About a month ago, the tell-tale signs of spring were visible all around the University of Arizona campus. Like what? Well, for one, sunshine was slowly being replaced with even more sunshine. Ok, maybe it wasn't obvious the seasons were changing except for the slew of midterms and papers. The weather in Tucson is rarely anything short of perfect, and that didn't change during my week off for spring break.
I debated long and hard whether or not to make the trek back to Wisconsin, back to the cold and the snow. Ok, you caught me again. While I missed spending time my family, I didn't miss the wintry weather, and stayed in Tucson for the week. But I wasn't going to spend my spring break all alone, because my beautiful, sweet, hilarious girlfriend Aarika (who reads this) would be joining me in Tucson. She was excited, to say the least, for the opportunity to get a tan. And see me. Mostly the tanning thing, though.
On Saturday, the day Aarika flew in, I met her at the airport and together we took the free shuttle the hotel offered back to where we'd be staying for the week. The shuttle was awesome, taking us anywhere we wanted within about a five mile radius of the hotel. The weather on Saturday was crappy, with it being cloudy, some sporadic drizzles, and only about 55 degrees. Not stereotypical spring break weather, and definitely not what Aarika was expecting. She was shivering almost as soon as we stepped out of the airport.
Hotel Tucson City Center was where we were staying, and in addition to the huge heated pool, the room wasn't too bad either. We unpacked some of our things, and started planning out the upcoming week. Before we could do that, there was homework to be done. Aarika's official spring break was a week after mine, meaning she was missing a week of classes to be with me. I have no clue why she seems to love me so much, but I hope she never stops. Being the brilliant student she is, she had taken care of most of her school-related work and only had two quick online quizzes to do, which took all of 20 minutes to finish. Then, the planning could start.
In our room, there was a refrigerator and a little two-burner stove, as well as a microwave, so on Sunday we took the shuttle to a nearby grocery store and picked up a few things for the week. The hotel also offered a free breakfast buffet every morning, and had a small restaurant inside. Both were convenient and, surprisingly tasty, too. On Monday, Aarika went shopping at the Tucson Mall while I carried shopping bags around the Tucson Mall. It really is a gorgeous and spacious mall, and we had a lot of fun. We went to an In-N-Out Burger for lunch, and before we left for the day we stopped by the nearby Cheesecake Factory and grabbed a slice to take back with us. Later that night, we ate our cheesecake while watching must-see television, The Bachelor finale.
Tuesday was dedicated to hanging out on or around campus and enjoying the places I go to on a regular basis. The day started out with a smoothie from Jamba Juice and some baked goods from Paradise Bakery. Unfortunately, Aarika gave the smoothie only a so-so rating. We walked around the campus, and like a true tour guide I dished out as many facts about the U of A as I could think of. For lunch, we enjoyed the amazing chicken sandwiches and waffle fries from Chick-fil-A. This time the meal was much better received. I showed Aarika my dorm room after that. Finally, we stopped at No Anchovies, an awesome pizza place just a few minutes walking from my dorm for a couple of slices. The positive trend in food reviews continued, as this was Aarika's favorite meal of the entire day.
The weather had been slowly warming up since Aarika had arrived, and by Wednesday, the forecasts called for highs in the low 90s until the end of the week. We spent most of the day soaking up the sun and lounging by the pool on Wednesday, ending the day by walking around downtown Tucson. We stopped at The Hub, a place known for its ice cream. We shared some macaroni and cheese and an order of fries. The fries were some of the best I've ever had. And, of course, we each had an ice cream cone.
Thursday and Friday came and went much in the same, with the vast majority of our time spent by the pool enjoying the great weather. On Friday night, we tried to make homemade spaghetti in our tiny hotel micro-kitchen. Everything came together, and when we were finished we actually had something that looked and tasted like spaghetti. Aarika was to fly home on Saturday afternoon, and the week we spent together went by so quickly.
It was tough to say goodbye, like it always is, but in Aarika's case the heartache was twofold. She was saying goodbye to a place with constant sunshine and no signs of winter. I'm sure it was harder for her to say goodbye to me, though.
