College Station at Christmastime

The past couple of days hasn't been overly eventful. I did get to go tree-spinning for the first time. And it was much more fun than expected. It's an area tradition where the local kids come to the big Christmas tree in Central Park, stand under it and spin around staring up at all the lights. I was introduced to it by Clay. Definately makes the "Top 50 Things To Do In College Station At Christmas Time Before You Graduate" list (pictures coming maybe tomorrow). Last night,Penny and I returned to Central Park to enjoy Christmas in the Park. I love College Station.

I also accidently led a breif revolt against Aggieland Outfitters/Inspirations. I was disgusted by the idea that they would produce a shirt supporting the sips in the Rose Bowl. So while at work, I posted about the vileness of the shirt on the TexAgs Football Forum. It led to a downright riot with angry Aggies threatening boycotts of the store. I also caught wind of some people that actually recieved my post in an email that was circulated around their office. The shirt was pulled from the shelves shortly after. My intentions were just to whine and complain... Oops.

Work's become a bit more entertaining. People are bustling around in the building getting ready for Christmas and our week-long break. Meanwhile, I've become more creative in finding shortcuts through campus in the University Van. As a matter of fact, if vehicles were restricted to driving only on the sidewalk, I don't think it would affect my routine all that much...

How Does It Feel?

I am finally done with finals and my fall semester. It's really less exciting then usual since everyone else has been done since last week... Oh well. I'll have a small party by myself. I'll bring the Chinese food...

Catching Up

Well I'm back at work, teeth and all. It was nothing a little 3 hour dental surgery couldn't fix. I started my birthday off with an early awakening by my mom. We got to my dentist's office about 9:00. And then the fun started. After receiving the Happy Gas (they have to have that in order to get people to actually come into the dentist), 6 shots in the mouth (which didn't completely eliminate the pain), and some painful x-rays, Dr. Cody came in and informed me how upset he was at the dummies at the ER and how easily they could have pushed my teeth right back into place and let them heal. But now that they had begun setting themselves, he'd have to reloosen them and try to push them back to where they belong. He then began trying to shove my teeth back into place. He then asked me to help by gritting my teeth as hard as I could to try to shove them back into place while he shoved. Since they were pushed into my gums some, they didn't go back exactly where they belong, but they were better. Still they weren't where they oringially were, so he then began reshaping my teeth so that none of my front teeth touched the tops when I bit down. He told me that my bite would be significantly different and very bothersome to me (which I can tell you now is absolutely true). He then splinted the five teeth together, told me I could come back in January to get my chipped teeth up top fixed and would need to return in three months to get the splint off and most likely have a root canal done where one tooth was broken beneath the gum. I was then showed how to care for the teeth (since they were bonded together, I couldn't floss between the teeth, but I would have to use a small device to shove the floss through my gums by the teeth). And most notably, I was told I couldn't bite anything with my front teeth for the next 3 months, making eating most foods very difficult. Afterwards I felt terrible and just wanted to head back home, but soon enough the drugs kicked in and made eating at Fermin's tolerable (at least I got to eat at my favorite restraunt on my birthday). We made it back home that night, my teeth are repaired and the difference isn't really noticable to anyone else but me. I survived, now I can move on. Which means studying for my final I have on Monday. I'm the only person in College Station still studying for finals...

We had a great birthday dinner for me on Wednesday night. It moved from TGI Fridays because the hostess proved herself to be a total dummy. So we went to Ninfa's (where all birhtday parties end up). I knew enchiladas weren't as hard to eat without use of your front teeth as other foods I've tried, so it was all good. I got some birthday presents and then we went back to my house. When I got there, there was an 8 foot penguin chilling in the house. Tiffany, Gage and Karen had so sneakily acquired Nick's keys and left from dinner early to set it up (I use the term sneakily very loosely and mainly to appease them). But it was nice. The high point of the night involved drinking the Thanksiving Dinner themed Jones' Sodas. We drank the set in this order: Brussel Sprout Soda, Turkey and Gravy Soda, Wild Herb Stuffing Soda, Cranberry Soda, Pumpkin Pie Soda. Upon opening the first drink, the room filled with a putrid odor. Some of the volunteers that had stepped up to drink the Brussel Sprout chickened out and set down their glasses. The stench was literally making people sick, so this had to be done fast. Nick downed his shot, made an ugly face and proceeded to rinse his mouth out in the sink. The smell made me quite queezy, so I asked Nick to move out of the sink. I raised my glass, took a swig and immediately ran to the sink and threw up for the first time in 5 years. I don't think eating or drinking anything has ever made me throw up. And we eat some pretty nasty and random stuff. Meanwhile, Tiffany is throwing up just outside the doorway, strictly from the smell... The rest of the drinks were pretty rough, but I held the rest of them down. It was quite an adventure.

And now, here I am. Back to work on a Friday. 8-5 will be my schedule for the remainder of the break. Aside from Monday, as I will be taking a final, alone in my professors office. That sounds quite intimidating if you ask me. Therefore, it's time for the studies. It's my first day without having any vicodin, and I think I've done pretty good. Aside from a little pain and some trouble I had eating (don't laugh when I eat, it's not polite...) it's been good.

Oh and before you reply to this post or any of the others, the "All I want for Christmas is my 5 front teeth" joke. I've heard it...so stop.

Safe Arrival

I safely arrived in Corpus thanks to Penny's driving. On the way, "Let That Be Enough" by Switchfoot started playing, "It's my birthday tomorrow, no one here could know. I was born...22 years ago." Perfect timing...

Well, I'm going to go back to studying for my final on Wednesday, I don't know how much time I'll have to put forth to it over the next couple of days. I got the final scheduled for tomorrow postponed for a week. And I realized that due to this misfortune, the trend has not been broken. I've never had a final on my birthday and now, I never will. Thanks broken teeth!

Happy Birthday Teeth!

Well, it's 8:30PM Saturday Night and I just woke up. That means I missed the Heisman presentation. Way to go Reggie Bush... Vincent who? But now I have little else to do put type in my blog. I figure I have enough to type about to do so and since I won't be able to type an entry for Monday, now's a good time to explain why.

Well, Monday is my birthday. And the first present I'll recieve is dental surgery. How do I do it...
Some other business majors and I have been planning on getting a football game together during finals nearly all semester. And finally yesterday was our chance. We assembled at 6:30 on A&M Consolidated HS's football field. It was some good football for the first hour and a half, there was some blood, cuts and bruises. I got to attempt my best "Reggie Bush impression" as Jason put it. We had good stats all around and the Hats (my team) were dominating the Non-Hats for the first hour and a half. After a brief break in the action due to a cut above Clinton's eye, we were back on track and it was as intense as ever. I'd been covering Jason all night and in what became the last play of the game, he ran a short out, caught the ball. At the same time I converged to take him down and prevent the first down. He turned up field as I hit him and his shoulder caught me right in the jaw. The hit knocked the ball loose, which Clinton recovered and was going to return for a TD. Until he noticed Jason in pain and me sitting down on the ground bleeding out of the mouth. Dang, that hurt. I spit the small pieces of teeth that had chipped off out along with some thick, red blood and then felt my teeth with my toungue. Something wasn't right. A couple of people were over checking on Jason and the others followed me to the bathroom as I hustled off. I was bleeding a lot. I washed my mouth out with water, which didn't help all that much. But I looked in the mirror and saw that 5 of my front teeth had been knocked out of place. Obviously I'd had my teeth gritted and somehow the impact knocked my 5 bottom teeth down into my gums and pressed them forward. Upon arriving to the ER, I'd also noted the chipped teeth and my split gum. Clinton had driven me to The Med, Jason joined us to check on me. Although upon arrival, there was an empty waiting room, it still took longer than necessary to learn what little they had to tell me. While I was in the back waiting for the doctor for the 3rd time, my in-town cousin, Kay walked in. She reported to me that my dad had called her, so she got up there as quick as she could. She also told me that as she came in, she passed Jason and Clinton and asked, "Which one of y'all did it?" And threatened the guilty. I was told I needed to go make an appointment with the orthedontist on Monday and I was sent home with a prescription of Vicodin. My hometown dentist knows better though, so he's having me come in Monday morning to get my teeth shoved back into place and fixed with a splint. The splint will keep them in place until they heal back to normal.

So I am traveling to Corpus tomorrow by way of Penny and should be returning Monday night. However, my birthday dinner is postponed till 6:59PM on Wednesday. But for the past 24 hours I've kept guaze in my mouth to minimize the contact between my top teeth and the painful bottom teeth. And have been on a diet of luke-warm tap water and luke-warm soup. Oh well, "Boys will by boys," right? My team ended up winning in the end. So it wasn't a failure.

Happy SYFTIS Day!

