Reflections on Balance

I'm in the library basement right now, uploading William Byrd onto my iTunes for a final paper due next week. It's 7:30P.M. and I'm starving after a long day of studying and five finals still to come. The computer room is jammed with people just as stressed as I am. To every college senior reading this: WE ENVY YOU!!!!
My last post mentioned the shabbat that I had the privilege of attending, a Jewish meal that encourages fellowship, peace and balance. Nowhere more than in this very computer lab is the difficulty of balance evident. I tend to operate according to a go-big-or-go-home motto, pushing out papers hours before they're due, living off of these oatmeal orbs that sustain me for exact periods of three hours, and employing more procrastination than is healthy. The other day, my housemates and I reflected on the tenets of our house and evaluated where we've failed and succeeded. Unsurprisingly, balance fell into our do-better-next-time category.
Fordham has challenged me in ways that I could not have imagined: socially, academically, spiritually. It has pushed me and forced me to produce good work. Yet, the shabbat reminded me that college is about so much more than working and socializing. College is about learning, making friends, having fun, and taking on life with balance so that we can appreciate what it's worth!
I'm leaving the library now. I'm going back to my apartment to sit for a while and to eat real food (rather than the trail mix in my backpack that I've been snacking on). Soon it will be summer and I, too, will enjoy the same lazy, hazy days that high school seniors currently hog!
Happy (early) summer to you. I hope that your last days of high school, or junior year, or wherever you are right now, are filled with joy, peace, balance. And I hope you take the time to be with those you really care about, to tell them that you love them, and to cherish where you are and who you're with in a moment that will give way to many moments even more beautiful.

It's That Time of Year Again

For the admissions office, this week is huge: it's the final push, the last days, decision time. If you are a prospective student still deciding on a school, the best advice I can offer is to be critical and honest with yourself about this decision. This is, indeed, your life, so do what feels right for YOU!

Having said that, the rest of this post will not be particularly persuasive. (If you're looking for hardcore decision-discussion, Adam does it eloquently and thoughtfully at http://fordhamadam.blogspot.com/.) After all, what about the high school juniors reading this post, simply curious about the wildly interesting life of a college student? What about my ex- high school English teacher who occasionally drops by; better yet, what about my mother? For them and seniors alike, I will blabber on about my life in the form of an almighty list, leaving you to decide if it's wildly interesting.

Cool Stuff That Has Happened Lately

1. The Birth of Big Air-- TriBeca Film Fest Drive-In at World Center Financial Plaza. Huge screen, Mat Hoffman, movie on the water at dusk with homemade snacks at twilight. My brother visited this weekend, and we had a blast at this event! Plus, it's totally free and had a BMX DEMO afterward (also free!). Mat Hoffman, I officially love you and don't know why I haven't been obsessed with you heretofore. 

2. Shabbat Dinner with Fordham's a Jewish Student Organization. Did you know Fordham has a JSO? Neither did I, until I attended their Shabbat dinner. It was great! Free, delicious food, prayer, and lots of learning. Who knew Judaism has over 600 mitzvot!? Who knew YOU could take part in one????

3. Hildegard of Bingen. A scholar gave a great presentation on Tuesday about Hildegard of Bingen, ranging from her music, to her philosophy, to her bizarre life. Coincidentally, Steve Forbes also visited on Tuesday; Hildegard wins not only because she wrote the first-ever opera, but also because she was the one of the earliest people in the church to investigate natural medicinal processes. She is an all-around phenomenal woman. 

4. Spring Weekend. Known to be the best weekend at Fordham. Free concerts, free food and, right here on our turf, DJ EARWORM!!! I absolutely love him. Mike Birbiglia, we love you and look forward to hearing -and laughing with- you, too. MGMT, well.... at least you're free.

You might have noticed that there is a recurring theme throughout this post. Perfect segue for our next How To Love College Tidbit:

Find free stuff. Love free stuff. Take advantage of free stuff- all the time.

