#70 Letter

Dear English 110 student,

    Welcome to English 110. I know the name of the course is english, but it is really a writing course. You will do more writing, editing, revising and blogging than you have done in any english course before. Be prepared for anything. You will be doing a little bit of everything. I have written just about everything this quarter. I have become a much more skilled writer and writing has definitely become easier. Writing every day makes you come up with new ways to look at things and new ways to get started on assignments.
    I do have a few tips for those of you about to embark on your english 110 journey. My first recommendation would be to choose a course focused on a topic that you are interested in. I didn’t know that there were any choices for what the class would be about. I don’t have anything against syfy, but I don’t watch any syfy shows and I probably would have chosen a different topic. My biggest suggestion once you are in english 110 though is to keep up on all of what you are asked to do. There are a lot of blogs and individually they don’t have much weight, but if you miss too many of them, they really add up. The blog project could make or break your grade, and in the long run they are free points. Also, make use of the writing center. The writing center did wonders for the quality of my papers.

#69 Playoffs! Are You Kidding Me?! Playoffs!

    Finally, the last blog about anything! I still have no idea what to blog about. Sooo how about these playoffs? Both basketball and hockey have been really exciting. I was impressed at the quality of this year’s NBA playoffs. The top teams that have been up there the last few years got knocked out early. The Lakers aren’t going to three-peat, the Celtics are out, the Spurs were bounced by the Grizzlies, and the Magic couldn’t get it going. I was disappointed in a few teams though. I was hoping that the Suns would have at least made the playoffs because I’m a Steve Nash fan. Even though the Thunder lost, making it to the conference semis isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Game two of the finals was exciting, mainly because the Heat blew a big lead in the last six minutes. Lets go Mavs!
    The NHL playoffs have been extremely entertaining as well. I was sad that the Blue Jackets didn’t make it, but they were fun to watch all season. It is nice to see some new teams in the Stanley Cup Finals. No Red Wings, Penguins, Avalanche, Blackhawks, or Capitals to be found. The first two games of the Finals have been two of the best hockey games I have ever seen. The first was extremely physical, and no one scored until the Canucks put the game away in the last 18 seconds. The second was a little sloppier, and Timmy Thomas’s aggressive goalkeeping cost him at the end of the game. He tried to get in front of Alex Burrows, but couldn’t quite get there and Burrows snuck in a wraparound eleven seconds into OT.

#68 Anything

    The first rule of fight club: you don’t talk about fight club. The second rule of fight club: you don’t talk about fight club! Third rule: no shirt, no shoes. If someone taps out or goes limp, the fight is over. Two men to a fight, one fight at a time. The last rule: if this is your first night at fight club, you have to fight.
    I’m not exactly sure why I started this blog like this. I have been watching The Ultimate Fighter marathon today. I haven’t watched it at all this season, but they showed all the episodes today. I watched some of them, but I have been trying to get my chemistry homework done so I haven’t been paying a lot of attention. I got hooked on the ultimate fighter last year or two years ago when Kimbo Slice was on it. It was finally a heavyweight division season. They usually have guys that are 170 or 185 pounds, so having 270 pound monsters on the show was a nice change of pace. I’m not a huge UFC fan, but The Ultimate Fighter gives you a nice look at how fighters live and what they think about going into a fights as well as during fights. I have always wondered what it would be like to be a fighter. I think I like the idea of training and being in fighting shape more than actually getting my face beaten in every week. I am one of the few people that love working out and challenging my body, so training like a fighter would be really fun.

#67 Anything

    At only thirteen, there hadn’t been many opportunities for me to go into the real world unattended. So when I was flying to Colorado by myself, I was entirely excited. It was, what I thought, a simple flight plan: Detroit to . I have nothing to worry about. This’ll be sweet. What good that adolescent tenacity did me.
    I left my parents at the security check point, and off I went. Free at last. I felt like I knew the motions of going through the airport well enough. Still, I manage to get completely lost. Is this an airport or a labyrinth? Gate letters and numbers didn’t seem to follow a cohesive pattern. Uneasiness creeps in. But, I never think to ask for help, not out of pride but embarrassment instead. So as I continue to walk around disoriented, I get frantic. Oh my god, I’m going to miss my flight. But, I finally see the finish line that was Gate 34C and make it just in time for boarding. Fate, however, likes to play cruel tricks on me. Great, a two-hour delay, all this worry for nothing. Nonetheless, I was relieved; the hurdle was cleared and disaster, avoided. I eventually board, pop Dramamine to offset my horrendous motion sickness, and sleep the entire flight.
    While I wait to retrieve my luggage, the baggage claim goes round and round. With each rotation, my spirit descends once again. The conveyor belt stops. It’s just me and other people’s stray luggage. I just can‘t win, can I? Completely crushed, I leave to find my family in hopes that they will fix everything. I scan the arrival area which was a dense sea of people--no familiar faces. They must not have known about the delay… And just when all hope was lost, when this already overextended nightmare was about to be prolonged again, I hear my name.

#66 Anything

    This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world! And while she looked so sad in photographs, I absolutely love her, when she smiles... How many days in a year? She woke up with hope but she only found tears. And I can be so insincere, making her promises never for real! As long as she stands there waiting, wearing the holes in the soles of her shoes! How many days disappear? When you look in the mirror so how do you choose? Your clothes never wear as well the next day, and your hair never falls in quite the same way, but you never seem to run out of things to say... This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world! And while she looked so sad in photographs, I absolutely love her, when she smiles… How many lovers would stay? Just to put of with this shit day after day! How did we wind up this way? Watching our mouths for the words that we say. As long as we stand here waiting, Wearing the clothes of the souls that we choose! How do we get there today? When we're walking to far for the price of our shoes! Your clothes never wear as well the next day, and your hair never falls in quite the same way, But you never seem to run out of things to say!... This is the story of a girl,
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world! And while she looked so sad in photographs, I absolutely love her, when she smiles… Your clothes never wear as well the next day,and your hair never falls in quite the same way, but you never seem to run out of things to say... This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world! And while she looks so sad in photographs, I absolutely love her