Today is "Stuff Your Face Till It Snows" Day! It's not a national holiday, but it's certainly celebrated in my life. How did this holiday come about? Well, it can best be explained by actually experiencing it. My day began this morning at work. It was our annual Christmas potluck. Plenty of food and desserts for all. And best of all, it was only for those of us that work in the TCC (some student workers and Robin), so that means no creepy guys from the other side of the building or turf wars during lunch as is often experienced in CIS-wide luncheons. It was good food, I stuffed my belly full of warm chili which was so welcome on this cold day. That is just the beginning of SYFTIS Day. In order to continue stuffing my face, there is a 2nd planned potluck tonight at 6 at Karen's house. This one will be quite a bit larger with more food. We're responsible for the brisket and sausage. Two potlucks in one day assures that there is plenty of food to stuff your face with. SYFTIS Day is dependent on the availability of plenty of food to stuff into your face. The holiday also needs weather.com to include this nice little picture next to the forecast for your area:

Now that is what some people call snow, or if you're from Texas, you're probably more familiar with the term, rarity. As night turns to dawn, sleet will turn to snow. The feasting ends as the snow begins to fall. It truly is a magical holiday.

Although we're not projected to get the snow that Waco is going to get, I implore you, celebrate with us. If you gain a little weight, who cares. Tell your friends and co-workers that it's just holiday pounds. If you get pnemonia, call and tell your professors, they'll push back finals for you. It's SYFTIS Day, the happiest time of the year, they'll understand.

Full Steam Ahead

Well I ended last Friday sick and having to miss the 2 games of the College Cup on Friday. Zero Fun. Luckily however, I was all better by Sunday. Just in time for the national championship. Portland blanked UCLA, which is what I was rooting for. It was the first National Championship that I have ever witnessed first hand, what a great, cold time. Oh, and I hate Soccer Head.

I'm back at 100%, I didn't really feel like myself at all last week. I don't know why, probably the lack of sleep. But now I'm feeling great. Just in time to finish up these dreadful projects and begin studying for my finals. I've got 2 coming up on Friday (my two hardest classes), but I'm confident. Bring it on, let's see what you've got. I'm sure this optimism will fade by Friday, but right now I can't be stopped. I can be slowed however...but only by a nap. But tonight, it's full steam ahead. Work 8-5; group project 530 - Completion!

Sleepy

4th night in a row I haven't been able to sleep well. I'd say since Monday I've probably gotten around 12 hours of sleep at night. Naps help, but when you're at Sbisa for breakfast at 7AM, at work at 5PM, then at soccer till 9PM, it leaves you little time for shut eye...

Mom's Rules

"My house, my rules," is something that my parents recited to me numerous times growing up. However, over the last 3 1/2 years, their rules have slowly made their way into my house and my mouth. Some rules travel faster than others, the speed of "we're not air conditioning the neighborhood" is quite comparable to the speed of light. However, one of the rules I never thought would reach the maroon doors of my Fox Meadows apartment is my mom's favorite, "Don't Play Ball In The House!" Whether it was from my mother or the Brady Bunch, I often heard this rule, so that's no excuse. It's just something I didn't believe in and didn't take to heart.

Even after broken pictures, a decapitated porcelein donkey, angry neighbors and numerous cuts and bruises, the ASL (Apartment Sports League) was still going strong. The latest entry in the long-line of sporting events was X-treme House Horse. A rendition of the fan favorite, House Horse, the XHH combined the best part of House Horse, which of course is the location (Nick's Messy Room) with the best part of any good sport, violence. It began as a 1-on-1 (Chris V. Clinton) no fouls basketball game with the foam ball and small net. As the game progressed, the violence escalated. Soon enough, Nick entered the game making it more like a playground game of "Smear the Queer" than any sort of basketball game. As we fought for possession and tried to advance the ball to the hoop with gritted teeth, the loud crashes and screams were surely audible to Nina and the other residents of Fox Meadows. As the game winded down, I had been kicked in the eyeball, slapped in the face, and my large iPod in the hall had a serious dent in it from Nick's flying body. Pictures were knocked off the wall, Kittens food had catapulted from her food dish all across the room, and her water dish lay upside down.. Clinton was trying to make a last minute surge to take the victory in a game which we were not keeping score in. To quiet his attempts, I flew head first at him, knocking him over, into Nick's large stand up fan. Upon impact, the fan snapped in half and Clinton tumbled into Nick's bookshelf. The game was over. The sound of a fan breaking in half does well in place of a referee's whistle.

Stepping back and looking at the carnage and destruction that had occured in a short time, all three of us realized that mom's rule may actually hold some weight. Shortly afterward, the XHH was disbanded (due to the death of a fan.) However, in a house that has bullet holes from past residents, it's hard to see any of us putting an end to the fun and violence that characterizes The Ranch and instead of "Momma always says, don't play ball in the house," I think the saying, "Boys will be boys" is more applicable...

For Zachary

Ahh...Christmas is almost here. And it finally feels like...Fall? This is lovely weather for October, but quite disappointing weather for it almost being December. How is it going to snow on Christmas Eve if the weather doesn't leave the 50s? Ben, if you could do something about that, it would be swell. Our Christmas decorations are almost all up, Jimi's donned his wreath collar and Jack is wearing his reindeer antlers. The Christmas city on top of the entertainment center is bustling and despite heads missing from the Angel and the Donkey (we need to get some super glue), the nativity scene is set out in the living room. Our Christmas tree trumps Karen's rendition of a Charlie Brown Christmas. For the most part, it's Christmas on the inside of the ranch. All that we have left to do is hang our stockings and our outdoor Christmas lights. I love Christmas time.

And now to bring a smile to Zach's face, let me publicly announce that Nick has brought himself out of the fog of ignorance and realized that he indeed lost the 5th Grade Spelling Bee. Congratulations to Zach for being the true victor and to all of the rest of us because we won't have to hear this argument ever again! Thanks Nick for doing your research and coming clean! You get the Taking Initiative Award!

Lastly, plans have been set for my birthday. I don't want to be like Robert, so I decided more than 30 minutes in advance about where we're having birthday dinner. I decided to keep it on my actual birthday, despite it being right in the middle of finals. I figured that it'll be a good study break for the rest of y'all as well. So Monday, December 12 at 8PM be at Fridays.

The Week In Review

Alright, Alright. Catch Up Time. Thanksgiving has come and gone. It didn't seem like Thanksgiving though. I don't know if it was the short time I had in Corpus, the change in traditional plans, or just the hot weather. But it didn't seem Thanksgiving-y to me. However, it's been a good week. The week began on Sunday as it usually does. We filmed a short music video in which Clinton brilliantly sang my lyrics to a country tune and the song progressed to me dropping the flow over a beat put out by a drum, the video ended when Kelly and I sang to a rowdy crowd in a hard-core metal style. Despite my many singles, it was my first video. Watch for it on rotation on VH1.

Monday and Tuesday brought group projects as usual. Monday night, I attended a basketball game all fancy pants in my suit as it immediately followed a presentation that Nick and I gave. We felt like NBA scouts. Tuesday was Elephant Walk of Course. By far the oddest tradition at A&M...I felt like a goofball trying to explain it to Zach. Nonetheless, it was fun. We walked around like elephants and then I took my picture with one, conquering my fear.

I then headed home to Corpus for the next couple of days. It was good seeing my family. Normally for Thanksgiving, we have a BIG feast of a lunch next door at my grandparent's. However, this year we were unable to do this, so we all went to Furr's. I always thought dining out on Thanksgiving was wrong, but this was out of my control. It was good though. I had 9 plates of food. We then headed over to my other grandparent's house and had a second lunch at their house with the rest of the crazies that my family conisists of. I had another couple of plates and then dessert. When it was all said and done, I'm pretty sure I ate more food than anyone else in the state. I'm not going to lie. Even I was impressed.

Getting back up here Thursday night wasn't bad. The traffic on 77 was nearly non-existant. As soon as I hit 21 though, traffic picked up. Nearly every car I saw on 21 either had an Aggie window sticker or...a burnt orange one. The game Friday morning was fun. I knew they could hold the sips to a close one, I only wish they coulda pulled out a victory. I think with a healthy Courtney, we could have done it. As has been our season. Plauged with injuries. Of course a game like that gets everyone excited about next year. "Next year is our year." As has been the saying every year...

I did some holiday shopping this afternoon and some Happy Birthday Audra! shopping. I got home from the stores and was going to fill out Audra's birthday card. I looked around for a pen to no avail. So I pulled my backpack over to my desk, pulled the first pen I grabbed out. It was a blue and clear pen. A nice little rubber grip on the end. "I've never seen this pen before," I thought as I clicked it open. "Nice click-action. I wonder where it came from." I spun the pen around revealing the "VIAGRA" logo on the front. Whoa. I showed it to Clinton who gave me a laugh and no explination to where it could have come from. So now, as I type this, a Viagra pen sits on my desk in front of me. I don't know where it came from. If anyone has any information, I'd be grateful. However, if it's your pen, then you aren't getting it back. It's a nice pen.

BTHO t.u.

This is my last football game as a student. So I want to go out with a win. A win over that evil school in Austin. Despite all of t.u.'s expectations, despite our injuries that are too numerous to list, despite everyone's lack of hope, I want the Texas Aggies to stand on the field victorious at the end of the game. This is also several players' last game at Kyle, surely they want a win too. So I do not want my head hanging disappointedly as I walk out of the Student Section for the last time. There is no tomorrow boys, so play like it. And let's beat the Everloving Hell Outta t.u.! WHOOP!

