Productivity, Productivity, Productivity... If you hadn't guessed already, I had a productive weekend. I read a lot for my classes, and am now ahead in them. I read an interesting article on persons and non-persons for Philosophy. The article dealt with animal rights and the characteristics that make us human. I am looking forward to the discussion this Wednesday. I also worked ahead in my Comparative Politics class. We are discussing the politics and culture of the United States, so I feel I should be fairly knowledgeable in this area.

Although I got a lot of work accomplished, I still had time for some fun. Jenna, Justin, and I headed into Altoona. We were celebrating Jenna's birthday...Her birthday was in January, but we haven't had much time to do anything...Better Late than Never! We had a great lunch, I had the best grilled cheese in the world, Justin got a buffalo chicken sandwich, and Jenna got a basket of wings. Our server was super cool; we are definitely going back in the future. We also stopped at the mall to do some shopping, where I got some shirts from Aero. After shopping in the mall, we headed to the new Barnes and Noble. I looked at some photography books, and some of the travel books. We sat down at Starbucks and enjoyed some coffee and lattes, as well.

After our day in Altoona, we headed back to Mount Aloysius, watched some movies and played some games. It was a great weekend, but I am looking forward to my break in two weekends, so I can see my family.

Later,

John

Posted by John Porter at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night was filled with excitement and action. After watching Survivor and working a couple of hours in the student union, I headed to Ihmsen lounge to play some No Limit Texas Hold-Em. It was a tournament, held by a couple of the RA's, or Resident Assistants. The great thing about the tournament was that it was free to all who entered, but there were prizes to the top three winners. If you came in first place, you won a $30 Sheetz card. Second place earned you $20, while third gave you $10. It is great living on campus, because programs like these are always going on. Commuters are also invited to attend these wonderful programs. Just last semester, we had a game show and a fantasy casino. I won $200 for knowing useless trivia! A few weeks ago, an event was held called Mind Games. It was a game where you have to have an active brain while having the ability to stop all thoughts.

Anyway, the poker tournament lasted from 9pm to 2am. We didn't know that it was going to take that long, but it still was fun. It was broken down into 2 rounds. In the first round, there were three tables of six people. You continue playing until there are two people left at each table. The final six people then bring their chips to the final table to compete for the top prize. The tournament was intense and some of the players were avid poker players. I am new to the game, but played well. When the second round started, I was the chip leader. After a couple of rounds, I lost some of my chips, but started to make a comeback. I made 2nd place and walked away with the $20 prize. It was a great night, but I am a little tired.

Tonight I am going to work on some of my homework while I am at work. Tomorrow, Jenna, Justin, and I are going to head into Altoona.

Until Next Time,

John

Posted by John Porter at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Fat Tuesday! Mount Aloysius College celebrated Mardi Gras this past Tuesday. This has to be one of my favorite days on campus. The cafeteria staff invites vendors from around the country to showcase their products. The students, staff members, and faculty go around and sample whatever they think that they would like. There are various things to choose ranging from barbeque pork to ice cream to...healthy soda? The great thing about Mardi Gras is the amount of people that come to participate in the festivities. Once you are finished with your fill, you can complete a survey listing the foods that you preferred and then the cafeteria staff brings in the most popular foods for the following years. I really enjoyed the chai lattes and the spicy chicken fritters. Later on in the day, the induction ceremony for Delta Epsilon Sigma, a National Honor Society, was held in the chapel. It was a short event, but very nice. We were all inducted into the ceremony and our pictures were taken. We are going to have a party in the following weeks. I can't wait!

On Wednesday, we had a food focus committee meeting. It was a meeting held by Metz, the school's cafeteria company, some of the staff from the Student Affairs area, and some of the students. We discuss various new ideas and programs that we would all like to try, and things that we would like to change. I feel that these meetings are important to the college because since we are always trying to enhance the college. These meetings are a forum for the college to discuss and meet the needs of the college and the surrounding community.

