November Blogs
November 2, 2005
Tonight I was required to attend a business simulation about supply chains for PSU seminar. I showed up not knowing what to expect, only that we would be learning about the different stages of the supply chain. I learned that a good starts in a factory, gets shipped to a distributor, then to a wholesaler, and finally to the retailer. The consumers sometimes buy their goods from the wholesaler, such as Sam's Club or BJ's, but mostly get their goods from retailers. The simulation consisted of about 20 people, all on computers, split into five teams. Each person served as a part of the supply chain, and we competed against other teams to see who could keep the most balanced flow over 50 days. I was a retailer, so I had to make sure that I kept my inventory at a reasonable level and did not have a big backdrop. When it was over, the teacher told us to clean off all of the food and drinks on the refreshment table because we were the last group. I took this to my advantage, as I walked away with 14 cans of soda and about 10 cookies. Overall, it was a good night since I got introduced to the supply chain and got so much free food.
November 3, 2005
I got the university-sponsored flu shot today in the Heritage Hall in the HUB. Every winter, I manage to get really sick at least twice, so I figured that this shot will help my body fight any sicknesses that are floating around. Especially with living in a dorm hall, where I share the bathroom with about 40 other people, there are many germs everywhere. The shot was $25, charged to the student account. This can save me money down the road because if I hadn't gotten the shot, I would be paying for trips to the doctor. I went with my roommate, and we barely made it in time. Only five people were let in behind us, as the organization had run out of vaccinations. We felt lucky because we were going to eat before we got the shot, but we decided not to. If we had eaten, we would have missed the chance to get this shot.
November 4, 2005
I can't believe that the last football game is tomorrow. It seems like the first game was like two weeks ago, and I remember how excited I was for it. I'm sure I will find something, but I think I will be bored on Saturdays after football season is over; I am not going to know what to do with myself. I have based my Saturdays on football, even if the Nittany Lions are away.
It is also sad to look at the newspapers this week. 23 seniors are saying their farewells tomorrow, as this is their last game they will ever play while wearing the blue and white. This reminds me of my senior year of high school football, and how none of us wanted to let go.
November 8, 2005
Kenny Chesney's new cd is on Napster. I'm not sure if it is in stores yet, but I'm glad I get to listen to it now. Kenny Chesney's music is my favorite music to chill to. I can reflect on my thoughts and get a lot of work done. Kenny's music used to be a lot more fast-paced, but now it is more laid-back, beach music. His last album, "Be As You Are" was based on his old blue chair that he used to sit on at the beach. This new album, called "The Road and the Radio" sounds like the same type of deal as his previous album. The songs are very mellow. The released single on the CD, "Who You'd Be Today" hit the charts high and everyone was happy that Kenny was back.
November 9, 2005
I have my second Calculus mid-term on Monday and I'm really nervous about it. I did ok on the first exam, but I need to do better on this one. This exam is only on chapter four, but there is a lot of new stuff. It also is based off the stuff we learned earlier, so I need to know that as well. I'm going home this weekend, so I will try to study on the bus rides. I am going to try to study at home too, but I doubt that will happen. My Friday Night and day of Saturday are already filled with plans. I really can't wait for this semester to be over, just because of calculus. This will be the last algebra-based math I think I will EVER have to take, so no more x's and y's and pies. Sure, there will be statistics and business math that I will have to work through, but hopefully there won't be any problems asking me to find the length one a six foot man's shadow while standing under an eighteen foot lamp post.
November 10, 2005
I scheduled my classes last night, or this morning, however you want to put it. November 10 was my day to register, and I had heard from my T.A. and some other people that the best time to schedule is at midnight so I can get the classes I want. I get to schedule ahead of most of the freshmen here because I came in with credits; however, a lot of the classes that I wanted were already taken by upperclassmen. Last week, I went on the Registrar's website and made a sample schedule, and on Tuesday I went back and edited it because some of the classes and times were full. I tried to make a finalized schedule on Wednesday and I wrote down all of the numbers so I could not waste anytime once it was my day. Once 12:00 hit, I typed in the registration numbers as quickly as possible and I pushed submit. I thought that something wouldn't work out, but it said "registration approved." After all the worries I had about switching around my schedule and such, I was done by 12:01.
