No Hype, No Spin.

Well, you've probably all heard this one before, but I seriously can't believe that it's all over.

And by all over, I mean, that this year is... ya, I'm still here for *at least* two more years. =D

I want to wrap up my year as a blogger with one thing - my real feelings about UIS. Just as the introduction to the Real Deal states, and just like I want this to be, there is no hype and no spin in what I'm going to tell you.

(1) I love this school. Since the day that I arrived here on my Freshman move in, I have been overjoyed and blessed to have found a school where I love the people and enjoy the classes.

(2) UIS isn't for everybody. If it was, our school's number of enrolled students would be closer to a couple million than 4,500 according to http://www.uis.edu/glance.html. In my opinion, it takes a special kind of person to come to, and enjoy, UIS. If anybody out there is still reading my blog (haha) then I want you to know that if you're going to come here, make sure you will enjoy your experience. Otherwise, go to UIUC. =)

(3) Now that I've stated how important it is to enjoy your time here, let me tell you how to decide on whether or not you will. Now, I'm no expert on the human psyche, but I can assure you that my results are less than trustworthy. =D

- You will enjoy this school if you can handle open, caring, and excited people.

- You will enjoy this school if you like to know 70% of the people in your classes. (assuming you live on campus, which, YOU SHOULD!!!)

- You will enjoy this school if...

***Now this last one I can't explain exactly. The 40 seconds of deep thought I put into deciding on words for the following explanation of enjoying UIS has left me empty, save the thought of going to my friend TJ's room to see if he is home yet, so we can watch Star Wars Episode 2. And the fact that I'm hungry. Anyway...***

- You will enjoy this school if you love to learn, and I don't mean entirely in a classroom. If you love to learn about people, about the world, and about yourself and where you fit into this awesome creation, you will enjoy this university...

... If you enjoy writing things like this for your finals, then you will love this school.

---
I sat on that piece of carpet in my room attempting to fathom just how many emails have traversed into and out of my account since August of last year. After several headaches and the breaking of an abacus, I came to the conclusion that the number was beyond human comprehension.

I continued sitting there, meditating on what I knew was the verge of a great truth. Like a monk nearing Zen, I stood and tried to take the position of a swan, hoping that serene state would help me come into contact with what I was so deeply beginning to realize.

Then, it hit me.

I was the only human being that read all of its emails in its inbox.

“But how then, if no one else reads all of their emails,” I gasped, “can I be assured that the valuable information I am trying to convey through my emails will reach their destination?!”

Frightened, I reached for my copy of Teaching Writing that I found at the UIS book sale.

“There must be a way!” I cried, hoping that never again would one of my emails be filtered out as ‘trash,’ only to have my genius destroyed by the cruel click of a delete.

I clawed across the pages, panting for air, as the dark abyss of a computer recycling bin full of my valuable emails consumed my mind. Out of air, trapped in the darkness, I finally found something.

Frey (1987) writes that professional writers rarely worry about their grammar or their spelling. Instead, says Frey, researchers have discovered that “professional writers worried, rather, about who would read what they wrote, how to satisfy the expectations of this audience, and about what they themselves were trying to achieve” (1987, p. 96).

A bright light shone throughout my cave of despair, and finally I realized what I needed to do. In order to best ensure that my emails would be read by those to whom they were addressed, I need to cover what they want or need to see clearly. In addition to doing this, I can add what I am attempting to convey as well, in the hopes that those readers would catch it along with the information they had intended to receive when the opened my email.

One example through which I attempted to do this was my Fall Feast Update email (attached as Email #1). I gave this email a very clear subject – Fall Feast Update. Since I sent this email to all those participating in the organization of the Fall Feast, I hoped that such a title would hold their attention. Next, I then tried to use highlighting techniques to best provide the information to my readers. “Once again, a job well done John,” I commended myself. It was at this point that I decided to go on a hunt for someone in the residence hall that had an excessive amount of money left on their meal plan who would be willing to buy a poor man a meal.
---

So I guess thats it. I mean this is it. I mean, *argh*

Goodbyes on a college campus are ridiculus, and also follow a very scientifically proven pattern. After you say your heartfelt, teary-eyed goodbye to a good friend, you will see that person three more times that evening, and ten more total before they leave.

Right Kevin? Haha

Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed this experiment as much as I have, that is, when I actually did it. Enjoy your summer, and seriously, this year has been a blast.

But anyway, I'm sure I'll see you all again before you leave.

=)

~ JK

WOW, where did March go?

So if anybody still reads my blog, I want you to know that you are an extremely dedicated individual, or an extremely bored one. Either way, I'm glad you decided to come by again, and heres a look at where I've been the past month.

You may be wondering: where did John Kelly go? I used to see him around once and a while, but he seems to have disappeared. Well, I've got the answer to that question: World of Warcraft.

