Amin's Blog

BLOGGER ALERT!!! There's a new blogger on campus. My name is Amin Montgomery I am a sophomore and this is my first year at this university. I went to Juanita High School, (All Hail the Mighty Rebels!!) and I took Running Start courses my senior year. I feel so honored to be blogging for such a great school. This year is a new beginning am I already beginning to see the benefits of going to this campus. One thing I'm learning is that there is SOOOOO MUCHHH reading we have to do. Luckily, with the classes I'm taking though, the readings are really enjoyable, its just taking the notes that are a pain. The classes I have are: Intro to Environmental Science, European Intellectualism, and Human Rights. It''s really shocking learning about the atrocities humans have suffered throughout the history of this world and of the ecological catasrophes we face if we continue to pollute the globe. Another thing I'm just finding out is that there are so many events going on here at UWB that I'm just having a hard time finding the time to make it to these events! For example just last week, on Friday, there was a break dancing class and then the real dance afterward. I just can't wait till' Wednesday because former United States Attorney John McKay is going to be giving a lecture at the North Creek Events Center. In addition, I am running for Director of Public Relations!

So as the dog days of the summer season come to a grinding halt and the freshness of autumn is in full effect, I'll take a moment to reflect on past memories spend during the summer time. Well, for starters I went to the Big Apple (a.k.a. New York City) spending a week touring the sites and taking in the sounds of such a bustling city. I hadn't expected there to be so many buildings in such a condensed area, everywhere you looked there was building after building after building etc. And these gigantic towers partially blocked access to the sun's rays, so it reminded me of someone stepping into a world of giants.

For some reason we kept drinking so much coffee that we must have gone to every Starbucks location in the city. Central Park was nice because it so quite and like a refuge from the cacophonous sounds emitted from the metropolis every living second. The frantic honking, mixed with the indecent language of some of the New York natives was a constant commotion We also visited the University of Columbia near Harlem, a fine instituition of higher learning but does not compare to the like of our beloved University. At the end of the end of trip, as kind of like the grand finale, my aunt took me up the approx. 80 stories of NBC's 30 Rockefeller studios otherwise known as "Top of the Rock." I gasped as I breathlessly stretched my eyes over the vastness of such a great city. "Look you can see central park" exclaimed. "Hey, there's Times Square" I stated. My aunt, who had been there at least twice seemed to share in my ebullience. It was amazing because even the cars looked so tiny but the the skyscrapers stood out like colossal statues protecting this great megalopolis. Essentially, it was a concrete jungle.

From New York we went to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. The picture where I am sitting by the waterfall is in the city of Philly.

There were so many historic sites but in all my excitement (cough*) I managed to drop my phone and it broke :( . No worries though, I got a another less enhanced, cheaper, rediculosly smaller, phone but hey who's complaining. We climbed the steps Rocky took in the movie...uuhh.. what was the title again? Did I mention we also had a signature Philly Cheese Steak sandwich from this famous restaurant I think it was called "Joe's Original Philly Cheese Steak." It was muy delicioso! Thus, during that summer I had made up my mind that I was definetely going to live in either "The City That Never Sleeps," or "Philly."

Well, that pretty sums up what I did for summer vacation. Just trying to stay busy and keep up with all the events happening on campus. I just want to give a shout out to my orientation advisor Jenny Diko, study long but don't study wrong. Oh yeah I just remembered basketball season starts this month. Woot Woot!! Come watch us play, we will not dissapoint! Until then my readers au revoir, les enfants. If you have any questions or just want to chat I'll be glad to hear from you and if you see me on campus stop by and say hello, trust me I don't bite...!!!

aminm11@u.washington.edu

Well, well, well...I thought that today I shall begin by giving you all a quote I had been thinking about this past week: "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." It is a saying by the American writer Henry David Thoreau and no, this will not be a lecture on the philosphical aspects of life. Now some might say, "uh...Amin what does this have to do with UWB?" Well here is the meaning my curious readers, this campus has so many exciting activies going on that it is hard not to stay busy. I mean just last week, in the North Creek Events Center, we had the former United States Attorney John McKay expound his views on the scandal involving the former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Speaking about that you should have seen how much food there was! Everything from chicken, to fruit, to beverages all was provided for and all was FREE!!! Yes, FREE my fellow students. And the best part of all...UWB students got to go in a full 15 minutes earlier than the general public. If that is not a great enough incentive than I don't know what is. Not to mention there was the "bowling night" just last Thursday. Rental shoes and use of the bowling lanes were all FREE!! So in a sense, you are constantly interacting with new people, new ideas, thereby expanding your world...and did I happen to point out that these activities were...FREE!!

