Scavenger hunts. Awesome scavenger hunts. Photo scavenger hunts.

Scavenger hunts which include FREE SIX FLAGS TICKETS!!!

Yes yes, I know. You are probably saying to yourself, “but there’s NO chance to actually win one of those scavenger hunts!”

Oh my friend, if that is what you though, you’re WRONG!

That’s right. Myself, along with three of my wonderful friends set out to win, and dominated a 20 item photo scavenger hunt and WON!!!

(this picture was of three Starbucks cups)

That’s right. We won.

Moral of the story? Be determined, go into the competition with your mind made up, and who knows, you could be going to Six Flags for free too!!

So I was doing the normal week 5 activities including mass procrastination, and this is what happened.

Okay, it’s really kind of fun, here are the guidlines….

Rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 4 and columns to 4 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).
d. Save the image and post it on this blog!!

The Questions:
1. Favorite Color
2. Favorite Food
3. Favorite Drink
4. Favorite Season
5. Favorite Hobby
6. Favorite Holiday
7. Favorite Song
8. Favorite Movie
9. Favorite Number
10. Favorite Animal
11. Favorite Sport
12. Favorite TV Show
13. Favorite Job
14. Favorite Vacation Spot
15. Favorite Memory
16. Favorite Quote

Now, I know this isn’t the ‘typical’ post–but it’s just so fun, I had to share it with the WORLD!!! Plus, I think it shows that a little procrastination is needed during every week 5! You really can’t be successful at studying for finals if you never take breaks! Have fun with this, and post your mosaics!

If you’re wondering just how involved NCC students are in global politics, I’ve got the web site for you!  Currently, I am taking a Comparative Politics course with the highly skilled Professor Muck.  As part of his course, students are required to blog weekly on global events in the political arena. Let me tell you, what people find, and post on is fascinating! You’ll probably get more info here than you would on your typical cable news show. So go, check it out, and tell me what yout think!!!

Holy Cow.  This term is going to be NUTS! Good nuts, like honey roasted peanuts, a little sweet and salty, not bad nuts, like those kinds that fall from the tree, rot, and smell terrible…just for clarifications sake.  My classes are AMAZING, the Professors are all spectacular. This term by far I have some of the most passionate and excited Profs I even had here at NCC.  But that’s not the whole reason why I am saying Holy Cow.

Holy Cow describes how my extracurricular life is going to go down this term.

We are kicking off a chapter of International Justice Mission this term.  Right now, we are in the middle of the 24/7 Prayer Week, I’m flying home for Easter this weekend, and I just returned from a weekend at Calvin College in Michigan from their biannual Festival of Faith and Music.

Nuts. Certifiably Nuts, yet absolutely fantastic in every way.

I suppose I could fill you all in on this spectacular weekend I just returned from! A group of 11 students and staff journeyed around Lake Michigan into Grand Rapids for a conference featuring speakers such as Cornel West and artists including Over the Rhine and Lupe Fiasco just to name a few.

The whole purpose was to explore how faith and music intersect, whether that be within the actual process of writing and composing, within modern popular and political culture, or the music industry.   It was a truly fascinating experience being able to dialogue with professors and artists about the clash of all these topics, and how faith fits in.  I would have to say that this was by far one of the most inspiring weekends I have ever encountered.  I came out greatly missing the instruments I once played, as well as with a deep desire to take them back up, and make some great music!

Not to mention while experiencing all of these conversations and concerts, there was some awesome bonding that went on.   Like I said, there was a group of 11 of us total, and I have to say, I have a newfound respect and admiration for each and every one of them.  From being confused by rap, to pillow talk and acting as though food were a new discovery, it was a truly unique and amazing weekend.

Moral of the story: The more connected you get within any particular facet of Campus (in my case, ministry and service), the more fun things you get to do!  So get in there, commit to a role in leadership, and you will NOT regret it!!

