Etty Play

I wanted to make you all aware of a wonderful upcoming event on campus.  On Tuesday, October 1st, Susan Stein will be performing Etty, a one woman play based on the journals of Etty Hillseum, a Dutch woman killed in the Holocaust. The play exams her life during Nazi occupation and helps to open a dialogue with students about the Holocaust.

For more information about the play, visit http://www.ettyplay.org/.  We are thrilled to have such a great opportunity on our campus, and encourage everyone who can to attend.

Defy Gravity

We had a great time this with 4W this weekend at Defy Gravity (http://www.defygravity.us/), the local trampoline arena.  Here are a few pictures of the girls jumping, resting, and goofing off.

All of us before we jumped

Shooting some hoops

Amber about to jump into the foam pit...

And she flipped!

Whatever Madeleine is doing in the background is awesome. 

3B Profiles-Amy

Hi, my name is Amy. I am an RLA on third Bryan this year. I like to read, eat, sleep, and hang out with my hallmates. At home, I have a dog named Peanut, a cat named Nimbus, and my parents. I also have two older brothers, James and Robert, who are in college. 

What is your favorite thing about NCSSM? -I love the people here. Everyone is kind of fantastic. 

Do you have any nicknames? -Yes, people have called me Am, Amerz, Amiggusss, and “that crazy one”

Do you untie you shoes when you take them off? -It depends on where I am and how lazy I feel. I always untie them before I put them back on though. 

What is you favorite ice cream flavor? -Chocolate. Preferably more than one kind, with yummy chocolate mix-ins. I don’t discriminate against most other kinds though. My friends get mad at me for eating ice cream because I get really hyper sometimes and because I might be kinda sorta lactose intolerant. I ignore that fact most of the time though.

What would you pick for hall snack? -Pie. I really want some pie right now. 

What are you most passionate about in your life? -My friends and family. I love them all and would go to the ends of the earth for them most of the time.

Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island? -An engineer or Hermione Granger. My father and one of my brothers are both engineers and although infuriating, they tend to be remarkably resourceful and might could get us off the island. Hermione would be nice because she probably could pull a boat out of her never ending bag, or apparate us to the mainland. 

If you could do anything you wanted right now, what would it be? -To take a really long nap and forget about college applications.

What is one thing you are mildly obsessed with? -Winnie the Pooh. Definitely. Mainly Eeyore and Pooh, but I like the rest of them too.

3B Profiles-Addie

Continuing with our A name trend, here is our profile from Addie.  Bonus fun fact: Did you know that we have 8 names on hall that state with the letter A, 7 that start with the letter S, and 6 that start with the letter M.  Almost 2/3 of the names of girls on hall start with only 3 letters of the alphabet.

Hey lovely ladies and families of 3B!

I’m Addie, one of the many “A-names” on hall. I lived on 3rd Bryan last year, and loved it!

I’m on the executive committee of TEDxNCSSM, which puts on an annual conference where people network and just meet cool people! I also love theater tech, so look for me placing mics or moving pianos at any of the shows or festivals this year!

I look forward to (hopefully!) attending NC State and majoring in industrial engineering, but I’m always open to learning about anything. 

Hope you’re all having a wonderful year! <3B

Addie (right) with her roommate Amber

3B Profiles-Annie

For our 3rd profile, Annie has opted to answer some questions about herself.  Hope you enjoy.  Some of her answers are quite amusing.

Do you have any nicknames? Annie is actually my nickname, as my real name is Anne.

Do you untie you shoes when you take them off? Although I get pampered with the year-round flip flop life, I do untie the shoes that tie when I take them off.

Do you have any hobbies? I really enjoy crafting in my spare time. I recently got interested in a type of crafting called "upcycling," where you take clothes from thrift stores and recycle them into more fierce versions of their earlier selves.

What is you favorite ice cream flavor? Pistachio!

Do you have personal feelings about the US Constitution? I think the Constitution is a really great document - it's full of wonderful civil liberties and it does a great job setting up our fundamental branches of government! Sometimes it gets a bit wild with a questionable interpretation here or there, but I think we can be really great friends. (Maybe one day Constitution Senpai will notice me!) (The senpai comment is just sarcasm not a real thing, but I feel like it sums up my personal feelings pretty well :P)

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Mauvelous

What would you pick for hall snack? Bread and cheese, but cakes/brownies are also really good.

Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island? I'd take Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley because if they managed to defeat Lord Voldemort and restore justice to the Wizaarding World, we can probably get off the island, and I'll learn a lot of cool stuff along the way!

If you could do anything you wanted right now, what would it be? I would rent a hot air balloon.

If money was no object, what would you do all day? I would take a roadtrip with my friends. I don't know where I'd go, but I would like to just be able to get in a car and go for just a few days.

Where do you most want to travel, but have never been? I'd love to visit the Pacific Northwest sometime. I've seen so many beautiful pictures from it and I've never been to that part of the country before.

Who is your favorite author? J.K. Rowling

What is your favorite book? Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

3B Profiles-Amber

Below is the second installment of our 3rd Bryan Profiles featuring Amber!  Though it may appear we are going in alphabetical order, I promise we are not.  I am just taking volunteers.  We do have a lot of A names on hall this year, so I guess odds were good we would start with some As.

Hi. My name is Amber. I’m one of the RLA’s on Third Bryan and I am also a cheerleader. I have been cheering for over 10 years and it’s one of my favorite things.

In my spare time I also enjoy painting and crafting. One of my favorite paintings was from my Art Class during my freshman year. It was Picasso inspired, so it’s not supposed to be completely realistic.

Spirit Week-Charcter Day

Last week was Spirit Week on campus with themes like "Multiplicity Day" and "School Spirit Day", but one of my favorites was "Character Day" where students dressed up like different movie, TV, and book characters.  Below are a couple pictures of the girls on hall dressed up for character day.