November 18, 1999

This of course is the most solemn day in Aggieland. November 18, 1999 is the date that Bonfire fell. In the 90 years of the tradition, no one could fathom the tragedy it would bring. Every year we stop and remember the 12 lives that were lost in the fall. While I wasn't on campus at the time of the fall, I've heard the stories of most of these victims since and how they lived for Bonfire, how they prided themselves in this University and how dear they held the traditions. Last year marked the opening of the Bonfire Memorial. It is in place so that no one will ever forget what happened on that tragic November morning. A time when the Aggie Spirit could have been crushed, but proved to be stronger than ever. As news of the fall spread, Aggies gathered together. From on-campus and off. Both non-regs and cadets. People of all types came together, working all night to remove the logs from the fall. It was a time when the Aggie family came together like never before. Uniting was the whole theme behind the tradition of Bonfire, but never before had the Aggie Family come together like it did that night. Nationwide, people witnessed what it meant to be an Aggie. It was something that would be hard to forget. And if you're an Aggie, hopefully impossible. Although we're quite removed from the tragedy, there are still signs all around campus. The memorial itself, the uneasiness when anyone brings up the topic, the crowd that gathers to reflect and pray every year at 2:32AM at the site of centerpole. One reminder that I have been exposed to over the past semester sticks out to me. I see the last survivor pulled from Bonfire every once in a while on campus. Due to his surgeries, amputations, and rehibilitation efforts, completing his degree at the school he loves has been pushed back several years and he will now be graduating with the class of 2006. Confined to a wheelchair, he serves as a dynamic reminder of that tragedy. Even now, 3 years after the last class to witness Bonfire has graduated, Bonfire is something that has remained important to this university that I love. The Aggie Spirit that was built by Bonfire is still alive. With or without Bonfire, that Spirit will always burn.

In closing, I will share a couple of poems written by unknown authors. And also the Bonfire Rememberence Video that I review every year. (Right Click and Save As)

There is a rich tradition at the core of Aggieland
The center pole runs deep into the ground on which we stand
Every Aggie on this earth well knows the meaning and the yearn
To stand around this marvel, light the torch, and watch it burn.

The week of Final Push, in the year of '99
A crew of Ag's worked through the night to set the stacks on time
But something happened that November, and the news spread through the land
The Texas Aggie Bonfire had collapsed with all on hand.

At first the shocking tragedy had taken back the crew
But when the Fightin' Aggie Spirit rose, they knew what to do
The 12th man gathered round, not just to hope and pray
But like the final day of cut they hauled the logs away.

Battered, bruised and broken, they took them one by one
Twelve pots lay upon the ground, each a daughter or a son
They weren't in the stands that year to watch the Aggies play
But if they were I bet I know what all of them would say.

"I'm proud to be an Aggie, even more than I did then
And I'm proud of Aggie Bonfire and the spirit held within
So keep this fire burning in your hearts you know so well
And when we play t.u., you've got to beat them all to Hell!"

I know they're looking on us, their souls are filled with pride
Cause even though the Bonfire fell, the spirit never died
And when you gaze into the fire, and your heart begins to swell
Remember those twelve that were there, when Bonfire fell.

SILENT TRIBUTE
A hush has fallen over Aggieland,
Even the Wind has stilled
The rustling leaves of fall,
My Footsteps joined with others
Walking to the place that, a few days ago,
Had heard excited sounds as Aggies toiled
Into the night to raise Bonfire proud and tall.

Now Silence Reigns o'er Aggieland,
As each heart in private mourns
The fallen dreams of the Aggie Family.
I was drawn to this place, as others,
On this sunny and warm Texas fall day,
Tears trickled from my eyes as my footsteps
Grew nearer the site, and the silent hush of grief.

Silently, I saw the flowers and poems
That were tucked into the lattice fencing,
Even children, silent in this special place.
Each one brought there to honor the Aggies lost,
Silent tribute and prayer for the living..
Then the silence was broken, by a student from long ago,
On bagpipes he played the strains of Amazing Grace.

When the last note faded, there were tears in every eye.
We will remember. The Twelfth Man Spirit is alive.

Miranda D.Adams, Santa Fe
Christopher David Breen, Austin
Michael S. Ebanks,Carrollton
Jeremy Richard Frampton, Turlock, Calif.
Jamie Lynn Hand,Henderson
Christopher Lee Heard, Houston
Timothy Doran Kerlee,Bartlett, Tenn.
Lucas John Kimmel, Corpus Christi
Bryan AllanMcClain, San Antonio
Chad Anthony Powell, Keller
Jerry Don Self,Arlington
Nathan Scott West, Bellaire

Hoodie Weather

Not a whole bunch going on today. Just the usual work, class, group project agenda. The weather outside is glorious. I love hoodie days and that's precisely what today is.

Yesterday the front blew in, bringing a lot of rain. That morning, I saw a guy getting an umbrella out of his car. I thought to myself, "Why's he getting that. Is it going to rain or something?" Apparently I should have read Ben's blog earlier so I would have been prepared. But eventually, my question was answered as the rain pounded down on my unprotected head. It just so happened that yesterday was the day that my marketing class met at Target. I was the driver, so 2 of my MKTG friends and I ran through the rain singing songs, all the way to the garage. Meanwhile, the Accounting and Info majors looked from underneath their plain, black umbrellas with disgust. Finally we made it to Target, dripping wet. The rest of the time was spent learning about the store and promotions and the like. The tour ended near the candy idle. I pointed out to the manager who was leading the tour that Choxy was chocolate with moxy. He replied, "Yes. Thank you." But eventually the day ended and the lovely weather remained. I love it. And I'm beginning to actually believe that it is November. The 40 degree temperatures are far more convincing than the temperatures in the high 80's.

Sports and Sports and My Extended Forecast

Congrats to Women's Soccer for advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. And also, congrats to the football team for showing some heart on the field. The game this weekend was probably the best football game I've seen all year. It wasn't our best effort or most favorable outcome, but it was fun to watch. And that's what I look for in a football team that I've written off for the rest of the season. That being said, I was still awake at 5:45 AM to get to Kyle to pull tickets. We were about #34 on the list for window 5, so this will be the first game that we're not sitting right on the 50. But nonetheless, we got good tickets and I look forward to an A&M victory for my last game at Kyle Field as a student (Reggie's Too). Also, special congratulations to myself for dominating in Sumo Soccer at the Aggie Soccer Stadium during halftime of Sunday's game. After a vicious hit, my opponent was able to quickly score. But I came back and was able to take control of the game with more shots on goal and knock downs and eventually 2 goals giving me the victory. "Chris Wilson" chants were heard throughout the student section accompanied by the reverse "CW" Wrecking Crew hand signal. The first out on the field to congratulate me was my new little 7 year old friend sporting her "Kat Fan" t-shirt, Brianne. I hung out with her before the competition and she promised she'd cheer for me. I told her it was her cheers for me that helped me win. Which may or may not be true. But she met me on the field, introduced me to all of her friends of which I was their new hero, told her dad that I was her new best friend and then invited me to play Hide-and-Seek. Sadly, I had to leave for growth group and couldn't join them in their games. But I think I could have continued my winning and completely anihilated the children in Hide-and-Seek. But that was my excitement from this weekend. Sports and sports, that's usually what the weekends consist of.

As for this week? I think I'll try and emulate Ben's blog and forecast my week... There's a high-stress system moving in from West Campus that is sure to bring some heavy homework. The group projects are expected to stick around for the remainder of the month bringing with it some frustration and most likely pushing sleep out of the forecast. There is a 06% chance of fun over this next week, but as this semester begins to wind down, we should see happiness levels increasing. And that is your extended forecast. Stay tuned for your local on the 8's...

Highlight of my Week

With little sleep and a lot of school, these past few days have gone by in a hazy blur. Last night I managed to get away from my projects and actually see some of my friends. That was a welcome change. And of course we had breakfast this morning. We welcomed Karen to her first FMBWC.

Over this past week, most of the stuff I learned had to do with HP, Wal-Mart and assisted living. However, the knowledge that I have the best girlfriend ever was reinforced as well. I came home from another long day at school Wednesday Night (Thursday Morning) at nearly 1:00. I walked into my room and reached for the light switch as I stepped over the pile of stuff that had gradually made its way closer and closer to the door in the past few weeks. I hadn't had time to clean my room and it had been in disarray like never before. The lights in my room came on and I froze. I returned my foot to the ground and realized that there was no pile to step over. My room was straightened and free from clutter. Everything that had gathered to cover my carpet had found a place. I held my arms out to the side in disbelief. What had happened? Hearing the front door, I turned and walked back down the hall, arms still outstretched. It was Penny. I told her that I didn't know what had happened in my room. She took me back in the room and pointed out that the Cuddleheart Penguin she got me a few months ago had a note in his arms for me. Well it seems that Penny knew how stressed out I've been and how much the messy room had been bothering me. So she came over and cleaned it up for me. Clinton even joined in vacuuming. They really brightened my night. Which really wouldn't have been too hard to do as the sun was already down and the clouds shrouded the moon. But it was the sweetest thing. Penny is the best and I love her. I love Clinton too. Thanks y'all.