From the Pews in the Back

I just got back from a lecture put on by Fordham's American Catholic Studies program. However, this was not just any lecture, this lecture was insightful, emotional, truthful, challenging and definitely blog-worthy.

So here it is. A bunch of women wrote essays about what it means to be a modern woman in the Catholic Church and they were compiled into a book. The editors -the guests of the lecture- had amazing insight and brought up challenges that we Catholic women can't help but grapple with: how to raise Catholic kids, how to stand up to an institution that makes women inferior and, most of all, how (and why!) we're staying Catholic amidst our issues with the church! A panel of Fordham students (who were also Catholic women) shared their thoughts, and they, too, were great.

I've written before about how Fordham is Catholic, and it's something that I'm always sure to bring up on tours, to prospective students, etc. But what does it mean, really, to be a Catholic woman in a church where women cannot be ordained, where they are not included in the second Eucharistic prayer, where they (we!) are ignored in the petitions??? We are too smart to not notice any of this. And we're way too smart not to care.
In the good spirit of caring, and of critical discussion, I ask YOU:
What are YOUR thoughts/opinions on this????

For more about the stuff of tonight's lecture, check out http://fromthepewsintheback.com/
and fordham.edu for the video of the actual event!

The Garden

Today the Bronx enjoyed eighty-degree, sunny weather, and I celebrated with a trip to the NY Botanical Garden (free on Wednesdays!) and lots of camera-love. Granted, I was a sweaty mess by the time I got to work at NOON, I don't think the morning could have been more beautiful....

A Few of My Obsessions

If you are reading this, you should know that I rarely discover cool stuff. Either people tell me about cool stuff, or the rest of the world gets together, declares that something is cool, and then I find it (hence, it is not a discovery.) Today I was checking out one of my absolute favorite blogs, http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog, and heard an amazing song that sounded somewhat familiar. After some research, I discovered them: Vitamin String Quartet. Wikipedia calls them "widely known" but, luckily, I have spent years of my life being taught that Wikipedia is illegitimate.

To Fordham-ify this: Ryan went to Fordham, his assistant went to Fordham, and he often shoots at Fordham. Plus, Fordham grads and students obviously have an awesome musical taste (and some happen to be amazing photographers, too!)

Travel School: The Study Abroad Experience

Last year I stumbled upon a travel radio show that soon became my internship. (Fordham sends out a weekly email with tons of internship opportunities- luckily, I got the fun one.) I've since worked for Let's Travel! to improve the social network, publish the newsletter, and help with the show. Over the summer, I came up with the idea to produce a show that marries travel and education. After meeting study abroad students, doing some research, and writing a script, it finally happened!

So, as most college students spent the afternoon sitting in classes, eating in the caf, and studying hard, I spent the afternoon hosting a radio show that I produced.
Take a look-- or a listen:
(and feel free to check out our awesome website)
http://www.letstravelradio.com/podcasts.html

I am not a communications major, but I am in love.

Spring Fever and a Woman from St. Lucia

Walking to St. Martin of Tours on Friday, I found myself behind a woman carrying grocery bags. When I got closer behind her, she turned around, I smiled, and she laughed out loud. "I wanted to make sure that it wasn't anyone coming up behind me at night," she said.
We walked down the street together talking about church and the Bronx and Lenten services. She told me that she is from St. Lucia and that she came to the Bronx some time ago. As I'm learning, this is the epitome of what the Bronx is: people from different places coming together to call one place theirs.

The next morning, the neighborhood couldn't have been more friendly- or more crowded. Everyone (and their siblings and parents and children) came out to celebrate the first sunny day of what is now -hopefully- spring. Mr. Softee trucks and street ball and loud music accompanied pedestrians with jackets open, sun-brushed cheeks and babies in strollers. I have yet to spend a summer in the Bronx, but I'm told that it is, in every sense, spectacular. Summer is the time when this city, its residents and its rich culture, come to life. After a long, drab winter, this kind of change could not feel more welcome or more monumental.