Come on! Feel the Illinoise!

Wow, it has been a LONG time since I've updated. Like, over a month. I'm very sorry about that; I've just been... lazy. So what's new?

What has gone on in my life the past month or so:

• Mackenzi and I signed a lease for an apartment!
• I'm on an intramural soccer team this quarter
• I'm going to my first snowboarding competition this weekend
• I was going to rush... but then I decided not to
• The Yule Ball is tonight!

So the first week if winter break my family and I went to St. Thomas for my cousin Michelle's wedding! It was fun, and just an all around nice break. Plus, it felt like a real vacation. Let me clarify: a Kueller vacation is rarely a relaxing vacation. Example one: skiing. A skiing vacation is work. You need a vacation from that vacation! Example two: camping. Camping is... semi relaxing... once you get everything set up and have enough bug spray on to swim in. Example 3: Europe. Europe was a fantastic vacation, but we lived out of a suitcase for three weeks going on trains here and there. Work, man! Needless to say, the USVI were a nice break, especially just after I took finals. The whole family was there and it was warm, but not humid, and the water was very blue and it was just pretty.

Tom, Michelle, and the rest of the family

The rest of winter break was pretty mellow. It was good to be home for the first time since I left. Even working wasn't that bad! And I was very happy to see Katja for more than just the expected 2.5 days we were supposed to have (thank you freak Europe snowstorms!). Nothing exciting really happened; just a lot of basketball watching and food consuming. So nothing out of the norm.

I miss these girls so much!

I was one of the first people to head back to school (Chungie was the other one... but she's in the Air Force so her breaks are always short) and it felt good to be back in Columbus. Since I flew back on New Years Day, I wasn't allowed back in the dorm so I actually got to spend a day with Alex! It had been a while since we actually hung out (we did see each other for about an hour over Thanksgiving break) and it was good seeing her again. The next day I gave her a personal tour of OSU and we walked around the Short North for a little while and stopped in a really cool music store. But I soon found out that despite being able to back to the dorms on Sunday, none of the campus dining areas were open! What the heck, Ohio State?! I'm a hungry girl and I want my food, but I don't want to use real money. And seeing everyone back in the dorms was fun. It's weird seeing someone day in and day out for 12 straight weeks and then go almost a month without seeing them once. Whatever, life happens!

Ohio State sports have done pretty well the past month and I am loving it, that is for sure! To kick off the quarter, the football team won the Sugar Bowl! It was one of the most exciting games to watch! And to top it off, all five of the suspended juniors are coming back to Ohio State for the senior year. Mad props to Tressel and the players for keeping the promise. Then hockey team had a stellar sweep of Miami (we are HUGE hockey rivals with them!), and on Friday night (the game I went to) Chelsea Dagger played. I went with a fellow Blackhawks fan, Amy, and let's just say we were pretty stoked to hear a little Dagger. Oh, and then there is the basketball team. I don't know if you've heard, but we're pretty good. We have some talented kids... ya know... only earning the #1 ranking. So we're legit. You better watch your back!

The Buckeye Nuthouse!

 

Oh, and the student section is pretty awesome this year. Additional seats were put behind the benches and it is a fun atmosphere. Just the other day I was two rows off the Iowa bench. Games are crazy, loud, and awesome. I can't wait for the exciting Big Ten games. Plus we have sweet pants (which I won a free pair, btdubs).

So as I mentioned earlier, Mackenzi and I finally signed a lease on an apartment for next year! It's this darling apartment on High, and it's painted bright oranges and yellows (plus a green room which Mackenzi just LOVES). So were pretty pumped!

Yule Ball tonight. So ready.

It's finally the weekend.

Michigan's Not Very Good At Lotta Stuff

We beat Michigan. We beat Michigan bad. You know what that means? It's seven years in a row that we've beat Michigan. It was a pretty exciting game to say the least. But if you don't know already, I feel like I should tell you that I got painted up for the game. Yes, it was the coldest (well, the only cold game really) of the year, with a lovely temperature of 30° and I had to be at the stadium by 10 am. So I was standing in the cold with just a sports bra and sweatpants on for 5.5 hours (I GOT ON TV TOO!). That's dedication if you ask me. So at the end of the 37-7 win, a bunch of us in Block O (the student section for those who don't know) decided what the hell, let's rush the field. I mean, we haven't rushed the field all year and we just beat our rivals for the seventh straight year, so why not! The first few rows waited by the gate and as the clock hit about 10 seconds left, me and four others girls ran onto the field, but after me, the security was told don't let anyone onto the field. So basically five girls in sports bras, looking crazy, rushed the field. It was so worth it though! I mean, I even got to sing Carmen Ohio with the football team. The only downer of the game? Nike.

