Big Blue Nation: From the University of Kentucky Campus

I was born and raised in Lexington, KY--the heart of the Big Blue Nation.  I bleed blue and love watching my beloved Cats play.  I cheer them on and wear all my many UK blue t-shirts on game day.  All through school, if there was an NCAA game during the class hours, class was put on hold and the game was put on the TV.  In high school, we'd congregate in the theatre to cheer on the team on a bigger screen together.  While other people might say their favorite season is spring, summer, fall, or winter, the favorite season in the BBN is basketball season.  You get my point...I am as big of a fan as anyone.

I am now a freshman at the University of Kentucky, staying loyal to my wildcat upbringing, and I am just as big of a fan as ever before.  Honestly, probably a bigger fan.  Yes, I am going to try to get tickets to all of the games.  Yes, I will be donning my UK blue along with every other student on this campus when basketball game days roll around.  Yes, I will be watching the away games with large groups of people--all cheering obnoxiously for every point scored.  I am still a huge fan.  I will always be a huge fan.

However, this morning, I started to think about the obsession of Big Blue Nation as I passed the 26 billion people (ok, not billions, but hundreds nonetheless) camping out for Big Blue Madness.  I walked by the masses of tents that have been preceded with people clogging up the sidewalks students use with their lawn chairs and tarps--sitting in one line to get in another.  I passed by the "madness" that probably inspired those "You people are crazy" t-shirts on my way to class, and not five minutes later I passed Marcus Lee on his way out of White Hall--one of the classroom buildings on campus.  Now, I pass basketball players all the time...in fact, I pass Lee every single Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at approximately 9:52, as he is leaving his class and I am going to mine.  I passed Jamal Murray and Isaac Humphries walking home from class today.  I've seen Skal at CSF events.  I've seen several others at athletic events.  Heck, they ALL live in a residence hall on north campus like I do...I could walk over there in about three minutes.  The list goes on...point being, I am a college student, and so are they.  We go to the same school...our paths cross.

Back to this morning though.  I passed these masses of people camping out days in advance to get tickets to a glorified pep rally and then passed one of those players that they put up on a podium...and I felt for him.  As he and his teammates walk from their residence hall to class, like any other 18-22 year-old college student does--they have to pass these people camped out to see them.  These people...the Big Blue Nation...you and I...expect them to win.  We fill Rupp Arena with 23,500 people and, yes, absolutely support them, but also expect them to win.  We yell at the refs when we don't like the call.  We get mad at the team for screwing up plays, missing shots, and...heaven forbid...losing.  We fill arenas, travel around the country, camp out for days, miss work and school, the list goes on...just to see them play.  And there are reminders of it everywhere.  On t-shirts.  On TV.  On all forms of social media.  On the streets...tents lined up as a reminder that we, the Big Blue Nation, are huge fans.

No pressure, Marcus Lee.  Just continue on your way to class.



Now, the players knew what they were signing up for.  They knew UK basketball was a big deal.  They knew the fans were nuts...we are.  And in some ways, it is great.  I think that Big Blue Nation is 100% the absolute best fan base in the world, and I completely mean that.  But, as a student at the University of Kentucky, I am reminded of who these guys we are cheering for are.  They are humans not so different from me or any other college student.  They live in residence halls, walk to and from class, attend sporting events, go to organizations on campus...they are just college kids.

The madness is beginning.  I am so pumped, as is the rest of BBN.  But this year, because of my experiences as a UK student, when I watch the games, I am going to see more than the players, and I suggest you do too before you snap the next time they miss a shot.  I am going to see the Marcus Lee I see every day leaving class.  I am going to see the humans that are extraordinarily talented young people.  Let's treat them like that, not going off every time they screw up.  Because I screw up too. So do you.  So do they.  And it's okay.  Because regardless of whether they make that point...we have the greatest tradition in college basketball.

With that being said...

On, on, U of K!
Let the madness begin.

"Do What You Love"

"Do what you love."

