Goodbye 2010

For the past few years on this blog, I've been creating a video looking back on the year that was; but I've mostly been counting down top moments in the world. I've decided to change things up a bit this go round and count down the top moments in my own life from the past year. There were some life changing events in 2010 for me, so I thought it would be cool to make a video counting them down. Check it out here. Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas weekend. Mine was awesome! Even though it came late in the evening on Christmas Day, we did technicaly have a White Christmas here in North Carolina. We ended up getting about 4-6 inches of the white stuff around where I live, so I was happy! 

Christmas Eve was nice. I really didn't do a whole lot except pop into the Dollar Tree to pick up a couple extra gift bags. We had a pretty big dinner that night with ham and all the trimmings. I ended up following my tradition of watching "Christmas Eve On Sesame Street" which had the "Gift Of The Magi" story with Bert and Ernie (my favorite part).

On Christmas Day, I opened presents with my family and ate breakfast courtesy of the Swiss Colony. The breakfast pack included cinnamon apple pancakes and pepper bacon and I pigged out! I also went to my grandparents house and had Christmas there, where I got what I wanted for Christmas...a Kinect for my Xbox 360! I was so excited because I know it's so hard to find.

I had a great Christmas, and I hope you guys did too. We're now just a few short days away from New Year's and I will be blogging about the year that was very soon...stay tuned!

A Little Dose Of Christmas...Oops

Since today is Christmas, I thought I would give you guys a dose of some Christmas Oops...have a Merry Christmas everybody!

Santa's Comin' To Town (Yeahhh Mannnn!)

I saw this vid the other day on Twitter and thought it would be perfect for Christmas Eve...check it out!

Why The Giants Lost?

If you watch "The Late Show With David Letterman" you know that every night they cook up a "Top Ten" list which is normally pretty hilarlious. Last night, the list was titled "Top Ten New York Giants Excuses" in the wake of the teams 28 point meltdown against the Eagles this past weekend. I decided to post the vid from last night's show here just to give a little laugh to those who need it. Enjoy!

End Of A Good Show

I was sad to hear that the finale of Little People Big World was December 6. I couldn't watch it because I didn't have a TV in my room over at school and, quite frankly, I didn't know it would come to an end this fast.

Now I, like a lot of LPBW fans, are asking did TLC pull the plug on the show or was it the family's decision? Personally, when you have a show like that which was so popular with viewers and just stop it abruptly, one could only think if the network pulled the plug.

Also, when reading their Twitter account, TLC had one tweet about the finale, saying "Join us as we say goodbye to the Roloffs." In addition to this, it was reported that TLC broke the news to Matt Roloff (the dad) and was told to "spin it however he wanted."

On the other hand, the kids are getting older and the family may be tired of doing the shows and having cameras follow them around everywhere. Either way, E! Online reported that TLC pulled the plug on the show. If this is true, the network has lost a great show.

I would rather watch that any day than that Kate Plus 8 or The Little Couple. It's a shame that good shows like this get dumped for boring, and quite terrible shows. I may over think somethings, but if this is true, TLC got some problems!

P.S. I am still watching Castle (ABC hasn't gotten rid of that yet) and I'm kind of liking this new show called Downsized which follows a blended family of nine who used to live in the lap of luxury but now are living on a day-to-day budget. It's pretty fascinating to see a real-life story of the economic problems we face in our country.

You can read E! Online's take of the alleged cancellation of the show here.

Crazy Over Yogi Bear Or Justin Timberlake?

The movie, "Yogi Bear" hits theaters today and I saw this vid while looking at the trailer. It shows the traffic guy for WKRC in Cincinatti doing this segment called "Dance Party Friday" with Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, who are played by Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake in the movie. I don't know who this guy is more obsessed with: Yogi Bear or Justin Timberlake. Just watch...

NFL Troubles

I couldn't decide, so I chose both the Metrodome (home of the Minnesota Vikings) and the Carolina Panthers as my Oops Award winners this week...

Metrodome

I hated to see the roof collapse like it did but my question is, why would you have an inflatable roof on a building in a place that gets 100ft of snow each year? I mean I know the Metrodome's been around before, but this is not the first time the roof has collapsed. You would think they learned their lesson...apparently not!

Carolina Panthers

What's there to say? They're 1-12, trusting a rookie QB who is struggling (understandably) and they can't throw the ball worth crap. Coach John Fox said the team is a "work in progress". How when they're 1-12? I don't call that a work in progress I call it...well I don't know what to call it!

Pray For Westboro

As you've seen, I've been talking a lot lately about the Westboro Baptist Church group of people who claim they are followers of Christ but yet spread a message of hate to anyone who blasphemes God according to what they are taught.

They did show up today to protest the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards. As if her family needs any more grief and sorrow! However, the good of God one out as many other gathered for a counter-protest which eventually made the group give up their own protest. In an article from ABC11, the NC Council of Churches released a statement saying: 

"The protesters from Kansas have come many miles to spread their hatred at Elizabeth Edwards’ memorial service. Let us be clear: the Bible calls us to kindness and respect for one another, and Jesus Christ preached throughout his life that we should love one another. The protesters' appalling and repeated violation of the sacred services by which we honor our dead, along with their representation of themselves as messengers of Christ, are offensive and misrepresent Christian faith."

You know, instead of criticizing them 24/7 (although that's what they deserve) we need to pray for them as Christians. I find it so hard to overlook their actions without being so filled with anger, but that's their MO. They want us to be mad and for their protests to be covered in the media. If we let this happen, they win. We can't let their vile and un-Godly message of hate engulf us.

New 'Narnia' One To See

I saw this review from Russ Breimeier at Christianity Today about "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader." The writer said this particular adaptation "disappointingly lacked the awe and wonder of the book." My question to him is: did you see it in 3D? I normally don't see movies on the day they hit theaters but I did see this one Friday in 3D. The effect wasn't as great as in animated movies (but that happens with most 3D live action films) and seeing it in 3D did make you feel like you were apart of the action. 

Breimeier mainly compares the film to the book itself and criticizes the movie for not taking the time for "character development." He also seemed to believe that the movie kind of rushed along the plot laid out by the book. Honestly, you can't directly compare the two because we all know a film adpatation of a book will never be the same as the book itself. I thought the movie was fine just the way it was. I'm not a big fan of those long and drawn out movies that last 4 or 5 hours. "Narnia" lasted about 2 hours which was fine for me.

