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Siobhan Kelly '10

As one of my very good friends once wrote “how do I begin to describe the awesomeness that is Siobhan?” She had a good point, how do I describe with words the intangible essence of me? Alas, I must start somewhere. How about a few fast facts about yours truly?

I am a senior at St. Joe’s. I am an English major. I live in Vermont with my mom and my sister (also a St. Joe’s student) when I’m not here, and yes, I love maple syrup. I am co-editor of Interpretations (the school’s annual literary publication). I aspire to one day be an artist of many things, mostly creative writing. I also want to be professor. When I was little I wanted to be a dinosaur (sometimes I still think about it). I love philosophy, literature, drawing, feminism, teaching, music, dancing and talking. I also love friends, and I love meeting new people.

April 26, 2010

With only three weeks left until graduation, and only one week left of classes, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, thinking about all the people I want to thank. This may sound like a cliché but there are so many people who made my education possible. First and foremost is my Aunt, Sister Ruth Kelly. Without her I never would have even heard of Saint Joseph College, and now I can’t really imagine what my life would be like without it. To her I owe so much, and to thank her I plan to become as strong a woman as I can possibly be.

Next I have to thank my mom, for putting up with me and supporting me when I needed to it. She always put my problems into perspective by reminding me how privileged I really am. Also my sister, boyfriend, and cousins have always been an inspiration to me. You have also always been there to bolster my spirits when the times were tough. You’ve always done terrific jobs of standing by my side, even if I occasionally took my frustrations out on you.

Then of course my friends who have always made the days (and nights) fly by in a whirlwind of laughter, hugs, and shenanigans. You have all taught me so much. I’ll think of you girls everyday of my grown up life.

And where would I be without awesome professors, professors who have become mentors, role-models and friends to me? I hope I can help just one person the way you have all helped me. I owe a lot to the staff here as well; especially the one’s who have had to put up with me as a student worker. You’ve all been keys to my success. I will carry the skills and information you taught me to all of my future jobs. A special shout out to Bon Appetit’s kitchen staff: Jay, you always know how I want my eggs. Also campus safety, Lou and Brian, thanks for keeping me out of harm’s way for four years.

April 13, 2010

These days when people ask how I’m doing my only response is that I’m bored. Somehow I only have two papers left to write even though there is still a little more than a month until graduation. I have a tendency, as I believe many people do, to slack off when I don’t have deadlines rearing their ugly heads, pressuring me to get work done. I crave that feeling of slight panic, of always having something I need to get done by the end of the day. I guess being in school has gotten me used to always have a dozen things on my plate at once. This time last year, for example, I had six classes, four of which were 300 and 400 level, I was a main character in a play, I was working nearly 20 hours a week, and I was going home to Vermont every-other weekend. I still did well in my classes, with my lowest grade a B+, and I don’t think I was ever bored. It’s kind of like going for a good jog, yeah it takes up a good chunk of time and it involves a lot of hard work and endurance, but afterword you feel so great you kind of forget how miserable you were at the beginning.  

I was talking about my unfulfilled feeling with someone and we were discussing what wanting more work says about me. Basically I need a lot of stimulation; I need a set and structured schedule and timeline of when things need to get done to be an affective worker. I’m not satisfied if I’m not constantly churning out work. When I have a whole month to do just a few projects I get lazy. I feel like I don’t have to start working on them even though I have nothing else to do. So I end up wasting all my creative energy on checking Facebook fifty times a day, or watching the discovery channel. I guess it will be good for me to find a job that keeps me consistently busy. I should also probably work on forcing myself to do work on projects even if they aren’t due for another couple of weeks, just so I don’t drive myself crazy with boredom. Plus with all that time to work on them I could make them the best two papers I’ve ever written!  

April 1, 2010

Over the weekend I went to the movies with my boyfriend for our four year anniversary. We saw Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) because I thought the title was hilarious. I also wanted to see it because the main characters are actors whose work I normally enjoy.

The premise of the movie is pretty simple. Three middle aged guys unhappy with the way their lives have turned out go for a get away weekend vacation to the ski town they spent their weekends partying at in high school, plus one tag along twenty-something nephew. When the guys arrive at the lodge they realize the town has gone to seed and their beloved suite is decrepit and dank, even the hot tub is broken. After Chevy Chase, playing a small part in the movie as the mysterious hot tub repairman, fixes the tub the foursome spend the night in it, drinking, bonding, and eventually passing out. When they emerge from their room it is only to discover that they have been transported back to 1986!