As I sit in my dorm, the rain pounding on the small ac unit in the window, thunder rolling and lightning being reflected in the screen of my laptop, I can’t help but take a few minutes out of my paper writing time to reflect on this term.  It’s been quick, yet at the same time, excruciatingly long, filled with new adventures, and major let downs, the making of new friends, and the loss of old friends, stresses and joy filled memories.  It’s been insane.  I’ve had amazing classes, terrible classes too, sometimes driving me to the point of voicing my frustration through shouts (after class outside of course).  Professors have been hysterical, and at the same time sometimes I wonder what is going through their head, or how they can maintain some opinions.  I feel tired, worn out, ready to go home, and not wanting it all to end.

I leave for Melbourne Australia in 18 weeks to study abroad until the first week of December.  That means I will have four weeks at home after spring term finals to work, be with my family and friends, and say goodbye to home for a while.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond thrilled to be going, it’s been a dream of mine since as far back as I can remember, not to mention it’s required for my major. I can’t wait. But at the same time it’s stressful! Planning, making adjustments, and planning some more.  This is all not to mention all of the commitments I will be putting on hold for fall term. 

I guess this is all part of being a college student though, getting involved, making decisions, putting things on hold, doing your best to work hard and have fun. College is tough, not really the classes part, though those tend to be a bit stressful, but the whole growing up part. I’m not saying that I have it figured out by any means, I mean, come on, I’m a spry young 20 year old, I really don’t know much, but I’m learning.  And that learning, developing a sense for what it is important, what needs to happen, what needs to not happen, that’s the hard part.

So moral of the story, this term has be nuts. Absolutely insane. But worth it in more ways than can be expressed on a single blog.  So to all you incoming freshmen next fall, get ready, ‘cause there’s nothing quite like college!

How much is a human life worth?

Easy answer–priceless right? I think that would be the answer the majority of us would give. Life, especially human life could not possibly have a price tag. Well friend, I beg to differ, according to Free the slaves.com in the South in 1850, one human cost approximately $40,000.00 by today’s monetary standards. If you wanted to actually by a slave to mow the lawn for, or say, pick you fruit today, the average person would only run you about $90.00.

Shocked? I thought you might be.

Human life does have a price tag, but it doesn’t have to. Justin Dillon, director of Call and Response firmly believes that we are on the verge of a modern day abolitionist movement. I tend to agree. One of the most shocking realities I can provide to you right now, is to think about the nearest major city from your home. If you’re like me, that answer is Chicago. And do you know what? Slavery happens in Chicago. It happens in New York, and Los Angeles, in massage parlors and restaurants not only around the globe but in our own backyard. 27 million; and that is a modest estimate. The US government estimates that 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the US each year to be used as slaves. You’d think with numbers so high, there would be a rather large amount of convictions of human trafficking. 50, 50 is the number of convictions last year due to human trafficking. As Justin Dillon put it when he spoke after a special screening here at North Central, there are more bike thieves caught annually than slave traders.

You might be wondering a few things such as: wow, I want to know more, or, geeze, what can I do now, or even, how can I tell my friends and family about this? The answers, or at least some of them can be found in the links provided. This is not a problem that a few people can fix; it’s not a problem that government officials can cure either with their fancy rhetoric, or ‘solid legislation’. The only remedy for a human rights issue this massive is us; the people, who care deeply for the value of human life, and who know that there should never be a price put on a person.

To learn more, please visit www.callandresponse.com and www.freetheslaves.com each of these sites provide some fun, and creative ways to become more educated on this matter, and get the word out to others!

Also if you have not had the opportunity of viewing Call and Response, I encourage you to find a city where it is still playing, or a college campus that will be hosting the tour.

I think that this blog’s lesson is clear: Life is priceless, and never forget that.

When you ask students about week 5most will groan and talk about the myriad of midterms plaguing them. However, every once in a while, a term will come around where your week 5 is open, completely free of midterms. It’s when those dreaded tests and papers fall on weeks 4 and 6, leaving, if planned accordingly, an open week 5 for the taking.  I got lucky this term on week 5. Everything I had due was for weeks 4 and 6, and everything due week 6 was done well before the beginning of week 5! So what did I do with that glorious week of freedom you are asking? I went into Chicago. Three times. Yes, count them, one, two, and three.