#65 Traveling

My first time that I ever flew in an airplane, I was taking a trip to St. Louis. I remember reading the travel brochure the entire flight. I decided to create my own travel brochure for the city.
    There are plenty of reasons to visit St. Louis! To start, there’s the obvious: our claim to fame, the iconic image of the “Gateway to the West”, The Arch in its monumental grandeur. To continue with downtown attractions, I introduce the Botanical Gardens, boasting almost 80 acres of exotic foliage. Then there is Forest Park. Trumping New York’s Central Park in size, it includes the largest outdoor amphitheater, The Muny, our free history museum showcasing national and local artifacts, free art museum displaying original Monets and Picassos, free zoo equipped with lions, tigers, and bears (oh my), and many others of St. Louis’ most popular attractions. The City Museum, which is a misnomer, less of a museum and more of an ultimate jungle gym, maze, hide & seek playing field, and artistic wonderland. It is a guaranteed good time.
    Another attribute of our proud city is music. St. Louis is the birth mother of many music artists, from deep seeded roots in old school rock ‘n’ roll with Chuck Berry and Ike and Tina Turner to bluesy jazz with Miles Davis to modern hip-hop with Chingy “chillin’ at the Holiday Inn,” Huey “pop, lock, and droppin’ it,” J-Kwon ‘in the club gettin’ tipsy,” and most importantly, Nelly, our most famous and most loved rapper. He often references “the Lou” in many of his most popular songs, showing pride as a real St. Louisan should.

#63 A rough few weeks

    A few days ago, I was at my friend’s house.   We were all sitting around watching the Indians game, when some of his other friends rushed into the room wearing full paintball gear yelling and pretending to be a SWAT team.   They were shouting at us all to get on the ground and shut up.   One came up to me and put the paintball gun to my chest and ordered me to get on the ground.   We were startled at first, but soon recognized the voices and realized who were behind the masks.   They soon gave up the hoax and we all started laughing, when I hear a pffft and an “oops”.   I felt like my chest was on fire and sure enough, when I looked down I saw orange paint all over my shirt.
    A few weeks ago, my friends and went to see Fast Five.   Afterwards, we all went back to one of my friend’s dorm.   Within the first ten minutes of getting back, something happened that I will not forget any time soon.   One of the kids from his floor, who was no doubt drunk, slowly walked into his room.   The door was wide open, as it usually is, but no one in the room has even talked to this kid before.   I thought it was a little strange seeing him walk in, so I was curious to see what he was up to.   This kid walked straight up to my friend’s futon and started reaching for his waistband.   He was about to pee all over the futon!!!   I quickly started screaming at him, “NO NO NO NO!!! Not right there!!”   Luckily, I did react before my friend’s futon was turned into a urinal.

#62 Lockouts!!!

    My biggest fear is the seemingly inevitable NFL lockout next year.   Just to catch everyone up on the latest labor agreement problems between the NFL owners and the players; they two parties can’t figure out how to divide up the nine billion dollar revenue that the NFL brings in each year.   They are in day seventy-something of trying to negotiate an agreement on the revenue split.   After those seventy days, they have gotten absolutely nowhere!   You might be thinking well that’s fine since NFL players make millions of dollars a year, and while that is true for the big name players, they aren’t the only ones that need to get paid.   If there is no NFL next year, everyone that works for the stadium will be out of a job, the travel agencies that are responsible for transporting players will lose a lot of business, the businesses that thrive on the crowd that NFL games bring in could be forced to close, agents of players will not make any money, and millions of fans will be heartbroken that there is no more football on sundays or mondays.   The money also could go to players’s retirement fund, to practice squad players, coaches and other people that work for the teams.
    What could make the situation even worse would be a lockout in the NBA next season as well.   The NBA could be headed towards a situation similar to what the NFL is dealing with now.   If there is no NFL or NBA next year, I might go into a severe depression.

#59 The Milkshake Incident

    My biggest regret ever is bringing my milkshake.  It brought all of these boys over to my yard, and they started arguing saying mine was better than theirs.  So I told them, “damn right, it’s better than yours.”  Eventually I taught them, but they of course had to pay.
    My second biggest mistake was buying rufilin from a guy named Doug. He told me that it was ecstasy, but I found out later it was rufilin. It was at a friend’s bachelor party in Vegas. Me and three of my friends were on the roof of our hotel and I slipped what I thought was ecstasy into our drinks. We all ended up blacking out and could not remember what we did that night. The next morning, my friend Doug was missing! The other three of us spent the next day looking for him trying to get him to his wedding that day. I used my deductive reasoning skills and my awesome fanny-pack to figure out where we left Doug the night before.
    Some other things that happened that night: some naked asian man ended up in my dad’s trunk and hit me with a crowbar, we stole a police car, we stole fifty thousand dollars, we stole Mike Tyson’s pet tiger, we lost the fifty thousand dollars we stole, I used my superior intelligence to win fifty thousand dollars in blackjack. Long story short, the biggest mistake of my life turned out to be the best night of my life.

#56 The Giant

    I have a few best friends: Adam, Beau and Austin.   I have known Adam the longest and probably know him the best.   Adam and I have always gotten along and have been best friends for a few years now.   We were planning on being roommates our freshman year, but we had a crazy college decision to make.   Originally, both of us were rejected from The Ohio State University, and were accepted very late.   Once we both got rejected, we planned on going to the University of Toledo and rooming together.   OSU sent me my acceptance letter on May 5th last year, and Adam received his a few days before I did.   After our acceptances, we were planning on being roommates here.   However, Adam received a scholarship to Toledo that paid for nearly all of his college expenses, so he decided to attend Toledo.   I was upset that we weren’t going to be roommates, but I don’t blame him for wanting to go to college for free.
    Adam is one of the tallest people that I have ever met.   At 6’10’’,  he is one of the few people that make me feel short when I’m around them.   It’s actually nice being around him, because I feel like I’m a normal height.   Adam and I don’t have any of same favorite teams, but we both dislike the same teams (Spurs, Cowboys, Michigan, all SEC teams, etc.).   We have been on a few trips together too.   We have driven to my aunt’s cottage, New Smyrna Beach, Florida and cedar point a handful of times.   We have also been to two Cavs games, a Browns game and Toledo’s bowl game last season.

