A Day in the Life at MMC

Ahh.....the last week

2008-05-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

So, the last week is here. So many things to do as as senior, and yet not enough time to do it. With it being finals week, most people are in high gear trying to complete many of the things they procrastinated on throughout the semester. Fortunately for me, I am not a procrastinator, so I did not have as much stress as many of the students have. I'll give you an idea of how my week is going and has gone. Yesterday morning I worked from 8-945 in the Cyber Cafe. Then from 10-1130, I was at our professors place for senior seminar final. It was nice because it was the last time that all the seniors in psychology/behavioral science were together. They cooked us breakfast and then we took a collaborative test of all the psychology/counseling theorists from the past four years. It wasn't too bad. When I got back, I got ready because I had to give a tour to a potential student. After that, it was time to relax so I went out and played some slow-pitch softball with a big group of students. When I got back, I worked on a take-home portion of my Lifespan Development final, which is tomorrow morning at 8am.

Today, I woke up and finished some more of my life-span take home portion of the test. Because I am a RA, I am in charge of going through the rooms at the end of the year with the residents of my floor and making sure they are properly checked out of their rooms before they leave. I had to do a check-out with one guy at 1130. I then had lunch with one of my favorite sisters from the monastery at noon. Sr. Madonna is one of the nicest ladies I have ever met and while being very strict, I learned a lot from her over the past four years.

Once that was over, I came back and did a few things with the guys room I checked out. I am part of the Campus Enhancement Task Force on campus and we were supposed to walk around campus outside today to look at things we could fix to make the campus look better. Unfortunately, that was cut short due to some bad weather that brewed up around the area.

I then came back to my room, took a nap, and finished my lifespan take home test. Tonight, I have a RA meeting with the existing and new RA's at 5:15-6:15. Following that I am planning on working on a few rooms in Bede in getting rid of some of the things that need to be thrown out from those storage rooms. I then have my last rosary tonight with the school at 9:30, which will mean a lot to me because I have been going adamantly for the past four years.

Tomorrow, I have a final for Lifespan from 8-930. I then have to check some guys out of their rooms throughout the day. I also am going to watch the One Act plays tomorrow night. Those should be a fun break for students.

Thursday, we have choir at noon and we have our RA appriciation dinner at that time as well. That will be bitter-sweet because RA's are people whom have become my closest friends over the past two years because we have to stick together for each other.

As the week continues to go on the reality of graduating will only get closer. It is definately crazy to think about how fast time flies by. I continue to feel sad and happy about this week as it is something we always want to come, but then we want to just stay here too. I truly will miss the people here and the experiences I have had and there is no doubt that I will come back to visit eventually at some point. That being said, I should get ready for a few things going on tonight, so...

Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Made It

2008-05-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well, official classes are OVER!!!!!

Yea, its definately crazy to think that already classes and four years have flown by just like that. I can remember what seems like just yesterday, walking into college for the first time. This weekend is going to be nice and relaxing. Well yesterday, me and two of my friends roadtripped to Sioux City to have some fun for one last weekend. Today I worked then drove back to Sioux City again to watch my girlfriend run in her last track meet. Tonight we have two bands, Strip Fish and Damn Straight performing in the Bistro so that should be fun. Tomorrow I work, have the athletic banquet, go bowling with the music dept, and do homework. Needless to say its a busy weekend, but fun weekend at that.

This week I have finals on Monday and Wednesday. Monday we are actually driving out to our professors house for a bunch before we take our senior seminar final. Wednesday I have a final at 8 am and that's it. Its really cool here at MMC because they do something for the students every night during finals. For instance, Monday night we have a midnight breakfast for those who are studying hard. Tuesday the faculty come around and deliver ice cream treats to the students. Wednesday they have popcorn for everyone. Thursday night everyone has to leave because the semester is over, with the exception of the students who are graduating, staying for choir, ambassadors, etc.

Overall, I plan to make the best out of this week and enjoy the past times with my friends as this will be as they say, the last time we will all be together in the same place. That's a humbling statement there because we get so used to seeing the same people time and time again that we forget that at some point that comes to an end. Eventually we all go our separate ways. Now is the time where we will start a new chapter in our life book. I know it will be a change, but I am definitely excited for the change as well.

I will write sometime this week to tell you how the feelings of being a senior have changed, but I can say that I have enjoyed college and wouldn't change anything. Its been a pleasure to be with the people I have been, and it is because of them that I am doing what I need to do. That being said,

Until Next Time,

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Wow Busy Week

2008-05-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

So its the last official week of classes, with next week being finals, and I can say it has been an extremely busy week. I honestly do not have a lot of time, so I am going to summarize the best I can. Monday I worked from 8-10, class from 10-11, helped with ADMIT registration for incoming freshman from 11-12, choir from 12-1, and then the afternoon I was busy doing things for baseball as well as a recognition dinner for the Moderator. Tuesday, I didn't have as many classes, but I put on an event which was the evening meal outside as well as having a lot of games both inside and outside. You can see pictures from that above. So that took a lot of planning all day.

