Friday, April 30, 2010

GDub: Likes and Dislikes

My turn to answer the email! :)

As for my favorite part about GW, it would probably be the classes I've taken and the professors I've gotten to know.  I've had the chance to take some great classes here the past four years I know I wouldn't have anywhere else. Some stand-outs have been:

This class really delved into the issue of immigration, from the beginning of the 1900s with Ellis Island, to Cuban refugees today and its supporters and opponents over the years as well.  Obviously the topic has a lot of correlation to issues today, but my favorite part was discussing how it was viewed and why in the beginning, and how supporters became opponents and vice versa, depending on the immigrant group in question.

Immigrant family on Ellis Island.

I know what you're thinking, a class on domestic violence? While some of the topics were sensitive and sometimes depressing to think about, it was a very interesting class that had great discussions as to the "why's" of familial violence, led by a former NYPD officer as our professor.

Law & Order: SVU

Love CSI? NCIS? Any criminal procedural? Well, this class is for you. With a professor who was the head of a lab in NY, you get a firsthand account of how those tv shows get it wrong, as well as a great foundation in how science interacts with the law and law enforcement. If you're squeamish, be forewarned there are LOTS of photos of dead bodies and blood... my advice? Eat lunch beforehand.. kinda seemingly counterproductive, but it worked for me.. no nausea unless I had an empty stomach haha. 



Heard of criminal psychological profiling? The tv shows Profiler or (my fav) Criminal Minds? Basically, those shows in the form of a class, taught by a professor who also teaches the same course to police academies in the area. Awesome, awesome class. Looked forward to waking up and going to it, even though it was at 9:35am.... very high praise from someone whose brain doesn't generally function til 11am or about 3 cups of coffee, whichever come first!



Basically early morning storytime with a career FBI agent who wrote the book, literally, on FBI counterintelligence, from its beginnings in WW2 to its future following the end of the Cold War. Intrigued by real-life spies? Definitely the class for you!



Again, another class taught by a former FBI special agent. We have discussed everything from origins of terrorism, the how's, why's, who's, etc. to different strategies to combat it. Very fun class- our big project was to research a domestic or international terrorist group and present to the class how, if we were them, we would carry out an attack, showing our strategy, what we would use, where we would get the funding, etc. 



As you can see, I'm kinda into the whole "criminal justice" thing... and also classes that correlate to tv shows I watch.. never noticed that before... huh. 



However, going hand-in-hand with my favorite thing about GW is also my least favorite... namely, how difficult it can be to get into certain classes you want and need. Many of the classes listed above I tried to get into once or twice before I actually was able to take them. Basically, the cool classes tend to fill up before underclassmen can register, which sometimes doesn't matter since the cool ones also tend to have prerequisites that you won't have til you are an upperclassmen.... so I guess it works out. 
Or, in the case of the History 101 I mention above, not all classes are offered each semester, depending on the department and professor.  A couple of times I have just gone to the respective professor and expressed my interest in their class and have gotten signed in, but, due to available seats and such, that didn't always work. There's probably now only one or two classes I would've wanted to take that I never got a chance to, either due to the class being full when I was an underclassmen or because that now when I could get in, I took a smaller class-load to make time for a paid part-time job and an unpaid internship and could only pick a few to take.


Hope this helps!

~Vickie

Thursday, April 29, 2010

My Email Response Blog!


As you may see in Kim's post, we bloggers received an email from a prospective student yesterday, and we're all taking it upon ourselves to answer (if possible, it is finals after all!) in our own ways, to help out with her position as much as we can.  

Here was the question: I am having a really hard time deciding what school to attend this fall and had a few questions.  I was wondering what your favorite and least favorite things are about GW. Also, would you still go to GW if you had a chance to do it over again?

To answer your last question first, I would most definitely choose GW again if I could do it over again.  In fact, now that I've been here and seen how much I love it, I would be even swifter in my response.  Truthfully, I was skeptical about coming to DC.  I was afraid of the distance from home, about city living, and about the school in general.

