Kelsey's Blog

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

KBrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:06:00 PST

Halloween has just passed it seems and already Christmas is announcing its eminent arrival. Somehow Thanksgiving got completely skipped over, much to the relief of the turkeys. My mom sent me a miniature version of my homemade stocking to hang up in the room. Allie and I are going to string up Christmas lights around the room and to give it a festive atmosphere. I got SweetTarts candy canes to hang on the lights. Any bets on how long they last?

We only have a week left here at school before it’s time to fly home for Thanksgiving. After that, we have a week of classes, another of finals and then a whole month home for Christmas. This Thanksgiving, I’m going to my brother’s house in Idaho after spending a couple days at home in Indiana. I’ll be taking the train back to Santa Clara so I have to remember to pack warm clothes for the trip through the mountains. I’m looking forward to every part of the break with the possible exception of the airports I’m going to have to trek though. I’m excited to see my family, including the bun in the oven also known as my niece or nephew. I’ll eat turkey and cranberry sauce, and maybe I’ll get to see some snow on the train ride through the mountains. I love train rides; the rocking back and forth is s incredibly peaceful. Plus, I’ll get to see some weather that actually makes sense for late November/ early December. I’m going to try talk mom into making some Gingerbread cookies. Nothing says Christmas like Gingerbread cookies! I can smell the warm kitchen and fir tree now! I can’t wait to go home!

Opossum Oh Opossum

KBrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:03:00 PST

I’ve gone nocturnal. Totally and completely nocturnal. Not the best sleep schedule in a non-nocturnal world, but it has its perks. Last night when I was out and about at around two AM, what I thought at first was the fattest squirrel I‘ve ever seen scared the crap out of me! When I realized there was no way a squirrel could get that big and that a cat would have been much stealthier, I took a closer look at the creature waddling away from me and I realized it was an opossum! It had a bare tail, pointy white face and curious eyes. It was absolutely adorable! I know most people don’t see an opossum and think cute and cuddly, but I’m a big fan of rodent and rodent like creatures. I saw an opossum once before when I was about twelve; it was hanging asleep upside down, asleep in an evergreen tree. It was pretty exciting to see one awake and moving around, but I feel bad that I scare it.

Opossums are my kind of animal; they prefer to kinds chill out and do their own thing, plus thy hang upside down y their tail! That’s just really cool! I really love animals as long time readers may have noticed and I was really happy to have a run in with a furry friend, especially one who doesn’t usually get to see a lot of people. At the very least, I made a new friend, one with a furry head and a naked tail. Rock on Marsupials!

Hippo Birdie Two Ewe!

KBrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:03:00 PST

  I turned twenty on Monday. This is the second birthday I’ve spent away from home. I received a beautiful collection of birthday cards from family and friends. Mom and Dad started a tradition of sending me Baklava instead of a birthday cake; the frosting tends to smear all over the bubble wrap. My family sends me letters all the time, but I get so many around birthday; I’m always happy when I go to open my little mailbox.
    My birthday was such a happy day thanks to my family and friends. All day, I was getting calls and text messages from my closest friends, parents, brother, and grandma. My suitemates gave me cards too! In the evening, they brought into the common room a wonderful chocolate birthday cake with my name written on it in yellow icing and everything! There were even birthday candles; with all twenty of them lit, it looked like the whole cake was a flame! I blew them all out with one breath!
    All my birthday cards are lined up on the desk. I smile every time I look at them, especially the one sent by my parents. It’s made by the same artist that made my favorite mug. When I first opened the card, I laughed so hard, I nearly cried! It spells out the Happy Birthday song with the most adorable animals! Look at the picture of it. Aren’t the animals so cute? How can anyone look at that and not smile?
    Aside from out little get together in the common room, I didn’t have a birthday party or anything. It was a Monday and I did have homework to do; our lab notebooks were due in Lab on Tuesday and I had some calculations and commentary to do before the morning. Aside from the chocolate cake and some tea, I had not eaten any dinner. At a quarter till midnight, the only place open for food was the Taco Bell across the street. The lobby had closed at eleven (apparently there are some shady characters at Taco Bell in the early hours) so I had to walk, yes walk, through the drive-thru. I walked back home with my crunch wrap supreme to labor over some Organic Chemistry work and munch away on my dinner. All together, it was a good end to a good birthday.

RIP Flushy

KBrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 PST

On Saturday October 25, 2009, Flushy passed away. For those of you who haven’t heard about my little fishy, I got him last October because I needed a little friend. His bowl sat on my desk for over a year and I would chat while I did my homework. When I went home for little breaks like Thanksgiving or Spring Break, Flushy went to a babysitter and made new friends, but he was always happy to see my when I came back. When summer came, I wasn’t willing to leave my friend behind so my dad drove out to California and we packed up Flushy’s bowl in the car and drove him home across the country to Indiana. At home, he sat on the kitchen counter and the whole family came to love him. After we all drove back to California in September, my dad would call and say that he missed Flushy and kept going into the kitchen to give him a blood worm for a little treat. Flushy loved people. He would get so excited when anyone walked into the room. He was sure everyone was there to see him.
    Towards the end of his life, Flushy had an injured swim bladder and he had trouble swimming. We bought him a little plant that he could sit on so it was easier for him to eat and breath. He became an old little fishy and he was happiest when he was sleeping. He was still a good fish, but he was an old fish. Beta fish only live two to three years; I’d had him for over a year and he was a year old when I got him from the pet store. His time had some and I think he passed away peacefully.
    Fr. John, the resident minister that lives across the hall from me, said some prayers over flushy’s body before we laid him to rest under a tree in the rose garden. I picked out a spot that was quiet, but where people would walk by. He’s buried under the wisteria vine which is so beautiful when it blooms in the spring. I am happy flushy has such a beautiful place to rest.
    I miss you flushy, but I know you’re perfectly buoyant and hunting bloodworms in that fishbowl in the sky.

