Colleen Curran '11

Wow. I can’t believe that I haven’t updated my blog in such a long time. Since my last entry (at the beginning of May? Really?!), I have been so incredibly busy. All of my final exams and papers went really well. I was the most nervous about my Tolkien paper, but I was able to pull it off. I found a fantastic little nook in the library, too. I literally secluded myself from human society for about twelve hours a day during the last five days of school. I was basically a modern anchoress. I even had a small little window through which I could see people! The end of sophomore year was bittersweet. I had a lot of work to do this semester, but, like last semester, I enjoyed every minute of it. When I turned in my Latin final blue book, I was honestly sad. This past semester (and year, actually) has just been so academically inspiring. I was able to find my niche last semester, and this semester I just honed it in. My professors were fantastic resources and also tolerated my academic interests. Professor Perry allowed me to explore the Libri Carolini, and Professor Mulrooney tolerated my never-ending medieval spiels in my Tolkien seminar. All of my professors from previous semesters (notably Profs. Juilfs, Kee, Manoussakis, Murphy, and Fr. Howard) just kept telling me to pursue my academic passions. Even though I might not make a whole lot of money, I think that I want to be a professor of Medieval literature. This is quite the 180 from last year! These past two years have just been such a fantastic foundation, and now I feel ready to tackle whatever my tutors at Oxford might throw at me in a couple of months. It’s just so wonderful to be able to attend a school with such supportive professors who are more than willing to mentor you about post-undergraduate life. I really feel so blessed to attend such a school.

After my last final, I enjoyed a really long walk around the campus. I took some pictures because it was just gorgeous weather outside. It was so gorgeous that even a pair of hawks decided to nest right outside of O’Kane. There was one beautiful red-tailed hawk. Of course, no one on campus wanted to tarry around that area for all that long! The day after my Latin final, my mom flew up and helped me pack up. My sister and father then drove down from Colgate the next day, and we finished packing up Wheeler 331. After that, I just walked around campus a little more; I was able to see Prof Mulrooney, and he gave me a couple of pointers on how to improve my Tolkien paper. That paper truly was the most fun I have ever had on an assignment (no offense to any of my other professors who might stumble across this blog!). I argued that Tolkien used the same understanding of the Beowulf poet’s conception of the body and the soul, specifically through two Old English words. I know, I know. It sounds dusty and really weird, but it was so much fun to write! Once again, my sources this semester were not exactly too recent!

After we finished packing everything up (which went so much more smoothly than last year because I brought far less clothes with me!), we headed into Boston. We were even lucky enough to grab some seats at Fenway park that night! That was the same night that Jason Bay was on fire (I know, I’m not really being specific here). After saying hello to some family members, my dad, sister, and I began our drive back to Atlanta. Usually, we do the drive in two days. This time, however, we decided to take our time, so we took three days to complete the journey. We saw some more family along the way (my entire family is scattered along the eastern seaboard), and we stopped in Richmond for the Strawberry Street Café’s infamous strawberry shortcake. It’s kind of a tradition. See, the first time that we stopped there, Dad, Caitie, and I finished an entire shortcake in less than three minutes. This time, we broke our record and brought it down to 2:09. It would’ve been quicker, but we were laughing for a good thirty seconds because our waitress had no idea what we were doing.

Eventually, we made it back to Georgia. I celebrated my 20th birthday (ugh. I am such an old fart) with my family at my favorite restaurant, McCormick and Schmick’s. My sister bought me a subscription to Neflix for the summer, and I think that Caitie has used it more than I have. We’re using it to get caught up on our pop culture knowledge. See Since then, I’ve been working at the Irish pub at which I worked last summer and just reading a couple of books. I had to get a graft surgery on my gums, so I couldn’t talk for a couple of days. My family cherished those three days! But, I’ve made a full recovery and I’m back to talking, much to my family’s dismay. On Saturday night, Caitie and I went to the Keith Urban concert. It was fantastic. Our mom won some seats at an auction, and Caitie and I had no idea how good the seats were. We knew that we were on the floor, but we had no idea that we would be literally ten feet from Keith. It was great! I didn’t even zoom in for the pictures! He is such an amazing performer, and he sounds so good live. The only bad part was that Taylor Swift opened (blech). Sorry, I’m just not a huge fan of her music. It was such a cool night, though!

