One Last Paper

I just finished the last paper I'll ever have to write for school! Now onto Lynn's for dinner. I just wanted to inform everyone and cry out in victory. Also, please note that the fountain hopping tomorrow has been moved 15 minutes to 8:45. So, meet at 8:30 at The Ranch or 8:45 at Cain. I'll see y'all there to rock it all over campus one last time.

Fountain Hopping World Tour!

Random Advice for the Masses

Well it seems that it's about time for things to start slowing down and begin falling in place. It appears that I have a job, my classes are just about done, so onto the next chapter... But more about that at a later time. With all the responses (and stories and 2AM phone calls) I got from my last post, it's time for some more advice.

So what else did I learn in college besides where to study? Well plenty, but I don't know if the rest can be organized easy enough to be put in a simple catagory, so here you go. Random advice in no particular order...

1. Sit next to people in class. I was afraid my freshman year to do so, but eventually you'll want to meet as many people as you can in your own major, so make some friends, whether it be INFO Heathers or ACCT Annas. It's good to know you're going to have some friends in your MKTG classes on the first day of the semester so you don't have to worry about sitting alone. And if you don't know anyone, don't sit alone. And also, don't forget the girl's name that you sit next to on the first day of school... It makes you feel like a jerk...

2. Use the Rec. Blah blah, yeah I know, I didn't use it to its fullest extent, but it's good advice. You pay for it, there's plenty there to do. You need to get some sort of excercise and there are plenty of options there including Rock Climbing, Basketball, Soccer, Swimming, and Dance Classes. Intermurals are fun, don't let the deadlines pass you by.

3. Write to the Mail Call. You got something to say? Put it in the Mail Call! Let your voice be heard. It gets your opinions out there, whether it's on funding for public education or the clothing the editorial cartoon characters wear. It entertains us and gives you something to post on your fridge if it gets printed. Plus, how else would you be able to claim, "You know those automatic doors at the SCC that have been broken for 6 months? I got them fixed."

4. Go Fountain Hopping. Tour the campus by taking a refreshing dip in the area fountains! There's plenty around to fill up a night, it's a great activity to look forward to at the end of the semester. Get your start next Monday, May 1 at 8:45PM. Mark your calendars, meet at Cain, and let's party.

5. Find something you love to do and do it. If you like to play basketball with your roommates, do it. Attend sporting events, make your friends quilts, cook, play wall ball! Doing something you love is a great stress reliever, it'll counter out school which is a great stress causer.

6. Avoid Texas Avenue.
7. Don't pull an all nighter.
8. Set aside time each week for a meal with a friend.
9. Cook sometimes instead of eating out.
10. Forgive.
11. Learn something new! It's college after all...
12. Meet people.
13. Don't hit the bikers.
14. Smile at the squirrels.
15. Know why you're in a relationship.
16. Don't put your neo address on online forms, unless you want plenty of spam. Also, mark your information private on MyRecord.tamu.edu to avoid receiving calls and junk mail from marketers (the bad kind).
17. Be goofy with your roommates. Sing a song, record a video, play hall ball.
18. Try and get to know your neighbors, it's safe, it's fun, and you might meet a great girl...
19. Go to church, spend time with the Lord and Pray. It's not a burden your parents put on you in High School, it's a privilage.
20. Don't waste your money at 4.0 & Go. Go to SIs, have a study group, get review sheets...
21. Don't take your friends for granted.
22. Laugh at yourself, it's ok.
23. Know the resources the university offers. Aside from computer repair, cheap software, libraries, there are other lesser known resources, such as Student Life, which offers Free legal services and notaries.
24. Visit an art gallary, there's like 3 in the MSC alone.
25. Know the history and traditions of A&M, that's what makes this place special. Go to Muster and Silvertaps. Start your own tradition! And say Howdy!

Above all, enjoy the experiences. Don't take them for granted. It'll be over before you know it and you'll look back and not know where the time went. This is most likely going to be the best time in your life. Don't miss out.

Also, if you have time. Perform a musical in your class. Musicals just don't make sense in real life. It's probably the coolest thing you could do...

That's all the time I have now, so hopefully I've given adequate advice. Heed it, I'm your elder. And perhaps next week I'll have time to give you the low down on my favorite on campus bathrooms...

And as always, keep your watch on time and make that grill shine.

