Week 1 (9/13-9/19)

Okay there is a drastic difference from syllabus week and from when classes start. One
thing that Ive realized is how easy high school was. So much of it was hand holding, very slow,
easy work. They really eased everyone back in before hitting them with work That luxury does
not exist here. Here it was its week two, heres your essay. Do I think that this is a bad thing?
No way. I always loathed how people said the next year was harder, which almost always turned
out to be bullshit. That being said, I got what I wished for, and I immediately regret asking. Oh
my god every damn night I have to rush to complete for a midnight deadline, or I forget to print a
document or do the wrong one. Oh well, its all part of learning, isnt it?
-Sully
One of the things that I like the most about the school so far is my inclusion within the
alto saxophone section. Through band camp and through school so far Ive had something that I
did not have back home, a sense of inclusion. Ill say this early on, Im an absolute control freak
and I love being involved in things. I have extraordinary FOMO and back home I really struggled
with it. However, here I am included in everything. We all go out to eat together, if not at least
with somebody else in the section. We also all hang out a lot. Up to this point in the semester,
theyve made me feel really important and special, and I really appreciate that. Its a remarkable
feeling in a sense and like I said earlier, it is very different than what I had at home. I welcome
the change. That being said, I DO NOT welcome the change of the football team being so bad.
The game was amazing, and Ill write more about it later Im sure, but my god theyre terrible.
Week 2 (9/20-9/26)
Had a very interesting experience today in Philosophy class. The professor asked us to
look at the world in a very different light and to walk around campus thinking like that. The
prompt that I chose was You work for a moral watchdog organization and you think all URI
students are going straight to hell for their actions. The thing that I found most striking was not
what I noticed when I was in character, but rather what I noticed when I returned to my normal

self. First, it took me a handful of minutes for me to actually feel like I was in character. That
wasnt because I didnt want to, but rather because Im too happy and optimistic to play a meanspirited role well. I realized that Im a very happy and laid back kind of guy, and Im grateful for
that. I also noticed that my day was infinitely better when I was looking at things my way. And
that's not because it's normal for me and it was a return to normalcy, it's because it's downright
better. I dont understand how people can act grumpy and hate the world all day and do it every
day. Im just glad Im happy and I dont think I realized how happy I am with most things until
now.
Well I knew that day would come, the day that I would do nothing but go to class, come
to my room, and work. My analytical paper is going along at a snail's pace and I had a rough
draft due, so after classes I came back to my room, and napped. Productive, right? I followed
that up by going to marching band, then to dinner with the alto family, then to my room to slave
away at my work. Im happy though, yesterday was the first day all semester that I have not
done anything outside of my schedule. Ive been here for nearly four weeks and it took me that
long, so I am very proud of that accomplishment. That being said, I was up till 2 in the morning
writing the rough draft because I needed to fit certain APA guidelines. I hate this citation crap, I
understand it is important not to plagiarize and all, but I just do not understand why it is so hard
to access a link. Also, it's my rough draft! I should be able to write what I want on it, because it is
what works for me. Oh well, it's done. Paper is due next Wednesday Hope Ms. Smith is a
Patriots fan.

Week 3 (September 27th-October 3rd)

I dont think that could have been any more miserable. I was up till six in the morning
today (Wednesday) writing that fucking paper, and if I dont get an A I swear to god. Long story
short, on Tuesday I went to the writing center to make sure that my paper was okay, and I was
basically told yeah this sucks, your arguments dont match up. So what did I do? I waited till

ten at night to start writing, and ended up basically restarting the whole fucking paper, using my
rough draft as a template and made it all work. The irony is how much I hated that rough draft,
but still, oh my god that was miserable. Despite being done at 6 in the morning, I feel that I had
a quality piece of writing when I handed it in. I proofread it about a thousand times, my citations
and format were correct (to my knowledge, that was always an issue in high school), and my
content was what I wanted it to be. I enjoyed writing it however, as I was passionate about the
topic (deflate gate). If theres anything that Id like to be up till 6 am writing about, it would be
that. I feel that when I go home for thanksgiving it might be weird however, as I will tune into a
radio that wont be dominated by coverage of the deflate gate saga Always something to look
forward to I suppose.
Well, today started out rough, but ended on a high note (Am I allowed to do two journal
entries for the same day?). As previously stated, my day began with an extremely long
morning, followed by classes, a one hour break between classes (where my rant occurred),
followed by nutrition class, a very well deserved nap, and then marching band. However, the
highlight of my day was in the Galanti Lounge of the Library, where I met some of the tour
guides. Im applying to be a tour guide and I had a great experience! I actually reconnected with
the person who initially gave me a tour of URI last November, Brandon. Of all the people who he
gave tours to, he remembered me, likely due to the fact that we walked across the quad
together after last years tour. He remembered that my mother went to Syracuse and that I had
an identical twin brother, so needless to say I made an impression of some sorts. He also
introduced me to his boss and she said Hey I like you! Good luck! Absolutely made my night. I
really hope I get this job then, as I guess I have expectations now. Quick side note, I hate
expectations, as I never live up to them. That might sound depressing, but it's true.

