Last Day in the UIC!

Today is my last day in the University Information Center at Johnson & Wales, better known as the UIC. I've worked here for 2.5 years, and it's always been a great time. The above picture is a little slice of my cube. 

Many an artistic thing have taken place in my little cubical, as well as much reading, writing, thinking, doodling,    studying, and of course, working. 

I will miss the ability to just basically do anything while Im not on the phone, and the flexibility of everyone.

I will miss the people through the years, Donna, Patty, Sharon, Cathy, Carly, Randall, Chloe, Scott, Meagan.. etc.  

Today they had a little send off and brought in the most epic, sugar crashing kind of cake, as well as some awesome gifts!

They know me so well, I mean come on- Trader Joes, Russia, and gardening. YES!

Aww, this is so sad!

Rethink Voluntourism

For the whole trimester, I have been trying to come up with a topic to research for a large year end Sociology project. At first I had all these crazy ideas about topics that had nothing to do with anything. Then my wonderful mom said "Why don't you just do a topic that has to do with your major? You like that stuff." Shazaamwow, an idea was born.

"The Effects of Symbolism in Voluntourism." I don't really know how I came up with it, but the basic premise is that in voluntourism (volunteer tourism) there is a lot of incorrect symbolism, which negatively (and I am reluctant to say, but positively as well) affects other cultures.

Symbolism is a sociological term, and it is just what you think it is, when we see something and take it to represent a larger thing. 

I started my project off by asking people what they thought of when they thought of Las Vegas. Obviously everyone thinks of gambling, sex, drugs, etc. Perfect, as that is the marketed symbol. They want you to think that. But did you know that Vegas has a growing homeless rate? That it has a large elderly population? That it has a unique historical heritage? Then I asked what people thought of when they thought "Africa." Safaris, poverty, hunger, orphans. -Wow, what symbols. 
  

We often create symbols in voluntourism that benefit us, that assuage our guilt, that don't really encompass the reality of the situation, or provide long term sustainable growth for those we intend to "help." We think "I need to go build a church in Mexico." Or "I need to donate all these old clothes to poor naked African children." 

 I found this great example from Vagabondish that goes as follows:

"You would think that donating old clothing to poor African communities would be a good thing, right. You give the clothes to your church group, a local tailor makes any necessary repairs, and the duds are shipped off to the naked people of Africa. I mean – they’d be naked if they didn’t have our clothes, right? Wrong. Instead, local African tailors are put out of business, because people can get their clothes for free from donation shipments. Local economies suffer, the local tailors eventually die, and their skills die with them, since there is no need for a tailor in the community."

What if instead of wasting money traveling down to Mexico to build a church, you give that job to someone who needs it. Send money or building materials down there. Let a local man get paid to do his job and support his family. Unless you are a trained contractor, do not think that your American church building skills are any better than his, and don't think you are doing some grandiose heavenly favor. 

In the rest of my project, I just discuss some other issues with how our interpretations of a voluntourism destination can be both hurtful, and sometimes helpful. 

As a Christian, I am called to help others in need, and I think there are legitimate times when it is good to give  freely, (you know- times of war, plague, disaster etc).  

But in order for volunteer work to be helpful we have to think about the bigger, long term, sustainable picture. We want to not only give a man a fish, but we want to teach him how to fish. Maybe instead of throwing my crappy donations at the problem, or doing a job we are not trained to do- We can teach. We can empower. We can finance. We can provide resources.

Volunteering isn't bad. But we have to check out our motives, goals, and the reality of the situation.      

 My professor told me "great presentation on a unique topic with a functional perspective on the consequences of these programs as they ripple through global cultures." So hopefully I get an A on that :)

Thoughts? Do you agree? Do you think we should just give freely without concern? Should we rethink charity or a donations system? Does this apply to any other industry (perhaps food banks? or clothing drives?)

Graduating, Done, Almost, Calluses?

I'm sitting at my desk in the JWU University Information Center and thinking about the fact that I currently have no homework, no tests to study for, no essays or field trips. Oh my. This week I crammed my hardest for Statistics (probably a good 6 hours or more), wrote up my finals, turned them in, and here I sit, at the end.

Ideally I graduate this Saturday with a Bachelors degree in Global Tourism Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Of course I have two more classes to take this summer, but this basically marks the end of my college career.

