Siena Student Blogs

2010-06-10T15:16:00.005-04:00

My Trip to Washington D.C

2010-06-07T14:47:00.011-04:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you're all having a great summer and enjoying your time off! Congratulations Senior Class 2010, I know a lot of high schools have just had their graduations. I recently just got back from my trip to Washington D.C this weekend and I absolutely fell in love with our Nation's Capitol. I was visiting a recent Siena grad since he is now living in D.C and attending law school in the fall! After getting a tour of the area I was really surprised. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the neighborhoods in D.C, like Foggy Bottom, where he was staying, or Georgetown. I am a true New Yorker and I didn't think any city could top NYC, but maybe I was wrong. D.C is almost a cleaner NYC with lower buildings.

I was especially excited about going to the National Zoo! I am a huge animal lover and ever since I was small enjoyed going to the Bronx Zoo, but it was the only one I had ever seen. It was nice to venture out and go some where new. I was so impressed with how easy it was to get there, just a few stops on the metro and a little walking and you're right there!
I am now definitely jealous of all the students who get to do a semester in Washington D.C through Siena! I hope you all get the chance to visit sometime.

- Liv<3

Officially a Graduate

2010-05-27T18:56:00.003-04:00

May 16th, 2010. Commencement Ceremony.

It's official, I've graduated from Siena with a Bachelor of Arts degree!

I can't believe the past four years have gone by so fast! Siena was a great experience, and if I could turn back time, I'd definitely go to Siena again. Looking back, it was the right choice for me. I could talk forever about Siena, but it really won't mean anything to you until you visit Siena yourself and get a personalized tour from one of our many tour guides.

So good luck to all you out there looking at potential colleges. Hopefully if you decide to come to Siena, your experience will be as rich as mine.

Adios! y Buenos Suerte!

Indira

READ this Summer!

2010-05-20T19:10:00.002-04:00

No shoes, no shirts, no problems.

2010-05-19T14:57:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone!

It's finally summer time. I was at Siena until the 17th to close the Townhouses, but now I am back on the good old Island (Long Island) for the summer.

My summer consists of two jobs, 3 vacations, and hopefully some down time in between. I'm working at Macs again as an "Everything" girl. I do everything from sorting the plates in the kitchen, to designing marketing campaigns, to up-keeping the website. There's no real "job title" for what I do, but it keeps me busy. I'll also be working at a dental office doing insurance claims, and hopefully helping them launch their new website.

What I am enjoying about my summer jobs is seeing my education at Siena come into play. My main focus at Macs this summer is creating Marketing campaigns. I designed 3 separate designs and proposals within the past 36 hours and they've each been a huge success. Who says you don't learn anything in college?

But, I'm off to pack for my first vacation: CANCUN!!!

I'll give you an update when I come home :)

1 Month 27 Days 18 Hours & 4min till a Semester in AFRICA!

2010-05-13T16:53:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been super busy the last few weeks and haven't gotten to blog! Right now I am back home on Long Island just getting together the rest of my paper work for my visa to SOUTH AFRICA! I am so excited I leave July 11th and come back Novemeber 17th! This is the University I will be going to!

Certainly not your five minute walk to classes at Siena, but with those mountains I can def. handle it. Siena's Study Abroad Department really gives you the opportunity to go just about anywhere. A friend of mine is going to India and another Vietnam!

<3 Liv

3 Classes, 1 Exam, and a Thesis Defense :-)

2010-04-29T15:58:00.002-04:00

Sorry Mike... I had to copy you! Although, it looks like I might have a lighter load than you as we face the end of our time here at Siena.

This is it. I just had my last Tuesday-Thursday class at Siena (for those of you who do not know what this is, classes either fall on Monday-Wednesday-Fri or Tuesday-Thursday). I also had my last thesis meeting ever... By the way, my thesis defense is on Monday, May 3rd at 7pm in the Library (L26) for those of you who might be interested in coming!
This is just a bunch of "lasts," and I don't like it!

Soon I will be a Siena alum, moving on to earn my Ph.D. in Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
But before that, I want to enjoy my last two weeks here. As weird as it sounds, I'm going to try to enjoy the stress of finals, my defense, poster presentations, inductions, and studying. And I'm going to enjoy Senior Week with all of the friends that I have grown up with over these past four years.

*sigh*

~Bianca

4 Classes, Two Exams, and a Thesis Defense

2010-04-28T23:48:00.003-04:00

That just about sums up my remaining academic obligations as a Siena College student. I've really been soaking up my remaining weeks - or, perhaps better - days at Siena. It really has flown on by, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

Importantly, though, Siena has provided me with a quality education. I'm not finished yet and I'll be headed to law school, particularly, Washington and Lee University School of Law. Now, as I've mentioned, I am from Mechanicville, a grand total of twenty-five minutes from Siena. Washington and Lee is in Lexington, Virginia, about nine hours from home. That's what I call broadening one's horizons! There are some similarities to Siena from what I can tell, such as emphasis on fostering a tight-knit community. So, law school will be a new experience both academically and culturally, and I am very much looking forward to it.

Not just yet, though. Until graduation I'll be taking in every bit of Siena I have left!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

"Lawyers, I suppose, were children once."
~Charles Lamb

Last Week!

2010-04-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!

This is the last week of classes for all of us and its very hectic. Its truly amazing how quickly time goes by. I was recently talking with one of my friends about this year and I realized how great this year was. My first accomplishment was finally declaring a major (applause!). Its a relief to be on a track, even though I still have a whole list of things I want to do in life. My second accomplishment this year was finally officially becoming an RA. Being a resident assistant truly changed my life.I've met some great people (including my boyfriend, Dylan =]) and I know that many of the boys and I will still be friends even after they've left "mommys nest". My third major accomplishment this year was being able to juggle everything. Its so easy to become self absorbed when you see everything on your plate, overflowing onto the table but I didn't let that happen. My juggling had many mishaps, but I'm fortunate in that I always have family and friends supporting me.

Overall, this was a great year for me, and I can't wait for my junior year... Even though I'm still flabbergasted at the fact that two years have flown by SO quickly.

Until the summer,
Leanne

Graduation

2010-04-26T23:48:00.002-04:00

Wow, four years of Siena really does go by fast! It has really started to hit me lately that I'm almost done with Siena! We are currently in our last week of classes, and then next week is Finals! The actual graduation day is set for Sunday, May 16th.

I've been talking to my parents about plans for graduation and moving out. My mom was actually mentioning how proud she was of me, and how she wouldn't miss my graduation or any of the other celebrations for anything!

Many of the clubs are now coming to an end as well, so the leadership is being passed on to the next year's e-board. It is nice to pass on the responsibility of a club or organization to someone else, but it also makes you realize that you are moving on. Being the Captain of the Bhangra team certainly kept me busy, so passing on the responsibility isn't so bad, but at the same time, I'm really going to miss the team!

Moreover, I realized that academics are going to be very different for me! Next year I'll be going to Medical School. That means for the first two years, I basically attend lectures, study, and take exams. I'm pretty much done writing papers and my science classes won't have lab. Well, except for our anatomy lab in which we dissect cadavers, but that's not exactly the same thing as biochem lab.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that life passes by fast! If I've learned anything from it all, it is certainly to enjoy every minute of it! So be spontaneous, have some fun, achieve great things, and make some great memories of it all!

:o) To Siena's class of 2010, and to all the high school seniors about to graduate as well, Congratulations!

"Your Names Are Inscribed On Fames Immortal Scroll"

2010-04-16T00:20:00.005-04:00

One of the privileges of my time here at Siena has been attending, twice now, a trip to Gettysburg with my fellow students. The trip is organized and led by John Vallely, one of our librarians and a lecturer on U.S Military History. Each year Mr. Vallely takes students to the Battlefield and explains in detail the history of the battle and the significance underlying the many monuments found throughout the grounds. The stories of the sacrifices of those that fought those fateful days in 1863 were truly moving, and Mr. Vallely did an expert job in making the monuments come alive through his account of the battle.

While I'm a political science and philosophy major, I've always loved History, particularly U.S. History. Last year, when the opportunity presented itself to go to Gettysburg, a place I had never gone to before, I jumped at it. I am so glad I did then, and that I was able to do so again. One cannot go to those grounds, made sacred by the blood shed by tens of thousands of American soldiers, and leave unaffected. There are 1,400 monuments preserving the memory of the battle, but the one that strikes me most is the monument, pictured above, to the North Carolinians that fought for the Confederacy (for another angle, see here. The North Carolina monument, designed by the same fellow that designed Mount Rushmore, depicts the faces of actual men that fought in the battle, forever facing the field where Pickett's Charge occured. Behind the monument reads these moving words "To the eternal glory of the North Carolina soldiers. Who on this battlefield displayed heroism unsurpassed sacrificing all in support of their cause. Their valorous deeds will be enshrined in the hearts of men long after these transient memorials have crumbled into dust."

Defending a Year and a Half of Work

2010-04-15T16:35:00.002-04:00

So, I just got the go ahead today to schedule my Honors Thesis Defense, which is where my very hard work will be presented to the Siena College community, as well as to others who might choose to attend. I wrote my thesis on something called Just War Theory and how the changing character of war calls for modifications to this theory (it sounds like it could be dry, but I promise it is actually quite exciting!).
You may be wondering why I chose this topic since I am a Biology major. Well, the great thing about Honors Theses is that you can write pretty much about anything you want, even if it is outside your area of study. I happen to be a fan of philosophy, and I wanted to really do something substantial with this interest in my last year here. So here I am... with an almost finished work! I've written it all, and now I'm just revising here and there.
But anyway, my defense is probably going to be in the first week of May. I will be sure to post the date and time on here so anyone who is interested can attend. Pretty please???

Off to revise!

~Bianca

P.S. Here's a fun fact about the Honors Thesis... we get several copies of our work bound in the form of an actual book, and one copy stays in our library here!

Random thought of the day.

2010-04-14T15:26:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone!

I know it's been a while, but rest assured I will give you a more thorough update of my life in a later post. Currently, I'm about to run to my 3:40 class but I had this thought that I just had to share.

Why is it that when I go to Starbucks, or Coldstone and ask for a "small", I get questioned because I did not use the "correct" terminology. Listen, I can't keep up with all this jargon, and it is not fair of the barista to give me the cold shoulder when I do not say "venti". If these companies are so keen on using their terminology, they should print flyers and send them to all local residencies near their particular store so that when poor innocent souls like myself order their Birthday Cake Remix they say "Like it" rather than "small.

Ironically, I am off to "Business Communications" class. Perhaps today we'll learn why companies believe confusing patrons is beneficial in the long run.

Until Next week!

Leanne

The Fun Kind Of Homework!

2010-04-11T20:26:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone! Right now im in Standish Library trying to get a ton of work done tonight! Just me, my orange, and some fruit loops! Luckily some of my work is alot of fun, for example my photography class! Here are some of my photos from over the last few weeks!

<3Liv

Cherry Blossom Weekend in DC

2010-04-08T19:28:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone!

So for the Easter break, my family and I went to Washington, D.C. to visit my aunt, uncle, and their two little girls. And it just happened to be Cherry Blossom weekend (which we usually miss every year)! All of the cherry blossoms in D.C. were in full bloom. It was a really wonderful scene to behold... not only because of the gorgeous flowering trees, but also because of the hordes of happy people enjoying the first real spring weekend with family and friends. There were hundreds of kites and frisbees. People were snapping pictures and laughing and eating ice cream and just having an all around wonderful time. It really was a great way to spend a long weekend.

This brings me to my advice for the day (in my old, almost graduating age)... make sure when you get a break, you really do take a break. Try to set aside all of those end-of-the-semester worries and really take a breather. I've found this to be really important especially for Easter break, because after that it is full speed ahead to the end of the semester! Then you'll actually be refreshed and won't burn out when it matters.

Stop and smell the cherry blossoms!
And then it's back to the grind.

~Bianca

Here are some pictures from last weekend.
1) A picture my dad snapped of the Capitol while riding a Segway!
2) A close-up I took of the cherry blossoms down by the tidal basin.

The Annual King Lecture

2010-04-07T23:20:00.002-04:00

If you do so happen to come to Siena, I can guarantee that you will, at least once, find your way to the Martin Luther King Lecture Series. I raise this only because tonight I attended the Series for the second time during my stay here at Siena. The lecture is, as they say, kind of a big deal. It is organized and supported by a number of respected community leaders, and the speaker always has a distinguished record of accomplishment. This year's lecture was given by Dr. Charles Ogletree, a Harvard Law Professor and Director of that same institution's Center for Race and Justice.

Professor Ogletree delved into the hope of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and how that hope can continue to be put into practice today. His lecture was filled with a number of anecdotes about his interactions with the nation's leaders, including the President himself. It was a real privilege to hear from such an important leader in the field of law, and its relationship to race. I am always glad for the opportunity to listen to the scholars that Siena brings to campus. It is definitely one of the added benefits of going to College!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

Blocks,Bubbles, & Lady GaGa..

