Gold old days

Dear blog,

It's good to me home in salt lake. I've really enjoyed seeing all the friends and family. Not too much has changed. I guess I have only been away for 4 months. But it still felt like a while.

For now, it's just been moving moving moving. My dad is hard at work getting everything together with the new home. And we have a lot of people moved in right now. But I've been occupied every night with visiting peeps.

First I got to see Charlie before he left for Oregon. Then I went over to Kelli's new house in Sugarhouse. The place is beautiful!! I just adore Kelli, and I have missed her so much.

I got to see my favorite people! I went out clubbing with Max and Jose just like good old times. And I realized how much a really miss Max. He's really been doing well and I just love his guts! We hung out at Sig Ep and just talked about the good times while drinking his signature wine. Then we went out to Sound. Gold old club Sound never changes.

I also got to spend time with my girl Ruby!! After so long, we finally got together, and reminisced like we'd never had been apart. I will always love that girl. She's had such an impact to my life. We got take out from our traditional restaurant Wingers and went to her grandmas house (very close the new home in Cottonwood) and just talked, laughed, and reflected back to the good times.

It's been a great week. The best Christmas I could ever have spending time with good friends and family. As I look forward to a new year 2012. I realize this has been a very good year for Cameron.

Smiling as always,
-Cameron

Home!!

Dear blog,

I just arrived home in salt lake city. I finished up my last HESA assignment and now I'm home for the holidays in my dads new house in Cottonwood Heights! It's so pretty. I can't wait to see everyone. I got in late last night do now I'm just relaxing until my plans unfold.

I'm going to the university to finish some stuff up for work and my y-520 class. Maybe I'll meet up with some friends :-)

Anyway it's good to be back home for a while knowing I survived the semester.

Smiling as always!
-Cameron :-)

Nightlife

Dear blog,

Right now I'm waiting to be picked up to have a night out in Indy. The first night where I get to see the true gay nightlife in the big city. I finished the bulk of my work and am so close to officially saying I survived my first semester of graduate school. But I got another haircut as I do every 9th of the month, and they cut it way too short again. It always sucks when I can't look the best I can be. The stress of school has escalated these past couple weeks and I'm pretty sure I've lost weight again. I really wanted to come home to Utah with a good fresh look, like I was well put together. But I fear I won't be looking all that good when I come home. But this winter break is my chance to recover and focus on my health.

Anyway... I'm still looking forward I going out. I've been to Indy maybe 3 times this whole semester. I've been making some social progress here . I've been hanging out with friends outside HESA and seeing the artistic scene of Bloomington. For example, I went to a one man show at a cute coffee shop called Rachel's cafe. I even bumped into my boss Darrell.

So the semester is almost done. I pretty much only have a creative podcast to do and I'm actually really looking forward to it. Then I fly home in 3 days!

Over my head

Dear blog,

I'm writing on my way to the office after having class in the education building. Except, it wasn't class today. I, however, thought we did have class as usual in Briscoe, but when I arrived at 1pm, no one was there. I was so confused. Then I come to find out that they were having faculty interviews and class was technically moved to 2pm to participate in the interviews.
It wasnt that I was frustrated... I mean the communication could have been more clear... But it was that I just felt clueless. Like everyone else knew what was going on and I just didn't. In addition to the confusion, it's raining pretty hard outside and the mood is dark.

After attending the interview and research presentation from the faculty candidate, I just feel... like it's all just above my head. I see all these scholars, professors, even some of my cohort colleagues engaging in research ... They totally get it. But me... Its totally not my thing. I look at it like its a completely different language.

I'm 7 pages into my create your own theory paper and as I read through it all sometimes I feel like none of it is making sense. Especially after watching a research presentation like the one I saw today. I feel kinda lost in this academic world. And all I can think about is how much more rewarding the artistic world was. And how little creativity exists in academia. It's all structure and tradition. No wiggle room. At least after I finish this paper, I only have the podcast left to do, and that will be my chance to unleash my creative juices.

For now... I'm just feeling a little burnt out. I have a little more to get through and then I can go home and see the family and friends from Utah, who I haven't seen in 4 months.

Smiling as always,
-Cameron :-)

Managing the stress

So I know I said I would include what's happened so far in my life. But I thought I'd just do a current update and save the reflection for later.

I'm just finishing up my Friday before the last week of school. I can't believe the time is really winding down. I realized last week that I have a lot to do and finish before I can tell myself I'm close to being done with the semester. But I'm handling the stress well... I'm taking it step by step.

Last night me and some HESA friends got together to take our IRB test for Y520. We got it done and had some wine to celebrate. The night was so much fun. You could tell we were all stressed and busy, but this was the first time we had a social get together where we just let loose and talked about everything that was on our mind I felt so connected with my cohort and I knew we were all in this together. It was nice to see that we all had the same concerns. Talking about it helped to much to take away the stress.

Anyway, today was the last COMU meeting of the semester. Work is finally coming together. More projects are in the works. I'm now spending all my time at the SLL office now that the GLBT center is under renovation for a new 2nd floor!

I'll write more later, but I gotta keep moving..

Smiling as always,
Cameron :-)

New iPhone!!!

Yaaaaay!! It finally happened. I got a smartphone!! Not just any phone though, an iPhone!!! My phone contract with Verizon ended and I moved on over to Sprint where I pay just about the same amount and can have a full unlimited text/data plan. My life is so much easier and efficient. So far here are the amazing things I have discovered come with my iPhone.

