My Evening at the Library

This must be my 10th time to the library this semester. I have been logging my hours and I believe I've accumulated at least 20 hours of studying. Aka, time I will not be spending playing video games.
I am not sure why I randomly decided to blog about my library experience tonight (as it is no different than most of my past library excursions), but since I finished my homework for the week I might as well post something before I leave.
Let me start off by saying:
You know what is worse than going to the library and doing homework?
...going to the library with the intent of getting work done but being too sleepy to do so.
I was on a huge procrastination binge when I first got to Blackwell library however, twenty minutes later I knew I had to open up Word and finish editing my Spanish paper.
But just as I prepare to type, I take a deep breath...
*yawn*
Oh no.
This can't be happening. I'm just starting this thing.
*another yawn*
Please let me make it through...it's due tomorrow morning...
As I linger with these gruesome thoughts, I tell myself that I will edit the first half of the assignment and take a nap on the desk.
I'll have you know that library naps are anything but shameful. They are a wonderful gift from the human body to rest in a quiet atmosphere when you can't be home to do so. I live in a house off-campus...am I really going to drive all the way back home just to take a 30-60 minute nap and return to the library again? Too much effort for sure...
So, I tried to fight as much as I can before I would cave in. And sure enough, my dedication to editing my assignment gave me the energy to remain awake EVEN after finishing! Well done Jade, well done!
I went downstairs from my niche of the library to print out my paper, and sadly two of the computers were acting up on me. Luckily I ran into a friend who let me print from his computer (Thanks Andy!)
Anywho, it's late and I am getting ready for another Friday in the nation's capital. Afterwards, I look forward to a long weekend of relaxing, hanging with sisters AND crafting for my little who I will be with IN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK!!!
I CAN'T WAIT TO FINALLY BE WITH YOU!!! <3
Until then, goodnight!

Letting Go of Negative Thinking

In the midst of being at work, reserving heavy media equipment and editing rooms for college students, I came across an article that kind of answered some lingering thoughts I'd been having lately. 
From all the weight of school, extracurricular activities, work and a social life, sometimes I have a tendency to let thoughts of doubt, worry and negativity enter my mind. Once they did however; they were hard to shake away due to the amount of stress I was going through. The nature of these thoughts were small, but I let them get so big because I kept feeding more and more attention to it. Sooner or later, I found myself in tears from all of my over-thinking. 
The back-and-forth nature of the situation had me feeling uncomfortable for a long period of time. It was time to get these insecure feelings out for good...but how?
Back to the first sentence, I was on Google tonight trying to figure out how to deal with self-worrying and cut it out of my life. Then, I stumbled upon a page that had a short, concise article that I quickly glanced over. I will not mention this article or where I got it from, but it was just what I needed in the right moment.
After reading the article plus a bunch of comments that followed, I realized that when we receive negative thoughts, it is indeed our decision whether or not to devote more time thinking about it. Our brains are great motivators for this because of the pickup of dangers or threats...we want to avoid it at all costs even if the danger or threat is not real.
Seeing as most of my negative thoughts were merely based out of nothing whatsoever, I knew I was overreacting. But how could I convince myself that those thoughts should be disregarded when I put so much of my time into the thought that it could be potentially perceived as reality?
We can all agree that negative thoughts don't feel good at all. This is due to the fact that they interrupt the cycle of life and it's mobility. No matter how true we may perceive a negative thought however; the fact of the matter is it is not truth because life does not support this thought. Whatever argument we may come up with in our heads can be invalid because it is a conflict in life's movement. If these thoughts are not based on anything factual, life does not support those thoughts.
The main point I am trying to get at is that we all want joy. I seek it with my dreams, goals, relationships, accomplishments and the little things. We all want to be in a state of joy; to match up with our desires and align them with the movement of life itself. In other words, if something makes you happy and you can seek mutual happiness that evokes a compatibility in which you both benefit and grow from, that "something" will remain in your reality. 
Once I realized it, I was speechless. I put so much time into something that was irrelevant, unreal and untruthful. The thoughts I were having were not reliable enough for me to believe them, but I did. Now I see that I can let go of these thoughts by just believing in my joy and how the things that I have in my life currently bring me joy. We just have to stop putting more time into the negative thoughts and just focus on our dreams and desires. Whatever we are dealing with in life should be based all around our personal happiness. 
And that will set you free.

