Blogging Boilers

Noodles & Company now open!!

2008-04-06T15:43:00.001-04:00

On Chauncy... Today is training day- 40% to charity. Tomorrow is the
real deal.

"A Typical Day at Purdue"

2008-04-04T14:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I posted about Purdue using Youtube to promote the university... but the students do, too.

I found this amusing, and no one else is clamoring to post, so here we go.

New in the Union

2008-04-02T10:55:00.000-04:00

Across from Pappy's

2008-04-02T10:54:00.001-04:00

PurdueTube

2008-01-09T18:02:00.001-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen, Purdue's trying to be hip with the times.

Purdue has their very own YouTube channel, where they post videos pertaining to campus.

I think it's probably a pretty good tool for showing off events around Purdue, if someone knows to look for it... but how many prospective students search YouTube for their college information? Maybe more than I think. Still, I think Purdue's probably developing these videos anyway, and YouTube is just a popular way to distribute them.

Here's an example video:

Also coming soon....

2008-01-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

I knew that Noodles and Company was coming to West Lafayette sometime soon. A friend told me about eating at the NW Indy location and I was jealous so I looked on their website to see if there was any info about the WL location. It will be in the very same building that was pictured in the previous post. In fact, it will be on the corner looking towards Chipotle....mmm...I can't wait!!

Coming soon....

2007-12-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

I noticed two new businesses that are going to be open soon over on
Chauncey. Another Mexican grill and The Green Sprout. One place I will
go to on opening day and another that I will never go to.

Snow Storm Dec '07

2007-12-15T21:48:00.001-05:00

I don't think we are going to reach official Blizzard status tonight...

Purdue at 11:41 a.m.

Purdue at 9:46 p.m.

Purdue WebCams

2007-12-15T11:58:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I checked out the Purdue webcam site but thought it would be good to post now in case anyone misses campus and wants to see it or wants to watch the snow. The Engineering Mall cam is live if you click on it (the one on the top right).

Da Bears realize their mistake- finally

2007-12-10T18:58:00.000-05:00

Kyle Orton to start, Again

New lobby of CIVL

2007-11-27T20:52:00.001-05:00

Fall morning

2007-11-27T20:51:00.003-05:00

Union pics coming up

2007-11-27T20:51:00.001-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:50:00.001-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:49:00.004-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:49:00.003-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:49:00.001-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:48:00.005-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:48:00.003-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:48:00.001-05:00

Villa Pizza

2007-11-27T20:47:00.001-05:00

Union

2007-11-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

Union pics

2007-11-27T20:45:00.000-05:00

2007-10-31T17:45:00.001-04:00

The construction across from Earhart got old long ago, but it made a pretty setting for this sunset a couple weeks ago.

2007-10-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

Kramer on Mackey

2007-09-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

Armstrong Hall of Engineering

2007-09-22T16:58:00.000-04:00

Armstrong

2007-09-22T16:56:00.000-04:00

Armstrong

2007-09-22T16:54:00.000-04:00

Armstrong

2007-09-22T16:51:00.000-04:00

Armstrong

2007-09-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

Armstrong

2007-09-22T16:46:00.000-04:00

Armstrong

2007-09-22T16:44:00.001-04:00

Campbell on Mackey

2007-09-22T16:43:00.000-04:00

2007-09-21T07:40:00.000-04:00

Outside WTHR

2007-09-21T07:38:00.000-04:00

Now open in the Union

2007-09-19T16:54:00.001-04:00

2007-08-28T14:16:00.000-04:00

2007-08-27T06:52:00.000-04:00

2007-08-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

2007-08-24T09:21:00.000-04:00

U shouldn't anyways

2007-08-22T06:59:00.000-04:00

Caution

2007-08-22T06:58:00.000-04:00

HEAV

2007-08-22T06:53:00.001-04:00

Sunny

2007-08-21T16:27:00.000-04:00

New Dining Hall

2007-07-28T12:46:00.001-04:00

Construction is progressing on the new dining hall across from the Co-Rec (RSC).

I'm actually graduating!

2007-07-12T18:25:00.000-04:00

As a dry run for graduate school and a farewell to my undergraduate institution, I'll be displaying my complete lack of stage presence at a public reading at Skylight Coffeehouse in Downtown Lafayette on Wednesday, August 1st at 7:00 p.m. I'll be reading some of my poetry and a new non-fiction piece tentatively titled "I am Trying to Be Chill." Please come out and have tea.

EDIT 7/13: Personal to Alex who e-mailed me at my GMail--please resend the message, I accidentally deleted it. Apologies.