Yesterday, work from 8-10, class 10-11, help with ADMIT again 11-12, choir 12-1, class from 1-215, deliver moderator 215-3, move boxes for donations right after followed by a reception at Dr. Barry's from 5-630, drove w/ a friend to pick up his new car in Sioux Falls from 630-930, bowling from 10-12 and homework for a bit afterwards.

Today I am finishing a bunch of things, doing homework, and all that jazz. So ya as you can see a very busy week. We have a choir performance this Sunday and then next week is finals, so it will be a busy week, but i'm trying to sit back and enjoy it while I can, because it will be gone soon. Anyways, though I really do have a lot to do. Hopefully I can get on here tomorrow and give you a better story, but in the meantime hope your schoolyear is winding down nicely for you. Get a hold of me if you have any questions.

Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Ah a Sigh of Relief

2008-04-24T19:15:00.001-07:00

So its Thursday night and I'm breathing a sigh of relief. Why you ask? Last night I was finishing putting together the presentations that had been sent to me for the Siouxland Undergraduate Social Sciences Research Conference. Some did not get to me until 5:30 am this morning. I was up until about 12:30 last night and was supposed to be up by 6:30. Somehow I slept through my alarm this morning and I didn't get to the Conference until 8:10 when I was supposed to be there at 8:00. It was bad, but I managed to keep myself busy. So pretty much 7 people canceled their presentations today, 3-4 switched their times, and it all could have been a nightmare. Luckily I held my cool and the whole program itself went off without a hitch. I was happy with how things turned out. Needless to say though, I am happy it is over. It is one more thing that I don't have to worry about anymore. I think after this week my stress levels will go down significantly and I will be more calm, and although I am calm now, this will give me the opportunity to be relaxed as graduation approached in 16 days. It truly is crazy how time flies by.
Tonight we were supposed to have a baseball game, but it worked out that it was canceled due to weather and I was able to go to our prayer partner gathering tonight with the Sisters. It was nice because I had just gotten to see Sr. Delores yesterday since I didn't think I would get to go to the meeting tonight. It worked out that I did and we had a lot of good conversation.
Anyways, in a nutshell, that is why I am relieved and definately ready for the break. That being said, have a great weekend. It will be busy for me.

Until Next Time

Tony "laz" Lazarowicz

16 Days and Counting

2008-04-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Time continues to just fly by. This week has been a really busy week as well. And it's only Tuesday. Yesterday I had to work from 8-10, class from 10-11, meeting for the conference we are hosting right after class, then made copies for the pamphlets, ate, then went to work on puttting the packets together. That took me about 1 1/2 hours. By that time then I started to work on homework and then had 1 1/2 hours of band rehearsal. Following that I did homework and watched 24 until I went on rounds for the evening. Today, I had to give a presentation at 9 and then I had choir. Choir was cool because Dr. V. talked about his goals and plans for the next year and he has a lot of good aspirations. Now I have done some homework and business related stuff since then. We have a baseball game tonight and the week just doesn't slow down. However, there are only 16 days until graduation. Thats pretty sweet. If you can't tell I'm pretty excited.
I have a total of 5 classes of Lifespan
3 classes of Senior Seminar
1 band rehearsal
1 choir rehearsal
and 1 week of finals.

Pretty sweet i must say. I dont' think everything will hit me until I'm back in Sergeant Bluff for the summer, but I can say that it will be a bitter-sweet good-bye, but I can definately say that I will come back to Yankton and visit. You will enjoy the town if you want to, if you come in not wanting to enjoy it, then you won't.