Overall, I really liked the new "Narnia" flick. I especially liked how it was in 3D and there was kind an unexpected surprise of who would save the Dawn Treader crew and all Narnians from the evil that lurked on Dark Island. I won't say anymore cause that would give the whole point of the movie away. We also are introduced to a new character, Eustice, who is the cousin of Edmund and Lucy and a flat out crybaby. He does learn a valuable lesson at the end, though (once again I don't want to give too much away). "Dawn Treader" is definitely worth the money to see!

Way To Go

Since it's the middle of the shopping season (or therabouts) I thought I would find an Oops Award winner centered around a hot shopping item: the new Xbox 360. I saw this vid of some video game buffs at a convention checking out the new 360. What the one guy in the plaid shirt does is just boneheaded! The vid is entitled "New Xbox 360 Destroys Discs!" but the guy should have known this happened with the original Xbox 360 too (I know from experience). Just watch...

Are You Kidding? Part 4

There are two things that have really been bugging me:

Westboro Protestors

They really need some prayer! I heard today that they are planning to protest at Elizabeth Edward's funeral just because she supported gay marriage. Now, you guys know my opinion on that issue, so I won't go into detail. However, I was outraged when I heard about this group doing such a thing. I absolutely could not believe it! If you've been living under a rock, the Westboro protestors are a group of people (from a "church") who are anti-gay and protested at many funerals, including those of American soldiers. They have plastered signs saying "God Hates the US" and some other more personal ones that will not be said on this blog. Now, they plan on picketing Elizabeth Edward's funeral. Because of groups like this, the Christian faith is suffering. Absolutely despicable!

US Congress/House Dems

I know that I am a democrat, but I have to be upset at my own party right now for rejecting Pres. Obama's tax cut compromise. I'm sick and tired of Congress holding up things that need to get done! That's why the president hasn't been able to get all that he wants accomplished. Oh, and another thing, I don't understand why in the world Americans voted for a president who vowed to change things if they didn't want change in the first place! According to Rasmussen Reports, only 27% of voters approve of the president. It just really ticks me off that voters were so supportive of change but, now that Obama's trying to change things, they shoot down and diapprove of almost any idea he puts out there. Come on people, let's stop the whining and fighting and let's actually do something to make this country great again!

27 Salvations

I was so busy today putting the finishing touches on our Christmas tree that I didn't even get a chance to check my email until late. Anyway, I got an email from my pastor saying how many people professed their faith for Christ during the Living Christmas Tree. 

Turns out we had 27 people do that and I'm very excited! True, we have a lot of fun presenting the shows, but our main goal every year is to lead people to Christ and deliver the Good News about Him. That's 27 more people who will be in Heaven one day. Awesome!

Legacy Center Update #4

Sunday, there was an announcement about how much money we have collected for the Legacy Center project so far. On First Fruits Sunday, we collected over $690,000, just on that one day! It gets even better...as of now, the three year committments total to over $2.2 Million! I am so excited about this and knew we could do it through God! I can't wait to see what God has planned in the future for our church and this project!

P.S. Be in prayer as we will be presenting our site plan to the city council sometime early next year. This is another huge point in the project so pray that everything will run smoothly.

Ending With A Bang

Tonight was the final night of the Living Christmas Tree at Grey Stone. It ended with a bang like always. There were tons of crazy things added to the show, including in my skit. At the start, I acted like I was about to begin reading when I stopped and put on my "reading glasses" which were actually some of those RealD 3D glasses. Next, as the video showed, the sound effects guy "threw up the sash." 

After that, I said tonight "Yea, and it got all over my $3,000 shoes...inported from Portugal." The best was saved for last as instead of calling one of Santa's reindeer Bruce Springsteen, we called him Justin Bieber! Then I yelled "Where?!? Where?!?" (like an excited little girl) and we broke out into "Baby." I tell you, you never know what you're going to get on the last night of the Tree! We always like to be laid back and have some fun and boy did we!

I have to say, out of the five years I've been playing in the Living Christmas Tree, this one was my favorite. I loved every single aspect of the performances and I was especially proud of myself with the skit. I kind of got out of the norm of playing clarinet the entire show and actually being in the Tree. It was awesome!

Big Night

Tonight was opening night of the 2010 Living Christmas Tree at Grey Stone and it went very well. Lots of times, we consider opening night as our dress rehearsal because there are always some technical gltches and things that we fix for the later shows. Tonight was no exception but, despite this, it was very good. It was a standing room only crowd and I heard nothing but positive comments afterwards. 

My skit brought down da house! It definitely stole the show. The acting by myself and the guy doing the sound effects was great. After, the crowd cheered and some even whistled and all. I went into beast mode on that! The first night is always a little bumpy, but the amazing thing is that by tomorrow night, we'll have evenything together and working right (well usually).

Unbelievable

Well, the ACC and the media voters have won the Oops Award for this week. I just found out that they've named Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor as ACC and Offensive Player of the Year. Are you kidding me?!?! I couldn't believe this when I saw it. I guess they forgot about a certain QB named RUSSELL WILSON!!!! Ring a bell? Oh I forgot, you apparently have to be in the ACC Championship game to be win. Well State would have been there had they not been cheated the way they were (you know what I'm talking about).

Oh, and Terps coach Ralph Friedgen has been named Coach of the Year. Frank Beamer came in 2nd and NCSU coach Tom O'Brien got 3rd. What?!?! Are you absolutely kidding me? I am so furious right now! True, the Terps did a whole heck of a lot better than last year, but Tom O'Brien did a far better job than any of these coaches. Where's the love people?

P.S. Like I've said before, I will not be watching the ACC Championship game. I think I'd rather be caught at a Britney Spears concert than go to that crap!

Opening Night

We are now just hours away from opening night of the Living Christmas Tree! I still can't believe that it's here but it is and I'm hyped about it. Some of you may recall that I had a solo on Clarinet in last year's Tree, but this year I have an actual speaking part. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to do this. We practiced the skit at dress rehearsal Tuesday night and it went well (considering it was our first time practicing it). 

By the way, I didn't even laugh just like my character is supposed to. I was afraid I would because I laugh at things easily, but I had no problem. I guess it's because I've seen the video so much I know what's going to happen. The Tree this year, as I said, is unlike any other I've performed in. At the same time, it delivers a powerful message about family, hope, and the real reason for the season: Jesus Christ. Even though it'll be an event filled with crazy family members, motorcycles, trailers, and haywagons, it is probably the best one I've been apart of.