I’m starting Ancient Greek tutorials next week, and I have a few more books to read. I’m really excited to begin Ancient Greek. I’m learning in a tutorial setting with a private instructor, so we’ll see how it goes. My paper on the Libri Carolini influenced me to take this class because I really want to read the great Greeks (and eventually the Greek Fathers) in their vernacular.

Other than that, I’ve been planning for my year abroad. I’ve already applied for my visa, and I have my plane ticket to London. I’m receiving e-mails every week from the Director of the Visiting Student Programme at Mansfield about my tutorials, living arrangement, and immigration status. I’m pretty much signing my life away. Basically, I’m using this summer to prepare as much as I can for Oxford. I’ve even started to bike again! Because I’ve been biking a little bit, I’ve finally restored a tad of color to my skin. Now I don’t reflect light as much anymore! People can look at me without being blinded. It’s a great feeling.

So, that’s a basic wrap-up of what I’ve been doing since my last entry. Check back soon for more updates and photos of my summer adventures!

This week has been filled with a lot of painful good-byes.Tuesday was my last day of classes at Holy Cross until Fall 2010. I’m glad that I could end with Professor Perry’s Honors Seminar, though. All of my classes have been fantastic this semester (actually, make that this entire year!), and I’m missing out on a lot of amazing classes that are being offered here next year. I will survive though, methinks! Also, this past Sunday was my last Mass at Holy Cross for a year. It didn’t hit me until I was counting people during the homily. I was standing up in the choir loft, and that’s when I realized that that would be my last time doing that for quite a while. It’s just a weird feeling to think that I won’t be back here as a student until Fall 2010. Am I excited to study abroad? Most certainly. Am I nervous? Most certainly!

Today, I turned in my Tolkien final paper. I’ve been working on this paper for quite some time, so I’m glad that it’s finished. I argued that Tolkien mimics the Beowulf poet (or at least Tolkien’s understanding of him) by combining pagan philosophy with Christian theology, specifically with regards to the body and the soul. I know that this is going to sound crazy, but it was such a fun paper to write. It was difficult, and all of the librarians think I’m a little weird for checking out the entire Anglo-Saxon section in Dinand. But it was still so much fun! Who knows? Maybe I’ll continue that theme for my Honors thesis. But I don’t want to talk about that right now, because that’s a 100+ page paper.

I’m finished with three out of my four classes now. My last final is Wednesday, and it’s for my Early Christian Literature class. Between now and then, I’ll be studying and packing up the room. Packing is going a whole lot better than last year. Remember my frantic posts? Those feelings of anxiety are no more! I actually have more storage than stuff; that’s an exciting feeling. Another reason why I’m better off now than a year ago: my computer is fully functional, so I don’t have to rely on the O’Kane computer lab. That’s always a good feeling!

Warning! The author of this entry requests that you are firmly seated on a chair or other flat surface with some railing mechanism. To read this entry without such safety features could result in shock, falling off chairs, or death.

Right now, I’m typing a paper…in the Science library. I know, I know. The building has not burned down, and I have not randomly combusted. This is quite a new experience for me. I have to write a paper for my Math class, and all of my books and resources are in the Science Library. Besides, I might as well experience the fifth best Science library at any liberal arts institution in the nation before I go abroad next year, right (bet that you didn’t know that fact!)? It’s so…different in here. Maybe I should study in here more often. See, there aren’t any fun books to distract me. For instance, when I was supposed to be writing my Tolkien paper a couple of days ago, Kierkegaard distracted me. Here, though, there are no such distractions. I mean, who really wants to read a book about fractals? There are pretty pictures, though. Then again, I miss the feeling of Dinand. The Science library is nice, but it just doesn’t have that old, dusty book quality to it. But at least now I can say that I’ve been in this library on my tours.

