Beautiful Weekend!

First of all, I would like to again point out that this week was Springfest week, and fun events have gone on all over campus, including arts and crafts (sand art, airbrush cloth bags), music events, movies, shows, and carnivals. It's great fun every year, and I've been looking forward to my senior Springfest all year.

Saturday:

One of the highlight events of Springfest, the carnival, took place yesterday. This is such a fun event, and has gotten bigger each year I've gone. This year, the event was to be held on the East side of campus, near most of the dorms. The rides, games and fried dough were in a parking lot, while the music, food, and club events were in the grassy area near the clocktower.

The carnival started at 11am, and we were pretty much in the first group there. Kevin Matt and I walked from accross campus, and met up with Layli and her other friend. We started off in the ride area. Matt and Layli took a ride on the swings, and Kevin got a piece of fried dough. Program Committee was also handing out reusable sports bottles, at a table where you could fill them up with your choice of a few different drinks. We all had lemonade. Layli told us about the tables set up accross the street, so we headed that way. A band was just starting up, doing sound checks and all that. We found the PC booth, so I bought my Springfest t-shirt (I get one every year, they're always different) and promptly changed into it as planned. :)

An international table featured candy from around the world. They had the most delicious coconut candy ever! I later went to the store for supplies to make a batch of it. :)

After investigating other tables and games, we grabbed some free popcorn and found a nice spot on the grass to relax and listen to the band.

Tables were set up all over the place for food and games.

Traveler was happy to lounge in the grass while the band played.

The weather was great, so everyone could lounge on the grass and enjoy the band.

Traveler and I relaxing (it was VERY windy, hence the awful hair).

We stayed for a few hours, before the band got a little too loud, an my eyes got a little worn out. It was great fun though, and the location was much improved from years past. I was a little unsure about the event being on a weekend, but they definitely couldn't have done it on a weekday, since the street was closed off and all.

The rest of the day was hot...hot for an April afternoon in Massachusetts anyway. Matt and I trekked to the plaza for a few things, and along the way, we walked by parties and cookouts everywhere. People got a little crazy though.

I later went to Walgreens for some dish soap and left my college ID there. It took me a few hours to realize it was missing, so I had to look all over for it. I was glad to find it at Walgreens, so much so that I even got a toy for Traveler. Since I couldn't replace the bunny (sold out) I got him a hedgehog type thing. He likes it!

It's nice to have the pleasant weather back again... you don't realize how little you are outside in the winter until spring and summer come 'round again! :)

Trip to the Zoo!

Fridays are usually pretty quiet, and a great chance to get out and do something fun. Desperately seeking to do something different, Mike and I decided to go to the zoo. The Franklin Park Zoo is just outside of Boston, and very easy to get to (we just discovered this on Thursday). So Friday morning we met in South Station, took the subway and bus to the Zoo! :)

Traveler and I sitting outside the Zoo gates.

When we got there, there was quite a line. A zoo worker approached us, and she was very friendly. She brought us right to the front of the line, and let us know that they'd radio security throughout the park, to let them know that a dog was coming in. That way, if they animals got upset, they would know why and help out if needed.

Now here I must add that this is my very first time taking a dog to a zoo. It made for a VERY interesting trip, that's for sure! :) And some gooooood pictures!

We strolled in and followed a crowd, past what seemed to be a petting zoo of sorts on the left, and ostriches on the right. I was VERY excited about the tigers ( I love togers) so we headed that way.

There wasn't much going on at the tiger's den at first, one was laying far back in the grass, but that was it. It didn't stay that way for long...once the tiger spotted Traveler.

The cat in question, a female bengal tiger named Anala (according to the sign someone was reading aloud).

The tiger came right up to the fence in front of us, and paced back and forth, eyeing Traveler. I kept an eye on him, and he was just standing there wagging his tail.

The tiger. looking right at us!

At some point, the tiger and pup started making eye contact, though I couldn't tell. The tiger kept pacing in front of us, but both stayed quiet.

