#6 I've Made a Huge Mistake

“COME ON!!” This is officially the most commonly used phrase in the Milton Daniel room of 356 for just about anything, good or bad. If you do not recognize this line already I will give you a hint, it is from a highly under watched yet hilarious television show that was for whatever reason only on air for 3 seasons. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is the name of the show and as far as sitcoms go that really accomplish nothing other than make you laugh it is certainly one of my favorites. Anyone who has watched this show will undoubtedly agree, it may be mildly offensive, extremely random, but most importantly is it certainly hysterical.
Making a list of all the reasons why the show is as funny as it is would take much more time and space than I have but you have my word this is a show worth watching. It has some of the most unique, bizarre, and absolutely exaggerated characters that will rival any other sitcom. What adds on to that is the situations that they are consistently thrown into on a daily basis from driving an airport stair car before upgrading to a truck with a log cabin on the back, or having a family member have one of his hands gnawed of by a stray seal.
Watching these three seasons will change your life! OK that was probably an exaggeration but this is certainly a show worth giving a shot if you are in the mood to laugh and or simply be confused as to how someone can come up with some of the things this series does.

# 6: The Importance Of Morning Routines

The start of each day is the most influential factor in how your day will go.To get an idea of how I live and who I really am, I will describe how I like to start my days.

To wake myself up, I like to use the alarm on my phone. This way I do not have to get out of bed to turn off a conventional clock radio. If I have a class at 10:00 AM, I need to be on the bus from Worth Hills at 9:50. To do this I must wake up by 9:10 to shower and look pretty. This may seem like a simple task to fulfill, but I like to spice things up a bit. Sometimes, I will set my alarm for 7:45 just so that I can have the satisfaction of being able to go back to sleep. Sometimes, I will set my alarm at 7:15 so I can cook breakfast and then get some more sleep. I think I do this to emulate my grandfather. Every day, he wakes up to eat a grapefruit and then goes back to sleep before work. After showering, I like to sit in my towel and watch television for a little while. I believe that bathing is an important part of any day and should be followed by a time of rest. Once I look pretty enough to present myself to the campus, it's off to the bus to start the rest of my day.

Morning routines are obviously very important to me, and I hope that those who read this don't feel like I completely wasted their time.

#6 Just Kickin' It

I knew college soccer would be hard, but if I would have known what I was getting myself into, I would have though twice about signing my life away to TCU Women's Soccer. Our regular season was in the fall, and yea, our schedule was hard with the practices, games, and traveling all on top of school, but I don't think that even compares to the dreaded off-season training. Our schedule goes as follows: Monday- practice from 3 to 5, Tuesday- weights at 6:30 a.m. and practice in the afternoon from 3 to 5, Wednesday- off day, Thursday- weights at 6:30 a.m. and practice from 3 to 5, Friday- practice from 3 to 5 and Saturday- weights on our own time as well as team practice. Our "practices" generally consist of conditioning for an hour and then practice with the ball for an hour. I have never been so sore and run down in my life. I think I would be just fine with cutting off my legs just so I could not feel them anymore. All I ever want to do is sleep in my free time, wait, what free time? As soon as practice is over I go home and shower, eat dinner and then go to my mandatory study hall hours and tutors, and as soon as that is over it is way past my bedtime. Despite how terrible and unenjoyable this all sounds, I wouldn't ever go back and change my decision. Soccer is my life and I'd like to keep it that way, for now.

# 6 Desperate for Desperate

Desperate Housewives is my favorite TV show ever. Some might say it is too much stupid drama but I think it is great! It is a show about a ritzy neighborhood and all the drama that happens with all the neighbors. Since the whole show is over exaggerated about drama, my favorite character is Gabby. She always ends up in these crazy situations and it is so amusing to watch her get out of them. She makes up her mind about things so quickly and always gets her way. With this show it is not just one plot with the same characters, there are multiple things happening. There are five main housewives, and each one is different. They all consider themselves friends even though most of them talk about each other behind their backs. To me it is funny because half of the drama would never happen. The show normally plays on Sunday nights but it has been out on hold for a long time because of the writers strike. I heard on the news that some writers are returning so I really hope it’s true for Desperate Housewives!