I am so excited about the classes I am taking so far. On October 12 (which I think was a Friday) there was a presentation on campus given by returning veterans. They shared their personal experiences with disabled veterans. It was appropriately titled "War Veterans: Physical and Emotional Wounding & The Return To School” presented by Steve and Lisa Tice.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the presentation (I know what a bummer) however it just so happened that my human rights professor had attended and wants the couple to speak to our class!! Hopefully they'll agree because I heard from other students, that their message is "life changing." Also in my Environmental Issues class we had our first Quiz, just thinking of that still gives me the shivers. It wasn't acutually a quiz it was more like a test in that we had over 3 weeks of material to cover and the quiz itself was pretty extensive. There were everything you could possibly think of. From multiple choice, to short answers, and alas the dreaded essay response. I am confident though that I did pretty well as I had studied extensively that past weekend. Oh by the by, I believe that one of my fellow bloggers...Casey...is in my class what a coincidence. I hope he found the quiz to be somewhat hard as well.

Also, one thing you will have to know about me is that I am what you call a bookworm especially when it comes to history, philosophy, and politics. I mean I just sop that stuff up like a sponge, but I believe that we all have an "inner nerd" it's just that some of us haven't been aware of its power within us yet. Since, math is not really my forte I try to use it as less as I can so I'm kind of a "one-sided nerd" usually sticking to the social studies and english portions of education. In this regard, I am constantly striving for..."geekness." Just thinking...there's this real funny quote by Bill Gates and everytime I tell it to people I get the inquistive "what are you talking about" look, like what I said would never happen. Gates stated, "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one." Hehe, thank you ladies and gentlemen that is my random thought of the day.

Now, once again switching topics I would like to remind everyone (even though it's probably glued to the back of their brain) about the upcoming Career Fair on October 18th. This will be a great experience for those who are searching for a career with a reputable company. Did I mention there is going to be over 50 different companies attending this fair, now imagine the great opportunity we all have before us. It's like walking into a room full of gold or really fine jewelry (bad example?).

Finally, if you have not been paying attention to anything I have said so far THIS IS THE TIME TO NOW DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE SCREEN!! As you all may know, I have registered in the men's basketball league on campus. However, we need more people to sign up so I know you guys out there are looking to stay in shape and be active on campus and this is a perfect opportunity to do that. It doesn't matter your skill level, or your size, this is a league for anyone to come out and just be competitive.

Basketball is such a great sport in that you are simultaneously working mutiple parts of the body while you are having fun at the same time. The gym is a great place to meet new people because by actively participating in the sport we are all sharing the same interests.

I would like to again give a shout out to Xheni Ditko, my editor in chief who pointed out that I had mispelled her name in my last blog. Thanks! And also to Rob Christmas who works in the library. He has shaggy brown hair so give him a "hi" sometime. And if you see me on campus, please feel free to talk to me anytime (hint: I'm a real sucker for the presidential race right now). Oh and for the record, since I have bared my soul to you all I invite you to return the favor...

My Email Address Is: aminm11@u.washington.edu

Before I enlighten you all on my last weeks' ventures I shall start off with my weekly ritual. The thought occurred to me this week about my habit of studying and how I could change it so as to budget my time more effectively. As I was skimming through my history books (because as you know I love history) I happened to glance at a section of one our more admired presidents, Abraham Lincoln. He articulated, "The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for to-morrow which can be done to-day." The thought donned on me that instead of pushing my work further into the week I must actually hammer out my homework. My Human Rights professor talked a great deal about budgeting your time and he recommended making a weekly schedule to help guide you so that you are not wasting your time. He mentioned to budget your time in 2 hour increments because that is the average attention span of a typical student. Then after a few weeks once you have really gotten a hang for your schedule you can increase the incremental time you have to study. Eventually by the time he was done with college my professor could study from 8 in the morning till midnight (gasp!). I am going to try his advice for next week and keep you updated on how it went, I'll just have to remember to NOT TO PROCRASTINATE... man, I hate that word.

This last week has been nothing short of busy, busy, busy. On Wednesday there was a caricature artist as well as cookies in the commons. I had the artist draw a caricature of me giving a speech on stage, it was really fun. Also next week there I am thinking about going down to play pool at the Olympic Billiards on November 1st. It starts at 7:00 and oh by the way there's going to be free food! Also the Student Affairs office is seeking students to serve as campus tour guides. It sounds like a great opportunity so I might just apply for the position myself. The only requirements are that you have to be friendly and reliable. Basically what you would do is give a tour of the UW Bothell campus to prospective students who are thinking about coming to the university. Did I mention you also will get paid...hmm this job is sounding better by the second. Speaking of jobs I just had my first day on the job working for “Pump It Up Party Zone” last Saturday. It was great; I just supervised the kids on the inflatable devices and made sure everyone was safe. All in all, I would say it went pretty smooth, and I know I sound crazy when I say this, but I am looking forward to working there again.