Then.....another tiger, a male white tiger, came up and noticed Traveler. He wasn't so happy about the guest, and started to get irritated. He barked (yes, barked. believe me it was odd) and the two tigers almost got in a scrap. The white male came up, and growled at Traveler. Traveler responded with a bark, and put his paw on me. The tiger lunged at the fence, and we made our way out of there quickly. The whole situation was quite to the amusement of others. Traveler seemed fine, so we kept walking.

Happy kitties before it all went down.

The next enclosure was the Lion, and he was very close as well, though much calmer, and rolling around in the grass.

The big male lion, rolling around before a nap.

We strolled through the zoo, encountering giraffes, monkeys, snakes, and several other critters. The baboons got upset, and so did Traveler, so we didn't stay there long.

Traveler was excellent the whole day, navigated with calm confidence the whole way.

The Australia exhibit was interesting, and the Emus followed us!

This guy was a riot. He stretched his neck out to the top of the fence, peeking at everyone passing by.

We stopped for a drink, since it was pretty hot out, before circling back to the front of the park. On our way, two zebras were absolutely fascinted with Traveler. Traveler stuck his neck out ot sniff in the direction of them, but was so calm otherwise:

Zebra first noticing the visitor.

Creeping in for a closer look!

We made our way back to the bus, and happily waited for it. The sun was starting to get pretty strong, but my eyes weren't hurting too badly, which was a welcome suprise. :)

The bus took us to the end of the Orange Line, so we rode it back to the red to get to South Station. While waiting for a connecting train, I caught wind of a performer. Now, perfomers in the subway are a common, everyday thing. Well, this one was something special! He sang only christian songs, it was truly wonderful, and really put me at ease. He was on the opposite side of the station, so I doubled back to listen to him until it was time to catch my train. He sang songs like "I can only Imagine," "Open the Eyes of My Heart" and other wonderful songs that were familiar. Once he took a break I approached him before boarding a subway, and thankned him for brightening my day. I hope he keeps it up!

I was exhausted after the day, so I went to dinner after getting off the train. After dinner I went over to see Jamie to help her download and activate some programs on her new computer. I lef the pup here to rest, and when I got back, he was so excited and ready to play. Go figure! After such and eventful day it was suprising.

As an aside, the new lamb and rice food seems to be doing well with him. The Iams lanb and rice isn't the best, but it will do for now.

More on the BEAUTIFUL weekend to come!

Update, and the trip to NYC

So, it's been an interesting week. Very short, as Feature Writing cancelled both times this week. I have no idea what is going on with the feature stories , but I worked hard on thye, and finished five stories.

It is Springfest this week here on campus, which means a lovely assortment of fun events for us to go to at no charge. The New York trip was part of springfest, and senior trip. There is also free crafts, carnival, and shows. It's fun.

So...

The Trip:

We awoke very early, at about 4:30, to ready ourselves for the trip. Matt and I headed out towards the campus center by 5:30, as Traveler needed a break before we boarded the bus. The buses were nice! I've never taken a coach bus anywhere. We has a seat in the back with lots of room for Traveler to spread out.

We left at 6AM. The buses had TV's with a DVD player, so the girls from PC played movies. The volume was pretty loud, more than we would have liked. About halfway through the trip (and conveniently after the first movie ended) we stopped at a McDonalds somewhere for a break and breakfast. Got a breakfast sandwich and a shake, tasty stuff. :)

The second movie was even louder, I tried to tune it out with iPod, unsuccessful on that venture. We arrived in the city at around 10:45, they let us out on 42nd street. Matt and I took off for Times Square, which was just around the corner, and here's what greeted us:

We walked around, just to get our bearings, and headed towards 49th street, to fi8nd Rockafeller Center, and NBC studios to purchase our tour tickets.

A fountain near Rockafeller Center.

It took us awhile to find, but once we did, we went in and purchased tickets. Our tour was at 1:15, so we had some time to kill. We browsed through the NBC store, then made our way back to Times Square to find that gift shop Doug found for me in January. I remembred what a nice store it was, so I wanted to go back.

