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Listen up UIC!

How are your stress levels? Mine is about to skyrocket. We need a plan to take on FINALS Week — it’s only three weeks away and that’s too short. Right now I’m buried to my neck in term projects, homework and leftovers of midterm week. So the stress is starting to pick up closely. To alleviate the stress, here’s what I did this week.

Pics of the Week:

Maxwell Street Market: Every Sunday, there's a flea market filled with vendors and mobile restaurants.

Chinatown! My friends and I went to Chinatown this past week too. =)

So when I’m stressed out, I like to play video games (Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Dead Island) or watch TV shows (“Friends,” “How I Met Your Mother”). Sometimes, I also like to escape stress by playing the piano, too. Thank goodness Campus Housing has piano rooms.

I also attended our UIC ASCE meeting (American Society of Civil Engineers). The guest speaker talked about the “100 year storm.” The true definition of that term means that each day that we live, there is a 1/100 chance (1 percent) that the storm of the decade will occur. He was talking about how cities and towns do preventative measures to defend against flooding — a common issue in the Midwest region.

Learning from past mistakes- Storms of the Century.

I noticed that the show “Friends” is playing a lot on TV lately, especially Nick@Nite. As a random tribute article, I’m going to write about my Top 3 favorite episodes on the TV show “Friends.”

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Top 3: “Friends” Episodes 

3. “The One Where Everyone Finds Out” (Episode 14 of Season 5)
This where the gang finds out Chandler and Monica are dating, resulting from a promiscuous photo they accidentally accused Joey of taking.

2. “The One with the Prom Video” (Episode 14 of Season 2)
After going through old videos, Rachel finds out what Ross did the night of prom back when they were high school students.

1. “The Last One” (Episode 17 of Season 10)
Do Ross and Rachel truly end up together??? Watch and find out — 52.5 million wiewers saw the most-watched episode of the series. =)

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Back to watching “Friends” now! See you all next week,

-Darren

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TOPIC NEXT WEEK: Thanksgiving!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What form of caffeine do you use to stay awake to study? (I use apples and coffee.)

Finals…3 weeks!

Yeah, I’m pretty stressed out, like all of you. But I can’t even imagine how much worse it would be if I didn’t have technology. I am big Apple products fan and am fortunate to own various devices. Whether it’s on my iPad, iPhone or Mac, I use apps all of the time to help me organize my life. Besides the Calendar app, here are some of my recommendations to help you out during finals or for general organization:

• Reminders – If you have the latest software on your Mac, iPad, iPhone or iPod, you have the Reminders app. Built into Apple iOS, Reminders is basically a To-Do list. On the app you can have several different lists. I have four – General To-Do list, Classes/Homework To-Do list, Internship To-Do list and USG To-Do list. Whenever I have an assignment or something to do, I type it into the respective list. If it is something I have to do by a certain time, I set an alert for when the assignment is do. My phone will then notify me if I have to email someone, turn in a homework assignment or go meet with a teacher. I love this app and I would be scarily disorganized without it.

• Evernote – I really hope everyone already uses this app. I have it installed on all of my devices…it’s that good. Evernote is a note-taking app. You can make notebooks and add different notes in there. The best part is that it is all for free! I use the app to take notes for classes, meetings, etc. I organize different notebooks and take notes for each different subject. Whenever I complete a note, it is automatically synched to all of your devices. This means if you finish taking notes in your management class on your computer, it will automatically show up on your iPad, etc. Besides Reminders, I use this app on a daily basis. It is a must-have!

• Dropbox - Have you ever saved something on your computer at home and realized while at school that you actually need the document? Sick of carrying a USB stick? Dropbox is your solution. I use Dropbox like Steve used his handy-dandy notebook on “Blue’s Clues.” Instead of saving my essays, homework assignments and other school documents on my computer’s hard drive, I save it on my Dropbox account. You can download Dropbox easily to your computer and have it act as a cloud-based drive. So when you finish writing a paper, all you have to do is save it to your Dropbox folder. Your folder then is automatically synched to your Dropbox apps online, on your phone or other device. So don’t ever worry about forgetting a document on your home computer or losing your USB stick. You can download Dropbox for free and use it to save all of your documents without a hassle.

