Andi

Midterms are now over. So what do I do with my life? Geek out to Doctor Who and Star Wars is the obvious choice. This past summer my sister got me hooked on Doctor Who, and I’ve been watching it ever since. Star Wars I’ve loved ever since I was a kid, so that’s nothing new.

But now that the stress of midterms is now long over, I am going to sit and relax by watching Doctor Who on netflix. I have no shame. This cold weather is perfect for snuggling up in a blanket and watching my favorite show. Not to mention it’s finally hot cocoa weather!

But I actually am going to finish up this blog and go back to watching Doctor Who. So with that I bid you all goodnight!

This past week was HOMECOMING! and our football team took on the Minnesota Gophers! So obviously you would think why would I want to talk to anyone affiliated with Minnesota? They were our sworn enemy this week. But when it comes to Big 10 Marching Bands, there are no enemies!

Twelve Minnesota tenor saxophone members came down to the game, and approached us (the Iowa Tenors) before the game! It was really exciting to meet all of them, so we all decided to get dinner at Old Chicago after the game! But obviously this being a last minute decision, we had no reservation for 20 people at the restaurant, so we ended up sitting at 6 four-person tables in a row. At first we thought we would kind of segregate ourselves by school, but I actually ended up sitting alone with 3 Minnesota band members! Every table ended up having a nice mix between the schools! It wasn’t awkward at all, it was like we had known each other all year!

We had such a good time at dinner, we decided to continue the fun at our section leader’s apartment. We all went back there and just spent the night away swapping stories and just having a great time! It was crazy to think I only met them that morning! We all had such a great time, we’ve decided that it is going to become an annual shindig when Iowa plays Minnesota. So next year the Iowa Tenors are headed to Minnesota! It was so amazing to meet and hang out with all of them. It will definitely be one of my most memorable Homecoming weekends!

Go Hawks!

There are many pros and cons of going home. Here’s just a few:

PRO: Being with my family and pets

CON: A 3.5 hour drive can be pretty loney

PRO: Familiar roads and just the overall feeling of home

CON: Coming home because a relative past away…

PRO: Retail therapy

CON: Spending money on said retail therapy

PRO: Getting my haircut

CON: Spending money on said haircut

PRO: Being in my own bed

CON: Have to drive 3.5 hours alone on the way back

There are obviously various other things to be on this list, but based off of this weekend it’s the items most prominent on my mental list. Besides being here under the circumstances of a relatives passing, I’m enjoying my time home. It was a much needed mental health break. But tomorrow I’m back to Iowa City and all the craziness and stress that comes with it! (not that I’m complaining)

How would any normal student spend their wednesday night? Doing homework of course! Wednesday is Hump Day. It’s the middle of the week. Top of the hill. The most dreaded day of the week, and typically the most homework filled. This wednesday night I left the comfort of my sorority house and headed over to Burge where my friends and I studied our little hearts out. Papers, quizzes, labs, exams, you name it! We studied for it. I personally had a considerable amount less to do than my friends, so I sat and watched Doctor Who on Netflix. Now I’m typing this blog. Im spending the night in Burge because my morning class is considerably closer to it that my sorority house. So why not? My friends futon is just as comfy as my bed! Studying is tedious, but hey. It has to be done.

Studying in Progress!

I won’t lie. Online lecture are tough. I’m not talking about the online classes that you do at your own pace; I’m talking about the live lectures where the professor talks to you live and you have to be logged on at a specific time of day. Many people think it would be a dream, just sit at home and listen to your lecture. No problem.

I’d like to put that story to rest. With an online class its really easy to fall behind or just check out during the lecture. Sometime while class is going on, it’s really easy to find yourself logging on to Facebook or any other social media sites. I find myself definitely struggling with that. If someone ever asks me if they should take on online lecture I would say NO. Don’t do it! Going to a physical class will keep you on track. I won’t be dropping my online class, but I definitely don’t see myself taking another one in the near future.