Everybody Needs People

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:49:00 PST

It’s raining here. A lot. I’ve gone through three sets of clothes today due to excess moisture. I don’t do well when I’m wet, like cats or squirrels. Man, the squirrels are truly demoralized. Their tails are no longer fluffy; they don’t even bounce across the sidewalks anymore; the sulk under bushed clutching nuts in their little hands. I sympathized with them as I walked back from my early morning Organic Chemistry lab. Tonight I left my dorm to hit the library and finish up studying for my differential equations midterm tomorrow and was instantly enveloped in the cold, damp aftermath of today’s monsoon. I never actually made it to the library. The health center conference room has become the de facto EMT study room after hours; one of the fringe benefits of being on the squad. So here I am with a half dozen other EMTs, a couple on duty but most not, looking over flashcards and attempting to learn from my D. Eq. book via osmosis. Most EMT’s are majors in the sciences on the pre-med track meaning we have to take a lot of the same classes. That means that being on the EMT squad means I have a built in system for help in class work.

It’s very hard to survive college going it alone. When my dad was an undergrad, he joined a fraternity. My dad wasn’t even close to the stereotypical frat boy; I’m pretty sure he initially joined for access to the files on the engineering classes, but he made friends and found study buddies because of his membership in his fraternity. My roommate is on the soccer team so her teammates are constantly in out suite doing homework, watching TV, kicking around a ball and having fun together. Everyone needs a group of people to laugh with, study with, lean on when times get tough and go to Safeway with at three in the morning. Dad’s people were the guys in his fraternity; my roommate’s people are the soccer players; my people are the EMTs. We work together; we laugh together; we Google textbook authors to determine if the sexual innuendo in the text was accidental or intentional. It didn’t happen overnight, (I didn’t have my group until I became as active member of the squad this year) but I’m so glad I have people. Everything is better with people!

So Much List, so Little Time

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:44:00 PST

There is a lot I need to have done by three minutes ago. I need to go to Walgreens to buy batteries for my alarm clock; I’ve been using my cell phone and roommate. I still have two more midterms to study for, not to mention to take. Saturday, I’ll be taking the late shift at the Grand Reunion. Before I get to work as my alter ego, EMT Brunts, Kelsey the student has to have read and entire book for my Soviet History class and write a two page response to it. Don’t ask me when I’m going to get it done; I have no clue.
I love making lists. They calm me; assure me that everything will get done in its own time. I usually make two to three lists a day, but lately my lists have been scaring the crap out of me! There is just too much to do! The stress may very well kill me. I’ve had two professors so far give the advice “get a good night’s sleep before the exam.” I find this a little funny as it’s that stress of the coming exams that’s kept me from getting a good night’s sleep in a week. I finally got to sleep last night with the help of an over the counter sleep aid. And yes, I do see the irony of taking caffeine and sleep aids in the same twenty-four hours and you know what? I don’t care. I never thought I’d see the day when my lists would fail me. It’s quite distressing. I need a new back-up plan. Post-it notes? E-mail notifications to myself? Reminders written on the mirror in Cottage Rose lipstick? I’m at a loss without my dearly beloved and as of recently overwhelmed lists. I’m up to my neck in flashcards of organic functional groups, phospholipid-bilayer sidal differentialation contributors, and applications of Euler’s methods, and I have no way to prioritize their review. Last night my suitemate, Jenny, quizzed me a few times on Organic Chemistry to prepare me for my midterm this morning. She was a God-send! In high school, my dad and I would sit at the dining room table going over flashcards on glycolysis and derivatives. My dad did more than pay for my education; he was an active part of it. Now, 3,000 miles away, I wish I had my study buddy and a working list. I’m almost lost without them, but the midterms keep on coming! Wish me luck!

Hey, look on the bright side!

