Clearing Out My Pics

Mural made by my RA staff and I last year. Mine's the orange one in the center.

Apparently, I take a lot of pictures with my cell phone's camera... more than I thought I did. So when my phone told me it was time to delete some pictures, I did, saving some of the best ones (in my opinion) to post here as time goes on.

One Month Later

Due to lots of stuff that's been going on lately in my life, I haven't the time nor the energy to post more on this blog until now. Sorry for the wait to all who have been trying to read my updates (basically just Chelsea). Here's a quick summary to get you back into the loop, and then I can continue with regular updates from here on out! First things first: graduation! I am now officially an alumnus of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor's Degree in American Political Studies, emphasis in Public Administration! The graduation ceremony was a good time, with everyone decked out in blue and gold. We heard from our keynote speaker Dr. John Wettaw (coincidentally the guy who gave me my first tour at NAU before I was officially a Freshman, so it was kind of cool to begin and end college in that manner). We all got called to the stage, and I shook the hand of NAU President Haeger when I received my diploma - the first time I'd ever seen the man.... Um, yeah. Chelsea, you know what I'm saying. My folks came up for the celebration and we did dinner and breakfast the next morning before they took off and I began the tedium of packing and getting things ready for the final move-out of NAU. During the ceremonies, though, I'm sad to have to report a few low points. First, people, AIR HORNS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE AT GRADUATION CEREMONIES! Sheesh! Secondly, I found out I was only one of five APS majors graduating this year, and really beyond one or two other people, I didn't recognize a lot of the names being read. I guess I should have spent more time with other political people in the SBS department instead of just with CRs. On the positive, though, a couple of my favorite professors were there to lead the procession for SBS, so that was cool - like Dr. Buckley. Either way, I'll post a graduation picture once they come in and I can scan it into the computer! So after graduation, I packed up my stuff and finished up my RA duties: checking each room on my floor for damages and uncleaned things, even though it should have already been spotted by the RAs who did the checkouts. I really was pleased to not find much beyond some trash in a couple rooms and the hallway, one or two fridges that needed to be scrubbed better, and a few broken blinds and torn mattresses - the usual stuff. I did get the honor of re-cleaning one dirty toilet, but it wasn't too bad, and I had TONS of Lysol to use up! Sunday night, after I was finished with most of my RA stuff, I was invited to hang out and party with some of the campus's RHDs and my fellow RAs who were still there (and over 21!), so I did, and we had a small fire going in a chiminea, some cheap alcohol, and lots of laughs from the past year. I will sorely miss things like that. I started on Monday morning around 9am, and purposely took enough time so that I wouldn't leave until about 6pm so I could make sure to say goodbye to my RA friends, my RHDs, and a few other people in Flagstaff. I really didn't think it would be so hard to go. If you didn't know this about me, I tend to be really bad at goodbyes. I'm stoic at funerals, but with people I've become really close to, I get pretty choked up when it comes time for things to be over. The really sad part is, because many of those people aren't into politics and are in some places I don't ever get out to, I may not get to see them again unless I take a trip out there. So suffice it to say that the streak of depression that runs in my family really hit me hard throughout graduation weekend and I didn't start feeling better until about last week. But, I saw a couple Diamondbacks games during that time, caught up with some old high school friends, and started the great job search, which I am still doing now. The job with Coleman Dahm didn't pan out the way I hoped, with them not securing enough business to justify hiring a new employee, so I got hosed on that option. I'm currently looking for work, so if anyone has any leads, I'd love to hear about it! There are a few jobs I found while perusing things like Jobing.com and Career Builder, which would be up my alley for an entry-level position, but if truth be told, I doubt I'll find anything until I get out of this state. There's just no jobs in Arizona that I want. I am again sorry this is almost a month late, and I hope to do better from now on! 'Til next time! ~Reperio Vulpes

Murder Mystery & MVP

On Friday evening, the NAU Coordinators staff for Residence Life put on a "murder mystery" night for all who wished to attend, sort of like those boxed dinner party ones, except invented completely by the staff. The script was written by the staff, the parts were played by RAs, RHDs, and other faculty, and everyone was invited to attend. I went, the theme being "Class of 1998 High School Reunion" and carefully listened, watched, and asked the characters who had killed off our former classmate and Vice-Principal. When all was said and done, I got the correct answer, and won the first prize ($50 in MCE money)! I really had fun that night - more so than if I'd gone to Casino Night or out to the bars, and I got to hang out with other RAs for pretty much a final time. I definitely give props to Summer Burke for her amazing portrayal of Uber-hyper glitzy movie star and Jeremy Cobb for his protrayal of the A/V nerd guy who now creates video games! Great job! Also, tonight was the Northern Arizona University Residence Life Awards Banquet where RAs from our campus were recognized in a variety of categories, including best comedians, best community developer, best educator, Most Valuable Player, and Lifetime Achievement. I was recognized for two things, being a graduating senior this year and as one of ten nominees for the Most Valuable Player award. Even though I didn't actually win, it's really special to know that all my hard work this year was apreciated by not only my staff, but the rest of the 300+ Residence Life staff (RAs, RHDs, coordinators, etc) as well. I really will miss this place when I'm gone. On a different note, I finally got an email back from one prospective job. They do not at this time have a desire to expand and hire me at this time, though they'll be in contact in the future if they do decide to hire someone else.

