Happy belated Valentine’s Day, everyone! Sorry again about
the lateness, but I had to blog about
this day. So much love and happiness rang throughout the air on Holy Cross’
campus.

     My day began with
an exchange of gifts between myself and my two lovely roommates. I gave them
chocolates and teddy bears (complimentary of Target) and got chocolates in
return. Needless to say, they were gone before noon. Of course, I dressed up in
red. Most of the College of the Holy Cross campus did as well. There were red
hearts wherever you turned. I also got a special surprise in the mail: flowers
from my family! They were beautiful with purple and white tulips.

    I had classes and
work to complete that day, but made time to go to the Kimball Valentine’s Day
Dinner with friends. We entered the large front doors to see a huge heart
balloon right in the middle of the dining hall. Beneath it were a variety of ice
creams and cookies. There were also heart cookies that we all got to decorate with
frosting and sprinkles. The cookie with a large cup of hot chocolate was the
perfect dessert.

     However, the day
was not over yet. I had not known this, but my lovely friends (Erin, Nicole,
and Melanie) had bought me a serenade from one of the accapella groups on
campus. The group was “Sons of Pitches.” They came to my dorm hall and sang to
me,”Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from The
Lion King. I was completely moved. They sang wonderfully; my entire hall
came out to watch and clap along. It was so much fun and I was so touched that
my friends had thought of me. I love you, guys! Thank you! Also, thank you to
the Sons of Pitches! You guys are superb and I cannot believe you walked all
over campus singing the entire day. I hope you enjoyed the brownies (as a thank
you, I gave them heart brownies that I had made the previous day). Also, to my
readers, I posted the video up of the Sons of Pitches singing to me.  If you are interested, they have more videos
online as well. I would highly recommend giving them a listen; they are great!

     After finishing
essays and homework, my friends and I completed a lovely Valentine’s Day with
our favorite movie: Across the Universe.
I had a fantastic Valentine’s Day. I missed being with my family, but I had
wonderful friends who made the day so enjoyable. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!

                                                                                Sincerely,
Ariana   

Hey, everyone! So do you all remember when I said that I was
Assistant Stage Managing ACT’s student-run production of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet
Street? Well, the production finally came up! After months of stress,
rehearsals, hilarious run through, building the set, and creating the costumes,
the cast and crew had five incredible and wonderful shows!

Here is a quick
summary of the play in case you haven’t heard of the play. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a play that is
based around a man named Sweeney Todd that returns to London after fifteen
years of jail time under false pretenses. He returns with the help of a young
sailor named Antony, whom he forms a friendship with. Sweeney Todd expects to
come home to a loving wife and child that he left behind so many years ago. He
goes home to see that it has been changed into a meat shop by the outgoing and
determined Mrs. Lovett. She informs him that his wife committed suicide after
she was raped by Judge Turpin (who was also the Judge that sentenced Sweeney
Todd to jail). Judge Turpin has also taken Sweeney Todd’s daughter, Johanna, as
his ward. From then on, it is Sweeny Todd’s objective to have his revenge on
the nefarious Judge and his sidekick, the Beadle Bamford. He prepares his
razors and, with the help of Mrs. Lovett, creates some of the most gruesome
murders ever seen, which include a chair with a trapdoor, a pie machine, and meat
(however, it is not your average chicken). In the midst of all the darkness, a
small light is shone with a budding romance between Antony and Johanna. The
play has many comedic moments and dark twists and turns. It finishes with an
ending that will make your blood curdle. Other characters include a fraud
barber by name of Pirelli, his servant boy/slave, Toby, a mysterious and crazy
Beggar Woman, Mr. Fogg, the creepy owner of an insane asylum, and a large Ensemble
who transition from English citizens to patients in an insane asylum.