Week 4 (October 4th-10th).

It's always nice seeing ones father. While I saw him two weeks ago at the Red Sox
game, this time it was on my turf and it was almost nostalgic. He picked me up around 7 and we
went to the Chophouse in Wakefield. It was so nice having non dining hall food for a day,
especially when it was a Ribeye. One of the best steaks Ive had in a while, and thats hard to
come by, as my grandfather used to be a chef. Frank I highly recommend eating there.
Anyways, after we grabbed dinner and watched the Chicago Blackhawks raise their
championship banner, we went to Shaws, got some food, and then he sent me back on my
merry way. If I come into class looking a little larger, it's due to the two bags of Oreos and the
bag of Cape Cod baked chips that he got me. Oh well, its worth it.
VICTORY!!!! Oh my god Ive forgotten what its like to have a football team that wins
(after all, it has been a year). The day began somewhat miserably, as today was band day for
the high schoolers. We had to teach them all the music and they are not exactly the best at
playing it. However the football game made up for it, as we beat Delaware 20-0! I dont know
what I enjoyed more, the act of winning, or antagonizing the Delaware cheerleaders. They sat
right in front of us so any time they started a chant we just drowned them out. (defense
OFFENSE defense OFFENSE!) And then we stormed the field after we won and the football
players sang the fight song with us, so that was incredible as well. Just an awesome day.
Week 5 (October 11th-17th)
Note to self, DO NOT talk to crazy girls. I dont want to get into the details of it (I doubt
you do either), however oh my goodness this girl is psycho. Texting me every day, waiting in the
lounge for when I walk past, making phone calls in the stairway outside my room so I might walk
past her and get sucked into a conversation. I dont want to go back to high school Ryan (lonely
and too scared to talk to girls) but its times like these when I miss that version of me, where I
never dealt with this. I know this entry is short, but oh my god is she driving me batshit crazy

Im exceedingly glad that I was not on FM radio this weekend for my first ever broadcast.
I did play by play for the URI men's hockey game (URI vs Lebanon Valley) and I could not have
been any worse in the beginning. I know that I got a lot stronger as I went on, but it is really hard
to shake such a terrible start. The whole game I was nervous and jittery and off of what I know I
can do. Ive wanted to do this sort of thing for years and my first chance at it and I absolutely
shit the bed. I suppose it can only get better from there, but even my parents said the start was
rough. That might sound harsh, but Id really prefer honesty as opposed to bullshit niceness. Im
fortunate enough to have parents who understand that.

Week 6 (October 18th-24th)

ITS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! I absolutely aced my deflate gate essay and got a 101
on the entire paper (3 extra credit points). Admittedly I dont really know what to write here other
than that I am extremely excited about the grade, especially since it was 15% of my grade. Im
also excited because rate my professor says that Ms. Smith is a ridiculously hard grader, but
this is the highest grade Ive ever gotten on an essay. Also, seeing as youre a writing professor
Frank, Id like to ask your opinion on this (put it in the comments if youd like, or just use it as
food for thought). Back at my high school nobody was allowed to get higher than a 95 on an
essay. The English department (or at least the teachers that I had), say that this is because
there is no such thing as a perfect piece of writing, so they cant give out 100s. I agree with
them, there is no perfect writing, but at the same time I dont think that means we should get a
90 if we write an absolutely stellar piece of work. To move up any level in English you had to
have a 90 or above in the class, and as essays were most of our grades, we more or less had a
5% margin of error to move up to honors or AP classes. That might sound whiney, but I really
hated that policy and Im glad to see that it's gone here at URI. However, as a former middle
school teacher, and now as a college professor, do you agree with that policy, that the best
grade you can get is a 95?