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:35:00 PST

Midterms are upon us! The library study rooms are completely booked; I’ve made liberal use of them myself, in fact, I’m in one right now! Sometimes between the stress of schoolwork, AMT stuff, missing family and friends, and the coming of winter, my mood and take a temporary turn for the worse. I do my best to keep from getting down, but no one is happy 100% of the time. Last night, before I went to be around midnight (early compared to most days), I was feeling a little blue, so I turned to the panacea for moodiness: pictures of baby animals! Google is a beautiful thing: there are hundreds of pictures of infants of just about any species imaginable. Maybe it was the hour of the night or the pizza rolls I had for lunch, but just looking at the cute babies wasn’t doing it for me; I needed a new desktop background. I usually default to the fur seals, or the seals of approval as they’ve been lovingly dubbed, but I needed something new and fresh to air out my mood and get rid of the grumpies. This is what I came up with: a collage of the cutest baby animals I could find including a rat, beaver, squirrel, giraffe, lemur and many more. I was totally worth the forty five minutes it took to pull together!
Stress is, well, stressful and generally bad; however, because of my moment of stress last night, one of many I might note, I now have an awesomely cute screensaver, so cute, it could cause an overdose of cuteness to those without a built up tolerance. Every bad thing in college has a silver lining. For example, my dorm room is ridiculously small; therefore, it takes mere minutes to tidy it up. The laundry room on my floor doesn’t have dryers and I have to lug my dirty clothes up to the second floor; when else will I get get to rake rides on the elevator? It’s all part of the learning experience that is college. I’m learning to take the good with the bad. I miss the Thai restaurant near my home, but I’m sure when I eat dinner over break, it will taste even better! The baby animals on my desktop all agree!

Watch your weight

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:35:00 PST

I am, and trust me, it’s not going anywhere. College is not good for the waist line. We have a great fitness center that is filled to capacity during the first couple of weeks. Then midterms begin to loom and time has to be budgeted between studying and… well, everything else. Working out is generally the first thing on the to-do list to go the way of the doo-doo. I am as guilty of this as anyone. Now that it’s getting colder, the cool dry air is hard on the lunch and swimming in the outdoor pool becomes an extreme sport. As a consequence, most of a student’s week is spent sitting either in class or while studying at home or in the library and very little is spent at the gym. The CDC recommends thirty minutes of exercise a day for the average adult. I’m lucky if I can get in a couple thirty minute sessions on the treadmill in a week! Not overcoming this sedimentary lifestyle can cause an expanded waist line.

To be fair, a lack of exercise is not the only contributor to college student weight gain. We eat crappy food. Most food we eat if quick (read microwavable or carryout). High fat, high sugar, high caffeine. That’s what most college students run on. My particular poison is Pepsi. I can go through two or three bottles a day easy. Add the fact that I’m a nervous eater and the scale starts working double time around midterms. There is also the fact that I’m a college aged kid. After eighteen or nineteen (I’ll be twenty in a couple weeks), a person’s metabolism starts to slow down. Eating habits are largely habitual, hence the term eating habits. It can take some time to adjust to a lower metabolism. I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is yet another opportunity for learning during this phase of my life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get off my duff and go run.

Midterms, Midterms, and&oh! Look at that! More midterms

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:30:00 PST

I have a midterm Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. I already feel tired. Monday is my Organic Chemistry exam. I have functional group flashcards, 3-4 e-mails from my professor concerning exam content and a very good text book to re-read if I feel unsure about anything. Tuesday is my Biology midterm. I have a list of “learning objectives” to study and obsess over. After the exam, I have to go to a talk on something or other and write up a report for a few measly extra credit points. Wednesday is my differential equations exam. I have about one hundred pages in my book to read and about as many problems to work through. On Friday, my professor handed out a study guide with sample problems. Monday after class, I’m going to the library with a classmate to study together. Hopefully something good will come from it. Maybe then I’ll feel less pressure from the exam. I’m looking forward to my differential equations midterm least of all my exams next meek. In fact, I will feel better when the entire class is over and done with (and I have a passing grade of course).
Study, study, study. That’s all I’ll be doing from now until Wednesday afternoon at least. I have all my study tools; I have a plan to get the most out of my study time. Do you think I’ll be able to pass all my exams? I hope I will, but only time will tell.

A Time for Work, a Time for& More Work

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:32:00 PST

I always look forward to the weekends. My absolute favorite thing about the weekend is that Benson served breakfast until 2pm! In love being able to sleep in, straighten up the room a little bit, shower and dress and still be able to have a made-to-order omelet for breakfast. Saturdays are my “play days.” If I’m going to hang out with my friends or go to a party or just chillax at any point during the week, it will be on my beloved Saturday, but laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and other “domestic” tasks have to be completed between play dates. It may seem like I cram a lot of stuff into the first day of the weekend; after all, there are two days to the weekend. Sunday is my work day. In college, there is a ton of homework. It is often said that for every hour spent in class, three hours should be spent studying outsidemof class. I’m in class fifteen hours a week so I’m supposed to study at least forty-five hours a week. Sometimes I feel like class just gets in the way of studying, except on Sundays. I love my Sundays because there is no schedule I have to squeeze studies into; I don’t have to constantly check the clock so I’m not late to an appointment or class. I have the freedom to do my work at my own pace. I do work as late as I can on Sunday like I do on weeknights but at least I go to bed early on Saturdays (mom, you’d be so proud).
I think the real reason weekends are so fun is that I’m the one who determines what I do and when I do it. The work/school week much more schedules and for someone who suffers from chronic lateness, I prefer to get things done on my own time. Any working adult reading this is thinking “welcome to the real world,” but going to school is different from working because the bulk of the work is done at home, a lack of time at home causes serious anxiety buildup. For me, one of the many pressure valves necessary to maintain my sanity is a weekend spent at home getting work done and cleaning off the to-do list of my life.

It's not ideal, but I'll take it!

