Yummy in My Tummy

Well Alliot isn’t always yummy in my tummy, but when they make good food, it is good. If you go to St. Mike’s, the first thing you learn is that food is served in Alliot Hall and you don’t pronounce the ‘T.’ That’s right – this blog is all about the joys of eating in Alliot. As many of the tips of this semester have been common sense, some of these may be new to you and others not. Either way when you read the tips you can always think of your favorite dining hall open 7 days a week at SMC.

On to the Tips:

• Make sure to bring your knight card to get your meal. 
• If you want to make sure to have a seat, put your keys, knight card or jacket down on a table before getting food. 
• Mix and match your meals to create a one of a kind meal. 
• Instead of having the same meal every day, such as pizza, mix it up by trying the special of the day. 
• If you see something has run out, ask if there is any more coming. 
• Don't be afraid of taking more than one trip up to Alliot. I sometimes take up to 4 trips or more. Guilty as charged! 
• If you don't have time for a meal sign up for the sack lunch program. When you tell the workers in the back what day you need a lunch, they make it and put your name on it. 
• Have a conversation with some of the Alliot workers. Their background stories are really interesting and they are some of the nicest workers at school. 
• Put your hot beverage in a clear cup. You can fit more in those cups and I think they keep the beverage warmer for a longer time than the mugs do. 
• Don't forget that Alliot has short hours on weekends.

This plate is a well portioned and diversified meal.

They even write your name on the bag.

So much room for a nice warm beverage and there's even room for more in that cup.

Seeing that I pay for the meal plan, Alliot is my favorite place to eat. I am the kind of person who takes advantage of having unlimited meal swipes. Each semester I play the game of “how low can you go” by swiping into Alliot multiple times a day to get a snack or a drink. If I’m paying for unlimited swipes, then I will make sure I use unlimited swipes. I average 350 swipes per year from all of the times I go in. One of my favorite meals in Alliot is chicken parmesan and when that comes up I make sure to get my fill of the treat. 

I started with 999 swipes, you can do the math to how many times I've went to Alliot.

One of my favorite parts of Alliot are all of the great people that work there. Since Burlington and the greater Vermont region is a large refugee area, we have many workers who are from other countries. The Alliot workers are such wonderful people to talk to because they are always excited to hear about your day or happy to see you when you come in. Taking time from your meal to see how their day is going makes the trip into Alliot so much better.

One last thing:

We have our first game this weekend where we will be playing University of Connecticut, better known as UConn, on Saturday, March 29. If you are in the area or want to support your favorite rugby team we would love all of the support. In the spring season we play scrimmages, so all of these games are to help the team, with all of our new players, learn the game better. It’s going to be interesting playing in the snow, but it’s not the first time we’ve played with snow on the ground.

Keep SMCing,
DJ Q

Get Me a Ticket for an Airplane

Happy Spring Break! It’s finally time for me to go home since being at school since the middle of January. If you remember from the Thanksgiving show, I had so much excitement to go home, and I have the same excitement again. This time I’m going home and traveling to my sister’s school for the weekend. I thought it would be an excellent time to share with you some of my greatest airport tips.

On to the tips:

• Have patience with the people working. Their job is difficult, and the less difficult people they have to deal with the better.
• Check that your plane is on time the day before.
• Try to pack all of your belongings into a bag that doesn't have to be checked.
• Eat a good meal before you go so you don't have to buy food at the airport.
• Try to pick an aisle seat for easy exit if you know you want to move around during the flight.
• If you enjoy seeing the clouds and landing outside, get a window seat.
• Ask for "wings" from the flight attendant if it is your first flight ever.
• Stick with a single air carrier so you can get flying points and eventually get free flights.
• Check what gate your flight is leaving from because of frequent gate changes. 
• Always wear shoes when flying because you will have to take them off and you don't want to walk around barefoot in the airport, gross.

Check your flight and even check in to get your ticket early.

Pick your favorite type of seat, aisle or window. I love aisle seats.

These screens are all over to help guide you to the right location.

As my mom loves to tell the people at the airport, I have been flying in planes since I was 20 months old. And I have enjoyed flying on planes ever since. Since I go to school in Vermont and live in Illinois, I have to fly quite often. It has been a new experience taking flights by myself. I find taking a flight feels like a giant bus that moves at a much faster speed, because essentially that’s what it is. Getting through the airport is one of the most difficult parts of flying because there are so many terminals and it is sometimes hard to find exactly where to go. With flying so much I have been able to acquire so many of these tips and now I’m a pro at flying by myself.

Passing over Michigan on my journey back.

The best part of going to a big city is seeing it from the sky. Welcome to Chicago.

One Last Thing:

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon. One of my favorite things to eat on St. Patrick’s Day is corned beef and cabbage. My dad usually buys multiple pieces of corned beef so we can enjoy the meal more than just one time a year. Make sure that if you enjoy this meal you go to the supermarket and prepare your own meal for the holiday!

The Letter by the Box Tops

Or Get Me a Ticket for an Airplane as it is also called

Keep SMCing,

DJ Q