Home is where the heart is.

Hey Everyone!

So, you know that old saying "Home is where the heart is"?... Well, I'm in a bit of a predicament... My heart is in two places.. Siena, and Long Island... I guess I have two homes.

Well, the semester is over! I can finally relax. I came home Wednesday and right now is the first time I have to just relax. We had two family parties this year at my house, so we were constantly prepping. Christmas, my moms side of the family came over to celebrate. It was a little difficult this year because my cousin was recently deployed to Iraq for a year, but we all banded together and had a lot of laughs. At the end of the night we watched the Hangover and had a sleepover. Sunday, we had my Dads side of the family over... All 26 of us! It was great seeing everyone, and we even got a corny picture of all of us on the porch. At this point, my cousins are having babies, and it's so astonishing to see the kids grow up right before your eyes. You know how adults always say "I remember when you were a baby!"? Well, now I'm that person. I can't believe my baby cousins are already 7 and 5, and my other baby cousin is already 1! I'm starting to teach my 7 year old cousin how to play basketball and lacrosse- so, we had an intense game of basketball outside my house. It was me, my 5 year old cousin, Tom vs Dylan (my boyfriend) and my 7 year old cousin, Nick. Now, Dylan has a height advantage (he's 6ft), but, me and Tom still dominated the courts... in a dress and uggs... How's that for being a bit of a tomboy. We had the whole family outside cheering us on.. It was so much fun... And, now my spot is secure for the "Favorite Older Cousin" Award.

Now, it's time to relax. For most of my days I will be working, but I will also be making a few roadtrips. On January 9th, the club that I coordinate along with 3 others will be honored for our work with Project Linus during the halftime of the Siena Mens Basketball game by Trustco Bank. This is an incredible honor for all four of us, and I know each of us are humbled.

Well, thats all for now. Happy New Years Everyone!

I'll see you 2010!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I've finally started to let myself relax at home after unpacking, organizing papers, getting my grades, and doing last minute Christmas shopping/baking. There is truly nothing like a college Christmas break if you've never experienced it. See in high school, you only had about 2 weeks off, during which you had to complete assignments and projects for the unfinished semester. But in college, your semester is over, so there is no work left to complete! No assignments are looming over your head. There is only opportunity to relax, spend time with family and friends, and maybe make some money (or if you're an overachiever, prep for next semester).

So what am I going to do this break???
- Teach 8 dance classes (pre-ballet, ballet, modern, jazz)
- Attend dance class myself (I'll need it after tomorrow!)
- Dust off my piano and guitars, and work on some music I haven't had time to focus on
- Choreograph dances for my students' performances
- Read! I have several books I've been meaning to get into
- Hear from grad schools!!! *crosses fingers*
- Hang out with my friends from home
- Hang out with the fam
- Go sledding!!
- Drink lots and lots of hot chocolate
- Think about organizing my Honors Thesis (which is mostly written!)
- Think about writing my reflection paper on service projects I have completed since Freshman Year
- Go ice skating!
- SLEEP!

What do you guys think? I think it sounds like a pretty good list of things to do. I especially like the last one. :-)

I hope everyone has a fantastic break!

~Bianca

P.S. Liv, when am I getting invited over for some of that pizza?? :-P

The End of the Beginning

Yesterday at 5 o'clock I left the friendly confines of Siena for the equally friendly confines of Mechanicville, New York. I took my last exam during the last time slot for exams, and, when I finally left campus, I felt like one of the last to leave. There's evidence behind my saying so, my car was very lonely all alone in the Foy Hall parking lot, which is typically filled up during classes. As I am a local boy, my trip home isn't terribly strenuous considering that I live a mere twenty minutes away. While its good to be home, I'm able to see my family pretty often throughout the semester and, believe it or not, that's the way I like it. For example, when hunting season comes around, I head home for the weekends to take part in the venerable pastime with Dear Ol' Dad (for those of you offended by such a prospect, I hasten to add I am not very good at it).

Like I said though, its always good to be home. I have a pretty full agenda for the break. I have to finish up all my law school applications ASAP, continue to work on my thesis proposal on American executive power, read some Kierkegaard (a fellow I deeply admire, if not always agree with) for a philosophy class, and son and so forth. As the saying goes, all work and no play make one a dull person, so I'll have to delay this important work, for the most eminent 'work' of all: relaxing and enjoying Christmas and New Years. I hope you all do the same!

Merry Christmas all,
Mike

Finals Finally Over & Back on the Island!