2010-04-01T20:19:00.007-04:00

I'm so glad to be back home with my family! I hope you enjoy my adorable baby cousin Matthew. He is the best part of home. The weather is beautiful so I hope you are all enjoying it too! At the same time its funny I do miss Siena!! And can't wait to get back, and can't wait to see a certain someone ;] ( Yep that's you Michael Ellement)

-Liv<3

Random Musings on the Passing Scene

2010-03-25T20:42:00.002-04:00

Hello all. The last time you heard from me, the Mock Trial Team and the Siena Basketball Team were on their way to their respective tournaments (for some reason or another, the Basketball team seems to have gotten more press). In any case, I can say, while we didn't advance, we represented Siena well and gave a good showing. As a four-year member of the Mock Trial Team, I can say that our team performed the best that I have ever seen at the National Tournament in White Plains, if not for a few points here or there, we would have advanced even further. The same holds true for the Men's basketball team, which fought to the very end against Purdue, a team that at one point was ranked third in the entire country. In any case, I think we Saints can all be proud of both performances.

Now that Mock Trial is completed, I can participate again in our school orchestra. I think I may have mentioned this before, but I am the resident percussionist. Tonight was the first practice I was able to attend this semester. We're playing a very nice piece of music that I was totally unfamiliar with before: Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in G . We're not exactly the Boston Pops, but I've always appreciated the opportunity to play in the orchestra.

On a completely different note, I would mention that, as Jefferson once said, the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time. In that spirit,the Siena Student Senate has asked a few students on campus, myself included, to review and alter the Senate Constitution in order to better meet the needs of the Siena student body. I've very much enjoyed being a part of the process, and hope the changes will be beneficial to the student body. That means you if you come next Fall!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2010-03-25T20:07:00.004-04:00

So, I was recently reminiscing about my time here at Siena, and I came across a thoroughly embarassing video that I wanted to share...
This is a video from my sophomore year, where a few of my friends and I decided to "perform" at Fall Fusion. Now if you're not familiar with Fall Fusion, it's a really fun show that the Asian Students' Association (ASA) puts on in the fall semester. It's full of performances by the Step Team, the Bhangra Team, individual dancers, musicians, and there is even a fashion show!
So this is a couple of us science major nerds doing a science major nerd themed dance. I'm the one that comes on with a blue backpack at the beginning. (And Indira didn't want me to tell you this, but she's in this too... she's the one that sits up at the front of the stage in the beginning) Shhh :-P

I'm really technologically challenged when it comes to this stuff, so I hope this works...

I'm off to study for my Biochem exam tomorrow! Ah! Talk to you all soon!

~Bianca

Sunshine!

2010-03-16T11:02:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone,

I had every intention of leaving you a video post today but, being me, I forgot my webcam at home. Maybe next week I can snatch my boyfriends computer for a few minutes to leave one for you.

It's a beautiful spring day here in Loudonville and I plan on breaking out the flip flops today :). My CSIS class ended last week, so now on Tuesdays and Thursday I don't have class until 4! Now, most people would sleep all day I'm sure (especially if you're like me and were up studying until 2am) but I find that incredibly non productive. This week is midterm week for me so it's a little hectic, but I must say... the sunshine is making me feel a lot better.

This past weekend I went home for Huntingtons St. Patricks Day Parade. The Parade ends at our restaurant, so for the occasion Verizon sponsors tents to be set up in our parking lot. It's pretty cool. Z100 was there, as well as ESPN and we were sponsored by Guinness. One of my favorite parts of working in the restaurant industry is all the free paraphernalia you receive from sponsors. Over the summer, Bacardi did a lot of events at Macs so I have about 4 Bacardi shirts, a muddler, cups, mints etc. Now, I have some Guinness supplies to add to the pile. I also might have an internship as well. Verizon was very impressed by all the marketing I did for the event (Yes, even from school I still work there. I'm responsible for the website, e-mail blasts, coming up with different promotions, writing letters to potential clients, proof-reading EVERYTHING, and "other) so they talked to my Dad about offering me an internship. This would all be contingent if they have spots open, but I'm crossing my fingers.

Alright everyone, I'm going to finish studying for my Econ Midterm this afternoon.

Until next week!

Leanne

Time for an Adventure

2010-03-12T13:27:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone!

I want to start off by saying how much I loved your video, Liv! You did a beautiful job on the set... I'm hoping to go see Perfect Pie this weekend! I hear it's really good.

Anyway, sorry guys that I've been so MIA lately! This is a crazy crazy crazy time! Right now I'm in the middle of a pretty tough semester. I'm teaching my Philosophy of Language class on Tuesday, so I'm trying to prepare for that, working on a term paper, studying for Biochem and trying to learn the intricacies of glycolysis, trying to figure out how do draw faces in my drawing class, choreographing 5 dances for the kids that I teach for their recital that's coming up in June, finishing up my senior thesis on just war theory (which I should have done in 2 weeks, yay!), trying to figure out where I'm going to graduate school for my Ph.D. next year, AND fundraising for my conservation expedition to South Africa this summer.

Yep, that's right... I am going to South Africa this summer with Operation Wallacea! You should definitely check it out! I was looking for an adventure after I finish my undergraduate education here and before I begin my graduate education, and a friend of mine told me about OpWall... which is a really amazing organization that holds research programs in places like Indonesia, Honduras, Egypt, Mozambique, Madagascar, Peru, Cuba, and of course, S.A. So I'm going there for about a month to help with monitoring endangered species, assessing damage to habitats, and aiding in the development of effective conservation programs! I've never been outside of my timezone before, so this is going to be a little scary for me. But it is definitely going to be worth it.
As I said though, I'm trying to get some funds together as it is pretty expensive to travel to S.A. (the World Cup is going to be there at the same time) as well as cover expedition costs. So I'm applying for a bunch of scholarships, and trying to get support from local companies. Does anyone have any suggestions??

Anyway... I'm off to teach some little ballerinas, but I'll talk to you all soon. Wish me luck!

~Bianca

My Virtual Tour of My Second Home On Campus

2010-03-12T12:13:00.002-05:00

Whirlwind!

2010-03-07T19:46:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in weeks... Like my title says.. this semester has been a WHIRLWIND! Can you believe it's already half way through the semester?

Life has been good over here. I've been busy with RA-Reapplications, Pathfinder Coordinator Interviews (yes, sadly it's time to pass the torch), Presidential Scholars and, of course, school work. It's incredible how getting involved can keep you so busy.

I'm very excited because tomorrow is my 20th birthday. I've reminded my mom for weeks now that her baby is now turning 20 and leaving the teenage years behind her. I still can't believe how quickly time flies.

But, I must run- I'm running entertainment for Presidential Scholars and the movie is about to start.

Until Next Week!

-Leanne

Happy Day!

2010-03-07T12:45:00.002-05:00

Alas, the weather is finally starting to get warm! It's a toasty 42 degrees right now, which is warm compared to our past few weeks. It's refreshing to be able to go outside with only a hoodie on and not need to bundle up! I'm expecting to see a lot more people walking around outside and smiling. Warm weather always puts me in a good mood!

Right now, I'm watching my roomate Bianca pace across the room. She's practicing her speech which she will be delivering in front of all the presidential scholars who are coming to Siena. These perspective students are in the process of deciding whether or not they would like to attend Siena. They come on Sunday and stay overnight with a Siena host student. Lucky them, it also happens to be the same day as a huge basketball game! Our men's basketball team is currentlly in the MAAC tournament. I'm not sure who they play today, but we expect a win! Thats why Admissions is taking all of the presidential scholars and their hosts to the game... for free! It will certainly be an exciting game! I'll have to see if I can get tickets still...

Well, I wish Bianca the best of luck with her speech. Although she is a fantastic public speaker. She's also auditioning to be the speaker at our graduation! And I also wish the Men's Basketball team luck, although they probably don't need it either. I guess today is just an overall happy day. Warm weather, speeches, and basketball.

Don't you wish you could be a Siena student??

Until next time,
Indira

Veni, vidi, vici!

2010-02-24T23:17:00.000-05:00

I refer to the Siena College's Mock Trial team success at the Syracuse University Regional Mock Trial Competition. Don't think I'm trying to take all the credit with my choice of title, I'm simply not sure what the plural form of the latin perfect tense is. As I was saying, I have the pleasure of reporting that Siena's Mock Trial team, of which I am a member, advanced to the National round of competition. The team itself has only been around for seven years at Siena, and this is now our third time making the Nationals (twice in the last three years). While Mock Trial is taught as a class at many undergraduate institutions it is purely extracurricular here at Siena. We are able to be competitive against other teams due to the excellent 'coaching' of Siena's Jurist in Residence and Siena alum Sonya Von Bortel. It would not work without the dedication of our coaches and the dedication of each member of the team. So, much of my week has been focused on refining my material for the team for the next round of competition. The next round will be held in White Plains, New York, which, with all due deference to my cohorts from Westchester County, is a far cry from Tucson, Arizona (where we ventured two years ago to compete on the National level). Nonetheless, the competition is bound to be formidable. In any case, as the Little League Baseball pledge goes: "I will play fair and strive to win, but win or lose, I shall always do my best." I've found that that phrase is applicable to almost every situation in life, but I digress.

In any case, take care.
Mike DiSiena

Table-talk

2010-02-14T18:59:00.002-05:00

One of the best parts of Siena is the great community you build with your fellow classmates. Over the course of the weekend, I attended multiple social events and everywhere I went, I felt like I always had a ton of friends to catch up with. It is almost like having a huge family, so you're never without a friend.

Just today, I spoke on a panel for the Presidential Scholars weekend. My audience was prospective Siena students and their parents. I spoke about doing my independent study about poverty in Honduras. Afterwards, my roomate Bianca asked me if I wanted to go down to the Women's Center for an event. They had beads made by Ugandan women and we all made bracelets. I left a little early because I wanted to go back and cook dinner for myself. I was starving.

Mid-way through me cooking dinner, Bianca came home with Paul, a friend who had gone to the Women's Center event with us. They had gotten subs at the wrap-shop and were eating dinner at the table while I was cooking. Then Aly stopped by, she is a former Siena student who is currently in optometry school. She was on campus for the weekend, so she stopped by to say hi for a few minutes.

After cooking, I joined Bianca and Paul at the table and at my dinner. I realize this sounds really silly and simple, eating dinner with friends, but it was a very reassuring feeling that I had. Your friends at Siena really do become family after four years. Its great to have a friend randomly stop by your townhouse and sit down for dinner every once in a while. When I leave Siena, I'm certainly going to miss all my friends and how close we all were.

ps, Happy Valentines Day!

Until Next Time,
Indira

Happiness in a Jar

2010-02-13T23:14:00.003-05:00

So Nutella, anyone?
If you have not yet discovered the amazing chocolate/hazelnut creamy goodness of this spread... then you are seriously missing out. I'd have to say it's up there in my Top 5 secrets for getting through college. No joke. When I'm really stressed out or have a lot of work to do (as is the case currently... why else would I be blogging at 11:30 on a Saturday night??), Nutella makes it all better. I'm currently enjoying its decadent goodness with some pretzel rods. The sugar keeps me going, the use of it as a reward keeps me motivated, and its delicious-ness keeps me happy.
A friend of mine introduced me to this tasty product my freshman year, and I don't know how I ever got along without it. Nutella has been a loyal friend. Indira and I were actually just talking about whether a contest to win a lifetime supply of Nutella exists somewhere in the world... if anyone knows about one, then let us know!
So anyway... I highly recommend it. It'll be the best decision you and your stomach ever made :-)

Well I'm off to edit some of my thesis, and perhaps finish of this jar of happiness.
Until next time!

~B

The Torch Has Been Passed

2010-02-10T20:59:00.002-05:00

This evening the 2009 Summer Legal Fellows (of which I am one) presented their experiences to the incoming batch of potential Fellows. For those of you who haven't the foggiest notion of what I'm referring to, let me explain. During the summer after their junior year, select students are given the opportunity to study on-site at a number of law schools, generally located throughout the Northeast. At each respective school or clinic, students undertake research-intensive work pertaining to a particular area of law. For long-time followers of this blog, you may remember that I spent my fellowship at the Feerick Center for Social Justice, based in the upper fringe of Midtown Manhattan. I consider my experience there to be among the most valuable and fruitful that I have had during my years at Siena. If any of you folks out there have even a remote interest in law, I would strongly recommend the Summer Legal Fellows Program.

On a somewhat related note,I'll be venturing Syracuse University this week along with my fellow Mock Trial teammates. Mock Trial is fairly new at Siena; I believe this is the seventh year we've 'fielded' a team. (Perhaps 'courted' the better term?) In any case, my membership on the team for all my years here started rather serendipitously, if you will. I come from a rather small high school, and opportunities such as Mock Trial were unheard of. Fast forward to my first few weeks at Siena and I find an email notifying the student body of Mock Trial 'tryouts,' and supplying directions as to how the tryout would be run. I figured I had nothing to lose, tried out for the team, and have been a member ever since. I am convinced I made the cut that year due to my Bermanesque voice.Subsequent to freshman year though, I'd like to think my knowledge and ability became a factor in my role on the team. In any case, over a semester of work comes to its culmination at Syracuse University this weekend!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

"When you break the big laws, you do not get freedom; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws."~G.K. Chesterton

Time Flys By When Your Having Fun!

2010-02-09T20:47:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry it has been a little while. I am in such disbelief that I have been back here at Siena for almost an entire month! Crazy how time goes by so fast when you have classes, work, clubs, sports, and other activities every day. I have just been so happy being back here with my friends. Tonight I had an Intramurals Basketball game it was a lot of fun despite the fact we lost. We def. should have won too but were all a tid bit out of shape so running up and down the court drained all our energy real quick. Personally I did decent put up some points and made some good assits.