6: A stich in Time...

ONCE apon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, I was requested to sew some garments for an African fashion show that was happening the next day. I got all the measurements, drew out a sketch of something I had in mind, and got the fabric from the person who was organizing the event. She wanted the costumes by about 11:00 the next day, so I had a very limited time to turn the garments around.

That night was a wild night. I had an idea of what i wanted to do in my head, but I didn't have any time to make a muslin (a prototype in muslin, which is cheaper fabric and easier to change than expensive silks and brocades) so I went directly to the fabric, a leopard print cotton/poly blend. I cut out the fabric, hoping that it would provide the desired effect, and started sewnig them at 12:30 AM. I finsished all three of them by around 3:30, and I was worried I would have to make adjustments to them after they were fitted on the models.

The night of the show, I was anxious to see my garments, hoping they turned out how I had envisioned them. When the girls walked out on to the runway, everybody was in awe at the garments. My hard work pulled off, and everybody was impresssed that I was in essence, able to throw together a perfect outfit. They fit the girls perfectly and I was very proud that there were no catastrophes in the end.

#6 The Bucket List - "I laughed, I cried, I lost five pounds"

This weekend, I saw one of my new all-time favorite movies, The Bucket List. The movie was about Jack Nicholson, a wealthy hospital owner who cannot be close with other people because he is such a jerk in most situations, and Morgan Freeman who plays an auto mechanic that has many loving family members and is extremely knowledgeable. Early in the movie, both find out that they have a terminal illness and have very short to live, they meet up as Nicholson comically becomes the victim of his own "two patients to a room, no exceptions" rule. Freeman writes a "bucket list" which Nicholson discovers and the two men embark on a journey that leads to the discovery of the true joys in life and the unbreakable bond of friendship. The movie had hilarious parts and extremely sad parts, but overall was very entertaining and enjoyable.

The movie held particular sentimental value to me because these are two of my favorite all-time actors and they are both old (both are 70 years old right now, and in a few months both will be 71)... so having them in a movie with the subject of knowing that death could be down the corner was very interesting.

#6 Gonna Get Down

Sunday nights are always filled with dread. Dread of the long week that seems to lie ahead, dread of the tests coming up, and dread of the thought that another weekend is already over. The one thing that always gets me through the week is the hope of something exciting happening. This week, I'm just trying to make it to Thursday. After my morning nursing test is over with, I'll be getting ready for the Funky Town Get Down. My brother sets up venues around Fort Worth for TCU students, and this time he has gotten five rappers to perform. Three of these rappers are my favorite new artists, so I'm ready to "do the boot" with Teflon. A lot of my friends will be going, so it'll be fun to know everyone and to have something for kids to do on a Thursday. Not only will Teflon be there but, Lil Will who sings "My Dougie" will perform which makes me ready for this week to go by very quickly. I am actually selling tickets this week for ten dollars, so if you want to go out, let me know and I can save a ticket for you and a friend. :)

# 6 Feel Bad

I have never hated my classes even though it is hard and I couldn’t get good grade. From last week, I hated one of class because of professor’s attitude. I took test and I made really bad score. I didn’t know what makes my grade so low so I decide to see my professor to see what was wrong and ask him some advice. I made appointment to meet him and I went there but he was not there but my test. One of officers said that I need to check by myself. I wanted to see my professor so that I could ask any questions, but he came and when he saw me he just said that checked my test and he left. After I studied for 30 minutes, I had question for my test so I went to his office. When I get there, he was eating so he said I had to wait for him if I had question. So I waited and he came out and when I asked one question, he just told me what was answer without explaining and he banged door right in front of me even though I was saying I was sorry for interrupting his meal. But I am sure it was not my fault because I made appointment and he just cancelled without saying anything to me. I think if student respect professor, professor should respect students even though they are young and not good at English.