#55 New Smyrna Beach

    My favorite place in the world is New Smyrna Beach, Florida.   I went there for spring break my sophomore year.   My friend was going there to visit his grandma for the first time at her house in New Smyrna Beach and he invited me to come with him.
    We went with his parents and we took turns driving straight through to Florida.   It was one of the longest drives of my life, but it was definitely worth it.   The drive felt like it took years, but we did pass through a few interesting places.   Atlanta was amazing at night with all of the buildings lit up it was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.
    When we finally did get to my friend’s grandma’s house, I wanted nothing more than to go to the beach.   After over a day in a car, I could not wait to get out and do something.   This was very easy because she lives a block away from the beach.   She has a very nice house and it is very open so the breeze could flow through every room.   Every day we went to the beach and played catch or laid out until the sun went down.   After the sun went down, we played basketball as long as we could.
    I absolutely love Florida!   I love how warm it is, how relaxed it is, how fun it is and of course all of the beautiful women!   I had such a great time on that vacation, and it moved New Smyrna Beach up to the top of my favorite places list.

#54 Two Truths and a Lie

    Last year, my friends and I went to a Cleveland Cavaliers preseason game.   We were having a great time, until about fifteen guys coming from a bachelor party showed up late in the 2nd quarter.   They were the rudest, loudest, most obnoxious people I have ever been around in my life.   Near the end of the 3rd quarter, they called over the beer vendor.   One of the drunk guys ended up knocking over the vendor and spilling beer all over my friend.   We called the arena management and the drunken party was asked to leave.   Because of the fiasco, we ended up getting four free tickets to the Cavs’ 2nd home game that season against the Bobcats.   That game was without drunken idiots surrounding us, and the Cavs won the game.
    A few days ago, I was at my friend’s house.   We were all sitting around watching the Indians game, when some of his other friends rushed into the room wearing full paintball gear yelling and pretending to be a SWAT team.   They were shouting at us all to get on the ground and shut up.   One came up to me and put the paintball gun to my chest and ordered me to get on the ground.   We were startled at first, but soon recognized the voices and realized who were behind the masks.   They soon gave up the hoax and we all started laughing, when I hear a pffft and an “oops”.   I felt like my chest was on fire and sure enough, when I looked down I saw orange paint all over my shirt.
    A few weeks ago, my friends and went to see Fast Five.   Afterwards, we all went back to one of my friend’s dorm.   Within the first ten minutes of getting back, something happened that I will not forget any time soon.   One of the kids from his floor, who was no doubt drunk, slowly walked into his room.   The door was wide open, as it usually is, but no one in the room has even talked to this kid before.   I thought it was a little strange seeing him walk in, so I was curious to see what he was up to.   This kid walked straight up to my friend’s futon and started reaching for his waistband.   He was about to pee all over the futon!!!   I quickly started screaming at him, “NO NO NO NO!!! Not right there!!”   Luckily, I did react before my friend’s futon was turned into a urinal.

#51 Space Exploration

    My major is space exploration.   Not really, but it sounds better than undecided.   Since OSU calls that exploration, I just tell everyone that I’m in space exploration.   It is a great conversation starter and it makes me sound smart.   If I say that I am undecided, people just assume that I’m not trying to find a major.   That is completely untrue.   I have been trying to figure out what I want to do for the past couple of years, with no real luck.   Some classes that I have taken have helped me figure out what I like and what I don’t like, but I’m still not sure what I would do with those majors.   I have found the psychology and communication classes that I have taken in high school and college very interesting.   I think people are really interesting and I think it would be fun learning about people.   However, I haven’t looked into a communication career yet, and if I take the psychology path, I would need to get a phd in psychology.   That doesn’t sound as fun.   If I could pick a career without worrying about money, I would choose to either be a coach or a personal trainer.   I love sports and being around a team would be really exciting, I would also like to be a personal trainer.   That way I could help people, as well as do something that I love doing.   The most important thing I am looking for in a career is the atmosphere.   I want to do something that I love.

#50 The most interesting man in the world

    There are many people that I would love to meet.   Peyton Hillis would have to be at the top of the list.   I would love to spend a day with the Madden’s newest cover-man.   It would be really nice to see what he does every day and to see his work ethic.   There is a reason he is the first white running back to rush for over a thousand yards in 25 years!   His workouts must be insane and it would be great if I could try them and do them myself.   It would also be interesting to see what he does daily and what he thinks about.
    Will Ferrell would also be great to meet.   He is one of my favorite comedians and I think he is extremely interesting.   If I got to meet him, I might be able to go to a movie set and be surrounded by Will as well as other funny people.   Just imagining what goes through Will’s mind on a daily basis is crazy, I would love to know what does go on up there.
    Another person I would like to meet is Kevin Durant.   I am an Oklahoma City Thunder fan and Durant is one of my favorite players.   Meeting him and maybe going to a game or even a practice would be incredible!   There is so much I could learn from just spending a few hours with him.   Whether it is improving my shot, learning the game or just listening to what he has to say would be really cool.

#49 Coaching

    I can normally only remember one or two dreams every month.   Someone told me that intelligence level determines how well you remember dreams, so I’m hoping that they were just giving me a hard time.   Since I can’t remember any of my dreams and don’t have any reoccurring dreams, I will talk about a dream of mine as a goal.   One day I hope to be either a position or an assistant coach for a college or professional team.   I would like to be a coach of basketball or football.
    I am a huge football fan so being a coach would be one of the greatest jobs in the world.   I would be the happiest man in the world if I was a football coach.   I could watch football all day every day.   Being surrounded by people that know football and talk football all the time would be amazing and would be a great learning experience.   There are so many aspects of football to study and to analyze and everyone has their own unique view.   Having so many people with so many different views would mean that it is impossible to learn everything so it wouldn’t get boring.   Being a coach, I would be able to go to every game and practice.   I would get to see most stadiums around the country.
    Being a basketball coach would offer similar benefits to being a coach of football.   I would get to see plenty of different venues, there would always be things to do and there would always be things to learn.   The biggest benefit would be being on or near a basketball court almost every day, giving me plenty of opportunities to play.