However, they are
more stories to this play than what meets the eye. We all had an amazing time
backstage as well. The actors always got energized and excited through doing various
vocal exercises and stretching. The costume people helped everyone get their
make-up on to transform them into their characters. They also helped to put the
actor’s costumes on, which were based on the era of old England. The women had
to wear corsets and some of the guys had to wear stockings (give them all
credit; they performed beautifully in spite of the uncomfortable clothing). We ASMs
worked backstage to ensure that all the props were in place and stayed on our
headsets to be cautious for any mishappenings onstage. Finally, our Stage
Manager sat in the booth calling every lighting cue, watching the stage for any
mistakes, and ensuring that the play ran smoothly.

I had an amazing
time working backstage for ACT’s Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I would like to thank Susmita
(Stage Manager) and Christine (Assistant Stage Manager) for welcoming me into
their “behind-the-scene” world with open arms. I would also like to thank Molly
(Director) for putting up an amazing performance that I was willing to watch
more than once. Finally, I would like to thank all of my friends who were in
the cast and worked in costumes. You guys made every performance fun and
exciting. I had the best time.

More to come later. Ta-ta for now!

Sincerely, Ariana

Hey, everyone! I am really sorry that I haven’t posted in about two weeks. I have been super busy! Sweeney Todd finally went up and then there was Valentine’s Day and then papers…well, needless to say, a lot has been going on. I have three posts coming your way about Sweeney Tood: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (no gory pictures with razors, I swear!), the Holy Cross Freshman dance, and lastly Valentine’s Day! I apologize again, but I hope you enjoy the blogs.

                                                                  Sncerely,

                                                                     Ariana

       Hello, all! Happy New Year 2012! It has been awhile since I have written. I will quickly sum up how my wonderful month off was spent. I enjoyed being home with my family and friends: I had missed them all! I was also happy to be back in good old N.Y.C.. Walking with my brother to our favorite resturant in Times Square screamed out ”Home!” to me. However, I was very grateful to relax after the long semester. Unfortunately, I was only two weeks into the break when I felt “Holy Cross” sick; I was ready to head back to campus to see my friends and to begin working for the semester ahead.

      My family, however, found many ways to keep me occupied. Do not forget, readers that the vacation occurred around Christmas and New Years. I come from a very large family in which it is a tradition to make desserts for our extended family. Therefore, I spent many days in the kitchen with my mother, grandmother, and aunts cooking many different varieties of cookies. They ranged from pineapple to cannolis to cocunut macaroons to chocolate chip cookies, etc. You name it, it was there. However, my favorite dessert to make and eat is an Italian dessert called struffoli. Struffoli is a dessert made of tiny fried dough balls with two light coatings of honey and sprinkles. I like it for its sweet taste and for the cooperation a family must have in order to prepare this desert. The “chief” of the entire operation (usually my Grandmother) first starts to knead out the dough and breaks it off into smaller rolls, which we refer to as “snake rolls.” The next station are the “cutters.” I usually take part in this stage along with my brother and cousins. We slice the rolls into small dough balls so that they can begin to be fried. The “frying “section is

Struffoli (before)

 led by my mother and my two aunts. They watch with eyes like a hawk to ensure that the dough turns to a perfect golden brown: not too dark or too light. After the frying is complete, we place the dough balls in plastic wraps and cover them in honey and sprinkles. The process is long, but we always have fun.  

     Well, readers, that is all from my vacation. I am currently here at Holy Cross and it feels amazing to be back and to see all of the familiar places and people. The first full week has flown by like a breeze, what with preparing for class, studying and homework.  I will update you all soon of my life at Holy Cross! Happy New Year again!                                                                             

Struffoli (after)

Coconut Cookies (before)

                                                                                 Ariana Nicoletta

     I promised I would express my relief in my last blog. Here it is: I am very, very, VERY much relieved. Two are down. One to go. One more on Saturday. Then, I will be officially free and could go home! It is so close I can almost feel the fabric of my bed sheets at home.

     However, readers, I do not want you to think that students here are only stressing and studying. Remember, this is the final week that many of us will be seeing one another for a month.  It is also the last week before the holidays. Since I had two finals yesterday, I treated myself to some social time.

