I have been doing a lot on campus recently between schoolwork, work, and the play.

I became involved in the ministry musical Children of Eden slightly by accident. In highschool, I was an actress, then I co-directed a one-act my senior year, but those never get you ready for tech work. I had crossed over to slightly unfamiliar territory, but still strange area. Then again, that is what college is all about. I was in charge of the lights and stage left props Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and it was a great experience. There were mishaps (but stage crew never reveals what the audience doesn't need to know), but overall, the show was great! We had a very good turn out all nights, and we got many compliments.

Some of the Cast

On Friday, I went to Winter Formal, which is a little like prom. I had so much fun, probably more fun than I did at many dances in high school. The dance took place at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, a very nice hall. The food was amazing, and the music was pretty good. But, just like all dances, it really depends on who you go with whether you have a good time, and I had so much fun dancing with my friends. It was a lot of fun.

Winter Formal with some friends

Now, it is crunch time, trying to do lab exams, last week projects and grade raisers. The weeks are as stressful as they are fulfilling, and I am counting down the days to winter break with a little hesitance. A part of me doesn't want to leave everything behind for a month, but I guess that's another part of college life: leaving things behind and letting things end.

If I can give a really good piece of advice to any incoming freshman, it is this: sign up for classes early. As a Bio major, there is not only limited space, but there are awkward schedulings and labs that last 3 hours. So, go to the advisor, sign up for some classes early, and hopefully they will all fit in as you had hoped.

Other than that bit of stress, everything around here has been pretty nice, though still stressful (stress becomes every day life for an honors student and a student in biology classes, but its really not as bad as we make it to be). So on Wednessday, my de-stressor was going to see Nancy Cartwright explain her journey as a voice for all our favorite cartoons. She was funny, and inbetween reminded us to keep going for what we love. Though sometimes those words become trite, it came at a good time for me. Sometimes you have to be reminded what you are going to school for and what all this mess in life is all about. She of course showed us her talents as not only her Simpson characters (Bart, Nelson, Ralph, and Maggie), but also as Kim Possible's naked mole rat and Rugrat's Chucky. She gladly answered our questions, and in the end, when asked what her favorite episodes were, she mentions Sherry Bobbins, and we all joined in singing with her the song Bart and Lisa sing while they write their note for a nanny. I, like many of my generation, grew up with the Simpsons playing on my household television long before and long after many other shows on television, so this experience, to see someone whom I had only heard for most of my life on television was amazing.

Though I had a conflicting schedule for most of the Spring Fling this year, hosted by CAB, I was able to attend Henry Cho, a comedian. I'm not going to lie: I had never seen any of his work before in my life. But I love comedians, and laughing in general, so I thought I would go along with it. Turns out he is HILARIOUS! Many of his jokes involved us in the crowd, even my friend's small two-year-old. I will never look at cakes in boxes the same, or the double meaning of two words together (shopping-shopping). Jokes aren't funny retold, so it is just another testimony to you should have been there!

I also had the pleasure of going to the ministry play on Suday, and was pleasantly surprised to see many of my fellow bio majors singing and dancing in Once on This Island. The costuming was well done, and the dancing was amazing! I am always interested in hearing the voices of my fellow students, and they always surprise me with their intensity and vocal ability. I can't wait to see what they have for next year!

But the last full week is upon us now, and i am trying to get all those paper done in such a way that I can end the year in a good way.