1. Sleep is VERY important.
2. Sometimes, in order to achieve your goals, you may need to give up something else.
3. Friends are always around, you just gotta go for it!
Hey again!
I just need to start with: COLLEGE IS AWESOME!
College has been quite the adventure, mainly because its something that I thought I knew everything there was to know, and I am honestly (pleasantly) surprised each & every day! I have made so many friends and have gotten to know so many people that I probably would not have talked to otherwise. I am also learning valuable lessons, such as time management. But, I have much more interesting things to tell you about: friends.
So, at Concordia, we have about four days of orientation before classes even start and then we, as freshmen, have two classes with our orientation group all semester. This basically ensures that we will have people we know in at least some of our classes and we get out of our bubbles and that kind of stuff. But, I have seriously lucked out.
Some students end up in orientation groups where they don't really click with their clubbies, and I feel so badly for them because my group is AWESOME. We all get along well; plus I have made some really great friends that I can see myself being friends with through college, and who knows... maybe even life after? Haha.
Anyways, moral of the story: you need to burst your own bubble and get out there, to mingle & to just be yourself. You never know when you're missing out on a great friend!
Yay friends!
Loves!
(: Katie!
Showing posts with label awesome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awesome. Show all posts
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Opening Night (and 100th Post!)
1. Stage make-up is really not good for your face.
2. Group projects are more work than you would expect.
3. If you wander around Target for an hour at 9am, the employees start to give you odd looks.
4. Try less to impress...and just be yourself.
It's opening night for the play I have been working on for a few weeks. It's an odd feeling, for sure. This is my first college production I am performing in and the first show I will see costume pieces I help create up on stage. This will also be the first time my sister Ashly will see me perform. I'm super excited, but also very glad it's coming to an end. It's been stressful and a lot of time has been put in. But overall, I'm very glad I did it (despite the fact I complained nearly the whole way through).
Last night was our final dress rehearsal, which means afterwards, we went to Gio's, a local pizzeria. When I was on technical crew for Grease earlier on in the season, my experience at Gio's was not the greatest. Although this might just be cognitive dissonance, I believe it was because it was a brand-new experience where everyone was an adult and able to make choices for themselves. I was sort of in shock and I left pretty early. I also had some emotions come up that I didn't expect to appear. The tradition the theatre has is presenting a "Bucky" award to 2 freshman (1 performer and 1 techie). I knew for Grease I wouldn't get it because I had only put in a bit of effort and time compared to other freshmen techies. It deservingly went to my friend Hannah, who I have known since we were in 7th grade. These emotions of jealously and a bit of frustration and anger appeared. I knew it was ridiculous to feel such things, so I worked through them and came to the decision to not worry about getting a Bucky. Sure, I wanted it, but there are plenty of theatre students who didn't get a Bucky and still do well.
Up until I arrived at Gio's, I had truly forgotten about it. I pushed the thought aside and tried to enjoy myself. Then the moment came: the presentation of the Bucky. The performer Bucky went to my friend John, which is well deserved. Because I am mainly a performer, I thought my chance had passed. But then, my name was called out.
It was unexpected and wonderful, although I do think others were as deserving as I was. The Bucky is voted on by the upperclassmen. Which meant I had somehow made an impact on them and that is pretty epic. I definitely learned something: don't worry about it. It seems that when we forget the prize or the desired award, we try less to impress and become more of ourselves. I completely forgot about the Bucky, which I wanted quite a bit, and I just lived as myself.
Peace!
-Nicole
PS. This is the 100th post!!!! Yay!
2. Group projects are more work than you would expect.
3. If you wander around Target for an hour at 9am, the employees start to give you odd looks.
4. Try less to impress...and just be yourself.
It's opening night for the play I have been working on for a few weeks. It's an odd feeling, for sure. This is my first college production I am performing in and the first show I will see costume pieces I help create up on stage. This will also be the first time my sister Ashly will see me perform. I'm super excited, but also very glad it's coming to an end. It's been stressful and a lot of time has been put in. But overall, I'm very glad I did it (despite the fact I complained nearly the whole way through).
