Summer in the City

Photo Caption: Evy, Erica, Marissa at the Parade at the Circle with our roomate Archana

There's been hippies hula-hooping in the middle of the street, live music on Wednesday nights, golfing (ask Erica who lost),a parade of peculiar costumes and floats, rocking chairs on the front porch, and entirely too much delcious food being grilled up in the backyard.

Through all the craziness that has become our summer in Cleveland, we may never have imagined that our days on Hessler Road could be this much fun. Pack up the books and bring out the sunshine, and the campus completely transforms... well kind of, considering Erica and Evy spend most of their days at the library studying for
their exams, (Erica takes the MCAT and Evy takes the GRE in July--nerds).

As my dorky roommates studiously flip through flash cards and practice exams I, (yes this is Marissa writing most of this, sorry its past 9:30 PM which means that the other two are pretty much useless at this point) spend my days sporting a cute high-waisted engineering uniform and safety glasses. Don't worry, Evy's vet scrubs aren't much better (yes, she spends her afternoons feeding kittens and walking puppies).

Our summer started off on the right note with the celebration of the annual Hessler Street Fair. Vendors lined our little one-way brick road with food trucks, jewlery makers, and a pottery lady named Beth (our new friend). We got henna tattoos, visited the drum circle, and danced under the stars as Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band took the stage with ragae music that "touched Erica's soul."

We spend most of our evenings hanging out on the front porch, working out, and making delicious dinner together (Evy would like to have a shout-out as "Grill Master" so out of pitty I will give it to her). With too many annoying "Call Me Maybe" repeats and a few water fights, it may be a surprise that we have not yet killed each other. However, there's much more to cross off of the summer bucket list ... swimming in Lake Erie, taking a trip to Cedar Point, and going to an Indians game.

I think I have seen more sun here in the last month than I have in the last three years here... and not complaining, but with 4th of July quickly approaching, there is much more fun to be had.

I'd like to take this time to quickly point out the fact that Erica and I have successfully influenced a taste for country music upon our good friend Evy.

That being said, it's probably about time to wrap this up, some of us (just me actually) have internships worth waking up at 5:30 AM for. If you find yourself
in the area in the coming months, be sure to stop by and visit us.. please, I could really use a break from these two!!

Enjoy the rest of your summer, friends!
With Much Love,
Marissa, Erica, and Evy

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

By Marissa Miles, Class of 2013


Ahh... another semester of college down. I can't decide what about this makes me happier, the thought of finally having time to sleep at night, or the fact that I won't be seeing the inside of the library for at least a solid month. It's refreshing to know that every time coach pulls us into a huddle to talk about increasing our energy, I won't automatically think of the thermodynamics behind it. And when she draws up an inbounds play at a timeout, I won't accidentally mistake the arrows for the movement of electrons across a bond rather than the movement of the ball across the floor. So you caught me, I'm a certified nerd. I guess that’s something that one should expect once they've found friendship with the afterhours security guard at the library and is on first name basis with the Safe Ride driver that brings you home after a long night hidden away in the stacks studying.


Finals week at Case is officially OVER! Now, I don't know if you've ever experienced anything like it before, but finals week here is without a doubt the craziest time of the year. Campus immediately becomes the walking grounds for a few thousand exhausted, zombie-like individuals making the trek to a horrifying 3 hour final, giant cup of coffee in hand. I'm trying to decide what about finals week was more entertaining, witnessing teammate Caitlin Rudge take a 5 Hour Energy and then fall asleep an hour later or watching Chelsea Lasky nap face first into her open Physics book. Despite all the late nights and hard work, all that matters now is that it's over, and somehow we made it out alive.

So now we're on to one of the most fun times of the year, winter break. A few days ago, campus shut down, and the majority of Case Western students made their ways home for the holidays. We however, just relocated to a different part of campus. For a few days now, and then for quite a few more after Christmas, our team all moves in together while we're here for winter practice and a few games. Sure, there's moments when being the only people on campus and spending entirely too much time together makes us want to kill each other, but for the most part we have a ton of fun. Who wouldn't enjoy a day full of basketball, food, movies, and NO class. It's spectacular. Although it's true that some mornings when I wake up in this different living situation I miss the sounds of Erica obnoxiously blowing her nose, I now know that Lauren's right downstairs ready at any moment to spit a rap for us. Living with my other teammates over Winter Break is definitely a bonding experience, and you really get the opportunity to learn more about each other than we already knew. For example, today I saw an old photo of Sarah Milligan dressed as a nun (we'll leave it at that).