I hate my roommate, I hate my roommate, I hate my roommate. If I keep writing it will it

get better? Its Storytime! Monday night my two roommates got into a fight. The fight was about
one of my roommates material for his camping trip. For anonymous sake, theyll be known as
roommate A and B. So Roommate A brought back a kerosene hot plate from his camping
trip, still full of kerosene, and proceeded to put it on top of all of our food. We asked him what it
was and he said it was a kerosene hot plate. We freaked out and asked if it was full, and he said
yeah we uh didnt use it all. So roommate B and I flip out and scream YOU BROUGHT
KEROSENE INTO THE FUCKING DORM?! And roommate A responded by saying well my
friend didnt want it in his room so I thought wed leave it in here till he can get it. Hell drop by
next Tuesday and get it. Naturally, we say that it cant be in our room for over a week,
especially since fire inspections would be starting that Monday. Roommate a then threw
gasoline on the fire (pun intended) by saying fine if you want it gone Ill just pour it on your
fucking bed jackass. I had to separate the two of them, as roommate B charged roommate A.
goddamn I hate this room.
Week 7 (October 25th-31st)
This is the week I have waited for all year, the one week that is dedicated entirely to one
event, Halloween. My costume (slender man) has been sitting in the back of my drawer for
weeks and this is finally the week that I can use it. On top of that, I got invited to a party on
Halloween, so I have plans finally! But on top of that, there are two parties in the union that Im
going to go to with some of my friends. All around campus I can feel it getting closer, its like
Halloween is the one thing on everybody's mind, and it is all they care about. Im not saying it's
a bad thing, Halloween is my second favorite night of the year. I absolutely cannot wait for this
weekend, even if I dont remember it!
Last night was one of the best nights of my life, and it wasnt even Halloween (30th).
Long story short, my friends and I went to the union and danced there for about 2 hours just

having a night full of fun there, screaming and jumping around. At midnight, we left and went my
friend Liams fraternity house. Anyways, we went there because Liam is in the fraternity and got
a tour before Liam magically disappeared. There wasnt anything big going on, except some
noise in the basement. We followed it and found a handful of kids who offered us some calamari
and a seat. So we sat in the basement for hours on end until we got kicked out, still without
Liam. I know that my description is a little scarce, but it was just a great and unforgettable
night. I guess my assumption was wrong, you can have plenty of fun at a fraternity without any
alcohol!
Week 8 (November 1st-7th)
Halloween was absolutely phenomenal. Stellar. Perfect. I got to the party extremely late,
around 11, and immediately got a whoa!!! as I walked into the house. Everybody was surprised
that I had such a complete costume (full body suit) and that it was so authentic. After a few
minutes of mingling a lot of us walked down to the beach and just chilled out on the seawall and
talked, getting a few pictures before we went back to the party. We relaxed, had some karaoke,
and had a lovely bonfire outside. However, as my suit was skin tight, I was more or less just in a
suit with underwear, making me unbearably cold. Regardless, we had a great time outside
shooting the breeze, playing games, and just getting to know one another better. I had an
amazing time and last weekend was just phenomenal. Even got a kiss from a girl. Just a great
time
The best part about these two weeks is that one weekend I get a full college weekend,
full of college stuff, and then I get to see my parents the next weekend. While I was very sad to
learn earlier today that my uncle passed away, Im going to try to stay positive and focus on my
parents coming down for family weekend. Theyre coming on Saturday and were going out to
dinner and some shopping before we go see Steve Martin and Martin Short. Then on Sunday
were going to get some more food for my dorm and get brunch before them head back home
I just hope the car ride doesnt kill them. Theyve been divorced for over a decade now and