The main characters of the movie are Adam, Jacob, Nick, and Lou played by John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry. Cusack is excellent in his role as the self-absorbed, heartbroken, melodramatic Adam; a throw-back to his earlier roles as an eighties teen movie heartthrob. Jacob, played by Clark Duke, provides a modern perspective throughout the film as the youngest member of the group. His troubles communicating with people from the Reagan administration is a great opportunity for jokes like “What’s your number, can I text you later?” “What’s a text?” Craig Robinson plays the classic musician-gone-conservative character and relishes his opportunity to get back on stage in all his former eighties glory. Corddry’s character, Lou, just wants to do something crazy with his friends again, but he just keeps getting beat up by the stuck-up ski patrol bullies. Each face their own conflict with the decisions they made in the past, and Jacob, who hasn’t been born yet, has to make sure they don’t disrupt the time space continuum too much or he might cease to exist.

Overall, the movie looks better on paper to me. It looses something in the execution, what with all the bodily function jokes and general gross out guy humor. Also, I could have done without all the gay jokes. Hot Tub is definitely a satire on all the teen dramas, comedies, and archetypal characters of the times. I love how much Cusack makes fun of himself in this picture. I also appreciated the classic eighties bullies and Chevy Chase as the ominous time lord/hot tub repairman. I’d put this one on a slightly higher level than some other satirical films made in recent years, such as the Scary Movie series, but not quite at the same level as The Hangover or the other buddy movies that have been prevalent lately. It’s a watch once or twice for me.

March 24, 2010

As many of you are aware, I am now in my last few weeks of school. It’s hard to believe that in less than two months I will be graduating and closing the chapter of my life entitled “Siobhan gets a bachelors degree in English at Saint Joseph College”. As you can imagine, I am very sorry to go because I will be missing all my friends and professors. I wish I could be an SJC student forever, and in some ways I know I will always belong here. I may even come back for grad school at some point.

Now, to address the question everyone has been asking: No, I don’t exactly what I will be doing once I graduate. I have been trying to decide what I want to do with myself after graduation ever since I decided to hold off on my teacher certification. Up to today, I still wasn’t sure. However, I’ve been really, really, thinking about what I want to do. I know that I don’t want to go back to school right after graduation, and since most of the grad school’s application due dates have already passed, that’s not even really an option at this point. I know I want to go back to Vermont, at least at first, and try to save up money by staying with my family and friends back home. Finding a plan to make said money has been the hardest part of all of this. There isn’t exactly a cornucopia of jobs available for someone with just a BA in English and no real job experience, especially in Vermont.

But today I came up with a plan! My friend Melissa is opening a café and she wants me to work for her. It would only be a few hours a week to start off with, so I’d have to get a second job, which wouldn’t be too difficult. I’ve decided once the summer is over I should try to get a full time job. One idea I have is to work in a school as a teaching assistant, or something along those lines. That way I can get a better idea of how I feel about teaching. If I decide after working in a school for a while that it’s something I’d enjoy doing then all I have to do is pass the Praxis II exam and do a semester of student teaching. Then, you know, start my career as Siobhan High School English Teacher Extraordinaire, and eventually get my masters and/or a PhD. Then I could go on to teach at the college level, if I wanted.  

I like my plan because it’s not completely set in stone, but it makes me feel more secure then I was before I came up with it!

March 10, 2010

Spring has come to SJC, or so it seems. What does spring at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, CT mean? For me, it means morning jogs on the track. Lately senioritis has been getting the best of me and my usually regular cardio schedule. Since the weather has been so much nicer lately I’ve been trying to do as much outside as possible. On Saturday I played basketball on the outside courts at the park right next door to campus. On Sunday I went for my first outside jog of 2010. On Monday I didn’t wear my sweater. Yesterday I went for a night walk around campus; it was still pretty warm out. Today I’m wearing a skirt.

