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Elizabeth McNamara
Class Year: Sophomore
Major: Political Science
Hometown: North Providence, RI
High School: North Providence High School
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First of all, congratulations to the seniors who just graduated! Great job and good luck!
Second, I can't believe that second semester is already over! That's how it goes with spring, though. February and March drag by (with the quick relief of Spring Break. Later, we get Easter Break, as well), then April is a crazy month that's so busy, it flies. May is a little bit slower, because of all the studying that goes into exams, but we're typically let out pretty early, so it's a short sprint to the end!
This year, May 11 was the final day of the semester!
(I was done on May 9, though!)
Still, my Summer Session 1 classes have already started. I take them to keep up with my requirements; being a double major requires, of course, a bigger workload, and ROTC itself fulfills enough credits to qualify as a minor (and some schools do, in fact, allow cadets to minor in Leadership). So to stay on top of things, I just give up a few nights out of my summer.
I know of at least one other girl who is a double major with a minor. We had a theology class together last summer, and I spotted her again in philosophy last night. It was nice to see her.
The great thing about summer classes is that they're so short. The Summer Intersession classes are only one week, but you go everyday, 8:30-4:30.
The rest of the classes (excepting labs) are 6-9pm, and the number of weeks you go is determined by whether you have the class every night or every other.
If you're very interested in the workings of summer courses, the schedule is here.
Anyway, last night was the first night of my philosophy class, Philosophy of Sport. I was really intrigued when I noticed it in the course catalogue, and it's going to be an interesting look at how sports reflect the values of their societies. It's something a little different and I'm looking forward to seeing what else we study.
I have some reading to do, though, so I'll post again soon!
I can't believe it!
I AM OFFICIALLY DONE WITH CIV.
Wow. It really hasn't hit me yet. I think it won't seem real until next semester, when I don't have to go to that class! I really have to say, though, that civ came in really handy on many occassions. It was interesting to see how it supplemented so many of my other classes--history, politics, military science... Those classes, in turn, helped me fill in some details for civ, which worked so well on papers and exams!
I am also halfway through exam week--two down, a major project turned in, and two to go! Happily, it's "so far, so good!" Now I just have to keep the momentum going and get myself through the last two, which are, of course, going to be my most difficult!
Something that has been an interesting diversion this week, though, was a photo shoot I had this morning...
When I was a senior in high school, looking at colleges, I was a somewhat cynical person.
(Who, me?)
I never picked up the schools' brochures, as I was convinced that no publication was an accurate depiction of the school. I thought, surely, that these pamphlets were specifically-targeted marketing devices with hired models.
Like I said, somewhat cynical!
Well, I can now tell you, from personal experience, that this is not the case with PC!
I started to doubt my theories when I began recognizing people around campus as the same people decorating PC's website.
Next, a picture of my RA, studying at the library, appeared in a brochure.
Then, my roommate appeared in a pamphlet.
(Both my RA and my roommate were just as pleasantly surprised as everyone else to see these photos; they had not posed!)
Finally, I myself was asked to be interviewed and photographed for a brochure!
So, potential and incoming friends, if you ever come across a brochure which features a girl who is in ROTC, and is both a political science major and theatre major, rest assured! However unlikely it seems (after all, who would ever mix all of those disciplines--they clearly don't match!), that girl is not a fabricated character, portrayed by a (lovely, if I do say so myself) hired model; that girl is me!
I have been so, so incredibly busy lately!
Excluding all the intense amounts of homework (a given towards the end of the semester), I crewed Urinetown for two weekends and went on ROTC's field training exercise this weekend.
I was really sad to see Urinetown end, because now all of the season's shows are finished. However, the show had six very successful runs, and all the graduating seniors in the show definitely concluded their PC career on a high note, so many congratulations to them!
I am already very excited about next year--there's some fantastic shows on schedule, which will be officially announced on the website some time this summer.
The student productions (those staged entirely by students) will also be announced then, which I am very happy about because there have been some great ideas floating around...
