The University of Blog

Our convergence class hooked us up with some freebies—including a free ticket to Ira Glass, host of This American Life. My friend from Lawrence was in town and we ventured to Jesse Hall together. It was great because he opened with his voice among the darkness. He said that he tried to persuade the producers of the show to have the entire show in darkness. They told him that maybe that would fly in Lawrence, Kans., but not here.

It was one of the most inspiring performances/ speakers that I have ever witnessed. We are just about halfway through the semester, which means that I am incredibly burned out with pretty much everything. Thus, to hear from someone who has the same perspective on journalism and his own formula for making it work, I was enthralled. Journalism can be about people and life, not just hard news.

Glass talked about how he got into radio. And what was really amusing about it was he played one of his radio stories eight years in that was self-admittedly really awful. It is okay to suck, at least initially. And it may take awhile to find that voice. He then shared his formula for a great story, which includes motion. There is always a bigger “thing” in his stories. Everything moves in that story to a greater thing—clues or information or something that is essential to the story. He also mentioned that there can be a little something in a story that is just there purely for the enjoyment of the journalist or highlighting the humor lightheadedness of life.

Among his advice to aspiring journalists, he played some interesting and FUNNY stories. One of his stories that I really enjoyed was when he went to the Oreo cookie factory, he was actually surprised that it smelled, well, like cookies since he was so used to Oreos being a processed food. Who knew that Oreos smelled like cookies. Only Ira Glass.

I am all moved and excited for my sophomore year. School starts tomorrow and I was enjoying my last few days of freedom. To fully kick my semester off right, I went to get free Shakespeare’s Pizza. It may have been just for freshman, but I will never pass up free food. The rain hovered over the day, but I will not let rain stop me from getting a good deal.

Then came Tiger Walk, which is where the freshman walk through the columns to start their first year at Mizzou. I was tempted to attend for the free tiger stripe ice cream, but living off campus makes getting to those events a little more difficult.

Thursday night was the Midnight BBQ with what else, free food and a DJ. Friday I went to the fall welcome events at Lowry Mall. One of these was a hypnotist. Volunteering for this event, I did silly things on stage. The funniest thing was when one guy was talking in a different language and another translated for him. I don’t think that it worked so well for me, but it did give an excuse to do silly things on stage.

One of the advantages of living in the dorms is the free food. And you can never deny college students free food. Tonight in the lounge, we have Panera bagels. Tomorrow we have Jimmy John’s subs, and Thursday we have Gumby’s Pizza. The food comes from the activity fees from the beginning of the year (since I am in the Journalism and Communication Community).

Then, we have a school-wide midnight breakfast at Brady Commons tonight AND one in the dining hall Wednesday night. And these are open to all students living on or off campus. It is great to have these kinds of opportunities for students to be able to take a break from studying for finals. This week we don’t have classes, just lots and lots of tests. I have two tomorrow and one on Thursday. So I plan on taking a lot of food breaks.

I had a delightful evening at the house of an alumni couple. I ate real food: pork tenderloin, risotto, strawberry salad and peach pie. was able to chat with other students in various areas of interest rather than just other journalism students that I usually interact with. It was so wonderful. In addition, it was an opportunity to get away from my dorm and have good conversation with new people.

Being a True Tiger (member of the student alumni association) is a great experience. I am able to attend events and network with both alumni and other students. So far, I have attended the Network Dinner earlier in the year (catered steak meal). Aside from being an opportunity for free food, I was able to meet and get advice from professionals in my future field. A retired broadcast journalist told me that he learned more in his four months in his first job than he did in his four years at Mizzou. But he really valued his well-rounded education because in a career, he focused solely on his job. I really like the advice that college is the time to explore all your interests or you might not have the opportunity to. Thus, take advantage of all of the opportunities that Mizzou offers.

Other events include tailgating events with alumni before football games, trip to a game in a different city, and painting the M by Faurot Field. It is only $20 to sign up True Tigers, and you get a free t-shirt and glass cup (it pays for itself). In addition, you get discounts all over town. Free food, good conversation, discounts and networking opportunities: what more could you want?

The weather is actually nice. Dress and skirt weather. Weather where you can laugh and not feel your lungs freeze together. All in all, good weather.

Have fun in the weather. Go out and do something spectacular. My friends played outside and threw Frisbees around. Other fun activities include walking downtown and window-shopping. Ride a bike. There are many 45 miles of hiking trails around Columbia including the MKT trail, an urban walkway, which connects to the Katy State Park. The Katy Trails were converted from a railway and I read that it is a 227 mile east-west path that goes across most of the state. I’ve heard great things about it. And the Santa Fe Trail starts in Boonville, about 10 miles away.

Also, there are 3000 acres of state parklands 10 miles within the city. I have yet to locate the other parks, but within walking distance is Peace Park. Many community groups use the park. I was walking downtown (after I had just read Don Quixote), and I found a Medieval Reenactment group practicing at Peace Park. I felt a little like Don Quixote and a bit crazy. They let us know that if we were interested in learning more, we were always welcome.