#6: The Latest and Greatest TCU Club

Last Monday, the first meeting for Gymnastics Club was held at The Cheer Connection about twenty minutes away from campus. Although we had a small turnout of ten or eleven; it was still an exciting time for me. I was made the treasurer at that first meeting, and we are still working with SGA to get some funding, and make the club "official."
Our dues are relatively low ($60) when you factor in the diversity and overall space we have at The Cheer Connection. We've got your standard floor mat area for doing floor routines, two sets of rings, a horse, a hot box, two sets of parallel bars, two sets of competition bars, a vault, a balance beam, an elongated trampoline, a springy floor section, and plenty of various mats and pads to minimize the chance for injury. While this sounds confusing and hard to remember, bear in mind that I remember all of this after just two sessions.
We are definitely looking for more members regardless of prior experience, not only to have a good time but to help lower dues. My friend, Robert Voelker, and I are doing Gymnastics Club this semester without any prior experience. Ok, I lied. I tried gymnastics once when I was four but couldn’t even do a cartwheel then. Come out to The Cheer Connection on Mondays or Wednesdays, and get in contact with our president, Travis Doig.

#6: Abortion Makes You the Mother of a Dead Baby

Murder is defined as the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. Now abortion is not considered murder in this country, for the most part, because people say that the fetus is non-living. This statement is unargubly false. There are four differences that set post-natal humans apart from pre-natal ones, these are: size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency. The problem with saying that these differences make the unborn baby non-human, is that it also states that some humans are non-humans! As far as size is conserned, a six foot tall person is no more human than a 3 foot tall person. Killing the smaller of these would be murder, because they are human. Level of development is an argument of how deveoped their body is. Is a six year old girl without developed reproductive organs less human than a thirty-six year old woman, again the answer is no.The difference of environment causes problems because we live on a large continent. Not everyone on it can live in exacly the same place, therefore are people in Africa less human than Americans, no, they are just as human as us. What about dependency? Is someone who cannot live without their insulin less alive than me, obviously no, we have the same amount of living worth. Now think, if the differences between me and an unborn baby do not show that they are un-alive, then they must be alive! Wow that is a new one. So ending their development must be.....what is the word.....MURDER!

#6 The Parent in All of Us

The typical stereotype of a college freshman usually amounts to an out-of-control child away from home for the first time. What I've noticed in my first two semesters of college is that although we are legally adults, freshman act more immature than ever. During the final years of highschool teens generally feel like they're capable of living alone and their parents are more of a nuisance yet they leave home and good judgement depletes. Examples would be eating and excercise habits, excessive drinking, and sexual decisions. I'm stereotyping to a certain extent, however, this is a constant observation. So why is it that we're given a chance to run our own lives and things tend to go haywire? Possibly not because one feels they can make their own decisions but rather, they're tired of listening to others make those decisions. Parents are also a huge factor in their teens adaptation to college life. If they were over-bearing and strict when raising their child, rebellion later in life is almost garunteed. My parents were very easy going when it came to letting me make my own decisions and our relationship was healthy. I can say from personal expirience, this helped me to make good decisions and to take care of myself away from home. All in all it's a test of time to figure our how to parent yourself. Being a freshman in college is just a year of total confusion, for most.

#6 It's a Bird, it's a Plane, it's Superman!

Every year, midway through the NBA regular season, the NBA holds its annual All-Star weekend. This event brings several of the most talented basketball players in the league together for an All-Star game, as well as many skills competitions involving 3-point shooting contests and dribbling exhibitions to entertain the fans. However, there is one specific competition that highlights the entire weekend, the slam dunk contest. For the past couple of years many basketball fans have been disappointed in the lack of energy and creativity the players have been putting into the competition. In this year’s dunk contest that disappointment came to an end with an outrageous amount of defying dunks. For me personally, there were two dunks performed that i will never forget. For the first dunk, Gerald Green placed a cupcake with a lit candle on the back of the rim, and while he was in the air blew the candle out before slamming it through the rim. I thought that was the most original dunk I had ever seen. Finally, the dunk of the night was by Dwight Howard. Before the dunk, Howard put on a Superman cape and then jumped from the free throw line, soared through the air just like Superman, and dunked the ball. We should all thank Green and Howard for saving what was left of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and allowing the fans to be excited about basketball again.

