I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Mine was pretty good. I had a lot of turkey, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. I also had a lot of homework to do, but I worked on most of it over break. The great thing about Thanksgiving is that it is a short break from school. I'm not away from school and friends for a long time and I get to see my family for a few days.

In addition to a great meal, I got the chance to do some shopping. The mall had some great deals but I didn't see anything that I liked :( Maybe I will have to wait for a few more weeks. Anyways, I really have to get back to my Capstone paper, so I can graduate, which would be really nice and the whole reason why I came to college in the first place.

Later

Posted by John Porter at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While walking to class today, it started to snow. Pretty soon it became a flurry storm, so I had to pull out my camera and capture a few shots. It was very relaxing and beautiful. I love it when nature throws in some nice surprises when you're not expecting it.I hope you enjoy...

Posted by John Porter at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quick...What Oscar winning Dreamgirls actress first made fame from the reality show American Idol? Give up? The answer is Jennifer Hudson. Knowing this answer, as well as other ones, allowed me to walk away with an extra $200 this weekend... This weekend, ThinkFast, a trivia gameshow, was back at Mount Aloysius for the second time. Since I won last year, I got to keep my title as champion...Who knew that knowing useless trivia would someday help me. :D

This weekend, Mount Aloysius College also played host to the annual Coaches Versus Cancer tournament. The guys' and the girls' basketball teams competed with three other colleges. It was and has always been a great and fun event. Some of our female students also played in the second annual powderpuff football game. It was lowerclassmen versus upperclassmen. For the second straight year, the upperclassmen won. Great game girls!

Posted by John Porter at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to a very Wacky, Wonderful Wednesday!!

Tonight was our first official Bust the Ballot event. Bust the Ballot, previously known as MTV's Rock the Vote, is an event to get young adults excited about voting. A celebrity moderator comes in, presents the issues without bias, and lets the audience take over the discussion. Before I get to how the event went, let me tell you about my pretty cool day...

It all started the night before at Mountie Madness (see previous blog for more information!). Sue Brugh, Director for Student Involvement and Leadership, invited me to accompany her to the Pittsburgh International Airport to pick up our celebrity. The celebrity for this event was Jose Tapia, a Real World Key West cast member. If I remember the show correctly, even though it was just flipping through when nothing else was on...(Reality TV isn't really my thing), Jose was the quiet, level headed one on the show known for partying and mayhem.

The day started early at 7 a.m. I got up, got ready for the day, and met Sue at her office. From there, we headed to Pittsburgh. The two-hour ride went by quickly and before we knew it we were at the airport. Since there was no short term parking, we had to park in one of the farthest lots. We didn't have to do much walking, there were moving sidewalks inside the tunnel to the terminal, which were pretty sweet. While we were waiting, I got a cinnamon scone and some tea from one of the airport shops...it was expensive, delicious and worth every penny... :P

When Jose arrived, we went to the baggage claim, picked up his bags, and headed back to the Mount. Jose was very friendly and an all-around cool dude. On the way, we talked about some of the places he has been. He's been to a lot of interesting places and has met a lot of cool and interesting people. We stopped at Panera bread for a quick lunch, which was as delicious as ever, and then dropped him off at his hotel, so he could catch a nap.

The event itself was great. Although it took some time for the audience to warm up to the topics, once things got going, we couldn't stop people from talking. Here are some pictures of the event.

(Above: Jose Tapia from MTV's Real World: Key West)

Posted by John Porter at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight was Mountie Madness. It is a pep-rally of sorts, team introductions, slam dunk contests, scrimmages, and a chance to win a check for $10,000...not bad for a 2-hour event!

The night opened up with the women's basketball team. They were introduced, threw some t-shirts to the fans, and then played a ten-minute scrimmage. Then the men's basketball team did about the same thing. Admission to the event was free, and so were the popcorn and drinks. Each crowd member received four tickets for chances to win t-shirts, a trip to Atlantic City, a chance for $10,000, and a Polka dance with Jimmy Snyder. After introductions were over, the teams showcased their three-point skills and their slam dunk creativity. The Dance Team, Step Team and Cheerleaders also performed some routines for us. Although no one won the $10,000, it turned out to be a great event.

Hear are some pictures of the event. Enjoy!

Our Guys Mounties

Our Lady Mounties scrimmaging

The Cheerleaders

The Step Team

Sam Hanik showcases his skills...

Posted by John Porter at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Time to bust out the hot chocolate and apple cider...It has officially snowed in Cresson! I am so excited. In a few weeks, Mount Aloysius College is going to be swimming in a sea of white. That means ski trips, snowball fights and sledding down the lawn at Pierce Hall. I love all the seasons...fall, spring, summer, but winter has a whole different atmosphere surrounding it. In fact, the snow reminds me of the seven years that I lived in Alaska. Let's face it, living in Arkansas had its perks, but there was rarely, if any, snowfall.

Anyways, nothing else has been too exciting this week. Justin and I hosted a Nintendo 64 tournament down in Cosgrave. I also wrote two articles for the Belltower. One of my articles was an update about Relay for Life, the other was a photo collection of some of this year's activities. This weekend I plan on buckling down and getting some work done and getting some much needed rest.

TTYL

Posted by John Porter at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have officially registered for my last semester at Mount Aloysius College...It is a bittersweet moment. I am really excited to be one step closer to my degree, but I am going to really miss this place...The classes that I am going to take are Natural Disasters, America in the Inter-War Years, Europe in the 20th Century Journalism, and Catholicism. I am really looking forward to next semester, but first let's get through this one...

I can't believe that it is finally November. The leaves are finished changing colors and now lay in piles waiting to be raked up and jumped in. This past Thursday, the center for Career Services hosted a Panel on Civic Engagement. It was very interesting and I learned about some great careers in public service. Well I am going to head off to dinner and then my Capstone class.

Ciao.

PS. Here are some pictures from last week. Enjoy!

"Pink Out Day!"

"Halloween Dance"

Posted by John Porter at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)