All my music is consolidated to my phone. My iPod is now my phone and has twice the space!

My calendar work/personal is all integrated into my phone. I can make meetings, accept meetings, move meetings, everything right on my phone.

I get instant notification for my emails and I can read and write them super fast on my phone.

Siri can basically understand any question or request I make. My voice can access tools it would take me longer to find myself.

I have the web EVERYWHERE I go. I never need to worry about having no wifi signal. I can listen to pandora, check the bus schedule, and get directions wherever I am.

I can blog!!! I'm actually blogging right now from my phone so I can write more frequently and on the go/in the moment.

Texting is super fast!!! I can write quicker in the keyboard or I can even speak and it will write for me.

So I'm discovering more everyday . I just got the phone a few days ago and I'm already hooked.

Anyway. I'll write another blog with the updates in my life so far since I haven't blogged in a while. Now I can blog anywhere, so I'll definitely be writing more. Feels great!!

Smiling as always,
Cameron :-)

Boot Camp

Ahhh... It's been too long since I last posted. That's because I've been deathly busy with school. It's October now, which as I'm told is boot camp. I've had something major due for class every week, I have sooo many meetings, and my job is really starting to pick up. (I've been doing some real web design now! It's so cool!!) Last night I was up half the night finishing a paper, and a re-write of another paper. Today I actually went home from work at 5pm today because I was so tired and needed a breather.
Anyway, life couldn't be better. I'm loving every minute of this life in the fast lane. I have good friends here. We are all each other's support network.

I can't believe I've been here for well over 2 months. Time is speeding by, but I still miss my family so much. I'm not used to being so far away for so long.

What are some of the highlights of this month? Hmm... well 1.) Glee is back in my life!! Although they only aired 3 episodes with no more new ones till November, I'm totally embracing my gleek self.
2.) The weather is BEAUTIFUL
3.) HESA has a volleyball team, and we totally rock.
4.) I love Student Development Theory!!
5.) I got to go to Indy again the other weekend to a bar called Howl at the Moon. This is the second consecutive straight bar I've been to that was awesome!!

6.) I love not worrying about being poor and accepting my loan. I'm still as stingy and cheap as i'll always be, but I eat slightly more healthy, always have the money to go out with friends on occasion, and I never waste food. I've even brought back my specialty Steak Tortellini Alfredo to my dinner menu! Yummmmm!!

I also made this video because I am so proud of my grocery shopping habits. It's MTV CRIBS!!! Cameron style. [which is not working for some reason. stayed tuned]

7.) I went to the cutest potluck social this month. It was the GLBT potluck for HESA students, staff, and faculty to come together and talk like real people. I love that our mentors like my co-director, Doug and professor, Danielle are so personable. It makes me aspire to be that way when I enter the professional world.

8.) I've acquired a fascination for a new music genre. I call it Electro-tranquility. (most people would say electronic, ambient, new age, etc). It's music like Shanghai Restoration Project, Bombay Dub Orchestra, Thievery Corporation, The Xx, Mythos, Jamie Woon etc. I absolutely love it!! It's perfect for studying. The pandora station I made is perfect.

When I listen to it, it gives me this image of my future life: Nice downtown metro condo, beautiful partner, modern interior design, dimmed lighting scheme, abstract art, sophisticated fashion, local coffee one block away, and the dream job/office at a cutting edge University! I want this life so bad!!

Well... maybe I'll go to bed now so I can continue to dream. How I love my imagination.

Smiling as always,
Cameron :-)

My Cray Cray Weekend

Yay!! I totally survived the weekend. Things were going really well this week so I kind of put off my homework since I didn't have as much reading, and I wanted to reward myself. Well... this was a mistake. I realized Saturday morning that I needed to do my reading questions and write my first draft of my issue paper for my Monday class ASAP. I had to basically start getting ready for Michael's birthday party around 7pm and I already was short on time since I woke up late that day. I left to work in my office and only had 5 or 6 hours to complete these tasks.

Then there was crisis! For my issue paper, I spent all my time researching for an article that was going nowhere. I didn't know what I was talking about and hated the topic. About 4 hours into this, I trashed my paper and decided to pick a whole different issue topic. I found a suitable (but not wonderful) replacement but by that time, I had to leave my office and get ready. This meant I had accomplished maybe about 15% of what I should have done. But at that point, I just needed to get away.

Michael's birthday was totally awesome. It was the first time I actually felt like I had partied since I have been here. I came with Melissa, Kathy, and Kyla and we looked awesome since we had all gone shopping together to get our neon wear. I was excited because I rocked some glitter hair.

The whole costume theme was like heaven to me. I absolutely love color! It was awesome to be at the party with all my HESA friends. Almost everyone was there. I got to drink my signature powered and vodka cocktail. I loved interacting with both the 1st years and the 2nd years. It felt like one big cohesive cohort. I got home around 2am, took a shower and crashed on my air mattress. What a night!

Well this meant that I had to get up in the morning and write my responses to our reading questions before 1pm. And I still allowed myself 8 hours of sleep. But even with the sleep, I still had a distracting hangover. I finished the response the best I could just in the knick of time.

But it wasn't over. I still had to write the Issue Paper in enough time to allow Kyla, my revision partner to revise it that evening. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to finish a draft by 4:30 pm! So this allowed for plenty of time to relax, shower, go grocery shopping. However, I decided to bail out on the shopping idea because it's STILL RAINING here in Bloomington and raining hard. I didn't want to deal with carrying grocery sacks and an umbrella. It just seemed like a wet disaster waiting to happen.