Now who says you can’t have fun in the middle of a stressful term!

So what did you do? I be that’s your next question. Well, the first time I went in with three of my lovely friends, Mel, B, and Ellen*. We did the typical winter activities of ice skating (quite poorly I might add) in Millennium Park, taking silly jumping pictures in front of the giant colored structures, and ate dinner at the Bennigan’s on Michigan Ave.

All in all, it was quite glorious. Now this excursion was on Sunday afternoon, and our next trip happened the Tuesday after.

This time, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with two of my amazing friends, Mata and Corn*.  After work and classes, we hopped on the 2:30 train into Union Station and proceeded on to the Field Museum! We were totally pumped because the Museum closes it’s entrance at 4 pm, and we entered the building at 3:58! Not only that, but it was a free day! Anyway, so we entered into the magnificent building filled with some of my favorite items (dinosaurs, I’m not afraid to admit it!) when a security guard stopped us! He informed us that the staff had already closed the registers for the day. We were SO BUMMED! However, after a completely justified use of my well practiced puppy dog face, and showing him my cell phone which clearly said 3:58, he gave us ‘Member’ stickers, and let us in anyway. The whole thing really was one for this history books!

The third trip closely resembled that of the first, only this time again I was joined by Mata and Corn. We entered the city on Saturday for a fun filled 50 degree day of ice skating in t-shirts! Seriously, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Okay—so moral of the story: yes, terms are stressful, and demanding, however, when you plan and set achievable goals for yourself, it does not mean you still can’t make time for fun!

*the names used, although not given by parents, are their real names which they respond to on a daily basis

What do you get when you put 300 people in a small once-was-a-church building with famous people?

If you answered : a) famous people ‘borrowing’ clothes ; b) complete organized chaos; c) witness a killer show; or d) chow down on some delicious Portillo’s cake with the famous people after the show

Then you’d be right.

I’m going to take this letter by letter for you. I know, it’s a lot to take in.

a) Famous people ‘borrowing’ clothes

Okay, so here’s the deal, the basement of The Union, during the day is used at a place where people in need can come and get clothing. Before the show, our favorite Famous people of the week (Jon Foreman and Sean Watkins) along with those Famous people’s bands decided it would be HYSTERICAL to try on a few items of clothing to wear during the show. The best part? They actually wore the items while playing…at least a few of them did. It was quite the sight to see!

b) Complete organized chaos

You may remember last Friday, or you may not, if you don’t I’m going to fill you in a little. It was oh, I don’t know, around 0 degrees, not including wind chill. Now we couldn’t have those 300 people waiting outside freezing their bums off, so we crammed them all into that basement I referenced earlier! Fun times right? It was actually quite humorous, seeing 300 people intertwined with clothing racks, all bonding over the experience.

c) Witness a killer show!

I don’t know if there’s anything else to say about that! The show was AMAZING! Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot started this project called Fiction Family, and let me tell you, check out their myspace to see when they are playing next—we were the 3^rd stop on their tour, and it was just…geeze, I’m even speechless now! So great.

d) Chow down on some delicious Potrillo’s cake with Famous people after the show

That’s right. I said it. Myself along with three other people that volunteer at The Union on a weekly basis were up in the green room chowing down on some leftover Portillo’s chocolate cake when none other than Jon Foreman walks in the room. He greets us with a friends “Hey guys!” Now, keep in mind that we are not using plates, but rather digging our forks into this marvelous cake. We decided to timidly offer him a fork, and he JUMPS RIGHT IN! He pried off a GIANT chunk of cake and proceeded to munch on it while scoping out the room for more left over food. Apparently performing makes him hungry! Needless to say, it was one of the coolest experiences ever. Hands down!

So now we get to the lesson:

Always eat your chocolate cake, because you never know when someone famous will want to share it with you. Another good lesson could be…get involved! You never know who you are going to meet once you make the right connections! Not to mention, when you hear that famous people are performing on your campus, GET TICKETS!!!

So this year, I’ve decided to write my blogs as lessons rather than the ramblings of my previous blogs.