theyre still furious at each other. They usually put it aside for us (the kids), but that isnt always
the case. One shitty car ride and Im playing mediator this whole weekend If I come into class
on Monday with bruises, that would be why.
Week 9 (November 8th-14th)
We laid my Uncle Arthur to rest today in one of the saddest moments of my life. Ive
been fortunate in the sense that this was the first person that I was close to that Ive had to go to
a funeral for. It started with a wake up in Quincy MA on Wednesday night. I saw my brother for
the first time in two months, same with my sister. I spoke with my cousins and other family
members who had been closer to Arthur than I had. I only saw him twice a most times, although
this year I saw him a few times due to graduation parties and other events. Worst part about
seeing his body in the casket was not that he was dead, but that I couldnt say goodbye. I know
thats clich, but I never realized how true death was until now. The following day, after finally
reuniting with my queen sized bed and a warm shower, we went to the funeral. As Arthur was a
veteran in WWII and Korea, it was a military funeral, which was awe inspiring. The grounds at
the Massachusetts veterans cemetery are immaculately groomed, and the whole place, a
graveyard, has a certain energy to the tranquility. Frank I dont know if youve ever heard taps at
a funeral, but it is far and away beyond anything you can imagine. The second the Bugler
started our whole family stood there in honor of my uncle, proud of what he had done. Even as
his daughters cried out, there was almost a triumphant ring to it. I dont know how to describe it
better than that. The ceremony ended with the flag being given to his wife (also a veteran), who
had a brief moment of clarity from her Alzheimers and thanked the men for what they had done
for Arthur. I dont think there could have been a more amazing and fitting send off to such a
great man. RIP Uncle Arthur, you will be sorely missed.
From two weeks of joy to what will be a month of misery. Fuck. My. Life. Im writing this
from the comfort of my home again, as I have mono! Turns out I got it a few weeks ago, no clue

when, and Im going to have it for the next few weeks. No hockey, so I just spent 150 dollars to
play in three fucking games. No marching or pep band either, so I guess Im stuck doing
nothing Again. Its like I went home and brought too much of it back with me, worst of all, and
the part that Ive worked tirelessly to get rid of. Still, that explains why I slept through my alarms
this week and have had next to no appetite. Its nice being home, dont get me wrong, but Im
going to have this for Thanksgiving, and probably right up until finals week! I swear I have the
worst luck when it comes to timing. Last marching band season in high school? Nope, its time
for a hernia! Crunch time at school? Nope, I get mono! Oh well, its only a month I suppose. I
hope this isnt as bad as everybody says it is!
Week 10 (November 15th-21st)
Misery. Absolute misery. This week has been absolutely terrible for me. To start things
off, I have a group project in communications class. That would not be bad if I knew the group
members, but I do not know any of them, so I need to forge a relationship with them quickly. On
top of that, none of them really care about communications, so I feel like I might be pulling more
weight than usual. Not to mention that nutrition is going terribly, I could possibly fail the course! I
dont know what to do. But to top it all off, I have mono. Im sleeping all day, staying up all night,
Im coughing, and Im hungry but have no appetite. There is absolutely nothing good about this.
I can go to class and all, but it's hard admittedly. Im exhausted and can never seem to find time
to get some sleep. Shit happens I suppose. Regardless, Im going to have to suck it all up and
deal with it till this all passes.
Home again, only a week to go before thanksgiving! It was funny how I got home
however, as somehow my mother did not know I was coming home. My father picked me up at
South Station and drove me home to my house. But as I texted my mom what's for dinner?
she replied in all caps wait, youre coming home?!... So even though both my father and I told
her, she had no idea that I was coming home. Luckily she found out in time and I was given a
very nice dinner of leftover pizza Just when dining hall food was getting old, I got home and

there was absolutely nothing left for me to have. Very disappointing. However, a bunch of my
friends from down south are coming back this weekend for thanksgiving break, so I might end
up seeing them, which obviously would be amazing. Even though we cant do a lot because Im
limited, its better than just sitting on my ass for days on end. I also dont think Im going to be
bringing much back to campus with me as I leave for home on Tuesday afternoon. More or less,
Im coming back for the conference on Monday with you, and then three classes (with two
exams). Yup, Im looking forward to this.
Week 11 (November 22nd-28th)
Thanksgiving started out really strong, and then slowly dipped off. Woke up early and
went back to my high school for the football game. I had a great time seeing other alumni and
talking and chilling out with them! After about an hour or so of mingling we went out to the
football game and watched our team renew our rivalry with Andover! It was a phenomenal
game, the alumni had a ton of fun, and so did the current band members. However, Andover got
the last laugh, as they stopped our two-point conversion with 20 seconds to go, and we lost the
game by a single point. Still, that part of the day was great! After that my father got annoyed that
we were late to his house, so he was somewhat mad at us for the day. However due to my
mono, I nearly fell asleep at dinner, and immediately after dinner I went to the couch, and had a
very solid four hour nap, missing most of the football games, and nearly all of the apple pie.
Luckily, I got the last slice. Regardless, it was a mediocre thanksgiving I suppose, with highs
and lows on both ends of the day.
Today I went to the Bruins game, and it easily ranks in the top 10 that I have ever been
to. That might sound even more impressive when I say that Ive been to around 100 Bruins
games now. This was the black Friday game, an annual game for the Bruins, and it is almost
always one of the most intense games of the year. After all, everybody just finished dealing with
their in laws, a Bruins game is the perfect place to blow off some if not all of your steam. The
Garden was electric all day long, the Bruins fans screaming almost the whole game. Aside from

