ICCB Funding

Registered clubs at UIS are entitled to $1,000 a semester through the Inter-club Council Board. The money is student fee driven and is there to be used by the clubs or otherwise it will be reallocated. Why do I bring this up? Because there is a significant amount of money left in this year's budget (approximately a semester's worth with only 1/2 a semester remaining). Clubs can utilize this funding to pay for event advertisement, refreshments for meetings, and decorations for programs among other things. Many clubs, including some of the biggest on campus, have not even attempted to attain funding so far this year. So to club Presidents, jump on this opportunity to plan an event or meeting with no cost to you or your group. Your members, and many others at UIS may thank you.

Wacky Wednesday

As some of you may have noticed, there is a new Rec Sports sponsored event on campus, that being Wacky Wednesday. This series of unusual events continues tomorrow from 11-1 in the TRAC Atrium with Wellness Trivia. Think you know your health and fitness facts? Know what foods to eat (and not eat), how much to exercise, and just what muscle groups you are working? Then tomorrow is for you. The winning male and female trivia contestants will each receive a certificate for a free fitness assessment at the TRAC. What exactly is a Fitness Assessment? I asked Assistant Director in charge of Fitness and Instructional Programming Amanda Jillson that very question.

"The Be F.I.T. program uses a variety of methods to test your current fitness level. Personal trainers perform multiple assessments including bike ergometry for cardiovascular endurance (predicted vO2 Max), body composition, blood pressure, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility. Once your results are calculated, you will receive a detailed educational report that will be explained to you by your personal trainer or assessor."

And the fitness assessment is a $30 value. Winning presents you with a great opportunity to sample the personal training program at the TRAC with no cost to you. And even if you don't want to pursue further, the assessment itself will provide you will a wealth of information. Not to mention, the off the wall things you can learn from the trivia contest, win or lose. So come on over to the TRAC and try Wacky Wednesday and look forward to more events every Wednesday from 11am-1pm all semester long.

Big Day at UIS

How much fun was that game Saturday? Sure, games are always more fun when you are playing a "rival," but having that many people there today created such an electric atmosphere, that I see no reason why we as a student body, faculty, staff, and community shouldn't aim to replicate this every single home game. I'm sure the players appreciate the larger crowd. If you caught Rob Jackson's article in the UIS Journal this past week, then you saw the research indicating how vital a crowd can be. UIS was defeated handily at McKendree earlier this year, but were able to overcome a halftime deficit to defeat arch-rival McKendree on Saturday. Can you say home court advantage?

Today was also the Coaches Against Cancer game for the guys, and the "Think Pink" game for the girls to promote breast cancer awareness. Both programs were very successful today raising money for the Coaches Against Cancer program and the UIS Relay for Life. Speaking of which, Relay is about 2 months away... do you have your team yet? Relay is an awesome event, is a ton of fun to participate in, and it generates money for a great cause: cancer research. If you haven't formed your team yet, what are you waiting for?

Thanks to all of those who donated today, and great job to the 1000+ people who packed the TRAC today. Let's keep it up and see if we can't help the Prairie Stars make it to Nationals for a third straight year.

Back on TRAC

With the New Year always comes a renewed commitment to fitness. At the TRAC, we are currently seeing the most usage since the first week we opened which is exciting news. I encourage everyone to come over and utilize this spectacular new facility, as there is truly something for everyone. Even if your available time is brief, working out is good for the health and it promotes alertness and awareness helping you function better the rest of the day.

As many of you have noticed, the fitness classes are free this semester. If money was what was stopping you from Burning it Up, Attacking your Six Pack, or going Core Crazy, the barriers have been removed. These classes are a great way for those who want to work out, but don't really know what to do to exercise in a structured environment designed to achieve optimal results. No matter what your fitness goal, we offer a class that will help you reach those goals.

Also new this semester at the TRAC is the offering of personal training. Although this is not free, the price of our offerings is significantly less than what you would pay for the same services at other fitness facilities. Whether you want a complete workout regimen, or just want a better idea of how to meet your nutritional needs, there is a personal training package for you.