Today, we had a presentation on our service trip to Mississippi. Even though the weather wasn't that great, we still had a nice turnout. We presented our stories and gave reflections on the trip. We also displayed our photos, which everyone enjoyed. Later on tonight, I am going to go to work and play some Wii bowling...

Later

-John

Posted by John Porter at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The perfect word to describe my weekend is phenomenal. My Friday was pretty decent, I went to class and worked on some of my homework for the following week. Later on, I headed into Altoona to eat out with some of my family members. We went to Ruby Tuesday, and the food was really good. I have never been there before, but I will definitely be going back in the future. After eating, I headed back to Mount Aloysius and got ready for my trip in the morning.

Early Saturday, the gang from Honors, Jenna, Amber, Nancy, and me, headed towards the plush tour bus that was located in the library parking lot. After everyone boarded, we departed from the college. We were now on our way to the "City That Never Sleeps," New York City. I tried to get some sleep on the way, but ended up listening to my music on my MP3 player. Halfway there, Char (Our great Honors Program leader) put in the film version of Les Miserables.

When we got to the city, we had about two hours to explore the city. Since our gang has been to Times Square a couple of times before, we decided to find a nice place to eat lunch. We chose to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. There wasn't a line when we arrived, so we were taken directly to our table. We didn't have to wait to long for our food, and it was delicious. Jenna ordered fajitas, and they looked scrumptious. My hamburger and fries tasted great. We were lucky to arrive earlier, because there was a long line to enter when we headed out. We all glanced around the Hard Rock store and I decided to buy a t-shirt.

After our delicious meal, we had about an hour to browse some of the other stores. We stopped in the Element and Billabong store, the MTV store, along with some others. After shopping, we headed towards the Broadhurst Theatre to see the Broadway play Les Miserables. The play itself was great, and the actors were amazing. I even knew some of the songs that they sang. After the play was over, we headed back towards home. On the way home, we watched The Italian Job and I did some reading for my Comparative Politics class.

It was a great trip that I could only experience because of the Mount Aloysius Honors Program. I am looking forward to more trips next year. Now that I am back in Cresson, I have some chores to do, so I am going to get some laundry done.

Talk to you later.

Posted by John Porter at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey Y'all,

Zooooooooommm! This past week went by pretty fast! Let me fill you in on what has been happening and what is coming up. For the past few days, I have been feeling nauseous. Thankfully, Tama, the school's nurse, was there to try and figure out what is wrong. She gave me some Pepto Bismal and some Antacids. I hope they help. We had a Children's Advocacy Meeting the other day, but our Student Government meeting was cancelled.

I only had one class today, Comparative Politics. We discussed the politics of Japan, a subject that I really enjoy. I just love Far Eastern culture...Their way of life is so relaxing, unlike us here in America. I would really love to visit Japan or Korea one day. I have a couple of friends in the military that are stationed over there, and they all say that they love it.

Tonight I am going to record Smallville and watch Survivor while I am at work in Cosgrave. The weekend is going to be great. The Honors Program is going to head to NYC, bright and early Saturday morning. We are going to see Les Miserables on Brodaway!!

Until Next Time...

Posted by John Porter at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past week wasn't too bad. I had a few quizzes and papers to turn in, but those are expected. For the past couple of days, however, I have been pretty sick. On Monday, I had a doctor's appointment in Johnstown. I left right after my classes, and made my way down the mountain. The doctor said that I had a virus, and that a lot of people seem to be sick from it. On my way back to Cresson, I stopped at Wal-Mart to get a few supplies for the roomies and me.

On Tuesday, I had a quiz in my geography class. I think I did well. I will find out in a few more days. On Wednesday, I had to give a short presentation on the author, not the wrestler, Bret Hart. I talked about his life and his story "The Outcasts of Poker Flat." It was a very interesting reading, and the ending is sad. The theme of appearances and reality is something that everyone can relate. On Thursday, I had a paper due for Comparative Politics. It was a short three-page paper describing the differences between France and Germany. I also worked on the final touches of my inspiration poster. I watched the first episode of the new Survivor season. It looks great, so far. I had to record Smallville, because the two are on at the same time.