Kbrunts@scu.edu (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:05:00 PST

I have achieved victory over the molecular biology software! On Tuesday during Biology discussion group, we were working on a project using 3D computer modeling of proteins. I spent all forty minutes trying to download the software and open the appropriate file and at the end of the class, I still didn’t have a 3D model. After my professor said she had no idea what was wrong, I issued a verbal warning to my computer stating that I would win eventually and that it might as well give up sooner rather than later. I’m not sure it did anything to solve the problem, but it made me feel better and when the alternative is crushing my laptop to bits, threatening inanimate objects is the cheaper solution. Last night, I pulled together the correct software, the correct file, the correct alignment of the stars and I got a 3D model of Human P-type ATPase, the protein responsible for Wilson’s disease. I get to go on with my project, which is good I suppose, but the point is I won!

Minor victories are sometimes the most important kind of victories, especially in college. My classes are kind of hard right now. I feel panic bubbling just below the surface; right now I’m choosing to ignore it. Minor victories keep my spirits up and give me a feeling that I’m making progress. In differential equations, I understand the problems in the homework; I know I’m doing them wrong, but I understand what I’m supposed to be doing and that is a step in the right direction, a small victory.

College is not supposed to be easy, especially if you’re in the engineering school like I am. I can see my freshman roommate struggling with the transition and the constant feeling of having more studying to be done. I wish I could help, but the only comfort I can give is “everyone feels like that.” That feeling of always being behind can drive a person crazy and can cause a student to either become an unhealthy workaholic or the student may give up because there is no possible way to stay on track. I try to avoid locking myself in the room or completely giving up by celebrating the small victories: not failing a quiz, beating the bio software, and understanding what my math homework is asking me to do. Let’s all raise a glass to the minor victories because sometimes they’re all ya got!

Why am I here?

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:25:00 PST

Week two has officially started. This may seem less monumental than the first week of classes which marks the beginning of classes, and in a way it is, but it does mark the beginning of normalcy and a settled pace of life all across the university. Before students had even arrived on campus, nearly everyone had scheduled classes; however, during the first week, most everyone has a schedule change of some degree or another. I added two completely new classes which caused a scrambling for books, the last of which arrived yesterday. In classes, the syllabi have all been passed out and the first quizzes are eminent if not already past. As for me, my quiz in differential equations tomorrow is looming heavily. I’ll be in the library so long tonight that I fear my roommate may forget what I look like. Work on (or procrastination of) projects have begun and the library is filling with students like me seeking a quiet place to hit the books.

The first weekend has passed; friends met and caught up from the long summer, and many students went to parties to relax from the first week of class and have some fun. Going out to parties with friends is part of the college experience. Last year, I thought there were two different college experiences one could have: a serious educational experience or the “animal house” experience. I thought the two were mutually exclusive, so being a dedicated student, I went out maybe twice the entire year. As a freshman with a lot to adjust to, that may have been a good thing, but I no longer believe I want my whole college experience to be purely academic. One part of life is about one particular goal. In high school, we pursued an education, learned to drive, started dating and wearing makeup, made friends and went to prom. In college, again we’re pursuing an education but we’re also taking the next step towards independence by making more and more decisions for our lives and welfare. Not only is it alright to have some fun, in balance, it is important to proper development. I’ve said often that “I’m a student first” when it comes to prioritizing obligations but on further reflection, I don’t think that’s completely true: I’m a person first. Learning and doing well is important to me as a person, but so is my happiness and proper development. I’m not just a student and I’m not just a partier. I’m a bit of both, each in its own proportion. It takes everyone some time to figure out what those proportions are but that’s not only alright, it’s normal. I’m still figuring it out but I now have a better idea of what my college experience can be. It won’t that of Albert Einstein or John Belushi; it will be that of Kelsey Brunts.

House, homework, and prima note

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:18:00 PST

Classes have started once again. I have a pretty tough schedule: Organic Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Differential Equations, and the history of the Soviet Union. The last two classes are upper division classes. Sunday night before classes officially started, I was already spending a couple hours reading and doing practice problems to prepare for class. There’s a lot of work and a lot of reading and not nearly enough time. I scheduled my work around the House premiere last night. I know classes are important, but I do have priorities and the House premiere trumped studying and Monday night football! The girls in my suite sat around the TV wondering if House has gone soft. We invited Fr. John, the resident minister and our neighbor, to come in and watch with us too!

Last night was also Prima Note! I wrote a bit about Prima Note last year (it takes place the first night of classes of classes every quarter) and I loved it now as much as I did then. The food was absolutely wonderful! There were four different sauces for the spaghetti, garlic bread, moist cookies and two types of pie…mmmm! Four suites worth of people were in one room and everyone was talking up and down the table, passing food, storied, jokes and advice. No one went home hungry or anything but stuffed to bursting.

Last year, getting out of my room and going to events like Prima Note and Da Vinci Day (this Saturday) was about meeting somebody,anybody, so I wouldn’t feel so lonely. This year, they’re important so I can see old friends after a long summer away and more importantly so I can have excuses to take a break from endless packets of reading and never ending practice problems. My goal is no longer socialization, its sanity! My freshmen suitemates are still in various stages of socializing and acclimating themselves to college life. My hope is that as the year goes on, the great events in out Residential Learning Community and by the University will help all of us reach our goals and have a fun and successful year.