Look for intramural sports to kick off in the next couple weeks. Don't be surprised to see some new offerings this semester that have never been seen at UIS in the past. Be sure to check out the new Rec Sports website that just launched Monday. It is constantly being updated and is a great resource to find answers to many of your questions such as facility hours, fitness class times, and personal training packages. Have a great semester and let's keep that participation high!

Back to School

In high school, break seemed to fly by. It seemed as though you opened presents one day and opened the books again the next. Then when you get to college the break never ends. Off for at least a month, by the last week or so, you are begging to go back. Your parents have all gone back to work and any younger siblings have likely gone back to school leaving you sitting at home with an awful case of cabin fever as it's too cold to go outside and do basically anything.

But fear not, classes resumed a couple of days ago and there will be plenty of homework to do before you even know what hit you. It is of the utmost importance to get off to a strong start second semester. It's cold out right now which makes for a great opportunity to get a lot of homework accomplished early in the semester and get off to a good start. I speak from experience when I say that when the weather starts to warm up in April and May, you will not want to be stuck in the library writing papers. So get as much done as you can early on, that way when the weather turns nice, you'll be ready to take advantage.

Holiday Goings On

Finished up my Christmas shopping last night... judging by the crowds, I was far from the only one who waited until the last minute to finish up. It's been a good break so far. I got in my best lifting sessions of the year in last week; combine that with some good nights of sleep and I'm physically feeling about as well as I have since about September. The TRAC is a great place to work out and I sure hope I am able to use it more in the upcoming semester. With our fitness classes now included without an additional fee, and personal training becoming available with the new year, the TRAC is better prepared to handle your fitness needs than ever before.

Amy has been back form New York for a little bit now, and to say it is great to see her again would be an understatement. That being said, the old adage "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" has some level of truth to it. Still, I'd rather see my girlfriend more than once every 3 or 4 months if I could.

My family collectively got up and baked cookies and cupcakes today. So much for that week of good workouts, eh? My high school baseball coach always told me not to fall into the Christmas Cookie trap, but it's such an effectively laid trap. They just sit out in the kitchen, and you grab one... every time you walk by. It could be worse, at least it is a delicious trap.

I hope everyone enjoys their break and cherishes their time home with their loved ones. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year, and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Video Game Review

Around my birthday, I finally went out and purchased an XBox 360, and thus far I couldn't be happier. The high definition looks beautiful, and XBox Live is fantastic. My first month and a half were spent playing a lot of Halo 3. Halo 3 is magnificent and incredibly addicting, but playing on-line is unbelievably frustrating. This past week, I finally brought myself to take Halo out of my XBox and moved on to NCAA 08.

Before we all went home, Meaker, R-Jack, and myself took to dynasty mode after an evening meal at Cheddar's. It seems strange to say, but the new dynasty mode is too in-depth. I lost track of how long we played, but there is so much stuff you have to do that we barely were able to finish one season playing late into the night. This past week I found the true gem of '08, the new Campus Legend mode. This thing is spectacular. You create a player, customizing his size, look, position, and hometown among other things. You use the state high school playoffs to earn a scholarship to play in D-1. After you reach college, you must practice to improve your spot on the depth chart all while maintaining a high GPA and engaging in enough social activities to increase your popularity en route to becoming a campus legend. Not something you can really do with your friends, but a great change of pace from the normal game mode.

Hoping get some more quality gaming time in over break as I am yet to touch my copies of F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 3, or Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. Only time shall tell.

