Know Your Bookstore Employees- Livia

A lot of neat people and things have come from Germany: cuckoo clocks, Ludwig van Beethoven, Porche cars, Wienerschnitzel, Oktoberfest, and my personal favorite, German chocolate cake (mmm mmm)!

Also notable is Livia. If you're having a lousy day at school, come to the bookstore on a day she's cashiering. Her bubbly, chipper attitude will cheer you right up.

                                                                 
First of all, tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I'm originally from Berlin, Germany and came to America about 3 years ago. I've been happily married 5 years and started going to OTC in 2010, with plans to transfer next semester to MSU and get a bachelors degree in psychology.

How long have you been working for the bookstore?

About one year now.

What other, non-OTC jobs have you had in addition to this one?

I've worked at Build-A-Bear, as a pharmacist, hair dresser, photographer, daycare center attendant (with 15 two-year-olds who made the job very interesting), and currently, besides this job, as a makeup consultant.

What's your favorite aspect of working at the bookstore?

My co-workers. We’ve become really good friends. I've had more laughs at this job than any other.

Working at the bookstore is cool and all, but what's your dream job?

I’ve always liked so many different things that it’s really hard to narrow it down. When I was younger, I enjoyed drawing portraits and wanted to become an artist. Later I went to cosmetology school, then studied photography, but still wasn’t satisfied. I've always wanted a job where I could constantly be learning new things, so for now, I've decided to be an eternal student, always finding more things to try and learn. =)

What’s your favorite item that the bookstore carries, and why?

Riesen candies, chewy chocolate caramel covered in rich European chocolate [BLOGGER'S NOTE- available for a meager $1.59 at the OTC Bookstore!]. They're the best product we carry because they’re made in Germany (not that I’m biased)!

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Shapeshifting. Since I can’t decide on a profession, I could shapeshift into anyone I wanted with any career I wanted!

Finally, what would you like to say to all the people reading this blog right now?

It’s easiest for students to get your books before or after the first week of class. That way you avoid the lines.

Now tell everyone reading the blog something in German that they’ll likely have to look up to understand.

Besucht uns im Buchladen! Wir freuen uns auf euch!

Game Day!, Part 2

Game Day is this Thursday at the OTC Bookstore! If you read our last blog post, then you at least have a general idea of what to expect.

Simply put: play video games at the OTC Bookstore, get the high score, win a prize!

Every week we play a different game, so let's take a look at some of the activities you would be competing against your fellow OTC students to get the high score in:

                           KINECT ADVENTURES
This game comes bundled with every Kinect Sensor (again, available at our fine bookstore! plugplugplug) and features five awesome games that you play using your body as your controller. These games include:

                                                                                 RIVER RUSH
Make your way down a raging river in a tiny raft, leaning left and right to collect tokens while avoiding obstacles. A quick jumping motion will cause your raft to leap into the air, allowing you to reach higher areas and thus, more tokens.

                                                                          REFLEX RIDGE
Ride along a conveyer belt high in the sky, gathering tokens while jumping to avoid hurdles and ducking to the left and right to avoid bars obstructing your path. Jump in place quickly to gain a burst of speed.

                                                        RALLYBALL
Ever play handball? If so, this game will be second nature to you. Smack the ball into blocks and targets to earn points, using either your hands or feet. Hit certain targets, and the ball will split into various smaller balls, leading to a frantic bashfest that will undoubtedly keep you on your toes!

                                                                               20,000 LEAKS
If you've ever wanted to go deep sea diving, this is the game for you. Unfortunately, some pesky (and apparently hardheaded) fish want to break your glass cube for absolutely no logical reason, and you have to quickly move your hands, feet, and even your head (!) to plug the various leaks.

                                                                                     SPACE POP
No doubt you've always wanted to pop bubbles in zero gravity. Bubbles fly through the air, and it's your job to move left, right, forward, backward and occasionally upward (by flapping your arms, no less!) to pop them.



That's just a small sampling of the games we play during Game Day. What will we be playing this week?* Find out by dropping by the bookstore every Thursday between 9-4:30!

Game on.

*Honestly, I don't have a clue. We'll probably decide that on Thursday while we're setting the system up.

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Game Day!, Part 1

Are classes kicking your butt? Looking to unwind after a busy day of learning? Or perhaps you're simply bored and searching for a quick distraction to fill the void between classes. Whatever the case, the OTC Bookstore, in our infinite wisdom of the student condition, has your needs covered.

It's Game Day season! For those of you new to or unaware of this event, during the slower season at the bookstore we keep things interesting by busting out our ol' XBox 360 (available for purchase in our bookstore for a very reasonable price!) and playing some video games every Thursday.

"I've never been good at video games!" I hear you say. Oh ho, but we don't play your average video games at the OTC Bookstore. No, with Kinect for XBox 360, your body is the controller. If you know how to move your various appendages in conjunction with one another, you can play without much effort. Lean left and right to guide a raft through turbulent waters. Swing your arms in a slicing motion to cut fruit in half. And if you know how to dance...well, dancing games are as simple as moving your body in tune with the music.

"How could a game machine possibly be able to register my movements like that?" you ask.

It's quite simple, really.

 
The secret is the XBox 360 Kinect Sensor (also available at the OTC Bookstore, both bundled with the system and by itself), an advanced camera that can detect the movements of your body all the way down to how you bend your arms or legs. That means full 3D body recognition, and your movements are captured and utilized by the game. To put it a simpler way: it's a whole lot of fun, and a great stress-reliever after a hard day of schoolwork!

What, you need more incentive to come play some games? Okay, how does the opportunity to win prizes sound? Whoever gets the highest score on the week's game is awarded a special prize, in most cases a $10 (or occasionally $20 if we're feeling generous) gift card to the bookstore. Free money for playing video games? What more could you ask from a college bookstore?

The first Game Day of the season is this Thursday from 9AM-4:30PM. But before the big day arrives, you may want some info on exactly what sort of games you may find yourself playing. That will be discussed in the following article.