This past week has been hectic to say the least. I was tempted to write the word chaotic because I’m writing my math paper on Chaos theory in paintings, specifically in Van Gogh and Pollock. But that pun would’ve only been funny to me, hence the exclusion. Anyway… This week started out quite hilariously, actually. Sunday was Accepted Students’ Day. I was in the Chapel from 8:45-11 to answer questions. I think maybe three people came. It was filled later on in the day, but I guess that some other speeches were going on at the time. I was also Lit. Co. at the Accepted Students’ Day Mass. I kind of messed up the intro (and by kind of, I mean really). Paul was supposed to do it, but I didn’t know that. Oh well – it all worked out. After that, Ashely, Michelle, two of Michelle’s friends, and I had dinner at Ciampi with Frs. Lynch and Savard. We won an auction a while ago. It was fantastic. The food was amazing, and all of us said that we want to live there. They do have five extra rooms or so. I asked if I could live there if I became the Jesuit version of a nun. They said no. Oh, well. I’ll just keep on winning that meal auction! Frs. Lynch and Savard are two really great guys and just so down to earth (all of the Jesuits are, in fact!). We actually had a Peep war. I told Fr. Lynch how Carrie and I had a peep war last year, and he was intrigued. So, we held our own peep war in Ciampi (Fr. McFarland, if you’re reading this, I swear it wasn’t me. It was everyone else, and I just watched on the sidelines. I had nothing to do with this!). After Sunday, though, I have spent all of my time in Dinand. I’ve had several presentations, papers, and applications due. And, I officially have less than two weeks left for my sophomore year. I also have approximately two exams and eighty pages (no, I’m not exaggerating) to write between now and May 6th. Oh well; it’ll all be finished. Well, I have to return to my math paper and find some more books in this frightening location. How do these science majors do it?

As of today, there are only eleven days of class left. How frightening is that?

Today is the first day of classes after Easter Break. My break was extremely relaxing. I stayed here (it’s a long story. Basically, my plans fell apart at the last minute.), and, although I was one of twenty five kids on campus, it was still enjoyable. I spent most of my time either in the Chapel or working on my papers. The Chapel services were gorgeous. Our really big week began with Palm Sunday. We started outside on the Chapel plaza and then made our way into St. Joseph’s. I was altar serving at that Mass, and it was incredible to see how many people were at that one Mass. St. Joseph’s was literally filled. It was great. Our solemn liturgies continued with Mass on Holy Thursday. Fr. Lynch said the Mass, and he gave a beautiful homily about the washing of the feet. We ended that Mass with adoration of the left over consecrated Body of Christ in the McCooey Chapel. Good Friday, as always, was an intense Mass. For those of you who have never been to a Good Friday service, it’s an emotional draining experience. Add some of the most brilliant men on this earth (aka the Jesuits) and it’s just an all over strenuous experience. Fr. Savard said this service (it’s technically not a Mass), and, like Fr. Lynch, gave a stirring homily. The service culminated with the veneration of the Cross. Fr. Hayes’ nephew, who is about five, was at the Mass, and it was adorable to see him venerate the Cross. He kept on looking up at Fr. Hayes for approval. It was really cute, trust me. Mass on Holy Saturday was probably one of the most beautiful Masses that I have ever attended (it’s second only to the Mass I chanced upon in Montserrat). Fr. Hayes said the Mass. Even to hear the Exstultet sung is such an amazing experience. Of course, that Mass is particularly long (about 2 hours, and that was without any initiates!), but it’s just so gorgeous. There are so many readings to remind everyone about God’s works through salvation history. Oh, yes – at this Mass, I learned that I cannot set up a tablecloth. See, on Good Friday, the altar is completely stripped, and it’s set up again only at the Vigil. Well, because I was altar serving, I had the task of setting up the tablecloth. I spent about three minutes trying to put it on the altar. It was kind of embarrassing. But that’s not the point. The point is that the Mass was gorgeous. And, of course, our Triduum celebration ended with Mass on Easter Sunday. I have never seen the Mary Chapel that filled. Students, faculty, and locals attended the Mass. Fr. McFarland said the Mass, and his homily (as always!) was so intellectually engaging. He even apologized for it being so heavy for an Easter homily. Welcome to life with the Jesuits – you are constantly learning, even if you’re just walking.