Same

2007-07-12T13:47:00.000-04:00

Beautiful day on campus

2007-07-12T13:44:00.001-04:00

Purdue Clock Tower

2007-06-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

Purdue Clock Tower
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue

Purdue Clock Tower

2007-06-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Purdue Clock Tower
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue

Very quiet day on campus.... saw three campus cop cars swarming around two guys on bikes... didn't see what happened...

Martin Jischke Drive

2007-06-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

While walking on campus the other day, I looked up from the small green sign marking the intersection of "First and Intramural" to see another, larger green sign naming "Martin Jischke Drive." I was a little confused.

But it's true! Change your address, Meredith residents... you're not on Intramural anymore!

Apparently Purdue announced to Jischke on Friday that the road name was being changed... on Friday. I'm a little surprised they haven't named one of the Discovery Park buildings or something after him (wasn't he a big part in getting that started?) but I guess they probably want to leave names for people they hope to give a lot of money to each building.

The renaming was, according to the chairman of the board of trustees, meant to honor Jischke as he leaves his presidency here.

"Martin has had a permanent impact on Purdue, and naming a prominent campus street in his honor will assure that his name will not be forgotten as the years go by."

(Picture thanks to purdue.edu)

Purdue names 11th president

2007-05-07T15:50:00.000-04:00

Cordova coverage galore at JC.Com

More over at WLFI, including Video Clips.

Journal and Courier Online - Destinations

2007-05-04T09:12:00.000-04:00

Art walk - tonight!

Re: A woman president?

2007-05-04T09:05:00.000-04:00

Will she lead Purdue?

Could it be that the U.S. and Purdue will both have a female president? Time will only tell... we should know on Monday if Purdue will or not.

Purdue serves up nutrition information, healthy options

2007-04-29T12:30:00.000-04:00

Purdue serves up nutrition information, healthy options

This can only be a good thing. I stopped going to the dining halls because I always came out of there feeling over-stuffed even though I originally didn't think I was putting too much bad food on my tray. It is too bad they don't have something more like a traditional restaurant where you can only order one meal and that's all you get. They could control the portions and limit you to a certain number of items. I know some people wouldn't like it - but there are many who can't handle the wide open feeding trough style or buffett like option they have in the dining halls. I know I'm not the only one who is that way because there was a whole group of us in HTM one day talking about this very thing and every single one of us (nine people) all said they had the same problem. I know I should have will power but without the information right there for me to see, I make unwise decisions. So, yay for the dining services on this one.

Let's just hope they lie about the calories over at the pasta bar so I don't have to feel guilty the next time I go over there!

Purdue Convo 07--08 Lineup Announced

2007-04-27T18:31:00.000-04:00

Here's the new lineup for Purdue Convocations... probably not anything there I'd be interested in... but then again, I'm not interested in too much. I wonder if there's any chance we could get Richard Cheese to play here next year? Maybe the Circle Jerks on their reunion tour? The Russian circus thing sounds promising... maybe Jim Gaffigan... I know some people are going to be all over Hairspray!

Re: Kyle Williams trial

2007-04-26T17:04:00.000-04:00

((See Jenny's note below about Google webmail survey))

10 p.m. update: WLFI story was wrong about deadlock on sixth count- he was acquitted on that one- one of the attempted rape charges.

7 p.m. update: Convicted of 5 counts - 4 felonies and 1 midemeanor. WLFI says jury was deadlocked on sixth charge... more to come...

6 p.m. update: Jury deliberating on one charge - have decided on 5 out of 6

The Exponent - Purdue's Student Newspaper

I've only been able to read about the happenings in the Kyle Williams trial, but it isn't looking too good for this former Boilermaker football player. I am sure that it won't be long before he is in jail... possibly New Castle?? No, that's supposed to be medium security. Is anyone getting tired of reading all of this bad crap about the football team every time they open the newspaper (go to their website)??? Shouldn't someone be held accountable? I have made it pretty clear what I think about Joe Tiller and every new negative story that comes out only increases my belief that he is not the right man for the job!! I'm sure he is trying to do something about cleaning up the program (I sure hope so!) but I would think he would be plastering himself all over the news and being the visible leader of the football program. He needs to go sit in front of the JC office, WLFI, the Exponent and talk their ears off until everyone in the entire world knows he is doing something about this. These little press releases that he puts out are ridiculous. He took the job. He took the responsibility. He is getting paid enough to be the bullet-proof vest standing in front of the program and protecting it from any negativity. He is not doing it. He is not making the program look good. And, there is someone else that should be standing right next to him... Morgan Burke. He should be doing the same for the whole athletic department. He is not doing it. I wonder how much the new president of Purdue is going to let get by... I have a feeling a new president is going to want to get things in order in the university's most visible department.