the atmosphere however, the game was just great. The Bruins and Rangers traded goals and
hits and fights all night long. However it was the Bruins who got the last laugh, tallying two goals
in the final five minutes of the game to steal a win from the top seeded Rangers. As we left the
Garden we met up with my friend Sean, a student at the University of Alabama, and got dinner
with his family. It was a great time, and overall a great day. Who says kids with mono cant have
fun?
Week 12 (November 29th-December 5th)
Frank when I die, I want my group members to lower me into my grave so they can let
me down one last time. Ill preface this rant by saying that depending on how much I enjoy the
course, I try harder. Example, I try as hard as possible in Communications, Writing, and
Journalism, and I could not give less of a shit about what happens in nutrition. My grades show
that too! In com, none of my group members are of the I care about this mindset, so theyve
sort of been doing middle of the road work. However as my nutrition grade drops lower, I worry
gravely about the course. As a result, I focus on com and journalism especially to balance it out.
But because the group project has one group grade, Im forced to rely on them and it worries
me. I know it might be wrong for me to tell them to drop everything and work their ass off on
this project, however I need this grade. Its extremely frustrating that they are only trying so
hard, as I feel like I need to compensate for the work that I feel like should be done.
After just one meeting I cannot wait to become a tour guide here at URI. I got the job,
and can only look forward from here. I was in com when I found out (Yes I checked my phone in
class, sorry), and could barely contain myself. I was smiling the rest of the day, and after our
orientation with the tour guides Im even more excited for the job! We got there and spoke with
some other tour guides before being broken up into three groups. The first group was an
icebreaker where we played two truths and a lie I was only reassured that I am one of if not
the single worst liar on the planet. After that the more serious business took place, as we were
added to payroll, fitted for jackets, and briefed on what training will be like. Two hours of training

a week, tests included, and Ill begin giving tours in mid-April. Luckily, I get paid for training, so
Ill have just a little bit of money coming my way this semester. Could be useful, however as I
am a member of bank of America, I do not have a lot of nearby locations to cash any checks.
Might have to switch to citizens sometime soon, as they have an ATM on campus that I could
use. Forgetting all of the logistics however, I absolutely cannot wait for this new endeavor to
start!
Week 13 (December 6th-12th)
Im mono free! Went to the doctors last week and they said that I should be good to
begin normal activities next week (this week now). So I am now completely mono free, and I
cannot wait to get back to normal stuff! However, even as I feel better, my fatigue is getting
worse. I do not know if that is because of my god awful sleep cycle or if it is simply because not
all of the mono is gone, but the point still stands, I am very tired! But even with the mono
passing, I am very grateful for all of the people and professors who have helped me out. Its
been a rough semester, but Ive been lucky to surround myself with some great people and that
made getting through mono one million times easier than I thought it would be. And with only
three more class days left, I cannot wait for this week to be over At the same time, ugh, finals
week.
With my last journal entry I just wanted to reflect upon this semester, but more
importantly my work in writing class. Ill be the first to admit it, I was not where I wanted to be. I
was really excited for the class, and I enjoyed it a lot, but I did not perform or act the way I
wanted to. I feel like I disappointed myself in the class. I missed several assignments, turned
things in very late, and just was not the student that I know that I am. For that Frank I apologize.
Im a better student that what I showed off, and my grade shows that (well, grades so far). I
slept through class a few times (I had an excuse once, but still), I often came ill-prepared, and I
often times did not put my best foot forward, it was more of a drunken stumble. I hope my
portfolio and final essay turn out to be my saving grace, but I cant shake how frustrated I am

with myself this semester in the class. I mean, journalism is my major, and in my eyes I crapped
the bed all over in your class. Nothing I can do about it now but say sorry. And I do mean this
from the heart Frank, but you were easily the best English or writing teacher/professor that Ive
ever had. You made me want to work hard and I enjoyed the class almost every day. So thank
you for a great semester, I hope you have an awesome Christmas break, and I hope you do get
a class next semester, any student would be lucky to have you. Thanks Frank!
-Ryan Sullivan