I like to think that I have a lot of time on my hands that I can use for worthwhile pursuits. Perhaps I could read or study math or get some extra sleep. Instead, I think it would be a better use of my time to make a log of best desserts ever.

SUMMERSUMMERSUMMERSUMMERSUMMERSUMMER!

Recently, that has been the only thing on my mind. Especially when I was at home sick. As I sat there, wrapped up in my blankets, I couldn't help but wish for the clouds to be less dreary, the weather to be about 40 degrees warmer, and the sun to be shining.

The girls soccer team started training last week, and I am so excited for our first game against St. Thomas More this Monday!

I began to consider myself an atheist in 5th grade after reading the excellent book "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." However, I was afraid to identify myself as such in a public school where many were militantly religious.

Uni is a supposedly tolerant place. It is reputedly very open, very free, very friendly, very accepting. We pride ourselves on individuality and not forcing other people to conform. People wear what they want, listen to what they want, think and say what they want.

Except for a few groups of people.

I didn't really know what to expect when I got on the turtle van early in the morning on Sunday, Feb. 19 to head down to Clarksdale, Mississippi. I knew I would be helping build Habitat for Humanity houses, but that was about it.

When I got there, though, I quickly learned that there was really much more to the experience than just working on houses.

"Get off the tables!" says Assistant principal Sue Kovacs every day as she walks down the first floor hallway during lunch. The majority of seniors and juniors have been spotted parking their derrieres on the two tables at the south end of the first floor, despite her rule. They jump off as she walks by, lowering themselves into the chairs or leaning on the table instead of sitting on it.

Running. Three years ago, the very word made me shiver in dread. Much has changed since that time. With fitness forcing me to run every other day, I have gotten healthier and discovered that running really is not that bad. Its a great way to get exercise, and I always feel accomplished afterward. However, that doesn't mean that I will go running for fun.

This past Friday, I woke up feeling no different than every other normal day. Why was I feeling happier waking up? It's obviously wasn't because of the weather. It had been a dank, gloomy week temperature-wise. The main reason was something different; it was my birthday!

I love "recycling" my stuff. I don't mean recycling plastic and glass bottles - I mean clothing, or sometimes jewelry or other favorite objects.

I'm currently in the middle of writing 365 poems. At the moment, it is February 3rd, and I've written 34 poems.

At the beginning of this challenge, I envisioned this whole process to be very difficult. Truth is, the writing itself isn't difficult.

Perhaps you've had this experience before. You gag down a complete three-course meal and an hour later, it comes back to haunt you. The agony of a slow jog can only be communicated through the futile clutching of your spleen as you wilt under the imagined stare of the fitness instructor.

OH HEY Y'ALL.

Recently I have been hearing some disturbing things in the hallways. There is a way of speech full of sassy inflections and internet-turned-real-life abbreviations that I have chosen to adopt in my satirical take on Uni life. While I love to see this language spread, it is getting to be too much to hear.

"Privet." Hello. "Kaktipojuvayish?" How are you? These are the first words I learned in Russian.

Uni prides itself on having a diverse ethnic community, so why shouldn't the students take advantage of it. Little by little, I got interested in learning Russian since two of my friends are native speakers of the language.

Four times a year, I go through patches of sleep deprivation and a complete lack of attention to any of my activities. I struggle to maintain interest in school and can't wait to go home.