#48 Hibernation and Photosynthesis

    There are a few things in nature that I am fascinated by.   One of those things is hibernation.  I think it’s amazing that bears can sleep for 3 months every year.   It would be like going into a coma for 3 months every year.   If a person slept for 3 months everyone would freak out, but it is perfectly normal for bears.   If 10 hours of sleep can seem like a few moments for humans, I wonder if bears even realize that they have slept for 3 months.   When they wake up are they hungry, tired, angry, or exactly the same as they fell asleep?
    Another thing that I find very interesting is photosynthesis.   It is unbelievable to me that living organisms can live on sunlight.   Yes I do understand that photosynthesis is a very complicated process but for arguments sake I’m simplifying it.   Just imagine if people could live on sunlight and water.   Wouldn’t it be nice to just walk outside on a sunny day to replace eating for a few days.   You wouldn’t have to worry about eating all the time, and you could store that energy for later.   There could be a few problems with that though.   Would people be able to live through the winter?   Could people in climates with very little sunlight find other sources of food?   Would people that spend all day in the sun get fat because they are basically eating all day?   Would you be able to taste the sunlight?   If you could taste it, would it taste good or be awful?   Could there be different flavors of sunlight?   Tons of questions come to mind when thinking about this.

#45 Take A Little Trip...

    When I was 11, my whole family went on a cruise to the Bahamas.   It was our  first vacation since I was about 4.   I don’t know if any of you have ever been on a cruise before, but just in case you had any doubt, it is phenomenal!   First of all, you can’t even tell that you are on a ship.   The cruise ships are so big that they don’t rock very much.   That was my biggest concern was getting sea sick since I had never been out on the water for an extended period of time.   My favorite part of the cruise was having something to do at all times.   On the upper decks, there were shuffleboard courts, basketball courts, pools, a water slide and plenty of space to get some sun.   A few levels below, there were two all-you-can-eat buffets (that were not weight-watchers friendly).   The buffets had a pizza station, a sandwich station, an ice cream machine, a fruit bar, a salad bar and the longest buffet table I have ever seen.   I still have not eaten more in a five day span than I did on that cruise when I was 11.   Other features of the ship were the desolate exercise and weight rooms, a performance stage, a sit-down restaurant and a few bars.   That trip was the best vacation that I’ve ever been on and it was the one that meant a lot to me.

#43 Hello Bahamas!

    For a Christmas present in 2003, my whole family went on a cruise to the Bahamas.   It wasn’t a tangible present, but being my first vacation since I was about 4, that is what I consider my favorite present of all time.
    I don’t know if any of you have ever been on a cruise before, but just in case you had any doubt, it is phenomenal!   First of all, you can’t even tell that you are on a ship.   The cruise ships are so big that they don’t rock very much.   That was my biggest concern was getting sea sick since I had never been out on the water for an extended period of time.   My favorite part of the cruise was having something to do at all times.   On the upper decks, there were shuffleboard courts, basketball courts, pools, a water slide and plenty of space to get some sun.   A few levels below, there were two all-you-can-eat buffets (that were not weight-watchers friendly).   The buffets had a pizza station, a sandwich station, an ice cream machine, a fruit bar, a salad bar and the longest buffet table I have ever seen.   I still have not eaten more in a five day span than I did on that cruise when I was 11.   Other features of the ship were the desolate exercise and weight rooms, a performance stage, a sit-down restaurant and a few bars.
    That was the best vacation of my life, but I hope one day I can top it.

#42 Which blog did you order miss?

     I am currently employed at a banquet hall back home called Nazareth Hall.   I do not like my job at all!   My job is to do whatever needs to be done during an event.   Most of the events at Nazareth Hall are wedding receptions or Sunday brunches.   There are some reunions, dances, sorority and frat dinners, but there are very few of them.   The Hall has an indoor and outdoor chapel and four dining rooms.   Most people get married in one of the chapels and then have the reception there too.
    My job is not very challenging, but I am under an enormous amount of pressure most of the time.   I don’t like working receptions because I am basically responsible for making sure the best day of those being wed doesn’t turn into a disaster.   We serve 3 courses for every meal, and then we have to bus, organize and clean everything.   Everyone at the reception expects all the workers to be perfect, and my boss always preaches perfection.   What very few people realize is that most of the time when things go wrong, it is because the wedding party didn’t tell us about something.   An example of something that happens a lot is people informing us that they have more guests than they originally told us and we have to be able to accommodate them and prepare extra meals for them.
    The only reason I stay is because of the people that work there.   There are some really cool people that work there, and they make it worth dealing with all the angry guests.

#40 Vegas Baby!

    My older brother is one of the most interesting people in my life.   His name is Cayl, he is 25 and he is a police officer in Las Vegas.   4 years ago, he moved out to Vegas to attend one of the best police academies in the nation.   He had heard that Vegas was trying to expand their police force by a significant number and he was willing to risk everything and take his chances there.   Thankfully that risk has paid off for him.   As soon as he graduated from the academy, he was hired to police the Vegas strip.
    Cayl loves what he does, and perhaps even more importantly, he loves Vegas.   The way he describes life out there, I can’t say that I blame him.   They have really good weather; sure it’s hot, but it’s not humid.   Vegas is always busy, it’s exciting and it’s close to California and Arizona.   Last year, Cayl bought a house just outside of Las, Vegas.   He lives pretty close to the mountains and within driving distance of LA and Phoenix.   I think it’s cool that he has been to the last two BCS National Championship games.   Last year it was in Glendale, AZ at the University of Phoenix Stadium, and the year before it was at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
    I am really proud of my brother and all that he has been able to do.   It took some serious cojones to take a chance on something 2,000 miles away, but it seems to be working out great and I couldn’t be any happier for him.

#39 The Most Difficult Grammar Rule

    I have found that the most difficult grammar rule is the use of a period.   It’s been a while since I learned this, but if I remember correctly, a sentence usually ends with some sort of punctuation; the most common being a period.    I know that was one of the first grammar rules that we learned, but I always seem to forget about it.   Just about all my text messages are completely void of periods, and as you can see, none of my blog titles have periods at the end of them.
    It seems like the older I get the fewer periods and punctuations I use.   It seems like I’m not the only one who struggles with this problem.   I know most people don’t use periods in text messages, in emails and in their blog titles.   Also, it seems that Hollywood hates periods too.   I can’t think of any movies titles that have periods in them.   Colons seem to be okay though, colons show up all the time in movie titles.   The same thing goes for book titles, newspaper articles and video games.   I think that because it is so simple, people think it is unnecessary and don’t feel the need to use one

#38 Liars and Tiger and Pornstars, Oh My!