I can't believe finals are over! I felt like this day would never come, I unfortunatly was one of the few people who had finals in all five of my classes. And after countless hours spent in the library ( One of my favorite places on campus) I am home! It was so hard staying to the very last day I hated saying goodbye to all my friends. I already miss all of them, even though in a few short weeks we will be back together. It's funny how much of a family my friends have become.

Luckily for me driving back home was such a breeze with barely anyone on the road. The three and a half hour drive is so nice. And when I feel like leaving the car at school its just a quick Amtrak ride away from Penn Station to the LIRR! And theres always someone to travel with having a lot of LI kids at Siena. Today I was lucky enough to have one of my friends on the basketball team with me. Im not too big on driving alone, and might sort of kinda have a led foot =].

After one Dunkin Donut iced coffee, a blueberry muffin, 3.5 hrs, and a fight about Queens being located on LI I was home and welcomed with a foot and a half of snow. My brother still doesnt understand fully how cold, cold can be! It was still so much warmer here to me. This all brings me to right now just relaxing with my family and waiting for Dad's homemade pizza! Born thankfully to an Italian Chef food in my house is always delicious. Sorry Sera Hall, but dad's cooking is unbeatable!

...Time to Eat!! Have a Great Holliday!!!

- Liv<3

Things I've learned this past semester...

1. Senior year goes by fast. and I mean really fast. I'm already halfway done!

2. Baking brownies for your housemates is always a great idea during finals week.

3. Always attend Siena events. I won a new GPS system at our Relay for Life kickoff party!

4. Having a kitchen is awesome, but sneaking into Saga (our dining hall) is always fun.

5. Always keep on top of your course work. Cramming right before an exam doesn't work.

6. Becoming friends with faculty and staff at Siena is the best thing you could ever do. (that includes Admissions staff, professors, dining hall workers, and janitorial staff)

7. Always make sure you've got a pair of gloves and a scarf. It gets cold around here. really cold.

8. Don't forget to make time to hang out with friends. Before you know it, everybody will be graduating and parting ways.

9. Payday is always an awesome day. Especially when you are a broke college student.

10. Never forget to make time for fun. Its the only way you'll survive all the work, and its the only way to make your college time some of the best years of your life. Take advantage of all the opportunity you can get and live it up! Once you realize you're graduating in a few months, its too late to go back and re-do the past three years.

:o) I love Siena. And I love the person it has helped me become. And not to sound sappy, but I am really going to miss this place. So I guess the only thing left to do is to make the most of next semester!

I thought I was invulnerable to it, but that's not the case, and if I can't escape it, nobody can. I am, of course, referring to the feelings of nostalgia one has when they are faced with the specter of graduation. Now, fortunately, I have another semester here at Siena, but I have to say that this one really flew by. I remember thinking that high school zoomed on by, but I have to say college moves even faster. So enjoy it while it lasts!

As you may know, Siena is in the midst of final exam time. One Siena tradition during finals is what is referred to as the 11th Hour. The 11th Hour is something of a prayer service, led by the Franciscan friars in the chapel here on campus (at 11 o'clock at night of course). It is aimed at refocusing our attention and putting things in perspective. Every semester at the 11th hour the chapel fills up to capacity, some students even sit down in the aisles. After the service, students are treated to comfort food, such as donuts, muffins, and bagels. Students from every year come to this, and I have to say, this year, as a senior at Siena, I've never recognized so few people. You see, Siena is a tight-knit community, and, if you come here, you'll be seeing many familiar faces over the course of four years. So, I was wondering why I didn't seem to recognize as many people as I did in the past, and then it hit me. As a sophomore or junior, you are more likely to know not only the students in your class year, but also those in the class above and below you. Well, as a senior, there is no class above you, and quite frankly, you don't devote a whole lot of time to getting to know every underclassman. So there I sat, struck by the fact that my time at Siena is almost up...and then I proceeded to block that ever-encroaching reality from my mind.

But, then again, I wouldn't want to have to take finals for the rest of my life.

Take care,
Mike DiSiena

It's the Holiday Season!

Happy Monday, Everyone!

It's the final stretch of this 2009 fall semester! As Bianca has noted, today was the last day of classes and theres a brief sense of relief running through the dorms right now... That is until Wednesday when most finals start.

For me, I have my Religion Final on Wednesday, my Accounting Final Saturday (at 8:30 am... YIKES!), and my Math and Marketing exam on Monday... Unfortunately, I don't get to go home until the 23rd so I'm trying not to think about it too much so the days go by faster. It's always weird being here while everyone else goes home. Usually the dorms have this energy about them thats not comparable to anything else, but when residents start going home the dorms become too quiet for my liking... and, not going to lie... I do miss my residents when they leave.