     My friends and I had a mini-Christmas party Wednesday afternoon. We ate an abundance of food (chips, candy, ice cream, candy, fudge, candy, etc.) because we all needed to get rid of food in our refrigerators before leaving. It seemed like the perfect opportunity. We also watched classic Christmas movies. Does “Santa Claus is coming to Town!” or “Frosty the Snowman” ring a bell? Later that night, the entire Mulledy Hall had its own small party and ordered pizza to celebrate the holidays. Needless to say, I went to bed that night with a full stomach.

     It is now Friday night and I am in the library studying for my final final. It is one more. I am so close. I am so excited to go home and see and hug my family and friends! However, I am going to miss my Holy Cross family. To everyone at Holy Cross, families, friends, and other readers, Happy Holidays. I will speak to you all soon with some Christmas cheer.

                                                                                                                                                                           Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                                            Ariana

     Hello again, readers! I am writing to apologize for not being on top of my blogs in the past few days. It can only mean one thing: FINALS WEEK! Every library, hall, and classroom is filled with students studying. I am currently studying as well. I have two exams tomorrow, but hopefully enough reviewing will do the trick. To all the students at Holy Cross, good luck on your finals! To everyone else in college, good luck as well. To those out of college, I envy your present stress-free life. But I look forward to joining you in another week!

     Well, that’s all for now readers. I will write again on Wednesday after the two major exams are done and express my relief. Ta-ta for now.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Ariana

     Readers, I am very excited because this past weekend, a dream of mine came true. I am not sure of how many of you are “Harry Potter” fans. They were my favorite books. I loved being sucked into the magical world of “Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Anyway, there is a game that all of the wizards and witches play in the books. It is a broomstick game called “Quidditch” and I have always wanted to play it. This past weekend, I finally did!

     My friends and I made a group called “Rowena’s Rebels,” named after the founder of the Ravenclaw House. We even made T-shirts with our names on the back. This is what mine looked like:

See our "broomsticks"?

Rowena's Rebels are taking over!

We were all so ready and excited to play. We put our T-shirts, sweats, and sneakers on and headed over to the fieldhosue to verse other Quidditch teams and to learn how to play. It is very similar to basketball. There are three Chasers. They are responsible for catching and throwing the ball and throwing it through the three hoops at the ends of the court. Then there are the Beaters. They are responsible for stopping the opposing team from having the ball by throwing balls at their opponents (do not worry; they were spongy balls so no one was injured hurt). We have a goalie or, in Quidditch terms, the Keeper. Finally, there is the Seeker. This is the most important position, for this person has to catch a flying gold ball called “The Snitch.” Catching the Snitch means the end of the Quidditch game and gives the team who catches it one-hundred and fifty points, which allows them to win the game. We had everything except for two things. The first were flying broomsticks. To compensate for this, we ran around on the field with field hockey sticks between our legs. It was not very comfortable, but it was worth it to pretend. The second was a flying Snitch. We had a very fast runner dress up in yellow and had to tag them in order to win. My team and I were pumped. We tossed a ball around and had a team huddle. Needless to say we were excited.

A very tired but happy group.

     We lost. No, the description would be better phrased as we were completely and utterly defeated. However, we gave it our all and had the best time. Though we walked away with some bruises (an iced noise, skinned knees, a bump on the head), we felt like accomplished something. Perhaps something…magical? (think of Harry Potter theme music now, please, for effect).  

     That was my wonderful Friday evening. Bye-bye for now.

                                                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                                                          Ariana

 Hello, readers! This week I am going to be telling you about Holy Cross Theatre Department’s production of The Changeling. Remember how I said in my first blog that I am a “theatre geek” and “a member of ACT” here on campus? Well, I must warn you that you are going to be facing a large amount of enthusiasm in this blog because the performance was amazing!

