"All Things Go" in Chicago

I’m coming to you from the KAUG studios… live!

At this very moment, I’m hosting my radio show. I got back last night from Chicago and am working overtime to catch up with all that I missed. It was absolutely worth it, though. I had an incredible time. My friend and I took Megabus (it was $1 each way!) and spent a couple days exploring the city. We also saw my favorite singer in concert. Instead of writing a whole lot today, I’m just going to post some pictures and allow them to speak for themselves (maybe I’ll throw in a caption or two if I find that I can’t help myself).

1. The concert venue-- it was beautiful inside.
2. Beneath the tracks of the elevated train. Public transportation saved our hides!
3. Sufjan Stevens performing.
4. Capturing our reflections in the giant "bean" sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park.
5. Stalking a pigeon in downtown Chicago early in the day after a restless night's sleep on the bus.
6. Exiting a revolving door-- they were everywhere!

Studying on a Friday night?

It's a Friday night and here I am, studying. What's going on here? Looks like the fantasy of work hard all week, relax on the weekends isn't entirely realistic for some college students. I'm not trapped here all night, though - if I keep working for a little bit longer, I can save the rest for Sunday and I should be okay. To be fair, this isn't my normal Friday night activity anyway: I'm going to Chicago on Monday, so I need to make sure I'm all caught up before I take off.

In more exciting news than a Friday evening spent in front of a computer screen, the first issue of The Echo for the new school year came out today! It was my first issue editing, and I was very pleased with how my section (and the issue as a whole) turned out. I've already written my column for the next issue (on Lupe Fiasco's excellent new album, "Food & Liquor"). I'm currently way over the word limit because I was so excited about the music and its implications in light of Lupe's strong Islamic faith and explicitly stated feminist perspective (sounds like a paper for one of my classes!). So I need to streamline it a bit, format it more as a review and less as a paper, ha.

Also, I had my first radio show of the school year yesterday. Last year, I co-hosted a show, so it was my first time flying solo. I dealt with my fair share of technical difficulties, but I'm pumped for the rest of the year and the exciting things I can do with my one hour of air time.

Another first yesterday was the year's first Lilly Scholar seminar. The Lilly Scholar seminar is a course that meets once a month. It is a very small group of students, and we meet for several hours with a Religion professor and discuss issues of vocation and Christian faith. We had a very engaging conversation that kept me thinking after we had all gone our separate ways. I'm very glad I have the opportunity to participate in this year-long conversation on issues that really interest me.

Alright... I should get back to work so I can have that Friday night!

Hi. I'm Chris, and I'm in College.

I'm Chris. Nice to meet you.

Let's kick this off in style, eh? I'm not sure how to introduce myself properly in this format, so I think a good place to start is at the surface - what do I do in my daily life, etc. The rest can come later.

My name is Chris and I'm in my second year at Augsburg College. I am majoring in Religion with minors in English and Social Welfare. I live on campus and am in love with my neighborhoods, Seward and Cedar-Riverside.

I'll graduate in a couple semesters, so I'm trying to make the most of the little time I have left by trying to get involved in as much extra-curricular stuff as possible. The first thing that comes to mind is an activity that I am very passionate about. This is my second year serving on the Leadership Team for a volunteer organization based out of Augsburg called The Campus Kitchen Project. I lead a shift once a week to the Brian Coyle Community Center where I enjoy food and fellowship with the folks that hang out there. I get to work with kids a lot there, so it's never boring. It's occasionally stressful, often challenging, but as anyone who has done anything with non-profits knows, it is so incredibly rewarding (cliche, but totally true).

I also stay involved in other ways that keep me sane while simultaneously feeding my insanity. I'm the editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of the student-produced paper, The Echo, where I also write a weekly music column. Writing is one of my favorite things to do, so the position really is a dream job for me. My love of music also translates over to a weekly radio show I host called "Assorted Audio" on KAUG, the campus radio station. I also serve on church council at Bethany Lutheran Church in Seward, where I occasionally Assistant Minister.

College doesn't pay for itself, so I also have several on campus jobs. I'm a student supervisor of student workers in Undergraduate Admissions, I make copies and such for the History Department, and I'm a note taker for the CLASS (Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services) program. This past summer I worked for Residence Life, the Summer Theological Institute camp, and Medieval Minnesota camp, all at Augsburg. I can honestly say that my jobs are fun, which doesn't hurt. I could also say I'm trying to develop a strong work ethic (because who doesn't want that? ha), but that might be a bit too much positive spin.

Looking back on that, it looks a little intimidating, but I like to stay busy. Throw classes into the mix and my days are pretty full, but I always have time to hang out with friends in the evenings. Social life is a big part of college (and, well, life in general), so it's a huge priority.

Alright, I've gone on long enough. More to come later.