So I watched the Frosh video required for my Student Development class. I would have watched it with the rest of my cohort who had plans to watch it together at Wilkie, but I forgot like an idiot, because I never think to look at my calendar on Sundays. I'm glad I watched it alone though. I could pause and take notes and really take in the messages of the video. I really enjoyed the video because it was basically a longitudinal study through video of college freshman living in the dorms of stanford. I knew I was going to love it because it was basically like MTV's the Real World: College!

I realized today that there is a major difference between my Monday Higher Ed class and my Wednesday Student Development class. Watching the video and doing all the many assignments we've done now have made me realize I love working for and learning about students way more than learning about institutions and administration. I like my Student Development class WAY more! I don't really have an interest in Higher Education by itself, but I am fascinated with Student Development and the Student Affairs aspect.

So now I'm about to submit my Issue Paper and the cray cray weekend will come to an end. This week I plan to be much more aware of my assignments. My free time is slowly getting eaten up by school. But I'm loving every moment of this experience.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

My Umbrella

But the sun is shining today! Things have been going so well!!

First of all I feel so much better because I found out that I get a $8500 subsidized loan. This means that I can survive comfortably for the next two years here at IU. I don't have to be poor!! Most of all, this is important because it means I'm taking care of myself. For once I don't need to rely on dad to bail me out. I know it's a loan, and loans are never good. I know I have to pay it off, but I'm so happy that there is no interest until 6 months after I graduate. I can totally handle that. It just feels great because the financial stress was the only thing in the way of having a truly amazing experience here.

I have been loving my job. I just got done with our first Executive Meeting. I loved that I got to look professional today!

Yeah... real professional :-)

Anyway, it went well and apparently we had really good attendance and great issues to bring to the table. I felt so validated for my work, which is hard to find in most employment. This meeting was the catalyst to the year. Now I know so much more and have so many things I can work on.

A lot has been going on here on campus. I've been to quite a few resource fairs and have had my fair share of free pizza. It's also been raining so much!! Sometimes it trickles, sometimes it pours! I'm getting the hang of the buses. I even visited the library to check out a book for the first time. It's a really good school. I'm finding my way.

We had another HESA cohort dinner at Lenny's and it was nice to actually say. Hey I can afford this! It rained super hard on this day!! I had the craziest create your own Stromboli. It was delicious :-)

School has been slowly getting more busy. I have many projects coming pretty fast. I have several group meetings, lots of reading (as always), a couple papers, lots of research, and a video to watch. I think we are all feeling it. Danielle doesn't play games. She works us. Haha... But I really like all our assignments.  We have to create our own theory soon. While I don't exactly know what I'll do. I'm excited and scared at the same time. Excited because I really have so many choices and interests. Scared because it's going to require a ton of research. And that word just intimidates me. With all this said, I still feel like I'm doing well. I may have a lot on the plate, but I'm actually not half bad at this stuff. I don't feel like it's out of my league.

So today I'm shopping for the costume of Michael's birthday party tomorrow with a group of HESA friends. I want to find some small neon clothes. I also want glitter! These are my goals for the party.

So while, it may be raining pretty hard here in Bloomington. I have an attitude that is so positive that I have my own little umbrella. In a metaphoric way.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

Self Sustaining

So far things are going great. I'm really starting to get the hang of graduate school and balancing my life. I'm a month into my job and a couple weeks into classes and everything has been working really well.

Over the weekend, I made a trip to Indianapolis for the first time since I arrived here and it felt great being able to connect with some of my classmates from the IUPUI campus. We went to the Chinese Festival and then to Oktoberfest.

It was nice to spend some time with Mara and the 2 Samanthas and also talk from the car ride. I really enjoyed getting to see Nathan, Elizabeth, Melissa, Devon, and Teddi. They are way fun and I hope that the distance from us and Indy doesn't keep us from hanging out more frequently.

I think the best thing that I'm learning from being here is how to do things on my own and make my own decisions. So far I've been fairly organized (not to mention Microsoft Outlook has changed my life). Classes are going well because I'm slowly tackling the reading and making connections to what I'm learning.

I have such a flexible and comfortable schedule because I basically am in charge of it. It's so nice not to be hourly anymore. I can actually take pride in my work because I have a bigger picture and invested interest in what I do. I probably work well over 20 hours a week, but it's comfortable because I choose the hours I work. I don't have to get up really early. I start work at 10am most every weekday. In return I am done around 6 or 7 depending on what I need to do. If I have class or a meeting or personal business to take care of. I can just take care of it on my time. This works SO MUCH BETTER.

I am in my office all the time though. When I finish up my tasks, I still don't leave my office. I stay and work on stuff for school or just relax at my desk and listen to music. It's so nice to have my own space. People think I work all the time because I'm always at my office, but I just like being there. Sometimes a little more than being at my apartment. And I've personalized my space a little more now. I still want to put up some more photos, but for now it's looking a little more like home.

I have my degree framed and my Glee poster up now. I love it! It's my home away from home. LOVE MY OFFICE!!!

Today was a busy and productive Monday. Class was pretty nice. We talked the whole time about the History of Higher Education. I like my two HESA classes because we do a lot of discussions and presentations. We also have great reflexive assignments. The reading is hard to keep up with, but I'm learning to skim better.

