Monday, October 25, 2010

homecoming. is. exhausting.


Oh my. Homecoming is exhausting.

Mkay, so the festivities technically started on wednesday night with a 9 pm worship service. Now, 9 pm isn't so bad, I guess. It lasted an hour or two, and I was back to homework by midnight. The next night was freshman mass meeting. I think I've mentioned that... in detail... so that brings us to Friday night. Pretty normal day until the pep rally. We played at the pep rally, which ended with a huge fireworks show and lighting the bon fire.... which was just unreal. This fire was bigger than I had imagined. If you can imagine a flame the size of a 4 story building... it was kinda like that. This picture doesn't really capture it, but it gets kinda close.
Imagine a little bitty person taking up about the size of one of these letters.

So that, plus a ferris wheel and various other carnival activities and a concert/dance party, and you have an awesome Friday night that went on entirely too long, considering the following morning.

Saturday morning was the parade. The band is the very front of the parade, and we had to be somewhere at 7 in the morning. In full uniform. yum.

Lets take a moment so I can let you in on a little secret. I hate parades. I hate parades so much. As an observer, you may not think of the actual path the people of the parade must take; the length of the parade. Band kids, for the most part, are fairly intelligent.. they can get in line, they can make a form look better.... all until you get in a parade block. I don't know what it is about parades, but band kids turn into idiots. They can't stay in line, the concept of a diagonal is completely lost, the basic step size, which the majority of band kids could step off in their sleep because its so ingrained into minds and muscles, is utterly forgotten. It's pitiful. Then you add in a turn, and all hope is lost. After a mile or two, no one even tries. All the parade-goers look so happy... they're cheering and clapping, and all we can think is 2 more blocks....one more song....it's almost over....

SO. Sorry, for the rant, especially if you can't relate at all, but I REALLY hate parades. To top it all off, it was nearing rain the whole time, and finally started to rain when we finished. After that hell, we had to go to the game, which we have to be 4 hours early for. That gave us a whopping 45 minutes. Then we had a fun rehearsal in a state of half sleep and drizzle. They finally did something good and fed us food, and I know they don't have control over the weather like Scott Mason did, but the sun came out for lunch. Then game time. Or so we thought. The teams came out, kick off happened, a whole 2 minutes go by.... then there was a weather delay! woooooooh. Apparently, a tornado touched down somewhere within 6 miles of the stadium and people saw lightning. So they herded the band into this old weight room. This was a much better option than the general population, which retreated to the concourse, which proceeded to flood. I was in a nice cozy room, with climate control and proper lighting, and fluffy work out equipment, on which I promptly fell asleep and missed the following monsoon. Apparently, it was a total downpour, but I had no idea it had rained at all. So, after 2 hours of slightly uncomfortable/useless sleep and waiting around, we got to continue the game... which was really finally starting the game. This 6 hour football game was painful to watch, but worth it. We won, thank God, but sure not because the refs liked us. I've never seen a more poorly officiated game, but we stuck it to them anyway, even in the drizzle that never really went away.

It was such a long, exhausting, sightly miserable experience, but all worth it for that bowl game. I can't wait.

Happy monday, and only 6 more days until Halloween. Eat something unhealthy.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Good morning; I want more sleep

Hey everyone. How're you doing? Wait, I would know if you had a blog. So if you don't, maybe you should definitely get one right now. If that's just not an option for whatever reason, feel free to tell me via comment :]

So it's homecoming week. Last night I went to freshman mass meeting, where they pack as many of us as they can into Waco Hall, which doesn't sit quite as many people as it needed to, and then tell us all about school spirit. More specifically, Baylor spirit, which is different than just school spirit, because we have the Immortal Ten to show for it.

It was actually a bit odd... we showed up cheering and happy, chanting and spirited up, and then they sat us down and told us about the Immortal Ten, which was a tragic accident in 1927 where a bus full of the Baylor basketball team got hit by a train. Yeah. It shut us up really fast. We got really really pumped up to hear about dead people.

Anyway, after that, they gave us the task of building a bonfire for tonight's festivities. In the middle of fountain mall there was a 6 inch deep, flat mound of sand.This thing was about 30 by 15 feet. Over to the side were piles and piles of wooden pallets (who knows where they got that many pallets...) and they said "go". So we went. A few thousand of us, looking like the human version of an ant pile that's been kicked, scurried over to the pallets, grabbed one a piece, and got back through the crowd to the quickly forming pile and chucked it on top. Well, after about 10 minutes of watching this, the guys in charge said "oh that's great, now take it all off so we can do it right." After much groaning, we did. And a few hours later, (keep in mind freshman mass meeting started at 11pm. It's nearly 3 by this point) we have a bonfire. You wouldn't think that a few thousand people could take that long, but look at it logistically: its only a few square feet. Only so many people can get near it. It was way too many people to use them all efficiently. And, being stupid kids, lots of them didn't really try and hung out by the university provided pizza. Oh well. All in all, I'd say this pile of wood takes up the whole 15x30 sand rectangle, and is about 10 or 15 feet high. I can't wait to see how they light the thing. Or how big the flames get. I'm a bit of a pyromaniac, so bear with me on my next post when I start describing how ridiculously awesome it was.

