"Life At The Ranch"

Sorry I didn't update last week, it was a hectic day with me driving 3-4 hours everyday. This next week won't be quite that bad. And by bad, I don't mean unenjoyable, I mean hectic. I'm still enjoying it.

Anyway, as some of you know, a couple of weeks ago I finished the editing of the documentary that we filmed before I moved out. This weekend brought the Screening and the World Premiere of the DVD, "Life At The Ranch." It was given good reviews and commanded applause from the first audience. Now, here it is for all the world to see. It's cut up into 3 parts due to YouTube's time restrictions. It's about 23 minutes total and the end seems to be everyone's favorite (including mine). So, enjoy and let us know what you think. If you wanna watch the DVD, which obviously is much better quality then you'll see here, other showings may be on the way.


Life At The Ranch: Part 1




Life At The Ranch: Part 2




Life At The Ranch: Part 3

The Scottish Uprising Will Not Be Televised

I went to a church this morning that is approximately 1.5 minutes from my apartment. I enjoyed it. An Aggie sat next to me, she was class of '02. After the service she (and her husband, and 3 other people) wanted to make sure I met the college pastor. They were all fully aware that I had graduated, but they thought that I should fellowship with people my own age. I'm not an old guy yet, there are plenty of '06ers that are still in school (and 'o5ers!). So I was invited to the college bible study tonight. In addition, he invited me to his Sunday School class next week. Now this is a small church, so his Sunday school class is not just college students. It a wide variety that streches from 7th Grade - College. A little too weird for me honestly... But I got my small loaf of bread and a cassette tape and came home.

At home, Kevin was getting some cable out of his Directv van. Apparently since he has that van in the parking lot and the complex uses Directv, the other tenants think that he works for the complex. Anyway, he had an easy job for a woman that approached him this morning, so he was readying a cable to take over there to her. As he was doing so, our Scottish neighbor walked over. He was ready to rant about Directv to Kevin. We'd talked earlier about how inconvenient it is that our apartment complex will only allow us to go through a specific provider for internet and phone and through Directv for cable. The fact that their company only offers slow internet irked me. Them not allowing an international call package irritated ol' Scotty who makes a lot of international calls. And the both of us agreed that the cable service they offer has its negetives. I like the channels we get, College Sports TV rocks my face. However, the fact that there is no guide on the screen and since we have a hodgepodge of stations, there's no guide online or in print that will help us out, we never know what is on any given station. Also, there's no box on our tv, so DVR is out of the question. Now those were the complaints that Scotty was ready to file with Kevin. As little tv as I watch, it hasn't been as huge of an ordeal for me. However, my Scottish friend exclaimed that the World Cup is coming up and since it's in Germany, the live broadcasts will be coming on early in the morning. Since Kevin could not help him, we suggested talking to the front office about it and I gave him a channel guide.
"If I am going to miss the World Cup, there will be a Scottish uprising over there," he said in his thick Scottish accent as he pointed to his apartment. "If you hear curse words being yelled in Scottish, you'll know where it's coming from."

So, while Germany has been taking extra precautions this year to help protect against hooliganism, they've forgot to secure Montgomery Trace apartments. Let's hope this is corrected by June 9th...

Confetti!

Chris' Tip of the Day:
The easiest way to make confetti? Leave a pamplet in the back pocket of your jeans when you wash them. When the spin cycle is done, it's like a little party in your washing machine. And stuck all over your clothes and towels... It's the easiest way, but realize that it is also the most inconvenient method...

Gettin Krunk

Just came in from playing ball in my parking lot. Not as easy as it has been. The parking lot down near my apartment is getting pretty crowded... My normal ball-playing spot was pretty convenient and quite accomadating, but now it's over.

Penny came and visited me this weekend, which I loved. We spent some time in The Woodlands and then in Conroe at the outlet mall. What do you do with a girl? Take her shopping is usually a pretty easy answer... Honestly, I needed some new clothes. Grownup clothes. And I got plenty. For dinner tonight, we ate at a nice little place here in Montgomery, the Heritage House Restraunt. It's the oldest restraunt in this historic city. It had good food, good service, and huge portions. I've learned that Montgomery is not short on good places to eat. My favorite part of the dining experience was the fact that our elderly waitress left the tea and water pitcher on our table so that she could easily fill people's glasses sitting near us. I opted to fill my own whenever I needed to. Penny's gone now, always the worst part of the visit... Kevin's coming up here tonight to bring a second load of stuff as he's finally moving in.

A little story from tonight. Penny's gone, I'm doing laundry, so I have some basketball shorts and a wife beater on, my music pumped up so I can dance around my house and get straight krunk. I push the load in the washing machine and head out to my car to get some shoes out of the back seat. As I walk out and close my door, I can still hear the beat bumpin inside my apartment. Just then, some people in the apartment across from me leave. It's my new neighbor's parents. I didn't know anyone was in there, I didn't expect to see anyone out there, I've been the only tenant in my entire building for the past 2 weeks, so seeing actual people was a surprise. The father looked at me with a slight scowl and said nothing. The mother faked a smile.
"Hi," I said, "Are y'all moving in there?"
"No," the woman replied. "Our daughter is moving in. Her friend will also be living there." The conversation abruptly ended.
Uncomfortable and overly aware of my appearance, I quickly said "I don't normally dress like this.." a little louder than I meant to. "I've been the only person here for two weeks so I didn't think anyone would be out here."
The woman nodded, flashed a quick smile and added, "That's the nice part about being by yourself." The man remained silent as he walked to his car and got in. The woman walked to the passenger's side. I shrugged, went to my car and then returned to my house for the rest of my dance party.

I asked for neighbors and now I got 'em. So far however, they've been a real inconvenience and apparently, they don't approve of the way I dress. They probably think I'm a young punk kid. I have a job! With a briefcase! And clients! Bah...so much for the first impression.

Mmm...Cheesecake

So, yeah it's 10PM and I'm just now getting home. It was a long day (which isn't necessarily bad). I got to hang out with the clients all day, learn some more stuff. It was all good. I got off work a little before 5, we had dinner in The Woodlands at 7, so there was no sense in me coming home between then, so I ran some errands and hung out at The Woodlands Mall. All kinds of interesting people in there. Somehow a group of 4 punks tried to have a quasi-thug look, but retaining their upper class preppiness all the while. They irritated me as they hung out between Banana Republic and Abercrombie, so I moved across the mall to another bench. Anyway, 7 rolled around and I got an abundance of good food, courtesy of my company at The Cheesecake Factory. We had so many appetizers, I filled up on that by the time my food came. And then was dessert. Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake is probably the best thing ever. It's even better than mashed potatoes. Anyway, as I was saying, a long day isn't necessarily bad. So far, all things have been good in Montgomery. I have been blessed with a job that I am liking and a nice little town to come home to. Of course I miss the comfort and friends College Station provides and the family in Corpus, but for now I can call Montgomery "home."