3B Profiles-Alexandria

We are starting a new tradition for the blog.  About once a week, we will be posting a profile of one of the girls on hall.  They can choose how they want to share, through a bio, artwork, interview, video, or other means, but everyone will have a chance to share who they are and something about themselves.  Alexandria was brave and volunteered to go first, so a big thank you to her for sharing!

Hello! I’m Alexandria. I am originally from Tallahassee, FL but lived in Fayetteville when I was accepted into Science and Math. My birthday is in January, making me a Capricorn. My hobbies include learning about personality astrology, doing Pilates and Yoga and learning languages (I fluently speak Spanish and am working on making my Portuguese as good as my Spanish. I hope to learn Chinese and ASL in the near future.) I’m bad at spelling in any language. My favorite class is Psychology; I love understanding the underlying meanings behind behavior. This year, I am proud the be the coordinator of Latin America Fest, the Co-President of the Emily K Tutoring Club and the founder/president of an NCSSM tutoring club, which has yet to be named. I am also an official Physics TA and an unofficial Writing and American Studies mentor.  Volunteering and working with children have got to be two of my most favorite things ever; I cannot explain the joy that I feel when interacting with a young child. I hope to study at Harvard, enroll in an MD/PhD program and open a holistic medical center as a primary care physician. I dream of mine is to travel to every Latin American country and submerge myself in the way of life of the country’s inhabitants. I would describe myself as laid back, mature, and focused. A perfect day for me would be Saturday, sleeping in and watching telenovelas. Currently my favorite shows are The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Laura. I enjoy listening to all music genres, but my absolute favorites are Reggaeton and Bachata. A big pet peeve of mine is ungrateful and entitled people; working hard, being appreciative and earning what you have has always had value in my life. My best friend is my mom; I prefer her company to many and can tell her pretty much anything. I am very happy to live on 3^rd Bryan this year and was thrilled to see how receptive and open everyone was.

Family Weekend Resturaunt Options

Since many of you will hopefully be joining us this weekend for Family Day and College Eve, I thought some dining suggestions might be helpful for you.  I have broken these up into a couple different categories, so hopefully everyone can find something that interests them.

Student Favorites:

Families, if you want to experience what the students have when they go off campus, try some of these student favorites that are within walking distance of the school.

1) Bali Hai--Easily one of the most popular restaurants with our students, this reasonably priced Mongolian grill offers great opportunities for showing off you food stacking skill as you fill your own bowl with ingredients. http://www.balihainc.com/

2) Elmo's Diner--A classic diner that offers breakfast all day.  Be sure to color a duck if you go.  http://elmosdiner.com/

3) Cosmic Cantina--Cosmic offers fresh, cheap Mexican food, with a quirky, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Be sure to note the stairs leading up to the restaurant that were painted as a miniterm project by former NCSSM students.  http://www.cosmiccantina.com/

Driving Needed:

If you want to be really nice to your student and take them somewhere they don't usually get to go because it requires driving, try some of these favorites.

1) Only Burger--Originally started as a food truck, and has now expanded to a brick and mortar location.  They do awesome burgers (and veggie and turkey burgers) and sides.  No frills, but good food.  Bonus: Tutti Frutti, a frozen yogurt store is right next door.  http://onlyburger.com/ and http://www.tfyogurt.com/

2) Shanghai Chinese--A little classier than the normal chinese delivery the students get at the school and a Durham staple for over 20 years.  http://www.shanghaidurham.com/

3) Mellow Mushroom--Who doesn't want some awesome pizza?  Mellow mushroom is located in the American Tobacco District (with a ton of other great places), right beside the Durham Bulls stadium.  http://mellowmushroom.com/store/durham/menu/14/pizza

Unique Durham:

These places are unique Durham Favorites, and a little more upscale than students might do on a regular basis.  These might be a special treat for your student.

1) Pizzaria Toro--Offers wood fired pizzas with a unique combination of topics, and has been named one of the top 100 resturaunts in the south as well as being featured in the Southern Living article naming Durham "South's Tastiest Town" this year.  http://www.pizzeriatoro.com/

2) Watts Grocery--Located less than a block from the school, this classy resturaunt uses fresh, local ingredients in their unique creations.  http://www.wattsgrocery.com/

3) NanaTaco--Offers wonderful, quirky taco creations.  Check out the "dirty meats" section of their menu for some of the more interesting options.  http://nanataco.com/

4) Dame's Chicken and Waffles--They are almost world famous, just like it says on their website.  Their chicken and waffles are everything the southern classic should be.  It gets busy, but is delicious.  http://dameschickenwaffles.com/

These are only a very few of the astounding number of dining options available in Durham.  The Durham food scene has exploded recently, and there are too many options to even keep up with them all.  I would suggest you check out this map of the 9th Street District (right beside the school) http://www.dcvb-nc.com/comm/ninth_street_map.pdf or this map of the greater Downtown area http://www.durham-nc.com/resources/pdf/dt_map_web-only.pdf for more suggestions or options too.  

And last, here is the link to the article naming us South's Tastiest Town, if you are interested: http://www.southernliving.com/travel/tastiest-town-durham-north-carolina-00417000082305/.

Family Day Lunch

This Saturday for Family Day, we would like to invite all 3rd Bryan residents and families to sit together at lunch on the Bryan Lawn.  The plan if for families to get food at the food truck, in the PFM, or off campus, whichever they want, and then meet between 11:30am and 1pm to socialize and get to know one another.  Just look for a big group of us together on the lawn.  Please consider bringing a dessert to share.  We hope to see many of you there.

Paint Fight

Here are some great pictures from our paint fight today with 2nd Hill.  It was messy but fun!