JC Traditions/History Blog

"Welcome to Wal-Mart," says the older gentleman standing at the doorway. I am almost twenty-one years old, but I have to stop myself from asking for a sticker.

Okay, I have a confession to make. After I am retired, I want to be a Wal-Mart greeter. My reasoning? Sometimes, the most enjoyable part of my shopping experience is seeing the smiling face at the door. Granted, I am a young woman with limited life experience, but I have found it to be true every time that my encounters with strangers have always been memorable.

Case in point, one day I was shopping for a Care Bear in K-Mart. A female employee was helping me dig through every stuffed animal bin for Share Bear (not an easy bear to track down) and the subject of marriage came up. How? I do not know, but the woman was recently engaged. In the course of forty-five minutes, I learned the entire background of this lady. I left the store (bear-less) wondering how I found out everything except this woman's name. To this day, I have never seen her again, but I am glad that she could talk about the exciting events in her life.

Needless to say, I LOVE getting to know people. Thanks to Judson College, I can do just that while helping promote my school.  

As a Judson College ambassador, I have the responsibility of answering the question, "So what? Why Judson College?" every time a student visits campus. My job is to share the history of Judson College, where it's going now, and how that young woman's future can be a part of the Judson legacy. I love to share what I know about my college to prospective students and their families, because Judson has stood the test of time. Since its genesis in 1838, Judson has strove to educate generations of young women to be successful in their careers, home lives, churches, and communities.

If you're a young woman looking for a college, I highly suggest you check out Judson College. The best opportunity for you to do so is Saturday, February 19, 2011 during Scholarship Day. Come fill out an application, take a scholarship test, meet current faculty and students, and take a tour of our beautiful campus. Who knows? I might be your ambassador.

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

On Saturday, November 6, 2010, I was a part of setting the fire alarm off in Barron Hall.

REWIND!!!

Before I go any further, I want to recap the events of Hockey Day that led up to my epic story.

Seniors vs. Junior-Frosh: A sweeping victory of 5-1 for the Senior team

All-Stars vs. Alumnae: A 1-0 victory for the Alumnae

Everyone had a blast, and there were no serious injuries!

After the games, the 3^rd years (juniors) put on Wishing Well. This tradition is simply an improvisation of favorite class memories. My class had a lot of fun preparing Wishing Well, and we had a blast reminiscing.

Now, the real story can unfold.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon resting. Apparently, I am really out of shape. :-)  My recuperation period was brief, and I was having a hard time focusing on my homework. This usually happens to me after a busy day.

What are girls to do in Marion on Saturday night???

My friends and I consider it a challenge to keep ourselves entertained. During my Judson career, it is very rare that I do the same thing on the weekends (well, besides homework).

A group of us decided to play with shaving cream. You know, put it on the floor and draw? If you have never tried this, it is cheaper than an Etch-A-Sketch. Also, I've been told that it's a great stress reliever.

This managed to hold my attention for about an hour. Holly Beth, Bethany, and I decided to play with modeling clay. We spent a long time working on our masterpieces. I made a little man to give to my friend Maggie for her birthday. Holly Beth had laboriously made some trinkets that looked like Christmas ornaments.

It was then time to bake our handicrafts! We were using a legit brand called Sculptey.

As usual, this is the part of the story where the plot thickens. Holly Beth has a toaster oven, and we thought it would make a great substitute for a real oven.

Five minutes later, the room became smoky.

The smoke alarm began chirping, and we pulled the tray out of the oven. Our sculptures were toast! I opened the door of the room not realizing Barron's smoke alarm was right above the door frame.

Yikes!!!

Everyone began exiting the building. I called security and told them to not call the fire department. Needless to say, Barron's residents sighed when they found out a spurt of creativity sent them outside.

Did I mention that it was 11:30pm?

Anyway, I learned three things from this episode:

--Toaster ovens are not real ovens.

--People are not comforted by, "Well, at least it's not a real emergency" when annoyed.

--It only takes one mishap to earn a spot in next year's Wishing Well.

I have discovered an interesting new planet.

It is filled with individuals who enjoy taking on the identity of someone else.

I am not talking about identity thieves, either.

Ob-ses-sion

the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.

I am reading, Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War (written by Tony Horwitz), as selected reading for my History of the Civil War class. The book focuses on Horwitz's journey to discover why The Civil War is still being remembered, reenacted, and relived by history buffs in the South.

Yes. It's hard to believe that in 2010, some people still believe "The South will rise again."

I am the first person to tell you that history needs to be remembered. However, the "living historian's" way of life (what reenactors preferred to be called) reminds me of why it's important to stay in touch with reality.

Don't get me wrong-I am not bashing those individuals who simply wish to preserve a crucial moment in American history. But, I am slowly realizing that LARPING (Live Action Role Play) is to World of War Craft lovers as Reenacting is to Civil War buffs.

Here are some of the reasons given for reenacting:

•1.      To honor family heritage-Have you watched Forrest Gump? Remember how everyone in Lieutenant Dan's family dies in a war? The reasoning is essentially the same.

•2.      To escape day-to-day life-The "I hate my job" club. Kids, this is why your parents tell you to stay in school and pick something you enjoy. :-)

•3.      To share their love of history-This means that someone has become so obsessed, reenacting is the only healthy option for survival.

I realize that this blog has come out of nowhere.

  Let it be a warning that even history has a dangerous side!