Let's RUN nearly NAKED FOR CHARITY

Running nearly naked for charity? 

Don't worry, the key word here is "nearly."
But you might as well have no clothes on due to the quick numbing sensation your body is sure to feel once you step outside for this run that had a kick off time of 10pm yesterday.

But it is all for charity... a fact of which I am sure the runners reminded themselves of as they made their late-night lap around the campus.

This was only the second year for the "Nearly Naked Mile Run."
Yet it was another hit.
The idea behind it is you show up to run about a mile around campus, just like any normal day at the gym.
Except you have to donate clothes that will go to the homeless shelter upon your registration for the run.
You can bring a pile of clothes, or just a T-shirt - anything.
But the humor behind this is that you wear what you will donate when you register, then strip down to your underwear (such as a bathing suit or compression shorts, etc) once you register.
So you donate the clothes off of your back.

But your options for running attire are not only limited to bathing suits.
You can wear anything and everything you want, as long as you are not literally naked.

Most people do sport bathing suit attire, but others are a bit more eccentric in their choosing of clothing.
This year there was a runner who wore a unicorn head prop while another group had painted their entire bodies to match one another.

With this said, you are not running alone by any means; but rather quite the opposite of alone, you are running with a pack of other dedicated students who are willing to brave the cold.
You can run with your friends, or pass them, your choice.

Two devoted Belly Dancers model their Naked Mile attire. 

Some people ran to represent their school clubs in order to spread the word. The Belly Dancing Club wrote their name on their backs in order to promote their love for this dance.  

Regardless of the differences in garments, everyone had one major thing in common - they all ran.

As I walked out of my room last night accompanying my roommate who was running, while I documented it all, it had begun to rain.

If that was not tough enough, it began to hail.

Thankfully about 30 minutes later when the race actually began, the hail subsided somewhat and the rain lessened to a drizzle.


Yet as my spectator friends and I eagerly awaited the return of all the runners, we did not have a problem enjoying the nice warm gym.

Once my roommate and I entered the registration area, I was taken aback by all the people!
There was still 35 minutes till the start of the race, and already it was booming with people.

Registration Bustle.

A great shirt to donate for this runner.

  The registration process was easy and quick for the runners to       follow as they were guided from table to table by smiling  
  student government officials.
 

Clothing donated!

Signing your name, putting valuables in a safe place that you  

were not donating, and then stripping down to your bare minimum clothing of your choosing, while donating the rest.


Easy enough.






After each runner registered, they walked downstairs to the gym floor in order to gather in a pre-freezing cold run pep talk.

Rainbow suspenders and a kilt to bear the cold.

Colorful to the max, with sass to match. 

The new bathing suit season.

Even standing upstairs with the other spectators, awaiting the start of the race, we could hear the boom of the pumped runners chanting for the start of the run.

Then, before I realized what was going on, they began to run back up the stairs leading from the gym floor, back through the lobby where the spectators were standing, and out the main door, into the cold.
The word run is an understatement though; they did not simply run, it was more of a stampede.

Just a little body paint to make things interesting.

They were all a blur... of skin and determinism. 

But you can bet that they stampeded with gusto.
I saw more people bolt by then I could have imagined, it was a rainbow of colors and spectacle of exposed skin - skin that was bracing itself for the undeniable cold that was waiting outside.

Once they all gathered outside at the official starting point, you could hear them pumping themselves up once more.

More pep talk to tolerate the cold!

Then it began.

As the other spectators and I walked downstairs, we were not sure how long the runners would take.
Sure enough, less than 8 minutes later - the first runner finished.
It was a friend of mine, a cross country runner, who lives for events like this.
Being able to look ridiculous, help charity, and the free T-shirt at the end was just icing on the cake of running to him.

Satisfaction is shown with good humor for these runners. 

No matter the differences between everyone's reason for running, the important thing was that everyone was together...
And once the race finished, everyone came together to munch on cookies, celebrate, and dance.