Last night was our final dress rehearsal, which means afterwards, we went to Gio's, a local pizzeria. When I was on technical crew for Grease earlier on in the season, my experience at Gio's was not the greatest. Although this might just be cognitive dissonance, I believe it was because it was a brand-new experience where everyone was an adult and able to make choices for themselves. I was sort of in shock and I left pretty early. I also had some emotions come up that I didn't expect to appear. The tradition the theatre has is presenting a "Bucky" award to 2 freshman (1 performer and 1 techie). I knew for Grease I wouldn't get it because I had only put in a bit of effort and time compared to other freshmen techies. It deservingly went to my friend Hannah, who I have known since we were in 7th grade. These emotions of jealously and a bit of frustration and anger appeared. I knew it was ridiculous to feel such things, so I worked through them and came to the decision to not worry about getting a Bucky. Sure, I wanted it, but there are plenty of theatre students who didn't get a Bucky and still do well.
Up until I arrived at Gio's, I had truly forgotten about it. I pushed the thought aside and tried to enjoy myself. Then the moment came: the presentation of the Bucky. The performer Bucky went to my friend John, which is well deserved. Because I am mainly a performer, I thought my chance had passed. But then, my name was called out.
It was unexpected and wonderful, although I do think others were as deserving as I was. The Bucky is voted on by the upperclassmen. Which meant I had somehow made an impact on them and that is pretty epic. I definitely learned something: don't worry about it. It seems that when we forget the prize or the desired award, we try less to impress and become more of ourselves. I completely forgot about the Bucky, which I wanted quite a bit, and I just lived as myself.
Peace!
-Nicole
PS. This is the 100th post!!!! Yay!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Do You Smell That?
1. Real butter is a treasure in a dorm room.
2. When selling chocolate bars for a fundraiser, it's a bad idea to to keep the box in your dorm.
3. Time After Time is an over-done song.
4. Smell the world.
Now I don't know if I am simply weird or if it is just an unspoken thing, but the first thing I notice about people is how they smell. Whenever I am with people, I can't help but notice what they smell like. For example, Megan smells like vanilla, sugar, and a mess of flowers. Melissa smells about the same, but it's less sweet and more rich. My mom, when I was younger, smelled like a bakery/deli because she worked at our local grocery store. When she had her days off, she smelled like clean clothes, her shampoo, and she smelled like her skin. Now, she just smells of home.
It's weird being at college. The first week weeks of living in the dorm were weird. I remember just feeling uncomfortable and I couldn't figure out why but then I figured it out: everything smelled differently. The bathroom didn't smell of my usual shampoo and my mom's hairspray - it now smelled like cleaning products and a mess of hair care supplies. My room smelled like it normally did, but it had a mix of something else. This was the most puzzling to me. I figured out why the bathroom smelled differently (the bathroom was cleaned every other day and was used by 30 girls), but my dorm room confused me the most. I knew my roommate had put out an air freshener, so I closed that for a while, figuring it would go back to the way I think it should smell - it didn't fix it. Finally, I figured it out: I wasn't the only one living in my room. I had my roommate and a ton more people were popping in and out of my dorm daily, so of course my room wouldn't just smell of me. After time, I didn't notice the difference as much.
When I was home for Christmas break, my mom came home one day after work. I had spent the whole day just lounging around and when I came downstairs, my mom looked at me and said, "I forgot you were here; I knew something smelled different." I never thought I had such a distinct smell until today, when I hugged my friend Shelby from behind. Although she didn't see my face, she somehow knew it was me. "I knew it was you," she said. "I could smell you." I laughed at it and made a comment about it later to Megan. "You have a very distinct smell," she said to me. I never thought I had a distinct smell. I never wear perfume and rarely do I put on lotion. The only thing that is consistent that I use that has a smell is my shampoo and conditioner. When I do put on something that has a smell to it, the smell tends to fade quite quickly. It just seems that there is something about me that smells a certain way.
