Happy Dead Week everyone!

Well that sounds rather morbid doesn’t it? But no worries; dead week is the term used to refer to the week before final exams. It’s usually a time of no work, no exams, etc. allowing students to use the time to prepare for exams. Unfortunately, right now that is not the case for me! The end of the semester is quickly approaching and that means it is time for finishing up assignments, editing essays and making study guides.

With final exams right around the corner, there is no doubt that everyone is starting to become a little stressed. Thankfully the Center for Health Education and Wellness (the CHEW office) always organizes a number of de-stressing opportunities for students during Dead Week. These de-stressors are usually something along the lines of a yummy treat in DeNaples, free massages, or a meditation series. I’m hoping my friends will want to attend the Late Night Study Event on Thursday from 10-12PM since DeNaples will be offering two of my favorite things: pizza and smoothies! I can’t say I’ve heard of any other colleges that offer so much during such a busy time for students. Whether it’s eating pizza or receiving a massage, getting away from the hustle and bustle of exam preparation is always nice.

Thankfully for me the de-stressing fun won’t stop there. This Friday, Octaves will be taking a trip to a local movie theater to see the premiere of the one and only, Pitch Perfect 2! Although I haven’t seen the first movie full through, I’m still super excited to see this one. What kind of a cappella singer would I be if I couldn’t enjoy Pitch Perfect? Considering all of our events for the year are done, we have not had any practices this week. I must admit my Sunday and Tuesday nights felt a little empty! I know it’ll be a blast spending time with my amazing fellow singers outside campus, watching a movie they all have been absolutely dying to see.

But for now I must get back to my work! As difficult the next two days will be, I know I’ll have my fun soon enough!

Last weekend at the U was, hands down, one of the best weekends I’ve ever experienced here. To start, the weather has been beyond beautiful (So beautiful that I’m even starting to get a tan!). Like I’ve said before, I more than love being outside on campus while the weather is warm. The wonderful high 70’s was definitely icing on the cake for all the events that took place at Scranton!

The sun was out and shining on Saturday; just in time for Spring Fest! Every year, USPB (the University of Scranton Programming Board) hosts SpringFest, a day devoted to having fun in the springtime sun. The day begins at 2PM and and takes place on the Dionne Campus Green. From 2 o’clock on I watched the green gradually overflow with students (in a good way of course!). There were games, tons of food, bounce houses, and even a mechanical bull. I was skeptical of all this at first because I couldn’t seem to picture college students getting so excited about blown up obstacle courses and snow cones…and boy was I proven wrong very quickly! There was also a battle of the bands competition that began around 3:30 which included four bands featuring all University students.

But the day didn’t end there. At 8:30, the main event occurred: a visit from the famous DJ Earworm! My friends and I couldn’t believe this when we saw posters around campus, so we decided to stay and see how the concert was. Incase you’re not familiar, DJ Earworm is known for his yearly pop music mashups (Ex: In 2009 he released “Blame It On the Pop”, a song compiled of the top pop hits of 2009. Check him out on YouTube!) Since I wanted to pick up a free SpringFest t-shirt I earned, we were there a little before 8:30 and ended up standing front row! Aside from the little bit of shoving, it was the best decision we made all day. The music was AWESOME; the Green was filled with dancing University students all unbelievably excited to hear DJ Earworm’s music. Overall, the day was amazing and made me realize more than ever how much my school has to offer. And because so many students attended the event, I truly felt a part of an amazing and fun community. If only every Saturday could be like SpringFest!

Super close to DJ Earworm as you can see!

All the students singing and dancing along at the concert!

Last Friday, The University held one of the best events I’ve been too all year: Relay for Life! Incase you’re not familiar, Relay for Life is an overnight cancer benefit that most schools and towns participate in. Men and Women for Octaves, along with many other Scranton clubs/sports, had a team. It was really incredible to see so many students come together to support a great cause. Relay for Life was pretty popular in high school, but I wasn’t sure if it would be as popular in college. The event was held in the Byron Center, started at around 7PM and lasted until around 7AM the next morning. And though that is a long time, the night was filled with a number of activities: races, games, Quizzo, and even Zumba! (I must admit my director Jimmy and I were mostly excited for Zumba!)

Two high school friends and I at Relay

Each team there also had some sort of fundraiser. Some students created games, gave henna tattoos, sold food etc. However, Octaves was a little more creative. Our fundraiser there was having anyone donate two dollars and in return, we’d sing any song of their choice on the spot! We had quite a few people requests songs, one girl even wanted to sing for her boyfriend! But whether we were getting donations or not, the singing never stopped. I think it’s safe to say it is near impossible to hang out with an a cappella group and not be singing something. Our beatboxer Jim also brought along his guitar for the night so we all had a blast jamming with him.