I spent last week preparing for ROTC--first this semester's Physical Training test (which I am very happy to say was my best yet!) and then for this weekend's Field Training Exercise with ROTC. We have an FTX every semester, because it allows us to get out in a new environment and practice the things we learn in lab. It's a lot of work, but I always walk away feeling confident and accomplished; I always learn something new and refine what I already knew.
We practice our battle drills, focusing on both our troop leading procedures (the steps) and our tactics, and we practice land navigation (during the day and at night). We also have a ruck march or two (which is when you carry all your equipment in your ruck, on your back, and the entire element moves out in a tactical manner) and sometimes, like this weekend, we get to do teamwork and leadership builders, like the reaction course (which is similar to an obstacle course, except that you work in teams, making and executing plans according to the troop leading procedures).
ROTC'S Annual Awards Ceremony is this Sunday, and then it's only a few weeks until our seniors are officially commissioned as second lieutenants!
I have lots of pictures to post for all of you, and even more on the way after that (what with all the end-of-semester events coming up), so keep checking back!
So spring break is over and classes resume tomorrow morning!
Of course, no one looks forward to homework, but everyone is so happy to be back!
That is definitely a great aspect of this campus--it feels so much like home that it's often hard to leave. I'm excited to be back and I know many of my friends were also eager to return and catch up.
Midterms are thankfully over, so the coursework will get back on schedule; I've already promised myself that I'll get ahead on some projects in order to stay sane during April. It's going to be such a busy month! I'll have at least one big event every weekend, and they all require extensive preparation!
More on that to come, though!
In the mean time, I'm checking over my work for tomorrow and getting into the spirit for St. Patrick's Day!
I know the Gaelic Society is going to have some great activities!
PC has a snow day today!
The snow all arrived during morning commuting hours, so it wasn't very safe for all the professors and employees to drive in.
This works out great for me becase I have my last midterm tomorrow and now I have all day to study, relax, and prepare.
What's really funny is talking with my friends who are from warmer parts of the country; for many people, this is the first snow day they've ever had!
Hope everyone who got a surprise break today enjoys it!
Somehow, this semester is already halfway through! I can't believe it!
It really, truly seems like I just got back from Christmas break!
Wasn't I just in Disney?
How can the semester be 50% finished already and another break right around the corner?
When I sit and think about it, I realize that I really have accomplished quite a bit this semester, between work, classes, theatre, and ROTC. Still, there's much more to do.
ROTC cadets have this semester's physical fitness test this Friday morning. As always, I'm hoping to do as well as possible, though I am very confident that I will pass. Hopefully, this crazy snow that's currently blowing outside will be gone by Friday and we'll be able to take the run portion of the test outdoors!
April will bring ROTC's military ball, which everyone is excited about! It's a chance to congratulate our seniors on the paths they'll be taking in the Army after they graduate/commission. It's also a great time to relax and have fun!
Shortly thereafter, we'll be spending a weekend out in the field for this semester's Field Training Exercise. I have a lot of reviewing to do before I think I'll feel as prepared as I want, but I'm also looking forward to challenging myself again and seeing how much I've improved since last semester's FTX.
Hopefully all of you are doing just as well! Also, best of luck, of course, to high school seniors, who are either choosing their college or preparing to!
PC's production of Waiting for Lefty made its final run yesterday afternoon and it was spectacular; it was, by far, the best audience from any of our shows! We were fortunate enough that all of our audiences were great, but Sunday's was particularly supportive--singing and clapping along with us! I know I was encouraged and I heard a few of the other actors talking about how such an enthusiastic audience really brings out the best performance!
If you saw the show, thank you SO MUCH for supporting our wonderful theatre department. If you didn't, you have done yourself a disservice!
I'm just kidding but I do recommend catching any show here at any time!
This weekend, I'm going to see the Independent Student Production, Baby with the Bathwater, and I'm so excited to see what they've cooked up!