To start off the splendid New Year, I thought I’d write about something most Americans face in the first few months– New Years resolutions.  More specifically the resolution to work out more, you know, get into better shape. Wondering where the lesson is? Here it comes:

Working out is  great, magnificent you could even say. It gives you energy, endorphins, speeds up your metabolism, is good for your heart, well, you get the picture, it’s just plain good!

However; walking long distances in below freezing weather while in shorts is a bad idea. It can lead to windburn, frostbite, and potentially the loss of your legs…okay, well it might not be that extreme, but there’s still the chance.  Now I didn’t do this, but my room mate did.

Picture it, blue skys, you notice a slight breeze floating throughout the trees as you get ready in your dorm room for your splendid work out experience. Donning a t-shirt, hoodie, and athletic shorts you make your way out to your friends car, waiting for you in the parking lot. The two of you are headed down to Merner for a quick run.

After you’ve worked up a proper sweat in the 77° weight room, it’s time to go. This is when you realize that you are going to Kaufmann for dinner, and your friend is headed back to the Huntington Apartments, thus eliminating your ride back to…dun dun dunnnnnn North End.

Your ever so gracious friend drops you at K-mann, and proceeds to depart. With a brave face, you enter into the dining hall, eager to eat quickly and speed walk back across campus to your toasty Kimmel room.  Upon completing your ‘trayless’* meal, you take one last look around for anyone you know with a car, brace yourself, and, having not seen any other alternatives, make a break for it.

Immediately you feel the cold rush against your skin. At first it’s not so bad, refreshing in a way. You walk past Rall, cross the street and continue to pass Jefferson Plaza and Pheifer Hall. That’s when the stinging sets in, you begin to run.

By the time you reach your dorm room your poor legs no longer have feeling.  You curl up into a ball underneath your sheets in a desperate attempt to regain any type of sensation in your tingling and throbbing appendages. Silently you curse that blue sky and vow to never set foot outside the dorm in winter without proper leg attire again.

So as you can see, when walking to Merner in winter term, it is better to wear pants, even if you are getting a ride.  You never know when your plans may change, or the wind chill may drop way, way, waaaay below zero.  Such are the joys of living on North End.

*trayless meals refer to North Central’s valiant attempt to become more green, by reducing trays in Kaufmann, the amount of water used by the school is reduced, as well as the amount of food wasted by student.  

That’s right ladies and gents. This Friday night at The Union we are having the one, the ONLY…Over The Rhine!!!!! I know, you’re probably asking yourself, wow, how in the WORLD did they get Over The Rhine to come to North Central?! Well, it’s simple really, we just asked! I’m actually really pumped for this show though, not only is it an amazing band, but the way tickets are selling it’s going to be a sold out show! If you want to try and get tickets for this AMAZING masterpiece of musical melody, got to www.theunionnetwork.com and they should be able to hook you up! Tickets are $8.00 for the public, and free for NCC students. That’s just another perk of coming to North Central, you get into all the shows at The Union for free!

Okay, so have you ever heard of Anathallo? If not, look them up!!! Anathallo is an absolutely fantastic band that played at The Union last year. I guess you could say I fell in love with them right away. It’s great music to jam out to in your headphones, or to dance to when nobody’s watching…or to jam out to by dancing on your way to class when you think nobody’s watching until you open your eyes and realize there are about five people looking right at you…but that’s another story. Anyway, there’s a point to this story! This past Saturday, myself and a few friends went into downtown Chicago to a small venue called Schubas to see them!—Anathallo that is. I think you can probably infer by now that I had a blast, or else I wouldn’t be writing about it! One of my friends and I had to stand on the benches that surround the inside of the venue just in order to see! Granted, I’m on the shorter side, but still. It was fantastic!

Moral of the story: Take advantage of the activities you can do on campus for free, like The Union, every week there’s a new band, and there are always cool people to meet and hang out with! Also, don’t be afraid to just do things. If you have a favorite band or musician playing at a venue in the city, convince some friends and just go! Don’t waste time sitting there, debating about whether or not the show is to late, or if you have to much to do, because you might end up regretting not going!

P.S. Here’s a link to see videos of previous shows from The Union!