Probably.
Hopefully.
All in all, I had an amazing week with a truly amazing girl that I love to pieces.
Back at home, snow fell on Aarika's first day of her very own "spring break."
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
A Day Late
The lock of the door clicks shut behind him a little louder than he wanted. With his hand still on the cold door handle, he looks right, then left down the vast hallway. He moves swift and quietly, save for the faint noise of the keys in his pocket that jingle with every other step. Behind several of the doors, there emanates voices, laughter, music. Behind others only silence. These noises are of little interest to him. He has something he needs to do, somewhere he needs to be.
At the end of the hallway, he pushes through the door and the cool nighttime air rushes to meet him. He shivers, zips up his jacket to his neck and stuffs his hands in his pockets. He shuffles down the stairs, anticipation growing inside him with every step. He checks his watch. They should be ready. It should be here.
It has to be here. There was no way it couldn't, it was already a day late. Any later and it would become pointless, an opportunity missed. He fishes inside his pocket, pulling out a ring with only two keys attached. He selects the smaller of the two keys, and places it into the slot. The lock gives way easily and the small door swings open.
It was late, but it was here. He reaches into the small opening, pulling out an envelope. "What took you so long?" he thinks to himself, turning the envelope over in his hand. Instantly, he realizes why. He should have known. A large, red X was scrawled over a portion of the envelope. He shakes his head and stifles a breathy laugh. He shuts the small door, locking it again, and begins the trek back. "She'll figure it out one of these days," he mutters, his finger tracing the red X. A smile creeps over his face. He will have to tell her his zip code again.
At the end of the hallway, he pushes through the door and the cool nighttime air rushes to meet him. He shivers, zips up his jacket to his neck and stuffs his hands in his pockets. He shuffles down the stairs, anticipation growing inside him with every step. He checks his watch. They should be ready. It should be here.
It has to be here. There was no way it couldn't, it was already a day late. Any later and it would become pointless, an opportunity missed. He fishes inside his pocket, pulling out a ring with only two keys attached. He selects the smaller of the two keys, and places it into the slot. The lock gives way easily and the small door swings open.
It was late, but it was here. He reaches into the small opening, pulling out an envelope. "What took you so long?" he thinks to himself, turning the envelope over in his hand. Instantly, he realizes why. He should have known. A large, red X was scrawled over a portion of the envelope. He shakes his head and stifles a breathy laugh. He shuts the small door, locking it again, and begins the trek back. "She'll figure it out one of these days," he mutters, his finger tracing the red X. A smile creeps over his face. He will have to tell her his zip code again.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
You Know You Missed It
Guess who has two thumbs and hasn't posted here in over four months? I'm sorry. Thanks for being patient. Really, really patient. Anyway, I thought I would do one gigantic post that sort of sums up what I've been up to since the last time I wrote.
My first semester of college came and went, and I am still alive. Barely. I'm kidding, trying to keep you on the edge of your seat. Or am I?
I am. So far so good.
School has been great so far. It's hard to believe that I'm already one-eighth of the way to graduating college. I've learned so much, and more importantly I've learned a lot about myself. It's cliched, but it's true. All of my first semester classes were general education classes or first-year engineering courses. Probably the most interesting school-related thing I was a part of was building a solar oven out of cardboard and other everyday items that was able to cook a biscuit. In my group's case, the biscuit was cooked a little more on the rare side due mostly to the fact we tested on the only overcast day in weeks. Regardless, taking a design from concept to construction was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Safe to say, I'll be staying an engineering major.
Outside the classroom, the highlight of my first semester was taking part in intramural tennis. After playing for several weeks, I was able claim the title of champion. I had my picture taken and received an "Intramural Champion" t-shirt, so you could say it's kind of a big deal. Hold all applause until the end, please.
I was extremely glad I got the chance to come home for the long Thanksgiving weekend. I was, uh, what's the word...oh yeah, thankful to be able to see my entire family and my girlfriend Aarika if even for a short time, and eat all the delicious homemade food I could. This, unfortunately, was only a teaser for the month-long Christmas break that would start in a couple weeks after Thanksgiving, right after final exams. After a stressful week of studying and busily bubbling in answers, I had survived finals week.