Virginia Tech thoughts... two days later

2007-04-18T20:01:00.000-04:00

Link to CNN page about Victims - with links to profiles for each.

I spent all of Monday flipping from news channel to news channel, scouring the Internet for updates, and looking for any source of new information I could find about what happened at Virginia Tech. I stayed up way too late and woke up early to see if there were any new stories, any new information. I wanted to find out who the killer was and if there was any easy explanation for what happened. I was really hoping it wasn't an American citizen. The one story I saw about it possibly being a Chinese National and was an act of terrorism would have been.. well- I was going to say it would have been better than if it were an American that did.. but maybe not.. anyways, that's not the point. I really am glad that the killer has a name that most Americans won't remember past next week. That is the only good thing I've heard. So, anyways- I went to class on Tuesday and nobody was talking about it. I felt a little weird walking on campus because everyone suddenly seemed suspicious. I wonder if that person could do something like that... what about that guy, I've never seen him... there is an Asian student, I wonder if they are hating this and if they feel like everyone is now looking at them funny... is this campus safe... what would happen here if something like that started... I spoke to a friend later in the day who said they hadn't heard anyone speak about it, either. We decided that it probably has something to do with feeling vulnerable. Is the next guy going to try to shoot more people... there's nothing here to prevent something like that from happening.. are there guns in the armory.. how many police does Purdue have... these are things I eventually heard in discussions that I initiated. Of course, everyone feels so horrible for everyone at VaTech, everyone of their relatives and loved ones, etc- that goes without saying. But, vulnerability makes people think about themselves and their well-being. If it happened here, what would my parents be thinking while they were waiting to hear from me... what would I be thinking while I was waiting to hear from all of my friends... if I were in the building, would I do something, what could I do.. do the doors in the classrooms lock... doesn't that door on room (...) in (...) open to the outside... what could we do... would it have helped to have guns on campus... I quickly caught up on all of the news of the day when I got home late last evening and had to get a project done- well, I should say, I had to start a project and then get it done, because it was due today. I watched some more news last night. That poet/professor was pretty good in her speech. I don't ever want to hear that guy's name. I hope his poems and stories are burned. I think we (the experts) know enough about killers that we could stand to lose the killer's writings. Otherwise, someone is going to become a fan or repeat what he did- why do people become fans of mass murderers... I can't believe the story about the professor, Liviu Librescu, that was a survivor of the Holocaust who was trying to hold the door shut while his students jumped out the window... that Facebook group has 220,000 people on it, so far.

I haven't had too much time to look at any info today. I was looking for stories about the victims because I would hope that they would become the famous ones out of this not the killer... oh yah, now there's a video from the freak.. don't play it.. play profiles of the victims!

So, this all has me thinking back to thoughts I previously had. This society is so screwed up. It is too fast paced. News stories are for entertainment. Lives mean nothing. People work too much. People have too much stress. Big business and big government are working too hard to stretch the divide between the richest 1% and the other 99% of us (poor). We are working too hard for them and they already have enough money. Society needs to change. Society needs to slow down. People need to appreciate simpler things like nature and other people. Sports, music and other forms of entertainment need to quit being so important because they are taking people's attention away from each other, their faith, their lives. (It won't happen until we have no other choice, if we are lucky enough to have the choice).

I saw this post on Sean's Russia Blog where he looks at what Russian's are saying about Virginia Tech and it reaffirmed my thoughts because it says people in America are too stressed. I'd say that it applies to more than just America but we are probably the most stressed. And, it shows.

Liviu Librescu .... Liviu Librescu .... Liviu Librescu - that is one of the names that need to be remembered.

I bet he had a lot of great things to teach......

Google Survey

2007-04-16T17:02:00.000-04:00

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/tell-us-about-your-university-email.html

I'd like to encourage anyone at Purdue to go here and do a quick survey about university email. I would guess that most people who've taken the survey are fans of Google, and therefore it might be a little skewed, but it's a very short survey and, if nothing else, it's interesting to see what other Purdue students have said about university email at the end of the survey.

Virginia Tech Shooting Live Thread

2007-04-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

Other posters feel free to add, subtract, etc...

8:50 p.m.: CNN says it was not a student of Va Tech but still no identification and still not certain it was only one killer.
MSNBC TV says it is a Chineese national and are calling it an act of terrorism- doesn't say anything about that on their website coverage.
Facebook memorial group down/not down/down again- up again (38,732 members).