So cliche, right?  Everyone says to "do what you love"--until that means that someone who loves the arts wants to go into them or someone who wants to be a teacher in some small country across the earth follows that dream.  We are quick to place so many judgments in the academic world, and I am just as guilty as the next person.  This blog post isn't about how much the arts matter and how those degrees are just as valid as math and science--though they are.  It is about how yesterday when I was sitting in one of my honors courses, I totally understood what passion was.

I never understood how anyone could major in something math-y or science-y unless it was for money purposes.  "How could anyone actually love doing that kind of awful stuff?" thought my arts inclined brain.  In class yesterday we were discussing what it means for my university to be a "Research-1 University," so of course, I was prepared for a discussion completely irrelevant for me--the one fine arts major in a room full of "normal" honors students--math and science majors.  And, to some extent, it was pretty irrelevant.  Odds are, I won't do much, if any, undergraduate research--it doesn't help me get to where I want to go.  However, one of my professors was talking about her neuroscience research and she was telling a story:  One night, she and another lady were doing research at one in the morning, and the lady turned to her and exclaimed, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I GET PAID TO DO THIS!!!!!!!"  That hit me.  That's how people in the arts feel.  That's how I hope to feel.

In that moment, it clicked.  People are just as passionate about biology and chemistry and political science as I am about the arts.  Now, there are people who go into that kind of stuff because it is "the smart thing to do" or because the jobs pay well.  However, my professor's eyes lit up with that light that is only present when someone is really passionate about what they are talking about.  Neuroscience research sets a fire within her, just like the arts do for me.

Maybe I didn't learn anything relevant to my major, career, or time at college.  But I did learn something about life.  We all have different passions, and maybe your passions make me want to bang my head against a wall, but the passion it sets within our hearts is the same.  It helps us grow and serve the world.  That is crazy cool.  So, HEY YOU...DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

P.S. My next post is going to be a "hey the arts matter a lot" post, but relating to academic life and what we as a society value as "intelligence" because me and my roommate talk about it all the time, and I love our conversations!

Never Forget

I've been debating what my next post should be.  I've done a lot in the first few weeks at college--there's a lot I could write about, but I haven't felt inspired to write any of those posts...yet...they are coming.  However, on today, September 11, 2015, I wanted to take a brief moment to reflect on the tragedy that occurred on this day 14 years ago.

I don't remember what I was doing.  I do remember watching the news.  I remember the sadness in the air...the atmosphere was full of sadness and brokenness as the air was full of smoke.  I remember drawing a picture of what I was seeing--trying to use art to comprehend in my four year old brain what had taken place.

My heart hurts even today for everyone affected by the attack on 9/11...it always will.  That day will remain one in history that scars our nation.  It cut deep, but the love and community ran deeper.  The beauty on this day is the way people came together--all people.  There were no stereotypes, no labels--we were human, united in our love for each other and the nation we call home.  There was love.  There was community.

I am reminded on this day of a song that we have been singing at Christian Student Fellowship at my university.  The words, sung out loudly by hundreds upon hundreds of college students, tell this story: "I've seen many searching for answers far and wide, but I know we're all searching for answers only you provide, because you know just what we need before we say a word.  You're a good, good Father.  It's who You are; it's who You are.  And I'm loved by You.  It's who I am; it's who I am.  You are perfect in all of Your ways."

He is good.  His ways are perfect--all of them.  He knows what we need before we say a word.  How beautiful is that?  We are each loved so much by him.  We are loved, and every person affected by the tragedy of 9/11 is loved.  That is clear, and we should strive to make it known.  The love shown in our nation towards one another on September 11, 2001 should be shown on September 11, 2015 and every day in between and hereafter.  Love that comes from knowing He is a good, good Father that loves us.  His promises are good.  His promises are true.

Never Forget.

Goodbye, Hello.

I am putting this on here so I have access to it online, but this was originally a pastiche that I had written--pastiche meaning that it had my words but also the words of others.  In this case, I had bits and pieces of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken."  I used this for a performance that I did for a senior showcase.  However, I wanted to put a version out here with only my words, so here you go.  Goodbyes and hellos from the eyes of a senior...now a freshman loving every second of the college experience.  The spoken words went alongside the video at the bottom, though it won't fit correctly now without the Robert Frost words.  This will give you a general sense of the piece though.