This is what spring at SJC has meant for me so far, and here are some other indications that winter is finally over and summer is approaching:

• Eating at the picnic tables; McGovern has a great patio area
• Tanning on the quad
• Fan’s in dorm and office windows
• Spending quality time rolling down the hill next to the O’Connell center
• Walks to Bishop’s corner, Blue Back square, Elizabeth Park, and just general explorations of the side streets and various neighborhoods
• Climbing the huge white oak that stands just past the park, close to North Main St
• Riding bikes, or if you’re my sister roller blades, around campus
• Flip-flops
• Studying outside
• Classes outside
• Everyone’s in a better mood, sunshine equals happiness (well it helps, anyway)
• Luscious green leaves and fragrant flowers
• More motivation to get your homework done, so you can get outside!

I’m going to miss spring the most when I leave in May. It really is the BEST season, full of hope and laughter.

March 3, 2010

Last week was my younger sister’s birthday. She just started here at SJC this fall and she’s really enjoying her time here so far. Yet, February isn’t really a great month for a fun birthday bash. Still, we had a good time. I baked an excellent chocolate cake and made home-made cream cheese frosting, delicious, and we got together with half a dozen friends or so and enjoyed just eating and spending time with each other. I even had a bunch of free pizza that was leftover after some function in the Network Center. Overall Emily (my sister) said it was the best birthday she’d had in several years.

However, she (nor I for, that matter) had any idea what lay in store the following night. On Thursday February 24^th I took her out to see one of our all time favorite bands Flogging Molly. Normally such an event would be exciting, but I wasn’t sure if I’d have fun since I’d be rushing to make the concert an hour after the doors opened after having classes and work all day. Add having to find the Webster (I’m notorious for getting lost) and then parking, plus the pressure of making it a good night for my sister and I was sure it was going to be a bust.

I was pleased to find that I was completely wrong! Parking was a pain, but after twenty minutes we found a side street with a couple of spots. It was raining pretty hard that night and we were drenched by the time we got in the building. The place was packed; I had to wait a full five minutes for my glasses to un-fog. As we maneuvered our ways into the crowed I spotted a prime location for watching the action well out of harms way and we snagged it quick. The opening band finished up the last of their set and the stage was prepared for Flogging Molly’s entrance.

Emily and I smiled at each other commenting on all the different people and all of the excitement around us. The tension grew as Flogging Molly’s background appeared in huge painted glowing letters at the back of the stage. People cheered and chanted. And then, there they were. All seven of them, armed with microphones, guitars, drums, whistles, accordions and violins. There was a brief silence and then the magic happened. We were all sucked into the awesome power of Irish traditional and punk rock fusion that was occurring in front of our eyes. Before we knew it Emily and I were swaying and singing our guts out to the familiar words. We were hot and sweaty and gross but we didn’t mind. We jigged until our legs wanted to walk away from us but the euphoria gave us strength.

This was just such a great experience to share with my sister. Our ancestors were Irish so this kind of music is probably the strongest bond we have to our culture. Well, that and boiled potatoes and cabbage. Even though Emily and I only live a couple of dorms over from each other we don’t hang out as much as we would both like, life is just so busy here. Flogging Molly just showed me that even when we don’t get to spend time with each we are still connected enough to have an incredibly fun and meaningful time with each other.  

February 17, 2010

This semester I am taking a very interesting religion class with one of my favorite professors, Father Joe. The name of the class is Religion and Race in the U.S. Most of the girls in my class are freshmen and sophomores, I’m pretty sure that I’m the only senior. This is interesting and exciting for me because I get to put a name to some of the faces I see around campus and get to know a little bit about them. I also like the feeling of being able to help some of them with the work. Since this is a 200 level class its pretty easy for me, but pretty difficult for some of the girls who haven’t taken as many intermediate level courses yet. That means I can actually help and, dare I say it, actually teach some of these girls something. Since I have aspirations of one day being a teacher or college professor (or both) it’s an important opportunity for me. Obviously, I can’t just stand up and start teaching the class complicated ethnicity theories as they relate to religion, but I’m certainly willing to help them understand. I love the way it feels when I can give someone information that will actually be useful to them. So, I like to dole out as much advice as I can on the class work, or just on college or life in general.