    Every woman in the world wants YOU!   Your problem: you’re married!   Not so lucky anymore are you?   Imagine what that feels like.   You can have any woman that you want, and all that’s standing in your way is one woman.   A woman that you barely see because she is off in another country modeling or at a fashion show.   Maybe she’s off with another man, maybe she’s spending all of your money, she could even be spending your money on another man.   How could you know for sure?   How would she know if you cheated?   She is halfway across the globe, there’s no way she could catch you.
    Whoops!   She caught you and she’s telling the world.   Now everyone knows  and she’s leaving.   Going with her: your money, your pride, even your kids!   Your kids are going to grow up without a dad, ore maybe your kids will grow up calling someone else dad.   A few bad decisions and all of a sudden you have nothing.

#36

    6 years ago I was one of the premiere tight ends in the NFL.   I skipped Jr. High to go to the NFL.   At 13, was the youngest player to ever play in the league.   My first four seasons were the best for any tight end in NFL history.   I had everything I could ever ask for.   Women, money, cars, fame, you name it, it was mine.
    Just before the start of my fifth season, I had my arm broken in 5 places.   Doctors told me I had no chance of playing again that season.   I couldn’t believe it!   I wasn’t going to let an injury ruin my season.   As soon as my arm healed, I went through the most intense rehab any man has ever been through.   I tried to build up my strength as fast as I could, but my body just couldn’t handle everything I was putting it through.   Week 13 rolled around and I still wasn’t anywhere near where I needed to be to play.   My trainer noticed my frustration and suggested something to speed up my recovery.   He started to give me a recovery aid similar to HGH, an illegal substance in the NFL.   The substance made me fail an NFL drug test, and I was suspended 8 games.
    The Browns immediately cut me from the team, not wanting to have a suspended player on the roster.   I decided to go play football for The Ohio State University.   I’m trying to bring a National Championship to OSU and hopefully make it back to the NFL one day.
    I messed up.   For two weeks, I used a legal recovery aid that happened to be on the NFL’s banned substance list.   I have since been labeled by many as a liar, a cheater and a bad person.   I’m not a bad person, I just messed up.   I know I made a mistake and regret that decision every day of my life.

#35 Purpose

    The purpose of my CP article is to get people to look at celebrities and professional athletes in a different way.   I hope to make people realize the incredible amounts of pressure that are on celebrities.
    Just imagine being the best golfer in the entire world for 623 weeks.   Put yourself in Tiger’s shoes for a minute.   For all but one week in 2007, you have been the worlds number one golfer.   Everyone on the PGA tour wants to beat you, everyone else is dreaming of taking your crown.   Millions watching either expect you to win or are praying that you lose.   You have more money than you could spend in a lifetime.   Masses of women want you and will do anything to have sex with you.   Every reporter in the world would kill to interview you.   Every sports tv station, sports journal and sports magazine is going to analyze everything you say.   All news stations and tabloids are doing everything they can to catch you doing something wrong.   Would you be able to handle all that pressure?   Could you handle all that power?
    I’m not trying to rid Tiger of all responsibility because what he did was wrong.   I am, however, trying to show that he is human and makes mistakes.   I’m hoping that by taking time to see why he would do something like this, you could at least understand how something like this could happen.

#33 Relevancy

    The fall of Tiger Woods is relevant for many reasons.   First of all, Tiger’s cheating only became known to the public about a year ago, and he is trying to come back right now.   Everyone has heard about what happened with Tiger and his multiple mistresses.   Everyone has formed their own opinion about him and has judged him for his actions.   Golf has become much more popular among teenagers and college students.   Tiger brought a lot of popularity to golf and brought just as much attention to himself.   His cheating was all over the news.   It wasn’t just on SportsCenter like most news stories involving sports stars.   This became the most popular news story in America.   Tiger was a role model for many kids, myself included.   How he handled himself on the golf course was just as pristine as his image off of it.   He seemed to be the perfect athlete.   That image was shattered after the news of him cheating on his wife made it’s way to the general public.   This made people lose faith in him.   Not only that but, as wrong as it could be, people might have lost faith in golfers, black athletes, men, athletes in general or all celebrities in general.   Tiger is back on the PGA tour after some time off to straighten out his life.   He has not been as good as he was before his break, but he almost won the Masters this year and seems to be making strides towards getting back to where he was.

#31 The Fall of Tiger

    My topic for my Commonplace piece is Tiger Woods’s fall from grace and his road back to the top.   Before his fall from the pinnacle of of the sporting world, Tiger was the #1 golfer in the world for many years.   He was on pace to break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors.   Tiger was a role model for kids, he brought an enormous amounts of popularity back to golf, he made golf more exciting, he broke the race barrier in golf and he was my favorite golfer.
    What most people didn’t know about Tiger was the enormous amount of pressure on him.   The pressure of everyone looking up to him, of being the worlds best golfer for years, of always having everything he did and said analyzed, of being away from his family for extended amounts of time.   All that pressure ended up getting to him, and eventually he cheated on his wife with multiple women.   I’m not saying that I like what he did, or approve of it, or think that it is a good excuse for cheating.   I don’t like what he did, but I do realize that he is human and he does make mistakes.   Very few people know what it is like to constantly tempted like Tiger was.   Being not only a professional athlete, but being the best athlete in your sport.   Women were probably throwing themselves at him.   Everyone knows that making the right decision isn’t always the easiest to make.   I just wish that people would put themselves in Tiger’s place and just try to imagine how difficult it would be to be faithful.   Sure its easy to say that you wouldn’t do it, but unless you are put in the position, you have no idea how tough it would be.
    Tiger took time away from golf after the scandal went public to try to get his life back in order.   This scandal nearly ruined his life and looked like it may have ended his golf career.   However, Tiger is back playing on the PGA and almost won The Masters this year.   He is still trying to repair his public image, but there are some people that will never forgive him for his mistakes.