Home Is Where the Heat Is....

So, I'm going home this weekend. And I'm only halfheartedly excited about it for a few reasons. The first of these is that the reason I'm going home is to babysit my younger brother and sister while my parents fly out to Michigan to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday. I haven't seen him in about 3 years, because my parents typically entice me (monitarily) into staying home to house-sit while they take the rest of the family to Michigan on vacations in the summer to Michigan to see the relatives. Not that I'm complaining at all - it's wonderful having a house all to myself, have a few friends over for a party, including BBQ and swimming, all paid for by the 'rents!

The second reason is that I recently found out that this weekend is the big "new staff" dinner and celebration for the RAs who will be taking the spots next year of those of us that are graduating this year. Back one year ago, this was a very special thing that the old staff at Mountain View did for me and my staff, and I am disappointed I'll have to miss it. One of the biggest things we did was that the "old" staff passed along a few words of wisdom to the "new" staff, so I think I'll write up something for all of them. Still not the same, though.

However, I did get two tickets to Saturday's Rockies-Diamondbacks game at Chase Field - Sec. 328, Row 19 - off the third base line on the third level - which I'll be using to take my best friend from high school, Scott, to a game so we can catch up and have some fun with the weekend. That should be a good time! I'll be looking for the D-Backs to soundly beat up on the Rox again like our big-league SWEEP of the Rockies in their home opening series this past weekend!

I leave Thursday morning early. EARLY. Like, 7am early. I'm not a fan of the morning stuff, but c'est la vie, and I'll get back into Flag around 9pm Monday. So, I won't be posting during that time, but I will write more once I get back. I just have to work on a one-page paper and an online quiz before I leave, and I'll be good to go!

Big Mothaf#($*!@^ Rock!

Last night certainly was eventful, what with having to deal with some people in the building who decided it would be a good idea to break things. Among the issues: a broken window from a rock someone threw, a broken exit sign someone tore from the ceiling, a broken door and door handle, and one of our fraternities' letters were broken by someone. Three issues involved NAUPD, and I was up (along with my partner on call and our ARHD) until 5am writing reports and taking care of business. All-in-all, the most eventful night I've had all semester. The good news is, I only have 2 more nights on call for the remainder of the semester: one Thursday night in a couple weeks, and one Sunday night at the end of April. Then it should be all downhill from there! Oh, and my Diamondbacks SWEPT the Colorado Rockies with a final score today of 5-2 coming on a ninth-inning 2-run home run by Mark Reynolds and a tenth-inning solo homer by Stephen Drew. Prior to both of those, the DBacks only had three hits, zero runs in the game! I LOVE late-inning heroics!

Ita Infit

"And so it begins..." Many moons ago, I started a blog for the purposes of recording my time at college. Well, as most can probably tell, that didn't really go anywhere. But in the spirit of making certain I can remember all the crazy stuff that goes on in my life as a Resident Assistant for Mountain View Hall at NAU and in looking for a job after I graduate this May, I am going to try again. So, for those of you that don't already know what I do, I am the Resident Assistant for Mountain View Hall, which houses the fraternities and sororities on campus. Whereas most places have a "fraternity row" or several on- or off-campus houses, our Greek Life is contained in one of the biggest buildings on campus which looks out over the spectacular vista of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, Arizona. Each RA in the building gets to work with a chapter or two on one of the View's floors: I am the RA for Theta Chi and Sigma Nu, with a few Kappa Alpha members as well. I've been in this position since the beginning of this year, and it's become one of the best things I could have ever done for myself. To start with the basics that everyone knows about the position, I am compensated for my room and board and food here on campus. I have my own room in the hall without a roommate, and in return, I work on-call shifts in the building once or twice a week, and work at the building's front desk checking in and out items, and helping out wherever needed. On a deeper level, I get to connect with almost 600 people in this building who are absolutely amazing. Before I came here, I had some of the same stereotypes about Greeks that many other people do, but I have come to really appreciate all the positive things about my residents and their organizations, which are not unlike my previous posts with the College Republicans: each chapter does community service on a regular basis to raise money for their "philanthropy" (some type of organization in the country), they study hard and typically have very high grade point averages as chapters, and promote a sense of community I never really found elsewhere in college. The reason I am talking so much about them is that they are a very big part of who I am this year, because I work so closely with them. Not a lot of people who are unaffiliated with Greek Life know about this stuff; I know I certainly didn't before becoming an RA here. On the opposite side of work, I am striving to finish school this year by May so that I can graduate with my bachelor's degree in American Political Studies with a focus in Public Administration. Just a few more weeks to go! Right now, it's also crunch time for me to be finding a job. I have a couple prospects right now with a variety of campaigns for Republican candidates, but nothing noteworthy -- yet! Believe me, the job hunt will certainly be a big focus of my later postings! This weekend, I made the most of my time off, since I wasn't on call and didn't have to work the desk before today at 2pm. I decided my best course of action was to sleep until about 3pm on Saturday after going out with some of my friends the previous night. After that, I really just chilled out to the max for the rest of the day, watched some tube, played MLB2k6 on my XBox360, and then went back to bed after eating some Chinese food. Today, I got up early to try to accomplish some homework due tomorrow, and I'll be working on that all night here during my 11pm-2am desk shift. So you know what that means...! Feel free to email/IM me until all the wee hours of my shift 'cuz I'm gonna be bored!