Some of your questions answered

Through Facebook I've been communicating with a few incoming freshmen and they've had a whole bunch of good questions about what to bring and whatnot. Check out their questions and how I answered them

Question #1. "hey, i have a couple of questions about stuff to get for carpenter. other than a microwave/fridge/fan...what else should my roommate and i get? do rooms have a mirror?"

Answer: Good question. There are big bulletin boards in the room that have mirrors on the side of them. It's probably 1/4th of the bulletin board. That was useful for doing make-up or whatever at the desk, but I would recommend bringing a full-length mirror, too. But, don't put it over the back of the door because it won't work very well. My roommate and I just leaned ours up against her bed and that worked pretty well.

Also, you'll want to bring a chair for lounging in. Obviously you'll want a DVD player, too. I'm sure whichever one of you has the TV will have one. But, you might want to spring and get a DVD/VHS player incase you go to the library at school and get a VHS or incase you want to record some TV shows that you might miss because of class.

I would also recommend bringing some sort of wire shelves. I bought a few collapsible ones and they were dead useful. They're just little cubes that have little black connectors on the corners. You can find them pretty much anywhere.

Question #2. do u suggest lofting your bed?

Answer: I would def. loft the bed. The amount of storage it frees up is amazing and you'll need all the space you can get! Yes, it is kind of a pain in the butt to climb up and down it (especially when you need to pee at 3am) but overall I highly suggest it.

Question # 3. and also, how crucial is it to have a TV... my roommate said she didnt care for one and i dont watch a lot of TV either...however other ppl said that it is pretty crucial.

Answer: I don't think a TV is crucial at all. I enjoyed having one mostly for movies. You're going to make friends quickly and you can just go to their room to watch TV or movies. Plus, there's a huge TV in the Carpenter lobby that anybody can use. It might be kind of nice not having that type of distraction. And, if there is one particular show you do like to watch (like Grey's Anatomy) you'll probably find a friend who enjoys the same show or you can just watch it online... without the commercials! The TV I had last year was my roommates and I found I rarely used it when she wasn't around. It really depends on you and your preference.

Question # 4. I was getting my things together and figuring out what I will need for my dorm and was wondering about a refrigerator. Will I need one? If so, then what size should I look for? What is the recommended wattage for the dorm? Is there any size that is too big? Just some questions running through my head when thinking about the dorm situation.

Answer: Have you talked to your roommate yet about the fridge situation? If it is up to you to bring one or not, I would have to say yes, you should have one. Personally, I loved having one. This is mostly because I eat cereal all the time and like to have my milk for it close. Plus, it's good if you want to have some Cokes or bottles of water handy when it's really hot. There will be a community fridge available if you decide you don't want a fridge, but you're taking a risk by using it. People could easily just take your stuff. As far a size goes, mine is on the larger side. I'm pretty sure they won't allow anything bigger than 3 cubic feet and mine is just about that. Mine worked out really well for me because every now and then my friends and I would go grocery shopping (for real food ;)) and all my food (plus some of other people's) fit really well. My neighobors had a much smaller one (1.5 cubic feet I think) and that worked well for them because all they really had was a few juice boxes. I guess it really depends on what you think you'll need.

CLEP exams

In high school I took a bunch of AP exams including AP BC Calculus. Let's just say that I didn't do as well as I had hoped on that one. After struggling through a year of AP math, I didn't even get college credit for it. But, dear friends, not all hope was lost. This summer I'm taking the CLEP test. I believe CLEP stands for College Level Examination Preparation (can you tell I made that up?). Anyway, the math on the CLEP test is far easier than BC Calculus. Plus, if I pass I get three credits which means, as a journalism major, I won't have to take another math class... ever!

CLEP tests might be a good option for you if you want to knock out some of those basic credits so there's more room in your schedule for more fun class or if you're looking to graduate early, this will certainly help you out.

And, don't get me wrong, CLEP offers tests for all sorts of subjects, not just math. All you have to do is study up a bit on whatever subject you'll be testing on, then call up your local CLEP testing center and set up a time for you to take the test. You can take it whenever you like which is nice. If you don't feel like you're ready to take it one week, take it the next.

