The Energy After a Show in Vegas-color piece

I recently traveled to Las Vegas for the second time in my life. During my first visit, I was mesmerized by the architecture, the endless shopping and top-of-the-line restaurants and the casinos(I had never been in a casino before). My second trip there was a little bit different. I knew what to expect and was not so mesmerized by everything, so I took more time to really observe my surroundings. I went to a show at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas where I stayed. There were signs all over the hotel about the Danny Gans show--a comedian, singer and all-around entertainer.

I went with my mother and she purchased good seats for us so we could really be in the center of the action. We were about ten rows up from the stage. We arrived twenty minutes before the show was scheduled to begin at 7:30. The theatre filled up rather quickly with all different kinds of people. There were many older people who were dressed from head-to-toe in elegant clothes. The woman sitting next to me had a pink dress on with pearls and her white curly hair looked perfect. Her husband was dressed in a black beautiful suit.

My mom sat to my left and the couple that sat beside her were in their thirties. They both were very fit and very good-looking. They were decked out in flashy jewelry and nice watched, but had an more casual attire-a nice shirt and I am sure designer jeans. After the people beside us took their seats the entire, the entire room was almost seated. There was a mix of emotions in the room-excited, happy, annoyed, no-emotion, so I was interested to see what the show would bring out of them.

The lights went down and the music started to play the YMCA- which many people were happy about. Two women stood up and started dancing to entire song, becoming the main entertainment before Danny Gans came on stage. Well, he finally he entered and gave one of the greatest shows I had ever seen. He could do hundreds of impersonations that sounded exactly like the real people. He did Jay Leno, Johnny Carson, Elvis and then he sang Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and even Tina Turner. He impersonated singers from the 1940s up to present day musicians. He had everyone laughing for nearly an hour and a half and mesmerized the crowd with his many voices.

I was impressed that he played a tribute to his family and never once made a crude joke like many comedians. It a class-act show, one that was definitely o.k. to see with my mother. It was a show for everyone. After the show entered, the curtain went down, the applause ceased and it was announced that Danny Gans had left the building, the crowd stood-up and got ready to file out.

I listened to the crowd around me. The young couple next to my mother and I were talking about how funny his jokes were about Bill Clinton and that they loved his impression of Jay Leno. The older couple beside me loved hearing the music from the 1950s and 60s and they could not believe that he sounded so much like each classic artist. The little girls walking up the stairs were saying the liked his Elvis wiggle and his giant black wig. A group of four women were walking out and said that hands-down his show was the best show that had ever seen in their 60 years. My mom could not stop talking about his amazing voice and how he perfectly captured every single persons voice. She said he sang every classic song she had ever loved.

I did not know every song or every artist he impersonated, but I knew a fair amount and I really enjoyed the comedy portion of the show. I realized that each of these people had enjoyed a different aspect of the show and that somehow a multi-talented man could reach out to every audience member, every age group and every type of person and give them something they wanted out of his show. His show meant something to every person sitting in the room, and that task is hard for anyone to accomplish. He truly was amazing. The feelings walking out of the arena were filled with excitement, smiles, laughs and praise.

Visit to a Mosque

I have attended many Baptist church services throughout my life, but I have never ventured out of my comfort zone and explored how other religions practice their faiths. So I decided to visit the Islamic Association of Tarrant County off of Fletcher Avenue in Fort Worth. I attended a prayer service on a Friday afternoon. I was a little nervous about walking up to door of the church, but I took a deep breath and walked inside. I was with a small group of people that were also observing the service.

I had already called ahead and knew the dress code that I would have to wear to even attend the service. I wore long pants a long sleeve shirt and I purchased a light colored Shaw to wrap around my hair so that only my face was revealed. I was not suppose to wear bright colors. As soon as I entered the building, I had to remove the shoes I was wearing. The were placed on a shelf with all of the other shoes that had been removed from the people already in the service.

We were lead into the large prayer hall to observe the prayer service that was about to begin. The hall was very large and the ceilings were extremely high. There was no furniture anywhere in the room and everyone, including me, sat down on the floor. Many of the men had small black hats on their heads and wore dull colored clothing-most in pants and a long sleeve shirt. The women had on loose clothing and they all wore a Shaw that covered up their hair and only revealed their face. The older children where dressed like their parents, but the young children had on more casual clothes.