#30 Facebook Problems

    The Commonplace article that I read was called The Dangers of Social Networking Sites by Chelsea Bates.   The article was about the problems with social networking sites, but mainly Facebook.   It pointed out the obvious and not-so obvious consequences and problems with the world’s most popular social networking site.   I chose to write about this article because these sites are extremely prevalent in everyone’s life.   These days it seems like everyone has a Facebook.   Advertisers, businesses, tv stations, parents, even grandparents have Facebook pages!   I, however, am in the minority and do not have a Facebook profile and don’t plan on making one any time soon.   I don’t like Facebook, but I think that if it was used properly it could be a great tool.   The users of Facebook have turned it into a place to harass, insult, mock and pick fights with others from the comfort of their home.   It lets people do things they would never do in person because the other person is not physically next to them.
    This article goes on to remind people that everything that you post on Facebook can be seen by everyone in the world.   Schools, your family, strangers, the police, as well as possible employers can all see anything that ends up on your profile.   I know some people that went to my high school that were suspended from school for having pictures of themselves drinking.   Also, one of the best softball players at my high school was kicked off the team her senior year for having pictures of her drinking on Facebook, and she ended up losing her scholarship because of them.

Support the Vest

All this negative news about Ohio State is ridiculous! ESPN we have had enough coverage of the football team's off the field misconduct. You don't need to bring in Chris Spielman and Robert Smith every time a "new" development breaks about OSU. The last "new" development was that Tressel "lied" to the NCAA in a report about players's eligibility. But we found out months ago that Pryor, Adams, Herron, Posey and Thomas accepted improper benefits, making them ineligible. The NCAA counts knowingly playing ineligible players as lying and misconduct. This isn't news ESPN! And as for the assclown at the Columbus Dispatch that keeps "breaking" these stories about OSU, why don't you head on over to Auburn University for a real story? They have 4 ongoing investigations of former players accepting improper benefits, 7 players that were ruled ineligible that got to play in the National Championship game this past year because they appealed the suspension a few weeks before the game, not to mention a Heisman trophy winner who's dad accepted $180,000 to get his son to play for Auburn, who got kicked out of the Univeristy of Florida!(former football players for Florida were caught having other people take their exams for them and still got to play and keep their scholarships), at Florida Newton allegedly bought a laptop not knowing that it was stolen then when the police showed up to his room he threw the laptop out the window. Popular news media just hates OSU. Tressel was just standing up for his players, now we need to stand up for him.

#29 What Men Really Don't Want

    The Commonplace article that I chose to write about is called “What a Guy Wants” by Erik Vossler.   The title immediately caught my eye while I was looking through articles.   This is just one man’s opinion and every man looks for different characteristics in women.   However, even though I don’t agree with everything Erik says in the article, I thought it was an excellent piece.
    Just like the title indicates, the article is about what guys want, and even more importantly, what we don’t.   I have to agree with Erik that the biggest misconception in today’s society is that men find ridiculously skinny women extremely attractive.   Don’t get me wrong, being naturally skinny or being in shape is attractive.   What isn’t attractive is being so skinny that it becomes unhealthy.   The fashion industry has been using models that are skin and bones for years.   This still astounds me that the fashion industry uses women like this to model their clothes instead of healthy looking women who would probably look better in them.   Never have I heard a man say “WOW! Being able to see her ribs is so hott!”   Using healthy models would be a win for everyone: designer’s clothes would look better, women would change their views of an ideal image, and guys would not have to look at skeletons in ads anymore.   Being able to count a woman’s ribs is a turn off, not a turn on.
    The author makes some good points about what most men look for in a woman.   If I could generalize for most men I would say that we look for attractive, healthy, intelligent women who share at least some of our interests.   Erik goes on to say, “Believe it or not, most men would like to date an intelligent girl who can converse and laugh aside from simply batting her eyelashes and looking cute,” further proving our points.
    One thing I would have to disagree with in the article is that Erik uses Kate Moss and Adriana Lima as examples of “stick-like” models.   Kate Moss is very skinny, but I don’t think she is the best example of a model that is too skinny.   Also, saying that Adriana Lima is too skinny to be attractive is insane!   She is not a stick-like model, and is one of the hottest women on the planet!

#27 Intro

Have you ever met someone who couldn’t handle power?   Perhaps a coach who pushed people too hard, a manager at work, or even a two-faced babysitter.   Chances are, you know a few people that fit that description.   Some people just feel the need to have control over others.   However, once they obtain the power that they sought, they don’t know the proper way to use it.   The theme of power is very common in Star Trek: The Original Series.   In most episodes, there is someone who has a some sort of supernatural power.   The writer uses these supernatural powers to represent an exaggerated form of power in real life.   Celebrities, politicians and athletes in the world can gain near-superhuman power.   Sure they can’t fly or turn invisible, but they have a great deal of influence on people and can be very good at controlling people.   When you start to think about what these kinds of people can do, superpowers don’t actually seem that crazy of an idea.

#17 Italy backs up Libya

    The whole time that I was reading the article “Libya and Europe: Economic Realism at the Rescue of the Qaddafi Authoritarian Regime”, I kept seeing more and more things that relate to my main episode for my ARP.   The relations between Italy and Libya have been really been strengthened over the last few years.   Libya has adopted an authoritarian style of rule.   The recent decisions of Libya have angered the United Nations, as well as many countries.   Even with most countries opposing what Libya has been doing, Italy has supported Libya and their leader, Mummar Qaddafi. 
Yahia Zoubir, a writer that studies European contemporary issues, explained, “Unlike the coercive policy of the U.S., Italy pursued an inclusive policy to prevent the Libyan regime from feeling frustrated and isolated, a condition that may have prompted Libya to act irresponsibly”(n.p.).   I have learned that even when someone faces extreme adversity, even having one person supporting you can be the difference between quitting and continuing whatever you were doing.   This article was talking about even though most countries disapprove of what Libya is doing, having Italy in their corner has given Libya enough support to keep doing what they are doing.   In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, a crewman, Gary, developed supernatural powers.   Gary’s powers were increasing at a very rapid rate, and soon Captain Kirk and Spock realized that Gary would soon become a threat.   Kirk and Spock tried talking some sense into Gary, but Gary refused to listen to them and attacked them trying to gain control of the ship.   Gary was imprisoned on the ship after the attempted coup.   Gary’s only ally on the ship was one of the female doctors.   She thought that what Gary was doing was a good thing, and wouldn’t let him give up his dream.   In this episode, the doctor was to Gary what Italy is to Libya.