Here's a list of CLEP exams you can take:
Composition and Literature
American Literature
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
English Composition
English Literature
Freshman College Composition
Humanities
Foreign Languages
French Language (Levels 1 and 2)
German Language (Levels 1 and 2)
Spanish Language (Levels 1 and 2)
History and Social Sciences
American Government
Human Growth and Development
Introduction to Educational Psychology
Introductory Psychology
Introductory Sociology
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Social Sciences and History
U.S. History I: Early Colonizations to 1877
U.S. History II: 1865 to the Present
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present
Science and Mathematics
Biology
Calculus
Chemistry
College Algebra
College Mathematics
Natural Sciences
Precalculus
Business
Financial Accounting (New in 2007)
Introductory Business Law
Information Systems and Computer Applications
Principles of Management
Principles of Marketing

See? You could find something to take, just make sure your school accepts CLEP credit. Drake does, so if you go to Drake, don't worry.

All of the exams are done on the computer too, so you know how you did immediatley. That's better than waiting by the mailbox for 7 weeks, huh?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I'm really really upset. REALLY upset! Harry Potter 7 was released only a few days ago and I can't read it yet! I have a huge math test to take for some college credit and I decided that it was best if I waited until after the exam to read it.

But, I have some predictions for you here. I decided to put them out there so I can look back after I've read the book to see how right I was.

DEATHS:
I think Harry will kill Snape. Good guy or bad guy, he'll get him for the murder of Dumbledore.
Hagrid will probably die in battle.
Tonks and Lupin will die, but not before getting married.
I think Neville will kill Bellatrix Lestrange.
Voldemort will obviously die either by Harry or by YET ANOTHER spell going awry (like the one when he tried to kill Harry in the first place). And with all his Horcruxes gone, he won't be able to come back.
Lupin will kill Wormtail.
I have a feeling one of the Weasley twins will die.
Narcissa Malfoy will die protecting Draco, to parallel Lilly dying to save Harry.
Voldemort will kill Lucius Malfoy.

MARRIAGES:
I heard it rumored somewhere that this final book goes quite a few years further than the end of the school year, if that is the case, there are some weddings in store.
Ron & Hermione (that one's a long time coming).
Harry & Ginny (assuming Harry lives, which I am).
Lupin & Tonks
Bill & Fleur (obviously).

OTHER PREDICTIONS:
There will be no return to Hogwarts, however, there will be some mysterious deaths and dissappearances of some of the minor students we've already been introduced to.
Harry will not die. I've been thinking that perhaps his scar or his eyes (everyone is always going on and on about his eyes) would be the final Horcrux, but that seems a little unreasonable. Harry will live to either rid the Wizarding World of the Dark Lord, or Voldemort will simply self-destruct after Harry destroys all the Horcruxes.
Snape is a good guy, working for the Order. As evil as he is, he was probably just following Dumbledore's orders by killing him. But I'm not sure if anybody will know in the end if he was good or evil because Harry will get to him first.
R.A.B, the mysterious person who destroyed Slytherin's locket, will turn out to be someone we already know. My money is that it's Regalus Black, Sirius' younger brother who was a Death Eater, tried to quit his evil ways, but was murdered by Voldemort.
Draco will survive.
Harry's eyes will be significant in the end...

Have fun reading, but DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING!

Meagan's Top Ten

Whether you're headed to Drake or not, chances are you're probably starting to think about shopping for things to bring to school. I decided to put together this little list of the top ten things I found most useful my first year at school that you probably won't find on any list of reccommended items to bring. Here we go...

3M! These removable adhesive little guys are probably the most amazing thing I've come across in a long, long time. Use them on your posters, your photos, whatever you have hanging on your wall. They sell all sorts of varieties of hooks too for hanging hats or belts or coats. They'll never fall off the wall, plus they don't leave any residue behind when you take them off. And, they won't damage any of your pictures or posters. They're a little pricey, but would you rather spend the money on the 3M adhesives, or on dorm damage charges?