Accomplished runners strike a pose with their new T-shirts.

The nearly naked runners did not appear so naked once they clothed themselves with their victory T-shirts with cookies in hand, and large grins of pride spread across their faces.










Talk of next year's run was already bustling in the gym before the end of the night.

I have a feeling the 3rd annual run will have to work hard to top this one.

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What To Eat? On Campus Dining - The Down Under

Craving a sandwich? 

Maybe some ice cream? 

Or the complete opposite, 

and you want to grab some breakfast food - 

such as oatmeal and cereal for the next morning? 

Well "The Down Under" is your place.

In the morning it serves up breakfast sandwiches, and the rest of the time every type of sandwich from Philly cheesesteak to buffalo tempeh. 

Like any good sandwich shop, you can get your sandwich the way you want it. 

In a wrap, on a hoagie, on flatbread. 

Meat, cheese, tempeh, maybe just vegetables. 

Your choice. 

Want some other sides to go with your sandwich? 

Right next to the section where you order your sandwich, you can also grab other food - such as fruit, chips, cake, hummus, Nature Valley bars, and ice cream. 

They also sell good food for you to take back to your room - such as half gallons of milk, instant oatmeal, jam, soup cans, and so on. 

Conveniently located on the bottom floor of the newest residence hall, the Overlook, "The Down Under" is easy access for not only Overlook residents, but other UNC Asheville attendees. 

Their hours are also ideal for any college student with constant hunger. 

Monday - Thursday: 7am-2am

Friday: 7am-10pm

Saturday and Sunday: 10am-12am

So tonight with the cold rain outside and a day packed with studying, I was ready to grab a hot sandwich. 

I've tried numerous things on the menu from Italian sandwiches to a chicken wrap, all good. 

But my favorite is still the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. 

Nothing better than a toasted sandwich... 

Except maybe enjoying it with a bag of baked chips and a banana. 

So next time you're craving a sandwich, or a fruit cup, or maybe some instant oatmeal for later - try "The Down Under." 

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What To Eat? On Campus Dining - Rosetta's Kitchenette with Starbucks

When hunger strikes during the day, the question is - where should I eat?
There's the cafeteria, the café in the library, Down Under sandwich shop, Build-Your-Own Burger, Salsaritas, Build a Noodle Bowl, and Rosetta's.

Rosetta's Kitchen is actually a full vegan and vegetarian restaurant just down the street from the UNC Asheville campus, but they recently decided to make a kitchenette version with a Starbucks for on-campus, so people can grab it easily.

But you do not need to be a vegan, vegetarian, or even a health nut to enjoy this food.
They serve up the kind of comfort food you want to eat, and don't feel guilty about afterwards.

Comfort food is exactly what my friend, Olive, and I were looking for before a physics study session.

Rosetta's is near the gym area of campus, so it's easy to get after a health class, or working out - and a walk there from a residence hall is workout in itself with the hills and stairs.
But the walk gave Olive and I time to enjoy the nice weather we were having at the time, and by the time we made it to Rosetta's we were starving.

Olive has been a vegetarian all of her life, but you wouldn't be obviously aware of it since it is easy to find vegan and vegetarian options on campus, so students like her do not struggle trying to figure out what to order when eating.

We both did not need to stare at the menu to decide what we wanted.
I tend to eat lunch there everyday, and the menu has enough options that it never gets boring.

I was tempted to order a wrap with avocados, or my usual toasted bagel sandwich with cream cheese, and an oat bar for dessert. But I got the chili and cornbread, with a cookie for dessert instead.

Olive got "the mountain", which has flavored tempeh with mashed potatoes and gravy served with kale. She also decided on strawberry cake as her dessert choice.









I have tried countless things on the menu, and have never been disappointed.

As we grabbed our food, we tried to decide where to sit.
Did we want a window seat overlooking the people as they walked to the gym?
Or a seat in the middle?

We decided on a window seat. 