Now unfortunatly I have to get a move on with my homework.I have to study for a Finite Math test tomm. It shouldn't be too hard at all, it's more reviewing. But it is so hard to move on to Math when I am having so much fun doing my Photography h.w. My photo class is one of my favorite classes here. I feel like eqch week I gain a different perspective on the world around me. I also learn how to make better use of my camera and all the functions it has. Last week I was working on a shape and form project and this week it is texture. For texture I used all our bath towels and my roomates star fish.

Im having a hard time uploading my photos so check me out on Flickr!
www.flickr.com/photos/livy-b

Mr. Siena 2010!

2010-02-09T12:26:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday was our annual Mr. Siena show. It's a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. This year there were 8 male contestants and they competed in a pageant. They were judged on Habitat wear, talent, and formal wear.

I have to say, I look forward to Mr. Siena every year. There are always some really funny talents and its great seeing all the guys you know compete with one another for the title. The first Mr. Siena of 2007 actually made an appearance as well, Pat Farley. He lives in the area and is always making appearances at different events.

Here's a picture of all the contestants plus the MCs Fr. Dennis and Brian.

Alex Mazza, a sophomore ended up winning. Although I think all the boys did such a great job. It was definitely a show to remember!

Until next time,
Indira

Been a while...

2010-02-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone...it’s been a while since we've been in touch. My apologies, school has been super crazy and vacation was full of traveling to see family and friends. A lot has happened since I have returned to Siena. School work has been the main focus of my attention, between the four lectures and four labs, however this semester has been a little more unique. Since the beginning of the term, one of my classes has been introduced to a neat program. I'm not supposed to say too much about it since the program is just being developed, but our physics class is using a new software called "Matlab". Within Matlab we are able to set up a number of different applications. Force vectors, electric fields of particles, positions of particles during their encounters with particles, etc....I know this may sound kind of geeky, but it’s a really nice way of visualizing the problems we solve in class after crunching the numbers. I am a hand’s on learner so it’s a good conceptual tool to see our answers, through the support of mathematics. The program is still being tested, meaning there are still some bugs in the system that our class can inform the designers about, but overall it’s a pretty solid tool for the class to learn from. I think it is really neat that we get to be the guinea pigs for something like this. We use other computer software like Logger Pro, excel and such for chemistry, but it’s cool to be able to say you were the first to work on it....Well, anyways, that’s all I got for you today, hope you all are enjoying the weekend. I am going to do the same.

Take care....Josh Baillargeon

Double Helix

2010-02-04T15:14:00.003-05:00

In case you were wondering...
That's me with Dr. James Watson, the man who was part of the dynamic duo (Watson and Crick) that discovered the structure of DNA and kicked off one of the biggest revolutions in the world of science: genetics! And yes, he's a Nobel Prize Winner, the author of many famous scientific articles and books, and the founder of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which is where I was interviewing for a Ph.D. program this past weekend. During this 4-day interview process, in which I interviewed with 15 faculty members (who were incredible scientists!), I got an opportunity to speak with Dr. Watson himself. And it was a great honor. It was my first ever interview for a Ph.D. program so I was definitely nervous, but it actually turned out very well. I learned a lot about the program there, and I hope that I helped them to learn a lot about me and who I am as a student and a scientist.
When I first learned about DNA in grade school, that's when I decided I wanted to be a scientist (a geneticist to be exact)... a goal that was sparked by the man I shook hands with last Saturday.
I hope that one day I can spark that same curiosity and desire to learn in others. I guess we'll have to see...

~Bianca

Time flies!

2010-02-03T09:51:00.003-05:00

Hey Everybody!

How's everyone doing a month into the new year? I'm sure you all just got your applications for college in (if you hadn't already done so)... so, now... all you can do is... wait. (The worst part of the entire experience if you ask me... that's why I applied early and only applied to two schools. I'm rather impatient.)

Life here at Siena has been non-stop. I'm taking 5 business classes this semester so it's very important that I stay on top of my work and don't procrastinate. I'm actually very proud of myself; This week, I have completed all my work that was due next week. I'm usually never this far ahead of the game, but tomorrow I'm going to see Lewis Black at Palace Theatre and Friday I'm going home for the weekend, so in order to be able to enjoy everything I had to put the petal to the metal and get everything done. You always know it's time to go home when your Dad calls you 4 times a day and at the end of each phone call he says "So, you're definitely coming home this weekend, right?". Not going to lie though... I miss my parents too :-)

But, I must get back to the world of classes, meetings, activities, and fun. Before I go, I would like to pay tribute to my favorite author. Jerome David Salinger died last week at the age of 91. He is one of the greatest American authors of all time, and has greatly influenced many lives. His death is a great loss to literature, and he will forever be idolized.

"An artists only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone elses"

- J.D Salinger

Presidential Scholars Come to Visit!

2010-01-31T18:07:00.002-05:00

Today the Presidential Scholars have arrived! These are all students who meet the requirements for Presidential Scholars and have already been accepted to the school. They attend Sessions on Sunday with their parents, go to a nice dinner with a guest speaker, and then the students stay overnight with a student host. Then, on Monday, the students get a tour, have a few more sessions, and call it a day. Through the entire process, the students get a good look at what Siena has to offer so they can better judge whether or not we are a good fit for them.

Today, I was asked to sit on one of the panels as a student speaker. I spoke on behalf of the Liberal Arts Independent Study option. As of right now, I am finishing up my own Independent study. Its a great way for me to finish up my Spanish minor and get the last three credits I need. In order to do so, I have to write a 15-20 page research paper in spanish. I am writing my paper on Poverty in Honduras because this past summer, I did a two month service trip to Honduras. I was able to incorporate many of my experiences into my paper.

The great thing about the Independent Study is that I get to choose my topic and write what I am passionate about. Its also a direct application of what I have learned in my classes to an experience that I had. I love how Siena has so many options when it comes to classes and how flexible they are to work with you. Your Siena experience is really what you make of it, and if you use all the resources available to you, let me tell you, its quite the experience.

Below is a picture of me while I was in Honduras!

Until next time,
Indira

Mission Accomplished...Almost

2010-01-27T20:11:00.004-05:00

I know a lot of you folks out there have already been accepted into colleges and are probably spending the rest of your high school days on academic autopilot. I particularly remember being accepted at Siena pretty early in the admissions cycle. I had two reactions: "thank God," and, "my school year just ended." Well, I just recently got accepted into one of the law schools that I had applied to and my intial reaction this time was quite similar to when I got my Siena acceptance in the mail over three years ago: "thank God," and, well, "thank God" again. I have to say though, the second half of my reaction was different. Instead of wanting to triumphantly declare the end of my undergraduate academic career, I actually felt more motivated to excel at my schoolwork. Weird, right? Scary what college will do to you. In all seriousness though, I am taking a few classes this semester that I find genuinely interesting, such as Religion and the Founding Fathers, to name one. Still though, it is an immense relief to have been accepted into law school, which was a goal of mine throughout college.

Oh, and by the way, what Bianca says about Siena Basketball...completely true. I am a huge football and baseball fan, and I'll even admit to having rooted for the New York Knicks for a year or so during my naive youth, but basketball was never really something that I followed much. Well, I come to Siena, and all of a sudden I've turned into a NCAA Basketball fanatic. See for yourself:

Games attended Freshman year: 0
Games attended Sophomore year: 2
Games attended Junior year: a lot
Games attended Senior year: every home game so far

Pretty clear trend I would say.

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

Morning Wake-Up Call!

2010-01-25T10:47:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! My apologies for not writing recently. Winter Break was awesome, I spent most of my time at home catching up with my sister. Its rare that we're ever in the same place for an extended period of time, so during breaks when we are together, all we do is hang out.

And now, I'm back at Siena and the semester is already well on its way! Coming back for my final semester has got me thinking about how much I'm going to miss this place. But its really the small details that make the experience. Like the mornings! I'm certainly not a morning person, but my mornings always get started on a happy note.

The routine starts when my roomate Bianca gets up before me. She's always an early riser. I always tell her to make sure I get up at a decent hour with enough time to get ready for classes. Bianca and I usually alternate turns as to who gets to choose the music for the morning. We've always got music playing, its a requirement for our morning routine. And then we start to get ready for the day, I brush my teeth and make sure I start a pot of coffee (I love coffee. Its the only way I get through morning science classes!). Then Bianca usually checks the weather and I ask her what to wear. She usually helps me pick out my outfit because I'm always indecisive. And then we head downstairs for a bit of breakfast before we're out the door!

I really do extremely dislike getting up in the mornings, but when you get to do it with your best friend, its not so bad. I'm going to miss having someone to get ready with once I graduate.

But... I've got a whole semester of fun before I have to start thinking about that!

Until next time....

First Week!

2010-01-21T23:36:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!

It's the first week back at Siena (for students... I've been here since last Thursday for training) and it's sure been hectic. I have a confession... I ALWAYS get nervous my first few days of classes. I get nervous I'm going to be late, or going to be in the wrong class or my professor is going to scare me, so I always arrive at least 10 minutes early, scope out the surroundings, get a good a seat and settle on the first day. I try and play it off like I'm not nervous, but I am. I LOVE my professors this semester. It's very reassuring when a professor e-mails the roster and her name has 3 titles after it. You know you're being taught by someone impressive when you see that, lol.

I'm currently on duty but nothing too exciting is happening. It's funny; I'm actually on duty with my RA from last year. She was the reason I wanted to be an RA, so it's great being on her staff now. I went to the basketball game before duty, and it was a close game! But, Siena prevailed and won once again... Hello, second longest winning streak at home in the NCAA! I love going to the games because there is such a sense of community. People from all over the capitol region attend and rave about our team. It's also fun because a few of the players are actually my residents. I love cheering them on :)

But, alas.. I must go on a round of the building. But, before I go- Thanks Bianca for the shout out :) I hope that little acts of kindness like the one the Pathfinders did will influence others to realize that small acts of kindness go a long way.

Until next week!

- Leanne

P.S.- Attached is a picture of a few us during RA training after we saw "Avatar" (GREAT MOVIE).. Oh, and that middle guy... he's my boyfriend :)

Go Saints!

2010-01-21T17:10:00.003-05:00

Ok so if there's one thing you must do if you are going to be, already are, or were a Siena student... it is go to a home men's basketball game at the Times Union Center. We are big on our basketball here, and it shows. Whenever there is a home game, students pile onto the free buses all decked out in green and gold and rush into the TUC and get discounted tickets with their Siena IDs (Saint Cards). It's loud and fun, and just an altogether good time. That's where I'm headed in a little bit. We're playing Loyola... so this should be a good game. And so far, we've had a wonderful season. I'm predicting another MAAC tournament win, and an even better run at the NCAA tournament. We've got such a great team... and they certainly always have a great audience.
So remember... get to those games and enjoy a little bit of our Siena Saints Spirit!

~Bianca

P.S. This picture is from when we won the MAAC tournament last year and everyone stormed the court!

Spring Cleaning!

2010-01-20T17:51:00.003-05:00

Okay so it may not feel like spring just yet but the roomates and I sure did some spring cleaning this week! After moving back in we all realized that we may have brought back a bit too much! However, we all seemed to make it fit, even the messy roomate, me! We also got a new roomate which was pretty exciting. I now have two crazy Floridian Water Polo players living with me =] We all get a long so well and im looking forward to roomate bonding in a little bit. Kind of cheesy yes but we have some fun activities planned. Of course I have to still get done the homework I have, yes homework alreadsy second day back.

Despite the homework Im so excited for my spring classes. I'm getting a lot of my core classes done so I can focus on my major and minor! I had Finite Math this morn, which is looking very promising to be pretty basic and easy enough for me. The best part of Siena's academics are its wide variety of classes to take and making sure there classes for those who aren't experts in the subject. And believe me I have not taken math since junior year of highschool. Despite the up coming stress of classes, tests, and papers, I always look forward to the begining of the semester. New classes and a fresh new start to be whatever kind of student you want to be, and new first impressions to make to show your teachers your serious and want to do well. And of course being the nerd I am NEW SCHOOLS SUPPLIES!!! I love new school supplies =] Come on who doesnt?

Well im going to start my homework and go to my basketball intramurals meeting!
<3 Liv

NYC Adventure!

2010-01-15T10:23:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone!

So yesterday, to try to have some fun at the end of break, my mom and I ventured to New York City (which happens to be only 2-3 hrs from Siena)! Normally, I'm not much of a city lover, but I really had a lot of fun on this trip. When we got down to the city, we stopped for some breakfast at an amazing English restaurant, The Breslin. I've been told that if you're going to eat English food, eat breakfast for every meal of the day. And now I understand why... the breakfast was wonderful (and apparently lunch and dinner aren't so great). Then we stopped over at the Fashion Institute of Technology to go to their fashion exhibits, with clothing from the 1800s to the present. It was incredible to see real-life dresses and outfits that were made so long ago, and also to see the progression of fashion since then. Once we left FIT, we were inspired to do some clothes shopping of our own, as I was in desperate need of interview outfits for my graduate school interviews (which are coming up very soon!). And the search was successful! Trying on all of those suits and business-wear made me feel very grown up, though... and looking at the price tags made me feel too grown up!
The best part of the day is when my mom and I went to the Russian Tea Room, which she has always wanted to go to since she was a little kid. It is simply stunning. The architecture and decorations are beautiful. The tea is, of course, fabulous. We had a wonderful time, and the smile that it put on my mom's face was worth the world to me.
After high tea, we walked around the city when it was all lit up, but then we realized we had to get to our MegaBus in 10 minutes! And there were about 20 blocks to go! A rickshaw driver noticed that we were rushing, and asked if we wanted a ride. So we said "why not?" And we hopped in. And let me tell you... it was the craziest ride I have ever been on! He was speeding in between cars and jumping over potholes, and nearly running over pedestrians! While I was scared for my life, it was incredibly fun! And we got to our bus on time.
I'd say, all in all, it was a day well spent, and a great end to my last Christmas break!