Until Next Time

Tony "laz" Lazarowicz

Finally One More Thing Over

2008-04-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, as the title says, one more thing is in the books. Last night I had my final Jazz Band/ Choir concert. It was definitely the best concert we had on tour and the best audience we have had in the four years I have been here. We probably had close to 400 people in audience, and everyone was amazed at the performance. As I've mentioned before it is bitter sweet to have this over as well. I'm so happy to have the concert over because now I can relax on that part knowing that we put on a great show and it is now over. On the other hand, it was my last performance in that area, and that is somewhat sad. I can remember my freshman year thinking how great college was and now it is nearly over, so I definitely am trying to take advantage of the last month as much as possible.
Overall, tour went really well too. We had a great time, and it was a time of sharing stories and memories with friends and all that fun jazz. So now its time to start planning out the rest of the next couple weeks. It is a busy one as well. Today I have to work from 8-10, class from 10-1, sit at the blood-bank booth from 1130-12, meeting for Yahoo from 12-1230, class from 1-2:15, help move furniture from 215- 3, give a tour for ADMIT from 3-4, work in the CYBER for the supper from 4-6:30, and tonight try to iron out a few items for the conference we are hosting next Thursday.
Well as you can see, my schedule is extremely busy today, but I thought I would just say hi before I get going for the day. Overall, great week so far and hopefully the weekend will be good too, although I am working for food service because of a big catering banquet we do each year. Oh well. I'll keep you up to date later on.

Until Next Time

Tony "laz" Lazarowicz

Crazy New Things

2008-04-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been in Yankton now for four years. You would think after four years that you would know mostly everything you need to know about the city, and practically visited every place in a community of less than 14,000 right? Wrong! Today I ha the opportunity to visit a new place. Mind you now that it is the middle of April and 60 degrees outside, and since my parents bought me a bicycle for my birthday last year, i thought it only be appropriate that I got some use of it here.

I decided to take my bike and try out a few of the trails that Yankton has to offer. Wow are the trails long. It was a very nice ride, but I didn't know the whole path of trails existed or where they led to. To give you an idea of just how many trails there are and where they all go, I have attached the website link to the page so you can check it out for yourself. http://www.yanktonsd.com/pdf_files/Yankton2_Trails_Map.pdf So needless to say I have a good hour and a half bike ride around town.

Today was a really sweet day too. I had to work from 8am to 10am. Following that I was supposed to go to class, but it was canceled for still some unknown reason. I had to perform at lunch with the choir and then I did some homework before I hit the bike. Tomorrow and Wednesday I will be out of town because we are going on our annual choir/jazz band tour. This year we will trek across Nebraska and a small portion of South Dakota as we visit 6 schools in 2 days and perform our home concert on Thursday night.

It will be a very busy week because on Saturday we have the annual Yankton Gala for the Catholic Schools here in town and that requires a lot of work from both students and faculty to put on because I work with ARAMARK and from firsthand experience, a lot of help is needed, especially from the Ambassadors.

Because I have a few minutes, I thought I would update you on the countdown until the end.

26 days until GRADUATION
24 days until school is out
18 school days until school is out
8 classes of Lifespan Development left
6 classes of Senior Seminar Left
5 practices for choir
3 practices for band Left

So, in essence time is winding down. That is good, but also frightening. Anyway, that being said I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

The Memories

2008-04-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I would get a little sentimental on you this one, because I had a lot of thoughts rush through my head last night. As you may/may not be aware, I am a senior this year. That means less than 30 days until I walk through the campus for the last time as a current student. Everyone in college can remember the day they walked through the line as a senior in high school, grabbed their diploma, and was on their way to freedom. In college you have the freedom already, and this time its a walk to a new step in life, even bigger than the one before. its a bitter-sweet good-bye to the things you have come to know and love over the past four years. For me, it will be the end of a great experience in which I met so many great people, made so many fond memories, and learned just who I was. I have a lot of great friends here at college, and I hope to stay in touch with them after graduation in May.
Last night, we had the student recital in which a handful of the students were classmates of mine for four years. As they played their songs, I began to think about all the times I had throughout the past four years. Next year is going to be completely different for me. At this small school you truly get to know everyone on a personal basis, and you know everything about each other. You support the other people and they support you. Its truly a family, and I continue to keep realizing that fate is only a month away. In a month we won't be side by side anymore, talking to each other every day in person, we won't be helping each other with assignments, or going to activities on a regular basis. We'll all go our separate ways, and communication by e-mail for many will be the most we see each other for the rest of our lives. I just pray that we all remember the people we met, and the memories made and hold on to and cherish those memories for the rest of our lives, as I know I will.
Fortunately for me, I have at least another 2 years of school ahead of me, as I was accepted into graduate school at UN-L. That is a completely different atmosphere, but I think it will be important for me to continue to build new relationships, as well as try to make time to keep the old strong. As I said before, it is a bitter-sweet rejoicing for graduation from college, because now it is time for the real-world. No more late nights every night because you don't have class until 11am, and no more activities planned for you where you just have to go a walk down the sidewalk to get to. You have to take responsibility and that can be scary. I know some people do not like the song, but the lyrics to Vitamin C's song Graduation (Friends Forever) summarize exactly how I am feeling right now, so I thought I would add them here for you to read, especially as you get set to graduate from high school, or maybe are exploring new paths.

