The word unreasonable usually denotes a bad quality. Defined by Google, specifically it means “not reasonable or not showing good judgment.” However, the keynote Soundings event featuring Henriette Mantel opened with the following quote: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him. The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself. All progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Therefore, Mantel and her partner, Steve Skrovan, turned a word usually used in bad context into something very different. The event taught me much more than I thought it would. At first I thought this was just going to be some boring movie, and then an even more boring question and answer session afterward.

Man, was I wrong. Their portrayal of Ralph Nader was not only incredibly informative, but also very entertaining, for most of it. The movie itself was captivating, and at some points even amusing. The usage of the “MF” word by one of the interviewees was a particular crowd favorite.

During the end of movie most students, myself included, began getting antsy. They started giving wisecrack remarks, and asking Mantel herself for the question for the second Soundings card simply to get out of there. Unfortunately for the students at the Soundings event, Mantel, being a comedian, rolled with the punches and shot sarcastic remarks right back without ever giving up the soundings question.

The past week of weather has been so incredibly nice! I am so hoping beyond hope that spring is finally here to stay. A couple weeks ago, there was a nice, sunny weekend, and then snow. I was entirely disappointed! It’s been so nice the past couple of days, seeing half the campus out and about, enjoying the sunshine. I just want it to stay this way – nice and warm. I am so sick of snow.

My friends, that actually live in Vermont, tell me that we’re getting ready to enter mud season, and, despite the fact that I’ve never experienced mud season, I couldn’t be more excited about it.

Warm weather please come here to stay! It was such a comforting feeling to see people playing basketball outside of Ellis again.
Even if you aren’t Irish like myself, I hope everyone had an amazing St. Patrick’s Day! I saw an abundance of green outside today and even learned something new! My friend Ian told me that if someone is wearing orange on St. Patrick’s Day, you’re supposed to be hit or pinched, because it’s disrespectful or something. That was something new.

I spent a majority of my day in class, watching “Boondock Saints,” and eating free brownies in the first floor common room of Adams. It was a really good time, and I hope everyone else can vouch that theirs was good, too.