Saturday night, the Jesuits had all those who attended the Easter Vigil Mass at Ciampi for a brief reception. As I sat and talked with Fr. Reiser, Fr. Lynch, Fr. Hayes, and all the other members of the Jesuit community, I realized how much I’m going to miss this group of fantastic and brilliant men next year. Even seeing them on campus just makes my day. I’m excited to study abroad – don’t get me wrong. I’m just trying to take in everything that these last twenty four days have to offer because I know that I won’t be able to experience any of it again until senior year. That’s just scary, isn’t it?

My most pressing matter of business: Congratulations to all the accepted students for the Class of 2013. I know that I already said that in a previous post, but I just wanted to say it again. (A special shout out to Katie C. from St. Pius in Georgia! Yet another Georgian on the Hill!)

Tuesday (March 31st) was a fantastic day for music. Both Keith Urban’s and Diana Krall’s new CDs were released. Yes, I do realize that country is a tad different from bossa nova jazz. But they’re both incredible CDs. Of course, I now feel guilty because last night at Mass because we’re all focusing on giving alms, whether it be to the local Worcester or global community. Hm.

Yesterday, a bunch of the Classics majors and groupies (aka yours truly) went to Brandeis to see their Theater department’s adaptation of Euripides’s “Hecuba.” It was brilliant. A professor in the Classics department (who is a friend of our very own Prof. Mary Ebbot, actually) translated “Hecuba” with his class, and the Theater department performed their translation. Isn’t that cool? They adhered to the text very well. For instance, when Polymester gives his prophecy to Agamemnon (who was actually portrayed as a good guy for once!), they translated his prophesized death as a “blood bath.” Agamemnon actually died in a bath tub (so kind of like an ancient Jean Paul Marat…). That translation really made Ashley happy; she started giggling non-stop. This is why you shouldn’t let Classics kids out of our cages…

Scarily enough, I have exactly one more month of work. My last final is May 6th at 2:30 p.m. Let’s not think about the amount of work I have between then and now, shall we? Brendan and I have started working on our final paper for Math; we want to explore chaos theory in art. I’ve finally settled on a topic for my Tolkien research paper (that’s always a good thing, right?). I’m starting my Honors paper over Easter break. It’s a lot of work, but still manageable. And, strangely enough, I actually enjoy this work, so it’s not really even work to me.

Speaking of work, we made our decisions about the new Kimball captains. We could only choose 29 from 65 applicants, but I think that most of our selections will be fantastic captains. I’d like to note that all four of my Thursday breakfast workers (including my fellow blogger, Melissa Browne) who applied for captain were accepted. That means that Will and I don’t have to do anything on that shift anymore. Just kidding. Kind of.

Kimball has been trayless for the past two weeks now. At first, I was adverse to the idea simply because I thought that it would be a huge inconvenience for everyone at Kimball. All of the Kimball Captains thought that everything would just be a mess, and a majority of the students thought that it’d be impossible to balance a plate of food, a cup, and silverware. I can honestly say that these past two weeks have been running extremely smoothly. All of the Kimball workers and captains have seamlessly adapted to breaking differently, and barely any of us can tell that there’s a difference in protocol. Also, I’ve been able to see exactly how much less food is being wasted. The figures are really astounding. And, now that the students wasting less food, Kimball can afford to buy a variety of new foods. So, even though I was skeptical in the beginning, trayless has really been a huge success. Even though I might have to make a couple of trips to get all the food that I want, I realize that I’m now taking only what I know that I can eat. I’m really excited that all of the students here have been so accepting and willing to try something new that will, in the end, benefit us all.