I bought the Lecrae album today in The Woodlands, I've listened to a couple of songs off of it, I was on the phone most of my driving time tonight. But as we already know, it was straight krunk.

Another thing that I think is awesome is a new CD of lullabies. These lullabies are put out by some company (Rock-A-Bye Records Maybe?) to soothe your child, you know typical lullaby stuff. The awesome part: they do it by toning down rock artists. Right now, they've released their first 5 (or so) records, including Metallica of course. Maybe that's something even I could fall asleep to.

And lastly, it's June 1st, which of course is the first day of Hurricane Season. Always an exciting time as we coastal people know. Happy Hunting.

Scotty

First off, a happy birthday to Kevin. He arrived at my door today, accompanied by Jason. They just stopped by to say hello. It was nice to see some faces I hadn't seen in a while. Especially here in Montgomery where familiarity is rare.

I did meet a Scottish man tonight, helped him move a few things in his apartment, which is across the parking lot. Tomorrow at work, a lot of clients will be in for a workshop. This will be a good opportunity for me to learn some things, meet some clients, and eat at the Cheesecake Factory tomorrow night. So I look forward to it.

In other news, I got a wireless router for my apartment since no one around me has wireless for me to steal. Well actually...no one lives around me... Anyway, I encrypted it so that people can't freeload off of me like I was accustomed to doing in Fox Meadows.

And finally, I've discovered that Lecrae has some skills that few can match. He's a rapper that gives all his glory to God. So yeah, he's a Christian rapper. If you think that's whack, give this guy a listen. Hard beats, smart rhymes while spittin the Truth through his lyrics the whole time. I'm kind of upset that I missed this guy when he came to College Station this past semester. I heard he was coming, but at the time had no idea who he was. Here's a portion of his testimony, hip hop style: Take Me As I Am. His crew, Clique 116 (for Romans 1:16) has several other members also commited to spreading the gospel through hip hop. Anyway, check em out. Reach Records.

That's it, I'm out. Keep on rockin and make sure you got clean underwear...

Liquor and Lillies

I'm easing in. It hasn't been too bad. 3 days of work the first week and now, this week will have only 4 thanks to Memorial Day. I had fun yesterday. It was good returning to the farm finally. It's been forever!

In other news, I found yet another notable store in Willis. It's a Liquor store that also sells flowers. I imagine they're trying to give men an excuse to stop there on the way home.

Wife: You didn't stop by the liquor store did you?
Man: No way honey! I stopped by the *hic* florist. I got you a 12 pack...err dozen roses!

Why is it in cartoons, hiccups are a dead giveaway that someone's been drinking. I think that's a much simpler sobriety test.

Anyway, not much else going on. I went to Wells Fargo and Philly Connection during my lunch break today. I'm branching out, trying new food places and learning the city some...well the Northwest side anyway. Tonight I'll be cooking some Sausage and Egg taquitos on my new electric griddle. Thanks Penny!

I got mail today! For the first time since living here, my mail box wasn't empty. And just when I thought I'd been giving out the wrong address. It wasn't much, just one piece of mail. But it was a check from IHS. Which marks not only my first piece of mail here in Montgomery, but also my first paycheck from a big person job. What a day! And now to celebrate, how about those taquitos?

My First Day and Other Lessons From Conroe

Well that was it. My first day is over. It wasn't bad. I don't feel like I accomplished all that much and I have no idea what tomorrow has in store for me (other than lunch with a client). I do know that over the next couple of months, I'll be traveling quite a bit around Texas.

Other than work, I've been doing some other learning. I've learned that people in Conroe are terrible drivers. On my first 4 days here, I daily saw at least one person blatently run a red light (it happened twice yesterday). That doesn't mean it turned red as they were driving under it. It means that it was red long before they got to the white line that you're supposed to stop at and sped through anyway. We don't do that where I come from! Welcome to Houston traffic, I'm very glad I live in Montgomery away from that. All I have to deal with is the speedsters.

Secondly, I learned that the people here sure love having shops that combine random products and services. For instance, on my way to work, I pass by a "Psychic." They have signs offering palm reading, tarot cards, all that nonsense. Surrounding this small building are numerous boats. And a sign sits below the sign reading "Psychic" that says "We Buy Boats!" That's got to be a good sign for the used boating industry. If a psycic is getting into the business, good things are sure to be coming... Right... Also, in Willis yesterday I passed a small shop that had two products. Liquor and Doughnuts. That's all. I can't imagine any reason that someone would decide to open Frank's (I don't remember the name) Liquor and Donuts. Well, maybe they want to provide for the morning commute and the after-work commute... Or maybe, heck, people like holes in their pastries? How about some holes in your liver as well?

The End Of Summer As We Know It

Well, today is my last day of summer. Ever. I guess tomorrow I will be thrown into adulthood. It's been a fun 22 years. Now I'm going to try something else. I'm a little nervous about the job, starting a real, meanigful careeer. I think I like all the people I'm going to be working with and the job. It's just different once you're actually in there everyday. I hope I'm a right fit mainly. It's exactly 15 minutes from here to work. I made the drive this morning at 7:30 to test it out. Then I came home and had a nap. Something everyone should do on the last day of summer. Those naps are going to become nearly extinct.

I'm mainly excited because my Penny is coming up to see me this evening! Apparently she misses me enough to drive the 45 minutes after work. I've missed her too. Well, it's time to do something... I haven't quite decided what yet. But here's what you can do. Read this comic.












The story of my life...

All Moved In

After a few days of moving in, I'm just about settled. I now have internet in my apartment, so I'm not completely disconnected from the world. So far I'm enjoying the town, quaint little place. Too small for me to know anyone yet. A little different than College Station where anywhere I'd go, I would see someone I knew. Plus there I had friends and roommates to do things with. As of now, the person I know the best here is the dude that came out to fix my internet. My roommates did come out here for dinner last night. It was good stuff, I'm glad they came out so we could explore downtown Montgomery together. Well, just wanted to update y'all and let you know that Montgomery is a short 45 minute drive from College Station. That's perfectly doable for those of you that want to come see me. Anna wants to see you too. And now I'll leave you with a historic fact. The birthplace of the Texas flag is Montgomery, Texas. How bout that.

