Category Archives: Vacation

Look! Up In The Sky! It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s…Some Guy Introducing Himself!

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Hmm… given that we’ve been out of school for almost a month, you’d think I would’ve posted at least something by now. It seems procrastination, sleep, summer classes, sleep, looking for a job, procrastination, finding a job, sleep, working at said found job, eating, and sleep have gotten the better of me.

But now I’ve finally arrived, and am ready to finally make my first appearance on this fine Student Blog of ours!

My name is Tom Kline, and I’m a junior Cinema and Screen Studies/Creative Writing double major (with a minor in Theatre). I hail from the lovely (and rather quiet) town of Endwell, NY (which is about 20 minutes from Binghamton, for those of you playing along at home). I went to high school at Seton Catholic Central High School in Binghamton, where I graduated as a member of the Class of 2010.

I have what you’d call a “spirited” personality, which is to say that I tend to get excited fairly easily, and my voice often carries as a result. This ability to project is key to being an actor; in the real world, however, it often doesn’t fly. But that’s okay, because I find I’m still able to express my views and opinions (as well as fictitious anecdotes and the like) through writing, which in my experience has been an arguably quieter activity.

And if what people tell me is true (which is not always the case, sadly), I’m pretty good at this whole writing schtick.

Needless to say, much of my extra- (and even inter-) curricular activities involve extensive writing, editing, and other ways to mess around with the English language:

– I’m a member of the College Honors Program.

– I’ve been a regular Staff Writer for The Oswegonian for two years now, and some of my movie reviews have won journalism awards. I even served as a Copy Editor for a semester.

– I am currently a tutor in the Writing Center for the Office of Learning Services. Our office in Penfield Library is a perfect place to find help with papers and other forms of writing.

– My screenplay “The Chase” was featured in the Spring 2012 edition of The Great Lake Review, SUNY Oswego’s semesterly literary journal.

– Last semester, I was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Eta chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English and Creative Writing honors society.

– And of course, I’m writing for this blog!

As I mentioned, I’m also an actor; I most recently made my return to the stage in last semester’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, in which I played Friar Francis and the Sexton. Here’s a photo, courtesy of Lakeshore Images:

That's me in the front, with the Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque robes.

It was my first college theatre production, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. I’m looking forward to working with the Theatre department in the future.

When I’m not chained to a desk, writing, acting, or sleeping (or acting like I’m sleep-writing while chained to a desk), I enjoy playing video games and watching action movies (my favorites are Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and Die Hard, respectively). I’m also interested in mythology; as part of my Honors thesis, I’m researching the various ties to world mythologies found within anime, manga, and popular culture at large. It’s just one of the ways I’ve been able to fully embrace my “nerdy” interests by integrating them into my academic studies (but more on that some other time).

Well, I guess that’s me in a nutshell. In closing, I’d like to thank Tim Nekritz and the others involved with this blog for allowing me to become a contributor. I’m looking forward to posting some of my more interesting stories about SUNY Oswego sometime in the future.

Until then, thanks for reading!

 

A Moment of Gratitude

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I am truly grateful to have met the friends that I have while here in Oswego. They are all new friendships and bonds formed with the exception of one, my good friend Rufaro or Tumbo, best known as “DJ Tumbo” outside of that 6 year friendship the ones I have formed are mostly a year old or so. But that didn’t change the amount of love and companionship we all shared Sunday night as we gathered for dinner.

While many students who live nearby go home to celebrate Easter , there are a small portion of us who can’t simply because the 5 hour trip home just doesn’t work out how you would like it to sometimes. Watching everyone hop on the bus or cramming into cars to go home can make those of us forced to stay a little sad. So imagine my excitement when my best friend Damaris not only announced that she was staying on campus as well but would also be making Sunday dinner!

Since Damaris moved into the Village (the suite styled housing which I adore for it’s beautiful exterior and even more impressive interior detailing , a place I wish I had chosen to live instead of off-campus) Sunday dinners have becomes somewhat of a regular occurrence for us.

