Zombies have been a bigger part of my life recently than they ever have been. Humans vs. Zombies starts tomorrow, and I am so unbelievably excited. I’ve spent more hours than I’d like to admit catching up on the Walking Dead, and based on what I’ve learned, this is my game plan (which I will adhere to in the case of an actual zombie apocalypse):

Everyone here on campus is starting to get into the swing of things now that we've entered our third week of classes. It's been long enough now that pretty much everyone has some sort of routine established, even if that routine is hitting the snooze button five times or so before finally sleepwalking into their 8 a.m. class. That said, those routines can oftentimes be thrown into flux by some choice homework assignments. Let's face it--there are some essays that demand nothing less than a solid commitment of several hours if you really want an A.

While I was still a senior in high school comparing various colleges and what they had to offer, one of the lowest priorities on my list was finding a campus with a thriving Greek Life. I never saw myself joining a fraternity, ever. I identified more with Lewis and Gilbert from Revenge of the Nerds than I did with Bluto and Otter in National Lampoon's Animal House, two films which colored my expectations of Greeks before I ever actually met one. That sort of fraternity life was hardly a good reason to look into an institution of higher education.

The life of a college student can be hectic. Alarm clocks, piles of homework, keeping social lives from ruining academic lives--it's a delicate balancing act which can end up being particularly stressful if you start losing your footing. I handled it all pretty well last year, but I already know this year is going to be slightly different. I've picked up quite a few more activities in the past week alone than i ever expected I'd be doing when I was a freshman. If I was on a balance beam before, I must be on a tightwire now.

I'll be honest--when I bought this scroll in Disney World a couple of years ago, it was only because I thought it looked pretty sweet hanging in the small Epcot shop that was selling them. I'm a sucker for Asian calligraphy, and this was about as authentically Japanese as I could hope to find, so it was an easy decision to buy it.

A few days ago, I made my first trip back to C of I's campus since leaving last year's Baccalaureate ceremony. I had received a couple of e-mails earlier in the week that had encouraged me to stop by Caldwell, and funnily enough, they both involved receiving stuff I had been expecting for a while. With the promise of an old music binder and a new camera waiting for me, I made the half hour trek from Meridian to the college, which happened to be much more quiet since my last visit.

So all day yesterday, I was tramping around campus with my camera, and all I did was shoot panoramas. I took nearly 1,000 odd photos, which were stitched up into 4 good panoramas, and a few absolutely horrid ones. I just started taking panoramas, inspired by the work of Jan Boles, who is the campus archivist/historian. You can see his work at www.JanBoles.com.

So here are the panoramas:

View from The Hat along Cleveland Avenue.

I now realize the title “Idaho Springs” could quite possibly be the name of 8 different towns here in the state of Idaho … but I digress.

Spring is (almost) here!! How do I know? The worms.

Last Friday night, a group of about 25 seniors rallied together to cheer on the Idaho Steelheads hockey team.  The event served as an incentive for seniors to donate to the Boone Fund, as it was required to donate before attending.  It was a great way for members of our class to spend time together before we graduate in less than two months.  (Eek!)  I personally had never been to a Steelheads game, and had such a fun time!  First, we got a free hot dog, soda, and bag of chips...score!  Then, the game was equally exciting.

I love checking my mail at the College. I could have most of my mail be sent to my house where I live, but it’s just more satisfying having to use your own special key to unlock your box. It proves much more of a rewarding sensation when something comes in the mail, like today when I signed for a t-shirt that I had ordered from DesignByHumans.com arrived. The mail staff is always super friendly and quick. I had a funny moment as I signed my name to receive my package when the attendant on duty asked me about my last name (I feel bad, because she knew my name but I still don’t know hers.