Judson College :: Academics/Digital Judson

We’re back from New York and there’s so much I could write about. I’m going to have a tough time just picking some of the highlights to share here!

Sunday – We all make it on the plane and are ready to get to New York already! Before we even leave Alabama, Ashley Wigley manages to practically scream to everyone around us, “Hey, hey, tourist over here!” Let’s just say it included photos with the pilot. I feel cheated; I didn’t even get a pin with wings.

Once actually in New York, we took the bus from LaGuardia to the hostel in Manhattan. I’m at first shocked at how many people can cram into a bus. Oh ye poor, uninformed visitor.

Monday – After our session in the morning and afternoon, we all headed back to the hostel to change and get ready to go out and find some food. We ended up heading down to Chinatown and Little Italy, finally deciding to eat at a nice, small Italian restaurant with delicious food and a very dashing maitre d’.

Afterwards we headed to the Brooklyn Bridge, which, by the way, is absolutely gorgeous at night. We walked on the pedestrian path halfway across and back. I was in photographer heaven. Have I mentioned that I’m in love with light and it’s interactions with objects? Just ignore me. 

Shiiiinyyyy…

Tuesday – Sessions once again in the morning and afternoon. For the evening, ice-skating at the Rockefeller Center! Well, not for me, though. Nosirree…I want to get the action in film and video. It was Summer and Tonya’s first time skating and I’ve got to say, they did a pretty good job. All the beginners escaped with minimal spillage and no bruises (that I know of).

To be continued tomorrow.  Don’t want to bore you all to tears, now do I?

PS: I also want to share this photo. We were in Times Square almost every day, since it was a major hub for all of the Subways. Once there you can pretty much get anywhere in Manhattan you want to go.

But take notice of that Bank of America on the corner. Nearly everywhere I turned there was a Bank of America, which is where I choose to keep my (nearly empty) bank account. Can anyone guess how many I've seen while in Alabama.

Did I hear a zero?

Yep. It's tough sometimes.

New York is pretty AWESOME!

I’m a week away from leaving for New York and I don’t think I can clearly express how excited I am! It’s been months since I first knew I was going. In those months our group has fundraised, studied and planned endlessly. I just want to thank all of the amazing people here at Judson who have helped us out! We couldn’t have done it without you all!

Yesterday was Parent’s Day here at good old JC. It’s a great opportunity for student’s families to visit and get involved in some of the favorite traditions of Judson College. In the weeks leading up to Parent’s Day students from each of the dorms get together and form basketball teams. The dorms play each other, vying for a place in the championship game on Saturday. Being the Judson girls we are, we try to keep the games clean (right?) and the competition is friendly rather than fierce.

I myself am a clutz and a tad gimpy in the ankles, so I don’t play. But I think I deserve an A+ in cheerleading. GO WMU!

The New York group took the opportunity to squeeze in more fundraising. All week we’d had cups set up with the names of students going on the trip and faculty members who had generously offered to potentially receive a pie in the face – for a good cause of course. The student and faculty member, who had the most money in their cups by halftime Saturday, received the honors.

Thankfully, no one likes (or dislikes) me enough to want to take me out with a pie, so I got away. Cat and Susan weren’t so lucky. See guys, this is the benefit of flying under the radar.

I get to take pictures of people being pied. Yes, pie is now a verb, and a fun one at that.

We earned quite a bit of money and had even more fun in the process.

After the games, everyone headed out to the front of campus for a step sing.

For the record, the smell of whipped cream baking in the sun, during a step sing is not on my list of favorite scents.

Here it is – another dreaded V-Day. Valentine’s Day that is. Singles Awareness Day for all you single ladies – including me.

Don’t get me wrong, very pleased single person here, but few enough people hang around on the weekends and Valentine’s Day seems to leave the campus even more sparsely populated.

I’m going to say it again. More of you should stick around campus on the weekends, please? I promise we’re not too boring. Actually, we’re quite fun to hang out with. Plus you don’t have any of the pesky distractions that you have at home when you’re studying and doing your homework, right?

So this year, my single friends and I are fighting back! Ladies’ movie night!

We’re going out to the movies in Tuscaloosa tonight and it’s going to be a blast. I love getting the chance to hang out with my friends and I love going to the movies even more. Well, maybe not even more, but at least just as much.

Another good thing about Valentines’ Day, flowers. There’s always someone nearby who got some flowers from the holiday, and I love to snatch them for a bit for photos. My favorite part for sure.

Also, I want to remind everyone that the Art Club has a movie night every Wednesday at 8 o’clock. We try to watch movies that you may not have seen before, all Judson appropriate of course. It’s a great chance to familiarize yourself with movies and videos that you may not have heard of or seen. Sometimes we even have a Youtube night, where everyone can submit their favorite Youtube videos to watch. Be there or be square! – or something like that.

And finally, in the spirit of Valentine’s here’s a fitting Bible verse:

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a and 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (NIV)