BLAH. I know. Soccer tonight, 1st round of the NCAA tourney. We're hosting Northwestern at 8PM. The second round is 2pm on Sunday. I imagine North Texas will beat SMU, so we should be playing them Sunday, after our victory tonight. Tockets should be about $2, so come out! Beating OU is completely possible tomorrow. I hope it happens...

This weekend should be as busy as the past week has been. I can't wait till the end of the semester...

Limericks are Fun

Tonight I have 2 group meetings,
I want to get busy after we exchange greetings,
But if you sit there and chat,
I'm not cool with that,
And instead, we'll have some group beatings...

Monday's Post on Tuesday

It seems I didn't write anything yesterday during work. It was a busy day, lots of work to do, plus it was Penny's first day with CIS. She's working right down the hall from me. In fact, I could slide my big green rolling chair out into the hallway and probably see the corner of her desk. She said she's enjoyed it so far and has definately already noted that CIS employees are crazy. And most of them are quite nerdy.

This weekend was fun, lotsa sports watching. It was good to be back in Reed, it was even better being in San Antonio to watch the Big 12 Soccer Tournament Championship. We made the trip down there Sunday afternoon to watch the Ags take on Colorado. The game extended into double overtime, which gave the less-than-classy Colorado fans a lot of time to get on my nerves. A couple of times, I had to yell back at them and let them know their behavior was dumb. But ultimately, Suzette quieted them all with her game-winning goal. Big 12 Regular Season Champs and Big 12 Tournament Champs for 2 straight years now. The NCAAs start this next week. We play host to the first 2 rounds, plus the final four and championship game. It's a very exciting time in Aggieland. Unless you're a football fan... (Like it was cued...Chad Schroeder hobbles by on his crutches as I typed that last sentence. A nearby friend of his calls out to him, "Tiny Tim!")

Well, my short visit to the WCL between classes is over, and so is this entry. One final note. I hate group projects...

Dentures and Orthepedic Shoes

That's most likely what I'm gong to be adding to my shopping list soon.

Last night, Nick and I went to JC Penney's after he and Karen and Merriam got their Aggie Rings (Whoop for them). Nick needed a new dress shirt for his senior pictures today. After hanging out in the suit and tie department for nearly 15 minutes, the realization hit me and I asked, "Nick. Is this where I'm going to be doing all my shopping a year from now?" He told me it probably would be. Nick's sheer excitement about buying a new shirt coupled with my future quickly closing in on me combined to form a huge message, "Dude. You're Old." I admitted to Nick that I didn't want to grow up, I didn't want to be excited about buying new ties on the weekends. And then I exclaimed, "Whoa! Check out these house shoes!" My oldness has been secured. With grad school slowly falling to the bottom of my list of probabilities, I don't know what I'm going to be doing or where I'll be. I do know that I'll be 22 and checking that next age box on surveys (Age: 22-25, instead of the 18-21 I've been used to) is going to be difficult (Nick knows). But it's a neccesary part of growing up. I've been looking at getting a PDA for my next phone upgrade in December. After last night's events, I now realize how old, business-man it is, but the features are very tempting as I already live by my simple day-planner on my cellphone. I make these choices without even realizing the change. I don't know the specific time you cross to adult-hood, but it seems that line is behind me. I must have missed it as I was looking for coupons in the Sunday paper... Yeah, so these are the insights and truths I left with last night as I left the store. Oh, and a merlot colored shirt. It'll look great with my suit.

With that out of the way. Aggie Soccer kicks off from San Antonio for round 2 of the Big 12 Championship at 4:30. We're the only game FSN is televising, so tune in. The men's football team, however is heading to Lubbock to play. It probably won't be pretty. Last I saw, the line was Tech -17. You'd better believe I took that. But good luck and Gig 'Em to all our teams playing. I'm still behind them 100%, I've just lost most of that blind hope I had at the beginning this football season. Also, basketball tips off tomorrow. That should be exciting.

It's Photographic Friday! Here are some pictures from the game last weekend.














My boo is such a thug.














Us guys enjoying some football.

Thought of the Day

Nick has his little thought of the day brought to you by Google on his blog, so I am going to give you a thought for the day. But this one is brought to you by me, not Google. Beat that.

"The only day that the best parking spot in your parking garage will be open is the same day that you need to park far away in a secluded space so you can change clothes in your car."

So true... And some dude still gave me weird looks when I was trying to put my belt on...

A Couple Of Things

I forgot a couple of important things yesterday. First, I added Ben's blog to the links on the right. He claims his blog is, "My attempt to unravel this intricate network of thoughts that collect in my brain. Oh yeah, and your 5 day local forecast." It should be as good as the name suggests.

And nearly as important, here's a mail call I wrote last week after a bad experience. They finally decided to publish it in the Batt yesterday. Thanks Batt editors for editing my letter and creating a run-on sentence in the middle. Sbisa Spirit at an All Time Low

Now I guess I'd better run along to class and that test I forgot about till last night... We'll see how that goes. Have a nice and cold November 1st!

How 'Bout Those Aggies

It's a question I've heard numerous times already this week and anticipate hearing quite a bit more. "How 'Bout Those Aggies?" I easily field the question. "Yeah, Big 12 Champions for the second straight season. How bout that." I usually get an "are you insane" look to which I smile. Sure, A&M is a football school. As long as it's Ladies Football.

Indeed, my Aggie Soccer ladies clinched their 2nd straight Big 12 Championship with a big 4-0 win over Baylor Friday night. Since it was the last regular season game, it was senior night. All of the '06 players were honored in a very emotional pregame ceremony. It was also my last regular season game in the Aggie Soccer Stadium. All my collegiate career I've wanted one of the soccer balls the girls throw out at the beginning of the game, finally on senior night I got one. Ashlee Pistorius threw it to me and then went on to score all 4 of the Aggies' goals. It was a very special night indeed. Getting to hoist the Big 12 Trophey over their heads was a special farewell to the class of 2006 indeed. In addition, it was one of the last assemblies of the Aggie Soccer Hooligans. To go out in style, some of us were invited to play a rendition of dodgeball in the center of the field at half time. Despite some of my fans cheering, "Go Moo Cow!" I lost. I did hit a guy in the face with the ball though. It was a night full of mixed emotions. I hope we do well in post season play. We are hosting the NCAA championship this year. Hopefully if the women play as well as they have been recently, they'll be able to finish the season playing for the national championship before a home crowd.

As for men's football, no doubt what the people that ask "How Bout Those Aggies" want me to comment on. I've written off the rest of the season. I'll be watching them in support, but I won't be expecting much.

Since I didn't have any pictures on Friday. Here are a few from the soccer game.

After the game, the Hooligans celebrate with our favorite Kat. Meanwhile, she holds a bloody knife.

We congratulate my fellow '06er KJ (one of the all-time great goalies) on a great game on Senior Night!

Student Worker Appreciation

I'm so glad it's Friday, I just need a break. Group Projects are driving me crazy and taking up all of my free time. Today at work, we had the annual "Burger Burn" in which CIS shows it's "love" for the student workers. I dont buy it because as I went out there for the third year in a row, all of CIS had already beat me out, not just the student workers. I imagine whoever started this yearly event established it to feed their own face and then said, hey, let's use it as a facade to try and instill a sense of belonging to the student workers. I cant complain though, I like it when they feed me. I just don't see it as Student Worker Appreciation. Not that I need it, Robin shows enough appreciation to me.

The latest polls are out and they me slipping down to the #3 spot in House Horse as I am on a 4 game losing streak, including my first 3rd place finish last night. Clinton is in the lead with 3 wins, Nick's in 2nd with 1, and I am in last with 1. Hopefully this next week I can surge back ahead and impresses the voters.

Tonight is the last regular season soccer game of my college career. It's also the Halloween game, which of course means donning the traditional costumes. Grab a costume and come joint he Hooligans at the game. It starts at 8PM, I'll be the cow.

As for the football game this weekend, I thought we had a chance to pull it out, but Nikki Knight doesn't agree, so my confidence has faltered a bit. Nonetheless, I take A&M by 7. I was listening to the radio earlier this week and Reggie took blame for the recent lackluster offense. He says he knows he's off, but he hasn't felt off his game. Hopefully he'll get his game back and impress the screaming 12th Man at Kyle this weekend. No pictures today, my food is digested and it's time to do some work.

Study Breaks

Sometimes you take a study break and relax. Sometimes you take a study break and end up with egg all over you, making you have to study with no pants on for the rest of the night. Last night there was more of the latter.

That being said, check out this song. Turn it up and Rock Varsity's Horns Off.

A Billion

A billion. That's how many things I have to do today. This week is going to be even worse than last weeks. Thus the blogs will be shorter. I'm loving this great weather! But I'm going to sit inside, do my work, and let y'all enjoy it.