Doing what she always does so well she played grand host and master chef , whipping up a home style feast of meatloaf, creamed mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, green beans and biscuits. The food was good but the company of great friends was even better. And as the night which was filled with moments of laughter,some jokes funny enough that I found myself on the kitchen floor doubled over in laughter and lively serious debates came to a close I felt an extreme sense of gratitude. Gratitude for being blessed to have such invaluable friendship to share my happiest moments…any moments for that matter because they have been there for some of my less enviable ones as well , I am grateful. And while for many people Easter has an entirely different meaning. This year friends,love and happiness is what I’ll remember Easter to be.

Too Hot to Handle

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I don’t know where you are right now but chances are it’s hot as blazes. I happen to be home on a week long vacate in NYC and I feel as though I moved onto the sun. According to my roommates and friends back in Oz, it’s no better there. I’m actually writing this in front of a fan by the way. For whatever reason the AC isn’t running in my house and this has lead me to delirium to some crazy thoughts, such as wishing I was back at Oz to jump in the lake.  My latest genius idea was just to soak my shirt in cold water and walk around outside like “its all good baby.”

Anyway. I was browsing the internet while I waited for my megavideo time limit to pass (trying to catch up on The Office) and I came across an article on yahoo.com about the top ten ways to stay cool. I cannot attest for all of them ( like “leave cabinets open as well, as they will store heat.”) but I do know from experience that putting you fan by the window does bring in the greatest natural cool air mankind has ever felt in his room. Of course you need to have somewhat of a breeze blowing outside for this to work and right now there is none -_- . However desperate hot times , call for desperate cool off measures so give the list a once over and see what may or may not work for you. In the meantime I’m going to go give # 4 on the list a try.

 

( source link)

The 411

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One summer class down and the swan song on math in undergrad. Not too shabby huh? What have I been doing in this past week since class ended absolutely nothing. This is the first true break for me since the spring semester began, yeah travel back that far.

Alright, I may not have been being a complete summer bum, I just took out three books on loan from Penifield. Two by James Baldwin and one by David Benioff writer of the 25th Hour famously turned into a Spike Lee directed Movie, he also wrote the screen play for The Kite Runner and Troy. I figure three books is a enough to keep me pleasantly busy while allowing my mind to recuperate for the way I repeatedly put it through the grinder over these last 5 months. I’ve also been trying to make my way down to the lake as often as I can while the weather is nice and at the risk of this sounding like a match.com profile , I’ve been doing some bike riding around town as well.

At this point I may be enjoying summer days more than my friends. Everyday feels like a gift. One part of Oswego that is so underrated is the summer . We always hear about the snow, the strong wind gust and of course the sunset but summer is the town’s best kept secret. I have made it a goal of mine to share all of the different things that can be done for fun during the summer but I need to be selfish just a while longer.  Think of it as a finders fee.

Anyway I need to resume to this summer relaxation but don’t fret you’ll be seeing (hint hint) somethings from me pretty soon. Until then as Rob would say ” let that boy cook!”

Enjoy your summer day everyone,

Kwame

Let’s Catch Up

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Wow

It has been a while since I’ve really gotten into the flow of  things. Not to worry I am back and fully functioning. Took a much needed break. You know how hectic things can get for a college student. Hopefully to the demise of you the reader (just admit you miss me). With so much time passing , comes so much news.

This past semester I went through a lot. I grew a lot , I experienced a lot. I am grateful for it all , maybe not while it occurred or soon after, and truthfly there are issues I am still trying to resolve. However my new outlook has led me to be grateful for it all. Rain, sleet, Oswego sized snow days and sun. Whatever the problem I may be experiencing in the end will be worth the journey.

Success has found its way to me this year. This past spring semester I was inducted into the Lambda  Pi Eta National Honor Society of Communications. It was a pleasant surprise because although it has been my goal since day one of Oswego to receive academic recognition I never set out for this one in particular. Which made the induction and initial nomination that much more of an honor. I learned that when you take care of your business , stay focused on the goal at hand, the blessings will come. Also it never hurts to be able to send your parents a quick picture of you holding a Honor Society Certificate , all dressed up, with a great big smile with the caption “Hey mom just in case you thought I was going to Thirsty Thursdays every week.”

So all in all there has been a lot to occur. My birthday was exactly a month ago to the date( old & gray) , I received stitches for the first time (a lesson learned from that!), celebrated BSR (woop woop!), became Mr. BSU(check me out), My niece is 7 months and teething (poor baby sister).