Least favorite thing about going to GW: People saying "Oh--the rich kid's school?" or something of that nature when I tell them where I go.  It just isn't true, and there are petty and off-putting stereotypes that go along with those connotations.  Personally, I wouldn't have been able to come here if not for financial aid--and I'm one of MANY here!

Favorite thing about going to GW: This is too hard.  I am really and truly happy here.  I love the people, the atmosphere, and of course, the city.  So maybe that's it--the campus?  That can't be right.  OH!  The opportunities.  That covers a bunch of bases.  That's a good one, I'll stick to it.  (Forgive my verbal flotsam, I don't feel like editing that now, I just wrote a paper that kicked my *expletive*)

And there we go, hope that answered your question to your liking!  We all love emails, if you want to get in touch with me, I'm always checking ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu

~~~ Shireen 

A Question

A question was recently sent out to all of us bloggers from an email to the general account.  I decided to answer it, but called to the rest of my fellow bloggers to also answer the questions in a post.  So here is the exact email from the reader and my response.  Enjoy!


I am having a really hard time deciding what school to attend this fall and had a few questions.  I was wondering what your favorite and least favorite things are about GW. Also, would you still go to GW if you had a chance to do it over again?


Favorite: The numerous things there are to do!  Whether it be student organization events, DC events, University outings, or just going out with friends, there is always something to do.  There is never a dull moment at GW.  There are new things to try, more people to meet and new places to visit everyday.

Least Favorite: I would have to say is the forms and red tape.  I know this is evident at almost every university, and I understand the necessity or having forms, but GW has a lot of them.  It is important to allot more time that you would expect to go through processes like study abroad, organization reimbursements, or internship for credit.  These barriers have not stopped me from doing anything, but they have slowed down the process a bit.

Of course I would come to GW if I had another chance.  I love this city, campus and everything about it.  I have the option of being a political junkie, an art junkie, a science junkie, or any other type of junkie I can think of without traveling too far.  GW has opened me up to so many opportunities that I had no idea existed, and I would re-do my years here if I could.



As you can see I love it here!  


I hope everyone is doing alright with making their admissions decisions.  If you have any questions it is never too late to ask.  If you email me I will be sure to send you a response before May 1.


Keep watch for other blogger's responses to their favorite/least favorite aspects of GW!


Kim

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Background Check

I recently got an email similar to the one Shireen got an email someone asking me to talk more about myself...well...if you insist...here's the exact question:


Can you please tell me more about your background?


This is a pretty complex question, I kept thinking, 'How do I organize my background down into a blog?' Never fear...I'm going to do my best to try.






I'm from Los Angeles, as you may already know, but my heritage is African, both my parents and most of my siblings (other than me and my little brother) were born and raised there to a certain extent. I come from a very close-knit family. I have 3 brothers and a sister, and don't even get me started on my extended family. My dad had 12 brothers and sisters and my mom had 5 siblings (and everyone before them had a lot of kids too) so I have an endless supply of cousins, aunts, uncles, children (this is a cultural thing, don't actually have kiddies), and grandparents. We're a family of immigrants, sort of immigrants, and entitled Americans (yay me!). I have family all over the world...Uganda, Egypt, Austrailia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, England. My parents are both Reverends, so I grew up in the church and I am a Christian (I'd like to clarify that to me, growing up in the church and being a Christian aren't necessarily the same thing).