#6 The Kingdom

This past Thursday night, I watched THE KINGDOM with a few of my friends. I like action films with intricate plots so I thought I would give this one a try. This first thing I noticed about this movie was the number of political undertones that surrounded the United States and the Middle East. For those of you that are familiar with this movie, you know just as well as I do that this movie almost seems to encourage hatred to the other sides of the spectrum. At the end of the movie, the Muslim extremists and Americans are both caught saying, “we will kill them all”, referring to each other. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this movie, it has several different scenes of car bombings and terrorism which led me to the realization that, yes, this is all actually happening in Iraq and Afghanistan today and it seems like this hatred will continue until the end of time. The events that take place in this movie are real and terrifying. I recommend that everyone see this movie because it is entertaining, as a movie should be, but serious about terrorism and the Middle East at the same time. 

#6 I Pledge Myself...To What?

Last week I finished the book Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins. It gives readers and inside look at sorority life without all the facades and fakeness. Robbins goes undercover at a typical University and follows the lives of four sorority members unbeknownst to the rest of their sisters. Robbins witnesses countless acts of binge drinking, illegal drug usage, casual sex, and other activities known to be issues in sororities. For a reader considering participating in recruitment, or the parents of a sorority member, like mine, this book could be positively terrifying. I am so glad I did not read it until now because it shows me how different my sorority, and I'm sure the other chapters at TCU, are from other campus'. It was still very interesting to see greek life from the eyes of someone who was not a participant.

This book also showed me that once again I am involved in an activity with predetermined stereotypes that are very hard to break. All through junior high and high school I was a cheerleader and spent much of my time working to disprove the airhead stereotype. Now in college sorority girls have many different labels, which may or may not be true. Pledged really opened my eyes to the image that people have of sororities and encouraged me to work towards improving it in my sorority and at TCU.

#6 Calling it Quits

For the last ten years I've spent almost every waking hour as a musician, practicing, performing, writing, arranging, and just learning about music in general. I've known since the first day I played my trumpet I was going to be a professional musician. Things went very well for a long time, I won a lot of competitions, was invited to perform at special events, and got to meet and learn from some very famous people. Recently though I have started to lose my passion for music. Something is missing that used to call to me. I no longer seek out playing opportunities, I have a million things I'd rather do than practice, and I could see myself working a 9-5 like everybody else. I suppose it's true what they say about finding yourself in college, I just wish it didn't take 4 years and $80K. I will finish out my degree at TCU as a Music Performance Major and see where it takes me but it's looking more and more like I picked a major that I liked and I'm going to live in a box because of it!

#6 A little piece of home

Diwali, the Festival of lights, celebrates the home coming of a legendary and mythological king after fourteen years of exile. Lamps are lit and fire crackers are burst symbolizing victory of good over evil.
SAICA- Students for Asian-Indian Cultural Awareness celebrated Diwali on Campus by hosting ‘Bhojana’ the years’ first ‘experience India’ event. The event was held at the Student Centre ball room. We spent the evening before setting up and decorating the venue with traditional Indian motifs to add to the essence of the festival.
The Organizers had taken great interest to ensure that there was good Indian music and traditional cuisine that helped set the mood for some energetic Indian dance moves.
My classmates had the opportunity to taste various types of Kebabs and Bread that go inherently with the festivals of India. It was so much fun teaching my American and other international friends some of our dance moves.
We were all dressed in bright and glittering attire generally worn at festivals. Time just flew by as we enjoyed the mouth watering cuisine and danced through the night.
It was my first semester at TCU, not to mention my first time away from home and Bhojana helped me get over my homesickness

#6 No "Kidd"ing Around

Even those that don't pay much attention to the NBA or Dallas area sports know about the news that has been going around for much of last week. Jason Kidd from the New Jersey Nets was almost traded back to his former team the Dallas Mavericks. Now, I have been a Mavericks fan since I was born; I was there when Jason Kidd first played for the Mavs. I remember those years well, and how much he contributed to the team. And even though I know his potential and have seen him play, I don't want him, which luckily has become more and more unlikely as recent news stories have stated.