~Bianca

P.S. I would like to congratulate Leanne, the other Pathfinders coordinators, and all of the Pathfinders for all of their hard work on Project Linus. This is a wonderful accomplishment!
I hope that we can harness this feeling of community, and the hardwork and dedication that you all possess to address the call for help coming from Haiti. I know that our Siena spirt can pull us all together to help out and really make a difference in the lives of people who need strength, love, and a little bit of hope.

And So It Goes

2010-01-13T23:25:00.002-05:00

Well, this time next week I will be back in class. On second thought, that's not true, seeing how I've managed my schedule so that I don't have classes on Wednesdays, or Mondays for that matter. I was always somewhat envious of my friends who had days without any classes during the weekday, and now I'm looking forward to experiencing that myself. I will say my Thursdays will be practically like a workday. I have class from 8:30 right to 3:00...that should be interesting. Regrettably, its my last semester at Siena. This semester I'll fulfill all of my required classes I need in order to graduate. That means I'll be taking a Spanish course for my philosophy major. Its been several years since I've taken Spanish so that class will be sure to jog my memory. I'm also taking Early Modern Philosophy, The 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments, Religion and the Founding Fathers, as well as continuing my thesis and the Symposium on Living Philosophers course which is a year-long course. As usual I anticipate being fairly busy, which, for better or worse, will make the semester fly by.

There are a few things I am glad to have finished over break. Chief among them is applying to law school. I've applied to eight very different law schools: Albany, Boston University, Catholic University, University of Florida, Fordham University, George Mason University, Washington and Lee University, and William and Mary. Another law school has caught my eye that I may well apply to, but that is it for the moment. I'll let you know where I end up going, but instead of continually anticipating a letter in the mail from a school, I think I will content myself with enjoying the waning days I have at the school that I know and love, the eponymously named Siena College (although no, it is not named after me...yet).

TrustCo Bank Award for Excellence!

2010-01-09T23:03:00.004-05:00

Happy Saturday Night, Everyone!

Yes.. I know it's 11:04 p.m. on a Saturday, but I had quite the exhilarating day and I just had to share it with you! Today, Pathfinders (A club that I'm one of four coordinators with) received an "Award of Excellence" for our work with Project Linus during halftime of the Saints basketball game against Niagra. Words can not described how honored I feel (and, I think I can speak for the rest of the coordinators in saying that). Standing center court with Father Mullen (President of Siena) in front of 8,068 people was one of the best experiences of my life. Since I do not think my words can describe how much this award meant, I'm going to paste for you the exact words that were said when we were walking down on court;

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE TRUSTCO BANK 'AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE' RECOGNIZES INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE SIENA COMMUNITY FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS AND SERVICE... UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SIENA ADMISSIONS OFFICE... A GROUP OF CARING STUDENTS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE TO THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT NEED IT MOST WITH SERVICE AND KINDNESS ...IN DECEMBER THE SIENA PATHFINDERS, A VOLUNTEER-STUDENT- AMBASSADOR CLUB DISCOVERED A MOST UNIQUE WAY TO SHOW THEY CARE...THEY JOINED A MOVEMENT CALLED PROJECT LINUS...A NATIONWIDE ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES HOME-MADE BLANKETS TO ORPHANAGES, HOMELESS SHELTERS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS, AND CHILDREN'S CAMPS...THE SIENA PATHFINDERS...A GROUP OF OVER 160 SIENA STUDENTS TEAMED UP WITH CHAPTER IN ALBANY TO MAKE BLANKETS...THE SIENA STUDENTS RAISED OVER $900 DOLLARS TO PURCHASE MATERIAL AND THEN THEY THREW A PARTY... A "BLANKET MAKING PARTY" ..THE SIENA PATHFINDERS CRAFTED 50 BLANKETS IN TWO HOURS...AMIDST FUN AND LAUGHTER---ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE. IT IS WITH HONOR AND APPRECIATION THAT SIENA COLLEGE PRESIDENT FATHER KEVIN MULLEN AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JOHN D'ARGENIO PRESENT THE TRUSTCO BANK AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO THE SIENA PATHFINDERS.... ACCEPTING ON BEHALF OF THE SIENA PATHFINDER....THREE SOPHOMORE COORDINATORS... LEANNE GELISH, ERIC GUZMAN AND SHAWN REAP

I was fortunate in having a partner for my 3 hour roadtrip; My wonderful Mom. Sometimes, when you're at college its as if you're in a different world entirely separate from your parents. Grades, everyday activities, club involvements etc tend to be forgotten in conversations just because there's so much to talk about, so for me it was great to be able to share this experience with my biggest fan. I know she was in awe of the whole experience, and this is something both of us will remember forever.

In other news, I go back to Siena THURSDAY for RA Winter Training. I'm excited to go back, but it'll be much better when everyone else returns on January 18th.

Well, I'm exhausted from today, and there's a new episode of Bridezilla on (Seriously, what a phenomenal show. Really teaches you how NOT to act on that special day) so I'm going to go. But, before I go I have two last things. First, I would like to publicly thank Pathfinders two Admissions Counselors who helped us with this entire project- Diana and Lauren; THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING! If it wasn't for your help we wouldn't be where we are today. You two are phenomenal people.

Secondly- I would like to attach a youtube video of the Pathfinders making the blankets (that was made by Diana).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRPFk7PD1Ns

I'll see you all soon!
-Leanne

My Last Semester Approaches

2010-01-08T08:53:00.009-05:00

In a little more than a week I will be starting my last semester at Siena College. This does not make me happy. Spring semester always flies by, and I'm sure because I don't want this one to, it's going to fly by even faster. I've gotten a lot done over this break so I don't have to worry about it once the semester is in full swing, but I know the workload and finishing everything up is going to eat up all my time. I'm taking Biochemistry, Drawing, Philosophy of Language, finishing up my Honors Thesis on Just War Theory, publishing my research on heat shock proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, writing a reflection paper about my service experience during my undergraduate career, and interviewing at graduate schools. It's going to be a packed semester, which always cranks up the speed.

Luckily, I'm going to get a few opportunities to slow down and really think about my time here at Siena. I'm actually going to be speaking at one of the Presidential Scholars events in March! So if any of you reading this are a Presidential Scholar, you might get to hear me talk about my Siena experience on your visit here.

Well I'm going to go try and be productive before I have to go to work at Albany Berkshire Ballet. Talk to you all again soon!

~Bianca

P.S. It's currently snowing outside, so I thought that this Calvin and Hobbes strip was fitting. Anyone want to make a snowman with me? I'm sure once school starts back up I'll get some recruits to make snowmen on the academic quad. :-)

Babysitting Munchkin!

2010-01-07T16:45:00.003-05:00

Happy 2010 Everyone!!

I'm sorry I didnt get a chance to blog yesterday but I was so worn out from babysitting! My cousin Matthew is 19months and adorable. Every tuesday, wednesday, & thursday he wakes me up early and literally pulls the covers off of me. As usual yesterday 7:10 rolled around and I heard " Up Oiya!" coming from the end of my bed! It really is adorable how he can't say the letter " l" and of course we eat breakfast and afterwards "cudder" with the crayons. It's amazing how much he knows and how intellegent he is at such a young age. I spent the majority of the morning teaching him the colors of the crayons and his knowledge of just the primary colors was added to by purple, orange, & teal!

I put him down after breakfast for a nap and found myself getting the oppertunity to catch up on some reading I had wanted to do. Unfortunatly, he only napped an hour and I was only able to read a few chapters of Pride Prejudice and Zombies. Despite the corny table it really is a fun read, if your in to Jane Austen or just Zombies! I happen to be a huge Jane Austen fan and have read everything that has evolved from Pride and Prejudice, such as Mr. Darcy Vampyre, and Kitty Bennetts Story. I must admitt Mr. Darcy Vampyre was highly entertaining and might be a runner up to the Twilight Series Books. I have the good fortune of going to see New Moon again tonight with my mom. I might be a tad bit obsessed, but who is'nt? I have even started trying to get my friend Mike to pick up Twilight.

So after a failed attempt at Matthew playing by himself I decided to make some good old block soup with him! We added alot more red blocks for flavor =]. And then his favorite show Pinky Dinky Doo came on. We had a great time singing the theme song together, although im sure if any one of my friends would have seen me they would think I was crazy. Following the show was our favorite part of the day playing with the Hess trucks untill my cousin came to pick him up. I was so exhausted I took a nap and finished my book. And now im even more excited to take a trip to the library hopefully next week.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
<3 Liv

Criminally Minded

2010-01-07T00:41:00.002-05:00

I rarely watch television much anymore. I think the decline is, in part, due to my effort to keep up with my schoolwork. I used to watch political talk shows (colossally nerdy, I know, but politics is something of an addiction for me), ESPN, and the news (more politics). With the spare time that comes with a break off from school, and the almost inevitable lethargy that sets in, I have again taken up channel surfing. I made one very fortunate discovery the other day of a program by the name of Criminal Minds. The only reason I stopped to watch the show was because Jason Alexander, of Seinfeld fame, was wearing a funny white wig and sporting a quirky goatee. Needless to say, I was hooked. Evidently, the show has been around since 2005, which ought to show you how out of it I am when it comes to t.v. series. Having just taken a Criminal Law class at Siena, I find myself thinking about the legal aspect of the show's plot lines. What is the crime? How would it be prosecuted? You get the idea. So there you have it folks, your education is bound to follow you no matter where you go or what t.v. program you just happen to flip on. Choose your college courses wisely.

...What do I do with all this time?

2010-01-04T18:22:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Now, I know semester breaks are supposed to be utilized to relax... but, I'm done relaxing. I'm bored. I need something to do already. I just came home from a weekend in Connecticut and I've already planned a "to-do" list for this week. First on my to-do list; get some of my more recent pictures developed and framed. I've decided I'm going to put them around my house, and replace some that are in my room. Second task for this week; READ! I have missed reading so much. I mean, I take English classes for my minor so I read all the time, but I haven't been able to read just to read, so I've picked up a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald for this week to pass some time. Third task; Paint. I want to surprise my parents and repaint one of our rooms. It was recently painted over the summer, but NO ONE likes the color, so I'm going to prime it, paint it, and decorate it. I watch the HDTV channel too much. I'm also working a few days this week, and traveling up to Albany for the Trust-Co award that was given to Pathfinders for our work with Project Linus. I'm finally BUSY again!

... Oh, and you may be wondering what my resolution is this upcoming year.. Well, I'm typically against them, BUT, this new decade I have one resolution for myself; FIND BALANCE! There are many times during the semester when I become too focused on one thing; whether it be my school work, my job (s), or friends that I forget to take a step back, and find that happy median. It was a rough road last semester with everything, and although I came out of it just barely scathed, I know I can make this semester run much smoother.

Here's to 2010!

Until next time,

Leanne

What He Said...

2009-12-31T15:33:00.005-05:00

Happy last few hours of 2009, everyone! This has certainly been an interesting year, but I'm glad for it to be over. Isn't it strange how New Year's always feels like we're wiping the slate clean and starting fresh, even though nothing around us is changing at all? There aren't any changes in weather, in the day/night cycle, and there aren't any strange signs indicating that a new year has indeed begun (aside from a giant, sparkly ball falling in Time Square). Maybe some attitudes are changed for a couple days, with resolutions being made (or not, as Mike showed with his Calvin and Hobbes quote... nicely done), but soon everyone is back to the same old same old.

But whether I end up feeling very different or exactly the same when the clock strikes 12 tonight, I know that 2010 is going to be a big year for me. I have no idea what I will be doing in 2010. I don't even know where I will be living! Everything is all up in the air until I start hearing from graduate schools and start thinking about where I want to be and what I want to do. It's a little scary, but I know I'm not in this alone.
So come on 2010... I'm ready for you.

~Bianca

Hello 2010!

2009-12-31T00:58:00.002-05:00

Might I point out that it's nearly two weeks since the beginning of winter and we've only had one significant snow storm (at least where I am) and there is hardly any snow on the ground at all. This would be catastrophic if not for the fact that ski resorts are able to make their own snow.

But I digress, after all, we're on the cusp of a new year. I was always fond of New Year's Eve, mostly because I go to my Aunt and Uncle's house (father's side) to count down the New Year. You see, for Christmas, my relatives from my mother's side of the family head on up from Staten Island. It's always a pleasure to see them, but, seeing how I have no cousins from that side of the family, all of them are on the verge of qualifying for social security, that is to say, ahem...old. My father's side is different, I am one of eleven cousins, and when you put us all together in one spot, we were prone to wreak havoc. Being the youngest of them, I always became the scapegoat for anything and everything that went wrong, I was even given the moniker "Low man on the totem pole." Family is family though, and it never gets old, so that's where I'll be heading to bring in the New Year.