Another aspect of this class that I really enjoy is our weekly student-led class discussions. Although I can tell that leading a discussion can be challenging for some students I think it’s a great way to learn. I really enjoyed leading discussion last week because I felt like I was getting to play teacher (even more than I already do). The discussions are always very interesting because it typically involves a few people sharing some personal things about their (or their friends’ or families’) experiences with race, ethnicity, or religion. Hearing voices from such diverse backgrounds and perspectives is a great way to break the norm of the ever present white-Anglo-male narrative we get in so many other classes. I feel like this class is really making progress in our personal attitudes and pre-conceived notions we make about people based on they way they look or speak. It is not very often you see a group of people from different cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, socio-economic statuses, etc. all sitting around and talking about the touchy issues concerning our differences.

Classes like this are part of the reason I continue to love SJC. Being at such a small, all girls, college makes these classes more comfortable and open. I don’t think classes like this at other institutions could be run as smoothly as this one is. While students are prone to have disagreements on such a complex social issue, there hasn’t even been a whisper of a fight or serious argument breaking out. I like to think it’s because we all have a certain respect for each other, or at the very least realize that being at a small school means that it’s better to find a way to get along with people since it’s so hard to avoid people around here. Whatever the reason is for our respectful courteousness for each other, it certainly helps have an honest and thought-provoking class dialogue.  

February 8, 2010

I’ve been having a difficult time lately deciding what to write about. Today I turned, as I so often do, to Facebook for inspiration. One of the pages I subscribe to posted this petition against American Apparel’s best bottom competition: http://citizenspeak.org/node/1901

Now, I don’t really follow fashion. I don’t think I’ve even been inside an American Apparel. I prefer thrift shops. I always find good deals and I never have to worry that I’m supporting child labor. I know that by shopping at Goodwill or Salvation Army at least a little bit of my money is going to people who need it, not merely absorbed into corporate wealth.

Any who, after seeing this petition I decided to investigate the issue myself. I found the competition site (http://i.americanapparel.net/storefront/UGCStyle/BestBottom2010/index.asp), and as I scrolled down the page I worried that people would think I was looking up porn at work. I read the blurb on the side of the page that described the competition. Women submit pictures of their butts while wearing American Apparel underwear. Then anyone who wants to can rate the pictures. The two best pictures, as selected by the American Apparel judges, get to be underwear models for the store. Well, they use the term ‘butt-model,’ which is much more appropriate since the pictures have a very unbalanced cheek to panty ratio. Almost all the entries I dared to look at featured women in thongs, and only one also included the rest of the woman’s body. The rest were dismembered pictures of bums thrust forward toward the camera. Some pictures are nearly indistinguishable from porn, except these girls are wearing something.

The competition requires that you be 18 to enter, but what about the people looking at the pictures. What messages are we sending to the teens and pre-teens who frequent the American Apparel website? That women are only good for their butts? That only certain kinds of butts are good looking? That women have to be sexy? That it is very important that your butt be sexy?

Perhaps you don’t see the these implications when you look at the competition site for yourself, but you can probably see how this could be seen as offensive. The clincher for me is that the prize given to top 10 women, as ranked by the public, is a gift grab-bag from American Apparel. So you show all that skin, get judged by who knows who in all of Internet land, have your butt on public display, and what value does American Apparel put on it? A $300 bag full of clothes that you didn’t even get to pick out.

January 26, 2010

I'm feeling a little blue after a bad weekend that involved some serious relationship problems with my boyfriend. So I wrote this-not-very-happy poem about it.

How to feel.
What to think.
I don’t know anymore.

Sometimes it is hard to decipher what is truly the most important:
intention or action.
How do we judge human character?
What you think, believe, hold true?
What you do, say, and how you act?

What happens when you love someone for who they are,
but hate what they do?

What happens when you can no longer be affiliated
with their actions?
Yet, your love for the person behind them, as well
as their intention, is true?

Is it worth fighting for?
Can a person change their actions
even if they can’t change themselves?

Are we what we do?

What if they choose not to change? What if your loved one chooses
action over you?
Over love?

What if they can’t stop?

Everyone lies sometimes. So how do we define a “liar”?

Do you cut ties, sever all bonds?
Quick like opening and envelope, the opener cutting through adhesive
Effectively freeing the flap, now a ruptured seal?
Or slow like opening the jaws of a
tetanus patient, hinges gradually giving?

Do you stand by their side? Wait and hope and help for improvement.
How long do you stay? How long should it take?

How much of life is spent waiting? How much should be?
What’s the appropriate length and how is it determined?

How does any of this reflect on you?

Does it matter?
Should it?