Trying Something New

The Living Christmas Tree is just a few days away and I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday that it was a few months away but it's here whether I'm ready or not. I haven't been able to practice as much this year due to having a night class on Wednesdays when we normally have practices. I have made it to a couple and plan on being there for our dress rehearsal tomorrow night. Anyway, I have been asked to do something this year that I haven't done in years: I'm going to take part in a skit during the Tree. I'm playing this well-to-do gentleman who is reading "Twas The Night Before Christmas". However, another person will be standing beside me (unbenounced to my character) and will do all these crazy sound effects along with my reading. It's going to be crazy. This follows along with the theme this year as members of the Tweedly family will showcase their talents, and this is mine.

Luckily, I don't have to memorize the poem or anything, I just read from a script while improving a little too! I've had a little experience doing this. Back when I was going to my church's day camp, we would have plays at the end of summer parent nights. I played King Nebuchadnezzar one year and this guy named Mark Jackson in another (which I forgot what exactly that was about). I also have played Judah in my other grandma's church's Christmas Cantata, so I think I'll be fine. The troublesome area for me is the well-to-do guy isn't really suppose to laugh when the other guy does all those noises. I'm easy to laugh, so it'll be hard for me not to at least crack a smile.

I think I'll be fine, though, and I've always wanted to have a significant role in the Tree, so here's my chance! I'm just glad I don't have to memorize anything. Just as long as I don't have to do that! Below is a video of the skit. We're not doing it exactly how these people did it but you can get a gist...

Done With Football

Before I begin, I want to warn you. What I say in here is my opinion and should be considered that only.

First off, I'm sure the ACC is celebrating Maryland's win over the Wolfpack. Why you ask? Well, it seems like Virginia Tech gets into the ACC Championship almost every year regardless of how good or bad they play. It's the truth (see the facts here)! Plus, the refs and commentators for today's game were siding with the Terps. I guess no one could stomach the fact that the Pack were actually good and could mess up the ACC's plans to kiss up to the Hokies and Seminoles. I've come up with a good idea, why don't we just automatically let VT play in the ACC championship game and let the other teams play for fun, since at least one of them gets in almost every year?

On a sidenote, the refs were also kissing up to the Hokies today. While I was watching, a VT guy ran the ball out of bounds. A UVA player who wasn't even in the game (and standing on the sideline) put up his arms to block the VT guy from mowing him over. What do the refs do? They call a personal foul on UVA for a player who wasn't even playing! I immediately turned the TV off the game after that call.

Now on to the second "great" thing of the day: the Carolina/Duke game. The game itself was alright (even though a lot of penaties were called) but the main problem was the fans. First off, the Dookies would yell out crap about UNC's investigation, calling them cheaters and other things. Let me tell you right now: what happened with Carolina happened OFF THE FIELD. It has NOTHING to do with playing football!

As if that wasn't enough, I witnessed a fight (no punches thrown) between two, get this, Duke fans. I only saw the argument itself but I think one guy was accusing this lady of saying something and she said she didn't...you get the picture. The lady left and everything seemed to calm down...but not so fast! About 30 minutes later, this random guy comes to our section (I don't know if he was event staff or what) and calls out the two guys who were in the argument with the woman. An even bigger, face-to-face argument insues at the top of our section and police were finally called to resolve it. It carried on for a good 10 minutes or so. The crazy thing about this was the staff actually let everyone involved return to the game! I couldn't believe it, even though they were all calm for the rest of the game. Other things happened too (even me getting close to my boiling point) but I'll just leave it at that.

You know, after all of today's events, I can say that I am officially done with college football. I don't know why I even get so into it. Most of you know that I'm more of a college basketball fan anyway and, after today's shenanigans, I think I'll stick to that permanently! I just don't understand why you can't even go to a simple football game nowadays without some kind of fight or whatever. It's RIDICULOUS! I've never liked it when people fight anyway, so I was extremely ticked off by what happened. I even yelled out "You can't even go to a freakin' game anymore" and I hope everyone heard me too. Trust me, I know this stuff happens in basketball too, but I've had it! This was long, but I had to get my emotions out...here's my bottom line: GROW UP!!!!

P.S. The ACC Championship game is next Saturday...I think I'd rather be caught at a Britney Spears concert (which is bad in and of itself) than pay a dime to see that crap! Oh, and I'm sure State will go to either the Chick-Fil-A Bowl or that Champs Sports Bowl and Carolina will probably go back to the Meineke Car Care Bowl for, what is it, the 20th year in a row?!?

Big Weekend

A big weekend is on tap in the college football world. In the ACC, Maryland and NC State play in the final game for both teams. If the Wolfpack win, they will head to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. If the Terps win, Florida State will go. Virginia Tech has already clinched the Coastal division (surprise surprise) and have already punched their tickets. Also, UNC plays Duke tomorrow in the classic Battle of the Blues. Of course, this is probably the less exciting of the battles, but it's still a pretty important game for bragging rights. I'm going to the game tomorrow so it should be fun!

Funny #BlackFriday Tweets

Black Friday is today, so I thought I would take to Twitter to find some funny #blackfriday tweets from people. Here's just a sample...

@GaryJBusey: "While you're all in line at Target at 4am, I'm gonna be robbing your houses to get my own #BlackFriday deals."

@riri_navy: "Last year i felt like Simba during the stampede in the Lion King during #blackfriday"

@TWITTERWHALE: "#BlackFriday should be called #BlackEyeFriday...Only the strong survive."

@jordanndeck: "I have a handful of money an theres sales. Look out...I carry a tazer! #blackfriday"

Yea these are just some of the funny tweets going around in the Twitterverse. I will, myself be going out on Black Friday, so it should be interesting!

P.S. Pray for me!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone, I wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. You know, this is the one time each year where we can truly sit down and focus on what we're thankful for. I'm thankful for many things myself and I'm sure you are too. Here's what I'm thankful for...

1) God-He got me through my college search smoothly and into NC State in addition to daily blessings

2) Family-Even though there were some times when I didn't see it, they were there to help me when I was down or in need

3) Friends-I have already made some new friends in college (mainly with Campus Crusade) but I have started my network there while maintaining the friends I already had

4) Kids At Church: There are a couple kids at my church who I've been able to teach either in Awana, Day Camp, or both and they are awesome!

5) Opportunities I've Had-I've been fortunate enough to see so many people and do so many things this year. From my New York/DC trip to seeing Corbin Bleu on Broadway, Darius Rucker at the Fair, and Justin Bieber in concert; I've done a lot!