Last Day In College Station

So, it's my last full day in CS. I move tomorrow morning. So now, I sit in my empty room. I need to shower and get on with my day. I've just been packing all morning, but I need to get clean and go eat with Penny now. 4 years is not long enough to have been a resident of College Station, I'm leaving far before my time. But I'll be back, I'll miss College Station and it will definately miss me. Until then, I'll get acquainted with Montgomery. And now, on with my day.

More Packing

So, my old laptop? What am I to do with it? That was a question that came up today. It's sat in the closet for the past several months. Discarded, as it should be with its crashed hard drive and bad RAM. I decided to try and turn it on yesterday, what the heck. The nerds said that it would cost thousands of dollars to salvage the hard drive. Why believe them, right? I can do it for free by just sitting it in the closet and a couple of months later push the power button. No such luck... I returned it to its resting place in the closet. When I came across it today, however, it was time to take action. Most everything in my closet had been boxed up, ready to be shipped out to Montgomery tomorrow. I picked it up again, took it down the hall trying to decide what to do with it. I decided to sit it on the ground, plug it in and try once more. Amazingly, Windows booted up. And there it was! My desktop! I hadn't seen it in so long. Despite it's unstable nature, all the errors and text boxes that kept popping up reminding me that the drive was corrupt, I was amazed that it worked. All the stuff that I was upset about losing was at my fingertips, now if only it'll stay up long enough to allow me to burn it to CD. 8 CDs later, I rescued everything that I had been missing. Most notably, the last CD contained the hundreds of away messages I had created in college. As you may have seen, I've been displaying random selections from the Chris' Comments series. I was so excited. What good fortune! And it provided a nice break from packing all day. That is not a fun thing to do.

I had a short conversation with my across the parking lot neighbor (hippie) on my way to the dumpster. He admitted he liked moving. I don't know if it's something he naturally likes or if he grew to like it. He'd previously told me that he moved 17 times in his life so far. He's not even to his 20's yet. That's a heck of a lot of moving. After our short conversation, he returned to packing himself up for his short move to Bryan. I returned to my boxes, I've had enough of moving already. Nonetheless, I plan on taking another trip to Montgomery tomorrow if anyone cares to join me. It will probably be in the afternoon, 2PM or so. I have some more stuff that needs to get up there to make life easier on Friday.

Well, it's nearing 2AM now. I'm getting old, I'm supposed to be getting on a regular sleep schedule, I guess that didn't happen tonight. Oh well, there's always tomorrow...as long as it's squared away by Wednesday morning, I imagine I'll be ok. I'm hoping we can all do something Friday night in CS too, one last horrah if you will... More details later. I'll see y'all later and I think it's too late to come up with a random made-up saying to insert here. So I'll pass. Good night.

What Now?

Well I'm graduated. It's been a long road. I guess all of my schooling since Pre-K has gone towards this. So how does it feel? (A question nearly everyone has asked me) Well, honestly, not all that different. When I sit and think about it. Not having to sit through another class, something that has become commonplace in the past 18 years. Having to move away to my own place, do my own thing, get a job and actually start a life. Yeah, so when I think about it, it's pretty surreal. It's insane. But just going about life, not really stopping to think about why I'm packing, why I'm signing a lease in a different city and why I've been telling friends goodbye, that's when it gets lost on me. I don't really think about it, I just do it. So to sum up: I don't feel that different yet. I guess it hasn't sunk in and I don't think it will for another week. When I'm thrown into a new life (that in a while will become commonplace as well), that's when I'll feel different. Grown up? Nah, I doubt it. But different. Uncomfortable no doubt.

With all of this graduation talk, I haven't been able to share all the stories I gain from my adventures. Here's a few

Clinton, Jason, and I were going to the park down the road a couple of weeks ago to play some wiffleball. Along the way, we picked up a kid that wanted to play with us. And then another. So we begin trying to play a friendly game. That's when all of the neighborhood kids converged on our park. They came running, they rode their bikes, discarding them in the grass and sprinting over. Some kids even came carrying others. So, within minutes we had over a dozen of kids surrounding us. This was enough to disrupt the game and make us start a couple of alternate games of catch. This also prompted a boy to yell to me (after a perfectly thrown ball no less) "Watching you throw is like watching Michael Jackson getting executed." This was followed by, "That was like watching Forrest Gump 3 times in a row," among other insults that I don't quite understand. He also guessed that I didn't have a driver's license. "I bet you have the knowledge to drive, but you ain't got a license." When he was told that I did he insisted that I "drive one of those old ugly cars." Soon after, he ended up running off with one of the wiffle balls. With a 1-2 Punch of the ice cream truck coming by and the children's mothers calling them home for dinner, we were free to go. We only lost 2 balls in the ordeal. One to Mr. Insults and the other to my new little friend (that one was given to him).

Today I was in Montgomery and it seems that Bob launched an attack on the local schools. All of the area school's marquees were changed to say "Bob Was Here." Interesting little town I'll be moving to. I went to the Wal-Mart about half a mile from my new apartment today and everyone there was pretty friendly. And old. I guess that's to be expected though. I'm not living in a college town anymore.

And lastly, CIS finally got the new van in today. The one I'd been waiting for since January. We'd always joked that they'd get it in the day after I graduated. And lo and behold... Ah well, a little irony never killed anyone.

Alright people, I'll be moving Saturday, so if you want to help out, it'll be a blast. And also, my roommates abandoned me for the week (the last week I'll be here), so if you want to visit me, I've got an empty apartment (don't mind Kitten and Anna) and tons of cake. Seriously, come get a belly full. Until then, get some rest, you got a whole summer in front of you.

Closing Time

15 Minutes till I go home from CIS for the last time. It's actually kind of sad. I'm going to miss all of my co-workers and the friends I've made. I'm going to miss Robin who will no question be the best boss I'll ever have. No more pimpin the university van, which of course makes driving on sidewalks and parking anywhere I please off limits as well. I just finished a small booklet outlining job responsibilities and such for the future generation of student workers, including Ryan who I started training yesterday... It's coming to an end. Work today. Tomorrow graduation. Next week I'll be in Montgomery. Everything that's comfortable and familiar is slowly dissappearing. The next chapter will soon begin. But for now, I'm going to go tell a couple more people bye and collect a few more hugs...