Today I'm Feeling: Busy

On my refrigerator, I have a magnet featuring lots of faces displaying all kinds of different moods and emotions. It came with a little magnetic frame featuring the words "Today I Feel..." The idea is for you to match the frame to the face exhibiting the state that currently describes you the most. One thing that magnet is lacking is a worried face with the word "Busy" under it. My frame would remain locked over that selection if it was offered...that is if I had time to make it to the fridge. In summary, this is going to be a short blog, as I have many things I need to tend to.

I currently have 4 projects I'm working on for class... It's quite overwhelming. In between group meetings, class, growth groups, and working on those projects, I have found time to cause mischief. Monday night involved playing on Heavy Machinery in the parking lot. They've been reroofing the building across from ours and therefore decided to leave a piece of machinery in the 3 parking spaces right in front of my apartment. So of course, we had to play on it. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but since I was never one of those little kids that owned the "Awesome Construction Vehicles!" videos featuring Hard Hat Sam, I simply called it a tractor. Afterwards, we watched the Astros lose that heartbreaker. A better game to watch was the one on Wednesday, which ended with us yelling "Astros win the pennant" and attempting to form a dogpile in the hall. It is also official that my Penny will be working down the hall from me for one of my favorite coworkers, Lori. She's actually going to be working in my old office... The one they kicked us out of and formed into 3 seperate offices...hmph. But I am excited about that. This week was also the first week of the House Horse season. It's a game we invented using Nick's little basketball net I bought for his birthday. I won the opening game, Clinton took the second. So I do find time to have some fun amongst the most busy semester I've ever had.

This morning was a very special 7AM version of Friday Morning Breakfast with Chris. It was moved on account of Audra. We had a decent turnout of 5, including Kevin in his first trip to Sbisa. Work's been pretty good. We had a birthday party complete with Fajitas and Fun. And now I've discovered that CIS has a version of instant messenger which allows me to chat with my SIMS dawg, Dana. But now I'm going to start to bring this blog to a close for the week and work on my presentation for Tuesday. Soccer game, 7PM tonight vs. #24 Colorado. It'll be a good one. So, go. Meet at Rumours at 5:15. This weekend is also our first non-televised away game which means I'll have to watch the live stats update on espn.com. I'm slightly concerned about this game. We have the capability to beat them good, but I doubt we'll achieve that. Especially on the road. That's why I'm taking the 4 point underdogs, Kansas State to beat us. I also see t.u. rather effortlessly putting a halt to Tech's undefeated season. And for anyone that cares, I'm taking Nebraska over Mizzou in a close one.

One last thing for this Photographic Friday. My week in pictures (all of which you've probably seen due to Facebook's new photo album feature):





















































Peace out kids, keep it real.

Life Lessons

Today's entry is going to be directed to my younger readers. I've learned a lot of things in college. A lot of important life lessons that I could only learn through experience because no one told me what to be expecting or how to handle certain situations. So I'm going to document some of the learning experiences that I've had over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully y'all will heed my advice and learn from my mistakes. But I know some of you out there are stubborn and will ignore these warnings and go out there and have to learn on your own, through your own experiences and mistakes. I wish I could prevent you from doing so, but all I can say is good luck...

We'll start in my Organizational Behavior class a couple of weeks ago. I always like to buy used books, not only because of the price difference, but also the previous owner highlights all the important things. Well this book was not only highlighted, but it had notes written out in the margin. The notes aided me in studying, the highlighting aided me in reading. Obviously with all these mark-ups in the book, the previous owner had to be brilliant! I was lucky to have this book. As my prof lectured, I was following along in the text, noting the highlighting and helpful notes. The prof then shifted class from lecture towards more of a discussion. To begin, she asked a very specific question. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I do remember the exact answer was written down in the margin of my book. Thanks book pal! I glanced around the class and saw that no one was going to venture a guess, so I raised my head and recited the answer from my book. The professor squinted her eyes, slightly frowned and responded. "No. No, that's not right." Normally when presented with a wrong answer, she responds with, "Well...let's talk about it." But no, apparently this answer was so far off, it wasn't even worth discussion. I looked back down at the book, breaking eye contact with my professor, wanting to place the blame on the previous owner. You punked me good ma'am (or sir with girly writing). Lesson Learned: The person that owned your book before you probably wasn't the professor.

Once again, yesterday I found myself in Organizational Behavior class. The teasing of my classmates had subsided, I began to think I could rebound from my previous embarassment. I sat in class, listening intently, still following along in my book. Today however, I was going to do some highlighting of my own. I took the highlighter from the girl next to me. It was a clicky highlighter, requiring that I press the button on the end of the marker to deploy the bight yellow tip. As I pushed the button, the loud Click-Click disrupted the room. I whinced. "Whoa...that was kinda loud." I whispered to my neighbor, the highlighter's owner. The professor stopped speaking, turned to me and recited a line I haven't heard since middle school, "Chris. Do you have a joke you'd like to share with the class?" I was taken by complete surprise, but immediately folded my hands together and replied "No." Which was the truth. Probably the best thing I could muster up would have been a short story about a loud highlighter. But this was my fault. I was unprepared and thus once again became the target of my classmates' laughter. I good joke would have no doubt appeased the professor and alieviated the stress of my classmates. I would have been a hero. But I let everyone down. Lesson Learned: Always have a joke prepared for class. You'll never know when you'll need it. I'd encourage you to write down a joke in the margin of your text book, not only will it help you when you're put on the spot. Perhaps it will help the future generations that purchase your used text book.

Heed my advice kids. Together, we can enrich each other's lives.

I Like Picture Books

That's about what I expected from the football game. A large margin of victory over a bad OSU team. The good thing was that our offense began clicking, our defense finally played a full 4 quarters and my margin of victory prediction was big enough for MB to win the weekly contest at work and a Best Buy gift card. I also rose 9 places in the Texags Pick Em ranking to #15...out of 1061 people. I'm a total champ this week.

Yesterday was Strike-A-Thon, the Zeta's annual breast cancer fund raiser. I gladly supported the event, even though it was run by a sorority. They did raise over $50,000, so I'm impressed, good work Zetas. Our team, the Pink Pirates (reppin the Breast Cancer awareness in our pink shirts) consisted of Tiffany (Cap'n Smitty), Nick (Seadog), MB filling in for Gage (Peg Leg), Penny (Half Pint), and me (Cap'n Krunk). We bowled good enough to not get the worst team award, but not good enough to get any other type of award. And in my second game, I did manage to score a 156, if I may promote myself a little more. The rest of my day, till after 9 was spent in some good Growth Group time.

Today, Tiffany and I were in the MSC. I was trying to leave, but she got distracted talking to the Aggie Wranglers, so I wandered over to the next table to look at the open photo album that was displayed. As I leaned over to look at the photos. the girl that was stationed behind the table, set her text book down and greeted me. I looked at her, smiled and returned the "Howdy." She asked me if I was interested in the Golden Key International Honour Society. "Well, I don't really know much about it." Somewhat of a lie... In all honesty I'd never heard of it. "Well, do you have any questions?" She asked. "Actually, I don't really know anything about it. I just came over here to look at your picture book." This was probably the time that the girl should have realized that I probably don't belong in any sort of Honor Society, let alone one that is spelled "Honour." That extra U is definately too fancy (or British) for anyone that was attracted to the table by some colorful pictures. However, since she showed a lot of effort in setting aside her studies to talk to me, I decided to let her give her speech. She told me all about it, telling me that it was by invitation only, the member benefits, scholarships, plus all the other things that make the Golden Key International Honour Society as snobby as the name suggests. She asked my major and when I told her marketing, her only reaction was, "Oh. I had a roommate that was a business major." Business...very broad. Obviously the GKIHS doesn't get many Marketing majors. We're too busy "singing and dancing in class" to be taken seriously I'm sure. Nonetheless, I ended up signing up for membership consideration, allowing them to check my records, my grades, and my pedigree. So if I'm as above average as the rest of the Society, then I suppose I get one of the coveted invitations. Which of course I'll accept. But even if I'm not elite enough to make the cut (I doubt there are too many Cap'n Krunks that make the cut), I can still brag about my College Football Pick-Em Skills...

Your Buddy List is For Buddies!

Whew...what a week. It's finally Friday, but it's no time to bum around. As my tally of group projects rises to 3 in addition to my individual project, it's time to buckle down more than ever. But of course, there's time for other things to. Like Tulane soccer at 7PM and Midnight Yell. And of course it's football weekend, so there goes my Saturday. OSU is our last sure win...which I'm not sure that even a "sure win" is something I can claim. But after this game, I'm very hesitant to predict any more victories. Maybe beating down on the lowly Cowboys will be the confidence booster that we need. Doubtful. Sunday brings growth groups of course and this week, bowling for breast cancer. The Pink Pirates are going to wreck shop. Watch yerselves.