Last week was a rough one, to say the least.  Monday, I had to nanny for 12 hours.  Blah! The kids are great, don’t get me wrong.  But they are a handful! I ended up missing class because the parents were stuck working late themselves. What are ya gonna do? Not that I encourage missing class, but it’s the end of the semester and things are starting to wind down a bit.

The 6-year-old has an internal alarm clock.  Ya know, like the one you have when you can sleep in but you wake up at DAWN for no reason at all!?  Well, his alarm clock is a little different.  Pretty much every day between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., the boy just goes crazy.  It’s like he saves up all his energy from the entire day and starts swinging from chandeliers and climbing up the windows.  I don’t even know!  Now, the 8-year-old is an extremely smart kid.  He always has his nose in a book.  But when it’s time to start homework, he does everything in his power to delay.  I usually make the kids a snack when they get home from school.  Well, he will eat and eat and eat so that he doesn’t have to start his homework.  Then, when he is finally stuffed, it still takes quite a bit of coaxing to get through homework.  It’s definitely always a challenge.

By the end of the night, I was ready to go home and curl up in a ball with a blanket and sleep for 10+ hours.  Kids should come with a warning label because they’ll do that to ya.

NOT even close to the worst part of the week.  The next day started like any other day.  Every day I take the 20-month-old to the library.  They have story time for 1 and 2 year olds.  It’s always a nice way for young kids to socialize if they’re still too young to be in school.  We were starting to get ready to leave.  I was in the living room with the baby and started to walk into the adjoined kitchen to get tissues to take with us.

Next thing I know, the baby runs across the hardwood floor and slips.  Well, at first I wasn’t sure because he is a baby after all and falls all the time.  But this time, it was different.  He immediately started crying and it was a different kind of cry.  I knew when I picked him up that he had bit through his mouth and was bleeding pretty bad.  So I took him to the kitchen, wet a bunch of paper towels and was trying to stop the bleeding.  It was just getting worse because it was bleeding inside and out.  At that moment, I knew I had to call his mom.  I tried to remain calm but I started shaking.  I was getting so upset because this was the moment that I realized that my little man was really hurt.  Apparently, kids get more upset and scared when they see you upset and scared.  Never show them you’re upset and scared!!  Lesson learned.  I called my mom and she kept me calm and told me to put ice on his lip.  Duh! ICE!

Then, the dad calls me.  Here we go again! I totally lost it on the phone that I could barely talk.  Then the baby started crying again.  I hang up the phone and just held him while I kept repeating “It’s OK, it’s all OK, it’s going to be OK.”  I’m not sure if I was saying that to him or to myself.  I just felt so horrible.  I put the TV on “Sesame Street” with the OK from his mom (usually, children under 2 shouldn’t watch TV), and he was completely quiet.  I was able to put the ice on his lip.  His mom came home and we took him to the doctor.  Turns out, he was running so fast that he slipped and fell right on his face causing his lower teeth to go completely through.  POOR BABY!  He is a trooper, though.  This kind of injury heals itself in a week, especially in children so young.  He was already acting normal a couple of hours later with nothing but a fat lip, a lot of drool and some scabbing.  I, on the other hand, was not OK.  The mom took a sick day and said I could go home because I was kind of traumatized from the whole thing.

This is what it looks like now.

Can you believe it looks like there is NOTHING there? Oy vey! I would do anything for these kids even though they make me have to cover up the gray in my hair more often.

So, the week definitely ended up better than it started.  My other class was canceled so I was able to have a night off AND I got a pay raise (WITHOUT having to ask!).  I guess things just have a way of working themselves out.

What did I take away from this week?  When I have kids one day, they will wear helmets and mouth guards everywhere.

Hey UIC!!

So I helped babysit my resident director’s pet dog named Lily while she was away at GLACUHO (Great Lakes Association of College University Housing Officers). GLACUHO is a conference where our UIC campus housing officers can attend to programs to gain and share ideas traveling through their residence halls here on campus.

Babysitting Lily! =)

CME 410: Prestressed concrete, showing seven-wire strands

Working on steel design project for CME 301

I just finished my CME 301 exam on steel behavior. Essentially, the exam covered compression members of structures. The picture above depicts us working on our term project for the class in which we have to design a structure based of a design provided to us.