Pick up shards of broken promises
The full forty oz. I (accidentally) shattered on the floor
When I thought the desk was closer than it was
When the theory of gravity was proved once again
When the brittle nature of glass was revealed
When I cried during poetry class
With my head on the table
Weeping, consumed by questions
Only I can answer.

January 20, 2010

First of all, hello, welcome back, happy new year and happy new semester. I'm psyched to be back, and I hope you all are looking forward to another spring at SJC! Today I am reflecting on, what I believe, to be one of the most important resources we students have in college: friends.

Friends are a critical part of college. I know that I’ve already talked a lot about friends in this here BLOG but something happened today that I feel exemplifies the importance of friends. Almost every semester I, or one of my friends, winds up missing lunch or dinner because of classes and/or work. We usually end up asking another friend to bring us food, usually a sandwich from the café, because eating is pretty important. I don’t know if you have ever noticed, but it’s hard to learn or work when your stomach is grumbling. So the task of sandwich bringing is critical.

That brings us to today. My friend and roommate had work from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm and then had class until 2:00 pm, so she was going to have to miss lunch. I work with her at the library so when she told me she was missing lunch I asked her if she wanted me to bring her food at work. I remembered to make the sandwich and I left the cafeteria with the intention of bringing it to her. That’s when I checked my phone, which was on silent. There was a message from my friend that she already left for class. I had failed her! After all the times she brought me food I had let her (and her stomach) down. I had to rectify this situation, as hard as it is to concentrate when I’m hungry; it is just as difficult, if not more, to concentrate when I’m guilt-stricken.

 I quickly formulated a plan. I could bring the sandwich to her class. I didn’t know what classroom she was in, but I did know that it was with a professor whose classes are usually in Lynch. Since I’ve had the teacher before I also knew the distinct sound of his voice (he has a slight lisp). I checked all the classrooms on the first floor. No luck. On the second floor there was a classroom with a closed door. I stood, like the weirdo that I undoubtedly am, and listened for his voice. Success! I had found the classroom. As I was pondering the consequences of interrupting someone’s class, and the chance that I might be mistaken and this isn’t even her class at all, another student came down the hall and asked if I was going into that classroom. I said no, and she said that she was in the class and was late. Here was my chance! She had to interrupt the class anyway so I just followed her in. Luckily my friend was right by the door. I put her food on the desk, patted her on the head, and backed out of the classroom. Smooth, I know.

            As I walked over to this office to write this BLOG I felt a sense of accomplishment. Most people wouldn’t have made such a big deal over getting their friend a sandwich, but to me that sort of thing is quite significant. I also felt clever because I found her classroom without having to ask anyone. A pretty amazing feat when one considers the fact that I’m the type of person who will ask you everyday until the very last day of the semester what classes you have that day because I can’t remember my own schedule most of the time, let alone others. Yet, by some stroke of luck I remembered and was able to save the day, or at least save my friend from being the girl whose stomach growls like a lion during the first day of class.

December 10, 2009

Since I’m having a hard time coming up with a specific topic for today’s blog I’m going to list some ideas I’ve had lately. 

Wouldn’t it be really funny and weird to show up to class dressed like your professor? Not necessarily in an identical out fit but the same type of clothing they usually wear, like khakis and a dress shirt or one of those corduroy jackets with elbow pads.  I should do that someday just to see what happens.  

I hate it when Word tries to correct grammatical mistakes that don’t exist. The newer version, 2007, is a little bit better than 2003.  

I miss the laser beam background option for school pictures:  

Sometimes I think that the shuffle on my Ipod isn’t as random as it should be, it tends to play the same songs every time I put it on shuffle. I wonder if there is a way to make shuffle more random.

This past weekend I drove home (3 hours on 91, bo-ring) and I discovered that listening to NPR is a great way to stay awake. Some of the stuff they talk about is really interesting and even funny. 

One thing that bugs me about colder weather is that when I’m outside I’m freezing, but when I get inside I’m so hot I start sweating until my body adjusts.  

It’s been a really long time since I’ve climbed a tree. 

Folk songs can be really good sometimes. Maybe I’ll become a folk singer some day.  

Clothing and shoe sizes should be universal. I hate that I’m different sizes depending on brand. 

I like old cartoons, but it sucks that they’re wicked racist and sexist. 