I'm excited to beat Wooster on Sunday, head home for a few days with the family, and then get right back here to Cleveland to prepare for our Holiday tournament. A few great basketball games, a team holiday party, and a whole lot of bonding... they don't call it the most wonderful time of the year for nothing. Happy holidays!

Marissa

First Road Trip! By Marissa Miles

I woke up on Friday morning full of excitement (well technically I guess the first thing I could think about upon hearing my alarm was hitting the snooze button- but then after that, like I said, total excitement.) I knew it was going to be a great day for me, better yet, a great weekend. I was about to revisit a city that I knew pretty well. We were off to Pittsburgh for our first overnight trip of the season to team up with CMU in an effort to triumph at the annual UAA-OAC Challenge. Not only was I going home, I was about to experience my first ever real road trip with the team- something that I now know, thanks to Erin Hollinger, involve the three best things in life- basketball, sleep, and food. After this weekend, I can honestly say that I agree with Erin one hundred percent.

It all started as we boarded the bus, complete with fifteen girls, a load of Subway, our new travel bags (side pockets included!), and a selection of movies. The activities that took place on the bus ride were pretty typical… sleeping, studying (on a Friday, I know, typical Case students), eating, listening to music, sticking gum on a teammate's forehead- you know everything you would imagine it to be.

Soon enough, we were in Pittsburgh and ready to battle John Carroll for the rights to “Own the Beachwood Cheesecake Factory,” as coach put it. Well, we did that- and after the game there was even more excitement to come. A home cooked meal, something that I have learned is a rarity for a college student, awaited us upon arrival at the house of Chelsea Peck. Dinner was amazing! From there we were headed to our hotel, where, after a quick team meeting, we were free to hang out, enjoy each other’s company, and get some rest- we had another big day ahead of us.

Breakfast was served at the hotel in the morning, followed by a trip back to campus for a quick practice. We had enough time to grab some Panera Bread (more food!) and get focused as tip off was quickly approaching.

A few hours later we stepped on the court ready to win another basketball game. We weren’t battling for Cheesecake this time, but what we were about to do was make a statement that CWRU Women’s Basketball would be a team to beat in Ohio, which was why we were determined to defeat Marietta. Again, we came away victorious, and were off to have another warm meal on our plates (I know two in one weekend, it’s incredible I’m telling you!!) at Ashleigh Tondo’s house.

After stuffing our stomachs to their fullest capacity, we were back on the bus en route home to Cleveland. Looking back, it was a great trip- 2 games, 2 victories, a ton of food, and a hotel bed that puts my shabby little dorm room mattress to shame. I had a great weekend with my teammates, and I can only imagine what else is to come!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Marissa Miles

Hello. My name is Marissa Miles and for the last 18 years of my life I’ve grown up in a small rural town about 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the City of Champions, and arguably the best spot in the entire continental U.S. For some odd reason however, I’ve decided to pack my bags and move to Cleveland (and no, this is not a joke.) As unbelievable as it seems, Cleveland will be my home for the next four years, and I will be a proud Case Western Reserve University Spartan. I’m excited about my future at Case, and relieved to now have some sort of plan for the upcoming years of my life.

After many months of struggling through the college selection process, weighing the pros and cons of different schools, and walking through numerous campus tours, I now finally have a plan. Although it may have changed since my more naïve days when my career path was aimed at baking cakes on Food Network (finding a culinary school with a basketball team became a bit of a problem) I figured why not attend Case Western and attempt to become and engineer?

Now my summer is wrapping up, and soon enough I’ll be an official college student. I have enjoyed my summer- went to the beach, worked at a golf course (which does entitle me to free golf although I promise I am not good!), and enjoyed time with my friends in what could be our final summer together. In just a few short weeks I’ll be at Case- I absolutely cannot wait!