I think rehearsal has already begun for the spring musical, Urinetown, too. I'm so excited because I'll be crewing that show and I can't wait to have rehearsal again!
Also, I recently received this question, which I'd like to answer:
Did you act in high school? I have never acted before (my school is too
small to have a drama program) but would love to start. Is there a way to
"start from the basics"?
When there is an audition here at PC, absolutely anyone can go out for it. The one rule is that your schedule allows you to properly commit to a show. Other than that, it's not important what your major is, what clubs you're involved in, and whether or not you've had experience. If you have the desire and you fit the part, you're going to get it.
If you're not sure whether or not you're ready, or if you're still shy or something, then crew for a show or two. It's a great way to meet people, get to know the ins and outs of the Smith Center, and see how things run around here. It was the best thing I ever did when I was debating just how involved I wanted to be in the theatre community on campus; it helped me realize just how much I love theatre--enough to then declare it as my second major!
Another great aspect of crew is that, unless you are the stage manager or assistant stage manager, your time commitment is not as big. While actors rehearse for weeks, crew is only needed for the final 2 or 3 (tech week, dress rehearsals, and, of course, the performances). So if you're short of spare time but want to get involved, I definitely recommend helping out backstage!
As for gaining acting experience, one of the core requirements at PC is the fine arts core. You could easily take Intro to Acting (which is offered every semester, I believe) to not only gain some confidence but knock out a core credit at the same time! There's also room for electives on most people's schedules.
There's also comedy and improv groups on campus that you can join!
The last option I can think of is that many students on campus need actors for their private films (many of which are submitted to the school's Film Festival), private productions, or class productions.
I hope that helps and if there are more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Now, I leave you with some photos of Waiting for Lefty, which mostly feature the WFL band. You can also, see, though, the super cool on-stage seating that our weary, little "meeting hall" had!
Hey, everyone!
I have been so, incredibly busy lately--but in the best way possible!
PC's production of Waiting for Lefty premiered Friday of last weekend and went really, really well! PC's newspaper, The Cowl, even wrote a fantastic review of it!
"Will Lefty ever come? In this Clifford Odets play, set during the Depression, a group of taxi drivers debate a labor strike while they wait for their most respected member, Lefty, to arrive. A sharply political play, WAITING FOR LEFTY is written as a series of seven related vignettes. The social commentary in the vignettes is powerful, focusing on religion, class, and especially politics throughout. First produced in 1935, WAITING FOR LEFTY was a critical achievement for the Group Theatre, whose support of new political plays was rewarded when LEFTY achieved both a Broadway run and widespread popularity."
We have so many talented people in our department and we were also able to add a concert of period, folk music to the show!
These are the only two photos I have right now (both taken during the concert portion of the show), but as soon as I have more, I'll be sure to share!
Tomorrow night starts our final weekend and I couldn't be more excited about it!
If you're around, you should definitely come and see the show!
It makes for a great date on Valentine's Day ;)
Hello, everyone! Happy new semester!
Thanks for coming back to check on me--sorry I haven't been more chatty!
I had an absolutely fantastic vacation; my other roommates and I went to visit our fellow roommate (I'm one of four) in her hometown. There may or may not have been some trips to Disney involved! It was a really great wind-down after exams and I hope that catches me some slack for not posting!
Coming back to PC has been really wonderful--best start of a semester yet!
I thought it was incredible that on the first day of classes, the nation was swearing in a new president. The entire campus was able to immediately come together, right off the bat, and share in something so amazing about our nation! Many classes were dismissed early to watch the inauguration (the benefits of being a political science major!) and others streamed the footage right into the classroom!
McPhail's was packed with people who wanted to watch the event together!
Then we all started the second day of classes today. I'm really looking forward to my classes this semester, though each syllabus shows they'll be more challenging than former courses! I'm feeling really motivated, though, and I'm ready to take it on!
The people in ROTC are also extremely motivated this semester. We're trying some new organizational approaches with our classes and labs, and also with our chain of command (the hierarchy).