It started to rain....just as we found the store. I was pleased that we'd found it, so we made our way in. Just inside the door, a man stopped me, and said "no dogs, you have to leave." Unbelievable...I make it a point to find the same store, and work hard finding it...after all that? I tried to explain it was a guide dog, and I was legally allowed to bring him in, but they still tried to get me to leave. So, I walked out the door, stunned, upset, and very angry. I was frustrated almost to tears, and a few other patrons noticed and thought it was terrible. I was right about to call GDF, or someone...when I realized I had the plastic bag with the address of the store on it from January. I'd brought it just in case. I pulled it out, marched in with it, and showed him, saying: "See this? You let me in here before, with this dog. Why am I not good enough now?" After that, he went to the boss, and said I was okay..."this time." So, since I wanted to make a point, I stayed in that store a good long while, taking my time, and looking at EVERYTHING in the store.

After this fiasco, it was time for the NBC tour, I was just mentally wiped out by them, honestly ready to go home. The rain was getting heavier, so the time inside for the tour was welcomed. It was a very nice tour, and NBC made it a point to have someone be a personal escort for me, it was really classy of them..I plan on writing a letter thanking them for that. The tour was great, we saw The Today Show studio, SNL studio, and some other nifty things. :) it was great.

After the tour, we stopped at Planet Hollywood for lunch. We were soaked walking in there, as it was pouring. Lunch was delicious, we both had chicken crunch and fries. The staff was very friendly, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

The view from our seats. Notice the movie props everywhere.

Costumes, props, and the musical staircase from the movie "Big." Love that movie.

After lunch, we walked about in Times Square, went to a few stores, M&Ms world (a three storey M&Ms store) Hershey's store, and such. By this time we both had headaches, at it was close to time to meet the bus, so we headed back to 42nd street, to break the pup and go to a smoothie store Jamba Juice that Matt wanted to go to. After the gift shop, I was a little nervous about being rejected in the smoothie shop, and for good reason. When I reached the counter to ask what was on the menu, I hear "Get that dog outta here!" from the back. The guy at the counter then asked me if I was blind, I said yes I was , and he was a guide dog. This was the lastr straw, and I said to Matt, "I should have bet you money that they were going to do that." In all honesty, he wasn't helpful at all through any of it, and tried to act like he didn't know me or something when I was at the first store that did it. So I don't know. Almost got hit by a truck too, because he told me to cross and it wasn't safe.

After the smoothies, we got back on the bus, and started on the long trip home. We stopped at McDonalds in Milford CT. The buses returned to campus at 11:15.

So overall it was a productive trip, some ups and downs...I got some nice things for my parents. I don't know if I would go again any time soon, and next time I go, it should be with people I trust, to be less difficult.

Saturday is the springfest Carnival, so that should be nice. I am going to the city tomorrow, to get a break from campus. Looking forward to graduating. And I might be able to get an internship right in my hometown.... :) we shall see

Wiped OUT!

Goodness am I tired. I've been writing all day long, and something is up with my computer. It's been jumping to someone else's blog all day...and the antivirus stopped working, and the printer is on strike again, and it did the blue screen of death. Well, it's a good thing I got the new one.

Today was beautiful! This morning it was warm and sunny, not much breeze at all. I went to brunch with Matt, then took Traveler out for a good romp in the garden. He had a blast. I wanted him to get a good run, since the rest of the day was filled with writing.

I'm working on three, yes three, different stories this weekend. All fo them are about the same thing (guide dogs), and the first one is now finished, at five full pages. Whoo!

I have to get these done by tomorrow because........Monday is the New York City trip! We are ready! We picked our destinations already, and tomorrow I'll double check to see where they are so we know exactly where we're going. So far, here's the plan.

- NBC Studio Tour
- Empire State Building (maybe...)
- Some bookstore near Sardi's that Matt wants.
- Planet Hollywood for lunch.
- A walk around Times Square, and the gift shop we found in January.

The Empire State Building tends to have long lines, which is why we might not. However, someone told me today that they went with a guide dog, and were sent to the front of the line. She said that she thinks its a regular thing, so the dogs don't have to stand in line for hours. Well, if it's that long of a line, we won't go anyway, since we're on a time limit.

The bus leaves here at 6am, and gets back here at 11pm. It will be a long, tiring day, but hey...how often does the chance to go to NYC for $15 come around? It's senior year, I'm taking all the fun times I can get. :)

I am bringing the camera, so hopefully I can add some pics here.