The Ultimate On Campus Bathroom Guide!

When compiling this, I based the ratings on several things: comfort, privacy, reading material, and type of soap. So I bring you my top 7 favorite campus bathrooms in no particular order.

Bio/Bio 1st Floor: This bathroom is relatively private during class time, but between classes you get a variety of people. This was one of my favorite West Campus bathrooms and my most often used. The janitors keep it clean for you and every semester, they put up fun, new, colorful signs reminding you to keep it clean (something other bathrooms lack). For me it's a cozy little place and it makes me feel at home. In addition, someone has usually left a Batt folded on the floor. And additional clean reading material is provided on the wall of the stall, the far stall (roomy handicap stall) has a math equation scratched into the wall... And yes, I have solved it. And then I checked my answer.

Wehner Cox Wing 1st Floor: This bathroom is in the new wing of Wehner, just down from the trading center so you know it's nice. This bathroom is probably the cleanest of all of these listed. There's very little foot traffic through that bathroom during class, so it provides privacy. This bathroom also ranks the highest on reading material because it features on each stall and urinal behind a plastic cover "The Stall Street Journal." This provides short stories, jokes, school tips and inspiration. It's updated often, every week or 2 weeks. And of course, everything in the bathroom is automatic as is the business student standard. Pure Lavatory Luxery.

Sky Walk 2nd Floor MSC/Rudder: Adjacent to one of my top study places. This bathroom looks old, doesn't really have anything special to it. No reading material, no grafitti, no padded seats. But it also has no people. This is one of the most private, comfortable places you can be on campus. Perfect place for a study break...

Academic Building 2nd Floor: This one is Clinton's place. He promises that in the afternoons on the second floor you can enjoy the utmost privacy. These bathrooms also feature windows, so he recommends going in there, sitting back with an open stall and an open window and just relaxing.

Political Science Library: This bathroom is over at the Bush School. I've only been in it once, but it was nice. The bathroom looks nice and is pretty clean. It's a relatively private bathroom in a pretty fancy building.

8th Floor TTI: This is the building in which Pie Are Square is located. This bathroom, since it is on the 8th floor isn't too highly traveled. It's a newer looking bathroom that is pretty clean looking. The biggest strength this bathroom has though is the fact that you'll probably break your "Highest place I ever used the bathroom" record.

Sbisa Bathroom: These toilets see a lot of business no doubt, but surprisingly they stay clean. It's pretty impressive how clean they normally stay. If you don't mind a lack of privacy and having to use an outbound to get in, this bathroom will accomadate you and maybe you can strike up a conversation with the guy in the stall next to you. I've heard several reports of conversations in the Sbisa Bathrooms.

Left to explore: Although we wanted to do it, we have not yet explored the new Engineering building on northside. It's a rather large building and looks like it would have good facilities. Also, the new Rural Health Building is a fancy looking building that I'd be interested in seeing the bathroom of.

That being said, I present you with...
Bathrooms to Avoid:

SCC Bathroom: It has been said that these bathrooms are the stinkiest around. Not to mention they probably get the most foot traffic of anywhere, skip out on these.

Teague 1st Floor: The bathroom on my side of the building is quite unimpressive. First, it's a pretty busy bathroom for one that only accomadates two people at a time. One huge drawback is the lack of hot water at the sink. And also, then men's urinal has the tendancy to overflow, so there's normally a puddle of water on the floor.

Halbouty Bottom Floor: These small, stuffy bathrooms offer exactly what you'd expect in an old building. Plus they're most always cold.

Cain First Floor - A Wing: This bathroom is heavily traveled and just isn't all that clean. The sinks are the huge downfall here. In the men's side, only one of the three sinks actually works and that one promises to splash all over your pants. One more thing that bothers me is the handicap door opens up and gives the hall a full view of the restroom.

Entomology Building: This bathroom is about the size of the one that was in your 1st grade classroom. Not only is it small and stinky, trash finds its way all over the floor and results in a pretty nasty environment.

Commons Bathroom: I haven't been to this bathroom in a couple of semesters, but it hasn't changed I'm sure. This bathroom is incredibly busy and stays dirty. There is however, always some good graffiti on the wall thanks to the Corps boys.

Weird Concept

I remember freshman year reading away messages of those that were graduating. Now, here I am with an away message proclaiming that I am done with school forever. What a weird concept. It's something back then that I didn't even think of, but now it's a reality. I took my last final today, I don't know when the next time I return to Wehner will be. Over the past 4 years I've spent most of my class time sitting in Wehner and now I have no reason to be there. Weird. So the future is here, yes. It's in my face, on my away message, and now on my calendar. I'll be moving to Montgomery on the 20th, the 24th is the first day of my new job (and the rest of my life) in Conroe. All I have left to do here is graduate and then there's really nothing else for me. So I'll head wast. Well...about 50 miles east.

Cats and Classes

Alright Kidaroos, I don't know how much time I have left here. I graduate in 8 days, beyond that it's a question mark. I'll be going to Conroe tomorrow to discuss things with the company. But it seems now that I won't be alone in going to Conroe.

This little kitten has been living in the parking lot, down by the dumpster. When we met her, some girls that had been feeding her pizza crusts were out there with her. I ended up taking her into my house and putting up flyers for her. I doubt anyone will come forward and claim her, so I imagine she's my new kitten. Tentively called Little Cat, she doesn't have a real name yet. She's a sweet little thing though...as long as she's not sharpening her claws on my Mays Business School portfolio or waking me up at 5AM...

Anyway, onto my college tips. Let's begin with classes. Need 3 hours of electives? Not sure about your professor? Here's a handy guide to my favorite professors and easiest classes around. And if this doesn't help, umm...ask MB for my Pickaprof password which she is keeping alive for the next several years! Thanks MB!

With my only A's freshman year coming from MATH 141, 142 and Geology, I'll share a couple of hints. First, if Jen Whitfield is still around, she's no doubt the best Math professor to take. If Ruvane Marvitt is still around, he's no doubt the craziest one around. I'd strongly urge you to avoid him, the only way I even knew what was going on in class was from teaching myself from the book, not fun, but effective. Second, if you take Geology, just know that the lab is going to be the most boring hours of your life...

If you're going to take accounting, seek out Charley Clark. He teaches night classes because he's a CPA during the day. He's a great guy and the best ACCT prof I ever had.