Today was the first single COMU event of the year. It was our Call Out and I didn't know what to expect or how many people would come, but it went really well. The real amazing part was how I realized I was not dressed as nice as I could be after class got out at 3:45 so I had 30 minutes to make a mad dash back to my apartment, change, bike down to my office, print off the sign up sheets, bike over to the Call Out just in time to set up at 4:30. It was awesome! I got to be the facilitator and introduce the committees and welcome everyone. We ended up having about 20 people show up which was the usual from last years numbers so I felt good about that. We had refreshments and people got to mingle. I met some great people who I'll be working with and I got to connect with some students.

Throughout my whole assistantship experience Darrell and Doug have been so wonderful. They make me feel so good about my work and it makes me want to be a better worker. I seriously can't imagine having it better in any other assistantship. My job is perfect! Since we are all new officials of COMU we work together to think of ways to grow the organization from our fresh new perspective. I feel so invested and validated in what I do. I never thought that I would catch on so well to a job like this.

Well I'm off to bed. I always end up writing these pretty late after I finish up my work and cook something to eat and watch a couple episodes of The Hills (which is now available on Netflix) I don't know why I like this show. Haha!

Smiling as always,
Cameron

Work. Study. Play.

Week 2 of school is officially over. I made it so far. Turned in my first paper, assignment, and other various online tasks for class. Now I have a zillion pages of reading. AH!! I made this video to just kind of reflect on the week. I really like the video route. I may make this blog a video blog eventually, but I'm not sure yet.

It's been a month since I've been here! Wow... it's awesome to think that I've made it this far and I'm really getting used to some things.

Here is the finished portrait of my undergraduate journey that I was talking about in the video. This is one of the coolest assignments I've ever done and I enjoyed doing it.

There was the involvement fair I tabled at. It was HUGE!!

I got to have some play time with friends too.
I had dinner with the first year cohort at the Turkish restaurant. Yum!!

We're HESA students. We're allowed to be OVERLY HAPPY ABOUT EVERYTHING.

So it's been a BUSY but awesome week.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

Class Attack!

Today I finished my first Wednesday of the school year. Wednesdays will always be a little rough because I have two 3 hour classes back to back. It was the first work day where I wasn't at work. My first class Student Development Theory was awesome. I thought this was going to be the worst and hardest class, but from the introduction today, I think I'm going to love it. I have to remember that before I become intimidated and nervous about graduate classes and the rigor if this program, I have to note that I genuinely love these topics. I love what I do. The material is interesting and therefore makes the hard work seem less.

Anyway, the real interest was the group discussion we had today. (The thing I'm going to love about my core classes is that we all know each other now and we are comfortable with each other to speak and engage in topics. It reminds me of my Leadership classes, because I always had them with the same people and we really did some innovative and academically stimulating work. That's how it was today!) I was fascinated with our discussion when Danielle told us to come up with a point value system of our own to guide the class. The group dynamics totally shined through. Almost everyone voiced their opinion and we took something so small as a point value and turned it into a detailed and cautious discussion as if we were creating policy. It was the kind of class time I live for. So fun and so exciting.

I wish I could say the same about my other class today, Y-520. Our required research class. Research is one of the topics that makes everyone cringe. But this class seems basic and not too challenging. I don't know if we'll actually be doing research so much as understanding how it is done. The horrible awful $100 book is actually very easy to understand and read so that's good. There are 5 of us HESA students in the class and we all got separated for discussion groups. This class went by longer. It's by fart not as exciting as any of the other classes.

It was so hot coming home today. high 90 degree temperature again. I showered immediately when I got home. No office time today. All I made for dinner today was Kraft Mac n Cheese. It's pretty sad

Smiling as always,
Cameron

First Class

I don't know why, but I've never been more nervous for a first day of school. I don't think anything Elementary, Junior High, High School, College compares to entering that first day of Graduate School. We've all heard the rumors of heavy reading, bulky paper, and sleepless nights. So I didn't know what to expect. But I didn't cry or become overwhelmed (yet). If anything I think this program is going to teach me balance and bring time management back into my life.

Danielle is a very good teacher. I think we will really learn a lot from her. It's no doubt a lot of work. Our Syllabus was like 30 pages. But I think as long as I fit reading into each day and plan my paper work ahead of time, I'll be ok. We'll see if the "P" in me will allow me to stay on track.

We did do a cool activity in class. It's one I know I've done before at Intensive Training before, or something of that nature. We put our expectations of what we hope to get out of HESA on stickies and placed them into categories on the wall silently within groups.

It's really cool to have classes with the same people. I think it will help us to work together and enjoy what we do. I have reading which I've been slowly doing. Very slowly. I think the other classes will give me more. Labor day is next week so there wont even be another class on Monday for another 2 weeks.

As far as everything else. It's been pretty slow. Nothing to much to tell other than my continuos grocery store trips and discoveries about the bus system.

Although I had no class today I had staff meeting which was fun. I always love seeing the whole staff from SLL. It's such a playful environment, kinda like a family. I enjoy it.

I settled in earlier tonight at home with some more Hamburger Helper and a Netflix movie. I think things will get more busy these coming days. But for now, It's pretty slow.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

Surviving

Well... Welcome week is now pretty much over, which means school is starting tomorrow. I'm slowly learning more about my surroundings.

I've learned the bus outside my place actually goes to the college mall. So now it's much easier to get groceries.

