Week in Review: Rain makes the Weekend a Wash, but the Middle was Surprisingly Satisfying

As expected during the week after midterms, events were back loaded and contingent on weather to succeed. 

The East Side Hall Councils planned to have an afternoon of a Muggle rendition of Quidditch. This low-budget version would substitute PVC pipes for brooms, soccer balls for the quaffle, the main scoring ball, eschew bludgers and beaters for the sake of safety, and utilize a member of the Cross Country team for the Snitch.  To improve scoring and ensure the matches last longer than five minutes, "catching" the snitch would result in 50 points instead of 250 points and the end of the match.

Unlike the wizarding world, inclement weather and a muddy playing surface will tend to prevent successful execution of Quidditch. Hopefully the weather will clear up and the East Side Quad Quidditch Season will begin this semester.

Sadly, I was also unable to attend the Luau or UP Idol, the Pilots After Dark event of the week. From what
I have been able to gather from atendees, the latter event featured special guest judges who knew residents and music well: Director of Residence Life Mike Walsh, playing the "Simon" role, Maureen Briare, Campus Ministry Music Director, played the "Paula Abdul" position, and Assistant Director Jon Merchant, relished his role as the "Randy Jackson" member, often utilizing "dawg" in his responses.

One event I was able to attend was Mr. Corrado, but stay tuned for that review.

I was able to stumble upon the International Club's Arts show and music night at Espresso UP.  Before my camera battery ran low, I was able to tape some of the performances.

Members of the International Club displayed their talents in one of five categories: painting, drawing, 3D art, photography, and mixed art, which I believe incorporates at least two different types of artwork.

Some categories, like photography and mixed art, only received one entry a piece, creating an easy win for those participants.

The musical portion of the evening featured a montage of around 23 songs mixing classical music and modern hits and the examination of whether French improves music (it does!)

Beatriz offered a change of pace with an anecdote from her time in South Africa.  When Beatriz went to say farewell to one of her friends who happened to be several months pregnant, she executed the traditional maneuver of hugging her friend.  When the embrace ended, Beatriz was dismayed to see her friend crying because hugging is considered unlucky.  However, this anecdote has a happy ending because the birth went off without any complications, which prompted Beatriz to consider the effect of superstitions on important life events.

It was definitely fun to stumble upon the International Club again because they have so many different cultures that can produce a greater variety toward their programming. I last encountered the International Club during Diversity Dialouge Week and it is always nice to see events overlapping. 

Stay tuned for a fun map and the Mr. Corrado/Mr. and Ms. Shipstad Tale of the Tape!