Spring Break Looms Ahead

So here we are on this dreary day, and all we can think about is the week that lies ahead to play. A week of no work, where we don't have to worry, a week without school on our minds and hopefully no chance of flurries. That's right, spring break is only a week away! Obviously it has been on our minds since we started school back up again in January, but it really hasn't settled in or grabbed our attention until now. Spring break has always been that kind of barrier during the second semester so that the semester doesn't seem so long and so terrifying. It is right in the middle, so we can look forward to the break and not worry about the future, but when we get back, not too far off ahead, lies another break... summer. So ultimately, this is the ideal vacation for every college student. And as I sit here in the tower cell of the architecture building looking outside at the dreary weather as the clouds roll over and the rain pours down, I begin to imagine in my head where I will be on this same day during the break. For me it is a trip up to Northern Michigan to go snowboarding and relax at this huge resort, drink some beer, and enjoy a week off from the hectic life of the not-so-typical architecture student.

Transfer

Something has been on my mind for a while and I really haven't mentioned it to anybody. But besides from the architecture program here, the school sucks. It's so average, boring, and bland outside of architecture that it’s starting to get to me. There's no school spirit, there's no pride, there's no culture here. I feel like I'm missing out on some of the best experiences of college, the things that you tell your grandchildren about. I know that college is to get an education and that's the only reason, but if I don't feel at home, if I'm not enveloped in the campus and its activities and PROUD OF IT, then is it really the place I'm supposed to be at? The football games are mediocre, kind of like a big high school game, no one goes to the basketball games, and no on really cares. I want to be somewhere where school pride is more important than most other things (except academics of course), where going to a football game is exciting not only because we're good, but because of the tradition that stands before me and the tradition that I can be proud to say that I am apart of. I remember the first Purdue football game that I went to... it was one of the most breathtaking moments I have ever experienced. To walk out into that bowl and be apart of the cheers, the people, spirit, the tradition... to be a part of something bigger than myself... that was a special moment for me, a sort of realization I guess of what college should be. I don't know if this is a legitimate reason to want to transfer, but it’s obviously been on my mind for a while, so it's legit enough to have been thought about. And you might say, well maybe its good that there's not much else going on so that you can focus on your school work, but I want to experience college to its fullest because this is supposed to be the time of my life. But how can it be when the best part about the school.... take that back... the only good part about this school is the architecture program? I want to be able to make that decision though because that is what college is about, making decisions and learning from your mistakes. How can I learn from my mistakes if the choices presented are slim to none?

Late Nights in Studio

Why is my background black? I don't know, maybe because I am sitting in studio right now working on another architecture project. This windowless room, up here on the 6th floor is more "home" to me than my dorm room because I honestly spend more time up here than in my dorm room. The reason it is black is because that is usually the color of the sky the majority of time that I am in here. Now don't get me wrong, I am absolutely infatuated with architecture, the processes, the details, the freedom, but the hours are not so hot. I have to be in here for class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from one to five. And each week, we get a new project statement, and each week that new project is due. So hours upon hours are spent up here late at night because during the day, I don't have the time to come up in here and work. The word "sleep" has found itself outside of my everyday vocabulary due to its non-existence. I don't have time for sleep when I have architecture, soccer, a job, and a life. Especially with our first-year projects, which are abstract, busy work, and so time consuming that I sometimes get really frustrated. But all I can do is look to the future, to the prospect of using computers and not exacto knives. So, now I have to get back to my project and the cave that I live in.

The Dark Knight

With reviews such as "Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies," and "Nolan's sequel surpasses the original with an intense, disturbing masterpiece," The Dark Knight is slowly making its way into history. From the first time that I saw this movie in I-MAX, to when i watched it yesterday in my dorm room, it has never ceased to please. The plot is already set from the first movie, but I'm not sure if anyone expected the joker to steal the show. Keith Ledger played the role of the infamous Joker and grabbed the crowd's attention with his cut up lips, his painted face, and more famous quotes as he ravaged through the city of Gotham. Now what makes the Joker the ultimate villain is the fact that he wants nothing more than to see the world burn. He really is crazy and insane and due to his lack of motive, he creates havoc throughout the city... for fun. And ultimately, it is the complete action packed story line, the joker and Ledger's outstanding performance, and lastly - the Batman's ability to overcome evil that has made this summer movie into a classic. But something that most people don't realize or see in the transition of the story line is Harvey Dent. He starts out as the white knight of Gotham, and by the end of the movie, due to the fact that he has lost his girl and half of his face, the only thing on his mind is revenge. He turns into a monster, but only because the joker brings it out of him in that quiet and lonely hospital room. And so, Batman becomes the Dark Knight because he can take it. I cannot wait for the sequel to this "soon to be" legendary trilogy of one of the most famous superheroes ever to have existed. And what puts the sugar coating on top is the fact that when I was little, this was my superhero and my show. What better way to be brought to life than as one of the best and most anticipated movies of all time? It is a dream come true.

1st Trip Home

So tomorrow, after a month of living back at school again, I will traverse that flat land of Indiana and head south to Evansville. I am not going to lie, it has been hard on me coming back for a full month with no contact with those that I care most about at home. I spent three weeks at home during Christmas break, and I think that three weeks is the perfect amount of time to fall into routine. I was used to doing nothing except for hanging out with my with friends, working at an athletic club, eating, and hanging out with my family while they were in town for the holidays. It was a wonderful side-step from the uphill battle of college and life out on my own. So coming back after falling into routine of a life once lived and gone was really tough for me. I wanted to do the things I did on break, and the first week back, I thought about home constantly. A month later, it is now time to head back home. I am really excited to see a lot of my family, my friends, and feel the ease of the familiar landscapes and buildings that bring that comfort and contentment of a hometown. I think that this is probably the only time I will make it home this whole semester, so I want to make the most of it while I have the opportunity. Excitement is already starting to build as I think of the light that will come out of the architecture building windows early tomorrow morning as I (hopefully) am finishing my project. There is some serenity about it, a comfort and relaxation that really cannot be found anywhere else but within you and that special place that is always given that stereotypical name... home.