Night all!

Easter Weekend

On Good Friday morning, the parents came to bring me to the Cape for the weekend. That night we were planning on going to a Good Friday Service in Sandwich.
When we got to the house, I picked up my mail, including my new college ring. :) It came out pretty nice. The writing on it is totally unreadable to everyone, but that's okay, I know it's there. Mom also had a t-shirt from last weekend's Zion Bible College concert, it's an awesome shirt!

The other fantastic piece of mail was from Traveler's puppy walkers, a little book of pictures from his puppyhood!!! They also sent a card, with contact info. So, since it's been three months, I plan on contacting them, and thank them for what they've done for me through this dog.

The good Friday service took place at Sandwich High School. There was a ton of people there, and a live band. It was nice, but dragged on a little too long. I think my parents agreed. After the service we were all pretty hungry, so we stopped at Chili's on the way home. The food was great, but the service was a little off...I feel bad though. Our waitress was VERY pregnant, and due in less that two weeks. It was clear that she should not have been working, since she was exhausted. It's sad that someone is forced to work so close to giving birth. It's a mark of the economic issues I think. Hopefully she'll be able to pay for what the baby needs. It was a nice night all in all.
My parents admitted to me that they are trying to quit smoking. Thay hadn't smoked all day, and while I noticed, I didn't say anything, just enjoyed being smoke free ( I can't deal with the smoke, it gives me headaches and more). I really hope they can quit, though honestly they haven't been able to in the past, and I don't want to be disappointed. I'll just pray that they make this time count.

Saturday: not muc happened. The weather was just dismal, rain and wind, and it was so cold. We did the bread ministry, did a little shopping, and spent the rest of the day at home. Had tasty porkchops for dinner. It really was just a quiet day though.

Sunday: Easter!!!!
We woke up bright and early, at 4:30, got bundled up, and headed down to the beach for a town wide Easter Sunrise Service. This has been a yearly tradition, and churches all over town participate. It's such a beautiful way to start Easter, and really puts things into perspective, reminding us all of why we celebrate. The sun rose and swept across the audience just as one of the pastors was preaching. Traveler did very well, though I think he might have been cold. He kept his head in my lap, taking all the scratches he could get.

After the service, we went home, had breakfast, and got ready for the main service. This too was nice, though Mom and Dad were busy with their worship team roles, so I sat by myself.
After church we went home and had a nice dinner. I came back to school at about 6, and just kinda hung out. I was pretty tired, and honestly feeling a little low. Not really sure why, I think it's just getting to be that time of year were things are about to change completely.

Tuesday and Wednesday, april 7-8...crazy!

Life is still rather hectic, and while I still need to post about the weekend and Easter Festivities, here is what happened last Tuesday and Wednesday:

Tuesday:
I awoke early to edit some pictures, work on a layout for a story, and write another story, all for Feature writing. The class was at 12:30, and went off without a problem. With Queen's approval, I missed class to attend an important meeting, and the Carrer Services Workshop on How to Work a Job Fair. Both of these went rather well, though between that and all the academic work going on, I was exhausted afterwards. I still had much to do. After dinner, I made a phone call to interview a fantastic Puppy Walker/service dog trainer for my multi part feature. Then after that a trip to CVS, and back for some studying for an exam that was to be given in class on Wednesday. I was pretty nervous about this particular exam, since the professor guaranteed that it would be harder than the final exam. Isn't it wonderful when professors say things like that?? I made through what studying I could, them made a few changes to my resume, and printed out several copies. I made sure the interview suit was in proper order and condition for the morning, and got to bed at a reasonable hour.

Wednesday:
The busy day to end all busy days......I woke up with three things on my mind.
- Job Fair
- Exam
- Lions Club speaking engagement

After making sure I'd be presentable, and giving Traveler one last brushing (he has to look good to the recruiters, too) I sat down and made attempts to study, though to be honest it was hard. Matt came by around 10:30, and we walked towards the Job Fair. It had a reputation of being busy in the morning, so we wanted to get there early to have a fighting chance. :) I brought the notes and all for class, since it would be easier to head straight to class from there. The Fair went all right. I saw the recruiter who did the mock interview with me, and he was glad to say hello, so that was nice. I found my way to a few good leads; one is a lead for an internship with Old Cololy YMCA in development, the other is an actual Position at a certain place with positions similar to what I did the last two summers at Spaulding. I think the woman was impressed that I knew about the field, so we'll see. I need to contact these places soon....