The main reason I feel this way is because of the ridiculous trade terms that the Nets were asking. Devin Harris should go no where right now. His averages in all categories (points, assists, rebounds) have improved greatly over last years, and he will only continue to become a better player. Why trade him away so we can win a championship this year, when we still have the potential to win this year and even next year? Sure I want to win, and I want to win this year. But I feel it is not in the best interest of the team to sacrifice our coming years so we can win the championship this season.

I believe the team and Mark Cuban will make the right decision, and because of George and Stackhouse's decisions and comments, it now seems this trade is dying out. So here's to a great rest of the season and playoffs with our current great team. Time to watch the Stars and the NBA All-Star game.

# 6 No Pain, No Gain

Studying can be the most difficult and time-consuming thing to do in college. As many has said before, in high school there was no need to study making the transition to college hard to deal with. Never being a "pro" at studying, I found it hard to do at the beginning of last semester. Being a new-coming freshman at TCU I did not know how things were going to work. I went to classes, took my notes, and never looked at them ever last semester. At that time I seriously did not have the time or desire to studying, so I did not. With a new view studying because of how things turned out last semester I realized that it is extremely important to set aside study-time. Just last week I had to tests in Statistics and Religion which would be the first in both classes. I felt that this was my time to show that I can study correctly with good outcomes hopefully. With both tests I made reviews, and studied them until two in the morning. Waking up was of course difficult, but when I was given the test I knew what I was doing. That to me was a big progress from last semester when I would just take the test without once looking back on notes, which eventually lead to failure. I was scared to receive my tests back, but surprisingly I did well! That showed me that a little hard work and time can go a far ways. I pushed myself to study, something I was never good at or ever wanted to do, and good outcomes came from it.

#6 My Mom is karaoking??

This weekend was Kappa Mom's Weekend, how fun does that sound? Surprisingly it was a ton of fun. The moms got to put down their overbearing, protective front and enjoy the weekend as a college girl while we, the daughters, had to put up the protective front. The daughters took all the moms out to eat and get drinks, by the end of the first night it seemed as if the Mom's were having almost more fun than the kids! After dinner we decided to take our crazy Kappa moms to our local bar that we always hang out at, thinking it might be fun and a good idea. When we arrived, the moms kept drinking and having a blast while we were getting a little worried one of them might embarrass us. We kept mingling with our friends and then i heard a familiar voice on the microphone...it was my mother, and of course a couple of other Kappa Moms singing their hearts our to Bennie and the Jets. I did not know what to think or do, I was terrified; my mother is at our bar singing karaoke with all of my friends around. I started to get embarrassed... but then i thought to myself we are both adults now and I realized that my mom has become not just a mother but one of my best friends. And that is a relationship that all mother and daughters should try to accomplish. After this weekend, I consider myself lucky and fortunate to have such a close friend that is also my Mom.

(6) A Lecture About My Lecture

I’m only in my second semester of college and I think I have officially taken my worst class ever. Maybe I should be a bit more optimistic but it’s the sixth week of school and I haven’t had a life changing experience in this course yet. I discern that many of you are wondering what course could be this bad? Introduction to Sociology with Dr. Moody Woody (used to protect the innocent.)

The course is very monotonous, dreadful, and protracted. I sit in the class two days a week for the longest 80 minutes, hoping these feeling will change. However, I leave and return with this unchanged feeling each time. Then there’s Dr. Woody, one of those people you just can’t read. The type you’ll never understand. He talks and talks the entire lecture, but at the end he has said a bunch of nothing. No offense I want to like the guy but he’s just not doing it for me, neither is his painful class.

This week I believe my feelings towards this class became unwavering with our first exam. The test was 75 questions (the length of a final) and just very difficult. He asked the same question in numerous ways, deliberately to confuse the human mind. Furthermore, I’m pretty sure some of the information asked was not applicable. I studied, read, took notes and believe it is impossible for me to miss 65% of the information. The moral of the story is don’t take Sociology with Dr. Woody you’ll be writing a Blog similar to this someday.