Not many details coming out of Blacksburg, yet.
Professor put webcam out window so his students locked inside a class could see what was going on outside of building.
Killer in boyscout type uniform?
Still another shooter on the loose? (Lost link)
Student interview - pretended to be dead

BBC News Accounts from Va Tech

There's a Wikipedia page up already with many links

A blog I saw linked on Josette's Facebook post
Message board from her post
Another -this one had Live Blogging earlier in the morning from Va. Tech

Guy shot in arm calling from hospital

Facebook Group with discussion, tributes to fallen students

$81 million bling on a piece of crap

2007-04-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

As posted on Blogging Purdue:

Well, here it is, the amazing upgrade to the shit box formally known as Mackey Arena. And, guess what? It is still going to be an antiquated hole in the ground with some new buildings built around it.
This is ridiculous:
"You're bringing the 21st century of amenities to the outer part of the facility," Burke said. "When you walk into the arena, you walk back into the 20th century of Indiana basketball."

Are you kidding me?? It is the 21st century. People don't want to step back into the 20th century of Indiana basketball. Well, IU fans might want to. But not Purdue fans. At least not the part of the 20th century that was played in Mackey Arena. Does this mean that Purdue is going to let Matt Painter get away with mediocrity for 25 years, too?? Bullshit! Don't even pretend you are trying to do anything that is related to Conseco Fieldhouse in any way. It has the classic fieldhouse look on the outside but is a beautiful, modern, luxury arena - they did it right - this is going to be a ridiculous waste of money.

How much more could it cost to build something new?

I said Purdue was going to take a third class facility and upgrade it into a second class facility. Instead they are taking a third class facility and upgrading it... er, throwing dollars at it, and it is still going to be a third class facility.At least they are doing one thing right, lowering the capacity! How long has it been since they've sold that place out more than once in a season?

Increased concessions and dining clubs, or whatever they call it? I don't know anyone who has ever not gotten concessions at a Purdue game because the lines were too long. Maybe because the popcorn sucks and everything is way too expensive? Maybe because the game is less than two hours long and there are a million decent places to eat around town(including home/dining halls)?

This is just stupid. Freaking idiotic. I'm sure Morgan Burke, his friends and the 690 special people are going to have a wonderful time partying in their private lounge and rooting on Purdue to a 20+ win season against some really horrible teams (pre-season schedule?)- games that aren't even going to be on TV because nobody wants to see Southwest Middle Missouri Community College A&T play on the tube or in person!

April is looking to be a very busy month.

2007-04-01T20:08:00.001-04:00

There are only 4 weeks of school left and lots of things will be happening. This is all in addition to all the great outdoors activities you can (and should) be doing outside in the wonderful spring weather.

The Student Pugwash Midwest Conference's 2-day "Space and Society: Challenges and Opportunities" is this upcoming weekend (April 7-8) with acclaimed scientist Bill Nye delivering the keynote address on Saturday. Also that same weekend, Quentin Tarantino (college crowd staple director) and Robert Rodriguez's new movie, Grindhouse, will be released.

The weekend (April 14-15) following that will be SpringFest. That means insects galore at what used to be known as the Bug Bowl as well as a bunch of agriculture-related programs. In addition, Bob Saget will be performing that Saturday evening (April 14). On Sunday (April 15) is the kickoff concert for Grand Alternative week preceeding Grand Prix. The free concert with openers Epic Hero and Reeve Oliver and headliner Switchfoot will take place at 3 p.m. at Slayter Hill.

The week of April 15-22 is the Grand Alternative. The doors to the 50th annual Grand Prix will open at 9 a.m. that Saturday, April 21.

Finally, April 23-28 is Dead Week. Village Fest 2007, a huge concert featuring a variety of local musicians and music lovers around the Chauncey/Village area, will be that Friday (April 27) at 4 p.m. Also, no more classes, yay!

Then of course is Finals Week. Good luck, everyone, and get ready for Maymester and/or Summer School!

Visitations, underage drinking

2007-03-26T13:57:00.001-04:00

Apparently, today is a huge family campus visitation day. There are a ton of parents and befuddled-looking high school seniors everywhere from campus to the residence hall dining courts. I remember how I hated touring with my parents because they always ask the stupidest questions that are way too detailed, irrelevent, and about things that you'll never end up doing anyway.

random story: My roommate was walking with a friend on Saturday night at about 4 a.m. (I guess that's actually Sunday morning) and she said there were about 5 cop cars in front of Meredith Residence Hall. They were poking at a girl who was passed out on the lawn. She did not respond and they took her away in an ambulance.