Now it's ten in the morning, I got six hours of sleep, I have class in three and a half hours, and I have a CL application due in 5 days. Joy.

You probably understand all of that except the CL part. At Baylor, we don't have RA's. We have CL's: Community Leaders. Well, applications for next fall's CL's are due in a few days, and I need letters of recommendation, a full resume, and a few questions that aren't too bad, and a few other things. The thing that's really getting me right now is the resume. I suck at remembering things, and I don't write them down. So when it comes to writing out all my accomplishments and job positions and whatever else they want, it becomes a bit of a problem. Oh well... I only have one class today. Plenty of time before tonight's homecoming stuff to think about everything that needs to go into this thing.

So that's what I'll be doing today. Party, huh? Then I get to go do band stuff - we're playing at the pep rally. *insert excitement here*

Tomorrow is the real excitement. (After the parade, of course. No one likes parades when you're in band) Win number 6 is right around the corner and a bowl game is just over the horizon. Baylor football took on a phrase this year: rise up. And God knows they needed to, after the past 17 bowl-game-less years. The sad part? Even on homecoming, even with our awesome record, even with a bowl game so close, the fans will be lacking. The freshmen will leave after halftime, most of the students will be going to Austin for the weekend or something, or just not wanna go to the game. Just as a thing of interest, I was flipping through the bible the other day, as I tend to do when I'm feeling a bit lost, and found Ezra 10:4. "Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it." So maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there will be a homecoming crowd. We'll see I guess. But I love this verse... it might be where they got the whole "Rise Up" idea. In any case, Kansas State doesn't stand a chance tomorrow - we have God on our side.

You - yeah, you. You know I'm talking to you: stay awesome. The world's better with you in it, and don't you dare forget that. :]

Monday, October 18, 2010

number fifty.

Yes, my faithful followers, it's true. You've now stuck around (or maybe gotten here just in time) for 50 posts. I think its the first benchmark number for any blogger. Since I started out posting like, once or twice a month until just recently, 50 has taken a very long time. Hopefully I'll double it in less than half the time.

But enough about that. Go on, ask the question you're dying to know the answer to: how're you doing? How's life? What's up? All those general questions you ask to someone you see while riding your bike to class rhetorically, knowing by the time they say anything you'll be out of earshot. But since you're here reading all the details of my simple college life with such happiness, I'll assume you actually want a real answer to "what's up."

Well, to answer your deep, philosophical question, I'm doing just dandy. I mean, I'm dreading a test over the intricacies of Microsoft Excel on Wednesday, and I'm putting off some reading at the moment (I say 'some reading' because I'm not entirely sure what it is that I'm supposed to be reading. My teacher assigns weekly reading that's always due on Tuesdays, but he's not really good at telling us what it is), but all in all, life is good.

Firstly, Anna. It sucks we're so far away, but in the big scheme of things, its only a little bit of time before we're both back in Coppell, and besides... it's not like I want to be in a relationship with anyone else but her, so not being together is pointless. It's silly to say something like, "well, maybe once we're out of college...." because that in itself is almost an obligation not to get into any serious relationships. So why wait? I kinda blew it 4 years ago when we 'dated' for all of a few weeks and then stopped... awkward story involving a loud mouth ex....don't worry about it..... but now we're together, and even with 5 hours and 42 minutes legally between us, I couldn't be happier.

Second, its Homecoming week at Baylor! Sic 'em. Being in band, I think I'm supposed to hate homecoming week, since it sucks up so much time and sleep and energy and life, but it's like, the only time I get to be a freshman with the rest of my class. All kinds of activities happen this week where I get to just be part of the student body, and I'm excited for it. And I get to build a bonfire - who doesn't wanna do that? Good times.

Third, last weekend was Fall Break, which is a bit of a misnomer, since its just Friday. A measly three day weekend that they call a 'break'. I guess I don't mind so much, because its the perfect length of time back at home and it makes the semester that much shorter. Its just long enough to where Mom and Dad treat me like a special guest and don't make me do anything, and Connor and I get along without any problems. I also got to travel with two awesome friends, which beats the hell out of driving alone. It was a party both times. Good music, funny moments, non-awkward eating-in experience, and trail mix. Just good times. During the weekend I got to hang out with one of my best friends who moved off to Kansas University (shame, but I'm glad he likes it somehow) and came back for his fall break. It was nice to finally see him, and equally great to see Haley and Sarah. I also had lots and lots of fun seeing all my other friends and going to the band competition and the high school's football game (where one, I saw Tony Romo, and two, I witnessed the awesomely easy defeat of Southlake Carroll, and three, got to hang out with the band some more... once a band nerd, always a band nerd)

Quick side note that's too long to stick in parentheses.... I really am such a Coppell band nerd. They were in trouble and the drum majors called them to attention, and I didn't catch myself in time and snapped to attention with them. It was just muscle memory and habit, but it was still really embarrassing, heh.