To anyone who already knows what that is, I pity you- you, or your loved one that has vanished due to that game and its addictive qualities. But to those of you who don't know what World of Warcraft is, let me give you a thirty second brief on the game: (You can start your timers now)

World of Warcraft is a MMORPG, which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaing Game. Now, online part is probably pretty self-explanatory - its is an online computer game. The massivel multiplayer part means that when you play World of Warcraft, you are in a "world" that is occupied not only by yourself and computer controlled characters, but in a world filled with other human players just like you. You interact with these people by joining groups with them to complete quests, buying and trading items from them (all with ingame money, never with real cash), and you can even war with your opponents by raiding enemy cities. The Roleplaying Game aspect is supposed to mean that when you play World of Warcraft, you are acting a role - you are acting like the character you are playing, a character you created and outfited yourself to explore this complex, imagined world. Many people do not roleplay, which is fine - I really enjoy the game because it is a great opportunity for me to spend time with my gaming friends in an enjoyable atmosphere.

The following are a few photos of my friends and I exploring this complex world, this World of Warcraft:



Here's a picture of my friend Ian (remember? the guy that was sleeping on my futon?) and I attacking an extremely oversized boar. As Ian typed - "mmm... bacon."



In this picture, you get to see something that happened to poor Toto here quite often (yes, I did play a character named Toto) - death. In this particular episode of my untimely demise, I was killed by dragonkin, things that are very large, scary, and deal three times as much damage as I have health in one hit.



Here is another photo of something that happened QUITE to often - the game lagging out. Let me explain what lagging out means. Lagging out, in my limited understanding, means that the World of Wacraft servers, for one reason or another, decide to no longer work. Its really fun if you get stuck inside the server when this happens. It would really be kind of like when Agent Smith took over the Matrix - there is nothing you can do, and the world collapses. All of the computer characters disappear, and for the most part, so do the players. But if you are one of the lucky ones that gets stuck in this state of limbo, you can't even exit the game. Good times. In this picture, my character Meatshield is saying - "Hello and welcome to Ironforge! There are currently no NPCS available. Enjoy World of Warcraft!"



This is my favorite picture out of all the snapshots I have taken during my hours and hours and hours of playing this game. This is a snowman, and Toto is dancing with him. Good Times.

I really have enjoyed playing World of Warcaft. A word to the curious - this game can be enjoyable, and is an excellent opportunity to spend time with friends and waste time when you have nothing better to do. However, be careful. Don't let a game take over your life. Its almost summer outside, and that means GO OUTSIDE!!! Wait till October to play games like this.

Until next time, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your spring, and do well on finals. Peace out and in the words of the infamous Colin - "Go outside and play"

Yee Haw

Whats up crazies! Alright, so here goes... the month of February!!
*cheer cheer*

First up, we've got the CSF Game Night.

This was definitely a blast. I love Friday nights because CSF always has something planned. Whether its the Edge like usual, a game night or anything else, its just great to spend quality time with people that are as caring as they all are.



So this is what I did for most of the night:



Bang. Now, I'm quite a dork, and I have played my fair share of games like these. But Bang takes the cake for being the most fun, strategy/party card game I have played. Now, I would explain to you the rules and such, but I hate to bore the rest of my readers who are disinterested in such things. =)



If you want to learn how to play, get a hold of myself or Jeff Black. Bang is Jeff's game, and he would be happy to teach you how.

- He plays guitar too, ladies. =D
http://students.uis.edu/jblac2/index.htm



Next up, we have the Super Bowl party!
*Yea! Woo! (Man what an excited audience)*



Every year, Lincoln Residence Hall’s RAs host a Super Bowl party for all of campus. With free pizza and the biggest “screen” you’ll see in Springfield, how can you pass it up?



I had a good time during the Super Bowl. But the best part of the night was the Home Star Runner half-time show. Here are the few and proud watching and waiting for the *real* halftime show =D



If you haven’t been to homestarrunner.com, you need to go. It is probably my favorite website in the world, well, except Blackboard of course =/ (That’s a lie) =D
http://bb.uis.edu/ = No
www.homestarrunner.com = Very Yes!



***Once again, I need to apologize for my inconsistent bloging. My skills are far from l33t, as TJ would say.

Anyway, I hope you’re all ready for Spring, ‘cuz it’s a-comin! Yeeeee Haw

Adios Amigos

John Kelly

Happy Valentine's Day!

A lot of people I know aren't very big fans of this holiday. Well, I think thats crap. Ya, so it may be a Hallmark holiday built on consumerism, but you may as well enjoy it!

Don't think of Valentines Day as Hate Being Single Day. And don't think of Valentine's Day as Hate Couples Day, either. What good does it do ya to be upset? Really =D

Just think of Valentine's Day as an opportunity to show someone you care about your feelings. That can be your brother or sister, wife or husband, roommate or co-worker, or your significant other.

*You know you only get one spin around this globe. People forget the famous and the infamous. So you might as well dance - no one here is going to remember but you! =D


- Courtesy Chad, thanks man!

Cya all around

John Kelly

Its almost over!

So the month of January has come and gone...

Everybody, this semester is RIDICULUS. I don't mean ridiculus in a bad way, I mean it in a crazy way. I just dont know what else to call it. There has been so much going on here on campus that sometimes its hard for me to find a break to sleep, let alone for me to get any real work done.