Like my classes, I can see that this part of PC is also going to ratchet up this semester, but, again, I'm feeling very optimistic!
The biggest reason for my elation right now, though, is that I just got out of rehearsal for Waiting for Lefty!
We returned to work right away, Monday night, after everyone had moved in and I was so glad to be back!
I love watching each production slowly unfold as we get closer and closer to opening night, and since everyone had to memorize their lines over break, when we returned we were all off-book!
That is a huge step in the process and it really helps everyone get the picture of what the show's going to look and feel like.
Additionally, the set was all built by the time we got back! We immediately got into blocking (determining entrances, exits, and other necessary movements) and the puzzle is really starting to come together!
I'm so excited and I can't wait to see costumes!
These rehearsals have been even more fun than usual, though, because of the musical aspect of the show. We have not adapted the play into a musical, but we've added a small, fun concert to the beginning. I think it's really going to get the audience interested and it'll set a great mood!
Everyone is mastering the songs, so we're all enjoying them even more. It is so fantastic to end every day singing and hanging out with these great people!
I am going to be sad in a BIG way when this show is over!
If you happen to stop by PC in February, though, you should absolutely see it!
For those of you making final decisions on the schools you've been accepted to, congratulations and definitely consider making this show a stop on any upcoming tours!
I finally hunted down photos!
Different words and even people's reflections were projected onto the foil to help people reflect on the importance of the day.
...And somehow I've managed to go almost another whole month without posting. Sorry, all!
I've thought of some many things between then and now that I want to tell you!
Each of these subjects deserves a whole posting in and of itself, but as the semester is coming to a close (What? I'm in my last week of classes!?), I really want to make sure I get all this information out there:
1. The Art Club is still kicking. Today, they created animation art outside in honor of World AIDS Day. I'm very sad I didn't get to see it but I heard wonderful things about it!
2. The student theatre production that I worked on crew for had its run a few weekends ago and did amazingly well; every show was sold out with hopeful people in line right up to the opening of the house! All the actors and everyone on crew pulled the show off seamlessly, and the audiences seemed impressed by such a modern and different take on Greek tragedy. From reading the posts of the other student bloggers, I know Hannah saw it and liked it!
So congratulations to Kevin Black on his unique and successful adaption and presentation of Iphigenia by Euripides, Agamemnon by Aeschylus, and Electra by Sophocles. Breaking the Cycle was a smash!
3. If I haven't posted about the wonderful new videos on the Theatre, Dance and Film page, or you haven't seen them, then you should definitely check them out here. They have some great info about the department!
4. We are currently rehearsing for the upcoming production, Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odetes. I'm extremely excited to tell you that I have a part and I absolutely cannot wait for February to put the show on. It's going to be great!
5. ROTC's Professor of Military Science, Lieutenant Colonel McKinley, can now officially be addressed as Lieutenant Colonel as his promotion ceremony took place in the beautiful grotto in front of the Chapel this morning. Congratulations, sir!
6. ROTC also recently held a Commissioning Ceremony, to recognize the new contractees to the program, and on the same day we honored Veterans' Day. It was a small and dignified ceremony, also held in the Grotto, for both of the important occassionas. Congratulations to our newly-contracted cadets!
7. Much earlier in the semester, ROTC also successfully completed this term's Field Training Exercise, which involves the battallion taking the weekend to head out to the woods and focus on much of our training. I was placed, this time around, in some leadership positions I'd never had the opportunity to explore before and I think I did pretty well. I definitely learned a lot from the experience!
8. The library here on campus is almost completely renovated! The construction crews, who halted temporarily for the main part of the semester, will resume working over Christmas break in order to take care of final touch-ups! We have new, moving bookshelves and a beautifully-renovated upstairs! You can see all the before, during, an dafter photos here on the library's Flickr account!
9. This semester's production class in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Film puts on performances every Friday afternoon. All plays are original (!), or an excerpt from a well-known production (such as La Cage aux Folles). I'm sad to say that I haven't been able to go yet (I've heard such great things!) and I'm hoping to rectify that this Friday. If I don't, I won't have any more opportunities.
