It’s november, and it’s officially fall. Leaves are down all across campus, they’re crunching underfoot everywhere I walk.

Things are going really well! The barbershop quartet is still getting some good gigs, On The Rocks is getting geared up for our concert (November 19th, 7 PM- be there), and life overall is just really good.

It’s nice because now that I’m a junior I’ve got a bit more freedom in my schedule, and I get to schedule in some down time to relax and watch a movie. Also, I’m almost done with my term on my fraternity’s executive board, so I’ll have even MORE free time.

Honestly I feel more like a “college student” now because I’m doing so many stereotypical college student things- doing homework in the student center, organizing different events for my fraternity, forming study groups in the library, playing intramural sports, all that kind of stuff. Sure it sounds corny but it’s true: it feels so collegiate!

Speaking on sports, I’ve got a volleyball game soon… a sport I’m actually good at!

Till then,

Kevin

I already forwarded that article to allll of my family, they all love it, and since a lot of them have never seen the ballpark they now have a glimpse of what I see when I work

Unfortunately, the Peoria Chiefs didn’t make it very far in the playoffs, but I still get a few paychecks, which like I said before is a HUGE help.

It’s a great atmosphere here on campus because it’s just starting to smell like fall- some leaves are falling down, the air is getting chilly, people are wearing more BU hoodies…

And what would my blog be without barbershop!? We compete Friday night… we’re one of twenty quartets competing and they narrow it down to ten on Saturday, and we’re actually hoping to win the whole district, which would be awesome. I’m really excited! And I’m finally getting over my silly cold/sinus thing, which will help as well.

It’s late on a Sunday, so I figure I should get a jump on some reading.

Till then,

Kevin

School got started and in a HURRY. Here’s the big updates from school: junior year schedule = much more flexible and in-depth than last year. Sports Com has “officially” launched, and we’ve already made a field trip- to a Chiefs game, of course. We met with my boss and a couple other officials and the manager and one of the players, which was pretty fun. We lost the game, though…

Enough about school… to the fun stuff. The Peoria Chiefs made the playoffs (yes, they have playoffs in the minor leagues), which means I get an extra paycheck, which is always nice.

Also, the barbershop quartet has been busy and active as well. We ventured out to Farmington, Illinois on Saturday for the Farmington Italian Festival- it was quite the adventure. They had a tomato chucking contest where you had to build a catapult or trebuche to launch a tomato at the target… quite entertaining.

As you can see from the time stamp, it’s late, and I have some reading to do. So, enjoy senior year (those of you who are seniors) and if you’re a junior… ENJOY THE COLLEGE SEARCH! It’s a lot of fun if you don’t take it TOO seriously

Till then,

Kevin

I’m still in the process of packing up my “stuff” and realizing that I still have a list of names of people to hang out with this summer! Yikes!

Since my birthday is in mid-July, for me it’s always the death knell of summer. Sure, my birthday was a lot of fun, but for a solid 17 years of my existence the next big event after my birthday is the start of school…not that it’s a horrible thing. It just means lots of work on the upcoming.

This really isn’t a true update unless I put in a link to some form of music…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7mGjSZpdpk#watch-main-area

This group is Crossroads, the 2009 International Quartet Champions! They’re AMAZING. This song actually posted the highest score ever recorded…ever. And that’s after some deductions were applied because some judges thought there was a rule violation. I STILL get goosebumps watching this video.

That’s it for now. Just about to do some reading on the front porch swing.

Happy sunday!

Till then,
Kevin

I also just had my birthday, which was a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of my friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in a while. My friend actually brought some of her friends who were visiting, so we had a few more people than I had planned on, but hey, the more the merrier!

Also I got invited to a luncheon for the Slane College of Communication and Fine Arts. We recently got a donation of notes, articles and other journalism memorabilia from the collection of Bob Pille, a 1950 Bradley University graduate who worked his whole career as a sports journalist. This is huge for the new sports communication majors (like me!): this is a great resource and will be used for a long time. I’m personally really excited because these will provide some awesome writing examples to look at and start drafting my own work.

You guys know I’m big on countdowns… 37 days until school starts… which is a pro/con at the same time. I’ll have to move out of the room I’m sub-leasing for the summer (which is kind of a bummer), but it means I’ll start classes for Sports Com which I am excited about. It’s a major that I think will lead to a lot of good things for me, and I’m pumped to see where it’ll lead me.

That’s all for now, I suppose.

Cheers,

Kevin

For instance, I can’t believe I’ve only been with my barbershop quartet for 5 months. It feels like we’ve been singing together for years. On the flip side, it’s downright scary to think that in two years, I’ll be a college graduate. Where do i go from there? What’ll be my first job? Do I continue to pursue something in sports? Yeesh. It’s a big thing. But luckily, I’ve got a solid year or so before I have to REALLY start worrying about that kind of stuff. 