On the trip back to Wisconsin, I was excited to be home and take a break from school for at least a little while. I don't know what I was so excited about. I had a layover in Denver, where they have all the usual types of weather you don't normally find in Tucson. It was a balmy nine degrees, with snow covering everything in sight. I was more than relieved when I checked to see what the weather was like back home and it was supposedly thirty degrees. It felt much colder than that. The three months in the deserts of southern Arizona had made my skin thin, brittle, and beautifully sun-kissed. Nevertheless, I was glad to be home.
The winter break was relaxing, but way too short, as is every break from school I've ever had. I had a wonderful time spending Christmas with my family, and stuffing myself of full of home-cooked food again. Surprisingly, one of the things I was so happy to be able to do on my break was watching Green Bay Packers' games without having to go to the nearby pizza place, No Anchovies! No hard feelings, it's a great restaurant, but I was excited to hear my dear mother yell phrases like "Gogogogogogo," or "Look out!" as if Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers didn't see the 300-pound lineman chasing after him. In my opinion, that's the best way to watch a football game. Soon, it was a new year, and almost time for me to head back for my second semester of freshman year. It felt like a week or so had passed since I had packed up my clothes in my dorm room with an eagerness to be home. My vacation was over and now I was packing with a sense of knowing I would be back soon enough. It would feel like forever, but I would be home again. It was hard saying goodbye to Aarika. It was hard to say goodbye to my parents. As much as I would like for it to be easier, it isn't. I think that shows how much something means to you, when you struggle to think about being without it.
Along with a new year, January brought with it a new semester. A fresh start, a new beginning, and more cold weather. One of the benefits of winter break being over was that I would come back to Tucson, greeted by mountain views and sunshine. There was sunshine, only it was fake, empty, wintertime sunshine. The kind that will warm your face if the rest of your body is willing to bear the cold long enough to let it. I was taunted repeatedly, sent screenshots of weather forecasts, and became the target of many nasty remarks centered around the general theme of "HA HA IT'S WARMER OVER HERE THAN OVER THERE." After several weeks, temperatures both at home and on campus normalized, marking the beginning of my revenge. Now I take every chance I have to mention, ever so dramatically, that the high for today is only 72 degrees, while Wisconsin struggles to stay out of the negatives. Conversation typically sounds a little like this: "They're predicting how many inches of snow for you? I know, winter is the worst. This morning, I had to wear a light coat," followed by several uninterrupted minutes of maniacal laughter.
The regular patterns of being at school are now fully in place after almost a month back. I'm very sorry to those of you who checked back here occasionally to see nothing new written. I...(gulp)...promise to write here more often. It feels great to know that there are some people who actually like reading what I write. I know it's been a while, but it's good to be back.
Thank you.
P.S. - In case you forgot, all fan mail, gifts, snacks, and other assorted goodies can be sent to:
My first semester of college came and went, and I am still alive. Barely. I'm kidding, trying to keep you on the edge of your seat. Or am I?
I am. So far so good.
School has been great so far. It's hard to believe that I'm already one-eighth of the way to graduating college. I've learned so much, and more importantly I've learned a lot about myself. It's cliched, but it's true. All of my first semester classes were general education classes or first-year engineering courses. Probably the most interesting school-related thing I was a part of was building a solar oven out of cardboard and other everyday items that was able to cook a biscuit. In my group's case, the biscuit was cooked a little more on the rare side due mostly to the fact we tested on the only overcast day in weeks. Regardless, taking a design from concept to construction was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Safe to say, I'll be staying an engineering major.
Outside the classroom, the highlight of my first semester was taking part in intramural tennis. After playing for several weeks, I was able claim the title of champion. I had my picture taken and received an "Intramural Champion" t-shirt, so you could say it's kind of a big deal. Hold all applause until the end, please.