A year gone by

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST

After a three day, three thousand mile road trip, I have arrived at home safely, along with a healthy, relatively happy fish. Within hours of getting home, an incredible thunderstorm hit and our house got struck by lightning. I received a nasty shock from standing on a metal heating vent and touching a metal window lock. Staring out my window, trying to recover feeling in my right big toe, I thought back to the view from my dorm room, the contents of which is now in various boxes scattered round my bedroom. Here in Indiana, there are no foothills to gaze at early in the morning; the closest thing to a dumpster digging squirrel is a chipmunk that has dug its burrow through our garden and under our back patio. Instead of searching for my notebooks in the morning before class, I’m searching for employment in a saturated job market. Food now costs real money, not prepaid use ‘em or lose ‘em meal points. I’ll now be driving past corn fields instead of walking through the beautiful mission gardens. I can’t leave my room and walk to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Driving across the country, I couldn’t wait to get home, to what my whole life has been normal. Having been home for less than a day, I’ve discovered that my lifestyle has completely different, not better or worse, just different. I’ve moved on to a new phase of my life. I’m starting to act, and perhaps more importantly, feel like an adult, my goals are becoming reality through hard work and perseverance. My world has expanded beyond the farmlands or the Midwest to the hills of San Francisco. I am becoming a citizen of the world.

Thursday evening, before leaving Santa Clara, I took a walk around campus; I was saying goodbye. I could almost feel the school saying “I’ll be here when you come home.” I’m slow to warm up to people and places; I have a natural adversity to change, but over the months, Santa Clara has become my second home. It’s where I have learned new skills, seen new things, made new friends, and added a new chapter to my life story. I am happy where I am in my life and I’m satisfied with my decision to go to school so far from home. After a rest (well deserved if I do say so myself) in the home I grew up in, I will return to the home I have become an adult in. Maybe I’ll take a walk in the rose garden the first day I get back just to say “hello”.

FedEx and Flush a Fish

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST

It turns out, you can’t take a fish in Tupperware on an airplane. I almost for shot by a TSA officer asking. You’d think that, for a fish, water is considered a life sustaining liquid, which is allowed on planes. Plus, if there’s a fish swimming around, it’s probably not nitroglycerin. I know better than to argue with someone with an inflated sense of importance and a gun, so I began exploring other options to get Flushy home to Indiana. My dad discovered that it is possible to FedEx a fish. Don’t ask me how, but apparently, it’s possible. My fear is that the fish would either show up dead, or alive but a different color, size or potentially species. I decided to opt out of this option. At this point, a few people suggested sending Flushy down the porcelain water slide and just buying a new fishy friend next year. Just thinking about it makes me sad. Not only do I love Flushy, I think it’s cruel to kill an animal, even a fish, just because it’s no longer convenient to take care of him. I never even considered flushing Flushy.

There was another factor to consider: how am I going to get my stuff home? My dad and I drove out here at the beginning of the year, but I have been flying back and forth during breaks. After a few weeks of trying to figure out how to get my bookshelf, underwear, and fish home, Dad suggested driving again. There are actually several advantages to my parents driving out to get me. First and Foremost, Flushy will (hopefully) make it to Indiana safely and without having a nervous breakdown. Also, we won’t have to store nearly as much stuff here in Santa Clara. At this point, it may seem like my mom and dad are wasting a whole bunch of time driving across the country to pick up their kid and her fish, they are actually pretty excited. My mom has never actually seen the campus; my dad was the one who came with me to check out the school and to move in. She’ll be driving here with my dad, and then flying home. Dad is considering this his vacation. He’s pretty excited to drive through Death Valley and the salt flats. It’s not exactly Tahiti, but Dad’s not really a cruise and tropical drinks on a beach sort of guy. I, myself, am excited to spend a few days in the car with Dad. Aside from making cherry limeade stops at Sonic, we will make stops to give Flushy some comfort and fresh air.

Flushy isn’t going to be traveling in his little fish bowl that sits on my desk; he has his own travel bowl. Ok. It’s really a gallon sized glass sugar bowl with a screw on lid so water doesn’t slosh out. I’m not sure how he’s going to react to the travel bowl. It’s rectangular, so unlike in usual, spherical bowl, it has corners. He could either have lots of fun exploring this new aspect of geometry, or it could really freak him out. I’m going to add some mile medicine to his water so any stress the move may cause him won’t make him sick. While moving out, especially so soon after finals is very stress inducing, I’m excited to see my mom and dad, show them around where I’ve been living for the past nine months, and get my dear little fish home safe and sound.

Have you seen my Marbles

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST

I’m losing it. Absolutely losing it. The stress is making me freak out at inopportune times, talk too much and eat compulsively. I have an overall feeling of stress and exhaustion that absolutely refuses to go away. I didn’t feel this kind of stress, at least not at this level, at the end of the first two quarters. It didn’t make my eyes cross or my head to spin. What’s so different about the end of this quarter? Moving: It sucks! This weekend is the time students should be studying, but what are we doing? Packing and worrying about the tyrannical, massive fine imposing housing department. We have to be out of the dorm twenty-four hours after our last final. So not only do I have to worry about studying, I have to start packing, cleaning and generally trying to remove any evidence that I’ve lived here.