I set up a few more things in my office. I almost got Outlook linked up. I didn't realize Outlook could do so many things. The calendars are amazing. I've been taking a lot of time to make everything easier with the COMU account I manage and the personal account I have.

I found out about my SAA Health Insurance Plan. It's better than I thought. I get dental visits and doctor checks ups! For the first time since I was taken off my mom's insurance, I can actually say I'm insured. It feels great! I can also visit a dermatologist but not in Bloomington. I certainly wasn't expecting that. :-) So I booked my dental appointment for this Friday. I'm going to get my teeth cleaned! YAY

Some other good news is that my wallet I lost a while ago was found and reported to me. Turns out it was in the Union the whole time in their lost and found. They just never contacted me. It's so weird. The money is still inside which makes life so much easier.  

My brother mailed me a birthday card and gave me $50. It made my day.

Money is certainly well needed right now. Seems like every weekend I am spending money, but I am living very frugal. With the recent money that has come to me, I brought Netflix back into my life, which really isn't too much. Only $8 a month. And I went out for drinks with friends on Friday.

We went to a place where they had some nice beer. Again I'm really going to have to acquire beer while I'm here.

Now it's midnight and I'm home with a lot on my mind before school starts tomorrow. I can't really sleep. I'm thinking about so many things and nothing at that same time. I'm a little lonely, but I don't want to be around people right now. It's a weird feeling. I'm nervous about school. I hope I don't get overwhelmed. I guess I'll just leave it at that tonight.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

Welcome Week

I'm officially in love with this campus. I knew I'd totally fit into a college town. It makes me jealous that I never had the residential college experience as an undergrad, but I'm glad I can say I know what both are like.

I should expect this week to be awesome because I haven't started class yet. It's been all about my job and all about getting to know the campus and my cohort. So I have nothing to complain about! It's been amazing!

Wednesday was Move in Day. I was told this day gets crazy! Even the buses don't even run on this day because everyone comes in from out of town to move in. I stayed inside my place most of the day to avoid this. It was also super hot outside like mid 90's so I did not want to experience that. But I did go to Freshman Induction. It was really cool to see the President and Provost address the new incoming class. I felt like it was the official start to the new year.

It felt like Graduation based on the attire of the faculty and administration. It was so fun to see all the Freshman and their parents embracing the moment and feeling the excitement of college and IU. I feel so proud to be a Hoosier!!

After the induction I got some free food through the RPS sponsored picnic outside with Hillary, Mara, and Melissa. It was hot but fortunately we had water and there was shade.

I spent the rest of the night in the office just hanging out. Then I went home to watch the season finale of my show the Challenge Rivals. It was an awesome finale! I'm so excited for the Real World San Diego coming up this fall! Gotta love MTV.

Today was the real busy day of them all. Darrell got back from her trip to Chicago so I touched base with her and met with Nadrea to further transition myself into the position. It felt great because I really feel like I have a handle on my position and responsibilities.

Then it was off to the GPSO Graduate Information Fair. I had to table for that alongside Doug again. It was a pretty small event. Not too many people were there so it went by rather slow.

The real fun and bulk of the day was CultureFest! This event was huge and full of things going on. We started in the IU Auditorium where we kicked things off and had a comedian entertain us on talks of race and oppression.

Then we were given food vouchers to get free samplings of all the food tables around the heart of campus. It was HUGE and crowded with people. I've never seen anything like it. I was busy helping GLBT scoop rainbow sorbet ice cream at their table. But I still got to walk around quite a bit checking things out. It was awesome!! It was also fun to hang with the cohort: Hillary, Miriam, Paul, Sam, Beth, and Kat.

After the event we went to Teeter Hall for their Welcome BBQ, then to Wright Dining Hall for dinner. By that time we were all tired and headed back home for the night. Now I'm just here at my place thinking about how cool it is that I'm here and how awesome this year is going to be. I know it's right that I'm here and IU is the perfect place for me. I'm so excited to see what other events are in store for me.

Smiling as always, 

Cameron

Starting to Adjust

Today all my anxiety about making this move seemed to slowly fade away. I'm really starting to love it here! I have a fantastic life here. I'm so lucky to be where I am.

I woke up, got ready, made a sack lunch, felt great, and biked over to my office. It's so nice to live so close to work. It was a beautiful day too.
I finally got my ID card!! Yay... I feel so official now. They finally let me have it as a student since I'm now in the system having registered for classes. I should have had it way sooner, but it's here now.

Then I went back to the office and really starting dive into my work and task lists. With my supervisor still out of town, it's been challenging to learn the ropes. But looking at my August timeline, I know I have a lot to do. I started reading previous e-mails and looking through COMU files and it all started to make more sense. I set up my voice mail box and made my office a little more personable. I confirmed some events that I'll be tabling at and I started to make communications to our Executive Council. In other words... I actually started my position today! Not training, but actually some real work. I still have more to learn, But in the process of doing this work. I've already learned a lot about the University. Communication is a big part of my job. In the duties of my position, I will get to meet a lot of different people. It really taught me the value of communication. I already feel myself performing in a whole new professional level. It just feels different being a graduate student now. I feel like I have so much to prove to myself. I want to prove that I'm not just a student but a real practitioner.

I love my office space! I love being in the GLBT center. It's a beautiful location and I love the people here. I spent a good 6 or 7 hours in the office. Most of it was work, but some of it was just relaxing and enjoying my surrounding of this awesome space.