That's my head between 48 and 73!!!

There was also this thing called the Mirror Lake Jump. I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's kinda a big deal around Ohio State. What this jump entails is students (that would be me) and/or fans jumping into a poop filled pond with 15,000 others around midnight to show our school spirit in frigged weather. Because obviously jumping into a pond will clearly make us beat Michigan easier. DUH. But Mackenzi and I jumped twice for about a total of 15 minutes. It was cold but SOOOO worth it. Oh, and I ate four donuts after like it was my job. Hands down one of the most fun things I have done at Mirror Lake so far. Nothing beats jumping up and down in Mirror Lake, singing We Don't Give A Damn/doing the Buckeye Bounce. I love this school!

"Why are you wearing a winter chhh-coat?"

 

Besides the Michigan game, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I enjoyed seeing my family for the first time (except my dad who came for parents weekend) since I left for school! It was so nice to just go 30 minutes off campus for a few nights (we stayed at a family friend's house the holiday). I had an excellent few days filled with fun times, delicious food (Turkey Day was my first home cooked meal since I left), and the Champions League. Plus, after dinner on Thursday we all watched a documentary about The Game. You can't get more Ohio State than that. But then on Friday we all went to the Ohio State/Miami (OH) basketball game. It was a fun last night with the family and I can't wait to see them soon!

 The family at the basketball game!

So, the World Cup bid day was today, and if you follow me on twitter or were in my dorm room at 10:40, you know how I feel about all this. Let's just say that FIFA and Sepp Blatter are very very VERY corrupt and will do anything for a little extra cash. Seriously, Qatar? I'm cool with Russia, and I think that will be a fun World Cup, but Qatar? The country looks down on gays, women, Jews, drinking, and I'm sure a bunch of other things. I mean, homosexuality is illegal and can lead to imprisonment. It is average 110° in the summer, Qatar has very close proximity to unstable, terrorist countries, they don't recognize Israel as a country and Israeli fans will have a hell of a time traveling though Qatar, and all the stadiums (I think) are within 20 miles of each other. Also,  if the same amount of people that traveled to the World Cup last summer (3.18 million) go to Qatar already on top of the approx 1 million inhabitants, there would a person 9 feet from everyone all over the country. Qatar is one small place. Don't even get me started on their team. They are ranked 113th in the world and have never qualified for a World Cup. And then there is this. Oh, and the state of Ohio has bigger stadiums than Qatar and is actually bigger than Qatar, so I think the freaking state of Ohio would host a better World Cup than that country. So hats off to you, FIFA, for putting many in danger come 2022 and the poor players might have a few heat strokes along the way. But hey, you are stuffing your pockets with a bunch of extra money, so who else really matters, right? But how could we have lost? We had Morgan Freeman and Bill Cliton there! #usa2026?

 Morgan. Freeman. Oh FIFA...

The former president was even there!

Glad I got my Qatar rant out of the way. Moving on!

As the quarter is nearing an end, many of us have swipes to get rid of. For those non Ohio State people that could potentially read this blog, swipes (our meal plan) don't carry over quarter to quarter, so we have to use them all before the quarter ends or else it is really money wasted. One easy way to use up swipes is to go to the campus "grocery" (yeah, they have milk, cereal, ice cream, and beef jerky... well, the Burrito's one does at least) store and stock up on non-perishables, such as Powerade. And boy, did Mackenzi and I did just that.

That would be a total of 96 bottle of Powerade and Vitamin Water

The best part? They accidentally gave us the crates of Powerade that stock the fridges, not the smaller ones that they sell for swipes. Plus, they don't give away Vitamin Water... Win? I think so. But carrying that was fun. Luckily some guys from the dorm helped us for part of the way!