Needless to say, it’s a lot of stress for one person to deal with. The good thing is that it’s not just me; we’re all feeling the stress. There is evidence of people blowing off steam all over our suite. As you know, I use my dry-erase board to express my feelings in a public way. I put up a high stress area warning shortly before going to bed. Turns out, I was one upped by Jen, who had been up all night studying. She drew a cartoon of Gandalf telling the Balrog that he would “not pass” his finals. It was an interesting sight to see as I stumbled out of my room to run to my morning chemistry class. We are at the point where class only gets in the way of studying, or are feeling too antsy, we pack. I’ve already packed up three boxes, my printer, my computer monitor, and a chest of drawers stuffed with clothing.

Last night, all four of the freshmen girls in the suite had to work together to lower all out beds. We’re not allowed to loft our beds due to earthquake safety regulations, but we can raise them up to chest level, called “captain’s height”. By noon today, the beds had to be returned to the middle setting before the start of twenty-four hour quiet hour enforcement. I wondered why we couldn’t just wait until we were packed and ready to go. I found out when it took all four of us, a flashlight, two hours and a hammer to lower all four beds. The result was four lowered beds, many bruises, two Band-Aids, and a lot of noise! It was not a fun experience. On top of the physical demands, lowering
the beds decreased the amount of space each of us had for storage. The common room has become the default storage facility until we can move out. All my packed boxes and luggage are stacked in the common room along with everyone else’s stuff with nowhere to go.

You may be beginning to see why this weekend and that week to follow is making everyone here at Santa Clara insane. It’s a bit surprising there haven’t been stress induced homicides all over campus during cram and finals week. I suppose everyone is too busy compulsively consuming caffeine and memorizing facts and equations to take out stress in more destructive easy. Thank God!

Campus Critters

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST

I’ve been chatting with some of the animals on campus, well, observing them really, and I’ve come to a few conclusions. The first is that squirrels are smarter than they look. With those tiny little heads and fluffy tails that make up at least half of their body length, you’d think that there would be little room for storage of anything but nut related information. It turns out, they are very strategic little critters. I’m not much of a morning person so I rarely see anything besides the inside of my eyelids before nine-thirty in the morning, but last Friday, I had to get up for an eight o’clock midterm. Walking across campus, I was surprised to see squirrels casually skittering along the lawns, playing with each other and staring at the few people who were out at 7:45 AM. Recently, as the weather has gotten warmer and spring fever has made people a little rowdier, I haven’t seen many squirrels around during the day besides a few furry faces peeking out of the trees. I think the squirrels have decided they rule the school before 9 AM. They don’t even shy away when you walk next to them on the sidewalk at 8 AM, but come (:30, there’s hardly a fluffy tailed rodent in sight. They hide out of sight, away from the sun and the student body alike.

The squirrels aren’t the only ones beating the summer heat. The birdies use the St. Ignatius statue/fountain as a bird bath. The fountain bubbles up, making a shallow pool. The bigger birds, like crows and robins, stand closer to the deeper center of the pool while small birds, like the humming birds and finches, fluff their feathers along the shallow edges. I’m sure the birds care about being clean and fluffy, but I suspect they enjoy the refreshing feel of the water just like I love floating in the University pool on particularly warm weekends to beat the heat. I have often wondered if the fountain was designed as a bathing facility for out feathered friends or if it’s just lucky. The statue at the center of the fountain is not St. Francis, the patron Saint of animals, but I’m sure St. Iggy, whose likeness does decorate the Ignatian lawn, would mind sharing his tribute with birds in need of a water break.

While the birds and the squirrels are “wildlife” (the trash cans provide food when nuts are scarce), there are plenty of people loving animals on campus. Maybe isn’t the only puppy dog on campus (though she certainly is the sweetest). Because Santa Clara campus is so beautiful and full of green lawns, many people, students and locals alike bring their canine companions to walk, play and make friends on campus, Many of the dogs and owner are regulars, like skip the Jack Russell terrier puppy. Skip’s owner uses liver treats to train skip and he often gives treats to passersby to give to skip when he sits. The other day, I saw a seven week old yellow lab puppy; he looked just like the Cottenelle toilet paper puppy but with bigger feet. It almost exceeded my cuteness threshold. I avoid the Rottweiler’s (I’m not a fan of aggressive breeds) but the other dogs are almost always happy for a pat on the head or a belly rub.

In addition to dogs, there are a few cats that just hang around campus. They don’t belong to anyone but, as most cats, they think everything belongs to them. Doby, a cat that lives near the adobe lounge is incredibly mean and snotty. She scratched Maybe on the nose one day for no reason when we were out on a walk. Now, when I see her perched on a bench near the restaurant door, I push her off. Maybe was too good natured to do anything but whine so I take revenge for her. The other cat I see frequently on campus is a small black female that hides in the bushes of Sobrato at night. She’s pretty shy so I’ve only seen her, never given her a scratch between the ears.

I love animals! It’s possible I like being with animals more than being with people. I don’t have a furry friend at home to miss, but between Flushy, Maybe, the squirrels and all the other critters running around campus, I feel like Dr. Dolittle and have no complaints.

Ways to Avoid Studying for Final

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST

Finals are in one very short week and that means one thing:
study time, which means one thing: avoidance of study time! I may not be the authority on working titration problems, but I am an expert on putting off doing titration problems. I’ve decided that it would be selfish of me to keep this special skill to myself so here are forty ways to procrastinate, all tested and approved by yours truly.