NEWSFLASH: Body Found in Owen Hall: Wade Steffey

2007-03-19T17:17:00.000-04:00

I didn't get back on here to update that it was indeed Wade Steffey's body found in Owen Hall but I'm sure everyone has seen the reports all over the news including CNN , CBS, True Crime Blog and other national outlets.
Funeral Announced
Bloomington Art Auction

6 pm J&C Exponent Update from not-very-informative press conference.

POL user has posted cell phone videos.

Body being carried out
Van with body in it
Hallway where the body was found

New story on WTHR has a little more info... makes me wonder if he could have been looking for a route to the "tunnels" throughout campus?? (Just a thought... probably not, though)

Latest post on FindWadeSteffey MySpace Blog has WTHR link and comments...

WLFI had a news preview on the radio...

PurdueOnline has a thread with a good point being made about the body having to have been moved at some time... reportedly a cellphone video of the investigation coming...

Exponent says identification will come on Tuesday...

JCOnline has a short mention...

No news on WadeSteffey.Net as of yet...

Facebook Group
and another Facebook Group

Some quick thoughts... it seems that it would be impossible for the body to have been in there this whole time considering the entire city of West Lafayette was combed over many times- you would think they would have checked every inch of Owen as well as every other building on campus- restricted area or not. Someone on POL mentioned some foul play being involved and it would definitely seem possible, now, if it is Wade Steffey's body, that is.

New Dining Hall Construction

2007-03-07T22:42:00.005-05:00

New Dining Hall Construction
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

New Dining Hall Construction

2007-03-07T22:42:00.003-05:00

New Dining Hall Construction
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

New Dining Hall Construction

2007-03-07T22:42:00.001-05:00

New Dining Hall Construction
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

New Dining Hall Construction

2007-03-07T22:41:00.003-05:00

New Dining Hall Construction
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

New Dining Hall Construction

2007-03-07T22:41:00.001-05:00

New Dining Hall Construction
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

Blizzard of 2007: Stanley Coulter

2007-02-14T23:42:00.001-05:00

The casual sitting area outside of Stanley Coulter turned into an outdoor lounge.

Blizzard of 2007: Lions fountain

2007-02-14T23:41:00.000-05:00

A queen lioness alongside her king.

Blizzard of 2007: Abandoned bikes

2007-02-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

A bicycle graveyard.

Blizzard of 2007: Outside of EE

2007-02-14T23:39:00.000-05:00

Look at that texture.

Blizzard of 2007: EE at sunset

2007-02-14T23:38:00.000-05:00

Right next to EE overlooking Purdue Mall during sunset.

Blizzard of 2007: Literate snowman 2

2007-02-14T23:37:00.000-05:00

This little fellow was right outside of CL50.

Blizzard of 2007: Literate snowman

2007-02-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

Easily one of the most delightful things I've seen on campus all year. If you made this, you are my hero.

Blizzard of 2007: Owen Residence Hall

2007-02-14T23:33:00.000-05:00

This was actually the view from Owen Residence Hall yesterday at 4:50 p.m. There was a constant stream of people walking to and from Slater Hill with sleds and snowboards en tow.

Blizzard of 2007 2/14/07

2007-02-14T22:15:00.001-05:00

Blizzard of 2007 2/14/07
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

More sledding action.

Blizzard of 2007 2/14/07

2007-02-14T22:14:00.001-05:00

Blizzard of 2007 2/14/07
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

Someone caught posing at Purdue West while we were driving by.

Blizzard of 2007 2/14/07

2007-02-14T22:13:00.001-05:00

Blizzard of 2007 2/14/07
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

Sledders on Slayter Hill this afternoon.

Snow Recess Day 1.5

2007-02-14T10:12:00.000-05:00

"WINTER STORM: Purdue won't reopen until Thursday morning
STAFF REPORTS
Purdue University will remain closed through 6 a.m. Thursday.Purdue spokeswoman Jeanne Norberg said all of today's classes are canceled, and non-essential staff should not come to work today.Because of Tuesday's snowstorm, a "snow recess" has been in effect on campus since noon Tuesday."

Blizzard of 2007

2007-02-13T16:13:00.001-05:00

Blizzard of 2007
Originally uploaded by bloggingpurdue.

Here's what it looked like at about 8:30 a.m. - before it got bad, but not before it was bad enough that the geniuses that run this place could have figured out it would be smart to cancel classes!! This picture doesn't really do it justice because it only shows areas that had already been plowed. I couldn't take pictures on the way to class because the wind was blowing snow so bad that it would have instantly ruined my camera from all of the moisture.

Stupid Idiots... or, duh, it was supposed to snow??

2007-02-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

I am on the verge of having a heart attack right now. I'm not sure if it is one thing or a combination of several things.