Where was I.... oh yeah, fourth. Fourth, Baylor is 5-2 now. Best big 12 team record in Texas, I'm pretty sure. This and Coppell's perfect record definitely make up for the Dallas Cowboys' dismal record. We're getting ready to face off against KSU to become eligible for a BOWL GAME at the homecoming game this weekend. It's been a reallyyyyyy long time since we were this close to a bowl game, and I would hate to curse us by mentioning this, but I'm doing it anyway because it's so exciting.. it feels so good to laugh at all those people that laughed at me for going to Baylor because of their "bad" football team. I dunno who they were kidding, we're doing great. Not awesome, but far from bad. We definitely did 'Rise Up', just like we were supposed to.

There are just so many other things that are awesome right now that I can't even remember them all. Life is just pretty awesome right now (which is why it's been over a week since my last post... I've just been enjoying life too much to stay on a computer long enough to type a post out.)

I hope this happiness that's bursting out of me is electronically transferable. Your day better be better now :] I hope more of my posts get to be this happy, because being happy is just a good feeling... I promise it's not just the caffeine I'm hyped up on :D

Sunday, October 10, 2010

:D

Ooooookay. If there is a such thing as an awesome weekend, I had one. (Sports don't count. If that's the judge, one, I'm really messed up, and two, this weekend really sucked. Baylor lost, Rangers lost twice, Cowboys lost.... just not good.)

But okay, putting sports aside, this weekend has just been amazing.

First on the list of awesome, I went to a magical place where I had real food, a loving cat, couches that recline, 120 square feet all to myself, a clean bathroom.... yes, I went home. It was the Bubble, but it was really okay, because of all the mentioned and a few other things, like some of my totally awesome amazing really cool friends.

Second, I finally got to see Coppell's marching show. They got second at the competition this weekend, and as good as they were, they deserved it after I heard Mansfield. THEY were freaking awesome. They played Asphalt Cocktail. (Just look it up... maybe I'm a band nerd or a music freak or something for LOVING it, but all the same....) If you need some perspective, it was a bitch to play in a concert, sitting still, putting all my focus to paying attention to paying the notes at the right freaking time.... and they decided it would be a good idea to march to this piece that switches time signatures every measure or two. Who ever decided to march to this piece that has 7/8 measures in it, I applaud them, because it was executed beautifully last night. They definitely deserved first.

Dying to see it now? Thought so. Well, watch it!

Third, guess what came back to Baylor with me? (What do you mean, "I don't know, What?"... You were supposed to guess, silly.)
Okay, fine, I'll tell you.... A car! I know, I know, its not spectacular news to you, but it makes a world of difference to me, even if its my mom's old car that's been sitting around since she got a new one.... so I'm driving a beat up 2000 Pathfinder, but it's a car, and it goes forward and backward, it stops, and it even turns side to side, and all without completely falling apart. And it has a sun roof. Can't beat a sun roof. You say mom car. I say Sport Utility.

ANDDDD, if that's not enough for one weekend, I got to spend most of it with some of my best friends. Sarah was awesome, even if she was at work half the time. It was awesome getting to see her, even if she's stressing about the rest of high school and what colleges to apply to and all that fun senior stuff. I really wish there was something I could do to help, but I think I'm doing all I can.... which brings me to Anna! I think I made a few people really happy this weekend. It's rather complicated, but Sarah's been following Anna and me very closely lately and, well, meddling. :] I don't mind. I never did. Anyway, Anna and I have been really awesome friends for years, and we finally decided we were more than friends... verbally. I think we've both known it for a while, but we actually did something about it now, so as of today, neither she nor I are single :D

So like I said, all in all, this weekend was just about as awesome as life can get. Car, band, home, friends, and the best thing that's happened to my life in a very, very long time.

Oh, and Anna, this song perfectly describes my thoughts. I don't know how Relient K always has the perfect song, but they do, even for my ad;dlfkjasd;lfkjasdlkfjl:D brain right now.


Thursday, October 7, 2010

no no no no no.

This is so not okay.



Never again will I complain about heights. I don't have anything witty to say about this; I just found it on the internet.

I went skydiving. That was nothing compared to this thing. This is ridiculous. I wouldn't do this, except for gratuitous amounts of money. I was shaking by the end of this video and all I was doing was watching the thing. This is not okay.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Stress n' Dex

Alright. Everything's starting to feel like school now, for sure.