Turkey Day Oops Awards

In honor of Thanksgiving, I have a two sets of winners for this week. The first set is K-Mart and Old Navy for actually being open on Thanksgiving Day! I couldn't believe it when I saw this. How dare they take hard working employees away from their families. What, you mean to tell me they're going to do that for Christmas too? That is why we have Black Friday! Plus, I bet a lot of people won't be so concerned about shopping on Turkey Day. They'll be concerned over how much turkey is too much and who will win the football games.

Whew! Now that I'm off my soapbox, it's time for a more lighthearted one. On the "Ellen Show", Ellen DeGeneres poked a little fun at the TSA and her audience by having them go into this "extra security check". Watch what happens...

Should Panthers Fire Fox?

I always hate to talk about things like this, but I think it's time to entertain the question of coach John Fox's future at Carolina. On the bright side, he took over a disastorous 1-15 Panther team and turned them into a pretty good team, becoming the only other coach since Vince Lombardi to take a one win team to a Super Bowl. The Panthers lost to the Patriots on a last second FG, but they still got further than any Panther team had in the past. Since then, Carolina has been to the playoffs each year from 2005-2008 in which they lost out before reaching the Super Bowl.

Now to the bad side. This season, the Panthers are 1-8 after a rout by Baltimore yesterday. Not only is Fox's coaching in question, but also his decision making. The team has since been lacking with regards to player choices. They unfortunately let Julius Peppers walk right away from the team by becoming a free agent. They did sign highly rated QB Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame, but he's a rookie, so he probably won't be that good in the NFL at least until next year. They have also acquired Brian St. Pierre who just came in on a whim and had little practice with the team.

Like I said, I really hate talking about stuff like this, especially because it seems as though John Fox is an all around good guy; but with Vikings coach Brad Childress getting the ax today, I can only wonder if Fox will be next.

Honey, I Shot The TV

I couldn't resist but to give this an Oops Award. A 67-year-old man in Wisconsin was arrested for shooting his TV because he thought Bristol Palin didn't deserve to be on "Dancing With the Stars." He believed Palin only got on the show because of her famous mother. After blasting out the tube, he then turned the gun on his wife who managed to escape the house unharmed. 

Police were in a standoff with the man until they made him surrender a few hours later. They claim he suffers from bipolar disorder and he has since been charged with 2nd degree reckless endangerment. The man could face up to 10 years in prison for his outburst if convicted.

Here Comes The...Fall

I have an early Oops Award winner this week. I found this vid of a couple making a horrible entrance at a wedding reception on Youtube. At least the guy was nice enough to help the girl up afterwards...

Great Concert

Photo I took from my seat at the concert. The seats ended up

being much better than I originally thought!

Of all the great concerts I've been to this year, I have to say the Justin Bieber concert I went to Saturday in Norfolk, VA was the best. JB was the headliner (of course) but he had three opening acts as well. The first two were "up and coming" acts: teen boy band Burnham (which reminded me a little of Hanson) and Jasmine V, who sung pop/hip hop tunes. They were both pretty good themselves, but the best acts were saved for last. 

The act right before JB was Sean Kingston who was awesome. Like the Biebs, I had never seen him in concert before until now. He sung mostly new songs but did bring back his most popular tune "Beautiful Girls." Then, he played his hand at being a DJ as we jammed to hits including "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" and others.

After a brief intermission, it was time for the man of the hour...Bieber. A countdown clock popped up on the screen and, no lie, every time the minute changed, the girls would scream. In fact, every time one girl would scream, it would send a chain reaction throughout the crowd. As we got closer to showtime, fans started chanting "Justin". It was pretty funny to watch but, oddly enough, exciting at the sametime. When the concert actually started, the crowd went absolutely nuts! Justin performed all of his big hits, including "Baby" (which was at the very end). You know, that was (believe it or not) the best concert I have ever been to. I have never been to a concert that had three opening acts and lasted for three and a half hours. It was well worth the money!

P.S. While in Norfolk, I got to go to the local mall, the Macarthur Center, to shop around and see the movie "Unstoppable". It was pretty cool to hang out in the mall and see a movie while I was there.

Busy Weekend Ahead

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been blogging in a while. I have a huge weekend on tap! Friday night, Northern H.S. hosts Lee in the football playoffs, so I'll probably be going to that. On Saturday, I'll be spending the entire day in Norfolk, VA for a kind of shocking event. Don't laugh, but I'm going to the Justin Bieber concert at the Scope Arena. If you haven't realized from my Twitter account, I have become a fan of his.

No, not like some (or all) of the girls who cry over him and think he's cute and all that stuff. But homeboy's got some good music once you actually sit down and listen to it instead of dissing it completely. From what I've seen online, his concerts are pretty awesome, so I'm excited. Honestly, I used to not really like his song "Baby" because radio stations would play it over and over and I would hear it so many times, but something hit me and now I kind like his music too.

As a musician myself, I really respect him for his musical talents which include: singing, dancing, playing piano, playing guitar, and playing trumpet. He also is very down to earth and doesn't let his humongous fame go to his head while being kind and appreciative of his fans. Many celebs don't really care anymore about their fans, but I'm glad to see at least one still caring! That's my pet peeve with most celebs. There are some that care for their fans, but there are some that clearly do not. The fans are the ones who made them famous by buying their CDs, movies, etc. Anyway, off  my soapbox: I really appreciate all this guy is doing inside and outside of the music biz.

After getting home super late from the concert, I'll have to wake up for church and be there as we are having First Fruits Sunday. This is the first big collection for the Legacy Center project. The more money we get now, the more momentum we can get going into the project. Man, what a weekend it will be!

I Was Right!

I knew all along that the video of Bob Etheridge I mentioned in the previous post was a set up. Now, and of course after the election, ABC 11 is reporting that the all too famous National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has admitted that the whole thing was a set up since their "beloved" candidate, Renee Ellmers, was considered to be a very long shot against Etheridge in the polls. Didn't I say that this had to be the only way the Ellmers could defeat Etheridge? See, they set that up to give the public a bad attitude towards Etheridge, thus making more lean towards Ellmers on Election Day. The GOP got exactly what they wanted, perhaps. However, the long time Congressman has called for a recount and, if the results are still the same, will call another and another until he knows the outcome for sure. How low will Republicans get to win?

P.S. If you think I'm not telling the truth, click here to read the full story.