The cast of "The Changeling"

     I will give you a quick summary of the play.  “The Changeling” is a Jacobean play that was written by William Rowley and Thomas Middleton. It portrays two different conflicts in two parallel worlds. The first world is Beatrice’s world. She is a young woman who is forced into marrying a man by the name of Alonzo Piracquo. However, she falls in love with a handsome traveler by the name of Alsmero and becomes determined to marry him. She turns to her father’s odd and subtle servant, DeFlores, to help her rid of Alonzo. However, she is unaware that DeFlores is deeply in love with her. This creates problems throughout the play. Meanwhile, the other world is Isabella’s. She is the young wife of the owner of a madhouse. Her husband, Alibus, keeps her locked away in the madhouse with Madmen and Fools and with his guard, Lolio. Her conflict is that two sane men have disguised their way into the madhouse to be with the beautiful Isabella. This becomes a large conflict for her. I am not going to give away the rest of the play for it is fantastic and a very good read. Remember to read it: The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley.

Nicole, Erin,and I are very much in love with theatre.

     I had read the play before seeing it and was unsure of what to expect, for it is a very dark tragedy with violence, sensuality, and blood (this part I was NOT thrilled about). I was astounded! The costumes were beautiful; they looked very authentic. The acting was unbelievable. The characters are very dark and have violent objectives. However, all of the actors behaved like professionals. They accepted the darkness and acted along within it. They were unafraid to put themselves into the mindsets of their characters and forget who they were for a while. Nothing held them back. To any of the actors that were in The Changeling, if you are reading this, you were remarkable and did Holy Cross proud! To the director of the production, Professor Ed Isser, I liked your choices for the production and your approach to the play. It made me appreciate acting and Shakespearean/Jacobean plays more than I did before. Thank you for directing this production!   Also, thank you to my two dear friends, Melanie and Nicole, for letting me grip your hands really tightly when there was bloodshed. You saved me from many nightmares.

     Well, that’s all for now readers. I posted some pictures from The Changeling production; I hope you enjoy them! Have a beautiful weekend and talk to you next week!

                                                                                                                                                                                                           Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Ariana

    Hello, readers. First of all, I want to deeply apologize for not having written in a while. It has been a crazy two weeks, rife with work, tests, friends, events etc.. It is simple to say that you are never really bored around here. So, for this week, as I promised in my last blog, I have two major topics flying at you today. The first one is about Family Weekend and the other is Holy Cross’ Halloween! However, I am going to include a third member into this group: the snowstorm.

My cat costume kept me warm.

Harry and Shea (Bacon and Eggs) were still cooking even in the snow.

     Now, readers, I am not sure where you are all from. I myself am from New York, and according to the weather news and my parents, it snowed lightily. To others more West, you probably still had sunshine. However, for us up here at Holy Cross and other residents in Worcester, we were hit with a not a light sprinkle, but with buckets of snow!

     It started on Saturday and the second day of Family Weekend. My family, thank goodness, had driven up the night before. I gave them the tour (dormitory, Hogan Center, the Admissions Office), stopped for lunch at Kimball (they filled their plates to the brim. It is hard not to do so at Kimball), and then we went to the library. Now, readers, I do not want you to think that I dragged my family to the library because that was my idea of fun. I did so because not only did I have work that still needed to be done, but my brother had to study (do the letters S.A.T. sound familiar to anyone?) and my parents were still exhausted from the ride up and wanted to rest. All I can say is that thank goodness that we did because as soon as we got to the library, the snow commenced. Without any sign of mercy.

      We left around 5:30pm because College Choir was having a dinner for the families. We took one step outside and commenced to stumble for the rest of the way. All of the steps of Dinand Library were covered with snow. It was still coming down profusely. Unfortunately, none of us had thought to wear hats. Needless to say, when we got to the dinner, we were soaked to the bone. However, the dinner made it all worthwhile. We had a marvelous dinner (there was chocolate cake! Need I say more?) and an auction in which I won a free massage at the Loyola Center!

Nick and Sean dancing it at The Edge! Remember I said the Mad Hatter won?

Jesse and Aryh as Greek Gods. All hail them!