You can tell a class is excellent when you’re upset when it’s canceled. My Ideological Destruction of Art seminar was canceled yesterday, although everyone in the class was somewhat okay with this. We took our midterm on Tuesday, so our brains are still recuperating. My Mathematics and Art class was canceled today, though, and I was quite sad about this. The class’ second paper was due today, and I was really excited to turn it in. The assignment was to go to a museum and compare a work painted before 1420 to one painted after 1420 to see how linear perspective affected the impact of the paintings. Brendan, a friend who is also taking the class, and I went to the Worcester Art Museum yesterday (huzzah! I was able to explore more of Worcester!). We both could only spend an hour there due to our schedules, but the two of us loved it. I know that I personally want to go back and spend an entire day there. The collections are exquisite. For instance, there’s a room in the medieval display that was part of a chapel that was built in France in 1137. It’s the same floors, the same walls, the same windows, the same arches, the same fireplace…nothing is a replica. It was so cool to stand on the same floor as another person did nearly one thousand years ago! The WAM also has one of the only untouched portraits of Caligula, which we discussed in my Ideological Destruction of Art seminar. Way to kill a lot of birds with one stone! Of course, that’s not to say that I like these two classes better than Early Christian Literature and Tolkien, which Fr. Vodoklys and Prof. Mulrooney, respectively, will never cancel!

In other news, happy Spring! I know that I shouldn’t say that because, knowing my luck, it will start snowing tomorrow.

Last Sunday, I couldn’t tell if I was in Georgia or if I was back in Worcester. Believe it or not, it actually snowed in Georgia. By “snow,” I mean that 2-3 inches blanketed Atlanta. However, people reacted like it was a blizzard. Very few people were on the roads; those who were driving were probably headed to a grocery store to stock up on milk and bread. AirTran and Delta cancelled a number of flights, and school was cancelled on Monday. My parents and I just laughed at the spectacle. Oddly enough, it was 60 degrees and sunny on Saturday, the day that I left. Welcome to Georgia weather!

I spent my spring break relaxing, test driving cars, and filling out forms. The car that my sister and I used to drive was pretty decrepit, so my parents invested in a used (but practically new) car for us. I had some fun driving around in my new Jeep Liberty! My mom also finally traded in her ’98 Ford Expedition that had over 188,000 miles on it. Can you tell that my family likes to run cars into the ground? Also, all of my Study Abroad files were filed out by various doctors and the like. That’s one less thing to worry about! Oh, yes, as for the relaxing…well, let’s say that I established some new records on the Wii.

Frighteningly enough, I have exactly two months left in the semester. I’m quite torn. I want the next two months to go by quickly because of the amount of work that I have to do (even though I do enjoy my class work, eight straight weeks of work is not exactly ideal!). However, I don’t want the next two months to go by quickly because this is my last semester here until Senior year. Can I just have a week at school with all of my friends and no work? Hah! Dare to dream…

Happy Lent, everyone! Well, I’m not entirely sure if that’s the correct greeting. But you get the point.

This week’s classes were amazing. I thought that Tolkien last week would be a difficult act to follow, but this week easily took the title of my most intellectually engaging week so far this semester. In Ideological Destruction of Art, we focused on Rome and damnatio memoriae. Did you know that you can differentiate statues of the Roman emperors based upon their hairstyle? The difference can be as minor as a lock of hair being curled in a different direction. We’ve been analyzing Caligula in particular, and it’s simply fascinating to see how his face was transformed into Claudius or Augustus. In Early Christian Literature, we’re arriving at the philosophical part of the Confessions. That means that the Latin is a tad more difficult, but it’s all the more beautiful. Speaking of Augustine, that Saint keeps on popping up in all of my classes. In Tolkien, we discussed the Battle of Helm’s Deep, and how Tolkien portrays the Orcs. The following is a brief selection of the questions Prof. Mulrooney posed to us: Are they purely evil? Are they machine-like? Can we dismiss their deaths without any moral recompense? So, I took it in an Augustinian view that to exist is to be good, although one might be twisted away from the good. Writing about it simply can’t do the discussion justice. Trust me – it was a fantastic class. And speaking of Lord of the Rings, guess what we watched in Mathematics in Art on Wednesday? That’s correct – Lord of the Rings! We’re learning about forced perspective and illusions in art, so Prof. Frochette played a clip from the “Behind The Scenes” clip on the Fellowship of the Ring DVD. It was great. So, as you can see, not exactly a bad week academic wise! All of my classes don’t appear to be connected like last semester’s, but deep down, they really are.