On the way to Freshmen Orientation, 2007

Four years at Johnson & Wales, in Providence Rhode Island. Three years of being involved in Christian Student Fellowship. Two years of working in the UIC. One dorm and two apartments later. One gospel centered church. Many an adventure. Many good relationships, and some not so good ones. Innumerable opportunities for learning about tourism. Russia. Greece. Blackstone Valley. AAA. T.F. Green. Wow. And now I have a CAR! And so many people to thank.

Who would have thought I would be here, doing this!

My friend said that graduation feels like "they are kicking him out," and I kind of feel the same way. I'd rather not leave, haha.

There might be some denial going on (actually kind of a lot). But I look forward, and I am nervous and scared, yet excited.

Travel Practicum in Greece, 2009

I read a blog yesterday where a commencement speaker "told the graduates that they had developed calluses from all the hard work of studying, and he charged them not to let those calluses get soft." 


I do not want to loose the calluses from learning. Of course I am graduating, but just because I am in the "real world" (what a crappy term, by the way), doesn't mean that I cant learn, in fact I'm diving into an even larger, radical learning experience. 


The Future?
My plans include to stay in Providence for another year at least. I am moving in to a house next month with three sweet girls from the Christian Student Fellowship. I am going to apply to a bunch of places, including AAA and Liberty Travel. I want to work in the Travel/Hospitality industry, but I will take whatever job will pay the bills. (So if you know of a place that is hiring..!) I'll continue to be a part of the body at Grace Harbor Community Church, and probably be involved to some extent next year with the student fellowship. I hope to amp up my travel, local, and theology writing- submitting to various publications with the hope of being published more (and getting paid?). I would also love to travel more -- we will see how that pans out.. but Seattle? Iceland? mmhmm :)  

The future is quite uncertain. Thankfully I serve a God who is very certain.

If you could pray that I trust God on this new path and that I wont choose a "known pain, instead of an unknown joy."

Thanks for reading.

Any tips on life after college? 

If you graduated from college, what kinds of feelings did you experience?

Churches in Greater Providence

Using Google Analytics, I have seen activity on my blog from people searching for churches in Providence, and near Johnson & Wales specifically. So I figured I would compile a (non)exhaustive list, so that in the future, if someone were searching this out and they somehow arrive at my blog, there will be something helpful to offer!

Grace Harbor Community Church
www.graceharbor.net
Pastor Kevin McKay
Currently Meeting at the Courtyard Marriott, check website for details
Providence, RI
401-454-4673

Trinity Presbyterian

www.trinitypresri.org

Pastor: David Sherwood

72 Clifford St.

Providence, RI 02903

401.272.0766

DownCity Church

www.downcitychurch.com

Pastor: Ted Strickland

68 Kennedy Plaza

Providence, RI 02903

401.331.6384

The Sacred Journey

http://sjchurch.org/

Pastor: Todd Murphy

91 Fricker Street

Providence, RI 02903

These are churches that I find to be gospel centered, bible loving, caring congregations. Now I say this is not exhaustive because these only make up churches that I have attended or where I know the pastor. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.


*These websites have great "church search" reference guides by city and zipcode:
www.9marks.org
www.thegospelcoalition.org

*This is a great book about what makes a church a "healthy" church:
What is a Healthy Church by Mark Dever


Hope you find a great church!

Senior Year Crazies

Today is the first day of my senior year of college. Time flies by!

Last night was the Student Activities Fair for all the incoming freshmen and transfers to check out all the Clubs and Organizations on campus and see if there is anything they want to get involved in. I am the President of the Christian Student Fellowship this year, and I thought our booth was quite legit! Here is Travis, Jake, and Jasmine folding some flyers. We even had cups with our logo and info on them. Legit I tell you.

At the end of the night we had passed out over 200 cups and received over 70 filled out info cards. I was also surprised at the amount of students coming up to us as asking us for information about finding a local church. I hope they follow through and put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. I also hope we can help them all get connected with local bodies. 

This year we are strategically looking at our ministry from all angles. We know we have about two years with most students. Travis, the campus minister, has come up with a list of topics we are going to focus on and disciple people through. We realized that by the time a student has graduated, we want them to have grown in these areas (condensed version):

• Discipleship (we want them to be discipled, and be able to disciple)
• Missions (thinking about long term and short term missions, how to get involved)
• Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (what is it, how to grow in these areas, also dating and marriage)
• Love for the local church (we want them to understand the importance of the local church and being a member of one )
• Christian World view (this affects all aspects of life)
• Evangelism

God has truly blessed me by bringing this ministry into my life freshman year and allowing me to grow alongside such wonderful people.