After forty minutes or so, I made my way out, took Traveler for a break, and went to class. In Jazz, the professor decided to show a movie in leu of lecturing, which I took much delight in, since it gave me a little mental break. Then the exam...It wasn't too bad, though there was a chart of sorts that escaped my study guide, so I was helpless on that one. But overall, it went well.

After the exam I went back to the dorm, unwinded a bit, and gave Traveler a good brushing/destinking to get him ready for his Lions district circuit debut. We were to walk to the place, and meet our host Bill at 6:50pm. The few hours blew by, and before I knew it, we were in front of the Lions club. Now, it became clear that the meeting would have more people than I expected. Bill explained that it was a "twinning" meeting, meaning members of other Lions groups were also there. All in all, the meeting was alot of fun. The members are laid back, and upbeat. The dinner that was served was delicious; grilled steak and salad. Traveler was very well behaved for the meeting portion.

After dinner I was up to the podium to give a chat. I started with a little about why/when I started to look for a dog, a little about training, and what it's like to be home. I was pretty breif, as the talk was only supposed to be ten minutes. At the end, I mentioned that anyone who had a question could feel free to ask me, and to my suprise, there were MANY! Some of them were great questions, things I didn't even think to mention. They were mostly general guide dog questions (rather than GDF specific, which is good since I'm not an official spokesperson). The questions included:
- What breeds are used as guides.
- How long can the dogs work, and does it differ from breed to breed.
- How extensive is the mobility criteria in the application process.
- How is this town in terms of accessibility.
- How do I know how to tell if the dog is sick.

The list went on, and if I can think of any more when I'm not so tired, I'll add them. It was a great experience though, and I'm glad I had the chance to do it.

So it was a very busy two days, but productive! More about the rest of teh week inentries to come.

Just a note to myself. I've got to update, as this was an absolutely INSANE week!

First weekend of April.

More news on job related things from Friday. I didn't get the internship position at AGM, but honestly I'm glad about that. I didn't get a good vibe from the whole thing, so time to keep looking. There might be a possibility in UNO's Marketing department, they seemed very interested in me,

The Weekend:
Saturday wasn't alltogether very eventful. I caught up on my rest overnight, and stuck around campus all day. It was very windy, and rain off and on. I did get to Walgreens to pick up a few things. Managed to clean up the room a little bit in the afternoon, though there's no evidence of that now. :)

Sunday was nice! The weather was PERFECT: sixty degrees, sun, and no more than a light breeze. In the afternoon, I decided to give the Flexi Lead another try (hadn't used it since Franklyn ripped away from me in October). I took Traveler out to the garden, but he seemed a little cautious of it. He knew that the line ran out eventually, seemed like he didn't want to get snapped back once he reached the end.

Since he wouldn't run on the Flexi Lead, I put him back on the leash. I did some recall, then decided to try off leash. It worked PERFECTLY! I did this a few times, with the all mighty whistle and a piece of kibble. After this, I started tossing the squeaky toy, and he retrieved it without hesitation. Amazing! There are two sections, one has a little trail and landscaping, and the other has a pond, and open grass. between the two is a concrete path. We were on the open grass/pond area. He came running to me every time I called without hesitation. He even followed me if I walked away from him, trailing the perimeter of the grassy section. The garden is the perfect place to run a dog, and it's so nice to know that I can enjoy this without having to keep him within feet of me. He won't be devious!!! I am SO PROUD!!! :) When we were done, he happily went back on leash, and we went back inside. Someone really did an outstanding job with recall. His puppy walkers must be dog whisperers. :)

On the puppy walker subject, I got a call from CSO today, and the family sent puppy pictures to be forwarded to me. I hope they get to the house by the weekend. I can't wait! And it's amost been three months! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will want to keep in contact with me. I want so much to thank them for this AMAZING creature they raised. I also have a plan to take pictures of Traveler and I in different places (Boston, Pennsylvania, New York, etc.) so they can see how much help he is as a guide, and how well he lives up to his name.