1. Do laundry- one of the more productive forms for
procrastination. This is a great way to put off studying. Don’t want to deal with that stinky pile of socks and underwear? No problem! Put it off by doing homework. It all comes out in the wash.
2. Play games online- Tetris, jigsaw puzzles, escape from a phone booth… it really doesn’t matter. I should warn that I decided to do some “research” on this method last night and never actually got back to work.
3. Go for a long walk- it’s a big campus with lots of flowers to smell and squirrels and birds to watch. You can kill at least an hour and get your daily allowance of exercise.
4. Stream videos/movies/TV shows- I don’t actually use the TV in our room anymore (partially because it doesn’t even get the major networks), I just download shows, movies and video clips off of various sites including YouTube and Hulu.
5. Read the newspaper- in a similar vein as above, the best way to keep up with the goings on in the rest of the world is to read the newspaper unless you like reading slow and often nonsensical subtitles on the TVs in Benson. Luckily, the collegiate readership program delivers free newspapers to the dorms every weekday morning so we don’t have to pay to get the news. The Santa Clara, the on campus newspaper, is worth reading as well.
6. Clean out the fridge- not only will this keep you from studying, it’s just plain sanitary!
7. Make lists of the work to be done- if its guilt free procrastination, thinking and planning to do homework instead of actually doing it is the way to go!
8. Make tea- this is very similar to boiling water when someone is in labor. It’s pointless, but it gives you something to do and keeps you out of the way of the books.
9. Write letters home to family/friends- mom and dad will be happy until they figure out you really should be writing a paper instead of writing them.
10. Send pointless text messages- both my dad and I do this in boring meetings/classes. Coming up with special emoticons is particularly fun. oooo <>< (get it? It’s flushy!)
11. Complain to roommates about various ailments- shingles, viral meningitis, stomach flu, deep lacerations… not only have we had these, we have complained about them profusely.
12. Walk/play with a dog- then best part of this activity is it makes a dog really happy.
13. Look up obscure facts at the library- why not? That’s what the library is there for right?
14. Call parents- again, they’ll be psyched until they realize what you’re really supposed to be doing
15. Clean room/bathroom-in addition to being sanitary, it’ll help prevent ankle sprains tripping over all your crap.
16. Change fish’s water- this only really works if you have a fish, which I highly recommend; however, the fish may get pretty grumpy, especially if you have to scoop him out of his bowl.
17. Read non-class related books- in an ideal world, everyone would have time for this, but we don’t so it becomes a vice right along with smoking pot and biting one’s toenails.
18. Take pictures of squirrels- eh why not?
19. Go shopping in the cellar- I may have mentioned before that the cellar in the on campus. Don’t need any groceries? Don’t let that stop you! Use those extra meal points!
20. Knit- scarves, mittens, beer cozies, doesn’t matter!
21. Rearrange computer configuration- and if you don’t like the new set up, change it back and waste another 15 minutes. It’s a win-win
22. Go swimming- the fitness center has a great outdoor pool. It’s great on a warm, sunny day or on a temperate evening. A blow-up kiddie pool works too.
23. Lick peanut butter off a spoon- it’s fun, delicious and can take awhile depending how big a glob of PB you dig out of the job.
24. Go to Frozos- get a cup of frozen yogurt and pile the big boy high with toppings!
25. Lay in the grass and get a tan- I guess you could multitask and do homework at the same time, but why would you?
26. Take a nap- you can never go wrong with a nap!
27. Take bath- I only recommend this if you know who has been in the bath tub and when the last time it was cleaned. That being said, a bubble bath can be very relaxing.
28. Check mail. Compulsively- who doesn’t like mail? Added bonus of having to walk downstairs/to the post office multiple times a day.
29. Day dream-‘nuff said.
30. Talk to the pet fish- Fluishy doesn’t say much but he always seems interested in hearing about my day.
31. Color- it’s not just for kindergarteners. Grab some crayons and a coloring book and have at it1
32. Sort/add to postcard collection- this will work on for really any collection. Postcards just happen to be my thing.
33. Balance checkbook- look at me! I’m pretending to be responsible!
34. Google funny pictures- nothing says I’m bored like laughing like an idiot at a ninja baby.
35. Google pictures of baby animals- you gotta love baby bunnies and ducklings. If you don’t, you have no soul.
36. Google funny pictures of baby animals- ok ok. I use google way too much.
37. Write in a journal- whine, complain and swear about your roommate all you want; they’re never going to read it.
38. Go to a Giants game- I did this yesterday. It’s a great escape and time killer.
39. Walk all the way across campus to get a soda- why get one out of the fridge when you can walk to the business school and pay out the nose for a Pepsi?
40. Dance party!- bust out the iPod and the moves!

Tests, Interviews, Red Tape& Does the Work ever End?