As hectic as that may seem. I am still busy at work up here in Oswego. I’m taking summer classes, looking for employment, working on a possible intership/shadow position, and experiencing all that Oswego has to offer in the summer time (besides allergies and a sinus infection).

Rest assure though , we will be in touch!

-Kwame

Busy Bee in NYC

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Although I feel more like an actual New Yorker the longer I’m in NYC, I’ve still done a decent job of hitting up tourist locations. Since I can’t share a lot about what I’m doing at work, here’s a sneak peak into my life outside of magazines!

First and foremost, I’m still a fitness guru at heart and it’s always been on my bucket list to go running in Central Park. I’m always so envious whenever I see people in their jogging pants and sneaks, just trucking around the reservoir like they do any other day. I realized that my time here was quickly running out, so I laced up my sneaks and hit the pavement in the cold 35-degree weather, looking just like any other local.

And let me tell you, the views were worth it.

While I wasn’t in NYC for it, I was lucky enough to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra live. My mom and step-dad bought tickets for my three brothers, sister and I for Christmas, so we were all able to experience some awesome musicianship together. The pyrotechnics they used throughout the show covered the price of the ticket alone.

Once I was back in NYC, my boyfriend, Dustin, came to visit, as did my ASME friends and future roommates, Libby and Victoria to celebrate the new year. We made sure to hit up plenty of restaurants along the way, including my favorite Mexican restaurant, La Esquina. If you’re ever in the city, I highly recommend you try it. Insider tip: It’s a big place for celebrity spottings, so you have to reserve two to three weeks in advance.

We also made sure to hit up Tom’s Restaurant, famous for it’s recurring presence in Seinfeld.

I walk by this retro-looking diner every day on my walk home from work as well, so I tested out an Italian meatball sub and french fries at the Metro Diner, too. It was my first time having fries in over six months, but these were delicious!

Dustin and I also ventured around Times Square and took advantage of the M&M factory because he had never been. After we were hopped up on sugar, we played in Toys R Us. I tried to ride the ferris wheel, but you had to pay, plus the line was really long and full of little kids. I settled for a huge lollipop from the Willy Wonka side of the store instead.

And to prove I do super-cool things for my job, I took Dustin to a Harlem Globetrotters game! We were able to go to the VIP party and eat dinner with the players before the game. The Globetrotters worked with us on an article to help make a girl’s dream come true — she always wanted to play with the wacky team, so we made her dreams a reality! Check out a spring issue of FITNESS to read all about it.

What fun things have you done over winter break? Are you ready to head back to school?

Back to the Concrete Jungle

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For those of you who don’t know, this past summer I participated in an internship program through the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), which is a highly competitive 10-week program that selects 24 college juniors from across the country to work at well-known magazine companies in New York City and Washington, D.C. Only 10 percent of those who applied were accepted in 2010.

Did I mention it was paid, too?

That may not seem like a big deal to some, but for those struggling in the journalism field, we know how precious it actually is. Unpaid magazine internships are hard enough to land — paid mag internships? Well, you rarely hear of that these days, especially in such a struggling economy.

So, in the beginning of June I packed my bags and moved into a quaint NYU dorm nestled right in the heart of Greenwich Village. I had the time of my life, met amazing people and got to do the work I love every single day at FITNESS magazine. Life couldn’t get any better.

Then I came back to Oswego for my senior year. This semester has been a struggle, to say the least. I’ve been taking extremely demanding classes (but learning a lot!), working as a public relations student manager and a personal trainer at the fitness centers, blogging here and for my fitness blog, The Pulse, and I launched the Ed2010 chapter at Oswego State.

So what’s on the agenda for winter break? You’d think it would be a lot of relaxation, sleeping in and watching mindless television, right? Wrong. Instead, I’m not giving myself a vacation. Right after my finals are finished Monday, I’m packing my bags once more and heading back to the concrete jungle!

Fortunately, the editors at FITNESS were impressed with my work ethic and the quality of work I presented to them on a daily basis (at least, this is what they told me). I’ve kept in touch with quite a few of them while continuing my studies here in Oswego, and as it got closer to winter break, I asked the Executive Editor, Pam O’Brien, if they would be interested in taking me back on the staff while I’m out of school. She, along with the editors she spoke with about it, said yes right away! It felt really good to be accepted back so quickly because it made me feel as though I really left my mark. So in less than a week, I get to reclaim my old desk and resume working at a magazine I absolutely love.