The best class I ever had was the History of Rock Music. It was MUSC 200 that semester, which happened to be the first semester it was ever offered. I had H. Berger (the H did not stand for Ham unfortunately) and it counted as a Performing/Visual Arts credit. My final grade was something like a 98, it was interesting, and it's actually knowledge that I apply (in Trivial Pursuit mostly...). So if you need an arts credit, check into that, but make sure it's still acceptable as an arts credit, otherwise it's a great elective.

ECON is a tough subject for me, but for 203 I had Nelson (not Neilson) and he was one of the funniest, most effective professors I've ever had. With a dry sense of humor that I appreciate and a manner comparable to Will Ferrel, he was a professor I seeked out to take more classes from. If you have to take Econ, take it from this guy.

Elective Alert! If you need an elective and you're a U1 or U2, Intro to Business (MGMT 105) is for you. It's a class all the althetes take to boost their GPA first of all. And secondly, it's taught by the number one best professor at A&M, Ben Welch. I had him for 2 classes (MGMT 363 and 105) and aced both classes with very minimal effort. But he's a great guy, he's geniuine, caring, and he'll keep you laughing. If you ever get a chance to take a class from him, do it. Especially 363, because the alternative professor is tough, but Welch only teaches that one during the summer. 105 is taught strictly by Benny, but that class fills up quickly.

MGMT 211 may very well be the toughest class you take, be aware of that. Don't take it at the same time as any other reading intensive class. Swim's a good guy though. Strict, but a good guy, no matter what Nick says.

Sociology of Sport was a tougher elective than I was looking for, I got a B, but the class was somewhat interesting and did not require too much reading (very rare in SOCI classes).

Alright, now for my favorite MKTG professors:

Dr. Busch was my favorite professor. He's kind of zany, but he cares for his students, I probably had the best relationship with him than I did any other professor here, he offered me advice about when I talked to him about pursuing grad school (he's also a grad school prof). His classes are very interactive.

DeWald is a very good guy with a sense of humor. He teaches the intro class, so even non Business majors can get this guy as a prof, and I highly recommend it.

Lampo is a nice woman, I enjoyed her Retail class and did well in it. Her classes are very project intensive, but the projects are interesting. I enjoyed her as a prof, but her 347 class brought me my only B in MKTG...

Jelena Spanjol is not a name I thought I'd put on this list at the beginning of the semester. Early on she scared me (I think this was on purpose). I seriously wanted to switch to another professor, I was worried. But towards the middle of semester, we saw that she wasn't so tough. The class was tough, but she was a fair teacher who was concerned that her students learned. We built a good relationship with her and on the last day of class, we went and met her at Fitz's.

Mona Srivastava was hard to learn to spell, but she was a fun, energetic prof. I really enjoyed her as a professor and if you need to take Buyer Behavior, take it from her.

I guess that's all I have about that. A lot of rambling I know, I'm sure not many of you will get any use out of this at all, so luckily I am working on a suppliment for you entitled: The Ultimate On Campus Bathroom Guide!

No More Class

Fountain Hopping last night was superb. Probably the best round of hopping, we even hit all the fountains. Well, except for the one at the Bush Library, but that was just to avoid being shot at by secret service...

So, I would say it's a weird feeling never having classes again. I'm never going to sit in an college classroom again and learn. Almost as odd was having the professor of my exit level MKTG class take us out to Fitz's yesterday. It was actually a good time, but I'd never hung out with a professor outside of class before.

Alright, I had 4 minutes to type, so now I'm out. Talk to y'all later and just keep the toast poppin.

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.

Kick in the Face

So here it is. The loss of power we're experiencing at work has the ability to slow everything down and give me a chance to blog. It actually had the power to stop time, according to the clock whose hands are hovering right on 2:43. This computer however is on the backup generator.

So, it's been that kind of semester. A long, tough semester with a lack of blogs. And as for this week, it's definately been that kind of week. A kick in the face by reality. The kind that gets your attention. As your future stands right before you waving its arms as if to say, "Hey how could you not have seen me," you begin to wonder yourself how you failed to recognize it. But it's been standing there, ready to dump its load of challenges on your back. Graduation, jobs, leaving. That's just the beginning. With my classes this semester giving me more problems than I've ever dealt with in school, my mind was already preoccupied. And now my grandmother, which could actually be read as "my second mother," is in the hospital undergoing a terribly rough megadose of Kemotherapy. It was something that I'd been expecting, something that was on the calendar in my mind. I knew it was going to be happening soon, but soon and now are so very different. The load of Worry is heaped on my back. And then, constantly finding rejection letters from companies in my email just added to it. A month till graduation and no idea where I'm going to be or what I'll be doing there. This was especially hard Monday, when I received an email from a company that I interviewed with. I thought the interview went very well and I'd followed up with them and everything. It was a place I thought I could fit and it would bring me back to Corpus. It would be so much easier to plan things if rejection letters aren't a reality. But there was the email, thanking me for my time and promising to keep my resume on file. It seems that many companies are going to keep my resume. I'd appreciate it if they gave it back to me instead so I wouldn't have to print anymore out. They're not going to use it. Thanks for the consolation gift... Bitterness and uncertainty add to the pile.

So with updates about Granna coming in from mom, yet another rejection letter sitting in my inbox waiting to be read, and the semester winding down, the future had presented itself and it wasn't something I was prepared to handle. The load is topped off with helplessness.

I went to bed Tuesday night, as I do most nights, with the aid of sleeping pills. I awoke well beofre my alarm went off on my one day to sleep in. Which merely means sleeping until 8:45. But, as I turned my head to look at my clock, my neck let out a pop, which is never a good thing to hear. It was at this point that a sharp pain that extended from my neck to below my shoulder blade began. The muscles that were already tight stiffened and refused to let me turn my head to the right and made it quite a task to rotate my right shoulder. I described it to the chiropractor later that morning and told him about the sharp pain in my upper back and the dull pain throughout the rest of my body. He felt around and told me that he was quite impressed how extremely tight the right side of my back was. He ended up doing his procedure which included adjusting me and massaging my muscles. He told me that I had a knot in my back about the size of a golf ball which was 3 layers of muscles deep. He asked, "Have you been under any stress?"

Stress can take form in many strange ways. Whether it's sending out your resume to companies in New Jersey because you're freaked out or it's your body that gives beneath the weight of the load you've been trying to carry. Well I get the point.