Whenever I spend a few hours or the night in Megan's dorm, I come back smelling like a combination of her dorm (vanilla) and me. And this happens no matter where I go - I always come back smelling a bit different. Even when I hug someone, their smell lingers and it's almost like they are there all the time. It's crazy how much a smell can affect you - it can bring you back to a certain moment or bring back memories of someone. For me, the smell of a garden will forever remind me of my grandma. Beef jerky will remind me of car rides home with my mom from school.
Here's the point I'm trying to make: our sense of smell is here for a reason. Smell the world - I know it sounds funny, but we use our ears, eyes, and hands so often we sometimes forget about our noses. Our sense of smell can remind us of where we have been and who we've been with. Our skin is was reminds people of who we are - that we are real and sitting next to them or really giving them a hug. Sure, they can feel us, but when the smell of us (because each of us has a distinct smell) surrounds them, we really become real and our smell lingers and reminds them of who we are.
Stop and smell the flowers around you - you never know what they will remind you of.
Peace!
-Nicole
2. When selling chocolate bars for a fundraiser, it's a bad idea to to keep the box in your dorm.
3. Time After Time is an over-done song.
4. Smell the world.
Now I don't know if I am simply weird or if it is just an unspoken thing, but the first thing I notice about people is how they smell. Whenever I am with people, I can't help but notice what they smell like. For example, Megan smells like vanilla, sugar, and a mess of flowers. Melissa smells about the same, but it's less sweet and more rich. My mom, when I was younger, smelled like a bakery/deli because she worked at our local grocery store. When she had her days off, she smelled like clean clothes, her shampoo, and she smelled like her skin. Now, she just smells of home.
It's weird being at college. The first week weeks of living in the dorm were weird. I remember just feeling uncomfortable and I couldn't figure out why but then I figured it out: everything smelled differently. The bathroom didn't smell of my usual shampoo and my mom's hairspray - it now smelled like cleaning products and a mess of hair care supplies. My room smelled like it normally did, but it had a mix of something else. This was the most puzzling to me. I figured out why the bathroom smelled differently (the bathroom was cleaned every other day and was used by 30 girls), but my dorm room confused me the most. I knew my roommate had put out an air freshener, so I closed that for a while, figuring it would go back to the way I think it should smell - it didn't fix it. Finally, I figured it out: I wasn't the only one living in my room. I had my roommate and a ton more people were popping in and out of my dorm daily, so of course my room wouldn't just smell of me. After time, I didn't notice the difference as much.
When I was home for Christmas break, my mom came home one day after work. I had spent the whole day just lounging around and when I came downstairs, my mom looked at me and said, "I forgot you were here; I knew something smelled different." I never thought I had such a distinct smell until today, when I hugged my friend Shelby from behind. Although she didn't see my face, she somehow knew it was me. "I knew it was you," she said. "I could smell you." I laughed at it and made a comment about it later to Megan. "You have a very distinct smell," she said to me. I never thought I had a distinct smell. I never wear perfume and rarely do I put on lotion. The only thing that is consistent that I use that has a smell is my shampoo and conditioner. When I do put on something that has a smell to it, the smell tends to fade quite quickly. It just seems that there is something about me that smells a certain way.
Whenever I spend a few hours or the night in Megan's dorm, I come back smelling like a combination of her dorm (vanilla) and me. And this happens no matter where I go - I always come back smelling a bit different. Even when I hug someone, their smell lingers and it's almost like they are there all the time. It's crazy how much a smell can affect you - it can bring you back to a certain moment or bring back memories of someone. For me, the smell of a garden will forever remind me of my grandma. Beef jerky will remind me of car rides home with my mom from school.