After we dug into our food, and recycled our trash, I could not help but start to think about what I would order the next day.

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Asheville Beauty - Weather Whirlwind

Hot. 

Cold. 

Ice. 

Snow. 

Wind. 

Rain. 

Heat again. 

Over the past few days, the weather has been bipolar with these weather patterns. 

Yet, even though I was changing outfits about three times a day last week - to either take off layers, or put more on due to the amount of sunshine, or the lack thereof; I didn't mind. 

Sure it may sound like a typical response to say the change keeps things interesting, but it really does. 

The ever-changing weather patterns of North Carolina, especially seen in the mountains, prevents routines from becoming "run of the mill." 

This is meant in the sense that one day you may be trekking to class in the snow, appreciating the heated sidewalks so you do not slip or fall, only to end your day in sweatpants, and with hot chocolate in hand. 

Meanwhile on another day you could be walking to class in shorts with a bounce in your step seeing everyone out in the quad, happy - getting their vitamin D, whether it is playing frisbee, reading, or taking a nap in a hammock. 

Due to the recently changing weather patterns, the variation in days has allowed none of these activities or social events to seem mundane. 

Sure, we may like the heat of the sunshine. 

But we also like the chill of snow. 

The weather adds variation to how we look at things in our daily routines... 

A clear sky leaves open the opportunity for a morning sunrise that is so colorful that the orange tones seep through my room's blinds in the morning, and make the clouds appear as if they have been painted by watercolors. 

Or a chilly morning leaves ice crystals coating the ground, left to sparkle in the sunlight and add beauty accompanied by a sense of serenity to an otherwise ordinary sidewalk. 

All of these attributes make Asheville what it is... an ever changing place that so many people call home.
Who knows, maybe we will wake up tomorrow to a bright shining sun?
Or perhaps an overcast blanket of clouds? 

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The Difference Between Loving Or Hating A Class

Teachers.

That is one of the main secrets of either loving or hating a class...
They have the power to either make you enthusiastic about coming to class every time or not.

My teachers this semester have gone above and beyond in making me want to come to class with their attention to my individual questions, eagerness for me to understand the material, engaging lessons, and so on.

I will admit that I am not a fan of math or science because the subjects come harder to me than others... yet this semester one of my favorite classes is actually a physics class called "Light and Visual Phenomena" with Professor Michael Ruiz.
Not only is his enthusiasm and passion for physics nice to see, but it is also contagious.
He puts the material into terminology that is relatable to everyday aspects of life, without losing the academics of the concepts.
With an easy to use website loaded with videos, demonstrations, activities, and short questions to check your comprehension - it is simple to keep up with the material.
Yet if you do not understand the material, just like all of the teachers here at UNC Asheville, they have office hours in which you can ask questions, set up an appointment, email, and so on.

The math department even has an open lab area with teachers to help with assignments when needed.
This will be a great help to me with my statistics class this semester.

With UNC Asheville's attentiveness to the individual student, it's easier for me to keep up with the material in my classes, no matter if it may originally appear as a daunting challenge such as math or science.

This semester, I walk into physics with an eager smile on, ready to learn about why light appears differently, such as in this photo I took one day.

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Life As A Literature Junky

With the new semester came rainy weather... but that did not deter my teachers and classmates from promoting a warm atmosphere for the first week of new classes.

Dreary Day On The Quad

I walk out of the rain, and into a room in which my classmates and I are discussing topics before class such as our favorite movie versions of Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," the tone the author took for the homework assignment, what kind of writing we love or hate, and most importantly our own type of writing style.

We may be a group of literature lovers in "Literature 240" class who become moved by a romanticized poem about a field of flowers, fall in love with an author's style of writing, or cry at moving points of a novel, such as the loss of a lover; but I feel like we can be considered more than that.

Everyone has their niche...
Something they take a profound pride in, whether it is enthusiasm about an algorithm for math, or a new piece of music - we all have something that moves us.