Octaves in the Byron Center

But in between all the fun and games there were some incredibly heartfelt moments. Royal Harmony and Octaves both sang during the Luminaria Ceremony. The ceremony consists of two laps around the gym, the survivor lap and the remembrance lap. Octaves thought our best song to sing during the remembrance lap was without a doubt A Sky Full of Stars. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful that moment was. Knowing how cancer has affected almost everyone in that room really put the group in another world when we started singing. It’s times like this that remind how powerful and how emotional music can truly be. Performing at Relay for Life has made me even MORE excited for our concert on Sunday.

Just like at Railrider Stadium, Relay for Life really gave Octaves another bonding experience. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my fellow singers these past few days and I can truly say I’m more thankful than ever for my spot in the group. This semester has been filled with great performances and even greater memories; I don’t want it to come to an end!

Last Thursday, Octaves and Royal Harmony were honored to sing at Railrider Stadium on Opening Day for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders! The event wasn’t exactly how I expected it to be, but nonetheless was an exciting morning I know I’ll never forget. It all started at 4:30AM. Yes you read that right, 4:30 in the morning! Since it was such an early event, a few of us decided to head over to one of the Kate’s apartment (a soprano in our group) and hang out until we had to leave.

Once we all were at the stadium, the singing began! The production crew taped clips of us singing Take Me Out To The Ball Game (both groups), Geronimo (Octaves), Rather Be (Royal Harmony), and Don’t You Worry Child (both groups). We finished performing around 7AM, headed back to the University and, most of us, went to bed! I have to say the hardest part of this experience wasn’t staying awake, but more so staying warm! Who would think Pennsylvania could be 30 degrees at 5AM? Ha ha! As you can see in this picture, our director came prepared with a blanket.

Yet despite the cold, this performance was so much fun and gave the group perfect bonding time. I was able to get to know my fellow Octaves better than before and grew closer with those I usually don’t get the chance to spend time with at rehearsals. I truly adore this group; there is no one else I would want to sing with before the sun rises! I hope we’re able to sing at opening day again next year.

Thursday (at least I am hoping) might have been the last chilly day for Scranton. Ah yes this long, dreadful winter is finally coming to an end! Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day. It was so beautiful, in fact, it seemed that every soul on campus was outside! Each bench was covered, tables were filled, and the Dionne Green could have been mistaken for a football field. My friends and I were so shocked I had to take pictures.

It may seem silly to be this ecstatic about 70 degrees but warm weather really brings out all the beautiful parts of the University. I personally am not a fan of the cold; I would wear flips flop all year round if I could! And because I have a tendency to become a little more gloomy during the winter months, I appreciate the spring and summer that much more. Being able to write an essay outside or plop myself at a table outside DeNaples with an iced coffee makes school pretty bearable to say the least! Considering I have only a little more than a month left of my freshman year, I’ll definitely be taking advantage of this lovely campus as the 60 and 70 degree days make their way to Scranton.

Hope you’re all enjoying the spring as much as I am and see you next week! 🙂

-Catie

Hello all!

Happy April! Easter is just a few days away; that means we have another break! Although spring break was only about ten days ago, like I’ve said I’ll never pass up an opportunity to sleep in my own bed. I absolutely love the Easter season and I’m glad I am able to spend these next couple days with my family.

However, when we return, the University is jam packed with events! USPB (the student programming board) has recently sold tickets for a New York City trip on April 11th. Students had the options of purchasing a $10 bus ticket or purchasing a $25 ticket which covered the bus and a ticket to see the new broadway musical Finding Neverland. Who could pass up such a great deal?

USPB isn’t the only organization sponsoring a trip that weekend, the International Student Club is as well! However, this trip is not just a day trip, but a two-days one night stay at the Sheraton Boston! That’s right; the University is giving students the opportunity to explore any part of Boston for a night! My friends and I were deciding if we wanted to go on either of these trips, but unfortunately Octaves has a few performances coming up so I have to stick around campus. But I hope students are taking advantage of these upcoming trips. (I hear there is even a trip to Montreal, Canada the weekend of the 24th! How crazy is that?)

There are also a number of retreats students can sign up for this month. One of these is also the weekend of April 11th and is called Born to be Wild! My one friend told me he’s so excited to head up to the Chapman Lake Retreat Center for this event because it is a little different from the other retreats. This one is going to be filled with walks, hiking, and all that things of that nature! (Ha see what I did there?). If I’m unable to attend an excursion such as the Boston or NYC trip, I most definitely want to go on a retreat. As much as I love Scranton, a weekend away during those final six weeks does not sound bad at all.

