Running through the mind of roses..

Topic 4: Methods of Destroying Traffic

Uhm, okay? Thanks for the randomness, people who submitted these topics!

So let’s brainstorm about this, huh? Destroying Traffic could mean a number of different things, but I’m going to take it literally: what are some methods of destroying the annoyance that is traffic?

Thought #1: I dig a bunch of potholes in the roads everywhere so people stop driving. Plausible? hardly. And hell, it might not even stop traffic! People might just get annoyed and keep driving.

Thought #2: Stand around in a bikini with all of my hottest friends. I think this could destroy traffic in many areas, because (hopefully) alot of people will stop ’cause they think we’re hotties and they think they have a chance with us. Right? Plausible: not really. but I like to think so.

Thought #3: Pop everyone’s tires. The way to do this? Place a bunch of push-pins all over the roads so everyone is super inconvenienced.

Plausible? totally.

Basically, If we use all of these methods, I think we could really do this! Okay, so gather up all your tacks, your shovels, and bikinis, and meet me somewhere soon.

Topic 3: Childhood Memories

This is a topic that makes me smile. I love the idea of reminiscing to my childhood years, and the different things that remind me of being a kid. I’d say the one that pops into my mind the most frequently is my days at Catholic School. From Kindergarten until I graduated high school, I was in Catholic School. I absolutely loved it.

School still felt like a chore, but it was easier because I felt everyone around me was apart of my family. I really feel like this had a HUGE impact on the way I grew up, and made me the person I am today.

In grade school, I was the class clown. I was the student who wasn’t afraid to get up in front of the class and do something silly, or read the story, or act out each part. I became comfortable with myself at an earlier age than most, or at least that’s what I think. I can recite most of the teachers that were at my elementary school, and a few of them even inspired me to become a teacher. A lot of people may make fun of people who have gone to Catholic school, but I honestly believe it’s because they’re upset they weren’t able to experience it themselves. (that or they don’t like the idea of uniforms!)

Honestly, uniforms are WAY easier than the alternative. I could sleep in later because all i had to do was grab my jumper, or navy pants and white shirt and get dressed in the morning. It was quite a relief.

But anywho, back to the whole childhood thing: there are MANY areas of my childhood that stand out, but this is the most significant and the most impacting on my life. I may not be as involved with the Catholic church as I was while attending these schools, but I still allow it to impact my life in certain ways.

Childhood was some of the best years of my life, and sometimes I wish I could jump back into it, even just for a day.

Topic 2: Funniest Moments

Funniest moments of my 22 years of existence? Well that’s quite a hefty request. I’ll do my best.

Most, if not all of the funniest moments of my life have been due to Improv. It’s really difficult to write about these things, because its one of those things you have to experience for it to REALLY be funny. So as you’ll see, many, if not ALL of these moments involved the people that I do improv with.

One of the funniest moments that I’ve been a part of involves this picture:

This picture spawned the creation of my alter-ego: Loren Cole. Which, in all reality, she isn’t even really MINE. She’s been controlled by Shauvon McGill most of her existence, but still, she has provided hours of entertainment. If you want to see more of her, check her out out on Facebook.

Countless other occasions have happened in which I’ve almost peed myself.

I have a few funny phrases from the students this past semester, kids just say the darndest things. One of the kids asked me one day “Ms. Kohl, I can’t remember, is it the girl or the boy who goes to jail if she hits you first?” Priceless. It was all I could do to not laugh in his face at the sheer randomness of this question.

Well, I know there are NUMEROUS other funny moments in my life. I’ll just direct you to check out the videos on the Crazy Monkeys page. www.thecrazymonkeys.com

They’re much funnier than I could ever be.

Topic 1: The Best of 2010.

What a doosey to start the 24-hour blog day off with. In a way, it’s actually kind of perfect. There are only so many ways to describe a year in a few words. I guess I COULD ramble on, but that would just be a waste of everyone’s time.

I guess I’ll start from the beginning of the year. I’d say the best part of my year and pretty much every past year would have to do with The Crazy Monkeys. These people have been there for me through a LOT, so it’s hard to not talk about a year that doesn’t involve them. I have a feeling these people will be with me until I’m old and dry, and I wouldn’t have it any other ways.

The spring of 2010 was filled with classes and the monkeys. We took our first really big road trip as a group and traveled to Oberlin, Ohio for an improv festival. The drive was 6 hours, but it was all worth it. I got to know these people better than ever, and we learned SO much as a group. We got to mingle with a lot of well-known-improvisers and we gained a lot of confidence as a group.

Classes were pretty much as expected. I finished my second-to-last Block class for Purdue (the last one being student teaching) and it was a relief. Those classes are beneficial, but certainly a pain-in-the-you-know-what. Definitely not the BEST of2010.

I spent the summer of 2010 working 2 jobs. It was a LOT of work and time spent, but it was well worth it. Of course, I kept my Cinemark movie theater job (which I’ve had for 3 years now) and I obtained a new job: Camp Counselor. I worked for the Bourbonnais Township Park District as a day camp counselor and I fell in love with the job. I know some people cringe at the thought of spending every day in the hot, sweaty, summer weather with a bunch of children, but it was unbelieveable. I learned SO much from those kids, as well as the other counselors I worked with. I wish I could stay young forever to keep that job.

