I love college

Greetings, Friends. It is with great pride that I announce the end of my undergraduate career. (Sort of.) The last few weeks of college were without a doubt a fun ride. However, recent developments have made me question whether I have been in college at all. Sure, you can see my transcripts. Call the bursar, my account has been paid. But, well, perhaps Asher Roth and I did not have the same college experience.

Without further adieu, a walk through the last few weeks of my college career:

1. My kids

This is what my friend Colleen and I referred to our lab group as. Colleen and I shared the duties of guiding six students in their gross anatomy dissections this semester, and after spending every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with these sophomores, they sort of become like family. This picture was taken at a celebratory pizza dinner at the end of the semester at Angelo's.

2. Campus Renew Picnic!

After my grumblings in Campus Ministry for about a year, faith sharing groups came to campus this spring in the form of Campus Renew! I would say our group was probably the most successful of all and I loved getting to know everyone. Here is a picture of our dinner outing that turned into a picnic. In the back are myself and Dave, affectionately known as the grandparents of the group. Everyone else was a sophomore.

3. Visit from Baraboo

Here's Nicky and me at dinner on a weekend when Gina, Lindsay, Molly and others from Camp came to town.

SENIOR WEEK

At Marquette, an entire week is devoted the the enjoyment of the senior class following finals and before graduation. Many official events are planned, many more opportunities for fun are had. Here's a sampling of the ridiculousness:

1. Last Day of Finals

I may or may not have missed a work meeting Friday afternoon of finals week because I was at the bar. I don't regret it. An afternoon of joy with some of my absolute favorites.

2. The La Perla Challenge

After spending the afternoon watching Titanic and decorating shirts for our evening out, we headed over to the Mexican restaurant La Perla for margaritas and jocularity. La Perla is known to the underage crowd as a hospitable locale, so we decided it appropriate to pay the Perl a visit as card carrying members of the legal crowd.

These are the ladies, with the shirts we made of puffy paint.

Yes, La Perla does have a Pepper Cam (the chili pepper in the background is ride-able. I know.) This was a shot of us posted on their website.


Somehow we all got invited to a private party post-Perla. No one knows quite how, but we rocked the dance floor on the second floor. Minus Mary Kate.

2. Tuesday Night Mass at Joan of Arc

This was a standing room only Mass celebrated by the one and only Fr. John Naus. Fr. Naus is at least 200 years old, wheel chair-bound and in the the nursing home, but he still comes to campus every Tuesday to celebrate Mass with over 200 Marquette students. The man used to be a circus clown before joining the Jesuits, as evidenced by his superior balloon animal skills and his class offering of "The Philosophy of Humor". It was nice to celebrate Mass Naus-style one last time as seniors. Even Mandi (the heathen) came!! :)


3. Senior Ball

Held at the brand new Harley Davidson Museum (yes, you can say "Only in Milwaukee...."), senior ball was a wonderful night.


Residents of Strack Apartment Z...and the squatter.


Praem and I, discussing whether we will spank our children. Don't ask.


4. Senior Tailgate at the Brewer's Game

While this experience was made moderately uncomfortable by me being an apathetic Twins fan sitting between a die-hard Brewer's and cut-throat Cubs fan, the game and the day was absolutely wonderful.


5. Around-the-World Progressive

Truly, no special occasion is complete without a progressive party. For our part, we chose an around-the-world theme with each of the consecutive apartments providing both food and beverages to regale their guests with. The participating countries included:


CUBA, complete with daiquiris, guacamole and of course...

...free health care.


ITALY (see it? their homemade dresses match the flag) complete with vino and pizza rolls.


GERMANY, featuring pretzels and beer.



And BELIZE complete with Coke (from legit sugar cane, not syrup), tropical fruits, and obviously dancing.

Now, should a person find his or herself in the precarious situation of not having a hosting apartment, they might wonder if they can participate in these aforementioned festivities. The answer to this query is of course, yes. Because no trip around the world can be complete without...

TOURISTS.

Or even tourists-turned-tour-guides, manning the crowds as we traversed the streets of Milwaukee.

This was an event that will go down in the Marquette history books. At least for us, anyway. It was a blast.

Senior week was capped off by graduation, of course, but since I didn't graduate, I wasn't there. Look for those photos next May. And in the mean time, keep keeping up with the blog. Thanks for reading.

What I do between classes...

This could legitimately be my greatest collegiate acheivement. Enjoy!

Tyler, get that checked out: Thoughts on the NCAA Championship

Well, the 2009 college basketball season came to a close last night. Living with a Michigander (who invited all of her Michigan friends over to watch the game) made the night somewhat of a challenge to enjoy. It was sad to see them go down that hard.

Now, while I was watching the game, I happened to be particularly attentive to my least favorite basketball player, Tyler Hansbrough. I'm not sure what it was. Perhaps the fact that he can make a shot, on the first try, from just about anywhere. But that would make me appreciate him a little, and I don't. So maybe it was his size XXS jersey that he wears, matching his size XXL shorts. But no, that wasn't the reason for my fixation either. I was attentive to Tyler last night because I think he needs to seek medical attention immediately, and not because of some stupid bloody nose.

Tyler Hansbrough, do you realize you have bug eyes? If I were to write him a letter informing him of his situation, that is how it would begin. We all know those eyes. "Psycho T" they call him, but I would wager that speaks of more than just his eyes. The man looks like he's possessed. An eyeball could pop out at any moment. I thought the adrenaline rush of the championship game might just do that.

But in a room with two PAs, one pre-med student, two physical therapists, and a nurse, our diagnosis was a consensus: Grave's Disease.