As if to enunciate how quickly the rest of this semester is going, RA decisions were mailed today. Ashley is going to be an RA in Mulledy next year. Today, another RA knocked on our door, and asked to see our room because she’ll be living here next year. That’s so weird. Of course, thinking about that makes me shudder because I realize how much packing I have to do. That’s not for a while, though. But it is certainly frightening how quickly everything is going. When I return from Spring Break (which begins tomorrow), I have two months left in the semester. Of course, those two months are filled with papers, exams, and whatnot, so it’s just going to go by even more quickly!

It's eight degrees, but with a wind chill factor, it feels like -10. Wind squalls reach up to 40 miles per hour, and are powerful enough to make this environ appear like a snow globe. This week, Discovery Channel takes you to the coldest depths of the world. Where are we, you ask? No, we're not in Novya Zemblya, Siberia, Antarctica, or Tibet. Nay, dear reader, we are within the wintry confines of Mt. Pachocoag, or more amicably known to its residents as Mt. St. James. Yes, this week, Discovery Channel is taking you to one of the coldest places on earth – Worcester, Massachusetts.

This rare species that inhabits this forbidding place are called Crusadores purplis, or Purple Crusaders in English. The crusadores purplis is a sub-species of discipli collegorum, commonly referred to as "college students." While the emperor penguin is known for its tuxedo apparel, the college student is easily  potted because of its disheveled outer layer of hair, and is also easily spotted because of large winter apparel. The Crusadores purplis specifically is known to wear over-sized shirts bearing the strange marking that reads "Holy Cross." It is unknown why the residents of Mount St. James migrate to this forbidden land every year. The youngest of the residents begin their trek usually at the end of August, while the older members of the clan arrive early in September. It is unknown why they decide to inhabit the harshest months. The residents of Mount St. James are forced into  semi-hibernation usually from January to March by the strong winds, cold temperatures, and constant snow. In fact, the species usually only ventures out of its warm, concealed environment in search of food. The search for food involves a strenous, arduous,  and near deadly march to a warm environ called “Kimball” in the local language. The march involves scaling the intimidating Mount St. James, climbing 163 steps, and bracing the arduous winter squalls. Once safe in this feeding haven, flocks of crusadores purplis feast upon copious and seemingly limitless amounts of food. Many of this species overindulge on food and drink to sustain them for the long march back to their warm nests. Once snuggled in their warm nests, the crusadores purplis rarely leaves. Occasionally, the crusadores purplis will venture outside to seek advice from elders. A strange breed usually arrives on campus only when the sun provides a little warmth on the area. This breed is referred to as magisters sapientissemes, or “professors.” These magisters provide the crusadores with essential knowledge. While penguins are taught how to fish and sea lions how to escape polar bears, the magisters teach crusadores how to write better papers and make the crusadores realize that they have a lot of learning to do before they leave. For, you see, instead of making this a permanent home, these crusadores oddly leave this place after four years. Most flock to warmer environments where they are apt to discuss their experiences, and a few actually return to this mountain to become magisters themselves. It is an odd ritual, and researchers are still unsure of the habits of the crusadores. Hopefully, time will unlock the many secrets of this odd species. Tune in next week as we return to this ferocious environment and face the ominous location affectionately called “Dinand” in the local tongue.