Like to rock climb or spelunk? There are options at Rock Bridge to explore Connor’s Cave. At Mizzou, there is an Outdoor Adventure Club. Also, there is the Venture Out program that has several trips that are intended to introduce people to rock climbing. There is even an Alpline Tower (big climbing course) for another fun challenge.

There is no reason not to go outside. I even saw a rollerblader today. It reminded me of those lazy fourth grade days. There is no reason not to go outside when it is so nice outside. I can’t wait to explore some of those trails.

Oh my goodness, for a sweets fiend like me, it is a paradise (or an undeniable hell when it comes to calories). The dining rooms are ridiculously full with cookies, frozen yogurt, ice cream, cake and pie. In addition, for the salt fan, there are potato chips, fries, and nachos. The common denominator here is that they are unhealthy and there are plenty of them.

So, the alternative to eating all of the good-yet unhealthy-food is to choose healthier options. Good tips are to always have breakfast and to always have two meals of the same food. This means to always have a salad or sandwich for lunch. Limiting your options helps make you feel fuller. Eating different ethnic foods (pizza with tacos for example) does not signal your body that you are full as fast due to the different spices.

Then limiting the junk food options is also smart. For example, have dessert once a day or once a week. Treat yourself, but don’t overindulge. I have learned firsthand that I feel like crap if I eat too much chocolate.

Knowing what you will eat or planning meals is also a good idea. This makes sure that you know how many calories you are eating and you can stick to your plan. The menus will be available online (once the site is updated).

The key is moderation. Have dessert, but limit to a few times a week. There are SO many options that it is wise to stick to one type of ethnic food. And balance protein (meat or cheese) with carbs (bread or pasta—wheat is always better) with GOOD fat (olive oil or almonds). Use the options (including your meal plan) to your advantage.

So KU won on Saturday, and I hate to say it, but I was happy. It is not so great that Mizzou lost at home, but since I am from Lawrence, I feel like I should root for the team that I grew up with. On the upside for Mizzou fans, the game was the most exciting one that I had been to!. It began when Truman the Tiger was suspended in a harness from the ceiling and brought to the floor greeted by an arena full of cheers.

The line to get in was not too bad, but parking was congested since the game was sold out, and this is the must- see game of the year. There are surrounding areas to park such as metered spots across Stadium road as well as a garage. Upon entering through the student entrance, we got colorful bracelets so we could sit in the student section, which is at one end of the arena. The basketball tickets are included with the All Sports Pass (around $200.)I’ve only gone to a few games because a lot are during the week. However, I was very excited to see the KU game– definitely well-worth it.

Each semsester a student pays about $80 each semester for the use the Student Health Center. Many students do not use it. It seems silly to waste so much money. Therefore, it is a great idea to go to the Heath center… a lot. For the flu, go. For a scratchy throat, go.

Last semester I got strep throat when I had never had it before. Living in the dorm exposes students to a host of new germs. Thus going to the Heath Center for sickness is a good idea. I’ve gone a few times and it is all included. It just takes a call for an appointment (a good idea to avoid the wait). It’s not just when sickness hits either. I’m not afraid to admit (just a little embarrassed) for going for having a few too many pimples.

In the infamous words of infomercials: BUT THATS NOT ALL! The Student Heath Center offers classes in stress management and relaxation. Then there are classes on living a healthy lifestyle. So for the fee, it’s worth it to go.

I took a ton of AP classes while I was in high school and it really helped. That is because of Mizzou’s application of the AP scores to fulfill requirements. If you are in high school and deciding whether or not to take the AP exam at the end of the year, do it! Yes it is expensive, but it is so worth it. The test costs about $82, but if it gets you out of English 1000 or another class, it could equate to hundreds of dollars. If you take the class, take the test. It seems silly to put yourself through all the work of taking a demanding course when you could get something really good in the end.

I could write a lot here because I spend a lot of time there. Basically, it’s awesome and the only way to experience its awesomeness is to visit. Walking in is like walking into a spa with palm trees and leather couches. Going deeper into the rec center, there is the high intensity workout zone with rows of treadmills, ellipticals and Stairmasters. Each machine is equipped with a headphone plug-in for the big screen TVs as well as the option for personal TVs on several of the machines. Photos are available at mizzourec.com.

There is also the weight room with every kind of weightlifting machine available. Then is the quiet room with several cardio as well as weight machines with no music out of the communal speakers. More photos are available online.

Not a treadmill person? There is also 1/6-mile track that gives a different option. The basketball courts and the racquetball courts are also nice options to workout in a fun way. Need a push to workout? The tiger X pass for $46 offers various classes such as cycling and cardio kickboxing to work out with other people. Yoga and Pilates are also offered.

Swimming in the Olympic size swimming pool is a nice option for working out. However, the whirlpool, Jacuzzi and lazy river offer a great study break. Sometimes they have free movies on the big-screen television there.