History books about medieval theater make me fall asleep. 

Now that I have a car I want to take automotive classes so I can learn how to fix it. I should suggest that St. Joe’s get some automotive classes added to the curriculum, its important stuff to know! 

I’m convinced that funk music is the best dance music. Whenever it comes on in my room anyone who is there gets trapped in a spontaneous dance party. I mean, how can you stay in your seat when “Brick house” comes on? 

I can’t wait until classes are over so I can read more. I love reading. It makes me sad that people don’t like to read as much as they used to. The next time you’re bored watching TV maybe think about picking up a book? It’s basically the cheapest form of entertainment out there. I get free books from my local thrift store all the time. Good stuff too, like classic stuff, not just cheese-o romances. Although, those are pretty amusing sometimes and if it gets you reading than who cares! I also like graphic novels a lot. They incorporate two of my most favorite things, written and visual art! If you’re interested in checking out some graphic novels don’t feel compelled to go out and buy them, most public libraries have a pretty good collection. I highly recommend Persepolis. It’s technically a young adult novel, but those are my favorite.

December 1, 2009

Ode to an End.  

Back from break and boy is the pressure on!

Switching from lane to lane, project to project,

The life of an SJC girl is never boring.

Philosophy, History, Acting, Drawing,

And Feminism, Oh my!

Yet, the end is nigh!

Fall semester begins with sunshine,

Ends with snow glare,

Anticipation for snow, mounting pressure.

One paper, two papers,

Homework, web postings, and presentations galore,

Longing for a time when there won’t be any more.

Senior year,

Last fall semester, ever,

Nostalgia serves a swift kick in the rear.

Wonder where I’ll be this time

Next year,

Hope it won’t be too far from here.

I won’t miss the stress,

Won’t long for dormitory lavatories,

It’s the friend folk I won’t soon forget.

Roommates, dormmates, classmates,

Professors, staff, advisors,

All friends, all loved and

Already missed.  

November 19, 2009

I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately. This is an interesting time of year for a college student. It’s probably one of the most stressful times, professors love to assign due dates for paper’s and projects all the day before Thanksgiving “break” and the week after. This is complicated further for me, since my birthday happens to fall right around this really stressful time of year. I often have to spend the days leading up to my birthday convincing people they should come and hang out with me the night of my birthday instead of doing homework or sleeping.

This year I’m not really in that boat with the rest of my peers. I don’t have a million things to do over break. Sure, I have a few things due after break, and I have a pretty big performance for my acting class due tomorrow but I’ve been working on it all week and I feel confident about it. I might actually get a Thanksgiving break, that’s, well, an actual break. For the last three years I’ve spent the week of Thanksgiving writing papers or reading.

I don’t know about everyone else, but my friends and professors seem particularly short tempered right now. It’s upsetting to everyone getting so frustrated with their workloads that they snap at their friends, classmates, students and professors. This seems like the perfect time of year for everyone to learn the patent Siobhan’s stress relieving technique.

You see, I have the unique ability to stay busy, yet relatively unstressed. How do I accomplish this, you may ask. Well here are a few tips:

• Focus, when you actually have a chance to start on your homework/papers/reading/projects/take home exams or what have you, be sure that you are somewhere that is conducive to the work your doing. If your roommate is watching TV go into the lounge. If there are people making a lot of noise or being distracting somehow, go to the library. Try the stacks, they’re usually very quiet. Plus, if you need any resources your already there!

• Don’t expect too much of yourself. While I agree that it is important to hold yourself to a high standard, trying to do too much in one day will lower the quality of your work. Try to get one big assignment done a day, or part of one big assignment and few smaller ones, or two medium assignments. For example yesterday I wrote two one-page journal entries for Acting, finished a drawing for Drawing II, and made a poster for Feminist Theories. The drawing took the most amount of time, three hours; the poster took two, and the journals about one. Six hours might sound like a lot but I also got a lot done, and I spread it out throughout the entire day.

• Evaluate the importance of what you are doing. If you are getting really bogged down with work sometimes you just have to look at what you have to do, get your syllabi out, and figure out which assignments hold the most weight. Spend the most time on the assignments that are worth the most. For example, if I have one research paper that’s worth 30% of my grade, and one that’s worth 15%, due on the same day (which has happened on more than one occasion!) but I don’t have very much time to work on them, I’m obviously going to put more effort and time in to the one that’s worth 30%. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try your hardest on everything, but there comes a point when you just have to get something DONE. Remember, turning in something is always better than turning in nothing; a twenty averages better than a zero. Also, a professor will typically have more empathy for you if you at least tried to accomplish the objectives rather than giving up completely. They may even give you a chance to revise your work!