A College Football Rant

Last night was a sad evening as both Mizzou and West Virginia lost virtually locking Ohio State into the National Championship Game again. Now the only question is will it be LSU, Georgia, or USC who will blow them out in the game. Ohio State has played nobody. Three of their out of conference games were against teams other teams FROM OHIO including the bottom two teams in the mighty MAC conference. They did leave the state for a tough test against 4-7 Washington, the last place team from the PAC-10. The Big Ten was weak this year, and Ohio State couldn't finish out a perfect conference season in spite of this. They lost to a resurgent Illinois AT HOME. You can't lose at home (to a then unranked opponent nonetheless) in college football as the number one team in the country. That's inexcusable and should be devastating to your season Hawaii's schedule and to some extent it's conference are really weak too, but they haven't lost and they have a win over a higher ranked team (then 19 Boise State) than Ohio State has played this year. To me, they have as much of a claim to the title game as OSU. But none of this matters, Ohio State is a virtual lock, and I will be utterly shocked if they do not lose by at least three touchdowns. Of course, LSU has been number 1 twice, lost it twice, and has played rather unimpressive football lately so it wouldn't shock me if they got in, that they blew it too. All in all, I have followed college football more closely this year than any other year, and the way it works almost strikes me as a joke. For example, despite playing in what is easily the toughest conference, the SEC, it wouldn't shock me if LSU and Georgia were overlooked for the National Title game for USC because somebody probably thinks USC would draw better tv ratings and generate more revenue. They may not be the better team, but they could be worth more money, and that's way more important in determining a National Champion. College football is the only sport that I can think of in which the process to determine a champion is so strongly based on subjective opinions. Oh well, despite my frustrations, this was an exciting season which should produce some exciting bowl games in the coming weeks no matter who is playing where, and it has sparked a lot of really fun debates with friends and by analysts. On a side note, if Tim Tebow does not win the Heisman, I might have to stop watching college football just as our fan/sport relationship was starting to blossom.

In other exciting news, I hit a Springfield Mass Transit bus yesterday. Not my shining moment to be for sure. Despite driving slow and braking in what I thought was more than ample time, my car decided it wanted to be an ice skater, and it wasn't stopping until it hit that bus. No damage was done to either vehicle or anybody, but man did I feel stupid, despite the fact it was out of my control to prevent at that point. It is quite a helpless feeling to be slowly sliding towards a vehicle and knowing there is nothing you can do to stop it.

If you are in to Mexican Food, I would recommend checking out Los Agaves across from the White Oaks Mall on Wabash. This place has some great food, especially the Agave Cheesesteak, and the food gets to you incredibly fast. They also have some awesome cheese dip for tortilla chips.

One more week til finals, can't wait for Christmas break.

The Collegiate Conundrum that is Thanksgiving

I hope everyone enjoyed the four f's of Thanksgiving: family, friends, food, and football. Some people think that Thanksgiving gets lost in the shuffle between Halloween and Christmas, and this to some extent may be true. But if you think about it, Thanksgiving is really awesome. You sit around with loved ones all day eating delicious food while watching the Cowboys win. Sounds like a great day to me. You even get extra time off from classes. This is where the conundrum comes in.

After Thanksgiving break is over, there is a minimal amount of time left in the semester. Like most students, I am ready for my hard earned, much deserved break. Most everyone is really ready for a break by this time of year, and the general concensus is that it can't get here soon enough. The problem is, the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas break is perhaps the most difficult time of year for a college student. Everyone has visions of breaks and catching up with old friends and rest and relaxation and a White Christmas dancing in their head. Professor's, on the other hand are envisioning 10 page essays, fifteen minute presentations, and three hour long final exams. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I have a lot to do before break begins. But that's ok, I'm guessing most of what I have left is a product of my own procrastination at some point so I have no one to blame but myself. I'm sure I'll be spending more time being amazed in Brookens over the next couple weeks.

In the meantime, if it's going to be cold, I could really go for some snow.

Brookens Never Ceases to Amaze Me

Brookens Library blows my mind. Plain and simple. First of all, from a structural standpoint, I don't think there is a right angle in the building. That doesn't seem that special until you think of how weird it is to walk around never seeing a right angle. Next, I'm always finding different nooks and crannies in this building. Every time I think I've exhausted every good place to study, I come across some place new.

I had no idea until this past week the selection of movies Brookens has. And I'm not just talking Casablanca and Gone with the Wind, the really old classics. I found The Departed and Borat on the shelves this past week. I know I don't personally associate Borat with a library.