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June I
didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We would get so excited and we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair

And this is how it feels[1] -
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?C
an Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

And this is how it feels
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

We will still be friends forever
Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

And this is how it feels
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

So that's how I feel. We don't know what comes next for us, or how we will change, but the bottom line is to keep living life to its fullest and try to keep in touch with those we love. I challenge you to do the same, and I hope that God continues to bless you in ways you never knew. So as I end each blog,

Until Next Time,

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Mid-Week Review

2008-04-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well today marks the middle of the week, and I got a spark of exciting news. POSSIBILITY OF SNOW!!!! Okay, so its April and you might say, well thats not really good news, college doesn't get snow days. Well coming to the small town college can have its benefits, and you may see an occasional snow day depending on how bad the weather turns out to be. They are expecting anywhere from 6-10 inches of snow. I like days off!!! However, that would mean that we would have to move baseball games this weekend as well as a change of many events.

Today I had to give my practice presentation for Senior Seminar and it went over really well. This week is campus clean-up week, and a lot of moving and garbage collecting has been done. Numerous visits to the dumpsters, over 10 TONS of paper shredded and things moved around. Its been a great experience especially for me to get to talk with a lot of people, work on my leadership skills, etc.

29 full days left until the last day of school and I will be ready for summer. Tomorrow I have to help out with the campus clean up, we have a practice recital at noon, and then I have to a phone interview with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln staff for an assistantship interview. I really hope that I get the position. Anyways, I am on duty tonight, so I have a lot I am trying to accomplish in the next few hours since I have to be up anyways. That being said, I probably should try to get that finished. Like I continue to say, if you have any questions, feel free to write me.

Until Next Time,

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Glad its Over

2008-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

So today was the big day for me. First and only professional play experience. I played God in Scene 1 of a 5 scene play. I must say we did a great job, and I thought I would add the picture to give you an idea on the play. It was a powerful experience, because I had the opportunity to step into the shoes of the most powerful being in the history of the world. I had to try to reinact how I thought God would behave, and while no one will ever know, nor can anyone compare themselves to the greatest of the great, all we can do is try to portray each actor the way we envisoned them. I am guessing we had about 600 people for the show which I was pleased with.

The thing that is nice, is now it is one more thing off the list. While it is nice to have things done, it does mean that I am getting closer to the end of my MMC experience. While most would think great, I am hesitantly looking foward to it. Yes, I wanna be done, but I also know that this is the only opportunity that I have to be a kid and it is winding down, so it is semi-depressing too.

Things will begin to wind down, concert and music tour coming up in a week and a half, and then before you know it, April will be over and it will be time for the summer.

The bottom line i say here is, make sure to take advantage of your college experience, because it will be over before you know it, and you'll wonder where time went. Anyways, I am going to finish a paper quick and then go hang out with some guys on the floor, so as I continue my tradition,

Until Next Time,

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Mid-week

2008-04-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

So lets recap this week so far. Monday we had a lot of snow that started in the morning, and because of that and the road conditions, we cancelled school. Yes, they do cancel school in college. Okay well like one time a year if you are lucky. Tuesday, I only have choir, plus I had a few meetings so other than that I really was not too busy then either. Today, I had to work from 8-10 in the Cyber Cafe, class from 10-11, ate lunch, choir 12-1, senior seminar 1-2:15, and then choir 4-7:00. Busy day, but now it is over and I can relax because I really do not have a whole lot of homework left between now and the end of the semester.
While this blog talks about my college life, I must say that a portion of this college life is my faith life. Over the past four years my faith has grown, been challenged, and changed. I have been truly grateful for the many religious opportunities I have had here ; whether it be rosary, adoration, religious groups, or the like, I have gained a lot personally from my experience. Why do I bring up religion into my blog today you ask? Well, I received two powerful emails the past few days that were very touching to me. The first I want to copy over. It is a story of a professor at college with a religion class talking about the lack of enthusiasm to learn about God. It deals with donuts. I encourage you to read it, as it was very powerful and proves a very valid point about God and Jesus' endless love for us.