Because I'm freaking out.

A lot. Over nothing. Right back into the normal pattern of things I guess. For a brief moment yesterday, I felt like I was back on top of the world, with a plan and direction. I went to my advisement for spring semester yesterday and we went over what all I've done and where I'm going and all that. By the end of it, I felt informed, I felt ready to go out and conquer. It helps that she kept reminding me how ahead I was from all my high school AP credits and dual credit. I know what credits I have, I know I'll be a sophomore next semester, I know what classes I'll take next semester and next summer and next year. I know a lot now. It's all set out for me.

But it all means nothing if I fail a class. Then my whole schedule is for nothing. My whole master plan is worthless. Right now, I'm freaking out. My life is overwhelming at the moment. I have a midterm that is essentially half of my grade for a class on Friday that I'm freaking out about. All the hours I've spent reading things and going to class, and I look at the review sheet and can't answer anything. Besides that class, I feel like I'm being left behind in my other classes. So much memorization for all the classes. I don't do memorization too well.

And besides class itself, I have a million other things going on. My room is a mess, for one. Not like, all of the room, just my half and my desk. And this freaks me out. I'm not a neat freak or anything, but when I start getting overwhelmed with life, a mess doesn't help. I need to clean my room before I'll be able to think.

I have these random checks that my mom sent me from some lawsuit that a company lost and had to pay their stockholders or something, and I ended up with two checks because my granddad bought something in my name before I could eat on my own. But anyway, this mess all comes down to the fact that I have checks. This wouldn't be a problem back at home, but the extent of my banking on campus is a single ATM. I need a car to get to the bank, and that's something I don't have. I just don't have the time to go and ride a bike to downtown Waco.

...you see what's happening? I'm taking things like a messy desk and free money and blowing them out of proportion and making them horrible, awful things. I'm so stressed. Only I could take free money and make it a burden on my life. This is silly. Why... no, not even why... how did I get this stressed?

I bet I can tell you. Netflix. Yep. This is what happens when you waste your life away with a tv show. Let's face it. When I watch Dexter for 10 or something hours on Sunday and then a few more on Monday, suddenly I'm a day behind and life is screaming at me. On the bright side, Dexter is awesome. I love tv shows that involve character development so much. LOST was my last obsession. Dexter is my new one to replace it. I think the reason these kinds of tv shows appeal to me so much more than movies is because you go with the characters. You invest time with the characters. You learn about them. You come to love or hate them. You know them. Movies, you start somewhere, you observe for an hour or two (or 8 if you're watching the Lord of the Rings, but still...), and then conflict is resolved and everyone parts ways. You leave them to live happily ever after and its all done. TV shows always have something new to deal with and some new way for the characters to grow and evolve. You invest hours and hours with them and you feel almost like they're your friends and family. After a full 25 hours of episodes with Dexter, I feel like I know some of those characters better than I know most of the people I deal with in real life.

If you've stuck around since the beginning of my ramblings, you know I've done this rant before, but since I've watched Dexter almost non-stop for a few days, so its fresh on my mind, and I haven't been over this idea for awhile, and we have new readers in our midst. But, question for everyone: Do you get it? Am I crazy? Or insanely anti-social? Seriously, am I nuts for immersing myself into these TV shows and accepting these fictional characters as personal relationships? Is it weird that I see a situation in life and say, "well I know what Dexter's sister would do here"?

I guess I'll go do something useful and productive and try to get less stressed. I'll go make some flashcards or something... even if I don't learn anything, I'll feel productive. Thanks for listening guys; you are all awesome for not only putting up with my insanity on a regular basis, but doing it willingly. So.... thanks. :]



Oh! Only THREE DAYS until Anna comes to Waco! I'm so excited that I can't even contain it. Just thinking about it makes me smile from ear to ear. Ahhh! :D

Friday, October 1, 2010

Weekend Update.

I feel the need to apologize again for the infrequent posts... school and life keep getting in the way. I know, I know, how dare they. I should devote all my life to sitting in my room on my computer and ignoring all the people around me and my school work. What do they matter anyway?

But yeah, I've been focusing on band and schoolwork and reading and friends and call of duty. All of that is pretty time consuming, so again, sorry for not updating as regularly as I was a few weeks ago.

This weekend is gonna be fun. It's a home game, and its early, so I actually get a Saturday night this week, unlike the past two weeks - they were late away games, so the band kids have no lives that day, especially if they - heh, I - sleep in. I dunno what I'll be up to yet, but I might end up just sitting inside playing more call of duty.

The real thing to look forward to is NEXT weekend, when my best friend is (hopefully) going to come visit. Plus, its the big Baylor vs. Texas Tech game, and that's just destined to be an awesome game, regardless of the outcome..... but we're gonna win. :D

Good times. I'll tell you all what comes of my potentially awesome weekend in a few days. :]