Hope you’ve all been having a great week! With more to say, I’ll be back next week.

Finally, after a long week filled with essays and mid-terms, I am so glad to be home for spring break. Although there really is no fun in exam preparation, working hard and studying for those tests make being home feel, in a way, rewarding. Despite the couple homework assignments I have due, I’m definitely taking advantage of this time away from the hustle and bustle of school. People might wonder what my favorite part of being home is; and as much as I love home cooked meals and free laundry, I have to admit the best part of home-life is this: sleeping in my own bed!

Spring break is about a week. Since it isn’t quite enough time to head back to that part-time job and we aren’t all lucky enough to fly over to a lovely exotic island, some college students might find themselves in a rut; how should I spend my time on break?  So I thought I’d compile a list of a few ideas!

1. Catch up with high school friends.
Having time to chat with old friends is always a nice way to spend a day or an evening. Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy! A bunch of my friends from home had their spring break last week, however, I’m thankful that my best friend was around for just a day before she drove back to school. Nevertheless, there’s bound to be someone around during the week!

2.  Go on a day trip
Depending on where you live, a day trip can be tons of fun! I live in New Jersey so, contrary to popular belief, there are a multitude of options for day trips. Take a drive to a new city or museum. Maybe find a free concert!

3. Have lunch or dinner at a restaurant you’ve been meaning to try
Just like anyone else, I LOVE dining out even to places I’ve eaten at a thousand times (like Olive Garden). But sometimes I’m in need of a little change. Use a night or two out of the week to grab a meal from that new burger joint or hibachi buffet your friends have been telling you about!

4. Shopping
Although I am nothing like the average female shopaholic, who doesn’t enjoy an occasional trip to the mall? With warm weather starting to creep up, head over to your favorite stores and purchase some spring attire! I know I cannot wait for Scranton’s temperature to hit the 70s so I can stack away the boots and bring out the flip flops.

5. Have some serious hobby time
Between homework, tests, clubs, and friends, it can be hard to set aside time for yourself at school. Since you are most likely all studied-out, use this week to read a book, find some new tunes to listen to, go on a few bike rides etc.

This week will most likely go by much faster than you think! It’s hard to believe it is already Wednesday. No doubt going back to school will be nice, but I never want my time home to pass by too quickly.

With only two days until the new season, I might as well just say it now! Happy Spring everyone, I’ll be back soon. 🙂 

-Catie

This past Sunday, the University was lucky enough to have a musical guest! If you recall in a previous post, I mentioned that Octaves was having our first real gig this semester on March 8th. The Suspensions, West Chester University’s all male a cappella group, is currently on tour and decided to contact us and Royal Harmony with the interest of having a collaboration concert! The Suspensions kicked off the concert with Bruno Mars’s Treasure and performed about four songs after that. Royal Harmony prepared two songs and Octaves sang three, all which were spread out in between T. S.’s performances. Everybody’s songs were great; however, the absolute best part of this hour long concert was the song all three groups sang together. For about two or three weeks, Royal Harmony, Octaves and The Suspensions had been practicing the pop hit, Some Nights by F.U.N. And let me just say…singing this all together was well beyond fun! (See what I did there?) Although we all had been learning the song in our own groups, we were never able to rehearse it all together in the same room until that very day. None of us could get over how unbelievably full the sound was! It is times like these when I realize there is truly no other feeling  like being on stage with an amazing musical group.

The Suspensions were not only an incredibly vocally talented ensemble, but were an all around friendly and entertaining group of young men. What I loved the most about this performance was that it brought together three groups of individuals that are all passionate about the same thing: music! Being in an a cappella ensemble makes watching other a cappella performances that much more exciting. Seeing the songs these men chose, the way they presented themselves on stage and paying attention to how each voice part worked with the others definitely kept me interested. And besides, when you’re a singer, who doesn’t want to be around other singers? There is nothing more fun than belting out songs and jokingly beatboxing with people who enjoy it just as much as you do!

One of the members of The Suspension’s was able to catch a selfie of all (well most) of us!

The concert was the perfect ending to my weekend. Unfortunately, I don’t think our next performance is until Relay for Life which is at the end of April! But considering Spring Break and Easter Break are right around the corner, I bet Relay will be here before I know it. Lately it’s been easy for me to forget that on Friday I’ll be on my way home. It feels like I just moved back in from winter break! Freshman year is going by so fast. As much as I want midterms and finals to be over and done with, a part of me still wants these next couple months to slow down at least a tiny bit! This semester has been going so well in so many ways and I’m going to try to embrace every minute I can (even amidst the papers, exams and stress!). With that being said, it’s time for me to catch some rest so I can be ready for a long day of Theology mid-term preparation. It’ll all be worth it soon enough!