My parents didn't have a lot of money (and by a lot I mean any money) to spend on college so coming to GW was a BIG decision. I got into a few schools, and many of them were in California, and many of them gave me more money than GW, but something about this school struck me as special (my mind hasn't changed about that either). Being in D.C., having the chance to be independent has really changed the way I approach the world and I would have paid any amount of money to make myself a better person. At the time my parents weren't sure how to make it work, but four years later it has, and it continues to work. A big thing that influences my decisions is the fact that my dad always says money should not be an issue. Not because he has money to throw around or because he's reckless, but because he believes every person deserves access to what their heart desires and they can get it if they use the tools given to them, regardless of their social/financial background. He didn't own a pair of shoes until he was 12 years old, and yet all my siblings went to (or are in) college. The key is recognizing and using the tools for what they are.




In terms of cultural identification I'd consider myself to be a hybrid. Maybe that's a cope out, and a few people I've met have actually asked me to choose, but I couldn't really identify myself as Black or African, aspects of both cultures have influenced me and being an American on top of everything makes the mix even more interesting. 


I went to public school most of my life and moved to a private school in 10th grade, a choice that I fought against bitterly, but ended up loving it and it has given me a lot options in terms of my education...for example, I don't think I ever would have left California and come 3,000 miles away to GW if I hadn't been pushed by the very attentive college counselors at Campbell Hall (Shout-out to all my Vikings).


I've always been a big reading/writing buff, which came early on in my life. Something about someone being able to go in and tie loose ends up entirely through fiction really appeals to me. In 3rd grade I wrote an essay about why smoking is bad for you and I won an award (cute right?), I wrote a poem about the Columbine shooting which my teacher made me read in front of the whole school, when Aaliyah died I cried and I wrote a poem about her and her music, and since then I haven't really stopped (not crying, I mean writing). I'm a English major/Creative Writing minor, and its given me the opportunity to develop my writing and discover what it is about writing that moves me.




I can't really remember when I started singing. What I do remember is riding in the car one day and singing "Killing Me Softly," (oh goodness. who even remembers 1996...am I right? Hahaha). Anyway even before that I would listen to song and feel I like "Does nobody get how amazing what he/she is doing?" So I copied those people, over and over again, in my room w/ my cassette player and then CD player and I got to the point where I didn't have to any more because I felt like I could make up my own runs and riffs. I joined a bunch of choirs, shows (yes, yes I was a singing tree in "Into the Woods"), and I knew I could sing when I auditioned for a part in Annie and no one could sing the part of the " excited girl from New York City" and I got up there and I just sang it. And everyone in the room was blown away...and I was like "Really? I was just trying to sing it correctly." Since then that has kind of always been my feeling when people tell me I sing well. Music also a big part of why I became perfectionist.


Now that I've written you an essay, I can stop procrastinating and get back to studying.


Til Next Time


Ekiria

Some GW Volleyball Video...

Hey there!

Finished my first final exam today... three to go!

Here is some video from the GW Volleyball Spring Tournament that I finally got uploaded and some pictures that I promised.


Christie sets up middle hitter Mackenzie.

Christie and Katie go up for the block.


Waiting for Navy to return the ball.

Playing in the Smith Center.


As for my series on residence halls, Thurston and Somers (Mount Vernon Campus) are coming soon!

~Vickie

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Oxford University

This past weekend I visited several friends who are studying abroad at Oxford University. It's about an hour train ride out from central London and thankfully we had wonderful weather! According to trusty Wikipedia, Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Unlike most universities, Oxford is composed of 38 different colleges, each with its own professors, studies, logo, etc. My friends attend St. Anns, which is where the majority of abroad students attend. While they enjoy Oxford, they're not a fan of grouping all the American students on campus as they have less British culture interactions. I visited a lot of sites in Oxford such as, Christ Church (where Harry Potter was filmed), the First Coffee Shop in the UK, the original Oxfam, the Sheldonian Theatre (where graduations are held), and the Radcliffe Camera (first round shaped library). A day and a half was the ideal amount of time to spend in Oxford.