It seems the second wave of IM viruses is circulating. I thought afte last week, they were done. But nope, I got several more last night. Kids, if you get an IM from a friend saying, "hey there check out these pics lol," then don't click on it. Actually, I don't care if you click on it, because when you get the virus and it IMs me from your screenname, I'm not going to click on it, so I'm safe. You know what? I actually do enjoy when people get these viruses because it allows me to see who has me on thier buddy list. Hey, I'm not really your buddy, why am I on your buddy list? Just because I confirmed you as a friend on Facebook, doesn't mean you can get my screen name from there and put me on your buddy list. You don't ever talk to me, so obviously I'm just listed on your buddy list for you to send viruses to. At least say hi to me before you try to infect me. It's only polite.

Here's a story that Logan told me yesterday. And my rendition of it http://artpad.art.com/?iod355bg8ic. Enjoy.

Photographic Friday!
Yeah, I know this is a rarity. Here are some pictures Karen sent me.



















Yeah, I look like a goofball. This is in Kyle before the Texas State game, the day I got my ring. That's why I'm showing the ring off...I am not rubbing my belly.













This picture is in the special Jasper picture frame I made for him.













Here's a really good shot of Kyle that Karen got before the Texas State Game.

My Studies, My Studies. My Studies...Not My Studies.

I've got a big bad MGMT test in about 6 hours. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm somewhat prepared, but you never know what this guy's gonna throw at you. This is probably the most work I've ever had to do for school. That story that things get easier as you get further along with school. Not true. Perhaps the people that say that practiced studying as they came up, so now it's a piece of cake to sit down with a book and learn. I always slept through study practice, so it's always a struggle for me to focus and be able to memorize things, let alone actually learn them. Well, I'm going to look at these management notes while Tiffany spouts out facts about liposuction...

Adjectives

I'm back from the weekend.

Frightfest was spooky.
The game was crappy.
Ticket pull this morning was rainy.
FMBWC was tasty.
Chris today is busy.

Friday, Glorious Friday!

Wow, have you been outside? It's beautiful! I just want to go outside and play all day. And by play, I mean it in the recess way. Nothing in particular. Run, slide, hide and seek, maybe even skip. But instead my youthful side is locked in this building with me doing work. I wish he'd help off with my responsibilities... After work it's group project, then the soccer game at 7.

My day began with FMBWC and then a nap. After my nap, I needed a shower so I could head to work not smelling like bacon and eggs. In the shower I was shown a very positive sign. All week I've slowly been leaning more and more towards Nikki Knight's pessimistic outlook on this weekend's game. I've always had faith in our guys, but this weekend I just didn't think we could pull it off in Colorado. As I finished my shower and turned the water off, I turned around to where the foam letters spelling out "C DUB" had been. I noticed that some of the letters had slid down the wall and now rested on the floor. Those letters were CU. And what was stillhanging on despite the weathering they had taken? "D B." It all made sense. Clearly, I was being told that CU would fall and our DBs would hang tough. My faith is renewed. The Ags will do it!

I guess I'm going to have to wait until the end of the night to see if they do in fact pull it off. I'm recording the game on the DVR so I can watch it the second we get back from Six Flags. I'm hoping I can make it through the dayy without hearing the score. Speaking of Cable... I hate COX. After a lengthy discussion with them in person yesterday, we were making no progress. We told them to cut off all the channels except the extended basic so that I could record the game this weekend. And after that, we'd be looking for a new cable company. Clinton reminded them that treating their customers badly, poor service, and not being able to get a hold of them is not a good way to retain customers. I agree.

Have a good weekend! Gig 'Em Ags! And go outside and play!

No Sleep Till...Brooklyn

Shout out to the Beastie Boys with this title. It encompases the theme of my day thus far and it's definate party music since my day has been a party. It started out in my shower, one of the 2 "party showers" in my house. My roommates decided to use Nick's birthday presents of shower crayons and foam letters to decorate the shower. There are colors screaming good morning from every direction on the shower wall. It's quite glorious. I decided today I would eat a pop-tart and drink some milk, probably a healthy alternative to the Full Throttle I've been counting on every Tuesday/Thursday to keep me awake. I was under the impression that I didn't really need the FT to keep me awake and going on this early morning, that it was all in my head. Well I was wrong.

I got to Zimmer's class (possibly the most boring class that I've had to sit through), took out my crossword, and realized it was Thursday. Those of you that are acquainted with the Batt's crossword will know what that means. As the week progresses, the difficulty of the crossword progresses. By Thursday, it's too hard for me to do. So after I filled in the blanks of the 10 answers I knew, I looked at the clock and realized I still had an hour left in this chair. That was the time that the realization of the dependence I had on Full Throttle hit me. My eyes grew heavy, the lecture grew boring. I glanced around the room of 20 or so students and saw 2 others attempting to sleep. The first was face down on the desk. Not very discrete. Good I won't be the only one... The other was a girl with her head resting on her arm, face pointed towards the notes laying on her desk, but from my position I could clearly see her closed eyes. I opted for this girl's strategy. I looked down at my notes, closed my eyes... I managed to get a couple of winks of some quite terrible sleep, I'm not sure exactly how long I was out. It was long enough for my professor to go over a mere 2 slides, but knowing this prof, that could have taken an hour. I glanced up at her and her eyes caught mine and held them in a stare as she lectured. I quickly pulled away and returned them to my notes. A few minutes later, she released class and I confided in my neighbor, Sarah that I hadn't stayed awake the whole time in class and I was thinking about going upstairs and finding a place to sleep for an hour or so. She told me that it was a good idea and good luck. then we parted ways.

Deciding the 4th floor was a good floor to try, I walked to the end of the hall, further than I had ever traveled before. At the end of the hall, there was one of Wehner's padded benches sitting beside a table that was surrounded by chairs on the other 3 sides. I got comfortable, set my alarm on my cell phone and closed my eyes to rest. Soon enough though, I heard voices around me and I opened my eyes, looked around, and realized it was party time once again. There were 7 or so kids sitting around me in the other chairs about to start a group meeting. Although I was taking up 1/4 of the table space, I decided I probably wasn't invited. So I pakced up and moved on down to the WCL. I'm still in need of a nap and I'm not sure when that will come. I still have 2 classes to make it through and a probable pop quiz in this next one. Oh well, I'll make it through the day. But probably not awake.

Short and Sweet

It's way hot in here. Normally they keep it 20 below for the printers. But now I'm sweating. And Xerox 2 is looking at me panting. Other then that, there's not much going on. The Pink Pirates signed up today to help breat cancer research by joining the bowling tournament. I'm sure we won't dominate. Hopefully Penny will carry our team though. I have an article and some slides to read for class now. What I really want though is a nap. Class goes until 7PM. We play the sips in volleyball at 6:30 tonight. That upsets me. My prof is such a 2%er. Apparently being sleepy makes me write short sentences. I like short sentences.

In place of more rambling by me, I've decided that this would be some good outside reading. Mainly the title. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171358,00.html

Perspective

I hate COX (My 3rd call, 30 minutes and 3 transfers should be enough to get my bill back to the price it's supposed to be...nope apparently not)
I hate the Full Throttle Machine that gave me Sugar Free instead of regular (I feel your pain now, Nick)
I hate the melted chocolate in my left pocket. (But I like that it rhymes).

I'm thankful that I get a nap at 2:30.
I'm thankful for a win over Baylor.
I'm thankful for my awesome Growth Group tonight.
I'm thankful that T Murph wasn't seriously injured last night.
I'm thankful for all my friends and family.
I'm thankful for my Lord Jesus for humbling himself from God almighty to the lowest of men, living his life as a humble servant, and dying for me.

Let's switch focus from the first list to the second one...

Noteworthy

“Nick Cleavelin, version 22.0 was released today,” as Clinton’s away message reads. So I’d like to start out with a big Happy Birthday to my roommate, Nick! You’re old. Tonight we’ll celebrate with 25 of our good friends in MGMT. Then we plan on gathering up some of our other friends and hitting up Olive Garden for dinner. Nick’s mom ordered the biggest cookie cake in the entire nation for Nick’s birthday. Seriously, it takes up like half of the kitchen table. Even Nick was overwhelmed by the amount of cookie and I've never seen Nick intimidated by food before.

Another notable event coming this week is the annual trip to Six Flags and Fright Fest… It’s like Karen’s favorite thing in the world to do. So, road trip to Arlington this weekend, I’ll bring the soundtrack. What I’m most excited about is the stop we’ll make at Taco Bueno! Yesterday also marked Penny and my 3^rd Monthaversary. Quite notable as well.

My parents came into town Friday evening and we partook all that gameday weekend had to offer. The game didn’t go as I’d predicted or hoped, but we came out with a win. Surprisingly it was our offense that held us back and our defense that kept us in the game. Nonetheless, my family had a great time and are now big Aggie fans. They really enjoyed our traditions and the atmosphere and are now hoping to return in 2 weeks to watch us BTHO OSU. Whoop!

