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The Life and Times of A Saint Peter's Student (or, Living the Metropolitan Life)
« February 2006 |
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I have been having one of the most amazing weeks. Monday, my travel vouchers for my free airfare came. I was super excited, so I called Mom to hammer out the details for our Vegas vacation. She is super pumped about the trip, now all we have to work out is when we are going. Tuesday, because I don't have class, I got invited to join Megan and her friend Esther from UCLA on a day out in New York City. We did all the tourist-y things, took pictures in Times Square, bought a pretzel from a street vendor, looked at souvenirs.
It was a really fun day. That evening, Esther and Megan wanted to go see a show, which is my speciality, so I thought deeply and came up with a plan. We started at Wicked, and tried for their lottery. When we lost that one, we hoofed over to Avenue Q, but stopped at Spamalot for a photo-op on the way.
When we lost that lottery, I pulled some strings and got them in at Sweeney Todd for student rate. They really enjoyed the show. I got confirmation from Megan that they saw Avenue Q on Wednesday night. Wednesday was a normal school day. They had Cookies for Comments in the cafeteria at lunch, so I commented, and went to town on the cookies! Today was payday, which really excites me because there are 4 new shows on Broadway that I am just dying to see. I think I am going to catch Tarzan and Lestat this weekend, because they are the two that I am most looking forward to seeing.
Life has been pretty normal lately. I have had a cold for the past few days, so that kind of put a halt on my weekend. Although it's official, spring is coming. They mowed the grass in front of the dorm for the first time this morning. That excited me. Now, my cold is on its last legs, so by tomorrow I should be back to normal. It is a busy time around campus, everyone in the office is preparing for Scholarship Brunch (which is March 25!) and Open House (which is on April 8!) while everyone in the dorms are anticipating the housing lottery.
Just because I was sick doesn't mean I didn't go out though! On Friday, I was scheduled to hand out flyers for the City Opera, so after work I hurried off to Times Square. After all flyers were distributed, I met Kevin at 14th Street where we embarked on a new experience, we got manicures! He had gotten a gift card to this men's only salon, and he didn't want to go alone, so I joined him for moral support. I was extremely impressed with the service, everyone was really nice and they did an excellent job. I can totally see myself going back. When we were both done, we hopped on a train to meet Nick at the Manhattan Mall. While we were on the train, I started thinking whether I should go see a show or not. I decided against it, I need to cut back, I have seen them all. Instead of going to see a show, alone, I did dinner and a movie with Kevin and Nick. I'm glad I made that decision because we had an amazing time. Dinner was at TGI Fridays, where although it was St. Patrick's Day, they were not serving corned beef and cabbage. That made Nick sad because he really wanted that corned beef and cabbage. After dinner, we went and saw, "V for Vendetta." What an amazing, action filled movie and such glowing alliteration! It was wonderful.
When the movie got out, we hopped on the PATH to come home, and saw about 50 of our SPC friends. You never know where a St. Peter's student will pop up! Saturday and Sunday, I did some homework and got lots of rest to fight off my cold. Monday was a good day, I went to class then went and watched some intramural basketball games before showering and going to bed super early. Today, I worked, then ate lunch in the cafeteria before retiring to my dorm room to get some rest and make some phone calls about arranging my Vegas vacation. I talked to Mom last night, and she has a cold too, so feel better Mom. I always end with a quote, and today is no exception, "...If you believe, then in your heart you'll know, that no one can change the path that you must go..."
What a week I have had. It was spring break this past week, which meant there were no classes. The lack of classes paired with it being approximately 60 degrees out prompted me to get new batteries for my digital camera and go to town photographing all that New York City has to offer.
Of course, being in New York on Wednesday, which happens to be matinee day on Broadway, I decided to catch a show. I got into the city around 11 and while walking up 7th Ave, I decided that "Wicked," was the wrong show for me to go see, since I have seen it 5 times! I came to the conclusion that the "The Color Purple," was the show I should go see. I've only seen that twice! They offer a sweet rush policy too. $26.25 for the front row, that made me very happy. I got my ticket and took out my camera and started taking pictures of the different show billboards, and happened past "Wicked" where I heard my name screamed out. Sure enough, Andrea ( a friend and fellow blogger) was standing in line for the ticket lottery that "Wicked" offers for every show. She and I had discussed the fact that her friend was coming from Montana for a few days and how she wanted her to see a show, but because of Spring Break and stuff, we had both forgotten about it. Fate brought us together at that theater that day. I had no intention of going to the show, since I already had a ticket for "The Color Purple" so when my name was called, Andrea and her friend were going to be sitting front row center. She gave me the money for the tickets, I bought them and handed them to her with a hug and a smile. Immediately after we got the tickets, we had to run down 7th Ave to Penn Station where her friends train was coming in. We met up with her, and I was the lucky one to tell her about the tickets. She was super excited because everyone back home was telling her about the show and how amazing it was. After proper introductions, we dined at McDonalds on 51st and 7th, that's my tradition. If I win the ticket lottery for "Wicked" I always eat at the McDonalds on the corner where the theater is. Now it is around 1:45, so I walked them to the Gershwin Theater and tell them to enjoy the show. then I walked over to the Broadway Theater for my show. It was superb, the singing, the dancing, the whole experience. After the show had ended, I met up with Andrea and Maria to get autographs. Then, I headed back to school to help out Intramurals with selling concessions at the high school basketball game being held in the gym.
