Lucy: What are you studying at CBU?

Michelle: I am a Political Science Major, Certification in Public Administration with a concentration in Local Government. What a mouthful!

L: Your perfect day would be spent…?

M: My perfect day would be most definitely spent in Cape Breton. It would be a hot day at Kennington Cove, with friends and a good book. It would end with a lobster dinner and a bonfire with my closest friends.

And what perfect day would be complete without ice cream?

L: What’s the number one thing students new to CB should experience?

M: The Skyline Trail, words cannot justify its beauty; such a sacred place on this island!

L: What’s your 2012 summer song?

M: That is a tough one. Lately, I have been listening to Jack White’s newest album (I’m a big fan of his cover of Love is Blindness). Every summer I listen to Ordinary Day by Great Big Sea and Sunburn by Gordie Sampson. (Editor’s Note: I also love Sunburn by Gordie Sampson!)

L: Favourite spot on the island…?

M: Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. I am absolutely in love that place!

L: Last book you read…?

M: All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. Currently reading Changing My Mind by Margaret Trudeau.

L: You’re entering your last year at CBU, what advice can you offer new students?

M: Appreciate the value of having a one on one relationship with your professors. They are an absolute wealth of information; you can learn so much from them!

L: What’s something we don’t know about you?

M: I am a classical music junkie (I have an embarrassingly comprehensive knowledge of film scores).

L: What’s your summer uniform?

M: A dress is a must. Favourably, a colourful sundress with a cute shoe!

L: What can students look forward to for the 2012-2013 year?

M: I don’t want to give away too much, but I can say we at the Union are looking into some new, local initiatives!

The CBU Students’ Union Women’s Centre will be performing Eve Ensler’s the Vagina Monologues this Thursday, March 8th.

March 8th is International Women’s Day – so catching the performance at the Boardmore Playhouse is the perfect way to celebrate!

Tickets are available at the Students’ Union front desk, or you can purchase them at the door. Tickets are $5 or a donation. The proceeds from the ticket sales go to the Cape Breto Transition House.

Doors open at 6:30pm, and the show starts at 7pm.

Hope to see you there!

For more information, visit Facebook.

I promised to keep you up to date on all of the Halloween events happening around town this week, so here are two more you should check out!

Pumpkin Run 5K

There will be a Pumpkin Run 5k at Petersfield Park in Westmount this Sunday, October 30th.

The price to register is $15, but if you wear a costume (which is highly encouraged), it’s only $10!

Registration starts at 9AM, and the run takes place at 10AM.

I would definitely suggest wearing a costume that you are comfortable in… AKA: maybe not the block figure costume pictured above. It’s, strange creative to say the least.

Halloween at the Pit

Don’t bother leaving campus, and attend the Halloween Party at The Pit on October 28th!

The party will also be in the cafeteria, so the more the merrier. It’s a 19+ event, and it is $10 to attend.

Start planning now for a super creative costume, because, the person with the best costume will win an iPhone 4! Pretty sweet, if you ask me.

Doors open at 9PM.

It seems I have dropped the ball on blogging last week. I had a post drafted for you, and forgot to publish it! Unfortunately, it was about a time-sensitive event. So, I have something extra special today to make up for it.

Halloween is up and coming. In one week from today, we’ll be dressing up in our most fantastic costumes and ready to hit the streets Trick or Treating… But wait, I think we’re too old for that now.

That being said, there are still some truly awesome things happening in Cape Breton for Halloween 2011. Here are some that I’m looking forward to.

Psychology Movie Night – Hocus Pocus and Paranormal Activity

On October 26th from 7-11 in the RBC theatre, catch a screening of Hocus Pocus and Paranormal Activity to get in the mood for Halloween.

Treats will be available, including popcorn and candy. Admission is by donation, which will go to the Mental Health Ward. You can have fun, while doing a good deed.

Hank’s Farm – Pumpkin Patch

Gather up a group of friends and take a road trip to Hank’s Farm in Boularderie. There are many things to do there, but don’t miss out on picking up some pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.

Once you’ve found your pumpkin, organize a Carving Party! It is seasonal, fun, and cheap. Plus, you can save the pumpkin seeds and roast them in the oven – yummy.

For more information about Hank’s hours, call 902-674-2646.

Tales from the Bottom of a Well

Get your spook on this Halloween via Tales from the Bottom of a Well. The Tales are in their third season, which means they know how to deliver an excellent show.

The performance takes place in St. Patrick’s Museum as well, which is rumoured to be quite haunted. (Yikes!)

Doors open at 8pm, but I’ve heard through the grapevine to go a bit early to guarantee a seat. Just make sure to bring a friend who is okay with you squeezing their arm for the duration of the show.

Those are my pre-Halloween things to do. In addition, I’ve been stuffing leaves into little plastic ghosts for around my yard… and have been drinking more than my fair share of pumpkin spice tea.