November 11, 2005
Tonight may be the most boring Thursday night since I have been here. No one is doing anything! Usually, at least someone on the floor is having a get-together, but tonight the only activity on the floor is Super Nintendo. I might just be anticipating this weekend too much, because I am going home and then to Towson University and the University of Maryland to party. I am surprising my parents by riding with by friend Kara to the bus stop in Harrisburg, and then she is driving me home from there. Friday night, I will probably go to the high school football game, then see what is going on and maybe have a few people over. Hopefully, it is better than tonight.
November 11, 2005
This week I got redemption. Instead of me being sick, my roommate has been sick all week. He hasn't been sick since we've been here, and it seems like ever since I got here, I've had a runny nose or a sore throat. Now, he has skipped class the past two days, and has done nothing but sit around on his computer or laying down in bed. This has to be the best I've been feeling since I've been here, I am not tired at all and I don't have any feeling of sickness on my body. Maybe I should just work on my ADD now...
November 14, 2005
After listening to Charles' presentation, I learned a lot about how to make an argument to a lot of people. No offense to his argument, but it was horrible. At one point, about 3/4 of the class had their hands in the air ready to fire an opposing view back at him. If all police were eliminated, just imagine life, and specifically, a city. People without jobs who usually get into trouble would never stop vandalizing, destroying, and disrespecting everything and everyone in their path. It would turn the world into one big war ground, and people would be killed left and right. Personally, I believe that the police are doing their job well and fairly. Sure, they can piss me off, but I have never really been in trouble by cops. I've been close many times, but it has made me realize what I did and it put me in my spot. Of course they abuse their power sometimes, but you have to admit, so would you.
November 15, 2005
My roommate and I went to Basketball Eve tonight, and I don't regret at all not getting basketball tickets. The whole night was lame. I love basketball, and wish that the team could be good, but they are absolutely horrible. I think some teams that I have played against in the past could take this team. It is so bad that I think if I had my coach call, I could walk on. Ok, maybe not, but that's how I feel about this year's team, especially after seeing our football team succeed.
The reason we went to the Eve is because they were selecting a person to shoot a half court shot for $10,000. I am amazing at shooting threes, as well as half court shots. The Bryce Jordan Center had many basketball hoops set up so a bunch of guys were playing with us. Of course, I was not selected to take the shot because I never do, and the guy that got picked couldn't even make it to the basket. My roommate got a free shirt out of the night, so it wasn't all that big of a waste.
November 16, 2005
http://www.freewebtown.com/baseballstars/sosa3.jpg∞
http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Photo/2005/03/24/1111674125_6516.jpg∞
http://www.bongonews.com/StoryImages/barry_bonds_2005-02-23.JPG∞
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photos_from_the_field/2004/12/03/bonds.years/bonds1.jpg∞
http://mqablog.com/sitebuilder/images/bondsjoke-350x259.jpg∞
I will most likely use this picture, or one of the same idea, in my paper about steroids. There has been many studies about players such as Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, who began their career as scrawny outfielders and were transformed into huge men with monstrous muscles. In my paper, I will discuss the effects of steroids on the body, and the tests the perform to detect them. I will also explore the various stats of players that have been debated about on whether or not they have used steroids.