When I left the office, I decided to head to the store to buy some groceries. This time I went to nicer Kroger near the College Mall. I enjoy biking around campus when it's good weather like today. I passed by the famous Jacobs School of Music right as the sun was setting. It is so big and so beautiful! Sometime it makes me sad to think I'm not studying music anymore. But I know I will incorporate my love for it in everything I do. I only hope I can afford to buy a keyboard here at some point. I hope I can write music while I'm here, but I fear I may be too busy.

After I got my groceries. I realized I love biking around campus when it's not uphill. And my place is certainly uphill from everywhere else. The grocery store is pretty far from where I live. I'm not used to traveling as far to go to the store, but I know I'll adjust as the months go by. It was nice to extend my food options to more than just sandwiches now that I have pots and pans and kitchen utensils.

So tonight for dinner was no surprise. Hamburger Helper!!

Yay... Welcome back college student budget and diet. It was nice living at home for the summer and being spoiled with Dad's cooking. But it's time to go back to the cheap life. I did miss you Hamburger Helper. It's nice to have you back.

Now I'm just watching old episodes on MTV before I decide to go to bed. No homework to think about until next Monday, so I'm enjoying the moment while I can. I'm just happy to be here! And for the first time. I actually feel like I'm really making it my home here. It's certainly not the same with my family so far away and I'm already missing them. But I'm proud that I'm actually making it here and I'm building my routine.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

I'm a Gleek!

Nothing too much to write in this blog. The rest of my weekend has been relaxing and not as busy. I finally got to see the new Glee Concert 3D movie!! I was gleeked up!

I went this afternoon with Hillary and Samantha and then we met up with Jenny and Mara. We went to the other further away but bigger theater.

It was awesome because I'd never seen a 3D movie in theaters before and I'm so glad it was Glee that became my first. They gave us some nifty glasses to wear much more modern then the old blue and red ones  Haha. It was awesome because we got a free Glee bag or hat for coming.

I walked away from that movie feeling so happy! It's good to have Glee back in my life again. The music, the characters, the story. Everything about Glee makes me feel so good. Like I'm proud to be the underdog. And I do embrace the underdog in me. I'm so small and awkward and everything that Glee is about. I've always been the flamboyant, skinny, music nerd. When I watch Glee, I feel like I'm apart of a powerful club. :-)

After the movie I explored campus a little more. I was shocked to see so many people on campus so late on a Sunday. Even when move in day is not till Wednesday for the undergrads. The campus is so beautiful. I love going to see the Arts area where the museum is. It's breathtaking!

Then I went home and found a way to watch TV live on my computer just in time to watch the season finale of the Glee project. A perfect end to the night. I was pretty ok with the results, but I don't want to post any spoilers. Can't wait for Season 3 to premier. Glee come back to me!! 

I've got to get to sleep so I can start the day early tomorrow. 

Smiling as always, 

Cameron

Hoosier Hospitality

So yesterday was my birff-day :-) Yay!! I am once again another year older and am now at the big 24. It was an awesome birthday. Better than I could ever plan myself. The whole day was pretty much all about Orientation. HESA ORIENTATION!! Now I get to be the student at orientation instead of the orienter. :-)

I biked on over the Education Building where it all began. We played an Ice Breaker called Electricity. Not my favorite Ice Breaker. It's pretty simple and didn't really "break the ice" but we all kind of know each other already by now.

Part one of the day was pretty much getting to know the mission, faculty, professional development, and all that jazz. Then we registered for classes, which was the easiest registration process I've ever had! I just had to sign up for 3 classes and they were all pretty much decided for me.

Part two was the fun stuff. We had lunch at Wilkie Hall and learned about IUSPA which is pretty much the HESA way of orienting and recruiting new HESA students. They also publish grad student papers in an academic journal. I'm sure we will become big in that as 2nd years next year. I can't even imagine being publish worthy right now. Then we learned all about what it means to be a Hoosier. We learned the history of the school and the program. This school has so many parts to it, it's quite overwhelming. Then we analyzed our Myers and Briggs personality type. While I thought I was more logical and guessed I was an ENTP. My results showed I was an ENFP. The Inspirer. (Extravert, Intuition, Feeler, Perceiver).

When that was over I relaxed. It was a little gift I gave myself for my birthday. I didn't want to think about anything. Especially book prices!! AH!! I finally gathered some change together and did my laundry which was well needed. So I spent most of the evening washing and folding my clothes.

It was nice to see all the love on Facebook and get calls from friends and family back home for my birthday. It's always a special day that you just can't feel bad on.

On Friday it was back to work in the office. I settled in a little more reading some things and getting my office all set up (partially). I finally learned the full details of my compensation. It's pretty nice as far as getting health and dental insurance and I get a nice check each month. I guess it's also pretty nice that they pay over $9,000 of my tuition however they still leave with with about $900 of fees to pay. Not so good to hear. Not so good to have to tell my dad. :-( I may need to consider student loans now. I hate that L-word.

Then I had lunch with Doug. Oh Doug... I just adore him. He is so nice and so personable. He bought me lunch at the Bagel Company in downtown Bloomington. It was a pretty cool place known for its community outreach.

That's Doug on the table there. The pictures on the wall and tables are all customers who have participated in service and that the restaurant has had a helping hand in.

Doug then was so nice to drive me to the HESA annual potluck that evening. Before that I got to see his house and meet his partner Marty. They have the cutest house and cutest life. Marty is a professor and I just think the two of them are so adorable.