Also! A touching speech given by President Obama to his campaign group. The president begins to shed a few tears talking about his roots here in Chicago. Click for Youtube video! President Obama and his heartfelt talk

So here’s the topic for the week–
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3 Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About President Obama: 

1. Obama has read every Harry Potter book.

2. He worked in Baskin-Robbins ice cream as a teenager.

3. He collects Spider-Man and Barbarian comics.

For more facts and source: (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/3401168/Barack-Obama-The-50-facts-you-might-not-know.html)

Next blog, I’ll post pictures of our Residence Hall Association Fall Ball. The Fall Ball is being held in Willis Tower, which is super exciting, so stay tuned!!

Stay classy Chicago,
-Darren

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TOPIC NEXT WEEK: RHA Fall Ball at Willis Tower

ANSWER FOR LAST WEEK: I definitely think the Chicago Bulls can make it this year — can’t wait for “The Return”  =)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Who’s else is playing Fantasy Basketball?? My team is sadly doing horrible haha.

It’s weird. The more and more I go through my classes and reflect on all of my experiences, the more I really like school! I keep thinking about life after doing undergraduate studies and a part of me is saying, “You need to get a job and pay off your debt and start living!” and another part of me is saying, “What’s the rush? School is so awesome and you should just stay in school forever to learn and do research.” I can’t decide!!!

UIC has implemented these cool electronic billboards! Simona, Ricky (my roommate and her boyfriend) and I went to the bowling alley and stumbled across it. We couldn't help but take a picture! We freaked out after taking it though because the screen froze and we were like "OMG! NOOOOOO! PEOPLE CAN SEE US!" XD When we came back to check on it later it was cleared, haha. Phew!

This past week was nuts! I had to write a 10-page paper for abnormal psychology and input that into SafeAssign, a plagarism program that detects what percentage of your paper matches up with other published articles and works. I’m glad I was under the professor’s “magic number” of 25 percent! Phew. It was really hard to start it but once I found all of my research articles to back up everything I had a blast writing it! People usually complain about writing but there’s just something about being the one to put all these intricacies together that makes me love writing any type of paper, whether it’s a literature review or argumentative paper. Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy writing lab reports, but it does help to understand what I’m doing in lab. If only those experiments didn’t take so long…maybe I would enjoy it better! xD

I went home for a weekend after my brother came back from his mini-vacation with his friends to Los Angeles on his birthday. He got me a gift that I had discovered sitting on my desk at home! How cute. (:

In addition to that paper, I had two exams to study for (Polish and Biophysics). Thank goodness I’m passed that now but they’re both incredibly tough in their own right. I always struggle with the essay at the end of every Polish exam! I am definitely going to be practicing my Polish a lot during winter break so I can prepare for 102 next semester!

Speaking of which, I officially registered for my classes! Here’s what I’m taking (subject to change, but will most likely not):

1. Polish 102 – 4 credit hours
2. Biochemistry 452 – 4 credit hours
3. Genetics 220 – 3 credit hours
4. Homeostasis 240 – 3 credit hours

That’s 14 credit hours on top of a Kaplan course (the guy still hasn’t emailed me back for some reason…I better give him another call to confirm my spot in the class) and research! I actually do plan on keeping my other five jobs and maybe more if I can handle it, but I’m just going to let them know I am an “emergency” worker or something…I don’t know. I’ll let them decide if it is worth keeping me around, even if it is only one hour a week or a few times a month. I would just be sad if I couldn’t work. :(

We were taking pictures of our stained TLC plates in organic chemistry so that we could remember it when we write our lab report. While I don't like writing all that stuff over again, it is relatively cool what we do in the class. Relatively.