A FAN! Coming to Drake from Colorado was a wee bit of a shock. It's not like it's not hot in Colorado, but it's certainly less humid, which makes move-in day, and the subsequent month quite miserable when it comes to the weather. I probably would have died without my fan. I had a floor fan and a little clip-on fan that I attached to my loft. Not only was the smaller fan nice when it was hot, but it was good to keep the air circulating even in the cooler months. It can get pretty stuffy up in those lofts.

CLOROX WIPES! Maybe you're not exactly a germaphobe but, believe me, once you see how quickly germs spread around school, you'll be taking extra care to make sure you don't get sick. Clorox wipes were fantastic. I wiped down the doorknob every so often and pretty much every other surface I could find. I usually ate at my desk, so I used a Clorox wipe to make sure I didn't have old food germs sitting around waiting to attack.

SUPERGLUE! It's a sad truth, but things do break. Although, most things are not impossible to repair. That's where the superglue comes in. And I'm not talking about JUST superglue, I'm talking about the mother of all superglue. I'm talking about Gorilla Glue. It's probably the strongest, most versatile glue out there. It will glue cement, metal, stone, ceramics, glass... you name it, it will fix it!

STORAGE BINS! Ok, this one will be on your lists of reccommended items to bring. But, cut me some slack because this is really one of those things that you can't really live without. You can use them for really anything. I was a big fan of the cube ones. I put them in my closet and kept food and extra books in them. And they fit pretty much anywhere.

FABREEZE! C'mon... you won't be able to afford to do laundry as often as you like!

A SAFE! It's not that I didn't trust my roommate or my neighbors, but safe is better than sorry. I had a small safe that I kept in a trunk with a combination lock for my valuables. It's a good idea to keep things like iPods, spare cash, and banking information there. Plus, you might trust the people around you, but there's nothing stopping a complete stranger from wandering down your hall.

A FILING SYSTEM! If you're going to be living in Carpenter or Herriott next year, allow me to reccommend a filing system for the bottom drawer of your desk. It will fit perfectly. As for those in Stalnaker or Crawford, I don't know if a filing system will work out in the desks since the halls are being renovated and furniture is being changed. But, if it works, go for it. It's a great way of keeping track of old exams and papers.

BASKETS FOR YOUR DESK DRAWERS! I had a billion little while baskets in the drawers of my desk and they were ideal for keeping organized. They're cheap and super useful. It was a great way of keeping track of all my paperclips, pencils, quarters for laundry and about nine hundred other things.

MP3 PLAYER/CD PLAYER! It's nice to put a little music on to get from point a to b. Granted, Drake is such a small campus that you might just arrive at your destination before having time to pick a song.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.. spoilers!

Harry Potter 5 has been out for three days, and I'm a little ashamed to say I've seen it twice already. But, it's alright, I'll be the first to admit that I have a problem. Every year or so I launch into Harry Potter mania and for that few weeks I can't get enough interviews, pictures, newspaper reviews, ect....

But, I'm pleased to announce that this year it was very much worth the excitement. I think the fifth movie installment is by far on of the best. David Yates (the new director) did a spectacular job and I'm delighted that he'll be returning to do the sixth movie.

Although, I certainly agree with the critics who lamented that the plot moved far too quickly (after all, the fifth movie is the shortest of all the Potter films, yet Order of the Phoenix was one of the longest books), but generally I feel like the book-to-movie adaptation was superb.

Naturally some of the side-line stuff was cut out... like Ron and Hermione becoming Prefects, the whole Percy drama, Quiddich, Harry's disastrous Valentine's Day date with Cho, running into Lockhart and Neville at St. Mugos, and Ron being strangled to death by a brain at the Department of Mysteries. Admittedly, that was a bummer, but I felt that the main story of Harry creating Dumbledore's Army whilst having nightmares of long, narrow hallways, desperately trying to master Occulmency with Snape, and fighting through his feelings of hatred toward Dumbledore, and rising up against the thoroughly twisted Umbridge sustained the movie on its own.

Speaking of the devil... Umbridge herself was perfect. The actress who was cast nailed the role. Everything from her little girlish cough (hem, hem) to the revolting dishes with kittens on them littering her office was truly superb. Luna Lovegood was also cast perfectly. Her airy tone was ideal for conversing about Nargles, although, I would have loved it if she mentioned the Crumple-Horned Snorksack (or whatever it's called) once or twice.