Special Getaway

I knocked 2 tests out yesterday...or perhaps they knocked me out. We'll see when the grades come out. That concludes the end of the first round of tests and oh my...I'm in for a long semester. After my first test, I had some time to myself to relax...which I chose to spend in the Bio/Bio bathroom (one of the best bathrooms on campus I'll have you know). Well, it seems that my usual stall was occupied, so I moved down to the last one. You know the one, the so called, "handicapped" stall. I decided I think a better name for it would be the Hummer stall. Because I had all that extra room, but what was I going to do with it? I decided that I had enough room to bring in a table and have a tea party right there. Of course I would have had to bring in another chair for my guest... Bathroom stalls are for the most part, rather cozy. You can't deny it. It's a nice little retreat away from the outside world. For the most part, you're in complete solitude. Best of all, you can keep a watchful eye on those on the outside through the conveniently placed gap by the door hinges. Just so you can keep track of what's going on out there, who's washing their hands and who isn't...stuff like that. But this was my moment of solitude, I tried hard to drown out the guy next to me, let's call him Blue Flip Flop Guy since that's all I really know about him. BFFG must have been the fastest reader in the world, I thought as the sound of him flipping pages in a newspaper returned every 5 seconds. Soon it was time for me to go, as I didn't want to overstay my welcome. I took my backpack from the corner of my large, luxorious cubicle and proceeded to Ag Cafe and to the rest of my day. Sometimes you just have to get away. And while Hawaii is out of the way, the Bio/Bio Bathroom is always there for you to go close your eyes and enjoy a momentary vacation. And if you listen closely, I swear you can hear the waves.

Kevin and I went bike riding last night (Special shoutout to Merriam for not hitting us with the bus). We cruised the campus, made some adventure, it's a good, fun workout. Crawling up the ladder in the parking garage, opening the hatch, peeking my head up and coming face to face with a video camera...that just doesn't happen working out at the Rec. To end the night, we rode our bikes down the ramps to the bottom of the parking garage where we saw a nice blue alarm light going off. We're nearly positive that we were the cause for that.

Now this is the part of the blog where I remind everyone how bad we're going to beat Baylor. I anticipate a beating by at least 30 points, a larger margin of victory would not surprise me. But here's the prediction: Aggies-54, cubs-24. I can't wait to make all those jerks eat their words. But first thing's first. Our ladies have to take care of Boise State tonight at the Aggie Soccer Complex. Game's at 7, I'm headed there after work to meet my hooligans an hour and a half before the game starts. My parents are then coming to town, which I'm super excited about. I finally got them up here to enjoy a football game. They don't get the whole Aggie thing. I hope I'm able to show them some good Aggie traditions and a good Aggie time without freaking them out too much. First, I'm taking them to midnight yell...this should be fun.

Dance Party

Karen, she made me a C Rat cake. I'm very thankful for that. Thank you Karen. And thanks for your comments. Also, for those of you that don't know Karen, let me tell you that she has what she thinks is the best joke in the world. If you see her, ask her about it...it'll make you "appreciate your brain cells," Tiffany promises. And also, I appreciate Penny too. Thank you for going to the store with me to visit our friendly, hat-loving neighbor that gives out free milk!

But mostly, I appreciate the crazy spontaneous dance parties that the residents of my apartment break into. With Nick DJing from his keyboard and Clinton and I gettin krunk, it was off da chain fo rizzle. I encourage y'all to join us next time you need a study break.

For some reason I had "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" stuck in my head today. I don't know where it came from. Luckily Tiffany was here to replace that song with "Yes, Jesus Loves Me." I suppose I'll use the rest of the time at work to probably work and then study for my 2 tests tomorrow. Tiffany also requests that I use some of this time to teach her to study like me and make good grades. I assume by that, she wants to learn how to use study time to mainly sing songs and dance around, but still make As. It takes natural ability Tiffany. And that's something that can't be taught.

"A Major Disappointment"

I typed a very long and what I considered to be one of my best written entries today. And the computer deleted it. Now I don't have time to duplicate the last post, but I'll do what I can. I hate technology...but only because it hated me first.

It seems a large number of the residents of the B/CS area were rather disappointed with Hurricane Rita. They'd stockpiled, made big hurricane plans, and then Rita dodged us. Disappointing indeed...I think these people should go look at some of the pictures taken of Beaumont and refamiliarize themselves with the footage we've all seen of New Orleans. Then we'll see how disappointed you are by your excess of bottled water and batteries. I myself am thankful that the hurricane missed Corpus and College Station completely (aside from the devestating winds ripping a stick out of a tree at my apartment and blowing it across the parking lot). However, if you or or families were affected by the hurricane, just know that the nation is praying for you. My grandad very recently bought a house in Vidor. He left my mom a voicemail saying, "it's not good." The eye of the hurricane passed right near Vidor, bringing some of the most devestating weather with it. Reed Arena is now housing over 950 evacuees, bringing in many from our own state, in addition to those from Louisiana. This morning at FMBWCEFPWWIIM, we saw several tables full of troops sent in to help aid in the relief efforts. We spoke with one of the men as we were cooking our breakfast on the grill, he said he was sent from El Paso. Quite a distance away. Troops were sent from all over to help alleviate what is being called a disaster area. I consider myself blessed to not be included in that area and not a bit diasappointed.

Speaking of disasters, the Aggies barely pulled out a win over AA Texas State. In the worst game I've ever witnessed at Kyle, our defense did nearly all they could do to ensure a loss. Luckily our offense was able to step up as usual and bring the team out of the hole the defense left them in. Big props to Reggie, Jason Carter, Courtney Lewis, and Chad Schroeder. This was the first time that A&M has ever recorded a 300 yard passer (Reggie), 200 yard receiver (Carter), and 100 yard rusher (Lewis) in a single game. And Chad...all he does is score touchdowns. After the Texas State game, his stats are as follows: 5 receptions for 5 TDs, 1 Rush for 1 TD. I'm convinced that the only reason Fran doesn't put Chad in to return kicks is because he'd score on every attempt and Reggie wouldn't get any offensive stats. With one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA, even a merely decent defense could ensure the Aggies would be a forced to be reckoned with. But we don't have a decent defense. Our defense is horrendous. It's a defense that allowed a AA school to score 31 points and rack up 493 yards of offense. That's more yards than either Delta State or S Utah gave up to Texas State...and those aren't exactly what you'd call defensive powerhouses. Despite the mere two days we had to prepare for Texas State (compared to their full week due to a bye last week) because of the hurricane, we should not allow any school, especially one that is not Division 1-A to put up nearly 500 yards. This makes me very uneasy about playing Baylor next week (not to mention t.u. and tech down the line). However, I am not one of those that is expecting a loss at the hands of the Bears. Losing to anyone at Kyle, let alone Baylor is not something that we should be afraid of. This is Kyle field, the most intimidating place to play in all of College Sports. And they're Baylor... Despite the wretched defense that showed up last game, I am expecting a 30 point win over a sadly confident Baylor team... Just how many points the offense will have to score in order to achieve this margin of victory is all up to how many points our defense allows. 37-7? 80-50? We'll see...

Aggie Ring Day

It's beautiful. I finally got my Aggie Ring yesterday. It's been a long time coming, but there it is on my right hand. Ring day was different than usual. We just had to walk up to get our rings, no waiting in line for tickets. I'd say it was very efficient, I don't know why they don't do it like that normally. I ran into a bunch of people I knew getting their rings too, including far too many Calallen kids. It was an exciting time. I had to wait what seemed all day to put it on my finger though. After a lovely breakfast with Jonathan, one of my Growth Group guys, I had to go take that big bad MGMT test for that t-sip prof of mine. It didn't turn out to be as big and bad as we all expected. The Multiple Choice section was down right easy. We'll see how the essays turned out sometime. My prof didn't even show up for the test, she had family to tend to in Houston. Tuesday she refused to postpone the test for the students that had family in the coastal area. There's a guy in my class that was sent here from Tulane that had to head to Galveston after the tet to help his grandparents board up. I imagine he's still on the road. The traffic reports I was hearing yesterday were unreal. 26 Hours from Houston to Dallas? I'm glad I'm staying right here in CS. The hurricane moved anyway, I doubt we'll see any major storms.

Nonetheless, I'm off of work today, it does not seem like a Friday at all, I agreed with Nick when he said it feels like Thanksgiving. Last night did not feel like a football game at all either, I'd say the defense agreed with me as they didn't even show up. It was seriously the worst game I've ever witnessed at Kyle Field. Letting a I-AA school hang with us like that is inexcusable. Luckily we have some talented guys on offense; Reggie, Courtney, Jason Carter, Chad "All He Does Is Score Touchdowns" Schroeder. They did their best to make up for the terrible defense. I dont think our secondary could be any worse. If our defense was half-way decent, I'd say our offense could lead us to a Big XII Championship. But they aren't half-way decent, they aren't any type of decent. I don't care if we only had 3 days to prepare and Texas State had a whole bye-week preparing for us, they're a AA school that deserved to beat us...on Kyle. That is Inexcusable.

That's all... I got my ring, our defense is the worst ever, and the reason Fran doesn't put Shroeder in returning kicks is because then Reggie wouldn't get a chance to get any offensive stats... It's Photographic Friday and I have some dandies! Look at it sparkle!
















Tiffany and my fingers look naked as we wait
for the others to arrive.















That's more like it!

Hurricanes!