Perhaps the most mind blowing thing about Brookens is the stairway to nowhere. That's right, there is a stairway in Brookens that takes you straight up to a concrete wall. I can never find the thing by myself either, which is frustrating, but people have taken me there, and I can verify that it exists. Nonetheless, that makes it no less strange that someone built a stairway that leads to nothing. Anybody know the backstory on this thing?

A Super Saturday in Sports

Despite the fact that my Hurricanes are currently getting destroyed in their last home game at the Orange Bowl, this has been a fantastic day in sports. For starters, my highschool's football team, the Greenville Comets won again today remaining undefeated, advancing to the Final Four of the Class 3A football playoffs. Pretty sure this is as far as we've ever been, so cogratulations are in order, but I know the coaching staff won't let them be satisfied until they win the whole thing. Good luck to the Comets next week against Columbia.

Also, the Illini upset Ohio State today. As much as I love the Illini, I detest Ohio State that much, if not more. And I would have really hated seeing them go to another National Title game only to be destroyed by another athletically superior SEC or PAC-10 team. So kudos to Illinois for a big win, and thank you from saving the world from another title game blowout.

Perhaps the most exciting news of the day, my IM Soccer team brought home the championship today in 6 on 6 soccer. I have finally captured the elusive third IM t-shirt in one year. I am pumped, to say the least. I'd like to thank Chance, Chad, Zach, Rob, Brett, Kasey, and Tabatha for hooking me up with that because we all know soccer is not my strong point. Feels good to have the proverbial monkey off my back.

It's Saturday night with Lonestar

After another busy week at UIS, yesterday was a great opportunity to have a relaxing evening. The Prairie Stars men's basketball team played its first home game in the TRAC yesterday afternoon, looking pretty impressive in doing so. The new monstrous gym is a far cry from the old beloved Assembly Closet, but I know I personally couldn't have loved it more.

After the game, some friends and I ventured to Lonestar for supper. The wait was 45 minutes when we got there, but Brett's girlfriend Lindsey works there and already had a table waiting for us. Having connections is awesome, kind of like my New York Strip Steak. That thing was delicious. After that we all came and chilled and my place til 1 or 2, depending on what your daylight savings time interpretation is.

Today kicks off a pretty exciting 8 day period for me. Today marks the 5 year anniversary my girlfriend Amy and I have been dating. It is kind of rough that we can't spend it together since she is in New York, but she'll be home in just a few short weeks, and I can't wait. My high school's football team remained unbeaten last night in advancing in the IHSA state playoffs, and I will get to see them play for the first time this year next week. Congratulations to those guys. And just when week from today is when I turn the BIG 21. Yes the monumental twenty-first birthday and I am really looking forward to being able to... go to the casino. Man I love poker.

Bold prediction: Colts beat the Pats today by a field goal, you heard it hear first, 41-38 final score.

My Horrible Halloween Mustache

Yeah, if you've seen it, you know it's bad. My mom hated when I went home last weekend... but is there anything scarier for Halloween? I think not. Hopefully I'll get to a haunted house or something this week; I haven't really done much Halloween related so far this year. I will be sitting at the Colleges Against Cancer Breast Cancer Awareness table at Monster Bash tomorrow night. Monster Bash is usually a lot of fun with everyone dressed up in cool costumes, and lots of delicious free food. You should check it out.

IM soccer and football should be an adventure this week the way the weather has been. Rainy and windy is not exactly my favorite. This is a big weekend of varsity sports too. The girl's volleyball team plays 3 home games between tonight and tomorrow and the men's basketball team scrimmages Sunday night.

Midterms are over and I thankfully did well on both of my LES exams. This semester is flying by and will be over before I know it, but I still have a lot of work to do. My sport's psych class has been awesome all year and was especially interesting this past week as we discussed many professional sports occurrences. If you are a sports fan, I highly encourage you to take this class. You have elective requirements to fulfill anyway, right?

I've Been a Bad Bad Blogger

But I think I've got some good, good reasons. It has been an incredibly busy and exciting time for me since I last posted. For starters, I moved! After spending the whole summer sleeping in the living room of Justin's old one bedroom apartment on an air mattress, I now have my own bedroom with my own queen bed. This is one of those don't know what you got til it's gone situations. You take for granted how great a real bed is until you don't have one anymore. Moving took forever because Justin and I rarely have an opportunity where we are both not in class or working. But we finally got done and the new place is pretty sweet if you ask me.