The potluck was awesome. Full of people from faculty, to Ph.D students, to us mater students. There was so much amazing food!! And of course we got to have some famous cookies from Martha, Danielle's partner. Another freaking cute couple. It's just amazing.

After the cute gathering, it was party time for us grad students. We went to Nicks bar and everyone was there! I had a blast! I never thought I could get such a kick out of a college bar setting, but this place is just so neat.

We played a beer game I'd never heard of before. You take bucket of beer and place an empty small cup inside:

Then everyone has a glass of beer to drink in front of them. We all take turns poring a small amount of beer into the small cup. The first person that causes the cup to sink to the bottom and overflow has to poor the beer from the cup into their glass. The hardcore players play it where if you sink the cup 3 times in a row then you have to drink the bucket. Haha! We weren't attempting to get drunk by any means. It's just a fun college bar game. I had my fair share of sinks. I was pretty surprised with myself. Beer usually isn't my thing, but I think I'm acquiring it quite well.

It was so fun to hang out with all the HESA gang. I felt like this was the time we REALLY got to know each other. I'm looking forward to many more gatherings throughout the year. That is of course IF the time permits.

I got a rude awakening in many ways. Not just financially (which I honestly don't know how I'm going to handle at this point) but also academically. The 2nd years were telling us about how we are going to get whipped the first day. The readings will be harsh and the expectations will be rough. It's a whole new level. I'm way nervous, but I know I'm going to try my butt off!

Today for my Saturday I got up at the ass crack of day to go to the Hoosier to Hoosier sale which allowed me to buy some WAY CHEAP stuff that the Residence Halls sale from people leaving it behind at the end of each year. It was a good thing I went early because a ton of people where there and it got cleaned out. I got myself a microwave, pots and pans, cutting knife, cooking utensils and materials, and a nice little TV. All for $19 dollars!! What a steal.

Fortunately Michael was there with his ride and was so kind to drive me and all the stuff back to my house. Brittany, Laura, and Paul were all there too and we all were out of there by less than a half hour. It was that efficient. Paul helped me carry it inside to my apartment. Then Leslie came by to drop off her TV stand and bookcase that she didn't need anymore.

All of these things that people have done for me have been amazing. It's truly remarkable to see such a spirit of kindness. I have been offered so many rides, so much advice, and help with everything. I'm really starting to see that Indiana and IU has a hospitality like nothing I've seen before. I'm really going to love it here. :-)

Then I spent the whole rest of the day cleaning up all the boxes and garbage to reveal my new and improved and mostly finished appartment. Since my desk came, I now have the cutest computer set up.

What can I say. I love orange and green. And best of all, I've really done well to get this all as cheap as I can. I'm living life as frugal as I can because I'm gonna need all the financial help I can get just paying for school, rent, and life.

Next week is Welcome Week so hopefully I get much more acquainted with this HUGE university.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

COMU Time

Today was so awesome! Again so much was going on. I feel like this past week so many things have been happening that it's been overwhelming to reflect on it all.

I was feeling good this morning even though I was a little nervous because the first thing on my agenda was tabling at the RPS fair and with me still being way new, I was nervous to represent COMU. However, I was feeling like a rock star with my orange shirt and Greek Life shades right before I left for work

The fair was a great success! I literally came with only brochures and a sign up sheet to represent COMU. But as the day progressed I found that by engaging myself with the students I had a lot of people interested in our cause. It was also nice to be at a fair with RA's because they actually want information and they are excited to learn more for their students. Not to mention that this is no commuter school, where seeking interested students to get involved is like pulling teeth. It was much more easy to talk with the students.

This will be one of the rare chances I get to work directly with students so I was loving the moment. Doug was right next to me from the GLBT center so it was awesome to table with him. I was able to get a good number of sign ups, so I have some work ahead of me to organize the contact lists.

Later that afternoon we took our group pictures outside for the SLL office. Outside the Union building is just so beautiful. Every entrance to the Union is so monumental and takes your breath away.

Then I had the rest of the day to do my work with COMU and spend time in my new office. I was so excited to finally get some pictures and the location and space. It is so cool that I had to take a video. I spent the day checking e-mails and settling into the space.

Later that night I was invited over to Melissa's house (The Melissa who works for the Union Board) for dinner and socializing. I went with the SLL and UB Grad Assistants. Michael was so nice to come pick me up and take me even after I looked a mess after biking back up the hill from the Kroger on College Ave. It was so hot! I think I sweated so bad my pores are going to seek revenge on me. :-( It was so nice to chat with Michael on the car ride. He is like me and is very observant and reflexive when it comes to his experiences. He is also a total sweetheart for mentoring me and lending a helping hand. It was so fun to connect with all of GAs. We had some great laughs and talks about HESA and the offices. Indiana University is very acronym friendly. We also played a really neat game throwing bean bags into a hole to gain points. It got pretty competitive.

Now I'm back at home. I'm gonna shower before my my skin jumps out of my body. It was so nice to talk with my dad and aunt on the phone today. They have been so supportive checking up on me. I love updating them. It makes me feel that much less alone.

Tomorrow is HESA Orientation. I can't wait to see everyone, but I'm a little nervous to be oriented on all that graduate school will be about. I only hope my classes work out ok and my books are cheap. Plus it's my birthday tomorrow so I'm looking forward to seeing what the day brings.

Smiling as always,
Cameron

Acclimation

It's finally here! My computer arrived today so now I am writing this blog from my new iMac in my room. Now I can't wait for my desk and chair to arrive.