'DON'T LEAVE IT ON THE DESK' Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States , taught the required survey course in Christianity. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously. This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class. One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. 'How many push-ups can you do?' Steve said, 'I do about 200 every night.' '200? That's pretty good, Steve,' Dr. Christianson said. 'Do you think you could do 300?' Steve replied, 'I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time' 'Do you think you could?' again asked Dr. Christianson. 'Well, I can try,' said Steve. 'Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,' said the professor. Steve said, 'Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it.' Dr. Christianson said, 'Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explainwhat I have in mind.' Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class. Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, 'Cynthia,do you want to have one of these donuts?' Cynthia said, 'Yes.' Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?' 'Sure!' Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk. Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, 'Joe, do you want a donut?' Joe said, 'Yes.' Dr. Christianson asked, 'Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?' Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut. Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popularand never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, 'Scott do you want a donut?' Scott's reply was, 'Well, can I do my own push-ups?' Dr. Christianson said, 'No, Steve has to do them.' Then Scott said, 'Well, I don't want one then.' Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?' With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, 'HEY! I said I didn't want one!' Dr. Christianson said, 'Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.' And he put a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, 'Jenny, do you want a donut?' Sternly, Jenny said, 'No.' Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, 'Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?' Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut. By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, 'No!' and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr. Christianson, 'Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?' Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, 'Well, they're your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.' And Dr.Christianson went on. A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, 'NO! Don't come in! Stay out!' Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said,'No, let him come.' Professor Christianson said, 'You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?' Steve said, 'Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.' Dr. Christianson said, 'Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?' Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. 'Yes,' he said,'give me a donut.' 'Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?' Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered,was handed a donut and sat down. Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, 'Linda, do you want a doughnut?' Linda said, very sadly, 'No, thank you.' Professor Christianson quietly asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?' Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. 'Susan, do you want a donut?' Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. 'Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?' Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, 'No, Steve has to do it alone;I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.' 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?' As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups,his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor. Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, 'And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten. ' Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' said the professor, adding, 'Not all sermons are preached in words.' Turning to his class, the professor said, 'My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid.' 'Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?'

If you took time to read this story, I hope you enjoyed it and it touched you. Now the second one I received today was from my girlfriend's sister with a link to their friend's website. Why is this so important. Her friend has lyme's disease and is dying, but continues to fight. They have a very strong faith life, and as I visited the site, it nearly made me cry to think about how much we as the healthy people take for granted. How often do we wake up and rise out of bed and not thank God for a great gift of the ability to move. How many times do we forget to thank God for the ability to eat food. This young girl named Alex hasn't been able to eat or drink in the past year. Everything is fed through a feeding tube. Sad life huh? Not so fast. The story she tells is a remarkable walk of faith and I admire her for it. It reminded me as I head through this next and last month of school here at MMC to be grateful for all the little things I have been blessed with because I am so fortunate to have these gifts, and I recognized I need to be more thankful for the opportunities I do have. I do encourage you to take a second and visit Alex's site. As you get set to embark on your college journey, remember to be thankful for the opportunities you have and for the gift of life you have received. Be thankful you are able to think of college, because some do not get that opportunity. www.caringbridge.org/visit/angelsforalex

Until Next Time,

Tony Lazarowicz

End of the Week

2008-03-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

I like to add a random picture once in a while, this one comes from one
year when I was an Orientation Leader

Well, it is the end of the week, and a short one at that. It was nice not having class on Monday and now it is Friday. I have a lot that i want to get accomplished this weekend, but once this weekend is over I hope to have a majority of my "homework" done for the semester and for that much my undergraduate career. I have to finish revising my senior seminar paper, put together a presentation for the paper, finish my group proposal, type up a summary paper for lifespan development, and do the study guides for them. After that is completely, we can say that I am done with homework. Yes, it may seem like a lot, but I have a lot of the leg-work done for it, which is nice.

Anyways, in other interesting news, I found the Moderator, our campus newspaper, a quite interesting hit this past month. I actually was featured in an article that ran "Tony Laz, the busiest man on campus." I sort of chuckled at that because while I keep myself busy, that is the best part about college and I think more than just me keep ourselves busy like that. However, one section of the paper is devoted to Rants and Raves about college and one made me frustrated. It talks about the Resident Assistants being too "nit-picky" with our jobs. I found that comment interesting because as RA's we are making sure the campus is safe, but we haven't been too enforceful the past month-in-a-half, in terms of what the writer referred to as "looking for trouble." As an RA staff, we make sure that things are secure and people are happy, but we do not look for trouble because it just creates more work for us, so it is nice when we can just deal with things on an informal basis, which is how I tend to handle most of the situations anyways.

Anyways, that being said, you can sort of see that my weekend will be busy with homework, work, and baseball; but the money is always nice and it is always good to keep yourself busy.

Until Next Time,

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

The Countdown Begins

2008-03-26T21:13:00.001-07:00

So the countdown begins, what am I referring to? Well let me tell you
9 Days until my first and only College performance in a play
19 days until my last Jazz Band/ Choir Trip of college career
21 days until my last Jazz Band Performance
28 days until my presentation at a regional social sciences conference

29 official classes left ( not including band or choir)

31 days until my last band concert
42 days left until my last day of school
43 days until I have my BACHELORS OF ARTS DEGREE

So if that doesn't give you a little idea of my next month. It will be very hectic and exciting at the same time. This time of the year tends to go really fast, but it is very exciting. It starts to get nice again and we can be outside once again. Things begin to fall into place for the summer and the once all the homework is done relaxation begins to set in.