What happened? I usually don't get down or stressed by these things. They happen, normally I deal. I guess this feeling of helplessness overcame me. It's a tough thing to face, the future isn't in your hands. Uncertainty is not a comfortable place to be. So it's now that I need to remember that the future has never been in my hands and honestly it doesn't belong there. These circumstances, this future of mine standing in my path, mocking me had distracted me from where I should fix my eyes. Let me tell you that I'm a big fan of the book of James. One verse that I try to keep near to me is James 1:4. "Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and have everything you need." I mean it's on my facebook profile, it must be important to me, right? Dang, I wish. That mindset obviously was overtaken by my selfish nature. The Lord has been with me through everything, he's there as my source of strength. And when I don't bank on that, but instead turn and try to do things myself, I crumble beneath the load. Patience is key. It's something I thought that I had, but it's a battle to remain patient. Patience means reliance on God. It's tough. It shouldn't be, but with my simple, forgetful and just plain ignorant mind, it's something that I stray from. It's always been in His hands, I basically need to get over myself (which shouldn't be hard if you compare sinful me to my awesome, holy, and loving God) and just trust Him. A big part of this reliance comes from turning over everything to the Lord, including this huge load I'd been forcing myself to carry. And with reliance on God, comes patience. And with patience, comes no worries because I will be satisfied in Him. And with my burdens and my worries cast on His strength I will be happy, I'll be complete, I'll have everything I need. He will replace this load of worry and grief with bountiful satisfaction. What good is worrying, why do I need to be able to plan out everything right now? I don't. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus said that. Matthew wrote it down: Matthew 6:33-34. It's something I needed to write down as well. This is all something I needed to work through to understand how stupid I've been. I mean I know that God has a plan for my life and everything will work for His good. I believe that. But how closely do I hold that truth? Well, over the past couple of weeks, my grasp on that has been severely loosened. So now as I strive to regain that grip, I typed this. And it's an amazing truth that can save me so much strife. With all of this needless stress, what could be better than refocusing my eyes and seeing that this big, bad future that was staring me in the face has been resting in God's hands all along. As I said, it was mainly for my benefit, but I know some of you are carrying a much bigger load than I am, so hopefully you'll get something out of this too...

I know some people have said that since they never get to see me anymore, they'd have to find out things through my blog. And I haven't even been updating that. Well here you go, this is what's been going on. And for those of you that I miss a lot, but make myself so busy that I never get a chance to see you, I'm sorry. I want to make time for my friends, I no doubt will be ranting in future posts about graduation and all that, but I'd much rather discuss it with you in person. Face-to-face communication most definately was a better invention than the blog.

Updates Are A-Comin

Hey guys, I'm sorry that my blog updates have been nonexistant... I've been really busy. Everything is piling up at once, I'm preparing an update soon, so hold tight. Thanks. I'm preparing this in about the only down time I've had today, via the LAN. For those of you that know what that means...

Take that Buffalos

A 33 Point Win is enough to get me pumped about March! As if I wasn't excited already. I stopped over in Cain breifly to watch tip off and the first minutes of the game. I then listened to the rest of the game. We are on a roll. Bring on the t-sips. After our first ever Big 12 Conference Win, things are good in Aggieland. Gig Em Aggies and BTHO t.u.!

Quick Note

Monk-E-mails are off da chain! This one courtesy of Clinton!
Monkey Time!

I have got a killer case of the hiccups from this new game Clinton showed me.
What you do it click on the link above and then change the numbers around so you can hear other people's messages...

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

2PM can't come fast enough... BTHO CU! And get me some cable at work so I can watch the game!

I'm back

Here you go, I'm back. For how long? I don't know. Spring Break is on its way in, so I'll be heading out. Corpus is the destination this year. People that asked my plans, responded with "Oh fun!" when I told them where I was going. I then had to remind them that I am from Corpus... But it should be fun. I get to see the family, eat some Mexican food and hang out with Penny who will be accompanying me for the week.

But for now, I'm back. I have a computer once again. A brand new Dell. It's nice, I like it. Just weird. I'm still in the mindset that this isn't my computer. It's just different. It lacks all of my files. Everything I've collected in my college career. Everything I've written, all of my pictures, school assignments and projects, my 300+ away messages... They are all embedded into a crashed hard drive that the nerds at work assured I could recover only with a couple of thousands of dollars and a company specializing in that sort of thing... So I'm trying to recover what I do have in my outbox.

So that's not that exciting. What is exciting is the state of our basketball program. With our Women firmly secured with a slot in the NCAA tournament, we're just waiting for selection Sunday so that they can announce our men will be joining them. With the disappointment of the recent football seasons, I'm starting to believe the sarcastic comment I once made, "Don't worry. Texas A&M is a basketball school." I know that's obviously not true. But I've never seen so much excitement in the air in March. A&M's basketball program has arrived. Now just sit back and watch.

Now I'll leave you with a picture of me from the camping trip last week (recent pictures are all I currently have). Peace.

MR DUCKS

Ok, well I got a computer now. I'll be back in business soon enough. So that's the update for now. I got back from camping this evening and now I have a paper to write for class tomorrow. Studying for Tuesday's test has therefore been pushed back to tomorrow. So although I'm too busy to write a good entry, I will leave you with a short story that I remember from my childhood. Hope you can translate it...

Frank: MR DUCKS!
Hal: MR NOT DUCKS!
Frank: OSAR.
Hal: MR NOT DUCKS!
Frank: CDEDBD WINGS?
Hal: LIB MR DUCKS!

Not Feelin It

I finally have time to sit here and update this thing. But I don't feel like it. Maybe this long week has finally caught up with me. The going to sleep with Tylenol PM and waking up with Caffeine every morning has taken its toll on me. I woke up early this morning for FMBWC and it hit me like a shoulder to the mouth (which I can obviously relate to) and hasn't let up yet. I'm just out of it, I've been dragging all day. And now, with 30 minutes left to work, I can't do much more than watch the live stats for the baseball game and listen to this Christian Gangsta Rap as the Xerox guy looks at me with a disapproving glare from behind the machine. Time is ticking by slowly, but soon enough it'll be home time. Well, first will come, walk across the cold, drizzly campus time. But nap time will no doubt shortly follow. Hopefully this weekend will provide a good chance for me to recharge and get some much needed rest. I hope you all find some rest this weekend. It will be a cold, dreary weekend. The kind of weekend perfect for relaxing indoors...

