Tour de St. Edward.

Are those regulation Christmas lights? Just asking...

Our Tour de St. Edward continues with room 221, a room with a great view of the Dome and home to two Steds freshmen. Here's what the residents, Brandon and Joe, had to say when I caught up with them before the start of the Christmas Break.

St. Ed: With two persons in the room, isn't it a tight fit?

Freshmen: Actually, we were surprised by how much space we actually had when we first moved everything into the room.  We are lucky enough to live on the second floor of Steds, and the ceilings in our rooms are the highest of any dorm on campus (13').  This extra vertical space allowed us to loft our beds higher, and this has created tons of floor space.   Also, some credit needs to go to our extremely clever mothers who figured out exactly how to fit all of our belongings into a 15'X12' space.

St. Ed: How did the building of your loft go?

Freshmen: Building our loft was a simple process.  Using the online loft exchange, we were able to find a loft that had been designed by a civil engineer.  Neither of us has any construction skills whatsoever, so we actually paid the guy who owned the loft a little bit extra to come and set it up for us during the first week of school.  

St. Ed: What you do wish that your room had?

Freshmen: It wouldn't hurt to get a little A/C in here, but the 99 degree days in August were good for character-building. We would also like it if our sink didn't spew toxic waste while we are sleeping, as that gets a little bit inconvenient after a while.  

St. Ed:  What would you like to see in this summer's renovation?

Freshmen: We’re afraid the list would be too long, but most definitely, world peace.

There you have it folks, freshmen living it up in a room with a view, not to mention lofts that are safe.

Parting thoughts.

Wish Rish had remembered this when he was playing baseball

Daniel Rish, Steds senior and soon to be civil engineer, is nearing the end of his matriculation at Notre Dame. A four-year resident of the fourth floor, Rish graciously came down from his lofty perch to share with us his “senior” insights. Here’s what Rish had to say when asked for some parting thoughts.

St. Ed: What are you looking forward to in your last semester?

Rish: I have an outstanding offer to coach the Big Cats – St. Ed’s ‘B’ Soccer.  Do I understand soccer? No, I’m American.  But, with my blind passion and willingness to tangle with the refs, I think I’m well suited for the task.

St. Ed: What is one of your favorite memories of St. Ed’s?

Rish: One of my favorite memories as a young Stedsman was my room’s disastrous loft-building freshman year.  After about 10 hours of blood and sweat, we were left with solidified friendships, brimming self-confidence, and a semi-stable loft.  Sure, we lost one roommate that year, but who’s counting?

St. Ed: Looking back, would you have done anything differently?

Rish: I should have gone ahead and laid down a bunt at some point in my St. Ed’s baseball career – not a game went by when I didn’t mention it.  For some reason I decided it made more sense to continually ground out to second base.

St. Ed: What advice would you have for those following in your wake?

Rish: Is that a fat joke…? But seriously, soak it in.  Sing every “Wade in the Water” like it’s your last.

Next year Rish will be taking up graduate engineering studies, hopefully to make something that we use every day safer.




Good luck Rish!

Yes, the lights...

...are still up and on. Even though it was a mild winter day at ND today, I think it best to leave the Christmas lights up, after all the Christmas season doesn't end until the Baptism of the Lord, January 13th!

A winter photo.

But did I pay for the candle? Wouldn't you like to know.

Here's a picture of the Grotto with some fresh lake effect snow. With all of you guys away, I had no trouble finding a spot at the rail.

Coach’s corner.

Coach Blonigan looking for somebody to yell at

This week’s installment of “Coach’s Corner” has us chatting with Andrew Blonigan, Steds senior and co-captain of the Saint Edward’s Hall Football Gentlemen. Known for being “a player coach”, not a player's coach, Coach Blonigan retains absolute control of the team at all times, crushing any dissent.

When Coach Blonigan isn’t stressing the importance of pregame twerking, conducting stretches in German, or leading with the crown of his helmet, he’s stresses the following to his players:

-Always be generous to your teammates.

-Pass protection is optional.

-Always speak in riddles to Observer (school newspaper) reporters

-Practice is for the flawed.

-Beat Zahm.

Sage wisdom…wisdom that guided the Steds team to a 2:2 season, missing the playoffs on a "tie breaker." 

Coach Blonigan, you’ll be missed next year!

Throwback Thursday.

Keep that clown away from me… no, the one dressed up as a clown

Forgotten, but not completely forgotten, was a November trip of the 1st and 2nd floors to a haunted house for a night of fright and screams in Niles, Michigan. Mustering their courage, the Gentlemen ventured through both the haunted house and the “Field of Screams,” making it all the way to the end, albeit with embarrassing moments throughout.

After seeing fellow Stedsman Dan Yerkes frighten, AJ Tablada said, “I knew Dan was a runner, but I never knew he was also a high jumper!”

There’s your Throwback Thursday.

Merry Christmas!

The Main Building's Christmas Tree

To you, Gentlemen of St. Edward's Hall, and your families, Merry Christmas! May the Christ Child bless you and your families this Christmastide.

CHRISTMAS VIDEO: NOTRE DAME CHORALE

It's still...

Front door with Christmas decorations

cold. With everyone gone, the eerie silence of campus compounds the cold temp, making me wish that I was the patron saint of a residence hall in Santa Barbara.

It's a dreary...

It could be worse... it could be snowing.

...day at Notre Dame. It's cold and rainy. It's one of those days that you just don't want to get out of bed for... and now you know the reason for this late blog posting. Mea culpa.

And suddenly...

A view from the steps of the Dome

...it was quiet. Today marks the closing of the University for the Christmas Break. With residence halls and most other buildings now closed, an eerie silence has descended upon campus. But, don’t worry. All throughout the break, I will continue to bring you the life and times of St. Edward’s Hall!