Year Ag Tm
HR
1986 21 PIT 16
1987 22 PIT 25
1988 23 PIT 24
1989 24 PIT 19
1990 25 PIT 33
1991 26 PIT 25
1992 27 PIT 34
1993 28 SFG 46
1994 29 SFG 37
1995 30 SFG 33
1996 31 SFG 42
1997 32 SFG 40
1998 33 SFG 37
1999 34 SFG 34
2000 35 SFG 49
2001 36 SFG
73
2002 37 SFG 46
2003 38 SFG 45
2004 39 SFG 45
2005 40 SFG 10
source-
http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bondsba01.shtml∞
That last picture is fake. - EschaTon
no kidding haha...the caption was "Could this be Bonds in 2008?" -MichaelNiffeneggerTestUser
November 17, 2005
Dick Vitale and college basketball is back. College basketball season started this week, and old Dicky V is already screaming about diaper dandies and how good the ACC and the new look Big East are. I watched the Duke game last night, and they look unstoppable. J.J. Reddick may be the best shooter in the country, and he showed why last night. He has excellent court awareness, and can hit a backdoor cutter with an incredible pass every time, or he can pop a three in his man's face that is a foot taller than him. Don't get me wrong, I hate Duke, but I like watching J.J. Reddick. Hopefully, Maryland does good this year. I am going to try to get some tickets to their games since I am from there, but they are hard to come by.
November 18, 2005
What is going on in Iraq? I haven't really watched the news in forever, so I guess nothing big has happened since I haven't heard anything. I can't stand the people that rally against the war and want to impeach Bush. First of all, we started something over there so we have to finish it. I understand that soldiers and innocent people have been killed; however, that is a sacrifice that we have to make to try to maintain peace. The military is somewhat voluntary, and our military is over there protecting us. By enlisting or attending an academy or however else they made it into the military, they had to know that their life would be put in danger at some point. If I didn't have college going for me or any of my future plans, I would request to be on the front line with a Thomson gun and blow all of these idiots away. We can't trust any of them over there, so why do we need them? "There's innocent people bla bla bla." I say we bomb the whole middle east and solve all of the problems.
Here's a question (and I'm not asking this from some liberal, stupid position of privilege, I'm really curious): What are the soldiers in Iraq protecting us from? If anything I feel a lot less safe since we invaded Iraq. I know our mission is to spread democracy and all that jazz, but, seriously, what are they protecting us from by invading Iraq? - EschaTon
I don't really know the answer, but I assume that our soldiers are over there to maintain order. We have gone through so much work over there, and we don't want to let it go to waste which is probably what would happen if we pulled our troops out. -MichaelNiffeneggerTestUser
November 28, 2005
Citation of source in project:
"Steroids and the Asterisk"; [Op-Ed]
Bob Greene.
New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York: 22 Oct 2005. 28 Nov 2005. pg. A.17 <
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=915017051&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=1360&RQT=309&VName=PQD∞>
"Maris was haunted by that invisible asterisk because he hit his 61 home runs in a season that was eight games longer than the one in which Ruth hit his 60 -- a change in the schedule Maris had nothing to do with" ("Steroids").
November 29, 2005
This morning in Calc, I got back my 10th quiz that I have taken in recitation class. The teacher takes the best 10 quizzes out of 13 that we take, and this counts for 100 of the total 450 points in the class. There is still one quiz I have taken that is floating around somewhere, but with the 10 quizzes that I have in my possession, I have a 92.5 out of 100. My two exam scores were a 70 and a 90, which are both out of 100 points also. These three scores added up and divided by three is an average of about an 84. The final is out of 150 points, so I think I need to get at least a 78 or 79 to keep my B.
November 30, 2005
Tonight on ESPN is the last night of the Big Ten/ACC challenge, and I get to see Maryland play for the first time this year. If I did not choose Penn State, I would be going to Maryland and be at this game. They are playing Minnesota, who is not ranked, while Maryland is ranked #20. The Terps brought back a lot of players from last years team, and they have a lot of depth. The Terps must play consistent basketball to be a threat in the ACC because there are so many good teams. The #1 ranked team in the nation, Duke, and Maryland have developed a huge rivalry over the past few years and have played in dramatic games with memorable endings. These two teams play at Duke on January 11th, and at Maryland on February 11th. It will probably be impossible, but I am going to try to get tickets to this game.