The storm that is formal sorority recruitment is now over! It has been a stressful past 2 weeks to say the least, and tonight marks it’s end! I have to say, being on the other side of recruitment was definitely exciting, but surprisingly just as nerve-racking as going through it as a potential new member! Every day was different with different jobs and things to remember, but tomorrow is looking up to be the most exciting of them all. Tomorrow is BID DAY! Such an exciting day, and it’s the day we will all finally meet all our new members! I’m so excited to finally meet everyone on a much more casual and relaxed level and welcome them as our new sisters! Recruitment (and all it’s stress) was still a fun time! There is so much bonding between sisters, and so many new memories are created. I look forward to creating so more of those memories tomorrow along side our new members. So congratulations to all the girls who made it through formal recruitment, YOU DID IT! And if you were unable to complete the process, don’t be discouraged! Many chapters have continuous open bidding even after formal recruitment has come to a close. If you’re still highly interested in joining a sorority I definitely suggest looking into it. Formal recruitment may have just not been the right setting for you, but that’s completely ok! It’s an exciting, but very stressful time and can get the best of us. But for those girls that made it through, I can’t wait to meet some of you as my new sisters! Tomorrow is going to be so exciting and surrounded with love. I can’t wait!

Although the recruitment storm is over, there are still many others things to worry about! Between classes, marching band, and work, I’m lucky I found any time at all to even write this post! Hopefully as the semester progresses things will calm down along with my level of stress. I’m hoping for this year to be even better than the last, so here we go!

First week of classes, second week of band, beginning of recruitment, to say the very least, I’m extremely overwhelmed. At times I feel like I can barely hold myself together! It’s only the first week, so it’s stressing me out more that I’m stressing out! I’m pulling my hair out now just trying to think of something to write! I feel very distracted and disorganized. But don’t worry, not everyone feels the way I do. I know many people who are floating along just fine this first week. Hopefully after this week I’ll be able to de-stress and relax a little bit. But otherwise I hope everyone is having a great first week! Especially if it’s your very first week at Iowa!

It’s just midway through my first week, classes haven’t even started yet and I’m already desperate from some down time!

Between moving in, organizing my things,making time to see friends, marching band ‘hell week’, and my sorority’s work week I feel like I barely have a moment to breathe! Luckily early this morning there was a rain storm with made our marching field too wet to march on so I got a break this afternoon! That’s the only reason I’m able to sit in my sorority house and type up this blog entry! This week has gone so fast I feel like I’ve barely had time to register the fact that I’m even in Iowa City at all! I feel like once classes start and things slow down a little bit, I’ll be able to fully dive into life in Iowa City. I absolutely love it here. It’s great to be back with all my band friends and sorority sisters. I’m super excited for this marching band season, and so far I’m absolutely in love with living in my sorority house! I hope to eventually down the road make a more in depth blog post about my experiences living in my sorority house! But for now it’s back to marching!

Yesterday I arrived home from my family vacation to Walt Disney World, and in less than 2 days time I will be moving into my sorority house. The thought of having a relaxing last two days at home has pretty much imploded. Ever heard of the saying “So much to do, so little time?” Yup. That’s me.

A have a nice list of things to be taken care of and packed before I hit the road for Iowa City, and to say the least, it’s no short list. I honestly feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Just a few months ago I had all the time in the world with very little to do. Now I have less than two days to get EVERYTHING together. Luckily I had the forethought to pack the majority of my things BEFORE vacation, but there is still much to be done. I barely even have time to write a good quality blog post! So, for now, I will continue packing. Hopefully when I get to school I have a chance to write a good clean post, but that still might be pushing it. Between marching band’s “Hell Week” and my sorority’s “Work Week” I might not have much time to do anything but sleep and eat! So keep your fingers crossed.  Hopefully I’ll be able to make it through the next two days and even the next week without passing out!