Here's the point I'm trying to make: our sense of smell is here for a reason. Smell the world - I know it sounds funny, but we use our ears, eyes, and hands so often we sometimes forget about our noses. Our sense of smell can remind us of where we have been and who we've been with. Our skin is was reminds people of who we are - that we are real and sitting next to them or really giving them a hug. Sure, they can feel us, but when the smell of us (because each of us has a distinct smell) surrounds them, we really become real and our smell lingers and reminds them of who we are.
Stop and smell the flowers around you - you never know what they will remind you of.
Peace!
-Nicole
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Snow
1. Early bird gets the washing machine (or 4).
2. Don't get too frustrated when you can't think of anything to write for a blog post.
3. Be tackled into the snow.
4. Snow is absolutely wonderful.
I hate winter. I hate how wet, dirty, freezing, horrible-driving weather and especially because of where I live, it never seems to end. Plus, I thrive off of sunlight. The more sun there is, the happier I am. I absolutely hate winter.
But I love snow.
2. Don't get too frustrated when you can't think of anything to write for a blog post.
3. Be tackled into the snow.
4. Snow is absolutely wonderful.
I hate winter. I hate how wet, dirty, freezing, horrible-driving weather and especially because of where I live, it never seems to end. Plus, I thrive off of sunlight. The more sun there is, the happier I am. I absolutely hate winter.
But I love snow.
 |
| A snowy world. |
I love the way it sounds underneath my shoes. I love how it covers the trees. I love how lights look when the snow is falling. I love how it makes slip every once in a while, like it's reminding me to stay in the moment and watch where I'm going. More than anything, I love how it covers everything in a blanket.
Think about it - snow is the only type of weather that covers everything in a blanket of anything. Rain washes things clean, sun warms the skin, wind shakes things up...snow is the only thing that covers something in order to allow for change to happen. Underneath the snow, things are shift, changing, moving, growing, dying. After winter, the earth is slightly different than before.
Not only does the earth itself change, but we change with it. Underneath a snowy sky, we discover things about ourselves in the world. I thrive in the sun, but winter allows me to be more pensive and see the world in a different light (literally and figuratively).
 |
| Looks a bit like Narnia. |
Underneath a blanket of snow, things are a bit more close and change happens without much notice. After the snow melts, things bloom and change is truly seen...but sometimes we need blanket of snow, or some sort of protection, to allow things to get ready for spring.
Be tackled into a pile of snow and have laughing fits as a a snowball hits in you in the back. Keep on trudging through the snow. Allow yourself to slip every once in a while. Enjoy the white earth. And love spring even more when it comes.
Peace!
-Nicole
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
National Coming Out Day
1. Finishing a paper feels really good, especially if it is over the page length needed and there is still more to write.
2. Sometimes all you need is a hug.
3. Uploading videos to Youtube is a difficult process.
4. I'm coming out as stunning and crazy...and an ally.
Today is National Coming Out Day. Today, instead of writing a ton of stuff, I want to share a few videos.
First off, here is the first video that inspired the rest of them:
Since I cannot seem to embed the videos, here are links to the rest of them:
Melissa's Message
Megan's Message
And finally, mine: My Message
Please check out other videos. Everyone has a story to tell. Let their words speak for me. Just know that if someone around you is struggling, the best thing you can do for them is to love them and be supportive. Whatever they're going through (whether it be coming out or anything else), all they need is someone to stand by them and be that little bit of love that makes any day a bit brighter.
Peace!
-Nicole
2. Sometimes all you need is a hug.
3. Uploading videos to Youtube is a difficult process.
4. I'm coming out as stunning and crazy...and an ally.
Today is National Coming Out Day. Today, instead of writing a ton of stuff, I want to share a few videos.
First off, here is the first video that inspired the rest of them:
Melissa's Message
Megan's Message
And finally, mine: My Message
Please check out other videos. Everyone has a story to tell. Let their words speak for me. Just know that if someone around you is struggling, the best thing you can do for them is to love them and be supportive. Whatever they're going through (whether it be coming out or anything else), all they need is someone to stand by them and be that little bit of love that makes any day a bit brighter.
Peace!