My classes this week were fairly challenging this week. On Wednesday my environmental class professors did something a little out of the ordinary and took us all out on a field trip to a place called "21 Acres" in Woodinville. Before the field trip we were learning about the importance of soil as well as the complex concept of "agro-economics," but it was great to go to a farm and actually see these practices work first hand. Sure it was raining, cold and the wet grass and mud were bothersome but we managed to tough it out and really learn the true potential of what Mother Nature has in store for us. Vincent Felice was our tour guide during the trip and he currently serves as the Agricultural Programs Manager for 21 acres. He was very informative and seemed to have a passion for the agricultural field.

I would recommend to students that you shop at farmer's markets and build a trust with the local farmers in the region so that you know where your food is coming from instead of going to a regular grocery store and buying "organic" foods. What really is "organic?" That question popped up a lot during our field trip, because it's hard to think of organic as healthy when there are Oreo’s which are labeled organic (yes, I know I was laughing when I heard that too) when we all know that you don't just "grow" Oreo’s. All the crops looked really healthy and delicious. We even got to try out some plant that contained peppers. I didn't eat any but some of my classmates did and thought it was actually pretty good. One student even stated that they use those same flowers for her salad. Their hope is that they will be one of the chief providers of food for the Woodinville area and serve as a model for up and coming farms who seek to do the same think. My wish is that you all can visit the farm someday for yourselves and actually see a great way of taking care of our environment through sustainable growth.

My European Intellectualism class was quite the rave last week, as we had students all across the room expounding their beliefs on what an ideal government should look like. It was kind of like a game where we had just successfully completed a revolution to overthrow the aristocracy and now we were responsible for creating a government that was more equal. There was heated debate from all sides. I managed to put health care as one of the more important points that a government should address. Freedom and equality were two big topics as well; however we couldn't agree on what ideas and/or programs freedom and equality should encompass (IF YOU READERS OUT THERE HAVE ANY IDEAS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THESE TWO SUBJECTS I WOULD ENJOY HEARING FROM YOU). Speaking of a correct government I am currently working for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Woot Woot!!

I know I mentioned this before, but we are still looking for people to sign up for basketball, the registration period has been extended. So PLEASE, contact the Recreational Sports & Wellness program to learn more about how you can either start your own team or join an existing one! To join or for more information visit www.uwb.edu/students/life and click on Recreational Sports. Or you can go to https://catalysttools.washington.edu/survey/mortslha/38916. Again I thank you for the dedicated readers to this blog and if you would like to email me about anything (I've already gotten one this week) please do. Have a great weekend everyone, and don't party too hard, because MID-TERMS ARE COMING UP muhuhahaha!!

My email is: aminm11@u.washington.edu.

Well as the last day of October comes to a close I thought I would add my final say on this dreary halloween day. In my previous blog I had mentioned that I had found a new job at Pump It Up, in Kirkland, but what I didn't tell you all is that I had found it on HuskyJobs. It is so easy to use and very convenient. Before I had this job I was really lazy in trying to find any type of work (no joke) but when I started using Husky Jobs all I had to do was pick from over 700 jobs hiring in my area and submit my resume to the selected jobs I had picked. It was like I didn't have to do any work at all.

ATTENTION TO ALL STUDENTS WHO WANT TO KNOW WAYS OF ENHANCING OUR CAMPUS: The University of Washington is conducting a university-wide project to understand how best reach our many audiences and enhance their appreciation for the University today. The communications firm we have selected to work with us, Lipman Hearne, will be speaking with a wide range of constituents including faculty, students, staff, alumni, prospective students, business and government leaders, and others. In November, Lipman Hearne will be hosting discussion groups with the University students on the Bothell campus. I have been requested to attend a discusion of the topics that will include my experiences at the UW, what made me choose the University, and how I talk about the University with others. If you all have any ideas about ways of improving the campus PLEASE EMAIL ME. All conversations are extremely confidential.

Oh by the by...the Blue Scholars are going to be on campus today! I know many of you know this Hip Hop band, as they are pretty popular. Unfortunately, I've never herad any of their music but I'll try and make it there. The concert is at 7:30pm at the North Creek Events Center. It's FREE for UWB students, so make sure you bring your ID or it will cost you $8 to get in. I heard there might be some FREE FOOD....

Midterms for me are next week, so I will be cramming this weekend. There is just so much material to cover in each one of my classes that I will have to budget my time effectively in order to get the desired results. Don't leave studying on the last day, STUDY NOW (after you are done reading this blog of course).

Did you all see the report on MSNBC about how employers are rejecting candidates because they have profiles on Facebook on Myspace.Here is the url address to the article:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20202935/ These employers go on these websites to check out job applicants and see the "other side" of these people. While these companies are not surprised that what they see on a resume is not the same person they view on Myspace, the mere thought of it is pretty revealing and it says a lot at how far the internet has come. So if you're thinking about landing that next big job make sure your Myspace and or Facebook accounts are in order, so that it does not expose you in a different light.

Next week I will be posting some of the emails I have received regarding my blog, you'll want to read that one for sure. Of course, you can always email me with some comments or questions. I hope all of you do well on your midterms, and don't forget to study!

aminm11@u.washington.edu