     Finally, around 8pm, the snow was coming down harder than ever and my family had to leave. It was hard saying, “Good-bye” to them; I had missed them and only got to be with them for a few hours. However, my friends cheered me up by reminding me that Saturday night was Holy Cross’ Halloween celebration night! It was so much fun. I dressed up as a cat (I was saving my real Halloween costume for Monday night) and went to Healy, one of the other dorms on campus. They had made their first floor into a haunted house. I am not going to go into the details. Let’s just say I still feel shivers crawl up my spine whenever I think about it. After, there was a Halloween dance at The Edge (the Saturday night dance-spot on campus). Now, readers, I am going to quickly remind you that the snow was still coming down pretty hard and that it was freezing. However, that did not stop anyone from dressing up. All you saw on campus were kids walking around dressed as gypsies, Greek gods and goddesses, bacon and eggs, witches, wizards, etc. etc. We even had a Mad Hatter, who won that night’s Halloween Costume Contest. Though it was cold and snowing, we had the best time. I can honestly say it was one of my favorite Holy Cross weekends yet.

     Oh, and to those who think that we let the real Halloween night, that Monday night, slip by? My dorm had a costume party in the common room with food and lots of candy. I got to wear my real Halloween costume (a witch with a spider hat) and watch Halloween movies with my friends. It concluded the perfect Halloween weekend.

Happy Halloween from Mulledy Residents!

Hello, world! Hello, any fellow Holy Cross students, high school students, families, or any other readers. As the title states, Ariana Nicoletta here! I am a Holy Cross freshman who is considering a double major in Chemistry and in English. However, that’s not all that I am. I am also a theatre geek (both onstage and backstage), a music lover (trumpet and piano, anyone?), a writer, a voracious swimmer and tennis player, an algebraic mind, and an amicable personality. Basically, I am a little bit of everything.

     I have been here at Holy Cross for about three weeks already. I have been to all of my lectures, met my professors, gotten through the first of my homework, and through my first labs. However, I would like to talk about my family away from home. They are my two roommates, Meghan and Coralie.  All three of us are a part of a quadruple room. Now, I know what you are thinking: “Quadruple” refers to four people. However, there was a change in events and my roommates and I are now in a large room meant for four people. Needless to say, we got very lucky. With the help of our parents, we turned three corners of the room into our own corners complete with a bed, a desk, and a closet. The room is complete with our Micro-Fridge in the corner that was full in no time at all.   

      The three of us cooperate wonderfully .We all have similar bedtimes, so lights are out at a certain time. However, if one is having a late night, the other two still get a restful night’s sleep as we all have an innate ability to sleep in the light as well as in the dark. We all have our clean and messy days, but ironically, they have all occurred on the same days.  We also all love food and will eat anything! Our Micro-Fridge is always over-stocked with food and we always have a pastry resting on top of the fridge for any friendly passersby. One week, it was some of Meghan’s birthday cake, the next it was Coralie’s cupcakes, finally followed by my cookies. However, more importantly (I understand; what can be more important than food?), we all look out for one another. If it is late at night and one of us is still not in the room, the others bring out their maternal instincts and text that missing roomie. We ask if she is all right, where she is, and what time she thinks she will be home by. We finish our task by scolding and saying that they had better come to bed or else they will not be prepared for the events of the following day.  

     I enjoy all of my classes here at Holy Cross and I am constantly learning from all of my professors. I am so glad to be a part of ACT and I have made amazing friends. However, the two wonderful ladies that I mentioned above are the ones that have truly made my first few weeks at Holy Cross great. At the end of the day, they are the family that I tell about my day and receive comfort and advice from. If either of you two is reading this, thank you for being amazing. Now, shut the computer and do your work!

     Well, readers, that is all for now. Next week, I will have two very special blogs prepared. One will be about Family Weekend, where I will introduce you to my real family. The second will be quite spooky, since it will cover Halloween! Thanks for reading and see you then!

                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                  Ariana