Also, I saw that my fellow-blogger Thomas Nailor was cast in one of these shows! Break a leg!
Similarly, the Opera Workshop that has been practicing nearly all semester will be performing Thursday and Friday night this week in the concert hall. They'll have everything, with scenes from Don Giovanni, The Pirates of Penance, Werther, Hänsel & Gretel, The Marriage of Figaro, Elixer of Love and Down in the Valley!
Best of all, of these performances are free!
10. Every Friday, the Music Department puts on Fridays at Four, where the music majors showcase what they've been working on! The shows are always free and so impressive!
I know there's so much more, but I felt so bad that I hadn't updated in a while. I promise to try my best to post some of the other things I have in mind before I go home on the 13th!
(Which is so close!) Hopefully I'll be able to attend tomorrow's Christmas Tree Lighting so I can let you know how it was!
How silly of me!
I just found this in my list of posts!
It was what I meant to write at the end of last year!
Things just got so busy I never hit the "publish" button :)
Here it is now, though, so enjoy!
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Honestly, it's been really crazy, demanding, and fun
A lot has happened. I've started working on my first major (political science), declared another major (theatre), changed roommates in the middle of the year (and gained a fantastic new best friend), committed myself to living in a quad next year (whoa/yay!), successfully became a part of the Patriot Battalion (so I knocked out the PT test and spent some weekends in the woods), took 9 courses, finished some core credits, finished half of civ, figured my way around the school, kept my grades strong, enrolled for Summer courses, went to some great functions, worked crew on Funny Girl, volunteered at a local after-school program, made some awesome friends, got crazy stressed, learned a lot, and, of course, blogged here for all of you :)
First of all, my sincerest apologies on the lack of posts lately!
It has been SO INCREDIBLY busy and I have SO much to tell you!
The student play is almost set to perform, with tech week beginning tomorrow night, and auditions for the upcoming performance, Waiting for Lefty, were the past two nights. I also recently went out on this semester's Field Training Exercise (FTX) with ROTC (and learned SO much!).
Of course, I can't forget midterms, either, and there's been so much excitement between Halloween and Election Day (which has been amazing fodder for my political science class! So enjoyable!).
I've been doing lots of traveling, really trying to stay connected to friends and family (which is hard even for me, who goes to school 2 miles from home!). I've also been doing an incredible amount of reflecting lately, with some of the recent developments in my life, the lives of my friends, and the life of the nation.
Thus, the Art Club's amazing project this past weekend has never been more appropriate!
My incredibly-talented Art major roommate and her friends got the idea into their heads to do a Tape Art Mural--using blue, painter's tape.
(Which is extra appropriate, considering all the renovating going on around here!)
The piece is titled Are You Sure? and is about questioning, learning, and growing as an individual--exactly what college is all about!
It is currently on display on the side of the Slavin Center, as you face Concannon Fitness Center.
This is the concept they mapped out in the drawing room.
Work begins late Saturday night!
The piece--almost finished!
Our school's amazingly-gifted Art Club :)
Congratulations!
PS: They also made their shirts!
Hello, everyone; hope you all had a good weekend!
Mine went very well. A good friend of mine and I went, on Friday night, to see an old friend in a production of "Grease" and were both pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I really thought that such a tired show would drag, but it was really entertaining and I had a great time!
We were starving so grabbed some dinner after that at one of our favorite restaurants, Asia Grille.
On Saturday, there was lots to do around campus. A bunch of my friends went skating in Schneider Arena and a lot of people went out to the mall to catch some movies and then headed out to see Waterfire.
There's always lots of activity on Friday nights and Saturdays. There's tons of choices of things to do, and always different people to hang with. There's usually someone traveling, so with people in and out, things are nicely varied.
Sundays, however, are typically pretty quiet. For some, it might be a purely Catholic tradition, but all over, even off campus, Sunday is the perfect day to catch up on things that have been put off. The laundry room is busy all day, and people trickle into the library as they wake up. Everyone catches up on dishes, room cleaning, studying, and simply relaxing.