On Thursday I slept in! It's been a while since I woke up at 10 am. I walked outside to go to the cafeteria, and it was gorgeous out. After eating, I went to my room, and put on comfortable spring clothing and set off for New York. I took tons of pictures, putting my new digital camera to good use. Friday, I worked and around 1, I got a call from Marissa, the marketing assistant at the New York City Opera. I hand out flyers for them, and I get free opera tickets. Apparently the person who was scheduled to distribute that afternoon had cancelled, so I gladly accepted the work. After work, I put shorts on, and the pretty red NYCO shirt that Marissa had given me last time I handed stuff out, and headed off to Times Square. The temperature in Midtown was a cool 70. After finishing up my flyering, I came back to school and caught up on some leisure reading in Jesuit Court.
It was too nice to sit inside that night. Saturday, I worked, then hung out around campus, playing some football. Sunday was the St. Patrick's Day Parade here in Jersey City. It was a real nice parade, very colorful and loud. I only caught like 15 minutes of it because I had to go pick up my friends Megan and Tricia from the airport. They vacationed in London and Paris for spring break. They both have family there.
Yesterday was a normal Monday, filled with classes and happy friends, reuniting after a week and a half off. I missed my friends, so I'm glad they're all back.
On a different note, I've decided, pending Mom's approval, that my free flights are going to be used to take Mom to Las Vegas. She has never been there, and I have always wanted to go there. I hear its beautiful. So, I'll end with a quote like I always do: "...Set your mind on what to find, and there is nothing you can't do..."
St. Peter's entered the MAAC Tournament with a #5 seed. Their first game was against #10 Rider, which was an easy win. Their next game was against #4 seed and host school, Siena. The team played amazinglywell and pulled off the 1 point upset. The next game was the uphill battle. #1 Manhattan, who had earned a double-bye, was going to battle the Peacocks, who had played the previous 2 nights already. When game time came, the peacocks came out swinging, dethroning the #1 team and earning a spot in the MAAC championship game, where the winner gets bid into the NCAA tournament.
Knowing this was to be the game of games, Student Activities arranged for busses to take people up to Albany for the game. I jumped at the chance to go, so at 4 pm, I got out my blue and white paint and went to town on my body to show my support for the team. The Jersey Journal was on hand to take some pictures and interview some fans as we boarded the bus, which was fun. I saw myself in the newspaper this morning!
When we arrived at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, MAAC representatives were on hand to select people for shooting contests throughout the game. Much to my happiness, I was chosen for the same contest I won last year at a home game. Throughout the beginning of the game, I was so nervous. I knew it could be done, but to do it again was next to impossible. I had gotten lucky the first time. The time came for me to go on. I was saying every prayer I knew. I knew what had to be done, so I just went to it. Dribble down, lay-up; It's Good! Dribble back, foul shot; It's good. Dribble back, 3-pointer -- Holy Jesus it went in! The crowd went wild and I could barely breathe. I raised the ball over my head and thanked God for being so good to me. When I got back to my seat, I immediately called Mom, who was in disbelief. Right then and there my decision was made. With the first set of plane tickets I went to California and Florida, alone. With this set, I'm taking Mom somewhere real nice, she deserves it. Once I hung up with her, I had so much adrenaline running through me that I was screaming louder than anyone in the arena. St. Peter's played the best they could, but unfortunately fell short of their NCAA bid which Iona earned with the victory last night. People were disappointed after the game, but I like to see the positives in life. We unseeded the #4 and #1 teams in the course of the tournament, that's quite an accomplishment. I know I was as proud as a peacock of our team last night. To end with my usual Broadway quote, "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good!" That one's for you, Mom.
This past week I went from cold to hot and back to cold again. What a transition. First, I want to give a little background information on the reasons for the trip. Last February 27, St. Peter's played Manhattan on MSG Network. Since the game was being broadcast to a national audience, many contests were done during media timeouts. I was selected for a contest during the 2nd half. My challenge was to start at one end of the court, dribble to the other side, make a lay-up, dribble back, make a foul shot, dribble back, and make a 3-pointer. All in 30 seconds. Well, to make a long story short, I made the shots! The crowd went wild, I even got lifted up by my friends. I felt on top of the world. My prize was 2 round trip plane tickets valid for anywhere Jetblue flies. God was really smiling down on me that day! The first trip was taken this summer, when I went to California to visit Megan. The second I chose to use to go to Florida last week to visit my grandmother. It was nice to be able to lay back and relax on the beach in shorts. It was nearly 80 degrees everyday but the weather didn't matter. I really missed spending time with Grandma. This was the first time she rented a condominium, so she required much assistance getting things in order. Although Grandma is an amazing cook (she was a cafeteria manager for 20 years) we ate out for every meal. Many long walks on the beach were taken, which gave her and I ample time to talk about life and things of that nature. When the time came to return to New Jersey, I was sad but I understand all good things have to come to an end. I returned home relaxed, refreshed, and satisfied. Grandma is fun to be with, she knows how to make even the simplest things fun. I often think about how I felt at the moment the last shot went in. I hope everyone gets to feel that way at least once in their life. Just for reference, I am an awful basketball player which made the accomplishment that much more astounding! I love Broadway musicals, in case you didn't already pick up on that, so I'm going to end with another Broadway quote, "only goes to show you, anyone from anywhere can make it if he gets lucky break!"
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