Oxford Main Street
Pub where Tolkien and CS Lewis wrote 
Harry Potter Great Hall
Christ Church Courtyard with Friends
We went punting! 


Now that Chicago is Done...

So Chicago is finally done and I am Mama Morton no more. But let me tell you a little bit about the experience:



The picture above is a picture of the set for the show. Student Theatre groups get to use Lisner Downstage to put on their productions. It is the only space on campus which student theatre groups have control over...which is nice, but it is a small space so it can be limiting. Chicago was arguably the biggest show a student theatre company has ever done. It was put on by Generic Theatre Company, one of 3 student theatre companies at GW, which you can find on the student org website: http://studentorgs.gwu.edu/merlin-cgi/p/so_printRegisteredOrgDetail/d/533. The link provides information about Generic Theatre Company and a link to Generic's personal website. Over 100 people auditioned for a 22-person cast, the cast was phenomenol and every night we performed this weekend we had to turn away people (for a few of the shows we had to turn away people who lined up an hour and a half before the show sometimes 100 or more people...which was really exciting but had me thinking...are we in an alternate reality?).

Me as Mama Morton
Being a singer, I get ready for performances a little differently than actors. While actors have to learn to tap into a character immediately, I'm used to a more gradual improvement over the course of several months. Being in a show taught me that if you try to be at your best from day one, you have a lot more room to grow and develop the character, and the performance becomes second nature. Personally, its the spontaneity of performing that most attracts me to it, but it you're doing a show, you have to get over that and find spotaneity in other places.




My cast members and the director were really supportive and I think we all came a very long way, especially considering the time-frame we had to finish everything in. This is my first full show at GW btw, but there are also opportunities to perform on both larger and smaller scales through Mainstage productions, which take place twice a year in the Betts Theatre, and smaller shows like Forbidden Planet Productions Cabaret which showcases scenes from different musicals, each with a different director and cast (which mean its much less of a time commitment).

                                     


Til Next Time,

Ekiria

Lemme know if you have questions: magalae@gmail.com

New Smithsonian Exhibit

While I'm not in Washington, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History recently debuted its newest exhibit on to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Apollo Theatre. It's entited "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment," and celebrates the impact of the Theatre on American culture and how African American culture shaped the country. The exhibit has a number of films, images, costumes, music scores, playbills, instruments, etc. Some of the items on display include, Sammy Davis, Jr.'s childhood tap shoes; dresses worn by Ella Fitzgerald and The Supremes; Elvis Costello's spectacles; Michael Jackson's fedora. The exhibit will be displayed for a limited time until 8/29/10...right before the new semester begins! Check it out if you have the time, I hear it's definietly worth seeing!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Climate Rally

Yesterday was the annual celebration for Earth Day on the National Mall.  There were organizations, stars, singers, hippies, and animals galore!  It was a great study break to head down to the mall with a few friends and enjoy the once sunny sky.  However, by the time the last act was on stage (which was Sting by the way, no big deal) I was freezing in my shorts and t-shirt.  This is Andrew and I dancing to the melodious voice of John Legend...ahhhhhh.




Despite the drastic change in temperature, we had a lot of fun.  In between acts my friends (who are graduating) and I were talking about all of the things they want to do before leaving DC.  So we started to make a bucket list for grad week.  (Different from my original bucket list).  Right now the list is not too long, but we are definitely going add to it this week.

After finals I hope to take advantage of the numerous free opportunities this city has to offer.  For example:
  • A trip to the top of the Washington Monument
  • Smithsonian's
  • Jazz in the Sculpture Garden
  • The Millennium at the Kennedy Center
  • Picnics in Dupont Circle
  • and many many more.
As you can see I am all about making lists....