The room was faced northeast, towards Mecca, where Muslims must face when they pray. At the front of the room there was a small area cut into the front wall. It was curved and a few feet deep. There was a male prayer leader standing to the right of the curved niche. Behind him there was a single line of men, all kneeling on the ground and facing towards the front. There were some young boys standing with the men. At the very back of the room, the women and children knelt in a straight line. There was a very large gap between the men and the women and children. I looked this up when I got home and realized it is an Islamic law that men and women be separated in the prayer hall.

The leader greeted the people in Islam and the service involved a lot of chanting and bowing down. The niche at the front of the room accented the leaders voice to where the women in back could easily follow his lead and hear what he was saying. The service seemed very routine and it looked as though everyone had down this a thousand times, which they probably had. The children followed along the best that they could and they did a pretty good job.

Everyone I meet that day was friendly and seemed as if they wanted the observers there to educate themselves on the their religion. They all seemed to be friendly with one another and shared a camaraderie. Overall, visiting the Mosque made me see how devoted Muslims are to their faith. They visit their Mosque often and share a bond with the other people who worship there. Seeing the Mosque opened up my eyes and made me realize that Muslim people are very similar to many other people, but most of their daily activities are centered around their faith.

My Favorite Place On-Campus

I did not discover my favorite place at TCU until I was one year away from saying good-bye to college. Even though it took me a long time to to stumble upon the place the fills me with a peaceful serenity in the midst of a college campus, I am sure thankful I finally did.

One Saturday after I decided I wanted to give tennis a shot, so I went to Academy and bought a pink racket and matching pink tennis balls. I needed a court to play on, so I went online and found the tennis courts at TCU-the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. I picked up my boyfriend and we drove over to the courts to duel(even though neither of us were very good). I had driven by the entry-way dozens of times, but always in a rush, never stopped to see what the tennis center had to offer.

I pulled into an empty spot and parked my car--the parking lot was pretty much empty. I got out of my car, picked up my new racket, tennis balls and a water bottle and started walking up to the entry-way. I paused for a moment and looked around me, astonished by the beauty of the tennis center and the nature around it.

The entire center is surrounded by different shades of lucious green trees, which hide the 22 courts at the heart of the center. I had no idea the area was so large and the landscape was so beautiful. The large, lucious trees line the walkway to the center entrance and also surround the entire court, making it feel as if you are in a secluded pocket--far way from any university.

A black fence lies just on the ouside of the courts, but is disquished by a perfectly trimmed green hedge. The grass was freshly cut and as green as a carpet of meadow. It had rained the evening before, so the trees and grass let off an aroma filled with fresh dew, something I had not smelt in a long time. the courts sink down into a basin--lower than the parking lot, the street and even the trees outlining the center.The wind blew, and the trees ruffled in the wind--I could not hear the cars driving on the nearby street or even the yells of the varsity women's tennis team who were practicing a couple hundred feet away. The moment was serene.

Everything from the landscape, to the purple courts looks flawless. I walked down the sidewalk, each step brought me closer to the courts and the small white, brick entry way the leads you into a central walkway between the courts. My day of playing tennis had turned into something so much more, I found a place that truly surprised and enticed me. I felt envious of the tennis players who came to the courts everyday to practice and probably do not even realize the beauty that surrounds them--to them the courts mean hard work, but to me, the courts are a gem hidden in the trees of TCU.

Sue Ott-Secretary

Sue Ott sits behind the desk in the front office of the School of Music, greeting whomever may enter. She has worked as an administrative assistant for the School of Music for five years. Her previous seven years were spent as an administrative assistant in the theatre department. She answers phone calls, helps direct visitors in the right direction, schedules appointments, files paper work and does whatever else she can to help the School of Music office run smoothly. Her favorite part of the job is interacting with the students--she knows many of them by names and they come in and visit her often she said.

She walks to work Monday through Friday, whether its rainy or sunny. On rainy days she wears purple and pink rain boots on her walk. Each afternoon she meets her friend,who works as an administrative assistant in the band office, for lunch at one of their houses. They are not only friends but also neighbors.

She was born in Fort Worth and has never lived anywhere else, not even in college. She graduated from Eastern Hills High School and then attended Texas Wesleyn in Fort Worth. She gets to walk across the stage one more time in May 2009-- she will be receiving a Master of Liberal Arts from TCU.