I have attended a lot of informational meetings that I wish I could have more time for during the few years that I’ve been here! I went to one that was sponsored by JPHAS and my pre-med club SFP, in which a representative from A. T. Stills Osteopathic Medical School came to talk about the programs they have in addition to the doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) program. I love the idea of being a D.O.! After that I attend an informational meeting about the Master’s in Education program to teach science in secondary schools. As you know, I run HAC and my role for my committee members is to get them to be active researchers in their topic of interest and be able to present that in a fun, interactive way that high school students can understand. It’s fun to teach and teach others how to teach, so I just want to keep my options open! The staff there were absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to meet with them again. :D

I also attended a pre-medicine workshop geared toward juniors presented by the LAS pre-health advisors and it was good, but I think since I already had an appointment about “my readiness” for medical school I had a good idea of what to expect. It was a nice review though and continues to remind me that I need to stay on my top of my game at school. I’m hoping to start a trend back UP with my GPA because I really need it if I want to prove that I can handle this.

Hmm…now that I’ve gotten over one of the bigger hurdles of the semester, I’m feeling great! I feel bad that I’ve been slacking at all of my jobs because I badly needed this past week to study instead of work, but hopefully next week things will jump to how it was at the beginning (hopefully). Thanksgiving will soon be right around the corner! I have no plans at the moment.

Feel free to share how your midterms went! (: Thanks for reading!!!

Six weeks of school until the end of the semester and I’m going to handle it with more ease because of Zumba and yoga!

I’ve found myself, like most UIC students, counting down until the days I can sit back, relax and enjoy winter break. This has been a pretty stressful semester, so more than ever I am excited for it to end.

I still have tons of stuff to finish before then – research and a 15-page research paper, final projects and TESTS. Things are going to get hectic. But I’ve been actually handling my life pretty well the past couple of weeks due to some new additions I have made in my life.

A couple of weeks ago I signed up for a Zumba and yoga class at my local YMCA. I’ve done both before, but figured that it would be a great stress reliever to do them during the school year. Sure, it’s two more free hours out of my schedule, but I figured that signing up for these classes would not only force me to work out, but will also allow myself some productive ME time.

I’ve had a great past two weeks and I’m giving all of the credit to Zumba and yoga. The Zumba class is so fun because it allows to dance my stress away and shed some calories. Yoga is even better because it gives me an hour to really take everything off my mind and heal my body and soul. I highly recommend everyone to schedule in something that will make them feel better these next six weeks. Even if it’s not yoga or Zumba, do something productive that you will enjoy! I feel confident that I will be able to handle the next six weeks because of the stress relief I will be having through the classes.

I am taking the classes at my local YMCA because it’s more convenient as a commuter and for my tight schedule. But if you have some more time or are closer to campus, check out the Rec center’s classes! They have tons of drop-in classes, like dance and candle light yoga. Check them out and really enjoy yourself!

Now that the election is over and we don’t have to see or hear anymore of those awful campaign ads, it is time that we look forward to the next four years. Whether you voted for Obama or not, life still goes on and it’s time to unite, support and encourage each other as a nation.

On that note…no more political talk for awhile.

I was watching the WTTW show “Check, Please!” and I thought it would be a good idea to have my own favorite restaurant list.  Being Chicagoans, we have the luxury of having amazing food all throughout the city and suburbs.  From pizza to Chinese, I have a lot of favorite food options in Chicago (and neighboring suburbs) that I suggest checking out…

Pie-Eyed Pizzeria: 1111 W. Chicago Ave. (312) 243-3735

I love this place. The pizza is amazing and they are open late for all you night owls.  Pizza isn’t the only thing these guys serve.  From cheese fries and Italian beef to fresh salads and desserts, you can always find something that you’ll love.  They’re always playing good music and the people there are awesome.  They have lunch specials every day and it’s super easy to get to…right off the Chicago Blue line stop. And don’t worry if you don’t feel like leaving the UIC campus…they deliver! www.pie-eyedpizzeria.com

Inari: 7428 W. North Ave. (Elmwood Park) (708) 583- 2800 

Love, love, LOVE their sushi! But they have tons of options if you’re not really into raw fish.  They have a cool heated outdoor patio area.  Their lunch specials are a steal and even for dinner they aren’t very pricey like some sushi restaurants.  I also highly recommend their dessert! www.inarisushi.com

Cafe Iberico:737 N. La Salle Drive (312) 573-1510

If you like Tapas, THIS is the place to be! It is a very big place and always packed! Their menu is big but simple with cold plates, hotplates, Entrees and dessert (of course!).  If you like a little bit of everything, this is the place to be. They are also known for their Sangria! Dinner for two can easily be under $50.  www.cafeiberico.com