The classes on my roster this trimester are: 

• Intro to Psychology
• American Government
• Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture
• Career Capstone
• Statistics

For some reason I was so pumped about my major classes that left all my liberal arts classes until my last year. Which doesn't make for a very exciting senior year, let me tell you. Haha. Though my last trimester does include some travel tidbits. This is also the first year in the past two years that I will be doing academics all the way through, instead of two trimesters of academics and then one of an internship of some kind. Boring! Trust me if I could find a way, I would maneuver a way out of class, but no loop holes this year. Get in, get out, get my degree!

Otherwise this trimester I am busy working in the University Info Center answering tons of crazy phone calls ("my daughter blah blah blah late for class blah blah professor is wrong to do that blah blah blah.."). Busy living in a crazy community of awesome Christians. Busy trying to wake up at 5am and get to my 710zm classes and probably not get home until 10 pm. Busy trying to keep up with everyone from home and from RI and Russia and all over. 

By the way, I have no idea what I am going to do when I graduate, in case you were wondering. But I am not worried at all really. God is sovereign, Jesus was a hobo and the sparrows are taken care of. No idea what that really means, but basically I find no reason to fret. 

Ive thought about (and started applying to) seminaries. Gordon-Conwell in Boston and Southern in Louisville top out my list and both have pros and cons. Some sort of masters in Biblical Counseling would probably be my education path. Maybe I will get a job at the Southern New England AAA. Maybe I will move to Russia. Maybe I will vagabond across Asia. Its all up in the air :)  I am pursuing God, Im surrounding myself with wise people, and thats what really matters.

So yeah. One year left, lets make it a good one. 

No Snow, "Snow" Day

Its 4:15 Tuesday afternoon and my co-workers and I are sitting at work awaiting some good news. So far we have heard about the city wide parking ban for Wednesday, but no word yet about a school closing. The weatherman is predicting 2 feet of snow to start early Wednesday and continue all day, causing a similar ruckus to the Snowpocolypse that attacked the Southeastern coast. Everyone in Providence is on the edge of their seats, wondering if the city will close down, wondering if they should go out and buy bread, milk, and eggs to stock up for the crazy storm (typical rhodey, the stores suddenly become barren when there is any kind of unusual weather predictions).

6:00pm hits and my roommate calls the Johnson & Wales storm line. We had previously heard rumors of school closings and half day closings, but nothing for sure. At that moment I see a flood of tweets from other JWU'ers about an email declaring Wednesday to be a Snow Day! My roommate confirms the word, as the storm line says similar things about nonessential staff not having to come to work, and students are off the class hook. SWEEEETTT DEAALL! The word spreads, and everyone is pumped to the max. I know I am.

I stayed up extra late Tuesday night, knowing that nothing was stopping me, knowing that I would not feel the pangs of exhaustion the next day at work or class. I finally went to bed in the early morn, excited to wake up to this winter wonderland that I’ve been intensely anticipating.

Approximately 3:00pm Wednesday afternoon, I finally arise. (I did wake up around 9am and noon, but decided to milk sleep for all its worth). Hilariously, there is no snow on the ground. Absolutely none. It wasnt even snowing! Oh snap Providence! You got schooled hard core. Which basically means we had a no snow, snow day. I'm not complaining!

Around 6pm on Wednesday it does start snowing pretty hard, but stops without terrible damage. (nothing to close the city down about, thats for sure) Which you can see from the picture above.

Our friends Kevin and Ben have been planning on coming over for the past few weeks to cook, as their living conditions aren't too equipped for hand crafted cooking, but because of incongruent schedules, it just hadnt worked out. We all have the day off though so they end up randomly coming over (well... after a long, epic, bus excursion to Aldi and Whole Foods). Sherita came over (she lives across the street) and Alon's fiance Tim was there, obviously Alon and Kim as well. So we had a mini, spur of the moment cooking party! The guys, who are both culinary majors at JWU, whipped up some of the BEST meatballs and spaghetti that I have ever had in my life (mom, you have some competition!) There were some crazy things in the meatballs like bacon, almonds, soaked bread, interesting herbs, and I dont even know what. But it was delicious. I hope they can come over again soon! (and if e actually plan it, next time we can invite everyone over for the good times!