#13 Personality Disorders

    In researching the corruptive effect of power I read “Was Saddam Hussein Like Adolf Hitler?”   The article was basically a report on the results of personality disorder tests that were done on both Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler.   I thought a comparison of both of these men would provide some interesting information and some useful arguments for my ARP.   I’m sure it will not come as much of a surprise to most people, but this article showed both Hussein and Hitler scored very high in  many of the categories of personality disorders.   However, the sadistic, antisocial, paranoid and narcissistic categories for both men were exceedingly high, and both had very high scores in most of the tested realms of personality disorders (sadistic, paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic, schizoid, schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive, dependent, depressive, self-defeating, borderline, passive-aggressive, histrionic, avoidant).   Hussein’s sadistic features were more profound that Hitler’s, and the research provided that Hussein might have been a paranoid schizophrenic.
This article provided me with some very useful information about Hitler and Hussein, as well as, gave me some personalitiy disorders to look for in other tyrannical or unjust rulers.   From this article I can assuming that most power-hungry people or people that misuse power will also have some sort of personality disorder.

Coolidge, Frederick L., and Daniel L. Segal. "Was Saddam Hussein Like Adolf Hitler? A Personality Disorder Investigation." Military Psychology 19.4 (2007): 289-299. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

#10 Prelim. Research

    My analytical research paper will be about how power can corrupt people.   To provide some real world examples, I will be researching Hitler’s, Saddam Hussein’s and Muammar Gaddafi’s rise to power.   Also, I will find other rules or leaders that severely misused their power.   I will compare their intentions that they had, or claimed they had, before they gained power to what they actually did while in power.

Coolidge, Frederick L., and Daniel L. Segal. "Was Saddam Hussein Like Adolf Hitler? A Personality Disorder Investigation." Military Psychology 19.4 (2007): 289-299. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

Johna, Samir. "THE ANATOMY OF CRIME: PHYSICIANS UNDER THE OPPRESSIVE REGIME OF SADDAM HUSSEIN." Acta Medico-Historica Adriatica 7.2 (2009): 303-308. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

Nayar, Monisha. "The cult of Osama: psychoanalyzing Bin Laden and his magnetism for Muslim youths. By Peter Alan Olsson, Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2008." International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies 6.3 (2009): 232-235. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Apr. 2011.

Winter, P.R.J. "Penetrating Hitler’s High Command: Anglo-Polish HUMINT, 1939-1945." War in History 18.1 (2011): 85-108. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

Zoubir, Yahia H. "Libya and Europe: Economic Realism at the Rescue of the Qaddafi Authoritarian Regime." Journal of Contemporary European Studies 17.3 (2009): 401-415. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

#9 Prospectus (Power)

    My prospectus will be about power in the Star Trek universe.   There are many episodes that deal with the concept of power.   In the episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, one of the crew members gains extrasensory perception and takes over the ship.   The main point of the episode was how power corrupts people.   The crewman didn’t know how to properly use his powers.   This abuse of power is seen commonly in unjust rulers and tyrants.   There are plenty of examples of abuse of power in Star Trek: The Original Series, as well as, the real world.
    Questions that arise when seeing this power abused is abundant.   I would want to know how abuse of power is so prevalent, why people haven’t learned to stop this and why people change so much when they come into power.

#8 High School is Hell

    “High School is Hell” explains what issues the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer deals with.    The chapter picked out certain metaphors used in the show and dissected them, pointing out how they can be related to real life.   The main point of the chapter, however, was that many of the metaphors used in Buffy are very relatable to the real world.   Also, some of the principles of the show that seem like metaphors, are not actually a metaphor, but a literal representation of something.
    I have only seen a few episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I think I see what the writer is trying to convey.   The writer was talking about how storytellers use monsters or some sort of evil to represent problems or fears of the real world.   The question brought up when talking about this from the chapter was, “Does this mean that at some level, the metaphors are more real than we first expected and that there is some truth behind the myth?   Might it be that the truth is scarier than al the collective monsters put together?”   I thought this was a great question to ask, because I feel like most people assume that stories or tales are just fiction.   I feel like people fail to see through the created monster to what the writer is trying to portray.   For whatever reasons (maybe the reader or consumer doesn’t agree with or want to accept the intended message, or the person is just reading or consuming the media for entertainment) people don’t fully understand or comprehend what they are consuming, which is a shame because most of the mentioned material discussed in “High School is Hell” is deep, thoughtful, meaningful and extremely prevalent in society.

#7 Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

    A man’s lust for power was depicted wonderfully in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before”.   In the episode, the Enterprise exited the galaxy.   The Enterprise soon travels through a ring of particles causing a few deaths among the crew.   However, one crewman, Gary Mitchell, was given Extrasensory Perception (ESP).   Gary gained the ability to read minds, to read and retain entire pages of information in seconds, to control objects just by thinking about them and to shoot lightning from his hands.   Spock and Captain Kirk realized that Gary’s powers would continue to grow exponentially, and soon he would become bored with the crew and kill them all.
    This yearning for power is not an isolated incident.   In fact, it is the reason we all live.   Most people strive to be the best they can be.   Very few people have no desire to better themselves in any way, shape or form.   This drive is why people set goals and strive for perfection.   For some people, being in good shape makes them what to be in great shape.   For others, having 100 friends makes them want 200 friends.   When goals are seen as constructive, the lust for power is commonly referred to as a drive or a will to succeed.   When individuals have less than constructive goals, the person is seen as obsessive and power-hungry.   Most dictators and tyrants are perfect examples of negative obsessions.
    It is important for some goals to be unattainable, and maybe even more importantly, people should realize that some goals (like having absolute power) are not possible to achieve.   Perfection would lead to complacency and eventually to boredom and anger.   Also, trying to obtain absolute control can drive people mad.