Fortunately for me, I don't have to say goodbye to school just yet as i am going to grad school. I haven't really had to say an official good bye in anything school related yet, but I know the day that I am done with education in terms of full-time it will be rough. Education is a time that everyone should enjoy and live to its fullest. You never know when life is going to be over, and this is the most exciting time of your life so I say you need to live it up fully.

As I get set to continue my ways, I look back on my education experience and I am thankful for the opportunities that I have had to be involved with different things. While, if I could go back I may make a few different decisions with situations I got myself into, but ultimately I do not regret anything I have done. I think that that is one of the most important things in life. Do not regret what you have done, but simply learn from your mistakes. You need to be able to move on and accept that things happen for a reason. Carry on with your life, make amends where you need to and grow up.

Well thats my advice for the day. I know things are happening for a purpose and I am excited to see what will happen next in my life. For those of you just starting the college journey. Keep your head held high and let life come to you day by day and jump on and hold on because its truly a great experience, especially here at Mount Marty.

Until Next Time,

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Start to Break

2008-03-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well its about time to start break. Does that really mean that I am actually starting to have a break? Not really. My goal over Easter break is to try to complete my senior seminar project. That entails making sure that all of my paper is proofread and cut down to length. Right now it is 46 pages including 4 pgs of graphs, 4 bibliography pages, 4 pages of appendixes, 1 abstract page, and 1 title page. So that cuts it down a but, but nonetheless, still a lot of writing. I am also here helping with baseball. Tomorrow we are going to Sioux City for some jv games. We will be playing a community college and it is a varsity game for them, so since I do not play this year and I am just a coach, they needed certified umpires so my job tomorrow will be umpiring. Friday and Saturday we head to Nebraska to play games against Nebraska-Wesleyan and Doane. I can tell you the last month or so of school begin to get very antsy for people here. Everyone is excited for summer and everyone needs to get outside. Hopefully the weather is going to cooperate here the rest of the way out so people can begin to get outside and release some of the pent up energy they have. I can tell you being a senior and knowing that graduation is right around the corner is really making me want to move along faster to get done. I think it just happens to be how seniors are.
My plans for this summer are to work for the city where I live doing odds and ends and then also working as a full-time umpire each night. I make good money with that so it will help with getting established for grad school. As I mentioned before I will be going to grad school at UN-L. I just found out today that in mid-April I will be able to sign up for season tickets for football games as well as in the beginning of April registering for classes. While I am ready to graduate, I am also ready to get on to the next phase of my life, that being graduate school.
Anyways, I think it is time to call it a night, as it is getting late and I have a busy day tomorrow. I hope all is well where you are at. Feel free to hit me up if you need to ask any questions.
Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Weekend Wrapup

2008-03-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I can tell you mine was very eventful and at times not extremely fun, but that's the nature of the job I took on. I am a resident assistant as I mentioned before, so that means that I am on duty certain days. My duties include walking around the dorms to ensure the rules are being upheld, make sure security is good on the campus, and make sure that doors are locked, etc. Friday night we had BISTRO dance. Why is it called the Bistro dance? The place we have the dances in is called the BISTRO. It is the old theatre down on 1st floor Bede. It has a really cool set up and a nice DJ booth so that is what we use. Student Government Association put the dances on and so I helped out with the DJ'ing because I am on SGA. However, I was also on duty this weekend, so during the dance I had to go around dorms and do rounds to make sure that everything was under control throughout the dorms. For the most part it was the typical being loud and noisy and just needing to calm down. Overall, the people were well behaved with the exception of a few people being noisy and trying to be in the dorms past hours, but other than that it was a relatively quiet night. Saturday, I had quite an RA ordeal that took a lot of the day from me, but it was good to work with the problems at hand. I then went to church Saturday night so I could focus on some other things Sunday. Saturday night was not too bad but kept me really busy. Sunday, I had to work for ARAMARK for Lunch and Dinner. Between lunch and dinner I went to a co-classmates senior recital which was well attended and a very good performance. I then worked on some senior seminar work all night and studied for my Lifespan Development test that I had today. Overall a long and busy weekend but that's just the nature of the job.

Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Time sure does fly

2008-03-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

So the week just seems to be rolling right along doesn't it. We got back from baseball Sunday night, and ever since then I've been in rapid fire mode. For only having two classes, I keep pretty bogged down with things to do. For Lifespan Development, I had to do 2 chapters worth of study guides this week, start working on finding a person to interview for a project, as well as prepare for an upcoming test. Senior Seminar keeps me busy with finishing up my paper and research. I have all of the data collected and entered. Tomorrow is going to be my big day of going through research and deciphering what it all means. Meanwhile, I have to memorize my lines for the play, help out as much as I can with baseball, memorize music for chamber and mixed choir, as well as make it to band for 3 1/2 hours a week.
Now that I have chosen to go to UN-L for grad school, I am writing my official acceptance letters, thank you letters, etc. for all of that fun stuff. That is taking time, plus I am in the process of ironing out all of the details for my summer jobs as well as ordering new equiptment for umpiring this summer.
So, yes, I keep busy and maybe I'm complaining, but I really like what I do, and wouldn't have it any other way. I like to stay busy and make a little cash on the side. The next month and a half will not only fly by but will also be a fun month in a half. Its the last time I'm going to be here at Mount Marty as a student, so I really need to take advantage of this as much as I can. I want to enjoy it and be able to visit and remember all of the good friendships I made. Afterall, that is what college is all about.
I am on duty this week for Resident Assistant and we just happen to have a BISTRO dance that night as well, which will keep me on my toes. The dances are always fun and people like to go, but they can sometimes get a bit rowdy. This dance theme is black-and-white so we'll see what people end up coming in. I will have to work for ARAMARK too this weekend, so I think I'll keep my hands tied for a few days.
Anyways, I'd like to get some rest so I'll chat up with you later. Hope all of your planning is coming along smoothly.

Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

End of the first run

2008-03-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well spring break is in full swing, but finally a well-needed break. We have been playing since Friday nonstop. 1 game Friday, 2 on Sat, 1 on Sun, and 2 today. While we have lost 3 of the 5 games, we have played relatively well, and I look forward to see the rest of the games this week. Tomorrow we have our first break day. I'm not quite sure what we have in store yet. The weather has not been great, but bearable. Hopefully, the weather will get a little better over the next few days.
So, in regards to school, this is spring break where we really should not do a whole lot of homework. I do have one thing I will get done while on break. I am currently working on my senior seminar project and that includes doing a research project. I surveyed over 200 people, and now I need to input the data into the computer for analysis. It shouldn't take too long, just a matter of sitting down and doing it. Once I get all of that typed in, I will be able to do the analysis portion, and get moving on the final portion of my paper.
So, that is where I stand now. We are just sitting in the hotel watching tv and relaxing. Tonight we are going to a bar-b-que restaurant, so it should be a nice meal. The girls are getting into the hotel here in a little bit, so we'll probably run into them a few times today although girls and guys can not be in each others' rooms since we are liable for the safety of the students. Anyways, I need to finish getting ready before we leave, so I'll talk to you guys later.

Until Next Time

Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Start to Spring Break

2008-03-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, its the start of spring break, and its off to a good start. On Thursday, we left at 3:00 for the girls basketball game. I am a student assistant w/ the baseball team this year, so I am helping coach and taking stats, etc. We went to the girls game, and they ended up winning by a fair margin toward the end. After that we took off to Oklahoma City, where we stayed the night. We traveled Friday to Red Oak, Texas where we played Southwest Assembly of God University. We beat them in a thriller 11-9 in nine innings. Following that, we went to Taco Bell. Saturday we played a double header against SAGU again and we won the first one 8-2 and lost the second one 4-3. Following the game, we showered, then headed to Ryan's Buffet and Bakery, and they have some amazing food.

Overall this week should be a fun and exciting week. However, this past week I was flying on cloud-nine because I was accepted to grad school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for counseling psychology. I am pretty sure that is where iI will go, so I'm not too concerned about the other two schools I am currently still possibly going to be accepted to. Now I will begin appling for assistantships, look for housing, and fill out necessary paperwork.

The rest of the week, now, will be relaxing, but busy. We have games Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. We will have Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday off. Needless to say, it will be a fun time. I thought I would just upload some pictures for you guys to see of us here in Texas. Hope all is giong well for you guys. Its 75 degrees down here, which is way nicer than Yankton. Take care.