My Election Thoughts

It's that time of year again where I give my thoughts on the election. Of course, as most of you know, I am a Democrat, so I haven't been all that hyped about the results. Quite frankly, I'm not really surprised by the results of the election. Most of the time, the incumbent party will lose seats in the midterms, so it's not really that surprising. However, I do know this is a big loss for the Dems but, who is still the president? I mean, all the Reps and Tea Partiers are acting like this is the presidential election.

One surprise for me was Bob Etheridge. He is a long time US congressman from my state of North Carolina. Apparently he has lost to Rep. Renee Ellmers who I haven't liked since day one. Quite honestly, I believe the reason Ellmers won was because of the video of Etheridge "assaulting" a student who was interviewing him. I personally believe the "interviewers" were placed there as a trap for Etheridge to let the GOP candidate gain some ground. Trust me, this was probably the only way to defeat him. Unfortunately, I am not in his district so I couldn't vote for him. I definitely would have, though, because I have always supported him. Oh well, like I said, who's still the president?

Legacy Center Update #3

I'm a little late with this because I just finished watching the entire thing today, but the Durham City Council voted to close Warner Street; the first step in the completion of the Legacy Center. The plan met a little opposition from two people living in neighborhoods around the area, but it still passed 7-0. Two of the council members seemed to care more about pedestrian and bicycle traffic rather than the closing of the street itself and made a motion that there should be a pedestrian right-of-way put in as well. That motion failed 2-5. Regardless of what others thought, this did pass, so Warner Street will officially close sometime in the near future.

It was cool to see all the Grey Stone people there, including our pastor. He spoke to the council and made a presentation of sorts along side the engineers and church lawyers. At the end, he asked all who were in favor of closing the street to stand. That was a really cool sight to see! I am very happy that the council voted to close Warner Street so we can move forward on expanding our church. As one of the public commenters said, "a super plan for a super church."

Legacy Center Update #2

Just wanted to give an update on whats going on with the Legacy Center project. Today was Commitment Sunday where we committed to giving a certain amount of money to the project over the next 3 years. We also had Family Fest which was basically like a homecoming and fall festival in one. We had hamburgers and hot dogs inside while all the fun stuff was outside. There were big slides, a Worb water walking station, horse-drawn carriage rides, caricatures, funnel cakes, and cotton candy. We even had Wool E. Bull from the Durham Bulls and Stormy from the Carolina Hurricanes there joining in all the fun. I had a blast! I really hope Grey Stone will do this every year. It was awesome!

On a more serious note, tomorrow is a make-or-break day of sorts for the project. At tomorrow night's city council meeting, our pastor will make a presentation to the council in support of closing Warner Street. This is huge because the street basically needs to be permanently  closed in order for the Legacy Center to be built according to plan. Today in church, they were asking for as many people to come to the meeting as possible to show public support for this. After the presentation, our pastor will ask those in agreement to stand and show support.

I hate it like everything but it looks like I won't be able to make it there to the meeting. I normally have English class at this time, and contemplating missing it, but I know school comes first. I will get my mom to tape it and I'm looking to see if they stream the meetings online or something. I really hope things will go well with all this.

What A Game

Pic I took of the NCSU band forming "State" on the field.

During the half, they did "Thriller" (including the dance). Pretty awesome!

As you probably know by now, NC State pulled off a great win against rival Florida State. In case you missed it, here's a little recap: the Pack scored the first TD, but then the 'Noles came back and tied it all up. FSU would tack on two more TDs off Wolfpack miscues, making it 21-7 at the half. I was sitting right under Vaughn Towers, so I had a view of the whole stadium and the parking lot. It was so ridiculous to see some Wolfpack "fans" leaving the stadium and heading to their cars after the first half. Come on, people!

Back to the game, NCSU came back with a vengence, scoring two TDs of their own to tie it at 21. FSU scored a field goal to make it 24-21, but the pack were not done yet. After converting a couple 3rd downs, State had the ball on the FSU 1 yard line and, on 4th down got the TD on a pass play, making it 28-24 Pack. The 'Noles still had time and drove the ball all the way down to the NCSU 4 yard line, where FSU QB Christian Ponder fumbled and the 'Pack recovered, sealing the deal 28-24.

Man, what a game! This is by far the best game of the season for the team. It was so much fun to go and be apart of it. I think I just got my first taste of dealing with the "Cardiac Pack". Hopefully NC State can keep it going. GO PACK! 

What's The Point?

I saw this pic on Twitter and had to give it my Oops Award for the week. Take a look...

Seriously, what's the point? I mean, if you're going to have an iPod Touch on display, why not allow customers to touch them? I can understand why they would have them under security but this is the first time I have ever seen something like this.

The Big Game

Tomorrow night is the big game between NC State and Florida State. Both teams come into the game with good records; State at 2-1 in the ACC and 5-2 overall (tied for 2nd in the Atlantic division) while the Seminoles are a perfect 4-0 in the ACC and 6-1 overall (1st in the Atlantic division). Hopefully that will change after tomorrow night's game. And just to let you know how big this game is, I didn't even get a ticket in the first lotteries and had to stand in a long line outside of Reynolds Coliseum today to get a ticket. Luckily I did get one so I'll be there. T

he seats are not in the student section but I really didn't care just as long as I'm there. Plus, I'm excited because this means I don't have to hear that annoying guy on the mic chanting and all that crap. He's like the "leader" of the student section and he is so annoying! Anyway, I get to go, that's all that matters. In addition to the fight for 1st place, it's a big rivalry game, so it'll be good. Make sure you watch the game tomorrow night at 7pm on ESPN. 

GO PACK!

'Canes Slump

Remember this?

Yea, that was just 4 years ago, and look where the 'Canes are now: losing their home opener to the Capitals tonight 3-0. Now, I know the Caps are normally a great team, but the 'Canes really should protect home ice. Hopefully they can turn things around.

Great Time At The Fair

Pic I took from the midway of the fireworks

I went to the State Fair again on Saturday and had a great time. Of course, I ate a lot, including my Italian sausage from McBride's and a piece of apple pie from Smitty's Apples. I also tried some new and somewhat crazy things. First, I tried deep fried Chips Ahoy cookies which tasted just like the deep fried cookie dough (but I like the cookie dough better).

I also tried the Krispy Kreme burger and it was awesome! I got it plain (no ketchup, etc.) because I was afraid it would ruin the taste. I just wanted to taste the doughnuts and burger themselves. It was the first time I have not put ketchup on a burger but I managed. Later that evening, I went to the Darius Rucker concert, which was worth every penny I paid for it. Security people even let you go down to the front, take a quick picture, then go back. However, near the end, I guess they gave up on sending people back because they let us stay down in the front. I got some really good pics of the concert.

