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…
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.
July has been a CRAZY month. It began when my dad came to pick me up and take me home the last weekend in June, and I was home for a week and then my family and I drove up to Buffalo, New York for a big family reunion. It was a nice break from things in Peoria, but I had to leave early in the morning on the 5th because I had a gig with the quartet here in Peoria. The Chiefs had a homestand, too, so I was working all of those games. They’re back in town on Wednesday, which is Free Hot Dogs & Peanuts night… www.peoriachiefs.com…. check it out!
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 the one phrase I try and live by. I love doing LOTS of thing, but above all I love people. I just got done giving an AWESOME tour to a prospective student (Hi Camille!) and her family that really had no idea what Bradley University could offer them, and it was so gratifying and exciting for me to talk about and share the knowledge about a place I truly love. Honestly, it made me reflect on why I came to school here. I’m caught up doing so many things that I often forget to just take a step back and see where I’ve come from and where I’m going.
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!
So I’ve been Peoria for 3 weeks, and it doesn’t even feel like that. This past week I sang in the chorus for the Peoria Bach Fest, which was awesome! We sang some really cool stuff, plus we had professional soloists and a “full” orchestra (which in Bach’s time, was not the orchestra we know today) who played and sang a lot of stuff as well. The coolest thing was the people I got to meet- other Bradley folk, some alumni, and some locals, including a guy who turns out to live down the street from where I’m staying this summer!
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
I’m living in Peoria for the summer. This is both a good and bad thing. I like it so far, but I have yet to buy my own food or even pay rent yet.
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.
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
I had a REALLY good past couple of days, so I wanted to blog about them. Friday was a great day at the office: we finished up a few rounds of interviews for the STARs program. This is the first time we’ve tried hiring/interviewing people in the spring, so we’re pretty happy about what we’ve found so far.
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.
Wow…Sorry it’s taken me so long to update. My April has been INSANELY busy. This past weekend there were TWO visit days (one on Friday, one on Saturday), my fraternity had its 60th anniversary celebration, AND I was singing in a barbershop competition Friday and Saturday night! (We won the collegiate contest, by the way (-: )
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!
Well, it’s that time again: that crazy time where class projects are coming up, where co-curricular groups are gearing up for end-of-the-year activities: the time when everything comes together and you run out of time. What do you do?
Personally, I’m going to pull my FIRST all-nighter tonight: not by choice, but by necessity. I’ve got a project due in the morning that I really wasn’t prepared for, and I’m paying for it now. Sure, I could slack off and just take the bad grade- but I can’t. Even now I realize the lesson I’m learning: PLAN AHEAD!
And that’s not all: I’ve got two tests on the horizon for next week, and a trip to St. Louis to coach with a professional singer and my barbershop quartet…but truthfully, I’m REALLY happy. This was the first Monday I woke up and said “yes, I WILL conquer this week,” which is the first time in several weeks that’s happened. Maybe it’s the smell of spring in the air, or just the excitement of knowing that this semester is coming to a close. That in and of itself is a scary thing: I’m almost HALFWAY DONE WITH COLLEGE! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Where does the time go? I’ll tell you where: STUDYING…
It’s not that I always INTEND to blog about the weather, but it always has such an effect on the mood of campus.
So last Friday was RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous weather- it actually hit about 70 degrees that day. There were TONS of people out on the quad, playing frisbee, playing volleyball, reading, talking with friends, just enjoying the opportunity to be outside and be in the sun.
Saturday was not nearly as fun. It was cold, around 50 all day, and then it poured and poured and poured rain all night: we had a flash flood warning! It was just a weird weather weekend, I suppose.
This weekend was also our spring Out of State overnight program, and it rocked. There was SEVERAL people that were here from OHIO! I was so excited it wasn’t even funny. I was able to talk to all of them and they all seem really excited to be on campus, and that was true across the board for everyone that was there.
And BOOM! It’s March. What happened to February? I mean, I know it’s a short month and all, but seriously? Man. It’s just been a really interesting month. I wound up surviving my first round of tests, which I think is a good thing: seeing those grades on those tests is a nice gauge of how you’re doing in classes, you can figure out where you need to improve or pick up on some material.
Right now I’m in the office helping to get things organized from out last visit day and getting ready for NEXT one this Friday. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun. I think that being able to talk to families and share my own personal experience at Bradley is my favorite part of actually being at Bradley. Don’t get me wrong: I love everything I do, but the best thing for me is being able to share parts of my personality and stories and experience with others.
I must be off, though. I’ve got a take-home essay to finish up and a cover letter to re-write…ah, college.
Kevin is a Sports Communication major from Cleveland, OH. He is involved in a social fraternity, STARs and chorale. Some of his favorite movies include Star Wars, Tommy Boy and Indiana Jones.