The sets were spectacular, and the three main characters have made huge strides in their acting ability.

The death scene with Sirius was sad, of course, but I definitely feel like those who haven't read the Harry Potter books aren't as attached to Black as those who have. It was only in the very end of the third movie that we realized he wasn't a murderer, he wasn't even in the fourth, and fifth spent quite a lot of time trying to establish the closeness between Harry and Sirius. The death was done very well, and kudos to Dan Radcliffe for how well he played his grief.

Overall, I felt that the fifth movie was the best of the series. The dialogue between characters was probably the truest to the book and I didn't feel slighted at the end of it like I have in the past. And I loved the ending where Voldemort invades Harry's mind and Harry overcomes him by saying something like "YOU'RE the weak one. You'll never know love, or friendship. I feel sorry for you." That was fantastic.

See it, enjoy it... and try not to make too many comparisons to the book...

4th of July

I've probably mentioned once or twice how much I love fireworks... check out this pics I snagged on the 4th.

Viva Las Vegas

I recently got back from a trip that I took to Las Vegas. Don't get excited. I don't have any amazing or embarassing or particularly wild stories to tell. This is mostly due to the fact that I was visiting my grandmother who lives there. More to the point, I'm not 21 so I didn't blow all my drinking money gambling, or all my gambling money drinking.

I did have a good time, though. It was fun, but hot. I feel like such an idiot saying something like that. It's summer. It's hot all over the place. It reminds me of the five-day forecasts on the news where each day has a high of ninetysomething and yet it's still necessary for the graphics team to stamp the word "Hot" across the screen with little flames insid the letters, as if we're not smart enough to realize that ninety-plus degrees is hot.

Anyway... let's just say that I didn't particularly enjoy the 112 degree weather outside.

Although, it seemed as though the thousands of people walking the strip had absolutley no problem with it. I don't know if it was because it was a holiday weekend with the Fourth of July and all of that or whatever, but I was absolutley astounded to see so many people out in the heat. And nobody seemed to be in any sort of rush or anything. They were just milling around without shirts and stuff like it was 70 out.

Those people are the idiots.

Ok, really now, back to the actual trip.

I finally got to see the Bellagio fountains. They're supposed to be amazing, particularly at night... and they were! I love it. They had patriotic music playing and the water fountains were practically dancing. See the pics.

I went to see The Producers at the Paris and that was great. I saw the movie a little while ago and it's so funny. I loved it. The show was just as good. It basically revolves around a Broadway producer (and his accountant/fellow producer) who raises a whole bunch of money to put on a bona fide flop so his show closes and he gets to keep the rest of the money. It's so good.

We also went shopping a bunch of times and in addition to some new clothes, I also went to Build-A-Bear. I've done a Build-A-Bear before years ago also on a trip to Vegas and I wasn't going to do it again until an adorable green creature sitting in the window happened to catch my eye.

I don't know if you read my frogs vs. turtles blog, but here's the point: I love turtles and you can't find them anywhere. So, I was pretty darn excited when I found him.

So, I went inside the Build-A-Bear and, yes, I did feel a little silly being inside since I'm almost a sophomore in college, but then I rememberd the huge line at the Build-A-Bear table last year around Valentine's Day and it made me feel a little bit better. Plus, the kid in front of me was also making a turtle, so I knew I made a good choice. I'm big into alliterations, so I named my turtle Tyler.

Another day my grandmother and I took a senic drive through Red Rock Canyon which was pretty and afterwards met up with my Aunt and Uncle who live in the area for lunch. We ended up at the Red Rock hotel which is home of Heather West's restaurant. I don't know about you, but I'm a huge Hell's Kitchen fan, and Heather won last season so she got a restaurant in Red Rock. We didn't go to her restaurant, but it was cool being the same building.

My trip only lasted four days, which was nice because I was so tired of the heat!!! It was nice to come home to Colorado where the high is only 97!!!!



lights!

a ferris wheel at the Bellagio

The ceiling at the Bellagio

The Paris

grandma's dog

fountains!!!!