I have to say, the only drawback of the whole thing was the parking! I ended up parking in a field off Edwards Mill Road about 2 miles from the fairgrounds and rode a shuttle. Having the shuttle did make it easier because it dropped you off and picked you up right at the gate, but going through the traffic to find a place to park was kind of a hassle. Oh, one more thing: I rode a couple rides, including Fighter; the one I really wanted to ride this year.

That was the ride where there's only two of its kind in the world and one was at the fair this year. It's basically a cross between the Spider/Octopus, Scrambler, and Swing rides and it was very cool! Word of advice, though, if you get a little scared while riding it, don't close your eyes. If you do that, it'll will feel like you are almost going upside down. I learned that when I rode it Saturday. Everyone is right: it doesn't look all that bad, but it is pretty fierce once you actually experience it.

Even though I came up empty handed again with the photo competition, I still had an amazing time at the fair. I ate some great food, saw an awesome concert, and rode some cool rides. I'm already looking forward to next year!

No Crying In Laser Tag

Dang, it's only Monday and I've already got two Oops Award winners. The first one can be found here and this one is just plain stupid. Pop star Justin Bieber is now under a police investigation for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old in a Vancouver laser tag facility. I found two similar but conflicting stories from Billboard and Rolling Stone. Billboard says the 12-year-old got into the path of Bieber and was hit while the two were avoiding from being tagged. On the flip side, Rolling Stone reports that the boy was being aggressive to Bieber during the game, repeatedly calling him names, including "faggot." However, I did see that this was not the cause of the confrontation. I read from Fox News that the kid's friends cornered Bieber during the game and he hit the boy as he was trying to get away, but did check to see if the boy was okay and explained what happened in the lobby afterwards. 

According to the Rolling Stone article, the police have concluded preliminarily that Bieber was not at fault for the incident, but I think it's mighty convenient that the 12-year-old's dad is a lawyer. That's probably why cops were called anyway. Seriously? What do you expect if you're playing laser tag? I don't think I've been involved in a laser tag game quite this competitive, but I do know it could get like this. I think the 12-year-old (and his parents) need to just need to move on. Below is a vid of a "Today Show" report on the incident. Check out what was said at the end...

Mediocre Photos = Blue Ribbons?

When I went to the State Fair yesterday, I got to see my photo on display in the Scott Building. I was, once again, very disappointed in how things turned out. I had already figured I didn't win anything since I didn't get a call, but it's even more disappointing when that finally becomes reality. Last year, I was just happy that my picture was simply recognized and displayed but, this year, I would have been happier had I actually won something for it. Heck, they didn't even have those little ribbon things on our pictures with the year on them acknowledging your photo was displayed.

The "winner" of the competition had an alright picture, but there were many more (including mine) that would have been better. Their picture was of a man in a retro car. The one thing I liked about it was the perspective it was taken from, but I thought the focus was off. I don't know if it was an effect or what, but the picture looked almost like it was a little blurry.

You know, I am actually pretty frustrated with the competition this year for a couple of reasons: first off, the people working at the competition site were not as friendly at all compared to last year. Second, I wish to goodness the judges would provide us with some kind of feedback on our pictures so we know things they are looking for. Seriously, how hard is it to provide us with some kind of feedback on our photos? Word of advice: if you ever plan to enter the photo competition at the fair, make sure you picture a mediocre picture to use if you want to win. Coming Soon: side by side look at my pic and the winner's pic.

State Fair Part I

This is a picture of a deep fried honey bun

from Google Images.

This is my first in two posts I will have about my experiences at the 2010 NC State Fair. I went with my mom today and we had a pretty good time. The food was amazing like always! I had my traditional Italian sausage and fries from McBride's food stand.

Later on, I had a treat from last year: deep fried cookie dough. I did try the deep fried honey bun like I had planned and it wasn't half bad. They use those huge honey buns and cover it with batter, then top it with powdered sugar. It was very good, but I only ate about half of it. I thought about trying the Krispy Kreme burger, but I decided to wait until I go again this Saturday.

Speaking of that, I will be going this Saturday (I'm so lucky) and will be taking in all the great food and rides again. The day will be capped off by the Darius Rucker concert at the Dorton Arena. I've gotten so where, each year I go to the fair, I see one of the Dorton Arena concerts. There have been having some pretty good acts come through there in the past years (and the tickets are dirt cheap) so I try to take advantage of this when I can.

I did ride a ride too. I rode the Super Himalaya which is like the traditional Himalaya rides you see all the time. It didn't go backwards (which I love) but it did go really fast (which I also love). It actually went faster and lasted longer than any of the Himalaya-like rides at the fair. It was awesome! I also wanted to ride Fighter which is a new ride and one of only two in the world. When I got to it, though, it looked like they were testing it or somethiing because nobody was on it and they were inspecting it or something. Hopefully I'll be able to Saturday.

Can't Believe It

I couldn't wait until Friday to post this Oops Award winner. I wanted to see when the new NCAA basketball game would be coming out because I hadn't seen anything about it. I later found out that EA Sports will not be having the game this year. They say that licensing talks with the NCAA have stalled, much like what happened with rival 2K Sports two years ago. Of course, we all know that 2K decided to permanently bench their college basketball game series. I'll tell you, if EA decides to do the same thing, I may just quit buying games from them. I'm serious! I like FIFA, Madden, and NCAA Football but I have to have NCAA Basketball. I've always been more of a college basketball fan anyway, so this would be terrible for me. I do have NCAA Basketball '10, but that will get outdated after a while and will no longer be any fun.

This will be the first year without a new NCAA basketball game, and I am not very happy about that at all! I really hope they create a new NCAA basketball game and not bench the series completely. If they do bench the series, I'll probably just stop buying their games and find some others to buy; even though I know it wouldn't matter to them. I never thought I would give an Oops Award to EA Sports, but I did. Good job guys for getting my Oops Award for the week.

A Big 'Pinhead'

On Thursday's episode of ABC's "The View" Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, addressed the upcoming election and promoted his new book, Pinheads and Patriots. In his conversation, he talked about the proposed mosque in New York, but his comments didn't sit so well with co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar. Watch what happened...

Photo Competition Update

Well, it looks like I've come up empty-handed once again with the photo competition. As of tonight, I have not recieved a call or email, so I presume I didn't win anything. I think they would contact you if you won something and not let you figure it for yourself by going to the fair but, who knows? I guess I'll find out officially when I go this Sunday.

