Gate 6. Since we were going to be in Penthouse Suites I expected something different than a normal ticket booth like all the other gates but when I got to Gate 6 it was identical to every other gate. But then I got another call from them and they said “sorry, we meant 6½”. So I walked around until I found 6½ and there was a guy standing outside in a suit and another guy with a metal detector. It felt like I was walking into an exclusive club like the ones I went to in Germany. When I got up to the suite it was basically a lounge with a observation deck and a roving food cart, from then on I knew it was going to be a beautiful night. The game was entertaining and ended with the Hawks winning 6-4 but I had the most fun just hanging out with the other guys. When the game ended the 15 or so of us carpooled back to ISU in cars and the whole way back we listened to stuff we remembered from the 90’s. When I finally got home I thought to myself, “that was a hell of a weekend”. It became an even more magical moment when I walked into my dorm and realized my friends had pranked me by stealing most of my things and putting them in their rooms and flipping everything they left behind upside-down.

The Women of Lockerbie

Women of Lockerbie, a play presented through the ISU theatre department, ran in early October of this year.  The story is based on the true story of events following a terrorist attack on a U.S. airplane that had exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. The eponymous women of Lockerbie as devoted to changing the minds of the U.S. government and their attempts to destroy the evidence (victims’ clothing most importantly) from the crash all these years later. The show introduces one specific family and their relentless attempt to find any shrewd of evidence as to what happened to their son during/after the crash. In the end, the women succeed to claiming the clothing of the victims and vow to wash all 11,000 pieces of clothing before returning them to the victims’ families to give closure to the families across the world.

The show was a drama, as opposed to a comedy, and the beginning of the show progressed rather slowly and the gaps between dialogues were dry and uninteresting at points. As the first act is used to give the plot, story background, and overall foundation, the development was very stretched…

-

When I asked a random person what the play The Women of Lockerbie was about the description I received was women washing clothes. The Women of Lockerbie was a very interesting play. Although, I nodded off during the first half, it still caught my attention. In my opinion the play had a greater meaning. It began with a woman roaming the hills for her deceased son s remains from a plane crash. The plane crash was an act of terrorism that affected the members of the town Lockerbie. The victims of the terrorist attack were some of the children of the townsmen. The play depicted a silent grievance followed by a town’s collective distress. It was very moving because these people of this town experienced a tragedy with commendable attitudes. The women of Lockerbie were battling the government to return the clothes of the victims to their family to wash for closure. This unraveled anger and hatred because what happened to the innocent lives that were taken. I can’t imagine the courage it took for the town of Lockerbie to pick up the scattered remains of the victims from the crash; with the chance of the remains being their own children. I like this play because it turned an act of revenge and hatred into an act of love. I think that’s what the people of Lockerbie got out of washing the clothes of the victims. That’s why I would highly recommend this play to others.

-Brendan Lawler & Loriann Eldrige

Balancing a Social Life

My name is Denise and I attend Illinios State University. I believe it is very important to stay on focus with your studies but that does not mean you cannot have fun also. My friends Ray, Ian, and myself believe that we should study hard and then have our fun after. Since finals are coming up many students are very stressed out and some advice my friends, I recommend is to step outside and experience something new or attend a basketball game to take some pressure off. Before I go out and have fun I decided to take it upon myself to attend a Finals 101 workshop at Illinios State University. The workshop will help me plan out study schedule, teach me how to manage stress, and how to use the process of elimination to our best advantage. Here at Illinios State the faculty does the best they can to help students succeed, all students have to do is reach out for help. During the workshop a student teacher sat down with me and gave me an easy and successful two-week plan to help me prepare for my three exams. She also taught me some helpful tips on what to do on an exam if I did not know the answer. For example, in a true or false test she wanted me to avoid any options with the words always or must. I must say her advice actually worked that day when I had a pop quiz and I ended up with a 90%!

Ray speaking now and some of the ways I like to release some stress is going to the gym. School can be really stressful sometimes and at the Recreation center at Illinios State University I have many options on ways to take care of it. For example, at the gym they have many things you can do from rock climbing, taking fitness classes, lifting, or even play indoor sports. Usually I just lift and I feel really good about myself afterwards. Like Denise said about finals, it is getting close and stepping out away from the books helps me feel energized. Especially during finals week I believe that people should remain focused and healthy. To stay healthy you should eat right, stay in shape, and sleep is also very important. I know this because earlier in the semester I took a stress management course for extra credit in a class. It actually taught me some really great tips. Its obvious that cramming before a test the worst idea but if you study an hour a day for a week the information actually sticks with you. I also heard that sleep is important because it actually makes you remember more information. Students should study hard but also you need a break every once in awhile, you are only human. We just have to push ourselves for two more weeks and avoid stress. So take a few hours and watch TV, hang out with friends, or go the gym, like me!

Finally it is Ian speaking now and as finals are coming right around the corner of course I am getting nervous. Personally I am not much of a work out kind of a guy but I do like hanging out with friends. On the weekdays my friends and I usually go to the basketball games. After I am done studying I look forward going to meeting up with my friends and then head on over to the basketball games. My good friend Sam is the manager for the basketball games so I get to have front row seats and I just went to the most recent game, which was on Wednesday. Funny thing about being with friends when ever you are in a bad mood from school or family they always seem to get you back up. That is what my friends do for me; I suppose you can say they are my form of stress relievers. It takes my focus off on school but I always have to remember to get back on track. At the basketball game last Wednesday I was so focused on the game. It was a very intense game for the Redbirds who versed Chicago State. Behind a record barrage of three- pointers, Illinios State defeated Chicago State by a score of 81- 41 before 3,858 fans at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. Going to a basketball game with friends is what I would consider a great way to relieve stress before finals!