My Walk With God

Christianity has always played a big role in my life. Out of all of the different influences and means of exposure to Christianity, my family is the main reason where I am spiritually. Both of my parents are strong Christians. One of my grandmothers sings in her church every Sunday and my late Grandfather was a minister. WIthout them, I don't know where I'd be.

Throughout my life my family was in and out of church. My parents never really found a church home they liked but we still went occasionally. (They finnaly found one that they liked this past year) With their strong faith in God, they raised me with bible verses and many references to the bible. They challenge me and push me to become more like Jesus in every thing that I do. My parents always did every thing out of love with God in mind.

Despite many influnces and constant exposure, religion is one of those things you have to find out for yourself. Even though they had done and said all of the right things, I never really knew what it was about. It wasn't until I started searching for anwers on my own and really digging into it that I unerstood what Christianity was all about. Don't get me wrong, I don't have all of the answers but I do have a better understanding of what it's about.

Walking around campus observing my peers, I realize how lsot we are and how much further we really have to go.

#6 An Angel

Today I found out that a friend of mine passed away last night, on Valentine’s Day. My friend, Rebekah, has been suffering a long battle of cancer since she was sixteen years old. It is hurtful to see someone leave this world when they are so young and have so much ahead of them. Rebekah had one of the most beautiful hearts in the entire world. Every month I would get an update on how she was doing with her treatments and she always sounded so upbeat and persistent. Rebekah told me in a recent email, “Would I rather be feeling good? Of course! But this experience makes me a better person- a stronger person. It has challenged me in ways I would never have imagined. Once again I will tell you I am happy where I am in life and would not take it away for the world.” She never let the cancer destroy her spirit or her relationship with God.

Rebekah has changed my life in many ways. She has shown me that burdens in life such as hard tests and long essays are challenges and opportunities. I am so lucky to have the chance to even attend college and master new challenges. I have learned to take the disappointments in life and make the most of them. Through Rebekah’s experience, I have learned that when things we don’t plan for get put in front of us, how we respond largely defines who we are. It hurts to see sweet Rebekah leave, but I know that she has so much eternal happiness ahead of her. Whenever I am having a bad day, I will look up to the sky and remember that persistence and faith will always get me through it.

#6: The finest moment

Slipping on my white trousers, strapping on my pads, and adjusting the one essential piece of protection that no man can leave without- the guard, i strolled onto the pitch ready to open the batting for my team. The score to beat- 136 runs in 15 overs.

It was the final of a cricket tri-series and we had just given the favourites of the tournament a good thrashing, which resulted in their eleimination. OUr school were up against the hosts, and despite this being our first final our team weren't bobbed down by the anticipated hype. Me and my opening partner put on a glorious exhibition of cut shots, drives, pull shots, leg glances, and the most intense running in between wickets, until the first wicket fell- I was run out. Looking back now pushing hard for two runs at that moment was kind of irrational, as witth any flashback one asks him/her self "what if..." and then to our dismay as the runs piled up, so did the loss wickets. We were losing our momentum and as the sun began to set our run rate required rose. We needed 31 runs in the last two overs of the match. As i watched despairingly as my lower order batsmen could only muster 4 runs in the second last over the end result seemed inevitable.

The last 6 balls of the match were about to be bowled of the tournament. Six and another six! my slogger batsmen had just beautifully struck two amazing shots and our spirits were lifted high. There was still hope of victory, it was within our grasp, and yet 11 runs in two balls was just too daunting. We lost, they won end of story. Whilst they may have won the battle, we won the war, I look back on my team that was, the beauty was that the team didn't compromise of players from one nationality, but of many. Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, British, and South Africans, we all were unified for the love of one sport. That boundary of racial divisions didn't exist, but as I look back, how we reached the final and came to a nail- biting finish where we lost by a mere 6 runs was hard to stomach, but even though they were the winners, we had the moral victory. It was the finest moment, it was our finest moment.

