PC|Bluestocking

This week there are two chances to register to vote with College Republicans and PC Democrats.  The first was Monday (sorry for the belated article, there was trouble publishing) and the second is Wednesday (February 24, 2010).  You can register at Greenville Dining hall and Springs.  There are forms for those from North and South Carolina, as well as Georgia, but you can fill out an online form on a nifty website which will email you a completed form to print off.  The best part, is that you don’t have to mail a thing.  The PC Dems and C Reps will take care of it for you, saving you stamps and seconds.  While you’re at it, pick out a neat T-Shirt from PC Dems.  They cost $12 dollars, and you can look at  the design before you make up your mind.  Just ask about it.

For those of you who were here last year, you might remember a kid with a yellow/blonde mohawk typically seen double fisting a Mountain Dew and Coffee while somehow managing to smoke a cigarette at the same time. Well, that’s Dustin.

For those of you who don’t know, he was last year’s Blue Stocking Editor. While Baker is an awesome editor, I thought it might be nice to see where recent PC grads are now and hopefully answer the question that is on many Seniors’ minds, “What is life really like after college?”

I sent Dustin a few questions via Facebook since he is currently in New York. And rather try to rephrase Dustin, I figured I could copy/ paste it all here.

CT: What is life after college really like?

DW: I’m sure that experiences differ, but I will try to relate aspects about post-college life that seem the most universal. I’ll just list a few things because I am too lazy to attempt complete sentences. This is a perk of no longer being in school.
A) If you’re like me then you will no longer be convered by your parents’ health insurance after you graduate and the coverage offered by most jobs is lacking. This is the point where you become a hypocondriac. Your liver starts to hurt, your teeth feel loose, and you check moles for irregular edges. While this sounds bad, it actually forces you to consider the possible ramifications of the very stupid thing you may be about to do.
B) You find yourself beginning most of your stories with, “When I was in school…” These stories will almost always be more interesting to you than to the person to whom you are telling them.
C) You will watch all of your favorite tv shows online because there is no longer any real point in paying for cable. Save your money for internet, heat, and alcohol.
D) Life remains rather busy, if not moreso, but manages to do this in a way that seems more boring than college. Luckily, four years at PC have prepared you to finds ways to make your own fun out of seemingly nothing. This is an essential life skill.

CT: What jobs do you have?

DW:I have a position editing scientific papers for a graduate department at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. It is a sad, little city full of college students and deformed people. Both groups are the focus of my constant, childish mocking because, like I said earlier, “make your own fun.” I also worked the night shift in a local grocery store for a while.
CT: Do you miss the Bluestocking?

DW: I miss a few things about running and writing for the Bluestocking. I had the opportunity to work with some fun, interesting people and several people I genuinely hated. I worked during a big election year and was able to enjoy all the political infighting amongst the staff and write about something important. And I worked for a newspaper that was actually printed, which is becoming increasingly rare. I miss all that and the fame and the money and the drugs.

CT:If you still write for a newspaper how is it like the BS? How is it different?

DW:I do not do this. It is almost like the newspaper business just isn’t hoping to expand and hire on new fresh talent.

CT: What are your top 5 (if you have that many and can remember them) favorite stories you wrote for the BS?

DW:I don’t know if I can think of five stories of my own, but I can think of a few favorite stories published by the Bluestocking during my time with the paper.
A) I interviewed visiting author Brad Land along with the help of fellow writers Tom Stillerman and Caroline Todd. Brad was very easygoing and it was fun to conduct an question and answer session like that.
B) There was a big stir when we printed a letter from a student who was arguing against evolution or gay marriage because his church teaches against such. The Bluestocking received a good bit of feedback over the letter. You can never be sure if anyone really reads the paper, but this time it was nice to see that people were listening. It is just a shame that it takes awful hate speech to get attention. And that some people use religion to justify ignorance.
C) I wrote an article about Bruce Springstein’s performance during the Super Bowl. He slid crotch first into a camera. This scene was witnessed by almost everyone with a television and this act entitled me to use the term “cockblast.” This was awesome.

Last Thursday was a super-sized men and women’s tennis match between PC and Winston-Salem State in which we completely dominated.

Since my knowledge of sports in general is somewhat limited, I think I will stick to just showing you guys awesome photos of our very own victorious Bluehose!

This year for Lent, my fellow BS writer Laura and I, Maggie, will be documenting our experiences as we undergo 40 days without sweets or foul language.

Lent is a Christian tradition that lasts from Ash Wednesday (tomorrow) until Easter Sunday (April 4th). The 40 days of lent are meant to symbolize the time that Jesus spent in the desert before his death during which he encountered the many temptations of the devil but fought them off and kept his reverence toward God. It is a time when Christians often give up one of their vices or take on a new practice that is good for them or that helps others.

This year, Laura and I have decided to, together, give up sweets (which we both love) and swearing (which is a nasty habit that we’re trying to break). We will be documenting our experiences here on the BS and will post updates of our triumphs and tribulations.

If any of you caught the opening ceremony this past Friday you know that the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics have officially begun. So far the Americans have taken gold in Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding. Apolo Ohno made silver in the Men’s 1500 Speed Skate after a lucky (for Apolo) crash between two Korean Skaters. The Olympics are being broadcast on NBC and USA, check those station’s websites for details on schedules. I’ll be keeping up with the medals and events throughout the week. GO USA!