What are your plans for Halloween?

Stay tuned for more updates as they come!

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to participate in Run for the Cure with the CBU Students’ Union Women’s Centre’s team.

I had never been to the actual event before, although I have fundraised for it in the past. Nonetheless, after having a blast at the Fiddler’s Run in September, (Yes – I did my 10K goal!) I knew it was something I would be more than interested in. So, I signed up, raised some money and that was that.

The run was on October 2nd, which just so happened to be a rainy day. Although, considering we were supposed to get a Hurricane that day, it’s safe to say it could have been worse. Despite the rain, it was still fairly mild.

At 7:30AM the CBU team met to put on our t-shirts and register together. We were there quite in advance, so we snacked on some free bananas and apples and chatted with other volunteers, runners, and survivors.

At about 9:30AM things kicked off with introduction speeches from board members from the organizations involved, a survivor speech, and a fun Zumba workout to get participants warmed up. Let’s just say, our CBU team enjoyed the workout a lot, maybe even more than the run itself!

Following the warmup, it was time to run. The race track circled the armouries in downtown Sydney, then went up the Esplanade and down around the duck pond and back. It was a nice track with no major hills. As I ran back, I was met with the view of all of the other participants walking. It was overwhelming and surprising! Everyone was wearing their pink – even the dogs involved. People were cheering, laughing and just enjoying the day and their efforts to end breast cancer.

I finished the 5k in under 30 minutes, but unfortunately I couldn’t stick around for the closing ceremonies. Nonetheless, I did hear that CBU raised the third most out of all of the schools in the area! Very nice news.

The day was wonderful, even with the so-so weather. Spirits were high, and it’s always so nice to see our community come together to work towards a cause.

I would highly recommend the run, or the many other fundraising events that the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation puts on.

For more information on CBCF’s fight to end breast cancer, or for information on how you can get involved, visit their website.

It may be hard to believe, but we are officially starting our second week of school here at CBU.

For some of you, campus may feel just as new as last Monday. Okay, maybe by now you’ve staked out a table at the library or found where they sell coffee. (At least I hope you have!) For others, back to school has meant easing into a routine that you know well.

Whatever your case may be, one thing is for sure: don’t expect all of the excitement of Frosh Week! Sadly, all good things must come to an end… and Frosh Week is no different. I hope you got to enjoy the free food floating around, and had a chance to partake in some of the activities.

As a way to pay tribute to Frosh Week 2011, I’ve decided to share some of the Students’ Union’s snap shots from the week.

Enjoy!

Grocery Bingo at the Pit

Softball tournament fun!

Man VS Food

Taste the World at the Pit. Featuring a selection of world cuisine

Enjoying the food at Taste the World

Some new CBU students checking out the Pit

More CBU students checking out the school!

It has certainly been a fun week for all students. I hear that the Frosh concert and the Headphone Disco were especially great as well. What were your favourites?

For more news on Frosh Week or other events happening with the Students’ Union, check out the brand new website at www.cbusu.ca.

Have a great second week at CBU!

Frosh Week 2011 is ready to go! The Frosh Calendar was released this week, with some pretty exciting things in the mix.

Check it out below. What are you most excited for?

I’m looking forward to the Joel Plaskett concert the most. The Volleyball tournament looks fun too! I will miss the yoga and zumba offerings from last year’s Frosh Week, but I will live

There is also a big secret event on Wednesday. Hmm, what could it be?

For more information, visit the CBUSU Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter for daily updates.

As you could gather from my last blog entry, I am moving out of summer-mode and into school-mode. I guess I am one of those people that like to prepare myself in advance, instead of just enjoying every last drop of vacation! It’s not ideal to be making to-do lists in August, but that’s just me. Is anyone else an early bird?

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Despite being over 6,000 kms away from Cape Breton, I am still very much involved at CBU.

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It’s back! Cape Breton’s high-school talent search is back for a 3rd year with a top 12 that has more talent than Idol. With 9 singers, a rapper, an actress and a band; the show promises to be quite entertaining.

The search is open to high schools in Cape Breton, where finalists are voted on by the community and a panel of judges. One thing is for sure, the job isn’t easy when narrowing down some of Cape Breton’s most talented youth.

Previous Next BIG Thing winners include Breagh Mackinnon in 2009 and Hope Scheller in 2010. Both winners have went on to do wonderful things. Having seen them both perform live over the last year, they certainly deserve the title.

Who will be crowned this year? The prize pack is valued at over $7,000 – let alone the perks that come with getting your name out there.

To watch the show, head to CBU’s Boardmore Playhouse. The final shows are as follows, and both start at 7pm:

Top Ten: May 24

Finalie: May 31

For more information, visit the Next BIG Thing on Facebook, or by email at nextbigthingtalentcompany@gmail.com.