Got questions?? Email me at kwollner@gwu.edu!
Kim

Straddling Two Hemispheres

So this past weekend I made a trip to the Prime Meridian at the Greenwich Prime Observatory in southeast London.The Prime Meridian is the location where the longitude is defined as 0° that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. There has been much dispute as to where the meridian would be because the longitude lines are rather arbitrary, according to Wiki since I'm clearly not a geography buff! The Prime Meridian was established in 1851 by Sir George Airy. During this time each major country had established its own 0° longitude, but it was not until the International Meridian Conference was Greenwich, London selected as the official meridian for its popularity.

Spring Break...Egypt!

My spring break recounts may be a tad late, though I'll post about my trip nonetheless! Unlike most spring breaks across America that are only a week long, LSE's spring break is nearly seven weeks long...how absurd is that?? During this time, British university students study for nearly ten hours a day in preparation for exams. While I should've been doing the same, my friends and I spent those weeks traveling and exploring the UK. My most memorable trip was to Egypt, of which I'll share below...
 
There was much anticipation driving into Cairo, similar to that of Manhattan, with all the billboard signs, flashing lights, bustling roads, and the promise of a crazy city ahead. Our first night in Cairo was spent in a hotel along the Nile. The Nile! I can't imagine describing feeling of stepping out on the balcony with its panoramic view of the river and the twinkling lights of Giza...oh the smell, the sounds, the heat--full of escape and discovery. The next morning we went to see The Pyramids, The Sphinx, and had an amateur camel ride in a few back alleys, classy hah!
 
The following days were a whirlwind of sights and sounds as we left the pandemonium of the city and the landscape turned barren. A 12 hour hellish bus ride to Aswan led us to Abu Simbel, a Nubian Village, Felucca Boat Ride. Then we had a 6 hour ride to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings, Hapshetsut Temple, Luxor Temple, etc. Our final days were spent in Cairo and Alexandria where we had a bit more freedom to explore the Souks and to take in Egypt on our own.
 
If only my meager recounts could do my trip justice! I had a smashing time Egypt, especially since I went with 10 of my close LSE friends. My favorite city is Luxor, mostly because I was able to go inside the historic sites and see the intricate hieroglyphics.

I had a wonderful time in Egypt, GW actually has a study abroad (fall, spring, academic year) program for students in conjunction with The American University in Cairo. A friend of mine who attends Cornell participated in the program and thoroughly enjoyed her experience and learning Arabic.

Serena

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Fountain Fling 2010

I just got back from my last  Fountain Fling, GW's annual before finals spring event. 



What began as two separate spring events, Spring Fling on the Foggy Bottom campus and Fountain Day on the Mount Vernon campus, were combined two years ago into one big extravaganza, featuring a mechanical bull, tie-dying tshirts, a free cookout and free ice cream, popcorn, and cotton candy. Unfortunately due to the rain today, it was moved from the Vern's quad to the Llyodd Gym and the parking garage... which was interesting. A festival in a parking garage? Who'dve thought?

Mechanical Bull!


Cornhole/Bean Bag Toss!


T-Shirt Tie-Dye!


Free Popcorn! And ice cream! And cotton candy!


Ben, Maura, and Ashley enjoying the free ice cream.


Party in the parking garage?!?!


And of course, the best part of Fountain Fling... the concert! Past years have featured Gym Class Heroes, Regina Spektor, and Ok Go, to name a few. This year featured State Radio, a band from Boston. The concert was also part of the national Save My Oceans tour aimed at reducing the use of plastics and the polluting of the oceans.


Plastic Bag Man!


State Radio!

Here's a clip from their opening song....

Well, time to do some laundry.... Have a great weekend!
~ Vickie

Friday, April 23, 2010

A Perfect Post

After seeing Ekiria's post, it is only fate that I post my videos from the other side of the Battle.

Battle of the A Capella Groups is my favorite event of the year!  This year 7 groups engaged in battle singing three songs each plus a creative version of Lady Gaga and Beyonce's Telephone.

I think this post cannot be described in words, so here are the videos! (The first one is starring our very own Ekiria!  great job!)



This is one of my favorite songs...