So, I just got back from class. When I got back from class, I had to shovel a path to the door and then over to a tree so I can take my dogs out to crap later. The front end of my car is buried in a drift in the parking lot. It wasn't too easy shoveling because it was up to my knee- and it is very densely packed snow. So, my heart is pounding from that. I'm shaky because I didn't have time to eat this morning before class because I had to dig my car out and clean it off before driving very slowly across town. I thought I'd grab something from a maching before class but it took so long to get there that I didn't have time. Both of these conditions, the heart beating too fast and the shakiness, are then multiplied by the fact that I am in total disbelief that they are just now calling off classes. I am not sure who is more irresponsible, the idiots that run Purdue who didn't know we were going to have a blizzard or the idiot professors that didn't cancel classes this morning? Oh yah, and what's with this closing until noon tomorrow thing?? Why noon? Just call it for the whole day because noon just makes no sense. 11:30 or 12:30 would make a little more sense. Noon is just retarded.

I had to have two classes this morning. The professors obviously don't care about being responsible. I am supposed to learn how to be a teacher from these people who could care less about their students? I think I threw my knee out on the way back to my car. And, for what?? To learn carp that we already had three semesters ago? That's bullshit, to quote someone profound...

It was nice when one of the students in my class pulled out her phone and said she was going to call her mom to ask her opinion of us being in class today, on her speakerphone no less..
Student: "Mom, I was just wondering what you think about me having to drive 6 miles, which took almost an hour in all of this snow, just to come sit in class for 3 hours?"
Mom: "It's BULLSHIT if you ask me!"
Class: dying laughing
Student: "OK, thanks mom, that's all I needed to know."

OK, so this post is a little scattered because that's how I am right now... I'll post a pic in a minute...

But Puxatawny Phil told me last week that we'd get an early Spring this year.

2007-02-06T16:06:00.000-05:00

The snow's been coming down relatively heavy for about 5 hours now.

Looking out from Shealy at Windsor Halls into the courtyard.
It's fantastically beautiful (at least until tomorrow when it's all black) but also very sadistic. The feeling of picking up freshly powdered snow only to have it flutter past your fingers is something everyone should experience at least once in their life. For some reason, I don't remember the last time West Lafayette had this much snow.

Purdue Doctoral Student Missing

2007-01-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Authorities announced this afternoon that Eric M. Williams, a 33 year old doctoral student at Purdue, is missing. The case is not related to the case of Wade Steffey. The link is to the thread on Purdue Online that includes links to two stories of a body found near campus.

Wade Steffey links

2007-01-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

Help Find Wade Steffey MySpace Page

Missing Purdue student's parents returning homeFort Wayne News Sentinel, IN - 16 minutes agoThe decision by 19-year-old Wade Steffey's parents came after investigators questioned two suspects in a Missouri killing who were believed to have been in ...

Ex-FBI Agent, Profiler Join Search For Missing StudentINDYchannel.com, IN - 26 minutes agoThe two will be working on the case of Wade Steffey through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Information on the missing student also

Wade Steffey info on a blog

2007-01-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

The True Crime Blog has an informative and thought out post with many links about Wade Steffey. Even though there is nothing to indicate a crime, they still wanted to cover it to get word out on what is going on. They also have links to his MySpace and his blog, which I'm not going to bother to repeat here.

On a side note, I found myself looking all around for any possible clue- or any place his phone could be. I noticed over by Physics that there are some pretty sizable grates in the curb where a cell phone could easily have fallen to.

Is this campus safe?

2007-01-21T17:06:00.000-05:00

SO, with the disappearance of Wade Steffey (Purdue updates) and the two reported assaults all on the same night, everyone is now wondering if campus is safe. I don't think so. With the recent happenings, you would think that it's not safe to be walking around on campus on a "party night": Thursday, Friday or Saturday. But, just look back to the Kyle Williams case and you can see that it isn't safe on any night of the week. And, as we are seeing, it isn't safe for men or women. I know we don't know what happened with Wade Steffey- he could have been a victim of something, he could have just taken off (let's hope that is the case!) but I do know that many people are thinking twice before walking anywhere at night. I hope there is a much larger police presence on campus at night from now on. I hope that people start going places in groups. There are a lot of people that are out "having fun" during the weekends but I hope that they start making safety plans before they head out for the evening. It may seem drastic but it needs to be done. If people are going out partying, they need to make sure there is a decent size group and that they all stick together. Designated drivers can now help save people from more than just DUI- they can save them from having to walk on dark and dangerous streets while being at less than full faculties. And, here is a big tip- a designated driver doesn't have to go to the party if they don't want to- if you know someone who will pick you up- then don't force them to go. Let them stay home and then you can call them when you and your friends are ready to be picked up (I know this for a fact because I can not go to a party or club where I have to be the designated driver and have to watch people acting like they do when they are partying- but will happily be a free taxi for friends if they ask me ahead of time) I know I've never thought much about campus safety, but maybe it is now time? If you are going anywhere on campus at night- please be safe!!