I've gone on a couple of road trips with some guys back from Greenville the past few weeks, going to both Memphis and Chicago. Memphis was really cool as we went down to Beale Street and ate supper at B.B. King's. In addition to having one of the best tasting pieces of grilled/BBQ'ed chicken I've ever had, we are 95 percent sure that B.B. played live while we were there.

Homecoming was last week and I co-emceed the bonfire with David Clary. The bonfire is always a great way to kick off the week, and you get a free t-shirt and smores. Whats not to love? The homecoming parade was probably the fastest paced parade in the history of mankind, or maybe I was just moving slow handing out candy to all the people for the C.A.C. entry? Either way it was a good time and free food followed. Free food is just about as good as a free t-shirt. The homecoming soccer game was awesome as the Stars won 7-1, and following the game was a really impressive fireworks display. Truly impressive, and kudos to anyone who had a hand in putting that together.

Sadly, last night my IM win streak to start the season ended at 2, marking the second straight sand volleyball league my team has lost in a third game by 1 point. Sure makes for a lot of fun when the games are that close though. I still can't seem to find that elusive third IM champion shirt in a given year, but I like my odds this year with two shirts in the bag and IM Soccer and Indoor volleyball still to come before Christmas break.

That is all for now, I'll see if I can get back here a little more frequently from here on out. Later, y'all.

Don't be MIA

Lot's of exciting stuff going on this week. If you missed it, the TRAC opened yesterday, and UIS women's Volleyball played (and won) the historic first match in the new gym. The soccer team plays tonight as well, and when the game ends, I would suggest venturing to the LRH Great Room for an interesting program entitled "True Colors." This program will give you an opportunity to learn what color you are. What does this mean? Well, it has a lot to do with your communication style and how you interact with people, but if you want to know more, you're just going to have to show up. And if that isn't incentive enough, I'll be there :). Also, Thursday night at 6:30, you should try and find your way to Conference Room G in the PAC for the first Colleges Against Cancer meeting of the semester. After two consecutive Relays for Life, we strive to make this year's Relay the best ever. That's not a cliche, that's a promise. And if that isn't incentive enough, there will be free food, and I'll be there! Even if you can't make it to all of the sweet events going on this week, make sure you check out the TRAC. It is a tremendous upgrade over the previous Rec Center, and if nothing else, there is a pretty good shot that you will see me there!

Are you ready?

The weather has been pretty awesome so far this year, and I hope everyone has taken advantage of this by going outside and enjoying it. There has been a volleyball game going on just about every night recently, and this has led to an explosion in intramural participants. Between the Sunday and Monday night leagues, there are approximately 22 teams registered to compete, starting tonight around 7:15. Those of you who are wondering, I will bring my acrobatic act (translation, I dive in the sand alot) to the Monday night league. For us casual athletes, IM sports gives us a chance to relive our athletic glory days of the past, or just get together with some friends and have fun. Either way, we at the Rec are planning even more IM sports this year than ever before, so no matter what sport you enjoy, there should be something to tickle your fancy. So get out and play!

Home on the First Weekend?

Hey y'all, after an awesome first week at UIS the last thing you want to do is go home on the weekend right? Well I broke the rule and at home I sit, but I've got my reasons. Tonight I'm going to a friend's house to watch the UFC fight and tomorrow afternoon I'm going to the Braves-Cardinals game.

But how awesome was the first week? I played Capture the Flag Tuesday night after an exciting Prairie Stars soccer game which was tremendous fun. Wednesday night I attended the CSF Ice Cream Social, and celebrated Pavan's birthday with cake and pizza. Thursday night a group of us went to O'Charley's for supper and then I hung out with the Davids (Clary and Meaker) at their apartment with their girlfriends Katie and Katie (confused yet?) and Brett and Justin. Will there be near as much going on during week two? Only time shall tell...