Today was a jam packed day full of ups and downs. Mostly good of course. SLL Orientation Day 2 was a little more down to business. We talked about the Indiana Promise (A Community of Caring) and Mentoring. It was a good round of discussions.

Then we went to Nicks for lunch. Nicks is one of Bloomington's most traditional and famous restaurants. I actually got to go there once before during HESA Outreach. It was so amazing and ever since I had always wanted to come back and have the garlic fries again. Fortunately I did just that today.

It was so delicious! These fries are seriously to die for. Nicks is on Kirkwood Street which is the street for all the hotspots on Bloomington. 

The whole campus is just so beautiful. As I walked back to the office I really began to take in all that was around me. The buildings look like castles and the campus just gives you such a academic feel. There are so many historical values to the campus and there are so many important places and things to see here. This is about the time when I realized to myself that I'm here and I'm really pursuing the next level of my education. It so incredible to think that I've been here for a week now. Life is so different now, but in a good way. It's all changed so fast in just a few days. It's incredible!

When we got back, that's when I really dived into my duties of the position. I met with Darrell, Colleen, and Jared for an Inclusion and Civic Engagement team meeting. I learned SO much in this meeting. I found out how much of an impact our office has on First Year Experiences and Service Groups. It was really cool to learn I may be able to participate in these events and meetings. 

The best part was walking across the street to see my new office at the GLBT Center. I met Doug the director for the first time and it was so cool to see the Center and my new work space and office. Pictures will definitely come soon. I didn't get to spend to much time because I had work to do to get me into the system for payroll and HR.

It's really been a crazy process for me. I think the ID system has flaws because I haven't been able to obtain a student ID this whole week. They don't issue them to students until August 22nd yet I need it now. I can't ride the buses and I can't even do my laundry without this card. Fortunately, I did get into the system today but i could take up to 3 more days for it to show up for the people at the ID card place, I guess I'll be ok until that time. I have to be. 

I spent the rest of the evening getting my computer all set up and listening to music on itunes since I now have a 100 dollar gift card that came with purchasing the iMac through the educational discount. I needed to be up to date with all the new music releases and there are some good ones. i'm so excited that Natalia Kills album came out today!

Well... now it's late and tomorrow I have a big day. Its my first fair that i will be tabling at for work, More updates to come.

Smiling as always, 

Cameron

A Whole New World

First day on the job! What a day! It was so awesome to meet everyone from my office at Student Life and Learning. I was so geeky excited to start SLL Orientation. I put on my bright yellow shirt since I was feeling as bright and happy today. :-) I was grateful to have found the location of the office so quickly. I was thinking it would be a little hidden in the Union. We started the agenda with a delicious breakfast. They day was packed full of information and fun.

 

Then we got to know each other by using a little ice-breaker from the "Self Esteem Bowl" We wrote down questions and put them in the bowl and each person from the office took turns answering them. Some were very creative such as What is your Secret Dream Job? or What would the person to your left win most likely of in High School? It was such a fun way for the group to connect and add a playful environment to the meeting. 

It was intimidating at first being the only first year HESA GA in the office, but things lighted up as I became more and more comfortable with the group. I'm actually so excited to have the 2nd year students help me and work with me in the assistantship. 

The whole office is really quite neat. There are spaces for the GA's and Assistant Directors. It all seems to be a very connected office and each person has a very unique role in the big picture of Student Life and Learning. I was lucky enough that over the summer the organization had their Strategic Planning and had the overall plan discussed in this Orientation. It really helped me learn the bits and pieces of the office and how it all comes together and also who is the point person for each of these components. 

I'm not going to lie. I felt like a still had SO much to learn and it seems overwhelming but I know walking into any job for the first time will always feel like everyone is miles ahead of you. Also, It seems like my position is relatively new and open to experimentation and growth. I'm excited to learn more and work in the COMU library. I'm excited to meet and work with Doug in the GLBT center. 

We had many opportunities to socialize and break from the agenda. We had lunch at a Pizzaria in the downtown area of Bloomington. It was delicious and so much fun to further connect with the office staff. 

Highlights from the day included giving Jared a new nickname of Jerediah, Michael's GRE story from his faculty interview, and Chris singing a Whole New World (of possibilities) and relating it to Strategic Planning.

After SLL Orientation I tried to hurry as fast as I could to the Student ID office in Engelmann to get my ID and bus pass before they closed at 5PM. It was so frustrating because I literally made it there at 4:59 and the closed the door in my face and said "sorry we're closed." I was so aggrivated! I told them please give me a chance since I was the only one there and I had a little trouble finding the area. They wouldn't give me the time of day. They told me that they close at 5pm and they are not allowed to stay a minute later. I felt completely spit on. I really think they need to do a serious re-evaluation of their office mission and values. 

Later that evening we all went over to Steve (the director)'s house for an evening food social. It was such a nice place in a cute area of Bloomington. We had fruit, snacks, burgers, and hot dogs. And Judy brought the most AMAZING dip I'd ever seen. A cream cheese, chili, and 2-cheese layered dip. 

  

It was so fun to chat with all the other students and directors from the office. It was nice to be informal and really get to know each other for the first day. Even though I'm totally new, I feel like it be easy to get comfortable with the office.

Now I'm back in the lab. My computer still has not arrived yet, but I know it'll be here tomorrow. I can't wait! I think I'm going to call it an early night and get some rest for the day tomorrow. 

Smiling as always, 

Cameron