Today I went to my two classes and worked in the Student Union for six hours. While I was down there, I did some of my homework for the next week and I watched some TV. I'm still not feeling well so I think I may pop in a DVD in a few minutes and play some Wii bowling or Wii tennis...

Until next time

John

Posted by John Porter at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend was awesome. I can't describe it in any other way than "Super and Rockin'." But before I get to my great weekend, let me tell you how the rest of my week went...

I started working on my "inspiration" poster. I tried to be creative and unique. I want my viewers to have to think about my poster. It is not very hard to understand, but it provides a deep message. I hope that the judges like my work. After working on my poster, I worked out in our state-of-the-art fitness facility for about an hour. I then headed back to my room to finish studying for my History of Civilization quiz.

On Friday, we debated the existence of God in my philosophy class. It was a very interesting debate that took the entire hour. We are going to have to finish it on Monday. I really enjoy debating with other people; my parents think I should be a lawyer because of it...maybe that is why I am in the History and Political Science major? Hmm... I went to lunch after class and enjoyed the cafeteria's pizza. I then headed to work, then to History. The quiz went well.

After dinner and homework, I headed down to Cosgrave to work. While I was down there I did some reading and I watched a couple of TV shows. I really like Friday nights on TV. If I have nothing else to do, then I can turn on the TV. I am covered from 8 until 11 p.m. with some great shows.

On Saturday, I relaxed and watched Garden State, a movie starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman...I love Natalie Portman, she is one of the top actors/actresses on my list. It was a really good movie. I have never seen it before, and I would recommend watching it to anyone interested in finding oneself. After watching the movie, a big group of us went to Altoona to bowl. It was really fun. My roommate Justin, Laura, and I were on one lane, Amber and RJ were on another, and Curt, Melissa, Jenna, and Cortney were on the last one. Our lane decided to use different nicknames each time we played a game. Our themes ranged from cartoon characters (I was Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama) to tropical fruits (Kiwi). It was a really great time, and even though I hurt my foot (I am really clumsy), we had a blast. The night started from midnight to 2:30am.

On Sunday, we decide to relax and Justin, Owen, and I decided to put a few puzzles together. After going to dinner, I headed down to work and hang out at the Super Bowl party that Residence Life put together. We all watched the game and had some great food from Fox's. I was rooting for the Chicago Bears, but they lost. I do like Peyton Manning, though, and I am glad that he won a Super Bowl. Well, I am going to go finish my puzzles and then I am heading to bed...

Later

Posted by John Porter at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have exciting news! A few days ago, I received my Delta Epsilon National Honor Society letter. I am so excited because in order to be a member you must have a 3.8 Grade Point Average. They engage in several activities over the year, so I am looking forward to those opportunities.

The igloo that a couple of friends and I helped to create is finally finished. Owen invited the local day care, The Little People's Place, to see and enjoy our creation.

In our geography class, we are currently learning about Europe and European culture. This has to be one of my favorite subjects because I would like to travel to Europe some day. Next week we are going to have a map quiz, which I am looking forward to. I just love maps and learning about new places. The rest of the week went pretty well, but on Tuesday, I had a pretty rough day. I had a little less than an hour of free time from 9am to 11pm. I was very tired, but I am glad that those days will not happen every week. Maybe I'll get some Red Bull energy drink the next time I have another long Tuesday. I have never tried it, but I heard it gives you wings...

Today I tutored for around one hour and then headed to dinner. Later tonight, I am going to work on my poster for the Black History Month celebration. It is supposed to be about a personal inspiration or hero that we admire. I am doing my poster on my cousin Mallory. I hope that the judges like where my idea is going. You could even win money for fourth place to first place.

Well, I am going to get ready to watch Smallville and then it is off to work for a few hours.

Later
John

Posted by John Porter at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)