In other news:

I had a stomach ache most of the day today. Classes were fiine. Matt and I bought tickets for the Senior Trip: we're going to NYC on Monday, April 20th! I am SO exited! Can't wait for that. It's an all day trip, but according to the people at Student Involvement, it shouldn't take any more than three and a half hours each way, which is great. I was preparing for a five hour trip each way.

More Exciting News:
I was invited to join Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society! This is just so amazing; it's nice to see that my work paid off. I hope this means that I'll be graduating with honors...the commencement info says that departmental honors are presented with sashes. I've been working for several semesters to get my GPA high enough to graduate with honors. To graduate cum laude, a GPA of 3.3 is required. My current is 3.26, but that doesn't include this semester. I hope they either round UP, or that my grades for this semester push it up that for. Keep my fingers crossed on that.

That's about it for now. Tomorrow is knitting group, and the "How To Work a Job Fair" Workshop. Every little bit helps, yes it does. :)

Job Fair in the city!

Thursday night was rather sleepless overall. Once I finally did fall asleep, all I could dream about was the job fair; missing it, not getting there in time, etc. Boy do I need to relax!

Anyway, I got up at about 6am, prepared myself and Traveler, and met up with Matt around 7:20. Since we had a few minutes before the train (at 8:07), we stopped at the Comm Cafe and had breakfast. I had a banana, and grabbed some Starbursts for the road. Jenaya and a few others we knew were on the train, but we didn't see them.

Getting to the job fair wasn't difficult. It was at the Mariott at Copley, so we took the Green line to Prudential (since it was raining) and navigated through the mall. Once we found the Mariott, staff were more than willing to help us find the proper place. That place is just HUGE! We conveniently arrive with ten minutes to spare.

The job fair itself wasn't all that large. Many of the booths were filled with state and federal agencies, right up Matt's alley! I spoke to a few people, handed out some resumes, and got some great hints and pointers. Traveler was well behaved, even though there were other dogs there, a yellow service dog, and a black lab guide from another school. We stayed for about two hours. It was much more relaxed than I had pictured, and by the end of it, I was really enjoying the whole experience.

Mike was there, so we caught up with him, and meanered our way out. Mike and I stopped just outside, in the mall for some truffles, which turned out to be delicious. :P I was in the mood for chocolate after all the stress I had going into the day.

After the job fair, we were all starving, so we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. Their food is out of this world, but it's usually too expensive. However, this is no longer the case! I found a great deal on the regular menu, White Pizza and a gigantic ceaser salad for ten dollars. We stayed there awhile, and enjoyed being in the upper side of Boston, and we all looked like we fit in with our business attire.

We were all planning to take the same train home, though we got split up somewhere in the subway. We eventually all made it back to South Station, and caught our train. By this time, Mike and I were exhausted. My eyes were burnt out by then, and I just wanted to get home. Mike came back for awhile, and Matt headed home for the weekend. After Mike left I took a rest for awhile to fix my eyes a bit. I then ordered a small dinner and watched Marley and Me (did I mention that it arrived on DVD the day after it came out?? Thanks Amazon!)

All in all, it was a very productive day. I'm grateful for the experience, since now I will be better prepared for the campus sponsored Job Fair on Wednesday.

More on the weekend in later posts. :)

Thursday Night

SO...I've printed out "numerous" resumes on lovely ivory paper, I'm getting laundry done, and I've given my canine escort a good cleaning. Tomorrow morning is the job fair. Hopefully things will work out, though after Monday's interview, I'm pretty nervous.

Matt and I shall be leaving at 8am for the train. The Expo is from 10-3, but after this Mike and I are meeting up, to blow off a little steam. Then tomorrow night I'm coming back and watching Marley and Me. Not sure what's up for the weekend yet.

Today was pretty quiet. It's been rainy here since yesterday. Hopefully things will dry out by the morning.

Time to get the clothes out of the dryer. More later.