Move-in Day from lonestarcyclone on Vimeo.

‘Nuff said.

What do you mean, “The Most Dominant Mascot on Earth?”
What is this Capital One Bowl: Mascot Challenge? 
 
This excerpt is taken from the Athletic Department, just describing what the Mascot Challenge is, and why it is beneficial for students to get involved [besides the fact that Cy the Cyclone is AWESOME and just deserves to win based on DOMINANT STATUS all the time!]:
AMES, Iowa- Cy is calling all Cyclone fans to help him defend his title as the nation’s best mascot. Cy was named the 2007 “Most Dominant Mascot on Earth” and now will compete in the Capital One National Mascot of the Year competition.

The competition will begin Sept. 8, and fans can vote once a day for the Iowa State mascot atwww.capitalonebowl.com. The competition will be a head-to-head weekly battle between 12 different All-American mascots. Cy will take on the likes of Aubie (Auburn), Buster Bronco (Boise State), Cosmo Cougar (Brigham Young), Mike the Tiger (LSU), Testudo (Maryland), Mr.Wuf (North Carolina State), Thundar (North Dakota State), Joe Bruin (UCLA), Cocky (South Carolina), Smokey (Tennessee), and The Bird (Air Force).

The fan vote is the sole determinant of the winner. Voting consists of 11 weekly head-to-head matchups between the All-Americans. The mascots with the best win/loss records face off in the online playoffs starting in November. The winner will be pronounced Capital One National Mascot of the Year on Jan. 1, 2009, during the Capital One Bowl.

As a part of the competition, Cy will appear in the national advertising campaign, which features the mascots participating in the Capital One Mascot Challenge – Top Tailgater, a series of unusual grilling, cooking and tailgating competitions.

The Capital One National Mascot of the Year receives an additional $5,000 scholarship to help fund its school’s mascot program. 

Vote for Cy as the Most Dominant Mascot on Earth here.

AAAAAAh! First of all, it’s Christmas Day. You’d think [for people who celebrate that certain holiday] that it would be an exciting day, but I woke up at 7:30am, not running down the stairs to open presents from the perennial large man with a beard, but ran for our study with internet access, anxious for my transcripts to become available online!! This semester I worked me tail off [whoa, pirate talk?] for a 4.0 GPA. While I didn’t get it, I came pretty darn close, AND I managed to get an A in Art History. So apparently, I earned my academic keep because there were only 4% of the class that received above a B+. [Whew!]

When receiving transcripts and grades, what happens at Iowa State University is there is about a five day grace period between the last day of University final exam days and the publishing of our grades on AccessPlus, which is the online system students use for everything from paying tuition, registering for classes and scheduling, to receiving grade, finding student job on campus and around the Ames community, to purchasing CyCash and Dining Dollars [which I will talk about in another post, but basically it’s money you can put on your ISU ID card and use like cash on campus for almost anything, even in the bookstore!].

So, finally, on December 25th, I’ve gotten my grades for Fall 2008, and I can enjoy the rest of my break! ☺
Any questions on AccessPlus, grades, final exams or other academic subjects? Email me by clicking on the right hand menu link, or even better, leave a comment! I love getting them! ☺

So until next time,
Seanna

I just got back from the dentist’s office.

A pedodontic dentist.

Yeah, specialty in infants and children. I’m THAT cool. I’ve seen the same dentist since I was two.

I was a brave lil’ college student and woke up for my 8AM dentist appointment, drove myself, and then waited for fifteen minutes next to a five year old with a cavity. I read her a few books, and started teaching her addition, when I was called back. The dental hygenist just looked at me and said, “How old are you? Retiring yet?” I gave her a cheap grin and took a seat, enjoying the movie “The Polar Express” with the ten year old getting a filling next to me.

When I finally sat down after I was done, waiting for my chart to be pulled so I could leave, a girl no more than four came up and sat next to me. She watched me for a few minutes,  saw me checking my watch, and finally leaned over saying gentle, “So, you come here often? If you’re nervous, they make you a balloon animal.”

Ah, kids. That’s why I come home. To remember that I was a kid once, too. And it’s okay, because in your home town, you can always get away with acting less than your age.

That’s great thing about it.

Til next time,
Seanna

PS- This afternoon, I’m going ice skating with my group of girlfriends from high school, we call ourselves the Peeps [long story, believe me, there aren't enough hours in the day . . .] and then we’ll see what craziness ensues. You can never really tell when the six of us get together. So look forward to that. =]

Hello all! I’m finally back in Dallas, specifically Richardson, where I call home, in the good old 75080; I flew in last Friday, but almost didn’t make it back until Sunday. . .

I was scheduled to leave out around noon on Friday, so I looked up options as to how to get to the airport. CyRide, the campus bus system, has this great option where you can take CyRide to the airport by meeting it at certain spots, certain times. I was aaaaaaall about that. So I made my reservation, packed it up, and went to sleep, excited to get home for the first time in a year. This has been the longest I’ve been gone from home, and I hadn’t even noticed until I sat down and thought about it.