#6, Light At The End

This week, I performed in a choreography showcase called Brown Bag with the TCU Dance Department. I was in a piece choreographed by my good friend, Elizabeth which was a contemporary ballet set to the Motion Picture Soundtrack from "The Notebook." Elizabeth discussed the meaning of this dance to us before she began to teach it. She choreographed it last year when she was going through a hard time and it portrays the struggle of the situation, whatever it may be to the dancer personally and how there is always a "light at the end of the tunnel" and there is hope in each and every situation. It was such an awesome opportunity to be a part of her piece. I enjoyed dancing it so much, but it killed me that she couldn't dance with us, because she had an accident about a week ago and had to get about 25 stitches in her knee. She is such a beautiful dancer and she moves with such grace and fluidity. She inspired me through her words and her actions in so many ways. She was proud to see how it turned out at the showing which was such a blessing. It must have been so hard for her to watch the dance knowing that she couldn't dance with us.

As I continued to watch the show after I got off stage I was drawn to my other close friend, Caitlin, whom is the reason why I came to TCU. She went to my highschool and graduated a year before I did and she was the one who tole me about TCU. Anyways, at the performance she performed a contemporary solo which was so beautiful. She too inspired me as I watched her evey move. She captures the audience in a way that is so difficult to even begin to try and explain. She moved with so much fluidity and filled the space with her presence. The emotions on her face alone were entertaining enough for me, let alone her gorgeous dancing. To be able to draw in an audience to me is what makes a dancer. Technique alone could never suffice as the definition of a good dancer.

#6 Hectic Weekend

Typically, my weeks here at TCU consist of a very hectic Monday through Thursday filled with hours of studying and various on campus activities, along with a more laid back Friday through Sunday. Unfortunately, this weekend is looking to be very stressful along with a long school week.

Starting on Friday, I have to make the hour long trip back to TCU from my hometown in order to make a dance performance that will count as extra credit for my dance class. The best part of this is that I was just informed about this event an hour ago. Hopefully, the ballet will not last too long since I have to dressed and on a bus to attend an off campus event at 9:30.

Saturday will start early in the morning, when I must drive back to my hometown from campus to meet my uncle who is flying in from Los Angeles. Between my "family time" I must read three chapters in History, work on my English essay, apply for summer school, and complete six hours of defensive driving online. Somehow I don't think all of this will get done.

I will drive back to campus before 2pm on Sunday for a sorority event, which will be followed by a chapter meeting that evening. I'm sure much studying will follow the meeting. Yay.

I have learned very quickly that college life is not always what it is cracked up to be. It takes much studying and organization to be able to reach the fun parts of college.

# 6: A Memorable Performance

On Monday February 11, 2008 the TCU Dance Department had their Brown Bag Performance. I choreographed a piece which was set to the Motion Picture Soundtrack of “The Notebook.” The dance was a contemporary ballet and I am very proud on how it was performed. The dancers did an excellent job of conveying the emotion I intended, and the choreography was completed in a precise way. In addition, many other dancers choreographed pieces as well, one being Caitlin Daetwyler.

Daetwyler’s solo was fluid in movement, and her presence filled the space. Immediately when she began dancing my eye was drawn to her and what she had to say. The choreography flowed nicely, each movement gave impotence to the other, and it was very pleasant to watch. In addition, her expressions and emotions were real and sincere; she invited the audience to take part in her expression. What I like about her style is that it is raw and almost understated, which could be reflected in her simple costume.

From Caitlin, I learned that it is very important to be real and honest in your dancing. Tricks can be entertaining, but what is more entertaining is when someone evokes an emotion inside of you, and that is exactly what Caitlin did.

#6: Open Blog

This week (February 11-17), please write 200-250 words about whatever you want.

You might write about

• an on-campus event
• an extra-curricular activity
• a good book you've read (recommend one to the class!)
• an embarrasing or funny situation
• a current class you love or dislike (Please change names to protect the innocent...)
• a movie or TV show you recently watched
• your weekend plans
• your favorite sports team
• or anything else that interests you at the moment.

In any event, just be sure to include the number six (#6) before your attention-grabbing title.