Fun Facts

Since I started working at Princeton, I've been thinking about some of the coincidences and similarities to other aspects of my education and career. Here are a few little tidbits that I find interesting. It's a little history lesson for you, too!

1) Orange and Black
     Princeton's colors are orange and black. Weirdly, those were my high school colors. I couldn't find any history on why my high school chose orange and black, but I found Princeton's history. The color orange was one of the colors of the House of Nassau - the house of King William III, for whom the first campus building (Nassau Hall) was named. Students began wearing orange ribbons with "Princeton" written in black, and in 1896 those were adopted as the official colors. To go a step deeper with the weird coincidence, the colors of the House of Nassau were actually orange and blue... my college colors!

2) The Tiger
     My internship was done at Clemson University, whose mascot is the tiger. When I got to Princeton, I found out that my mascot would once again be the tiger!  The Princeton Tigers came about because of the school colors. The first football uniforms were orange and black stripes, so the association with the tiger was quickly observed, and it stuck. The Clemson Tigers came to be because the first football coach came from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), whose mascot was the tiger. He decided to keep the mascot since Clemson had yet to distinguish one. Auburn chose the tigers because of an Oliver Goldsmith poem with the line, "where crouching tigers await their hapless prey." Oh, and guess what Auburn's colors are... orange and blue! Clemson is orange and purple. Orange is a reoccurring theme in my life!

3)  Major Battles
     Gettysburg College, where I went to school, and Princeton University were both smack dab in the middle of major battles of major wars, both 31 years after they were established.
     Gettysburg College was established in 1832 as Pennsylvania College. In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred during the Civil War. The first campus building, and most recognizable was Pennsylvania Hall. It served as a field hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the battle. It recovered from significant damage, and is now a registered historic landmark.
     Princeton University was established in 1746 as the College of New Jersey. In 1777, the Battle of Princeton occurred during the Revolutionary War. Nassau Hall was the first campus building (and only building at the time of the battle). It was used as a barracks and hospital for both British and American troops during the battle. It recovered from extensive damage and is now a registered historic landmark.
     Apparently I like schools with a history of war.


Some fun facts about Princeton that I stumbled upon in my research:

- The first ever intercollegiate football game in America was played in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers.

- The exterior of the Frist Campus Center on the Princeton Campus was filmed as the hospital on the tv show House.

- The art museum on campus has original Monet works.

- The University does not officially recognize Greek life on campus. There are no fraternity or sorority houses. Instead, the school has "eating clubs". There are 11 clubs total... 6 of them interview and hand-pick members; 4 have a lottery system to choose new members; and one has a point system, where prospective members participate in club activities to accumulate points toward membership. They are essentially dining halls in big, old mansions that also have a social/party aspect.

- Princeton accepts just 7% of undergraduate applicants.

- The tiger statues flanking the front stairs into Nassau Hall are named Woodrow and Wilson, after the U.S. president, and Princeton alum.

- The Tony-award winning play "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" was commissioned by and debuted at the McCarter Theatre on the Princeton campus before moving to off-Broadway and eventually Broadway.



Ok, I think that's enough for now. I'll stop boring you!

A Whole New World

A new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us no, or where to go....

Oh, sorry. "A Whole New World" came to mind as a title for this post, and I got caught up in it. It's a whole new world becaaause I've started a whole new life since my last posting!

I've gotten a new job as the theater technician at Princeton University! While I learned a lot, and made some great friends during my time at the park, it was definitely time to move on. I've been with the University for about a month now, and so far it's fantastic! Salary, benefits, normal work hours, enjoyable work. I finally feel like I have a "grown-up" job, and that my life is starting.

I have an office, I get vacation/personal/sick days, summers off, and let's talk about the area. I'm pretty much right smack between New York City and Philadelphia; I'm about three hours from my hometown (instead of 7!), and I'm still only about 45 minutes from the beach. It's pretty much my perfect geographic location.

Along with the new job, I have a new apartment in Levittown, PA. I was looking to rent a house, but they were few and far between. I feel like this is the best bet while I get settled in the area and at Princeton, anyway. I don't have to worry about yardwork or upkeep. Plus, this complex is so much better than the one I was at in VA. I can't hear every little thing that my neighbors do and say... in fact, I haven't really heard them at all. I was leery of a first-floor apartment, but I can't hear the people moving upstairs at all... and it was SO MUCH easier to move into than a second-floor apartment!

It's a one-bedroom, but I have an extra little "den" space that I want to get a futon or pull-out sofa for, so I can use it as a guest room. The kitchen is a little small, but the bedroom and living room are huge! There are plenty of closets, and even an extra little storage space outside of the apartment assigned to me. I have a patio big enough for a little table and a couple of chairs, my own mailbox, enough yard for some potted plants and a decorative flag. It's great! And in a few years when I know the area, job demands, and my money situation better, I can look into buying a house. Until then, someone else can mow the grass!

Levittown is a pretty great area in itself. It's closer to Philly than NYC, but I wanted to live in PA. Mostly because taxes, car insurance, etc. are cheaper. Partly because I've been trying to move back to PA for years, and I finally could! Every store or restaurant you can think of is close by. There are tons of independently-owned businesses, as well as chains, so anything you could possibly need is right here.

Across the street from my apartment complex is a community park with jogging/walking/biking paths, picnic pavilions with charcoal grills, a lake that you can fish and boat on, playgrounds, a dog park, a beach volleyball court, a skate park, soccer fields.... I've pretty much fallen in love with it. This summer, I want to have a picnic in one of the pavilions so I can barbecue!

I've started jogging again, around the lake. It's easier to workout when you have a beautiful area that you want to go to, instead of staring at the wall of the gym. When it's rainy or too hot/cold, my complex has a fitness center that I can use. I haven't been there yet, but at least I have the option. I've been trying to get back into yoga, too. I will lead a healthy lifestyle if it kills me, dammit!

So, sorry this whole post was just me bragging about my life. I had to share all the awesomeness. I'm finally proud of where I am, and happier than I've been in a long time. Hopefully, I'll start this blogging thing more regularly again, but no promises!