At UNC Asheville, students are able to find that niche...
Or multiple ones they love and find the one best for their future profession.

For instance, I'm an art lover and can talk constantly about it.
But writing moves me.

I become so passionate when I talk about readings I've done, pieces I've written, and things I cannot wait to write.

When you become so passionate about something that you just feel an emotional change in yourself, that is when you know it is an aspect to keep in your life.

I've known for awhile that I love to write and read, it's just a type of connection that is hard for me to find elsewhere... but all of my classes at school have only instilled this realization from this year...
Who knows, maybe I could have been a math lover?
That's what liberal arts schools want to make sure - that you know for sure what you are passionate about; this is one of the main goals of UNC Asheville that they fulfill by having you take a little bit of every subject.

As I sit here, I can't help but think of my favorite pieces of literature...
Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Lord Byron, Jane Austen; and then of course modern writers such as Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, L.J. Smith, and so on.

Literature is a part of me, and I'm thankful that I can express it here.

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It Has Started

It has officially started...

It's the end of the semester and we have begun the dreaded exams that test our knowledge of what we have learned.
And as I walk around campus it's apparent that everyone is trying to remember all of the information that they have accumulated in their notebooks this semester.
From people in the residence hall study lounges to the tables at the Highsmith student union, I was not aware that so many people went to my school.

Yet despite all the stress and pressure... there is somehow a good feeling in the air.
The feeling that by finishing an exam, we cannot only say that we accomplished what we were fearful of, but also that we are closer to earning our winter break.

Our faculty is consciously aware of all these feelings, and are making the best possible efforts to make our lives easier.
For instance, yesterday was the school-wide "reading day," meaning no classes and no commitments, other than a day dedicated to studying, and for most - catching up on sleep before exams.
Sleep is such a crucial aspect, but what most people are not aware of is that it is not only the sleep the night before an exam that is important, but also two nights before.

Regardless of sleep, people are continuously hitting the books hard.
Tonight, as an opportunity to recuperate from the first day of exams, and all of the studying for the remaining exams, there is a free breakfast session tonight in the cafeteria at 8:30pm.
At this breakfast, teachers volunteer their time to serve the students food!
It's a time for the students to unwind with a few laughs.

No matter, how hard students are hitting the books, they always find time to relax a little.
Whether it is working out, grabbing a bite to eat with some friends, or watching a movie - remember to relax a little because stress kills, and you want to make it to winter break!

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A Weekend Of The Arts

It was early Friday night as I filed into Lipinsky auditorium, thinking that I would be taking an auditorium seat with other peers and parents, as we gathered for the female and male a cappella group performances. Yet, as I entered through the doors, I was surprised to see that the show would take place in the lobby, and there were more than enough people attending to fill the lobby. Between the microphones, wires, and people the lobby was packed.
My friends and I scrambled for some seats - but then decided it would be better to sit on the floor in the front row, then on chairs in the back.
We had come to support our friends, and we were going to make sure they saw us.

Although we had come to watch the female group, the male group was just as entertaining.
They both sang tunes that audience members could enjoy, no matter their musical preferences, such as melodies from musicals or new chart-topping pop songs.

It never ceases to amaze me how a cappella groups cannot only manipulate their voices for singing, but also to act as the instrumental backgrounds.


The weekend of singing then ended tonight with the "Winter Chorus Concert."
The concert consisted not only of chorus singers, but also the band and orchestra - each with their own performance slot.

The music was not limited to only holiday tunes, but encompassed anything the performers had worked on, that they wanted to share.
For instance, the band played part of the soundtrack from the video-game "Zelda."

Regardless, the performances did not disappoint.

The concerts this weekend were a good way to spend the weekend before exams.

Speaking of upcoming exams, an event that I cannot wait for this week is a free stress relief session taking part of Tuesday from 12pm-2pm in the grotto.
The event includes free 10 minute massages, giveaways, and much more.
It will be a good way to unwind between study sessions.

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What Does A Liberal Education Mean?