So I woke up the next morning, hit the snooze and forewent any type of beauty routine [it's TSA, who needs to look pretty, am I right?], and grabbed my suitcase and was ready to hit the sidewalk when I took a step outside. It had snowed all night.

Yeah. Cool.

So I drug my suitcase through the snow, which really wasn’t that bad once I stopped cursing the unexpected precipitation, and grabbed the CyRide for the Des Moines airport. Once I got there, I was supposed to fly to Milwaukee and then have a flight to Dallas Ft. Worth. No such luck- nothing was flying in or out until Sunday via Milwaukee, so I was triple standby for three flights, but I finally arrived home at 9:40pm. Six hours later than expected, but at least I got out of a neighborhood holiday party. Whew.

At the airport, my two friends, Rachel and Pranay were waiting for me. It was a blessing- we headed to our favorite restaraunt, Chili’s, and had a nice dinner, and I got home. It’s good to be home again- I missed my family, but I also missed my dog. No warm-blooded animals allowed in the dorms . . . ‘course when I was on rounds once, a resident tried to convince me he could keep his hamster, simply by dunking him in water for a few seconds and saying, “He’s still alive. Doesn’t that count?” Humorous, but no cigar. =]

So I’m seeing friends, going to dentist/doctor appointments, catching up on the gossip from the past year, getting ready for holiday celebrations, and facing the malls around this season. I’ve got plenty to do, but I would love to hear from you guys! What questions do you have about college? Anything and everything is fair game. I’ve received some emails and I LOVE answering them, so feel free to either shoot me an email or leave a comment. Chances are, there is another person who has the exact same question as you. I am no expert employee, but I have worked as a TelStar, which means I have undergone training in all majors for the university, and I call students to help them with their applications, questions they may have, and scholarship information as well.

Start the barage of questions. I’m ready. =]

So until next time,
Seanna

Hello again! For all of you who are new visitors to this blog, welcome! My name is Seanna [pronounced Shawna] and I’m a junior at Iowa State. I’m writing this blog to help prospective students with their decision about Iowa State, and answer questions, write posts, take pictures, etc. of what it’s like to be a Texas resident far from home.

I love Iowa State, but it was definitely a big step. No one at my school had ever heard of ISU, but since I had known it my whole life from my family involvement, I had been around campus, and it was a natural application choice for me. For others, I know it wouldn’t be that easy. If you are looking for places to apply, definately look at Iowa State, and if you are offered admission, feel free to ask me as many questions as you’d like! I wish I would have had an opportunity to see what college life was like before I went, and learn the tricks of the trade, if you will, since I don’t have an older sibling that went to college.

It was hard for about three days, and then I knew that Iowa State was where I was meant to belong. I love it here in CycloneLand, a.k.a. Ames, IA, and I hope that anyone who reads my blog will feel free to leave me comments, ask questions, explore what it’s like to be in college before you get here. If you would rather not post a question, feel free to email me, too. Just click on the link in the right hand menu.

As far as content, I write posts, take pictures, film videos, upload my pictures to Flickr, AND there’s a link to my facebook, so you can see what it’s like to be me, or just be an out of state student from Texas, here in Iowa.

I know that you will love Iowa State if you give it a try, so like I said, I absolutely LOVE comments, questions, anything! I’m here to help you guys, so give me somethin’ to work with.

Hope your break is going well! I’m done with finals, and I’ll actually be flying home tomorrow back to Richardson! I’ll be working over break, though, so while you’re filling out your application, ask me questions! I have about three jobs with the Office of Admissions, AND I give campus tours, AND I work with prospective students on a daily basis, so if you have a question, I most likely have an answer. And if I don’t, I’ll find someone that does.

So, until next time, I’m one excited Texan, cuz I’m GOING HOME TOMORROW!
-Seanna, a.k.a. Lone Star Cyclone

Yesterday was one of my best friend’s 21st birthday. We always joke around because Becky is a tad of a lightweight, but she was determined to hold out and have a good night, even though she had a final two days later. She is an Interior Design major, so she was done with all of her projects, but had a marketing final on Friday that she so studiously prepared for the next night after she recovered and rehydrated. ☺

Greiter and Ben and I waited for midnight when Becky was actually allowed into our favorite place, Es Tas. The guy checking IDs at the front door wouldn’t let her in until right at midnight, hah, which I found quite hilarious. Both Becky and I look a tad young- let’s face it, she gets carded at rated R movies and flight attendants ask me if I am old enough to be sitting in that there exit seating row on airplanes. I guess it’s a compliment, right? Maybe in twenty years we’ll look 21 and won’t have to worry about wedging out our drivers licenses from their sticky plastic sleeves in our wallets.