Ship of Fools Callout!

2007-01-17T00:26:00.000-05:00

Hello Boilers! Sometimes I hear people saying that there's not much to do on campus besides get drunk and party. If that's you, I have a suggestion of something to do. If that's not you, none of the good parties start before 9 anyway!

This Friday, everyone's welcome at a free show by the Purdue Improv Club. You might also know the performing members of this group as the Ship of Fools! I'd like to invite you- and anyone- to come check out the SoF this Friday at their callout. Like almost every Friday, they're meeting in BRNG 2280 from 7-9pm.

For those of you who don't know much about the Ship, let me explain. The Ship of Fools performs improv comedy, much like the show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, at various events on the Purdue campus and around the state. 'Improv' just means that SoF's short-form comedy is all made up on the spot. Most of the time, the emcee of the night will explain a game and ask for audience suggestions to supplement the scene (this way you can be sure they haven't practiced ahead of time!). The performers will then try to play the game, often using guessing skills, mime, and gibberish... and, of course, they'll try to make you laugh, too.

So, if you come to the improv club callout on Friday, what can you expect? The Ship of Fools will start the evening off with a performance of some sample games to show you what improv is all about. Afterwards, the audience will be invited to participate in some games with the Fools. Don't worry-- if you don't want to come up and try a game, no one will force you to. I've been going to the Ship of Fools meetings regularly for over a year, and I almost always just sit in the audience. If you'd like to try a little improv, the opportunity is there-- but don't let fear of performing scare you off from a free improv show! I can't promise anything, but I'm almost certain that there's no way you can sit through a show and not laugh at least once. :)

One last thing I feel compelled to add is that I am a little biased writing this. I love the Ship of Fools- most of them are my close friends, and one of them is my boyfriend. This doesn't at all change the fact that I think the SoF is hilarious, and I know that even if I didn't have such a close connection to the group, I'd still recommend them. Anyway, I know the group really well, so if you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to get back to you!

To sum things up:
-Purdue Improv Club/Ship of Fools Callout
-Friday, January 19 from 7-9
-Beering Hall (BRNG) Room 2280
-Free show, and an opportunity to try some improv yourself (but only if you'd like)!

Mute Math/The Fray: my two cents before I pass out tonight

2007-01-12T01:21:00.000-05:00

There were multiple reasons why I decided to go to the show and none of them were because I'm in love with The Fray. Frankly, the only songs of theirs I am familiar with are the two earbugs on constant replay on Top 40 station (actually, I didn't even know those were Fray songs until my little brother told me). However, I went hoping for a fun time if not great music.

But there was great music; it was from the opener, Mute Math. I have previously listened to 5 songs from their Reset EP that somehow found their way onto my iPod over the summer and figured them to be pretty decent. Their live show tonight completely exceeded my expectations and was entirely amazing. The passion they radiated when they sang and performed (particularly the percussion sequences) was infinitely more engaging than that of lead singer Isaac Slade of The Fray who seemed almost bored to be there. And from listening to those around me, I am not the only new fan that Mute Math rightfully earned tonight.

And The Fray? The whole time, I was half-convinced I was at a Panic! At the Disco concert and expected them to break into "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" at any moment. Since I didn't know any of their songs, they all seemed to blend together and there were multiple times when I just stood there with my eyes closed (not out of catharsis but of slight boredom and sleepiness as I had a 7:30 class that morning). That they started and ended their show with their two mega-hits, Over My Head and How to Save a Life, respectively, seemed to encompass how I feel their careers are heading (or not heading). Still, I admit the suspended-light-bulbs spectacle during that last song was very pretty and alluring.

Then again, I'm more than slightly fueled by bias against The Fray because I've heard stories of them being major divas since reaching mainstream success and that ain't cool. They didn't even comply with audience requests for an encore, hmph. I'm not exactly complaining about this, but shouldn't their number one concern be the contentment of their fans?!

2007-01-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone. :)

I'm Jenny, and I'm new to this blog, so I thought I'd kind of introduce myself. I'm a sophomore from Kokomo (about an hour away) studying elementary education. I love music, drama, dance, animals, movies, reading, taking pictures, and watching football (especially the Packers, and Purdue of course!). Most of the time I hang out with the Ship of Fools (the Purdue Improv Club), and I'll probably blog about them at some point. If you want to know anything more about me, I'm linked on the right as "luckeyfrog." :)

In the meantime, I just wanted to say hi and share a few pictures I took last year!