Mashups are in! And the Sirens were sure to jump on the trend...


Remember, Email ME!!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

A week late?

Hey Hey Hey. So I've been super swamped between school, Troubadours retreat, Battle of the Acapellas, and Chicago (which opens tonight btw, more details about that later), so I'm about a week behind in my blogging. I know you are all hanging off the edges of your seats waiting for the next chapter of my life to unfold...so I'm still going to put up everything, in the order that it happened. It will probably take a few blogs...but to me, you're worth it (I'm being snide btw...I've been told my sarcasm doesn't always come across in text).

Last weekend I went to New York for retreat with the Troubs (short for Troubadours) and we had a blast. Among other things, I got lost in the mean streets of New York. Well...intentionally lost. I met my boy Sam (who came armed with snacks/coffee/and of course a BLT for me from GW Deli) and we caught a cab to 10th and H streets to catch our bus to New York. Btw, it is really cheap to get to New York...literally type in "D.C. to New York bus" in Google, and there are a million options (we chose Bolt Bus).

Here's a pic of Sam and I on the bus, all fresh-faced and excited at 9:00am Friday for retreat:


We all made plans to explore a little bit during the day and meet up later to go to Annie's house in Long Island where we hung out, caroused, and rallied ourselves for Battle. I was supposed to meet up with a few members of my group but since they were running late (which in New York speak means hours late) I explored New York on my own for the first time ever. I started at Penn Station and visited Madison Square Garden. A friendly man who worked in Penn Station gave me a map (and some sense of direction) so I felt confident enough to venture toward Chelsea Park.


Eventually I did away with the map and just walked around block by bloack finding things I liked/wanted to see organically. I passed by a million cheap (and good) retaurants (Seriously...I'm talking $1 fried chicken w/ $1 sides...and it was delicious). I actually stumbled into Time Square on accident. I was walking down one street and I asked this man to direct me toward Times Square and he was all "You're in it honey." It was sooo New York, and so wonderful.

I saw the fancy little ball thingy that drops at the end of every year (its not that big which was disappointing somehow). I went to the M&M store, the Hershey's store, and then I sat in the middle of Times Square at these tables they had set up and felt like reading for some strange reason (I didn't...something about the image of someone reading in the middle of Times Square alarms me).



By 5:00pm I was feeling tired so I went to go see "Why Did I Get Married Too," at the IMAX Theatre in Times Square. The movie isn't Tyler Perry's best but it was still interesting...and as an added bonus there is a scene in the movie where Janet Jackson destroys like 30 pieces of furniture with a golf club. It was probably inappropriate that I found it so funny.

 After that my other friends started to arrive so we all met up at a Restaurant/Bar called "Shades of Green" w/ a Troubadours alum aaaaaaaaaaaannnnd her husband (isn't that crazy? I know married people...who are like friends of mine!)! And that was only the beginning of the weekend. Just wait til I get my camera working and some free time.

Til Next Time,

Ekiria

Girlllll. You know you have questions: magalae@gmail.com

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Visiting the Canadian Embassy!

Today, I had the amazing opportunity to attend an event at the Canadian embassy!  Embassies have a lot of events that are open to the public, and today's was a part of the DC Filmfest.  My friend and I, both huge movie lovers, weren't really that interested in seeing the movie, but the prospect of seeing it at the embassy was too cool to pass up!  Incidentally, the movie turned out to be ok!  Definitely not my favorite of the film festival, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it to everyone, but a good film altogether.  And of course we loved hobnobbing with fellow foreign film aficionados.  AND CANADIANS!  

Here are the movie details, courtesy of IMDB: 

J'ai Tué Ma Mère (I Killed My Mother) - Canada.  A semi-autobiographical story about Dolan (the director) as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.

It had a lot of complaining.  I mean, is your mother THAT bad, kid?  I dunno, I'm not sure I was convinced.  But then again, the viewer probably isn't supposed to hate hate her.  I guess I could go on about this for a while.  Point is, I went to the Canadian Embassy this evening!  