  
Above: Kevin and Ben
  
Left: Ben, Tim, Sherita, Kim all rolling meat balls!








<-----Yum


And that’s the story of my first ever No Snow, Snow Day!!!

Post Secret!

I am still pumped from seeing this guy speak tonight. I have every single one of his books from day one, and regularly check his website for updates, and new secrets, and everything really. He collects postcards with secrets on them, and is known as "The Most Trusted Stranger in America."

Ahhh!!!!!!!! Thank you JWU for having such a great program!

Check it out:

www.postsecret.com 

Death at JWU: Franki Triano

*This is just me being curious and investigative. I possess no power or authority in the situation, nor did I know this person. Just trying to keep people updated. In respect for this whole issue, feel free not to leave any rude comments.*

Self written bio:
"My name is Franki Triano. I am from Kansas City, Missouri. I am 19 years old and a Marketing Major at Johnson and Wales University. I have wonderful parents and two older sisters who have inspired me in too many ways to list. I have a cat named Mojo, a dog named Harley, and a horse named Dash. I like to consider myself a free spirit with ambitious dreams. I might be little but I’m full of energy. I like to have fun and enjoy the life that I’ve been given. I love music, food, friends, family, smiling, laughing, and just being me."


----

You go on this girls facebook page and its so sad. There are more than one hundred comments from friends, relatives, classmates, roommates, etc, dedicated to her.



Thats all I have. I doubt any new information will be made public.
Please keep praying for her family and friends.
& I'm out of this topic.
God Bless.

Death at JWU Providence Update 1

 *This is just me being curious and investigative. I possess no power or authority in the situation. In respect for this whole issue, feel free not to leave any rude comments.*

At this current time I have no more news that what I had last night. There are still alot of rumors going around and it is impossible at this time to reliably figure out anything specific like cause of death or who specifically found her.

I received this email from JWU:
-----------------------------------
To: Providence Campus Community
From: Ronald Martel, Ph.D.
Vice President, Student Affairs

Date: October 28, 2009
Re Bereavement Notice of JWU Student



It is with sadness that I inform you of the sudden passing of Johnson & Wales University student, Franki Triano. Franki, who is from Leawood, Kansas, recently transferred from the Charlotte Campus to Providence as a student in our College of Business.

 I have spoken to her family and have extended the thoughts and prayers of our community.

 For those who need support during this difficult time, campus counseling services are available at
401-598-1016.

At this time, the university does not know the cause of death.
 ---------------------------

I am pretty sure that no one else was in any way injured or hurt. I also know that JWU and Residential Life are doing everything they can to create a peaceful, safe, and healthy environment for students at the Cove, also university wide.  They also took many precautions to protect students from witnessing anything graphic regarding the police investigation.

As I hear new develoments I will be posting them here.

Death at JWU Providence

 *This is just me being curious and investigative. I possess no power or authority in the situation. In respect for this whole issue, feel free not to leave any rude comments.*

Hey all. So quick update. This evenning I found out that a student from the Johnson & Wales University's Providence campus has died unexpectedly tonight. There are alot of rumors going around right now but the actual death has been reported through many trusted sources as being true.

Please pray for the family, as they are still being notified. Also pray for the students roommates.

Im not sure if she lived in the residence hall known as "The Cove" but I know that is where everything went down tonight.  I know that students residing in the Cove have had floor meetings, and that people are not allowed back in for the night if they weren't already there when the incident happened.

In the next 24 hours JWU will be sending out a network wide email with as many details as they deem necessary to share. Just from the people that I have talked to tonight, the whole campus is starting to become quite shaken by the situation.

Pray. and I will keep updating as I find out news.

Signed Sealed Delivered!

Oh My Goodness!

I have been on major lockdown trying to finish the application for my Co-Op that is due October 28th.
I had 9 essays due for the International Missions Board and one 3 page paper due for Johnson and Wales.

BUT TONIGHT I AM DONE!
Praise God. The burden is lifted. After 34566 revisions of each essay and tweaking each word into perfection, my brain can finally find rest in normal activity, knowing that nothing else can be done for now.