I leave you with this, from Calvin & Hobbes, the greatest comic strip ever conceived by man:

Hobbes: "Are you making any resolutions for the new year?"
Calvin: "Resoultions? Me?? Just what are you implying? That I need to change?? Well buddy, as far as I'm concerned, I'm perfect the way I am!"

Brilliant.

Happy New Year!

Off to Work I Go!

2009-12-30T16:26:00.006-05:00

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! I know Santa was very good to me this year! My highlight was def. my new digital camera and photo frame! Im studying abroad next fall in Africa and Im really going to use them!

Sadly, Christmas came and went so quickly and now I am back to work, and taking my fifteen minute break to blog =]! I work at a law firm in the billing department so I get to make fun spreadsheets of the lawyers time and income, do their time slips, and unfortunatly file. It's funny because I have no intention of becoming a lawyer but I have learned so much about different laws and law just in general. I have my own desk in an open cubicle and it's piled high with literally 247 bills that need to be filed! Everyone jokes around that im starting to get lost under it all. It's alot of work and but I love having a 9-5 job. The lawyers and paralegals I work with are awesome and take the time to explain everything that goes on.

This is a picture of me and my coworker from the summer cleaning out the basement! After seven years all the files get stripped and thrown away and I spent a good week with my coworkers cleaning out the file rooms!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's Eve!!! Write to you next year!! ';]

<3 Liv

Home is where the heart is.

2009-12-29T21:51:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-12-24T10:11:00.003-05:00

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

2009-12-23T21:45:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-12-23T17:39:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-12-17T12:48:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-12-17T00:10:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-12-14T20:35:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-12-14T14:03:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-10T22:33:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-12-10T11:02:00.002-05:00

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

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-07T17:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday, Everyone!

It's the final two weeks of the fall semester and it's crunch time for most of us students! I had a 38 page Marketing Proposal due this morning, and I have 16 pages to write for my Honors English Class. Then, it's finals. Finals this year fall late for us, and because of that I do not get to go home until the 23rd. It's incredibly hectic though. I have to remind myself to breath half the time, lol.

But, in the midst of all this craziness, there has been many lights to end of this semesters tunnel. First, the first snowfall of the season came this weekend. I ADORE snow, so I'm like a little kid when it comes to this time of year. It's so beautiful to walk to class in this weather now. The campus just glistens.

Tonight, Pathfinders is doing a charity event for Project Linus. Project Linus is a program that makes blankets for sickly children, or people in need and every year they look for donations. This year, we decided to help out. We raised over $800 for fabric and materials, and tonight is when we make the blankets. I'm really excited about this event, and I can't wait to see how the blankets turn out (Of course I'll have my camera handy tonight).

Well, I have to do some of my English paper before the Project Linus Party tonight!

I hope you all are enjoying this winter beauty as much as I am.

Leanne

P.S- Of course I have pictures :) Attached is a picture near the Sarazen Student Union that I took while it first start snowing.

* Let * It * Snow *

2009-12-07T00:33:00.003-05:00

Thats right folks, we got our first official snow of the season! Most of it came down on Saturday, although I think there were a few more flurries this morning. We got about an inch, or inch and a half of snow. Not a bad start. The roads were all cleared early this morning which was nice, so driving conditions were fine. The pathways around campus were also clear. That's one of the things I love about Siena. They do such a great job of clearing all the pathways really early in the morning, so you don't have to worry about slipping on a patch of ice walking to your 8:30 class.

The campus looks really pretty now too. There's snow everywhere! On the grass, on the cars, and all over the trees! The sight is gorgeous. I love the snow sometimes. That is, when its not too cold and it doesn't cancel my plans. Below are a few pictures that my roommate took of campus.

Don't you just want to curl up in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa? mmmmm I can't wait until my work is done and I can start to really enjoy this holiday season!

2009-12-04T09:45:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone!

So I forgot that yesterday was Thursday! I tend to always lose track of time by the end of the semester. We only have one week left before finals madness begins, and the week before finals is usually more stressful than finals week itself. I have something big due every day next week. But I will make sure to stay on top of everything. Even though there is a lot of work to do, my housemates and I decided to take tonight to decorate our townhouse together for the holiday season. It's going to be fun and relaxing, and I will be sure to take pictures to post up here next week.

I do not know if I have mentioned this before, but I am a professional ballet dancer, and I am currently in the middle of the Nutcracker tour with Albany Berkshire Ballet. Our first performances were on November 21st, and our last ones of the tour will be on Dec 20th. So I have been running around to Craryville NY, Burlington VT, Pittsfield MA, and Albany NY for the past several weeks. The Nutcracker is such a spectacular production, no matter who is putting it on, and I highly recommend going to see it to get you into the holiday/winter spirit.

That is one thing that I'm definitely starting to feel around here at Siena... the holiday spirit. Everyone has dug out their scarves and gloves, have started decorating their rooms with paper snowflakes and ornaments, are planning Secret Santas, and playing holiday music. This time of year kind of takes the edge off of everything we have to get done in the next two weeks!

I'll get our decorating pictures up soon! Good luck bloggers with all of your final projects, presentations, and exams!

This is a picture from our last performance in Burlington, VT. It's the Dance of the Snowflakes. I am the one in the middle!

~Bianca

I'm still stuffed.

2009-11-30T19:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday, Everyone!

And, a belated "Happy Thanksgiving"!(I hope you all listened to Adam Sandlers "Turkey Song" at least once).

It is so great to be back at Siena! Now, don't get me wrong, I love being home... But, with three weeks left in the semester I want to spend as much time here as possible. It's absolutely insane how fast this semester is going by. I could only imagine how the seniors are feeling.
All throughout these next few weeks I'm going to have the Rocky theme song in my head to keep me motivated. This is crunch time for all of us students. Assignments that we forgot about, normal homework, semester long projects all come boiling down to this.

For me, after this week I'm almost in the clear. I have a 20 page Marketing Project due Monday (15 pages already completed =]) This project is great though; we have to conceptualize our own business, and then go through all the steps of a typical Marketing Proposal. My business is called "Ice Cream De Jour" and is a high class dessert restaurant. The bar has ice sculptures pouring martinis, and a glass floor with exotic fish swimming below. I've created the menu, SWOT Analysis, Customer Analysis, Business Analysis and much much more. Then, after that I have a 10 page english paper that I'm actually excited to write. I'm writing it on this book called "Not Wanted on the Voyage" by Timothy Findley, and I already have it all outlined, and I love my hypothesis ( I would share it, but I don't want it stolen =P).

Well, I hope you all have a great week. I have to go finish my 30 questions for religion... fun =/

Until next time!
Leanne

Turkey Overdose

2009-11-29T19:35:00.002-05:00

Well, its Sunday night, which means I'm back at Siena after an awesome Thanksgiving Break at home. I went home Tuesday after my Endocrinology class. It was about a two and a half hour drive to my house in CT which isn't too bad. I have my car on campus, so I carpooled with another Siena student who actually lives right down the road from me.

Over break, I had family come over and celebrate with us. My cousin has a 6 year old niece who is a bundle of energy. I had a lot of fun playing with her. She had a lot of fun with the Turkey this year. She even named our dinner "Joe." She thanked Joe for giving up his life so that we could have a nice family dinner.

In between spending time with family, I also had to start studying for my Endocrinology test which is coming up on Tuesday. Actually, that's what I'm about to do right now! I know it sounds crazy to study for a test a week before the exam, and the fact that it was over break is even worse! But rest assured, its really not that bad. I usually start studying for exams a few days before. There's always a lot of material to cover and I find that reviewing it over a few days is a lot easier than trying to cram the night before.

Well, I guess I should get back to work. It's going to be a busy week. Well actually, it'll be a busy three weeks until finals are over. I've still got two papers to write, a presentation, and an exam! Yikes! But its really not that bad. I have plenty of time to work on it all.

I've also got a lot of things to look forward to in the next few weeks. The Bhangra team has a performance this upcoming Thursday in Schenectady, and we're also doing a program with Residential Life on Bhangra. There's also the BLSU (Black and Latino Student Union) Winter Weekend Ball which I usually go to every year. And a whole bunch of basketball games to go to! Oh yes, its going to be a busy three weeks filled with academics, club activities, and fun too!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T17:00:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Happy Monday! My goodness, it has been quite the hectic week(s). 5 Day medical leaves do not work in your favor, I'll tell you that much. My professors helped out a lot with the "catching up", but, I still haven't pushed the boulder all the way to the top of the mountain top just yet. I'm thinking tomorrow after my accounting exam I'll be able to breath again.

But, there is a happy ending to my hectic week...IT'S THANKSGIVING BREAK!! Granted, everyone has already left, or is leaving tomorrow and I'm here until Wednesday to close the building, but I have a lot of fun planned for the next 72 ish hours. Firstly, after my accounting exam at 2:30 p.m tomorrow I plan on taking an incredible nap. One of those naps thats more comatose than anything you've ever experienced. Then, I plan on playing Mario Kart against my residents (we have quite the tournaments). After some recreational fun, I'm going to the basketball game with my boyfriend and one of my best friends. After we get back, me and my fellow Hines Hall RA's are having an "RA sleepover" in the office :). Then, all I have to do Wednesday is check the rooms and then I'm on the road back to Long Island. I've got it all planned out :)

But, before I go back to studying 6 chapters of Accounting (YIKEEEES!) I'll leave you with this. Recently, my "family" and I have been attending church every Sunday at 6 p.m. It is this hour that has led me to peace of mind, and a state of relaxation. It is such a safe haven, and the masses are great. But, what's even more great about it is that I'm with the people I love. Everyone says in College you meet your friends of your lifetime, and it's true. I consider my friends here my family because we're here for each other through everything, no questions, and no judgement. It's something you all definitely have to look forward too :)

Have a great week everyone!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

P.S- No pictures (boring, I know) but, I would like to congratulate my ex-roomie, Liv for becoming a member of our team!

Fall Fusion 09: Under the Big Top!

2009-11-22T16:00:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it. Last night was my last Fall Fusion at Siena. ever. Next year I will have graduated! But that's certainly not going to stop me from coming back to see the show!

But seriously, the show was awesome! The acts were so good! I was able to watch parts of the show and see my friends perform. I know they videotaped the whole show, so I'll have to get a copy of it!

The theme for the show was also a circus theme, so everyone was dressed up as clowns and lion tamers and ring leaders! The decorations were also so bright and colorful! It made me want to be a kid again!

So the last act of the show was the Bhangra Team. I was getting so anxious waiting for us to go on! But the performance was great! If you want to check out the video of the performance, click on the link below!

Siena College Bhangra Fall Fusion 09

I hope you guys enjoy the show!

Siena...after school job placement

2009-11-22T07:36:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry haven't been on in a while, the stomach bug ran through me for the past week or so. I have to catch up on work and all that good stuff now, but thats for later. On a different note, last week in physics lab our professor had asked us to go to one of the seminars the department was putting on. Everyone was skeptical, and didn't want to get their feet wet, but we all decided "what the heck" and left to go listen. I have to say, it was probably one of the best decisions I've made in a while. The presentation was from a local business in Albany called Albany Nanotech. I never paid much attention to the big corperate company/research facility even when driving by it to go to cross gates; however, their business does some serious work. Especially in my field of work as a chemist, they mass produce a bunch of different equipment as well as further their research in a number of medical procedures. One such product that was talked about was memory chips in cell phones. Their company manufactures these chips and they need scientists such as me to produce them. (I wish I had the time to intern in the summer, but it makes it hard living in VT) I know it may sound geeky, but when your in class all day and studying for rediculous tests, its nice to know that if and when you get out of school, you could possibly be doing something cool with your life. This prosentation was just one of many the school of science offered, I just thought it was one of the more memorable ones.

Thanks for reading...Josh Baillargeon

Something I realized today...

2009-11-19T23:03:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!

First I want to welcome Liv to our blogging team! I can't wait to hear all of your fun stories. I'm Bianca, by the way *waves*. And I love your pictures!

Anyway...
I spent most of my day today working in the lab, but when I got a break for lunch I was walking toward the Sarazen Student Union, and I was reminded of how much I positively love Siena. I had just had such a horrible morning of tedious labwork, and I was tired and cold and starving. But as I walked to the union to go grab a much needed wrap from the wrap shop (Pepsi Cafe), I looked around myself and had to stop for a minute right in the middle of the path. There is nothing quite like the Siena College campus. Especially when the sun is shining (like it was this afternoon), everything just looks so welcoming and homey. Even though no one was playing out on what we call the "Siena beach," which is a common sight in the springtime, a smile came to my face. I looked around and saw people walking every which way to class and to lunch and to meetings. Everyone was just smiling and waving and yelling across the academic quad about homework and plans for later. It just felt like home. I remember even experiencing that same feeling of being at home before I came to Siena officially. I was on a Shadow Day when I was looking at schools to go to, and I just remember feeling welcomed, and comfortable, and at ease on the campus. That's really why I made the decision to come here.