On a more positive note, I will get to go to the fair at least twice this year and will get to see Darius Rucker in concert. In fact, his concert is just the first in a string of events I'm going to over the next several months. I have a concert or event I'm going to every month from October to February. It's crazy! When I go on Sunday, I'll try to Tweet from my phone the official results of the competition, so make sure you're keeping up with me on Twitter.

Photo Competition Update

Today is the day that judging begins on the photo competition. I took my photo over to the fairgrounds Friday and I hope things will turn out okay with it. I did see one guy bring in his picture and it was awesome. Let me put it this way, if he's in the amateur category, I'm doomed! Oh well, I gave it my best shot, so we'll see what happens.

At least this go-round, I'll know the results if I don't receive a call by Wednesday. Regardless of whether I win anything or not, my photo will still be on display throughout the fair so, if you're going, make sure you check it out in the Scott Building. I will update you guys here and on Twitter once I know the results.

FORE

Oh, mini golf: who could live without it? I'm sure the bicyclist in this vid will never like it again...

The Brickyard Preachers

An interesting site to see at almost any college are the preachers who stand out in a popular hang out place and preach to students. We have our own preachers in the Brickyard who are out there almost every day (or at least every time I pass through). Some do a good job in getting the Good News out, but others not so much. One famous preacher is Gary Birdsong, or the "Brickyard Preacher" as we like to call him. This guy is a fundamentalist Christian who takes an accusatory approach to lead others to Christ. In other words, he basically has that "everyone is going to Hell" mentality . I believe that he even yelled "You're going to Hell" to those who would walk by him and didn't stop to listen to him! He better hope he's never out there and says that to me if I pass by him. I'll say, "Actually, I am because I'm a Christian."

Just today, I witnessed another preacher who took almost the exact same approach. I think this guy, though, my have taken the cake. I was sitting on the picnic tables outside the Atrium listening to what this guy was saying. One thing that stuck out was his comments on going to football games. He said, "if you go to football games, you must repent." Are you kidding me? I have never heard that before in my life. I know a ton of Christian friends who go to football games. Heck, even Campus Crusade goes and tailgates at all the home football games here. He mentioned that we must repent if we've ever watched MTV or channels like it. Now, I know that's probably not the best channel to watch, but the fact of the matter is that I bet even Christians watch it anyway.

He also said "if you sin, you will go to Hell." I interpreted what he said as, if you sin, you will go to Hell no questions asked. I don't believe that fully. True, God does not let sin into his Kingdom, but we all sin. It doesn't matter if we're born again Christians or Atheists, we all still sin. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And that is exactly why there is a religion called Christianity. Due to our sinful nature, God sent his only son Jesus to die on a cross for us. Additionally, when we sin, we can ask God for forgiveness and He will forgive us. Like I heard on K-LOVE the other day, when you repent, God will give you a second chance.

One of the biggest things that stuck out to me (in addition to the above) was that, "if you're a Christian, you do not sin." This is completely false! True, we all strive to not sin but we all do anyway (Romans 3:23). The only one without sin is God Himself, no one else! When He sent his son, Jesus, down to Earth, He led a perfect (sinless) life which no one in all of history can ever say they've done. That preacher is not honestly going to sit there and tell me he has never sinned in his life. Give me a break!

Unfortunately, the Christian religion is being plagued by people like these two. I'm sure his intentions were good, but he definitely needs some training on how to tell people about the Good News. Many Christians wonder why do people not join the religion. It's because of things like this. I know that if I wasn't a Christian and heard this kind of talk from preachers, I probably wouldn't want to be a Christian either. We all have to do a better job at spreading the Good News to those who don't believe it.

LCT 2010

I guess it's never too early to be talking about the Living Christmas Tree. Yep, it's that time again...can you believe it? This year's show is suppose to be like no other. Our worship pastor is reviving a LCT show from several years ago and is titling it "Christmas Reunion." The church is going to be decked out with decorations, limos, and maybe even race cars! 

The show will focus on a family who is holding a special reunion where this mysterious heirloom will finally be revealed after 125 years of secrecy. That's really all I'll tell you about the show. I don't want to give too much away! We have received our music, and it is filled with great songs. From classic holiday sing-a-longs and comical songs to very powerful tunes. It will be a Christmas show you won't want to miss!

Perfect No More

Yesterday was a tough one for Wolfpack football. The Pack fell to Virginia Tech after starting out with a big 17-0 lead on the Hokies. In the end, the second half perfomance for VT simply overshadowed the great start by State. Russell Wilson had kind of an off game (even though he escaped about 50 or so tackles) throwing three interceptions during the game.

In addition, the refs didn't help our cause at all (which is typical of any VT game). Although State has hit a bump in the road, they still have a great team and will definitely bounce back. I could go on and on about how much I can't stand Virginia Tech (and their fans) but I'm going to save that for it's own post. Stay tuned!

Big Game

Later on today (3:30pm on ABC), NC State will have its second big ACC test against Virginia Tech. Not only do the Hokies' fans travel well, it's Parent & Families Weekend here at State, and I'm sure tons of Wolfpack families won't miss this one. This marks the first time since I can remember that State is nationally ranked (#23 in the AP Poll) while Tech is not. It should be a classic game. I have always hated VT. I don't know why but I always have and always will. Kind of like with Duke but not quite as severe. Anyway, I will be going to the game (sitting right in the middle of the student section of course) so I will post again as soon as I can after the game with my own reaction and maybe even some pics as well. Oh yea, one more thing...GO PACK!

You're Fired

Popular CNN host, Rick Sanchez, was fired from CNN after making comments about Jews in the media. He made the comments on a Sirius radio show, calling "The Daily Show" host, John Stewart (who is Jewish), a "bigot" and suggesting that "everybody who runs CNN" is Jewish. As result, the news network fired Sanchez and thanked him for his years of service. CNN did not disclose if the firing was based off of his comments alone, but this is just the lastest in a series of controversial comments from Sanchez. He has also come under fire for calling President Obama a "cotton-picking president", misquoting Rush Limbaugh, and apparently not understanding the metric system.

When will people learn? I always kind of liked Rick Sanchez. In fact, I used to watch his show ("CNN Newsroom" later turned into "Rick's List") where he addressed some big topics for debate and opened them up to the nation to respond through social networks, calling it the "National Conversation." It was a pretty cool show to watch. It goes to show you that you really have to watch what you say nowadays; and that is why I give Rick Sanchez my Oops Award for the week.