• Use your free time constructively. Some of you may be thinking “But Siobhan, I don’t have free time!” Trust, I feel your pain, but you have to make a real effort to create some free time. Even if you have just an hour between classes, try to do something that is stress relieving. I like to go to the gym, even if I only get to run for 15 minutes it’s better than nothing. I also like to call a friend from home I haven’t seen in a while and just talk for a while. Even just put on some great music and mess around on Facebook for an hour. That way when you actually go to do your work you might be less tempted to get distracted by all the things you didn’t have time to do!

• Breath, if something doesn’t get done it is not going to be the end of the world. If you’re really stretched to the limit and you really just have to throw in the towel, don’t freak out about it. Trust me, it will be okay. Take a few deep breaths and just relax. There is no use stressing over something that you know just isn’t going to get done. Move on, and try to do something constructive or stress relieving. Drop an e-mail to your professor and just let them know, you really tried but in the end, it didn’t work out. Obviously avoid this as much as possible, but no class is worth pulling your hair out over.

• If it’s your friend’s birthday, make an effort to stop by and visit them or at least give them a call. It’ll show them that you’re at least thinking of them even if you don’t have time to party. Trust me, talking to and spending time with friends is what a good birthday is made of!

This short article on how organization, exercise, taking care of your body, and finding support can help college student’s reduce stress from About.com might not be the most reliable recourse, but it certainly has some interesting ideas that seem pretty accurate in my experience: 

This Blog from Collegeandfinance.com is great too!

November 10, 2009

I feel the need to say something here about Thanksgiving. It is true that Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the special foods of the harvest season. Thanksgiving is when we get together with family and friends (or friends who are family or family who are friends) and talk about what there is to be thankful for, then take a nap.

I like to remember, each Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim folk and the Native American ladies and gents who sat around eating Dodo birds and whatever other funny old-timey food. How the Pilgrims would come to annihilate most of the Native Americans and push those remaining into remote corners of the country. I also like to think about all the wonderful foods that Europeans would never have got to eat if they didn’t come to the Americas. Corn, potatoes, cranberries, tomatoes, Maple Syrup, apples, squash and green beans were never eaten by Europeans until they came to America. I’ve read and heard in several contemporary Native American texts the philosophy that we should all walk backwards because we can see our past, and know our pasts, but we can’t see future. By keeping an eye on past it’s easier to predict what future will do next.

Thanksgivings at my house are usually pretty non-traditional. First of all, I have a small immediate family, so unless people come by to have dinner at our place, or unless we go somewhere else to eat, it’s just the three of us. This year I know we are going to have at least a couple of extra people stopping by. Another fact that makes our Thanksgiving’s a little out of the ordinary is that my sister is a vegetarian. Instead of Turkey on Thanksgiving she likes to make Spanakopita, a delicious Greek dish made with spinach, feta and flakey pastry crust. Our Thanksgivings tend to be much more casual than most family’s, and that’s something I’m thankful for.

November 5, 2009

 Today, I learned something. People always say “you learn something new everyday,” but what we do with our new found knowledge is as important as the information itself. So, allow me to get on my soap-box for a moment here.

You may have never heard of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, or CEDAW. The CEDAW was a convention that resulted in what has been described, quite accurately in my opinion, as an international Bill of Rights for women. This document was adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 1979. Much like our own Bill of Rights, it consists of a preamble and thirty articles. It’s a bit of a dry read but the point is very clear from the first article which defines the discrimination that it’s attempting to end:

“For the purposes of the present Convention, the term ‘discrimination against women’ shall mean any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field” (http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cedaw.htm).

The articles go on to enumerate the areas of government, economy, society, and culture that need to become equalized in order for gender equality. They include a requirement that countries must “embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated therein and to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle”.

This is all very interesting when one considers the fact that the United States is currently the only developed country that has not ratified the CEDAW. Surly this should concern all women in the U.S., especially the community of St. Joseph College where we are constantly trying to promote women. So why do so few people know about this issue? Why did I only learn about it today?

