maysblog

No Time For Illness!

I’m sick. I never get sick. How did this happen!? I cannot afford to slow down these last couple of weeks. This has been the most intensive semesters of my college career and I need to finish up strong. I also need to work to make money for my trip to Mexico for the Christmas break. I also have an incredible amount of preparation to take care of before that trip for the 30 or so people that I will be taking. All in all, I need to speed up, not slow down! (more…)

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Attack of the Tryptophan!

Mmm, Thanksgiving. The time when we all give thanks for the blessings in our lives: family, friends, health….and a whole lot of food!

My Thanksgiving break went even better than expected. After flying back from NYC on Tuesday night, I hustled to make the drive home Wednesday morning. I packed up my now five month old puppy and began the three-hour trek to Mom’s homemade chili, turkey, mashed potatoes and dressing. (more…)

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Business Today and Sustainable Growth

Most people spent their weekend before Thanksgiving finishing last minute class work before heading home to turkey and treats from the family. I was in another time zone, attending a conference in one of my favorite places in the world—New York City.

Business Today, a student organization run by Princeton students, holds an international business conference every year. This year’s topic was Sustainable Growth: Taking Responsibility for the Future. From http://www.businesstoday.org/:

“The Business Today International Conference provides a unique and valuable opportunity for college students to meet, interact, and learn from high level executives and political leaders. Held in the heart of New York City, it brings together 150 students from across the country and around the world to discuss and share perspectives on relevant business issues, and benefit from the knowledge and experience of current world leaders. Organized by students at Princeton University, it is the largest conference of its kind in the country and has been a perennial success throughout the recent decades.”

In more personal language, it rocked my socks off. (more…)

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Home again, home again, jiggity-jig

Home is where my heart’s at. I am so glad to be here.

I got into Dallas around 7 last night and have already been to my favorite burger joint (Keller’s), bakery (ST Cafe), and hair dresser (Vanessa). The minute I saw the city limit sign, I let out a sigh of relief I’ve been holding in all semester long.

It is so good to be out of the college town bubble and back around people with different priorities at different points in their lives. They inspire me.
(more…)

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First Time Across

This is something I wrote one night when I was in deep thought….

From a distance there appears to be no real change. There are common placements just like anywhere else, despite the significant divide. The stigma is rich, though, and permeates the unfamiliar air. There is no significant smell, but it is present. As you approach the sights become typical. The opportunists have instilled their philosophy upon the surroundings, and the patrons are submissive. The start makes all the difference.

You see, when one crosses there is either hope for a better place, or hope to return to a better place. This is the challenge though. Is the start physical, spiritual, senseless? Is this place a tangible one, or does it exist somewhere between our soul and our instincts? Everything in our common sense tells us to ignore the anxiety, and we fight it back like an intruder trying to steal our secrets. You want so bad to be free from this tension, but it is placed upon us by those that have passed and mostly by those who haven’t. (more…)

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Aggie Football, Part 6: The Finale

The Association of Former Students runs their “My Story…” campaigns, illustrating the wide spectrum of roads that lead to Aggieland, highlighting the variety of opportunities and endeavors students encounter, and somehow, the culmination of these stories make up the Aggie Experience.

The common thread throughout “My Story” (and the only consistent aspect of my life) has been Aggie Football.

It brought about my creation, influenced my values, introduced me to the Aggie Spirit, and rules my weekends.

Wanting to give back and play a larger role in the entity that shaped my being, knowing that I’d never get to “suit up”, I have been an Aggie Hostess (a group designed to support Aggie Football) since my freshman year. People always ask “What exactly do you do?” and I always have a hard time answering that question, because the only appropriate answer is “Everything!” (more…)

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Priorities and Obsessions

I went to the gym last night to get in my long, Sunday run and a girl who very apparently had an eating disorder was on the elliptical machine in front of me. I went to the locker room and fell back on to one of the cold metal lockers and completely re-thought my life with my sister on the phone.

Being able to tell the difference between priorities and obsessions might seem like splitting hairs. Both drive the outcome of a day; both become associated with my name…but obsessions have a way of appearing to build someone up right before they overtake their goals and become all-consuming. (more…)

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New Release: Erika and the Curse of the Online Class

Oh, Internet. How I love you. You give me my daily dose of webcomics, Facebook stalking, and, of course, the occasional school work assignment. Internet, I treat you well—I protect my passwords, visit you frequently, and I am even okay with you hanging out with other girls—why, then, oh Internet, do you fail me when I need you most?

If you have read some of my earlier blogs, you may have picked up the fact that I, Erika Schmidt, am a procrastinator. Well, it’s true, and I admit it freely. This is not to say, however, that I am either proud or happy with myself about this particular trait. This apparent failure to plan ahead combined with my less than perfect Internet connection has, for the first time, caused me to turn in a college assignment late. (Gasp!) (more…)

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Phone-less in Aggieland

I always feared it. I have always been concerned it was true. Yes, I am absolutely addicted to my cell phone. After years of being harassed about being on the phone all the time and about never having a peaceful time without it ringing, I’m afraid the jokes were true.

My phone has mysteriously stopped working altogether and it has been the worst three days of my life. I don’t get my emails right away anymore. I have missed group projects. I have not been able to text my friends when hilarity ensues around me. And worst of all, I missed a very important phone call about a job opportunity I was extremely interested in getting. This phone-less life is wreaking havoc on my productivity. (more…)

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Aggie Football, Part 5

I have a lot of uncles.
My Mom and Dad each had only one sister, but I have a lot of uncles.

I give my parents a hard time; a couple of Aggies couldn’t raise children on their own- they need the entire tribe!
And in our case, it could not have been more true. (more…)

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