Apolo leads the pack during a practice race

I must admit this is the very first time I have attended a tennis game here at PC, but I have to say that I loved watching it.  Although we lost today,  I could tell that everyone was giving their all and that some die hard fans were there to support the team.  One of the coolest things about the fans was the fact that they would pick out who they believed needed support and would move over in mass to be closer to them and shout cheers.  That my friends, is the mark of true fans.  I cannot wait till the next home game so that, among other things, I won’t need to rely on other people to tell me when to cheer.

Hopefully, I will be able to obtain a media pass to take photos inside the fence (though I realize I will need to prepare for any wayward tennis balls).  I’m excited at the prospect and you guys should be too.  After all, we all want awesome shots of our team don’t we?

Who doesn’t love Mardi Gras.  It’s one of the few Christian traditions that does not have a pagan date.  Basically, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  Since people traditionally use Lent as a good opportunity to hunger strike (or fast), it makes since to store up those fat reserves the day before.  And even if you’re not going on a hunger strike (or fasting), it’s a good opportunity to revel in sin and debauchery before the solemn traditions associated with Lent.

Well French Club and Carol International House have teamed up for an extravaganza involving sin (gluttony), debauchery (mask making and activities), and obesity (see gluttony; also jumbalaya and king cake).  King cake, for those who don’t know, is a giant circular “ring” cake with colorful frosting and decoration on the top stuffed with a representation of a baby (pro-lifers still welcome).  The party starts next Tuesday (for those who don’t know, this is Mardi Gras) at 8:00 PM in the CIH lobby.  It will end around 10:00 (PM or AM…I don’t know).  Much fun will be had by all.  Also, you might learn stuff about the culture associated with it, but the sin and debauchery is more important, right?

Two weeks ago, Sigma Nu hosted a bake sale at Springs to raise funds to repair the Jerusalem Antioch Church after a massive water main breakage on the church’s property. Over $100 was raised to help repair the church. There will be a ceremony at 5:15 PM on February 10th at the church to christen the new building. In addition to helping repair the church, Sigma Nu brothers volunteer every week to help tutor children at the church as part of the CHAMPS Program, led by Dr. Jerman Disasa. Anyone who is willing to volunteer to help tutor can contact Dr. Disasa at jdisasa@presby.edu or by coming to his office located in the Health Services Office building.

Name: Amanda Miller

Year: Junior

1. Do you prefer sunny days or rainy ones?

~ Sunny

2. What is your favorite 4-legged creature? Why?

~ Dog, they are fun to play with and want to be your best friend

3. Do you shampoo first or soap first when in the shower?

~ Shampoo

4. What is your favorite topic to study?

~ the Bible

5. Do you dream at night?

~ Yes

6. What is your favorite color?

~ Teal

7. Have you ever had any broken bones? How did you break them?

~ No

8. What is your biggest pet peeve?

~ people not refilling the toilet paper when it runs out

9. What makes you bored?

~ reading for school

10. What is your favorite type of ice cream?

~ Cookies n’ Cream

11. If you were a crayon, what color would you want to be? Why?

~ Teal, cause it’s my favorite color

12. What’s your favorite reality TV show?

~ Project Runway

13. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?

~ Mom

14. What’s your favorite midnight snack?

~ brownies and ice cream

15. Do you prefer pen or pencil?

~ pencil, I’m bad at spelling

To be honest, I had very low expectations for today’s lecture. All I knew was that the lecture would be about sustainability. From past experience, sustainability has led to ‘going green,’ which has resulted in talking about global warming. Though global warming is one of the hottest topics worldwide, I personally don’t believe in it and have heard non-stop global warming rubbish for quite some time. Much to my surprise, today’s CEP just so happened to be one of the best all year. Dr. Robert Bullard, a professor of sociology at Clark Atlanta University, presented his lecture with an abundance of information as well as humor. Even though he is along in years, he gave the most youthful and energetic speech of this school year. Because he catered his Power Point and humor to college-aged students, I not only paid attention but I also learned a few interesting facts.

One of his Power Points said, “It’s all about Health,” which was the broad basis of what his lecture was about. He starting by asking the audience, “Who in here is an environmentalist?” When only a few people raised their hands, he asked, “Who in here drinks water?” Of course, everyone raised their hands. He explained that if we are conscious of what we eat and drink and of where we learn and go, then we are environmentalists.

His information started very general. He showed us the top ten cleanest cities and also the healthiest states. The healthiest state is Minnesota, and the unhealthiest is Mississippi. (South Carolina is the 46^th unhealthiest.) Dr. Bullard then talked about more specific issues such as ‘sick schools.’ He explained that there are hundreds of schools across the United States that are contaminated with moisture and mold, often making children sick. Also, many schools are located in very close proximity to refineries, which release chemicals into the air. In describing how unhealthy these toxins are, he joked, “… and these are chemicals that you wouldn’t want to sprinkle on your Cheerios.” Bullard also talked about ‘sick houses’ and how everyone has a right to breathe clean air.

Instead of condescendingly saying that we, as humans, are destroying the Earth with our cars, smoke, and breath, he simply made us aware of the conditions of our surroundings. He proposed the idea that ‘going green’ didn’t have to mean getting rid of all of our cars and using baking soda for deodorant. A ‘green home’ could easily be a home not painted with lead based paint. His idea of ‘going green’ is being healthy, not drastically changing the Earth in its entirety. A healthy planet is a happy planet, which is fine by me.