I came back to my room after I got out of work. I caught my roommate in a cleaning fury, which she quickly, of course, infected me with.
Next thing I knew, we were moving beds to dust, organizing, vacuuming, and even cleaning out the microwave and fridge. I made some long-overdue phone calls, uploaded some old photos to my computer, and finally cleaned my poor fish's bowl (Effie is currently swimming contentedly!).
My roommate just returned from the computer lab with a Civ printout for me, though, and since we have a quiz tomorrow, I'm thinking that I should, perhaps, go read it.
'Til next time!
I can't believe I never thought of telling you all about this sooner!
In an effort to procrastinate studying for my Civ exam, and to finally catch myself up with my fellow bloggers, I was reading some of the other PC posts. Then I realized that in order to always be on top of this situation from now on, I could add all these blogs to my Google Reader!
Now, I swear I'm not advertising for Google here (not that they would even need me to!) but the Google Reader is a great way to keep up with a bunch of blogs! You simply create a Google e-mail (which, if you're like me, you'll never use because you already have another); this serves as your log-in to your specific account. Then, to add a blog to your Google Reader, you simply click "Add a Subscription" in the left pane and paste the URL from the top of the blog's main page. For this blog, the URL would be:
http://blogs.targetx.com/providence/ElizabethMcNamara/
Voila! Now, with the blog on your reader, you never have to check the blog again--Google does it for you!
It's incredibly convenient for when you have a handful to check (like all of our PC postings!) and you don't want to spend the time clicking each individual page and scanning for updates.
You simply go to your Google Reader, which highlights the blogs that have been updated since you last logged in; it lets you read them right there!
So please add all of us to your new reader! Enjoy!
Hey again, all!
Things have been, as usual, very busy around campus lately, especially since I traveled this weekend and worked hard all last week to be sure things were taken care of. So, since it was the cause of my delay in posting, travel is the subject of this post!
I'm from North Providence, so I haven't had much occassion to travel before. What I mean is that, unlike some of my friends and roommates here at PC, there's no need for me to trek back and forth to and from campus in accordance with our vacations. If I want to go home or need something, it's no problem for me to get home. I've never needed to look up public transit schedules before.
Well, it worked out this this weekend was the perfect time to go see my friend, who attends school in Vermont. Thankfully, my roommate was, simultaneously, going home to New Hampshire for the weekend, so I was able to have company half the way.
I couldn't believe how easy it was to get where I needed from PC!
If you've ever visited campus, you'll know that the RIPTA, the public bus, has a stop right on Huxley Avenue and that, even better, with our school ID cards, PC students ride for free!
So I simply hopped on the bus, which dropped me off right in front of downtown Providence's train station, which brought me to South Station in Boston. From there, I got on a coach bus and rendezvoused with my friend in no time. It was so much better to sit back than to drive for hours!
I had also expected to be dropping tons of money at each stop, but one cheap visit to the ATM in Slavin Center beforehand turned out to be enough to fund my whole trip! I was so happy!
If interstate travel isn't your concern, then you'll be happy to know that travel within Rhode Island is just as simple, especially in Providence. The RIPTA runs right through the center of downtown Providence, dropping off at hotspots like the train station, the Providence Place Mall, and Kennedy Plaza (where you can easily get on one of our cute trollies, which go through favorites like Federal Hill) or grab a taxi. Kennedy Plaza is also within easy walking distance of Thayer Street--a favorite of many RI college students!
Don't want to go to Providence? The outbound bus will take you to other popular places in Rhode Island like Garden City Center and the Warwick and Rhode Island Malls. There's also the Providence-Newport Ferry.
Need to get to and from the airport? My roommate tells me that taxis make the trip for a very reasonable price.
So I just wanted to let any prospective students know that they don't need to worry about getting off campus; it's easy and there are a lot of fun things to do!
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