Goodbye

Nothingness lies ahead
A dark sky
A blank page
Silence
An empty stage
A deserted room
A void.
Full of fear, I look down the road of nothingness
I can’t see the end--only the end of this road.
The end of this road, I should be ready...for the nothingness, I mean.
I listened, did all the “right” things, got all the right answers.
But all I see is the nothingness.
This road of nothing.
But nothing leads to...something.
A dark sky--full of stars, then a sunrise
Silence--full of notes, then a song
A blank page--full of words, then a story
An empty stage--full of a set, then a show
A deserted room--full of people, then a community
A void--full of a creator, then a me.
I turn around.
The road of nothingness isn’t THE beginning.
It’s A beginning
That connects to the end.
The end of now.
I see more than all the “right” things, all the “right” answers.
I see the words, the smiles, the tears, the happy, the hurt.
I see the nights cried to sleep
I see the mornings full of hope.
dI see the experiences.
I see the people, their smiles, their words.
I turn back around, my world within.
The road of nothingness still looms ahead.
An unknown horizon
But something is there
Something beautiful.
The road behind within
The road ahead of nothing…
Something.

Hello.

College Move-In, First Days, and Dorm Decoration

Two days ago, I moved into my dorm, so I thought I'd make a post about it.  I don't have a ton to say.  Move-in day was pretty seamless for me because I was moving in early because I am in a Fine Arts Living Learning Community, so I was already moving in early.  Not only that, but about half my floor had already moved in even a few days earlier because many of them are in marching band or were rushing.  We pulled up and unloaded everything into a shopping cart that they had available to use.  It took about two trips, but we got everything up to my room and then I started unpacking.  The most organizing you'll have to do is with clothing items and bathroom/sink stuff.  Once you get everything unloaded, then comes the fun part...making the space your own.  I'll just post some pictures and caption with what I did.

Bed space!  Bring stuffed animals if you want...lots of people do and no one cares one way or the other.  Pick a fun comforter.  And then personalize it.  I have artsy friends so I had some canvases to hang (with command strips!!!), but then I also hung some twine with command hooks and used clothespins to put up lots of fun pictures, which you can see here.

Desk.  My desk had drawers, so I put most of my school stuff in there so I could decorate.  I put up lots of pictures again, as you can see, and I used fun mugs like my Tonight Show mug and a New York cup to hold pencils.  I also decorated it with lots of knickknacks which made it feel more like home.  My desk lamp and alarm clock are top left. 

This is the side of my desk which I use as an example of how you can really personalize everything.  I used dorm tape (made by the "mavalous" brand) to attach pictures here, and while I don't have a picture of my wardrobe or the drawers under my bed, I plan to eventually put some pictures there too.

Picture that shows most of the room.

The first few days have been interesting, because there haven't been a ton of activities planned.  The first day was kind of rough because after my parents left, I just sat in my dorm and finished putting pictures up and read some of my summer reading.  I met a few of the girls on my hall, but, like I said, many of them are rushing or in marching band so there weren't a ton of people around, which was hard.  I have a couple of friends from high school that I've met up with.  We agree it's kind of hard to make friends.  But there was an ice cream social the first night where I really got to meet some people, and we had another event where we painted canvases last night.  Each day gets easier.  There was a group of five of us that ordered pizza and then we grabbed a couple other girls and went to a movie night on campus, so yesterday was a lot less lonely.  I don't have too much advice yet, except that it is a transition, which obviously I am still in the middle of.  But having lots of pictures and things from home decorating your new home definitely helps make things feel more comfortable and less unknown.

My Late Night(s) with The Tonight Show

I fully blame Jimmy Fallon for my late nights of homework senior year.  It's all his fault.  Because I became an avid fan.  Let me explain.

Tonight Show obsession continued through graduation thank you notes...