My Thoughts During the Week

Monday:
"I can't speak in Spanish at 9am...como se dice 'help'?"
"This specialized reporting class is two hours long?! I really hope there is a bagel break in the middle there."
"Classes over and I've got the afternoon to do...well, nothing! But wait I have to film..."
Tuesday:
"Man I really dig these new dance moves I just learned in Modern Dance..maybe I can use them for Mock Rock?"
"Take Advanced Audio Production, they said. It will be fun, they said..."
"Aww yeah Zumba time! Let's see how many people signed up- wow, 30?! Oh my god so cool!!"
"Whew, now I get to check out media stuff for 4 hours. Yay night shift!"
Wednesday
"Ugh, more Spanish...oh wait I get it now!!"
"I really hope I can be a reporter after this class. Scratch that, I WILL be a reporter after this class!"
"I went all the way to Gulls Nest, had lunch for 15 minutes just to run back to TETC and sit at a desk? People are so needy..."
"Why do I have to go back to campus later? I'm so exhausted..."
Thursday
"But I did these dance moves already...when can we start leaping?"
"Zumba! But there are so many people..."
"Hmmm...to go out or not to go out..."
Friday
"Seriously? No puedo hablar en español no más!" 
"Now to take a nap...just kidding I still have Zumba..."
"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CLASS. THEY ARE ALL LAUGHING AND I DON'T KNOW WHY!"
"So done. Time to get my dance on."
Saturday
"11am, time for Commons!"
Sunday
"Do we really have class tomorrow?"

Rinse, lather, repeat. New week, same thoughts.
What are some of your thoughts during the week? Are they more positive/negative than mine? Share them with me!
In the meantime, it's Sunday therefore I'm going to stop thinking and start doing... my homework at least.

Formal Recruitment 2014

So it has been a while since my last blog post, and I apologize for that oh so dearly. But I was so busy with such an awesome event called...

Formal Recruitment 2014
This was an ongoing event that culminated in a woman joining one of the four Panhellenic Council sororities: Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Gamma, Phi Mu or Zeta Tau Alpha. In a nutshell, it was five days of pure sweetness, chaos and everything in between. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every second of it. Being on the other side of recruitment was definitely an interesting experience. Over two hundred women signed up, so it was indeed a lengthy but entertaining process. My sleep deprivation was at an all time high, but in the end it was all worth it!
The first day of recruitment was cancelled due to snow but we picked it back up by combining Info Night and Philanthropy Night the next day. We discussed the overview about our sorority and also spoke about our philanthropy. It was a bundle of information however, it is necessary to promote the wonderful things that Greek life does for the community.

Following that was Skit Night, in which we put on a skit for the potential new members, and that was a joy to do as well! We had The Jungle Book as a skit that was fun for both sisters and the women going through recruitment. Besides falling in the first round of the skit... I think that went over better than I thought :)

The third night was actually more of a morning, with the Preference ceremony! Girls got to experience an intimate look at a specific sorority. This is a special event that allows the sisters to make a connection with the wonderful women entering the room. I loved the calm atmosphere of the day; it really helped set the stage for fostering bonds with the ladies.

And finally, Bid Day! The day where every girl is revealed to the sorority to which they have chosen to call their home. I was a "runner", so my my job was to run out and greet the newest member of our chapter and bring her to our side of the room. Oh, and I took tons of pictures that day. I achieved my record of most "Instagrammed" pictures in a day...which ended up being fourteen pictures that whole day!!

Another incredible part of Bid Day was reuniting with my big once more. She was disaffiliated for nearly two months to be a Rho Delta, or a counselor/escort to the potential new members during recruitment. Being able to be with my big and my twin altogether again made me a happy camper to say the least. :)
All together, we got a new pledge class that is about the size (or bigger) than my own pledge class a year prior. I know each of these girls will do great things in our chapter and I cannot wait to get to know them more and more, day by day :)

So...what does this mean? It means a lifetime of opportunities, networking and socializing. You can never be bored because there is ALWAYS a sister who will be willing to go to Wawa at 2 A.M. or get their nails done even if they've never had a manicure, or even if you're having a rough day. She will be there for you no matter what the circumstances.

And remember, we are all Greek together! So never shun or put down any other Greeks because these people are your family. We are all very different, but we tend to forget that when you're with someone and each of you are wearing a lettered shirt. I could not be more proud of my sisters and all of the Greek community for putting on such a great recruitment. 

With that said, I'm looking forward to a great new year with all of our new Phis!! :)