Hope you all have a lovely rest of the week 🙂 especially with this lovely weather!

While March might be the first month of spring, Scranton, unfortunately, has still been having some colder days. We had a little bit of snow throughout the day that gradually turned into rain, so regular activities, such as going to practice and walking to dinner, felt like a hassle. However, my friend and I decided to take advantage of the time inside and order a pizza for dinner!

The University has two pizza places in walking distance from the dorms: CK’s and Good Fellas (thankfully they still deliver even when the weather is bad!). Being from New Jersey, I must admit I was pretty skeptical of how Pennsylvania pizza would taste. I remember the first time I ate CK’s was last semester; I was shocked! It was absolutely delicious. I prefer just plain cheese pizza (with a side of ranch oddly enough), but a bunch of my friends love CK’s buffalo chicken slice. There is always the constant debate between Scranton students whether CK’s or Good Fellas is better.  Although I have had, and enjoyed, both, there’s just something about CK’s I cannot get enough of!

CK’s and Good Fellas aren’t the only go-to places in the Scranton area. “The Electric City” has much more to offer than people believe! I cannot deny that there have been multiple times when people obnoxiously ask me, “Why’d you pick to go to school in Scranton? There’s NOTHING there”. Honestly, that statement couldn’t be more false. The University is strategically placed in the city of Scranton itself; although when you’re on campus, you could never tell. Just a block or two beyond this  beautiful, green college, there are plenty of places to go. Here are some of them!

1. Northern Light Espresso Bar and Cafe

2. The Mall at Steamtown (yes, a mall is in walking distance from the school!)

3. Coconut Summer LLC (frozen yogurt shop)

4. Rite Aid (incredibly useful for college students)

5. City Market and Cafe, also has a Dunkin Donuts inside!

6. Lavish Body and Home (one of the many boutique style shops)

7. Freed Love (another clothing store me and my friends LOVE browsing in)

8. Scranton Cultural Center

9. Mission Yoga

10. Pizza by Pappas

….and so much more! The city holds a number of events throughout the year, such as First Friday Scranton and La Festa Italiana. You can read even more about downtown Scranton on the University website.

Hopefully the weather clears up soon and some warmer, sunnier days are ahead so my friends and I can go back to some of these awesome places!

Saturday, The Leahy Community Health and Family Center arranged a benefit concert with three acts: Royal Harmony, Urban Beats Crew (a dance group on campus) and Octaves! This was our first gig of the semester so we were all pretty excited. Since it is early on in the season, we performed one song from our last concert, which was Chick Mix, along with the first piece we started a few weeks ago, Geronimo by Sheppard. The audience seemed to really enjoy our performance; I think this gave us a lot of confidence for our upcoming concerts. Our next one is on March 8^th and I know it is going to be a blast. Octaves is combining with the West Chester Men’s A Cappella group for a concert which will include a collaboration song!

Earlier last week, our directors mentioned that Men and Women for Octaves (the name referring to both a cappella groups on campus) was in need of some new admin, specifically a Vice President and Publicist. Although I was hesitant about running, my friend convinced me to run for Publicist. I realized it would be a good opportunity to get a feel for what public relations is all about, especially since right now my dream career is to be a magazine editor. Long story short, I received an e-mail this morning; I won the position! I was so thrilled and of course, the first thing I did was text my mom. 🙂 Not only will this be a great learning experience, but it will be a way for me to become even more involved in a group I absolutely love.

This new publicist position isn’t the only thing that’s made me happy lately. I must admit my coffee craze has increased greatly this semester! Unfortunately, I don’t have any coffee to use for my Keurig since I’ve mainly used that for tea, so I tend to purchase this addictive beverage at the many sellers around campus; this includes Java City (located in the library and in Hyland), Starbucks (on the first floor of the DeNaples Center) and the Pod Market (also on first floor of DeNaples and next to the gym).

Java City

I consume a cup of coffee around every other day. After the first week, I couldn’t help but realize that doing so is quite an expense! However, what I began to notice this semester was the great deal of students who bring their own cup to Starbucks or Java City and drink their coffee in that. And no wonder why they do that…it’s so much cheaper! When a student brings their own reusable coffee cup of any size to Java City, it costs 50 cents and at Starbucks it’s only a dollar! Of course when I heard this through the grapevine I rushed over to the campus bookstore and purchased my own cup. This might have been the best decision I’ve made all semester. Ha ha!

Well on that note, I better go rinse this lovely beverage holder so it’s ready for tomorrow!

Happy Wednesday!