A Healthy Snack

Here's a little something to hold you over till my next update.
A couple of links that were brought to my attention that I found entertaining:
1. Friends Theme Song
2. c101's Two Guys In The Morning Wrote a Couple of Songs For Dick Cheney. Quality entertainment, we don't have any decent radio personalities or morning shows in CS, not even when we try importing the shows from Houston... Two Guys In The Morning are classic and are definately in the top 10 things that are great about Corpus list...

A Chris Sighting!

Just a real quick note to give the Batt props for capturing me in action on Mt. Aggie. I was skiing down the mountain Thursday, my ski came off near the bottom and the photographer snapped a picture just before I ate it. I went down hard, put my phone out of commission for the remainder of the day. The next day though, here I am on page two, right next to "African American Hero" Arthur Ashe.

Jobs, Careers, Employment...

Alright, I just lived through 2 immensely busy days! It has pretty much slowed down back to normal mode. Hopefully I'll find some time at some point to go to the grocery store and clean up my room... Career Fairs, Interviews, Sending Resumes off... Senior year climbs to a busy apex that I imagine College is all about. I've had to get all fancy pants and talk to various people about my future. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I'll get used to all this grown-up stuff. That probably involves me getting my suit dry cleaned... Never done that one before.

Anyway as my priorities show, blogging probably hasn't been at the top of my list. That's mainly because I don't imagine any blogging scouts are out there waiting to recruit me and also because I prefer to use the precious hours I am at home to sleep. That being said, I had an interview yesterday for an amazing oppurtunity. It was only the first interview, but it's something I can get excited about. Hopefully I'll be hearing back for a second interview so I can get to know the people and the company a little better. The job would come with the title of "Marketing Director" which includes a lot of responsibility, but is exactly what I want.

At the career fair, I met with a couple of companies that I'm actually interested in, so I'll be in corespondence with them. That's what I used part of my afternoon for.

Other than that, what else am I excited about? Well, opening day of baseball is this weekend. Honestly, of all Aggie Sports, baseball is probably near the bottom. Couple that with the fact that most of the games directly interfere with my schedule, I'm hoping I can make it to several, but I'm not making any promises. Basketball is exciting again. And growth group is tonight. I have a great group of guys and I learn a lot about the Lord's love and knowledge from them. It's sure to be the highlight of my week.

Look at that! 5 Paragraphs for your update. What? You're not counting the 2 sentences as a paragraph? That's why I have such a hard time updating for you people. You're never happy...

Forecast

Ben has a gimmic and I like it. He focuses a lot in his blog on meteorology and giving us the local weather forecasts. Now, without a background in meteorology, I can't really compete with that. So as a Marketing major, I've decided it's my duty to give you my official Super Bowl Commercial Forecast!

The Super Bowl is the big time for advertisers as well as the teams in the game. Even if the viewer doesn't care for the game, you can guarantee that they're looking forward to the commercials. Last year was a rather boring year for these advertisments, companies took a pretty conservative approach to their commercials and the result was a lackluster showing. This year however, you can bet that the commercials will be some of the best you've seen in a while (other than the Nextel commercial with the dudes dancing to Salt and Peppa in the office, that one is pure genius). This night of advertising greatness will definately contrast last year's disappointment. Second, there will be more products targeted to the ladies. Companies know that women watch the game and quite often it's either to spend time with friends/family/significant others or for the commercials. So, the game will be more enjoyable to the women as clever commercials are directed to their pleasure. Now, thirdly, you're in for some bad news. The bad news deals with Burger King. Not only will they be showing undoubtedly a new King commercial (the burger king creeps me out), but they will also be using the new advertising technology to send a message straight to your Sprint cell phone (a strategic allience they have) as the commercial ends offering you the opportunity to download the ad to your phone. An inconvenience and hassle I know. But text messaging and multimeda messaging ads will soon become a way of life, thanks in large part to this publicity stunt by Sprint. Lastly, I'd be willing to bet you'll see another ridiculous GoDaddy.com commercial that has absoultely no meaning (I'm still not sure what that company is for) and scantly clad women. So there you have it. Oh, it may also be partly cloudy...

Lastly, I hope the Seahawks lose. They know they're in the wrong on this 12th Man case, they recieved the letters asking them to stop. They got the cease and desist order. And still they use it and now postpone the case by changing venues. They know they're in for a fight. And now thanks to all the hippies and the PR people they have up there, they switch the whole case around and blame it on us. There's nothing I'd like to see more than the Seahawks get annihilated. Then we'll see how loyal this supposed "12th Man" is.

I thought this was pretty stinkin funny. Turn it up, enjoy, and have a good weekend.
http://images.radcity.net/5462/1302488.mp3

Someone's on to me...

A comic from today's Battallion (A&M's campus paper):

Private Investigation

Tuesday afternoon, I need some food in my belly, I need to pay bills, and I need to get to class. So, once again, I have very little time to update. But let me tell you a story during this time.

We always like to be in the background of random pictures, just hanging out, doing whatever. It's good fun for the people taking the pictures, because if they're like me, then they enjoy looking around in the background of their pictures to see what else was going on as their picture was being taken. However, we don't normally get to see the fruits of our labor. At the basketball game Wednesday night however, I let Clinton know that we were going to be in the background of the pictures being taken in front of us and then we were going to locate them on Facebook. Later on, I heard the word "Facebook" uttered by on of the students in front of us and I knew our plan was possible. On Sunday, after a little investigating, our plans came through and we achieved our goals. We found the names of the strangers that were sitting in front of us and that led us straight to our photos. I found several pictures of us in these people's pictures, but none of them more clearly illustrates our desire as this one:























Check me over their shoulders. Intense part of the game..? Nope, look at the faces of everyone else in the crowd besides me.

Sorry if you don't like my story, I'm not sure if many would. But I was impressed. Have a good week, see ya next time.

One Semester to Go

I'm graduating. It's official. My prof from last semester finally put my grade through, called me during my nap and informed me I recieved an A and she sent out the paperwork to the registrar yesterday (the day before my degree audit was due) so I was able today to look at my final grades for the semester (4.0 baby) and apply for graduation. And now I recieved an email entitled "Preparing for Graduation." Whoa...

Meanwhile I'm pretty busy living the life of a college student. With a hectic work/school schedule, it's good that two of my classes are Kineseology. Soccer is pretty much my favorite class of all time (I was straight MVP this week), it's a good morale booster to have a KINE class so you can realize that you're not that out of shape compared to some people... Also, my Snow Skiing class is a good time to practice for other activities, such as shredding down the stairwell outside my apartment on an ironing board. It doesn't get anymore "college student" than that. Pictures coming soon.