Important Upcoming Purdue Dates

2007-01-07T11:56:00.001-05:00

Jan 7 - Women's Bball at Texas on ESPN 2
Jan 8 - First Day of Spring Semester
Jan 10-Men's Bball at IU
Jan 11-The Fray
Jan 15-Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - No Classes
Jan 18-21-Purdue Jazz Festival
Jan 19-20- Flicks at Fowler
Jan 26-27- Flicks at Fowler
Jan 26- Save the Union
Jan 27- Pink Floyd Experience
Jan 29-Women's Bball vs Ohio State - Pack Mackey
Jan 31- The Producers

Am I missing anything?

Dennis J. and Mary Lou Schwartz Tennis Center

2007-01-02T01:32:00.000-05:00

Happy new years everybody!

The new indoor tennis facility is finally open! I played there on Dec. 31 for a while and the place is pretty nice. The glass structure is modern and sleek but not too out of the ordinary compared to other new buildings of this era. There are 6 indoor courts under an extensive continuous balcony where you can walk and observe all the players and matches. As of when I went, there was no clock so you'll have to bring your own; the same goes with balls. I'm not sure whether the scoreboards will ever be turned on for public use.

You can visit the official website for more information. During Winter Break, they are offering special hours and rates to celebrate their opening. However, I'm entirely against charging students excessive monies (and making the rates dependent on differing periods of the day, for shame!) to play during the semester. That's kind of janked up to me, but I guess they have to recuperate their building costs for a while.

The Schwartz Tennis Center will offer a special pre-opening rate of $8.00 per court hour from December 30 through January 12. It is located near the intersection of McCormick Road and Cherry Lane.

Sidenote: The adult tennis coaches and affliates in this town are so pretentious, but whatev, I'm over it.

Bling Bling

2007-01-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Just in time... well, OK, not in time but pretty close to "the holidays", I present you the whole line of Blogging Boilers stuff that you can't live without!

Here is a women's t-shirt with the first design on it- there's a whole bunch more over there on CafePress.

NOTE: If anyone happens to order anything off of there, I will end up getting like $1.50 or so off of my shirt, when I'm able to afford one.

Bling Bling

2007-01-01T17:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a whole slew of stuff with printing on both sides...

Bling Bling

2007-01-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Here is a whole slew of stuff with the Logo on the front.

Boiler Forums

2006-12-20T22:51:00.000-05:00

I made a discussion board a long time ago and there have been only a few posts on there that weren't mine- I cleared the thing out and put a few new posts on there: it is Boiler Forums and there is a link over to the right. I'm not really sure if there is a need for another message board, but it's here anyway... I like the ProBoards format better than any others that I ahve seen- what do you think?? Is there a need for it? Is it a waste of time?

PSA: Purdue Online

2006-12-17T02:31:00.000-05:00

I know that probably a lot of the people that read this have come here from Purdue Online but I am amazed at how many people don't know about Purdue Online. I always hear people talking about needing to buy something, needing to sell something, needing to find a new roommate, needing to find someone to sublease, needing to find a car, needing to sell a car, or needing to have some questions answered. I always tell them to check out Purdue Online because A- there are free classifieds and B- there are people (at least one in particular that I can think of) that can answer about any Purdue related question you may have. So, if you haven't been to Purdue Online- go there now and bookmark it and then go back often.

There is one thing I always wonder, though, about Purdue Online. It says For Students, By Students but it seems there are far too many annoying former Purdue students on there causing problems for everyone. Why are they on there? They were students, they aren't students any more. I can maybe understand if they are still in Lafayette/West Lafayette but not if they aren't... which reminds me- you can put people on ignore so when your perfectly innocent thread gets bombed by those political freaks, you can put them on ignore and voila... you never have to see their idiotic comments again. It is, as someone once said, a good thing.

More Bloggers needed

2006-12-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

OK, I was hoping to add at least four or five more bloggers to the list but haven't had the time to really look for people during the past semester. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know at bloggingpurdue@yahoo.com - send a link to their current blog and an e-mail address.

We've been averaging 400 unique visitors/month but it has slowed a little over the past month and a half- repeat visits are also down but it looks like there are about 100 people or so who regularly check in. I'm not sure how many people are hitting us up through news readers. There is a definite correlation between number of posts per week and number of visitors.

I've heard some other bloggers comment how this past semester was a bitch and there was no time for blogging and I would have to say that was the case for me. I don't know how many times I took pictures over the past semester and then didn't even get them off my phone or camera until a day or two or three or four later?