#6 Hitler takes over the starship Enterprise

    In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Charlie X”, the Enterprise beams aboard a teenage boy, Charlie, who is supposedly the last living human from his planet.   Charlie has not had any human interaction in a very long time and has no idea what acceptable behavior is or how to normal people interact with each other.   Aboard the Enterprise, Charlie has his first encounter with women, and he even falls in love with the first one he sees.   Soon it becomes clear that Charlie is not a normal person.   Charlie has the power to control people and objects with his mind.   He is easily upset and doesn’t always use his powers for good.   When Charlie doesn’t get his way, he throws a temper tantrum and lashes out at someone.   Captain Kirk witnesses Charlie make someone disappear, that is when Kirk realizes that Charlie was responsible for the disappearance of a ship a few days earlier.   Charlie ends up taking control of the ship and holds all of its crew members hostage.
    Watching the episode, I found myself thinking about Charlie as an Adolf Hitler of sorts.   Charlie’s mental ability to control people reminded me of the persuasive powers Hitler had.   After Hitler came to power, he could basically make anyone do anything he wanted them to.   If people made Charlie angry, or if Charlie didn’t like someone, he would just make them disappear.   If Hitler didn’t like someone or feared someone, he had them killed.   Also, Hitler’s primary goal was to eliminate all non-Aryan people.   Finally, Charlie’s takeover of the Enterprise could represent Hitler’s takeover of Germany.

#5 Star Trek thinks women are evil

    In the episode of Star Trek: The Original Series that I watched, crew members of The Enterprise were being killed left and right.   They were all being killed by an alien that fed by killing people for the salt in their body.   The way interesting part was how the creature hunted it’s prey.  It could transform into any person it wanted.   The intelligent part was that the creature knew the best way to draw in its victims.   It disguised itself as man’s biggest weakness, a woman.   The killer would take the form of an attractive woman and lure men to secluded area and quietly killed them.
    I think there were a few hidden messages in this episode.   It seemed to me like the writer, Gene Roddenberry, was not very fond of women, and it showed men as being weak and stupid.   The creature was usually a woman that sucked the salt out of men.   I believe that what the writer was trying to show was that women are evil.   Why else would the creature take the form of a woman?   A man could have killed the crew members just as easily as a woman.   However, the writer had the monster take the form of a woman for most of the episode.   The writer didn’t seem like he was trying to hide his view of women either.   He just showed women literally sucking the life out of men.   Also, the men in the episode were so mesmerized by women, that after seeing the creature’s woman form, they were completely unable to function.

#3 Is Buffy on drugs?

    After watching a few episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I have noticed one possible connection to a real world problem.   There are plenty of examples to suggest that slaying vampires could be a reference to doing drugs.
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be using fighting vampires as a metaphor for a person’s fight against drugs.   Vampire hunting, just like drug addiction, I’m sure would not be a popular discussion topic.   I’m guessing Buffy realized this and, just like most people that use drugs, decided not to inform her parents about her new hobby.
    Vampire slaying would take time away from doing schoolwork, could cause her to miss class, and possibly cause her grades to fall.   Also, in the third season, the show points out that Buffy has been expelled form school.   A common punishment for students convicted of drug use.  
    Buffy’s mom eventually finds out that she has been hunting vampires, and does not approve.   An argument between the two of them insures, resulting in Buffy running away from home.
    Running away from home could represent going through rehab or trying to give up drugs.   Buffy runs away and starts a new life, free of vampire hunting.   However, she ends up getting captured by a group of vampires, and has to fight her way out of trouble.   All the things she went through to give up slaying was for nothing (has a relapse).
    All of these examples of what happened in the show can be related to drugs or are consequences of drug use.   It is just something to keep in mind and look for if you ever watch the show.

#2 Buffy's takes on Hollywood

    I couldn’t help but notice the satirical references to the film industry in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.   Even the opening scene is poking fun at Hollywood.   In the scene, one of the main characters mutters, “That's right big boy, come and get it,” just before fighting with a vampire.   The killing of the vampire is unsuccessful due to poor coordination, clumsiness and the characters’ apparent lack of experience at monster killing.   However, the novice vampire hunters go on to talk about how the kill was butchered, not because of their low ability levels, but because of the lack of a better pun or a clever one-liner.   It actually makes reference as to how Buffy, the character the show is based on (and exponentially more skilled at these types of tasks than the rookies in the scene), always makes a witty remark before taking out one of her foes.
    Another stab at popular cinema, was a typical Hollywood action scene gone wrong.   The bad guy is getting away, but wait! The protagonist has a way of stopping the villain.   Everyone already knows what’s going to happen.   The creature will be on his way to sweet freedom, when a perfectly thrown stake ends his escape.   In Buffy, as the vampire breaks free and takes off running, the camera zooms in on the protagonist.   His eyes focus as he lines up the shot.   The music climaxes just as he releases the stake and...fail.   The stake crashes harmlessly into a nearby rock, not even coming close to it’s intended target.   Meanwhile, the vampire runs off into the darkness unharmed.
    I thought Buffy’s spin on these elements from popular media was creative and entertaining.   Most action movies have a protagonist that will either taunt an enemy before fighting, or mock them after they are victorious.   Of those movies, some do have very memorable punch lines or catchphrases.   Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, and Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies are the first examples of this that come to mind.   Not all movies have the same success with this kind of humor, and the one-liner seems forced or unnecessary.  Did you hear that Arnold?   This episode of Buffy was unique because it acknowledged this trend and even called itself out on it.

“Anne.” Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 3. Writ. Joss Whedon. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 1999. Online. Hulu. 30 March 2011.

#1 Getting to know Reece

    I’m from a small town about 30 minutes south of Toledo.   I graduated from Anthony Wayne High School.   I played football and basketball during my time there.   I’m loving Columbus and having a great freshman year at The Ohio State University.   I am an easy-going guy and am really easy to get along with.
    Sports are a huge part of my life.   My favorite sport by far is football.   The Browns are my favorite professional football team.   As soon as the lockout ends, we are going to shock the world by winning the Superbowl!   The Buckeyes are my favorite college team for every sport (our sports teams are some of the many reasons I came to OSU).   Most people think it’s odd that the Oklahoma City Thunder is my favorite pro basketball team, but I think they are the most exciting team in the NBA.   I watch hockey when its on TV, and have gone to a few of the OSU hockey and Columbus Blue Jackets games.   OSU’s hockey season is over, but I highly recommend going to either an OSU game or a Blue Jackets game some time.   Fall quarter I played intramural flag football, and am playing intramural soccer this spring.   I still play basketball, but it’s usually just pickup games at the RPAC a couple times a week.
    I spend a lot of time listening to music and watching movies.   I listen to just about every type of music, and like most genres of movies.   I listen to everything from classic rock to rap to country.   If anyone would like to put some recommendations for new music or movies that you think I would like in your comments I would appreciate it.