I had my first growth group of the semester last night. We met at Chicken Express, probably the best place to have a bible study other than a church. And even churches don't have free refills... Coach Gillispie dropped by to purchase a gallon of Chicken Express tea. We greeted him and wished him luck this weekend. Cool guy, still my favorite coach on campus.

And remember the final semester of FMBWC is in full swing. We're meeting at 7AM at Sbisa on Fridays. Don't miss out. Cause once it's over, that's it...

That's all I got for now. I'll be back in action next week, count on it. Until then, a shout out to all my undercover readers, it's ok, leave me a message on here. No one will judge you. That goes for you too Bro. Tim...

Slow Motion

It hasn't been quite a week yet since my last post, hopefully I'll be able to write something longer tomorrow. As for right now, I'm rushed off to Snow Skiing, but first I'm going to grab some scrumptious cajun food from Hebert's... I think I'll go for the jambalaya today. I just decided right now. So y'all are the first to know, a little gift for being so patient with me. Updates are coming. I promise.

An Oldie

Yeah, once again I'll use the excuse that I'm still trying to get into the swing of things. It's 4:50, so I have 10 Minutes left at work, so all you'll get from me is this:

Spring Break 2004

I was reminded of this yesterday (I went snow skiing on Mount Aggie yesterday), I read through it for the first time since writing it. I noticed lots of typos... I wonder what I can do about it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. So here you go, enjoy some Classic Chris in my abscence.

Catching my breath

Yeah, yeah, I'm still alive. Yesterday was my last first day of school of my life. I'm going strong, just gotta get into the swing of things and I'll be updating more. I promise.

And Happy Birthday Zachary.

Peace...Like a river.

The Look of Humiliation

I made a discovery yesterday. It turns out that some coworkers from across campus were at the basketball game in which I competed in a halftime event. Well, I knew someone was there, as shouts "Yeah! CIS!" rung from the crowd, I just didn't know who exactly it was as I couldn't find their faces in the crowd. I'd been trying to figure it out over the past couple of weeks. And finally, the payoff. I found out today that it was some people over in Cain (SIMS) and they shared with me some pictures that they took that night. Let me set the scene for you. I was called from the crowd and asked to be in a bike race. Well, they brought out my competition (a 7 year old) and his bike (small tricycle). They decided to pair me up with an even smaller bicycle (if I can even call it that, it would be better compared to a roller skate.) Whatever. I was beaten handily, barely able to stay on and almost falling on my face numerous times. Once I reached the finish line, some of his little friends were waiting to heckle me. I got back to my seats and sent Penny a text message to let her know that her boyfriend had been "embarassed by a 7 year old." All the spectators agreed that it was a ridiculous request of them to ask me to ride that thing... But what could I do. And now the discovered pictures:


















This bike is approximately the size of my shoe...lace.


















Me struggling, the kid firmly planted on a seat thinking he's a
stud. Let's see him get in the Sumo Soccer Ring with me...


















Humiliating College Students. That's what Halftime is all about....

Few and Far Between

That's how my blogs have been. I haven't been very consistant on blogging, but we've actually been pretty consistantly busy at work. Plus not a whole lot has been going on. I had the day off yesterday and will be off Thursday and Friday too. So what, I'm a bum? But this bum has to be in Corpus to get his teeth fixed at the end of this weekend.

Let's see, what else have I been up to? Roadtrip to Lousiana, hanging out in the A&M Consolidated Press Box, and playing some non-contact sports like volleyball. Overall it's been a pretty busy break, but I've had time just to kick it and relax at home. I like it. I've been looking at my schedule for next semester though and it's going to be hectic and pretty crazy. I'm going to have to reschedule my growth groups as I have a class from 5:30-8:00PM on Tuesdays that directly interferes with GGs. Who has a manditory class that is only offered at that time? People that want to make my life stressful. It's my last semester though, so I'd better enjoy it, eh?

In other news, my Panthers tore up the Giants. Which means they'll be facing off against Ben's Chicago Bears. Carolina has always been a fun team to watch. They've been a team that's played with real heart and a rabid defense. This is the first time they've really had a acclaimed playmaker (Steve Smith). They've had to come from being practically unknowns (even after playing in the super bowl 2 years ago) to a threatening playoff team. Watch 'em, you'll enjoy it.

Also, the Aggies are faring pretty well in basketball (both men's and women's) with conference play starting. Another team with a lot of heart that is a lot of fun to watch. Hopefully they'll be just as threatening.

Lastly, we just got back from Bennigans to partake in some Time Crunch Lunch. Time Crunch Lunch promises food in 15 minutes or your meal is free on the next visit. It took over 18 1/2 minutes to recieve our food, it wasn't our waiter's fault. Still he refused to give us the free coupons. Oh well, we let it slide. Nick's not such a bad kid, he gave us potato soup to soothe us.

Keepin' At It

With my new pillowtop matress cover, my bed is even harder to get out of in the morning. One of your most important investments is your bed. You'll spend most of your time there and it's a very important part of your life. Don't skimp.

I had to call into the dentist today to make an appointment for a checkup on my busted up teeth. They're progressing well, but the dentist still requests that I come in. I decided that Friday the 13th would be a good day for a dentist appointment. So it seems I'll be driving 4 hours for a check-up. It's all good though. One last trip back home before school starts, and one more trip to Fermins.

But now I'm sitting at work, I guess it's about lunchtime. I'm glad because this decaffinated tea tastes like cigarettes... Who buys decaffinated tea anyway? What's the point?

Guess Who's Back

Oh goodness. It's been a while since I posted, but with "0 Comments" not many have seemed to notice. But as my Buddy List fills back up and people begin to return, I imagine it's time to get back in the swing of things. Christmas is always my favorite holiday. Whether it's snowing or 80 degrees (quite a contrast from last year). I enjoyed the time in Corpus, my family, and the rest I got. But now I'm back in College Station. All is quiet. College Station without the students is wonderful. It's 2006 now. That's the same year that is displayed on my ring. Which means the inevitable is fast approaching, my graduation followed by the unknown.

Also fast approaching is lunch, which to me is unknown as well... I hope I find something to eat.

Also, work is completely interfering with the bowl schedule. How am I supposed to watch the Cotton Bowl if I'm stuck here with no cable tv?

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...