Galveston

Yeah, so here I am. I made it to Galveston safely. Moody Gardens has got it going on. Big place it's quite a bit different than the hotels I'm used to where you park just outside your room... I think I prefer that to having to park in this garage and taking the elevator up to floor 6. Parking, getting out of your car, taking 10 steps and being in your room is a lot quicker of a process.
Oh well, it's a fancy place and if anyone wants to join me, I have an extra queen sized bed waiting for you. Anyway, so I'm just about grown up (check the haircut). Hopefully I'll like what I see tomorrow and so will they. So, let's blog a little so I can get back to staring out the window at the new Schlitterbahn park...

I don't have much to say, my head is pretty congested and my nose won't stop bothering me. Leaves little room for thought. So I'll just speak quickly about something I learned today (we'll get back to the student handbook when I return to CS). It seems that Phillips has developed the technology to do one of two things. 1. Allow a television viewer to completely cut out commercials (I'm not completely sure how this is done). Or 2. Allow an advertiser to lock the station when their commercial comes on so that the viewer has no choice but to watch it. Now this is an either, or thing. They're trying to get a patent on the technology and I imagine it will be sold to whoever they think they can get the most money from. I think the latter is quite unethical and seems a little Big Brotherish to me. I don't want a company dictating to me what I have to watch. As if consumers don't distrust advertisers enough already...

That's all. My nose is running and my stomach is growling, so I'm peacing out.

Location, Location, Location

Well, it's getting closer. I'll probably have a job before the week's out. It's exciting, but at the same time a little scary and sad. Time to move on with life I suppose. I'm feeling a little somber and nostalgic as I write this. It's probably due to the Breaking Point song that's playing in the background. Well, with the short time I have here at work, let's get down to business.

To begin, let me give you some tips I picked up throughout college on studying. And as a good Business student, let me first tell you, it's all about Location, Location, Location.

The location is important, pick a place where you aren't distracted. Don't sit anywhere near instant messanger, sitting at the kitchen table may work unless you have a roommate that asks you questions like, "Hey. What do you think I'd do if someone busted through that window behind you and yanked you out? I think I'd keep studying..." For me, the best places to study were places that enjoyed and actually felt in the "study zone." I tried places like Sbisa, Denny's, and even Taco Bell which were alright if you don't mind the noise, free refills are a nice bonus.

However, I had a couple of "secret places" that were most useful to me. So, since I'm graduating, I'll give the secrets out:

1. Walk the Sky - My number one favorite place to study was in the skywalk on the second floor between Rudder and the MSC. Very cozy place, comfortable chairs, easily accessable bathroom, and the hallway is a perfect place to race your roommate as a study break. The windows along the hall provide a nice view of Rudder Plaza and the fountain.
2. Roundtable Discussion - A rendition of this for study groups would be in the 2nd floor lobby of Rudder at night. It's unlocked and the large round desk accomadates study groups nicely.
3. Secret Classrooms - The MSC also provides the best atmosphere for a group to study. Find your way up to the 3rd floor of the MSC (the stairs up there are on the hotel side of the MSC). It's a small floor, there are a couple of classrooms up there that are Never used. Dead silent, big rooms and your own bathroom. Thanks to Clinton for showing me that one freshman year.

There are also a couple of little-known locations for studying or groups requiring computer access:

1. Read Up - Read Lab. Heard of it? Not many have. It's open till 8 and is rarely even a quarter full. Plenty of computers around. It's room 150 in the Read building (adjacent to G Rollie). Most confusing building on campus, I know. Worth the find though.
2. Teague Building - Yeah, it's where I work, so that's how I found this place... The front entrance (facing the Commons) houses 4 computers. This section of the building is open 24 hours and at night is completely dead, allowing perfect privacy, peace, and quiet.

I visited each of these locations at some point during the year, so if I disappeared studying, this is where I went. But now that y'all can't interupt my studying, enjoy.

Well, that's all I have for now. I'm heading to Galveston Tuesday night with a company, they're putting me up in Moody Gardens, I'm excited to attend this convention they hold, hearing more about the company and actually getting to meet some customers and see how they interact with the company. But this of course means I miss my last soccer class... How sad. Only a few days of class left. That's insane.

Later on kids, keep it hot and serve the fries on the side.