But that’s not all.

As if it couldn’t get any better, right? Starting in January, I will begin a second job while in NYC. I’ll work for FITNESS three days a week and the remainder of the week I will work for The Association of Magazine Media, formerly known as the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), to assist with their National Magazine Awards. Not to mention I’ll be working alongside one of my good friends, Nina Fortuna, every day I’m there. Once again, it’s a paid position, so both jobs will definitely help me work toward the permanent move to the city in six months.

So keep your eyes peeled for blog posts about all of my activities while I’m back in the city, readers! I’ll be talking about the goings-on at the mag and MPA, and my experiences of living on the Upper West Side. I rented a room from a student who is traveling over break, and will have two other roommates, so I’m sure there will be adventures to share!

Have you ever done a winter internship? What are your plans for this break?

Home is Where the Heart Is

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I just got back from Thanksgiving break, and as cliche as it sounds, I must say that I wish break hadn’t flown by so fast. I’ve loved being at school and taking more steps to get me closer to the career I want, but sometimes I just really miss my family. I haven’t been home for more than three weeks all year, so I was grateful that I was able to spend time with a lot of family members over break.

However, I didn’t head straight home for break. Instead, I traveled through Boston, all the way up to Manchester, N.H. My mother’s entire side of the family, all of whom I’m really close with, live around Manchester and I always make a point to visit at least once a year. Thanksgiving break was my time to visit this year. I stayed at my Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave’s house throughout the week, but was lucky enough to see every family member.

Tuesday was just a day of traveling, so I didn’t do much more than hang out around the house. My friend, Kait, was awesome enough to offer me a ride from Oswego to Worcester, which is right outside of Boston. Then her parents became even more amazing and offered to drive me the whole way to Manchester so that I wouldn’t have to take a bus.

Wednesday became the special day between my Aunt Sue and I. Nicknamed her “special girl,” we hit the mall for some shopping, grabbed lunch and margaritas at Shorty’s, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, and went to the movies to see Love and Other Drugs. In case you were wondering, it’s a must-see movie.

I also had breakfast with my Grammy and caught up with my old friend, Nick, after the movie at Applebee’s. I’ve known him since we were little kids, but we often only see each other once a year and talk the rest of the time via Facebook or text messaging, so it was nice to catch up in person again.

Thursday was Thanksgiving! My uncles, aunts, baby cousin Devyn, Grammy and I went to Hart’s Turkey Farm, a restaurant famous for their turkey dinners. It was delicious! I followed my Surviving Thanksgiving Dinner guidelines too and ate rather healthy. Unfortunately, my family then surprised me with a birthday cake (apparently my birthday is a week-long celebration), which totally de-railed any healthy eating habits I had going. Not to mention I wasn’t expecting it at all, so my face turned about 10 shades of red.

I spent Friday with my cousin Joclyn, who shares a special bond with me because she’s exactly 10 years younger than me (Well, her birthday is the day before mine, but it’s close enough). I bought her a “Fight Like A Girl” T-shirt that Colleges Against Cancer was selling this year to benefit the American Cancer Society, and we both had black boots, so she loved the fact that we could dress up as twins for a day.

I headed over to my Aunt Carol’s on Saturday, where I got to have a second round of Thanksgiving dinner with her, her boyfriend Jim, my mom, step-dad, and my little brother, Scott. Once again, I followed my Survive Thanksgiving Dinner tips and ate a delicious yet healthy meal!

We also had family game night, and the girls kicked butt in Catchphrase for three rounds. I also won a round of Apples to Apples, but my Aunt Carol and Jim were able to claim a round, too. Scott put up a valiant effort each time, but was unable to clinch a title like he usually does.

I spent all of  Sunday traveling on a bus, which wasn’t fun because my phone decided to call it quits about two minutes after I boarded. Fortunately, I had my boyfriend’s phone number memorized and was able to get to a pay phone so he could pick me up safe and sound. And when I got back to Oswego, the view was definitely worth it.

How was your Thanksgiving break? Did you experience any memorable moments?