I dont want to write for a while.
Peace out everyone for a minute.
Life is good.

Language Swap

Ahh what a week. Everything is going great. I am ridiculously busy every single day, but its the kind of thing where I choose what to be busy with. I am not doing anything that I dont want to be doing, and thats how I like to roll. Of course today wasnt busy at all. Last night Kim and I stayed up until 3am watching Top Chef episodes. And I slept until 3 this afternoon. What a delight. I figure I dont sleep AT ALL during the week so I might as well make it up on the weekends. Today has just been relaxing and fun. My baking savvy roommates made and decorated a cake for our friends who are leaving town, and they are ridiculously talented. I could make a cake, but it would look like someones kindergarten brother made it and not be fancy at all. Im more utilitarian.

Yesterday was my 4th Russian class and needless to say, my teacher thinks I am doing pretty good, but still need to try harder. So Im trying. and trying. and trying. At this point I could say that I could read pretty much anything in Russian, although I just wouldnt know what it meant. My teacher is this ESL grad student who is from Kazakastan or something. He is pretty smart and very patient with me.

This past Thursday I went to an international coffee house sponsored by the JWU i-club. Essentially it is a coffee house for international and american students to come, mingle, and improve their language skills. We had a little group activity that helped us to meet new people, and it was really fun. I met people from Cyprus, China, Taiwan, and Korea! I became friends with this girl named Yuli from Taiwan, and we are going to try to hang out soon. Needless to say, I am going back every week. The only sad thing about international students, especially from the Asia region, most of them are forced by their parents to study abroad. Thats terrible, but you can tell many just try to make the best of everything.

After work I went to Starbucks to meet up with my conversation partner, Mohamed. He is from Mali, Africa and has only been in the United States for 4 months. Prior to coming to this country, he has never spoken or learned English. That is intense, and I hope I can be of some help to him. He said that it is very difficult to do things here because many people cannot understand him. Overall he enjoys Providence and JWU though. I hope to start meeting with him weekly. Its important for international students to interact with native English speakers, as it gives them a context to practice their language skills, and makes them feel less lonely.

I wish everyone had the opportunity to build relationships with ESL students. I am so thankful to know them. It all started with Sung and Esther. I miss them.

Setting a Precedent

Ahh man oh man, what a week. Things have been crazy busy with new classes, planning freshmen outreach events, working, and just EVERYTHING.

Last week my roommate and I hosted a "Taco Thursday Night" at our apartment, and we had SOOO many tacos and mexican food and tons of people. Learned the guacamole rule as well= no matter how much you make, or how many people, if you set guac out, in 10 minutes or less it will be devoured. People just cant get enough, its hilarious. Our apartment is perfect for hosting, and I am just so thankful. We had about 15 people in there, eating tacos, hanging out, and playing games. I am so happy to have a nice place that is accessible, open and friendly. And I love hanging out with all these cool cats!

Saturday night we took a little trip to Thayer St and had dinner. This was the first time for many new students, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Erica and I went to East Side Pockets for some falafel delight, and most others ate at Antonio's Pizza. Then we caught a bus back downtown and walked around WaterFire. It was one of the best WaterFires Ive ever been to. So many people and things to see and do, what a great night.

I think holding all of these diverse events through Christian Student Fellowship is such a great learning experience for everyone. I think its important to get new students into an atmosphere that is off campus. It helps them feel more connected to a community and its always good to eat home cooked food. I remember as a freshman all there was to do was hang out in the dorms, in the dining halls, with people from the school, and you almost forget that life exists outside. So far many of our new students have taken RIPTA on Smith Hill, gone to Thayer St, been to Hope highschool and played tennis, and hung out in church member's homes and apartments. Im pretty sure I didnt accomplish all of that in my first TWO years! Hopefully this is the right path to people really connecting with the school and the community.

My Russian class is going well. Its definitely a challenge to learn a new language no matter what it is, and Im trying hard. My professor is more of a immersion teacher and not so much a step by step learning kind of teacher. I tend to do much better with small gradual steps into something, but I have enjoyed her style and as of now I am the only person in the class, so it is very helpful and personal. I bought some extra study materials, and downloaded video Russian classes on iTunes which are realllllllly helpful. I could listen to the language all day long and never tire of it, which is probably a good sign.