2010 is the beginning of the college end for me. I finished my last regular semester of classes and have since moved onto student teaching.(not in 2010, can’t write about it YET!)  I’m finishing my last year with The Crazy Monkeys, and looking for the next adventure in my life. 2010 has been a great year.

I spent the last day of 2010 with some of my best friends. We danced, drank, and rode on a beautiful boat into the New Year. It was definitely the perfect ending to a wonderful year.

2010 saw the end of my “real” college classes. 2010 saw me grow as a person. 2010 saw me encounter one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. 2010 saw me hang out with the best friends I’ve ever made. 2010 saw me make relationships, and break relationships. 2010 will never be forgotten.

So I spent the last week of my life preparing to take my last finals. Ever.

Weird to say, because it feels like this would’ve never come.

I feel privileged to have such an amazing education, and now I find myself wondering what’s next. I mean, I have a FULL load with student teaching next semester, but I still find myself looking into the future and what I’m going to be doing at this exact moment next year. I will (hopefully) have a full time teaching job and will be preparing my students for Christmas break. If not, I’m curious to see just exactly what it is I will be doing…

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next year. I’m looking forward to every second of it.

Do you ever find yourself stopping to look around at what you have experienced in life?

I seem to be at this point in my life right now. It’s strange to think that in 7 short months I will be graduating from college, and looking for a real job. Its one of those things that you know will eventually happen in life,  but it’s not real till it’s actually happening. This is where I find myself stopping to see if it’s all real. Am I really about to be THAT educated? Will I truly be ready to teach a group of children? So many other questions.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited to move onto another step in my life, but I’m also really scared. Natural, I’m sure, but still pretty intimidating.

I’m gonna miss the little things about college. The late night study sessions, skipping class because it’s nice outside. The Crazy Monkeys (there’ll be a WHOLE post about that in the future) dance parties, football games, basketball games, watching the walk of shames, breakfast club, the whole kit and kaboodle.

Theres plenty of other good things to look forward to, but I just found myself reminiscing something fierce.

More on this topic soon.

July 28th. Where oh where has the summer gone? It feels like just last week when I wrote my last blog. It’s been a crazy month, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

When we first got hired for the job, there were a few “tips” they gave us for the summer, and i felt like over the past week or two, i’ve had to rely on these tips to help me. They mentioned that about halfway through the summer, things would get rough. The kids get whiny, it’s un-GODLY hot, and things don’t go your way. But they reminded us to think of the days when things went well, and remember why we wanted this job in the first place.

Let me tell you, it worked. Those kids PUSHED my buttons, and i sure as hell pushed them right back, but i can be proud to say we BOTH came out on top. We learned from each other, and helped the rest of camp overall. Granted, It wasn’t just the kids in my group, or even the kids in our specific area of camp,  but i think we all have benefited from it.

I can also confidently say i have experiences with a couple of children that i will be referencing for the rest of my life. These few kids have just baffled me with the things they have done, and the way they handle themselves. don’t get me wrong, these kids have been through a LOT. Anyway, lessons have been learned, and much fun has been had!

I’m really excited to share more stories and stuff! This would be some of my lovely group(on my birthday!):

.

until we meet again…

Series II: Classes.

Well, as I explained in the last post, College has been quite the learning experience as well as growing experience. Something that we all witness when we come to college is: classes. What classes are the best to take? What time should I take them? Where is this room? Where is this building? Can I make it across campus between these classes? Will I be able to pass this class?

All of these questions are surging through my mind whenever I start working on my schedule for each semester. It’s crazy to think of the differences between KCC and Purdue. At KCC, I went to my advisor (which was whoever was in the office at the time) and they told me which classes i was to take, and signed me up for them. Once that was over, I just walked around to make sure I knew which floor the classes were on. Because of it’s small size, KCC was only 1 building, with 3 floors. Pretty easy compared to what I have now!

The class sizes at KCC were also pretty small. Usually 20-30 people in a class, but i also had classes with 10 people in them. It was also like 2 extra years of highschool in the fact that I knew, or had a good idea, of who most of the people were in my class. The classes mainly consisted of other people from the local area high schools that graduated around the same time as I did. The difficulty levels of these classes was moderate, I can only really say that because I have something to compare them to (Purdue). Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a bad experience, for the most part. Almost all of my classes were beneficial and challenging, but as in most cases, there were a couple that i felt i could’ve done without. Nonetheless, i feel as though attending KCC was a helpful step in adjusting to Purdue.

The classes at Purdue have most definitely been challenging, but i feel as though that was the next appropriate step in completing my degree. I feel as though the difficulty level was appropriate for the school, and for what I need to understand the material and ideas to get my degree.

With larger class sizes and 10x more buildings to locate, it was definitely more of a transition than expected. But, i wouldn’t change my decision for the world.

BOILER UP.