Use Your You

http://www.useyouryou.com/

If you are or have ever been involved with WJU, you should totally look at his site now. It's part of the new marketing material for the Jes. I must say that it's phenomenal. The many personal stories from faculty, students, alums (even me!) etc really put forth what is truly amazing about this place. Check it out.

Crin

The Cat Cake

Erin and I, as psychology department foster children, held a birthday celebration for Dr. Julie Osland's birthday. New SSAC work study student Lindsey helped us to make the cake...which was nothing short of spectacular.

Lucifer Cake:

The Final Display:

Post consumption!
PS. Playing Catchphrase with Wheeling Jesuit's psychology department is amazingly ridiculous.

High School Reunion vs Fantasy Football

Last weekend, Labor Day Weekend, after a ridiculously busy work week I ventured home for a few reasons:
1. My 5 year Canon McMillan high school reunion
2. Cookout at Dad's

The Reunion

I am unsure how or when it happened, but I often take the responsibility of "getting everyone together" within my hometown group o' chums. Now, I love this responsibility but this time was a bit more difficult than usual. I am very intrigued by reactions when a "high school reunion" comes up. Most people appear to groan in some fashion. Of the top of my head, I assume this could be for a couple reasons: 1: Wow. Time flies. A high school reunion reminds us of how long ago we were 18: Before college. Before a lot of things. 2: Especially for earlier reunions (like my 5 year), chances are, if you really have wanted to see fellow alums, you would have. Who really wants to see everyone else besides that? Then again, I guess a small part of all of us might enjoy seeing if the horrendously mean and elitist popular girl became similar in mass as the Goodyear blimp...

Anyways, for those of us that wanted to go, we could stick together - just as we did back in the day.

In my brain, the idea was simple:
Get old friends together.
Go to reunion as a group.
If lame, depart.
Travel to local watering hole.
Additional good times commence without odd social awkwardness and social classes (you know, the kind most people say they've "grown out of," but everyone knows -or soon realizes - they haven't).

In reality - many people were out of town to begin with. Some had parties of their own or just had no intention on going but asked if I would "let them know what's going on".

While fiddling with NFL.com, I checked facebook messages and made some phone calls only to realize that there weren't that many of my old friends going besides a couple.
By 6 pm, I wondered if it was even worth going since it was over at 8. It cost $20 bucks...I cared only about two people there (who I could see if I wanted to without forking over the double tens). I most frequently embrace any and all social activities, but such a busy week I just wanted to relax and do absolutely nothing. Besides, I had another event that evening...

IT WAS FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT DAY!!!
During the early afternoon that day, I had finished setting up my fantasy football draft list. If you are to know anything about Fantasy Football, know that "draft day" happens at a specific preset time in which you are able to choose who your players are along with the others in your league (for me, my league consists of mostly Justin's family). After the draft is over, you can only pick up players by picking up free agents or trading. While you are able to set up preferences and let it draft on its own, it is difficult to get your top choices - especially if fellow players snag all the good ones.

So. High school reunion. 20 bucks. Making sure I get Jason Witten as my Tight End. Seeing a couple friends I haven't seen in years. Just being lazy. Possible fun scoop on anyone from high school. 20 bucks. Decisions. Meh.

Fantasy Football Draft: 1 High School Reunion: 0

I stayed home and did my fantasy football draft and skipped the entire reunion. Loser? Maybe. Apathetic? Definitely. I talked myself into planning an alternative reunion of sorts in the coming months so home folks stay tuned.

Cookout at Dads
The original plan was to bounce between both my Dad's and Mom's cookout ventures. After I realized that Mom was attending a cookout over and hour away with people I don't know in the middle of nowhere, I stuck around my Dad's and visited with Lou's (my stepmom) family. It's nice to see them. After I got tired of talking to all the adults, I spent the rest of the time playing with Ryan and Christopher (my little step cousins) and enjoying a couple Coronas.

After some cookout action, my good friend Tina and I went out in search for a garter belt and thigh highs. Yes. That's right. Anyways, after that we had no destination in mind (as with most every other of our outings) so we moseyed around Walmart for at LEAST an hour until we got tired of browsing mass sweatshop-produced merchandise and getting incessantly "sized up" by random old dudes. Eh. I hate Walmart. We stopped at a Starbucks (sadly, we are fresh out of little independent coffee shops in Washington PA) and decided to go to a bar. The only problem is, we really just don't know any good bars in that area - besides the typical chain resaurant places (Applebees, Max & Ermas, etc). We ended up in the Race Car Cafe which we had frequented in our "youth" for food, but this time we could actually go to the bar. It ended up being one of those places that as soon as you walk in, the few people actually there stop talking, look, and neglect to resume talking. Whatever. I had to use the restroom..that starbucks didn't sit well. After being confined to the stall for a good 5 to 10 minutes, Tina amused herself by throwing wet papertowelballs over the door at me. After my bathroom needs were fulfilled, we bolted after taking a couple pictures with a dune-buggy type thing outside. As par to most of our so called "nights out" we ended up at Kings laughing over "chicken bites" (aka scraps at the bottom of a bag of frozen chicken fingers) and three fried mozarella wedges.

All in all, it was a splendid weekend not overwhelmed with too much activity which was just what I needed! Thanks Dad for providing the Corona!
Well, back to the grind!

Peace,
Crin

China is whack: The More You Know ===*

Darfur Activist Olympian Visa Revoked

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/07/oly.cheek/index.html

Tibet
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/opinion/18tue3.html

Organ Harvesting
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-7-8/73074.html

Labor Camps
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/red.giant/prisons/wu.essay/

Germany 1936 vs China 2008
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-5-12/70465.html

Ingrown

Welp, I've got me an infected ingrown finger nail. Yes, it is as YUCK-worthy as it sounds. Throughout this week, a trimmed-too-short nail has evolved into a miniature battleground for bacteria and my trusty white blood cells. If you've ever had one of these, you know how much it sucks. After a few days of incessant, accidental bludgeoning of the painful little thing, I took a trip over to Wheeling Hospital to inquire about antibiotics...and for reassurance that my finger wasn't going to rot off. Within seconds of my nurse practitioner introducing herself, she grabbed my finger with no warning what-so-ever and starting pulling and squeezing the wound while she said repeatedly "I know you hate me, I know you hate me but this has to be done," (...which seemed to be more of a dramatic action and statement than necessary. Then I looked around for the other cast members of General Hospital). After the sneak attack, she claimed, "I had to be quick otherwise you might not let me look at it." Since this is the type of theory that I often only apply to pets and small children, I came to two possible conclusions: 1. I inadvertently walked into a veterinary office due to my infection going to my brain, thus causing delirium- OR - 2. I looked shorter (and more childlike) than usual. I digress. So she gave me some oral and topical antibiotic prescriptions and instructed me to keep it wrapped up "real good like". I said thanks and left as she shouted after me to stop biting my nails. Luckily, no finger rot will likely ensue.

I wanted to, but forgot to take a picture to show everyone (because, you know, everyone loves infection pictures!) before I bandaged it up.
Here's a picture of someone else's problem:

Fortunately, my finger looks nothing like this toe. I don't have hairy knuckles.

The messed up nail is actually on my left hand. The picture turned mirror image-ish for reasons unknown.

If that isn't wrapped up "real good like," I don't know what is.

So yes, other than infections, things here at good ole' WJU are well! Student leaders arrived on campus yesterday and things are busy as expected. With the back-to-school chaos, I am looking forward to another year of working with students and plugging for social change!

Got to get going.
Crin