Photo Competition Update

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the State Fair photo competition. My picture is framed, wired, and ready to be sent over to the Fairgrounds next Friday, and judging will be from Oct. 11-13. I really hope I will win at least something this year for my photo. In my opinion, the photo I chose this go-round is much better than the one from last year. Photography nowadays focuses a lot on perspective and point of view. I think the point of view from which the photo is taken is pretty cool. Just in case you forgot, here's my entry...

Legacy Center Update #1

Over the next few years, I will be posting updates on the big Legacy Center project at Grey Stone. On Sunday, we had a committee member make a presentation on the building, giving us important dates and info on events we will be holding before construction begins. We all received a nice folder packed with info on the project and even more renderings. Also included was info about our captial campaign and needed giving levels in order to have enough funds to move forward. Please be in prayer for us as we will officially begin collecting money November 14. Construction is set to begin April 2011 and pre-construction work could begin very soon, if all goes well. The new renderings are below (taken from the brochure we received Sunday)...

As we're going through this exciting time, we received some pretty surprising news as well. Our family life/pastoral care minister and (get this) our children's minister will both be leaving. Their last day is this Sunday. I'll be honest I was very upset and shocked by both announcements coming at a time of happiness for our church, but I was even more upset over the children's minister leaving because of everything we're doing with the Legacy Center. I thought maybe he would leave after everything was completed with the project, but this wasn't the case. I wish them well in their new ventures, but hate they'll miss out on this great project.

Pack Sting The Jackets

NC State moved to 4-0 Saturday with a huge road win at Georgia Tech, 45-28. The Pack are now the only undefeated team in the ACC. Russell Wilson led the way in passing again with 333 yards while Mustafa Greene led in rushing with 84 yards. Even though they faced some adveristy in the game (like GT scoring 14 points in 50 seconds), they were simply too tough for the Ramblin' Wreck. I still can't believe that NC State is playing the way they are.

Now some are talking ACC Championship about the Pack. Of course, it is still early in the season, but this team is no joke. They have gotten quality wins on the road vs. UCF, at home aginst defending Big East champ Cincinatti, and now on the road against defending ACC champ Georgia Tech. Their next test is at home against struggling Virginia Tech next Saturday. It should definitely be a good one to watch.

Not The Only One

I don't know if you guys remember, but I wrote a post soon after I was denied admssion from Carolina about if the college admissions process was fair and balanced. I have always thought that it was not fair and balanced, and I just now have found an article that backs this up. I'll get email newsletters periodically from My College Options about scholarships, etc. In this particular issue was an article entitled, "All's Fair In College Admissions" by Andrew Flagel, Dean of Admissions and Associate VP for Enrollment Development at George Mason University.

In the article, Flagel addresses the issue of fairness in college selection and provides some good examples to back up his points. He states that a university in the Midwest (name witheld) was caught sending emails which revealed "blatant influence by politicians in efforts to get unqualified students admitted." Flagel also attributes the unfairness to money issues. He concludes that, at least in the college admissions process, it is better to be rich than poor. He cites being rich as a way to get extra assistance whether it be tutoring, college essay help, things that most can't afford on a regular basis.

I decided to write about this to finally prove my position on this issue. After I published the post, I asked for you guys to vote if you thought the college process was fair. If my memory serves me right, a couple voted and said yes. Well, that's your opinion, but here is a pretty darn good example to prove my position on the issue. You know, I'm still bitter towards Carolina for not admitting me, but NC State has worked out so much for me (and I'm having more fun over here than I probably would have had over at UNC anyway).

P.S. You can read the full article here.

Off To The Masquerade

Netflix, the popular movie rental service, spent what should have been its big debut in Canada apologizing to reporters. The company hired actors to act as ordinary, everyday people during a celebration up north. Here's the catch: the actors did interviews for reporters under false pretenses without the interviewers even knowing the difference. This sent outrage through the new outlets, leaving Netflix no choice but to apologize to the news reporters for their stunt. According to a spokeperson, the plan was only suppose to hype up the crowd for the arrival of Netflix's CEO and the company itself, but I think it only backfired on them. Not a great first impression, guys.

Oh, College...

Since I haven't blogged about anything in a while, I decided to return with a post about my college experiences so far. You know, I've come to learn that college is truly a different world than back home. Even though I'm only 30 minutes or so away from my home, it's still like I'm in a different universe. For instance, I think this is the first time in my life that I haven't watched a whole bunch of TV. I'll watch a little in the when I'm in the dining hall eating and some at night in my suitemates' room but that's it. The rest of my time is spent on the computer, in class, or somewhere else.

Another difference is class itself. You have a lot more independence here than in high school. If you don't show up for class, tough luck. You are responsible for what you missed and how you will make it up. Now, the professors do setup parameters for absences and how many classes you can miss before you fail the course, but there's still a sense of freedom. Classes now are nice because you don't necessarily go until the end time. Once the professors are done, they're done. I know this week alone, I have gotten out of my classes anywhere from 5-10 minutes early. That may not seem like much for some, but it is for me!

Let's move on to the sights and sounds seen and heard here on campus. I basically have seen it all. People riding on skateboards, scooters, and, yes, even unicycles. Weird hair and clothes, people advertising and trying to give you free stuff. It's crazy! Just as an example, I was sitting in a lounge area in one of the lecture halls listening to two dudes debating political issues while I typed this out. It sounded like one was Republican and one was Democrat. I'm telling you, you really do see it all.

Despite all my strange findings and observations, college is an exciting place. There's at least one activity to do every night (whether it be hanging out with friends or a Campus Crusade Bible study) and there is really never a dull moment. I've been enjoying the time I've spent here so far and can't wait to see what's coming up next. I know, in a couple weeks, I'll probably not get so much time to do things like this because I'll be studying for midterms...oh boy!

Roll Tide, Roll

Alabama rolled right into Wallace Wade and came out with a rout of Duke, 62-13. The crowd was right at about 40,000 (most of those being Tide fans) and the atmosphere was electric! Back when I was little, I went to about every Duke football home game with my grandparents (and pulled for the other team of course), and I don't think I've ever seen that many people at a Duke game before.

Although it was never really a game, I still had a blast seeing the #1 team in the nation (and the reigning Heisman winner) play. I took tons of pics and I even got to see Coach Saban and the team pretty up close as they went off the field. I had a great time watching this amazing team play in person!