A lot of friends showed up for Becky’s birthday, which she co-hosted with another friend of ours, Jessica, who was turning 22, and the night was a blast. I got home, ate the other half of my Subway sandwich, and went to bed, happy to be done and leaving for Dallas within 40 hours. . .

Less than 24 hours now! I’m PSYCHED!

So until next time,
Seanna

I’m DONE DONE DONE with my finals for Fall 2008. I went from 7:30am to 2:00pm, but now that I’m here, at home, laying down, IV’ing Dr Pepper and watching House, M.D. Season Three, I feel MUCH better.

Here was the low down for my finals week of F08.

7:00am: Wake up, kinda [not really] get ready for the day and take a shower, blah blah. . .

7:30-9:30am: CI 377 [Reading for Pre-Primary Grades] final exam, including a project that was due and presentations to be made. [The Lagomarcino Cafe's DoubleShot Mocha with skim milk and no whip got me through that one . . . ]

9:30-10:00am: Waited for my Multicultural Education class to assemble, to turn in our take home finals [three essay prompts] and to hand back our multicultural unit lesson plans [man oh man, mine was like . . . 45 pages].

10:30am-12:00pm: Studied my brains out for Art History. This includes anything and everything NOT limited to watching any and every video tutorial on Chinese prehistoric art, skimming through 530 pages of art history and lecturers that could have dubbed for BBC programs due to their lack of intonation, and memorizing over 250 notecards of art, artists, medium, years, culture . . . . I was pretty sure my head would implode.

Luckily, it didn’t, and I finished my exam in fifteen minutes.

But then I had to wait for everyone to be done, so I took an hour and forty-five minute nap, only to wake up to “Columbia” imprinted on my forehead, and praying to a higher power that I didn’t talk in my sleep about the crazy dream I just had [I blame the DoubleShot for that one].

Then, I walked out the Design Building, looked around and thought to myself, I deserve some chocolate.

So there you have it. My finals week. Sure, sure, you’re probably thinking WHOA, aren’t you blowing this a TAD out of proportion? I mean, common, you had one day of finals! See, education teachers wised up a LONG time ago. They would assign projects, tests, etc. for finals week, and then would also make friends with Mr. DoubleShot as they stayed up all night grading them to get grades in for transcripts on the 22nd. So they were benevolent. . . they just have them due a week earlier. I considered last week my finals week, and this day just an excuse to feel good and not have other people throw rocks at me when they found out I was done with finals on Monday at 2pm.

House M.D. and me are going to be gooooood friends, and I’ve decided to end the relationship with my alarm clock. We’ve broken up, and I’m most certainly okay with that.

Until next time,
Seanna

Today is my last day to study for exams, so I woke up around 7:30am, and started to work. I escaped to the library and studied Art History for about four hours, then came back my room and finished my Literacy Project [which consisted of five lesson plans, with specific requirements] and wrote my Multicultural Education take home final paper. Nothing was too difficult, it was just time consuming.

So it’s Sunday evening, and instead of finishing studying, I’m on the internet. Darn you, wireless internet and aesthetically pleasing MacBook. . .

About an hour ago, the Buchanan Hall Council had its last Dollar Dinner of the semester. For each residence hall on campus there is an elected council to decide on activities and projects for the hall to participate in. This year, our BHA [Buchanan Hall Association] ordered Hickory Park food on a few Sunday nights, and it only cost residents $1 to get food and drink. It was really successful, so a lot of residents showed up and then AFTERWARDS we had our Buchanan Bucks Auction.

As CA’s [Community Advisors] we came up with a system to encourage people to open their doors, socialize, and study. Whenever we see residents doing this while we are on rounds, we hand out Buchanan Bucks. At the end of the semester, we have an auction and a store where you can use your bucks to buy things! This semester, for the auction, which I was in charge of, we had an iPod nano, iPod speakers, ISU chairs, blankets, slippers, movie packs, and other stuff. It went really well. Residents bid on the items and the highest bid won for each item. After the auction, we had items from the bookstore on sale for a certain number of bucks, and people got to buy tshirts, hats, cups, nalgenes, chips and salsa, six packs of mountain dew or pepsi, and other stuff, too. It was a HUGE success, so next semester I plan on making it even bigger.

Well for , as much of an update I can spare, I’m back to studying for finals. I’ll be done by tomorrow at 2pm, so I’m psyched. I just need to stay in the mode, and I’ll be fine!

Until next time,
Seanna

It’s Friday night before finals, and my friend and her boyfriend just broke up.

What better way to help a friend feel better than make a BAMF gingerbread house and watch In the Land of Women, drooling over Adam Brody?

Me and Bailey and Nora hung out and tried to forget about the impending doom that is finals. After we made it, we Ding Dong Ditched it outside a friend’s room.

Mission accomplished, I’d say.

To be honest, I was sad to see it go. It was the only gingerbread house I’d ever helped make that didn’t collapse if you looked at it wrong.

Until next time,
I’ll be a hermit studying,
Seanna