Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Halloween is when you get to dress up and be a character without people looking at you like you are crazy. It is the time when you get to be spooked out by scary stories and things of that nature. I think everyone loves Halloween. Everyone of all ages participates in Halloween.

One of the best parts of Halloween is the Trick or Treating. The kids love this part and so do I. You get to go to people's houses and collect so much candy. I have to admit I do have a sweet tooth. There is also the bad part which most teenagers are responsible for. There is the egg throwing and the t.p.ing of the houses. So be careful of that when you are out on Halloween, thankfully I did not run into it.

The school did host some events. There was a Halloween party. There was also the trip to Greenwich Village for the Halloween Day Parade. We were to meet in Residence Life to receive our free Metro Cards. Next we were to be picked up by the shuttle bus, it was so crowded that night. We then were taken to the Ferry. From the Ferry it was to the One Train until Christopher Street.

It was a very nice parade and I got to walk in it!

Kings Park

Kings Park Psychiatric Center is an abandoned psychiatric center in Kings Park, Long Island. Many people have came by this abandoned institution. Lots have come by for a dare or have brought their camera. Some have come to vandalize and steal. Either way everyone who has came put themselves in danger and have been trespassing.

State park officials have issues 231 violations and 17 arrests. The main issue is the safety of people's health, there are a lot of asbestos in the building. The asbestos gets on their clothes and they bring it home with them. There are lots of hazards at this site. The psychiatric center was closed in 1993.

Around Halloween lots of teens come to do dangerous activities. I know for a fact some of my friends that I worked with have visited Kings Park, because it is haunted. Indeed it is, they took pictures and you can see the orbs. They told me stories of the ghosts they have seen. You may not believe it, but I do.

Officials have said they were going to install cameras to catch trespassers. This is a very dangerous place and should be secured.

I got the job!

College is an expensive thing. Even though financial aid is covering everything, somethings are not covered, because they are not necessities. My tuition, room & board, meal plan, and my books are covered. There are other things that have to be paid for too in the real world. What about things that are like your basic needs like toilet paper and things of that sort? Who's going to pay for that? The student is.

What happens to those students like me who have no money, whose parents have no money either? That student has to find a job. So I have been searching since I got here, I've tried the mall, the surrounding area, and even campus. Since work study is on a first come, first serve basis, I did not get it because I couldn't find St. John's code for FAFSA until they accepted me in May.

So thankfully, I applied for a telemarketing job at Wagner College, and I got the job. Tuesday was the orientation, and I got paid for that day too. Yesterday was my official first day. I am supposed to persuade alumni and family of alumni to donate money to the Wagner College Annual Scholarship Fund. It was so nerve racking making my first call. Most of my calls were no answers. I got a few refusals and call backs. I did get one person to think about pledging.

Once I got to the Massachusetts pile, everyone was a little annoyed, because I was interrupting their Red Sox game. I am glad I got a job, finally I can be motivated again and get the money I need. Overall, I liked my first day!

My friend's Sweet 16

On Friday, October 19th, my friend had her Sweet 16 and I was invited to the special occasion. It was held at the Bridgewater Yacht Club in Island Park, Long Island. It felt like a little reunion for me, seeing lots of people I went to high school with. It was not one of your Sweet 16's from MTV's Super Sweet 16, it was more of a traditional one. The theme was Greek, because she is Greek, so the colors were blue and white representing the flag.

There was a dance floor with a D.J. Her mother looked beautiful. They gave us mardi-gras beads, sequined hats, and sunglasses. It was finally time for miss Sweet 16 to come down the stairs. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She had a big white ball gown on. After dancing a lot, she decided to slip into a more comfortable blue dress.

Soon, it was time to eat. Of course they had Greek food, but I'm Italian, so you know I was looking for the pasta. Thank God, they had baked ziti (my favorite) and calamari. I felt like I was sitting in V.I.P. since miss Sweet 16 herself was sitting at the table with me and my boyfriend and his sisters. The souvenirs were glass coasters that said "LOVE" . I had a great time, it was good to see old friends.

I'm feeling Wicked!

Last week I went to see the play Wicked. Now let me tell you that play was phenomenal! I always wanted to see it and now I finally have and was very ecstatic with the story and all. The actors were great, the make-up was perfect, and the singing was awesome. Even those who do not like plays, were all happy with the performance.

Wicked is a play with a little background information on the witches in the Wizard of Oz, before Dorothy comes along. The Wicked Witches were not evil after all, they were just portrayed as so. Rather, they just had drama in their lives and the problem of acceptance. They were outcasts and were never out to hurt anyone, someone just spread a rumor that they were "Wicked". If anything the Wicked Witch of the West was the honest one in the play.

The performance was the greatest I've ever seen. The story made so much sense, everything tied in really well. I loved how every scene had a dramatic turn of events that put the whole audience in shock. Everything you suspect about the play is probably everything the play is not. I don't wan to say anymore and ruin it.

I absolutely loved this play! I would see it again and again. You have to see this yourself!!

Scholarship

I have never won anything in my life. The day when I received the letter in the mail telling me they were pleased to inform me that I was one of the recipients of the Helen Martin Scholarship I was shocked. I didn't think I even had a chance. I mean after all there must have been hundreds of other kids waiting to go to college that were in worse situations then I was. Apparently, my situation was as bad as I thought, I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

I bet you are wondering what the scholarship was for. Well the scholarship was from the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless, Inc. I was required to write an essay with a minimum of 700 words explaining my homeless situation. I was also required to fill out the application for the scholarship, obtain my high school transcripts, and recommendations. Only two recipients would be chosen.

I did not even think that I would have a chance, there was a deadline, which was July 12, and I mailed it out the day before. Well, the essay brought tears to their eyes. When I went to the 19th Annual Keys for the Homeless Conference on October 12, I felt like I had won an Oscar. When they called my name I went up to the stage to receive my award I presented my story. I felt like a celebrity, many key people were congratulating me.

That was a wonderful experience. I really appreciate the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless for giving me a chance.

Noose found on Columbia professor's door

Yesterday, at Teachers College in Columbia University, a black professor found a noose on the door of her office. Once the university found out, they reported the police immediately. The university conducted a community forum on the incident today. The 44-year-old female professor was not identified. She is a scholar in race relations.

Many students were hurt about the incident. The university is very diverse. Some were impressed on how quickly the school reacted on the incident. Most couldn't believe what had happened yesterday. A lot were in shell shock as to what happened.

Debbie Sonu, 31, a fourth-year doctoral student in urban education was very disappointed about the incident, but encouraged by the swift response made by the school. She called it a wake-up call. Sonu recalled the six black teenagers in Jena, Louisiana. Civil rights activists said they were treated unfairly by the local justice system. They were also prosecuted overzealously when fights along racial lines broke out at their school last year.