Yes, friends, Graves Disease is caused by an overactive thyroid gland, which just means all the things that jack you up are on overdrive. You're hyperactive, your heart rate's going crazy, and yes, your eyeballs are protuding out of your face. Just take a look:


Kind of freakish, huh? Now take a look at Tyler Hansbrough:



Not convinced? That's fine. There are others out there making a definitive diagnosis. Check this out:

I rest my case. I will admit, his hard work and dedication paid off, and I'm sure his whole family is proud of him. I may still think he's an arrogant jerk, but at least I have enough decency to be concerned for his health. Alright, that's enough press time for one lame basketball player.

Oh and Tyler? Hit up an endocrinologist before the draft, K? Cool.

PA Prom

So I spend at least five hours a day with the same fifty people. Often others are there too, but the fifty of us are always together, always in an academic setting, always stressed, always looking...tired.

Last Friday, however, we got all cleaned up for the PA Prom, er...The Marquette Physician Assistant Preceptor Appreciation Dinner and Dance. It was like prom for big kids. This is basically a big shindig to honor the doctors and PAs we work under during our clinical year. So there was shmoozing, dining, and at the end, dancing. IT WAS A BLAST!! The people I go to school with are actually pretty fun, so it was great to just let loose with them for a night.

In lieu of posting photos of us looking regal in our formal wear, I thought that picture of us having fun would suffice. I went with my dear friend Joe, who is a physical therapist (our supposed arch enemies) so that was dramatic (not) but he was a terrific date. He came in with one mission and one mission only: dance. And dance he did. Let's just say that with his moves and my secret passion for hip hop, we lit up the dance floor.

Wins and Losses

Today was a sad day for the Golden Eagle nation. Another heartbreaker of a loss, and another season ended with the wonder of what-might-have-been-if... I, for one, was a Eucharistic Minister at Mass during the first half, which was probably for the best. Oh well. At least Jimmy Butler is around for another season. He's my favorite.

In the win category, the Very Excited Pugs Intramural Softball Club had their season opener this evening and boy was it a big win! As the co-editor of the Pug Gazette, I'll have to get writing on the recap and submit it to SportsCenter ASAP, but it was a great way to ease the sting of the MU loss.

Golden Eagles Soar

Hope you're enjoying March Madness. My bracket is terrible, but Marquette's winning, so let's hope that continues. This is Lazar Hayward who saved the team in the first round win over Utah State. The team also decided to shave their heads for this game. Not going to comment on whether this was a positive beauty move for this oddly-shapen-head crew, but for the solidarity with Coach Buzz, I'll let it slide. Final score 58-57. Next up: Mizzou at 3:50 CST tomorrow. Ring out ahoya!!

Spring Break: The Highlights

Alright, so I've already shared the fact that it is miracle I made it home from spring break. But I thought I'd give you a little photo journal of the highlights. Enjoy!

Day 1: Imperial Beach. This just happen to be right down the beach from a little place called TJ. Tijuana, if you will. Don't worry, though, we never went to TJ. "Oh yah, Big Deal!"

At Imperial Beach, we walked all the way out to the end of the pier, and as we were gazing out at the ocean, this fine group of San Diegoans approached us. The conversation went something like this: "Hey, do you ladies want some fresh fish?" Catherine: "No." Mary Kate: "SURE!!" And then we commenced to eating raw clams (freshly cook in lemon juice and Tabasco), holding starfish, dodging lobsters, and pretty much creating our own version of Sea World.

Day 2: Beach Day. Clearly I was excited.

I think we spent a solid half hour just jumping over the waves. The tide may not fascinate the San Diego folk anymore, but to a bunch of girls from the tundra? Absolutely. The beach was beautiful, the water was pretty cold, but the sunshine was wonderful. I think it was 11 degrees and sleeting in Milwaukee. We also found a crab. MK was bold enough to pick it up. Sea World.

Day 3: Bike Day. We cruised around Coronado Island for the afternoon.

Of course Catherine would not be satisfied without a jumping picture. I would say this was our most successful attempt. In the background is Coronado Bridge. And boats.

Our hotel was on the isthmus connecting Coronado Island to San Diego. So our bike ride was a ride on the isthmus and a ride around the island. We packed a lunch to eat in the middle of the day. Unfortunately Coronado Island didn't have a lot of picnic areas. So we made our own. On the median in downtown Coronado.

We ended the night hanging out by the beach. Note the headlamp.

Day 4: Whale watching. (Once again, no need for Sea World.) WE'RE ON A BOAT!! On the end of our row is our good friend and driver Omar. He was a delight and was also from TJ. Note the USS Ronald Reagan in the background. Not quite the USS Poseidon....

We saw dolphins!!

Clearly Lindsay was was excited about the adventure. However, I can assure you that the gentleman to the left was not. This man was so sick he puked all over the holder of puke bags. It was enough to make me want to vomit--and I've got a stomach of steel! (Well, that's not true. My stomach is made of parietal and chief cells, but who's counting?)

Day Five: Adventures with Uncle Jerry and Aunt Mary. Cast of characters (L-R): Megan, Mary Kate, Catherine, myself and Lindsay. Here we are at the highest point in San Diego, the Cabrillo Memorial, founder of Brillo Pads.

That's a lie. Cabrillo actually discovered San Diego. He was an explorer, just like me and Lindsay.

New Kids on the Block. SD style.

Next stop? Old Town San Diego. We're in a wagon.

Look, I played a lot of Oregon Trail as a child. I got excited!

And on the last night, all of Mary Kate's dreams came true with a night of samba-ing with Caesar.

All things considered, it was one heck of a trip. Although I'm not sure anyone would ever want to fly with me again, I at least hope to travel again soon with these girls. It was a blast.