 Finals are next week and right about now I wish I learned how to study in high school. Yeah, kinda a problem. So in order to help my procrastinating, I decided to actually read a book on my own this week (partially because I have been wanting to read this book for a long time and partially because I have been really unmotivated this week). So all week long I have been reading Soccernomics and it's great. No joke, I'm almost done. I feel like such a geek reading it, but if you love soccer as much as I do then I highly recommend it. It's that great. But yeah, two days of finals next week and then I fly home on Friday. I cannot wait!!!

I think that's all for this week.

White Lies remix.

Beat Michigan Week

It's finally here. I've been waiting for this for...  a long time. It's Beat Michigan Week, babyyy! For those select few that don't know, but this Saturday is The Game. Like I said in my previous post, this is the reason I am staying at school for Thanksgiving. An easy way to tell it's almost time the beat Michigan again is by just taking a walk around campus. Besides the increased amount of Beat Michigan/Muck Fichigan t-shirts, just about on every campus sign that there is an "M", it is covered in red tape. The first building I saw was McPherson, so I just associated it with the bomb threat (I don't know why) but then it clicked! It's time to beat Michigan! WOO! Also, pretty much every other person on Facebook has an anti-Michigan status. It's great! Also, just walk down the hall; you will most likely see something like this:

That white board has had some anti-Michigan all year

 

The game is at noon on Saturday. I suggest you watch us beat Michigan for the 7th straight year!

So, yeah, bomb threat. About that. Well, last Tuesday four buildings (McPherson Lab, Scott Lab, Smith Lab, and Thompson Library) had a bomb threat. That pretty much closed off all north campus so it was pretty much a bitch to get to class, but I am safe. I didn't get blown up. All is well.

MOVING ON!

Yesterday my friend Amy took me out to sushi for my birthday. Real food. Nuff said. Oh, and there was also Jeni's. TRY THAT STUFF!

MY FAMILY IS COMING WEDNESDAY!

It's my birthday and I can't concentrate and I felt the need to update. Sorry for the lack.. of writing.

Mirror Lake tomorrow!

White Lies.

This Is College.

So the quarter is nearing an end; with 2.5 weeks of school left plus 4 days of finals, it's hard to believe I'll be home in less than a month. Seriously. I just got to school. It's hard to believe, though, that I've been at school for basically two months now. The time has seriously flown. A lot of people told me before I left that time just flies in college, but I had no idea how fast. I have two more midterms (one in two hours and one next Tuesday), a week off, and then exams. My schedule for next quarter isn't too bad.

 

The official winter quarter schedule

But I have a chem final tonight. I've been studying my little butt off for this. I actually read my book, highlighted and sticky noted it, and spent the weekend in the library. Which, by the way, thank god Thompson is such a nice library; I really don't mind being cooped up for 3+ hours in here (which is where I'm writing this). But with last week's fantastic weather, I was able to study on the Oval and by Mirror Lake. Hopefully my studying pays off!

This past weekend was a great sports weekend. I got to go to both a basketball and a football game! Friday was the basketball home opener against the all-mighty NC A&T. But it's sweet because this year OSU has added student section seats behind the bench along with behind a basket next to the band. It's pretty sweet. But man, our team is legit this year. Yes, we lost Turner, but we also have the number one freshman recruit coming in and four returning starts. Plus we have a bench this year! There were still plenty of Club Tril shirts in the stands, too. Fun times and I can't wait for the Big Ten games to start in January!

For those who did not know, College GameDay was in Columbus for the Penn State game! And as the good Ohio State fan I am, I was in attendance. I heard some people camped out the night before, and some people even left at 2 am, but I didn't leave the dorm until 7:30 and I had no issue getting to the front (GameDay starts at 9).

 

My view of the stage!

 

 Fantastic backdrop :)

But have no fear for it became packed - quick! I kinda wish I could see how packed it was though (and I also want to know if you could hear us booing Desmond). A kid in my group had a sign but it got confiscated. I guess it just wasn't nice! But the celebrity guest picker this week was Chris Poundstone, the world's strongest man, and at one point during the show he ripped a Michigan helmet to shreds. Let me just say we all went crazy at that point. GameDay was a ton of fun! The game on the other hand... phew, what a game (plus we had nice weather... 65°! We have yet to have a cold game.)! The first half was miserable. Horrendous. Ugly. All I could think was "Wisconsin" over and over again. That's all I have to say about the first half. Thank god for the band, they managed to put me into a semi-good mood before the game. I love our band. End of story. (Oh, and Penn State brought their band, which is the first time there has been an opposing band there. All brass band > normal marching band. True facts). But the second half... what a half! By far the most exciting half of football all year! The crowd was electric, which is nice compared to the blah that ensues when there is a massive blowout. The stands were rocking, I was going crazy. And since it was not a blowout, fans actually stayed until the end! WOO! I cannot wait for the Michigan game. For reals.