Many sources I found claimed that the US is hesitant to ratify (To give formal consent to; make officially valid) the CEDAW because it would mean adding a constitutional amendment concerning the equal treatment of women. The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was written by Alice Paul in and introduced to congress all the way back in the 1920s with the aim of giving people equal rights regardless of sex. That amendment was never passed.

I suppose people in the U.S. feel that women do not suffer from sex discrimination enough to warrant a constitutional amendment specifically aimed at ending discrimination on the basis of sex. Yet, I have to question that when considering how few women are in leadership positions in our country. An easy example of this is politics. How many Women are in the three main branches of federal government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial)? How many female presidents of the United States have there been? How many male? Obviously, women remain under represented in our government.

You have to choose for yourself where you stand on these issues. Just because you go to an all girls school doesn’t mean you believe that women still need to advocate for their rights. Perhaps you’ve never encountered discrimination, or you don’t think it affects you. I simply think it is important that, as citizens, we know about what our country is doing, or not doing, to protect our civil and human rights.

For more information please visit: http://www.unifem.org/cedaw30/about_cedaw/

November 3, 2009

Today marks the day of my very first SJC blog entry, I’m so excited to share the world of Saint Joe’s with all of you! Let’s walk through a typical day for me:

I wake up in the morning, after hitting the snooze button at least once, put on my clothes and hit the quad. First stop: breakfast. Breakfast is by far my favorite meal to eat in the cafeteria. The morning chef, Jay, always makes my eggs for me just the way I like them, over easy with a slice of cheese. It’s like magic, I just walk in, say hi, and before I know it I have a delicious egg on my plate ready to eat.

Next stop is class. I have morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Drawing II. It starts at 930 and goes until 12. It’s a fun class because our professor encourages us to bring music to listen to while we draw, and we can talk to each other while we work. I find it very relaxing, most of the time. There are those days when nothing I draw seems to look right, but we all have those days.

At noon it’s time to eat once again. Less than a five minute walk and I’m back in McGovern Hall, where the cafeteria is located. Lunch means delicious salad’s prepared by one of the chefs. My favorite is the greens, walnut, cranberry, apple and goat cheese with maple vinaigrette. Who would think that vegetables could be so tasty?

Since I’m taking an online class this semester, Philosophy of Race with Dr. Curry, I don’t have any afternoon classes on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. On Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s I have two afternoon classes. I have Fundamentals of Acting from 2-3, and then History of Theater from 3-4, both with Mark Zelinsky. On Monday I have Feminist Theories with Dr. Hoyser from 4-6:30 weekly.

Basically any time I’m not at class I’m either in my room, doing homework or just chilling with my roommate and whoever else happens to be around, or at work. I work at the Network Center, the Library and, of course, here at Marketing and Communications.

I get a lot of my homework done when I’m at my other jobs, which is helpful because it means that I have more time to relax when I’m not at work. I work a lot, about twenty hours in a typical week, this is fairly typical for a senior, most freshman and sophomore students tend to shy away from work at first because it’s hard to balance school work and work-work at first.

It’s true that college students are very busy, but that doesn’t mean there is no time for play after work is done. When I have time to myself I like to be active. I like to play a game of basketball with my friends, work-out at the gym, play Dance Dance Revolution with my roommate, or just go for a walk to Bishop’s Corner or Blue Back Square. When we don’t feel like being active we like to watch movies (there is an excellent selection at the library) and play games. A lot of times we just sit around and talk.  

I’m on campus almost all week, but on weekends most of the fun happens elsewhere. This past Saturday, which was Halloween, my friend’s and I got dressed up and went to a concert in Northampton, MA. We saw Afro-Punk and Saul Williams perform at the Calvin. The weekend before that, I took the bus home to visit my family in Vermont. The previous weekend, I went to another concert with friends who drove down from VT to see a band play at the Webster in Hartford. Some weekends I go to NYC on either the bus or the train to visit a friend I met here at St. Joe’s, in Queen’s. Once I even went from Vermont, to Hartford to Niantic, CT in one day. That means I saw the mountains and the country side, the city, the suburbs and the ocean all in one day! And I don’t even own a car (yet)!

Well I suppose that's enough to give you an idea of my life at St. Joe's, more blogs to come!