They Call Me “Mellow Yellow”

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Actually, nobody’s ever called me “Mellow Yellow”. Quite the contrary actually…

I’m a junior Broadcasting and Mass Communication major, and I’m really interested in taking on a Journalism minor as long as that is still feasible! Last summer, I worked as a Laker Leader for New Student and Family Orientation programs. I loved the experience, and I think it’s safe to say that the summer of 2009 was one of my best!

I’ve worked with Sports Information at SUNY Oswego for the past two years, which included working with the Men’s and Women’s hockey teams, as well as announcing the women’s softball games. As a softball player for thirteen years, announcing the home games reminds me how fortunate I was to play softball for so long and be successful at it. I also was a cheerleader in high school, and was avid in the Jazz Choir, as well as the Oswego State Singers during my freshman year at Oswego. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to sing. It’s something that I have always turned to no matter what.

I’m from a pretty big town on Long Island called Smithtown, and I’m the baby of the family in my house. My older sister Kristina graduated from Siena College in Albany NY in 2008, and my brother Carlo graduated from the University at Buffalo this past May. I’ve got a wonderfully wet-nosed fluffball of a poodle at home who does the “Cha-Cha-Cha” for treats and can jump from one person to another. You’ll hear about her more later on, I’m sure!

I also play guitar in my spare time, and I like to putz around on the piano when I’ve got the time, but I’m self-taught in both. I think that music is one of the most influential ways of expression for me because it gives me this secure and non-judgmental channel to say what I want to say. Maybe someday I’ll muster up the courage to play in front of a large crowd, but for now, my cheerleader bear and my studio mic are my most captive audiences…. 🙂

Getting ready to celebrate the earth!

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Mother Earth Week is coming up NEXT WEEK AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

On a sidenote: I’m stressing out right now. Amidst my several articles due for JLM 310 and 309, papers for Eng 220, exams for Fre 202, homework for GLS 316, upcoming concert and voice lessons for MUS 497, events to organize/publicize for JLM 495, AND putting together a whole week of environmental awareness events = I am trying to remember to eat and sleep!

I overbook myself, but it’s an addiction because I love being busy from 7 a.m. to 11/12 p.m. every day. It’s a curse I tell ya. But, something tells me that this will all amount to something in the end, so I’ll keep at it.

Bitching aside, are you ready to love ya Motha? Mother Earth Week starts next Saturday at 10:30 a.m. by Mary Walker Health Center where we will be walking along the lakeshore east and west of the building, cleaning up loads of plastic and general trash. That’s just the start. Sunday is our prep/have fun with Indian color festival pigment battle day. That should be fun… the rest of the events are online at our Web site: Students for Global Change.

Two things I wanted to highlight, though were the environmental panel and Oswegostock.

The environmental panel (check the event page on Facebook) is on Tuesday, April 20th at 7 p.m. in Lanigan 104. The point of this panel discussion is to spread the awareness about particular, multidisciplinary sides of climate change and the move toward sustainability. We have professors from the psychology, chemistry and political science departments addressing issues from each of their respective disciplines.

Dr. Kestas Bendinskas, a very active scientist who studies the impacts of coal gasification and such, will address the science aspect of climate change.
Dr. Lisa Glidden is a political science teacher who will talk about existent and future energy policies and the different global policies on the environment.
Dr. Dave Sargent will address the issues of behavioral changes to adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle. He will address issues behind the psychology of climate change and sustainable life as a whole.

I will sit on the panel too as a moderator and move the conversation along while addressing and student questions there are.

The second event that I wanted to talk about is Oswegostock! This will be the most exciting festival you’ve been to ever, better than the orignal Woodstock!!!! Okay.. maybe not, seeing as how there won’t be any drugs or alcohol floating around the event. But, nonetheless. this will be an event to remember.

During Oswegostock, we will have several bands playing sets while we partake in arts and crafts, food, and games. There’ll be frisbee games, bubble making, tie-dyeing, eco-friendly craft making, and anything else you would like to do. THIS ISN’T A HIPPIE EVENT! It is meant to bring together the Oswego community where people will be enjoying good music and listening to speakers on the environment.

So, with all that said, I won’t bore you anymore! Come out and enjoy Mother Earth Week. E-mail me at kraymond@oswego.edu for more information or visit our Web site at http://s4gc.blogspot.com.