-Nicole
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Perfect Medicine
1. Some people have classes on Saturdays.
2. A cappella groups rock!
3. Naps are fantastic, glorious, and wonderful.
4. Spending a night with friends is the perfect medicine.
Yesterday, I had a ton of doubts. They seemed to consume my mind and I couldn't get away from them. Most of them were random and didn't make much sense, but there were still a few that really got to me, like am I in the right place, do I make a difference, and do I truly have a friends?
Well, after being yelled at for being too loud, hitting people with a pillow, eating two bags of popcorn, watching Rent, spending the night with a few friends, and getting up way to early and talking seems to be the perfect medicine for such doubts.
In the past, I haven't had such good luck with making friends. I never could seem to keep a friend for too long and I never could get too close to someone without them backing away a bit. But, it doesn't seem to be happening. Again, college isn't the perfect cure for anything; it is still life and pain still happens. I think what happened was a rare stroke of luck...or just the way it was always supposed to be.
Either way, I discovered everyone craves attention, touch, and acceptance. They are human qualities that every single human contains. We all need it and want it.
I guess it is just can we notice that want and need in others? Because once we do, everything seems to be just a bit better.
Peace!
-Nicole
2. A cappella groups rock!
3. Naps are fantastic, glorious, and wonderful.
4. Spending a night with friends is the perfect medicine.
Yesterday, I had a ton of doubts. They seemed to consume my mind and I couldn't get away from them. Most of them were random and didn't make much sense, but there were still a few that really got to me, like am I in the right place, do I make a difference, and do I truly have a friends?
Well, after being yelled at for being too loud, hitting people with a pillow, eating two bags of popcorn, watching Rent, spending the night with a few friends, and getting up way to early and talking seems to be the perfect medicine for such doubts.
In the past, I haven't had such good luck with making friends. I never could seem to keep a friend for too long and I never could get too close to someone without them backing away a bit. But, it doesn't seem to be happening. Again, college isn't the perfect cure for anything; it is still life and pain still happens. I think what happened was a rare stroke of luck...or just the way it was always supposed to be.
Either way, I discovered everyone craves attention, touch, and acceptance. They are human qualities that every single human contains. We all need it and want it.
I guess it is just can we notice that want and need in others? Because once we do, everything seems to be just a bit better.
Peace!
-Nicole
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Note: Glances
Hmm. Two posts in one day? Yes, it is true. I had two really great ideas for an entry for today but they didn't seem to go together. So I decided to separate them and create a small note. They won't contain a list of lessons (cause I already said them). Instead, it is going to be a random thought or two.
Do you ever have the feeling you are being watched? I seem to be getting that feeling more often now. But more than being watched, I seem to be watching (and sometimes staring at) people. I am constantly intrigued by people. I often can't believe that they would choose to talk to me, sit next to me, or even be in the same room as me. It isn't that I am not deserving of being talked to or looked at, it is that they are just so amazing. Just amazing that I can't help but stare at them in utter awe.
I didn't have much of an opportunity to do so in high school. I did go to school with some pretty funky people but I had also known them for so long that nothing was new to me or awe-inspiring. Plus some people didn't even want to be there, so it put a damper on things.
So here I am, at a college some would die to go to. I have met people who are like-minded and who I can connect to without much effort, which has never really happened. Or if it did, the people didn't want to give me the time of day. It is like the feeling you had when you were younger: you wanted to be friends with that certain person, but they thought you were weird so they ran away. But here, I am suddenly someone to get to know. And it's cool.
I am also finding myself looking for reactions. Again, in high school, people reacted differently to situations than I did. It was a very rare thing to find someone who reacted to a situation in about the same way as I did. So I am looking for reactions. I am still wary of how this will all work out and if I will be suddenly outcasted (which I know logically I won't be).
So next time you catch me staring at you, it's not because I am creepy, but it is because I am looking at you in awe and waiting for your reaction.
Hope you enjoyed my little note.
Peace!
-Nicole
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