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST

Since my blog about my EMT ridge along, a lot has happened. For starters, I passed the class. It was quite a relief, both not to fail, and to have my Tuesday and Thursday nights back. To tell the truth, I was lucky to pass the practical exam. During the trauma exam, I forgot my initial assessment of vitals. Before you start praying I never treat you, let me explain. For every skills test, you have to assess vitals.
Trauma was my last skill test of the night and I honestly thought I had assessed the vitals already. I’m sure it didn’t help that it was 10:00 PM. But pass I did along with the rest of my class. We decided to have a party that night to celebrate. It was fun to hang out together without stressing out about the difference between a tension pneumothorax and a spontaneous pneumothorax. The only black cloud over the festivities was the knowledge that in the next part of the process, the interviews, my friends were no longer classmates, they were the competition.
Everyone in the class hoped to get a spot on next year’s SCU EMS squad.
Unfortunately, there were only eighteen spots available for the twenty-four EMT graduates and fifteen other applicants. Before anyone was chosen, we all had to go through the dreaded interview. To prepare, I called my parents three weeks in advance to have them mail my pants suit and walked around campus, muttering practice answers to myself like a crazy person. You may be wondering what the big deal is; after all, I was a champion debater and had been through interviews before. Trust me; the EMT interview is a monster in the world of interviews. Don’t dress up enough and you don’t get hired (this really happened to someone last year). Plan on studying abroad? Forget about being an EMT. Give a generic answer, your name won’t even be mentioned in selection committee. If that isn’t enough stress to turn your hair white, when you actually get into the interview, there are five or six EMT interviewers sitting across a long table from you, a lone applicant; the effect in pure intimidation. It is so intimidating in fact, that in the business world, the practice is considered unethical. But this isn’t the business world, it’s the EMT world and I went into the interview room with as confident a smile I could muster. During the year, I had attended various SCU EMS events and fund raisers to meet as many EMT’s as possible; I used this to my advantage, making eye contact with the few interviewers I had gotten to know over the year. Of course, no matter how well I did in the interview, I found ways to second guess myself.
The next evening, I was talking to my Dad on Skype when my phone rang. I answered it for reasons still unknown to me. Dad says that as soon as he saw my face, he knew what the call was about and the result: It was the director of SCU EMS offering me a position on next year’s squad! I was so excited, I screamed and startled my roommate in the common room, though apparently not enough for her to ask if I was alright. But I didn’t care; I was in; all my hard work had paid off! I attended an orientation that Thursday and after some harmless and funny hazing, all the “newbies” learned SCU protocols, met the leadership team, and signed up for ride alongs on campus. Between now and the start of the new school year, all the new recruits hired straight from the class have to get certification in Santa Clara county. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong!
The first step is to get National Registry Certification. Last Saturday, despite having the stomach flu (it would have cost me to reschedule the appointment), I made my way across town to take National Registration Registry Exam. The NRE is a weird little test that is administered on a computer. I wish I could tell you how it works, but I have no idea. I just checked the right answer until it stopped giving me questions and two days later, I got an e-mail saying I’d passed. I got my National Registry patch and certification card in the mail today. I wish that had been the end of the certification process, but it’s only the beginning. Tomorrow, I have to get fingerprinted for my Department of Justice background check. Then I have to somehow get to the certification office, submit my paperwork and get my picture taken. Ten days after that (if I checked all the right boxes and included all the right copies of certifications), I should get my certification card in the mail, at which point I can photocopy it and send in paperwork to the Indiana Department of Homeland security and apply for permission to apply for certification through reciprocity. I really hate red tape, but for the next month or so, I’m going to be waist deep in it. It’s all worth it though. I’ll get to be an EMT next year at school and I might be able to find a job in Indianapolis over the summer with an ambulance company or in an ER even in this slow job market. At my high school graduation, I couldn’t have imagined how much I would accomplish in one short year.

The Spring Time Yuckies

scumedia@gmail.com (Kelsey Brunts) — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:00:00 PST

I may have mentioned once before that college campuses breed germs like hot tubs; this quarter is demonstrating my point perfectly. I, myself, am currently on bed rest with stomach flu after missing a week of classes. When talking to my chemistry professor about the upcoming midterm (seriously, who gives a midterm on week 9) and my concerns about missing class, he guessed that a good two thirds of campus, including faculty and staff, is currently stricken with one disease or another. Those who have ox like immune systems still have the high pollen count to contend with; the campus rose garden alone is paying for the CEO of Kleenex’s next vacation. Cowell Health Center is overwhelmed with students needing treatment. On Friday, I got the last available appointment until Tuesday; anyone after me had to be put on a wait list for cancelations. The high volume of patients has not impacted the quality of care students are given. I was examined and diagnosed quickly (I was not the first student to come down with the stomach flu that week) and given IV fluids for dehydration. With final closing in, I don’t really have time to be sick, but I don’t have time to ignore the fact that I’m sick either.
Being sick away from home has its pros and cons. On the bright side, the health center is right across the parking lot from my house and the appointment is free. But my mommy isn’t here to take care of me. While in the liquid diet phase of my treatment, I’m going to have to heat up my chicken broth and get my own sprite out of the fridge. Mom can’t write me a note to excuse me from my missed classes, though the health center did. Most professors are very understanding of absence due to illness, especially if you, as the student have a reputation for being studious and responsible; this is why it’s a good reason to build a good rapport with the professors.
I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone: keeping up with classes as best as possible and making myself well as soon as possible. I’m attempting to do homework in bed between my frequent naps. Hopefully I’ll be back on my feet and start making appearances outside my room in time to get a handle on all my course work and study for finals.
Until then, I’ll keep taking my vitamin C.