"You and Me"
"What day is it? And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time"
So this entry has been a long time coming. I feel as if I should be apologetic to those of you hanging on the edge of your seat every day, waiting to see what Todd may have written about in his next day, however, I feel as if it needed to wait. This summer has brought some emotionally charged times...yet I feel as if they are incredible. Reflecting on them can be quite overwhelming, and I have found myself beginning this large entry many separate times, only to find myself not truly in the mood to give this life the words that it deserves. However, what better time than this hot evening in the end of June...amidst the middle of an 8 hour desk shift in the south quad of Central Michigan University do I feel inspired to refelct on the happenings of the past few weeks or so. Without any further introduction, I present it to you...the summer of 2005...thus far.
To let those of you following along at home...I am working a combination of 4 jobs this summer...
-A CMU Orientation Mentor for the Red-hot red team. Getting to mentor incoming freshmen was way more rewarding than anyone could forsee. The feeling that the 300 or so odd students that called me their mentor for a day, may just remember me by name for their 4 years here at Central gives me a chill. Even though the brunt of it is over, I am excited to assist in the random transfer orientations throughout the summer, maybe slipping in a little Todd wit wherever possible, and/or needed.
How could I even talk about the Orientation experience without mentioning the GT crew that became my family for 5 weeks. I am so excited to have had this opportunity to rise at 6am, eat meals, take trips, and grow with these 23 or so odd other individuals. Some relationships that were existing changed, or grew even stronger...while others that never existed began and grew in an amazingly fast fashion. It was 5 weeks comparable to the tilt-a-whirl with it's ups, downs, and never ending spinning speed...however it changed me as a person...for the better I am convinced. I hope those people know how much they mean to me, and I am convinced to keep them close to me throughout the year. To add to the student family, how many other college students can say that they spent their summer getting to know the administration of their university on a (sometimes too) personal level?! I am excited to see where the relationships I have built with those high in Residence Life, Student Life, Academic Advising, and other places around campus will lead me in the avenues of opportunities here in Mt. Pleasant, it truly is amazing!
To end this tangent I will leave with a collage of memories that I will remember these first 5 weeks fondly with. Those of you that shared one of these memories with me...thank you.
--Virgin points, El Todderino, Pantsless Volleyball, Tennis Ball fights, top five/three, graffiti, Money and Rhythm, MULLETT, the dock, shotgunning, and Lifesavers on my face.--
-I am also a slave to the office of Residence Life. First off as a summer conference service associate. I love the long titel that we get, certainly not matching the paycheck. However, it is with this job that I am able to eat and live for free the entire summer, so factoring this into the picture it seems pretty appealing. The fact that this entry is so long is contributed to the fact that I am employed in this capacity, as I spend long hours in front of a computer screen...in this case in the wee hours of the evening. This one is a pretty simple summer job...sit behind a desk...answer the phone...hand out toilet paper...give wake-up calls. There is also the additional perk of a random linnen pull or prep shift pulled in--something that I did not anticipate being a part of my summer. Who knew that it could take you that long to clear a building of dirty linen?
-I am also a ResLife Sprots Camp Counselor. Now..those of you who know me best should stop laughing..because I am apparently pretty good at it! I know it combines two things that I have no luck with..one being organized sports..and the other being children, but somehow I can hold my own with them. Supervising a floor of 6-8th grade football players DOES take alot out of you with the endless questions, comments, screaming, and trash...however, knowing that you helped them adjust a little bit gives you satisfaction as a person, and I actually had a couple of campers come to me on the last day with some thank yous for being a good counselor. Who knew the little spawns of satan had it in them? Thus far, I am preferring the footbal kids to anything else...but there is a Varsity football camp this next week, and we shall see if that opinion hold true through the weekend.
-My final empoyment opportunity is back with the land of the bullseye...Target. You all know that they cannot keep me away for long, as it is sort of enjoyable. Cashiering is amazingly fun without repsonsibility...and the laid back mentality of the store makes it enjoyable to work in. No more long nights in the Benton Harbor store hoping that it burns down...this is a whole new environment..and I am excited to be back starting the 9th. I believe I will stay there during the year..the cash could come in handy...no more of this poorer than dirt indivudual that I have become to hate.
Pretty much everything else has to take a backseat to the four aforementioned employments...since they need to be a priority...hopefully it gets easier to handle once the checks start rolling in. Otherwise the summer has been nothing short of awesome. The relaxed atmosphere up here is awesome, and I am enjoying getting calls from random people still up here...almost having a different place to hang each night that I can. I have gotten to know alot of different people this summer, some people I may have never gotten to meet during the year, and for that I am truly thankful. It is an awesome feeling to look at the way relationships have grown, and it gives me a peace that I revel in for moments on end.
Yet no situation is perfect, adn there are things missing from this mountain during the summer. I have not gotten the chance to visit the shore home in a while..and this really is the time to be there. A full fledged beach-ite I am (I have been spotted down by the silver beach pier during every moth of the year) it would be nice to chill there...if only for a couple of days. Team TnT is going on almost 9 weeks apart...which is unheard of for those of you who knew us in the last semester...however the phone conversations are daily..and its quite fun playing message tag sometimes. There are some people that I have lost touch with...unintentionally, and I am dishearted by that. I try my best, however, and I know that when fall comes...gears will switch, and normalcy will reign.
But for now peeps...I am livin chillin it up..and LOVIN the heat!
Thanks for bearing with me ;)
Peace OFF!
