Adrian already blogged about our bench-painting experience, but whatever; it's going to be kind of hard for us, sometimes, to find something to write about that one of us hasn't already covered.  Hopefully our voices are different enough we won't bore the readers with our similar blogs.   

Alright, on to the bench.  We painted it Monday night, I think.  During study tables one of the upperclassmen suggested we move our operation out to the bench so we could claim it for the night.  We thought that was a pretty good idea, so we packed up and walked over there to continue studying until the sun went down.  

I don't remember what time we started, exactly, but it had to have been some time around nine.  When we finally finished the thing it was a little after five in the morning.  I don't really enjoy staying up all night, but I actually had a pretty good time.  We were running around, throwing a football, wrestling, cracking jokes, painting, consuming sugary substances in order to keep us awake--it was a good time.  We also took the time to get to know each other a little better, which was pretty cool. 

Overall, I think we did a better job than any of the other houses have so far.  The only thing that angers me is the transience of our work.  The night after we finished, another fraternity claimed the bench and proceeded in concealing all we had achieved.  I'll eventually get over it, though, and next time we'll make sure to guard the thing for at least a week...and we'll make sure it's a beautiful and loud. 

Posted by Michael Richmond at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wow, guys, what a week.  It's been so long since my last entry, I don't know if I'm going to be able to fit everything that's happened to me into this.  That's why I'm not even going to try.  I'd hate to just post a list of all the things I've done; it would be really boring for you to read.  That's why, instead of summarizing a sometimes boring, sometimes interesting week, I will tell you about the things that affected me the most. 

Let's first begin with the ringing in ceremony, an event that marked the commencement of my freshmen class's college career.  What I at first thought would turn out to be an addition to the rigamarole I had thus far been the subject of, actually ended up being pretty inspiring.  Dr. White, and all the speakers preceding him, put on an engaging show, taking my mind off of the torrid midday air I was baking in.  Drenched in sweat, I left the chapel feeling pretty good about being one of the 255 bright, talented young men constituting the class of 2011. 

The only other thing I want to talk about--and I won't go into too much detail--is my decision to leave the residence hall I had been housed in.  When I got to Wabash I was dead set on staying independent, and I was determined to succeed regardless of all the talk I had heard about fraternities being the only way to go if you want to have a good Wabash experience.  I spent three--or maybe it was four--nights at Martindale Hall, and I loved it.  Still, something drove me to explore my options, and I set out every night to prospect the different houses.  It was a stressful experience, but I eventually settled on Kappa Sigma, probably the only fraternity that fit my personality.  So far it's been a positive affair, and I think I made a good decision.  That's not to say staying independent would have been a bad one--I think independent housing is something everyone should explore, regardless of how sure a person is of what he wants to do.  I don't know...everything has it's positives and negatives, I guess.  We'll see how it turns out.      

Posted by Michael Richmond at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This last week here at home has been interesting. Most of my summer consisted of sitting around, relaxing and waiting for August 18th to arrive, but in these last seven days it seems everyone, all at once, began to recognize the reality of college and how quickly it’s been approaching.

In these last seven days I’ve been to farewell parties, goodbye meals, and sendoff movie nights; I’ve been on long drives with no particular destination in mind, to Ozzfest (that was different), and on a golf outing (where I played right-handed--I’m a lefty); I’ve helped friends who have yet to graduate from high school with their summer homework, and I’ve gone on runs with them in the morning before they had to report to class; I’ve bid adieu to some of my best friends, and even had the chance to hang out with some people whom I rarely associate with. Saying goodbye has been quite a bit of fun.

Packing, on the other hand, has been rather stressful. My watch is telling me it’s about one o’ clock in the morning, giving me roughly seven hours before I’ll be departing for Wabash. Why is this significant? Well, I haven’t really started packing yet. Yeah, I should have taken care of it a lot earlier, but it’s hard to do when you’re so busy having fun with your friends. Procrastination isn’t new to me, though, and I’m sure I’ll have everything ready to go here before too long--I happen to work really well under pressure.

Leaving home is going to be a new experience for me. The longest I’ve ever been away from my family and my comfortable dwelling was no more than two weeks, and now we're talking months. It will be awkward at first, but I’ll adapt, just like everyone else. And it’s not like I’m moving away to some foreign land, thousands of miles away, where there’s no outlet for communication; it’s Crawfordsville. The transition will be smooth, and I’ll find my niche there, settle in, and make the best of my time at Wabash, my home away from home.

Posted by Chip Timmons at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My name is Michael Richmond, a lifetime denizen of Franklin, Indiana - a quiet little city located about 25 miles south of Indianapolis.  I’m your average, run-of-the-mill teenager ­ I hang out with friends, watch movies, waste time. But pretty soon something big is going to happen to me; I’m going to be attending Wabash College.

Wabash is the place for me. It’s an atmosphere where I’m going to be able to focus all of my efforts on my education, the most important thing in my life right now.  It’s also a place where I’ll be able to start over, make a name for myself, and finally find out what I’m capable of. I looked at quite a few schools and I never once met a faculty that was as dedicated to, as interested in, or as proud of the school’s student body as Wabash’s is.  It’s a friendly community committed to making the best of every guy who goes there; I can’t wait to become a part of it.

As far as a major is concerned, I’m pretty sure I want to double, but in what I don’t know. English is at the forefront of my thoughts, but so are biology, chemistry, philosophy, mathematics, and physics. Is it possible to sextuple major? That’s what I love about a liberal arts education, though; it’s going to give me a chance to find out what I’m really interested in.

One thing I know I’m interested in is intramurals. Wabash boasts a lengthy list of them, and I’m eager to get out there and compete. I may play some basketball, maybe some Ultimate Frisbee, or I may try them all. I’d really like to play table tennis, but I don’t know if that’s available. I may also join the track or cross country teams, but I think I’m going to hold off on that for a year and let myself get settled in first.

Well, I think that’s sufficient for now.  There will be plenty more opportunities for everyone to get to know me better in the future.  Hopefully I get to know some of you along the way. Take it easy, guys.

Posted by Howard Hewitt at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)