Campus Housing offers recreational activities

                It’s a warm summer day with a nice overcast over the university. What do you do? Do you choose to stay indoors, or do go out there and get social?

                Hopefully most of us decide to get out from the heavenly grip of the bed sheets and cooled air to actually get active. UT Tyler’s housing facilities offer great choices to get active while having fun. Here are the following opportunities for recreational activities that the campus provides:

Patriot Village:

·         Gas grill

·         Picnic area

·         Sand volleyball court

University Pines:

·         BBQ pavilion

·         Swimming Pool

·         Sand volleyball court

Ornelas Hall:

·         Basketball court

·         Sand volleyball court

Sand Volleyball court besides Ornelas Hall

If you’ve noticed, all three on campus housing has volleyball courts! They’re available to anyone who wants to play. Personally, I’ve played sand volleyball on campus and it is the most fun thing you could possibly think of that requires getting active. Don’t get me wrong; I DO NOT like to sweat, but playing volleyball is the best thing I have done. I just played sand volleyball for the first time ever two weeks ago.

Students playing basketball in the Upines pool

Are you more of a pool person? Well if you live in the University Pines, or you have a friend who lives there, you can chill out in the pool and not even have to sweat. The pool there doesn’t go past five feet, so if you freak out after going past five feet because you can’t touch the floor don’t worry! I know I do, so that pool is a safe and fun way to spend a nice sunny day!

Whether you play volleyball or prefer swimming, there’s something that beats both of these things. What could possibly beat this you may ask? Doing both of them and having a cookout the same day with a group of friends. Boom! Mind blown! Pick up your chair and your socks because I just blew both of them off!

Nothing beats the fun of doing all three things with friends during a nice day. Designate who brings what for the cookout and make it happen. I guarantee that it will be a pretty awesome day!

So get out of your bed, put on your sunscreen (or sun tan lotion), and get out there!

Typical Day on the UT Tyler Student Blogging Team

     As I walk into work today, with my maxi dress flowing in the wind, and a spring in wedged heeled feet, I knew today was gonna be a good day. Last week was KINDA sucky. I wasn't feeling all that well from the crazy weather change. Texas, please make up your mind about the weather. Is it gonna be fall yet or are you still clinging on to summer?.... Can't you see that my closet cannot handle both summer and fall clothes together! I am not fond of being bundled up in the morning before class and when I get out of class the temperature rises 20 degrees and I look like a fool wearing fall clothes :( (sorry I went off on a tangent. That tends to happen)

But the reason why I am all dressed up and excited about today is because i'm going to see the Shaolin Warriors at the Cowan Center ! You see, I am very excited about this cause it just looks absolutely awesome. My attention was caught when UT Tyler pinned up the flyers for the show and this is what I saw! 

Bacon Burger Bowling

I posted very early this semester about going to a Pancake thing with my roommates. 

Well I went to another one of these hosted events by two of the RA's at Patriot Village.

To be honest, I went for the bacon. If it was just burger bowling, I don't know if I would have gone.

I suckered my lovely roommate Canada to join me.

I summed up this video in a lovely video for you readers. 

So just click play and watch my night of fun.

The 4:00am Fire Drill

One of the perks of living on campus? 4 am fire alarm drills. 
  This occurred maybe a week or two ago but got shoved under the rug because I was still disgruntled about it until recently. The good thing about this event was it happened on a Saturday night. So I didn't go all HULK SMASH on the closest object. If it had been on Sunday,Tuesday or Thursday that would be a totally different story because I have a 8:00 class and I need all the sleep I can get. 

Here's the play by play:
 I wasn't wearing any pants when I went to bed the night of this fire alarm. So when my reflexes kicked in after hearing the fire alarm. I jumped out of bed. This action knocked my phone on the floor. I grabbed the closest pair of pants I could find, which were jeans, put them on and waited for my roommates to get up and went to the stairwell. The fire alarms are very sensitive at Patriot Village.
 Ironically, my boyfriend's ex-roommate cooked three pounds of bacon on a griddle last semester and DIDN'T set off the alarm. Though every open-able window and door was open to move all the smoke and yucky-ness out of the apartment.
Back to the dreaded night, there wasn't really a fire but smoke of some sort tricked the fire alarm to go off. We all headed back to bed. Between my roommates, it was decided that I had the best fight or flight reactions and that when I was standing in the hallway waiting for my roommates looked extremely creepy. 
  Funny thing, that next day the fire alarm went off at the second building when it was raining. 
So. yeah. Fire alarms are awesome in the sense that if an actual fire occurs, the chance of you getting out alive is higher. The increased sensitivity of fire alarms when there is not a fire can be annoying. 
        Things like this occur. You can get mad about them or just go with the flow. I can say that I have experienced a 4:00 am fire drill. Have you?

Fight or Flight: Raccoon addition

.....After leaving the Open Mic Night at like 9.

I walked alone down the campus toward Patriot Village.

When I got to Harvey Deck, I saw a flash of gray and thought it was raccoon that I saw before.

I was right. The raccoon stood up on his hind legs inside Harvey Deck looking at me. I am a chicken. I am small. You can toss me over your shoulder and there’s nothing I can do. Instead my fight or flight reflexes kicked and I started walking back slowly back the way I came. I could probably have  taken the raccoon but I wouldn't bet on it.
    I called my roommate and begged her to walk and meet up with my wobbly legged self. She laughed at me and then still met me on the walkway behind Ornelas Hall and walked me home. 

Which I thank her for.

Dealing with an animal like that is really just… what it is.

If I hadn’t been walking alone, I probably wouldn’t have ran awwwayyy. Unless he actually showed some threat.

So that’s my interaction with the campus raccoon.

I saw a couple walk the same way and I didn’t see them running back. So I assume he just likes looking at us curious creatures.

   Does anyone else have any raccoon incidents?

Patriot Village Apartment Vlog Part 2!

Just like I promised! Enjoy, everyone!

Patriot Village Vlog Part 1!

Here it is! Enjoy! :D

(For a full screen version, click here)

Down at the PV Clubhouse...

            I just witnessed one of the most entertaining football games I think I've ever seen. I meant to see the Chicago Bears go against the Green Bay Packers, but I'm glad I went to see the Steelers (Pitsburgh) and the Jets (New York). Truly, I could've just watched the game from home, but I decided it would be fun to go down to the Patriot Villiage Clubhouse, eat some pizza, and watch the game with my fellow apartment dwellers. On top of the fact that the game was great (a 24-19 score, going to the Steelers), it was nice to sit and chat with my roommate and some of the other people that live in my building.
            One guy I talked to was the roommate of my roommate's boyfriend. Yeah, I know, but it was still cool to talk to him. The free food was just the cherry on top of the end of my quiet Sunday. It was nice to be around people you live with and just talk over some football. Who knows, if PV decides to have a Super Bowl viewing, I definately plan on going.