I was a part of a rigorous program called the International Baccalaureate Program and it caused me many late nights of homework.  I stayed up doing biology labs, math problems, papers for any and every class--you name it.  For me to work efficiently, I found it helpful to have background noise, so I would turn on the local news at 10 and then the local news on NBC at 11.  I had no problem focusing on my homework with the Kentucky news playing.  However, after the 11 o'clock news was The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.  At first, his show too was not an issue, but then I began to listen to it, and watch it, and get distracted.  The good news was, I watched the monologue and opening segment and was able to regain focus on my homework during the interviews.  Then homework nights got later...all the way to Late Night with Seth Meyers.  I soon was hooked on his monologue and opening segment as well.

Some might say that this was bad...my lack of focus that resulted from the shows.  But I don't think so.  Sure, I might have ended up going to bed 30 minutes later and maybe my homework wasn't as perfect as it could have been.  But let me tell you, I always had a chance to smile and laugh before going to sleep.  Before my late night TV breaks, I got frustrated and stressed to the point of tears.  Always.  And while I still had those moments (and probably just as frequently), I was able to smile.  I was able to take a break from the tedious assignments and just laugh.  How great is that?!

While their jobs may seem like "fun" jobs or maybe even "easy" jobs, I truly believe that people like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers who host these late night talk shows have some of the toughest jobs around.  Think about it.  Every night, you have to come out with a smile and make other people smile.  Even if you've had an awful day.  You have to immediately be likable.  But I think that what makes them so great at what they do is why the do it.  I see this a lot with Jimmy Fallon.  He is always having fun--smiling and laughing and having fun with his guests, with Higgins, with the material, with everything.  But even more than having fun...he does what he does for a specific reason, and it's super cool.  After coming back from a finger injury, he said, "This is the meaning of my life.  I belong on TV, and I should  be talking to people who are in an ICU, or wherever you are...if anyone is suffering at all, this is my job.  I'm here to make you laugh, and I wanna make you have a good time."  Here's the full clip (watch around 4:20):

I so admire people, like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers (and all the many other late night hosts), who do what they do to serve people.  And it's not just their jobs.  It's your job.  It's my job.  Do what you love to do to serve people.  I do theatre, specifically children's theatre, to serve people.  Maybe you are an engineer or a teacher or or a musician or a doctor or an athlete.  Whatever you are, serve others doing what you do...and have freaking fun while you're doing it!!!!

So maybe my "Late Night"(s) and "Tonights" with Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon weren't just a distraction.  Perhaps they were to show me the beauty of serving people and the beauty of taking a moment to just laugh.  So, Jimmy Fallon, I take it back.  I don't blame you for those late nights of homework.  I THANK YOU for them.

P.S. Please watch these gifs while listening to music...you'll thank me.

Dear 2016 Seniors

Dear 2016 Seniors,

A year ago, I was in your shoes, about to start my senior year.  I was posting all my "Last First Day" posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and scrolling through the posts of my friends who had done the same.  I was excited to be at the top of the school, flying through one last year of high school before adventuring out into the world of college.  I was already stressing over college applications and scholarships and decisions that truly wouldn't be made for almost nine more months.  I was being told not to "wish senior year away" and blah blah blah.  Now, a year later, I am sitting on my front porch on the first "school night" that my underclassmen friends are dreading.  I have seen the sad posts about summer ending, the "wow I can't believe I am already a senior" posts.  I've seen all the high school schedules floating around online.  And yet here I am, sitting in the warm summer night air, still in disbelief that I am graduated, that tomorrow I won't be walking through the front doors of my high school, that all of my friends are starting to scatter across the country to move on to bigger and better things.  I learned a lot during my high school years, especially senior year, but to be honest, these were the most important:

Reflect
Senior year is so weird because you're constantly looking ahead to what's next, whether that be college or the workforce or the military or even just ahead to the next test or school event.  Yet at the same time, you are looking back at all the years of school--of life--that you've gone through.  Something about senior year, especially those late nights, makes you really look at life, as a whole.  That is good.  Evaluate your life.  Find out where you came from, where you are, and where you're going.  But know that today is most important.  Live in today.  Don't miss today.