The other day, one of my teachers had us write about what we think a liberal education is and how it has translated to our school academics... 

So to help you understand what a liberal education means, I wanted to share my response with you. 

           When I think of a liberal education… I think of having to take a little bit of everything, even when you don’t want to. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure I’m not thrilled about taking a math or science class, but I know they will only help me build upon my knowledge. Yet they do something better than just adding to my understanding of the topic itself. The classes build on my knowledge in general – they build on the connections I make, how I view things, and the general manner in which I consider my classes to interact with each other. It all comes down to connections.

            Sure at a non-liberal school, you can sign up for the fundamental classes, such as art, science, math, literature, and so on. But you can… meaning – it’s an option. Talking with my friend over the weekend about his school experience at Chapel Hill is completely different than my experiences here. But in a good way. While he has already been focused on courses that add to his major, even as a freshman; I have been building from the ground up with the basics. These basics have allowed me to explore what I want my major to be since I had not the slightest clue when I started school. I have been able to take art and mass communications to test those out… But these classes are not the ones that drew me in. Rather it was the unexpected literature and language classes. Unexpected. That is the key word.

            They say that a good fashion designer knows what the client wants before the client even knows it themselves. That’s how I think of a liberal education… having a sense of what the student wants, and needs, before they even know they want or need it.

            Next semester I am taking my dreaded math and science courses… But throughout the classes I will be trying to make connections. Math and science have obvious links due to the need for equations in physics. But what is less apparent is the relation between physics and art. Yet there is one. That is what drew my attention to a physics class rather than taking yet another biology class. Physics is able to relate to a topic that I love, photography. In physics, the course description explained that we will be relating our knowledge to topics such as light, color, and cameras – all very art relatable ideas.

            This is what a liberal education is. Putting yourself out there and not only hoping, but striving to gain knowledge while making connections. Because I can have all the knowledge in the world, but it won’t mean anything until I implement it somehow. This is what UNC Asheville has pushed me to do – implement ideas from one field to another… making constant connections. 

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Back At School. Back To Reality.

Easy come. 

Easy go. 

This is how breaks feel to me. They sound long... but in reality are short.
Between catching up on sleep, hanging out with family and friends, and homework - there is no time leftover.
Next thing you know you are packing up your bags and are headed back to school.

These were the thoughts running through my head as I packed my stuff yesterday morning before the car ride back to school.

It's tough.
I love breaks - but they are a lot of work with everything involved.
And I love school - but it gets tiring after awhile.

I guess the point I am trying to make here for college students and parents is to appreciate these breaks, if you don't already.

But students need to find time to make personal breaks when they are still physically at school.
With exams looming around the corner as a reality check that we are back at school - it is easy to fall victim to stress.
But with some proper planning - it can be a near stress free exam period.

Here are some pointers...

- If you take a nap, make it 15 minutes so you don't enter your sleep cycle and wake up feeling worse than you did before
(naps can improve memory) - yet I suggest just going to bed early.

- Study for an hour and break for 15 minutes.
15 minutes. That is all. Your brain needs a break, but don't let it get side-tracked.

- Write down all your exams and prioritize the dates so you know which ones you need to study for first and also which ones will take more time to prepare for.

- Exercise. I'm not talking about preparing to run a marathon or anything... Just 30 minutes. There are countless classes to get your adrenaline (and your brain) pumping. (When you work out, more oxygen circulates in your body, making your brain function more clearly.)
After studying for a long period of time, it's good to step back and make sure you are actually absorbing the material.
*UNC Asheville workout classes: http://recreation.unca.edu/fall-2012-group-fitness-classes

- Move around. You don't have to hit the gym all the time. Take a walk, just get moving. Studies show that sitting down all day is just as detrimental to your health as smoking.

So whatever study habit you hold, keep these pointers in mind besides the basics of eating right, drinking water, and so on.
Exams may be tough, but if you prepare - you will make it out alive and with a good grade.

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