But, until then Hines Hall is having their Holiday Party. Tonight at 10 p.m, 24 hour quiet hours start so we're letting all the residents get their last bursts of energy out before then.

I hope you all have a phenomenal Holiday Season, and I'll be back in January to blog for you again!

See you 2010,

Leanne

P.S- I attached a photo I worked on that I took during the first snowfall. The trees are right outside of Hines Hall if you face Spring Street. One of the greatest aspects of Siena is that although it's a college campus, you can still find beautiful nature every where you turn.. It's the "Franciscan" in us ;)

Last Day of Classes!

So today is the last day of classes for the fall semester! I have been consistently crossing big projects, papers, and presentations off of my to do list, so today has just been about enjoying the last bit of lecture time and preparing for my 3 final exams. I have not really gotten into studying for them yet, although my first exam is on Wednesday (Vertebrate Biology). I've been doing pretty well this semester, so I'm not too nervous. Also, I've become a lot more laid back about studying since freshman year. I remember coming in as a freshman and spending every waking hour reading and memorizing and studying! But then I began to find a balance during sophomore and junior year... I do not need to make myself nearly as crazy as I did as a Siena newbie. Studying is all about staying on top of material through the whole semester, not overloading or overstressing, and never ever cramming! Believe it or not, I've actually become quite calm when facing finals week.



I'll probably be hyperventilating on Wednesday morning though... I haven't quite mastered being calm right before the final yet. Maybe by my last semester as a Siena student, I'll figure that one out.



Good luck on finals everyone! And happy last day of classes :-)

A Semester at College is Like a Good Vacation

Yes, you heard me right. What do I mean? Well, like any good vacation, you very much look forward to beginning your journey, and you certainly enjoy it while you are in the moment, but, when all is said and done, you miss the prospect of spending more time "on vacation," but are, at the same time, ready to return home. As each semester winds down, I am struck both by the fact that I am closer to where I want to go with the great education that I have received at Siena, and closer to having to part with campus life, and leave many memories and opportunities behind. Fortunately, I have one more semester, and I shouldn't look to far ahead considering I still have finals for this semester.

The last few days have been particularly enjoyable. As a part of the Orchestra here on campus (Yes, that's right, we have an orchestra. I myself play this monstrosity) I get to maintain my musical skill all the while enjoying some very good music. The orchestra itself is under the instruction of Dr. Paul Konye, of the Creative Arts department here at Siena. We played a couple of pieces, but the highlight of the performance was Franz Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony" (poor fellow couldn't quite finish it before his time was up).

This past Saturday, was the famed Siena vs. UAlbany Basketball game. The game has become one of the most important events in area sports in recent years, and the Times Union Center was packed. Fortunately both our men's and women's teams won, making students and alumni proud of our Siena Saints. The night was special because not only did Gina Castelli win her 300th game as head coach of our Lady Saints, but because the MAAC Championship Banner, which the men's team won last year, was unfurled. You definitely feel a strong sense of school spirit when you attend games like this.

All the while, I'm finally wrapping up a few loose ends in terms of course work. Today I got back a term paper I had written for my Shakespeare course on Macbeth and Masculinity. I'd never taken an English course here at Siena yet, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. Evidently, I must have learned something, because the professor actually wanted to keep the paper for her files. I now consider myself living proof that even a simpleton like myself can master Shakespeare with proper instruction. In any case, I hope the trend continues.

Take care,
Mike DiSiena

BINGO!

Hey everyone, all excited for Christmas I hope. I am so excited to go home. School is getting pretty stressful with last minute tests, final exams and papers. It’s hard to take a step back and breathe. Although work has wrapped up most of my time, I did however have a very exciting Saturday last weekend. Nearly all of the Siena campus went to the Siena UAlbany, but since I wasn’t a big fan of basketball I went to go play some bingo. Lame I know. I didn’t plan on spending my night at bingo, but my friends dragged me to it. I never realize how much fun bingo was, and the prizes, WOW. When the Student Events Board puts on bingo, they go big. The grand prize was a Nintendo Wii. Other prizes included an ipod nano, Chilies, Dunkin Donuts, and Applebees gift cards, Cds, and DJ Hero. Decent prizes huh? I happened to be one of the luckiest kids on campus that night, which is probably a once in a lifetime thing, but I took home an Ipod Nano. Wooo hooo! If you come to Siena and question bingo, go! You never know what you will take home! =)

Take it easy...Josh