Love
As I looked at my life, I realized that what I remembered--what my memories were really made of--were the people in my life.  People are so important, and whether you love the people in your grade or think you hate them, you will miss many of them when you graduate.  When they walk across the stage and are handed that prized diploma, you will realize that when some of them walk out of that graduation, they will walk out of your life.  Love them.  Love them all.  I don't care who said what about that girl or that boy--love them.  Don't get caught up in the drama, because there will be some.  People get weird senior year.  Remember that you're all in a state of mixed emotions, and just love people.

Say "Thank You"
You didn't get to senior year by yourself, no matter what you think.  Thank your teachers, your parents, your friends, your counselors, your custodians, EVERYONE.  Senior year can get a lot about "me"--my college, my scholarships, my awards, my graduation.  The attention will be on you a lot.  When it is, use that attention to shine a light on what other people did to get you to where you are.  Tell them thank you.  THANK YOUR TEACHERS.  Whether you love them or hate them, they put up with you and got you to graduation.  Thank them.

Encourage and Support
This also requires taking the focus off yourself.  Everyone, and I do mean everyone, you meet is doing something super cool.  You just have to find out what it is.  Talk to people.  And then go support them.  Go watch the soccer team.  Go see plays.  Read the newspaper that your friend writes.  Support people.  And when they go off to college or to do whatever they may do, support them.

Prioritize
Remember...people are most important.  School and grades matter--a lot.  College applications will teach you that in a hurry.  However, people will be what you remember.  My math teacher junior year said, "Make school work around your life, not your life work around school."  That will always stick with me.

Don't be a Slacker
That being said, don't totally neglect school.  Make memories with your friends and take time for yourself, but remember, you've gotten through kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, freshman through junior year--don't stop second semester of senior year!  Finish strong.  You'll be happy you did when those IB/AP scores come back and you get out of a bunch of general classes in college...believe me, I'm thankful already.

Take Lots of Pictures
Take first day of school pictures with your friends...and last day of school pictures.  Take selfies at graduation practice.  Take pictures in the theatre on random days.  Take pictures of your math class or your Spanish class or your history class. Get pictures at banquets and at lunch.  Get pictures with everyone.  Once again, you'll be happy you did.  I am in the process of picking out pictures to hang in my dorm, and I'm going to have like hundreds from senior year alone...I am 100% ok with that.  You'll have lots of reminders to keep close to you.

Branch Out
I got to be good friends with a ton of people in the IB program my senior year--I felt pretty close to everyone.  And I am so thankful I expanded my friend group in that way.  But even then, I got to senior trip in April and met a bunch of people who I'd smile at in the hallway but never really talked to.  Once again, everyone is doing something cool.  Don't get to spring and realize that you didn't really meet as many people as you could have.  Trust me, you'll regret it.  Senior trip made me bond in a new way with the whole senior class, and I truly wish I had gotten closer to so many people.

Don't Wish It Away
"Oh, I won't!" you tell me, as I told many people.  But you will.  You'll wish it away when homework overloads you.  You'll wish it away as college plans become real and very exciting.  You'll wish it away when your teachers don't seem to get that "senioritis" is a very real thing.  You'll wish it away when the underclassmen are acting stupid (the same way you did three years ago).  You'll wish it away when you're having an awful day (and I had a lot of those...they happen...maybe a lot).  But in those moments, look around at your school, your classmates, your teachers, your sports team, your choir, your theatre group, your club...and remember that you only have a limited number of days with them.  Because all of a sudden you'll be sitting outside on the summer night that is "the first school night" for everyone else and realize that you blinked.  You looked ahead to college and all of a sudden it wasn't a year away, it is a week away.  Many of your classmates are headed away, your teachers are headed back where you aren't, your choir or sports team or theatre group is continuing on...and you aren't there.  I'm sure it'll only get realer for me from here, but it's very weird.  I am SO SO SO excited for college and everything that is ahead, but I do wish I had savored the moments that are now only memories.  I'm leaving it behind, carrying it in my heart, and I can't wait to come back and see how my school has thrived...how my underclassmen have thrived.  But don't wish it away.  I promise, the time will pass...you'll get to graduation faster than you can even fathom.  Enjoy today.  Enjoy it.  Enjoy it.  Enjoy it.

Love,
Erin, Creek Class of '15

TC IB Class of 2015