My Time In Aggieland

Alright, interview went very well, I finished up with most of my graduation invitations, I reviewed my bible study for tonight, now what? Oh. I'll check the mail. Alright, I'm back empty handed... As I ventured to the mailbox, I noticed that the sky is rather dark and it just felt outside as though it was about to begin pouring. No worries though, the tatooed dude across the parking lot was sitting outside shirtless, clipping his toenails and talking to his roommate. A girl a couple of buildings down was cleaning out her car. And the "Liberate Fritz" fliers we posted on the mailbox were still there. I'm going to miss college. Where else do you have this type of atmosphere?

22 days until I graduate from college... Read that aloud, how crazy is that? I am about to graduate from Texas A&M University. Didn't I just get here? How many days ago was I that goofy freshman that didn't know his way around campus that obviously skipped out on fish camp due to his utter lack of knowledge about traditions and other things that pertained to A&M? Well, apparently it's been four years. It's been a long road, but it was traveled quickly. I got lost in Academic Plaza, I was scared to sit next to people in class, I was overtaken by this completely new experience. I learned to love it. Aggieland has brought the most amazing experiences to my life. I now, not only know all of the traditions and facts that make A&M the most wonderful place on earth, I preach them as well.

I've learned so much here; life lessons, school lessons, heck, I even learned where Buffalo, Texas is. So, now I think I'm going to share some of those with you all over the next couple of blogs. Maybe it will be practical help for current students or future students (I know I have at least one Class of 2015er reads this). So here you go, knowledge without the price of tuition. Enjoy.

One Question

Another day, another interview. What was life like without these things all the time? I don't quite remember.

A Late Night Blogging

It's nearing midnight and I have a bit of time to blog. Today was Clinton's birthday. Happy birthday old man! We all ate at Rudy's, but more importantly, we gathered around to finally watch In The Bag. It's quite an eye-opening cartoon. Thank you for bringing it into our lives. And thank you Humphry the Bear for showing us how to truly pick up the trash and put it in the bag...Bump Bump.

Tonight, I also found a group on Facebook called "I Won't Lie, Thanks To Wireless Internet I Now Use My Laptop In The Bathroom. I was somewhat surprised that I actually knew 2 of the 4 members... Well...more impressed than surprised, I'm not going to lie.

And lastly, another comic. Why not? This time it's from a strip called Brevity. It's no Pearls Before Swine, but this one made me laugh...

Hey Buckaroos

Yo dawgs, I don't really have anything to be talking about right now, but I do have some rare free time at work... Interview went well on Friday, I'm excited about returning to talk to them again. It's going to be a pretty hectic and crazy week as usual and I'm going home for Easter on Thursday, that will be good. I'm going out with Penny tonight, I look forward to that. Also, be on the look out for Robert Pagenkopf trading cards, they've hit the street and are looking pretty good. I picked up several around campus. I hope he'll autograph them. Alright, I'll be back later this week. In the meantime, keep it real and savor the flavor.

F Minus is my favorite...

I'm Most Likely Never Going To Sleep Again

1.5 hours of sleep last night, work this morning, an interview in Conroe, and I can't even nap? This is frustrating and quite inconvenient. I'm going to Sonic to get some food and a caffeinated beverage. I suppose caffeine will now take the place of sleep in my life. And I don't even know if I can spell it right...

My Parking Lot

A bird was hopping around the parking lot. He was dancing circles around the orange that had found its way into the center of the parking lot. The orange wasn't as round as it had been this morning. Since then, it had been smashed into the pavement by a passing car, leaving the orange peeled and partially squeezed much to the bird's delight. He was either afraid to commit to eating the tasty treat or else he was dancing a celebration jig. Whatever the case, it prompted me to encourage him, "Go eat that orange little bird!" Taking my focus off of the bird, I glanced up to see if my neighbor had fixed his car window and noticed a girl from a few buildings down staring at me with a concerned look. We put the blame on this girl for stealing Fritz, a lost dog that we saw on a flyer. The expression onher face didn't bother me much. Who is she to judge me anyway? So, I talk to birds. At least I don't steal pets...

My Book

I thought about it tonight. I decided that for my new job, I'll write books. I've already begun on my first. And by that I mean, I came up with a catchy title. So look on shelves soon for I Can Download A Song In 30 Seconds While Sitting On The Toilet And Other Reasons to Not Hate Technology.

I'll give a free copy to Clinton and Clay.