Her favorite hobby is sewing and she spends her spare time sharing her sewing expertise with others. She teaches a sewing class for extended education at TCU and also teaches private sewing lessons out of her home. Her least favorite thing to sew is home decor, such as curtains, because they do not have much shape; instead, she puts her needle and thread to use making clothes and craft items.

Brenda Urquhart-Staff

Brenda Urquhart is a daily fixture for many TCU students. She works at Market Square as a dining room attendant and swipes students TCU Id's when they come in for a bite to eat. Before Market Square opened she worked at the old main. "It's much nicer here, but the old main was more homey," she said. Since working in Market Square Urquhart has gotten to know many of the students personally who come in every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner--seeing students is the highlight of her job she said.

She works during most TCU Horned Frog Football games, but she watches the games on the new big screens in Market Square. Students find Urquhart greeting them in Market Square Tuesday thru Saturday from 1:30-9:30. She has worked at TCU in dining services since August 2007; her previous job was at a nursing home in Fort Worth. She calls Fort Worth her home town and she never plans on leaving Cow Town. She said she has seen Fort Worth change for the better over the years.

On her days off she enjoys playing with her three Pit Bulls-Sparkle, Head and Red. She also enjoys eating at her favorite restaurant in town-the Golden Corral. Urquhart's spends a lot of her time sitting behind a computer screen playing video games while at home. Her favorite game to play is Zorro.

Urquhart is friendly, outgoing and gets along well with her co-workers and students. She has become a fixture in many students lives at TCU and says she really enjoys her job. She hopes to stay at TCU for years to come and get to know more of the students who eat at Market Square.

Grace Lee-Art Student

Grace Lee is an aspiring photographer at TCU. She has spent the past four years pursuing a studio art degree with a minor in business. In March, her work was professionally displayed in an art gallery in Fort Worth. Her piece displayed tension--a common theme for all pieces in the gallery--and featured a wilting flower and a cactus which were battling for the spotlight in the picture. Lee aspires to become a professional photographer and to own her own studio.

When Lee is not in the studio painting and taking photographs, she is often found playing polo. She served as captain to the girl's polo team for the 2008-2009 season. She lead the team to many victories and dedicated much of her time to caring for the 17 horses at the Brushy Creek Stables where TCU practices and keeps their horses.

Lee was born and raised in the middle of one the busiest cities in the U.S.--Houston, Texas. In junior high she picked up the hobby of playing polo at stables near her home. She was also a cheerleader and a lacrosse player in high school. In 2005, Lee graduated from the Kincaid School in Houston. The next semester she enrolled as a freshman at TCU, following in her father's footsteps.

Lee keeps herself busy and maintains a balance between school, friends and hobbies. She enjoys going to museums, eating sushi, following the Astros and going out with her friends. She is spending the summer interning at The Cochran Art Gallery in Washington D.C.

After she returns, she has one more semester of classes and then will graduate in December 2009. She plans to stay in Fort Worth for a few months after graduation--taking a break from school and looking for jobs. She has loved her time in Fort Worth and will be sad to see college come to an end.

Steve Levering-Faculty

Steven Levering has been a part of TCU for more than 15 years. He spend his first eight years working in Information Services as a user service specialist. He helped design the Information Services first website, as well as other websites for the university.

After he proved to be a gifted designer, the journalism department asked him teach an Information Graphics class in 1999. He had aspired to be a professor since he graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, so he gladly accepted the teaching invitation.

Levering was born in Siloam Springs, Arkansas and claims he was a computer nerd as a child. He remembers the summer his father first bought a computer. Levering was so excited that he spent his entire summer indoors learning computer codes and the ins and outs of the new technology. As a child, he learned how to use a computer at a time when it was too complex for many adults to learn.

When he is using his expertise to help to students in classroom, he enjoys cooking, listening to music and playing his XBOX 360. His favorite meal to cook is spinach topped with a flaky, baked salmon and broccoli on the side; he quenches his thirst with a glass of Pinot Noir.

Levering strives to treat everyone he meets with respect and decency. He really enjoys teaching but is open-minded to other paths his life may take. "So far life has been serendipitous--so if opportunities present themselves we'll see what happens," he said.