And I was reminded of that decision today, at a time when I desperately needed a pick-me-up. So after I stopped and looked around me, at the heart of Siena College, I felt a little bit better. So I grabbed an amazing wrap, picked up my mail, and walked back across campus to the lab, saying hello to everyone along the way. That's another thing that is unique about Siena... I don't think I've ever walked somewhere on campus and not run into someone I knew. It's a good feeling. But after that random moment in the academic quad, my day went from being not so good, to pretty wonderful.

I'm going to miss this...

~Bianca
This was the path I was walking on (the Sarazen Student Union is in the background)!
(Picture taken from www.siena.edu)

Finally Posting!

2009-11-18T23:44:00.006-05:00

Hey Everyone!!Y

I'm so glad I am finally getting the chance to post online, things have been so crazy! I thought I'd use my first post to introduce myself. My name is Olivia, you can call me Liv! I am an English Education Major and a Creative Arts Minor.

I love getting involved on Campus and I am a Siena Ambassador. I enjoy giving tours so make sure you come up to get one! As you can see I am also an active member of the Dog Pound! GO SAINTS!! I haven't missed a home game yet!

Siena College has become my home away from home. And I know that sounds cliche, but I couldn't imagine anywhere else feeling this way. The sense of community is amazing, and the people here are so welcoming. On campus I live in Padua Hall with two other roomates who are the greatest! Having a bathroom in the room is excellent!
* Sorry were working on getting more pictures together*

Getting to the actual blogging part today was awesome! I got to travel with Admissions home to Long Island! I talked with over a hundred guidance counslers all over the island, about why Siena would be an amazing fit for their students. It was great to have the opportunity to give back to Siena by helping out at the event. I'm going to cut it a little short this time because well I am procrastinating! College is all about time management!

<3 Liv

The Saints are Back

2009-11-18T22:46:00.002-05:00

The long dreary time that is the Siena Men's Basketball off-season has finally ended and the team is back playing on the court. While Siena has plenty of great sports teams, there is none that has as much fan support throughout the community as our men's basketball team, and not without justification. Over the past two years the team has won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship and made it to the NCAA Tournament, winning in the first round both times (upsetting Vanderbilt in the first round two seasons ago, and beating Ohio State in the first round last season). The team played its first home game this past Tuesday against Northeastern, which was broadcast live by ESPN. While the game was during the middle of the day, there was still a good turnout, including yours truly. You see, tickets are distributed to students on campus. Although the team plays off campus in Albany, bus transportation is made available for a quick ten minute ride to the Times Union Center.

Expectations are high this year given that almost the same group of starters has been together for a while now. So, when Siena students rolled into the Times Union Center in Albany, where the team plays its home games, there was no doubt our team would win. I have to say though, it was somewhat unexpected to see them start off down 20-6 after the first several minutes. Fortunately, the team regained its focus and ended up winning 59-53.

So far so good, as the Siena Saints, as they are affectionately named, start off right!

"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team. ~George Raveling

I always knew there'd be days like these.

2009-11-17T00:09:00.005-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Even though it's technically Tuesday, HAPPY MONDAY! I have been swamped this evening, so I am sorry for being tardy for the party. (Housewives reference, anyone?). Parents, please do not worry... this time is not uncommon for me. Tonight has been particularly eventful- Pathfinder meeting (DIANA- we missed you), two fire alarms, a few RA situations, and accounting homework. 3 am is an early night :)

As Bianca has made note of, it is registration time... DUN DUN DUN!! Hopefully, I will get all the classes I am looking at. I register tomorrow (or today.. however you want to look at it) at 11:30. I'm nervous to be honest. With this whole "Declared Major thing" I'm starting to see my future form in front of my eyes, and I need all the classes I want in order to move forward. I'm also pretty excited to finally be on a track to something. I keep realizing more and more how perfect this major is for me. I also realized that later in life I can a lot more than just work in the restaurant. (Foodie Columnist, anyone?) I have also obtained an internship over the winter to learn more about different managerial aspects. Each day for an hour I will learning how to run a kitchen, how to match wines with different dishes, how to do the books, etc. I'm eager about this, and I'm being an apprentice to some of the best in the business so I know I'm in good hands.

Anyway, I have to write a few reports up before going to sleep for an hour or two (It's more like naps, to be honest).

I hope you all have a great week!

Leanne

EDITORS NOTE- I GOT ALL MY CLASSES!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Its Crunch Time!

2009-11-16T23:41:00.002-05:00

Many of you know that I am captain of the Bhangra Team. Well, our first performance is right around the corner. We will be the last act at Fall Fusion this Saturday. Fall Fusion is put on jointly by the Asian Students Association and the Black and Latino Student Union. The show is basically a multicultural talent show with singing and dancing and poetry and music and anything else you can think of!

This year's theme is the circus! ASA has been working on decorations for quite some time now. I have to say, they look pretty awesome! They've got giant elephants and tigers and clowns... and so much more! I can't wait to see what the final set up looks like. I'll have to get some pictures for you folks.

There are a lot of students performing in the show. It is a pretty big event on campus; anywhere from 500 - 600 students come to see the show.

I know the Bhangra Team is performing Last. The Step Team will also be on stage. They're really good. I could never step like they do. I've always wanted to learn how to step. It looks amazing when they do it on stage!

One of our members on the Bhangra Team, Eben, is also preforming a ballroom dance routine. I saw him practicing today, its looking pretty awesome!

There is also the fashion show. All the outfits are student made and look pretty edgy! A lot of people participate in the fashion show because it doesn't take too much time and c'mon, who doesn't want to be the star of the runway?

Fr. Dennis is also in the show. He's a Friar in Residence in Hennepin Hall right now. He plays guitar and drums and is in his own band. He sometimes plays on campus at certain events. It looks like he'll be at Fall Fusion this year!

I've also got a few friends singing and playing guitar. They're really talented and take advantage of any opportunity to play.

My friend Derrell also has an awesome hip hop routine going with his friends. They perform every semester and are pretty good. That's another thing I wish I could learn, how to dance hip hop. It looks like so much fun!

Well, I can guarantee that there are wayyyy more acts than what I just listed, but it is obvious the amount of diversity we have in our show. It is always an awesome event. It also serves as a fundraiser too! I believe we are donating to the Red Cross for International Relief Funds.

Well, make sure to check the blogs next week, I promise to pose a picture or two from the show!

The Year of Big Steps

2009-11-12T12:10:00.002-05:00

So as you guys know, I just made my last Siena schedule on Monday. I signed up for everything without a hitch (the benefits of being a senior in the honors program).

Also on Monday, I sent out all of my transcripts to the graduate schools I am applying to: Albany Medical Graduate School, SUNY Albany, RPI, Johns Hopkins University, Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cornell, Harvard, and Tufts. And a few minutes ago I just filled out the applications and sent in all of my GRE scores. All of this is just coming together so quickly! It is exciting, but I am so not ready to think about where I'm going to spend the next 5-6 years of my life earning a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology/Plant Biology.

The next step is that I have to write my personal statement, which is essentially a statement about what I have done with my life, what I want to do with my life, and why I want to attend that particular program. It is going to take some thought, so I have been putting it off for a little while. I'm hoping to tackle it this weekend.

Anyway, now I'm off to my last thesis meeting of the fall semester... another big step. I don't know if I can handle all of these conclusions! I just want to go back to freshman year! Please??

~B

Bhangra!

2009-11-09T21:21:00.004-05:00

As some of you may already know, I am currently the captain of Siena's Bhangra Team! Bhangra is a north Indian style of dance. Our team usually performs at Siena various times throughout the year, also at community events, and we even compete in bhangra competitions!

The picture you see above is our school's Bhangra Team last year. That's me in the bottom right corner! This was taken right before our performance at Desi Dhamaka, a local bhangra competition. We didn't place, but we definitely put on a good show! The audience loved us!

So, our first big performance of the semester is coming up! Fall Fusion is November 21st. It is hosted by the Asian Students Association and the Black and Latino Student Union right here at Siena! It is basically a multicultural talent show. Many of the performers are Siena students. There are also some acts from the outside community. There is singing, and dancing, and poetry, and music, and fashion, and everything else you could think of! Siena is certainly a very talented college.

So, the show is coming up in less than two weeks and I'm getting nervous! We still haven't finished the last minute of our choreography, and we have a lot of work to do in terms of formations and being in sync with one another. Next week we will be having practice every day of the week to brush up on our dance and make sure everything is stage-worthy.

If you guys want to check out our Bhangra Team's performance at Siena during Spring 2009, click on this youtube link:

Siena Bhangra Team at Expose 2009

Enjoy the Show!

And the verdict is...

2009-11-09T20:25:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I am currently on Duty tonight, and decided to blog from my humble office over in Hines. As an RA, we are required to be on duty every month. Here in Hines it varies when you're on duty because we select the days randomly. So, for instance- this week I'm on duty Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but won't be on duty until we close for Thanksgiving, and then again in December. Duty is fun though. A lot of times people just come in a sit in the office with you (as my friend was doing prior to me typing this), and we just have to walk around and check the building to make sure it's all up to par.

Now, last week I wrote about how I was conflicted with the choice of a major... and, I've decided- I'm going for Marketing and Management with an Honors certificate in English. The more I think about it, the more I realize what a great fit it is for me. I also know it will encourage me even more to enter the restaurant industry upon graduation. I have a great passion for that industry, even with all its' hard work, so I know I will succeed.

Well, that's all I have for you tonight. I have to go do a round before Gossip Girl, hehe :)

Till next week,

Leanne

Halloween pictures I promised....

2009-11-06T23:05:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone, like I had promised, I have provided some pictures of the Halloween fun that took place on campus last weekend. My roomate and I were Wayne and Garth from Waynes World on Saturday and hockey players on friday. College can be pretty fun and a great way to meet new friends, but its also rigorous academically. Siena, in particular, has a challenging course curriculu no matter which major any of you choose to pursue. I, myself, am a Chemistry major, and, honestly, I am extremely happy with the decision I made; both with the school I chose and with the field I'm in. Although the course load is demanding, the faculty make it that much easier. The teachers are some of the most down to earth people you will ever meet. Doors are always open for help or in case you just want to talk. Some professors stress appointments for extra help, but the majority of the time they will allow you to walk right in. I live for office hours to survive in my classes and teachers are always willing to give a helping hand. I know it may seem like I'm glorifying the school and the professors it has, but coming from a small high school and a town where everyone knows each other, I wanted that connection with my teachers. I wanted them to know me as well as allow me to know them. Being the 1 on 1 learner I am, I have been pleased that Siena has been able to provide this relationship with teacher and student. For me tougher classes are made easier to succeed in through extra help, and you know just as well as I do, its nice to succeed.

Take it easy everyone... Josh Baillargeon

Making Schedules

2009-11-06T14:11:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

So I can't believe this has snuck up so fast... on Monday at 7:30 am I will be making my last class schedule at Siena College! :-/

We usually make our schedules here about a month before finals. We have to check our CAPP reports, which basically show what requirements we need to meet in order to graduate, and in order to earn a degree in our major(s) or minor(s). Then we get to see what classes meet those requirements, or what classes we'd be interested in. And Siena is really great with having just enough required classes so you get a really well-rounded education, but you also get a strong focus on your major, and you can experiment with new things, too. After we decide what we might be interested in taking, and everything fits in a feasible schedule, we meet with our Advisor. Everyone at Siena has an Advisor that helps them make decisions throughout their college career. My advisor is Dr. Lise Wilson, who is in the Biology Department (you are most likely matched with an advisor in your own department). I just met with her about an hour ago and had our last bittersweet meeting. Then we talked about the future and grad school, etc. She has been a great advisor to me these past four years.

So what did I decide to take next semester? Well, I will be taking Biochemistry to finish up my last Biology requirement. And I will be taking Drawing I to fulfill my Creative Arts requirement. Then I'm going to take a course that doesn't meet any requirement at all... Philosophy of Language. That will be my personal interest course of the semester. It'll be tough, but worth it. On top of that, I have to take my final Honors Thesis course in which I will be completing my thesis. And I will be doing research in Dr. Ken Helm's lab (as I have been for the past year and half). That's it!

I really can't believe this is my last schedule :-(

But anyway, let me know if you guys have any questions about schedules, requirements, or advising. I would be happy to tell you about any of these things!

~Bianca

2009-11-05T00:52:00.005-05:00

Well, midterm time is over with here at Siena, and I'm pleased to report I survived. It was also Halloween recently, and I survived the weekend, save for my pride, that is, after doing my best imitation of The Godfather's Don Corleone. In spite of that, I have been carrying on with my studies. One of the classes I am taking this semester is what is called, "The Symposium on Living Philosophers." Every other year, the school invites a real, live philosopher (yes, they do exist out there), to give a presentation at the school, and teach one of our classes. The class spans two semesters, the idea is, that by the end of the year, you'll be able to present your work to the philosopher and the community in a coherent manner. This year, the philosopher the school selected is a fellow by the name of John Caputo. The class is incredibly reading intensive and in-depth. Fortunately, the twelve brave souls who are taking the course are under the instruction of three superb professors, John Burkey, Ray Boisvert, and an "external scholar," Jeffrey Robbins, from Lebanon College. Though difficult, I am learning a great deal and am grateful for the opportunity.

It's Definitely not a Nashville Party.

2009-11-02T09:20:00.005-05:00

Everyone on saturday with some bad battle wounds.

They decided to hunt me with nerf guns.