I was extremely glad I got the chance to come home for the long Thanksgiving weekend. I was, uh, what's the word...oh yeah, thankful to be able to see my entire family and my girlfriend Aarika if even for a short time, and eat all the delicious homemade food I could. This, unfortunately, was only a teaser for the month-long Christmas break that would start in a couple weeks after Thanksgiving, right after final exams. After a stressful week of studying and busily bubbling in answers, I had survived finals week.
On the trip back to Wisconsin, I was excited to be home and take a break from school for at least a little while. I don't know what I was so excited about. I had a layover in Denver, where they have all the usual types of weather you don't normally find in Tucson. It was a balmy nine degrees, with snow covering everything in sight. I was more than relieved when I checked to see what the weather was like back home and it was supposedly thirty degrees. It felt much colder than that. The three months in the deserts of southern Arizona had made my skin thin, brittle, and beautifully sun-kissed. Nevertheless, I was glad to be home.
The winter break was relaxing, but way too short, as is every break from school I've ever had. I had a wonderful time spending Christmas with my family, and stuffing myself of full of home-cooked food again. Surprisingly, one of the things I was so happy to be able to do on my break was watching Green Bay Packers' games without having to go to the nearby pizza place, No Anchovies! No hard feelings, it's a great restaurant, but I was excited to hear my dear mother yell phrases like "Gogogogogogo," or "Look out!" as if Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers didn't see the 300-pound lineman chasing after him. In my opinion, that's the best way to watch a football game. Soon, it was a new year, and almost time for me to head back for my second semester of freshman year. It felt like a week or so had passed since I had packed up my clothes in my dorm room with an eagerness to be home. My vacation was over and now I was packing with a sense of knowing I would be back soon enough. It would feel like forever, but I would be home again. It was hard saying goodbye to Aarika. It was hard to say goodbye to my parents. As much as I would like for it to be easier, it isn't. I think that shows how much something means to you, when you struggle to think about being without it.
Along with a new year, January brought with it a new semester. A fresh start, a new beginning, and more cold weather. One of the benefits of winter break being over was that I would come back to Tucson, greeted by mountain views and sunshine. There was sunshine, only it was fake, empty, wintertime sunshine. The kind that will warm your face if the rest of your body is willing to bear the cold long enough to let it. I was taunted repeatedly, sent screenshots of weather forecasts, and became the target of many nasty remarks centered around the general theme of "HA HA IT'S WARMER OVER HERE THAN OVER THERE." After several weeks, temperatures both at home and on campus normalized, marking the beginning of my revenge. Now I take every chance I have to mention, ever so dramatically, that the high for today is only 72 degrees, while Wisconsin struggles to stay out of the negatives. Conversation typically sounds a little like this: "They're predicting how many inches of snow for you? I know, winter is the worst. This morning, I had to wear a light coat," followed by several uninterrupted minutes of maniacal laughter.
The regular patterns of being at school are now fully in place after almost a month back. I'm very sorry to those of you who checked back here occasionally to see nothing new written. I...(gulp)...promise to write here more often. It feels great to know that there are some people who actually like reading what I write. I know it's been a while, but it's good to be back.
Thank you.
P.S. - In case you forgot, all fan mail, gifts, snacks, and other assorted goodies can be sent to:
515 N. Tyndall Avenue
Room D424
Tucson, AZ 85719
Thursday, September 27, 2012
All I Want
Fall is here, and September is coming to an end. Just as October reappears once more, so too are nagging inquiries of "What do you want for your birthday?" directed at me. This is almost always followed closely by "Well, you're not getting 'Nothing'." In reality, there are very few things I could say I really wanted for my birthday; I have a loving, supporting family, a beautiful-in-every-way girlfriend, and an iPhone. No need for anything else in my mind.