There is a big, bad hurricane coming! Look at this thing, it's huge. Galveston is under manditory evacuation and Corpus residents are closely watching the weather. We've got a lot of Galveston CIS people that were sent here, running in and out hecticly. The announcement about the Texas State game has been postponed until 3PM today. they will then tell us whether the game is cancelled or rescheduled for tomorrow. I've heard from various sources that the game will most likely be moved to 7:30PM tomorrow night, but that's not for certain. If it is moved to then, it'll be the craziest Ring Day ever! Test, get my ring, game time. I'll be keeping an eye on the storm and will be decided whether to stay in CS or head to Austin or Waco for the weekend, just to stay dry. Hurricane road trip! My class for tonight is cancelled because the prof has to go to Pearland and board up his house. So I'll be attending the Tulane soccer game at 7PM. Come out and support the Green Wave!

If anyone read the Batt yesterday, join with me in congratulating the most worthless people on campus for getting published all on the same day. The grad student that was upset that the Batt did not capitalize the F in Farenheit, check this out, I don't even know if I spelled it right. She said that the Batt was taking away from all the teaching done in the classroom by this mistake. It makes me reconsider going to grad school. I dont want to be one of those people. And next was the guy that disagreed with the writer that wrote that Video Games were a dangerous addiction. He argued against the fact that the writer said, "Once the social element is taken away, (video games) have very little benefit." The arguer said to subsitute "cell phones" for "video games" in that sentence because they are harmful too. No dummy, once you take the social element away from cell phones, what else do you have? That's the whole purpose of the phone. His whole argument was dumb. Hey nerd, video games aren't real and are probably harmful in the excess that you play them. Next was the liberal hippie that finished his argument against Bush with the line, "He's living the Bush family nightmare; helping poor, black people." Ugh...how does that get put in the Batt? Lastly, the people offended by the cartoons Ivan Flores draws are back once again. He draws scantly clad cartoons that I'm not really a fan of, but I think it's ridiculous how many people complain. I thought we solved this 2 years ago when I wrote in my sarcastic response to all these arguers. There were a couple of girls on the front of the Batt sunning in their swimsuits. I thought it was ironic how many people were offended by the cartoons, but not about the actual scantly clad people... Oh well. I was going to write into mail call, but I thought I wouldnt get published by calling people dummies, so I write here. Alright kids, stay safe, keep the gulf coast in your prayers.

Good Bull Story - Jaxson Appel

Jaxson Appel plays Free Saftey for the Aggies, he'sI've always liked Jaxson, he's one of my favorites, definately a team leader. Saturday he recovered a blocked punt and returned it for a touchdown. There are many stories about the guy, including him playing the whole season 2 years back with a severely broken hand with pins and screws in it and still leading the team in tackles. But here is the story I want to share, I found it on TexAgs yesterday. It found its way to Gage's computer this morning as well and she also really liked it.

From Texags:
"My parents came into town for the game and had a grand old time in the shady section, with me stuck up in section 331. Afterward, we go out to eat at delicious McCallister's and my mother is dying to tell me about the game. I'm a junior so I'm a bit surprised how excited she is to tell me something because she's seen the Ags beat the hell out of schools before. She waits until we're all sitting and listening. She then tells me one of the best stories I'd ever heard. Now my parents aren't old Ags, but they've come to love the university they've sent their son to. One of the things I've taught them is that Jaxson Appel is one of my favorite players, and honestly, lots of people's favorite. So there they are in the stadium and they are chatting with the people behind them and can't help but notice their "Jaxson's Mom" and "#19 Appel" t-shirts. They ask and they don't just wear the shirts, but are in fact his family. They chat a little bit and eventually tell my parents this story.Now as we all know, in highschool Appel was a defender like none other... but what I didn't know is that he was also a featured running back. Before each game, his mom would tell Jaxson to "score one for me." When he invariably would, he tapped his helmet for her so she knew that he was thinking of her.Then on September 17, 1998, her father passed away the day before his birthday. Although she was practically inconsolable, Jaxson still tried to lift his mother's spirit. That night she told him that there was something he could do. During the game Friday, don't score one for her. She told him to "score one for Poppa".The opening kickoff, Jaxson returned it 102 yards for the score. He got down on one knee, pointed to the sky and said, "Happy Birthday Poppa, this one is for you. I know it isn’t much of a gift but it is all I have to give." The entire team did as well, and knelt in the end zone.Now as my parents are listening to this story, they're getting slightly teary eyed, as was Mrs. Appel on telling it, and even me on retelling this.She continued. Less than an hour before kickoff and the team is preparing for the game in the locker room. Mrs. Appel gets a call from her mother, telling her that today is Poppa's birthday... could Jaxson score one for him? Coming out of the locker room before the game, Mrs. Appel ran along side the team. "Today is Poppa's birthday! Mimi asked to score one for Poppa. A la junior year!" Jaxson gave a thumbs up and yelled "I love you Mom."Mrs. Appel, quite teary at this point, had finished her part of the story. Jaxson told the rest. SMU, deep in their own territory, was ready to punt. They got a clean snap and a good catch... but Amos Ghunblee blocked it and the ball bounced right into the hands of #19 for a Fightin' Texas Aggie touchdown. The sluggish start to the game had finally been broken and the good guys had put points on the board. Kyle Field erupts.But Jaxson took a knee, and pointed to Poppa. That one was for him."

His aunt also replied to the thread:
"i wanted to thank all who have responded to this article. Jaxson is my nephew and it is my Dad (Ralph Lowe) whom he honored with his touchdown. to be able to celebrate my Dad's birthday seven years after his passing is something special. my Dad's favorite saying was "Pass it on" and it means so much to all the family for the spirit of Ralph Lowe and the spirit of Aggieland to be forever linked on this special occasion. Many Thanks--Blake Lowe"

And then his Mother in the most emotional post:
"I, like my brother, want to thank you all for what you have written. For years I have read on Texags some pretty bad things written about Jaxson. It was hard on this mother's heart but I know everyone is entitled to their opinion and if I can't take criticism then I need to quit reading it. But today has made up for all those times I wanted to gouge out all the eyes of every poster that said my boy wasn't fast enough, or couldn't cover and so on. Thank you for what you have given me today, thank you for what you have given my mother. The story started in little league when Jaxson was playing fullback. Instead of saying good luck I would say “score on for me”. He would score, but one day after a game I asked him which one was for me. He had scored several times and I wasn't sure which one I got. He was 11. He said “I tell you what, mom, the next time I score and it is for you I will pat my head.” He scored on the first drive of the next game and he patted his head, he scored later on in the quarter and he patted his head and to this day he pats his head whenever he scores. He's done it every touchdown of his football career except one. That was on Sept. 17, 1998, his junior year in high school. My father had just died and I was very distraught. I cried and cried all day, they finally sent me home from work. That night I was still crying, it was my father’s birthday tomorrow and for the first time he would not be here to celebrate with me. Jaxson came up to me and he said “I can't stand to see you like this what can I do?” I told him there is nothing you can do. He was adamant that he had to do something. I told him him, tomorrow is Poppa's birthday instead of scoring one for me score one for Poppa. He took the opening kickoff 102 yards, knelt down in the end zone and said "Happy Birthday, Poppa, this one is for you. I know it isn’t much of a gift but it is all I have to give." The whole team followed suit, knelt down in the end zone and said Happy Birthday to my dad. Sat. Sept 17, 2005 my mother calls me 45 minutes before game time. "Can Jaxson score one for Poppa on his birthday?” How am I going to pull this one off, he's in the locker room, he doesn't remember it's Dad's birthday, it's been 7 years, how am I going to tell him? And guess what mom, he plays Defense!!! I don't tell her this I just say O.K. I wait 45 minutes in front of the locker room praying that out of 135 players number 19 will pass by me. We make eye contact the second he comes out of the door. What are the chances of that? I have about 5 seconds to tell him of his 85-year-old grandmother's request. I start running with them to the field. I yell over the crowd, “today is Poppa's birthday, Mimi ask to score one for Poppa.” As he runs away I yell “Ah la junior year”. He gives me thumbs up and yells back, I love you mom.And I'll be damn if the kid didn't do it. Picked up that blocked punt, ran to the end zone, knelt down in the end zone pointed straight to the sky and said "Happy Birthday Poppa, this one’s for you, I know it's not much of a present but it's all I have to give." To all my brothers and sister, to all my nieces and nephews, to my most beloved mother, Poppa is doing just fine in heaven because surely he had a hand in this one.Shana Lowe Appel"

Very heart warming story about a tough guy. The full thread can be found here: Jaxson, Score One For Poppa

In other news, I got an 84 (after an 8 point curve) on my first big, bad MGMT 466 test. I didn't realize we had assigned articles for to read for class, neither idd Nick. When we got to class and he said we were discussing the articles, I began praying to not be called on. It worked, for 50 minutes he called on the other 25 people in class without picking Nick or me out But the class is 75 minutes long... So just when I thought I was in the clear, he called on me. After all the strategies I'd gone over in my head for evading the question, avoiding his attention, I'd been called out. Luckily, my friend Janette had read and took notes! I was able to form a vague, but acceptable answer. Nick wasn't as lucky...

Do your homework kids, it's a good idea...