T.Rizzle, Double D, El Todderino, Rhythm, and all the rest :)
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time"
So this entry has been a long time coming. I feel as if I should be apologetic to those of you hanging on the edge of your seat every day, waiting to see what Todd may have written about in his next day, however, I feel as if it needed to wait. This summer has brought some emotionally charged times...yet I feel as if they are incredible. Reflecting on them can be quite overwhelming, and I have found myself beginning this large entry many separate times, only to find myself not truly in the mood to give this life the words that it deserves. However, what better time than this hot evening in the end of June...amidst the middle of an 8 hour desk shift in the south quad of Central Michigan University do I feel inspired to refelct on the happenings of the past few weeks or so. Without any further introduction, I present it to you...the summer of 2005...thus far.
To let those of you following along at home...I am working a combination of 4 jobs this summer...
-A CMU Orientation Mentor for the Red-hot red team. Getting to mentor incoming freshmen was way more rewarding than anyone could forsee. The feeling that the 300 or so odd students that called me their mentor for a day, may just remember me by name for their 4 years here at Central gives me a chill. Even though the brunt of it is over, I am excited to assist in the random transfer orientations throughout the summer, maybe slipping in a little Todd wit wherever possible, and/or needed.
How could I even talk about the Orientation experience without mentioning the GT crew that became my family for 5 weeks. I am so excited to have had this opportunity to rise at 6am, eat meals, take trips, and grow with these 23 or so odd other individuals. Some relationships that were existing changed, or grew even stronger...while others that never existed began and grew in an amazingly fast fashion. It was 5 weeks comparable to the tilt-a-whirl with it's ups, downs, and never ending spinning speed...however it changed me as a person...for the better I am convinced. I hope those people know how much they mean to me, and I am convinced to keep them close to me throughout the year. To add to the student family, how many other college students can say that they spent their summer getting to know the administration of their university on a (sometimes too) personal level?! I am excited to see where the relationships I have built with those high in Residence Life, Student Life, Academic Advising, and other places around campus will lead me in the avenues of opportunities here in Mt. Pleasant, it truly is amazing!
To end this tangent I will leave with a collage of memories that I will remember these first 5 weeks fondly with. Those of you that shared one of these memories with me...thank you.
--Virgin points, El Todderino, Pantsless Volleyball, Tennis Ball fights, top five/three, graffiti, Money and Rhythm, MULLETT, the dock, shotgunning, and Lifesavers on my face.--
-I am also a slave to the office of Residence Life. First off as a summer conference service associate. I love the long titel that we get, certainly not matching the paycheck. However, it is with this job that I am able to eat and live for free the entire summer, so factoring this into the picture it seems pretty appealing. The fact that this entry is so long is contributed to the fact that I am employed in this capacity, as I spend long hours in front of a computer screen...in this case in the wee hours of the evening. This one is a pretty simple summer job...sit behind a desk...answer the phone...hand out toilet paper...give wake-up calls. There is also the additional perk of a random linnen pull or prep shift pulled in--something that I did not anticipate being a part of my summer. Who knew that it could take you that long to clear a building of dirty linen?
-I am also a ResLife Sprots Camp Counselor. Now..those of you who know me best should stop laughing..because I am apparently pretty good at it! I know it combines two things that I have no luck with..one being organized sports..and the other being children, but somehow I can hold my own with them. Supervising a floor of 6-8th grade football players DOES take alot out of you with the endless questions, comments, screaming, and trash...however, knowing that you helped them adjust a little bit gives you satisfaction as a person, and I actually had a couple of campers come to me on the last day with some thank yous for being a good counselor. Who knew the little spawns of satan had it in them? Thus far, I am preferring the footbal kids to anything else...but there is a Varsity football camp this next week, and we shall see if that opinion hold true through the weekend.
-My final empoyment opportunity is back with the land of the bullseye...Target. You all know that they cannot keep me away for long, as it is sort of enjoyable. Cashiering is amazingly fun without repsonsibility...and the laid back mentality of the store makes it enjoyable to work in. No more long nights in the Benton Harbor store hoping that it burns down...this is a whole new environment..and I am excited to be back starting the 9th. I believe I will stay there during the year..the cash could come in handy...no more of this poorer than dirt indivudual that I have become to hate.
Pretty much everything else has to take a backseat to the four aforementioned employments...since they need to be a priority...hopefully it gets easier to handle once the checks start rolling in. Otherwise the summer has been nothing short of awesome. The relaxed atmosphere up here is awesome, and I am enjoying getting calls from random people still up here...almost having a different place to hang each night that I can. I have gotten to know alot of different people this summer, some people I may have never gotten to meet during the year, and for that I am truly thankful. It is an awesome feeling to look at the way relationships have grown, and it gives me a peace that I revel in for moments on end.
Yet no situation is perfect, adn there are things missing from this mountain during the summer. I have not gotten the chance to visit the shore home in a while..and this really is the time to be there. A full fledged beach-ite I am (I have been spotted down by the silver beach pier during every moth of the year) it would be nice to chill there...if only for a couple of days. Team TnT is going on almost 9 weeks apart...which is unheard of for those of you who knew us in the last semester...however the phone conversations are daily..and its quite fun playing message tag sometimes. There are some people that I have lost touch with...unintentionally, and I am dishearted by that. I try my best, however, and I know that when fall comes...gears will switch, and normalcy will reign.
But for now peeps...I am livin chillin it up..and LOVIN the heat!
Thanks for bearing with me ;)
Peace OFF!
T.Rizzle, Double D, El Todderino, Rhythm, and all the rest :)