Get Outside While the Weather Lasts!

Two weeks ago, I wondered if Bloomington went straight from summer to winter. However, I believe these last ten days have provided the most gorgeous weather Bloomington has seen all year.

Yellow trees light the path along an IUB side walk.

I understand that many of us are confined to our desks or the library to study, write papers and finish projects as mid-term season is finally starting to wrap up, but treat yourself to a half hour study break one day this week and walk around. For that half hour walk around campus, I suggest you resort back to a state similar to that of a high school student touring IU; I think you'll appreciate it more.

A colorful Kirkwood Ave. off of campus.

My journalism professor always talks about "seeing" instead of "looking" and "listening" instead of "hearing", and when I walked around campus this weekend taking pictures of the season that has consumed IUB, I think I finally understood what he meant. If you do the same, imagining that you're walking through IU for the first time and you honestly see everything that is around you, I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The courthouse in downtown Bloomington is framed nicely by its surrounding fall leaves.

Lay under one of the trees where you can see through the brightly lit yellow leaves. Walk down Kirkwood Ave., around the courthouse and downtown shops. Take a drive down Third Street and Indiana Blvd. where almost every "warm" color is represented in foliage or 30 minutes East on S.R. 45 to Brown County State Park.

The sample gates are a picturesque photo opportunity this time of year.

Treat yourself this week and enjoy the season that makes IUB one of the prettiest campuses in the country. Enjoy the last of fall before we're all bundled up!

A Wild and Wacky Weekend

In high school, Homecoming was always one of my favorite weeks. I appreciated all the tradition and school spirit that filled campus, and it always made for a nice fun week in the midst of an otherwise stressful time of the school year. So this fall, homecoming was one of the IU events I was looking forward to the most. With all the rain we've had in Bloomington these last few weeks and a rainy forecast, we were worried that many festivities would be canceled or too wet to enjoy, but lucky for us, planned festivities went on as planned.

The Parade

Very few high schools in Phoenix get to close off the street that runs adjacent to campus and have a homecoming parade. Fortunately, my high school was one of those few, and the homecoming parade became one of my favorite traditions. IU carries on a similar tradition where campus and community organizations create floats and get people to walk in the parade. Its a great way to see some of the organizations that are in the area and on campus-and the free candy groups hand out is always great too!

Hoosier Hysteria

An awesome tradition surrounding the kick-off of the basketball season! The last two years, the first official day the men's and women's basketball teams can practice has hit during homecoming weekend, and so Hoosier Hysteria is a part of the homecoming festivities. The men's and women's basketball teams practice for a crowd that fills Assembly Hall, and this year Men's Basketball Coach Tom Crean added some fun twists including a three-point shootout and slam dunk contest.

The Game!

Of course no homecoming is complete without the traditional game. This year IU played Illinois in an exciting game that we won! With layers and layers of sweatshirts and coats, we all froze, but it was great to see the Hoosiers play in such stellar fashion against another Big 10 school!

Dorm Lunchtime Hot Spot Gets a Facelift!

As a returning resident to Read Hall, there were many things I anxiously looked forward to when I returned this fall: walking through the basement and hearing students practice in the music rooms, the close walk to everything on campus, and having three dining facilities in my building that I can walk downstairs to and never have to get out of my pajamas.

El Bistro is our basement dining facility that allows me to build-my-own sandwich, burritos or nachos, and eat waffles with ice cream at any time of the day. One thing I have become incredibly excited about since my return is the re-decorating and designing of El Bistro.


New logos adorned El Bistro at the beginning of the school year, and now are accompanied by several new pieces of wall art that truly make "The Bistro" feel a little more like a bistro and less like a mall food court. If you haven't checked out El Bistro's new look, stop by and see for yourself!

Fall Has Arrived!

Someone picks up a bite of apple at the Bloomington Farmer's Market Apple Tasting.
Over fifteen delicious varieties of apples were cut-up and out for market-goers to try.

One of the best things about attending Indiana University Bloomington, is the town of Bloomington that comes with the IUB experience. Bloomington is a culturally thriving town, with tons of fantastic restaurants, music events, and other assorted interesting events.

Volunteers cut up pieces of apples for people to taste-test
at the Bloomington Farmer's Market.

This past weekend, I went to check out the Bloomington Farmer's Market. Every weekend, from April to November, local farmers gather their best produce, jams and other assorted products, and fill Showers Common, a courtyard near the Bloomington City Hall.

Local musicians perform at the Bloomington Farmer's Market.

This week's farmers market featured an apple tasting to bring in the fall season. As an avid apple eater, I was thrilled to read about this event in the student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. Local music and performers added to the fantastic atmosphere and of course I had to purchase one of the new flavors of apples I had tried in the Apple Tasting from a local market! When you come to IUB, be sure to attend Bloomington events, as well as all the IU events!

The Bloomington Farmer's Market.