Until Next Time

Tony "laz" Lazarowicz

Beginning of the week

2008-02-26T11:18:00.001-08:00

This weekend and beginning of the week were both really long and have been extremely busy. Friday night I worked until 6:30, went to Wal-Mart, then went to bed because I needed to catch up on my sleep. I was up by 6:30am Saturday, which is not only unlike me but crazy for a college student. I had to work at the cafeteria. I am a student manager for Aramark, the campus food service, and my job is to oversee the students who work during the weekend. It was a relatively slow day as we had the basketball girls come early, and then a small amount for lunch. Once lunch was over, I had to go down to the basketball games because I had to do stats on the computer for the girls and guys games. The girls played a very solid game and won,while the guys made the game interesting but lost by two. After the game I helped out at food service in getting things cleaned up and then headed back to my room. I had planned on going out at night, but by the time I got back to my room, I was again exhausted. I decided to call it a night since I had to be up at 6am again on Sunday because I was going to a retreat. Sunday, I woke up at 6:30 and had to be ready to go to Gregory, South Dakota for a retreat as part of our YAHOO team. That lasted pretty much all day and we did not get back until about 8:30pm. I did a little homework that night, but mostly just relaxed before heading to bed again. Now the week would begin. As if the weekend was much to relax about. Monday I started off by having to administer some of my surveys I am conducting for my senior seminar class. It was my goal to have 150. Currently, I am at 125 with a few more classes yet to send back to me. I should be perfectly fine in getting enough results. As part of senior seminar I am working on a reserach paper as well as a group proposal, which I will be finishing shortly. So the past few days I have been spending delivering surveys to classes and collecting results. On top of that, I am also involved in choir and band as well as baseball, so I have had practices and rehearsals for each which keeps me on my toes. I'm involved with other events too, but I"m glad they are able to separate those out a bit. At this point, I am going to have the surveys done by Thursday (the day we leave for Texas on spring break). I will be working on my research over break as well as helping coach the baseball team. Overall, it has been a very busy week,but one in which I have gotten a lot accomplished. Now that it is Tuesday, we have been doing a fundraiser for DARFUR in Sudan. I have to run to the bank to cash some money since we are doing a penny war, and my floor should be pretty close to winning it once I have everything cashed. I'm excited to see the results. Anyway, I have a few more things to do. Just thought I would write again. Hope your week is off to a good start.

Until Next Time
Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Hello and Welcome

2008-02-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well this is my first blog for school. I guess with that I should sort of tell you a little bit about me. If you read my profile, you know a little about me, but i'll give you a little in depth look at me. First off I am a Senior here at the Mount. I am majoring in Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Behavioral Science while working on my minors in Sociology . After i complete my undergraduate studies here, I will be moving onto a Masters Program somewhere.
I coach baseball for the Lancers here at MMC and played baseball the past 3 years. I was a first basemen, pitcher, and an outfielder. I am involved with numerous other groups on campus including intramurals, Campus Ministries, YAHOO, Collegians for Life, Admit Club, Ambassadors, a writer for the Moderator, Prayer Partners, and most recently added, a member of the Campus EnhancementTask Force.
I am also in my second year as a Resident Assistant for the men's dorms. I get to be involved with floor programming, keeping our students safe, and getting them active with the college. This is one of my most fulfilling jobs, because I get to provide our students with opportunities.
My past? I live in Sergeant Bluff, IA during the summers and that is where my family is from. I have two younger sisters, Michelle (20, and a Sophomore at Augustana in Sioux Falls), and Brittany (18, and a Freshment at Western Iowa Tech). My parents have been married for 24 years and live together in our newly built home in Sgt. Bluff.
My best memory of MMC thus far is our spring break baseball trip to Florida and Joplin, MO. The quality time I spent with my friends was priceless and the excitement of the start of the season was both fun and rewarding. Likewise, I also had a great time on our Jazz Band/ Chambre Choir trips in which I was able to spread our talent across the states while enjoying hanging out with my friends.
This is my home away from home. I am able to be involved with many activities on campus and do not feel pressured to only limit myself to one. I know the professors on a first name basis and vice versa. I can get help when I need to and they are always extremely willing to help. The environment is friendly and there is always something to keep my occupied.
I will give you much more information throughout the semester, but in case you have any questions and you want to ask me about college life, Mount Marty College, the college transition, or anything in general, do not hesitate to drop me an email or to catch me online chatting at night. You can email me at Tlazarowicz@mtmc.edu. If you want to talk live, add me on AOL Instant Messanger - Tonylaz26, or on MSN - Tonylaz04@hotmail.com
You will hopefully get to know a little more about me and college here if you continue to check back in. But right now, I have a lot to get accomplished in the next few hours. I have choir from 12-1, Senior Seminar from 1-215, my sister visiting at 215, I have band at 4:00-5:00, Dinner from 5:00-5:30, basketball game stats from 5:45-9:30,and finally then bedtime. Most of the time bedtime is not until at least after 1:00am, but thats the college life for you.

Until Next Time,
Tony "Laz" Lazarowicz

Coming Soon!

2008-02-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

Come back soon for my first entry about my life at MMC!