El Cid: 2645 N. Kedzie Ave. (773) 395-0505

Great Mexican food! I love the area it is in.  Their prices are good and they have live music!! What can be better than that? It’s a great place for a date or a night out with friends.  The owner is always around and likes comes to your table to make sure everything is perfect.  Just an all around good experience! www.elcid2.com

Pappadeaux: 921 Pasquinelli Drive (Westmont) (630) 455-9846

Do you love seafood? Because I LOVE seafood! This place is huge! They have tons of options on their menu but make sure you bring people to share with! The portions are all quite big.  They have musicians that walk around and play music while you eat. The atmosphere is super fun and you ALWAYS leave with a full belly! pappadeaux.com

Quartino: 626 N. State St. (312) 698-5000

Another place that is great for a date or a night out with friends! Their flatbreads and pastas are to die for.  And don’t forget to try the Sangria.  Another favorite! Prices are not bad but be prepared to wait for a table. This place is always packed so try to make a reservation first. www.quartinochicago.com

MingHin: 2168 S. Archer (312) 808-1999

Located in Chinatown, this place is rated one of the best Dim Sum Seafood restaurants around! I have never had such amazing Chinese food in my life! I was amazed at how great every single thing was (even if i didn’t know exactly what it was).  Actually, one of my professors at UIC introduced me to this place and I cannot wait to go back. I highly recommend checking this place out. www.minghincuisine.com

What are some of your favorite spots in Chicago?

Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments. I’m always looking for new places to go!

Happy eating!!

Finding time to study has not been super hard. However find a PLACE to study is another story! Studying in my apartment has proven to be full of too many distractions (cough*Netflix*cough). I will even find myself washing dishes and mopping the floor in order to avoid class work. I knew it was time to find a new place to study. Fellow UIC blogger Mike Queroz gave some great suggestions for Getaways at UIC that also can double as study spaces. Unfortunately, I live in Lakeview. Getting to these places is a little out of the way at times, but I did find two great places in the city that are AMAZING study places

1. Starbucks in Old Town, 210 W. North Ave.: This particular Starbucks is great for studying for two reasons.

1.) There are outlets EVERYWHERE
2.) It is open 24 hours!
What more could a busy college student ask for? The place usually has a decent amount of people studying and seemingly working very hard. However, there are certain peak hours during the weekend where the noise does get a little loud. Right next door is a Walgreens, which is perfect for picking up snacks and last-minute supplies you may have forgot (pens or rulers). Overall this Starbucks gets a B when it comes to study environment.
2. Panera Cares, 616 W. Diversey Pkwy.

I love Panera. Quality food and a quiet study environment. Many times I will walk into a Panera and find people holding meetings and finishing papers. Like Starbucks, the noise level seems to be just about right when it comes to studying. What is great about Panera Cares is that one can pay as much as they can for the food. Also, right when you walk in the door there is a table of baked goods that were left over from the night before. For a suggested donation of $2-3 dollars, one can grab half a dozen bagels and a loaf of bread. You can enjoy the great Panera food without the Panera price.  In my experience, a manager is usually on site to speak with customers as well. This Panera is a little bit quieter than the Starbucks so it gets a B+ in overall study environment.

3. My own CLJ department

Myself with two classmates

Inside the maze of BSB on the fourth floor is a little computer lab for Criminology, Law and Justice graduate students. Unlike many computer labs at UIC, I don’t have to wait for a computer and the noise is pretty much silent. I can blast music from Pandora without worrying about bothering anybody. What is also great about this lab is that I often run into people in my classes. What begins as a single study session can quickly turn into a group thing. Together, my classmates and I can get through the material and fact check each other. I highly recommend that anyone ask their own department if they provide a similar types of spaces.  This space gets an A when it comes to overall study environment!

FREE THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND:
Check out the Veterans Day Ceremony at the Riverwalk at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, State and Wabash.

The Suit Case Opera Project – The Suitcase Opera Project, a new nonfiction opera, excavates a “curious box of letters” purchased off eBay that reveals a lost history of post-Kinsey/pre-Stonewall queer America. It is running at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millinieum Park from November 8-10 at 7:30 p.m.
Have a great weekend!