Category: Perspectives

It was shortly after midnight. My phone wasn’t working, the power was out and my mountaineering career was rapidly evaporating.

Have you ever have one of those days when nothing seems to work out the way you planned?

My day had started well. I had gone rock climbing on Cathedral Ledge in North Conway, New Hampshire.

I was doing schoolwork at my desk. I had just finished eating three off my famous Bronson Burritos: monstrous bean-filled tortillas each, complete with sour cream, salsa and shredded cheese. I leaned forward in my chair to grab a book I’d left on the floor, and froze.

On my way to class last week, I suddenly became aware of a nearby smoker. I hadn’t seen a cigarette or heard the rasp of a lighter. Rather, I had inhaled a puff of their smoke. This air had quite naturally traveled in and out of their lungs and then in and out of mine.

Erika Huntington

Super Senior

Biology

How long have you been working on your degree?

Since 1993.

Over the years, what have you noticed about USM that you like?

How did you spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Audrey Caires Freshman “I worked on MLK Jr. Day.” Samantha Parker Junior “Moved into Portland Hall!” Travis Cote Senior “I finished moving into my apartment.” Jon Riley Freshman “Slept, worked, ate.” Charlie Fitts Geology Professor “Worked preparing for classes.

“We hate blimps.”

“Courting the Inevitable Timer (Pi).”

Name: (Crazy) Joe Frechette. Age: 24. Major: Media Studies. Year: Super Senior.

What is your most embarrassing Thanksgiving memory?

The end of the semester is a time for reflection on our triumphs and on our lost opportunities. I came into this job as enthusiastic as a puppy. I ran full-speed toward every goal I thought was reasonable. Since this job has so many unknowns it is basically akin to trying to navigate in a messy room with the lights off, I pretty much fell over every possible piece of furniture and knocked all the delicate stuff on the floor.

Flu vaccine clarification, content criticism, course fee concerns, and a Campus Ecology Recognition award. Alliteration, anyone?

The last couple of days have been seasonably gray and wet here in Southern Maine. Some may say we’ve had it coming. I think you’ll agree that the weather has been unusually pleasant this fall. It seems we’ve had more sunny days in a row than we’re normally allotted.

As a child, I really wanted to give blood. No, I do not mean I wanted to play hockey, I wanted to donate my blood cells to the Red Cross and save the life of somebody I would never meet. Unfortunately, this dream will never be realized because somebody whispered to somebody else there was a possibility I was a fag.

This past weekend, I flew to DC to see friends of mine. Although the snow began to fall in Boston, the first snow I’d seen of the season, the flight was relatively normal. The pilot cautioned us ahead of time to expect “tolerable turbulence.” As far as the weather was concerned, he was right.

Name: Angie Christensen. Age: 22. Major: Political Science. Year: Junior.

On November 5, Governor Baldacci and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection presented the USM Biodiesel Partnership with an award for environmental excellence for contributions to public health and environment. CONGRATULATIONS USM!