What's with All the Hostility...

I've been reading many comments about our schools new mascot being a gargoyle...most of them are very negative.
I'm sorry, but, I don't understand why.
From what I can tell, based on news articles I've read, the nickname "Braves" isn't going anywhere. So if that was a concern of any ones, (which it seems to be from quite a few) I think they can rest at ease; as one article even says, "Meet the Braves Kaboom". I could be mistaken, but this is just what I've gathered from readings thus far. 
I just don't understand all of this, for lack of a better term, hate out there for Kaboom. Gargoyles have always been a part of Bradleys campus and, honestly, I think it's kind of cool. I understand that not everyone has to like the idea...but I think I've only seen two positive comments in regards to it (myself included). The one comment I saw supporting the decision talked about how it could be something great, if some of the students actually supported it. Our last mascot, the bobcat, never gained popularity and died out...I wonder if the same will be said years from now about our gargoyle.

Ode to Senior Semester?

When I worked in the writing center at Illinois Central College, we were required to have a sort of “mini blog” to keep our ideas going, reflect on what we had learned, and share new bits of advice we may have picked up. I came across my final blog written from my time there…and it made for a poignant moment. I wrote it as a sort of farewell to the people I had worked with. As graduation approaches, I have that familiar feeling again…everyone going off to bright new horizons and expanding their dreams. It is always nice to keep in touch with people, but that can often become difficult with the craziness of each and every day. I have met so many amazing people in my time here at Bradley, and I hope to keep most of these relationships throughout life. Many things I said to those at the writing center could be appropriately said now. So, I thought I would incorporate parts of it into this weekly blog, because I think many of us might have similar feelings?

Each of you has left their mark and brought their own uniqueness to this place…forever changing this University. I never thought about myself eventually being one of the people leaving. I only ever noticed the people that left. It’s weird to think I won’t get to see your faces next semester. Soon you will be the ones giving advice and guidance. Sound daunting? It shouldn’t. Think about it; you already do that! We all do. We look up to each other and we all seek out each other’s advice. So keep learning, growing, and expanding your horizons. You may close your umbrellas now; my rain of mushy gushiness has ended. Blue skies full speed ahead!

So Many People...So Many Places

As I walk into a Starbucks, I find myself surrounded by multitudes of people I’ve never met. I hop in and out of random conversations I can overhear while standing in line. People come in and out the door like clockwork; ensuring that the inside temperature is always just short of comfortable. I am thankful for the heat. My mind begins to escape to a different place…a different time.

I imagine being back in Florence, Italy-waiting at a table for my Cappuccino. I can see the Ponte Vecchio from my table; the sun set shining through each space onto the Arno River. I’m aware that I have, as Guy Kawasaki would say, a full-fledged Duchenne smile; Orbicularis oculi muscles and all. 

In this moment I tried to hold the image in my mind. I wanted to catch it, and permanently affix it into my brain to revisit. Can you remember a time when you specifically thought to take a mental snap shot?  Moments when you think gee, this is really something special. The hustle and bustle of the Starbucks reminded me of a different kind of hustle and bustle…the kind I found in Italy. And in that crowded building it was nice to revisit a faraway land. I really didn’t know it was possible to miss a place so much...




The barista calls out my order, waking me from my reverie. I’m guessing this isn’t the first time she’s called it. Everyone is looking from the drink, to me, to the drink, back to me again. 

Oops.

I pick it up and slowly retreat out into the cold, and I’ve still got that smile.

The "Eyes" Have It?

                                                                 

Yep, that's a real bird. It's called a Potoo and it resides in Central and South American tropics. A nocturnal bird, it's name comes from the sound of its call. They tend to keep to themselves and are a relative of North Americas Whippoorwill.

This probably answers a whole bunch of questions you didn't ask...And, you probably could have gone the rest of your lives without knowing this bird even existed. Why, then, did I choose to share it with you? I asked myself that same question initially. I found them interesting and thought others would too. Someone sent me a photograph of one of these strange and humorous creatures recently, and it made my day. I was bound and determined to learn more about them and make them the topic of one of my blogs. They're pretty cool, and according to britannica.com, belong to the family Nyctibiidae. Potoos also seem to be the topic of many imgur blogs and humorous Photoshopped images. I knew some individuals who could relate to the Potoo quite well last semester, as it seemed that they too slept most of the day and were active all night.


http://i.imgur.com/DsTbsW5.jpg
http://www.barnorama.com/wp-content/images/2012/03/potoo_bird/03-potoo_bird.jpg