Hey Everyone!

I hope your Halloween weekend was as extroadinary as mine! Friday night I dressed in a cow costume (with squirting udders!) for an RA Party that we had. Saturday, the much anticipating Paintballing Program occurred, and it was so much fun! Getting hit doesn't hurt all that bad ( I got hit in the head, shoulder, ribs, knees and hand), and I can't wait to go again. Now, I know I typically write about crazy shenanigans, but todays post is going to be a little different. I'm struggling with that dreaded question- WHAT SHOULD MY MAJOR BE?!

I'm having the debate in my head, again. Currently, I'm an Undeclared Business Major, with a pursue in an Honors English Certificate. Unfortunately for me, I'm running out of business cores, and I'm going to have to make a decision before I make my schedule so that I remain on the right track course wise. Here's the thing.. I like two Majors. I like Accounting (strange, I know) and I like Marketing and Management. Accounting is tough- Majority of the time it makes me want to pull my hair out, but the level of accomplishment I feel when I do figure it all out is out of this world. Marketing/Management is more natural for me. It resonates more with me. I can bring real world experience into each of my class discussions. So, what to do? My real debate lies in this question; What major will bring me to my goal more quickly?

You see, I know what I want to do when I graduate college. I want to work in the restaurant industry. I am manufactured to work in that industry. It incorporates everything that I like. On any given day your work will include accounting, marketing, managing, writing, and customer service. You're never stuck doing the same thing day in and day out- and, that's exactly what my personality needs. I need a daily challenge, but I also need to be around people. I'm an extrovert- I thrive off of energies. I know that a restauranteur works long, exhausting hours- I was raised in this industry so I'm very well adjusted to that. But, when I'm asked "Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years", I see myself in a restaurant, and nothing else. So, now my big decision is how will I achieve this goal of mine? I guess only time, and a lot of "pro/con" charts will tell. I'll keep you all updated though.

I hope you have a great week!

Until next Monday,

Leanne

P.S- Of course I attached pictures for you. What kind of Blog would this be if I didn't ;-)

Spring Break already??

2009-11-01T18:22:00.003-05:00

Another Halloween Weekend gone by...

Which means its back to work. Of course, Sundays are always work days for me, but its not too bad. I leisurely do homework in between the two bhangra practices we have today.

But more importantly, I wanted to tell you guys about that trip to the Dominican Republic I was talking about! I went last spring break with the Women's Center. We stayed with some Franciscan Nuns and worked with kids in a school the sisters had built. This year, I'm leading the trip. The first half of the semester was spent going through the application process. I had to decide who would go on the trip with me! Now, we have the finalize list of students and we had our first meeting on Friday! The meeting was just so we could get ourselves organized and start working on all the things that need to get done before our trip! I put people in charge of sub-committees so that everyone has a specific responsibility.

The meeting went over really well, and that has already started to get me really excited for the trip! Now, I realize that the trip isn't until February, but there' s nothing wrong with getting exited now, is there?

Well, enough procrastinating for me, time to get back to work!

Until next time...

Halloween...and some random stuff going on...

2009-10-30T19:16:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone...Havent been on in a while. We had exams all last week so its been brutal studying for big tests and cramming essays in before midterms were supposed to come out. On a lighter note, Halloween is here! YAY! After long weeks its nice to unwind and dress up and release the inner child once again. Friday night my roomate and I are dressing up as hockey players, well he's gonna be coach bombay from the mighty ducks and i'm going to be a player, but saturday night we are teaming up to be Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. I'm so excited. I'll be sure to put pictures up of the weekend. Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween...

Peace, Josh Baillargeon....

Happy Almost Halloween!

2009-10-30T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

So first I would like to thank Indira for the bday shout out. It is true, I did turn 21 on Monday. It was such a strange feeling. But it was a really good day. I did wake up to a surprise from Indira, my roomie... she had covered our whole room in streamers! I was trapped in my bed! But it was really creative. Then I went to class all day. AND THEN I went to Dale Miller's restaurant in Albany, which is an amazing place! I dressed up in my favorite red dress, had my first cocktail, and got a postively delicious rack of lamb. I finished the night off with chocolate ganache :-)

As of right now, I just put the finishing touches on my Halloween costume. I'm going to be Aluminum this year! Yes, aluminum. I made a skirt out of 2 tiers of strips of aluminum foil, and I made a bodice out of aluminum foil, and a headband, and earrings, and bracelets. I'm going all out! Oh, and I have all of the chemical info for Aluminum on my costume, too! I love science <3

Leanne... it looks like you are certainly in the Halloween spirit! Cool pics!
And Mike... congrats on your LSATs. That is quite an accomplishment!

I hope everyone has a fun Halloween! Be safe!

~B

Happy Happy Birthday!

2009-10-26T17:33:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Bianca!

Yes thats right, today is Bianca's birthday! yay! so happy birthday to my wonderful roommate!
Last night I decorated our room with streamers while Bianca was sleeping. She woke up this morning with a wonderful surprise!

So I've been extremely busy lately working with admissions on a special project. We're in the process of filming a virtual tour. That means that once we're done with our project, prospective students will be able to click on the link on the Siena website and get a filmed tour of campus. Eric Guzman and I would be your tour guides!

You'd get to see all the hot spots on campus right from your computer! And then of course I'm going to tell you to actually visit Siena in person and get a personalized tour from one of our many fantastic tour guides.

Well, I'll be sure to keep you folks updated on our project! But for now, I've got plenty of homework to return to.

Until next time,

Just "Spook-tacular".

2009-10-26T09:45:00.011-04:00

My Residents call me "Mom" so this seemed fitting.
Marvin, our hall "pet"
My favorite part might just be the creepy joker cat on this sign.

This one is a little demonic, and has actually creeped out some of the boys
This is my favorite! It has scared so many people when they look in the mirror (the quote, not my face =P)
Seeing dead people is normal, right?
I told my residents this is what happens to mischievous students.
A complete overview. Nice, dark and spooky. (It's even better at night)
Ironically enough, Halloween is actually my least favorite day of the year.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

It has been quite the week! I was thinking before I wrote this how all my posts revolve around fun activities, so I was going to gear this posts towards academics, But, honestly... Balance sheets, reading Jonah, learning equations, Canadian Literature and Cognitive Dissonance, although educational, collectively pale in comparison to anything else I do... So, this post will not be about academics :)

On that note, last week was quite an adventure! First, going off the theme of my corny title (I'm sorry, I had to) I have had quite the "fright-astic" week. First, I went to the midnight screening of Saw VI... Honestly, I don't see the appeal of those movies. It was just nasty. (my friend was counting down the minutes to the premiere, so I decided it'd be fun to go with her). We got back to campus around 2:30 am, and parents- have no fear- I completed all my work prior to going, and I went to my 8:15 class. Friday, after all my classes and errands I decorated my hallway for Halloween. Going off of the eerie movie that I saw the previous evening, I decided to really deck out the hallway. I must say, we may have outdone ourselves. It has gotten to the point where public safety officers are making trips just to see the floor I live on (the entire floor is decorated). Saturday, I saw "Paranormal Activity" and left the theatre shaking/crying and didn't sleep at all! My residents took that as a good opportunity to scare me even more and throughout the night they kept making stomping noises and shadows like in the movie.. they're real hilarious.

But, my favorite activity of this past week was the High Ropes Course. As an Resident Assistant it's my job to do different programs with our residents... It's also my favorite aspect of the job. The High Ropes Course is located on campus and it's just a great way to create trust, and have some fun outdoors. Now, my summer readers will know that my greatest accomplishment during training was climbing a ten foot wall... Well, that feat is dismal in comparison to what I did yesterday. My biggest fear is heights, but yesterday I scaled up a tree, and walked across a wire 40 ft in the air! It was sensational! I was terrified at first, and wanted to come down when I got to the top of the ladder, but with much encouragement I made it! It was such an amazing feeling too. I can't wait to do the activity again in the spring.

Now, with all that fun I do have plenty of work to keep me busy once again. This morning I had a marketing test, and this week I have a Religion Midterm. I'm already well prepared, so I'm not too worried. (I don't stress.. in case you couldn't tell) Saturday, besides being Halloween, my residents and I are going paintballing as another program. It's been the most anticipated program of the month :)

Anyway, I'm sorry if this post is a little lengthy... I just couldn't narrow it all down for you!

I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories next week for you!

Until then,
-Leanne

P.S- Of course I have pictures for you! Attached are pictures of my Hallway. Imagine waking up to this every morning :)

P.P.S- CONGRATULATIONS, MIKE! That is quite an accomplishment!

And the verdict is....

2009-10-23T18:30:00.002-04:00

So, if you have been following my LSAT (the test for law school admission) travails, you may know that I should have gotten my score by now. Well, I did, and I'm pretty satisfied with the 163 that I earned. Basically, one earns one's score by answering typically 100 questions on the test. The number of questions answered correctly is converted into a scale ranging between 120 and 180. To get into law school you probably need to get at least a 151, which puts you at the 50th percentile of all test takers, meaning, 50% scored higher than you, and 50% scored lower than you. A 163 puts me at the 88th percentile of test takers across the country. Not bad, but according to one of my instructors who knows the ins and outs of the LSAT, I have the potential to perform about five points higher (which in LSAT terms, is pretty significant). So he encouraged me to take the test again in December. I'm not one to gripe, but I am not a fan of the idea of getting prepared for the test again. It'll take a good deal of time and effort, not to mention several invocations of St. Joseph of Cupertino. In the end though, I figure you only live once, and that you should take every opportunity that presents itself to you. The difference between a 163 and, say, a 168 is the difference between finishing at the 88th percentile and the rarefied 96th percentile. Needless to say, I would sympathize with you guys that have to juggle all these commitments competing for your attention. In any case,as they say "Let the games begin!"

Excitement and Stress

2009-10-22T23:54:00.005-04:00

Hey guys!

Ok so my birthday is coming up on Monday. I'm going to be 21! I feel so old. But I am really looking forward to this one. My family has been scheming up some kind of a surprise for me, so I'm excited to find out what it is. I just love birthdays. I always wear a ribbon in my hair on my birthday that says "Happy Birthday" on it. You guys might not know this about me, but I'm a ribbon girl. I wear ribbons in my hair as often as I can. I think that's a habit that I caught from the Academy of the Holy Names, which is the high school I went to. Anyone know it or go there? I had four great years there, and I think if I ever have daughters I would like to send them there in the future.

Anyway, so even with all of this excitement and suspense, I'm starting to feel a huge overwhelming sense of stress right now. We're right smack dab in the middle of the semester, which means more exams, harder assignments and projects, and a lot more work. It also does not help that the deadline for applying to graduate school is fast approaching. I'm in the middle of applying to schools right now. It is definitely giving me a flash back to senior year of high school... same story. Except instead of SATs it's GREs, and my resume is a lot longer now. But I still have to fill out the application, mail in my transcripts, recommendation letters, and write a kind of essay (a.k.a. personal statement). Is anyone going through that right now? I know how tough it is. We're gonna get through it! And when we do, we'll be able to breathe again. Then in a few more months we'll have to start stressing about decisions!

Oh! I forgot, I wanted to show you guys a picture from one of my stress relievers two weekends ago. My family, Indira (my roomie and fellow blogger), and I went apple picking at Goold Orchards for the Apple Festival there last Sunday. It was lots of fun. I'm a big fan of doing fun things here and there, just getting outside and taking a break from life for a while. Here they are:

Me climbing in a tree! I was trying to reach the Golden Delicious!

Indira eating a nice, tasty apple!

Well... I'm off to bed for now. I'll let you guys know how everything goes from birthday fun to grad school stress.

~Bianca

Mama said there'd be days like this...

2009-10-20T22:20:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I am so sorry that I have not blogged in a while. I do not think I have ever been so busy in my Siena career as I have been these past two weeks. Junior year is going really well however a lot of hard work and effort is required to experience success. I literally did homework, lab work and classes from 1:30pm-9:15pm today. Needless to say, my finance classes are really tough! However I did get a twenty minute dinner break so at-least I'm eating!

Some exciting news that I am able to share directly relates to our readers from the Westchester area. I am the student speaker on November 19 at the Tarrytown Marriott for prospective students!! i.e. you guys!

So definitely sign up, if you haven't already done so. As it will be a great time!

Unfortunately, the work does not stop and I have to get back to reading the textbook for class tomorrow morning bright and early at 9:20 am!

Looking forward to blogging again,

Patrick

Three day weekends are awesome!

2009-10-19T21:16:00.003-04:00

Don't you love three day weekends? I know I do! I had a chance to go home this past weekend because we didn't have classes on Friday! Yay! I live in CT so I drove home on Thursday night after my Endocrinology Lab. I carpooled with Joe, he lives in the next town over from me. And talk about crazy weather, anyone who lives further south knows what I mean! It was clear skies in Albany and once we crossed over into MA and CT, we had rain and snow! Mid October and we're already getting snow. Jeez, I guess I better get the snow boots out! But its not so bad here in Albany now. Today was chilly, but still sweatshirt/light coat kind of weather.