So yes, The Game. It's almost here; I can hardly believe it! Just to prove how time flies at college: when I moved in, the Michigan countdown was at 70+ days, and as of this morning we're at 12 days. this is crazy. I have basically waited 19 years for this game. Not an exaggeration. I mean, this game is the reason I am not coming home for Thanksgiving. Yes, I am staying at school for a football game. That should say something about me. But I'm soo pumped because my family is coming out for Thanksgiving and I cannot wait to see them! Plus next week is Beat Michigan Week and it also happens to be my birthday week. WOOO! Tuesday is Mirror Lake Jump as well. Uhh, next week is going to rock. (Did I mention my birthday was next week? Hahaha).

Alright, it's midterm time! Wish me luck.

(But first listen to this)

4 Day School Week!

Thank god Veteran's Days falls on a Thursday this year. This basically means I will not have a 3 hour chem lab this week and I wont have to make it up! YAY! On top of that, I hear that it's the hardest Chem 121 lab. Only downfall? My math quiz gets moved up to Tuesday. I think I can live with that. This upcoming week does not look to be too stressful. I can dig that.

Ohio State football had a bye week this week, so I really didn't want football this week, and I don't really know what all went down. I actually feel kind of lost; I don't like the feeling. I am certain of a few things: Ohio State is now 8 in the AP (BCS will be released around 8:30 tonight) and College Gameday is coming to Columbus for the Penn State game. That's right, Corso & crew will be at The Ohio State University this Saturday! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm pumped that Gameday is in CBUS, but may I ask why? Penn State isn't even ranked, and I'm sure that there are plenty of ranked match-ups next Saturday. But I'm going to go with the fact that JoePa just got his 400ths career win and Tressel just got win no. 100 at Ohio State back when we played Indiana. I think that's the only reasonable explanation. If anyone knows the real reason, feel free to let me know!

This past weekend was opening weekend for On The Shore of the Wide World, which stars my roommate, Mackenzi! So last night I went with her mom, grandma, and aunt to see the show. Mackenzi rocked the part and the show was great! But earlier that day I went over to Easton and Polaris to do some shopping with money I don't have with Mackenzi and her family. But I got some cute sweaters from Forever 21. Packing for school I realized I have little winter clothes from the previous year and I didn't realize how little until it's been 45° this past week. But my favorite purchase has to be my Bill Cosby sweater. It's very 80's and very warm. It's great, very college. Oh, and I finally got to eat real food. Tomato Basil Pasta from Cheesecake Factory. First real meal in who knows how long! I mean, when my dad came to town we ate Skyline. Seriously. Parents in town also means grocery shopping! Mackenzi and I have so much food that there is not room for everything. But hey, at least we wont go hungry! We also got a new fish!

I helped picked him out!

His name is Niji, which is Japanese for rainbow. Hopefully the water will not kill him, like the water has killed Rave and my bamboo:

It's so sad looking

No joke, the water at Ohio State kills things. So we have to be really careful with the water we put Niji in.

Friday I went to my first OSU hockey game! It was really fun, and I can't wait until we play Michigan and Miami (OH) (I heard these games are the best). But the band was there, the students were really into, and there was even a little bit of a crowd! Now, I don't know how the average OSU hockey game is, but I had fun at this one. For those who care, we won 6-2. Yeah, Alabama-Huntsville isn't that great of a hockey team. They even got a player kicked out of the game. Who knows. But since the Buckeyes scored at least 4 goals, everyone in the crowd got free medium fries from McDonald's. WOO! I remember, because I do not know if this still happens, the Blue Jackets used to give away free Wendy's chili if 3 or more goals were scored by the CBJ. Free food is the best.

Nothing else too exciting happened this week. I schedule classes on Tuesday and the basketball home opener is on Friday, so I will be looking forward to that. Thanksgiving will be right around the corner. Cannot wait for a good, home cooked meal.

New Cake song. Go.