Prayer: If you could please keep praying for missions opportunities and open doors all around, that would be extremely helpful. Also, please pray for my grandmother, as she is in a lot of pain.

Thats all for now!
God bless.

Things You Can be Praying About

1. My sister Kailey is on her way, as I type, to the New York School of Urban Ministry in Brooklyn Ny. She is there to learn the ins and outs of urban street ministry, and how to evangelize and serve the city. I am excited for her and proud of her. She will definitely excel there and I hope God uses this 6 week period to grow her faith and help her to expand her horizons. Pray that she is safe, grows closer to God, and learns to love people in a great new way.

2. Russia. As of right now, missionaries with religious visas are only allowed in Russia for a 3 month period before having to leave. They are allowed to come back into the country again, but only after 91 days of being out. So, its difficult on missionaries, because the most expensive thing about serving in Russia is the ticket to and fro. Its also hard to get consistency if you can only be in the country for 3 months at a time. Pray that the Russian government will change their policies and be more welcome to the gospel and humanitarian practices. Thank God for the people that are faithful and persevering. (To go on a Virtual Russian Prayer Walk Click Here)

3. Russian City of Bor. This is the city of Bor, just across the Volga River from Nizhniy Novgorod. Bor has 50,000 people and no evangelical church. There are plans to build a bridge across the Volga to connect the 2 cities and Bor will become a “suburb” of Nizhniy Novgorod. Pray that God will raise up church planters to plant churches in this city. (info from UBA Houston)

4. Johnson and Wales Christian Student Fellowship. We specifically need prayer that we are able to reach out to new students in Providence and show them the love of Christ in a way that connects them and unifies them. We want to build strong relationships between students and grow up a community of believers that has a passion for God and others. This is extremely important in the beginning of the year, as we want to get people plugged in right away, showing them that there are alternatives to the party scene so rampant on campus. Pray for all campus outreach groups across the world in fact.

5. Pray for me. (if you dont mind) I am trying to search out God's plan for me regarding missions. I feel strongly compelled to go, and I just need to trust in God and his timing, that he has it all under control. I am in the process of learning Russian, with the intent to go back there for a long term assignment. But pray for open doors for me, for wisdom, consistency, and for strength in my walk with Christ.


That is all for now. If anyone has anything else to add, FEEL FREE. We can never pray enough. I would love to know what I can pray for you about.

I dont know what Im saying anymore.

JWU Caller: Can I be directed to the department of education?
Me: Well, we are a school.

-----------------
Kailey: Hello?
Me: Johnson & Wales University, how can I direct your call?
Kailey: What?
Me: Oh, whattt.
Kailey: BHAHAHA, I cant talk right now, goodbye johnson and wales.

------------------------

Im having a case of confused words, mixed with auto pilot, mixed with, Im tired of answering phone calls. I called my sister and then accidently asked her how to direct her call. And I cant speak. And sometimes when Im reading something online and taking a call, I say those words instead of the JWU phone prompt. I need to a. get more sleep? b. focus.

And I cant stand the sound of people chewing. It drives me crazy mad. Doesnt matter who or what or where. Im sure my family might recall times where I would be reading the paper at the kitchen tables some Sunday mornings, only to have to go sit in the other room when someone came in and started eating something. I dont know how to stop focusing on the sound. Its similar to my blatant HATE of feet. Everyone has these two things, everyone has to eat, and mostly everyone has feet, but I cant get over it. I would rather gouge out my face with a blunt object that be subjected to a silent room with someone else chewing.. oh goodness imagine if they had nasty feet frolicking about. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This weekend went by very quickly. I dont even remember what happened. Last night was Bible Study at the McKays. We heard a quick talk on the goodness of God and how thankful we should be. Also, that he is sufficient for everything we need. Its funny how everything always ties in. I was having a similar conversation with Janelle about putting other things above God. She shared with me a very relevant quote:

"At the root of covetousness is a rejection of God's sufficiency. Covetousness destroys are ability to discern sufficiency."

So true.
hmm.

One of my roommates is moving some stuff in to the apartment this week. Shes not staying for good though. Both of my permanent roommates will move in in about 2 weeks. I am really excited.

Also excited: Casey, Janelle, and Bryan are LEGIT coming on thursday. No joke about it. Its actually happening. I give them mad props for making this happen.