And that's all she wrote!


Keep those emails a-flowin: shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu


<3 Shireen

Welcome to My GWorld II: Trapped in GWorld

So here we are, the second part of my exploration of the mental construct called GWorld. If you're a prospective or admitted student, your parents and other adults have probably already told you--ad nauseum-- what a different world college is. After a while, you start to develop new habits and daily routines because you're in a new situation; some of these are good but others... not so much. If you go home for breaks, you might notice a feeling of being "out of place". This is most likely because your soul is fettered in GWorld.
Here are the top ten signs you've become trapped in GWorld:
10. Whenever you buy anything, you reflexively go for your GWorld before cash, credit or debit.
9. Regular doors (you know, the ones with the lock and key) are a puzzle to you since your precious yellow plastic card just won't go in the lock.
8. You can't help feeling exposed at night without the comforting, Orwellian glow of those campus emergency beacons.
7. Wandering outside a five-block radius on most weekdays feels like an expedition (at least for freshmen and some sophomores without off-campus internships).
6. The name of our country's first President automatically invokes the garish, Warhol-style insignia of our myriad administrative departments.
5. You go to start up the "Network Connect" application for GWireless whenever you connect to the internet, and then get all angry when it doesn't work (which isn't abnormal, even when you're within signal range).
4. Your hometown feels quaint without the slightly-disconcerting electronic Alma Mater being played out at 6:15 (or so, most days).
3. When you go the grocery store, it comes as a great shock that you can get fruit for under a dollar a piece. (Kind of the feeling after the collapse of communism? I always though Sodexho sounded a little Russian.)
2. Just walking on the street, you are shocked--just shocked--  girls aren't wearing $400 boots that look like they were stolen off of Canada's Mounties. What happened to civil liberties? ("What is this, the People's Democratic Islamic Republic of Barackistan?!? I thought this was Amur'ika!")
1. At night, your room is eerily quiet without the rustling of roommates in the other room, the constant wailing of sirens and the thump of somebody on the floor above or below blasting their subwoofer.


 So there you have it. Next Time: "Welcome to My GWorld III: Escaping GWorld."


Send me your questions or reactions at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu. 

Adam

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Well, in my mind it is officially the beginning of summer... no, I'm not done with my papers, exams, or projects, but since I spent my entire weekend at the Washington Nationals Park watching baseball, I feel like I should be! My hometown team, the Milwaukee Brewers, were in town for a 3 game series starting Friday night, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to break out my Brewers gear and enjoy the beautiful DC weather and some Cracker Jacks and hot dogs (they always taste better at the ballpark, don't they? maybe it's just me...).

Friday night was Jackie Robinson Night, celebrating the breaking of the color barrier in Major League Baseball back in 1947. Making the night extra special, my wonderful roomie Maura, as President of GW's Jackie Robinson Society, got the chance to deliever the line-up cards on the field before the game!

Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodger (1947-1956)


Jackie Robinson Day @ Nationals Park!


Maura up on the scoreboard!


Maura meeting on the field with umpires, Nat's manager, and Brewers manager, Ken Macha!



My sister and I also went to Saturday's afternoon game with a bunch of our friends. A great part of Nat's Park for poor college students are the $10 day-of tickets! We went a half hour before the game and got seats up on the terrace with a great view!

View from our $10 seats! Not too shabby :)


Our group at the park.... don't worry, we were harassing Maura all day for wearing a Nats shirt...



On Sunday, GW's Student Activities Center (SAC) was offering left field bleacher seats (regularly $22) to students for $13, so naturally Christie and I couldn't pass up that opportunity! It was an awesome game, with the Brew Crew scoring 10 runs in the top of the 1st inning... a franchise record!

View from left field seats... thanks GDub!




One of my fav Brewers, Craig Counsell, hit a GRAND SLAM in the first inning!


It was a great weekend.. lots of baseball and sun! Now to finish my last paper of college... wish me luck! :)

~Vickie