This is my own personal guide on what to bring to college! Keep in mind I’m not an official “college must-haves” spokesperson, this is all just my own opinion and advice, and whatnot!

This year I’m going to be a Sophomore, and although I will no longer be living in the dorms, my sorority house is the next best thing! I am personally quite an over-thinker, so in turn, I definitely over-think when it comes to packing! At times packing can be exciting, and then again it can be quite daunting. It’s not like you’re just packing an overnight bag and reminding yourself to not forget your toothbrush! If you’re like me and your hometown is a few hours away, you’re packing to actually LIVE there almost full time. So you can’t even let yourself forget the tiny, nitty-gritty things! But one thing to be cautious of is to not overdo it. You may feel like you have to pack for EVERY possible situation that might come up. But trust me when I say, no you don’t. There are stores right off campus so if you need something for that rare situation, it will be there waiting for you, which I learned from experience is a lot better than trying to stow away anything and everything possible in my tiny dorm room!

So here are my absolute MUST HAVES when packing for school in no particular order:

• Bed in a Bag- usually found at Target or Walmart, and have a comforter and sheets all-in-one! Don’t forget: Twin XL!
• Alarm Clock- obvious essential. Need to wake up for those 8am classes!
• Desk Lamp- also found at Target or Walmart, many have cool compartments that can hold pencils and things as well!
• Laptop- definitely a more expensive item, and all based on preference. Great for typing up papers, taking notes, and of course just trolling the internet! But if you don’t feel the need for a laptop, Iowa offers many on-campus ITC Centers free for students to use!
• Shower Caddy- How else do you expect to get your shower necessities down the hall to the bathroom? I suggest finding one with NO metal part, that way it doesn’t rust after getting wet a few times! Can be found at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and of course Walmart!
• Futon- I personally suggest lofting your bed when living on campus, it gives you TONS of extra space! It also allows you to have a place for friends to sit, and sleep if they ever stay over! I know I crashed on some of my friends futons if I stayed over too late and had an early class the next day! Or even if friends from home come to visit!
• Hanging Shoe Holder- this is a great item for your closet! It keeps all the shoes you’re not currently wearing up and out of the way! I found mine at IKEA!
• Pants Hanger- These are great for hanging up your pants. It holds multiple pairs of pants, and if you fold them neatly it can be very compact! They even sell similar ones for skirts! You can find these at The Container Store, Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath & Beyond!
• Storage Bins- Preferably medium sized, they fit great on closet shelves to hid away and food, cleaning products, or any other necessities you don’t want just sitting out! They either come with open tops, or you can buy some with lids! I found mine at Kohl’s and IKEA!
• Clorox Wipes- These are so handy! I used mine to clean our room’s sink, or to even just wipe down the surface of my desk. So many different uses, they come in so handy!
• Lock Box- aka a mini/portable safe. Great for storing away important documents, checkbooks, jewelry, and electronics! I found mine at Office Max.
• Laptop Lock- a combination lock with a cord that can attach to almost anything. I had my desk under my bed so I attached it to my bed. So when my computer was on my desk I could just slide in the lock no problem. And if I wandered out of my room for a couple minutes to talk to friends or use the restroom, I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone snatching up my laptop!
• Bunk Bed Shelf- This is great for attaching it to your bunk without anything permanent. That way your alarm clock, kleenexes, pretty much anything you need by your bed you’ll still have it! I found mine at The Container Store.
• Febreeze- not that your room will necessarily be stinky at college, but sometimes if parents or friends are coming over, it’s nice to have a fresh smelling room.
• Laundry Basket- there are all different types, laundry bags, the classic bin, or even ones on wheels! But either way, you’re going to need some kind of thing to get your dirty clothes from your dorm room, to the laundry room. I suggest and opaquely colored one, unless of course you don’t mind people seeing all your business…
• Make-up Mirror- Girls, you may not think you need one, but I don’t suggest you wait until you and your roommate are trying to use the mirror at the same time to find out…