But, I don't have a problem with that. Actually, I really kind of enjoy it. The constant drum of the Spring semester is beating, and I'm moving to its rhythm.

Ok, I promise; no more cheasy metaphors. =D

These first three weeks have FLOWN BY - I don't know where my time has gone. I guess I'll just start with whatever I can remember.

RA Training was fun. I learned about community, what makes it up and how to develop those things. And I also got to break stuff. See -



Check this one out -



Look! Thats me! Don't worry folks, the breaking was entirely legal. And not only was it legal, but it was a volunteer project. For RA training all of the RA's went across town and volunteered an afternoon to helping a local organization out. If you ever find time, I whole-heartedly suggest you spend some of your time volunteering. Not only do you help your community, but you never know what kind of work to expect!! =D Who knows, maybe you will get a job that was even cooler than mine.

http://www.uis.edu/servicelearning/



Next up, we have CSF.

I love the Edge. I don't know what I would do with my Friday nights if I didn't go there; I would probably sit in my room alone and cry. Or something comparably anti-social. Here are some random CSF pics -



These here 3 Amigos in the front are the CSF sound guys. Thanks to these guys, every Friday the Edge has beautiful and crisp sound. And then in the back we have Heather and Hal, doing a whole lot of nothing.



Here's a picture of everyone sitting down, getting ready for the worship service, followed by the message.



This is Tad. Dramatic pose, no?



This is Tad's Beard. Uh! Pluh, ghuh, Gross! =D



And now, we move on to... PACK THE PLACE!!!

Pack the Place is an attempt to fill an event with AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE for an awesome game/speech/informational session/rodeo. In our case, it was the UIS vs. McKendree Men's basketball match. And it was a blast. Random photo time:



Here we have Brad Ward. Now let me tell you a little about Brad; not only is he on the executive board for the Housing Residents Council, the organization in charge of Pack the Place that day, but he is also one of the guys (if not THE guy) who is in charge of the UIS Blue Crew, which is basically all the crazy people who come to sporting events at UIS and get nuts. Here he is, in the "He had a Vision" pose. Beautiful. =D

Here is the Blue Crew seating before the game:



And here is the Blue Crew after:



Crazy. Absolutely crazy.

So thats my semester so far everybody, feel free to email me or post a reply. I'm always around, even if I may look like I fell off the side of the planet.

Have an awesome week! =D

JK

Happy New Year

Whats up everybody!!!

Alright, here I go - one week into 2005, and I already love it. I mean, the cold, the ice, and being one of 6 people on campus, I LOVE it!!

Ok, its been boring... but still, I have had an awesome break. Let me fill you in on a bit of it.



Christmas was a BLAST!!! I went home and I got to see my Mom and Dad, my sister Jenny, my best friend (brother) Jason, and a bunch of other cool people I already miss.

Here are some random Holiday photos, with explanation:



This is my family's Christmas tree, along with my sister's new AWESOME bass guitar.




This is me, painfully trying to reproduce the wrapping skills of my sister... I just don't understand; wrapping looks so easy, but it hurts so bad... =D



Oh and by the way, this is a picture of my sister, as we drove to Springfield to do some shopping for my family for Christmas.

That was an exciting night; let me tell you. We had a blast on the way up, but when we were driving home, the snow decided to come down, and I definetly couldn't see 15 feet ahead of me on the road. Thanks to the nice white line on the side of the road, however, we got home safely. Just me, my sister, some music, and about 6 inches of blowing snow: Nice =)



Here is an AWESOME picture of the sky, and an intersection on the way from Carlyle to Fairveiw Heights (any southern Illinoisians out there?). That was a cool trip: it was me, my friends Zack, Dan, and Justin, and my hair -


Yea, I know; kinda creepy. But they bagged it up for me when they cut it, and how could I refuse? Anyway, at least if its in my hands, I know there aren't any voodoo witches pulling stunts...



So that was Christmas. I did some shopping, a lot of driving, and a little bit of quality time with friends back home. Thanks December '04; we'll miss you.



Keep in touch! I'll be around, and I have some rockin' new ideas for this blog this semester...


JK

=D






(Hint: Guess What?)

And so...

... the semester draws to a close. I can honestly say I have no idea where this semester went. I loved it. From Cardinals games to farm games, from video games to concerts, this has been one of the most awesome times of my life. It seems like just yesterday I was unpacking from my summer in Florida, and now I'm watching my residents get up and put their lives in boxes to bring back home.

I remember frisbee throws and cartoon shows, late nights and websites, long hair and funny stares. Guitars and movies, classes and smoothies, and a lot of smiling faces I don't want to ever forget.

Friends, Brothers, Professors, and Mothers,


I am so glad I came to this school.





I guess I could try to think of something funny or inspiring to close the semester out, but instead I thought I would let Donald Miller do the talking:

"It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things."
(http://www.bluelikejazz.com/index2.htm)

Thanks everybody for an awesome semester. If I haven't told you before, I love you, and keep smiling.

- John Tynan Kelly