Oh, what's on my Amazon.com Wishlist? That would be exclusively Amazon.com gift cards. Yeah, I'm that guy. What do you mean you have to get me something? Fine. In the order that they popped into my head, here's 50 things I want:
Oh, what's on my Amazon.com Wishlist? That would be exclusively Amazon.com gift cards. Yeah, I'm that guy. What do you mean you have to get me something? Fine. In the order that they popped into my head, here's 50 things I want:
- To kiss my girlfriend
- A skateboard
- A motorcycle
- Someone to do my laundry
- To see my family
- My dad's home cooking
1001 million Twitter followers- Dr. Pepper
- To be president of a club
- To play guitar
- To make people smile
- To donate an organ
- To change the world
- Money
- Another Green Bay Packers Super Bowl victory
- To build something
- A pool table
- To live somewhere warm
- Time to go faster
- Time to go slower
- The world to be a better place because of something I did
- To laugh so hard I cry
- The Milwaukee Bucks to make the playoffs
- To see the Black Keys perform live
- To own my own (very big) home
- To travel to Venice, Italy
- To never work at Pick & Save again
- To walk on a beach
- Candy bars
- Six pack abs
- Biceps
- The Foo Fighters to never stop making music
- To watch every episode of How I Met Your Mother in a row
- Christmas
- To graduate from college
- Wisconsin Mac & Cheese from Noodles & Company
- To kiss my girlfriend
- To get married
- A ping pong table
- Kopp's frozen custard
- To go on another road trip with my dad
- To play basketball with my sister and block every one of her shots
- To learn sign language
- A swimming pool
- To play with Legos
- To grow a beard
- To watch The Price is Right in person
- To learn to play the drums
- To golf more
- To think less
Sure, some of these things are impossible, but no one ever got everything they ever wanted. Otherwise, I'd be a professional tennis-playing Power Ranger.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Unexpected Learning
After two weeks of college, I thought I would be learning about chemistry and calculus―and I have been. But there's been some things that college has taught me that I never would have expected.
1. The people I knew from high school also go to college.
Yes, they're all here. There's Weird Unbelievably Chipper Girl, catching up on her Elvish literature during class one day, bringing a sewing kit the next. There's the Hunchback of Video Games, and Endless Question Girl (yes, it'll be on the exam). Can't forget about Mr. Mad Beats From My Honda Accord or That Was Due Today? Guy. This doesn't just apply to students, with Eccentric Yet Brilliant English Teacher and Let's Just Keep Moving Along Math Teacher making appearances, too.
Yes, they're all here. There's Weird Unbelievably Chipper Girl, catching up on her Elvish literature during class one day, bringing a sewing kit the next. There's the Hunchback of Video Games, and Endless Question Girl (yes, it'll be on the exam). Can't forget about Mr. Mad Beats From My Honda Accord or That Was Due Today? Guy. This doesn't just apply to students, with Eccentric Yet Brilliant English Teacher and Let's Just Keep Moving Along Math Teacher making appearances, too.
2. Elevators > Stairs
Really pretty simple. The elevator is free.
3. Free anything draws a crowd.
I knew this was true, I just didn't realize how true. The announcement of free food, free t-shirts, even free water drives the masses out from every corner of campus to venture out into the heat in hopes of being a part of the elite "first come, first served" group "while supplies last".
Really pretty simple. The elevator is free.
3. Free anything draws a crowd.
I knew this was true, I just didn't realize how true. The announcement of free food, free t-shirts, even free water drives the masses out from every corner of campus to venture out into the heat in hopes of being a part of the elite "first come, first served" group "while supplies last".
Monday, August 27, 2012
This Is It
I'm Joel Turk.
I'm from West Bend, Wisconsin.
I'm a freshman at the University of Arizona, planning on majoring in Civil Engineering.
And this is my blog.
I don't know what this will end up looking like when it's finished, or if it will ever truly be finished, but I hope it becomes a place where I can keep track of my ideas and share my experiences as I make my way through college, and through life.
This is it.
I'm from West Bend, Wisconsin.
I'm a freshman at the University of Arizona, planning on majoring in Civil Engineering.
 |
| This is me. |
And this is my blog.
I don't know what this will end up looking like when it's finished, or if it will ever truly be finished, but I hope it becomes a place where I can keep track of my ideas and share my experiences as I make my way through college, and through life.
This is it.
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