Right now, I’m really just enjoying my time in Peoria. It’s been great to relax, hang out, see my friends that are here, sing with the quartet, learn how to cook on my own, all that kind of stuff. It’s hard to describe.

My dad comes to visit me on Friday, and I’m excited about that. I’ll get to show him the house I’m staying in for the summer, take him out to eat at FlatTop, and then we’re heading home to Berea on Sunday. I’ve got a big family reunion in Buffalo, NY over the 4th of July weekend, so I’ll spend a week at home and hang out with friends and such. It’s going to be awesome. 

I suppose that’s all for now. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L0yhClvZg8 <—- I’m really hoping these guys win the international barbershop competition. They’re RIDICULOUSLY good. All four of them have already won medals with other quartets… they’re absurdly awesome. Enjoy!

Kevin

Overall, this summer is going really well. A bunch of people moved in this past week/weekend because that’s when their leases started, so there are even MORE people around too! 

Oh, and SUPER exciting news! My friend Katy is a promotions intern with the Peoria Chiefs, and she texted me the other day and told me that there was an opening for the PA announcer position at the organization, and she knew I liked doing that kind of thing and she and I had discussed it previously, as well. So she gave me her boss’s number and I called her and left a voicemail, not really expecting anything. Her boss called me THAT DAY and asked me to come down to O’Brien Field THAT DAY to read for them! On the microphone! For the whole stadium! Even thought I was really nervous I got offered the job! So I’ll start next week when they kick up their next homestand. I’m REALLY excited because this plays perfectly into my new major. It’s real, hands-on experience and will look awesome on my resumé. SO PUMPED!!!

I suppose that’s all for now…41 days till my birthday! Also, I’m excited for that as well. haha

Till then,

Kevin

 It’s like I’m actually having to grow up, but in a really good way. I’m able to take time to hang out with the dog that lives with us now, I have TIME to myself to relax, READ A BOOK, maybe even work out? Who knows. I feel like I’m just now realizing that there is actually life after college. I’m learning more about myself, too: how I stay organized (or not…), how I deal with people, how I live my life according to myself, not according to a class schedule and a calendar.

I’m spending my summer here working for the admissions office, as usual. I’m also being compensated for being part of the Peoria Bach Festival Chorus. The Bach Fest is a kind of new thing in Peoria, and Dr. Jost runs it, and he asked me to sing, and since I don’t do much else BESIDES sing, I figured why not? It’s a good chance for exposure and an opportunity to read some new literature.

In addition to that I’ve got a couple of gigs lined up with After Hours, the barbershop quartet I recently joined. We also just WON the collegiate contest for the Barbershop Harmony Society competition for the state of Illinois. This is a big deal in the barbershop world! If you’re bored, watch our videos. The first link is the semi-finals, and from the semi-finals they pull 10 finalist quartets. The 2nd link is our finals competition video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ2YxXSgyHs <— Semi-Finals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuJeh_X1a7Q <— Finals

I’m the one on the far right (duh). We also came in 2nd overall out of all the quartets that competed, which is also a huge deal. Moral of the story: we’ve got a lot of gigs lined up, which means money for food this summer!

*sigh* I guess at this point I’d describe my mood as “cautiously optimistic”- I’m not sure what exactly this summer has in store, but I’ve got some things lined up which could make it a lot of fun. Don’t worry- further bulletins as events warrant

Cheers,

Kevin

Then after my day was over, I went and played a co-rec softball game. We got our butts kicked, but it was fun to get out of the house and be outside. And the sun came out while we were playing! So no complaints there. After that, I came back and there were a few people rounding up a group to go see the Wolverine movie, so I said to myself “you know what?  I need a break anyway.” And I knew I had nothing really pressing to do on Saturday, so my homework and projects could wait. So a big group of my fraternity brothers and some of their girlfriends all came out and saw the Wolverine movie, and then we went to get food at Culver’s and just hang out. It was really nice to just relax and catch up with all of my friends. 

After we got back to campus, I had to get my pitch pipe because On The Rocks was singing at Relay for Life! We sang a full half-hour set and loved it- it was our last real show of the year. It was a lot of fun to just sing! We had a pretty big cheering section too, which didn’t hurt

Then from there I went to All Star Ball, which is our end of the year dance/celebration for all of the STARs and the admissions reps are invited too. It was fun to just dance and get out and have some snacks. 

So far, it’s been a good weekend! We’ll see what today holds, besides a paper I have to write…oh, college.

Till then,

Kevin

So classes are still going on, too. Things are going well. I am now OFFICIALLY one of the new sports communication majors! Those classes kick off in the fall, so I’m excited for that. 

This week will probably kick my butt too… off to more work!

See ya,

Kevin