And now its time to get back into the swing of things. Having a long weekend was awesome, especially since I got to go home and see family, but I got absolutely no work done! So today and tomorrow will be slightly work intensive. I really need to get some work done on my Honors Thesis. Its basically a 40+ page paper that you write over the course of a year. You can write it on whatever you want to and you choose a faculty member to be your mentor and help you through the process. By the time you graduate, your paper is published which is something to add to your list of accomplishments. I'm still in the very beginning stages of my thesis, so I'm still doing research and putting together a survey that I will eventually give out. I'll keep you folks posted on my progress with that.

Well, I suppose I should get back to work now.

Until next time...

(ps, I decided to copy Bianca and change my font color. Green is my favorite color, so get used to seeing it!)

Hump Week.

2009-10-19T17:44:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I have finally returned to the good ol' Siena after an elongated "Presidents" weekend. Being home was so wonderful. Parents, don't let your kids fool you. We may act all "cool" because we don't live at home anymore, but rest assured... being home means the world to us.

In the words of Julia Childs: "I LOVE TO EAT!". And, I'm so good at it! This weekend for me was all about family, and eating.. it's what us Italians do. Wednesday (I went home a day earlier than proposed) I spent 3 hours at our family restaurant just sitting at the bar, eating, and catching up with the bartender. Thursday, we went to my Dads favorite old school Italian restaurant called "Stellas" for his birthday. I'm not typically a fan of Italian restaurants because they usually pale in comparison to the real deal, but, there's a reason this restaurant has been around for 50+ years- they do italian right! Friday, and Saturday I worked, but was able to eat a delicious meal at the bar after my shift. Sunday, my trip concluded with a fantastic meal at my brothers apartment with friends. This weekend was so nourishing and refreshing. I went shopping, was able to sleep late, and just relax. Granted, I did have homework to do, but that's expected, and I'm glad I did it at home rather than being bamboozled tonight.

Even though it was beyond amazing to be home this past weekend, it's even more amazing being back at Siena. I have plenty of work to keep me busy, and plenty of great memories from this past weekend to keep me smiling.

Until next week,

Leanne

Sick :-(

2009-10-16T11:27:00.003-04:00

So I broke my promise again... and I'm blogging a day late. But I woke up yesterday morning feeling not so great and ended up spiking a fever of 102. So I decided to go home early for the long weekend and pretty much sleep the day away.

I so cannot afford being sick right now, especially when I was sick two weeks ago. I have so much work to do! This weekend I was planning on getting a lab write-up done for Biology of Vertebrates, writing ten pages for my thesis, and applying to grad school. I figured a long weekend was a good time to get all of my applications filled out, request my recommendations, and write personal statements. Today I'm feeling a little bit better, so I think I can try to tackle all of this stuff. I just hope this "feeling better" lasts for at least the rest of the day, and that I feel 100% by Monday. I am not a big fan of missing class because I learn best through listening and in-class activities. However, we have a new policy at Siena in lieu of the whole swine flu thing, that we are not allowed to attend class if we have a fever. It definitely wouldn't be a good idea to infect the entire school. I really don't think this is the flu though. If it was, I'm sure I would not be well enough to be typing this right now.

Anyway, I think I'm going to go start my lab write-up. Oh, by the way, I got my Immunology test back... and I kicked its butt! I was so excited. I love starting the semester off with a big fat A. I wish my own immune system would take a hint...

~Bianca

Law School Forum

2009-10-15T01:00:00.003-04:00

I returned to New York City this past Saturday for the first time since my internship, brought about through Siena, over the Summer. Assiduous readers of this blog (and we know you're out there) will know that I spent two months at Fordham School of Law in midtown Manhattan. My venture to the city this time was to attend a very large law school forum (basically, like a college fair) at the Hilton on the corner of 6th Avenue and 54th Street. I was with a group of students from the Pre-Law Society here at Siena, which generously funded the trip. We arrived at Grand Central Terminal on 42nd Street. Evidently, my experience at Fordham came in handy because I was charged with the all-important task of navigating the city streets and guiding the group from Grand Central to the Hilton.

In any case the forum was very informative, and I collected about a dozen books each from a different law school. My favorite part of the trip was when I spoke to a representative from Washington and Lee Law School, a fine school in Lexington Virginia. The gentleman had a syrupy sweet Southern accent, and so, naturally, I just kept asking him questions so he would keep on talking. There are few things more pleasurable to the ear than a good Southern accent (though Mozart comes close). My fun had not ended yet though, as I continued to the table with the Wake Forest representative (Winston-Salem North Carolina). I was somewhat surprised by the number of Southern schools I actually looked into, although there were plenty of schools north of the Mason-Dixon line that I examined. Even the hometown favorite, Albany Law School was there.

The trip reminded me of the fact that my time here at Siena is, regrettably, passing on. My education has been geared toward a career in law, what with a political science and philosophy major and all. But I want to keep my options open as much as possible. In any case, I'm glad to have been able to go to the forum and, hopefully, it will help me to make a decision.

Until next time,
Mike DiSiena

"Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law." ~Sophocles

Dorm life Part 2

2009-10-12T15:10:00.004-04:00

These pics are for you ladies. I know girls don't typically use the same setup as guys so i figured id capture my friends room upstairs and show you how she furnished her room....

Dorm life Part 1

2009-10-12T14:46:00.002-04:00

Hey guys how are you doing?...another year has come and its back to the books. Im stressing already but hey thats college life in a nutshell. I figured for all of you out there looking to head to college next year or the year after, you may want to know what dorm life is like. I took a few pics of my dorm room in this first album to show the general setup of an average room. Generally, boys in particular like to bunk their beds. Most of my friends had in order to throw in a futon and give the room a little extra space. Being a sophmore i'm in a double last year as a freshmen we were tripled. The beds were all bunked last year, with one lofted over a desk. It was a bit crowded but the school is building a new dorm in the near future to resolve the overcrowding of the dorms. As you can see each person gets a desk, closet, and dresser. The school also offers microfridges as well. The rooms are pretty cozy and the beds are actually pretty decent to sleep in. I'd definately advise, however to bring a fan because it gets a little hot during the spring time. :)

Thanks for reading, Josh Baillargeon

Yes, my roommate talks in her sleep.

2009-10-12T01:53:00.002-04:00

Greetings everybody!

So, Bianca mentioned last week that she was reciting Immuno in her sleep. As her roommate, I can confirm that. Actually, she's got a Vertebrates test tomorrow. I've got a feeling she'll be reciting her notes again in her sleep. I'm seriously considering recording her and using the footage as blackmail.

But things are going well over in my corner. I'm captain of the Bhangra team and we had our second practice of the semester today. Within two practices, the team has already learned the first 50 seconds of the choreography. Saying as how we only have 5 weeks left before our first performance and I've got 7.5 minutes of choreography to teach everyone, i'd say we're going at a good pace. Unfortunately, that means my legs are incredibly sore! Ugh! I'm going to have to ice them later.

Well, I guess I should go study for my test in Morals in Medicine. It's an upper level religion class. Our test tomorrow is an in-class essay. The questions were already given to us, so I just have to review material, answer the question, and be able to repeat the essay tomorrow in class.

Wish me luck! And wish Bianca luck too... although she's been studying for this test for a few days now and I think she's well prepared.

Pie your student Leader!

2009-10-11T22:19:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone!

I'm blogging a little early this week because I'm finding all sorts of ways to procrastinate writing this English Honors review paper. (I had to read "Cats Eye" by Margaret Atwood for Honors Canadian Literature... It's a 400 page book that resembles "Mean Girls" way too much.. but, without the humor of Damien)

So, this past week was "Pie your Student Leader" and, being a student leader who is always up for public humilation, I was pied! It was a messy, slightly disgusting, affair, but, it was a lot of fun. All of my Residents in my hallway showed up, and pied me multiple times. (And, not just normal pies; pies with toppings). We raised over $500 for a not for profit organization based out of Albany, and they were so grateful for our donation. Even though I missed a Keith Urban concert for this event (Sorry, Patrick! I really wanted to go!) it was definitely worth it.

In other news- I'M GOING HOME THIS WEEKEND! I'm surprising my parents thursday (I told them I wasn't going to be able to make it because I'm on duty this weekend.. so, they'll definitely be surprised). It was my Dads birthday this past week, so my brother and I are hosting a small "Surprise Party". I love being at Siena, but, it's been way too long since I've seen my dog and family. We have a new menu at work, so I'm fasting in anticipation for a day of just sitting at the bar and trying everything. It's great timing because my midterms start the week after, so this will be a nice "calm before the storm" scenerio.

Unfortunately, I cannot procrastinate any longer.

Until next week,
Leanne

P.S- Attached are some photos from "Pie your Student Leader".. told you I was a mess

Immunology Test Today!

2009-10-09T08:39:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys,

So I'm going to be blogging every Thursday now (starting after today because it is clearly Friday... I had a late study night last night). So look for blogs from me on Thursdays!

Anyway, today I am going to be taking my first Immunology exam of the year. I'm a little bit nervous, but I think that I am well prepared for it. I have been reading my lecture notes consistently since school started, and I've been doing a week long review. But I'm not quite sure what to expect on this exam. Immunology is a 400 level course, which means it is definitely tough. We don't get review sheets, or homework assignments, or practice tests. You're on your own! Hopefully, as a senior, I've pretty much got classes like this under control.

Apparently I'm in the Immunology zone though... Indira (another blogger!), who happens to be my roomie, told me I was reciting Immuno material in my sleep last night. I think that's pretty funny. I wonder what pathway I was dreaming about...

Anyway, I'm going to go get ready. I have a breakfast study date with a friend of mine at the dining hall. Wish me luck! I'll be going to my doom at 10:25!

~Bianca

It's October Already?!

2009-10-05T18:33:00.006-04:00

Hey Everyone!

Is anyone else completely baffled by the idea that it is already October? I remember freshman year going by quickly, but this year is literally flying by.. .I've been here for 2 months already!

This semester I have definitely gotten myself involved in a lot of activities and my grades have actually increased dramatically because of all these things going on. I'm glad it's had this effect, and not the other way around. Currently, I'm taking a break from studying for my Accounting exam tomorrow afternoon (I'm a bit nervous, to be honest... this test is taken through a virtual system called PRS which involves us answering the questions through a remote, without any writing... yikes!)

This past weekend was Parents Weekend, as well as the 800th Anniversary of the founding of the Franciscan Order. (Siena is a Franciscan College) Siena was a very happening place to be! All weekend long residents were knocking on my door and introducing me to their parents as "Mom". All their real moms thought it was the most adorable thing, and reassured me that if their son ever did anything bad that they would be calling and yelling at them. It was very amusing. There were a lot of activities for families on campus, such as "The Blessing of the Animals", Fireworks, and a Hypnotist on Saturday Night in our Student Union. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) my parents weren't able to make the trip because our family business was very busy, but, they did come up to visit last weekend, so I can't complain :)

P.S-Yesterday, I went to Mohawk River to do some studying, and took some pictures while there.. They're attached- I hope you enjoy!

Until next week,
Leanne

Honduras '09

2009-10-05T00:37:00.004-04:00

Well, it has certainly been a while since I've last blogged! My apologies. I've been very busy lately.

For instance, I spent two months this summer in Honduras on a Service Trip! I spent my time in a small town called El Porvenir. In the mornings I taught preschool and in the evenings I taught English. It was an awesome experience! Below are a few of the pictures I've got from my trip! Enjoy!

One Month Down...

2009-10-01T00:10:00.002-04:00

What happened to September of my senior year? It seems that between my course work, my studies for the LSAT, and a bunch of other commitments, the time has flown by. After a few semesters of focusing on fulfilling the course requirements for my majors (political science and philosophy), I was able to put together a fairly diverse range of classes, almost reminiscent of high school. This semester I am taking Criminal Law, Shakespeare, Intro to Psychology, Intro to History, Human Biology, and a very difficult philosophy course (I would try to explain what it's about, but, to be honest, I haven't quite figured that out yet). On top of that, I'll be working an my honors thesis, which concerns the means by which we Americans can determine the originally intended scope of executive power (I'll be happy to send copies upon request, haha). According to recent news though, I should be careful about what I write about.

At long last, I have finally taken the Law School Admissions Test on September 26th. I think I did well as far as I am concerned, but I'll have to wait until mid-October until I actually find out. Needless to say, it is a big relief to finally have the test in my past. Now the only thing left is to actually apply to law schools. I'll keep you posted!

Another week passes by...

2009-09-28T18:28:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe Summer is officially over! It's really upsetting. However, one really nice thing about Siena is that we really get all four seasons. When the leaves start changing colors and the temperature starts to drop, I am hard pressed to find a more beautiful place than right here in Loudonville. Lately, the weather has been awesome here and nothing beats eating dinner and having class outside!

Classes are going pretty well thus far, however junior year is tough. I am finally into my Finance curriculum and it's brutal. I am learning an exorbitant amount however, I am really putting the effort into each class.

This Thursday on campus, we are having an Academic Convocation celebrating the 800 year anniversary of the founding of the Franciscans. It is also the ten year anniversary of our Center for Franciscan Service and Advocacy. Every single person in our community participates, as this is an awesome occasion! Since I am have a fellowship with the Siena College Leadership Institute, I have the privilege of sitting with the faculty and Friars!

Regardless of your faith, you definitely embrace the Franciscan tradition here on campus. Whether it is our beautiful campus (as previously mentioned) or by practicing the values that the college instills in us everyday, we all have a little bit of the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare in us!

I hope all is well with you and encourage you to keep reading and leaving comments!

Patrick Creegan