To The Herd of Freshmen

Hello friends. I'm writing this entry from my sauna-like dorm room at Syracuse University. Yes, I am back in Cuse after an exciting summer in New York and a short one week stint in the beautiful Manchvegas AKA Manchester, NH. Though I wish I could be home, I had to come back to school early for my favorite time of year... RA TRAINING!!! Ten long days of lectures, bulletin boards, lectures, door decorations and did I mention lectures?! Who could ask for anything more? I sure could. Anyway, the end of training marks the beginning of opening. Soon the halls of BBB will be flooded with incoming freshmen and the few upperclassmen that got screwed and somehow ended up in BBB.

Oh, freshmen. I think it will be pretty easy to point them out. The smell of fear that clings to them is as pungent as moldy cheese... of the french variety. Their beady little eyes dart around the room as their minds try to deduce which of the many people surrounding them will become their new best friends. Their nervous laughter is constant, even when nothing is funny. These are the traits of a freshman.

Many moons ago, I was a freshman. I know, it's hard to believe, but there was a time when I was awkward... wait a minute, I'm still awkward. Now that I think about it, a lot of the freshmen come here acting like they already own the place. They know exactly where to go for parties and which sororities and frats they want to be in come springtime (don't even get me started on Greek Life). Plus, they've already made a ton of "friends" via Facebook. Many freshmen today come to school cool, comfortable and relaxed. Well, here's what I've got to say to the Gucci sunglasses wearing, Coach purse toting, sorority bound freshmen.

Your first year here is a good time to find yourself, but it's also when herd mentality is at it's worst. Don't get sucked into being a carbon copy if you don't want to be. Forge your own path at this university and discover who you are and what's important to you along the way. If being involved in a frat or sorority is something that's really important to you, do it, as long as you're doing it for yourself and not just to fit in. Don't let people like me give you shit for it either. I really shouldn't only be giving Greek Life a hard time. Anyway, remember that college is a place of higher education, not just one big party. Expand your mind. Be a nerd. Read. Go see the Winslow Homer exhibit at Schaefer. Get out of your comfort zone. Go to class... seriously. You might be reading this and saying what the hell does this Greek Life hating nerd know about anything. 1) Hate is a very strong word, and I'm actually a part of Greek Life. Though there are some pretty big differences between APO and Tri-delt. 2) I speak from experience. I was all about the herd mentality my first semester here, and I thought that life at Cuse wasn't so bad. Come second semester, I ditched that attitude, did everything I wanted to do and really found myself. Now, I love my life here. So, welcome to Syracuse all you freshmen. It's hardly an infinite abyss, but good luck exploring it.

Peace,
Kim

Music + Cab = :-D (that's me smiling)

Who out there can honestly say they don't like music? I'm going to go with no one. Who out there can say they don't like cabs? Hmmm... ok lots of people I'm sure. Put these two seemingly unrelated things together and you get something incredibly awesome: Black Cab Sessions. I was turned on to this website by the wonderfully fabulous Meghan Schaetzle (check out her Photog Blog!). Awesome people, playing awesome music live in the back of a black cab. What's not to love? And as an equal opportunity employer, they have sessions with acoustic rockers, hip-hop artists and everything in between. The videos really speak for themselves. Here's a couple videos. Enjoy!





Peace,
Kim

An Apology... Sort of

You know what's very interesting. I did not think people besides my followers read this blog, but recent findings show that they do. I'm not sure how to handle this newly found information. I have written a couple blog entries that were rants aimed at certain people. After writing these entries, I noticed that the behavior I found to be annoying by these people promptly stopped. So I guess that's a win for me, right? Sort of? I don't really know.

Now, I'm wondering if I should censor myself on this blog. Should I avoid getting people upset and only write about topics that I know are neutral or should I write about the things that are going on in my life and turn them into funny blog posts? I think, I'm going with the latter. Sorry if I've upset anyone out in the blogosphere, but I've already told my mom I'll stop swearing as much on here, and that's the last concession I'm willing to make.

Peace,
Kim

On Cleanliness

I am notorious for having a dirty room. Though some would never admit that, I have no shame over that fact. If I'm the only one living in my room, what does it matter if it's dirty? I'll clean it if I know someone may be coming over, but otherwise, I feel my room only needs to be as clean as I see fit to live in. As much as I don't mind having a dirty room, I would never want other people to be affected by my uncleanliness. Unfortunately, other people don't feel that way.

Living in an apartment with four girls in the city has taught me many things. The most surprising thing of all is how much uncleanliness in any space other than my room bugs me. I can't decide if my roommates have just never done chores before or if they think I'm their maid. Maybe one day, I'll write a book on roommate etiquette that will make Emily Post smile down on me from heaven. Here are a few tips I would write about in my book.

On Cleanliness

1. When cooking, make sure to clean up after yourself. That would be oh so nice of you to share some of flour with me. Of course, I'd much rather you give me some in a Ziploc bag instead of it being all over the stove top. Letting it sit there for over a week without cleaning does nothing to get you in my good graces, especially if you don't offer me some of whatever you were making.
2. Eat your food before it rots. Many people these days are on a budget, so it shocks me that some would actually let their food go to waste. Even more shocking is when they won't throw away said moldy food. Moldy black bananas on top of the fridge do not make good kitchen decorations. For God's sake people, there are starving children in Africa!
3. Take out the trash when it's overflowing. I don't understand how someone can honestly place there trash on top of an overflowing waste basket, watch it topple onto the ground and proceed to walk away without doing anything. These people make me vomit in my mouth.
4. Don't leave your books/paper/clothes lying around. If those things are lying around your room, that's fine. If I'm tripping over your sneakers in the living room or eating breakfast on the couch because all of your crap has overtaken the kitchen table, that's just plain rude.
5. Ask before emitting strong smells. No, I'm not talking about farts. I'm talking about smoking anything or burning incense. I can't stand the scent of incense or cigarettes, and I know I'm not the only one. Coming back to an apartment where I can barely breathe is not fun. So please be considerate.

Based on everything that happens in this apartment, I will have no trouble writing a book about roommate etiquette. Anybody else got any rules they feel should be included? I'd love to hear them, and they don't only have to pertain to cleanliness. With the new semester right around the corner, I hope everyone has far fewer roommate issues to deal with.

Peace,
Kim